♪ purple rain ♪ purple rain it's monday, april 25th. right now on "first look," teaming up to stop the donald. ted cruz and john kasich join forces ahead of tomorrow's five-state primary, but is it too little, too late? president obama plans to send 250 more u.s. military personnel to syria to fight isis. the manhunt continues for the killers of eight family members in what police call a preplanned execution. new details surrounding the death of prince as his body was cremated over the weekend. and dicey weather ahead as we kick off a new week. "first look" starts right now. well, good monday morning to you. thanks for joining us today. i'm betty nguyen. the stop trump movement has its biggest backing yet in the form of an informal alliance between ted cruz and john kasich.

last night the cruz and kasich campaigns announced an agreement to coordinate their efforts to prevent trump from reaching the 1237 delegates needed to win the nomination before the convention. now, as part of this agreement, cruz will focus his time and resources in indiana while kasich will take on oregon and new mexico. kasich has already canceled multiple events in indiana scheduled for this week. and other signs of change are already coming into focus. after announcing friday a huge campaign to attack kasich in indiana, the super pac backing cruz tells nbc news they will look over their options and announce new intentions later today.

there are 57 delegates at stake in indiana and nearly as many combined in oregon and new mexico. and the latest poll out of indiana shows trump with an 8% lead over cruz and kasich is far behind. before all this played out, though, trump's oldest son, donald trump jr., spoke out against cruz, saying he has no chance of winning without, quote, bribing the delegates. tomorrow night, five states are holding primaries all in the northeast and expect another big night for trump. he is ahead by 18% in pennsylvania with cruz and kasich well behind. but in a close race for second. while in rhode island, trump is ahead of kasich by 13% and 24% ahead of cruz. meanwhile, charles koch made some >> so is it possible another clinton could be better than another republican?

>> it's possible. >> this time around? >> it's possible. >> you couldn't see yourself supporting hillary clinton could you? >> well, her -- we would have to believe her actions would be quite different than her rhetoric, let me put it that way. >> the clinton campaign responded on twitter saying she was not interested in koch's endorsement. and just like trump, expect another big night for clinton tomorrow. she is ahead of bernie sanders by 15% in pennsylvania. clinton is also ahead in rhode island by a smaller but still significant 9%. for his part, sanders may be seeing the writing on the wall. the senator spoke out about his path forward this weekend in a more resigned tone. >> obviously, our goal now is, while we have a narrow path to victory, we're going to fight forward through that path. we hope to win. but i think the fact that we have shown that there is massive dissatisfaction in this country, people are+++b0

>> both hillary clinton and bernie sanders will appear tonight in back-to-back town halls. it all starts at 8:00 p.m. eastern right here on msnbc. senior white house officials confirm the deployment of about 250 additional military personnel into syria as part of the escalating fight against isis. the u.s. has agreed to the uptick in what amounts to the first major increase of u.s. forces since november when troops were first sent to syria. the 250 additional military personnel will join the 50 troops already on the ground as they advise iraqi forces and local syrian forces trying to retake key territories from isis. this morning the president joined by german chancellor angela merkel opened and toured the world's largest industrial tech trade fair. the president is expected to deliver remarks regarding the new troop deployment at that fair in hanover later today. now, to a developing story in ohio where authorities say they are still on the hunt for the person or persons

responsible for killing eight members of a single family, execution style early friday. we are learning that marijuana grow operations were found at three of the four crime scenes. nbc's gabe gutierrez has the latest on this investigation. >> reporter: the manhunt after a family massacre is intensifying. officers in tactical gear swarming the crime scenes, looking for more evidence. with an offer of a $25,000 reward, tips are flooding into ohio authorities, but still no arrest. >> this was a preplanned execution of eight individuals. it was a sophisticated operation. and those who carried it out were trying to do everything that they could do to hinder the investigation and their prosecution. >> reporter: the state's attorney general confirmed that marijuana grow operations were found at three of the crime scenes. but investigators would not comment on a potential motive for the killings. they're offering protection to the rhoden family who they say

was targeted. >> if you are fearful, arm yourself. if you feel that you need to protect yourself or family, do so and contact the local law enforcement. >> reporter: the victims now identified, dana rhoden and her ex-husband, christopher rhoden sr. their children, chris jr., just 16 years old. hanna, 22. and clarence, 20. he went by frankie. his fiancee, hannah, also killed. so were kenneth and gary rhoden. eight lives cut short. >> ma'am, ma'am, you got to tell me what's going on. >> there's blood all over the house. >> reporter: sheriff's deputies would soon find the eight relatives shot dead in four separate homes miles apart. hannah rhoden's four-day-old baby found alive in her same room. kenneth rhoden discovered by his cousin. >> i just found my cousin with a gunshot wound. >> that is just so tragic. nbc's gabe gutierrez reporting there. let's get down to business on this monday with cnbc's

landon dough yodowdy. >> reporter: the dow coming off a positive week, holding above that 18,000 level while the nasdaq ended lower due to disappointing earnings from microsoft. look for reports this week on housing, consumer confidence and first quarter gdp. a two-day fed meeting and earnings from apple and exxon mobil. meanwhile, prices at the pump are creeping higher. the average price of regular unleaded jumping 8 cents in the past two weeks to $2.18 a gallon. and that's partly due to crude oil prices edging up. gas prices are up 41 cents in the past two months. also, sales of prince's music have skyrocketed since the artist's death on thursday. nielsen music says there were 2.3 million song sales in the past three days including nearly 1 million just on thursday. sales were led, of course, by prince's biggest hits including "purple rain" and "when doves cry." back over to you. >> he had so many hits. speaking of prince, a private memorial service was

held for the music icon at his paisley park complex on saturday. fans gathered outside the fence where he lived and worked. a representative said the location of prince's remains will be private. this weekend, "snl" celebrated the purple one with an hour-long tribute that included this never-before-seen clip. ♪ that was prince performing at the after-party of "snl's" 40th anniversary show. well, we are awaiting a live event with president obama delivering a major speech any minute now from the world's biggest technology trade show. plus, running the british marathon from space. the incredible feat and his time. that's next.

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kansas sunday evening. powerful winds and lightning and you can see the hail there. some as large as government blf. a twister destroying a trailer. we have a possibility of a minor outbreak today. major outbreak tomorrow. and then a little uncertain how bad it's going to be on wednesday. still the possibility. so as of last night, we cleared it out. all the severe weather is now done. later on this afternoon and tonight, it includes springfield, peoria, chicago and areas near milwaukee and madison, severe weather threat. there's the chart. this goes from marginal to slight to enhanced, moderate and high. the high end of the scale, that's when we're talking about a really serious situation. this would be scattered severe weather. it only takes one storm but it won't be widespread. into tuesday, this is where we have much greater concern through the heart of tornado alley from san antonio to omaha. this area of red in here is a moderate risk already of severe weather. this has all the signs of an outbreak, maybe even a tornado outbreak with a few strong

tornadoes possible. 24 million people in a slight risk, but this area of red, 3 million people from oklahoma city to wichita to slide spew hastings. and the possibility of those storms, it looks like a typical late afternoon into the early evening. around 4:00 p.m. is when we'll start watching those storms. by 7:00 to 8:00 p.m., they should be near kansas city. >> spring storms, all right. thank you so much. hundreds of people descended on baltimore on sunday one year after the death of freddie gray. chanting "one baltimore, one vision," organizers prayed for change as they remembered the day freddie gray died while in police custody. marchers say the rally was about peace, not protests. they also want positive change ahead of this tuesday's primary elections from mayor and city council. >> because of the uprising, of things that we've tried to, in fact, sweep under the rug are on full display and are going to have to be addressed. >> connecticut police arrested a 19-year-old man on saturday who allegedly threatened to bomb a donald trump rally on twitter.

writing, quote, is someone going to bomb the trump rally, or am i going to have to? sean taylor even tweeted to friends that they should tell his family members to leave the rally to avoid being hurt. officials later determined he was not an imminent threat, but he was still charged and processed. he has since been released on a $25,000 bond. in a race that was literally out of this world, british astronaut tim pete completed the london marathon on sunday from outer space. peak joined 37,000 fellow runners in realtime. he was strapped to his treadmill aboard the international space station. and the best part? he smashed the guinness world record for the fastest marathon in space, completing the 26.2-mile race in just 3 hours and 35 minutes. i couldn't do that here on earth. let's get to sports now. an ailing steph curry returned to the hard court for game wore of the playoffs. he says his injured ankle is feeling better and things were looking better for houston.

>> with a nice play off the beautiful feed. final seconds of the first. to harden. at the buzzer. oh, he knocks it down! >> at the buzzer all right. ahead of the half, though, curry slips on the court and goes down. he appears to have hurt his knee as he is helped up on the court. curry didn't return to the action in the second half and will have an mri on that leg later today. in the second half, the warriors managed to put away the rockets, 121-94. they win game four and take a 3-1 lead. that as the cavaliers landed a knockout punch against the detroit pistons. look at this three-pointer. whoo! that's a pretty one. it was neck and neck with the cavs defeating detroit 100-98. they join the spurs as the first teams to advance to the second round of the nba playoffs. 15 minutes past the hour. "scrambled politics" is next.

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it's called predix. it's gonna change the way the world works. ok, i'm telling my brain to tell the drone to get you a copy of my resume. umm, maybe keep your hands on the controller. look out!! ohhhhhhhhhh... you know what, i'm just gonna email it to you. yeah that's probably safer. ok, cool. here is your monday morning dish of "scrambled politics." ahead of tomorrow's pennsylvania primary, john kasich picked up a big endorsement from "the philadelphia inquirer." they cite his excitement and courage as deciding factors. they were especially hard on trump, saying he, quote, has chosen to show that he is neither conservative nor principled, nor decent. yikes! virginia governor terry mcauliffe is fighting back against critics who say he restored the voting rights of more than 200,000 ex-felons only as an election year ploy. yesterday governor mcauliffe who

is an ex-chair of the dnc said his republican critics should, quote, quit complaining and go out and earn the ex-felon vote. president obama had quite the literary trip while in london this weekend. he first visited the globe theater to mark the 400th anniversary of shakespeare's death. while there, he also watched a brief performance of "hamlet." later the president had dinner with author j.k. rowling at the u.s. ambassador's residence in london. former pennsylvania senator harris wofford announced that he is marrying a man 50 years his junior. the 90-year-old wofford was previously married to a woman. she died 20 years ago. in the article, he says "i had a half-century of marriage with a wonderful woman, and now am lucky for a second time to have found happiness." "hamilton" star is the son of puerto rican immigrants. and yesterday he took some time off of broadway to join john oliver on last week tonight to talk about puerto rico's recent troubles.

>> it's nonpartisan. the hard part is in convincing congress puerto rico matters so their heart is in the fight for relief. not a bailout just a relief. a belief that you can pass legislation to ease our grief. paul ryan i'll come sing at your house. i'll do-si-do with pelosi. puerto rico, it's just 100 miles across. thank you. >> and that is your morning dish of "scrambled politics." 20 minutes past the hour. msnbc reporter jane timm is here. you're going to see him this week. what a perform anticipaance com cruz and kasich, they are joining together, teaming up to stop trump. is this a sign of desperation? more importantly, is it going to work? >> i think it's a statement of fact. there are certain states we saw cruz get swept last week. there are certain states kasich can't win and there are certain

stat states they can win in. it's just a statement of fact. it may help but i don't think it's going to do a whole lot. cruz and kasich, they're struggling to beat donald trump. >> it's really the only way forward for them. >> yeah. they cannot win on a first ballot. they cannot win before the convention. as much as they say they're outsiders, the old adage of d.c., you cannot win if you're talking about process. it applies here. no one looks like a winner when they're talking about process. >> well, trump is definitely not calling them winners at all. he says this whole tag team approach is collusion and is just proof that the gop system is rigged. is he right? >> sure, the system's rigged. it's why he has more delegates than he's won votes. the system is rigged. that's how it works. this is the game they all signed up to play. but i think it's just the system they're playing. they've got to go with it. >> could this actually backfire on both cruz and kasich by just outraging voters who say, wait a second. this is not how this game is supposed to be played? >> i think it is putting a huge spotlight on the process and how it works. like i said, no one looks great

when they're talking about process. but i think as many people who don't like donald trump and who do like donald trump, so the people who don't like him, they're going to find a way to be okay with talking about process and being okay with a contested convention, literally changing the nominee away from the guy who got the most votes. but it doesn't look great. the loser here is the gop. >> i was going to say, steer voters away from the party entirely because they're just so fed up with all of this. >> absolutely. i think you're going to see some people just not go out and vote. i mean, that's sort of sad. you want people to go out and vote and cast their ballot. but i think that people who love donald trump, they're going to stick with him. people who hate him, they're also going to fight him. this is a battle that will not stop till the bitter end. you're going to see every last door unturned. >> jane timm, we appreciate your insight. thank you so much. and right now we understand president obama is delivering a major speech in hanover at the conference there. let's take a listen.

>> it is wonderful to see all of you, and i want to begin by thanking chancellor merkel for being here. [ cheers and applause ] on behalf of the american people, i want to thank angela for being a champion of our alliance. and on behalf of all of us, i want to thank you for your commitment to freedom and equality and human rights, which is a reflection of your own inspiring life. i truly believe you've shown us the leadership of steady hands. how do you call it? the merkel routa? and over the last seven years, i've relied on your friendship and counsel and your firm moral compass. so we very much appreciate your chancellor, angela merkel. to the members of the bundestag,

prime minister, mayor shostock, distinguished guests, people of germany, and i'm especially pleased to see the young people here from germany and across europe. we also have some proud americans here. there you go. [ cheers ] i have to admit that i have developed a special place in my heart for the german people. back when i was a candidate for this office, you welcomed me with a small rally in berlin where i spoke, the change that's possible when the world stands as one. as president, you've treated me and michelle and our daughters to wonderful hospitality. you've offered me excellent beer and krune. you've now hosted our delegation here in hanover. my only regret is that i have

never been to germany for oktoberfest. so i will have to come back, and i suspect it's more fun when you're not president. so my timing will be good. [ applause ] and as always, i bring the friendship of the american people. we consider the german people and all of our european allies to be among our closest friends in the world. because we share so much experience and so many of the same values. we believe that nations and peoples should live in security and peace. we believe in creating opportunity that lift up not just the few but the many. and i'm proud to be the first american president to come to europe and be able to say that in the united states, health care is not a privilege, it is now a right for all. we share that as well.

perhaps most importantly, we believe in the equality and inherent dignity of every human being. today in america, people have the freedom to marry the person that they love. we believe in justice that no child in the world should ever die from a mosquito bite. that no one should suffer from the ache of an empty stomach. that together we can save our planet. and the world's most vulnerable people from the worst effects of climate change. these are things that we share. it's born of common experience. and this is what i want to talk to you about today. the future that we are building together, not separately but together.

and that starts right here in europe. and i want to begin with an observation that given the challenges that we face in the world and the headlines we see every day may seem improbable. but it's true. we are fortunate to be living in the most peaceful, most prosperous, most progressive era in human history. that may surprise young people who are watching tv or looking at your phones and it seems like only bad news comes through every day. but consider that it's been decades since the last war between major powers. more people live in democracies. we're wealthier. and healthier. and better educated. with a global economy that has lifted up more than a billion people from extreme poverty and

created new middle classes from the americas to africa to asia. think about the health of the average person in the world. tens of millions of lives that we now save from disease. and infant mortality. and people now living longer lives. around the world, we're more tolerant with more opportunity for women and gays and lesbians as we push back on bigotry and prejudice. and around the world, there's a new generation of young people like you that are connected by technology and driven by your idealism and your imagination and your working together to start new ventures and to hold governments more accountable and advance human dignity. if you had to choose a moment in

time to be born, any time in human history and you didn't know ahead of time what nationality you were or what gender gender or what your economic status might be, you'd choose today, which isn't to say that there is not still enormous suffering and enormous tragedy and so much work for us to do. it is to remember that the trajectory of our history over the last 50, 100 years has been remarkable. and we can't take that for granted, and we should take confidence in our ability to be able to shape our own destiny. now, that doesn't mean that we can be complacent because today dangerous forces do threaten to pull the world backwards.

and our progress is not inevitab inevitable. these challenges threaten europe, and they threaten our transatlantic community. we're not immune from the forces of change around the world. as they have elsewhere, barbaric terrorists have slaughtered innocent people in paris and brussels and istanbul and san bernardino, california. and we see these tragedies in places central to our daily lives. an airport or a cafe, a workplace or a theater. and it unsettles us. it makes us unsure in our day-to-day lives. fearful not just for ourselves but those that we love. conflicts from south sudan to syria to afghanistan have sent millions fleein