it's tuesday, march 29th, coming up on "early today," breaking news overnight. a hijacked passenger aircraft with 81 people on board lands in cyprus, we'll have the latest. the fbi drops its lawsuit for apple's cooperation with a stunning announcement. and the latest information on monday's scary moments at the u.s. capitol. including the identity of an alleged shooter. "early today" starts right now. good morning, i'm dara brown, breaking news, an egyptian plane has been hijacked and landed in cyprus. the egypt air flight was traveling from alexandria to cairo after being forced to land in cyprus. there were conflicting reports about how many people were on board. with some officials saying 55, while others reported 81. most of the passengers have been released.

and now we're hearing details about the hijacker's motive. nbc's alistair jameson joins us from london. what can you tell us? >> good morning, dara. this was a routine flight, a short trip from alexandria to cairo. the flight takes around 30 minutes. some point in that flight one of the passengers on board told the flight clue crue he had explosives on, a suicide vest and the flight was diverted across the mediterranean and landed at larnaca. once on the ground, negotiations began to release almost all of the passengers. it's still not clear what motives lay behind this hijacking. the cyprus president said it's nothing to do with terrorism and a high-level source told nbc news that the hijacker's motives seem to be a personal matter involving a woman and the hijacker asked to speak to someone, possibly his ex-wife. what we know is there are still around eight people on board that plane. most of the passengers are off.

but around eight people are still on board. that consists of the crew and three passengers who are believed to be nonegyptians. they are foreigners, we don't know their nationality, but they're still on board the plane at this hour. it all comes after security at egypt's airports was under closer security, scrutiny after last october's bombing of a russian jet off the sinai peninsula. no indication yet whether this hijacker did have any weapons on board with him at all. dara? >> alistair jameson from london, thank you so much. well a high-stakes legal battle between the fbi and apple is over. the justice department says it has successfully unlocked the iphone of san bernardino shooter syed farook and has extracted the data that was on it in a two-page court filing the government asked a federal judge to vacate an order forcing app toll help the fbi break into the phone. it provided no details about how the fbi unlocked it.

apple has vigorously 0 opposed being forced to write software to hack the iphone, saying it would jeopardize security of all iphones. apple said in part from the beginning we objected to the fbi's demand that apple build a back door into the iphone, we believed it was wrong and would set a dangerous precedent. as a result of the government's dismissal, neither of these has occurred. the case should never have been brought. scary moments yesterday on capitol hill, a man pulled out a gun at the visitors center sparking a lockdown. nbc's peter alexander has details. >> shooting at the u.s. capitol. >> terrifying moments at the capitol. inside the visitors' center -- panic. capitol police with guns drawn as tourists flee. >> they said run. they told everybody, they told everybody to run. >> at the white house, entrances closed as a precaution in the middle of the annual easter egg roll. police say the shooting happened shortly after 2:30 p.m. at the

east front of the u.s. capitol. when a man approached the screening checkpoint, a requirement for all visitors. >> the individual drew what appeared to be a weapon and pointed it at officers. an officer fired and struck the suspect. >> officials identified the man as larry dawson, age 66, from antioch, tennessee, well known to authorities, he was under a court order to stay away from the capitol. dawson was arrested last october after this outburst in the gallery overlooking the floor of the house of representatives. >> i am a prophet of god. >> a website for a community church in tennessee lists dawson as its pastor. seen here advocating for a raise in the minimum wage. >> we believe that this is the act of a single person. who has frequented the capitol grounds before. and there's no reason to believe that this is anything more than a criminal act. >> a woman in the visitors center was also injured. the suspect was rushed to the hospital for surgery. the visitors center was built in part in response to another shooting here in 1998, where a

mentally ill man shot and killed two capitol police officers. peter alexander reporting. dawson is listed in stable but critical condition. he's been charged with a deadly weapon and assault on a police officer while armed. turning to the race for the white house. a new nbc news survey monkey poll released shows hillary clinton losing some ground nationally, but still ahead of senator bernie sanders by seven percentage points. on the republican side, donald trump is still leading senator ted cruz by 21 points. wisconsin governor scott walker will make an endorsement this morning ahead of his state's primary next tuesday. he has previously hinted it will be to senator cruz. he will almost certainly not be endorsing donald trump. the pair feuded in the past and trump tweeted last night after the way i beat governor scott walk anywhere the presidential primaries, no way he would ever endorse me. this is the personal feud between trump and cruz continues to be front and center on the

trail. nbc's halle jackson reports. >> new week, same rivalry. now playing out on the radio. >> joining me on the line -- >> donald trump versus ted cruz. >> he started it. if he didn't start it, it would have never happened. nothing like this would have ever happened. >> trump, upset about the racy ad featuring a photo of his wife. >> he knew about it, somebody said he's the one who bought the copyrights. >> the cruz team denies that and s.e.c. filings show no payments from his campaign to british "gq." >> a photographer who took the picture demands the group stop using it. ignoring the back and forth? cruz now refusing to engage. >> who cares. who cares what donald is tweeting late at night. we need real solutions for the real problems in this country. >> he's taking on trump, not personally, but on policy. >> he has no idea how to keep america safe from radical islamist terrorists. so instead, he yells and screams

and curses and attacks people and threatens lawsuits and attacks their wives and attacks their families. >> campaigning through wisconsin, cruz is talking national security. and so is trump, with the "washington post," still raising eyebrows after this last week. >> this is about isis you would not use a tactical nuclear weapon against isis? >> this is a very good looking group of people. could i just go around and so i know hot hell i'm talking about? >> the battleground now, wisconsin. the state's pivotal primary, a week away. halle jackson, nbc news, rothschild. last night, president obama spoke out about the state of the election. speaking in somewhat somber tones when discussing the republican race. >> i know i'm not the only one who may be more than a little dismayed about what's happening on the campaign trail right now. the divisive and often vulgar rhetoric that's aimed at everybody, but often focused on

the vulnerable or women or minorities. the sense that facts don't matter. the sense that this is a game. that makes it all but impossible for us to make good decisions on behalf of future generations. the number one question i'm getting as i travel around the world or talk to world leaders right now is what is happening in america. about our politics. >> the presidential candidates will be on msnbc wednesday for a night of exclusive town halls, john kasich sits down with chuck todd at 7:00 p.m., followed by donald trump with chris matthews and then hillary clinton and bernie sanders will be one-on-one on a special edition of the rachel maddow show. the death toll in the easter bombing in lahore, pakistan, stands at 72. meanwhile, in pakistan, the hunt continues for those responsible. the taliban splinter group that

once pledged to fight for isis, but now operates independently. the group said it wanted to target christian males, but the bombing killing many women and children. the bomb detonated in an area where families were waiting in line for ride tickets. the spokesman said more attacks are planned. the pakistani government has promised swift action to bring the group to justice. nbc meteorologist bill karins is here with your forecast. >> big storm in the inner mountain west, a lot of snow and it will led to severe weather, very windy conditions over the last 24 hours. that will continue today, too. southern california, especially through arizona and new mexico. you see it on the satellite imagery. the spin right over nevada. this is becoming a cut-off low, as you can see the clouds in the ocean moving straight up. the jet stream is getting disconnected from the storm, it will do a slow drift across the country, providing us with a snowstorm today into tomorrow and then severe weather wednesday into thursday, maybe even a few tornadoes, we have a blizzard warning north of casper. the highest elevations are getting the most snow as normal.

the state of wyoming is almost going to be covered in snow by the time we're done with this tomorrow morning. just north of interstate 80 ard medicine bow this is 10-12 inches of snow. an significant early spring snowstorm. then the storm goes to the middle of the country wednesday, this will be a classic you know, typical severe weather set-up with just a little moisture from the gulf. the definitely the cold air behind it, the warm air ahead, we'll see from des moines down to alexandria, new orleans, houston included, almost 30 million people at risk of severe storms. we'll see some severe weather. the rest of the west coast, you get nice and you're going to warm up as april standards. northern california, 71 in redding is a nice day. northwest is going to warm up.

we could be near 70 shortly in seattle and portland. >> sounds like a nice break, bill, thanks so much. straight ahead, it's a derringer-style gun that looks like a cell phone. and busted, drug smugglers using a submarine carrying over $200 million in cocaine. details as "early today" continues. if your family outing is magical for all the wrong reasons. you may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec® for powerful allergy relief. and zyrtec® is different than claritin®. because it starts working faster on the first day you take it. try zyrtec®. muddle no more®. choose the one new revlon ultimate-all-in-one. our revolutionary mascara delivers 5 lash-transforming benefits. volume, length, definition, lift, and intense color. choose love from the new collection of

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the only suspect held in the brussels attack has been set free. faisal cefou was originally believed to be the man in white but prosecutors say there's not enough evidence. they've posted a fresh appeal for information. a five-week operation by u.s. immigrations targeting gains netted over 1100 arrests. more than 900 suspects were cross-border gang members and associates. agents also seized 150 firearms and over $70,000. newly released video by the

u.s. coast guard shows them nabbing a submersible carrying almost 6 1/2 tons of cocaine. a customs spotted the vessel and the coast guard swooped in. the drugs are worth more than $200 million. in minnesota, a man invented a small gun that folds up to look like a cell phone. kirk zellberg said he got the idea after an incident in a restaurant. >> a little child, a boy about seven saw me and said mommy, that guy's got a gun, and the whole restaurant stares at you and i thought there's got to be something better to do than this. >> he said he's willing to give law enforcement x-rays of the gun to identify it on scanners. he plans to sell it for $395. well just ahead, the fight over a controversial new law in north carolina, and later, a deputy pulls over a driver in the hov lane and gets the surprise of a lifetime. soup and sandwich and cannonballs

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this morning on "today," jeff rossen investigates the value of an all-inclusive vacation. are they the better option? or should you pay as you go? learn how to get the most value out of your vacation, coming up on "today." now to the growing backlash over what some call religious freedom laws and others call anti-lgbt discrimination. in georgia, the governor has backed down. saying he'll veto a bill that's generated a backlash from some

of the biggest companies in america. in north carolina the governor has already signed a similar bill there and as nbc reports, the governor says he's not budging. >> the stakes were high, with georgia's economic viability on line, the governor announced he would veto a controversial religious rights bill. >> i do not think that we have to discriminate against anyone to protect the faith-based community in georgia. >> the legislation would have given businesses the right to deny service based on religious beliefs. the governor argued that the bill went too far. for weeks, major companies like coke, apple and hilton criticized the bill and hollywood heavyweights, which generate more than $6 billion in georgia, threatened to boycott. comcast and nbc universal are parent companies, also urged a veto. disney among those cheering the decision, say week applaud governor deal and look forward to continuing our film production in georgia.

but some lawmakers have threatened to challenge the decision. >> that's the clear will of the people in georgia is in support of this legislation. >> a similar battle played out in north carolina. >> governor mccory, you've made a mess of our state. >> a federal lawsuit filed over north carolina's new law, limiting protections for gay and transgender people. like in georgia, major organizations like paypal and the nba have the backlash, threatening to pull business. now it's north carolina's governor on the hotseat. he says he's not backing down. >> in the common sense is not to have a government regulation telling business who they allow a in what rest room. >> the battle over gay rights and religious freedom being fought one state at a time. janet shamlian, nbc news, raleigh, north carolina. and just ahead, a tribute to the late comic genius gary shandling, you're watching "early today."

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a final game. the internet is buzzing over the upcoming movie "me before you" which stars actors from "game of thrones," "the hunger games" and harry potter. the extended trailer for the movie was released yesterday and movie hits theaters this june. that is blake griffin. he plays for the nba. >> oh, my god, no way. we just met him. >> los angeles clippers star blake griffin made a cameo in a "broad city" episode. he's no stranger to comedy. not only did he intern at "funny or die," but also was in stand-up. and jimmy fallon had to address the birdie sanders internet sensation. >> birdie sanders held another big rally in oregon.

the crowd went wild when a bird landed on stage. >> this little bird doesn't know i it. >> actually something similar happened at a trump speech this weekend, take a look. >> that's what will happen. when donald trump is president. >> that's right. >> he picked him up right from the hair, the hair is real. >> bernie sanders, little bird. donald trump, huge bird. >> it wasn't like a parrot that landed in front of him and said "feel the bern." now we're giving them more crazy ideas. i'm dara brown, this is "early today." thope to see you again soon.. whoa, whoa, i got this. just gotta get the check.

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welcome back. we want to update you object our breaking news, an egyptian plane was hijacked this morning and landed in cyprus. egypt air flight mf-181 was traveling from the egyptian city of alexandria to cairo before being forced to land in cyprus. there are conflicting reports about how many people are on board, with some officials saying 55, others saying 81. nearly all passengers have been evacuated. their nationalities include dutch, american, belgian, french, italian. egypt air has announced three passengers and five crew members, including the pilot and co-pilot are currently being held hostage on board the plane. a passenger reportedly told the pilot he had an explosive belt we been told the motive is related to a cypriot woman who

appears to be the hijacker's ex-wife. larnaca airport is closed as negotiations continue. this is the eighth hijacking involving an egypt air flight. we'll keep you updated here on nbc. when an orange county deputy sheriff pulled over his wife for driving in the carpool lane without another passenger in her car, you'll never guess, maybe you will guess what happened. >> i am not in violation of any california vehicle code. you have got to be kidding me. i'm trying -- to go to work. >> we will argue about this later. please -- >> yes. yes. yes, we will. >> turns out a baby is on the way. baby wigginton due to arrive this september. fidel castro, the former president of cuba had harsh words about president obama's efforts to change relations with cuba. in a wrong letter he wrote in

part. nobody should be under the illusion that the people of this country will renounce the glory, rights or spiritual wealth they have gained. we are capable of producing the food and material riches we need. we do not need the empire to give us anything. utah governor gary herbert signed the first of its kind legislation monday that requires doctors to administer anesthesia to women undergoing abortions at 20 weeks. the bill said the purpose is to eliminate or alleviate pain to the unborn child. and thousands of children gathered at the white house to roll egg ace cross the lawn for the white house easter egg roll. joining the easter bunny and storm troopers there were a number of celebrities, from beyonce to nba great shaquille o'neal. well stay with nbc news for the very late et on the egypt air hijacking. i'm dara brown, thanks for watching "early today," we'll see you back here tomorrow. have a great day. a passger j hijaed inegypt.

thesare le breaking news. a passenger jet hijacks in egypt. look live at pictures of that jet as it sits on the tarmac with the hijackers still inside along with some of the crew and some passengers. plus, a 21 st. century digital privacy rights battle put on hold after the feds are successful to use a third hch party company to hack into a terrorist iphone. a man wanted for a vicious beating. "today in the bay" starts right now. thanks for joining us, i'm kris sanchez in for laura garcia-cannon. >> i'm sam brock. we'll get to the breaking news from egypt with all the latest developments. first, a quick check of the weather. unlike yesterday, kari, the camera is not shaking around.