good tuesday morning. coming up on "early today," black box deadline. new details in the search for the wreckage of flight 370. not all families accepting the government's horrific news. deadly mud slide. the scene of washington state's mud slide continues to unfold. was this catastrophe predicted in 1999? putin's sidelined. now g-7 members kick out one of its very own. fascinating testimony, oscar pistorius' murder trial, including reeva steenkamp's texting, i'm scared of you. these guys admitting to parachuting off the world trade center. it is tuesday, march 25th. "early today" starts right now.

and good morning. i'm richard lui. it has been another day of heart break for families of those on missing flight 370. malaysian officials say they assume none of those on board survived. but some families are asking where is the physical evidence? today, weather hampered the search forcing the hunt to stop on this 18th day. nbc's ian williams is live in perth, australia, for us. good morning to you. this search has been described as looking for a needle in a haystack. but officials say they haven't even found the haystack as of yet. what's next? >> reporter: that's right. they said they haven't even found that haystack, that quote coming from a senior defense official at a briefing this morning out of the pierce air force base, which is the hub of this operation. he also said everything is speculation until they do actually find something, which is identified as a piece of debris from flight 370. just to underline the

difficulty, today it was suspended, no aircraft flew today, that was because of appalling weather conditions out in the search area. gale force winds, 20 foot swells, heavy rain, very, very poor visibility. the authorities here, the maritime authorities are coordinating the search, decided it was too dangerous to send any ships out there. they hope tomorrow they can send 12 aircraft into the search zone. that will be a number we haven't seen before and will include japanese, chinese ships. they'll be armed with -- the planes rather, as well as ships. they'll be armed with additional information from the inmarsat satellite, suggesting that the southern area of the search zone is where they should be looking, though that's still a massive, massive area and those officials today, of course, trying to play down any immediate hopes of finding debris.

certainly it will -- they'll be back out there tomorrow, but when this search resumes, with a record number of assets, richard. >> ian, everybody hoping for better weather. perth australia, live for us, 7:00 p.m. local time. ian williams there. now to another search, unfortunately here, looking for survivors following the massive mud slide in washington state. that continues. the death toll is up to 14. more than 176 people are missing. the race to find victims ghoeting eaghoet i not getting easier though. jennifer bjorklund has the latest for us. >> reporter: the desperate search for survivors continues in this tiny rural community, where a wall of mud buried everything in its path, leaving behind unthinkable destruction. the more than 30 homes that once stood here now buried under 15 feet of mud and debris. >> it is about a mile long, probably a thousand feet wide, you know, probably an estimate of 15 million cubic yards of material. it is massive. >> reporter: lives torn apart,

families hope for the best. >> i want to know where my husband is. you know, i just need to know. >> reporter: searching on the ground and in the air, hovercraft has been brought in to help navigate the slide zone. >> very disappointed to tell you that we didn't find any sign of any survivors and no survivors today. >> reporter: spirits, though, were raised when an infant was pulled from the rubble hours after the slide, and when this chocolate lab was discovered alive with a few cuts and bruises, it was a glimmer of hope in a tragedy that has touched every person in this small enclave. jennifer bjorklund, nbc news, oso, washington. they now have one less member. the g-8 is now the g-7. the u.s. and western allies cutting russia out in response to the dispute over ukraine. president obama is in the neitherlands for a prescheduled nuclear summit but redoubling his efforts now to pressure russia. peter alexander traveling with

the president. he joins us from the netherlands. good morning. >> reporter: good morning from here in the netherlands. before that declaration was announced, we heard from the foreign minister of russia who dismissed the statement saying the g-8 was basically an informal club, that no membership cards were required. this was an emergency meeting called by president obama, bringing together the g-7 leaders, basically europe, canada and japan, where they came out and through a statement made an announcement that russia would basically be kicked out of the g-8 until it changes course, given its annexation of crimea. vladimir putin who is supposed to be hosting the next summit of the g-8, to take place in sochi, host of the 2014 winter olympic games this june, has been told that's been canceled. instead the g-7 will be separately in brussels this june without russia. the hague declaration also threatens russia with what they

call sectoral sanctions, they would sanction the lucrative arms, banking and energy sectors if russia goes further into ukraine and the words of one senior administration official, the cost of inaction is far greater. richard? >> yeah, peter, that ends 17 years that russia was a member of the g-8. thank you very much, peter alexander. now to the damage that continues in texas. dozens of ships are at a stand still in the houston ship channel, part of a 50-mile corridor crucial to the area economy. it is closed so crews can clean up 168,000 gallons of oil spilled during a barge collision. fuel laps beach shorelines there, dozens of ships are skimming while 13 miles of boom try to contain the cleanup. the oil seeped into an important bird refuge during mating season. one expert telling the houston chronicle, an estimated 50,000 seabirds have gathered there. at least 50 animals have needed

treatment and royal caribbean canceled a cruise because a ship cannot leave port. now for a look at our tuesday weather, nbc meteorologist bill karins is here. >> you hate seeing those pictures. >> we do. so tough for texas now to try to get through that. and the forecast will take some time. cold, we got to talk about that. >> we got the cold in the east,n the west. the rescue forecast where the mud slide happened, also washington. pretty big storm system in british columbia brought the cold front along the shore currently. we're still getting pretty good rains out of it, gusty winds along the coast. there is a little kick behind it too, which could spark a few showers and thunderstorms later on this afternoon, after this first batch goes on through. here is a look at the current radar, green shows you the rain, darker green, heavier rain and yellow is downpours. everything is pretty light. not pouring. we don't see any white on the map. snow levels are very high, very mild air mass that belongs with this storm system.

we'll continue very wet morning commute. of course, we had so much rain this march, looks like we'll have another inch or two over the next five days as we start to welcome in april. seattle, you can see how damp it is going to be on and off, right through the upcoming weekend. tuesday forecast, steadier rains this morning, showers and thunderstorms possible later on this afternoon. that's your national forecast. >> talking about people trying to do the rescue of the mud slide area, how wet it is. took about an hour it walk almost, like, half a mile. crazy. >> that weather that you're talking about has got to concern the area officials. >> yes, don't want another

slide. >> thank you very much. the obama administration's new plan on telephone eavesdropping. plus, why warren buffett is being called a fat head. it is a good thing. details next. [ bubbles ] [ giggling ] again! again! [ giggles ] again! [ mom ] when we're having this much fun, why quit? and new bounty has no quit in it either. it's 2x more absorbent than the leading ordinary brand, and then stays strong, so you can use less. watch how one sheet of new bounty keeps working, while their two sheets just quit. [ bubbles, baby giggling ] again! [ mom ] why use more, when you can use less. new bounty. the no-quit picker-upper. and irresistible aroma of nescafe clasico stir what's inside of you. ♪ [ engine revving ] [ tires screech ] ♪

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♪ bum ba bum ba bum oscar pistorius is expected to take the stand soon in his murder trial. but not before his defense team cross-examines the final witness of the prosecution. nbc's mike taibbi is live outside the courthouse and following the story for us in south africa. one of the interesting testimonies, cell data analysis from right before pistorius' girlfriend's death. >> reporter: yeah, it is damage control day for the pistorius defense, trying to diminish the impact of the powerful testimony of the last witness that prosecution had on. not only was that witness a cell phone analyst, but really reeva steenkamp, the girlfriend he shot to death, he says accidentally. the prosecution says that he shot intentionally after an angry argument.

in text messages recovered from her cell phone, that were read aloud in court, she wrote to oscars, sometimes you scare me, the way you snap at me. she complains of his constant tantrums in public and constant jealousy and about his incessant criticism of her, from everything, the fact that she chewed gum, suggesting the relationship was near its end, rather than the loving relati relationship that pistorius described. they tell a story that was very powerful in court and that was still being reputed by the defense. richard? >> up next, oscar pistorius taking the stand. thank you, mike taibbi, you'll be there for that no doubt. 32 people injured in a chicago subway derailment on monday because the operator reportedly dozed off. that's what the chicago transit authority union president said. also, adding the operator had 17 hours between shifts to get

enough rest. none of the injuries are life threatening. president obama is expected to unveil a complete overhaul to the controversial data collection program. the new york times says the proposal will end the systematic collection of domestic phone records. 529 members of the muslim brotherhood have been sentenced to death by an egyptian court. the targets relate to violent protests last year that led to the murder of a police officer. three base jumping enthusiasts have been arrested. this video here posted online this week, you can see the harrowing stunt taking place in the dead of night. get this, one of the jumpers actually worked on the construction of the tower itself. a girl scout has crumbled the national selling record. meet 12-year-old katie francis who sold a whopping 18,107 boxes. that's almost enough to give one tag along, thin mint or other

cookie to every person in her town of oklahoma city. well, all right, not quite. but give katie another week and we'll see. now for an early look at business with cnbc's bertha coombs. good morning. >> good morning, richard. five of bernie madoff's former employees have been convicted by a federal jury for helping their boss hide his multibillion dollar ponzi scheme for years. madoff's right hand man was the government's key witness in the trial. the five employees will be sentenced in july. google is adding a little style to its google glass eyewear. it is teaming with luxotica. they will sell google glass through its lenscrafters and sunglass hut stores. warren buffett is coming to your living room wall. fat head is selling an oversized big head decal of the billionaire investor for just

$29.99. all proceeds go to two detroit area charities. nice to have warren buffett around. i don't know if i would want a big head version. >> well, bertha, i don't know. big head might be right. just ahead, the ladies of the hard court light it up in college hoops. ♪ ♪ [ girl ] roses are red. violets are blue. splenda® is sweet. and so are you. [ female announcer ] just about anywhere you use sugar, you can use splenda® no calorie sweetener. ♪ splenda® lets you experience the joy of sugar without all the calories. it's a very good reason to enjoy something sweet with the ones you love. think sugar, say splenda™

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don't let that sun fool you. it is cold in new york city. more bad news for duke university. the men's college team exited early from the ncaa tournament. now the number two women's team out. number 7 depaul lit up the scoreboard raining down three-pointers throughout the game. that upset takes them to the sweet 16. joining them in the lincoln region, brigham young, they upset nebraska 80-76. in the notre dame region, the undefeated fighting irish, oklahoma state, kentucky, and baylor all advance. top seed tennessee moves on in the louisville region. and stanford keeps home court advantage with a win over florida state. call me maybe. former miami player jonathan martin on the right isn't picking up phone evidently. not from his accused bully richie incognito, at least. incognito tweeting this, call me on my cell phone.

love you, brother. stuff. a little stronger than stuff. got crazy. and a second tweet saying, no hard feelings. let's just move on. smiley face. smiley face. we all love streaks in sports, especially san antonio in the nba. 14 straight after monday. a hater? philadelphia. they got beat 113-91. their streak, now 25 losses. one shy of the all time record. two weeks, that's when augusta national could be tigerless. tiger woods says it is too soon to tell if his back problems will keep him out of the masters. it is the only major he's never missed. washington redskins owner daniel snyder continues to argue his team's name honors native americans. snyder now starting a foundation to assist native american tribes. unclear how much money, if any, he's contributing. critics say snyder's latest move

is somewhere between a pr assault and bribery. top nfl prospect johnny manziel's arm strength, that's been questioned. not with hoops, it seems. the under 6 footer showing he can dunk. all righty. just ahead, forget ratings. we have a whole new way to tell who is king of late night tv. plus, jennifer aniston opens up about fame. wait until you hear who she calls toxic. that's next. ♪ [ male announcer ] your eyes. even at a distance of 10 miles... the length of 146 football fields... they can see the light of a single candle. your eyes are amazing. look after them with centrum silver. multivitamins with lutein and vitamins a, c, and e to support healthy eyes and packed with key nutrients to support your heart and brain, too. centrum silver. for the most amazing parts of you.

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welcome back. the southern end of the storm is bringing some rain to eureka, knocking on the door, will be into ft. bragg. san francisco, after 11:00 a.m., we'll increase showers. not much, maybe a tenth to two-tenths of an inch of rain today. carry the umbrella with you. tuesday, the reason we have the thunderstorms in here, after the front goes through, we get instability showers and maybe isolated storms or two. as we look toward wednesday, more of the same as our storm moves into the inner mountain west. >> bill karins, thank you so much. only one month into his stint as tonight show host, jimmy fallon succeeding on tv and the web while jimmy's on air numbers are going strong here. his online presence is off the charts. in march, his twitter, facebook and youtube videos which include paul rudd's singoff and brian williams' rapping racked up over

20 million hits. he's on fire here. entourage star kevin connolly had an accident on set while throwing around a football with russell wilson. >> i don't know why that's funny. >> connolly athletically tripped over a sprinkler. unfunny part, he broke his leg when he tripped. jennifer aniston is a favorite of the tabloid newspapers. she said she's not used to the attention, though. she called the paparazzi and tabloids toxic and jarring. >> she's never -- she's never embraced it. i don't know how you could, but -- >> so intense with her, especially in los angeles, the way they chase her around all the time. >> she's been engaged and pregnant, like, 50 times. >> it would seem so based on the covers. i'm richard lui, this is "early today." we hope it is your first stop of the day right here on nbc. [ male announcer ] let the rich robust flavor and irresistible aroma of nescafe clasico

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leading the news in the new york times, amid a wave of pro gun legislation, georgia proposes a sweeping law. it is awaiting the governor's signature. 32 million underinsured in u.s. report finds. that makes 80 million americans who either have no health insurance or do not have enough. in the news today for you, more on missing flight 370. upwards of 100 chinese family members marching to the malaysian embassy in beijing this morning. they threw plastic bottles and tried to rush the gate. they chanted, quote, liars. of the 239 people on board, 153

were chinese nationals. meanwhile, weather hampering the search for the missing 777. it forced the hunt for debris to stop today. the 18th day. and time is running out. by law, black boxes must emit pings for at least 30 days after a plane crash. the search for survivors following a massive mudslide in washington state continues. it killed at least 14 people. more than 176 others are reported missing. so an artist in italy gives crop circle creators a run for their money. for dario gamborine, the world is his canvas. he uses a tractor instead of a paintbrush to turn fields into works of art. his latest piece celebrates president obama's visit to the vatican later this week. the work depicts an american icon. that's the statue of liberty. >> i'm impressed, especially with the crown, the crown is

tough. >> ufos. >> you a crop circle guy? >> ufos. >> it is not the farmer. >> i'm with you on that one. time for a look ahead and a look back. the national transportation safety board will launch a two-day hearing in washington, d.c. the public forum will be held to review cruise ship safety, operations oversight, while exploring recent high profile incidents. on this day in 1965, martin luther king jr. and civil rights activists arrived opt steps of the alabama capital in montgomery. the march to demand the voting right for african-americans. by the time activists reached the capital, there were more than 25,000 marchers in attendance. happy birthday to sex and the city star sarah jessica park, 49. legendary singer/songwriter elton john, 67. queen of soul, aretha franklin, 72. all three looking good. keep it here for more news, weather and sports. i'm richard lui with bill karins.

thank you for watching us today. have a great tuesday. ichard luchard luihard luiard r.

crime scene tape and flashing lights in fremont this morning as a deadly crash shuts down a busy intersection. good morning. 4:30. i'm scott mcgrew. >> i'm laura garcia-cannon. investigators are looking for evidence near fremont boulevard and decoto road. >> officers have taken the drive sbeer custody. >> reporter: good morning. this is a horrible scene what we're talking about. we're actually maybe a half mile away from there. what happened is that a motorcyclist is dead and police have taken another person into custody. they think the driver may have been drinking. this happened overnight here in