missile interceptor now in the region would be able to track a missile seconds after launch and could destroy it in flight. south koreans remain calm, but are increasingly asking, what if? this city of 1 million is just a few miles from the north korean border, and now city officials here are telling residents to be prepared for nuclear, chemical or biological attack. stockpiling food and medicine and knowing how to quickly reach shelter underground. workers distribute thousands of pamphlets. what to do if you see a mushroom cloud or if all the birds and fish suddenly die or if radio active fallout rains from the sky. the notices are going up in every apartment building. this is a map of the shelters? >> yeah. >> reporter: north korea may be bluffing, but pyongyang may not know how far it will push without going over the edge.

>> that was nbc's richard engel with that for us. to washington now where the centerpiece of president obama's gun control bill facing an increasingly uncertain fate in the senate. but despite threats of a filibuster on the issue of background checks, the president is not going down without a fight. families of the newtown massacre are lobbying for gun control today, and they traveled there in presidential style. tracie potts is live in washington with the details. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. the president was there yesterday speaking to connecticut residents about the laws that they have changed, hoping that congress here will do the same. take a look as they landed here in washington with the president with the mission of coming to capitol hill today and telling members of congress that everyone in this country who buys a gun needs to get a background check. that's the one part of the president's plan that seems survivable, although it is still up in the air. and we've also learned that mayors against illegal guns, that's the group that mayor

bloomberg is behind, has put out a new ad aimed at republican senator pat toomey. toomey is one of two senators, a republican and a democrat, trying to work on a compromise here, so they're leaning on him with the advertising. they're leaning on republicans who have said they will filibuster, not even allow these gun proposals to come to a vote, leaning on them as well. the white house also having an event there today. richard? >> senators toomey and manchin, very key right now. thank you so much, tracie potts in washington, d.c. this morning world leaders and dignitaries continue sharing their memories of margaret thatcher. britain's first female prime minister dying monday at the age of 87. the queen has authorized plans for thatcher to receive a royal funeral with military honors on wednesday, april 17th. yesterday former first lady nancy reagan told andrea mitchell about her relationship with thatcher. >> i think people thought that

she and i didn't have a relationship. nothing could be further from the truth. we had a very special relationship. and, of course, i loved it that she and ronnie were as close as they were. >> again, that conversation with nbc's andrea mitchell. actress meryl streep who won an oscar for playing thatcher in 2011 "the iron lady" called the former prime minister a figure of awe for her personal strength and grit. closer to home, beloved mouseketeer. she later went on to star in a series of beach party movies. she later went on to star in a series of beach party movies such as "bleach blanket bingo." funicello died in california following complications are multiple sclerosis. a disease she battled since 1987 in what she called a slow progression. funicello is survived by her husband and three children. the u.s. navy says its latest weapon represents the future of warfare.

a laser cannon capable of shooting down drones will soon be placed on various naval ships. this cannon is called a laser weapons system, or l.a.w.s., and cost less than $1 per shot since it runs simply on electricity. the laser so far has only been used in testing areas. it is already thought of as the newest way to transform modern welfare. let's talk about weather now. spring about to deliver quite a wallop around the country. there's a weather system that whipped up powerful damaging winds in parts of california and the southwest. it's now bringing tornadoes, hail, heavy snow to the rockies and the great plains. bill karins, april 9th, right? >> everyone in the west knows what's coming for the midwest. they felt the winds yesterday. it's classic spring storm. yesterday in denver it was mid-60s. right now their windchill is zero. and it is snowing in areas of colorado right now. there's the proof of it. it's not crazy snow, but it is snowing. and after being 60 degrees the day before, it's a shock to the

system. i don't know how they do it, but they're used to it there in colorado. here's the big storm. travel today, denver international, already 300 cancellations of flights. we're also going to see numerous big thunderstorms late today. dallas-ft. worth airport, oklahoma city, tulsa and kansas city could deal with storms later today with travel implications. the big story is, though, today is one of our first dangerous days. we'll possibly see a little mini-tornado outbreak. this is right through the heart of tornado alley, the one spot they're most prepared for these storms rolling late today into the evening. during the overnight hours from oklahoma city to tulsa down to wichita falls. that will be the big story tomorrow morning we'll be covering any damage that does occur later tonight. for areas of the west you're just cold back behind the storm system. not as windy but we're dealing with most of the rain and snow leaving. it's still snowing a little. even the high elevations outside of tucson. quite a storm system that's exiting the west. that's a look at your national e

cold air on the backside of our storm. looks like we're going to get some rain in the next 48 hours in the northwest, but nothing like this storm that just blew through. >> 80s or 90s coming up for the northeast? >> it's going to be 80 today in new york city. >> holy smoly. coming up, sequester cuts could affect the fight against terror. a man is arrested carrying a bb gun near president obama. plus, a dramatic rescue of a driver and a big rig dangling from a bridge. we've got that. "early today" is back in two. "early today" is brought to you by advil. make the switch to advil now.

welcome back to "early today." here are some stories making news. a connecticut man will appear in court today after being arrested

for carrying a bb gun near president obama's motorcade. the president was at the university of hartford on monday to rally support for his gun reform proposals. it seems that beyonce and jay-z's trip to cuba was in fact sanctioned by the treasury department as cultural research. congressional lawmakers are inquiring whether the music mogul violated federal law by traveling to the island nation for primary purposes of tourism. an itinerary notes they visited a children's theater group and local school. transatlantic flights getting bumpier thanks to global warming changes. in atmospheric pressure and jet streams. that's according to the international energy agency, which also says carbon dioxide emissions will cause longer flights and require more jet fuel by 2050. sequester budget cuts could lay the federal terrorism trial of osama bin laden's son-in-law until next year. they don't have the money or ability to properly defend him in that high-profile case. and in argentina, a businessman is successfully passing off ferrets on steroids

as poodles. local news says one duped customer took his pet to the vet only to find out it was only a giant weasel. we go to cnbc. good morning. >> i don't know how i'm going to follow that up, richard. good morning. meet the new boss, jc penney firing ceo ron johnson after a disappointing tenure that saw his turnaround strategy backfire and sales plummet 25%. he's being replaced by the man he took over for, former ceo mike ullman. and dreamliner jets which have been grounded since january could soon be back flying the friendly skies. united airlines has put the 787 back on its flight schedule for may. and people are riding the rails in record numbers. amtrak says passenger numbers are up since september, despite disruption from hurricane sandy on its most traveled route. the northeast corridor from washington to boston. richard, that's the latest. back to you. >> seema, thank you so much. now time for a business pop quiz for you.

which retailer got his start in the jc penney management trainee program? ray kroc, jeff bezos, sam walton or george dayton? we'll tell you in a minute. the numbers are in, and ford's compact focus outsold all other vehicles with more than 1 million sales. jetblue being made in mobile, alabama. speculation is swirling after fox and univision execs raise the possibility of going off broadcast airwaves and onto cable in response to streaming rival aereo. according to the white house, women earn on average 23% less than men do. bill gross is shelling out what could be $2 million worth of rare stamps for a charity auction today. fun fact about stamps, by the way, as investments stamps were better than art, wine or jewelry over the past decade. according to "forbes," that could mean about $1.5 million

for louisville netted by ncaa champ schools between 2004 and 2011. i wish it was michigan. now the answer to our pop quiz. it was walmart and sam's club founder sam walton who got his start in the jc penney management trainee program back in 1940. swing you over to health news. what do red meat and energy drinks have in common? a nutrient found in meat and added as a supplement to the popular drinks may increase the risk of heart disease. researchers saying when carnitine is digested in the liver turns it into a compound that helps transport cholesterol to arteries. they also found that some energy drinks contain more carnitine than a porterhouse steak. straight ahead, the nfl could find out if they're liable for concussion-related brain injuries. the details next.

now to some other stories that caught our eye this morning. in virginia a rescue team pulled a driver from a mangled tractor trailer as it dangled off a bridge. the out of control semi nearly plunged into the james river after crashing into a concrete guardrail. adding insult to her minor injuries, police arrested the woman for reckless driving.

in california a company is using what looks like a solar powered surfboard. it's a super hi-tech computer that can track sea life and find oil. finally in new york, a man is accused of being a real-life grouch. a times square performer dressed like a furry blue cookie monster got angry and pushed down a 2-year-old child after his family refused to pay $2 for a picture. >> why don't you like cookie monster? >> because cookie monster give me booboo. >> really? all right. police arrested the character on assault and child endangerment charges. turning now to sports, the national college basketball championship was a real battle. luke hancock of louisville was deadly from three-point range to lead the cardinals in an exciting seesaw struggle with michigan. trey burke missed a desperation shot as time ran out, and rick pitino's team got the 82-76

victory. >> they are a great basketball team. we beat a great basketball team. probably because i had the 13 toughest guys i've ever coached. >> msh misch >> well, coach pitino celebrated the win with kevin ware who was there to celebrate despite his broken leg. on the women's side tonight, louisville plays connecticut for the title. loous louisville could become the second school to win both men's and women's titles in the same season. earlier in the day pitino was among the inductees going into the basketball hall of fame. other inductees, north carolina women's coach silvia hatchle, jerry tarkanian and players gary peyton and bernard king. a lawsuit by 4200 former nfl players accuses the league of concealing the risks from concussions and other hits to the head. but the league wants the philadelphia court to throw out that suit. some players suffer from dementia, alzheimer's disease, depression and other new logical problems.

just ahead for you, when news of margaret thatcher's death spread around the globe, some social media aficionados actually thought that cher had died. we'll explain that. plus this might be the most flamboyant movie trailer ever released. details when "early today" returns.

welcome back. your forecast a lot less windy than yesterday. it was still kind of nasty especially in arizona. this morning definitely on the colder side. we've got rain around, also snow at higher elevations that's

pushing to new mexico during the day. a few sprinkles of showers in the northwest today. but tomorrow we get a little more of an impulse of moisture coming in. so there will be more wet weather on wednesday, it does appear. we'll start to warm it up in the southwest. l.a. back to 80 tomorrow. >> thank you, bill karins. the trailer for "liberace" is here, and it's fabulous. >> well, this must be faith. i have a great idea. why don't you come work for me? >> as what? >> starring michael douglas and matt damon, this film shows us the glitz and glamour of the pianist's lifestyle and his relationship with his young chauffeur. "behind the candelabra" debuts in may. katy perry played some ping-pong and attempted to jump rope as well. fans of cher were shocked

and confused monday when they saw the twitter hash tag that "cher it dead" until they realized it read "now thatcher is dead." i'm richard lui. this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

leading the news in "the washington post," michael bloomberg group's gun-control scorecard will give lawmakers letter grades. the billionaire will unveil a grading system tuesday of an "a" through "f" agun issues.

and in "the new york times," with help from nature, a town aims to be a solar capital. lancaster's mayor says he aims to be the first town in the universe that produces more solar-powered electricity than they use. a porcelain bowl fetching a record price at auction. in near-perfect condition meant big numbers for bidders, bringing in a whopping $9.5 million. this rare double lotus bowl is over 300 years old, a part of the ching empire, but the buyer should not expect much. this tiny one fits in the palm of your hand. i guess a teacup maybe, rice bowl. in brazil, old video games are getting a new twist. classics are part of a new outdoor exhibit. passersby can saddle up with an ipad controlling the towering graphics from the ground below. the larger-than-life screen takes up 32,000 square feet right in the heart of city. those were good games.

one man in thailand taking home security to the extreme. not quite guard dogs. these ferocious adult crocodiles were put in place for security and seem to be doing the job. the large reptiles make for a great crime deterrent. for the homeowner, they're almost like pets. a croc's bite is a lot worse than its bark. do they even make any noise? >> they have a groan. i lived in florida. i never got close enough to hear it. time now for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow here on nbc. chicago will elect a new member of congress to replace jesse jackson jr. who faces sentencing in june after pleading guilty to misusing campaign funds. democrat robin kelly faces paul mckinley in today's special election. on this day ten years ago the collapse of the regime in iraq. the statue of saddam hussein was toppled by jubilant iraqis who celebrated with u.s. troops. happy birthday to kristen stewart. she turns 23.

dennis quaid 59 and hugh hefner, 87, going strong. here's what's coming up later on "today." tony blair remembers margaret thatcher. olympian kerri walsh jennings talks about the newest addition to her growing family, a baby girl. 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 good tuesday.

back in court, the man accused of driving into a san jose walmart injuring four people returns to court to face charges for an entirely different crash. >> also, the new details we're learning about the snapping bolt on the bay bridge.

why some experts say it never should have happened. the latest developments overnight as firefighters battle a wild fire in southern california that is threatening a number of homes. >> right now, we give you a live look outside over san jose. the giants, world champion giants banner blowing in the wind, looks a little brisk. tuesday, april 9th, this is "today in the bay." from nbc bay area, "today in the bay." good tuesday morning. 4:30. i'm jon kelley. >> i'm laura garcia cannon. let's first check our forecast with christina loren good morning, to you, jon and laura. good morning to you at home. we are still dealing with the winds. what i can tell you is, they have dropped off significantly inland. we are still getting some really gusty winds right at the immediate coast and also around the bay this morning. if you want to take it easy, watch out for debris as the winds were howling all night

long. today, a whole weather story. a major warmup. we are touching on the low 80s in some cities today. tomorrow, i am expecting the 90s. i'll tell you where and how long this will last. want to check your drive and see how long that is looking. a smooth drive. the taillights are going past what we thought were flickering lights of some flames. a car fire north of 880. just came in from chp. they were not able to locate any issues, no fires or any vehicles on the shoulder. it looks like a smooth drive now through downtown and heading up toward the bay bridge toll plaza. no wind advisories for the bay bridge. it is 4:32. hundreds of bay area high school students will be going to class this week for a different kind of