good tuesday morning. coming up on "early today," over 7 million. president obama's signature accomplishment crosses a signature threshold. pedal to the metal. general motors recall top over 6 million over two months. the ceo faces congress today. view from behind. it may be the biggest change to automobiles since the third brake light was added years ago. plus, if it's vegas, you know it's big. parents take their kids' messy room to the extreme. and the boys of summer are back in action. it's tuesday, april 1st. "early today" starts right now. good morning.

i'm richard lui. general motors announcing monday it is expanding again the number of vehicles that it is recalling. it involved potentially serious safety issues with power steering. the new ceo of gm testifies before congress this morning. our nbc's tracie potts is on capitol hill. good morning to you. are we expect somethiing some contentious questions coming to the ceo. >> reporter: no doubt about it. the lawmakers want answers for their constituents, some of whom are the families of these victims. and mary barra has to answer for the company today. the key question being, if they knew years ago that there was a problem, why did it take so long to issue the recall? general motors will do the right thing. that's what ceo mary barra plans to tell congress today as she testifies here amid a brand-new recall, involving a sudden loss of power steering, that brings the total to 6 million gm vehicles now recalled. sarah troutwine's family

believes the initial problem, a faulty ignition switch on her chevy cobalt led to her death. nbc confirmed that barra met with families last night, apologizing and saw pictures of some of the 13 victims who died. . >> clearly the fact that it took over ten years indicates that we have work to do to improve our process. >> reporter: congressional staffers sifted through 200,000 documents, including one that shows the gm engineers signed off on a change to fix those switches before testifying, but he knew nothing about it. >> what we would like to see is for general mortgage motors to step back and instead of just triing to make this switch better, build the best possible switch on all the vehicles they have out there. >> reporter: we'll also hear about what government regulators

knew and when. now, we have seen the advance testimony from nhtsa's acting director. he's going to say they have a process and they were doing their own investigation of some of this, but they also have a lot of questions about the timeline going on over at gm. he'll say that they may be looking at up to $35 million in fines for gm. and keep in mind, richard, that's on top of the family's losses and on top of the justice department's criminal investigation. >> tracie potts, in a beautiful sunrise in washington, d.c. with the latest en that for us. thank you very much. beating expectations, it appears the obama administration reached its health care enrollment goal. government sources tell the associated press that numbers were on track to surpass 7 million. that was the original goal for monday's deadline day. a surge yesterday's cause several problems for the obama care exchange, though. officials say the site did not crash, but did record about 2 million visitors through the afternoon alone. last minute tactics like president obama appearing on

between two ferns with actor zach galifianakis proved beneficial. kathleen sebelius telling huff post live traffic surged after that and experienced a galifianakis bump. the first lady joining in, tweeting this photo yesterday with first dogs sunny and bo, wore yet covered signs. she tweeted, no bones about it, today is the last day to sign up for health insurance. a perplexing development to tell you about now in the search for missing flight 370. evidently the time words from one of the pilots, well, it was not as originally reported. officials now saying one of them actually said, quote, good night, malaysian three seven zero. not all right, good night, as officials reported weeks ago. the cause of this discrepancy not yet clear. right now, though, 11 planes, nine ships are scouring the indian ocean, 1200 miles west of perth. australia is deploying a boeing

737 to act as a flying air traffic controller. with all the planes in the air, they want to avoid any possibility of midair collision. the pinger detector has also joined the search to help find the plane's black box. it arrives sunday and was fitted on to an australian navy ship. bodies are still being pulled from the mud and debris. that devastating landslide in washington state was more than one week ago now. the official death toll stands at 24. 18 of those victims have been positively identified by the medical examine ir. 22 people are still missing. washington's governor asked the federal government for a major disaster declaration to help cover losses and expenses. we get more now from nbc's kirk gregory. >> reporter: day ten of search and recovery efforts as ground crews press on. wading through the muck and debris, searching for victims buried in the landslide. >> this is hallowed ground. it is humbling to be here.

>> reporter: the death toll continues to rise each day as remains are found in a medical examiner identifies more fatalities. meanwhile, 22 people are still unaccounted for. >> these are 22 people whose loved ones are grieving. we want to do all we can to find them and put some closure in place for their families. >> thank you so very much. >> reporter: meanwhile, this tight knit community is coming together. volunteers are making deliveries to survivors, who have lost their homes. >> just an overwhelming, amazing that all of our community members that have come together for us. >> reporter: while kids got a much needed distraction monday from members of the super bowl champion seattle seahawks. >> to be able to offer a little bit of release or a distraction from what's going on, i mean, that's all you can do. just trying to help people as

much as we can and this is just ur way. >> reporter: a community coming together as it tries to cope with an unimaginable tragedy. kirk gregory, nbc news. this may look like a scene from space balls, but it is actually china dealing with dangerous air pollution. in the wall street journal, bags of mountain air offered in smog addled city. the people in this photo are breathing in air from, well, laojun mountain. the leaders declared a war on smog, this happens every year. and in the meantime, maybe, yeah, 1987 space balls was on to something with its perri-air. any reason, my friend, bill karins here laughing, to bring in space balls. now to the record for the world's largest ferris wheel back to u.s. soil. the massive london eye is over ten stories shorter than this 550 foot tall behemoth located in the heart of las vegas strip. the high roller fits a whopping

1100 people. a single ride ties 30 minutes and any one of the 28 italian glass cabins. a little high. well, you know, bill karins, i'm kind of scared of heights. i won't pay the 25 bucks good to the good that thing. >> what would happen to you in 30 minutes? you could get over your fear? >> naps. >> you would close your eyes and lay on the floor. >> you won't close your eyes telling us about the weather. >> a little rain last night, just a sprinkle or too. >> we'll take it. >> well, yeah, i guess. we would like more. .09, half inch in san francisco. san francisco had the thunderstorm roll through yesterday afternoon, in the evening. that was interesting. >> know what that was, right? >> exactly. that storm system had a kick to it, with the front moving through. now it looks like bands of showers are lined up behind the actual storm. again, it wasn't a lot of rain. you can see the l.a. area cleared out. it made the roads a little pit damp and now it is trying to push through riverside and

heading down to mission viejo. down i-5, maybe a shower or two, that's it. expected rainfall totals, in addition to what we have already seen, not a lot. little further up to the north around bakerbakersfield, a chan getting to more showery type weather. not as much rain as yesterday for the entire region. that's your national forecast. looks like our showery type weather pattern continues for the west. >> mission viejo, showing your so cal chops. >> you would think i would be better at it, but we're trying. startling new report the

enhance ed interrogation progra. and meet the couple that won the lottery three times in two weeks. and extreme measures one set of parents took over their daughter's messy room. where is that? hi. i just finished an energy audit of this building and started my own dog walking business. what did you do to deserve that thin mints flavor coffee-mate? it's only one of the most delicious girl scout cookie flavors ever. i changed the printer ink. really? it's actually tricky. you're lucky i like your tie. enjoy our caramel and coconut girl scout cookies flavor. now available in powder. nestle. good food, good life. to cover up flaws and make skin look pretty. but there's one that's so clever, it makes your skin look better even after you take it off. neutrogena healthy skin liquid makeup. 98% of women saw improvement

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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. welcome back. a report by the senate intelligence committee criticize the cia's post 9/11 interrogation program. sometimes referred to as enhanced interrogation. first report about a washington post, the senate report concluded the cia lied about the severity of its techniques and would even continue interrogating a detainee after they had given up information. secretary of state john kerried me a quick detour from his travel schedule to meet with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu. kerry is expected to kick off stalled peace talks. apparently the obama administration is considering releasing a convicted spy as a show of good faith.

meet the lucky virginia couple who has now won the lottery not once, not twice, but three times in just two weeks. calvin and zatara spencer won $1 million in the powerball drawing and then $50,000 in a pick four and then on friday won another $1 million from a scratch off. can i just be close to them? just rub a little luck on to me. if you need ideas on how to get your kids to clean their rooms, look no further, dad in georgia surprising his daughter haley when she came home from school one day, all her furniture, as you see there, outside. we'll see if the public shaming works. down to business with cnbc's kayla tashi. good morning. >> good morning, richard. sales of diet soda are falling flat. new data showed the nearly decade long drop in soft drink sales picked up last year as more americans turn their back on diet drinks and artificial sweeteners.

diet soda accounts for a third of annual sales. backup cameras used to be a feature you would find in luxury cars, now the u.s. government will require all new vehicles to have these backup cameras installed by 2018. the move falls an outcry by families and consumer groups. in time for april fool's day, a story about a high profile practical joker. that would be apple co-founder deceive wozniak who admits he occasionally makes prank phone calls to fans. he says he poses as one of apple's customers service reps and he's fairly helpful. for now, back to you. >> the helpful apple billionaire making calls, that's always interesting. just ahead, baseball is back. and the women's final four taking shape. sports is next. how much whiter can your smile be? introducing new colgate® optic white® whiten & protect toothpaste. this shell is made of calcium that can absorb stains like teeth. brush one side with a regular whitening toothpaste

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this morning on "today," think your college kids are smart enough to avoid getting into a van with strangers? the hidden camera investigation may surprise you. that's ahead on "today." now to sports, major league baseball's opening day just ended about a bunch of hours ago. and it was a doozy. a kick in the head if you will. washington's bryce harper taking a shin in the head. the doc said he was okay and so was certainly anthony redden with this beauty of a three run blast in the tenth inning. the mets lose 10-7. pittsburgh also had a dramatic win.

watch this. >> and walker hammers it! going back! good-bye, baseball! neil walker with a walk-off winner in the tenth and the pirates win it 1-0. >> a beauty. it was a first for baseball. the first reversal of a play after an atlanta challenge and review. the call favoring milwaukee was reversed in 58 seconds. no worries for the brewers who went on to win 2-0. the women of the ncaa, uconn wallops texas a&m 69-54. their 44th straight win takes them to their seventh consecutive final four. notre dame's pursuit of the perfect season remains in tact. they beat baylor 88-69. it is their 36th straight win and fourth consecutive final four. get out of their way. the final two spots, by the way, they get filled tonight by winners of the north carolina and stanford and maryland and

louisville games. nba, san antonio rolls over the competent beating indiana at home. where was indiana? their 18th win in a row. this shot was a ragemaker for kentucky basketball coach in many ways. for one, kentucky's men final four appearance nets john calipari over $300,000 in bonuses. a bit of a rounding error, why? he makes $5.2 million each year. the coaches for wisconsin, connecticut, florida, getting bonuses for making the final four. some assistant coaches by the way, they get two months' salary in bonuses as well. talking about money, duke recruit grayson alan, the high schooler has the hops. the mcdonald's all american dunk winner soaring over a fellow 6'11". alan seven inches shorter and looking good. just ahead, new music from the king of pop. plus, elton john plans a low key wedding in england. one big reason why pharrells

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need a lift? could've had a v8. in the juice aisle. need a lift? could've had a v8. beautiful day in baltimore where most people probably know that geico could save them money on car insurance, right? you see the thing is geico, well, could help them save on boat insurance too. hey! okay...i'm ready to come in now. hello? i'm trying my best. seriously, i'm...i'm serious. request to come ashore. geico. saving people money on more than just car insurance.

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as far as the forecast in the west goes, also umbrellas needed in many spots. seattle not one of them. not often we get seattle without the rain. >> something wrong. something rotten in seattle right now, right? thank you, bill karins. millions tuning in for the much anticipated finale of how i met your mother. it went back and forth in time. a twist at the end of the show, we won't tell you, in case you didn't see it yet, polarizing some viewers. possibly turning them off from the series creators' next project "how i met your dad". that's real. >> it will fail miserably. >> we shall see. johnny depp seemingly confirming his engagement to actress amber heard. depp saying, the fact i'm wearing a chick's ring on my finger is probably a dead giveaway. apparently that ring he bought for her too big. so he's got it on his hand instead. speaking of weddings, elton john reviewing on the "today" show, he and his partner will have a low profile wedding in may. this is the same man who wore

this to his 50th birthday party, saying he wants a nice, quiet wedding. i don't know what quiet will be. not boring. >> what is his definition of quiet? >> not boring. as if he couldn't get any hotter now, singer pharrell has been announced as a season seven judge on nbc's "the voice". >> how hot is "the voice." love it. >> blowing up. top gun megaproducer jerry bruckheimer, tom cruise versus drones, because maverick needs to prove pilots are here to stay after two, three decades. on may 13th, a never released michael jackson song will be available as part of the new album "xscape ." >> i'm richard lui. this is "early today" we hope it is your first stop of the day here on nbc. right. real milk. but it won't cause me discomfort. exactly, no discomfort, because it's milk without the lactose.

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leading the news, oregon ditches proposed ban on marijuana-laced munchies. and a new set of rules released monday, the oregon health authority will only ban marijuana laced products made or packaged in ways that might appeal to children. and in usa today, he's all ivy, accepted to all eight ivy league colleges. just like bill karins was. 17-year-old violinist and aspiring physician quasi evenen saying he's leaning toward one school and it is -- what do you guess? yale. college counselors say the feat is extremely rare. and in the news this morning, with spring comes warmer weather, flowers and allergies. the asthma and allergy foundation of america has the list of where you'll sneeze the most. in the top five, louisville, kentucky, memphis, tennessee,

baton rouge, louisiana, oklahoma city, and jackson, mississippi. former president bill clinton tweeted this photo last night. he wrote, quote, i'm following my leader. it does-like like that picture, if you remember her, hillary clinton, remember that picture that inspired the texts from hillary -- >> clinton in sunglasses. >> he doesn't wear sunglasses. >> that's how you know he's kind of playing pretend. >> yeah. and not saying he doesn't look good in glasses. not used to it. you have to see the signs popping up in canada. they want the controversial toronto mayor out of office. they put up fake campaign signs parodying the mayor's indiscretions. one reads, he promises to just smoke pot, not crack. city workers, they took those signs down. who says skydiving is not a team sport? some call it a kaleidoscope in the sky here. others call it crazy. this week guinness will call it a world record.

the team practiced in arizona. this trial run took four planes and that was just half of the 220 person team. going to be quite a number of -- >> 100, 200 miles per hour, they can all link together. i have never done it before, i don't understand how they can speed up, slow down, to all get together. >> you'll wait until you turn 80, i guess? no? >> i'll do it had you do it. >> all right. i'll be 80. a look ahead and a look back, president obama welcomes last year's world series champions to the white house. did they lose last night's game? yes, they did. they'll need luck by going to the white house maybe. on this date in 1945, u.s. forces launched the invasion of okinawa during world war ii. it lasted 82 days and resulted in the highest number of casualties in the pacific theater during the war. happy birthday to hillary scott, 28. msnbc host rachel maddow, 41. actress debbie reynolds, 82 years young. have a great day, from "early

today."

>> right now scattered showers across the buy area. a live look at our interactive radar lit up in yellow and green. not only rain but hail, snow, on some of the bay area peaks g. tuesday morning. good stormy morning. it's 4:30. i'm scott mcgrew. >> i'm peggy bunker in for laura garcia-cannon. waking up to raindrops outside in san francisco, a live look seeing what's going on. then the drive flew the south bay and san jose. we'll watch that commute with this weather. mike has his eye on that. first up meteorologist christina loren, she has been tracking the spring storm. a lot of rain. >> a lot of rain, lightning, and more thunder on the way as we head throughout the day. good morningo