and a very happy new year to you. coming up on "early today," the world ringing in 2014 with style. times square at the crossroads of the world. we'll take you to celebrations around the globe. a health scare for former first lady barbara bush, who has been hospitalized. another target apology, this time for holiday gift cards that were not activated. plus the brave take the plunge in the 42 degree seas. a lonely leader taking to

the slopes of north korea. and a whale of a day ahead for football fans everywhere. it is wednesday, january 1. "early today" starts right now. and good morning to you on this first day of 2014. i'm richard lui. from massive firework displays to solemn ceremonies, people around the world ringing in this new year in a variety of ways that did not disappoint. stephanie elam takes a look. >> reporter: midnight in new zealand brought fireworks over the sky tower. in sydney harbor, more than 1 million people ushering in the new year with firework that is lit up the iconic opera house and bridge. it was temple bells in japan ringing the customary 108 times.

a solemn, dignified tradition bringing in the new year. 2014 was welcomed with a bang by the chinese. from the great wall to shanghai. and if that wasn't spectacular enough, dubai's new year celebration was one for the record books, literally. the world's tallest building center stage for an attempt at the world's largest display. and at the same time, moscow rang in the new year in red square. in paris, tens of thousands celebrated at the eiffel tower, while in london big ben rang out the old and rang in the new. and in new york city, millions in times square celebrating the famed ball drop and the coming new year. stephanie stanton, nbc news. and former first lady barbara bush is in stable condition in a houston hospital

after being admitted for treatment of respiratory issues, possibly pneumonia. the wife of george h.w. bush was taken to the hospital on monday and is in, quote, great spirits, has received visits from her husband and family, and is receiving fantastic care. mrs. bush was hospitalized in 2008 after receiving heart surgery in 2009. sotomayor issued a stay on health law that would require companies with religious beliefs to provide insurance that would provide contraception and. she gave the obama administration until friday to respond.

with the wreckage of a disastrous train derailment smoldering, residents of a small north dakota town are calling for precautions. it burned so hot firefighters didn't try to put out the flames. the mayor of the small town located near the accident called it too close for comfort and wants the government to make oil transportation safer. ntsb is on the scene, but has yet to evaluate the still smoldering wreckage. russian president vladimir putin has promised a forceful crack down on terrorists after two suicide bombings killed more than 30 people. that raised more concerns about security at the sochi games approach. he met with officials in volgograd this morning to discuss security. more from russia. >> reporter: by the thousands russian police swept through coffee shops and markets hunting for accomplices in the two

suicide blast that is killed at least 34. dozens of people were detained though any connection to the bombings was unclear. vladimir putin had a strong warning. we will confidently, fiercely and consistently continue the fight against terrorists until their complete annihilation. police say they have a suspect in the first bombing. 26-year-old russian, a former paramedic and reportedly converted to islam. his parents say they posted this video to his son after he vanished. come home, his mother pleaded. we see how many people die because of people like you. don't harm people, said his father, no matter what his religion. in a video of his own, he told

his parents he made his choice. it is not easy to go this way, the way of jihad he said but allah makes us strong. wildlife officials in utah have identified the mysterious illness that has killed over two dozen bald eagles over the past two weeks. nbc's miguel almaguer has that story. >> reporter: it was a bald eagle rescued by bob carter and taylor schulte that helped solve the mystery. >> the bald eagle is just what america stands for. >> reporter: brought to a wildlife rehab center blood work showed the eagle and five others are suffering from west nile virus. >> it is very rare. it is not really something we have seen. >> reporter: the disease has killed at least 27 bald eagles. it is believed they contracted west nile after eating infected a water fowl found on the nearby salt lake. >> there's not much we can do to manage it at this point, so we'll have to let the disease

run its course. >> never been in a car before. >> reporter: with no risk to humans officials reveal the species will show no long-term effect to the virus. for schulte and carter, release. >> trying to get the eagle back to where it should be is a very special experience. >> reporter: that eagle showing signs of recovery. this iconic bird is again a symbol of hope and strength. miguel almaguer, nbc news. >> bill karins, able to see that bald eagle so beautiful. >> they're iconic to us in general. i would not expect that kind of small chirp. >> to be that close and so beautiful. >> snow in the east, not in the west. >> no. you and i are going to carry cups with us, but we desperately need water in the the west.

unfortunately not a wet pattern there to start new year's day, but we are looking at it up in alaska. that means southerly winds are warming things up for areas like fairbanks and anchorage. you have rain to come with it. in anchorage, there could be ice out there. 32 degrees. temperatures are warmer, too, 39 today. no storms in the west. temperatures are very mild this time of the morning, 37 in l.a., 41 in seattle. over the next five days, rainfall totals, i would love to show you anything significant, but there's just -- >> nada. >> yeah, not looking too good. san francisco, you just had the dryest year on

i was reading like the list of cities that set the record. >> take your pick. >> almost every location in california. >> stay positive. think of the rose bowl, as you were saying. beautiful view of the san gabriel mountains as they're watching the game. stay positive. thank you, bill karins. good news if you get your daily dose of vitamin d. we'll tell you about that. and will 2014 be as lucrative as 2014 for investors? and denver skyline, revelers are taking advantage of the new marijuana laws.

and welcome back. pope francis celebrated his first new year's day mass as pontiff saying there's hunger for justice, peace and god in

the world. the catholic church dedicates january 1st to the promotion of peace. in a freak accident in boston, a woman was crushed to death beneath a draw bridge. according to police the woman was in a blind spot where the bridge operator could not see her. a new study of vitamin e shows people who take high doses of the vitamin showed a delayed decline this daily living skills, like making meals and getting dressed. doctors are quick to point out, this was not a cure, but the results are exciting. brave folks in maine raising money by participating in a marathon/polar plunge. the 42-degree water was no match for the participants. they're having way too much fun. and president obama treated himself to shaved ice while on vaca in hawaii on tuesday. according to our sources, it was

cherry and lemon lime flavored. a little 2013 business to finish up with. the s&p ending with largest gains. dow with biggest returns in 18 years. target starts the new year the same way they finished the old one, apologizing. the retailer is doing damage control because some holiday gift cards were not activated correctly. target says they will honor the impacted cards. southwest airlines finished last on the latest monthly list for on-time performance. the data comes from the department of transportation. it is southwest's first time on the bottom of the list. netflix will test out a new price plan for customers. $6. 5 gets you -- each month that gets you one stream at once. $9.99 a month gets you three streams at once. whether on tv, tablet or computer. customers at walgreens who

may encounter problems with their obamacare prescription plan can rest easily. walgreens promises to provide medication for them at no cost through january. all your sports headlines are up next. the catch of the year. plus johnny football leads a stunning texas a&m comeback against duke. you're watching "early today."

times square at 4:16 local time, had to clean up about a ton of confetti there. millions of revelers now gone. a new day and new year. to sports, the college bowl win johnny football dreamed about. down by 21 at the half. manziel poured on the gas here. in the chick-fil-a bowl. he threw four touchdown passes. the texas a&m defense picked off a duke pass for a touchdown. and in a thriller, number 21 texas a & m on a comeback beats duke 52-48, the highest scoring in bowl history. when asked if this is college career ending manziel said i don't know. he is rumored to be going to the nfl next season. and so is humbly. with reason. number 17 ucla crushes virginia tech 42-12.

>> the ad vocare bowl had a similar score there, 42-19. arizona carried 165 yards to boston college's andre williams with just 75. it was the most lopsided victory in the liberty bowl's 55-year history. 44-7. mississippi quarterback zach prescott dominated with five touchdowns. it looks like penn state coach bill brian will be the texans new coach. multiple reports say it is a deal for the former patriots' assistant coach. golfer rory mcilroy and tennis star are engaged. the twitter photos show her engagement ring and a photo of the couple during the new year. working in broadcast tv can be tough work. just ask brian olson who was holding a camera in his right hand, right there, when a field goal bounced off the upright.

he caught the ball in the left hand and caught the ref's call on camera. travis brewer, who has cerebral palsy, became the youngest player ever drafted in memphis grizzly history. that was his wish, made possible for one day by the make-a-wish foundation. the number of applicants for a one way mission to mars has n been dwindled down.

welcome back. happy new year to you. perfect weather conditions for the rose bowl parade, as we mentioned earlier, and all the football games taking place in the west. should be just fine. we have a little bit, possibly, of fog out there, maybe a little freezing fog, but it shouldn't be too much of a problem. up in seattle, isolated shower. not a lot of wet weather out there. pretty mild air. some of the warmest temperatures in the country will be found today and tomorrow in southern cal. 79 on thursday, 76 in phoenix. that's like golfing weather still. >> it's a crime almost, 79 degrees at this time of the year? that's shorts. >> yeah. >> and the new year's 2014. we'll go to some celebrities. they have their wishes. what's yours? did you make one tonight, last night? >> i haven't yet. >> we have some time. four minutes. celebrities have shared their love and wishes for the new year. this is what they've done.

>> it's nice to come to the end of the year and take stock, see where you are and hope the next year will be better. ♪ auld lang syne >> happy new year! >> i would love world peace or pinnacle rolex. you know what, forget about world peace. just bring the the rolex. >> i want you to bring me breakfast every morning. that's what i want. >> you had too much time to think about it. this is taylor swift's home, rhode island residents, they're not happy about the renovations she's making to it. they say it's altered the coastline there. according to state officials, swift was given approval to move the boulders. >> moving heaven and earth. >> that's a big house, though. well said. paris jackson is home since her reported suicide attempt in june. after her hospitalization, she

was in boarding school in utah. if you want to make a box office hit evidently you have to cast jennifer lawrence. the actor was ranked the most bankable for 2013. >> her bank is growing. tom eddalston wins people votes by 52% as the actor of the year. >> because of thor. according to ap bon jovi has top grossing tour of 2013. number two, beyonce. she came in second with $188 million. leonardo dicaprio had to learn to act like he was on queludes. saying a lot of the research that i did really came from watching this video on loop. it is the drunkest man in the world. i'm richard lui this is "early today."

leading the news in the "l.a. times" mars one, 1,058 applicants still in contention to start a mars colony. we are learning more about the pool of applicants. 55% are male and 45% are female and 63% have a bachelor's degree or higher. and on nbcnews.com, flying solo. kim jong-un travels north korea ski resort. he got away from it all, as he toured his newly built luxury resort. resort for one, i guess. pot smokers in colorado celebrate td the coming of the nation's first recreational marijuana shop by lighting up at midnight. that was eight hours before the stores open. some believe this is the end of

a prohibition era. others are concerned that the wide availability to the drug will lead to addiction among use. former first lady barbara bush in the hospital for respiratory issues, but is in, quote, great spirits and good condition. the space needle lit up downtown seattle. las vegas shot off rockets from the roof tops of the mgm grand. caesar's palace and other noteworthy places there. the times square ball certainly not the strangest item dropped at the stroke of midnight. for instance, to boise. what was that? the first-ever drop of a 16-foot long potato. >> i like the potato. >> a lot of fries they'll have. >> pennsylvania. families saying hello to the new year, 85-pound marshmallow peep. >> wonder if it's stale like mine always are. >> they'll last forever. are you kidding?

key west counted down, a drag queen dropped down in a massive high heel. >> key west has to be a fun place. arizona dips a tortilla chip. >> possum. >> north carolina. >> they'll drop anything from the sky for the new year. time for a look ahead and a look back. a big change for the boy scouts of america. starting today the scouts are opening ranks to openly gay young men for the first time. on this day in 1975, convictions in the watergate scandal. convicted of perjury of justice. happy birthday to elin, former wife of tiger woods, verne troyer, who played mini me turns 45. keep it here for more news, weather and sports. i'm richard lui along with bill karins.

thanks for watching "early

. . good morning. i'm peggy bunker. we begin with breaking news in oakland. a sig alert has been issued after a deadly crash near 580 near the on ramp. the chp says the ramp should reopen in 15 minutes. something caused a car to flip over and someone was trapped underneath it. it is unclear if the person trapped was the person that died. we have a crew heading to the scene. we'll bring you the latest as soon as we get it. also, this other top story this morning. the first day of 2014 and our first nonspare the air day. good morning, christina and happy new