good friday morning. coming up on "early today" a new twist in the boston bombing case. how new york might have been a target. what congress is doing to ease those massive travel delays brought on by faa furloughs and the sequester. syria using chemical weapons in its civil war and what the white house may do in response. five living presidents share a stage. first rounds picks of the nfl draft. and "boston" magazine's inspirational tribute. "early today" starts right now. >> announcer: this is "early today" for friday, april 26th, 2013. very good morning to you. i'm richard lui. just this last hour we're told the surviving suspect in the boston bombings has been moved from a hospital to a prison in massachusetts.

dzhokhar tsarnaev is being held at a facility for inmates with medical issues. the 19-year-old has been recovering from a gunshot wound to the throat. meanwhile, the boston marathon was just the first target on the tsarnaev brothers terror hit list. dzhokhar tsarnaev told investigators they planned an attack in new york's times square. justice correspondent pete williams has more for us. >> reporter: investigators say they've been told that while the bombing suspects were fleeing from boston in an suv they carjacked last thursday night they came up with the idea of driving to new york, taking along a half dozen bombs they had with them. >> in the car they made a decision to go to new york with the remaining explosive devices that they had and to detonate it -- detonate one or more in times square. >> reporter: police say one of the men, dzhokhar tsarnaev, had visited times square at least once last year. whatever plans they had came to nothing thursday night when police caught up with them in

watertown. this photo shows that suv after the shootout with police. now new questions about whether the interrogation of the surviving suspect was stopped too soon. the chairman of the house intelligence committee has been told that a judge came to the hospital to read dzhokhar his rights before interrogators were done questioning him. >> that's dangerous and concerning especially when the fbi will tell you we weren't finished with him. we didn't really believe that we had all we could get out of him. >> reporter: in response the fbi and the justice department said the judge's arrival was not a surprise and 16 hours after the interrogation began, time was running out before he had to be read his rights. back in watertown police were at the scene where dzhokhar tsarnaev was found last friday wounded in a boat. officials said he had no gun. they are trying to determine why police began shooting in the first place. one of the survivors of the bombing, heather abbott of rhode island, who lost part of her left leg said the support from

the hospital and even total strangers has been uplifting. >> i'm sure at some point i'll be interested in the details and have an opinion about the individuals that did this. but i just haven't let my mind go there at all. >> nbc's pete williams reporting. just in time for the weekend, sequester-fueled flight delays could be over. the house expecting to approve legislation ending those furloughs for air traffic controllers after the senate approved the measure last night. nbc's tracie potts has details from washington for us. tracie, good friday to you. people want to ask this, how soon would the solution take effect? >> reporter: possibly as early as this weekend so maybe you don't have to sit around for one, two and three hours like people did earlier this week. the senate unanimously approved this last night. every democrat and republican voting to shift $253 million from one part of the faa budget to another, money that had been planned for airport improvements and other projects now to pay those air traffic controllers who have been forced to stay

home one day every other week because they were home and there were fewer people on the job, airports had to slow down takeoffs and landing, and that's why people were sitting around waiting for flights. now it looks like if this vote goes through as expected today in the house, that could end possibly as early as this weekend. it does not mean almost 150 towers that are slated to close in june, that that situation is going to change at all. that's totally different. richard? >> all right, key takeaway, bipartisanship, right? we'll take that on a friday. a potential game changer for u.s. involvement in the syrian war. the u.s. intelligence community believes syria has used chemical weapons, something the obama administration had said would cross a red line if true. and although intelligence officials say they have varying degrees of confidence in their assessment, the evidence so far is not strong enough for u.s. military intervention. >> we still have some

uncertainties about what was used, what kind of chemical was used, where it was used, who used it. >> nbc's atia joins us from cairo live with the very latest. atia, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, richard. it was surprising to hear secretary hagel actually announce that they believe that chemical weapons were used. but it wasn't surprising to hear that they did not have conclusive evidence just yet. just as recent as last month, president obama, during a trip into the region, did say that it would be a game changer if they were using chemical weapons for america's involvement in the war. for the syrian regime's part, president assad has said over and over again that they have not been using chemical weapons. in fact, he's been pointing the finger at the rebel movement, saying that the rebels are, in fact, using those weapons. right now the evidence that they're basing this on are photographic and video evidence. but it is said that they're calling for more of an investigation by the united nations by taking soil and blood samples. richard? >> nbc's atia abawi, thank you

so much. your country will remain ever ready to help you recover and rebuild and reclaim your community. >> president obama is reassuring the community of west in texas that they are not alone. he spoke at a memorial service yesterday for the 14 people killed in last week's fertilizer plant blast. most fatalities were first responders. 200 people were injured. while in texas the president also attended the opening of george w. bush's new presidential library as fireworks lit up the sky. we'll have more on that ceremony a little later. but for now nbc's bill kari karins, we are hoping for a great weekend. of course, we've had a tough week. >> well, yeah, a great week of weather, though, in the west. >> for the west. >> for the west it's been fantastic. especially look at these temperatures yesterday. once again, we were beautiful. as far as today goes, what we're looking at for the most part is a nice day in many areas. cooler weather, you see there in

san francisco, more on-shore flow, some early-morning clouds. seattle is looking at about 61 today. a little more cloudy and on-shore flow also. medford still gorgeous. and look at the intermountain west. boise at 79. in vegas and phoenix, just getting a little more toasty and heading in a warmer direction as we get ready for that summer season. as far as what we deal with throughout the rest of the day into the weekend, there's some showers in the forecast in seattle, especially into saturday. but it's not going to drench really the entire region. we're only going to be looking at light rain and pretty much that forecast holds into sunday. as far as the weekend goes, there's really not a lot of weather concerns. just we've had a great week of spoiled sunshine in seattle. just not going to last quite as long. that's a look a higher, start slapping that sunscreen

on, too. cooler on the coast, though. overall, just like the west coast, much of the country is warm enough finally. >> i don't know if folks know this, but you've got two remote controls on your desk here. were they working earlier? >> one works, sometimes one doesn't. you've got to be prepared. >> off camera, boy's like this. >> were you a boy scout? >> yeah, i was. sometimes we need two, but it looks great. bill will be back later. prince harry follows in his mother's footsteps. plus from the imagination of nasa, incredible insight into galaxies far, far away. you're watching "early today."

welcome back to "early today." a fast-moving fire tore through a psychiatric hospital in moscow last night, killing at least 38 people including two doctors. reports suggest a short circuit may have caused the blaze. the continuing search in bangladesh has only yielded more bad news. the building collapse has climbed to 290 and the government has declared a

national day of mourning. rhode island medical examiners confirm the body found is missing brown university student trip athy. he was briefly misidentified as a boston marathon bombing suspect and had been missing since mid-march. a new nasa animation shows how new galaxies can sometimes form from starbursts, a time when millions of stars are born at once. it can cause a windlike force throughout an entire galaxy. and like mother like son prince harry made his first official visit to a brain injury support center charity in england that was started by his mother. the prince stopped by a vocational college to test some interactive video games and even tried his hand at playing deejay. yeah, he's trying. now to business news. cnbc's courtney reagan. courtney, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, richard. the u.s. economy likely rebounded in the first three months of the year after growth stalled out at the end of 2012. investors will get a look at first quarter gdp numbers this

morning. growth expected to get a boost from the improving housing market and steady consu spending. and jc penney gets a shot in the arm as billionaire investor george soros buys a stake in the struggling chain. jc penney has been exploring ways to raise more cash after firing its ceo last month following a disastrous year that saw sales slump 25%. and disney settles a dispute with amc theaters allowing fans to buy advanced tickets for "iron man 3" which comes out next week. disney has been fighting with amc and other theater chains over how to divvy up the box office take from upcoming movies. richard? back to you. >> yeah, i'm looking forward to that blockbuster. thanks. earnings front, samsung weighed in with record first quarter profits, one day before the u.s. release of its latest galaxy smartphone. some williams-sonoma stores in boston have pulled pressure cookers after it was confirmed that similar pots were used to construct the deadly marathon bombs. the fda has stopped imports of

cucumbers after the cdc linked them to 73 cases of salmonella in 18 states. forget politics and religion. a new study finds most people surveyed are more comfortable discussing with strangers their salary, sex life or weight than credit card debt. 100 years ago this nickel was worth 5 cents. on thursday, two collectors pooled their pennies and paid more than $3.1 million for the rare 1913 coin. and speaking of coin, you'll need a lot of it to come home to the most expensive apartment in new york city this. this triplex has four terraces, a marble staircase and 360-degree city views all for just $125 million. karins is headed over there right now. a rare gathering in dallas at the bush library dedication. plus the nfl draft gets under way breaking a 40-year trend. and life-threatening hazards at a golf tournament on the louisiana bayou.

former president george w. bush says tlfgs a time in his life when he wouldn't be found at a library much less dedicate his own. that's changed while his sense of humor hasn't. danielle leigh reports on the dedication of bush 43 presidential library. >> reporter: it was a rare

gathering, all five of the nation's living presidents and their wives standing together. the dedication of the george w. bush presidential museum and library drew thousands to dallas' smu campus. >> today i'm proud to dedicate this center to the american people 37 >> reporter: former president george h.w. bush rose from his wheelchair with pride. president obama thanked his predecessor for setting a great example. >> he takes his job seriously, but he doesn't take himself too seriously. he's a good man. >> narrator: inside the more than 43,000 square foot museum is a high-definition freedom hall a replication of the oval office and thousands of artifacts like these beams from the world trade center. the museum examines key moments of president bush's often controversial time in office, but it also celebrates his efforts in education reform and global health. >> my george is a man who when someone needs a hand offers him their arms. >> it's an honor to lead a country as brave and noble as the united states.

whatever challenges come before us i will always believe our nation's best days lie ahead. >> reporter: it's those days as well as all the struggles in between that this library tries to capture. in dallas, i'm danielle leigh, nbc news. >> an emotional day there. in sports the first-round of the nfl draft kicked off last night. >> the kansas city chiefs select eric fisher. tackle. central michigan. >> and with that for the first time since 1970, offensive tackles were the first two picks, and they were followed by more very big people. seven linemen for all of the first seven selections. as for style points, ziggy ansah with the fifth pick was wearing a jacket and tie and also a pair of 3-d glasses from a movie theater but sans the lenses.

in the nba miami's ray allen hit a shot from the corner setting a new record for playoff shots. he has a total of 322, and the heat beat the bucks. the latest issue of "boston" magazine features photos of the sneakers from runners in the boston marathon. at the golf classic in louisiana the course featured what's called a movable hazard an alligator crawled slowly right past a man in a golf cart. who just seemed to be sitting there. and there were a lot more gators nearby, making it a pretty dangerous course, shall we say. >> announcer: "early today" sports is brought to you by touch of gray. get rid of some gray, never all. more trouble for the biebs and the backlash against "people's" most beautiful woman. plus -- >> how about a brand-new ferrari! >> what? those are the words every "price is right" contestant wants to hear especially when it's the show's most expensive prize ever. so how did she do?

welcome back. temperatures are really going to soa soar in the desert southwest. temperatures yesterday 84 in vegas and 86 in phoenix. and looking at the forecast in the days ahead, vegas is starting to get a little toasty. a little above average but you know it's not far away once you start heading towards may. 90-degree temps. throughout saturday, sunday, look at monday into tuesday. so the heat is on.

it's time to hit the pool if you're going to vegas. >> that famous view when you're landing into the airport in vegas. "pain & gain" is looking to flex some puzzle at the box office this weekend. the film stars mark wahlberg and the rock get in trouble as they lie, cheat and steal for the american dream. officials found unidentified drugs and a stun gun, but lucky for bieber, no arrests were made. this week gwyneth paltrow was named the most beautiful woman in the world. 77% of respondents said no, gwyneth is not the most beautiful woman of the year. bill? >> not bad, 23%. if 23% are saying that she is, that's pretty good. >> that's right. glass half full is what i want to say. finally, "the price is right" revealed its most valuable prize ever thursday. a $285,000 ferrari. all the

contestant had to do was put the car's sticker price in the correct order before drawing three strikes. let's keep our fingers crossed. take a listen. >> strike one. >> bill, really uncommon. >> brutal. i've watched that game a lot. you know, she had, like, three strikes and five numbers, and she gets three strikes in a row? >> to see that ferrari there, i was, like, ooh. i would have loved to have won that. a little expensive. i'm richard lui, and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

the top story in the "boston globe" this morning carjacking victim describes harrowing night. a 26-year-old chinese man talks about how he was able to escape from the suspect in the boston marathon bombing after 90 minutes of thinking he was going to die. he ran quickly. and in the "seattle times," shipwrecked seattleite, brother swim 14 hours to safety. their fishing boat sank. from celebrity flubs to youtube sensatiosensation, mara schiavocampo takes a look at the week that was. >> reporter: new details on the boston bombing started to emerge this week as a moment of silence

was observed around the country. >> pete williams did a great job when he was covering this terror attack. brian williams did a great job. >> tensions grew on capitol hill over a stalled immigration bill. meanwhile the associated press had their twitter account hacked. >> the ap's twitter feed was hacked by a group called syrian electronic army. i saw them at bonnaroo in 2006. amazing. embarrassing moments for oscar-winning actress reese witherspoon. and for jennifer lawrence. >> we are happy to present glaad's advocate for change award to president glib -- bill clinton. >> but the flub heard around the country came from this news anchor. >> your news leader in high-definition. >> guy [ bleep ] [ bleep ]. >> it quickly became an internet hit as did the new evian babies ad which racked up more than 34 million youtube views. that's nothing compared to psy's new music video, shattering records with 38 million views in a single day.

mike myers and dana carvey reunited for a special "wayne's world" screening. schawing! and it's all about the benjamins. the c-note has a new look. anthony weiner is back on twitter. he posted his first tweet. >> just a photo on a pamphlet on how to help new york city. zoom out a little bit. there you go. here's a look at what's coming up later this morning on the "today" show. jeff rosen has details on the tsarnaev brothers on alleged plans to target new york city. and a "today" exclusive, michael jackson's doctor, conrad murray, speaks out live from jail. >> now keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports and more. thanks for watching "early today." just your first stop of the day on your nbc station. you have a great weekend ahead.

breaking news out of oakland, a device that looks like is found on the street. more than 100 years of history burned to the ground. crews still on the scene of a devastating fire in san jose. >> the petaluma little leaguers back in the headline. but this time, the news is not that great, what some of the players are accused of. a live look outside on this feel-good friday. a bay bridge look. that is san francisco on this friday, april 26th. this is "today in the bay."