according to u.s. intelligence officials, kim is believed to be 29 years old, yet much of his life is unknown. hosting basketball celebrities like dennis rodman. now he's being depicted as a ranting and raving dictator. a former expert on south korea saying kim knows nothing about hardship or struggle and little about leadership. what is certain, north korea's biggest ally, china, warning tensions must be defused in the deepening korean crisis. hackers are not helping with that. they apparently broke into two north korean government-run online sites posting pictures of kim with a piglike snout, as you see there, and claiming he's threatening world peace and wasting money while his people starve to death. meanwhile here in the united states, 15 of the largest u.s. banks have been knocked offline for a total of 249 hours in just the last six weeks. and now you can add wells fargo's online banking system as the latest target in a string of cyber attacks.

so far no customers have reported losing money. however, the impact has been significant. >> this is a major assault on the u.s. financial industry. it's ongoing. it's been going on for seven months. no one's ever seen anything like that before. >> behind all this, u.s. intelligence sources believe iran could be responsible, noting the attacks began soon after it was hit with tighter sanctions for its nuclear program. one month before 12 were killed in the colorado movie theater massacre he told his doctor he had suicidal thoughts. records show psychologists who treated james holmes warned police in june that holmes had homicidal thoughts and was a danger to the public. the shooting happened july 20th of last year. now, evidence gathered from his apartment included depression and antianxiety medication along with about 50 beers. earlier this week, prosecutors rejected holmes' offer to plead guilty in the attacks, saying they'll seek the death penalty. add another state to the top

of a growing list with the toughest gun-control laws in the land. maryland now the latest state to enact strict gun laws. thursday lawmakers approved sweeping legislation that includes submitting fingerprints of all handgun purchasers to state police. just days before, connecticut enacted the nation's toughest gun laws, complete here with background checks and a ban on assault weapons. the nra calls the law a mistake. maryland and connecticut now join 20 other states that have taken action on gun reform since newtown. however, less than half of those states have voted to strengthen gun laws. the others have weakened gun restrictions. this according to the law center to prevent gun violence. and in colorado where new laws have already been signed. lawmakers are now debating an ownership ban for people who pose a threat of harm. psychologists, nurses and counselors could help prevent people they suspect of being dangerous from getting a firearm for at least one year. the remaining member of the

famed two thumbs up film critic team has died. roger ebert lost his battle with cancer yesterday, two days after revealing it had returned. the pulitzer prize-winning critic posted his last words to readers just three days ago, saying, "thank you for going on this journey with me. i'll see you at the movies." the 70-year-old is best known for cohosting "siskel & ebert at the movies" until siskel died in 1999. ebert continued writing reviews while battling cancer. > in memory of ebert, a cartoonist bid farewell with this bid to system, "saved you a seat at the movies." dylan dreyer talks about this now. winter won't let go, evidently. this is what it looked like in virginia in the val where a surprise storm dropped up to seven inches of snow in that area. dylan, as we were talking about earlier, we're not used to this late winter this year at least

compared to last. >> i was so excited to move to new york city from boston. spring starts a little bit earlier here. >> yeah. >> no. >> theoretically. >> it's not happening. we are going to finally see a warm-up this weekend especially on sunday in the northeast. but in the northwest we do have a lot of rain. the rain is coming down in seattle, and it will continue to do so for quite some time. closer look, though, shows you that we are certainly seeing some of the heavier pockets of rain right along the coast. and we are going to have to deal with some of those showers off and on for a little while. now, down in florida, we are also seeing some of those heavier pockets of rain. we're also going to see a few lighter scattered showers down across southeastern massachusetts as we go throughout the day today. the middle of the country, though, actually looks nice and sunny and pretty mild, too. a warm-up in the plains. we should get into the 70s, though, as we head through kansas city. and we're also going to see that warmer weather start to work eastward into washington, d.c., where the cherry blossoms a little behind schedule, but we should see at least the peak from about april 6th to april

10th. that's expected. that's a look at the weather across the country. now here's a peek out your window. and in seattle today, again, 57.s and 60s. not bad. >> and arizona standing strong in the 90s. >> oh, yeah. they always do. japanese stocks are on a tear. and meat lovers, listen up. we've got a story for you. plus americans are higher on pot than ever before. also, one of the smartest guys in the room might be getting out of jail early, very early. you're watching "early today."

welcome back to "early today." here are some stories making news this morning. a majority of americans support legalizing marijuana. the pew research center finds 52% want the drug approved for recreational use, while 45% are opposed.

it's a major shift in thinking, and it is the first time a majority of americans favored legalization since the early 1970s. more than two dozen people are dead following a dramatic building collapse. plus in mumbai, india, say the seven-story structure was being built illegally, and some floors were already occupied. and take a look at this. surveillance footage from the honolulu airport showed a woman attacking tsa agents, in fact, one right there. an off-duty police officer waiting in the security line had to jump into action to help subdue the attacker. she is now in custody. three more cabinet members are foregoing 5% of their salary as part of the sequester. homeland security secretary janet napolitano, secretary of state john kerry and the treasury's jack lew joined defense chief chuck hagel. and beyonce and jay-z caused a big stir in cuba thursday while on vacation to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary. they were mobbed by crowds while touring old havana but still managed to find time for a dinner featuring fish, chicken, black beans and rice. all good stuff. now for a look at what's

moving your money, cnbc's brian shactman. good morning, brian. >> thank you, richard. good morning, everybody. investors are awaiting the march jobs numbers. we'll find out if it was another month of steady hiring. also, president obama's but which comes out on wednesday reportedly would cut the deficit by $1.8 trillion over ten years. "the new york times" says the plan includes cuts to social security and medicare and uses the new metric to cal indicate annual cost of living increases. it's a big day for jc penney because the struggling department store launching the first of its new home goods boutiques including some martha stewart brand products which the ceo says is pivotal to his turnaround efforts. richard, back to you. >> cnbc's brian shactman, thank you. what do you get when you pump nearly $1.5 trillion into the world's third largest economy? a major rally. the bank of japan's aggressive stimulus pushed the nikkei about 13,000 above that number for the first time in more than four years today. the index is up nearly 7% this

week, 22% for the year and a whopping 48% since november. back in the states mark zuckerberg unveiled his latest offering, facebook home, a collection of apps to replace your android home screen. more drama at embattled hewlett-packard. its chairman and two other directors are stepping down. jeffrey skilling, former ceo of enron may be getting out of jail early if his lawyers strike a deal with the justice department. skilling has served 6 of a 24-year sentence for conspiracy, fraud and insider trading. bank of america's rolling out atms equipped for live video chats with tellers. boston and atlanta are up first for these new models which also dispense exact change. "the new york times" reports new artificial intelligence technology is now available to colleges nationwide. it would let a computer do the grading for students' essays and short answers. interesting. it's the weekend, so how about gratuitous junk food like this crazy new cheesy creation at pizza hut with gooey crust

pockets. if that's not enough for you, folks in massachusetts can wrap their hands around dunkin' donuts new glazed doughnut breakfast sandwich. mm-mm good. brace yourself, the pork chop may be a thing of the past. consumer research found labels on packages are confusing, so the pork and beef industries are renaming more than 350 cuts to give them more consumer appeal. but not to worry. ground beef will still be ground beef. lance armstrong can add another sport to his band list which includes cycling and running. plus, did sleep help protect this resident while dangerous burglars ransacked his home? next.

to some other stories that caught our eye this morning. a florida burglar took his time stealing more than $100,000 worth of jewelry and clothes from a small boutique. the thief spent 45 minutes shopping in the store, bypassing the cash register altogether. he even took the time to drink a beer before taking off. well, eerie video from texas shows a burglar breaking into a house while the owner was asleep on the couch. the intruder hovered next to the sleeping man with a knife before stealing thousands in valuables. then to texas. a truck driver is being held on $1 million bond after he was discovering hauling nearly 8,000

pounds of marijuana worth almost 3.5 million bucks. this seal in san diego rescued by seaworld after she was found roaming the city streets. the 10-month-old jumped into the car of a driver who pulled over to check on her. well, she's now being treated for severe malnourishment. hope she gets better soon. and finally to pennsylvania, where a police dog reunited with the people who saved his life. zeke was treated by a helicopter medical crew after being shot in the neck during an altercation with an armed suspect last month. well, yesterday, zeke was all smiles and happily posed with his crew. and a toy, of course. good-looking dog. in sports, another departure from rutgers basketball in the wake of outcry over the video showing abusive practices that got head coach mike rice fired his assistant coach has resigned. jimmy martelli also reportedly yelled at players and threw basketballs at them. in the finals of the national invitation tournament, number two seed baylor rolled over three-seed iowa 71-54 for its first ever nit victory. the ncaa final four is tomorrow at the georgia dome in atlanta. louisville faces wichita state and michigan takes on syracuse. the national championship game

is on monday. and two mayors are betting on tomorrow's game with greg fischer of louisville putting up a fully stocked bar of kentucky bourbon, and wichita mayor carl brewer betting some nice steaks and plenty of kansas barbecue on the game. i'm hungry. well, you won't see lance armstrong competing this weekend in swimming races. after learning the banned athlete was signed up, the international swimming federation put a stop to those plans. and nba star chris bosh of the miami heat came home from celebrating his birthday to find out that he had been robbed of about $340,000 worth of valuables. bosh's children and two babysitters were in the house when someone stole watches, rings and cash. the thief did not take bosh's championship ring, though. ♪ and they're off for the 41st annual running of the rats at spalding university in kentucky. many of the rodents appeared confused about the rules or even where to go, but finally, as you see right there, there was a winner.

it's supposed to relieve stress from the rat race of finals week. ha ha. just ahead, a new report, though, is out this morning that says president obama will go after budget cuts for social security and medicare. we have those details straight ahead.

back. we've got some unsettled weather we're in the northern plains. pretty damp. scattered showers, heavy at

times in seattle, medford, too. salt lake city. california looks partly cloudy. 69. that's it in l.a. today. 70 as we kick off the weekend in the pacific northwest, you might even hear a few rumbles of thunder up in seattle with temperatures kicking off the weekend in the mid-50s. so it is going to stay damp out that way. >> it's a movie weekend in a lot of parts there. >> that's nice, too, though, right? >> thanks, dylan. a box office remake and a re-release. "return to jurassic park" promises the exact same thrills as before, just a lot closer and louder. while the dino film is trending better on fandango.com, "evil dead" is hoping to be number one. the late-night battle between jimmy fallon and jimmy kimmel hasn't begun just yet as kimmel sent a congratulatory lunch to fallon thursday, enough food for the entire staff. queen elizabeth receiving a film award thursday and greeted

industry stars like kenneth branagh, damien lewis and many more. while the queen was dining with celebs, prince william was in scotland meeting some lucky children. when he offered a little girl a kiss, she dodged it and retreated to her mother's shoulder. he's like what's happening here? finally, yahoo!'s tv theme song showdown fair narrowed down to the final four. "cheers, gilligan's island, m.a.s.h. and the jefferson's." what do you think? >> "gilligan's island." it was an all-time favorite of mine. >> "sanford & son." i like them all. i'm richard lui, and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

leading the news in the "daily mail," alive. a delirious and near-death hiker, age 18, was plucked off a cliff face after friend left her behind. trapped in rugal central california, kyndall jack is lifted to safety by helicopter rescuers. great story.

and in "the new york times," the obama budget reviving offer of compromise with cuts. next week, the president will take the political risk of formally proposing cuts to social security and medicare. well, from pint-sized presidents to basketball blunders, nbc's betty nguyen takes a look at the week that was. >> reporter: the week kicked off with some easter fun until one bunny got a lesson in helmet laws. then, on to april fools', where the white house pulled off a small presidential prank. but the joke was on president obama, whose basketball blunders left us asking, i thought he had game? >> this isn't good. yesterday, president obama shot baskets at the white house and only made 2 shots out of 22. even dick cheney was like, that guy needs to learn to shoot. i mean -- >> university of louisville basketball player kevin ware was back on his feet after a gruesome accident on the court. >> the network showed it once and then they showed it, and then that was it. it was -- you know what i'm talking about? it was, geez, let me show it to you now. >> going a bit too far.

henrik stenson. >> meanwhile, masters champion bubba watson broke out his hovercraft golf cart. it is real and it is spectacular. from flying high to downright abusive, the rutgers university basketball coach was fired shortly after this aired on espn. more dramatic video. thieves in england made off with cash by blowing up an atm. and an old-fashioned purse snatcher felt the pain during his getaway. flames engulfed a 40-story building in chechnya, while views from new york's 1 world trade center were unveiled. also newly debuted, a tribute to '80s arcade games using post-it notes, lots and lots of post-it notes. and finally, jimmy fallon and jay leno made light of fans to change up "the tonight show" next year. ♪ who's gonna host tonight [ cheers and applause ]

>> that was nbc's betty nguyen. and here's what's coming up this morning on "today." details on how the white house is responding to threats from north korea. and matt and al's big adventure today. they'll do something they have never done before. now keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports and more. i'm richard lui along with dylan dreyer. thanks for watching "early today," just the first stop of the day today on your nbc station. have a great weekend.

we are following breaking news. a car chase in san francisco, a bizarre ending. police investigating a new

incident at a pleasanton daycare where a young girl was tied up for not taking a nap. >> the giants, your world champion giants getting all set for their home opener, we are live with at&t park with what difference at that ballpark. he is going to look good at san francisco. he made it to friday, april 5th, "today in the bay." you made it to friday. that is the good news. great way to start your weekend. it is 4:30 right now. hi, everybody. i'm jon kelley. i'm laura garcia cannon. home opener for the world champion giants. he has a look at the big game day forecast. thanks, guys. made it through the rain yesterday. we do have some low clouds and fog to get through this morning. it is going to be rather thick. between 7:00 and 8:00, we're expecting some drizzle on the radar as well. travel cautiously this morning.

the good news is showers will subside just in time for the big game at at&t park. temperatures will be comfortable today. as you can recall, just last year, it was much colder for opening day. 59 degrees at 1:35. winds, west/northwest. could carry the ball out to right center or center field. highs today look comfortable. make those plans to get outdoors because we have a chance of showers coming up this weekend. in my next report, 64. 68, san jose. good morning, san francisco. you with il hll hit 61. we are tracking a little bit of fog in the north bay. in for mike inno he waouye. this is 80 eastbound leaving our viewing area. travel cautiously. that's where we are