captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com good monday morning. coming up on "early today," rain-soaked. water logged earth is causing damage around the country as many rally around the people of washington state. health care deadline. today is a major milestone for president obama's signature piece of legislation. pope surprise. francis surprised even his own masterf ceremonies by going to confession with an ordinary priest. plus, a breakthrough for heart attack patients. we have your final four highlights. and think you had a rough winter? look at these 20-foot walls of snow by the road. it's monday, march 31st. "early today" starts right now.

and very good morning to you. i'm richard lui. we're following breaking news overnight for you this hour. north and south korea exchanging artillery fire into each other's waters. that forced evacuations on five south koreans islands according to south korean officials. they say residents were rushed to shelters. ferry service linking those islands to the mainland was also stopped. no korean shells hit in exchange of fire following pyongyang's announcement it would conduct drills. their shells fell south of a disputed sea boundary. pyongyang also threatened to conduct a fourth nuclear test but seoul says there's no sign of an imminent detonation. torrential rain causing more than just flooding in new england over the weekend. it created a large sinkhole sunday, on a busy road north of boston. the sinkhole left a utility pole standing dangerously close to a six-inch gas line. several homes were temporary evacuated as crews worked to secure the pipe and shut it off.

fortunately, no one was hurt and no vehicles were swallowed up. authorities say the road will be closed for a few days there. it has been more than a week since one of the worst mudslides in u.s. heftry. and the death toll continues to climb. right now, there are 21 confirmed dead in the mudslide disaster in oso, washington, according to emergency officials. 15 victims have been identified by the medical examiner, while six are still awaiting identification. also the number of missing has been scaled back from 90 to 30. over the weekend, hundreds of rescuers combed through the mud zone in rainy conditions. some dry weather is expected in the coming days, which could help with the recovery effort. search dogs are being given a two-day break so they can regain their sensing abilities. on sunday, churches in the area remembered those lost in the deadly mudslide and offered prayers for those still missing. a vast majority of americans have until midnight to sign up for health insurance through the obamacare exchange or face a hefty tax penalty. there is a last minute rush to

beat the midnight deadline. millions visiting health care.gov over the weekend. tracie potts is in washington for us on this monday. good morning to you. and have we seen the numbers tick up a little bit more now? >> reporter: we know that just over the weekend there were 2 million people on the website, though just a few minutes ago we have been having some trouble actually logging into apply for insurance. you can see the health plans, but can't necessarily apply for it. it may be sporadic, but that was our experience this morning. i can tell you what we don't know is how many of those 6 million who signed up so far are young healthy people, that's the key to keeping costs down. >> what number are you? >> reporter: it has been a rush going into the last day. lines around the block at enrollment centers. >> find out the most affordable coverage for you. >> reporter: the administration reports 2.5 million calls last week to its hot line. more than the entire month of february. and nearly 9 million hits last

week on healthcare.gov. >> there is a huge surge. >> i think they're cooking the books on this. >> reporter: critics wonder what happens to prices if not enough healthy young people sign up. >> what we're hearing from the insurers thus far is they're expecting double digit increases. >> the system is designed to have some shock absorbers built into it. so if the fix isn't quite right, should put restraint on where the price goes next year. >> reporter: but first this year. how will the fine enrollment numbers affect next year's election. >> we're seeing politicians trying to save their political careers instead of focusing on patient care. >> the republican playbook of just repeal obamacare, repeal obamacare, repeal obamacare gets tougher as more people get health care. >> reporter: and more will if they sign up by midnight. the administration fudged that a little bit, allowing people who began the process, but weren't able to complete that process by midnight tonight to avoid the tax penalty. >> just hours left.

tracie potts in washington watching the story for us, thank you. the extraordinarily difficult search for missing flight 370, it will go on. the officials say ten planes, ten ships are searching about 1100 miles west of australia today. more than 100 people in the air and a thousand sailors at sea are desperately searching for debris. australia's prime minister said he is not putting a time limit on the search, more than three weeks after it started. >> we owe it to everyone to do whatever we reasonably can and we can keep searching for quite some time to come. and we will keep searching for quite some time to come. and as i said, the intensity of our search and the magnitude of our operations is increasing, in the decreasing. >> reporter: it has been a heart wrenching wait for the families of the 239 people on board that plane. several dozen are in malaysia, demanding answers. they also held prayers at a temple. ice caps are melting, coral

reefs are dying and temperatures are rising according to a new u.n. report. in the new york times, panel warns the worst is yet to come. usa today, effects of climate change can be seen everywhere. those are just a couple of the headlines after a u.n. report from japan saying government action is going to be crucial on cutting greenhouse emissions. this report by the intergovernmental panel on climate change also saying we are not ready for the extreme conditions that come with the changing climate, also predicted here widespread hunger, inland flooding and loss of electricity and running water. according to the chairman of the panel, quote, nobody on this planet will be untouched by the impacts of climate change. over to nbc meteorologist bill karins. clarity, karins, to the west. >> that's beautiful. i'm changing it. >>'ll stop talking. >> after a pretty decent weekend in the west, it looks like rain is moving to california, even southern california has a little bit of rain in the forecast.

actually three big storms moving across the northern half of the country. one up the east coast, huge one in the middle of the nation bringing a blizzard to the northern plains, and a storm, a good size storm drifting down towards northern california today. there they are across the map. here is the one we have been focusing on for the west. over the weekend, off shore, now moving towards the coast, pretty strong cold front will move into northern california. and oregon, during the day today. that's where we get some rain, maybe the thunderstorm or two. we could pick up between half an inch to an inch and a half of rain from san francisco northward. you can see the rain just now showing up there, just off the coast of eureka, crescent city. look for southern california, rainfall totals do not look to be as impressive. light green shade around l.a. and san diego, looks like a tenth to two tenths, not that much. monday forecast, rain that cold front moving through san francisco. so possible airport delays with that frontal passage and the winds and the storms.

>> the northern half of california in the mountains, decent little bout of snow with this too. that's great. second time in two weeks we added to the snow pack. >> that might help for the lovely spring skiing in the west, always so much fun. bill karins, thank you. free coffee at mcdonald's starting this morning. a simple test could detect heart attacks. tense times between the u.s. and russia continue to escalate. what's my advice for healthy looking radiant skin.

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and unlike other fibers, you'll aonly know you're taking fiber by the way good digestive health makes you look& and feel. benefiber. clearly healthy. to get a smoky eye look just right. that is until i discovered this... almay's intense i color collection for my hazel eyes. almay intense i-color in four color collections. so simple. so me. you have to try it for yourself. oh, the last day of march and what do we see here at the top of 30 rockefeller plaza here in new york city? it is snow. yes. a little chilly. so folks getting some snow on the west in some parts, we're getting it here in east too. the unpredictable pope

francis has done it again. while preparing to hear confessions friday, the pontiff took a slight detour, watch this. he surprised a priest by kneeling for his own confession. usually the pope conducts his confessions in private. a simple test may save you hours of worrying and days in the hospital. a new study shows a blood test coupled with an ekg was 99% accurate in determining if chest pains would potentially lead to a heart attack. thanks to this test, doctors believe 20 to 25% of admissions to hospitals for chest pain can be avoided. secretary of state john kerry met with his russian counterpart in paris on sunday. they discussed rising tensions along the border. he said he and sergey lavrov are hoping to diffuse the situation diplomatically. protests over fatal police shootings in albuquerque turned violent sunday when demonstrators and riot police clashed in the streets. smoke canisters used by police while protesters threw rocks and

broke windows. eighth graders in massachusetts recorded a song to be played at this year's boston marathon titled "i will run again." the tune is meant to share an inspirational message in the wake of last year's bombing. time to get down to business for you on this monday. investors are focussing friday's jobs report and new car sales with an eye on the big three. that as general motors ceo prepares to testify before congress on tuesday. a memo leased on sunday shows gm had two separate plans to fix ignition defects, but canceled both before doing anything about that problem. her hearing will focus on the 2.6 small cars with problems linked to 13 deaths. mcdonald's is giving away coffee for you. considering americans drink an average of, listen to this, 587 million cups of joe each morning, the mccafe promotional could end up in billions served.

apple and samsung head back to court for the next round of patent trials. this time involving newer devices like the iphone 5 and galaxy s3. according to the new york times, the real battle between apple and google because of the android software system. sailboat and surfboard innovator hobart hobie alter died. hobie is one of the innovators behind the polyurethane foam surfboards and also later creating the catamaran inspired but less expensive hobie cat. hobie was 80 years old. just ahead, a great saturday night live moment for you. plus, all your sports highlights ahead as "early today" continues. oh! the name your price tool! you tell them how much you want to pay, and they help you find a policy that fits your budget. i told you to wear something comfortable! this is a polyester blend! whoa! uh...little help? i got you! unh!

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okay, sir. i think if you trust maria, she'll get you at least 10 million new signups on health care.gov in the next 48 hours. >> great, what do we need to do? >> let's bring in kim kardashian, harry stiles, and bat kid, all right? >> so amazing. hi, everybody. i love history, you know? hey, you're the president, right? oh, my god, are you, like, on money? >> three, two, one. >> okay, got it. >> that was, like, so weird. >> all right.

now to sports for you, in 1992, you might remember chris webber and the rest of michigan's fab five shaking up college basketball. well, it is kentucky's turn this time against, unfortunately, michigan. number two michigan tying the game at 72 and with only seconds left, a kentucky freshman, he takes it over. >> for the final four, harrison, that shot -- he made it! oh! >> yeah, i bleed maize and blue. the eighth seed kids from kentucky win 75-72, making it first time in 22 years a freshman starting five has led their team to the final four. uconn also advancing. connecticut reaching the final four with an upset over number four seed michigan state in the east regional final. this is the final four matchups for you. wisconsin versus kentucky. florida against kentucky. how does your bracket look now? opening night for america's past time out west. san diego and l.a. kicking off

the season of the eve of baseball's official opening day. the padres tie the game with a homer right here and added two runs. they beat the dodgers 3-1. check out the major league catch by a padre ball girl. she snags the foul and then walks it down, gives it to the cute kid and the kid is very happy and she didn't blink. very lucky fan. and life and death situation to tell you about. a quick thinking ukrainian soccer player gets a huge save on the field. he sprung into action after an opposing player was knocked unconscious. he flipped him on his back, pulled his tongue from his throat to get him breathing again. the player suffered a broken jaw and concussion but is alive and recovering. next to nascar, kurt busch ended his 83-race losing streak. he held off jimmy johnson in the final lap to take the checkered flag at martinsville speedway. look at this gold plated, i do not jest, a ferrari.

it is worth $332,000. it belongs to an iraqi kickboxing champ who parked it outside a gym in england. you think he wanted people to see it? think he wanted people to see he was getting out of it? finally, congrats to a.j. mccarron and katherine webb. the couple are on their way to getting hitched after the alabama quarterback popped the question. not a bad looking couple. just ahead, noah rising at the box office. frozen does something no other animated movie has ever achieved. and hugh jackman hits an unexpected high note. you're watching "early today." huh, fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. everybody knows that. well, did you know bad news doesn't always travel fast? (clears throat) hi mister tompkins. todd? you're fired.

well, gotta run. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. to get a smoky eye look just right. that is until i discovered this... almay's intense i color collection for my hazel eyes. almay intense i-color in four color collections. so simple. so me. you have to try it for yourself. but do you really? [ female announcer ] neutrogena® makeup remover erases 99% of your most stubborn makeup

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ask your doctor about safety information as serious eye problems may occur. visit airoptix.com for a free one-month trial. welcome back. hasn't been stormy lately in alaska, but the cold is holding on. winter definitely minus 10 in barrow. 5 in fairbanks. not so bad in anchorage. today with sunshine, this is finally getting the days are getting a little longer, the sun is setting later each and every day. look back on the 34 in fairba fairbanks. nice day in juneau. we're watching the storm moving into california today. careful if you're driving up 80. some snow at the higher elevations. >> i know you got two kids so you don't get out to see movies much, but there are some good ones. >> "noah" this weekend, right? >> really big. big, big numbers here, that new bible epic, they got $44 million. another newcomer "sabotage,"

that bombed, becoming arnold schwarzenegger's worst opening in almost three decades. here is that movie right there that did so poorly. on the other end of the spectrum, disney's "frozen" became the highest grossing animated film of all time. >> out on dvd now, selling it everywhere. >> it pushed out "toy story 3" that now has to settle for second place. also a great one. shirley jones, matriarch of "the partridge family" will be jumping out of a plane to mark her 80th birthday. the first time she'll be skydiving and said george h.w.'s bushes jumps are what inspired her when he turned 80. tonight, "how i met your mother" takes a final bow with the finale. and neil patrick harris and jason segel said good-bye with an impromptu "les miserables" debut. ♪ ♪

>> amazing. not to be outdone, hugh jackman sang a snip fret parody "wolverine the musical" to the tune of "who am i" from "les mis." ♪ so my friend you see it is true i am an x man ♪ ♪ who isn't blue who am i ♪ ♪ i am wolverine i haven't got it today. >> take two, please. i'm richard lui. this is "early today." we hope it is your first stop of the day right here on nbc. let me get this straight... [ female voice ] yes? lactaid® is 100% real milk? right. real milk. but it won't cause me discomfort. exactly, because it's milk without the lactose. and it tastes?

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leading the news in the global post, brazilian police occupy dangerous shantytowns with armored vehicles. more than 1400 police officers and brazilian marines rolling into a massive complex of slums near rio de janeiro's international airport. the latest security push ahead of this year's world cup. in the washington post, london skeletons reveal secrets of the black death. scientists are using dna evident and carbon dating from moellers to pinpoint how these plague victims lived and when they likely died. some stories we're watching for you this hour, dramatic surveillance video of a 5.1 magnitude earthquake in southern california. no one was seriously hurt, but there were some rock slides, water main breaks and power outages. more than 100 aftershocks

recorded. pakistan's former military ruler is indicted for treason. pervez musharraf is accused of suspending the country's constitution by imposing emergency rule in 2007. this morning, he pleaded not guilty to five counts of treason. musharraf was forced to step down in 2008. a road in japan is plowed for first time in four months, and you got to look at this video here. the plow's path carved out a channel -- look how high the walls are. those are 20-feet high walls. two work crews started on opposite ends of the mountainous road, celebrating when they met in the middle, like a huge tunnel here, bill. it may look like a frozen tundra here. this annual road clearing signals the beginning of spring and we'll take that. but i have never, never -- have you seen the walls -- >> in the pacific northwest, they do have -- i've seen some high ones, but you would be concerned that would crash or collapse or -- >> so dense, i've lived through tough winters in midwest, but that's amazing on the side

there, 20 feet tall. now a look ahead and a look back for you. the supreme court taking up what many regard as the most important patent case in years. for first time since 1981, the high court will hear arguments on whether software or more precisely computer implemented inventions can continue to be patented and copy righted. in 1889, the celebration of a world famous landmark. french engineer gustave eiffel unfurled the french flag from atop the eiffel tower, marking its completion just in time for the 1889 world fair. that iron structure took two years, two months and five days to build. happy birthday to actor ewan mcgreg, 43. former vice president al gore, 66. richard chamberlain turns 80. keep it here for more news, weather and sports. i'm richard lui with bill karins and then tire "early today" team. thank you for watching us today as you start your week. have a good one.

back in court in a matter of hours. the evidence appears to be stacked against him but legal experts say this is far from an open and shut case. >> cutting credit for students in the south bay. the plan to wipe out electives at san jose high school. >> a live look outside, things are quiet and calm but another round of wet weather headed our way. it's monday, march 31, this is "today in the bay." good morning everyone. i'm scott mcgrew. >> i'm peggy bunker. laura garcia-cannon has the morning off. lots to get to but first up we want to check in on the forecast with miss christina loren. boy, a storm co.