perhaps toward guam. these are not missiles that are expected to be loaded with any kind of nuclear warheads or anything like that. but a missile that could be launched most likely firing into the sea, but that would send the military here into high alert. and it is something that many countries around the region are encouraging north korea not to do. it's likely, however, to happen according to most estimates in this country, richard, and it could even happen this week. >> thank you, richard. nbc's richard engel with that report. back from a two-week break, mixed reports on whether the senate is close to a gun-control law agreement. senate aides say joe manchin and republican pat toomey are finalizing legislation to expand background checks on all gun sales. president obama is taking his message to connecticut where the nation's toughest gun restrictions were just signed into law. new york senator chuck schumer saying he believes lawmakers will find compromise on at least one key issue.

>> we go to the floor, i'm still hopeful that what i call the sweet spot, background checks, can succeed. >> debate on the measure by the full senate could begin as early as tomorrow. secretary of state john kerry is in israel this morning. trying to revive peace talks that stalled back in 2002. he just finished meeting with palestinian president mahmoud abbas. abbas says he will not negotiate until israel stops construction in the west bank. meanwhile, tensions in the region have risen following rocket attacks from the hamas-ruled gaza strip. israeli warplanes followed with its first strike on the territory since november. kerry is scheduled to meet with the israeli president and palestinian prime minister today. a roadside bomb has killed at least nine people and injured 22 others in afghanistan. the latest in the surge in springtime violence that led to the deaths of at least six americans over the weekend. this 25-year-old diplomat has become the face of this

weekend's violence after a suicide bomber attacked her convoy traveling to a student book drive. three u.s. soldiers and a defense department employee were also killed saturday. separately, officials say a u.s. civilian adviser was killed in violence in a remote part of the country's eastern region. authorities in denver are on the lookout now for an escaped inmate they say is armed and should be considered extremely dangerous. he was being held for aggravated assault and a corrections violation. authorities say the man walked out of the denver county jail last night possibly wearing a deputy's uniform. he also may have a gun and a police radio. kansas is on its way to passing some of the country's harshest abortion laws yet. governor sam brownback is expected to sign a bill passed friday night that would declare that life starts at fertilization. under the new measure abortion providers are banned from getting tax breaks or taking part in school sex education courses. the legislation would ban abortion based on the fetus' gender.

take a look at this. incredible video coming from kansas where a storm dropping golf ball-sized hail throughout the central part of the state. some hailstones reaching upwards of two inches. nbc meteorologist bill karins joins us. imagine that. >> that's what the storm chasers do. they try to find tornadoes but they end up getting caught in hail shafts from the thunderstorms and a lot of broken windshields. this big storm through the west. the winds today howling especially through the mountain passes. in areas in nevada, arizona and new mexico. the storm itself is not bringing a lot of rain or snow right now to areas of california and nevada. some of the higher elevations in the mountains. but the temperatures behind this storm are chilly. we're down into the 30s in boise. medford down into the 30s. and those winds are howling through las vegas. and eventually down through arizona. look at this map. it shows you in blue the darker blue is the advisories. the light blue is the wind warning. we either have wind warnings or

advisories for about two-thirds of areas of the west including warnings around the vegas area. so just be careful out there driving, especially through the mountain passes or open, exposed areas. a lot of blowing stuff in the desert areas. and then the snowfall forecast, just a little left in there. northern nevada, also the wasatch range of the mountains of utah and then a full-fledged snowstorm for utah out for areas from wyoming through colorado tonight. so the forecast for today, the storm moves through. it's windy. not a lot of rain out there. a chance of maybe a stray thunderstorm in areas like phoenix. don't get that too often in your forecast. that's a look at your national forecast pattern has completely switched. the rockies now will be the stormy spot. doesn't look like any huge rain events on the west coast this week. it looks like on wednesday maybe the northwest, the next chance of a storm.

>> kind of a shift from friday and saturday. >> yeah, everything has completedly flip-flopped. the eastern half is warm while the west is cooler and a little stormy. >> just shape it up by the weekend, bill. was extortion at the heart of the rutgers coaching tape? the fbi is investigating there. plus, teachers clash with police over education reform and nas that pla plans to grab an a in outer space. "early today" is back in two.

welcome back. stories making news for you today. the man who took hostages at hillary clinton's campaign office in 2007 escaped from a minimum security prison. 52-year-old leeland eisenberg was missing from sunday's head count. extortion. the fbi is investigating whether eric murdoch tried to extort the school before releasing this infamous mike rice coaching video. murdoch's lawyer sent a letter back in december

requesting $950,000 to settle employment issues or face a lawsuit. he left the job last year after serving as player development director for the men's basketball program. teachers in mexico are again taking to the streets in protest over pending education reform. they're marching against a proposed evaluation system and plans to loosen union control over hiring and firing. could he be the political left's answer to the right's koch brothers? a billionaire hedge fund manager has so far poured in $400,000 of his own money into the massachusetts senate race. to defeat democratic congressman steven lynch because lynch supports the keystone pipeline. according to "the boston globe," he plans to have a banner fly over red sox opener at fenway that says "steve lynch for oil evil empire." the next scene from nasa teams like a scene from

"armageddon." it wants to bring an asteroid even closer in hopes of sending astronauts to the rock and bring back samples. they say it can be done within a decade before focusing on mars. we go to cnbc now. >> good morning, richard. the markets coming off a down week with the dow and nasdaq ending in the red on the back of that disappointing jobs report. investors will look for data this week on retail sales, inflation and consumer sentiment. and a story on our radar, airbus is breaking ground on a $600 million assembly plant in alabama today. this will make the european company and boeing's rival a commercial jetmaker on u.s. soil for the first time. and a new report shows airline complaints jumped by one-fifth last year as carriers are making seats smaller and are bumping more ticketed passengers off overbooked flights. that's the latest. richard, back to you. >> thank you so much. we'll see if corporate america has any fresh optimism

for markets that were stung by last week's dismal jobs report. aluminum maker alcoa kicks off earnings season after today's closing bell. and later on treasury secretary jack lew gets down to business overseas this week. meetings with his european counterparts in brussels, berlin and paris. gas prices are still falling. down another 6 cents in the past two weeks to about $3.65 a gallon. the latest airline quality report finds when it comes to size on the tarmac, size does not matter. in 2012 hawaiian airlines delivered passengers without delay more often than its 13 largest rivals. alaska airlines came in second. airtran third. delta and us airways rounded out the top five. at the bottom of the heap, american airlines ranked worst for being on time preceded by expressjet, united, frontier and jetblue. "the wall street journal" reports michelin has joined the company hit with health care penalties for having high blood pressure or waistlines over 40

inches. the high-stakes courtroom battle for martha stewart's home home goods line resumes between macy's and jp penney. and lasagna made with moose meat passed a recall. and a sign of tough economic times in rhode island. the so-called superman building that towers over providence and looks like "the daily planet" headquarters will no longer be lit up at night. bank of america, its 85-year tenant, is moving out. louisville university is one step closer to capturing two national titles. plus, ravens' joe flacco takes on the great johnny unitas. it's one of the best football scenes we've seen all year. details when "early today" returns.

now to other stories that caught our eye. arizona's search and rescue teams made a dramatic save 700 feet above the ground. the unit lifted a 50-year-old canadian woman to safety after she spent 30 hours trapped on the edge of a cliff. several chicago children recently joined the chorus of voices opposing a plan to shut down 54 public schools. >> we will succeed! >> we will succeed! >> those students teamed up with hundreds of parents at a public hearing for one of elementary

schools on the chopping block. a north carolina dog is sporting hot wheels after being rescued from a horrific puppy mill. little ricky bobby was found with paralyzed hind legs, but this $11 makeshift cart has helped the disabled pooch put his tragic past behind imhim. let the finals begin. first the ladies. connecticut's brianna stewart scoring 29 points. a career high there against notre dame in an 83-65 uconn win. the huskies move on for a chance at their eighth national championship. look out. five seed louisville surged in the second half to beat two seed california, 64-57, there to advance. the women's national championship game is tuesday in new orleans. with connecticut facing louisville. the men's championship game is tonight in atlanta with louisville against michigan. louisville has a chance to do what only one school has done before. uconn did in 2004. and that's to win both the men's and women's titles in the same season.

before this week's masters, stormer second father of state condoleezza rice, she wore her green jacket at augusta national as one of the new female members. three-time masters champ phil mickelson played a practice round with rice and said, quote, she can really putt. she's one of the better members on the greens that i've seen. olympic beach volleyball gold medalist kerri walsh jennings gave birth to a daughter, scout marjorie, this weekend. last fall she revealed she was pregnant during the london olympics. super bowl-winning quarterback joe flacco will play johnny unitas in a new movie. there he goes, the team has unofficially adopted jack and the players wanted to give him a moment he'd keep forever. >> "early today" sports is brought to you by just for men mustache and beard. keep your edge. just ahead, it's a hot

chicks calendar like you've never seen before. plus, tony stark lights them up at the premiere of "iron man 3." plus tom arnold and halle berry's baby bonanza next.

so our storm is moving through the mountain west at the current time now trying to cross the sierra into nevada and eventually central rockies today. there is rain and snow near mammoth lakes. the big deal today is just the windy weather out there. many areas of the west

especially as you go through southern nevada into arizona and utah and even southern california. any of those valleys and passes will be the worst of it. and temperatures are kind of cool. we're only in the low 50s today in many areas of the northwest. >> thank you, bill karins. moviegoers were apparently looking for a scare this weekend. the horror remake "evil dead" raked in $26 million. while "the croods" duked it out for second place. country music's biggest stars came to las vegas. for the 48th annual academy of country music awards. miranda lambert was named female vocalist of the year. while jason aldean won male vocalist. an emotional luke bryan took home the biggest award, entertainer of the year. hollywood baby news to tell you about. halle berry and her fiance are expecting their first child together, as you may know. while tom arnold became a first-time father with fourth wife ashley grossman. tax day is fast approaching

and as a little motivation to get yours done, actor wesley snipes was released from prison friday after serving time for tax evasion. and a lot of bucks, too. the "star trek" laser rifle selling at auction for $230,000. somebody obviously loves "star trek." there's a lot of trekkies that would pay that amount of money. i don't remember that laser so much. >> no, i want to go look it up. >> netflix. and robert downey, jr. attended the chinese premiere of "iron man 3" and was given a big hug and a kiss by a young "iron man" in training. hot chicks from our friends at kusa in colorado springs. one calendar has some unexpected pin-up girls. thelma and louise, two chickens rescued by firefighters during last summer's waldo canyon fire. after their story went viral, the owners created a calendar featuring the "hot chicks"

alongside the -- yeah, i know -- along those who helped the devastated community. the calendar is available at waldoshotchicks.com. i don't know about that. i'm richard lui. this is "early today," just your first stop of the day on your nbc station.

lead news in today's "new york times." targeted killing comes to define war on terror. this highlights osama bin laden's son-in-law who is part of a select group of high-level terror suspects who have not been killed. in "the washington post,"

lily pulitzer, fashion designer dies at 81. lilly is creative mind behind the most colorful dresses ever created. an animal park in japan welcomes their newest and tiniest member. a litter of asian black bear cubs, welcoming them to the park. the special exhibit with the young bears will allow visitors to pet, touch and even hold the cubs once they mature a little bit later this month. then they get really, really big. a group of stunt drivers in the republic of georgia are looking for their big break. video of the crew taking curves at dangerous speeds and narrowly avoiding cars as they zip around corners. drawing hundreds of viewers here. now that they know that their hobby is popular, the group is looking for a little hollywood attention and hopefully a chance at the big screen. kind of like "tokyo drift." in south africa, it was a dangerous stunt for a good cause. an adventurous man strapped into

a harness attached to helium balloons floated high over the ocean eventually landing on a safety boat off the coast of cape town. the high-altitude stunt raised money for the nelson mandela children's fund beginning on the very island mandela spent 18 of his 27 years as a prisoner of apartheid. amazing stuff there. "up 2" is what i was saying. >> i wonder how he got down. did he have to pop the balloons? >> a very long pin popping them from up above. >> time now for an early look at some of the stories that we'll be following throughout the day here on nbc. resentencing today for jose padilla who was convicted in federal court of aiding terrorists. he was given 17 years in prison for plotting a dirty bomb attack, but an appeals court ruled that was too lenient. on this day in 1974, historic baseball milestone. hank aaron of the atlanta braves hitting home run 715 to be the first to break babe ruth's record of 714. those were the days. happy birthday to bo duke of the "dukes of hazzazzarhazzard."

and actress robin wright celebrates her 47th. here's a look at what's coming up later on the "today" show. rowers stranded at sea talk about the dramatic rescue. and the judges from "america's got talent" preview their new season. keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports and more. i'm richard lui along with bill karins. thanks for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. have a great start to the week.

. . . new this morning, strong winds knocking down trees and power lines all over the bay area. live in san mateo where one family received a shocking wakeup in the middle of the

night. big brother is watching. the latest bay area city talking about buying a drone. help is on the way for college graduates. right now, live outside to san francisco. you can see the giant flags flapping strong in that strong wind out there on this monday, april 8th. this is "today in the bay." good morning to you. it is 4:30. i'm marla tellez. >> i'm laura garcia cannon. strong winds slamming the bay. winds knocking down a tree in san francisco. that happened near 48th and point lobos on the border of outer richmond. >> it is part of the extreme weather we are seeing all over the bay area. meteorologist, christina loren, is busy tracking all the high winds. good morning to you, marla,

to you, laura, to you at home. this is not what you want on your way back to work. these winds will be going strong and likely going strong all day long. best advice, give yourself plenty of time and stay alert. we have quite a bit of debris on the highways. a couple of downed trees in campbell. it is not just areas that are likely to see the wind prone areas like the east bay hills at the immediate coast. it is everywhere. san jose, 26 miles per hour sustained this morning. these winds will continue to pump as we head throughout the morning hours. we are going to keep an eye on this for you. he is back, tracking the wind and your morning drive. good morning, mike inouye. unlike the jersey shore, we have the coastal shore where we have the wind pump going on. look at this camera shaking. i couldn't show you the fullest shot we wanted to. the san mateo bridge, it was frozen for a while. there is a wind advisory for the san mateo