good monday morning. coming up on "early today," lucky to be alive. a 16-year-old lives through minus 80 temps, stuck inside a jet's wheel well. boston strong. emotions run high as the nation focuses on today's marathon, one year after the bombings. here comes joe. the vice president arrives in ukraine a day after violence erupts killing at least three. the death toll now to south korean families want answers on the capsized ferry. an easter tradition not for the feint of heart. and major oscar mayer recall. it is monday, april 21st. "early today" starts right now. good monday morning again. i'm richard lui.

we begin with the 16-year-old boy the fbi calling lucky to be alive. the teenager surviving a flight from california to hawaii by clinging to landing gear in the wheel well of a hawaiian 767 jet. the fbi estimates the boy was unconscious for most of the 5 1/2 hour trip. plane can reach altitudes of 38,000 feet in temperatures can drop as low as 80 degrees below zero. this photo that nbc news has not independently confirmed allegedly shows the stowaway being loaded into an ambulance at the airport where he was discovered on the tarmac without an i.d. the fbi says the boy hopped a fence at the san jose airport. he then randomly chose a plane. evidently he was just trying to run away from home. the teen is said to be fine medically and is now in child protective services. the boy will not be charged with a crime. headlines are saying the 118th boston marathon will draw in an all time record number of visitors. 36,000 runners included there,

and more than a million spectators. nearly 4500 of the athletes who were still on the course last year when the two bombs exploded at the finish line will finish what they started. they begin their run just hours from now. that's where nbc's chris pollone is in boston. what's the mood? >> reporter: yeah, good morning, richard. the mood here today feels like a normal marathon monday. that's probably the best news of all for people in the city of boston. that's what they were looking for. you know, that terror attack really struck at the core of this city and since that time people here have been vowing to run again and today they will do just that. for 117 years, this line has meant the end. the finish of 26.2 grueling miles. but today, this line also marks the beginning. the next step in recovery for a city that refuses to give up. >> it was important to come back this year to finish not only for myself, but for everybody else. >> reporter: when the bombs went off last year, many runners were

still on the course. they have all been invited back to finish what they started. >> the running community is showing people ail over the world that you can't stop us. >> reporter: it has been aprn emotional week in boston as the nation has honored the victims and everyone who has helped them heal. the red sox recognized those who died. those who survives, doctors, firefighters and police, in a moving pregame ceremony. elsewhere, some of the 36,000 runners loaded up on pasta or took a last look at the course. many taking part in easter sunday services at the old south church, just steps from the finish line. >> every athlete, whether spiritual or otherwise, needs a whole community for it to work. >> reporter: chandra taylor also found her new beginning at the finish line, her boyfriend asked her to marry him. >> time for new beginnings. that's what it is for us. >> reporter: the 118th running of the boston marathon can't erase the pain from what

happened here last year, but its million little steps will equal one giant step in a city's recovery. security is the top concern here in boston today. more than 3500 police officers will line the marathon course. that's about double the number from last year. and security cameras have been installed along the entire route. live in boston, chris pollone, richard, back to you. >> a great event today. something to remember, no doubt. appreciate chris pollone. the u.s. is sending 150 troops to poland for training exercises. it is there to reassure allies as the crisis in ukraine escalates. meanwhile today, vice president joe biden has arrived in kiev, ukraine, where he'll meet with the acting ukrainian prime minister. an easter morning shootout at a pro russia checkpoint threatened the diplomatic progress made in geneva last week. nbc's tracie potts is in washington for us. good morning to you, tracie. when we look at the vice president's trip, how high are the hopes about what he can get

done? >> reporter: well, we can tell you what ukraine wants done. they need their military modernized. they need financial help, economic help from the united states. we heard that over the weekend from the prime minister. so today vice president biden is going there to meet with him and other officials as this violence continues in eastern ukraine. this is what is left today after a deadly easter shootout in eastern ukraine. >> it is crystal clear that today russia is the threat, is the threat to the european union and a real threat to ukraine. >> reporter: keeping eastern ukraine safe is on vice president joe biden's agenda as he travels to kiev today. that, plus ensuring free and fair elections there next month. >> there is no military solution to this crisis. it has to be solved through diplomacy. >> reporter: but diplomacy is shaky, the u.s. is still considering sanctions against russia. >> i really do believe we should

be thanking some of the companies in the energy sector. >> you cannot work with russia and try to achieve anything with the language of sanctions. >> reporter: now there is word the u.s. is sending 150 soldiers to training exercises in nearby poland and estonia to reassure our nato allies the u.s. has their backs if russia tries to take over parts of eastern ukraine. >> if russia gets away with this, he do think there say potential that a nato ally is next. >> reporter: because that situation there is still so unstable, lawmakers on capitol hill say europe, our nato allies nearby, they should be worried. >> tracie potts, thank you so much, in washington for us this morning. now to south korea's president condemning the actions of some of the crew of the sunken ferry calling them akin to murder. divers are recovering what could be hundreds of bodies from inside the sunken ship. now 64 people have been confirmed dead and about 240 still missing.

nbc's bill neely is at the scene of the disaster. >> reporter: well, the ship is directly below us here, one end is marked by a couple of cream colored buoys over there. there are dozens of divers, you can see them in small boats working in teams there. they dive under the surface right now inside the passenger area, trying to bring the bodies through the ferry, and bring them up to the surface. the ship is now completely flooded. and they say there are no air pockets in there, and they believe there is no chance that there could still be survivors. it is an extraordinary scene. there are dozens of boats on all sides. i stopped counting at about 60. and they're all involved in this rescue effort. there are also cranes nearby, which will eventually lift this ship. but that won't happen until the parents agree to lifting of the ship and now they haven't agreed on that. officials are saying that this

rescue operation is really not a rescue operation, it is more like a recovery operation. it could take not just weeks, but up to two months. >> bill neely there at a nearby gym it is somber. families wait for any sort of news. they huddle around a monitor that shows the latest recovered bodies. south korea's president said sunday the crew told passengers to stay put but they were the first to escape. bill karins is here now with a look at this week's weather. i got to tell you, we shift gears here, looking at the coming week, it is going to be a sunny one for most, h. >> only exception is the pacific northwest. >> it is the pacific northwest. >> it is. this is a wet week for them. one storm after another and i can't promise you a lot in the way of sunshine. let's start with what is happening in boston today, because it is the big day in boston, of course, considering what happened one year ago. big celebration today.

they have -- every year it is patriots day. and they have the marathon that kicks off, the elite runners at 10:00 a.m. east coast time and at fenway, the baseball game at 11:00 a.m. so it is a beautiful day there, we wish the city of boston the best today in a celebration. as far as the forecast in the northwest, stationary front lingering in the area, bringing showers with it, and cooler temperatures right along the coast. not a lot of wet weather with this one. but as we go throughout this week, it is like one storm today, another one in two days, we'll get a period of wet weather here. notice not a lot there in southern california. that's your national forecast. >> and real question in the forecast is how much rain we get

in southern california toward the end of this week and hopefully we get a little. >> a little will count a lot. thanks a lot, bill karins. gas prices on the rise. oscar mayer recall to warn you about. plus rival parishes launching handmade rockets at one another's church bell towers. a greek tradition that actually has a winner. you're watching "early today" only on nbc. ♪ you have three questions. coffee or espresso? oh, coffee please. ♪ is this coffee? it's nespresso vertuoline. how do they make this froth? it's coffee crema. last question. ♪ may i have another cup please? thank you. next! [ penelope ] nespresso vertuoline. experience the revolution of coffee. [ penelope ] nespresso vertuoline. and these little angels build in strength. and that little angel says, "weeeeeeeee!" 60% more sheets than charmin.

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service. civ several victims suffered broken bones. rubin hurricane carter died sunday at the age of 76. carter became a symbol of racial injustice when he was wrongfully convicted twice of murder. he spent 19 years in prison before being freed in 1985. carter was immortalized in the 1975 bob dylan song "hurricane." several books and a 1999 film. he suffered from prostate cancer in recent years. april 20th was not just for easter revellers, it also marked 4/20, a holiday of sorts for pot smokers. tens of thousands gathered in denver's civic center to mark -- to light up, rather, at 4:20 p.m. dozens of citations were issued for public consumption which is still illegal there. an easter tradition not for the feint of heart. two parishes fire rob et rocke each other's bell towers.

both sides usually claim victory in that, it looks aamazing though. time to get down to business after the three-day market holiday weekend, major recall from kraft foods to tell you about. 96,000 pounds of oscar mayer classic wieners are being recalled because they may actually be be cheese dogs. product labels are incorrect. send them my way. gas prices are on the rise. the lundberg survey says the average for a gallon of regular jumped 9 cents nationwide in the last two weeks. the average price of regular is now $3.69 a gallon. after public outcry, general mills is scrapping its plan to strip consumers of their rights to sue the company if they so choose, even if they purchase their products. and would you pay over $800,000 for that car? yeah, that one. someone did. the chinese custom made red flag l-5 limousine will take about three months to deliver. looks a little retro. just ahead, we'll have all your sports highlights. stick around.

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this morning on "today," behind the scenes with "the voice" judges, carson daly gives us a look at what goes on during the hit singing show when the cameras are off. that's ahead on "today." take you to sports. ahead of today's 118th running of the boston marathon, fans at fenway park paid tribute last night to the victims of last year's deadly bombings and the

heros that came to their rescue. boston playing baltimore. ninth inning, tied at 5, one out, bases loaded, boston with line drive, catch and fatal error throwing to home. boston scores and emotional win at fenway. milwaukee at pittsburgh, third inning, milwaukee gets a triple. the batter and pitcher then exchange some salty words, shall i say. the benches clear, punches fly. and when all is said and done, the batter and pitcher and milwaukee's bench coach get ejected. milwaukee wins anyway, 3-2, in 14 innings. to the nba playoffs, miami's lebron james and dwyane wade dominate, combining for 50 points. miami up by as much as 17 in closing minutes. they beat charlotte, 99-88. dallas at san antonio. san antonio down by ten in the fourth. then go on a 15-0 run. san antonio taking that game. game one, 90-85. warriors at clippers.

fourth quarter. game tied. blake griffin fouls out with 48 seconds left. the four-time all-star so upset, he throws his hands up in incredulity. hang on a second. there is water in one of the cups, water landing on a warriors fan. did he do it on purpose? i don't know. the warriors don't sweat it and take game one. 109-105. to the pga's rbc heritage. 18th hole. matt kuchar started the day five days off the lead, chipping out of a sand trap makes it and wins. he told his kid later, it is trophy getting time and money getting time. took home a million bucks. lindsay lohan suffers a miscarriage. miley still recovering. and amazing spider-man 2 raking in big bucks before it even opens in the u.s. you're watching "early today." as a kid, i made a list of all the places i wanted to visit. i'm still not going to make it to mars, but thanks to hotwire's incredibly low travel prices, i can afford to cross more things off my list. this year alone, we went to the top of the statue of liberty...

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new mr. clean liquid muscle. when it comes to clean, there's only one mr. welcome back on this monday morning. hope you had a wonderful weekend. we did see pretty decent weather, dry weather for most part in the west today. that front is off shore, trying to push later on shore during the day today. we are going to see showers with that, really from medford, northward. then to tuesday, we get that on shore flow going. instability showers in the forecast throughout the entire week. it looks really bad. we may pick up as much as 1 to 2 inches of rain. but it is nice if we get one or two sunny days, but it looks like clouds will be the rule. >> salt lake and denver looking good. 70s. >> inner mountain west not bad at all. johnny depp's latest film unable to transcend box office mediocrity, coming in fourth. "transcendence" is the latest in a string of misses for depp. rounding out the top three,

captain america, the winter soldier and rio 2 and heaven is for real coming out on easter weekend. signs of things to come, the amazing spider-man 2 launching overseas. how much? $47 million, my friends. opens in the united states may 2nd. that's when the numbers get big too. goonies fans rejoice. steven spielberg on board for the film's long awaited sequel. what he'll do is not clear. but it is him and it is going to take off. i'm sure it will be -- >> spend money on it and big bucks. >> what do you think? lindsay lohan revealed in a reality show on the oprah channel that she recently suffered a miscarriage. lohan fought back tears explaining she tragically heard the news while on a two-week production break from the reality show. she gave no further details and the show promptly ended. after a public falling out, prince, yes, prince, re-signed with warner bros. he will release new music with deluxe reissues of classic

albums like "purple rain." haven't heard from him in a while. a rough week for miley cyrus. she postponed the remainder of her bangerz tour after a severe allergic reaction. >> i had tickets. >> she'll make up the concerts there. this instagram photo of herself in a duck-shaped oxygen mask. you can stick around until august there, bill. >> is she in the children's ward? is she, like, in the wing of the hospital with all the little kids? that would be cute, actually, if she was with them and singing to them and making them happy. >> i could see her running around the entire hospital when nobody is looking and doing whatever she wants. i'm richard lui. this is "early today." we hope it is your first stop of the day here on nbc.

leading the news in the chicago tribune, a midweekend violence, six children shot sunday night. five of them were wounded while leaving an easter barbecue. the violent holiday weekend in chicago, at least nine people were killed and dozens wounded since friday night. in the washington post, study finds fuel from corn waste not better than gas. now, the study paid for by the federal government concluded that biofuels made with corn residue release 7% more greenhouse gases in the short-term compared with gasoline. some of the stories we're following for you this morning, a 16-year-old girl is dead after a car plowed into her bedroom early sunday morning. the l.a. county sheriff's department says she's was just sleeping in her bed when an suv crashed into her room. alcohol was probably involved. the sheriff's office saying the

man's blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit. elephants in africa are in some very serious danger. a new report warns ivory poaching is on the rise in zimbabwe, one of the continent's main homes for elephants. animal advocacy group born for usa pointing to the seizing of protected lands there by some of the country's elite. take a look at this. a bear in canada was walking around sunday morning with a plastic jar stuck on its head. we have seen video like this before, bill. the bear did its best winnie-the-pooh inpersonation until conservation officers tracked it down and give it a hand. it looked good. but you know, bear probably thinking not going to do this again. >> yeah it will. >> it might. >> it is a drag race, but without the cars, my friends. tires, hurdles and running with shopping carts were all part of the obstacle course. female impersonators completing this in heels. this drag race is an annual tradition in key west, florida,

celebrates the independence of the -- >> in drag. >> the race is part of the ten-day festival. i don't know if i could do this for ten days in a row. just one time. >> ever try doing the heels? >> heels, no. >> never worn heels. >> but the boot things, you can probably run around. just saying. here is a look ahead and a look back. president obama and first family will host the annual white house easter egg roll. thousands will join in what the white house is calling hop into healthy swing into shape events that encourage active lifestyles. the opening of the first u.s. world's fair since world war ii. the expo significance in seattle featuring the newly built and iconic space needle and the monorail. and happy birthday to patty la pone, 65. ziggy pop, 67. and britain's queen elizabeth, 88. keep it here for more news, weather and sports. i'm richard lui with bill karins

and the rest

good morning, everyone. 4:30, it's monday, again. i'm scott mcgrew. >> i'm peggy bunker in for laura. >> good morning, temperatures are in the 40s and 50s to start the day. rain in the forecast. stick around, i'll tell you when, just keep in mind, keep in mind it is going to be very fall-like this week, not really feeling like spring. if you're trying to put your wardrobe together, that's what you want to put on the forefront of your mind. right now, let's say good morning to anthony. >> good morning, christina. in for