both rigs are facing federal investigations. the executive in charge is out of a job. and shell has announced that it is calling off all of its drilling operations in the arctic for the rest of the year. why is this not a bigger story? year. why is this not a big story? "first look" is up next. >> good morning, it's friday and it's good friday. right now on "first look," this morning, president obama is taking a bold step that would eliminate the pollution of 33 million cars. but it's going to cost you. nelson mandela's lung infection is being closely monitored by doctors. we'll take you live to south africa for the very latest. the public's passions run high, but is momentum for gun control flagging in washington? plus, thousands of dental patients at risk of having hepatitis or hiv. pope francis lifts the stature of women in a new way. and the russians take the express route to space. we'll explain. good morning. i'm mara schiavocampo.

we begin this morning in south africa, where the country's iconic leader, nelson mandela, remains hospitalized for a lung infection. the 94-year-old was rushed to the hospital just before midnight on wednesday. chapman bell joins us live from johannesburg with the very latest. chapman, good morning. what do we know about mandela's condition this morning? >> reporter: the last update we had from the office of the presidency was yesterday evening, where they said that doctors are happy with the response mandela is having to the treatment and he's responding positively, though he's still being closely monitored, he's under observation. we do know that yesterday his wife spent part of the day at his bedside with him. we've been told that he's conscious and that he's just trying to get over this infection that has plagued him over the last few months. he was in the hospital a couple of weeks ago for a routine checkup for this infection and spent that few weeks in the hospital in december for this. he does have a history of lung problems during his 27 years in

prison here in south africa. he did catch tuberculosis. so he does have a history of lung conditions and at 94 years old, i think we're being told that the doctors just want to closely monitor him to make sure that he continues to heal in this country where he's so revered. mara? >> chapman bell live in johannesburg, thanks so much. now to the korean peninsula, where a show of force from the united states has fueled a fresh round of angry threats from north korea's young leader. 28-year-old kim jong-un says his rocket forces are ready to, quote, settle accounts with the u.s. the latest hostile rhetoric is a reaction to a pair of u.s. b-2 stealth bombers that flew over south korea this week during joint training drills. the maneuver was meant to show america's ability to conduct precision strikes quickly and at will. back at home, gun control advocates held rallies across the country, thursday, as president obama hosted mothers of gun violence victims at the

white house. the president urged the country not to forget the tragedy at sandy hook while repeating his promise to fight to reduce gun violence. nbc's danielle lee has more now from washington. danielle, good morning. >> reporter: mara, good morning. supporters of gun reform hope more than 100 events yesterday will energize the nation. but here on capitol hill, lawmakers, even democrats, remain a tough sell on the issue. parents of the newtown shooting victims struggle to digest new details released by investigators about the shooter, adam lanza. documents revealing he fired more than 150 bullets inside sandy hook elementary in under five minutes. his deadliest weapon, according to the state's attorney, a bushmaster semi-automatic rifle and ten 30-round magazines. nicole hochuli lost her son. >> every piece of new information is painful, because it brings us back to december 14th. >> reporter: but even in newtown, there's not agreement over gun reform. yesterday, protesters for and against stricter laws faced off.

>> you cannot make legislation based on emotion. you need to do it by fact. >> reporter: gun control advocates gathered at more than 100 rallies around the country. >> and we need to change the whole culture of violence in this country. >> reporter: newtown parents spoke in a new video campaign, led by new york mayor, mike bloomberg. >> our daughter, grace, was 7 years old. >> reporter: from the white house, president obama demanded the nation remember their loss. >> the entire country pledged we would do something about it and this time would be different. shame on us if we've forgotten. >> he's trying to revive dropping momentum for new measures, comprehensive background checks, and a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. recent polls indicate that support for new gun laws, which had jumped just after the newtown shooting, have dropped by about ten points. . is and in congress, at least six senate democrats could vote against new laws. in washington, i'm danielle lee, mara, back to you. >> danielle, thanks so much for that.

the 22-year-old woman has been arrested on charges to providing a gun to the man accused of killing colorado's prison chief, tom clements. she bought the gun illegally and gave it to evan ebel, who couldn't buy a firearm of his own. a spokesman for the el paso county sheriff's office says investigators are not yet certain if individual jill knew about ebel's plans to kill clements. well, pope francis is just 16 days into his papacy, and already he's making headlines for his unusual inclusion in yesterday's holy thursday ritual. the washing of the feet carried out by pope francis sparked debate when the newly elected leader became the first pope ever to wash and kiss the feet of a woman, a surprising departure from strict church rules limiting the holy ritual move to men only. some welcome it as a sign of greater inclusion in the church. a victim of identity thief,

supreme court justice john roberts. someone got ahold of one of his credit cards, but he had to use cash as a suburban maryland starbucks this week, for his morning coffee, telling the barista, he canceled his car. now here's your first look at this morning's dish of scramble politics. senator mark kirk is getting some well wishes from a hollywood a-lister, jennifer aniston. he re-tweeted from this get well message from his self-proclaimed favorite movie star. the illinois democrat is still recovering from a massive stroke back in january of last year. senator mccain's daughter, meghan, is getting her own talk show on the pivot network. she described it as a sort of "meet the press" meets "jackass." set to premiere in august. alaska republican congressman don young is apologizing this morning after usually a racial slur to refer to latinos.

he made those comments while discussing the economy on alaskan public radio. >> my father had a ranch. we used to hire 50 to 60 wetbacks to pick tomatoes. it takes two people to pick the same tomatoes now. it's all done by machine. >> the 79-year-old has since released a statement saying that while the term "wetbacks" was commonly used while he was growing up on his dad's farm, he understands that now it has a new meaning and he meant no respect. democrat steve brooks was booted after two recent arrests and a hospitalization for a mental health evaluation. republicans are planning a vast outreach plan to minorities in hopes of attracting new voters. it's part of the 100-page autopsy commissioned by the rnc after the november trouncing of candidates. party officials have come under scrutiny after it was revealed that there is not a single racial minority among the 20-most senior officials who run the three wings of the gop charged with promoting candidates and actually winning elections.

and president obama will release his proposed budget for the next fiscal year on april 10th. that's about two months later than normal, but the same day the president has scheduled a second dinner date with fellow republicans. i'm sure they'll have lots of good dinner conversation about that. and that's your morning's dish of scrambled politics. now for a look at our weekend weather, here's bill karins. >> a lot of people want to get out there. it's been a miserable march, but a nice easter weekend to get out there, hide some easter eggs is and find them in the woods. who knows? let's talk about this forecast. it's not a simple and easy one as we go through the weekend. today looks great, no issues at all. a little bit of rain. temperatures have warmed up over the last couple of days, so that's good. i mentioned that rainfall out there. springfield's got some, interstate 44 is a wet ride, this is heading down into the ozarks and eventually it will be raining pretty good in areas like jonesboro, jackson, memphis, and back towards little rock, and possibly even tulsa and oklahoma city a little bit later today. we don't have a lot of snow and

ice to deal, just plain old rain. we shouldn't have much delays on the roads or airport. and that little band of heavier rain should be near little rock, with the potential of some thunderstorms. here's the three-day forecast, taking you through your holiday weekend. east coast, you look okay. nice this afternoon. there's the rain we'll be watching. this kind of combines with some moisture coming out of the gulf. we have fobthe possibility of a inch of rain. illinois, wash away all the snow. especially around minnesota and wisconsin and the rain. unfortunately, it looks like for the east coast, this mess here heads your way. there's really nothing behind it. we're going to be okay through texas and the midwest on easter sunday, but for the east coast, looks like a wet, dreary forecast, especially from the carolinas up to virginia and maryland. in new england, it looks like evening rain. at least tomorrow, hopefully we'll get the morning in dry for everybody in new england, if anybody wants to do anything outdoors. >> so do that easter egg hunt early in the morning and then it will rain. >> in new england, you'll be lucky to get away with that. coming up, a frightening story involving thousands of

dental patients who have been urged to get tested for hepatitis and hiv. we'll have the details next. plus, great news for anyone who has a pension, 401(k), or other investments in the stock market. the sensational jodi arias murder trial has cost arizona taxpayers almost $1.5 million. and bacon lovers will want to hear this story. it's coming up and it's about bacon-flavored mouthwash. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. [ man ] i got this citi thankyou card and started earning loads of points. we'll leave that there. you got a weather balloon, with points? yes i did.

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welcome back. some stories making news this morning. the environmental protection agency is set to announce new rules, reducing the amount of sulfur allowed in gas by two-thirds. it's an effort to improve the performance of engines to fight smog, but opponents say it will only help to raise the price of gas. the ground is still moving on the site of that massive landslide in washington state. at least one home was destroyed wednesday. this morning, at least five remain under evacuation orders and 18 are still inaccessible. a new campaign in tucson promises free shotguns for

people to protect themselves. the armed citizens project is part of a national campaign to give out firearms to single women and homeowners in the nation's crime-rain neighborhoods. health officials in oklahoma say a rogue dentist could have exposed some 7,000 patients to hiv and hepatitis. letters are going out to previous patients of tulsa-based doctor w. scott harrington, urging them to get tested. new figures show the defense for murder suspect jodi arias has cost the state of arizona more than $1.4 million since 2008. state law guarantees capital murder suspects two death penalty-qualified lawyers and the trial is still weeks away from going to the jury. and two russians and an american have docked at the international space station and they did it in record time. the soyuz shot the man into space on the new orbit maneuver, taking less than six hours from launch to docking. that's quicker than a trip to europe. well, the trading markets are closed on this good friday holiday, but stocks finished the week and the first quarter in

2013 in very fine fashion. the s&p 500 along with the dow, both reaching record highs, while the nasdaq continues to rise. and for the first quarter of 2013, the dow is up 11.25%. the s&p up over 10%. and the nasdaq, up well over 8%. the financial crisis in cyprus is seemingly calm on the second day that banks are open after a two-week shut down. google has been forced to backtrack on its google glass program. they've had to uninvite some of those 8,000 selected for the pilot program because they shouldn't have been chosen and didn't mean to apply in the first place. well, pedro quezada, the new jersey man who won the $338 million jackpot, turns out he owes $29,000 in back child support. alex rodriguez will make more this year than all of the houston astros team combined. a-rod won't even play until midseason, but his salary beats the entire astros payroll of about $25 million.

and a hat tip to our friend at jane wells at cnbc on this item. while this is probably an april fools prank, it was just too delicious to pass up. america's love of bacon has spawned a whole new industry for uses of the delicious breakfast meat. the ad reminisces about the many uses of bacon, only to end on a bacon-flavored mouthwash. but don't expect to find it on shelves anytime soon. one wrong step causes a hero to spring into action. but the dangerous electrical third rail poses a deadly threat. we'll show you the outcome next. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. because all these whole grains aren't healthy unless you actually eat them ♪ multigrain cheerios. also available in delicious peanut butter. healthy never tasted so sweet.

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[ announcer ] beneful. play. it's good for you. two of the biggest stories in washington right now include the president's push on gun control and dealing with immigration. i'm joined now by lynn sweet, the washington bureau chief for "the chicago sun-times." lynn, good morning. thanks for being here. >> thank you, good morning to you. >> now, gun control is front and center again, with the president saying, quote, shame on us if we've forgotten the victims of newtown. will something get done, or is momentum waning here? >> well, i think momentum is waning. you know, the senate democrats have tasked out a judiciary committee to measure some measures. there's not support for all of the four key measures and that's why the white house had these mothers who are mothers of gun victims there yesterday, to try and keep the pressure on. unfortunately, i've seen this before, after other horrible

shooting incidents, there's a lot of momentum to do something and then in the end, congress doesn't act. right now, the only measure that seems to have bipartisan support is on gun fencing and gun trafficking. >> all right. and another big issue is dealing with immigration. now, the latest pew polls show support growing for immigration reform. what will actually get done there? >> this issen ash where i think there is cross-aisle support. interesting, isn't it? the same group of people can't agree on guns. now you do have more republicans saying, yes, we can do something, and that issue seems to have momentum and that momentum even is gaining. >> all right, lynn sweet, "chicago sun-times." thanks for waking up with us on this good friday. >> thank you. now to some other stories that caught our eye this morning. we start in philadelphia, where a good samaritan sprung into action when a 63-year-old man walked right off the subway platform. now hailed a hero, the man jumped on to the tracks to help

while others called to stop the trains. emergency crews lifted the man off the tracks and they say he'll be okay. to virginia now. a surveillance video shows a foiled robbery after a store clerk manages to fight off the suspect. as the robber aimed his gun at one employee, the other was able to run out of the door where he got into a tugging match over the gun. the robber ran out of without any loot. and the tulsa zoo had a little surprise. the gentle giants tore up paper ma shay eggs filled with hay. and a man opened his car and found a kitty trapped. the poor cat is hopefully now back to catching mice. just ahead, the contest to pick the best tv theme songs of all time is getting tighter. plus, now that it looks like barbara walters is retiring, how

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this is not good. north korea is warning the u.s. that war with south korea may break out at any minute. then obama's like, can't believe i'm doing this, get me dennis rodman on the phone. can't believe i -- it's come down to this. come on, rodman! speaking of president obama, yesterday he told reporters that his ncaa tournament bracket is busted. yeah, obama said they were the worst picks he's ever made. then he looked at his economic

adviser and said, eh, maybe not. >> well, turning now to entertainment, g.i. joe is hoping to be an american box office hero this weekend. "g.i. joe: redemption" is expected to pull in over $37 million. other new movies, "the host," and tyler perry's "temptation" will also do new business, but will likely fall short to hold over "the croods." bell wrote, my new roommate poops her pants and doesn't pay rent. basically, pre-sobriety. welcome baby lincoln. veteran abc news personality barbara walters is reportedly set to retire in may of 2014 with an official announcement coming in the next three weeks. the 83-year-old has suffered from some health problems this year, taking her to take some time off from "the view."

british boy band one direction is cashing in while they can, smart kids. as the one-d tour opened its doors, fans freaked over those cardboard cutouts, and anything that featured the band. "america's most wanted," the tv show credited with catching over 1,000 fugitives is going off the air yet again. and yahoo!'s song includes the fresh prince of belaire, and the golden girls, which is my pick. and from crazy car crashes to stunning shark encounters, let's take a quick look at the week that was. it didn't feel much like spring early this week, snowstorms and fierce winds sweeping through parts of the country. in d.c., hundreds braved the almosts outside the supreme court, hoping to get inside same-sex marriage hearings. >> support for gay marriage is surging like ryan gosling in my dreams. knock it off! >> reporter: in michigan, one driver's morning commute took a turn for the worst.

at least he kept his wheels on the ground. and talk about road rage. no one was around to break up this brawl. apparently, lots of people had car trouble this week. >> yeah, an elderly woman drove her car through three stores. the woman was like, sorry i ruined your stores, guys, while the store owner is like, sorry we called you elderly, lindsay. >> reporter: it was a great week for the powerball jackpot winner. and an awful one for this woman arrested for public intoxication. meanwhile, a beer company in chile was busted for stealing their brand name from the symptoms, doh! actor jim carrey appeared in an online video. >> we want to thank charles heston for joining us. >> gun owners were not amused. >> this extraordinary two-headed discovery was made by a fisherman in florida. and you had to see it to believe it. golfer sergio garcia taking a

shot from a tree. and actor mr. t. scoring from center ice. and the l.a. galaxy gave president obama a engineejerseys number one soccer skills. >> hope you guys caught that. that doesn't happen very often. >> reporter: ah, yes, a president using his head. >> i'm mara schiavocampo. "way too early" starts right now. i get up at this point about 4:00 in the morning. >> about 4:00? >> i used to get up at 3:00, because i worked on a 5:30 a.m. show, so now i'm sleeping in. the goal for me is to go to bed later than my 5-year-old. it's a real point of pride for me, the i've fallen asleep before a 5-year-old, something's gone terribly wrong in my life. there are moments around 8:00, where my sweet daughter looks at me and says, can we read another story? no, daddy has to go to bed! >> who in their right mind would ever want to host a cable news show a