late sunday evening, the secretary of homeland security abruptly resigns. why was the president so frustrated? and what does it mean for u.s. immigration policy? >> a shooting spree over the weekend in chicago, 24 shots in 30 hours, including three children under 13 years of age. >> freed, the american kidnapped at gunpoint and held hostage five days while on safari in uganda has been released. did a ransom lead to her freedom? >> an investigation into three historically black churches that were set on fire in the same south louisiana parish in just ten days. >> in a thrilling final the lady

bears at baylor university are your ncaa national champions. erlts starts now. good monday morning. i'm frances rivera. >> and i'm marlie hall. a major shake up at the white house this morning amid the battle over border security. kirstjen nielsen is resigning as secretary of homeland security, but will stay on the job through wednesday. the president announced nielsen's departure over twitter as well as her interim replacement. nbc's tracie potts has more. good morning, tracie. >> reporter: good morning, marlie. it is breaking news overnight with a response from nielsen about staying on for a couple more days after the president said she was resigning immediately. you mentioned her replacement. that will be kevin mcillean, president of customs and poureder patrol. that is significant because it seems to be the issue at the border that caused the president to ask nielsen for her resignation. the president reportedly frustrated over the number of migrant families crossing the

border. now, she steps down just days after standing with president trump at the border in ca lexico talking about the portions of the wall that had been built there. but this growing frustration has been building over migrant families approaching and entering the united states. so nielsen will step down and that creates a full holes in the department of homeland security. democrats saying what's going on here with the number one stepping down. no deputy in place. now moving up customs and border patrols, commissioner creating an opening there. president trump recently pulled a nominee for the department of homeland security, so there is quite a shake up going on in that department right now with its head changing as of yesterday. >> all right, tracie, thank you. >> meanwhile, the stage is set for a major showdown on capitol hill this week between congress

and president trump. democrats want six years of the president's tax returns turned over by wednesday, and the full mueller report released without redactions from attorney general william barr. nbc's kelly o'donnell has more on what to expect. >> reporter: count down to tax day. not the usual april 15th deadline, but this wednesday, when house democrats demand irs turnover six years of president trump's tax returns. >> is that all? >> reporter: a curt response from the white house. >> no, never. nor should they. >> reporter: acting chief of staff mick mulvaney called it a nonstarter. >> voters knew the president could have given his tax returns. they knew he didn't and they elected him anyway which is of course what drives the democrats crazy. >> i've been under audit many years because the numbers are big. >> reporter: house democrats argue that proper oversight allows them to review how the irs is auditing the president's returns. >> this is a president who has resisted any oversight or inquiry into his affairs, and so

i think the chairman of ways and means has every right to determine is the irs following its own policy and protocols. >> reporter: the other big deadline? the mueller report. team trump says attorney general barr should release as much as legally possible. >> no republican is pushing back on full disclosure of the report. i haven't heard any republican -- >> reporter: but democrats insist the attorney general review should not remove classified, sensitive, or grand jury information from the nearly 400-page russia probe findings. >> congress has a right to the entire report without redactions whatsoever so we can see what's there. >> reporter: the window for congress and by extension the public to get some access to the mueller report is fast approaching. the attorney general pledged to make portions of the report available by mid april, and congress is holding out an already approved subpoena as a stick if necessary. frances? >> all right, kelly o'donnell for us. kelly, thank you. >> now to the latest in the 2020

race, indiana mayor pete buttiegieg got very perj a personal about his struggle to come to terms with his sexual orientation as he prepares to run as the first openly gay candidate for president. for more on this we go to nbc's hans nichols. >> reporter: for the first time mayor pete buttiegieg described in deeply personal terms a kind of internal war. one that the 37-year-old was only able to win after he came home from serving in afghanistan. >> when i was younger, i would have done anything to not be gay. if you had offered me a pill to make me straight, i would have swallowed it before you had time to give me a sip of water. if you had shown me exactly what it was inside me that made me gay, i would have cut it out with a knife. >> reporter: but he went on to thank god there was no pill, no knife. the rogue scholar didn't come out to his parents until he was 33 and his constituents in 2015. the next year he won with 80%.

68% of voters were comfortable with a gay presidential candidate. in some iowa polls he's at 30%. he seemed to take aim at mike pence saying anyone who had a problem with who he was actually has a problem with his creator. >> hans, thank you. >> after five days in captivity, an american tourist is safe again released after she was kidnapped by armed gun men after going on safari in uganda last tuesday. nbc's sarah harman has the latest. >> reporter: her ordeal is over. days after kimberly's dream vacation to uganda turned into a nightmare. the woman from orange county, california, and her local guide were ambushed during a game drive through a national park. the suspects used her cell phone to call her family and demand a half million dollars ransom. according to a ugandan security official, she and the guide are both safe and in good health.

rescued near the park's border of the democratic of the congo. wild frontiers paid a ransom for their release. nbc news has not independently verified this. u.s. government policy is to never pay ransom for hostages, but that doesn't always stop families or organizations from doing so privately. secretary of state mike pompeo defended the no-pay policy. >> please remember that any payment to a terrorist or terrorist regime gives money so they can seize more of our people. we cannot accept that risk. you wouldn't ask that of us. even a small payment to a greep to facilitate the killing of tens or even hundreds of others, including americans or foreign nationals in that region. >> reporter: president trump welcomed their release with a tweet, but offered no more details. she and her driver are still in uganda being interviewed by police about their ordeal.

while there's no word about those who kidnapped them. sarah harman, nbc news, london. >> a rash of weekend gun violence terrorizes neighborhoods across the country. the chicago tribune reporting 24 people were shot in a little over 24 hours. four people were killed and at least 26 were injured in separate shootings this weekend. on the city's south side, bullets rained down on a baby shower after two gun men opened fire in a crowd of people. six people were shot, including a 10-year-old girl and an 8-year-old boy. meanwhile, in shreveport, louisiana, four people were shot in a mobile home. the have i can timz were ages 10 to 19. police say a gunman shot into a trailer, injuring three females and one male. they were taken to the hospital. police are still searching for the suspect. and in wilmington, delaware, people were sitting on their stoops when gunshots rang out. six people were injured at the intersection of 10th and pine street.

police there are investigating the cause of the incident. >> dramatic video of a drunk driver slamming into a chicago police cruiser. cbd shared the surveillance. blowing through the red light and crashing into the side of the police suv. that suv as you can see there goes airborne. the driver's blood alcohol content was .205. that is 2 1/2 times the legal limit. the officers were not seriously hurt, but the other driver did sustain injuries. >> the women's ncaa women's championship game had one of the most fantastic finishes in recent history. >> jackson richards, dran dram, brown and person for the championship. it's jackson. on the drive for the lead! got it to go! >> notre dame does get the chance to tie it up, but the hero from last year's championship, erica, misses the first free-throw. that seals the deal for baylor. the lady bears win the rematch

from the 2012 national championship game. >> we just beat the defending national champions. that team is so good, so talented. you're going to see those guys play at the next level. and, wow, you know, i just -- i'm emotional for a lot of reasons. >> and if that wasn't enough heart pumping hoops action for you, the men's championship tips off later tonight. it's going to be a defensive battle between the 3 ceded texas tech red raiders and the 1 seed virginia cavaliers. >> some tough weather for people in texas. a mix of rain, thunderstorms and hail, this is video showing a massive hail splashing down in the backyard pool. the hail storm hit throughout the lone star state. these are photos from texas showing those hail stones compared to a penny. look at how big they are. this is shown on twitter showing a mix of fog, thunder and hail covering an entire grass field

there. all lighting up. they know what's coming. severe weather, tornado season all coming in that region. >> good morning once again. grape land, the baseball size hail would have smashed a windshield. let's move to the northeast. they're watching rain moving through. i have to point out northern new england it has a reputation for spring to be very ugly. it's living up to that today. snow is breaking out in areas of maine. not only is it going to snow, it's going to be heavy snow in areas of maine. we're going to clear out many areas of the northeast. if you're south new york city south ward >> phil: feel like summer, very humid and very warm. once you get from boston northward, it's going to be chilly and cold. we even have another storm that's going to come in on tuesday. snowfall amounts in maine, this is not just little snow. that's 6 to southeast we're goi

to be watching thunderstorms today and even the threat of severe storms. coming up we're going to talk more snow. we're talking about a blizzard in the plains, some people are going to get nailed. >> we have to keep all the coats out, the heavy coat, raincoat, lighter coat. >> closets full. >> bill, thank you. two sisters in arkansas got a sweet surprise from their father deployed for a year. joshua coal ber supplied his daughters in green briar, arkansas. he spent the past ten months in east africa. so the school set up the surprise by pretending to hold an assembly for attendance. the reunion, of course, absolutely priceless. >> well, coming up, prince william just returned from a three week secret mission. new details ahead. then three predominantly black churches in the same area set ablaze. you see me. but if you saw me before cosentyx... ♪

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to a call. three people in the pick up including a six month old child died. three firefighters were hurt in the crash and are in stable condition. the cause of the accident is under investigation. >> now to louisiana where over the past ten days, officials say suspicious fires have engulfed three churches in the same rural parish. for more on how this is impacting their community, we go to nbc's tammy leitner. >> reporter: pastor gerald's two sanity's congregation is vis visiting. >> what's done in the dark will be brought to the light. >> reporter: their church was destroyed. >> why? why would they do that? >> reporter: his is the third black baptist church to burn in ten days in the same south louisiana parish. a rural area where religion is present in most homes. >> the community is connected. we all belong to the same history. we all know each other.

>> reporter: shamika mallet is searching for answers. do you think this could be racially motivated? >> yes. i think it has to do with race. >> reporter: her family has been attending saint mary's baptist for generation. her mother and grandmother are buried in the back. authorities aren't calling it arson yet, but say they found suspicious elements at each fire. >> we do believe that crimes have occurred. we believe that the three fires obviously are not coincidence tal. they are related. >> reporter: there's a long history of black churches being targeted in the south. pastor toussant says he believes something good will rise from these ashes. >> this caused us to call each other more than we ever called each other. this caused us to talk to each other more than we ever talked to each other. >> reporter: he says the building is gone, but the church is still alive.

pastor toussant says he plans to rebuild bigger and better and the other two pastors say they also planning to start over. marlie and frances? >> tammie, thank you. >> it was a battle for box office supremacy, but who took the weekend? and drivers beware. more pain at the gas pump as prices continue to skyrocket. you may have overactive bladder, or oab. ohhhh... enough already! we need to see a doctor. ask your doctor about myrbetriq® (mirabegron). it treats oab symptoms of urgency, frequency, and leakage. it's the first and only oab treatment in its class. myrbetriq may increase blood pressure. tell your doctor right away if you have trouble emptying your bladder or have a weak urine stream. myrbetriq may cause serious allergic reactions like swelling of the face, lips, throat or tongue, or trouble breathing. if experienced, stop taking and tell your doctor right away. myrbetriq may interact with other medicines. tell your doctor if you have liver or kidney problems.

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warner brothers sa sham had a better than expected debut weekend earning over $53 million. the d.c. comic argen story now has the 9th best opening weekend in april. taking second at the box office was "pet sematary" taking in 25 million and dumbo made just over $18 million. >> and today's quick hits, the rockets blast past another nba record. houston sunk 23 pointers breaking the league's previous record of 23 or 26 three's set by houston just six days ago against the kings. rockets in a blowout win 149-113. >> and get ready for more pain at the pump. according to a lundqvist berg survey, over the last two weeks, the average price of gas jumped 12 cents to 2.79 per gallon. nationwide oil prices are at a five-month high now because of opec supply cuts, and u.s. sanctions on venezuela.

>> is prince william the next james bond? he just completed aid three-week secret assignment with a trio of britain's intelligence agencies including the legendary mi-6. the duke of cambridge says the experience helped him learn about u.k.'s national security and described it as truly humbling. >> straight ahead, bill is tracking a late winter blast, and country music's biggest stars shine bright. we'll have the big winners from the academy of country music a wars. awards. t's true ♪ ♪ before i get on the move ♪ i grab my special food ♪ today's the daisy i see ♪ the difference in me ♪ today's the daisy for cottage cheese (cottage cheese) ♪ ♪ today's the daisy for cottage cheese (cottage cheese) ♪ ♪ today's the daisy! ok, i...is it...?

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the remains of 25 u.s. veterans have found their final resting place. and it's all thanks to the missing in america project. the group locates and identifies the unclaimed cremated remains of american veterans and gives them proper burials. over the weekend, the organization held a somber ceremony for the forgotten heroes at the south florida national cemetery in lake worth. >> let's turn now to nbc meteorologist bill karins with more of a look ahead for the week. good morning. >> we're going to watch the storm coming into the west today. by the time we get into tuesday and wednesday, we're watching the snow and rain in the rockies. by time we get into wednesday and thursday it will be an all-out storm and blizzard forming in the middle of the country. we have to watch out from wyoming to south dakota, southern minnesota possibly, too. 50 to 650 mile an hour winds. somebody is going to ed end up with a foot of snow. >> bill, thank you. an urjts safety alert for parents. we have a warning for you. odors.

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we have an alert for you this morning. the consumer product safety commission is warning parents and care givers about fischer price's rock and play sleeper which they say is linked to 10 infant deaths. according to reports, the children died when they rolled over in the device while not being restrained. for more information or to file a report, visit safer products.gov. >> trending this morning, chrissy wowed during her live television singing debut. ♪ through whatever you go through ♪ ♪ i'm standing with you

♪ >> she sang a song from the movie "breakthrough" at the academy of country music awards. >> jasonal dean was honored as entertainer of the decade. keith urban was nominated entertainer of the year. reba mcintyre criticized the lack of female nominees for this category. >> did you know it snowed in las vegas a few weeks ago? yeah, it was so cold it froze us women out of entertainer of the year. but, you know what? that didn't bother kasie musgraves because she's been too busy carrying all her grammys around. >> kasie musgraves continued her winning streak with album of the year which she also won at the grammys. >> a skull and pair of trousers were all that remained after a suspected rhino poacher s were killed by an elephant and eaten by lions in krueger national park. this happened after the men entered the park illegally with four accomplices to poach rhinos.

according to police, an elephant attacked the man and the accomplices carried his body to the road before leaving the park. that's when a's pride of lions mauled him. they have been arrested and are due in court. >> a florida man tried to burglarize cars in a parking lot after gaining his freedom. lewis was originally jailed on allegations of grand theft. the saint lucy county sheriff's office say he was rebooked and released on bond again. >> in the jail parking lot. >> little vicious cycle. hopefully it will come to an end sometime soon. >> the memphis zoo is home to cute and tall baby giraffe. 8-year-old giraffe wendy gave birth saturday. in a record 25 minutes, her little one was up and on its feet. the zoo is awaiting the results of a neonatal exam to determine the baby's gender. he or she is expected to be on

exhibit soon. >> an exciting day for nbc news family with hoda and jenna begins this morning. jenna bush will coe host the 4th hour alongside hoda kotb. plenty of surprises in store.

ad lib live picture - golden gate - foggy start and a good monday morning to you. 4:30 right now. taking a look, ooh, still foggy at the golden gate bridge. can barely make out where that is. but it is the golden gate bridge. getting started on a monday morning. i'm marcus washington. >> i'm laura garcia. >> a nice weekend. >> it was a beautiful weekend. except more clouds. as we look at the temperatures. a mild start. that's a live look outside in fremont as we start out with dry weather. there will be a mix of sun and clouds, temperatures into the mid 60s. we keep the warm weather. weil be