it's monday, march 7th. right now on "first look," the worldwide outpouring over the passing of nancy raeagan continues as admire ires remember a devoted partner to ronald reagan. as the democrats debate in flint water crisis and the auto industry's bailout. when things got testy. >> if you are talking about the wall street bailout, where some of your friends destroyed this economy -- >> you know -- >> -- excuse me, i'm talking. >> we'll tell you how the candidates fared after weekend voting ahead to tuesday's big day. and check out the world's largest aircraft. nfl legend peyton manning prepares to call it a career later today. and much more on a busy monday, "first look" starts right now.

good morning i'm dara brown. worldwide reaction continues to pour in on the death of former first lady nancy reagan. the words used mostly to describe her, loyal, devoted, shrewd, and protective. former president jimmy carter said she will always be admired for her strength of conviction and her lifelong devotion to her husband. former first lady barbara bush, nancy reagan was totally devoted to president reagan, and we take comfort that they will be reunited once more. bill and hillary clinton, her strength of character was legendary, particularly when tested by the attempted assassination of the president, and throughout his battle with alzheimer's. george w. bush said mrs. reagan was fiercely loyal to her beloved husband and that was matched only by her devotion to our country. and from the president and first lady in her long good-bye with president reagan she became a voice on behalf of millions of families going through the

deple depleting, aching reality of alzheimer's. lester holt takes a look back at how nancy reagan's public journey began on the silver screen. >> reporter: nancy davis was an actress herself, when she met ronald reagan on the mgm lot in 1949. he was already a star. but though she had her own hollywood dreams she later said she found her greatest role as her wife. >> i think i was born to be married. i was the happiest girl in the world when i became we. >> reporter: they married in 1952. a simple ceremony. and even appeared together in hellcats of the navy, the last of her 11 films. >> i began to think maybe you were playing the south seas circuit. >> you knew better. >> how could i know? did you give me a post-dated check? >> reporter: from then on, by her own description, her life was devoted to her husband. as mother to their two children, patty and ron, and as stepmother to his two children by former wife jane wyman. then came politics.

and her long career as a first lady. first in california to governor ronald reagan in 1966. >> what's ronnie's greatest asset for the women voters? >> oh, my. just being ronnie, i guess. >> reporter: and then to president reagan in 1980. after the president was shot by a would-be assassin, just two months into his first term, his wife was forever shaken. >> every time he went out and talked to thousands of people, my heart stopped. >> reporter: but she carried on, steadfast in her chosen roles as the president's protector, best friend, and partner in efforts like the anti-drug campaign for which she was forever linked. >> when it comes to drugs and alcohol, just say no. >> reporter: she was criticized for consulting an astrologer about the president's schedule, dubbed queen nancy for her expensive tastes in fashion and

white house decor, and accused of managing her husband. >> doing everything we can. >> doing everything we can. >> reporter: but the fact is she never wavered as a loving wife in all the ways she knew, and when in the mid '90s the then former president revealed he'd been diagnosed with alzheimer's disease, the partner who would rarely leave his side visited the republican national convention to share her family's pain and a new cause. >> we learned, as too many other families have learned, of the terrible pain and loneliness that must be endured as each day brings another reminder of this very long good-bye. >> so nancy, let me say thank you for all you do. thank you for your love. and thank you for just being you. >> reporter: she stayed close to her ronnie, even in her last years. she made it a point to be there when the reagan library hosted election-year debates. and to visit her husband's resting place. a love story to the very end.

>> the reagan family says mrs. reagan died peacefully in her sleep sunday. she was 94 years old. in her honor flags have been ordered to fly at half-staff at the u.s. capitol. and in california, flowers are being left outside the reagan library where nancy reagan will be laid to rest alongside her husband. funeral plans have not yet been released. to the 2016 election now and the democrats faced off in flint last night. ahead of tomorrow's michigan primary. both candidates were quick to hit the ongoing water crisis in the city, and didn't hold back on michigan governor rick snyder's role, or his future. >> so i would have a full investigation, determine who knew what when, and, yes, people should be fired. >> president sanders would fire anybody who knew about what was happening and did not act appropriately. i believe the governor of this state should understand that his dereliction of duty was irresponsible. he should resign.

>> i agree. the governor should resign, or be recalled. and we should -- [ applause ] -- support the efforts of citizens attempting to achieve that. >> governor snyder has responded saying in part in the coming days, political candidates will be leaving flint and michigan. they will not be staying to help solve the crisis. but i am committed to the people of flint. i will fix this crisis, and help move flint forward. later on, things got testy while talking about bailouts and the economy. in one of the most talked about moments on social media. >> some of your friends destroyed this economy -- >> you know -- excuse me, i'm talking. >> if you're going to talk, tell the whole story, senator sanders. >> let me tell my story. you tell yours. >> i will. >> i said let the billionaires themselves bail out wall street. shouldn't be the middle class of this country.

>> okay. >> wait a minute. can i finish? you'll have your turn. >> that is like the nra's position. no. >> can i finish, please? all right. >> bernie sanders helped his case for the nomination this weekend with wins in maine, nebraska, and kansas. clinton meanwhile won in louisiana and is ahead in total delegates 1100 to 492. both candidates now look to tomorrow's primaries in michigan and mississippi. the republicans will face off tuesday in idaho, michigan, and louisiana primaries and caucus in hawaii. this as ted cruz had a big weekend and is closing in on the donald's delegate lead. nbc's gabe gutierrez has more. >> reporter: donald trump made a grand entrance at the world golf championships, teeing up a fierce fight on marco rubio's home turf. >> marco rubio had a very, very bad night. and personally i'd call for him to drop out of the race. >> reporter: the billionaire front-runner trouncing his rivals on super saturday in louisiana and kentucky.

but ted cruz is surging after decisive wins in kansas and maine. now only 87 delegates behind trump. >> there's one campaign that has beat him not once, not twice, but five times. and that is our campaign. >> this is shaping up to be a two-person race, because only donald trump and ted cruz have shown the ability to win repeatedly. >> reporter: the so-called establishment may not like cruz -- >> but if ted's the alternative to trump, he's at least a republican conservative. >> reporter: rubio finished fourth in maine. and third everywhere else. >> we knew this would be the roughest period in the campaign given the makeup of the electoral map. >> reporter: last night he won puerto rico's primary, scrounging for delegates but he faces an uphill battle. on tuesday michigan votes and the latest nbc news/"wall street journal"/marist poll shows trump with a commanding lead there. john kasich a distance fourth. >> john kasich! >> reporter: he campaigned in his crucial home state of ohio, with arnold schwarzenegger. >> we need to connect with one another because that's the spirit of america.

that's where the america lives. >> gabe gutierrez reporting. police are searching for a suspect in the shooting of an idaho pastor a day after delivering prayers at a ted cruz rally. 30-year-old kyle odom is wanted for critically wounding pastor tim remington in the parking lot of alter church in coeur d'alene sunday. on saturday he delivered the invocation for republican presidential candidate ted cruz. in a statement the cruz campaign said our prayers are pastor tim, his family, and the doctors who are supervising his care. let's get down to business with cnbc's landon dowdy. good morning. >> hi dara, prices at the pump are going up. the average price of regular unleaded rises seven cents in the past two weeks to $1.84 a gallon. that's as crude oil prices rise and demand for gasoline is increasing across the country. however gas is still 70 cents cheaper than this same time last year. meanwhile the world's largest aircraft is getting ready for its maiden voyage. originally developed by the u.s.

army the airlander 10 is now designed for commercial use. a cross between a blimp and a plane it's filled with helium, with fly for five days straight, and carry up to 48 passengers and 10 tons of cargo. and wall street could start monday on a down note. stocks coming off a strong week following friday's better than expected jobs report. now closing at a two-month high. asian markets ending higher today on the back of wall street's gains and the rise in oil and commodity prices. >> thanks so much, landon. one of the nfl's most iconic figures, peyton manning, has told the denver broncos he's retiring. the star quarterback is the league's all-time leader in that position with a record 200 wins and the most passing yards. manning is calling it quits after 18 nfl seasons. most of them with the indianapolis colts. last month he led the broncos to victory from super bowl 50. he's expected to make an official announcement later today. in other sports news, kobe bryant, suiting up for what's being called one of the biggest upsets in nba history. the lakers led by jordan

clarkson and rookie deangelo russell handed the defending nba champions their sixth loss of the season. kobe bryant had 12 points and steph curry scored just 18 points as his warriors shot a season-worst 13% from three point land. final lakers 112, warriors 95. more nba pain the miami heat's mascot bernie dished out his own version ow with a stunt gone wrong as his furry friends paid a price. well now back to the action. the thunders kevin durant nailed his tenth triple double of the season but it wasn't all easy as plumly stuffed durant's dunk attempt. oklahoma city hung on to take the home team bucks 105 -- or 104 rather to 96. chase utley's two-game suspension has been dropped. major league baseball resended the penalty for an incident that resulted in a broken leg for mets shortstop reuben at the had today during the 2015 nlcs series. the league has enacted new rules

for runners sliding into second and those rules didn't exist when the collision occurred. good news surrounding former president jimmy carter. plus husbands and wives fight for glory. you're watching "first look."

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with welcome back to "first look." despite a very busy political season right now, we will get some weather headlines out of this week, too. we are watching a big storm coming into california. this is the second one in three days. this rain is going to make it to los angeles earlier this morning. right now we got about three hours away from l.a. so that will be probably right before they get to their morning rush hour. now there's a new storm, the one that went to california this weekend comes to the central plains. it is going to spark severe weather. we're going to deal very little in the way of winter weather this week. temperatures are warm all the way across the country and we're going to spark severe storms. so slight risk today. maybe an isolated tornado or two. the best chance for late-night storms will be around the dallas area. down to austin. and again, scattered storms. tuesday the concentration gets a little better. this storm is going to stall out

and cause a lot of problems through arkansas, louisiana, maybe a few tornados tuesday afternoon. watch out san antonio, houston, all the way back up to the north. and then because the storm stalls out, we get a lot of gulf moisture building. we're going to see numerous rounds of thunderstorms and that's going to mean the chance of flooding. this week in the next five days, potential for five to ten inches of rain. arkansas, louisiana, and texas. so, the east coast enjoy your beautiful springlike fever, but the middle of the country is going to have some problems. >> that's a lot of water, bill. thank you so much for that. former president jimmy carter has ended his cancer treatments. the 91-year-old revealed the good news to his church congregation sunday. >> and then the doctors determined that i didn't need any more treatments. i continue to get regular mri and other scans, and if the cancer shows up again i'll start getting treatments again. >> a florida woman is charged with dui and careless driving after police say she drove her pickup truck into four people at the daytona international speedway early saturday morning.

43-year-old abby kinney failed sobriety tests. a breathalyzer found her blood alcohol content was more than two times the legal limit. in england, couples competed in the ninth annual wife carrying championship on sunday, and competitors raced nearly a quarter mile through obstacles. an american man and his french-born wife won for the second straight year, clocking in at a minute 40. good for them. the candidates speak out on the passing of nancy reagan, but will things get more civilized on the trail? "first look" will be right back. d through elkhorn ranch, the sudden loss of pasture became a serious problem for a family business. faced with horses that needed feeding the owners were forced to place an emergency order of hay. thankfully, mary miller banks with chase for business. and with a complete view of her finances, she could control her cash flow, and keep the ranch running. chase for business. so you can own it. chase for business.

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♪ the presidential candidates all took a moment to offer their condolences on the passing of formers first lady nancy reagan. donald trump size mrs. reagan was an amazing woman, she will be missed. ted cruz tweeted nancy reagan will be remembered for her deep passion for this nation and love for her husband ronald. marco rubio called her a true example of integrity and grace and john kasich said america has lost a woman of grace and strength and her relationship with her husband was one of our nation's great love stories. bill and hillary clinton called her an extraordinary woman, and a gracious first lady who leaves a remarkable legacy of good while senator sanders called her an exemplary first lady who served our country well, adding she had a good heart. speaker paul ryan's request,

flags over the u.s. capitol have been lowered to half-staff in honor of mrs. reagan. jane timm joins us now. good morning. >> good morning. >> we just saw some amazing tributes coming in for the former first lady. and do you think that mrs. reagan's passing will have any impact on the gop candidates? i mean this has been quite an uncivil gop season. what do you think it's going to do? >> you really have to wonder if ronald reagan would recognize his own party these days. i mean, the hostility and these debates or lack thereof. crude jokes and this -- ronald reagan raised taxes. ronald reagan compromised. ronald reagan did a lot of things his party now says they're not a big fan of. we saw maybe six months ago the first early debate at the reagan library in front of his air force one, i think the party has come a long way since then, since reagan and since that debate. >> not quite ronald reagan style, we do know that. let's move on to michigan. we had the democratic debate last night and of course the voting is coming up in michigan, and bernie sanders, how did he do in the debate? do you think it's going to be enough for him to actually get

some votes there in michigan? >> michigan's become this sort of test case for the entire country because bernie sanders needs to get better votes with minority voters. needs to convince them that he is an advocate for them. and hillary clinton needs to convince blue collar workers that she is a strong ally for them, and just as strong as bernie sanders has convinced a lot of blue collar workers across this country that he's their guy. so this is sort of the sort of pivotal case. i think bernie sanders struggled a little bit on some of the rhetoric he had with minority voters, but really you have to wait and see till those votes come in if this -- it's a tight race and hillary clinton looks pretty strong there. >> okay. let's go to the republican side because trump is leading in in michigan and ted cruz might be coming in as a close second. now ben carson's out of the race. does that change the polling and who is going to get ben carson's votes? >> ted cruz might get a good bum from ben carson. it might not be enough to take donald trump on but it might be enough to boost marco rubio farther into third. but what's really important is that ben carson's voters weren't

sort of typical voters. they weren't people who were drawn by the process, they were drawn by dr. carson, so an endorsement from him would probably go a lot farther to help them. i pressed him this weekend and said who are you voting for in florida? wouldn't say. i don't think he's going to get into it just yet. >> you brought up marco rubio. we'll see what happens because he's got michigan, he won puerto rico but what will happen in florida? trump or rubio? >> he's got to win it if he's going to stay in it. >> jane timm, thank you so much. love to see you on these mondays. just ahead, harry smith takes a look at the love story that was the life of nancy and ronald reagan.

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the death of nancy reagan brings a closing chapter of a powerful love story that began in hollywood, continued in the white house, and often played out on the world stage, as well. as nbc's harry smith reports, it endured all the way to the end. >> reporter: nancy reagan was a contract actress when she met the dashing head of the screen actor's guild, ronald reagan. as they sat down to dinner, each claimed to have an early call the next day. an old actor's excuse in case things didn't go well. no such insurance was needed. march 4th marked 64 years since their wedding day. when you look at pictures of nancy and ronald reagan, from their days in california, to their time in the white house, they so often look like lovestruck kids, soul mates. the love of each other's life. this is a letter from the president to mrs. reagan. pulled from an nbc special. mrs. reagan reads --

>> dear first lady, as president of the united states, it's my honor and privilege to cite you for service above and beyond the call of duty, and that you have made one man, me, the most happy man in the world for 29 years. >> reporter: they were inseparable. steadfast. especially in times of trial. through the assassination attempt, her breast cancer. >> i'll say welcome home. >> reporter: alzheimer's disease. through sickness and health, till death do us part, that was ronnie and nancy. some years after the president's death, mrs. reagan told "vanity fair," i miss ronnie a lot. an awful lot. people say it gets better. no it does not. their love explained best by the president himself. who wrote to mrs. reagan, "i'm not whole without you. you are life itself to me." that is a love story. harry smith, nbc news, new york. >> a love story. and what an amazing life.

hollywood, politics, everything. >> she set the bar like when you think first lady you think of how she conducted herself. >> she did. she carried herself extremely well. amazing. i'm dara brown and this is "first look" on msnbc. be sure to like us on facebook. and "way too early" starts right now. this morning remembering first lady nancy reagan. known as a devoted wife, fierce protector and sharp adviser to her husband, the late president ronald reagan. plus -- >> if you are talking about the wall street bailout, where some of your friends destroyed this economy -- >> you know -- >> excuse me, i'm talking. >> if you're going to talk, tell the whole story, senator sanders. >> let me tell my story. you tell yours. >> i will. >> hillary clinton and bernie sanders face off in flint ahead of the michigan primary on tuesday and split decisions over the weekend in both the democrat and republican presidential contests, where the delegate count now stands as donald trump and ted cruz tell marco rubio

that it's time for him to go. it is 5:30 on the east coast, 2:30 out west. this is "way too early." good morning, everyone. it is monday, march 7th. i'm alex witt. the nation is mourning its former first lady nancy reagan. partner in love and politics to one of the most influential figures ever to hold the american presidency. died yesterday of congestive heart failure at the age of 94. nancy reagan's grace and insight shaped the life and career of her husband, ever since they met in hollywood. she was a young actress, getting small parts. he was climbing back from personal and professional disappointments. >> we met each other out here on