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queen elizabeth ii celebrates her 90th birthday. "early today" starts right now. thank you for joining us. i'm betty nguyen. pro wrestling legend who performed under the name of chyna was found dead in her home last night. she was known as joanie laurer. she is known for giving women wrestle a legitimacy. she was a world champion and the first and only woman to win the intercontinental championship. she starred in several reality tv shows including celebrity rehab which highlighted her year's long struggle with drug addiction. later, she performed in several adult films. an announcement on her twitter page called her a real-life hero and super icon. the cause of death is unknown at this time. joanie laurer is dead at the age of 45. donald trump shifting to a

nbc news has confirmed that trump has started practicing using a teleprompter and that the campaign has hired a speech writer. he is set to deliver his first policy speech next week touching on foreign policy and jobs. the move comes as another recent hire gained more control over the campaign signaling more of a shift in strategy over the tactics favored by campaign manager corey lewandowski. in maryland, hundreds of protesters gathered outside of a trump rally. one person was arrested after an apparent mace attack. the baltimore sun reports there were other arrests. the focus of the race now turns to what could be a triumph next tuesday for the front-runners. five states are up for grabs and the latest polling shows hillary clinton ahead of bernie sanders by 13 points in pennsylvania. while in connecticut, clinton is ahead by nine points. on the republican side, trump has a commanding lead in connecticut. he is 20 points ahead of john kasich and nearly 30 points ahead of ted cruz.

you today and we want to start with peter alexander and the republicans. >> reporter: donald trump storming into indiana. >> you love indiana, right? the hoosierss! the hoosiers! >> reporter: the front runner looking to stick it to the stop trump movement that is counting on indiana to derail his path to the nomination. >> the only way we can beat the dishonest, rigged system is by you continuing to come out and vote. >> reporter: nbc news obtaining this memo where trump advisers project he'll clench the nomination with more than 1,400 delegates. trump again taking aim at ted cruz. >> lyin' ted cruz. >> reporter: he appeared more discipline celebrating his knockout and briefly discarding his name calling. >> senator cruz is just about mathematically eliminated. >> reporter: cruz, for the first time, acknowledging he can't get enough delegates to win outright

>> we are definitely headed to cleveland and in cleveland, people are going to prevail. >> reporter: the next stop? the northeast and mid-atlantic where trump is heavily favored but here in pennsylvania, he'll be competing for 54 unbound delegates who can vote for any contender at the convention, no matter who wins here next week. peter alexander, nbc news, phhoiladelphia. i'm kristen welker covering the democrats. after a commanding victory in new york, hillary clinton taking her surging campaign into battleground pennsylvania. based on the nbc news dealt count, clinton can now lose every remaining state and still clench the nomination. she is calling for party unity. >> and to all of the people who supported senator sander, i believe there is much more that unites us than divides us. >> reporter: under mounting pressure, senator sanders took a day off. at home in vermont, to rest and reassess his strategy, after vowing to fight on.

well and we have a path toward a victory. >> reporter: nbc news has learned that sander is battling for big victories in oregon and indiana and aiming to run the table in the progressive state of california. >> we have to win most of the states and win most of the delegates. >> reporter: tough democrats tell nbc news the race is all but over and clinton's surrogates calling on sanders to scale back his attack. >> he has to veer away from the personal attacks and continue his campaign, but change his tone. >> senator sanders will continue on the strategy which we believe is the winning strategy and senator sanders will fight back when he is attacked. this morning president obama will meet with the leader of six arab gulf nations in saudi arabia what is shaping up to be an intense summit. the president and the saudi king held private talks on wednesday looking for common ground on the syria and yemen and how to fight isis.

legislation that would allow families of the september 11th attacks to hold the saudi government liable in u.s. courts. administration officials say the issue did not come up during the talks. meanwhile, the white house pushed back against the notion that president obama was snubbed wednesday when the saudi king did not show up at the airport to greet the president. former major league baseball pitcher curt schilling has been fired as a baseball analyst at espn. the move comes after schilling posted anti-transgender picture on his facebook page. he has a history of posting social media. he was suspended last year after comparing muslims to nazis and hebe said hillary clinton should be buried under a jail somewhere on a radio show last week. espn statement on curt schilling firing, quote.

crisis is now a criminal case. two state environmental officials and one city worker now face felony and missed charges for allegedly misleading regulators. stephen busch and michael prysby are accused of failing to control. mike glasgow who ran the city's water treatment plant is accused of falling false reports about the water quality. bill chuty would not say if governor rick snide was a target of the investigation. snyder announced busch and prysby were both suspended without pay. both pleaded not guilty and released on $65,000 bond. glasgow has not yet appeared in court. queen elizabeth turns 90 years young today.

begin the day greeting well-wishers at windsor. more events to mark the celebration are planned in the coming months and even new stamps to commemorate the occasion and future the queen with three future heirs to the throne including her adorable great grandson. he needed phone blocks to reach the height of his father, grandfather, and great grandmother. andrew jackson will be replace with hair rriet tubman. she is the new face of the 20 dollar big. tubman will be the first woman on u.s. paper, currency in more than 100 years and the first african-american ever. meanwhile, a man who created the nation's financial system got a reprieve.

remain on the 10 dollar bill. civil rights leaders at lincoln memorial will appear on the back of the 5. time to get a check of the weather outside today. we are inching closer to the weekend, bill. so you got a little time to tweak things. >> i got to show you this video first. from uruguay. the tornado is spinning in the opposite direction, clockwise. this guy should be hitting the gas' getting out of the way! but, instead, holds fast and holds steady and there it was. the strongest wind hit the truck, it tipped it over and you can see numerous bring and objects flying around. it was a big tornado and one lucky person. maybe they haven't seen many taerneds and tornadoes and didn't know what would happen. get out of the way! looks like he survived, luckily.

tracking the 100th day in a row texas thunderstorms. possibility of large hail with those thunderstorms and dallas is watching another cluster of storms heading your way. northern gulf, we have heavier storms. time this out. we are watching a cold front on the move today and the storm system on the move. isolated severe storms there possible, especially near illinois and even the chicago area. then right along the front as we go throughout the afternoon hours. in the flood area outside of houston will be of concern. as we go throughout the clock, this is at noon today. we watch the storms clearing the dallas/ft. worth area, waco and san antonio. a few isolated storms in areas of illinois and indiana. and then houston area it looks like right around 5:00 p.m. the east coast, one more gorgeous day for you and then this rain will start to move its way towards you, especially friday afternoon and evening. look at that today. 78 and sunny in d.c. that is your national weather. here is a closer look at the day ahead. so from florida to about south carolina, as nice as a day you're going to get.

the low 80s. the rain, the cutoff line is from columbus, ohio, to cleveland. everywhere west of there is a chance of showers and storms. betty rain heading your way on friday for the east coast. that is the first time we have a chance of rain in a long time. >> we need rain so we will not complain. thank you, bill. up next, a 24-hour waiting period for -- may be required for anyone wanting to get viagra r for sex. that is what one state legislator is proposing. merriam-webster is adding the following to their 2,000 new words. we will be right back. you're watching "early today." this is 100% useful for a 100% fresh mouth.

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a 6.0 magnitude tremor rattled ecuador over night. the latest after-shock following the massive earthquake. 200 are still missing among the buildings but at day five, thousands remain homeless. in south carolina, a null proposed bill would require a 24-hour waiting period to get viagra or a sexual enhancement drug and a sworn statement from your partner detailing your sexual problems. it may sound crazy, but that's the point. representative mccloud admits her bill is a tongue in cheek response to the rules in the state and male-dominated legislature placed on women who want to get an abortion. >> people like to joke about this bill. it really is no laughing matter for women across our state, and

intentionally ridiculous. >> in maryland, kalamazoo shooting survivor returned home on wednesday. she was initially believed to be brain dead after she was shot to the head by a gunman on a shooting spree two months after her injury, though, her improvement from squeezing her mother's hand to taking her first steps and to speaking her first word has left her supporters in awe. great for her! time to get down to business. companies across the u.s. are losing a staggering $10 billion a year from employee opioid addiction. the painkiller abuse is causing huge amounts of absenteeism in the workplace. now we should know more this morning how volkswagen will compensate car owners affected by the diesel emission scandal. an agreement is expected to be announced shortly.

spend over $1 billion, giving consumers the option of having the cars repaired or bought back. ahead, a baseball player who throws a 105-mile-per-hour and he -- he throws that and he is not even a pitcher. a typical college softball game turns wild after a dust devil erupts. sports is next. olay regenerist renews from within... plumping surface cells for a dramatic transformation - without the need for fillers. your concert tee might show your age...your skin never will. olay regenerist. olay. ageless. and try the micro-sculpting cream you love... ...now with lightweight spf 30 i've got allergies. and i'm doing just fine. claritin provides 24-hour relief of symptoms that can be triggered by over 200 allergens. yeah, over 200

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this morning, on "today," donald trump takes the stage at a special town hall on the plaza. the gop front-runner will be joined by his wife melania and all four of his adult children. now to sports. a big night for lebron and his cleveland cavaliers. they hit 23 pointers in an absolute drubbing of detroit. king james led all scorers with 27 and kyrie irving led 22. cleveland leads the series 2-0. yanks and a's next. what looks like a typical play. >> left field. hicks. he's got it. hicks will throw home. a good throw! and he is out! >> wow. >> well, what makes that put-out so cool is mlb stats looked at it later and found that aaron hicks threw that ball a record 106 miles an hour from the

oakland took this one 5-2. check out this basketball game. >> watch the windmill on this pitcher. >> a dirt devil pops up. what is the is deal with this, bill? >> that is a very fast windmill. no one is hitting that. >> can you imagine the dust in their eyes? they are trying to cover their faces. >> who is on first, betty? >> at this point, nobody knows. the game did continue but the folks in lynchburg, virginia, they have one heck of a story and the video to prove it. ahead, why are movie tickets getting so expensive these days? plus, this baby is a legend and we have the photos.

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now to entertainment. chrissy teigen posted the first photos of her new baby and how adorable! luna simone. the instagram feed will fill up with more cuteness before long. she is just beautiful. a new series announced by b.e.t. will be behind the story of "get down." it's a workplace comedy at its core. cedric and charlie murphy are also featured. the average price of a movie ticket in the first month of 2016 is $8.58. up 46 cents from the same time last year. the reason? according to the national association of theater owners,

adult audiences and premium seats and 3d also factor into the price hike. arnold schwarzenegger held a workout lesson on facebook live and pumps up the gym like no one else. >> get the job done! >> the video features a full half-hour of his workout. try it, if you dare. stephen colbert had the good and bad of the 20 dollar bill change. >> earlier today, the united states treasury department announced they are replacing renowned indian stabber andrew jackson -- i'm sorry. native american stabber andrew jackson on the 20 dollar bill with harriet tubman. it's truly exciting to have a woman on the 20. although, unfortunately, due to the wage gap, it's not worth $17.

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leading the news on nbcnews.com, trump's unpopularity could put gop house control in danger. the house which recently appeared safe for republicans is now in jeopardy according to recent polls. democrats would need to win 30 seats to gain the majority. in "usa today," president obama head to london. the debate on whether britain should remain in the european union rages on in the country but as president obama is scheduled to arrive for a visit, the president has previously shared that he believes britain

whether he will get involved in a professional capacity remains to be seen. the country will hold a referendum in june to decide. a candlelight vigil was held last night in washington, d.c. for the school girl kidnapped by boko haram two years ago. it was bring back our girls week which commemorates the anniversary of the induction to bring attention back to the still missing girls. a pair of giant pandas made their way to south korea today on a 15-year loan. it's part after diplomatic gift after the chinese president visited seoul in 2014. the pandas will be shown to the public this month. nasa unveiled new high definition footage of the orbit from earth. the video gives the astronauts perspective of the planet. it's all part of nasa's new television service called nasa tv uhd. that is so calming. >> you can see how fast it's

>> what a way to get some rest. >> is it nap time yet? stephen colbert had a big guest on his show last night -- donald trump -- sort of. >> thank you for joining us, mr. trump. >> hello, new york! you made me your emperor. woo! >> you said you want -- i want to get this right. you said you want to bring a touch of showbiz to the convention. what do you mean? >> that's right. the democracy is a snooze fest. you got to jazz it up. >> how will the glitter and glamour translate to the convention? >> glad you asked. first, i gold plate the entire city of cleveland, including the people. then i ride in and on a chariot. then take my throne and announce my vice president prime. together, we will transform america to be great again. roll the credit. >> celebrating birthdays today

65 and patty is 67 and this guy is 65. thanks for watching. thank you for watching "early today." we will see you back here tomorrow. e you back here tomorrow.

recognize him. overnight police release a sketch and video of a suspect police say tried to rape a woman in prospect park. donald trump trying to shake things up, including the way he delivers speeches. and why millions of con ed customers will be getting some money back. "today in new york" starts now. good morning, 4:30 a.m. on this thursday, april 21st, i'm michael gargiulo. >> i'm kerry barrett in for darlene. >> chris cimino is here with the forecast. a little chillier this morning. >> some spots down to the 30s. the city down to where it was yesterday morning, 50506789 in in chelsea, same thing in hoboken. 36 in sussex, jackets needed, by the afternoon, warmer today than yesterday. a few high clouds working their way in from the west. the rain clouds are further out