>> it was sudden and unexpected. comedian garry shandling has died. a star who this morning is being remembered as a comic genius. it is 5:30 on the east coast, 2:30 out west. this is "way too early." and a good friday morning to all of you. today is march 25th, i'm alex with. we begin this morning with breaking news out of belgium. prosecutors have detained seven people in raids throughout brussels. they didn't provide details about who had been detained or whether they'll face charges. meanwhile, french officials said that police there foiled another terrorist attack which they say was at an advanced stage of planning.

police raided a home just outside of paris last night after arresting a french national earlier in the day. officials called it a major arrest, but said there was no evidence linking that plot to the bombings this week in brussels or the attacks in paris last november. all of that comes as the manhunt continues for accomplices in today's bombing including at least one attacker, this guy the third man in the surveillance picture seen standing next to ibrahim el bakraoui and laachraoui. the news organizations agreed to blur the face and the brother said he was sad and overwhelmed and that no one in his family had herd from najim since he left for syria in 2013. that the family actually warned police when they learned he was in syria. the brother added that he never saw najim involved with any suspects in the attacks. meanwhile, u.s. officials are saying that the names of the two brothers in the brussels

bombings had been listed as potential terror threats before this week's attacks. belgian authorities said that khalid and ibrahim el bakraoui were only known to them as their past criminal behavior and not as terrorists. there's mounting criticism over the failure to prevent the attacks and they came under increased scrutiny after turkey said on wednesday it had deported ibrahim el bakraoui last year and warned belgium he was a militant. however, prime minister michel has asked both to stay on. let's bring in chris jansing joining us live from brussels. i understand you have breaking news to report. >> reporter: i do, alex, unfortunately it's sad news. nbc news has been able to confirm that two of the people who were killed in the bombings here were americans. there had been a lot of rumor, misreporting out there about who might be missing, but we don't have an identity on them. we will not use any identity

until it's officially released and it's certain that the family members have been notified. but two americans among the victims here in brussels. meantime, you talked about those raids that happened, the arrests of seven people. well, it just shows you the urgency that is felt here to try to figure out one central question -- how many members of this terror cell might still be at large? and number two, are there more plots that are being planned? it's clear this is a wider conspiracy than investigators first knew. they are also learning more about the plans they had. for example, there was a camera that was planted by the brothers outside of the apartment of a nuclear scientist. they took at least ten hours of video apparently. they felt they could somehow get him to help them build a dirty bomb. they say that probably was never going to happen, having said that it just shows you the bredth and the depth of the planning of the terror cell.

because of the arrest of salah abdeslam, everything got moved up, that the attacks may have been moved up. that's this urgent concern that it's still out there. you mentioned the two ministers who said they would resign. the reason that the prime minister gave for not accepting the resignation is this is a country that is at a state of war. the threat level has been put down from four to three. but even given that, the person who's in charge of the ministry that assesses the threat level says an attack remains serious and possible. we also are getting a chilling look inside the subway cars. one of the subway cars that came under attack here. and you can see the devastation that happened. trying to calm some of the nerves that have happened here. they have put out here from the government a list of the things they're doing including increased patrols. you'll see a much more visible presence outside subways. we have already seen it here on

the streets. even though the airport is not scheduled to open at least until sunday, they plan to have bomb sniffing dogs there and they will -- you will see an extremely higher level of security there. but again, this morning, the sad breaking news is, alex, that two americans have been confirmed dead here. >> all right. well, thank you very much. chris jansing. a quick note for you. the brussels airport says all flights are suspended through sunday. we are told that the operations might resume monday, but this at the earliest. again right now the americans known to have been injured in the brussels terror attacks there are 12 previously. several unaccounted for. but you heard chris jansing say two have been confirmed dead, though we don't know their identities. brother and sister, the pinczowskis are still missing. also husband and wife, stephanie and justin shults from kentucky

are believed to be missing. dozens suffered critical injuries in the attack. >> i was in the metro and then the bomb -- >> how are you feeling? >> quite good. because i'm going home. >> extraordinary there. german lawyer who was in brussels for business was able to escape tragedy twice. he got a taxi from the airport only to be dropped off in maalbeek, right beside the metro explosion. >> i got off the taxi, directly in front of the entrance and exactly at the moment that i arrived, i got out of the taxi the second bomb exploded. >> wow. okay. taking a look at the presidential race, another new national poll shows democrat hillary clinton soundly defeating donald trump in the general election. the monmouth university poll shows clinton besting trump by ten points and beats ted cruz by five points and loses to john kasich by six. the ohio governor taking 45% to

clinton's 39%. this as the poll finds they're the two best known and most unpopular candidates still in the running. trump's favorability rating at 30% while his unfavorability, 60%. and clinton getting favorable rating of 40% of the voters an an unfavorable score from 51%. kasich who is unknown to nearly a third of the electorate rates the best with a 50% favorable rating. the leading contenders for the republican presidential nomination continue to spar over each other's wives yesterday. as ted cruz reacted to a late night tweet sent from donald trump that insulted his wife heidi's appearance. campaigning in wisconsin yesterday, cruz defended his family and would not say whether he would support trump in the fall. something he has previously committed to doing. >> donald does seem to have an issue with women. donald doesn't like strong

women. strong women scare donald. let me be absolutely clear. our spouses and our children are off bounds. it is not acceptable for a big, loud new york bully to attack my wife. it is not acceptable for him to make insults to send nasty tweets late at night. i don't know what he does late at night but he tends to do these at 11:30 at night. we have two little girls who are 7 and 5. i'm not looking forward to telling the girls why donald trump is launching insults and attacks at their mommy. real men don't try to bully women. that's not an action of strength. that's an action of weakness, an action of fear. it's an action of a small and petty man. who is intimidated by strong women. i don't get angry often. but you mess with my wife, you mess with my kids, that'll do it every time.

donald, you're a sniveling coward, and leave heidi the hell alone. >> will you support him as the nominee? >> i'm going to beat him. for the nomination. >> that's not answering the question, senator, respectfully. >> donald trump will not be the nominee. >> he's leading right now. you looked in the camera and you said he's a coward. >> donald trump will not be the nominee. donald trump is a gift wrapped in a pink little bow for the democratic party. it hands the general election to hillary clinton. >> and this all comes amid republicans' concerns that he'll hinder the gop with the females. nearly seven in ten female voters have an unfavorable view of trump substantially worse than other candidates. trump who is off the campaign trail tweeted a response last night, quote, i didn't start the fight with lyin' ted over the

cover. well, the next republican primary is wisconsin on april 5th for republican -- where republican governor scott walker said that the nominee might not be either of the three candidates running. the former candidate himself said, quote, i think if it's an open convention it's likely it would be someone not currentry running. donald trump announced yesterday he will hold a rally in janesville next week. that's the hometown of paul ryan who's denounced violence at trump events. a facebook page has already over a thousand people saying they're attending. this as the cruz campaign is raising the stakes for a win in the badgers stake and the club for growth is spending over $1 million on an ad to begin airing tomorrow. discouraging votes for john kasich. >> if you don't want donald trump to win, your choice comes down to this. math. only ted cruz can beat donald trump. john kasich can't do it.

the math won't work. a vote for kasich actually helps trump by dividing the opposition. >> well, last night hillary clinton returned to late night where jimmy kimmel confronted her with comments that our former president bill made last week. >> i think it was last week he said a hillary clinton presidency would make up for -- what was the exact word? the awful legacy of the last eight years and a lot of people thought that was a shot at president obama. >> yeah. it wasn't. yeah, it was obviously not. i mean, he nominated president obama for a second term and we are both very proud supporters of president obama. but what it was was the recognition that president obama, who i think doesn't get the credit he deserves for getting as much done as he has in our -- in our country, has faced this implacable wall of hostility from the republicans. we're seeing it again, jimmy, with their opposition to even

meeting with and considering the president's nominee for the supreme court. that to me is just beyond partisanship. >> earlier in the day, clinton campaigned with los angeles mayor garcetti and spoke with muslim community leaders conferring about how to prevent radicalization in american neighborhoods. >> we cannot give in to panic and fear. it's not in keeping with our values. it's not effective in protecting us. and it plays into the hands of terrorists who want nothing more than to intimidate and terrorize people, turn against each other. which leads to radicalizing more people and creating even greater problems for us.

i'm encouraged. i am hopeful that this kind of conversation will find a broader audience. we like to say in my campaign that love trumps hate and therefore we will look for ways to actually put that into practice and action. >> bernie sanders meanwhile continues to turn out big crowds. 3,000 in spokane, 7,000 in yakima, washington. he says if he does well in the caucuses there, hawaii and alaska on saturday, he'll have a road to victory and join clinton in rebuking anti-muslim rhetoric. >> let me be very clear. we are at war today against isis, a barbaric terrorist organization. we are not at war against the muslim religion. >> vice president joe biden is calling on republicans to

consider supreme court nominee merrick garland. in a speech yesterday, the vice president warned of the potential impact of the partisan standoff. he also dismissed the so-called biden rule saying republican leadership has been quoting selectively from a 1992 speech he made. >> what republican senators say they will do in my view can lead to a genuine constitutional crisis. born out of the dysfunction of washington. when i hear all of us talk about the biden rule, it's frankly ridiculous. there is no biden rule. it doesn't exist. that's only one rule i ever followed. in the judiciary committee. that was the constitution's clear rule of advice and consent up. >> meanwhile, jerry moran of kansas is breaking with gop leadership saying the senate

should hold confirmation hearings for garland. he's quoted as saying, i would rather have constituents complaining to me that i voted wrong on nominating somebody than saying i'm not doing my job. up next, the hunt for the ncaa title, see which teams have reached the elite eight. plus, a scene right out of grand theft auto. find out how this crazy police pursuit in arizona ended. and -- >> i really didn't know that the extent of the damage until i came outside. and there's my roof on the neighbor's house. >> yikes. stormy weather set to move up the east coast, not to mention the winter weather that will not go. we have a check on the forecast and more when "way too early" comes right back.

oh, look... ...another anti-wrinkle cream in no hurry to make anything happen. neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair works... ...in one week. with the... fastest retinol formula. ...to visibly reduce wrinkles. neutrogena®. i love to take pictures that engage people. and to connect us with the wonderment of nature. the detail on this surface book is amazing. with the tiger image, the saliva coming off and you got this turning. that's why i need this kind of resolution and computing power. being able to use a pen like this. on the screen directly with the image. it just gives me a different relationship to it. and i can't do that on my mac. this is brilliant for me. ♪

with extraordinary offersmance on the stylish, all-new rx... and the dynamic nx. ♪ this is the pursuit of perfection. you know the symptoms when they stt. abdominal pain. diarrhea. xifaxan can help. prescription xifaxan is a 2-week treatment that can provide you with 6 to 24 weeks of relief from your ibs-d symptoms. specifically, relief from diarrhea and abdominal pain associated with ibs-d. 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 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. ...another anti-wrinkle cream in no hurry to make anything happen. neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair works... ...in one week. with the... fastest retinol formula. ...to visibly reduce wrinkles. three-pointer -- yes. >> most of the way villanova has

been in double digits. >> three more. >> spangler saves it. woodard for three. yes. >> the elite eight. >> kansas has now hit its last eight shots. >> this is what we do. so i can remember -- oh. >> upstairs. >> oh, baby. >> across that baseline. gordon belle. >> nice. yep, time for sports and that was some of the action on the college court as the ncaa tournament's sweet 16 tipped off last night. kansas, villanova, oregon, oklahoma, each advanced to the elite eight set to tip off on saturday. but tonight will decide the second half of that elite eight field with another four sweet 16 match ups beginning with virginia against iowa state. while top ranked kansas gets ready for villanova, number 4 there, back on the campus the university's football team is feeling some madness.

the squad taking a break from spring practices to play a game of knockout while wearing full pads. let's get to nba action. the clippers in portland tied with the trail blazers in the final seconds of regulation. >> j.j. fires -- it's a win. >> wow. l.a.'s reddick hits that 21 foot jumper at the buzzer for a 96-94 win over portland. he's the man. in nfl news the cleveland browns might have solved their quarterback conundrum and may have given a fallen star a shot at redemption. rg3 of course that's robert griffin iii he signed a deal with them. he's struggled with multiple injuries since his sensational rookie season in 2012 he lost his job in washington. he's looking for a chance to get back into the spotlight under center in cleveland. let's get a check of the

weather with steve sosna in for bill karins. >> happy friday to you. we have a showery friday for this morning. not an all-day affair. showers are coming down through the i-95 corridor during rush hour. this afternoon, sunshine is out. remember, we have that later sunset now, 7:00. so we'll enjoy some late day sunshine in the northeast. stormy across central florida. we have seen some thunderstorms around the theme parks. not really a beach day. i know a lot of people are on spring break. on and off showers and storms maybe you want to do some shopping or indoor activities instead. the country as a whole, not too bad for today. some chilly area in the upper midwest. winter does not want to leave here, it's been rude, snowy. today you get a break, but temperatures in the 40s. 80s across the southwest. this is place to be in alex's home territory in california.

you will see a storm system in the upper midwest. rain and wet snow across minnesota and the southeast looks nice. overall eastern weekend looks good for most of the country. storms in the southeast, alex. >> guilty as charged. i'm such an l.a. girl. >> a good place to be. still ahead, remembering comic legend garry shandling who passed away suddenly yesterday. he was a comedian's comedian. >> what i want at my funeral is an actual boxing referee to do a count. at five, just wave it off, and say he's not getting up. vo: know you have a dedicated advisor and team who understand where you come from. we didn't really have anything, you know. but, we made do. vo: know you can craft an investment plan as strong as your values. al, how you doing. hey, mr. hamilton. vo: know that together you can establish a meaningful legacy. with the guidance and support of your dedicated pnc wealth management team.

into a real guys night out to see if they could find the guy who uses just for men. it's me. >>no way. just for men gives you a natural gray-free look. just lather in. in just five minutes. great-looking hair, made easy. just for men.

a mainstay of late night, garry shandling, has died. he inspired ricky gervais and chris rock and he had a debut on "the tonight show" with johnny carson and he later went on to guest host. he blurred the lines between comedy and reality on "it's garry shandling's show" and "the larry sanders show." the stylings are part of mainstream comedies like "the office" and "30 rock." and they went back to their roots at the comedy store in los angeles and shandling reflected on mortality. >> may robin rest in peace. i'm sure like me you were stunned. >> yeah. >> they broke in and said robin williams killed himself.

i sat there and i was frozen. this totally true. i was in the kitchen of mine. wolf blitzer said, 63 is so young. i looked one little hope because i'm about the same age of robin. i realized 63 is so young is a phrase you never hear relative to anything but death. 63 is so young to be playing in the nfl. that's nothing. >> you have to die in your 60s for them to say, boy, he was young. >> well, shandling died of an apparent heart attack. he was 66. let's go to a pli wild police purr -- to a wild police pursuit in arizona. joshua mcmonth gal was wanted for hit and run. he threw a man off of a motorcycle and two scuffle and when the suspect's plan does not work, he hops back in the truck and takes off. running over the bike. you will see that coming up there. the chase ended when the pickup rolled over, ejecting the suspect. his condition is unknown but we do know he's in custody right now. and the rolling stones are

going to shine a light on cuba today. the band landed in havana yesterday. they're gearing up for the historic and free concert tonight. rock music including the stones used to be banned under the cuban government. this will be cuba's first concert by a british rock band and according to billboard more than half a million people are expected to attend. yeah. that does it for me and "way too early" on this good friday. coming up on "morning joe," we're live for you in brussels with breaking news on the terror investigation there. the two americans are among the dead. plus ted cruz gets riled up after donald trump's latest snipe about his wife. that and much more, coming up on "morning joe."

the own the adventure sales event is happening now. land rover, above and above. overnight relief suppositories for relief in minutes and stool softeners for comfortable relief of hard stools. dulcolax, designed for dependable relief with new trublend primer covergirl makes flawless as easy as... one... "tru"... three. preps and smooths skin and trublend makeup blends flawlessly plus new trublend blush and bronzer from easy breezy beautiful covergirl. we stop arthritis pain, so you don't have to stop. because you believe in go. onward. today's the day. carpe diem. tylenol® 8hr arthritis pain has two layers of pain relief. the first is fast. the second lasts all day. we give you your day back. what you do with it is up to you.

tylenol®. it took joel silverman years to become a master dog trainer. but only a few commands to master depositing checks at chase atms. technology designed for you. so you can easily master the way you bank. being hacked and intellectual property being stolen. that is cyber-crime and it affects each and every one of us. microsoft created the digital crimes unit to fight cyber-crime. we use the microsoft cloud to visualize information so we can track down the criminals. when it comes to the cloud, trust and security are paramount. we're building what we learn back into the cloud

to make people and organizations safer. good morning, welcome to "morning joe." it's friday, march 25. it's good friday. joe and mika have the morning off. joining me on set, former communications director for president george w. bush, nicolle wallace. msnbc contributor mike barnicle, managing editor of bloomberg politics mark halperin. the former governor of vermont and former chairman of the dnc howard dean also with us at the table. good morning. we're going to talk about gary