it is thursday, april 21st. coming up on "early today," breaking overnight. the wwe superstar known to many as chyna is found dead in her home. then to delegate diplomacy. president obama meeting with saudi leaders to calm tensions there and at home. plus, charges filed in the flint, michigan, lead water crisis. then to a wild scene as a dust devil erupts at a college softball game. 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

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 more conventional candidate. 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 hisir

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. we have both sides covered for 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! th

>> 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 before this summer's convention. >> 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

delegates who can vote for any contender at the convention, no matter who wins here next week. peter alexander, nbc news, philadelphia. 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. >> i think we are going to do 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

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. they say u.s. lawmakers consider 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 talk

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 controversial means on the social media. he was suspended last year after comparing muslims to nazis and he said hillary clinton should be buried under a jail somewhere on a radio show last week. espn statement on curt schilling firing, quote. the flint, michigan, water crisis is now a criminal case. two state environmental officials and one city worker now face felony and missed charges for allegedly misleading regulators. st

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. the world's oldest monarch will 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 andut

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 harriet 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. alexander hamilton's image will 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 inchinglo

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 a tornadoes and didn't know what would happen. get out of the way! looks like he survived, luckily. this morning, we are 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

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. low humidity and beautiful in 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 r

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 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. what's it like to not feel 100% fresh? we don't know. we swish listerine®. as do listerine® users. the very people we studied in the study of bold.

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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 so the requirements were intentionally ridiculous. >> in maryland, kalamazoo shooting survivor returned home

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. it's likely the automaker will spend over $1 billion, giving consumers the option of having the cars repaired or bought back. ahead, a baseball player who throws a

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'vand i'm doing just fine. allergies. claritin provides 24-hour relief of symptoms that can be triggered by over 200 allergens. yeah, over 200 allergens! with claritin my allergies don't come between me and victory. live claritin clear.

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i don't believe that big money can buy votes -- not in our district. and i won't claim to have single handily passed just about every bill in annapolis. we can't settle for the same old politics, not when our basic rights are being threatened by trump and cruz. i'll stand up to their bigotry and be a passionate voice for maryland women and families. in tv and in business, i built relationships. as a woman in the house, i'll do the same to get things done. i'm kathleen mathews and i approve this message. 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

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 youlve outfield to home plate. oakland took this one 5-2. check out this basketball game. >> watch the windmill on this pitcher. >> a dirt devil pops up.

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. you're watching "early today."

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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, big hits that bring in large 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. >> he went there, yeah. i'm betty nguyen. this is "early today." ." headache? motrin helps you be an unstoppable, let's-rock-this-concert- like-it's-1999 kind of mom.

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we will provide every resource -- >> search and rescue teams get ready for another day of looking for a missing firefighter. how her friends and family hope you can help. and breaking news just in in the death of a beloved actress and athlete. who we're learning was found dead in her california home. and it is the final day of early voting for some people in our area. what you need to know before you head out to cast your ballot. good morning. i'm eun yang. >> and i'm adam tuss in for aaron bigilchrist. we haven't seen rain for a long time. >> we also haven't seen

tuss with facial hair. of course the elephant is out of the room. >> in for a good cause. go donate, my twitter page. >> is this based on the caps going through the playoffs? >> that's correct. >> how is that coming along for your flyers? >> let's you've alomove along. >> i like the beard. >> welcome to the morning. >> good morning. in the weather headlines, tdry day, loads of pollen in the air. maybe a rumble or two tomorrow, but still looking nice for the weekend. nearest raindrops are back off to our west. temperatures today, climbing out of the 50s this morning into the mid and upper 70s later on this afternoon. it's time for traffic, here is jack taylor from wtop. >> good morning. we have an early morning work zone that has just about wrapped

up, upper loop of 236. all trafl lanes should be open. also clearing north on 395 near duke street, crews working with just the right lane getting by. and 50 out of the bay bridge, about to wrap up the work zone. we'll get back to normal as we creep into the rush hour. a developing story this morning, the search for a missing fairfax county firefighter heads into day six. srk te search teams will head out this morning to look for nicole mittendorff. they gathered last night for a prayer vigil. ♪ o lord my god, where i so >> virginia state police say they are following up on more than 100 tips and leads. they are still trying to put together a time line of her movements. we now know that she called out sick for her shift last wednesday and that was the last

>> we will provide every resource, every ounce of energy, every and anything that is needed to bring nicole home. >> crews will search a ten mile rocky and heavily wooded area around the white oak canyon trail today. a rarng found her mini cooper in a parking lot there on saturday night. and we have links to find any coal facebook page in our nbc washington app, use the term oig fi "find nicole." a blaze has scorched more than 5600 acres. with strong wind and dry weather in the next 24 hours, the fire may get worse. they believe the fire was caused by a person because there was no lightning around the area on saturday when the fi

investigators are working to figure out what sparked a huge fire in centreville. chopper 4 was able to capture the fire crews work to go put out the flames in the hot spot last night. it happened just before 6:00 along farris valcalvary road. two people home at the time did escape. i'm kristin wright at the he live desk. a professional wrestler found dead. jo where he is ter known as chyna was found dead. police don't suspect foul lay. she was known as the ninth wonder of the world in the professional wrestling world. she was also the first woman to enter the royal rumble match and the only woman to win the intercontinental championship. she was 46. the race for the president ta