few minutes with instant moisture from k-y ultragel. severe weather ahead today with 48 million americans in the path of major thunderstorms, plus enhanced risk including possible tornados. trumped again. a hawaiian judge blocks the president's so-called travel ban stopping another white house executive order. >> ivanka trump moves into a new role with her father, but now held to new ethics rules standards. >> a notorious jewel thief finds out punishment. >> did jimmy fallon reveal who will win the basketball championships? "early today" starts right now. >> good morning everybody. i'm yasmin vossoughian. >> i'm frances rivera. great to be with you. at least 13 people were killed

when a church bus and pickup truck collided in texas. the bus was carrying a group of senior citizens returning home after a three-day church retreat. one survived. that person was hospitalized remains in critical condition. the driver of the pickup truck survived and was airlifted to the hospital and is now in stable condition. the wreck happened on a two-lane highway 75 west of san antonio. authorities are investigating. >> for reasons unknown, the truck veered into the southbound lane and struck the bus head on. >> the ntsb sent investigators to the scene to determine the cause of the deadly tragedy. >> 48 million americans are at risk of severe strms. over the past 24 hours storms tore through the south, winds up to 90 miles per hour. many homes were destroyed and 200,000 lost power. in seymour, texas you could hear

the the fury. slamming down a barrage of golf ball-sized hail that tore through car windows. take a look at this scene a gust nado, a small but powerful type of wind spotted in western texas. check out these pictures of lightning bolts ripping through the arkansas sky just incredible. bill karins is coming up with your severe weather forecast. developing news out of north carolina, state lawmakers will vote today on a new deal to replace the state's so-called bathroom bill. it repeals the bill forcing transgender people to use the bathroom that matches their birth gender. the state would have final say on bathroom policies. some say the new within is a new version of the old law. the new bill comes after the ncaa removed championships from the state over the law which they call discriminatory. several entertainers also

canceled shows there in protest. the associated press estimates the law could have cost north carolina over $3 billion in lost business over the next 12 years. governor roy cooper says the new deal will repair north carolina's reputation. overnight president trump travel restriction was dealt a major blow, a federal judge in hawaii extended his block on the president's so-called travel ban on refugees and people from predominantly muslim countries so that the administration will not be able to enforce the executive order. mr. trump's on the issue since taking office. in his argument hawaii's attorney general quoted mr. trump saying the ban is a watered down version of the original telling the court we cannot fault the president for being politically incorrect but fault him for being constitutionally incorrect. on twitter the ag office posted this statement, the court will not crawl into a corner pull the shutters closed and pretend it has not seen what it has. the white house continuing to defend the executive order saying the ban falls within the

president's power to protect national security. this morning first daughter ivanka trump will take on a new role as she becomes a federal employee. her title assistant to the president. she released a statement saying i have heard the concerns some have with my advising the president in my personal capacity, while voluntarily complying with all ethics rules and i will serve as an unpaid employee in the white house office subject to all of the same rules as other federal employees. this was a complete about-face from her initial thoughts right after the election. >> people think that you're going to be part of the administration, ivanka. >> no, i'm going to be a daughter but i've said throughout the campaign that i am very passionate about certain issues and that i want to fight for them. >> but you won't be --

>> wage equality, childcare, these are things that are very important for me. i'm very passionate about education. really promoting more opportunities for women. so you know, there are a lot of things i feel deeply strongly about that not in a formal administrative capacity. >> now she'll join husband jared kushner in the west wing. the white house writing ivanka's service furthers our commitment to ethics, transparency and compliance. it's not unprecedented. the white house last saw an adult child serve during dwight d. eisenhower's time in office. as the president shows a willingness to work across the aisle, his ally paul ryan is flying in the face of that bipartisanship standing his ground and saying he's flatly against working with democrats on health care. >> what i worry about is if we don't do this he'll work with democrats to try and change obamacare and that's not -- that's hardly a conservative thing. this is a can-do president, a business guy who wants to get things done and i know that he wants to get things done with

the republican congress but if this republican congress allows the enemy of the good i worry we'll push the president into working with democrats. he's been suggesting that as much. >> that development comes as new polling shows a majority of americans against president trump and republicans' failed health care plan, some 62% gave the bill and the handling a thumbs down, according to the ap it was the president's worst rating among seven issues the polls tested including the economy, foreign policy and immigration. new this morning we have word from the white house that chinese president xi jinping with meet with president trump at his mar-a-lago resort next week. the two have had a rocky

relationship since president trump first communicated with taiwan. tragedy strikes in the skies as an american airlines pilot dies mid flight on his way to an albuquerque airport. the control tower there received a scary message. >> we've got an issue with one of the pilots. i declare emergency. like to have a medical crew meet us on landing. >> the plane was able to land safely and medical personnel met it at the gate. american airlines issued this statement saying, we are deeply saddened by the death of first officer william "mike" grubgs and they are taking care of the first officer's family and colleagues and our prayers with them during this difficult time. >> ours are as well. a lot of weather causing havoc. nbc meteorologist bill karins is here. >> yesterday we got lucky, only one tornado reported. today could be worse and should be worse. we are watching a targeting of

the area in louisiana, mississippi and tennessee, that's where we could see the biggest tornado threat. in all, a huge risk from the ohio valley down to the gulf coast. still rainy showery weather to areas of the west. we'll watch that moving through the inner mountain west, windy conditions, too, in the southern rockies, that's going to clear us out for a decent afternoon in many areas of the west. as we go throughout friday, not a bad day california, clouds and showers around mt. shasta. nice in santa rosa an sacramento with sunshine. we'll talk more about the wet weather coming into the northwest in a bit. >> you want to tell us about the excitedment building for the final four. >> the zags are getting a lot of

attention. they all arrived yesterday in phoenix. south carolina gamecocks, gonzaga bulldogs. the brand new floor has also been installed inside the university of phoenix stadium. first game, tip-off 6:09 p.m. eastern with south carolina and gonzaga. two west coast teams, the zags and oregon. >> you're probably not thinking about it where it's not supposed to rain in phoenix. bill, thank you. ahead, a rare public appearance from melania trump. we'll tell you what brought the first lady out. the white house just trumped a human rights demand over the sale of f-16 fighters. details when "early today" returns. hello, miss bates. do you have a tax question? i do. there's a bunch of creepy kids in this house i moved into. are they your kids? no, no, they were here when i moved in. that sounds awful. can i claim them as dependents? unfortunately, you can't,

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around the world at the women of courage award ceremony. it's the second consecutive public event after hosting senators and their spouses at the white house the day before. she announced the hiring of communications adviser on monday. leading the news on thursday, the white house is telling congress to let bahrain buy f-16s in a $5 billion deal. that's 19 fighter jets made by the american manufacturer lockheed martin. it will include 23 engines, radar and other commitment. the obama administration held back on allowing the sale of this military hardware because of concerns over bahrain's human rights record. now the deal will move full steam ahead once it receives congressional approval. >> as air strikes rain down in mosul, iraq, a top u.s. commander in the fight warning of more civilian casualties to come. with 500 coalition bombs dropped in mosul each and every week extremists are turning desperate in the battle resulting in a massive loss of life. like the one reported earlier this month in which over 200

civilians were killed. a catastrophe the u.s. says, it is investigating. wile we consider and establish accountability over this incident i think it's also important to clearly recognize that the enemy does use human shields, has little regard for human life, and does attempt to use civilian casualty allegations as a tool to hinder our operations. >> now 86-year-old doris payne, you won't see her at any mall any time soon. she's legendary jewel thief sentenced to 120 days on house arrest and banned from atlanta area malls. she pleaded guilty to stealing a $2,000 necklace in december. her jewel thieving career spans six different decades. payne said it wasn't her plan to steal anything. she says the sales woman simply left the necklace on the counter and walked away. i guess a little too tempting. >> it's not my fault.

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>> fast forwarding into thursday, a historic rocket launch by spacex expected this evening. for the first time the company reusing a rocket booster recovered from a previous launch to send up commercial

communications satellites. one of crayola's signature crayon colors is headed for retirement. for the first time one color from its iconic 24-count box will be retired to mark national crayon day. the announcement will be livestreamed on facebook tomorrow morning. i will tell you, frances, i was a crayon for halloween when i was a child. my mom forgot to sew on the crayola, so i was generic. >> at least you're not the one being retired. >> the nobel academy says music legend bob dylan will receive his prize. dylan was awarded the prize in october but initially said he would not collect it in person. on tuesday, three storm chasers were killed in texas when their two vehicles collided while they were tracking a tornado. there's no doubt chasing storms is a dangerous business. while their information could save lives, police say this accident was preventable. miguel almaguer explains the risks and benefits.

>> my gosh, look at that. >> reporter: by definition the job is dangerous. stormchasers driving into trouble while others run away. some say their pictures and weather warnings can save lives. but in texas tuesday, three stormchasers were killed tracking a tornado. police say the two blew through a stop sign slamming into corbin jaeger as the three pursued a storm. this was their live feed shortly before the crash. williamson and yarnall were veterans. >> go back to the left. >> reporter: contractors for the weather channel owned in part by nbc universal, contributors to the show "storm wranglers" where the men spoke of the dangers they face. >> people can sit at home where it's safe and we're out there getting the shot for them. >> reporter: in pursuit of treacherous weather stormchasers say the most dangerous part is driving to the storm. >> go, go. >> reporter: but their research

on tornado formation done from the field -- >> hang on. >> reporter: -- is often used by meteorologists to warn the public of potential threats. >> do not ride this out in your home. >> it's a big one. >> reporter: the national weather service calls the practice dangerous. a risky job that can save lives and take them. miguel almaguer, nbc news. >> certainly thinking of them with the severe weather and tornado season, and also other storm chasers out risking their lives. >> a new cure for hangovers, and march can you tellness, jimmy fallon brings in puppies to predict the ncaa champion. you're watching "early today." . it's time to see what power really looks like. new neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair with accelerated retinol sa. clinically proven to reduce wrinkles in just one week.

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most of their ivy league education, coming up with a cure for hangovers. the team concocted a formula called sun-up. it works by mixing the powder supplement with water and drinking it before heading to the bar. it works together to prevent hangover symptoms. it sells for $5 per package. >> the hard part is, how do you actually plan to have one too many. by that time it's a little too late. >> many people are worried about fake news. with april fools' day coming up, you've got to be extra careful. burger king is releasing an ad for whopper flavored toothpaste. >> to keep your mouth whopper fresh, use whopper toothpaste. >> for real? >> yes. flame grilled micro grant yules contribute to your oral health. from day one, the whopper peck

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>> your travel forecast, windstorm today southern california, into southern nevada, also arizona. vegas could see wind gusts 40 to 60 miles per hour. then into friday, everything is really nice. that's probably the best day of the next few. as we go into saturday, we'll see a weak system bring in showers, maybe brief rain into seattle and portland. everybody from boise southward in for a nice treat. two texas children died after they were electrocuted by downed power lines. fire officials saying the boys were playing in the park when they came across live electric lines on the ground. it's believe the victims were about 11 or 12 years old.

they have not been identified. nbc's dallas ft. worth affiliate says the two were brothers. officials say heavy winds likely knocked down the lines after thunderstorms were through the area. we have a bus that stops with the sign up. watch to the right. you'll see the car barreling right past it. what you cannot see is the driver held out her arm, stopping the students from crossing the road. the school said instances like this happen too often. basic driver's ed, just a reminder how dangerous. >> that car is lucky they didn't hit anybody, by the way. you thought "hamilton" tickets were hard to come by, 30,000 tickets for this year's burning man festival in nevada sold out within 35 minutes on wednesday. they don't come cheap. the tickets sold for $425. if you didn't get one, don't

toss those glow sticks just yet. $1200 tickets will be available in april and more lower priced ones in august. an estimated 70,000 people attended the desert arts festival last year. i'm not sure if frances and i will go. >> with tickets at $450, a lot of shoes you can buy with that. a simple gesture is going viral of a shy boy finding a sweet way to honor his hero. >> he wanted to give you a hug. >> thanks a lot. >> that's 3-year-old t.j. hubbard's mom capturing the precious moment. the two spotted the officer and t.j. was fascinated by the motorcycle. t.j.'s mom said he rarely gives out hugs but wanted to hug the officer to thank him. i'm sure one of the best parts of the job, when you have a kid coming up to do that. >> i love seeing kids, they always show such respect for firemen and police officers. >> thanks for being with us.

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right now at 4:30, the search is on for a shooter who sprayed bullets in a san francisco neighborhood. the victims, innocent bystanders, including this woman, a fixture in the community. today in the bay starts right now. good morning to you, thanks for joining us. it's thursday already a, i'm laura garcia-canon. >> and i'm sam brock. >> we're going to need hair gel. you say it's very windy throughout? >> it's going to be windy all day. in some spots we have mist and drizzle so going to see also a little bit of something else to mess up your hair this morning. as we get