it's friday, march 17th, 2017. this is the cbs morning news. a blast overnight levels a home and rattles neighbors in a maryland community. meeting face to face, president trump seeks to sure up america's relationship with germany by welcoming the german chancellor to the white house. an emt dedicated to helping others is hit and killed by her own ambulance after it was stolen. and tourists make a run for it as volcanic ash and rocks rain down from mount aetna.

good morning from the studio 57 newsroom at cbs news headquarters here in new york. good to be with you. i'm ann marie green. well, this morning president trump faces criticism from his own party on two fronts. the president's budget proposal is being shot down by some fellow republicans and gop leaders agree there is no evidence to support the president's claim that his new york sky scraper was wiretapped. later today the president meets with german chancellor angela merkel. hannah danielles is here in new york with more. hannah, good morning. >> good morning, ann marie. president trump holds his first face-to-face meeting with the german chancellor angela merkel. topping the agenda, nato, russia and climate change. the two leaders will also hold a joint press conference where domestic issues like health care, wiretapping, and the president's first budget proposal could come up. >> we look forward to that, that will be a very good visit.

>> reporter: president trump will seek common ground request german chancellor angela merkel today, a key u.s. ally he bashed on the campaign trail for her open border policies. pamerica's angela merkel.to be and you know what a disaster this massive immigration has been to germany and the people of germany. >> reporter: the visit comes as the white house continues to struggle to defend the president's wiretapping clamtz. >> the president had to quote wiretapping in quotes. he was referring to broad surveillance. >> reporter: back in 2013 allegations surfaced the obama administration tapped chancellor america p's phone. just yesterday the bipartisan senate intelligence committee shot down the president's recent charge saying, we see no indications that trump tower was the subject of surveillance. house speaker paul ryan came to the same conclusion. >> no such wiretap existed. >> reporter: president trump is also facing criticism from democratic lawmakers after unveiling the blueprint for his first budget yesterday. >> president trump has shown

that he does not value the future of our children and working families. >> reporter: the ambitious $1.15 trillion plan includes big increases for defense and homeland security. but proposes deep cuts to agencies like the epa and state department. >> the president said specifically hundreds of times, you covered him, i am going to spend less money on people overseas and more money on people back home and that's exactly what we're doing with this budget. >> reporter: the complete budget is expected to be unveiled in may. and the white house also confirmed thus the trump administration will appeal the rulings of two federal judges that temporarily blocked the revised version of his travel ban. ann marie? >> hannah daniels here in new york, thank you so much, hannah. ahead on cbs this morning we'll talk to dan senor about the president's budget. this morning secretary of state rex tillerson visited the heavily armed border that divides north and south korea.

tillerson toured the demilitarized zone created after the korean war ended in 1953. last week north korea launched four missiles earlier in tokyo. tillerson promised a tougher strategy to confront the north's nuclear threat, saying 20 years of diplomatic and other efforts have failed. and we have learned more about former national security advisor michael flynn's ties to russia. flynn was paid tens of thousands of dollars by russia's government-run television system. jeff begay has our report. >> yes, that's right, lock her up. >> reporter: just two months before retired lieutenant general michael flynn began advising the trump campaign, he traveled to moscow to attend a gala where he was seated right next to russian president vladimir putin. the top democrat on the house oversight committee, elijah cummings released checks, e-mails and invoices that showed flynn was paid almost $34,000 to attend the event by r.t., a media company the cia has said

engaged in a kremlin-directed campaign to undermine faith in the u.s. government. >> it begs the question, why would president trump allow him to be in his inner circle receiving top secrets of our government. >> reporter: in a statement, a spokesman says flynn, the former head of the defense intelligence agency, notified and briefed the dia before his trip to russia and again upon his return. >> and that just wasn't acceptable to me. >> reporter: president trump fired flynn after just 24 days as national security advisor when it was revealed flynn lied to vice-president pence about conversations he had had with the russian ambassador to the u.s.. and it's not just his connections to russia that have raised questions. just last week flynn retroactively registered with the justice department as an agent of a foreign government. he had a $600,000 lobbying contract with a company with ties to the turkish government.

in addition, flynn received over $11,000 from a russian cargo airline and he was also paid $11,000 from kaspersky labs, a well known cyber security company with ties to russian officials. jeff begay, cbs news, washington. >> house republican leaders and the white house are scrambling to gather support for the gop health care bill. resistance is growing and there does not appear to be enough votes to pass the measure. the house budget committee voted to advance the bill yesterday without the support of three gop conservatives. some say the measure is doomed. >> there are not the votes to modify this current bill to make it acceptable to conservatives and moderates alike. >> the president of the united states is the one who is bringing people together sitting around a table, hashing out our differences so that we can get to a consensus document. >> conservatives want deeper cuts to medicaid, moderates want the opposite.

and early this morning a house exploded in rockville, maryland. the single-family home was destroyed and nearby homes were damaged. it is unclear what happened to the occupants or what caused the explosion. here in new york city, an emergency medical technician was killed when she was run over by a stolen ambulance. two emts were responding to a call when they were told a man was riding on the back bumper. they got out of the ambulance and he got into the driver's seat. he put the ambulance into reverse and ran over the driver and injured her partner. >> that was kind of the most, like, sad part for me because her partner was there just balling, you know, having a fit crying a lot. >> 44-year-old yadira arroyo had five children. an off duty officer and several civilians captured the suspect who stole the ambulance. a 5 alarm fire destroyed an apartment building under

construction in raleigh, north carolina. flames lit up the night sky in downtown raleigh. the fire spread to other buildings, but no injuries are reported. and there's no indication anyone was inside the building. a construction crane fell over and power was knocked out in the area. the cause of the fire is under investigation. overseas now, an airstrike on a mosque in northwest syria killed at least 42 people. that's according to a british human rights group. the mosque is located in one of the main rebel-held areas of syria. the unidentified jets attacked the mosque when it was full of worshippers for evening prayer. according to the syrian observatory for human rights, both u.s. and russia have carried out air strikes in the area. well, coming up on the morning news now, usa gymnastics fall out, the head of the group quits amid a growing scandal. and the spotted plant that might go with green eggs and ham. why dr. seuss fans are excited about it. this is the cbs morning news.

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♪ the sweet sound of james cotton's harmonica has been part of the blues scene for decades. he started performing at the age of 9, recorded nearly 30 albums and won a grammy. the man musicians called mr. super harp died yesterday of pneumonia. james cotton was 81 years old. well, the president of usa gymnastics steps down and sentencing in a twisted california kidnapping case. those are some of the headlines on the morning news stand. the los angeles times reports the sentencing of a former lawyer in a bizarre kidnapping. matthew muller was handed a 40-year term yesterday in sacramento. he admits drugging and sexually assaulting denise huskins for two days in 2015 after a home invasion. vallejo police initially said she had staged a hoax, but later

apologized to the victim. she is suing the department. the indianapolis star reports the resignation of usa gymnastics president steve penny, the us olympic committee turned a blind eye to sex abuse allegations. more than 80 say they were assaulted by a long-time team doctor. the guardian of britain says a letter bomb sent to a paris office came from greece. a worker was hurt yesterday when the device blew up at the headquarters of the international monetary fund. there is no claim of responsibility. the imf has been criticized in greece for its handling of the nation's debt crisis. "the new york times" says hackers used a mkts account on twitter to insult president trump. the message was shared hundreds of times yesterday before it was removed. it was posted on a corporate account that has about 150,000 followers. usa today says a recent senate spat inspired the title of chelsea clinton's book, she

persisted is about women and girls who didn't take no for an answer. the title is a phrase majority leader mcconnell used why he silenced massachusetts democrat ee l elizabeth warren. an odd discovery in a texas park, it looks like the kind of flower dr. seuss might have drawn. folks have flocked to the park since word got out, but it's not a plant at all. it's a kind of protective cocoon that grows when a certain wasp lays eggs in a white oak tree. watch it now, about when they start to hatch you want to get out of there. still to come, a new voice on injury phone. the virtual assistant alexa could now help you with more than just your amazon purchases. it can be hard to breathe. it can be hard to get air out, n make it hard to get air in. so i talked to my doctor. she said... symbicort could help you breathe better, starting within 5 minutes. symbicort doesn't replace a rescue inhaler

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foul in the final seconds. and march madness is just getting started. join us today at noon right here on cbs for a key first round match up. oklahoma state versus michigan. on cbs money watch now, amazon's virtual assistant joins the iphone and netflix revamps its rating system. jill wagner is at the new york stock exchange with that and more. good morning, jill. >> good morning. stocks pretty much stayed put yesterday. utility and health care stocks were lower. the dow lost 15 points, the s&p slipped 3, nasdaq rose just under a point. boeing signed a $3.4 billion contract to produce helicopters for the army. the army will get 244 of the latest apache attack copters. it is an vangsed multi roll helicopter, new sensors, avionics and improved night capabilities. an unnamed international customer will get 24.

$27 million settlement has been approved in a class action lawsuit against the company lyft. the judge gave the final approval yesterday. lyft drivers in california argued they should be classified as employees, which means they are entitled to reimbursement for expenses. though the suit has been settled, the status of lyft drivers under california law remains uncertain. netflix is ditching its five star rating system. the new system will feature a rate button that lets viewers either vote thumbs up or thumbs down. the ratings change is expected to happen next month. netflix hopes the new system will get viewers to consider their own experience as opposed to rating the show or movie thinking about what they think other viewers would like. and can siri and alexa get along? amazon is bringing the alexa voice to the iphone. alexa and apple siri are a growing number of voice assistants. they can summon alexa by tapping

the amazon app with help and shopping and information like news, weather or sports scores. ann marie in >> all right, sounds like a good idea. like you said, as long as the two ladies can get along. >> i think it's going to be a turf war. >> really. jill wagner at the new york stock exchange. thank you so much, jill. still ahead, a young publishing star. we will meet the 8-year-old girl who made the best seller list with the book inspired by her annoying little brother. more flavorful. delicious. with more great nutrition. and 25% less saturated fat. only eggland's best. better taste. better nutrition. better eggs. the toothpaste that helpstax, prevent bleeding gums. if you spit blood when you brush or floss you may have gum problems and could be on the journey to much worse. help stop the journey of gum disease.

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here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. well, some tourists who wanted to see europe's most active volcano got more than they bargained for. seth doan tells what happened

when mount aetna sprang a surprise. >> reporter: mount aetna has been putting on an impressive show for days, spewing lava and steam, but no one expected this. the massive explosion was caught on camera by a bbc crew. piping hot volcanic ash and rock rained down as tourists and the crew fled. one reporter described it as running down a mountain being pelted by rocks, dodging burning boulders and boiling steam. a camera woman shook burning embers off her back. she later tweeted a photo of the hole burned in her jacket. at least ten people were injured from flying debris. taking shelter in a passing snow

cap. the blast is what's known as a freto mag matt i can eruption caused by extremely hot lava hitting much colder snow. police on snowmobiles responded for what was a lucky escape for everyone. there are always risks involved with getting close to an active volcano, but experts tell us this sort of explosion is a rare event. it takes a perfect storm of circumstances for it to occur. seth doane, cbs news, rome. >> well, saint patrick did not drive the snakes out of brazil, but his feast day is not forgotten there. rio's famed christ the redeemer statue was bathed in green light to honor ireland's patron saint. happy saint patrick's day. former secretary of state james baker. i'm ann marie green. this is the cbs morning news. court's in use bros, wait your turn.

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a second grader in alabama made the best seller list. her book was inspired by her little brother. michelle miller caught up with her. >> steady. go. >> reporter: nia loves being a big sister, but admits it's not easy. >> i sometimes have to say no. >> reporter: not easy playing with ronald michael. >> he will throw the ball and the ball goes flying everywhere. >> reporter: not easy giving him advice. >> he won't always listen. >> reporter: but one thing came very easy to the 8-year-old. writing about the whole experience. tell me this, how long did it take you to write that book? >> well, it didn't take very

long. it took a few days. >> reporter: nia is an official penned author with her own built-in fan base. even the town mayor showed up at her latest book signing. >> thank you. >> reporter: her book, how to deal with and care for your annoying little brother, is on amazon's best seller list for parenting. >> it really has spread the excitement across our school for other young writers. >> reporter: it all started as an assignment in beth hank ins first grade class last year. >> and she shared she was a great big sister to an annoying little brother. >> reporter: you say it like he really is annoying. >> yes, he is. >> reporter: aren't most five year old brothers annoying? >> well, he's a little annoying. >> reporter: her mother thought her daughter should continue the project over the summer. >> work on the sentences, work on the spelling, work on the way it's worded. that will be your summer project. >> reporter: the book has

universal lessons on patience, kindness and love. >> you need to teach him sometimes. >> reporter: the best lesson she says, the notion to disguise learning as fun. something she's managed to share with her entire school. what did you learn from all this? >> well, i learned to follow my own dreams. >> reporter: and with every signature, she encourages the rest of us to do the same. i like that. >> reporter: michelle miller, cbs news, birmingham, alabama. >> our top story this morning, the white house continues to defend the president's wiretapping claims despite growing bipartisan agreement that there is no evidence supporting the president. and the president's budget blueprint is getting panned by democrats and members of his own party. the budget proposal calls for major reductions in domestic programs. coming up after your local news on cbs this morning, we'll speak with former secretary of state james baker about president trump's budget proposal, plus prince william and his wife make their first official visit as a

couple to paris today. charlie dageda will be there. dana jacobson will talk to the ball brothers who are scoring big points on the basketball court. that's the cbs morning news for this friday. thanks for watching. i'm ann marie green. have a great day. ,,,,

i'm kenny choi. it is friday! as we take a live look at the beautiful bay bridge this morning, top of the morning to ya!! it's friday, march 17.

i'm kenny choi. >> i'm michelle griego. o'griego. as roberta would say [ overlapping speakers ] >> she decided to make it christmas today with the red, green and red. >> yeah. why not? would you believe i forgot? >> no. [ laughter ] >> i'm more of a cinco de mayo girl. >> green is cinco de mayo. >> thanks. i never have been able to so i'm not accustomed to wearing green. what a st. patrick's day it will be! celebrating with sunny skies, clouds right now it is clear from the coast to our inland areas. our temperatures are banking between 43 in santa rosa to 51 in oakland. it is now 53 degrees in san francisco. see that right there? that is a clear slot. that's what we're experiencing right now. but as you notice we have plenty of clouds west to the north of us so some