this is our entrance. insane. >> the virtuals ocean of water in the midwest consuming farms, homes, and entire communities as the bomb cyclone from daysago leaves behind massive flooding. funerals and memorials by the dozens iew zealand following friday's master error attack. social media now works to control the spreal of the a shooting video. then the state thatav accidentally out $26 million in cup cat tax returns. can you guess what happenedne xt? dozens of atv t riders tako the streets of nashville, many driving erratically. one hits and drags a police sergeant down the street. a big weekend for sports a with messy hat trick. get your rackets out as the ncaa

eds are ready for march madness. and much more as we kick off your week. "early today" starts rig now. good to be with you, i'm frances rivera. marlie hall. the midwest is bracing for floodwaters to rise even more after historically high waters have already been blamed for the deaths of at least three people. with record snowfall in february followed by heavy rains, the a rive cresting. 11 million americans now face the threat of orooding. for on this we're joined by nbc's kathy park. kathy, g morning. >> reporter: frances and marlie, good morning. parts of nebraska are seeing the worst foding in decades. evacuations and rescues have been going on for days. entire towns are now islands. the floodwaters have now cut off fremont, nebraska. those w haven't left, stranded. thenly way in is by helicopter or small plane. >> we can't get in and out. i want to go be with my kids and my husband. >> reporter: heavy rain, snow lt

, and ice jams creating dangerous floodwaters across the midwest, breaching levees, submerging neighborhoods, andra ing homeowners and livestock. >> we got pictures of the horses in waist-deep water. it's really cold water. >> reporter: thousands of people forced out. ma now in shelters indefinitely. >> it looks like an ocean everywhere. >> reporter: nbc's governor declared states of emergency in dozens of counties a tribal lands, describing the damage as unbelievable devastation. in nebraska the 90-year-old spencer dam was destroyed, sending floodwaters into nearby towns. with some bridges washed away, emergency responders went in on boats to help. >> oh goodness, here's our entrance, paradise kes. insane. >> reporter: the rising waters blamed for at least two deaths in nebraska and one in iowa. a farmer killed trying to save a trappedmotorist. another person refused to evacuate and a driver died after

going around a barrade. several communities in wisconsin and minnesota also dealing with flood emergencies. the missouri river overflowing to record levels as residents dostream fear the threat isn't over. and while the water is starting recede in some places, here in the community of valley, nebraska, the flood risk is still pretty high. meantime, there is a threat of rain on tuesday which could set off anotherf set o problems. guys, back to you. >> kathy, thank you. ributes are pouring in from all over the world for the victims of the new zealand deadly modern mat shooting. in christchurch dozens ofts stud gathered to perform a haka ceremonial dance. [ chanting >> at least 50 people were killed and 50 injured as authorities begin releasing the bodies of the victims to theirf lies. as some mourn, others are hanging on to hope, holding up pictures of their loved ones.

nbc's sarah harman joins us live from christchurch,ew zealand. sarah, tell us what's the latest on this investigation? >> reporter: frances, goo morning. the latest is that the new zealand police are saying this is thest larnvestigation they have ever conducted. scenes.cers, two crime they believe these horrific attacks were the work of a single gunman. now whether he had outside support will be one of the key components of the investigarion going fo the attention has turned to the country's gun laws, the prime minister promising there will be reform. she's planning to announce concrete proposals in the next ten days. here in christchurch,e flowers piling up at a makeshift memorial for the victims. 50 people now confirmed dead. the youngest just 3 years old, mulad ibrahim, a toddler whose father and brother survived the attack. >> sarah, what can you tell us about this viral video that an

australian senator getting egged during aerews coce? >> reporter: yes, so the senator in question is frasier anning and he blamed these horrifics attan muslim immigration. in response, a young man named will connelly egged him andlm fi it. that video went viral. the senator actually slapped the young man who egged him, now australia's prime minister is saying he should face charges for that. the young man in question, 17 years old, has had a gofune t up to raise money for his legal fees and more eggs. at last check that gundme had $40,000. frances? >> ugly sideo an already tragic moment there, sarah, thank you. one of the most disturbing things about roiday's t attack was the suspected assailant's decision to livestre the shooting on facebook. now the company says it's removed more than 1.5 million videos of the attack within the

first 24 hours. but facebook and other social media platforms areaving trouble completely wiping it out. nbc's morgan chesky tells us 's an uphill battle. >> reporter: an act ofiolence made to go viral. this still frame a split second of 17inutes of murder streamed onoo fac live. condemnations came quickly. facebook, twitter, and google all promising to remove the video. youtube terminating any account that shared it. but the footage lives on. almost impossible tola re. >> they know this is a problem. they have the technology to stop it. but they have to ha the willingness. >> reporter: facebook responding, in the first 24 hours we removed about 1.5 million videos of the attack globally. of which over 1.2 million were bloct upload, adding, thmo're also reng any praise or support for the crime. now lawmakers are faced with the question of how to contain the online chaos. >> this is a new, very, very important challenge for us. i don't think there's an obvious or easyan er.

>> reporter: the new zealand stand ent taking a leg against the video, saying anyone who shares any version of thatf age is in violation of local law. >> morganchesky, thank you. critics are calling president trump's heatednt rhetoric question in the wake of the new zealand massacre. the white house strongly denies any connection between the president's past comments and the suspected shooter. but s democrats white nationalism is a growingea thrt worldwide and that it's time for the president to acknowledge nbc's tracie potts joins truss d.c. with the very latest, good >> reporter: frances, good morning. the president did not acknowledge that, in fact, he said it's a small group of people. the numbers don't necessarily back him up the fbi, the anti-defamation league, the southern poverty law center all report an uptick in white nationalist attacks in recent years. and n democrats are pointing the finger at president trump saying it's h rds, his rhetoric, that are encouraging

people toward these types of acts. e.e whoulss says that's absolutely not t >> you've seep thest president d up for religious liberties, individual liberties. the president is not a white supremacist. i'm not sure how many times we ha toay that. >> he used the word invaders to characterize people coming to borders.n's southern which was exactly the same phrase that the shooter in new zealan used to characterize the muslims. >> reporter: president trump also ruffling the fetters of critss t weekend pointing at the late senator and war herojo mccain. president trump angering people calling the late senator last in his class and complaining that he sent a fake dossier tying hin campo russia to the fbi and to the media. mccain admitted that he did it to the fbi for analysis, but denies that he leaked that dossier to the media.fr ces? >> all right, tracie potts this morning, thank you. the legal troubles just kee

piling up for "full house" star lori loughlin and "desperate housewives" actress felicity huffman after one angry mother launched a lawsuit against the actresse the other paren involved, and the colleges for $500 billion. jennifer kay claims her son applied to the schoo t where cheating took place and did not get in. kay claims she raised her son on her own and he had a 4.2 gpa. now she's suing them for emotional distress, civil conspiracy, and fraud. nof esponse from anye parties involved on the matter. across the country, americans cebrated irish culture this weekend. more than 300,000 people were expected in savannah, georgia, where they host one of the largest st. patrick's day parades. this year's festivities featured over 350 marching bands and dancers. i meanwhil chicago, yep, they do it every year. crowds line the streets to the river, dyed in shamrock green. the city honored the irish and have honored the irish this way

every year sense 1962. we got lucky with the forecast on st.paddy's day. >> new york city parade, great weather. savannah, great, chicago, boston, all perfect forecasts. issues with rivs in the midwest. the missouri river south of omaha is cresting as we speak. it's going to take awhile. st. joseph, it's going until friday for the river to crest there. we have been watching this one. this has beeninam the record was 28 feet, nebraska city. it was up there close tot 30 f for almost two or three days. that's been the worst of it. thankfully not aot of heavy rain in the forecast. just a little bit there on tuesday. that's not going to cause any additional that's a look at the big weather story of the day. here's a closer look at your day ahead. it's kind of cool in this region. it's been helpingthings. we have a lot of snow on the ground from northern nebraska up through the dakotas and minnesota, wisconsin. temperatures in the 40s, it's a slow snow melt. that helps our fn oding situat many areas. e rest of the week will be a little chilly. we'll take a look at those temperatures coming up. sometimes you just need a

beer break in the middle of a heated st. paddy's game agawast the milee bucks. philadelphia 76ers forward mike scott decided to chase a missed shot into a crowd f ofs and then turned the moment h intois own bar crawl as he appears to sip on a fan's beer moments after the tumble. scottus seems to bet fine and the video quickly cated a buzz on social media. that's one way to soothe the wounded ego, with a beer. >> she didn't seem to tmind, happ share. talk about a perk where you can get unlimited coffee for just five bucks a month at a refund too good to be true. why americans may have to return some of theirs. their choice is crest 3d whitestrips. our innovative, flexible design holds an exclusive whitening formulation that safely whitens 25 times better* to remove deep, set in stains. the result? a noticeably whiter, brighter smile. for your whitest smile, trust the whitener that beauty editors love.

crest 3d whitestrips. from america's #1 whitening brand. that's one way to soothe the george has heart failure. and a busy day ahead.sto, george has e a heart failure pill that helped keep people alive and out of the hospital. don't take entresto if pregnant; it can cause harm or death to an unborn baby. don't take entresto with an ace inhibitor or aliskiren, or if you've had angioedema with an ace or arb. the most serious side effects are angioedema, low blood pressure, kidney problems, or high blood potassium.

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blamed a computer err for the mistake and says now it's fixed. he says in most casesey the mon was directly deposited which can be reversed quickly, but if it's already gone, the bank will contact the customer for reimbursement. the republican party is facing backlashwever a that some are calling racist. the official gop twitter aount took aim at democratic presidential hopeful beto o'rourke on st. trick's day posting a picture of his purported mugshot from a dwi with a leb ra kahn hat on his head underneath it says, please drink responsibly. critics say the pos perpetuates irish stereotypes. the candidate himself addressed the controversy on the campaign trail. >> peopleant us focused on the big picture, on our goals. not want us to be defin by this pettiness or the personal attacks thatee we in ones like the ad that you just described. >> beto announced his presidenal run last week. in nashville, tennesse a policere on the hunt for an

atv rider who appears to have dragged an officer through the streets on his four-wheeler. the incident was caught on video during saturday's s.e.c. men's basketball tournament. dozens were ring a tvs and dirt bikes outside bridgestone arena in nashville. one person was arrested at the scene but the main suspect riding the atv got away. the office sergeant bork, was taken to the hospital and is expected to be okay. a question that'seen debated for decades. how many eggs can you safely eat? while many consider eating eggs in moderation okay, a new study found that people who ate an extra half egg a day increased their risk of cardiovascular disease by 6%, and their risk of early death by 8%. the u.s. department of agriculte estimates americans now consume an estimated 28 eggs per person per year. burger king is hoping to corner the coffee market. the fast food chain has announced the launch of a monthly subscription service that can be purchased and redeemed through the burger king

app. for 5 bucks a month customers can get one small cup of hot coffee at participating locations each d in that month. drinksty and iced coffe not included. just ahead, remembering a rock icon. and between the brackets as march madness gets under way. first, celebrati birthdays today. lily collins turns . maroon 5 front man and voice coach adam levine is 40. rapper, actress, and talk show host queen latifah turns 49.a vailliams is 56. country music lprend charlie ide turns 85. ng "four on four" with a barbershop quartet? [quartet singing] bum bum bum bum... pass the ball... pass the rock.. ...we're open just pass the ball! no, i can't believe how easy it was to save hundreds of dollars on my car insurance with geico. yea. [quartet singing] shoot the j! shoot, shoot, shoot the jaaaaaay... believe it! geico could save you fifteen percent

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k that's d dale, also known as the king of the surf guitar, orming on "the ed sullivan show" in 1963. he die a saturday nig a hospital in southern california. dale and the delltaupes were famous for overpowering t amplifiers witir loud, fierce sound. ♪ >> sounds familiar? well, dale reached new audiences in the 1990s when his hit "mizerlu" was featured on the soundtrack of "pulp fiction." he was 8 years old. soccer star does something even the opposing fans can do

nothing else but applaud. >> oh! cionel messi! [ spanish announen ] >> messi. oh! my goodns me! >> right? lionel messi of barcelona scoring his 51st career hattr k. the legend even allowing for ah smile there for the opposing crowd. messi magic led to a 4-1 victory. let the march madss begin. 68 teams will compete over the next three weeks to decide who will be crowned national champion. so get ready to bust out those brackets. this year the selection committee used a new metric to help rank these teams. the top four seeds will be three teams from the acc. duke gets number one overall seed in the east.

virgia gets a number one seed in the south region. noh carolina is the third acc team to earn a number one seed in the midwest. and in the ggaonza west. still ahead, chasing the world's biggest boire. disaster women escape with moments to spare. you're watching "early today." p anything! at the end of a long day, it's the last thing i want to do. well i switched to swiffer wet jet and its awesome. it's an all-in-one so it's ready to go when i am. the cleaning solution actually breaks down dirt and grime. and the pad absorbs it deep inside. so, it prevents streaks and haze better than my old mop. plus, it's safe to use on all my floors, even wood. glad i got that off my chest and the day off my floor. try wet jet with a moneyback guarantee found one!one! found one! found one! ( laughter ) i found one! ♪ found one. ♪

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town claim to have bro world record for the world's largest bonfire beating out norwls. organize say it took three months to build the 200-foot-hh structure, which burned down and collapsed in less than a half hour. turkey, a close call when a 13-foot wallr collapsed n three women on a sidewalk. fortunately the women escaped unharmed. the incident is under investigation. firefighters were called to rescue a dachshund that got stuck in an attic while chasing a squirrel. they cut an opening and pulled the dog to safety. she was not hurt and happy to be reunited with her owners. >> i'm guessing the squirrel got away. >> she's lucky she was saved, nice catch there. spring the beginning of this week. even through the middle of the week once we get to spring. it's going to stay school. 60s in the southern half of the country, 40s to the north. chilly weather will stay with us all through tomorrow. a heart failure pill that helped keep people alive and out of the hospital.

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good morning, everyone. i'm eun yang >> i'm aaron gill chis. developing this morning, armed and dangerous. that's howe police descr a local man accused of killing his uncle. not what you wanted to get n aoldmorning.

news 4 today starts now. >> of a weekend march,chilly but comfortable weather.

>> last i checked, we already had st. patrick's day. >> good morning, everybody. i' aaron gilchrist. >> i'm eun yang. winter doesn't want to let us go. spring is a few days away. let's turn things over to chuck bell. can you explain this, please? >> there's two flakes that i can see right there. that's all you're going to get. one or two flakell is you need to worry about. it's just cold enough to have rain, wet snow in there. this is not a lot of moistu. this is conversational, light snow. warren county, virginia, to the northern parts of walkier county.