good thursday morning. coming up on "early today," brewer's veto. the arizona governor kills the bill that critics say legalizes discrimination. cold war games. 150,000 russian troops on military maneuvers. secretary of state kerry saying russian military action in ukraine would be a grave mistake. fine pri. the white house is proposing sweeping changes to nutrition labels impacting almost everything we eat. plus, retired tonight show host jay leno's big announcement. a smartphone for the super secret designed to self-destruct. and a fascinating study uncovers what our dogs' expressions really mean. it's thursday, february 27th. "early today" starts right now.

very good morning to you. i'm richard lui. we're going to start with breaking news out of hawaii this hour. small private plane crashing moments after taking off from an airport on the island of maui last night. officials saying three people were killed, and three were injured. two critically. they believe everyone has been accounted for, no word yet on the cause there. we'll continue to watch that on nbc. back on the mainland, drought stricken california finally getting a double blast of rain with possible flooding on the way too. heavy showers in the san francisco bay area knocked down trees and caused power outages in some areas, and wind gusts up to 45-mile-an-hour forced the cancellation of some airline flights. following the rain, a potentially stronger storm on the way which could cause some severe flash flooding. but they need the rain there. since 2013, california's driest year on record was last year.

residents are being warned to prepare for the largest rain event in southern california in three years. and downtown los angeles may get half of last year's rainfall total in just these storms. bill karins will have more details in just a few minutes. stick around for that. veto, arizona's governor striking down a controversial anti-gay bill. john mccain urged the governor to veto it and former secretary of state hillary clinton talking to students at the university of miami. >> thankfully the governor of arizona has vetoed the discriminatory legislation that was pass ed, recognizing that inclusive leadership is really what the 21st century is all about. >> and the cheers also from demonstrators following the

governor's decision, that happened outside the courthouse. nbc's jay gray reports more for us now. >> reporter: after six days of protest outside the arizona state house, with the stroke of a pen, governor jan brewer changed the chants to cheers. vetoing senate bill 1062, controversial religious freedom legislation that opponents call a thinly veiled measure allowing businesses to refuse services to gay and lesbian customers or anyone else for that matter. >> i sincerely believe that senate bill 1062 has the potential to create more problems than it purports to solve. i could divide arizona in i was it could not even imagine and no one would ever want. >> reporter: the center for arizona policy, the group that wrote the legislation, issued a statement after the veto saying it was a sad day and that opponents had distorted the measure intended to, quote, guarantee that all arizonans would be free to live and work according to their faith. major corporations including

apple, delta, american and southwest airlines, pet smart, major league baseball, the nba and nfl had all urged brewer to veto the legislation. >> i think that was a combination of both the business communities and activists being out here day after day after day that finally sent the message loud and clear to the governor. >> reporter: who in turn tried to send a loud message to so many watching and waiting for her decision. jay gray, nbc news, phoenix. now to shadows of cold war games. now in the form of a provocative show of force from russia. president vladimir putin ordering 150,000 troops to test their combat readiness. the troops are there to conduct military exercises but it is also where that is causing a concern. in an area bordering ukraine, just a few days following the fall of kiev. also, the french news agency afp reports a russian warship is docked in havana, cuba. putin's show of military bravado is forcing a warning from john

kerry. he said any military intervention in ukraine would be a grave mistake. he spoke to andrea mitchells. >> we're hoping that russia will not see this as sort of a continuation of the cold war. we don't see it that way. we do not believe this should be an east/west, russia/united states. this is not rocky 4, believe me. we don't see it that way. >> well, that east/west divide did lead to clashes wednesday in the south of ukraine in the crimea region. nbc news learned exclusive details about an fbi informant planted inside of al qaeda. according to numerous sources, the fbi had a mole who actually met osama bin laden eight years before the september 11th attacks. and this mole knew bin laden planned to finance terror plots, but the bureau opted not to disclose that information to the 9/11 commission.

the informant acted as a, quote, driver and confidant for the man who planned the 1993 terror attack on the world trade center. bin laden apparently told the mole about a planned attack on a masonic lodge in los angeles, that information in the end helping the fbi to prevent the attack from happening. the nutritional panels on all those foods that we buy are about to get a bit of a makeover. today, michelle obama and the head of the fda will announce proposed updates as part of the first lady's push to help americans make healthier choices. nbc's tracie potts is in washington. and tracie, as we look at some of these possible changes, how might they make things easier, some will be asking. >> reporter: well, richard, if the proposed labels go through, it would actually make it clearer what you're really eating without doing a whole lot of math. take a look at the old label, and the new proposed labels that we expect to be announced at the white house today. one thing they want to do is make the calorie count in foods a lot more prominent on that label, adding a new line for

added sugar, the manufacturers say some of the added sugars are natural. we may see some pushback on that. updating the serving size, that's a big one when you consume one package and realize you actually had three servings of a particular item. lifting nutrients by both the container and the serving size, and removing some things like calories from fats, but adding trans fats, that's a few of the things that advocates have suggested when we expect the government is going to take a look at. now, the manufacturer says let's make sure this is based on real science, not confusing consumers. fda saying they could end up paying $2 billion to change those labels. ri richard? >> $2 billion, i'm often eating an entire package of cookies realizing it is a enough for a family of 15 or something like that. tracie potts, thank you so much. bill karins laughs as well because he knows that. the bag of chips, according to the serving size, i said a

family of 15 as well. >> hagagen-dazs, the ben and jerry's ice cream, that's not too bad and then you realize it is two to four everyboservings. we're getting what we need. we had the warm up take place last night and right into this morning. and the bigger storm is on its way. we look at l.a.x. airport, wet roads for once, doesn't happen that often as of late. we got half an inch of rain at the l.a.x. airport and same with downtown los angeles. here is what we're looking at. the storm you notice is heading near the medford area, that's the center of it. it is dragging through some of the moisture. we'll get a breakthrough in the day today. green shows the light rain. now over the los angeles area, heading all through southern california. so that's good. right down i-5, to oceanside. that's what we like. not a lot behind it. once this moves through, we'll pretty much be done throughout the day today. then the bigger storm moves in as we go through mostly a friday, into saturday event. and we still have the possibility, we're talking 3 to 5 inches of rain in the

mountains, cities themselves, even los angeles, and that would be the most significant storm in a while. we have a little snow too in the central sierra, but not blockbuster amounts. umbrella day this morning. that's your national >> 15 inches of rain it would take to end the drought in los angeles, southern california. if we get 3 out of this, it shows you how far away we are from the end of this. >> all things being equal. we'll take what we can get. the richest neighborhoods, a self-destructing smartphone for the super top secret, and the battle for parking spots gets even dicier when winter weather throws drivers a bit of a curveball. here in philadelphia you can access a philly cheesesteak

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welcome back. a recent new york times/cbs poll looks at the november elections and according to that survey, republicans will have a slight edge over democrats, 43 to 39%. that map of general motors recall could get a bit worse. the national highway traffic safety administration is looking into when gm made its recall announcement. automakers are required to notify the agency within five days of finding a safety defect. the boston athletic institution instituted a no bag policy for this year's boston marathon. the rule, which is in response to last year's deadly bombing, states bags and backpacks are not allowed near the start or finish line or along the course. with parking in big cities getting tougher, thanks to the snow, what are folks doing? we'll take you to philadelphia. they're blocking spots with furniture. police started a hash tag called #nosavsies.

have you seen the photos people post online of their dog looking guilty after they have done something wrong. well, in fact, with 58 million page views, dog shaming.com is one of the most popular places on the internet. now animal behavior experts, they're saying that dogs do not have the ability to feel shame or guilt. they say that guilty look you see there, ears back and head down and other stuff, just a reaction to being scolded. "early today" health is brought to you by vagisil, the experts in intimate health. let's get down to business now. president obama says spending $300 billion to upgrade roads and railways across the country, it is a worthy investment. speaker boehner says funding is a problem. democratic senator barbara boxer is not holding out much hope for it either. boeing has come out with a smartphone that will self-destruct if anyone tries to open it up. it is called boeing black. it is geared for customers who work in defense or high security

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this morning on "today," kerry kennedy taking the stand at her trial, claiming to have no memory of her drug driving accident. details on her testimony as the jury prepares to hear closing arguments. let's take you to sports. the nfl gets ready for its first openly gay player, michael sam, an nfl ban against slurs is in the works. that includes both gay slurs and using the n word. the first offense would get you 15 yards, the second, possible ejection. the n word is used by some, african-american players included, to praise the job well done sometimes, many in the community simply want that word gone. the ban could come down next month. next to an overtime stunner, michigan and purdue.

seconds left in the game. michigan's glenn robinson iii, the buzzer beater with his dad who played for purdue looking on. robinson and michigan win 77-76. let's get happy there. another nail biter, number 19 ranked university of income dno carolina at unranked north carolina state. key to key for the winning layup. north carolina state loses. nba, kyrie irving wouldn't it for cleveland, scoring 13 of 21 points in the fournel quarter alone against oklahoma city. oklahoma city gets their third straight defeat, 114-102. the heat's lebron james will look different tonight. he'll wear a face mask to protect his broken nose. he says the mask is hot, uncomfortable, and prone to fogging up. but certainly better than a reinjured nose, yeah. talk about tough shoes to fill, mano ginobli so tough to contain, his foot rips through his shoe. he's got no sole. olympic women got almost as

much air time as the men. university of alabama found women got 41% of the time, men got 45% or a four percentage point gap. in years past, that gap was as large as 20 percentage points. "today" show host willie geist got some moves. even against shaquille o'neal who can flick willie like a flea. look at his left underhand scoop, around the seven-footer, yes. tamron hall is, like, i can't believe he did that! willie did play for his high school team way back, way back. just ahead, jay leno's big announcement. justin bieber caged. and the eye-popping, wallet-busting, jaw-dropping eight figure salary sandra bullock earned for "gravity," next. wrinkle cream graveyard. if it doesn't work fast... you're on to the next thing. clinically proven neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair. it targets fine lines and wrinkles with the fastest retinol formula available.

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i need>>that's my geico digital insurance id card - gots all my pertinents on it and such. works for me. turn to the camera. >>ah, actually i think my eyes might ha... next! digital insurance id cards. just a tap away on the geico app. welcome back. this is what we like to see. if you have -- if you follow in the ski season in the west, haven't seen a lot of this. this is the white and the snow and the flow is moisture raisiig itself out of the mountains. tahoe to mammoth lake, decent snows. as far as the next storm goes, we're going to get a break a little later today. and tomorrow, the next storm moves in. especially friday afternoon, friday evening and lasting into saturday morning. so there is still a chance of rain, especially this morning. and then chances of rain will taper off during the afternoon hours. then as we go to friday, and

this storm has enough dynamics with it that we could see a few thunderstorms with it. and some gusty winds too. i think the winds are more of a concern than the heavy rain. you never know, we could get some mud and debris flows. you can see this is what we want, we don't want any damage with it. >> for california, nevada, road trip, head up there while the snow is good. we have over eight hours of footage showing justin bieber after his january dui bust in miami. here's just the good stuff for you here. in video released by the state attorney's office, the pop star in a black hoodie takes a sobriety test. the video also showing that bieber hanging out in his holding cell, maybe, perhaps pondering if he should make better life decisions along the way. doing push-ups. jim lang, the first host of the dating game died at the age of 81. lang hosting the show for a decade before moving on to other game shows including $100,000 name that tune, and the newlywed game. that is a guy we all remember quite well, the dating game. girls star allison williams officially engaged to boyfriend of three years ricky van vene.

and news anchor dad, brian williams, approves of that. jay leno couldn't stay away from the spotlight for very long as he appeared on the arsenio hall show to make an announcement. >> arsenio hall, officially picked up, will continue for a second season! actually, on the second season, i'm going to be hosting. they didn't tell you that. no. >> great to see those guys together, then. speaking of lost in space epic, how much did sandra bullock get paid to do all that tossing and turning? she reportedly stands to take upward of $70 million thanks to $20 million up front and 15% of the film's box office take. she still might get more. i'm richard lui. this is "early today." we hope it is just your first stop of the day here on nbc. [ male announcer ] this is the age of knowing what you're made of. why let erectile dysfunction get in your way? talk to your doctor about viagra. ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex.

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leading the news in usa today, can giant walls protect the usa from tornados? one scientist proposes -- one expert says building several gigantic walls across tornado alley i did minh irdiminished td to be 150 feet wide. in the l.a. times, jackpot, nasa's kaeppeler telescope finds mother load of 715 planets. that discovery doubles the number of nen plumber of known planets in our galaxy. a federal judge rules texas's voter approved ban on gay marriages unconstitutional. the 2005 ban passed with 76% of the vote, but two gay couples were challenging it.

the biggest thing i think i would want to say is we did it! maybe the first step, but it is an awesome first step. >> the ban is still in place as the texas attorney general's office works on an appeal. the first ladies healthy eating and activity guidelines are coming to child centers near you. they include one hour of daily exercise and serving fruits and veggies at every meal. coming to the learning care gro groups. three orphaned infants found a new home at the oregon zoo. these one month old black bear cubs were discovered by a logging crew. sadly the little fur balls were abandoned by their mother and left in a hollowed out log. once they get bigger than this, you know, stick of butter size, they'll be moved to a sanctuary in texas. they're going to get really big. >> they need some porridge. >> yes. and there is three, which is good. >> exactly.

time for a look ahead and a look back. president obama announcing a program to help some young americans. the president unveiled my brother's keeper to partner with foundations and businesses to give young men of color new opportunities. on this day in 1974, first issue of people magazine went on sale. it featured mia farrow. over the last 40 years, people has become one of america's most popular magazines with over 43 million readers. happy birthday to josh groban, 33, chelsea clinton, 34, and oscar winning actress joanne woodward is 84. happy birthday to all of them. now, keep it right here for more news, weather and sports. i'm richard lui along with bill karins. thanks for watching "early today" on this thursday. have a great rest of the week.

overnight fire in a townhouse complex forces 18 people from their homes into the rain in the south bay. the flames are out but the investigation just beginning. good thursday morning. i'm scott mcgrew. >> i'm laura garcia-cannon. the fire broke out just before 12:30 this morning in a townhouse complex not far from oak grove high school. by the time crews arrived three of the four units were on fire. all 18 people who lived there including eight kids managed to get out before firefighters got there. officials had to call for backup twice before they got the fire under control.