good friday morning. coming up on "early today," captain's apology. hundreds remain missing, the captain was one of the first off the doomed ferry. and new video of passengers told to stay put as that boat filled with water. trust factor. cautious optimism from president obama, but will putin live up to that y that ukraine agreement. and grandparents to be, chelsea announces she's pregnant. pope francis washes the feet of the elderly and the disabled in a ritual. and a new planet that's been discovered. it is friday, april 18th. "early today" starts right now.

and a good morning to you. i'm craig melvin. we start with the tragedy unfolding off the southern coast of south korea, where a ferry sank two days ago now. search and rescue is under way for the 271 passengers. most of them high school students who were still missing. at least 25 people have been confirmed dead so far. and now new reports this morning that the high school principal who was rescued from the ferry has committed suicide. with hopes for more survivors fading, families of those missing frantically wait for any word on their loved ones. their frustrations are mounting. meanwhile, this dramatic amateur video has emerged showing passengers and in life jackets, inside the tilting ferry. delaying evacuation, an announcement can be heard telling the passengers not to move, but to stay in place. the investigation so far revealed that almost none of the ship's lifeboats were deployed,

even though one apparently carried the ship's captain to safety. and now prosecutors are seeking an an arrest warrant for that captain. covering his face, he apologized to the victims and their families saying, quote, i am so sorry, and i am shamed. i am at a loss for words. there are also reports this morning that the third mate could have been at the ferry's helm when it capsized, not the captain himself. and the south korean coast guard says divers started pumping air into the ferry while a large sea crane arrived at the site. president obama offered condolences, and also offered to help south korea yesterday. >> i just want to express on behalf of the american people our deepest condolences to the republic of korea and the families of all those who have seen their loved ones lost when the ferry sank within the last couple of days. >> last night south korean schools held an emotional

candlelight vigil for the victims while the hunt for survivors continues. developing this morning, at least 13 guides are dead after an early morning avalanche swept across mount everest. according to tourism officials in nepal, those guides were on ropes near camp when the avalanche hit. this is the first major avalanche on mount everest this climbing season. the mountain is home to the highest peak, thousands have scaled the summit since 1953. now to a potential diplomatic breakthrough on the crisis in ukraine. after seven hours of negotiation in geneva, the united states, european union, russia and ukraine seems to have struck a deal. the russian foreign minister called it, quote, a compromise of sorts. under the agreement, all sides must refrain from any violence, intimidation or provocative actions. and all illegal armed groups must be disarmed. president obama says he's

hopeful but concerned whether russia will honor the deal. >> i think there is the possibility, the prospect that diplomacy may be at play in the situation and we may be able to move toward what has always been our goal, which is what the ukrainians make their own decisions about their own lives. >> meanwhile in another development, secretary of state john kerry confirmed that jewish residents in one eastern ukrainian city had been ordered to identify themselves as jews. kerry said that extremism, racism and religious intolerance is unacceptable. the new york times reports that the group accused of ordering the identification has denied any involvement. back here for the first time, we are learning key details about who, precisely who is signed up for obama care. among the 8 million state and federal enrollees, 35% are under the age of 35. president obama said those numbers prove that his signature

health care law is work. but republicans are pushing back. nbc's tracie potts is live in washington, d.c. for us this morning. tracie, always good to see you. how much is this announcement reflect deeper concerns ahead of the midterms? >> reporter: well, it really depends on who shows up at the polls, if it is people who think that they won because they now have health insurance or people who think this is draining our economy. so we're going to hear a lot more about that between now and november. but the president came out himself to do the victory lap, to announce the 8 million signups, but republicans are saying hold on, not so fast, we don't know what all of those insurance plans cover. we don't know if doctors may drop out of the system, some people are going to have to deal with taxes as a result of not signing up. and we still don't know how many people actually paid for it. john boehner is a republican speaker of the house. didn't come out on camera, interestingly, but did prove his spokesman made the statement saying what america really needs is a health care system that is

more affordable, more accessible and that the highest quality and that, he says, is what house republicans are working toward. they say they're still going to try to get rid of the affordable care act probably again before fall. they tried before and failed. >> tracie potts from capitol hill for us on this friday morning, thank you. a massive evacuation is under way this morning near a volcano in peru. the volcano has been spewing ash for days now. and authorities decided it was time to move. it is going to take about three days to move all 4,000 residents and their 30,000 animals. the country's most active volcano and it forced a similar evacuation back in 2006. peru's agriculture minister said the people will be moving to an area about 12 miles away. an unidentified man has been taken into custody in kansas city in connection with a string of highway shootings there. as of right now, the man is not facing any charges.

investigators were seen raiding a home yesterday. police say as many as 20 different vehicles have been shot at along city roads and highways since march 8th. at least three people have been hurt during those shootings. so far none of the injuries appear to be life threatening. the investigation continues. earth's closest relative is about 500 light-years away. scientists say kepler 186f is earth's twin. maybe a distant cousin. it orbits a red dwarf star in a far away and rocky world similar it our own. it exists in a so-called goldilocks zone. you know, not too hot, not too cold for life. that means its environment could allow, could, could live with water on its surface. the planet completes an orbit around its star every 130 days compared with earth's 365 days.

nasa's kepler space telescope is responsible for that dazzling discovery. >> that's great. >> we have got a twin. >> yeah. i'll fire up the millennium falcon, put it in hyperdrive and we're there. >> how is the weekend shaping up? >> many areas will see an improvement in the northwest, they have been getting drenched there, specifically the pacific northwest, washington state. here is your 48 hour rainfall total. many areas, you know, on i-5, half an inch, 1.5 inches there in seattle. spokane, half an inch. still some showers around, things will dry out during the day today. weak area of high pressure will build in. decent day on your friday. but unfortunately the next front will move through on saturday. southern california, there is an upper level low moving through. it is having cloudy skies. your friday forecast for dry and almost all areas of the west, temperatures a little lower today in vegas and phoenix after

90s -- the 80s today because of the clouds. >> for the most part, just looking at a pretty decent weekend forecast. i'll give you the details coming up. >> we'll take decent. >> decent is all right. >> thank you, bill karins. if president putin were drowning, would president obama save him? a 6-year-old posed that question to the russian leader. hear what he has to say. also, human cloning makes a huge leap forward. details on that next.

and welcome back on this friday morning. the clinton family is going to be getting a little bit bigger this year. chelsea clinton made the

surprise announcement thursday that she and her husband marc mezvinsky are expecting a baby. hillary is looking forward to being a grandmother. bill tweeted he is also excited to add grandfather to be to his twitter bio. scientists announced thursday they have for first time created stem cells from adults using techniques. this develops specific cells for parents in order to treat an array of diseases. what president obama save a drowning president putin? that was the question posed to president putin by a 6-year-old at a live q&a session on russian television. i don't want to be drowning, said putin, but i think obama is a courageous and good person, for sure he would save me. no response from the white house. pope francis washed the feet of elderly and disabled people thursday as part of a holy week ritual. the pontiff said that the ritual act is a reminder on how to

serve others. getting down to business, u.s. markets are closed for good friday. michaels, the nation's largest arts and crafts chain, says as many as 2.6 million debit and credit cards may have been affected in a security breach. but, the chain says that it has received limited reports of fraud so far. the retailer first reported that breach back in january. home depot is putting a lid on new store openings, and is now looking to the internet for growth. according to the wall street journal, this year the company will off open two distribution centers and just one new store. and walmart is jumping into the money transfer business. customers will be able to wire funds from store to store for up to half of what other companies are charging these days. just ahead, first for baseball this season, and the rest of your sports highlights next.

this morning on "today," overwhelming support and criticism for the homeless mom facing jail time after she left her children in the car during a job interview. the details of the controversial story. that's ahead on "today." in sports this morning, we start with a baseball rarity. a tropicana field, yanks and rays. here's the call.

>> ball to third, steps on third, and on the first. it is a triple play. >> and that, ladies and gentlemen, was major league baseball's first triple play of the season. cc sabathia on the mound for the yanks. so good we wanted to show it to you twice. check it out there. goes around the horn for 5-4-3 triple play. yanks win it 10-2. next, a two-hit gem. st. louis' adam wainwright, almost flawless against the washington nationals, who were far from it. the nates four errors helped to explain the 8-0 route by the cards. nhl playoffs, range, flyers. the two teams meet in the playoffs for first time in 17 years. philly struck first but that would be all as the rangers get four and win game one. a couple of college freshmen stars are jumping into the nba. jabbary parker is the blue

devils' latest one and done star, hoping to become the draft's top pick. kentucky guard james young will become the first of the wildcats all freshman starting five to declare eligibility. probably won't be the last. and former nfl star quarterback donovan mcnabb was leased from an arizona jail after serving a one-day sentence for misdemeanor dui. that was back in december. law enforcement released this mug shot yesterday. to the sky now, it is a bird. it is a plane. no, that's a bull. that's actually chicago's vinny the bull, waving the team flag on top of the willis tower there trying to get bulls nation fired up for sunday's playoff game against the wizards. and the memorial service for 8-year-old lacy holsworth, better known as princess lacy, she was a big deal in michigan state. she was remembered in michigan

state's breslin center. a huge spartans fan, close to adreian payne. she died a week ago after battling cancer. just ahead here this morning, whoopi's not so secret special treatment in the battle against glaucoma. also, lots of movie choices at the box office on this easter weekend. you're watching "early today."

welcome back on this good

friday. let me take you through the holiday weekend forecast. the whole country, in case you have travel plans. today, the worst weather by far, worst chance of airport delays through florida with big thunderstorms. tampa and orlando. and a weak storm moving through idaho with light rain. as we go to saturday, we're okay during the daylight hours. look like a cold front with rain moving into the northwest saturday afternoon, saturday evening. we should be just sunny and warming up throughout much of the desert southwest and california. and for easter sunday, that cold front moves to the middle of the country. a few instability showers in the northwest. overall, we're looking at a very nice holiday weekend forecast. bill karins, thank you. looks like folks who live down south, this might be a good weekend to check out a movie. audiences have plenty of new films to choose from this weekend. it looks like holdovers may take the top spots. rio 2 and captain america are expected to stay strong at the box office. both films landing in the $23 million area. johnny depp's techno thriller transcend ens has gotten pretty

weak buzz and horrible reviews, meaning he may don that jack sparrow hat sooner rather than later. and brian singer has been accused of sexually assaulting a teenage boy in 1999. 31-year-old michael egans says he was treated like a piece of meat at different events where singer sexually abused him. and the x-men director's lawyer says the suit is absurd and an attempt by egan to get publicity now that singer has a new x-men movie coming out. a column for the cannabis, whoopi goldberg talks about smoking medical marijuana to help her deal with glaucoma. she'll be writing a monthly column. and kim novak is fighting back against comments made about her appearance at the oscars. she says she felt bullied and that while she has had injections in her face, a person

has a right to, quote, look as good as they can. during the oscars, donald trump tweeted that novak should sue her plastic surgeon. and james franco went off on a critic who did not care for his broadway rendition of steinbeck's "of mice and men." he wrote that the critic is an idiot, should be writing for gawker and is a little something that rhymes with witch. >> wow. >> yes. social media, it is anonymous, free, people can get on there to see whatever they want. good for him -- >> for firing back? you think it is going to be good. >> probably not. >> it probably won't turn out well for him. >> i'm craig melvin. this is "early today." we hope it is just your first stop of the day here on nbc.

leading the news in the new york times, cost of treatment may influence doctors. some of the most influential medical groups in this country are recommending that doctors weigh the costs of treatment and not just the effects as they make decisions about patient care. in the washington post this morning, lawyer who defended california gay marriage ban plans daughter's gay wedding. charles cooper, former top official in the reagan justice department, learned his daughter was a lesbian during a legal battle over prop 8. here is a look at some of the other stories we're following. new 911 tapes are giving us a new look into the fiery bus crash in california last week. highway patrol officers released the recordings on thursday. calls from people aboard the bus show the chaos in the moments after the accident.

>> the bus is on fire. >> i understand that, so are you away from it or are you still on it? >> yeah, we are getting away from the bus actually. >> okay. >> go as far away as you safely can, okay? >> okay. >> okay. >> we still don't know what caused that crash. a south carolina man, south carolina man was slapped with a $525 fine for refilling his drink without paying. the construction worker says he didn't know that it was an 89 cent refill charge at the va hospital where he was working. the federal citation has since been reduced to just a warning. and attention thrill seekers. after $24 million, the longest inverted roller coaster in the world is ready for you. the roller coaster is called banshee. its track more than 4,000 feet long. there is a 100 foot curved drop.

that roller coaster is in kings island, near cincinnati. kings island expects lots of adrenaline junkies to line up for the ride. now a look back and a look ahead. another batch of formerly held -- formerly withheld clinton white house documents will be made public by the national archives today. today's files include former first lady hillary clinton's role in health care reform, the 1995 oklahoma city bombing, and the transition to the bush administration. on this day in 1906, one of the worst natural disasters in u.s. history. a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck san francisco, sparking fires that lasted for days. roughly 3,000 people died, more than 80% of the city was destroyed. and kourtney kardashian is 35. conan o'brien is 51. and james woods is 67. i'm craig melvin. thank you so much for watching

well, good morning to you, it it's 4:30, it's a friday. i'm scott mcgrew. >> i'm peggy bunker. we want to check that forecast can christina loren. we made it to the weekend. >> made it to the weekend, it's good friday. temperatures are comfortable out there. mostly in the 50s to start the day and headed towards another comfortable afternoon and cooler in san francisco and headed towards about 74 degrees here in san jose with some changes coming your way as we get into that easter weekend. talk about that coming up in just a minute. right now, let's say good morning to mike inouye. i didn't welcome back scott mcgrew. >> christina said good