breaking firefighters battle a five-alarm fire. details coming up. bombshell statement. pressure builds on the president to provide evidence of wiretapping. then the nature's fury, including europe's nature's -- volcano erupting. and celebrating st. patrick's day around the nation. "early today" starts right now. i'm frances rivera. >> we start off this morning with the lack of evidence. second day in a row, bipartisan

congressional leaders still the white house isn't shying away, being bolstered by the doubling down on the president's allegations. hallie jackson has more. >> reporter: bombshell statement, triggering an explosive response. >> hold on. hold on. i'm making a point. >> reporter: after the committee, president trump wanted to investigate his accusation of spying found there's nothing there. quote, based on the information available to us, we see no indication that trump tower was the subject of surveillance by any element of the united states government either before or after election day 2016. no surveillance. the president not convinced, not backing down. >> he stands by it. again, you're mischaracterizing what happened today. the bottom line is that the investigation by the house and senate has not been provided all

the information. >> reporter: that's not what the senate intelligence committee says. >> we've seen no evidence at all about the president's tweet 13 days ago that somehow obama tapped trump tower and that somehow this was affecting the presidential race. >> reporter: the president's press secretary refusing to say -- instead for a full eight minutes, sean spicer cited a series of news reports, accusing reporters of cherry pick iing. >> i've been reading about things. i think it was january 20th, "new york times" article where they were talking about wiretapping. >> that article had the word "weartapped" but referred to surveillance targeting russians and did not mention president trump. any classified information would

have been shared by fbi director james comey. one by one they've said they've seen no evidence to back up the president's claims. >> he could put the entire wiretapping claims to rest on monday when he appears before a house committee and is sure to be pressed on the issue. $1.15 trillion proposal, and why his budget blueprint is an example of how the administration looks to govern. it's what's not be funded that is making news. adding nearly $60 billion on defense homeland security and veterans care but is also making deep sbun precedented cuts, state department slashed by 29%, targeting foreign aid, environmental protection agency sliced by 3 %, including programs to climate change and national institutes of health cut by nearly $6 billion. critics say low-income americans would be the hardest hit with

sweeping cuts to affordable housing and job training, eliminating federal aid to program like meals on wheels that are a godsend to those most in need. mick mulvaney, when pushed on the need for the program by nbc's peter alexander. >> we can't spend money on programs just because they sound great and meals on wheels sound good. we want to give you money for programs that can't work. i can't defend that anymore. >> another major area on the chopping block, the arts and public broadcasting. artists are fighting back using the #righttobeararts. >> ignorant, scared, sick, hungry, cruel and violent. then josh gad wrote simply without science and arts, who

are we? and at what point will you be telling your children that your father killed snufalupagus? many are have already voiced their sfrong opinion -- opposition i should say. firefighters are battling the blades which first engufd a five-story apartment building under construction. nobody was trapped inside, they believe, thankfully. it spread to a nearby high rise and residents were evacuated. hundreds have lost power in the area. fortunately no one appears to be injured by the fire. the situation clearly remains dangerous. authorities are warning people to stay away from the area. the cause of the fire still under investigation. >> stunning explosion caught on camera. at least 10 people were injured when europe's largest volcano

erupted, blasted out shards of rock and burning boulders. here is nbc's gabe gutierrez. >> this is what a near-death experience looks like. italy's mt. etna erupted, spewing ash and steam. heart-pounding moments captured on camera. bystanders scrambled to safety, pelted by molten rocks. about 35 tourists and their guides were on the volcano. at least ten people were injured. one of the guys said hot lava hitting frigid snow caused a violent explosion. etna is one of the most active volcanos in the world. drone video showedity explosive reawakening last month. the volcano is still active and the survivors are recovering after the escape of a lifetime.

gabe gutierrez, nbc news. now turning to peru where there's massive flooding and mud slides, leading to a dozen deaths this week with harrowing rescues caught on tape. this woman emerged from debris, covered in mud. she struggled to free herself, managed to cover over large pieces of wood to dry land where onlookers helped her to safety. another man made a narrow mistake after fast-moving mudslides toppled his truck completely on its side. he is seen crawling out of the window and to safety moments before mud flow wept his truck away. we need some green scarves, parkas, maybe even some umbrellas for people? >> some people. chicago may be one of those areas for the big parade today. some weak snow and rain mks mix

in. northeast is chilly. not bad. new york at 41. chicago at 42 with the umbrella. not the best forecast but it's not that cold either. here is a closer look at your day ahead. >> good morning, i'm meteorologist bill henley. not as cold as yesterday. just below freezing by one degree. 31 in mt. holly and 20s for coatesville, allentown. we'll see sunshine today. the melting continues. rain and snow for the weekend. your neighborhood forecast just ahead. >> we'll see you in a few minutes, bill. for "nbc 10 news today." >> driver in philadelphia pulled over to check on a problem with his car and finds a dead body underneath. we'll hear from police on how they're handling the case. students attacked at a septa station. what sparked a fight in center

city. >> storm aftermath, lingering effects of this week's snow are taking a dangerous form. falling ice chunks. the close calls for some drivers in our area. weather, traffic and the news you need to know before you head out the door. >> in 20 minutes. what's being called the dark web. we can't stay here! why? terrible toilet paper! i'll never get clean! way ahead of you, big daddy. aww charmin ultra strong. it's washcloth-like texture helps clean better. it's four times stronger... ...and you can use less. beautiful view. (wiggles butt) thanks to charmin. and you, honeybear! awwwww we all go. why not enjoy the go with charmin? hershey's miniatures. we pour 'em! we pass 'em! we pick 'em! delicious fun for everyone. hershey's miniatures are mine, yours, our chocolate. yours,

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at walgreens, we've got the beauty products to help you be you. walgreens. at the corner of happy and healthy. now buy two cosmetics or nail products and get the third free. in stores and online. oh, the action has started. march madness in full swing. with a stunning moment from vanderbilt. watch, after going up by one with 15 seconds on the clock. vandy's matthew fisher davis inexplicably fouls the wildcats brian mcintosh mistakenly thinking his team was behind. northwestern is on top. the commodores final attempt for the win false short. northwestern alum julia lewis dry f dreyfus celebrating in the stands. you have to be soaked to mark your wind.

villanova and gonzaga both won. two bracket upsets. number 11 xavier beat sixth-ranked maryland. you know who was watching? bill murray cheering on xavier right there from the stands. and 12th seed middle tennessee state defeated number five, minnesota, 81-72. hope your brackets are doing okay. >> in full swing. speaking of basketball, on nbcnews.com. defense, defense, have you ever screamed that at game before. the pentagon has asked employees not to watch march madness. they reminded defense department workers not the stream the games from the tournament. the reason? eating up valuable internet band width could slow the computers running the the u.s. military. >> national security is the priority. the u.s. military is denying that it bombed a syrian mosque after human rights activists said at least 42 people were

killed in one. ellie, what can you tell us about the latest conflicting reports here? >> reporter: that's right, frances. con flighting reports indeed. the white helmet said 42 people, mostly civilians, were killed in an air strike in a rebel-held village in northern syria. the raid was carried out in unidentified planes in a province in aleppo. u.s. central command says u.s. forces carried out a strike on al qaeda, but they didn't target or strike a mosque. they struck a meeting of al qaeda in a place called idlib. the centcom commander says the mosque was 30 or 40 feet away but was still standing after the air strike. witnesses said the mosque was hit when it was full of people praying there. mostly men at a very, very busy time.

centcom says they're looking into the possibility of vi civilians injured or killed. they keep saying the mosque was not hit. frances? >> keeping an eye on a clarification there on what happened. nbc's ali arouzi. still ahead, did chris christie's new jersey full a fast one on donald trump. and hackers have the upper hand after billions are spent. we'll tell you why next. my advice for looking younger, longer?

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fast forwarding today. president trump is scheduled to have his first face-to-face meeting with german chance lore angela merkel at the white house. they're expected to discuss funding for nato and relations are russia. and chris christie is set to sign or veto a bill on whether officials need to release tax returns to appear on a ballot. we should know this is also world sleep day. a day to raise awareness about sleep disorders and the importance of shut eye. may not be a big deal for you. for our team here at "early today" this is major, major event. because we just don't get sleep. >> and we need some. people watching probably do, too. nearly every week more months, there's been a

significant development in cyberespionage. >> cyber security experts are focusing on securities. >> reporter: there's a reason it's called the dark web where nearly every computer server is masked, making them almost impossible to trace. a dark alley that can facilitate hacks. it almost feels like a losing bat. >> it's become a top priority for police and intelligence agencies all over the world. >> reporter: james lyne showed us hackers no longer have to write their own programs. >> hold my hands, i'll make you rich. >> reporter: they can buy it all prepackaged. among big corporate names knocked offline. amazon, netflix, papal, "the new york times."

etch wikipedia. the focus is more on detecting and responding than actually preventing attacks. and cyber experts are warning of another imminent threat. 13,000 telecom, powers, utilities in the u.s. >> it wouldn't require high-tech tools. >> reporter: meanwhile, a growing concern in a big jump in ransom ware attacks. hackers gain control of a computer, hold the network hostage until they're paid off. it's happened to hospitals, community colleges, police departments, and the stachlt louis public library. they demanded $35,000. >> it basically turned every computer at the st. louis publicly brar into a brick. >> reporter: because the library backed up its system, it refused to pay. tom costello, nbc news, london.

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i would like to order a 747, you know, a large plane. my dad's favorite knock knock joke is knock knock, who's there. knock knock, w-- dishes. dishes who? dishes sean connery. >> jimmy fallon created a bracket. he's got his kids. full on first hand. >> you have to love and hate dad jokes. "snl" they want to let the entire country in on their jokes. for the first time in 42 seasons, the show will broadcast live across the entire country, coast to coast. the new simulcast debuts in april. jimmy fall listen host. chris pine. melissa mccarthy. and duane "the rock" johnson on may 20th. >> when we tweet about it, it goes online there are spoilers for people on the west coast. on a day when we're all a

little bit irish. the green celebrations are everywhere. including the white house fountain. and the statue of christ in rio de janiero. and the green river in chicago. here in new york city, 2 million spectators are expected to join in the st. patrick's day parade. americans will spend $5.3 billion in holiday celebrations. catholics will be happy to hear that even though the holiday falls on a friday in lent, the church makes an exception for corned beef on st. patrick's day. criskrispy kreme, tgi fridays, dunkin' donuts, bas kin robbens and mcdonald's also offering festive treats. keep it here, everybody. you're watching "early today. e o make it nice and soft. but grandma, we use charmin ultra soft so we don't have to wad to get clean. mmm, cushiony...and we can use less.

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find new roads at your local chevy dealer. . breaking overnight, shot and dragged. students attacked. chaos at a center city station lands a teenager in the hospital. post-storm problems are dropping in on drivers and falling from buildings. good friday morning. this is "nbc 10 news today." i'm katy zachry. >> and i'm vai sikahema. let's get to bill henley, the most accurate forecast in up to. the warm-up continues? >> yes! it's not as cold this morning. great day to start st. patrick's day. in the 20s in the suburbs. look at philadelphia, just 3,

one degree below freezing. still cooling down in the lehigh valley and delaware. skies are clear this morning. those temperatures can come down a bit more. it also means we're in for a nice sunny day. 42 in the lehigh valley, 44 in delaware. 40s in new jersey, suburbs and philadelphia this afternoon. we're heading into our last weekend of winter. spring begins on monday. problem, it looks like we'll get to more wintry weather before spring arrives. snow and rain this weekend. take a look at that when i'm back in 10 minutes. first, jessica boyington has your first alert traffic. >> thank you, bill. starting off this morning on 95. temperature on girard avenue no problems. that's not really a surprise. it's still pretty early to start seeing any major problems on the roads. southbound side looking great. 14-minute drive time from wood haven to the vine street expressway. p.a. turnpike, slow-moving maintenance vehicle on the eastbound side for snow removal between morristown and willow

grove. 22 on the eastbound side in valley forge to route one. cherry hill township in new jersey, route 70 around kings highway. roads are dry. so easy to drive on. vai and katy, back to you guy. >> see you in about ten minutes. thank you. here are the top stories we're following today. president trump will welcome german chancellor angela merkel to the white house. the two are expected to talk about strengthening the nato alliance, trade and immigration. we're expecting more on capitol hill to president trump's proposed budget. it slashes funding for state department, epa and other government institutions. and it's time for the wearin' of the green. it's st.