legislature. a ruling is expected on that matter at the end of this month but almost daily new revelations in the story are expected to continue in the meantime. watch this space. we'll keep you posted. . good tuesday more than. right now on "first look," plane theories. was the missing plane's flight path altered inside the cockpit's computer system. and vice president rushing to the region to shore up nato support. p. and mick jagger cancels concerts in the wake of the death of his long time girlfriend. plus a new round of recalls for general motors. chaos in mexico as police battle one another. and just in the nick of time for this stranded soul. good morning, everyone. thanks for joining us. china finds no terror link to the nationals on the missing

malaise yap jet. 11 days now and more clues are pouring in, but still 239 souls are missing. the "new york times" reports the skret's path appears to have been altered. senior u.s. girls say someone in the plane's cockpit likely programmed the change. katy tur is live in london. so just how close or how far are we from finding this plane? >> reporter: basically we are no further or no closer than we were yesterday or since this plane disappeared well over a week ago. but there are some developments. as of today, the u.s. navy says it will reduce its efforts in the search calling its destroyer the "uss kidd" and helicopters back saying the search will be better done by long range aircraft. 26 countries are helping to look for the plane and they are searching an area that is vast. it's like a search for a needle in 100 shifting haystacks.

the last known communication with the plane with radar was as it was heading north over the strait gt of malacca. the last ping was about 7 hours in to the flight. that puts it somewhere on a very big arc. after initially saying the plane's last acars system was turned off before the last cockpit call suggesting pilot involvement, malaysian officials are thousand saying they have no idea when the acars system was actually turned off. they have searched the co-pilot's and pilot the's houses focusing on a flight simulator the pilot owned, but so far they have not turned up any clues. >> still looking. thank you. at this hour, vice president biden is on his way to ukraine's back door. he's visiting poland and lithuania as that tug of war

continues. but right now putin is tipping his victory lap. he approved a draft bill for the annexation of the crimean peninsula and he is telling parliament to move quickly to approve the plan. on monday, president obama unveiled sanctions against nearly a dozen russian and ukranian officials. it is the first step aimed at putting the kremlin on notice. >> we are imposing sanctions on specific individuals responsible for undermining the sovereignty and government of ukraine. we're making it clear that there are consequences for their actions. and if russia tips to interfere in ukraine, we stand ready to impose further sanctions. >> some republican critics in congress including senator john mccain say the president's move does not go far enough. but an aid package for ukraine is still being held up on capitol hill. back home, another round of recalls to tell you about involving general motors. it includes 1.5 million models

because of defective side air bags. the news comes during a widening investigation into separate recalls involving faulty ignition switches. that move involved 1.6 million vehicles. the automaker is aware of 31 crashes and 12 deaths. >> something went wrong with our process in this instance. and terrible things happened. we will be better because of this tragic situation if we seize the opportunity. and i believe we will do just that. we are a great team and we are making the best cars and trucks and crossovers in decades. and we are getting better. >> and nbc news investigation revealed some gm engineers had been aware of the ignition switch problem since 2004 but kept using them until at least late 2006. the government is now looking into why the company waited so long to issue the recall. a crash that just devastated the austin, texas community

during the south by southwest festival has taken another toll. police say a third person has died after a suspected drunken driver plowed through barricades last week. officials say 26-year-old sandy lee was struck outside a club when the driver smashed his car through the crowd. more than 20 others were injured. 21-year-old rashad owens is accused of driving drunk and fleeing from police and intentionally driving into those festival goers. rolling stones have canceled a planned concert in australia after the apparent suicide of mick jagger's long time girlfriend. a spokesperson says he's shocked and devastated by the news. the striking 6'3" model and fashion designer was a favorite of celebrities like madonna, nicole kidman and michelle obama. scott is remembered by vogue as someone who embodied what her clothes stood for. strength of character, combined with a confident and you

powerful style. lauren scott was believed to be 49 years old, though she never officially disclosed her age. now the latest in sports. >> let's start this morning with the fate of jim irsay. he was arrested sunday on suspicion of intoxicated driving. police say he failed, quote, several field sobriety tests and they found multiple prescription drugs in his vehicle. he's due back in court on march 26. irsay has said on twitter that he was clean and season fore15 years. meanwhile sources tell espn it's a wake-up call for irsay. nfl says he'll be subject to discipline. irsay used twitter to thank his reporters. he wrote deepest thanks to family, friends, colleagues for the messages of support. impossible to tell you how much this means. to college hoops. parker won the freshman of the

year award. the 6'8" guard scored in double figures in 17 straight games. blue devils will lay tplay the friday. and in minnesota, watch here. his stick breaks. the goal is good. puck goes in. the stick broken, destroyed. the wild lost 4-1 to boston. and this one really hurts to watch. spring training, reds and indians. third base umpire, did you see that line drive some totally hit him. may have hit in the groin area. take as while to get up, but then carted off the field waving his hat to the crowd. always a good sign. 49ers head coach was in a pushup cop test against that walrus at six flags. >> good form.

>> and the master of frisbee trick shots. he nails a 200-foot -- >> how does he do that? >> he's the master. 200-foot shot in the net. he makes it in the basket. >> you don't need a team, you just need him. that's it. all right, frances, thank you. turning now to weather and an amazing rescue caught on tape in washington state. first responders saved this man. the driver veered off the road and into the water. he was able to call 911 until rescuers arrived. one lucky guy. we're looking like easter eggs up here today. >> we're in the spirit. >> we're wishing that spring would hurry up and arrive. >> it has to get here at some point. some areas will see it today. we will warm into the 60s across the midwest, but we do also have some icing concerns, black ice is an issue across virginia and

into north carolina. and more snow is falling in the northern plains. so we do have winter storm warnings and advisories in effect through areas just north of minneapolis. we could he saend up with 5 to inches of snow. not seeing a whole lot of heavy freezing rain, but just enough to make the glaze on the roads. so be careful. also through parts of southwestern south dakota, that's where we have the snow falling. and we could end up with some areas as much as 6 to 12 inches. and then it should wind down overnight. so still talking ice and snow, but again, the middle of the country looks fairly mild for today. >> we like the sound of that. newly released e-mails shows governor christie's campaign manager was in the loop. plus good news in the battle against cancer to report.

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kermit the frog set the tone on st. patrick's day that ended with all the major markets finishing in the green. kevin trudeau sold more than 850,000 copies of his book. the judge in the case said that for decades trudeau steadfastly attempted to cheat others for his own personal gain. just as college basketball's biggest tournament is about to begin, a federal lawsuit filed in newark says college football and basketball players should be able to get some of the money they made for their schools. it accuses the ncaa of operating as an unlawful cartel by making billions off the labor of players. the lawsuit also names as defendant, the southeastern conference, pac-12, big ten, big

12. and the mega millions jackpot is over $400 million tonight. get your lotto ticket. so some stories making news this morning. the u.s. geological survey says folks in southern california could expect some small after shocks in the coming days. this follow's monday's 4.4 magnitude earthquake. no major damage was reported, but the tremor shook buildings and rattled nerves. and this video shows violent skirmishes between police and their fellow officers. striking cops were calling for better pay and the resignation of the police chief. there are newly released e-mails and text messages in the new jersey bridge scandal and they show governor chris christie's former campaign manager bill stepien was kept in the loop about traffic gridlock. the documents were released in a court filing by a new jersey

legislative panel investigating whether the lane closures were political payback. the rate of colon cancer has fallen by a whopping 30% in the past decade for americans over 50. that is good news and it's thanks to a tripled rate of colonoscopies. and no experience necessary? "new york times" reports operators at the fukushima nuclear plant are hiring unskilled and poorly trained workers to clean up the site and they're often given few or no instructions on safety procedures. that is frightening. well, the passing of the last true aristocrat. and can edwin edwards make it back to congress? scrambled politics is next. and gifts store. anything we purchase for the paper cottage goes on our ink card. so you can manage your business expenses and access them online instantly with the game changing app from ink.

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he was a matted messiley in a small cage. ng day. so that was our first task, was getting him to wellness. without angie's list, i don't know if we could have found all the services we needed for our riley. from contractors and doctors to dog sitters and landscapers, you can find it all on angie's list. we found riley at the shelter, and found everything he needed at angie's list. join today at angieslist.com ido more with less with buless energy. hp is helping ups do just that. soon, the world's most intelligent servers, designed by hp, will give ups over twice the performance, using forty percent less energy. multiply that across over a thousand locations, and they'll provide the same benefit to the environment as over 60,000 trees. that's a trend we can all get behind.

now here is your first look at this morning's dish of scrambled politics. wealthy arts patron bunny mellon has died. the billionaire and political benefactor was a close friend of jackie kennedy and gained notoriety in her later years for funneling hundreds of thousands of dollars to the presidential campaign of skrjohn edwards. she was 103 years old. the road to lieutenant governor is getting bumpy for jay paterno. a rival democratic candidate is challenging more than 200

signatures filed. the son of joe paterno announced his bid for pennsylvania's number two spot three weeks ago. after a stint in the big house, 86-year-old edwin edwards is hoping to go back to the u.s. house. the former four term louisiana governor jumping into the race to represent the state's sixth congressional district. he was released from federal prison in 2011 after serving nearly a decade on racketeering and extortion charges. the dream act is dead in new york. at least for now. state senators killed a bill granting tuition aid to children of up documendocumented workers. it was rejected by just two votes. not one republican senator voted in favor of it. ted cruz is in iowa for the fourth time in eight months. he will key note a network of iowa christian home educators. a new bipartisan push wants to bring the senate into the

digital age. they want to amendment rules to allow electronic devices on the floor. those rules were put to the test last week in the house when democrats held up ipads during a speech. at the time, the presiding officer said it was a violation of congressional rules. new this morning, on msnbc.com, the cycle's krystal ball with the nra shoots down a qualified obama nominee. it comes as the white house is considering delaying the nomination. as many as ten senate democrats, many from red states, are under intense pressure from a new nra push. the gun lobby is angry at the doctor's views on gun reform. many are in step with a majority of americans that support assault weapons ban, and limits on ammunition sales. and you can see t"the cycle"

weekday afternoons right here on msnbc. so some of our other stories in the news this morning, obamacare sign up hits the 5 million mark. the obama administration has about 1 million more to go to reach its 6 million goal by the end of the month. march 31 is the last day to enroll for a health plan through the new online markets or exchanges. and scientists say they have found 14 billion rear old echos of the life creating big bang. these are pictures from the south pole. it's considered the first direct evidence of existence in the universe. and time.com reports pumps outbreak at ohio state rose to 23 cases. coming up, we'll have first buzz and we'll tell you what caught our eyes today.

my dad has aor afib.brillation, he has the most common kind... ...it's not caused by a heart valve problem. dad, it says your afib puts you at 5 times greater risk of a stroke. that's why i take my warfarin every day. but it looks like maybe we should ask your doctor about pradaxa. in a clinical trial, pradaxa® (dabigatran etexilate mesylate)... ...was proven superior to warfarin at reducing the risk of stroke. and unlike warfarin, with no regular blood tests or dietary restrictions. hey thanks for calling my doctor. sure. pradaxa is not for people with artificial heart valves.

don't stop taking pradaxa without talking to your doctor. stopping increases your risk of stroke. ask your doctor if you need to stop pradaxa before surgery or a medical or dental procedure. pradaxa can cause serious, sometimes fatal, bleeding. don't take pradaxa if you have abnormal bleeding or have had a heart valve replaced. seek immediate medical care for unexpected signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. pradaxa may increase your bleeding risk if you're 75 or older, have a bleeding condition or stomach ulcer, take aspirin, nsaids, or blood thinners... ...or if you have kidney problems, especially if you take certain medicines. tell your doctors about all medicines you take. pradaxa side effects include indigestion, stomach pain, upset, or burning. if you or someone you love has afib not caused by a heart valve problem... ...ask your doctor about reducing the risk of stroke with pradaxa.

in entertainment news, the prospects of a media circus cancel russell crowe's meeting with pope francis. the meeting was nixed by the pope himself after media reports began to league. chris brown is back behind bars. a california judge is jailing the singer after he was booted from his rehab facility for touching a female and refusing to take a drug test. adding insult to injury,

several media outlets are reporting rihanna is now dating drake. the nfl wants $16 million from the rapper mia for flipping the bird and using explicit language during the performance. the league is looking for restitution for a breach of contract and payment for what the league calls $15 million worth of exposure. kate winslet became the latest celeb to get her star on the hollywood walk of fame honored just hours after the earthquake hit the area, she was overwhelmed by the attendance. . ♪ >> jennifer lawrence didn't get back to back wins at the oscars, but this performance of is an tan a santana's ways wasn't cut.

we were talking about kate winslet and the earthquake that occurred. you have some video of how it affected folks like us on the air. >> and it's funny because in tv, you get so accustomed to just tuning everything out that is going on around you, but sometimes you can't. we had the earthquake just outside of l.a. yesterday, a 4.7 magnitude earthquake. and the anchors were on air at ktla when it hit. take a look at this video. >> coming up -- >> earthquake. we're having an earthquake. >> it looks fake. >> she's actually my best friend. we worked together years ago. and she tweeted me i wouldn't have hidden in under the desk, but my co-anchor did. and i would look silly. >> it's okay. you can come out now.

>> we know everything is okay, but had something happened, they did absolutely the right thing. i remember in school learning that in texas for tornadoes. under the desk. you may have had a weird expression if you would have seen this house for sale, right? >> this is the london real estate market. it is so hot that anything, you put anything on the market and it will fly off. so this is a listing for a two bedroom flat. that doesn't look so bad. but look at these other pictures. it is just this house of filth. and the realtor didn't even say -- you know how they say put it in show condition. look at the kitchen. >> how much is this going for? >> this is going for the equivalent of $475,000 for this. >> that's what is on crazy. >> and they're positive it will go. >> talk about insane and facial expressions, well, your facial expressions could determine how you drive. because scientists are working on putting a camera behind the

steering wheel to read your facial expressions to prevent road rage. that is something they're working on. and it could be ingenious especially if it works. they're looking at anger and disgust. all of the local news stations hammed to be live on the air which made for unintentionally humorous moments. >> whoa! >> all right. that's an earthquake. >> we're having a fairly large earthquake right now. chris brown, he left rehab this morning for -- chris brown will face a judge today. >> coming up, more problems for -- >> earthquake. we're having an earthquake.

it appears to have stopped. >> pretty amazing to catch those reactions. southern california has not seen an earthquake that strong in 20 years. is mother nature sending a signal something stronger is in store? gm is expanding its recall to include a highly popular suv and does the new internal investigation mean more recalls are on the way. and now fresh data in the missing malaysian plane adding more questions. did investigators get the original flight time line wrong. this is "way too early". good morning. i'm thomas roberts. it is tuesday, march 18. welcome to "way too early," the show that would totally freak out if we could feel an