the execution came after a vote to reject several appeals that would have halted husband deais. officials allowed to use a lethal injection drug cleared the way for the execution. the state originally set eight executions over an 11-day period. but three executions were cancelled because of court decisions and legal rulings. the reason for the rushed time line, the state says the executions need to be carried out before its supply of the lethal injection drug expires on april 30th. >>> the u.s. military on high alert for a possible new nuclear test by north korea. >> we are in very good shape. we're building our military rapidly, a lot of things have happened over the last short period of time. we're doing a lot of work. we're in very good position. we're going to see what happens. >> what more are you hearing about this really tense situation? >> reporter: well, this morning the south korean government said this country is on a heightened state of alert while u.s. officials tell nbc news that a sniffer plane along with drones and u2 spy planes have been deployed. that specialty