it's monday march 21st. coming up on early today. history. president obama is the first u.s. president to visit cuba in almost 90 years. donald trump plans to beef up his campaign rallies. the captured suspect in the paris terror attacks is squealing to authorities. we have new details ahead. plus, an 11-year-old joy ride aboard a cement mixer. yes, pains at the pump as

finishes as march madness heads into the sweet 16. "early today" starts right now. well, good monday morning, everybody. thanks for waking up with us today. i'm betty nguyen. the president of the united states is 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 lasting part of his legacy, but there are still simmering tensions. nbc's jay gray is in havana with more. >> reporter: after visiting old havana yesterday including a visit to the cathedral with his wife and daughters, the president will lay a wreath at the memorial to jose mar tee, the cuban poet honored for his role in the fight for freedom

be a visit from cuban president fidel castro where 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. yes, it's interesting that it's a historic trip and it's been 50 years without relations with the north american government very third generation cab driver hopes the president will take a close look at the country she is so proud of. >> translator: i like that he gets to know our country, our story, our country, how beautiful it is. it's a tourist attraction so he can share it with everybody else. >> reporter: a beauty and culture hidden from most years. now understand there is still a trade embargo obviously and still a ban on tourist travel, though the borders seem to be opening a bit, betty.

here in cuba, as you might imagine. many here on the streets believe this is a very first and important step in normalizing the relations between the two countries. back to you. >> definitely a history in the making. thank you so much. donald trump had harsh words when the cuban president was not at the airport to greet the president and hi family. >> president obama landed in cuba and the president who was there for the pope and other dignitaries who come in, but he wasn't there for the president of the united states. i mean we are amateur hour, folks. amateur hor. and honestly, obama should have turned the plane around and left. he slould. he should have said bye-bye. >> the white house has said today begins the official visit when he'll formally meet president obama.

stops are growing bigger and so is the violence. nbc's gaib be gutierrez has more. >> one escorted out by bless. another repettedly punched and kicked by the crowds. that protesters spoke with jacob rascon. >> this political movement has gotten to the point where you may get beaten to death at a rally. i just got my [ bleep ] kicked. >> reporter: trump's campaign manager corey lewandowski grabbed another by the collar. trump defended him. >> police were a little bit lax and they had signs in that area. they were horrendous. >> reporter: last week a conservative reporter filed a police complaint accusing

not been charged. he once took a break from politics to work as a new hampshire state police officer. >> it's very unusual, unprecedent for a campaign manager to be out in the crowd being involved in security. >> reporter: ted cruz campaigning in arizona. >> there is now only one campaign in a position to beat donald trump and win the republican nomination. >> reporter: polls show he trails trump there and leads in utah, getting some unlikely support getting so-called establishment. john kasich betting on a contested convention. >> lab. nobody's going to the convention with enough gel dell gats. in the end, you know why i can get picked? because i'll get picked in the fall. trump is expected to speak today and also john kasich and speaker paul ryan will deliver the keynote address. vice president joe biden

he backed the iran nuclear deal saying iran is much further from obtain agnew clear weapon than they were a year hillary clinton is expected to deliver a speech this morning but democrat rival bernie sanders who is jewish is not his campaign schedule and the latest campaign fund-raising numbers are out, take a look. month in a row, sanders raised more than clinton, $43.5 million compared to just over $30 million. however, sanders spent about $7 more than clinton. at the starr of march, clinton had more in her war chest than officials in belgium say the suspect may have been planning more violence. hope to learn more from him and the broader threat from isis in. nbc's keir simmons reports from brussels. >> reporter:

>> they were ready to restart something from bustles and it's maybe the reality we have fallen on weapons. >> reporter: but it's his knowledge of the paris attack in last november that may be since salah abdeslam was discovered in this building in brussels, he has been talking, and there are many questions acks in paris that he could answer. the explosives used in the paris attacks, tatp, require anbomb maker. who was he and where is he. according to "the new york times," which said it has seen a police report, frenchs describe salah abdeslam and the logistics guy, so can he detail the original eports confirmed by nbc news reveal the suspected ringn bushes for three nights after the attacks.

ultimately he died during a raid leashing abdeslam as the only known living terror cell. how much does he know. >> the fighters, extremely professional, and i don't see those people sharing all the information. >> reporter: abdeslam relied on a large network of stay hidden, the belgium prosecutor said. the continuing and most urgent questions, how many more isis operatives are on the run in europe.mmons, nbc news, brussels. now to a bizarre chase in southern minnesota. police were after an 11-year-old boy who stole a and took it on a joy ride. the police say he swiped it from a local contractor and led the it went an hour and a half. eventually the boy was stop and aid rested and taken to the

luckily no one was hurt today is the first full day of spring. you wouldn't know it in parts of the northeast. snow fell in some places already. >> boston has no school. snow day on this first monday of spring. you notice the spring is in eastern portions of new england, the snow is over around delaware, d.c., new york city has about an hour or two. but it's not thickening. all the roads, no issues.t's where it's accumulating. east ward is where it's steady and then 95 up to bangor where the snow will be. this is the additional snow ll fall. the plows will be out here with up to 8 to 10 inches of snow.o portland, anywhere from 4 to 5 inches. boston, 2 to 4 on top of the 2 you already have and same for a little slippery, but not horrible.

these are all freeze warnings kansas city, shreveport, acrossf tennessee. right now we're hovering in the mid-30s in these areas. this is where the flowers are out and a lot of tenderould be damaged by the freeze. this afternoon we'll warm it up nicely in the south. that's a look at your national so here's a closer look at your day ahead. by about noon boston will be allas far as temperatures warming up after a cold morning in the south, we're going to warm it up nicely. 63 today in little rock. >> so is winter >> this is it. i think we're like okay. 've in boston, the snow will be completely gone by wednesday or it will be 60 degrees. >> bring on the warmth and sunshine. thank you, bill. so why is a massive shipment of plutonium headed to the u.s. plus a jury awarded hulk hogan150 million bucks in his sex

so why is the hulk headed back to court tard? court tard? ash look you want easy. so whether you choose ultra volume, super length,volume and length magnified, dramatic definition, or the ultimate all-in-one... the choice is yours.se love a revolution in mascara. revlon. love is on. fact. there's an advil specially made for fast relief that goes to work in minutes. the only advil with a rapid release formula for rapid relief of tough pain. dvil film-coated in the white box! relief doesn't get any faster than this. advil. is caring because covering heals faster. for a ou and stays on all day, cover with a band-aid brand flexible fabric

it's easy to love your laxative when that lax loves your body back. only miralax hydrates, eases and softens to unblock naturally, ind om start to finish. love your laxative. miralax. mr. clean saw all the different things his new smart phone does... ...it reminded him of his magic eraser. it's not just for marks on walls... n grease... and bathroom grime too. he's your... ...all around-tough-cleaner, mr. clean. er discovers jimmy dean delights, made with real egg whites, lean cut meats, and whole grains. an excellent source of protein, it fuels her up with energyelp power through her morning. with jimmy dean delights, good

welcome back, everybody. two british ships have arrived in eastern japan to transport a shipment of plutonium to ament facility in south carolina for storage. the shipment contains enough plutonium to make a dozen atomic it had been used for research purposes. the ship is equipped with naval guns to prevent a tell worker and security guard were shot. troopers arrived as their former fellow trooper was unloadi a fare collection vehicle in exchange gunfire. the suspect was fatally wounded and died at the scene.

hogan on the sexrded him $150 million agreeing they provided a sex tape of him online. protesters say working on an appeal. get ready. the newest attraction, the sky lied arrived this weekendsted up by a helicopter. it's part of the space renovation to the u.s. bank tower, the tallest building west of the mississippi. riders with from the 79 floor to the 69 floor in an-inch and a quarter no, sir, i'm going to pass on that one buchl the slide is going to open in june and i know a lot of people will be excited. >> gas prices are on the rise. a whopping 17 sends higher and a quarter of the past four weeks.

at popeyes, a teenagerng for a job helped stop a robber. grabbed him with a bear hurricane as he was fleeing with he surrendered the police and the teenager ended up getting that job. that's one way to do it. just ahead, aore. a goal, but not soccer. we're talking hockey. and the biggest comeback in the tournament. sheer madness. sheer madness. if you have allergy congestion, muddling through your morning is nothing new. .your nose is the only ing on your mind... ...and to get relief, anything is fair game.introducing rhinocort allergy spray from the makers of zyrtec . powerful relief fromtt your most frustrating symptom* ,all day vv and all night. hasn't your nose been through enough already? try new rhinocort vv allergy spray. xx muddle no more in a world that's trying to turn you into someone new... ...one hair color wants to help you keep on being you. nice'n easy. natural-looking color...

it just looks like you. vv nice'n easy: colorvv as real as you are. rin intensive repair doesn't just moisturize dry skin, it intensively repairs it. with a unique triple action formula that exfoliatesates and fortifies skin. leaving it looking healthy and radiant. with intensive repair, from eucerin. m your day can haunt you at night, don't let it. advil pm gives you the healing sleep you need, helping you fall asleep and stay asleep heal as you rest. advil pm. for a healing

this morning on "today," how safe are the bridges you driveday. well, a surprising report may make you think twice about your morning commute. right now, though, it is march madness and college basketball. the texas a&m all but dead behind 12 point and 44 rallies, and this happens. >> a big time-out for the pan fers. watson throws it into the hands player. two seconds. looking for david on the post. he takes it, ties it at never thought this was even possible with 44 seconds to go. >> their season was over with 44 seconds left in now they're on to the sweet 16 in anaheim. >> wow. okay.

aggies comeback. good for them. to brooklyn steven a.ght a fight to the irish. they're down. >> switch, jackson, off the august, no. >> they would hold on, 75-74. they'll face wisconsin on to st. louis where he hit not one but two three-pointers. the badgers rallied over xavier buzzer beater 66-63. the villanova wildcats will face miami on thursday. he round of 32, maryland defeated hawaii, 72-60. it was syracuse, 75. middle tennessee state, 50. oklahoma, 85. cu, and oregon, 59. st. joseph, 64. to the nhl, watch capitals

soccer skills as he heads the puck into the penguins' goal but they took the win with a 6-2 and the final round of the arnold palmer invitational, it was jason day who was the re-to-wire champion. he won one stroke ahead. just ahead, does a note from bruce springsteen get a kid out of teacher trouble? plus, did actortacy live up to his lucky charm status? you're watching "early today." ching "early today." and i' d like to... cut. so i' m gonna take this opportunity to direct. ll call you. evening, film noir, smoke, atmosphere... bob... young farmhand and e trade is your cow. milk it.

and clean and real and inside jokes and school night. good, clean food pairs well with anything.ean pairings menu.

discovers jimmy dean delights, made with real egg whites, lean cut meats, and whole grains. an excellent source of protein, it fuels her up with energy h her morning. with jimmy dean delights, good mornings lead to great days. e you relief from your cold & flu. you give them a case of the giggles. tylenol cold helps relieve your worst cold & flu symptoms... m everything you've got. tylenol in all sorts of shapes and sizes. there are big rooms, tiny rooms, rooms that are - whoa. with eight times the new air wick scented oil warmer lets you dial up or down to fill massive minimalist rooms. ms. and tall rooms you climb to. a treehouse is totally a room. ect amount of fragrance. no matter the size of the home. no matter the size of the room. air wick . home is in the air

now to entertainment news. music legend prince will pin his memoir called "the beautiful it will be his first book. publishes said his fans can expect it to be and poetic. disney reigns over the box office making for a disappointing debut for nt," which took the second stop. its opening is $24 million less than last year's see quiet urgent." bryan cranston has taken his portrayal of lyndon johnson to hbo. the movie "all the way"

amy made a bartender happy. she left a $1,000 tip on her tab. needless to say the bar ternlds were overjoyed, you think? bruce springsteen helped a tardy note. he got to go backstage while springsteen wrote a note he wase rocking and rolling. kevin stacy surprised son florida panthers fans saturday night. the actor became a good for the team after they starting a running joke giving sweatshirts with spacey's face floating in outer space. the spacey in space attention and he showed up with a spacey mask just like anyone else. can you imagine? >> to be at your own night. >> and you take your mask off and it's kevin spacey and the crowd goes wild. all right.

we stop arthritis pain, so you don't have to stop. eve in go. onward. today's the day. carpe diem. is pain has two layers of pain relief. the first is fast. the second lasts all day. e you your day back. what you do with it is up to you. (clucking noises) everyone wants to be the cadbury bunny gs delicious cadbury creme eggs. while others may keep trying, rr nobunny knows easter better than cadbury. lergies with nasal congestion? find fast relief behind the counter with claritin-d. [ upbeat music ] strut past that aisle for the allergy relief ing in

and contains the best oral decongestant. live claritin clear,