party primary. that is awesome for him. as i said, though, not a man to be humbled by what he just went through. that does it for us tonight. a be humbled by just what -- what he just went through. >> "first look" is up next. it's friday, march 18th. right now on "first look," is the northeast headed for one last gasp with a massive snowstorm? the anger and frustration over the flint lead poise upping crisis shifted to washington. a mounting effort by some in the republican party to stop trump before he leads the party in the race for the white house. soon, every car in the land will have this special safety measure. march madness is in full swing and we have the bracketbusters. "first look" starts right now. good morning. i'm betty nguyen. things they got heated fast on capitol hill yesterday during a congressional hearing over who's to blame for the toxic water

crisis that has poisoned flint, michigan. in what could be described as a public shaming and the calling for heads to roll. nbc's stephanie gosk reports. >> reporter: with the children of flint still unable to drink the water -- blinkmanship and blame on the hill. >> if you want to do the courageous thing, you should resign. >> people who put dollars over the fundamental safety of the people do not belong in government. and you need to resign too, governor snyder. >> reporter: the republican governor from michigan and the head of the epa were hammered on the hill over the lead in flint's water. >> you need to take some responsibility because you screwed up. and you messed up 100,000 people's lives. 100,000 of them. >> reporter: every resident of flint including more than 8,000 children was exposed to dangerous levels of lead for over a year. while officials insisted the water was safe. >> this was a failure of government at all levels. we all failed the families of

flint. >> reporter: but the democrat from pennsylvania hit back hard. >> you are not in a medically induced coma for a year. and i have had about enough of your false contrition and your phony apologies. >> reporter: epa head gina mccarthy said her agency relied on michigan water officials. >> i wish we had yelled from the treetops, but there's no way that my agency created this problem. >> reporter: more than 150 residents from flint bussed in overnight for the hearing. >> just to brush our teeth, we can't use the faucet like we do here in washington. >> reporter: for some, faith in the government still lingers. even after they were so badly let down. stephanie gosk, nbc news, washington. we are hearing for the first time from the first known american isis member to surrender on the battlefield. khweis is an american born son of immigrants. he said he made a quote, bad

decision, to follow a young woman from turkey to syria and then to inmosul, iraq. his captors have released a heavily edited video of his confession. >> i was with a lot of foreigners, a lot of asians, russians. and people from the surrounding area. i didn't really support their ideology and that's at that point that's when i decided i needed to escape. i wanted to go back to america. my message to the american people is -- the life in mosul, it's really, really bad. >> it is unclear if khweis will be returning to the u.s. or if he'll be prosecuted. meanwhile, the new york pizzeria owner who admit he tried to recruit for isis is sentenced to 22 months in

prison. the man pled guilty to providing material support to isis. he was convicted of supporting isis in the u.s. an iraqi born palestinian has been indicted on trying to support isis. this comes two months after he was arrested and accused of lying about traveling to syria. he faces a total of 15 years in prison if convicted on both charges. it is a flight 55 passengers and four crew won't soon forget. an american airlines flight from raleigh durham to laguardia airport was struck by lightning and had to make an emergency landing at nearby jfk. it happened around 6:00 p.m. local time. the plane was circling when it hit turbulence. >> it was just such a loud bang. like a fire work, you know, right there. >> what was the sense of relief when you got off that plane? >> we were so happy to be

landed, all safely. all of us said that to each other. we made it. >> as you just heard the plane landed safely. no one was hurt. the faa is investigating though. now to the race for the white house and the increased support of a stop trump movement among influential conservatives. nbc's hallie jackson takes us inside the effort to derail the donald. >> reporter: two blocks from the white house, a secret huddle on how to stop trump from moving in. led by erick erickson, calling for a unity ticket with the gop and looking ahead to the contested convention. regrouping to reassess how to slow him down. two roadblocks slowing them down. first, trump could still lock up the nomination before the convention. ads against him not doing much as he doubled his delegate lead this week even after outside groups spent $13 million. >> now we're having conversations with donors gauging the interest in moving

ahead. >> reporter: anti-trump activists are trying to convince the delegates to fight him at the convention. in the words of one activist people who built this party have been here here longer than the newcomers who are threatening to burn it down. but the second effort, calling for unity without specifying who the party should unify behind. john kasich or ted cruz. but today new signs that cruz may have the edge. marco rubio praising him as conservative, though ruling out a vp rule. and lindsey graham playing to raise money for his colleague a few weeks after this joke. >> if you kill ted cruz on the floor of the senate, and the trial was in the senate, nobody could convict you. >> reporter: the unlikeliest of pairings in an unlikely race, one that stop trump movements never saw happening. >> nbc's hallie jackson reporting. bernie sanders has officially conceded the missouri primary to hillary clinton. nbc news said clinton was the

apparent winner on tuesday after leading by roughly 1,500 votes. sanders won't ask for a recount and even though he's behind in total delegates by a wide margin, don't expect him to drop out any time soon. >> we think if we come in to the convention in july in philadelphia, having won a whole lot of delegates, having a whole lot of momentum behind us, and most importantly, perhaps, being the candidate who is most likely to defeat donald trump, we think that some of these super delegates who have sported hillary clinton can come over to us. all eyes turn to next tuesday's contest in arizona, utah and idaho, as well as america samoa. utah will be offering online voting for the republican caucuses for the first time. supreme court nominee merrick garland is making the rounds on capitol hill. yesterday, judge garland met with senate minority leader

harry reid and the top democrat on the senate committee, patrick leahy. senate republicans are standing by their vow not to even consider his nomination before the next president is elected. eight senate republicans said they'd be open to at least meeting with judge garland, although some say it won't change their mind. let's get right to the madness now. making its first appearance in the ncaa tournament in 54 years, yale showed they belonged. by upsetting the nation's best offensive rebounding team in baylor. 79-75. check out the postgame frustration with this reporter/player exchange. >> how does yale outrebound baylor? >> um, you go up and grab the ball off the rim when it comes off and then you grab it with two hands, you come down with it and that's considered a rebound. so they got more of those than we did. >> yep, that's how it happened all right.

down by three, arkansas-little rock's josh hagins pulls up and nails game-tying three-pointer. the match-up went into double ot as another number 12 knocks off a fifth seed. they beat purdue. and big east champion seton hall whitehead got ice cold as gonzaga ran away with this one. roy williams got his 66th tournament victory, breaking a tie with his mentor the late dean smith for the second most wins. the tar heels easily defeated florida gulf coast 83-67. in a battle between 8-9 uconn took out colorado, 74-67. another eight versus nine was close for much of the match-up. but butler managed to pull away for the win against texas tech. today, the next round of 16 games tips off at 12:15. right now, nine minutes past the hour.

seaworld's major decision over the future of the killer whales. plus a convicted felon's bizarre plea before the judge and his victims. this one, you've got to see. you're watching "first look." thank you for calling. we'll be with you shortly. yeah right... xerox predictive analytics help companies provide a better and faster customer experience. hello mr. kent. can i rebook your flight? i'm here! customer care can work better. with xerox. wait i'm here! mr. kent? (gasp) shark diving! xerox personalized employee portals help companies make benefits simple and accessible... from anywhere. hula dancing?

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change the way you experience tv with x1 from xfinity. well, welcome back. how about the golf ball sized hail, shattering the windshield, a lot of damage in texas. sadly, it killed eight exotic birds at a zoo in ft. worth that happened yesterday morning. a late winter storm dumped more than two feet of snow in the colorado rockies, more than the town has had in the past two months. and speaking of snow, you may have heard a rumor about a possible nor'easter at the tail end of this upcoming weekend. this was the forecast from the european model yesterday average. it was like stop the presses we're talking about the possibility of a major snowstorm, six to 12 inches in new england. that was yesterday, overnight, these models update every 12

hours. here's the new update, it's shifted the storm considerably out to sea. still has a snow event for areas of new england. but not like the nor'easter type big huge event. barely if anything, philadelphia/d.c. area. that was a good trend if you don't like snow. now this is the actual snow prediction. this has a significant snowfall around the boston area and up in maine. but very little if anything, new york city southwards. our american model also goes out long term. and it has very little if anything around new york city, and that's minor snow event in d.c. and baltimore. the timing is looking to be sunday afternoon. today's forecast we have a chance of severe storms san antonio to new orleans. houston area. by the time we get to saturday, we watch the rainstorm off the coast and by sunday that's moving up to the north. the temperatures are border line. it's one of the storms that the grass may get some snow, but the roads may end up fine. >> so much for the first day of spring though. >> right. it's not a huge, paralyzing

storm, which is good. well, another night of unrest in the brazilian capital. police fired tear gas at protesters during a mass demonstration. they're protesting the former president da silva being sworn in as chief of staff. he was charged with money laundering and with fraud. after years of criticism, seaworld said it's ending the breeding program of killer whales immediately. the company has 24 whales in three parks. they're the last generation of orcas they'll display in captivity. >> society is changing. and if you look at people's general comfort level with orcas under human care, i have seen a real shift in society. >> we are pushing for them to release these orcas to coastal sanctuaries so they can live out some semblance of an actual life of the rest of their days. >> this comes after "black fish"

that led to a drop in attendance. the office of former toronto mayor rob ford said he's back in the hospital. he underwent chemotherapy last year for the soft tissue cancer. now, ford became an international punch line after he admitted smoking crack and being drunk on the job. brian early taylor found a new way to ask for leniency at his sentencing hearing inspired by of all people, adele. ♪ hello there, your honor, i want to say i'm sorry ♪ ♪ for the things i have done and i'll try and be stronger ♪ ♪ in this life i chose but i want you to know ♪ ♪ that door i closed and your honor i'm sorry, sorry, sorry ♪ >> wow. he went on to say sorry to his

mother and the victim. the judge though said taylor is quote obviously a talented young man and hopes he will take advantage of educational prison programs. ♪ a bit of a better note, in new york city, nearly 200,000 parade marchers dressed in green to celebrate the city's 255th st. patrick's day parade. it was the first year openly gay and lesbian groups were allowed to march. check out this annual tradition in chicago. dyeing the river green for st. paddy's day. such a cool video. all right, a busy primary week made for lots of late night fodder. our week in review is next. i just don't eat the way i should. so i drink boost to get the nutrition that i'm missing. boost complete nutritional drink has 26 essential vitamins and minerals, including calcium and vitamin d to support strong bones and 10 grams of protein to help maintain muscle. all with a great taste.

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from a confetti overload to another priceless bernie sanders impression, here is our political week in review. >> a lot of people voted today in primaries across five different states. some people are even calling it super tuesday 3. marco rubio is just going mission impossible. >> if there's anyone who uses their name as their password it's trump. >> who are you consulting with consistently so you're ready on day one? >> i'm speaking with myself. number one, because i have a very good brain. i have said a lot of things. i know what i'm doing. >> trump. >> you know, why do i get the idea that when it comes time to pick a running mate he's going to pick himself for that?

>> i have never seen that much confetti in my life. like john kasich has been storing every confetti after every primary he didn't win. >> at a rally, donald trump was surrounded by secret service after a man tried to rush the stage. they said the man was dangerous and disturbed and they had to protect him anyway. >> hillary shut out bernie 5-0 including florida. so sad to see bernie so betrayed by the people he most resembles. >> very disappointing night for bernie sanders. he seemed to be polling very well among everyone's most annoying facebook friends. >> we need you obi-wan, bernie sanders. >> i've got supporters of all ages, 18-year-olds, 19-year-olds. [ applause ] yeah. that's it.

>> and i am joined now by msnbc political reporter jane timm to talk about politics. let's talk trump. this anti-trump campaign has really seemed to be playing into trump's hand in the past, right? so what if -- just what if the establishment, the very people that his supporters dislike embrace donald trump, could that work against him? >> as you say, donald trump's sort of appeal he's fighting the status quo, but there are people who don't like trump. he's a very divisive character. he won't get everybody. that guy still doesn't like me, you know? >> he'll call you out. if he thinks you don't like him. >> he's still campaigning against jeb bush. but what keeps that image going. he'll keep that image going until he gets into office if he does. >> it's interesting as to how this plays out.

we have time but it's getting heated. let's shift to cuba. how big of a deal that president obama is there? >> this is a big deal. a historic move. republicans will noisily campaign against how horrible this is, a lot of people do remember the very oppressive regime. but i think they're looking to do future, this is looking towards meeting with a lot of the critics of the castros and meeting with raul castro. not meeting with fidel. you won't see that on this two-day trip in cuba with his family. but we's looking to the future. he's meeting with entrepreneurs in cuba. >> is something going to come out of it more than the talk of it and the fact that he's there and gwhat that symbolizes? >> it's less about the idea that there's some sort of sanctions that are lifted and having this image of an american president on cuban land. it's a very powerful image. >> is he working on legacy here? is -- does he want this to be part of his legacy? >> you can't avoid that. this is not about the people

here who oppose it. they of course oppose it for a very obvious reason. but there's future generations that's what this is for. future generations of cubans. >> looking ahead to politics what are you looking forward to next week? >> i want to see this scotus fight continue. the back and forth, how people are going to make the case for don't have a nomination hearing or have a nomination hearing. >> we heard bernie sanders say, look, if i get the nomination, i go on to win, i want to be able to make that pick. he even said that. it's interesting to see how people really do have opposing views on this. >> it's perhaps one of the coolest powers of the presidency. everybody wants a shot at that. >> see how it plays out. thank you, jane. what may have been the song that a lot of people are talking about, it's never smile at a crocodile. but what about gators? why one florida woman is fighting to keep her unusual pet, next.

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here's what caught our eye in the animal world. a florida woman is fighting to keep her unusual house pet. a six foot long algator. >> he sits on the couch. he knows how to work the remote. you know? so he's a house gator. >> well, she got a license 11 years old for the rescued reptile named rambo. officials say she doesn't have a large enough space for the growing gator. game officers in pennsylvania got a chance to cuddle three real life teddy bears. >> they got their ears pierced early. >> so cute. we know that dogs are a man's best friend, but sidney the dog may be this man's best

driver. oh, my goodness. >> at least put a helmet on the dog. the human i understand. >> this is not normal but the guy says it's normal in indonesia. i don't know. i'm betty nguyen. this is is "first look" on msnbc. don't forget to like us on facebook. "way too early" starts right now. as it becomes more and more inevitable that trump will be the republican nominee, people have been wondering who donald trump's foreign policy advisers are going to be. well, he finally told us where he's getting his information from yesterday. >> who are you consulting with consistently so that you're ready on day one? >> i'm speaking with myself. number one. because i have a very good brain and i have said a lot of things. [ applause ] >> that is pretty crazy. we have the technology to actually look inside his brain. it's fascinating to see how it works. take a look. >> he referred to my hands if they're small, something else must be small. i guarantee you there's no problem. i guarantee you. all right? >> why isn't it working?

let me try! >> yeah, that's perfect. republican leaders still looking for way to stop donald trump. we'll tell you the plan hatched in another secret meeting. and the comeback plan. bernie sanders says it's not too late to win the democratic nomination, but president obama may disagree. trading blame, the governor of michigan and the head of the epa point fingers over the flint water crisis. then lawmakers let them have it. it is 5:30 on the east coast, 2:30 out west. this is "way too early." good morning, everyone. it is friday, march 18th. i'm alex witt. the