. jude logo. good morning. coming up on "early today," new details about the man behind the murder of 149 airline passengers and the final moments aboard that doomed jet. an explosion levels an apartment building in one of new york city's trendiest neighborhoods. sweet 16 is one step closer to the great eight. ben and bill hit capitol hill. a mystery in the boston marathon bombing. what not to do if an atm eats your card. it's friday march 27th. "early today" starts right now. good morning. a tragic accident and a mass murder. we're 24 hours into new horrifying investigations on why did the copilot of that germanwings plane with 149 innocent lives fly into a french

mountainside? here's the story from the audio recorder. after reaching cruising altitude the pilot is heard leaving the cockpit. he knocks then bangs on the door to get back in. the copilot alone in the cockpit ignores him then sets the auto pilot to descend to its lowest possible setting, 100 feet. during the next eight minutes the copilot will be heard breathing normally ignoring alarms and calls from controllers. as people begin to scream the plan smashes into the mountains. nbc's bill neely is at the crash site this morning. what are the new developments? >> reporter: good morning, dara. i think people here are still reeling from the chronology that you've just read. still wondering why, how, this copilot could possibly have done this. of course that hasn't stopped the search effort all morning for the last few hours. the helicopters behind me have been flying overhead. going to the crash site recovering jewelry, clothing, and body parts, writing them

back for analysis by forensic experts. we also believe that in the next hour or so the parents of andreas lubitz the 27-year-old copilot, will be questioned again by french police still trying to find any reason why their son would have done something like this. german police have been making some significant developments. they have searched his apartment and taken a number of items from his apartment. for example, a computer. but also they say they have found something that is a significant clue and they are bringing that for testing in a laboratory today. but all the focus really is on his background. we know for example, that in 2009 he suffered a depressive incident, as they called it in the notes of the lufthansa airline he was training with at that moment. his training was suspended for a

year and a half. he was considered unsuitable for flying. he then restarted his training and was eventually declared fit. the ceo of lufthansa said yesterday he was 100% fit. i think after what happened here and the questions about his background, it's also thought by the way he broke up with his girlfriend. police investigating whether that has anything to do with it. i think lufthansa have a lot of questions to answer. we're expecting a new statement from them. but here the search for body parts and for clues continues. dara? >> hopefully we'll have some answers as the day unfolds. bill neely reporting live from france, thank you so much. as the families come to grips with their terrible loss investigators are left with some serious questions. nbc's katy tur has the latest on the investigation from dusseldorf, germany. >> reporter: andreas lubitz was 27. a german who spoke fluent english, grew up in a picturesque town and friends say had dreams of flying. he began training with lufthansa

in 2008 including time at this facility in phoenix. he was certified as a copilot in september 2013 but accumulated only 630 flight hours until officials say he deliberately crashed flight 9525 into the side of a mountain killing everyone on board. no one saw it coming. he had no criminal record no known terrorist connections. lufthansa said lubitz took a break from flight school in 2009. it hasn't said why. the ceo of their subsidiary germanwings said he was remitted a few months later after passing technical, medical, and psychological tests. investigators searched his parents' home, removing items including what appeared to be a computer, and escorting out an unidentified person. boxes of potential evidence were taken from lubitz's dusseldorf apartment. those who knew him were stunned. >> nbc's katy tur reporting.

the building explosion in new york city, this morning the fire is still not under control. the blast inside a sushi restaurant ripped apart a five-story building in the east village. smoke quickly filled the sky on the ground cell phones captured the chaos. people trapped, scaling down fire escapes, jumping to safety. the explosion hurting 19, four critically. >> we thought it was a bomb. >> i saw the whole storefront on the street. walked outside and just see no building there at all. >> within seconds the situation got worse as the flames spread to three other buildings. people could smell smoke 50 blocks away. when the heat proved too much the building collapsed along with two others. >> preliminary evidence suggests a gas-related explosion. that investigation is ongoing. >> city officials say construction workers were installing a new gas meter in the building before the blast. con edison had its inspectors on the scene. it said the installation didn't pass their inspection at that

time. those inspectors left an hour before the blast. the investigating is now focusing on that work. this morning the chaos in yemen is growing into a reelk natural war with iran on one side saudi arabia on the other. the houthis, backed by iran control large parts of yemen. saudi air jets are targeting the rebels. tracie potts is live in washington. what are the risks here for the u.s. in this war? >> oil and security. two big issues here in the united states. let's start with oil, dara. we've already seen prices per barrel go down $1 since those saudi air strikes. they have been creeping up. the concern is if yemen's government falls in that oil-rich region we could feel it at the pump. the other thing is security. yemen has been a big partner with the united states fighting al qaeda's strongest affiliate, al qaeda in yemen. again, if that government falls that could put that fight at

risk against al qaeda in that region. now, it looks like the saudis have about ten nations on board this coalition to try to back those rebels out of that country. the rebels are backed by iran so it's sort of a saudi arabia versus iran situation there, which puts the u.s. in an interesting situation because while we are at odds with iran when it comes to a number of things also sitting down at the negotiating table trying to work out this nuclear deal next week is the deadline. >> tracie potts in washington thank you so much. a controversial right to discriminate measure in indiana is generating national attention. the office of indiana governor mike pence has released this photo of him signing the religious freedom restoration act into law. it allows business owners the right to refuse service to gay and lesbian couples based on religious freedom. the governor released a statement after signing saying in part the bill is not about

discrimination and if i thought it legalized discrimination in any way in indiana i would have vetoed it." there's already been major backlash. hillary clinton tweeted, sad this new indiana law can happen in america today. we shouldn't discriminate against people because of who they love. miley cyrus said in part you're an a-hole, we need more strong heterosexual men fighting for equality in men and women." she's since deleted the post. ncaa is concerned about indiana's new law. a week away from the final four which will be held in indianapolis. the president of the ncaa is expressing concern. saying in part we are especially concerned about how this legislation could affect our student athletes and employees." we will work diligently to ensure student athletes competing in and visitors attending next week's men's final four in indianapolis are not impacted negatively by this bill." there were some big names on capitol hill. academy award winning actor ben

affleck and billionaire bill gates testified before the senate appropriations subcommittee. the two stressed the importance of continued foreign aid from the u.s. to african countries. affleck's wife jennifer garner and their daughter violet sad behind him. at one point affleck took a moment to say hello to buff his batman costars. >> to senator leahy, i would be premise remiss if i did not acknowledge my costar in "batman." the role was marginally smaller than mine but i understand you're quite good. >> senator leahy is a fan of the franchise. he's made several cameos in recent films. the senator tweeted this photo before the meeting. he says they discussed the impact of foreign aid and "batman." nbc meteorologist bill karins is here with your friday forecast. >> weekend forecast. let's talk weekend. let's get to the fun stuff. there's not a person in this country, not a weather person i should say, maybe not that many people that aren't sick and

tired of this weather pattern across the country. it's going to be extreme this weekend. we've been in this weather pattern on and off about the last 18 months with a big, huge ridge that continues to be here in the west and then up around the hudson bay, persistently large storms. this has kept the wind flow in the same directions. for areas of the great lakes and northeast it's a persistent wind from canada cool chilly. two rough winters in a row. in the west everyone knows how bad the drought is. we continue taking that warm air and recycling it in the same spot. that's not going to change throughout the day today either. as far as the forecast goes the high temperatures are going to be very warm. record-breaking heat yesterday. 24 spot in the west had record highs including san jose seattle, portland. we're going to do it again today. fresno 23 degrees above where you should be for your high today. 91. we're going to be only a little bit above it in san francisco. l.a. downtown was 90 yesterday. the fifth time this month of

march. it's just incredible. like it doesn't bother you that much anymore, it's been so persistent you don't even notice it's warm. 77 in billings, montana. that's summer-like heat for higher elevations reno mammoth lakes, warm. we are dry. the snow survey's coming up in the west on april 1st and it is going to be ugly. >> that's just an incredible change from what we had for winter to now. >> there's no snow maybe they don't have to bother with the snow survey. >> we'll see how the weather weekend turns out, thank you, bill. now a still-unsolved mystery in the boston marathon bombing case. plus the hammer comes down on the secret service with new rules for personal behavior. up next. you know i think about money kind of a lot. money is freedom. money's

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stories making news this morning. prosecutors in the boston bombing trial are preparing to rest their case. they presented evidence yesterday that showed how the bombs were made although it's still a mystery as to where they were constructed. on monday lawyers for the defense will start to present their side. the jury could begin deliberating late next week. tighter drinking rules for the secret service. nbc news has confirmed a report saying agents will no longer be allowed to drive company cars within ten hours of drinking alcohol, days after surveillance camera shows secret service agents hitting a barricade outside the white house during a bomb threat. in england a funeral for a man dead half a century, king richard iii after they found his bones in a parking lot. actor benedict cumberbatch who will play the monarch in an upcoming series and is an actual descendent will honor him with a poem. george mason university

posted this video of engineering students using low-frequency sound waves to put out a fire. how cool is that. down to business with landon dowdy, good morning. >> good morning to you. wall street banks are so upset with senator lit beth warren's calls to break them up they're considering withholding campaign donations to senate democrats in protest. reuters reports officials from citigroup, bank of america, jpmorgan, and goldman sachs have discussed the matter. any move would be symbolic as banks can donate a maximum of $1,500 each. you can't take it with you. ceo tim cook has decided to give all his money away donating an estimated $785 million fortune to charity after he pays for his 10-year-old nephew's college education. back over to you. >> thanks, landon. yes, you are seeing this owl riding shotgun. a sweet 16 pounding. kentucky obliterates west

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this morning on "today," meet the west wing staffer who's breaking barriers. she's the new receptionist of the united states and she's also deaf. her inspiring story later on "today." it's time for all your friday sports headlines with angie goff. good morning, angie. >> good morning. we are halfway to the elite

eight. close between second seed arizona and sixth seed xavier. arizona's 19-7 rally late in the game put them on top 68-60. it was also their 14th straight victory. one seed wisconsin barely avoids upset against fourth ranked north carolina. tar heels with two critical baskets to make it a one-point game with less than a minute to go. with no time-outs left they have to bow it out with a 79-72 victory to take arizona on saturday. kentucky/west virginia, not so close. >> take a look at that kentucky spacing -- oh, the lob! >> what else can i say, what else can i do? >> here's the alley-oop. >> a team that shoots over 50% for the -- oh! no, it's out! >> bringing it all night the wildcats remain undefeated with an embarrassingly easy 78-39 win. third seeded notre dame shot 75% in the second half to top

seventh seeded wichita state 81-70. the irish advance to the elite eight for the first time in 36 years. they'll beat kentucky saturday. the rest of the sweet 16 played tonight. kicking off at 7:15 eastern time. famed basketball coach dean smith passed away last month but he continues to give to his former players. per smith's directions following his death $200 checks were sent out to each of the players who lettered for smith's tar heels team and that's about 180 in all, which comes out to about $36,000. it was with a message that read enjoy a dinner out compliments of coach dean smith. what a great guy. dara, back to you. just ahead, the downton abbey news that has fans pretty upset. a man loses it when an atm swallows his card. returning to his childhood home. this is the smell of baked pears, making him feel warm. then pie crust

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now to entertainment. it's official. after season six, "downton abbey" is calling the quits. fans may want to keep an eye out for a big-screen movie in the future. this sunday night here on nbc it is the i heart radio awards. jamie foxx hosts the music event featuring awards determined by i heart radio charts and votes from music fans nationwide. during a twitter q&a with boston's mayor walsh he was asked why he hadn't released an official statement on zayne

mallic's leaving one direction. the mayor tweeted, we are all devastated about zayn malik but we must soldier on." sydney bridal expo an australian radio station arranged a huge surprise for a couple. >> we wanted to make your first dance a little bit more special today. >> that's right. >> we're going to leave you with a little wedding singer we organized and we hope you enjoy. >> ladies and gentlemen, the first dance as husband and wife, bring in the wedding singer, please. here he is! >> oh my god! >> got to love that cheering. i'm dara brown and this is "early today." we hope it's just your first stop of the day on nbc.

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leading the news a tallahassee democrat would-be bank robber was drunk, arrived by cab, police say. 46-year-old stanley getty was arrested after demanding $100,000 from a tallahassee, florida, bank manager. police found the cab waiting outside. he told him getty was drunk and had not paid his $25 fare. remember this scene from the 2000 movie "gladiator." could you imagine it happening today? from nbc bay area inmates at san francisco jail say deputies forced them to fight gladiator-style. one inmate said he was forced to go up against another inmate twice his size. the san francisco sheriff says four of the accused deputies have been reassigned. the san francisco's d.a. office is investigating.

other top stories today, a new report says drug enforcement administration agents attended sex parties with prostitutes hired by drug cartels while stationed overseas. that's according to the justice department's inspector general. the report didn't specify where the parties took place. it also blames dea for not properly handling sexual harassment and misconduct allegations from 2009 to 2012. in china, surveillance video captures a man smashing a bank machine with a crowbar. the man told authorities he was drunk and that the machine had swallowed his credit card. he faces charges and had to pay the bank for the damage. a disturbing report in the journal "science" says the rate of the shrinking ice at the edge of antarctica has increased 70% over the past decade. scientists are concerned because the ice keeps larger ice sheets from flowing into the ocean. caught on camera. an unidentified man believed to be from west palm beach driving with a great horned owl on his lap. the problem is federally protected.

the video was posted on facebook with the caption "we are drunk and we are high and we're about to take this thing home and eat it up." officials believe the owl is either stunned or dazed in the video and most likely wounded. two andean bear cubs born in november made their debut at national zoo in washington. they spent the morning tumbling and climbing. don't fall! now a look ahead. nasa's one-year mission is ready for takeoff. captain scott kelly will spend a year on the international space station. nasa will study kelly in space and his twin retired astronaut mark kelly, on erpth to determine the effects of song term spaceflight. happy birthday to black eyed peas singer fergie who turns 40. mariah carey is 45. quentin tarantino turns 52. i'm dara brown along with bill karins. thanks for watching "early today." we hope you have a great friday.

and that breaking news a public health advisory after an incident at an east bay chemical plant. >> today, we're live ineebñz pittsburgh with what people in that neighborhood need to know right now. good morning, steph. >> reporter: good morning, chris and sam. this public health advisory came from public health officials just after 3:00 this morning. it impacts part of pittsburgh and aunt yok. this plant is at 901 love ridge road. we're talking