good friday morning, everyone. coming up on "early today," serious diplomacy. secretary of state john kerry strongest comments to date about russia's involvement in ukraine. >> if russia continues in this direction, it will not just be a grave mistake, it will be an expensive mistake. measles outbreak. once thought to be all but eradicated, measles makes a strong return. coffee talk. news about that morning joe that may have you questioning a second cup. plus, the nra gets more aggressive on gun rights and how did michael phelps' big comeback race go? it is friday, april 25th. "early today" starts right now. good morning to all of you.

i'm alex witt. moments ago, president obama wrapped up a press conference in seoul with park. let's get right to nbc white house correspondent peter alexander who is traveling with the president. good morning. what is the latest in seoul? >> reporter: alex, good day to you. president obama just wrapped up a wide ranging news conference in seoul alongside the south korean president, president park. president obama said that the palestinian/israeli peace talks are at an impasse and he said he sees no signs of progress in the foreseeable future. on the topic of ukraine, president obama again insisted that diplomacy is the way to go, but he said vladimir putin is not, in his words, a stupid man, saying that the sanctions in place are already having an impact. on the topic of north korea, president obama said north korea is not just a threat to this region, but a threat to the u.s. as well. this, of course, is a country still reeling from the loss of

so many lives in the wake of that ferry disaster, barely a week ago. president obama expressed his condolences, deepest sympathies, he said, and left his host in a moment of silence, presenting president park with the u.s. flag that was flying over the white house on the day of the disaster as a sign of solidarity. back to you. >> thank you, peter alexander. now to ukraine where military movements from both sides are certainly escalating the tensions there. ukraine forces killed up to five pro russians in clashes on thursday. while russia began military drills putting troops right on its border with ukraine. secretary of state john kerry warns it will be a grave and expensive mistake for russia to continue in this direction. >> the window to change course is closing. president putin and russia face a choice. if russia chooses the path of de-escalation, the international

community, all of us, will welcome it. if russia does not, the world will make sure that the costs for russia will only grow. >> so let's get right to nbc's tracie potts who joins us from washington, d.c. good morning to you, tracie. the president says he's going to talk to key european leaders about all of this. what are the expectations as far as this is going to go. >> reporter: what the president expects is to get an idea of whether those key european allies of ours have the same assessment of this situation as he does, is this, that since the geneva agreement a week ago, ukraine has held its end of the bargain to try to de-escalate the situation and russia has not. that's what he said this morning. he wants to talk to them before the sanctions that may be imminent. we have heard the strongest language yet from secretary of state john kerry saying that the window for russia to change course and get out of ukraine and stop helping the militants there, that window, he said, is closing. we know that ukraine has given

them a 48 hour deadline that ends today. the u.s. seems ready to come behind that with its own sanctions and brand-new this morning, we have new information about the impact of those sanctions, standard & poor's, the credit rating agency, downgrade russia's credit rating to one step above speculation. alex? >> tracie potts, thank you so much from washington. overnight, a major scare in the air for passengers aboard a virgin australia airliner. that aircraft was forced to land in bali airport in indonesia because of a midair disturbance by a passenger. it was at first thought to be a hijacking, but later reports that a disruptive passenger was drunk and tried to enter the plane's cockpit. a virgin australia official says the plane landed safely and the drunk passenger has been arrested. there is alarming news to share from the centers for disease control about a disease once thought to be vanquished here in the u.s. measles cases here are surging at the fastest pace in nearly two decades. and as nbc's chief medical ed

kerr dr. nancy snyderman reports, it is carried mostly by unvaccinated travelers. >> reporter: mary had a scare recently when she got an e-mail saying riley may have been exposed to measles. >> we knew something had to be done. on the advice of our pediatrician, we took her to the emergency room. >> reporter: greenstein, an nbc employee, said everything turned out okay and tests were negative, but she's right for worried. this extremely contagious disease easily spread by sneezes, coughs and infected surfaces, is surging at the fastest pace in two decades. >> we're concerned that already in the first four months of the year we're breaking records were the cdc said at least 129 measles cases from 13 states have been reported in the united states this year. most have been in california and new york. the majority of those have become ill have not been v vaccina vaccinated. a growing number of unvaccinated

americans combined with international travel had health officials concerned. >> measles is still circulating around the world. it is an airplane away. and we need people to not be complacent, to make sure they're vaccinated and their kids are up to date on vaccines. >> reporter: the symptoms generally begin about seven to 14 days after a person has been infected. first, a mild to moderate fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and sore throat. two or three days later, tiny white spot mas may appear insid the mouth and then a blotchy rash on the face and spreads downwards. >> dr. nancy snyderman reporting for us. there is new support in the fight to legalize marijuana with a resounding yes retired supreme court justice john paul stevens tells npr the federal government should legalize marijuana comparing it to alcohol. >> i really think that that's another instance of public opinion has changed, and recognize that the distinction between marijuana and alcoholic

beverages is really not much of a distinction. >> and as peter alexander mentioned a moment ago, president obama talked about the stalled peace talks between israel and palestine this morning. hamas is considered to be a terrorist group. during an interview with andrea mitchell, israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu says it kills peace. >> they had a choice, peace with israel or pact with hamas and he made a pact with hamas. i hope he changes his mind. >> the decision to call off the peace talks puts an end to a nine month initiative for discussions between israel and the palestinians by secretary of state john kerry. nbc's bill karins is here with the weekend forecast and what is shaping up to be some severe weather out there. >> big tornado outbreak, that's where the storm of california is dealing with now. we're happy to get some rain.

snowing in lake tahoe now. >> nice. >> yes, it is. spring skiing, maybe. call ahead, make sure they're still open. as far as rain goes, a little light rain out there, zoomed in on the san francisco bay area to sacramento to modesto. you can see the light rain over the area, the white is up there in the mountains, that's where we're seeing snow levels as low as about 6,000 feet or so. pretty high up there to get into some of the snow. we'll also have some rain showers around crescent city, to the north. as far as the rain goes, not a lot will make it into southern california. this storm as it wikicks on through will drop the temperature significantly. we'll see a cutoff low move in as it goes over southern california. we may see a few showers, maybe a thunderstorm or two. even near los angeles, possible, overnight tonight to early tomorrow morning. the storm heads over arizona and areas of utah with rain as we go through saturday night. umbrellas needed, central california northward. haven't said that in a while. that's your national forecast.

we'll give you the full weekend forecast coming up. >> california needs the rain. it is all good. >> not bad. better than what i just did. >> i'll try to read the prompter here. discussion about the self-cleaning cars, can't do it smoothly. this is what you want to see. the national rifle association's boldest move yet. and heart breaking and incredible story behind this fallen tribute to pope john paul ii next. for paul ridley there's no substitute for advil. it's built to be as fast as it is strong and fights pain at the site of inflammation. and made for people like paul, who believe nothing should stop you from achieving your goals. not doubt.

not fear. and definitely not back and shoulder pain. advil has the strength and speed to help you move past pain and make today yours. advil. make today yours.

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. everin a day is building up layer, upon layer, of bacteria. and to destroy those layers? you need listerine®. its unique formula penetrates these layers deeper than other mouthwashes, killing bacteria all the way down to the bottom layer. so for a cleaner, healthier mouth, go with #1 dentist recommended listerine®. power to your mouth™. also try new listerine® naturals. the only mouthwash that combines the power of listerine® with naturally sourced ingredients. welcome back, everyone. a big change for an old mainstay in women's health. the pap smear is no longer the only primary method for detecting cervical cancer.

the food and drug administration cleared a genetic hpv test as an alternati alternative. that test has been used as a secondary test, but the fda says it can now be used as a first choice screening option. a man in italy is dead after being crushed by a giant crucifix. this cross was dedicated to the late pope john paul ii. this just days before the pope is to be canonized at the vatican. the nra will hold the annual week long meeting starting today in one of the first orders of business, a reciprocal gun law. concealed weapons are legal in all 50 states, but the state laws can differ. the group wants to make sure permits in one state is recognized everywhere. nissan hoping to make things easier for drivers who don't have time to hit the car wash. the engineers are developing a type of paint that repels dirt and liquid before it has the chance to dry on your car. right now, paint is being tested in europe. russian president vat mere putin thinks president obama would save him if he was drowning. but does he agree?

here is what he had to say at his news conference in seoul earlier. >> i absolutely would save mr. putin if he were drowning. i'd like to think that if anybody is out there drowning, i'm going to save them. i used to be a pretty good swimmer. i grew up in hawaii. >> time to get down to business on this friday. the buffalo bills will be playing without the jills. their company has suspended operations after five former buffalo jills filed suit against the team claiming they were forced to work hundreds of hours without pay. speaking of pay, northwestern university football players will vote today on whether to join a union. the issue is whether athletes on scholarship are employees of the university who have the right to collect a bargaining and thus getting paid to play. coffee drinkers beware. that's me. a drought in brazil caused coffee prices to double since late last year. and the american postal workers union is protesting the decision to open post office

service counter at staples stores. the union understands they need new revenue streams but says it should not come at the expense of union jobs. michael phelps hits the fast lane in the swimming comeback. the hockey player with the heart caught on tape. "early today" continues. ifyou may be muddlingble withrough allergies.nger... try zyrtec® for powerful allergy relief. and zyrtec® is different than claritin. because it starts working faster on the first day you take it. zyrtec®. muddle no more™.

yeah. i heard about progressive's "name your price" tool? i guess you can tell them how much you want to pay and it gives you a range of options to choose from. huh? i'm looking at it right now. oh, yeah? yeah. what's the... guest room situation? the "name your price" tool, making the world a little more progressive.

♪ this morning on "today," it's gotten millions of views on youtube, and it could be the

"it" song of summer. sam smith & naughty boy with "la, la, la." live on "today." in sports, let's begin with the nba playoffs, the atlanta hawks took control on their home court against indiana in the second half draining threes. they took some wild shots. nothing but net. game three goes to the hawks, 98-85, with a 2-1 series lead. >> up by four. he'll go to the line. >> oh, deja vu. oklahoma, a four-point play against memphis forcing overtime. and in the end, memphis' clutch shooting was the difference. 98-95, they go up 2-1. l.a. and golden state slugged it out back and forth down to the final seconds. the clippers are ahead by two when they miss the game winner. los angeles wins, leading 2-1. a long time rival showed michael phelps he's got some

work to do. ryan lochte beats phelps in his fist comeback race. the 100 meter butterfly is not lochte's best race, but here is phelps after that race. >> i'm really excited about how things went. and i do know what i need to do if i want to continue. >> new york yankee pitcher michael pineda suspended for ten games for getting caught red handed or rednecked for using pine tar. and in the nba, it comes down hard on charlotte bobcat josh mcroberts. he's fined $20,000 for this flagrant foul on lebron james the other night. the nets and jason collins graces time magazine's most 100 influential people covers. he calls the cover a cool honor. beyonce, robert redford and others are making the covers. other athletes, serena williams, richard sherman, lydia coe and

christiano renaldo. >> hey, buddy. it's all yours. >> jordan tutu shows that hockey players don't always have to be tough guys. big honor for seth meyers and family guy skewers chris christie. and the other woman is hoping to top the weekend box office. you're watching "early today." [ male announcer ] at the corner of "where you need us most" and "where you least expect us," walgreens is more than just a drugstore. some pharmacy staff deliver medications right to your hospital bedside. and whenever, wherever you have questions, walgreens experts are there for you 24/7 with online pharmacy chat. we even bring immunizations to seniors right where they need us. because life doesn't stand still, and neither do we. at the corner of happy and healthy.

still running in the morning? yeah. getting your vegetables every day? when i can.

[ bop ] [ male announcer ] could've had a v8. two full servings of vegetables for only 50 delicious calories. [ female announcer ] we eased your back pain, you turned up the fun. tylenol® provides strong pain relief while being gentle on your stomach. but for everything we do, we know you do so much more. tylenol®.

as far as what we're dealing with out there today, we'll continue watching this wind storm as we go throughout the day today and into tomorrow morning. as far as the windy areas go, anywhere in the blue, that's where we have wind advisories, light blue is where we have wind warnings. this is almost an exposed area in the deserts and mountains in san diego and arizona, some areas that will have blowing dust problems. saturday's forecast, as we-like at northwest, not the heavy rain like we had. and we did break the record for wettest period in seattle from february through april with that rain yesterday. even into sunday, we're going to be dealing with some showery type weather throughout much of the west. we dry it out in the southwest. as you mentioned, we'll take whatever rain and snow we can get. >> thank you very much, bill karins. let's get to entertainment news, everyone. nbc's own late night host seth meyers will be hosting the primetime emmy awards in august. pretty good year for seth.

heading to the box office this weekend, you may want it see paul walker give one of his final on screen performances in the new movie brick mansions. he plays a detroit cop determined to find his father's killer. there is the new cam reron diaz flick "the other woman." she looks to get revenge on the man she's seeing. it is her first feature film role. >> that's smart. >> moving on. kevin clash has been cleared of three sexual abuse charges. he with a accused of abusing multiple men several years ago they were under age. miley cyrus left the hospital. a source tells e news the pop star is feeling much better. apparently she'll head to europe next week to continue her tour there. she was hospitalized after an

allergic reaction to antibiotics. family guy has released a campaign ad featuring peter griffin holding a couple of traffic cones there. the caption reads, vote for us, or it's time for some traffic problems in brentwood. >> very creative. very timely. >> brentwood is very tony area. >> won't win it any emmys. >> well, maybe. >> i don't know. they rub a lot of people the wrong way in that world. >> in that world, that's true. they're pretty good. so miley cyrus, she's back. >> are we done with kate upton? >> we're done with kate upton. i'm moving on. i'm alex witt. [ julie ] the wrinkle cream graveyard. if it doesn't work fast... you're on to the next thing. clinically proven neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair.

it targets fine lines and wrinkles with the fastest retinol formula available. you'll see younger looking skin in just one week. one week? this one's a keeper. rapid wrinkle repair. and for dark spots rapid tone repair. from neutrogena®.

leading the news in the washington post, girl gives michelle obama her unemployed father's resume. it happened at take your sons and daughters to work. her father lost work during the obama re-election campaign. >> you right in the front. >> my dad is out of a job for three years and i wanted to give you his resume. >> oh, my goodness. >> that was endearing right there. on nbc news.com, ladies home journal ends subscriptions. 130-year-old monthly will become a quarterly with a web presence instead. some other stories we're following, the nevada rancher who resisted the government's efforts to confiscate his cattle

is in hot water this morning after comments he recently made about race. cliven bundy was recorded talking about african-americans he saw outside of las vegas housing project. those comments were first referenced in the new york times. fair warning, everyone. the comments incendiary and could be offensive to many. >> they have abort their young children, they put their young men in jail, because they never learned how to pick cotton. and i've wondered, are they better off at slaves picking cotton and having a family life and doing things or better off under government subsidy. >> okay. scientists are closely monitoring an iceberg six times the size of manhattan. it broke off from a glaci er er the antarctica. what do you get when you cross a zebra and a donkey. it is rare because the chromosomes are not usually compatible. >> are those leggings?

>> i guess. fancy ones. the bronx does's gorilla babies have been born. they're first gorillas born at the zoo in eight years. >> i'm going to see them. the exhibit is great there at the bronx zoo. and see the babies, there will be like a line, it will be crazy. >> four deep, exactly. let's get back to the zonkey or not. >> are you okay with it? >> what am i going to do about it? we'll stick with the gorillas. now a look ahead. today and tomorrow, 400 volunteers will help plant more than 20,000 seedlings at the flight 93 crash site in shanksville, pennsylvania. they're going to create 40 memorial grove, one for each of the passengers and crew members who died in flight 93 crashed on 9/11. in today's birthdays, tim duncan turns 38. renee zellweger, 45. hank azaria, 50. i'm alex witt. thank you for watching "early today." not my birthday. have a great weekend, everyone. make it a good one.

well, good friday morning to you, it is 4:30, i'm peggy bunker. >> i'm laura garcia-cannon. a live look outside across the bay area. the roadways are slick as rain is falling in parts of the bay area right now. in fact, let's check that forecast right now with meteorologist christina loren. >> basically anywhere you're going this morning you're going to have to use your windshield wipers. as you and see, we have widespread rarainfall on the radar and this is going to be the story all the way through 10:00 a.m. and then as we head through the afternoon, we switch our gears and then we're watching potential thunderstorms. let's take a look at your full ne