good tuesday morning. here's what's coming up on "early today." reaction to nba player jason collins announcement that he's gay from white house to homes across america. new dna evidence found on one of the boston bombs belonged to a female. what that could mean. richard branson's dream of space travel for the people is one step closer. plus a monster hurricane with 330-mile-per-hour winds. the one in a million self-baseball portrait. and actress kathericatherin zeta-jones continues with her battle with a mood disorder. "early today" starts right now. >> announcer: this is "early today" for tuesday, april 30th. good morning, everyone.

i'm richard lui. the nba said it will be business as usual moving forward despite two words monday from one of its veteran players that helped to shatter one of pro sports last barriers. washington wizards center jason collins saying "i'm gay." new reaction this morning but first more on the announcement from nbc's mike taibbi. >> reporter: he was drafted as an inside scoring force. while jason collins is not a star or a starter any more the 12 year pro is something no active player in a major league team sport has ever been, openly gay. >> there are tens of thousands of people before him. he's the first one to come out while playing and say "i'm gay." >> reporter: collins wrote i want to do the right thing and not hide any more. i want to take a stand and say me, too. the reaction hugely positive. from kobe bryant proud of jason, nba commissioner david stern saluted his leadership mantel on this very important issue. and former first daughter chelsea clinton, classmate at stanford, cheered him for having the strength and courage

to become the first. first lady michelle obama added "we've got your back." there have been openly gay athletes competing in individual sports. martina navratilova, for one. but in america's team sports gay athletes like baseball's billy bean only came out after they retired. jason collins changed that. >> gay athletes have been in the closet, feeling like it's a possibility to come forward in what jason did today is incredible. >> reporter: one brave 7-footer, his career not over, but the rest of his life just beginning. mike taibbi, nbc news, los angeles. >> other reaction from the sports world was mixed with one popular radio host calling it a nonstory. >> i really don't care. it means less than nothing to me that there's a gay player now out in the nba. there are plenty of gay people in america. you got to figure some of them are playing sports. and while reaction has been mostly positive even prompting a phone call from president obama

saying he was impressed by collins' courage, espn's chris broussard from "outside the lines." >> i believe that's walking open rebellion to god and jesus christ. >> espn later apologized and said the comments was a distraction. also saying why he picked number 98 for his jersey. 98 representing the year that matthew shepard was killed in one of the country's most infamous gay hate crimes. shepard's mother, judy, says that news made her cry and was honored. turning to boston marathon bombing investigation fbi agents visited tamerlan tsarnaev's widow monday, leaving with several bags of material. catherine russell is staying at her parents' house in rhode island. officials reportedly collected a dna sample from her to compare with the dna found on one of the bomb

fragments used in the marathon attack. investigators note that dna could have come from anyone. monday surviving suspect dzhokhar tsarnaev has a high-profile addition. defense attorney judy clark has negotiated life sentences for several past clients including the unabomber, susan smith and others, sparing them the death penalty. dzhokhar was wounded in a shoot out and is now recovering. new this morning, a deadly blast has rocked damascus for the second day in a row. state tv showed rows of damaged cars, smoke-filled streets where at least 13 were killed and 70 more injured. the prime minister narrowly escaped an assassination attempt on monday. meanwhile, president obama is expressing concern that russian leader vladimir putin, after the reported use of chemical weapons in syria, the white house says use of such weapons would be a game changer, but the pentagon says it will not speculate on any intervention plans. the faa is investigating a deadly mid-air collision of two small planes.

the faa says a single-engine cessna landed on a golf course in southern california on monday after colliding with another cessna about eight miles north of ventura. all three on board that plane sustained only minor injuries. in the mountains northwest of santa monica, firefighters combed through smoking wreckage of the second plane and recovered the pilot's body. it's believed he was the only one on board there. parts of eastern iowa dealing with severe weather, a heavy round of hail ranging from pea size to as large as two inches falling in waterloo, causing millions of dollars in damage to cars. the hail left covering that, and some places looking more like snow. bill karins, nbc meteorologist here with us. amazing pictures there of what was happening. >> it's severe weather season. we haven't had a lot of pictures of tornadoes to show people. >> good. >> now we're headed into the big tornado month. no severe weather or anything like that in the west. it's just been sunshine and turning the heat up. a little bit in the oven yesterday. maybe a lot in the oven. it was 102 in phoenix yesterday.

99 in las vegas. that 99, that's the warmest temperature you've ever had in april. so we're going to have another warm day today but not quite as hot through the desert southwest. there's actually a lot of cold air spilling down through the rockies into idaho and wyoming. the cool air will push a little bit of that hot air out. mild in the coming days. much of california, still stuck in the clouds along the southern california coast. here's how we look temperatures this morning. notice the contrast. still very warm in vegas and also phoenix. like midsummer temperatures to start your day. look to your north. boise's at 37. there is cold air in the northern portions of the rockies. today's forecast, much cooler in boise than anywhere else. but still another very warm, if not hot, day from phoenix to tucson all the way into vegas. that's your national forecast. now here's a look at the weat b

warm day for you. 82 and sunny. doesn't look like many chances of rain, but it looks like hot temperatures will go away a little bit. >> it is always nice in the west. but it's especially nice right now. >> especially compared to the snow that's coming for denver. >> thank you, bill karins. stocks on a tear as the government reports a rare surplus. the public is one step closer to traveling through space. and it was chosen as the world's best restaurant. they might have a table for you. when "early today" returns in two minutes.

welcome back. defense lawyers are asking jurors to find courage in the trial of an abortion doctor. gosnell faces capital murder charges in the deaths of four babies that prosecutors say were born alive, then killed at his clinic. former south african

president nelson mandela said to be in good health and high spirits following a recent hospital stay. country leaders visited the 94-year-old monday for the first time since treatment three weeks ago for pneumonia. hurricane evidently pretty big. this one about 20 times larger than the average we see on earth. the eye alone spans the distance from new york to miami with winds of up to 330 miles an hour. and talk about a close call. take a look at this one. baseball reporter kelly nash was at fenway park over the weekend when she took this selfy from the outfield only to hear "heads up." it was a foul ball coming right toward her. you can see it right there. it was a near miss, but thankfully she was not hurt. doesn't even look real. to business now and cnbc's kayla tausche. good morning. >> good morning. the fed begins a two-day meeting today widely expected to keep its low interest rate policy for the foreseeable future as the economy remains sluggish, job market weaker than expected and inflation still low. the fed's decision due tomorrow afternoon.

in the era of the free first-class upgrade might be over. in their effort to squeeze more cash from passengers, airlines are reportedly auctioning unfilled business class seats to those of us in coach. virgin atlantic and austrian airlines are among those now taking bids for beds. and nielsen is reportedly testing a tool to track online viewing of tv shows. "the wall street journal" says several networks including nbc and fox have signed up for the pilot program which nielsen hopes will become standard for sites such as hulu and youtube. richard? >> thanks, kayla. the s&p is rat a record high. for the first time in history, the dow has not logged a streak this far into the year. predicting its first quarterly surplus since 2007 thanks to lower federal spending. meanwhile, the government says loans of up to $2 million are on tap for small businesses in boston impacted by the marathon bombings. passengers spacecraft

completed its first rocket-powered flight monday morning above california's mohave desert. more than 500 would-be space tourists have already signed up for the $200,000 ride of a lifetime there. one chinese baker not breaking the sound barrier, but her fast hands have earned her a guinness world record for filling a plastic bag with 20 cakes in just seven or eight seconds. mama mia, an italian business group says about 6,000 pizza makers are needed in italy because italians look down on that job. meanwhile, we're pretty sure there are no job openings at one restaurant in the far eastern corner of spain where the roca brothers are still celebrating. it was crowned the world's best restaurant yesterday by "restaurant" magazine for its creative spanish fare. it includes dishes based on

perfume of a dkny fragrance. multicourse menus range from $170 to $210, and that is just each. four-course meal, you can do the math. a south carolina political dogfight, and last night the dogs were unleashed, next.

we're now just one week away from a

special election in south carolina to decide who will fill a house seat left vacant by tim scott. nothing was off limits last night as the two candidates trade verbal jabs. during their only debate. nbc's chris clackum has the details. >> reporter: face-off between mark sanford and elizabeth colbert busch for a congressional seat in south carolina produced only brief references to sanford's extramarital affair where he was governor where he lied about hiking on the appalachian trail but instead was in argentina to be with his lover. colbert busch referenced it in her answer about federal spending. >> when we talk about fiscal spending and protecting the taxpayers, it doesn't mean you take that money we saved and leave the country for personal purpose. >> reporter: sanford did not respond, instead saying -- >> i couldn't hear what she said. [ laughter ] repeat it. i didn't hear it, i'm sorry.

>> reporter: later sanford himself alluded to it when asked if he would vote to impeach president clinton. >> i would reverse the question to you and i would say this. do you think that president clinton should be condemned for the rest of his life based on a mistake that he made in his life? >> reporter: sanford's attempting a political comeback, his lover now fiancee often at his side. colbert, whose brother is stephen colbert, is a successful businesswoman, leading in fund-raising and the polls for the election next tuesday. chris clackum, nbc news. turning now to sports a thrilling finish. brandon moss smacking a two-run homer to right for a 10-8 win over the angels. that game took 6:32, the longest game ever played in oakland and the longest in angels' history. they're all glad to go home. in the nba, the oklahoma city thunder failed to score as

time ran out twice. and the houston rockets get a 105-103 victory to stay alive. but they trail in the series 3-1. you might remember 7-year-old jack hoffman who has brain cancer who ran 69 yards for a touchdown. well, monday jack met president obama who gave him a football with the presidential seal and his autograph. with the kentucky derby coming up saturday they held the annual race event, 38 teams competing in a 600-yard dash. prizes are awarded for fastest teenagers best decoration and most entertaining theme. no naps there. during a soccer match in russia one official got upset with one of the players and pushed and kicked him. the linesman has been given a lifetime ban from officiating. some amazing images from a lifetime ago of what may be the oldest film showing african-americans playing baseball on a georgia plantation in 1919. jackie robinson, the first african-american to play major

league baseball, was also born that year. >> announcer: "early today" sports is brought to you by touch of gray. get rid of some gray, never all. just ahead, rocky balboa hits the great white way. plus, a reunion for one of the popular television shows of all time. details next.

welcome back. here's your tuesday forecast. again, it's a dry forecast, all areas, and still very hot in the desert areas from vegas to

phoenix to tucson, l.a. about 70. still dealing with morning clouds. the northwest looks okay. 58 in seattle. a little bit on the cool side. tomorrow, we warm you up to 66. looks beautiful weather wednesday into thursday in the northwest. no problems at all. as far as the deserts go, i mentioned it is going to cool off a little, but it still looks like the 90s are here to stay. we're going to stay into the 90s in phoenix through friday into saturday. so my sister's out in phoenix. she was not happy about their first so100-degree yesterday. >> she's probably got the eggs outside on the car hood. >> we flip-flop. >> exactly. >> now it's my turn. >> that's exactly the way it work i works in weather. yo, adrienne! "rocky the musical" in new york city. current tenant "mamma mia" will be moving to a smaller theater to make way for "rocky's"

february opening. oscar winner catherine zeta-jones has checked into a health care facility to deal with her mild case of bipolar 2 disorder. the actress first sought treatment in 2011 to cope with the stress of the cancer diagnosis of husband michael douglas. so how did carrie mulligan get the starting role in "the great gatsby"? she surprised leo with a kiss right in the middle of the audition. right there she got the part. somehow i think that's not the first time that's happened to that guy in these auditions. >> why did it work this time? >> certainly did. there's the kiss right there. the wrongful death trial of michael jackson heated up as opening statements were made on monday. aeg live is looking to prove it was not liable for the pop star's untimely death. the company's attorneys said the civil case will bring to light, quote, some ugly stuff about jackson's private behavior. >> do we need to hear more? >> we really don't want to hear the ugly stuff. they actually played a song. you see that drawing of michael

jackson's mother crying. a song he had sung during that hearing, and it brought everybody to tears. happy birthday to kirsten dunst, 31, willie nelson, 80 and cloris leachman, 87. matthew perry shares his exciting idea for a "friends" reunion. it would be called "old friends" and would take place on a park bench when we're all in our 80s. what are they now, 40? >> i wouldn't want to see that. >> you wouldn't want to? >> it would be funny. they would have a different look, shall i say. it's such a classic. >> only if ross and rachel got back together. >> i don't know if i want to see that then. i'm richard lui. you're watching "early today" just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

leading the news this morning in "usa today" susan page has an in-depth interview with amanda knox who says i have a life that i want to lead. the story goes into detail about the evidence used by the prosecution and defense in the murder case of knox's roommate, meredith kircher. in "the washington post" fbi looking into relationship between mcdonnell's donor. they have been digging deep into gifts between virginia governor, his wife and business executive. johnny williams sr. here are some of the other top stories we're watching. washington wizards center jason collins became the first major professional athlete to announce that he's gay. reactions have been mixed but his move could open the door for

homosexual athletes across the board. fbi officials are testing dna from tamerlan tsarnaev's widow and comparing it to samples found on bomb fragments from the boston marathon attack. however, investigators were careful to note the dna could have come from any number of sources. and dutch queen beatrix abdicates her throne to king alexander. she was 33 years in power. now the question remains, will queen elizabeth follow suit? next. hmm. the question. i don't think so. weather channel interns are stirring up trouble. this is live video in anticipation of tornado week. interns building a twitter-powered tornado inside the weather channel office, strategically placed fans grow stronger with every mention using the #tornadoweek. yeah, there you guys go. it's kind of windy. if they hit 1 million mentions, prepare to watch a full-blown

ef-5 tornado in the office through a live feed at youtube.com/theweatherchannel. what's happening in back? adjusting plants? >> i don't know. that's a great thing for the interns because they actually get some attention. i love it. >> that's a great idea given the season that's coming up. time now for a look ahead. president obama and vice president biden and wives make an announcement today on the joining forces initiative. george zimmerman will be in court for the last hearing before his trial begins in june. decembererman is charge zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of 17-year-old trayvon martin in 2012. here's what's coming up on the "today" show. more one on one with martha stewart, the pride, the past and her time in prison. >> 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. have a great day.

. . a poison nus drink at wup of the most popular coffee shops. a discovery at a south bay starbucks. the a's pull an all-nighter. what it took for them to finally get the victory over the angels. >> wow, that was a long ball game. a nice look over o.co. the stadium with the lights on this early tuesday morning, april 30gth. this is "today in the bay." it is 4:30. good morning to one and all. i'm jon kelley. i'm marla tallez