armed and dangerous. an escaped prisoner wearing a hospital gown on the loose after overpowering a guard. a national controversy over discrimination. >> we're not going to changing the law. >> we don't allow you to use your religious freedom to discriminate against someone else. america's top spy agency seemingly attacked by two men dressed in women's clothing. >> it's tuesday, march 31st. "early today" starts right now.

good morning, i'm milissa rehberger. breaking news out of virginia. an armed prisoner is on the loose. police tweeted out this photo. he was in custody when he escaped from inova fairfax hospital. that is less than 10 miles from washington, d.c. let's go live to nbc's tracie potts in washington. tracie we're hearing the prisoner's gun belonged to a security guard. >> exactly. local police hired private security to watch him. he was in a local jail on federal armed robbery charges. we're now learning from the police department he tried to hurt himself. they took him to the hospital. at some point he overpowered that guard, took his gun and fled with no shoes and appear hospital gown. this has been going on for several hours now. residents in the area getting 911 calls, reverse 911 calls

urging them to be on the lookout. it's not clear if he's in or around the hospital or escaped into the neighborhood. obviously a very dangerous situation. initially we were told there were shots fired. we know now from police shots were fired. it's not clear if it was from this escaped suspect or if it was from police shooting at him. we do have a little more information now about his background as well from police this morning. as i told you, he was in on an armed robbery charge. apparently according to a three-year-old report from the parole board, they believe that he is a security risk. he's armed and dangerous and they are very concerned about him being out in the neighborhood at this time. apparently they say he has a long history of violence and a history of criminal record that includes robbery and a number of other charges. so that's what we know right now about the man. it is still an active shooter

situation. this is about 20 minutes from here from the u.s. capital, about 15 miles or so in a suburban hospital. it's been going on for the last few hours. >> that is scary. tracie thank you. it's a state law drawing national attention. indiana's new religious freedom law. this morning things are boiling over. this is the cover of today's indianapolis star. simply "fix this now." that hour pl statement follow a ground swell of opposition. critics say the measure allows businesses to refuse service to customers based on their sexual orientation. washington and connecticut banned official travel to indiana. connecticut's governor spoke yesterday. >> in connecticut we honor religious freedom and people have the right to their own practices. but we don't allow to you use your religious freedom to discriminate against somebody else. >> the city council in indianapolis went on record as objecting to that law, passing a resolution it 4-4 saying it's

bad tore business an tourism. an op-ed in the "wall street journal" defending the law, scott walker mark rubio and ted cruz and former president jeb bush. >> governor pence has done the right thing. florida has a law like this. bill clinton signed a law like this at the federal level. this is simply allowing people of faith space to be able to express their beliefs, to have -- to be able to be people of conscious. >> supporters point out there are similar laws protecting religious freedom in 19 other states. now to a bizarre story with a violent end. this is how the call came in to emergency dispatch. >> reported gunshot wounds. possible tract act arrest. >> then these mangled cars in front of the national security

agency. here is what happened. two men dressed in women's clothing wearing women's wigs attempted to drive an suv into the nsa. they had apparently stolen it for a joy ride. guards raised the barriers but then opened fire after the driver ignored warnings. the suv crashed into a police vehicle. one of the suspects was killed. the other is in critical condition. a police officer suffered minor injuries. police later found drugs and a handgun in the suv. the fbi said the suspects had no apparent plans to attack the nsa. this morning several new developments in the plane crash in the alps. officials say the copilot who apparently crashed flight 9525 was once treated for widal tenancies. nbc global correspondent bill nealy has the story. >> inside the head of andreas lubitz was a troubled mind. heed always dreamed of flying but it's clear he also considered killing himself. years before he qualified, he

had been receiving therapy. on his mind suicide. >> treatments of a psychotherapist because of what is documented as being suicidal. >> he had had seen doctors in recent years said the prosecutor but there was no record of any more suicidal tendencies or aggressions. evidence from his apartment showed he tried to hide his medical condition from the airline. investigators now examining reports that was bipolar disorder or manic-depression. his employers at lufthansa now face more questions. did they know about his suicidal thoughts. if they did, why did they believe they were all in the past. because this is what his boss said of lubitz last week. >> translator: he was 100% fit to fly, he said without any restrictions. >> reporter: the pain of the bereaved families is immense. they still haven't found the

data recorder. they are still finding human remains. they have extracted dna of around 80 victims. there's so much more to find. not just from the flight but the medical records and history of a troubled man who became a mass murderer. nbc chief correspondent bill nealy reporting on that story. fascinating video from national weather service. columbia, south carolina this is time lapse video of a wavy canopy of clouds. they look like giant rolling pins moving over the city. nbc meteorologist bill karins -- that's crazy looking. >> time lapse, happening fast. this in the southeast, roll clouds, not usually associated with severe weather. lou in the sky and it's frightful. what's doing on. just a little moisture in the atmosphere. cool air at the very surface, warmer temperatures aloft. amazing scene. rare. widespread in south carolina. let's talk about what's the next

weather threat. it's going to be the middle of the country as we go throughout our severe weather season. this is usually the favorite spot. that's the case over the next several days. severe storms. thunderstorms possible, little rock oklahoma and texas. doesn't look too bad. hail possible in wichita falls north of abilene. dallas stays out of the worst of it. wednesday a bad severe weather day this week with the possibility of a few tornadoes. it would be in the middle of the country. we're going to see from dallas oklahoma city des moines to minneapolis. the heart of it will be focused just to the north of what we typically call tornado alley. topeka, des moines, large hail a big threat isolated tornadoes. thursday, friday some will push to the south. today's forecast a little rain in the northwest. temperatures in the 50s and 60s. watch out for those rip currents off the coast of california. otherwise most of the weather today is cooler is on the way.

temperatures in the mid-50s in the northwest. >> all right, bill. thank you. straight ahead a new find in space. a super-sized planet that includes four suns. music moguls try to take control of their own fate. that's next. oh, i love game night. ooh, it's a house and a car! so far, you're horrible at this, flo. yeah, no talent for drawing, flo. house! car! oh, raise the roof! no one? remember when we used to raise the roof, diane? oh, quiet, richard i'm trying to make sense of flo's terrible drawing. i'll draw the pants off that thing. oh, oh, hats on hamburgers! dancing! drive-in movie theater! home and auto. lamp! squares. stupid, dumb. lines. [ alarm rings ] no! home and auto bundle from progressive. saves you money. yay, game night, so much fun.

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welcome back. today is the deadline for a nuclear deal with iran but it seems negotiators need more time to work out key issues. they are addressing round of statements for talks, next deadline june 30th. a poll says 59% support a

u.s.-iranian agreement where their program would be restricted in return for allies lifting sanctions. tracie potts has more from washington. >> reporter: this is new video this morning of what may be america's last chance to keep iran from building a nuclear weapon. everyone is at the table. the u.s. britain, france china, russia germany and iran. to sell this deal iran needs to go home with relief from u.n. sanctions. world making money selling oil, iran wants back in the game. john kerry wants to sell congress there's enough tight restrictions on uranium. tonight's midnight deadline after iran says no to shipping nuclear fuel to russia. >> i think you have to assume the worst. here is an attempt either to weaken the u.s. position or to preserve the capability that's certainly not in the interest of the united states. >> reporter: the issue, can iran be trusted to dilute that fuel on its own. >> it can't be based on trust.

it has to be based on verification. >> if there's no deal today, congress made it clear iran could face more sanctions. tracie potts nbc news washington. other stories we're following. pharmacist group opposes execution drug. american pharmacist association approved a new policy yesterday that discourages members from providing drugs for the death penalty. the group can't legally prevent pharmacies from selling drugs but the ethical standard could be enough. under the circumstances a move that could affect states like texas where there is a drug shortage. in fresno, california an update now on the firefighter who plunged into a burning garage. doctors say he will be hospitalized for more than two months. he was inside the burning garage for almost three minutes. he suffered burns on 70% of his body. in boston it was a dedication of edward kennedy

movement for senate. he died in 2009 served nearly half a century in the senate. the $78 million facility includes a replica of the chamber and kennedy's office. >> ted understood the only point of running for office was to get something done. not to posture. not to sit there worrying about the next election. >> and a wild discovery in space. a super-sized planet with four suns. astronomers spotted i in a planetary system 136 light years from our own sun. this the second zone four sun system with planets. let's get down to business with cnbc's landon dowdy. good morning, landon. >> hey, milissa, good morning to you. ibm spending $3 million to create an internet data from smart phones tablets and other devices so companies can use it in their operations. ibm has a partnership with the weather channel hoping customers

will use data to track buying patterns and supply chain issues. jay z called on biggest names in music including beyonce and kanye west to relaunch a music streaming service called tidal. they got a piece of the business. it offers millions of songs in high fidelity. the egg mcmuffin isn't just for breakfast anymore. mcdonald's will test sesk breakfast all day at some san diego restaurants neck month. looking for ways to adapt to customers changing tastes and will stop serving chicken raised on antibiotics and adding kael to the menu. >> sultry underwear ads starring david beckham and late night host. have you to see this the old hockey puck ice hatch trick. sports up next. ou ...really close new revlon photoready airbrush effect™ makeup revolutionary formula with light-filtering technology delivers a poreless, airbrushed look. and soft-focus pigments create a luminous finish. your skin has never looked so flawless.

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this morning on "today." savannah sits down with president obama's new pentagon chief ashton carter for an exclusivew. they will discuss iran fight in yellen and the fight against isis. time for tuesday sports headlines with betty nguyen. good morning, betty. >> good morning, milissa. let's start with women, ncaa tournament uconn dominates dayton with 91-70 win. husband kiss huskies back. 58-48 win over tennessee. a look at women's final four all number ones on sunday. uconn will face maryland andall american teams revealed. only unanimous choice is wisconsin 7 foot senior frank kaminsky. rounding out the five jamil, oak far, willie stein and freshman deangelo russell.

falcons have been fined $350,000 for pumping fake noise into the stadium at home games. the team will also forfeit a fifth round selection in the 2015 draft. lion linebacker diondre levy takes his off-season to the limits. look at this. posted pictures to instagram harnessed to a biplane. thanks for the harness. went upside down too. this is one thrill seeker. reds catering to a new crowd. nursing homs. a nursing and baby care area glide rockers, flat screen toys for toddlers a refrigerator. even some lockers. a bizarre play you have to see to believe. during the stars-flames game puck takes a bounce and gets wedged under the adviser of star player. it took him about 10 seconds to get it out, and laughed it off. what are the chances. milissa, back to you. >> that is a first. just ahead a law that would

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following the success of "the sound of music" and "peter pan" the next live musical will be "the wiz." that will be cool. van halen reunited on jimmy fallon last night to take us to our favorite central american locale. ♪ ♪ >> always a classic. apparently front man david lee roth injured his nose on a microphone during rehearsal. looks like he's fine. the band rocks. those guys look good. how do they look good after after all those years. >> earlier jean jacket underneath looks like really good shape. >> they all do. came through that earlier period of life unscathed. >> i'm sure we'll look the same. >> i'm milissa rehberger. this is "early today." we hope it is just your first stop of the day on nbc.

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leading the news from the bbc news 1,000-year-old onion and garlic eye remedy kills mercy, the super bug one of the nastiest hospital in effects out there. they were astonished to find the 19th century concoction almost completely wiped it out. that is great news. on nbcnews.com. con man creates fake website from prison e-mails his way to freedom. get this. the 28-year-old british man used a smuggled cell phone to create a fake e-mail account. he used it to persuade prison

officials he had been granted bail. he a change of heart and turned himself in. >> smart inmate. 134 other stories we're following today. haitian american church ten killed eight injured when their van crashed into a canal in florida. they were returning from a palm sunday trip. the driver lost control of a vehicle when he ran a stop sign. his son-in-law remembers him fondly. >> he was a nice nice guy and everything. >> arizona governor has just enacted a controversial law that keeps women from buying insurance that covers abortion through the federal health care exchange. the law requires doctors to tell patients that drug induced boringses can be reversed. critics call that argument junk science. a woman in akron, ohio, accused of stabbing her boyfriend with a pen and a knife because he ate all their salsa. police found the man covered in

blood. according to cleveland wjw news his injuries are unthreatening. david beckham stars in a sultry underwear ad along with a guest. >> is there a meaning to my days? that's why i feel secure supportive. >> free. >> that's hot. that is late show's james cordon joining beckham bravely i might ad. >> very bravely. >> spoofed -- >> he jumps high. >> somewhat athletic in that last part. >> made me stop watching beckham for at least a second. now a look ahead illinois republican congressman aaron schock's resignation takes effect today. the 33-year-old leaving a few months into his fourth term following questions about his expenses. most notably the "downtown abbey" style did heecor of his congressional office.

al gore turns 77 christopher walken 72 and partridge family shirley jones is 81. i'm milissa rehberger. thanks for watching "early today." have a great tuesday.

we are following breaking news on this tuesday morning. a live picture, shots fired and an inmate on the run. police on the hunt for an escaped prisoner. firefighters still on the scene after a late-night fire that destroyed four homes under construction in dublin. and san bruno not satisfied with a landmark fine levied against pg&e for the 2010 explosion. what city leaders will be asking for today. a live look outside on this tuesday morning. bay bridge from a distance. it is march 31st. this is "today in the bay."