it's monday, march 21st. right now on "first look," history. president obama is the first u.s. president to visit cuba in almost 90 years. donald frum plans to beef up security at his campaign rallies as he and other candidates prepare to address the american israel public affairs committee today. the captured suspect in the paris terror attacks is squealing to authorities. we have new details ahead. plus an 11-year-old's joy ride aboard a cement mixer? gas pains at the pump as prices skyrocket. and fantastic finishes as march madness heads to the sweet 16. "first look" starts right now. good monday morning. hopefully you had a great weekend. thanks for joining us today, i'm betty nguyen. it is a notion almost unthinkable for nooin decades.

the president of the united states waking up in cuba today. president obama is the first sitting president in 88 years to visit the country. a trip he hopes will be a lasting part of his legacy. but there are still simmering tensions. nbc's jay gray is live in havana with more. jay, how's the atmosphere there? >> hey there, good morning, betty. as for the cuban people, they are very excited and very proud of their country. ready to show it off for president obama. a brief tour yesterday. he sits down with cuban president raul castro later today. talks that for many here bring hope in this island nation. after a visit to old havana late yesterday, including a stop at the city's famous cathedral, with first lady michelle and daughters sasha and malia, this morning president obama's focus will shift from tourist to the business of a renewed relationship between his country, and cuba. the president will lay a wreath at the memorial to jose martin, the cuban poet honored as a hero for his role in the country's

fight for freedom from spain. and later there will be an official state welcome from cuban president raul castro and a bilateral meeting between the two leaders, where the white house says the president will be, quote, candid about areas of disagreement, including human rights practices. but for many here, the topic isn't nearly as important as the fact the two sides are talking again. >> translator: yes, it's interesting that it's a historic trip and it's been 50 years without relations with the north american government. >> reporter: third generation cab driver hopes the president will take a close look at the country she is so proud of. >> translator: i'd like that he gets to know our country. our story, our country, how beautiful it is. it's tourist attraction so he can share it with everyone else. >> reporter: a beauty and culture hidden from most americans for more than 50 years. now, travel for americans still very limited. the state department will not issue a tourist visa to cuba.

of course the trade embargo still in place here. but, many believe these meetings are the first very important step toward easing restrictions and relations between the two countries. live in havana, cuba, i'm jay gray, betty. >> historic day there, thank you so much. donald trump had some harsh words for the president when cuba's leaders was not at the airport to greet the first family. >> so, president obama landed in cuba and the head of cuba, who was there for the pope, and he was there for other dignitaries that come in, but he wasn't there for the president of the united states. i mean, we are amateur hour, folks. amateur hour. and honestly, obama should have turned the plane around and left. no, he should have. he should have turned it around. he should have said bye-bye. >> the white house has said today begins the official visit when raul castro will formally greet president obama.

meanwhile, at trump's campaign stops the protests, they are growing bigger and so is the continued violence. nbc's gabe gutierrez has more. >> reporter: this weekend, the anger boiled over. >> are you pushing me? >> reporter: in tucson a protester in a white hood escorted out by police. another one behind him repeatedly punched and kicked by men in the crowd. that protester, brian sanders, spoke with nbc's jacob rascon. >> this political movement has gotten to the point where you may get beat to death inside of a rally. i just got my [ bleep ] kicked. >> reporter: but it's this video that's raising even more questions. trump's campaign manager, corey lewandowski, appears to grab the collar of another protester who is yanked away by a member of trump's private security. trump strongly defending him. >> security at the arena, the police were a little bit lax, and he had signs, they had signs up in that area that were horrendous. i will give him credit. >> reporter: last week a reporter from the conservative

website breitbart filed a police complaint accusing lewandowski of assault. but he's not been charged. the longtime gop operative once took a break from politics to work as a new hampshire state police officer. >> it's very unusual, unprecedented for a campaign manager to be out in the crowd, being involved in security. >> reporter: ted cruz campaigning in arizona. >> there is now hopefully one campaign in a position to beat donald trump and win the republican nomination. >> reporter: polls show he trails trump there but leads in utah, getting some unlikely support from the so-called establishment. john kasich, betting on a contested convention. >> listen, nobody's going to that convention with enough delegates and at the end, you know why i'll get picked? because i can win in the fall. >> gabe gutierrez reporting there. trump is scheduled to speak at apac today, which is a major pro-israel conference in d.c. ted cruz and john kasich will also deliver speeches. and speaker paul ryan will deliver the keynote address. vice president joe biden addressed the apac conference last night. mr. biden reiterated america's

continued support of israel, but he also backed the iran nuclear deal saying iran is now much further from obtaining a nuclear weapon than they were a year ago. hillary clinton is scheduled to deliver a speech this morning, but democratic rival bernie sanders, who is jewish, is not taking part due to his campaign schedule. and the latest campaign fund-raising numbers for february are out. for the second month in a row sanders raised more than clinton, 43.5 million dollars compared to just over $30 million. however sanders spent about $7 million more than clinton. at the start of march, clinton had $13 million more in her war chest than sanders. officials in belgium say the newly captured suspect in the paris terror attacks may have been planning more violence. they hope to learn more from him about what happened in paris, and the broader threat from isis in europe. nbc's keir simmons reports from brussels. >> reporter: salah abdeslam, arrested amid gunfire and

explosions. may have been planning another attack. >> he was ready to restart something from brussels. and it's maybe the reality, because i said we have found a lot of weapons, heavy weapons. >> reporter: but it's his knowledge of the paris massacre last november that may be crucial. since salah abdeslam was discovered in this building in brussels, he has been talking. and there are many questions surrounding the attacks in paris that he could answer. the explosives used in the paris attacks, tatp require an experienced bombmaker. who was he? and where is he? according to "the new york times," which said that it's seen a police report, french investigators describe salah abdeslam as the logistics guy. so can he detail the original plan? while reports confirmed by nbc news reveal the suspected ringleader abdelhamid abaaoud hid in bushes for three nights after the attacks, had something gone wrong.

ultimately, he died during a paris police raid, leaving abdeslam as the only known living member of the paris cell. how much does he know? >> the people running the operation are extremely professional. and i don't see those people sharing all the information. >> reporter: abdeslam relied on a large network of friends to stay hidden, the belgian prosecutor says. the continuing, and most urgent questions, how many more isis operatives are on the run in europe? keir simmons, nbc news, brussels. now to a bizarre chase in southern minnesota. police were after an 11-year-old boy who stole a cement truck and took it on a joy ride. cops say the boy swiped the truck from a local contractor and later hit two police vehicles. the chase lasted for about an hour and a half. long enough to draw spectators. eventually the truck stopped and the boy was arrested and taken to a juvenile detention center. fortunately, no one was hurt.

let's get down to business with cnbc's landon dowdy. good morning. >> hey betty. long time, no see. good to see you. prices at the pump are moving higher and the average price of regular unleaded rising nearly 25 cents in the past month to $2.02 a gallon. that reflects higher oil prices due mainly to the weaker dollar. gas could rise even further as refiners switch to the more expensive blend of fuel for the summer. meanwhile apple holds its annual spring product event today and the company is expected to unveil a new version of its smallest iphone the 5s with a faster chip, better camera, and the ability to use apple pay. apple may also show off an updated ipad, new bands for the apple watch, and there's an outside chance it could unwrap a new watch. and stopping a robbery could really help you win big points in the job interview. a teenager applying for a job at a popeye's in new orleans grabbed a suspect who tried to steal cash from the register. the manager telling the teen afterwards, you're hired. you earned it.

>> that's one way to get hired. okay, thank you, landon. it truly is march madness in college basketball. the upset of the day, texas a&m all but dead behind 12 points with 44 seconds, rallies, and this happens. >> no time-outs for the panthers. throws it into the hands of guilder. lays it in. tie game 71! seconds. looking for davis on the post. he takes it, ties it at 83. >> they never thought this was even possible with 44 seconds to go. >> the aggies' season was over. with 44 seconds left in regulation, and now they're on to the sweet 16 in anaheim! >> double o.t. an incredible aggies comeback. next to brooklyn where cinderella team brought the fight to the irish who are down by one. >> they're going to let them play it out. >> ten seconds. switch. jackson.

off the glass. august, no! tip! le. >> notre dame would hold on 76-75. they will face wisconsin on friday. to st. louis where wisconsin hit not one, but two three pointers in the final 12 seconds of play. the number 7 badgers rallied over second ranked xavier with a buzzer beater 66-63. the villanova wildcats man handled iowa 87-68 and will face miami on thursday. rounding out the round of 32, maryland defeated hawaii 73-60. it was syracuse 75, middle tennessee 50. oklahoma 85, vcu, 81. and oregon 69, saint joseph's 64. to the nhl, washington capitals pulled out some soccer skills, as he heads the puck into the penguins goal. but pittsburgh took this one to the end with a 6-2 win. all right so why is a massive shipment of plutonium headed to the u.s.?

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medford, new york, out on long island. it's a wet snow. look at the trees. look beautiful. they're covered. what's beautiful about this snow is it will be 50 degrees later this afternoon. it will all be gone. we are watching some snowy roads for you. schools are closed in boston. i know providence, all the way down through the cape, either closings or delays throughout the area. and many areas from portland, maine, the snow is beginning now. so for the peak of the morning rush hour is when it will be accumulating on the roads. the good news for philadelphia, d.c. you're done. for new york you're just about finished. this could even be some of the last snow that we see. the heaviest snow is definitely in rhode island. eastern massachusetts from boston to the cape, and then up 95 heading towards the portland area. additional snowfall, i mean this isn't anything huge, downeast maine could pick up eight to ten inches of snow.

that's a big storm for you. from bangor to portland maybe two to four more. boston another two to three inches and you have two on the ground right now. it's also cold. i mean the whole eastern half of the country you need your winter coat this morning. these are freeze warnings down into areas of alabama. it's 34 in birmingham, 34 in little rock, oklahoma city is down to 29. these are a lot of the areas that the flowers have been up for weeks, and the blossoms are on the trees. and so it's a cold morning. but the good news about march, the sun goes to work. and this afternoon, betty, we got 60s all the way as far north as st. louis. it's going to be a nice, warm week after this. today's the worst of it. >> just get past this. get that sun to work. okay, thank you. two british ships, they've arrived in eastern japan to transport a shipment of plutonium to a u.s. government facility in south carolina for storage. the shipment contains enough plutonium to make dozens of atomic bombs. it had been used for research purposes. the ships are fitted with naval guns and other protections to guard against attacks.

a pennsylvania turnpike toll collector and a security guard were shot and killed sunday morning during a holdup attempt by a retired state trooper. troopers arrived as a former fellow trooper was unloading money from a fare collection vehicle and they exchanged gunfire. the suspect was fatally wounded and died at the scene. today a florida jury reconvenes to consider punitive damages in hulk hogan's lawsuit. on friday the jury awarded hogan $115 million agreeing the company violated his privacy by posting a sex tape of the ex-pro wrestler on line. gawker's lawyers say they are already working on an appeal. and adrenaline junkies get ready. l.a.'s newest attraction, the sky slide. it arrived this weekend, and was hoisted up by a helicopter. the slide is part of a new sky space renovation to the u.s. bank tower which is the tallest building west of the mississippi. riders will slide 45 feet from the 70th floor to the 69th floor

in an inch and a quarter thick glass tube. boy that sounds frightening to me. the slide is expected to open in june. you know people are going to be lining up for it. but not every insurance company understands the life behind it. for those who've served and the families that have supported them, we offer our best service in return. usaa. we know what it means to serve. get an insurance quote and see why 92% of our members plan to stay for life.

(abdominal pain. urgent diarrhea. you never know when ibs-d will show up. xifaxan can help. prescription xifaxan is an ibs-d treatment that helps relieve your diarrhea and abdominal pain symptoms. do not use xifaxan if you have a history of sensitivity to rifaximin, rifamycin antibiotic agents, or any components of xifaxan. tell your doctor right away if your diarrhea worsens while taking xifaxan, as this may be a sign of a serious or even fatal condition. tell your doctor if you have liver disease or are taking other medications, because these may increase the amount of xifaxan in your body. tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan on becoming pregnant, or are nursing. the most common side effects are nausea and an increase in liver enzymes.

if you think you have ibs with diarrhea talk to your doctor about xifaxan. 20 minutes past the hour. time for "scrambled politics." from "the washington post," here comes the opposition book. clinton and her allies prepare for trump. it appears clinton is looking past the primary season and on to the general election, and front-runner donald trump. the clinton campaign is focusing heavily on trump's business dealings. and from "the wall street

journal," donald trump owes at least $250 million to banks. according to trump's financial disclosure forms. the presidential candidate owes money for multiple real estate projects, mostly to small forms. deutsche bank is reportedly the only big bank that continues to make significant loans to him. meanwhile, on the endorsement front, actor scott baio is getting behind the donald. yep, the joanie loves chach chi star calls himself a conservative independent, says he wants trump to go to washington and blow it up. saying, he speaks like i speak. check out this little number from an event with ben carson at trump's mar-a-lago in palm beach. a man serenaded the crowd with a version of stand by me changed to stand by you with trump and carson awkwardly dancing onstage there. wanted to draw that out so you could see them dance. bernie sarnlders is campaigning out west but the only jewish candidate running for president will not be at apac. sanders offered to deliver a

speech via satellite. that was rejected. but he did send a copy of the speech he would have delivered, adding that he hopes the conference goes well. and actor bryan cranston is taking history, his tony award winning portray of lyndon johnson to hbo. the latest trailer for the movie "all the way" was released this weekend. the full film premieres may 28th. and that is your morning dish of "scrambled politics." getting a lot in today because we've got to make time for msnbc political reporter jane timm. good to see you today. >> good morning. >> okay, so president obama, on this historic trip in cuba right now, he touches down, and donald trump says, you know what? raul castro was not there, you should have turned that plane around and headed right back. i mean, is this something that voters want to hear? or is this the kind of talk that they fear? >> you know, it's an easy rally. it throws some read meat to the base. everyone likes to complain about obama when you're running for a nomination but i think the obama administration has made it

pretty clear that they're appealing to the people of cuba and it's not about style for them. it's about promoting democracy through appealing to the actual people. >> i know but sometimes it, when donald trump speaks, the things that he says, and granted he is speaking to his crowd and a lot of them love this, but to others, and they hear that, they think that is not presidential in any form or fashion. >> it can be messy -- >> to seen have that mentality, oh, you weren't here i'm going to get up and leave. >> it makes the donald look very unpredictable. it makes it look like someone who is not going to stand by a specific set of values. for the rest of his field, it's a very cut and dry policy platform. donald's platform can change sometimes in an interview you'll see three different answers to the same question. this is something that makes people uneasy and it does encourage efforts to stop him from within his own party. >> he's calling for unity as the gop really behind that? >> you know, not yet. i think there's a very strong effort to stop him. i think they thought he would stop himself. the republicans who do oppose trump.

but it's teeing up. the current effort is just basically deny him the majority of delegates so when he gets to a contested convention he has to appeal to party, you know, party people. these are delegates who are there, who make that final call, if you go to a contested convention, are longtime rnc chairmen and committee women. these are people who have been the people that he was criticizing and say, you don't have it. you know, you guys are losers and we need to bring something fresh to d.c. he'd need them to win. >> kasich is betting on that brokered convention, isn't he? he's betting on that mentality. >> that's his only shot. and kasich has, you know, a lot of support within the establish innocent. he ran a very optimistic campaign. it would be easier for him to convince a lot of these people than i think it would donald trump. >> all right. thank you, jane. thanks for joining us today. we appreciate it. all right it is 24 minutes past the hour. just ahead, does a note from bruce springsteen get a kid out of teacher trouble? >> and comedian amy schumer brings the big bucks to broadway. those details next.

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28 minutes past the hour. now to entertainment news. amy schumer sure made the bartending set happy when she attended a performance of hamilton over the weekend. the actress and comedian left a $1,000 tip on her $77 tab. >> setting the bar a little high, isn't it? >> exactly. needless to say the bartenders were overjoyed. and bruce springsteen helped a young fan out this weekend with a tardy note. the 9-year-old got to go backstage while springsteen wrote out a note saying he was out late rocking and rolling. >> you go to the principal's office and you're like yeah, the boss told meet. >> she's like, prove it. bring him here. >> that's right. >> let me check this handwriting.

>> can i have his number, please? >> that would be great, right. all right, everybody. thanks so much for joining us today. i'm betty nguyen. this is "first look" on msnbc. don't forget to like us on facebook. and of course, "way too early" starts right now. it is wonderful to be here. back in 1928, president coolidge came on a battleship. it took him three days to get here. it only took me three hours. >> air force one landed in cuba for the first time ever, as president obama becomes the first u.s. president to visit the island nation in almost 90 years. so why wasn't his cuban counterpart there to meet him on the tarmac? and another weekend, another scuffle at a trump campaign rally. the victim speaks out as donald trump stands by the alleged attacker. plus, can't youred and cooperating. how the last paris terror suspect was caught and a look inside their operation. it's 5:30 on the east coast, 2:30 out west and this is "way

too early." good morning. it's monday, march 21st, i'm sam stein. we begin with that historic visit to cuba. it's being called the crowning moment of president obama's ambitious effort to restore ties with the cold war adversary. the president, first lady, their daughters, and the president's mother-in-law touched down in havana just after 6:00 last night. greeted by rain, and top cuban officials. noticeably absent, cuban president raul castro. the two will greet each other today at the palace of the revolution for an official state welcome. we're told they'll discuss trade and political reform and that president obama will not meet with fidel castro. after touching down the president's first stop was to the recently reopened u.s. embassy, where he thanked t