good thursday morning. coming up on "early today," frantic wait. hundreds of high school students still unaccounted for as the death toll rises and family members of the capsized ferry wait. upper hand. tough guy vladimir putin admits for the first time that soldiers in ukraine wearing unmarked uniforms were russian soldiers. diabetes studies. new information for those battling debilitating disease. a robotic sub scans the ocean floor for flight 370. two fire trucks collide while responding to a house fire. and ford goes retro with the 50th anniversary mustang. it is thursday, april 17th. "early today" starts right now.

good morning to you. i'm richard lui. a search is on for nearly 300 people, many are teenagers still unaccounted for, from a ferry that sank off the south korean coast just over 24 hours ago. the death toll rose again. now to at least nine dead. among the 179 people rescued is this 6-year-old girl. she was separated from her family as the ferry sank. her parents and brother are still missing. nbc's francis coe has more. >> reporter: an agonizing wait stretched into a second day. relatives of those on board the capsized ferry hud nld the city of jindo. they grew frustrate by each passing moment. some hired their own boat to go to the site while openly questioning why the coast guard couldn't do more to find their loved ones. most of the passengers were high school student oz on a field trip to a resort island in the south. meantime, the company which

operated the ferry offered an apology to families and promised to do their best to not use more lives. the words provided little comfort to families. with the fate of so many still unknown. francis coe, nbc news. today, leaders from the u.s., eu, russia and ukraine meet to try to diffuse the ukraine crisis. they're meeting for the first time since the crisis began. the u.s. will likely push for new sanctions to punish russia for its actions if today's meetings in geneva fails to calm the crisis. meanwhile, russian president vladimir putin admitting today for the first time that russian armed forces had been deployed in crimea. nbc's tracie potts is in washington for us. good morning to you, tracie. we talk about these sanctions, what kind are being discussed. >> reporter: well, what we're hearing, richard, is that they could be more sanctions against wealthy individuals, friends of russian president putin. we have done that before. it hasn't worked before.

perhaps sanctions against their businesses as well. we can see them as early as tomorrow if these meetings aren't successful. this morning, secretary of state john kerry brings russia and ukraine together in geneva, nato is stepping up patrols in the region. >> we will have more planes in the air, more ships on the water. >> reporter: nato says it is back up to prevent, not create, conflict. >> we specifically designed these measures to assure our allies only and to be clearly seen as defensive in nature. >> reporter: ukraine announced an anti-terror crackdown, but within 24 hours, pro russian militia seized their ammunition and armored tanks. they have taken over parts of at least ten cities. the u.s. believes russia is behind it, and the u.s. is looking at new sanctions despite

today's effort of diplomacy. >> this is not the whole game, this is one part of it and talk doesn't replace actions. >> reporter: the white house hasn't said what those actions might be. and in geneva, that four-way meeting between the u.s., europeans, ukraine and russia is under way right now as we speak. they have been behind closed doors for about two hours. we're expecting it is going to last another two, maybe three hours. they're actually supposed to have lunch there before they come out and we get some sense of what, if anything, was said, what if any, progress, was made. richard? >> mark that story for us. tracie potts for us in washington. thank you very much. now to the robotic submarine searching for the missing malaysian airliners, finishing its first mission. the bluefin 21 covered 35 square miles of indian ocean seabed. coordinators are analyzing data but say nothing of note was discovered yet. they cancelled two underwater missions earlier this week because of technical problems in

deep water. today, several planes and ships will explore the ocean's surface. the joint agency coordination center says an i'll slioil slic detected did not contain any aircraft engine oil or hydraulic fluid. over a dozen people were injured wednesday after a fire truck rammed through a restaurant front. officials say two fire trucks collided while responding it a call on monterey park, california. one truck hurdled into a chinese restaurant. the accident injured 14 people including firefighters, pat ronz and pedestrians. those seriously hurt were wheeled less than a block to a medical send tercenter, good th was so close. heroin is now causing more deaths than car crashes or violent crimes. to reduce those fatalities, attorney general eric holder wants first responders to train and equip themselves with a controversial drug. it is called noloxone. some call it an antidote to

overdoses. it helps to revive those who overdosed on heroin. critics are saying it gives heroin users too big of a safety net. holder says it is what first responders need. >> this is not something -- this is a man made producblems. and man made problems are susceptible to man made solutions. >> the justice department says 17 states are currently attempting to increase access to that drug. president obama and vice president biden announcing $600 million in new grants for job training programs. nearly $500 million of that will go to help develop worker skills needed for available jobs. $100 million will go to expanding apprenticeship programs. while they were together, the president and vp also did this. yeah. they took a selfie. just hours after joining instagram, vice president joe biden posted this photo you see here with president obama. the tweets caption, first selfie. many more, no doubt. a missouri mayor faces major

backlash this morning after comments about the jewish community center shooting in can city over the weekend. marionville mayor told the news station, he kind of agreed with the beliefs held by the suspect, frazier glenn cross, and cross was very fair and honest. he went on to say that cross was respectful of elderly people as long as they were, quote, the same color as him. cross is accused of one count of capital murder and one count of premeditated murder in connection with the killings. let's get you now to thursday weather. nbc meteorologist bill karins g joins us. looking towards the weekend. >> a lot of people thinking about -- a lot of kids off school already for the week. exactly. and maybe adults too. let's talk about what happened in the northwest yesterday and overnight. we had the rain, bellingham had the most, almost two thirds of an inch, less than half an inch

in seattle. a lot less around spokane. as far as the radar, light rain pretty much everywhere. we're socked in with it, almost the way through much of the pacific northwest, along i-5 too and the coastal sections get the highest amounts of rain today. that system is not moving to the south, though. there are clouds that will move in. you see enhancement off the california coast. temperatures are pretty mild in the southwest. filtered sun today, maybe kept down a little bit compared to yesterday. it is not cold, really, anywhere with the exception of the inner mountain west. light jacket and this afternoon you'll be all right with those clouds in the forecast, los angeles today, about 71. those clouds won't make it to the desert areas, 92 in phoenix today. umbrella weather all day in the northwest.

you mentioned the weekend we'll look at the forecast up. find out why 38 million gallons of water will be wasted because of one young person's poor judgment. this guy made over 58 million bucks in just 15 months. find out who he is and what he did, next.

and welcome back. the boston marathon is five days away and security officials are taking no chances there. a p.a. system has been installed on the route. and a no bag policy is in effect. officials say they're confident in the safety of the event. >> i truly believe because of our public safety officials that this will be the safest place on the planet on april 21st. >> as for the man allegedly involved in tuesday's backpack hoax appeared in court on

wednesday. kevin edson pled not guilty and is held on $100,000 bail. an explosion that ripped through a tennessee ammunition factory caused one death and three injuries. the cause of the explosion still unknown. evacuees from hundreds of homes and businesses in southern california have been given the all clear. police evacuated an area when potentially explosive military ordinance was found near santa barbara residences. authorities deemed the device safe early this morning. a just released study from the new england journal of medicine showing health complications from diabetes have dropped significantly over the past 20 years. heart attacks, strokes, and amputations due to diabetes fell more than 60%. however, another study released this week by johns hopkins showed the percentage with diabetes has doubled since 1988. nearly 1 in 10 adults. researchers linked the rise in diabetes to obesity. thanks to this 19-year-old with a full bladder, 38 million gallons of water will be flushed

from a portland reservoir. the teen was caught on camera urinating into the water. that prompted officials to dump the water supply, even though there is, quote, minimal health risk. the man who committed the same crime in 2011 was sentenced to community service. that's a lot of water. time to get down to business for you. with cnbc's sima modi. good morning. >> richard, good news for the class of 2014, companies are hiring. a new survey finds companies plan to hire 8% more college grads than last year. business and engineering degrees are hot. business majors have the highest average starting salary at about $54,000. sony sold more than 7 million playstation 4s since november. and it is having trouble keeping up with demand. sales of microsoft's xbox one topped 3 million at the end of last year. microsoft is trying to jump start sales by offering special game bundles. and yahoo! ceo marissa mayer is reportedly trying to persuade e to ditch google as the

default search engine for its products. google pays apple $1 billion a year to drive traffic from macs, iphones and ipads to its search results. >> what will they pay is the question. thank you very much, sima. the company's ousted executive enreich decastro may have been on the job for 15 months but is walking away with $58 million in severance pay. he was marissa mayer's first big hire but they clashed over which direction the company should go. $58 million. it pays to ask nicely. j. crew is bringing back a vintage swimsuit because of a fashion blogger with an impassioned play. it was in new york magazine. will you buy it? this pr stunt took a few trips on the elevator to celebrate the mustang's 50th anniversary, a 2015 limited edition mustang convertible was broken down into five sections, then reassembled on top of the

new york city's famed empire state building. there it is. it will be on display until tomorrow, bright and yellow. can't miss it. coming up, all your sports highlights including the location for the next big pro team.

this morning on "today," court adjourned. the defense wrap up its case as the oscar piestorius murder tril

goes on until may. what is left for the blade runner after weeks of testimony ahead on "today." in sports, the nba regular season wrapped up last night. the playoffs kick off on saturday. kevin durant's 42 points helping oklahoma nail down the number two playoff seed in the west. oklahoma defeated detroit 112-111 in a close one. the number seven seed at stakes between memphis and dallas. overtime we take you. memphis, two clutch free throws, they eek a win, 106-105. los angeles not so clutch, though. they beat san antonio, 113-100 for a two-game winning streak. if you call it that. because they finished their worst season in over five decades. 27 wins, 55 losses. but there is one worse to tell you about. the milwaukee bucks, so bad, only 16 wins. might be why owner senator herb kohl is selling it for a reported $550 million to those guys, hedge fund billionaires

mark lasery and wesley edens. in baseball, a day/night doubleheader. the cubs blanked twice, a first since 1962. the yankees behind that knack w tanaka's ten strikeouts. a second attempt by lawyers to get approval for the nfl's $765 million settlement from concussion claims. she is evaluating whether the fund has enough money to satisfy potential claims. the jets signing former titans running back chris johnson for two years, $8 milli million. johnson is the sixth back in history with a 2,000 yard season. we'll see what he does in new york. hall of fame quarterback jim kelly had a tough first week of chemo to battle science cancer. his brother says he's doing better now. which may be why he'll celebrate easter at home. a little good news. so chic, so pretty. what's that, you say?

atlanta's new $1.2 billion stadium, so gorgeous is this retractable domed this masterpiece, major league soccer, they want in. using downsizing technology, a soccer franchise will debut at the facility opening in 2017. just ahead, jenny mccarthy, mrs. doubt fire and acdc are all back for more. we'll explain next.

welcome back. a lot of people looking at an extended weekend. let me show you the forecast. unfortunately, we talked about the rain today in the northwest. we get a break on friday. more showery type weather over the easter holiday. hopefully won't rain all the time. doesn't look like that type of rain anyway. san francisco, looks like status quo will be the rule, right through the holiday weekend. no problems there. and the warm spot, in the whole entire country, the desert southwest. we turn the heat up. warm day today, and then really get warm by sunday and monday. so, you know, everything is pretty much as you would expect.

>> yeah. you can have a pool party in arizona. why not? >> search for the eggs in the pool. >> that would be interesting. all at the bottom though. expect to see robin williams back in drag for a movie. 1992 hit "mrs. doubtfire" made over $400 million and is getting a sequel with robin williams back in the starring role. he's bringing the original director back as well. williams won a golden globe for his performance as the rocking granny. after tweeting this photo, chelsea handler sparked rampant speculation here that she would be taking over a cbs talk show. now, cbs denying those rumors that the comedienne will be taking over craig ferguson's late late show. but they didn't say she will not be getting a show of her own. maybe a late late late show. very late. the end violence against coalition named robin thicke --

rumors of ac/dc retiring appear to be untrue. the rock band released a statement saying guitarist malcolm young is ill and will be taking a break. but they will continue to make music. arnold schwarzenegger's photo bombing his still knocked out son in a hospital recovery room wednesday, no word on what the surgery was for, but patrick seems to be doing just fine. and jenny mccarthy revealed a huge ten carat yellow sapphire engagement ring on "the view." a little excited. mccarthy and donnie wahlberg have been dating since july 2013. all right. i'm richard lui. this is "early today." hope it is just your first stop of the day here on nbc.

leading the news in the huffington post, student with down syndrome's reaction to getting into college makes us want to high five him. >> i'm accepted! yes! you rock. i love you. >> read it. >> i got accepted! yes, yes, yes, . >> noah van horn, he'll be attending college in the fall. from krak, man finds 6.19 carat diamond. he made the find at the park. he plans to sell it and donate the proceeds to charity. big heart. some other stories we're following, kyle white is the new

of the recipient of the medal of honor for his actions in combat. in 2007, he braved hostile fire and saved the lives of other soldiers in his squad. the white house ceremony will take place may 13th. homeowners in indiana made a special discovery while remodeling their home. behind an attic wall they found several world war i love letters from a man written to his sweetheart before deployment. got to love this story. the home owners located the story of that couple and will be returning the letters. it is the ultimate selfie fail by a moving train. jared michael trying to take a selfie by the train track, bam, train approaching at full speed, kicks him in the head. the conductor kicks him in the head. why did he kick him? speculation the conductor may have saved his life. you see the train might have hit him if he was not kicked in the head with the boot right there. a look ahead and a look back. attorney general eric holder will speak at a memorial service for the victims of sunday's shootings in kansas. three people died in shootings at a jewish community center and

retirement community near kansas city. the suspect is facing federal hate crime charges. on this day in 1964, geraldine jerry mock makes aviation history by completing a 23,000 mile journey. >> with 21 stops in 21 days, first woman to make the solo world flight and she's racked up a bunch of records as she arrives for a hearty greeting in columbus. tired but happy, mrs. mock received a governmental award for her feat. honored for high flying housewife. >> this shows how old we're getting. happy birthday to victoria beckham, posh spice, she turns 40. jennifer garner, 42. former pro wrestler rowdy roddy piper is 60. i'm richard lui with bill karins and the entire "early today" team. thank you for watching "early today." have a great thursday ahead.

breaking news is happening in san jose where a crash has a busy road shut down this morning. good thursday morning to you, it is 4:30, i'm peggy bunker. >> i'm laura garcia-cannon. "today in the bay" bob redell live at the scene with the investigation. >> good morning, peggy and laura. san jose police have been out here because of an accident that happened just after midnight. it's hard to see, but if you were to push in across the expressway, you'll see a vehicle that is up against a telephone pole and into it is another vehicle that is hard to see that went into the field.