tracie potts, thank you very much. here's a programming note. savannah guthrie will have an exclusive interview with president obama on gun control, immigration and other issues. that's tomorrow morning on "today." >>> late last night a former bus driver became venezuela's new president. the interim leader clinched the title by fewer than 300,000 votes. he's a protege of former president hugo chavez who died of cancer last month. the opponent is calling for a full recount. our gas prices will unlikely be impacted. >>> the faa is ordering the inspection of more than 1,000 boeing 737 jets that could cause pilots to lose control after word that some parts could have factory defects. the parts in question help stabilize the up and down movement for the nose of the plane. the faa says these are just inspections and there's no immediate threat or incidents reported. >>> before we look at the forecast, check out this. this is what happened in bismarck, north dakota, on sunday where they are no strangers to nasty weather of course. more than 17 inches o

tracie potts is live with this. good morning. >> reporter: here are the best predictions from economists. 7.7% unemployment will remain steady. do we hit the magic number of 200,000? were that many jobs created or are we looking at a slowdown here? what will happen on capitol hill? the president took a 5% pay cut. might the people on the hill do the same? a lot of lawmakers have yet to decide. what we get in these job numbers today will go along with what looks to be a mixed bag of recovery at this point. take housing and home building. that area is still struggling, not yet at prerecession levels. there are other areas like the stock market that have seen a big boom this year. it's a mixed bag and we'll get another part of the story today with the jobs numbers coming out. >> we are watching for that, tracie potts, thank you. >>> u.s. intelligence agencies compiled a psychological profile of kim jong-un. he feels compelled to prove how tough he is. kim young unis believed to be 29 years old. much of his life is unyo

tracie potts has the latest from washington. >> reporter: frustration is mounting, richard, because people have to sit and wait for planes to take off. 1500 workers are sitting at home every day, furloughed, not on the job as a result of the sequester cuts. here in washington, an faa administrator was asked about that and asked why it took the agency so long to let airlines and airports know exactly who would face the hardship cuts. >> we have been talking about reduction in available controller hours of 10% for months. >> but you didn't tell them which airports, which airlines? >> we told them that they should expect significant impacts at major hub facilities. >> reporter: now, it does look like the white house and some lawmakers on capitol hill are warming to the idea of some sort of temporary fix. the white house has argued it had to make the cuts with air traffic controllers because three quarters of the faa budget was untouchable. republicans have said not so. you did this to pressure us into a budget deal. now, it does look like the two sides may be talking some sort of deal, so tha

nbc's tracie potts is live for us in washington. tracie, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. that's why some lawmakers here on capitol hill say the u.s. needs to send a strong signal not only to the assad regime in syria but also to others who may be watching, and all that's underscored by the new violence there this morning. the country's prime minister survived an assassination attempt today. his convoy was bombed. there are varying reports of other deaths and injuries. now the u.s. has some evidence syria's government may have used chemical weapons on its own people. president obama had called that a red line for action. now he's cautious. >> knowing that potentially chemical weapons have been used inside of syria doesn't tell us when they were used, how they were used. >> reporter: there's pressure from capitol hill to act soon. >> for america to sit on the sidelines and do nothing is a huge mistake. >> more than just syria, iran is paying attention to this. north korea is paying attention to this. >> reporter: but what type of action? a no-fly zone? air strikes? ground t

nb krshs's tracie potts is in washington with more for us. tracie, good morning to you. >> reporter: richard, capitol police are telling visitors here expect more officers in the public areas today. some lawmakers have already been briefed. others get an update on this investigation today. >> the house will now observe a moment of silence in memory of the victims of today's attack in boston. >> reporter: congress observing a moment of silence for boston's victims. this morning the capitol flag remains at half-staff. later today, the fbi, homeland security and intelligence officials brief lawmakers on what they know about the explosions. >> the most important thing is we do it right. we get the right information. >> reporter: lawmakers were quick to call it an act of terror, but the president specifically did not. he sent an fbi team to boston, promising justice. >> we will find out who did this, and we will hold them accountable. >> reporter: there's a security perimeter around the white house and more security throughout the city this morning

tracie potts has more from washington. tuesday and wednesday will be a whirlwind day there. >> reporter: we're looking for action on both of these. now, when they hit the republican controlled house there could be resistance but before that, this week will see if gun control and immigration amendments and legislation can pass the senate where they were created. the gang of eight is expected to unveil their plan tomorrow. marco rubio was on seven talk shows in weekend pitching it. >> it creates a way for us to address the millions of people here undocumented in a way that's compassionate but responsible. >> reporter: even though four signed on this is by no means a done deal. >> this bill as we understand it on immigration will increase the legal flow of low-skill, low-wage workers. >> reporter: conservatives still insist deal with the border first. >> let's get those things done right now. we will deal with the 11 million once those things are done. >> reporter: on gun control the deal worked out by joe manchin and pat too

richard. >> tracie potts with the very latest on that developing story. thank you. also developing this morning, after a roller coaster day of reports on the investigation into the boston bombings, it appears authorities have pictures of their suspect now. the front page of this morning's "boston globe" proflames "authorities have image of bombing suspect." we also know the identity the third victim killed in the blast, 23-year-old lingzi lu. 29-year-old krystle campbell and richard martin were killed. >> reporter: good morning, richard. let's talk about the investigation first. the authorities have been vesting photographs, images from anybody in the public. it appears that is now paying off, perhaps the most successful images coming from a security camera at lord & taylor across the street from the finish line. but those images show what appears to be somebody taking duffel bags and placing them at the spot where the bomb exploded. so there's a major focus of attention on those pictures trying to analyze them to see if they can then lead to who may indeed be a sus

nbc's tracie potts is in very foggy washington, d.c., right behind her there. good morning to you, tracie. >> reporter: richard, good morning. believe it or not, the capitol is back there. i saw it a few minutes ago. as you said, the fog has settled over d.c. take a look also where we think the monument still is, we can assure you it's still there, but the capitol is here. and inside the capitol, they are going to be talking about immigration reform this week. it looks like one of the major sticking points which is a guest worker program so that people who are here illegally, but they've been working for years may be able to stay. business leaders and union leaders have come to an agreement on how to work that out. some republicans and one you mentioned, marco rubio, who's in that gang of eight that's been trying to come up with a deal here, says not so fast. it's not a done deal. we don't want this done in a rushed way or in a secret way. we still need to have hearings to make sure that the other 92 senators who haven't been involved in this have a say. so bott

tracie potts has the latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. turned out they had been feuding for years over something neither can quite remember. nevertheless, hazmat teams showed up at the home of everett duskie who says he's also innocent, doesn't even know how to make ricin. this after paul kevin curtis spent a week behind bars. he's now been released, all charges dropped after authorities failed to find any evidence at all of ricin at his home. and here's what he said after he left jail. >> i respect president obama. i love my country and would never do anything to pose a threat to him or any other u.s. official. >> reporter: there's also been a concern at another mail facility here at bowli ing air force bas. no suspicious packages but an alarm went off indicating ricin. nothing has been found. they're still doing off-site tests. >> tracie potts, thank you. >>> take a listen to this. it's the sound of a bulletproof white board. and it's on its way to one minnesota school. now, the high school in cold spring is no stranger to school violen

nbc's tracie potts is in washington. >> reporter: good morning. we saw her get choked up in chicago and aside from the emotion and we've seen that here in washington, our new nbc/wall street journal" poll numbers show 50% of the country supporting tougher gun laws. those are just the numbers. washington full of emotion on gun control. senator joe manchin with families from the newtown, connecticut school shooting. >> i'm a parent. >> reporter: the first lady talking to students about the tragic shooting. hadiya pendleton. >> i used them to use their lives to give meaning to hadiya's life. >> reporter: and on capitol hill, victoria desocietdesoto, . december 14, 2012. newtown, connecticut. >> reporter: later this morning we'll see if a threatened filibuster will stop or slow down a vote on democrats gun bill but a more likely deal struck by democrat joe manchin and republican pat toomey would expand background checks to include gun shows and online sales. >> to me this isn't gun control this is common sense. >> reporter: that deal also includes eas

tracie potts is live in washington with the details. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. the president was there yesterday speaking to connecticut residents about the laws that they have changed, hoping that congress here will do the same. take a look as they landed here in washington with the president with the mission of coming to capitol hill today and telling members of congress that everyone in this country who buys a gun needs to get a background check. that's the one part of the president's plan that seems survivable, although it is still up in the air. and we've also learned that mayors against illegal guns, that's the group that mayor bloomberg is behind, has put out a new ad aimed at republican senator pat toomey. toomey is one of two senators, a republican and a democrat, trying to work on a compromise here, so they're leaning on him with the advertising. they're leaning on republicans who have said they will filibuster, not even allow these gun proposals to come to a vote, leaning on them as well. the white house also having an event there today. richard? >> s

tracie potts, thank you in washington, d.c. vice president joe biden will discuss gun control and gun safety as well. connecticut's new gun control laws are apparently to blame for one gun manufacturer's plan to leave the state and with others threatening to follow as well. the 20 to 50 employees will follow to the new location, which has not yet been announced. they posted on facebook, the new gun measures trample on citizens's rights. they can no longer survive in the former constitution state and invites other vendors to join is them in that move. >>> now, here's your "first look" at scrambled politics. nbc news/wall street journal poll showing president obama's job approval rating has fallen below 50%. more than two-thirds support a pathway to citizenship for undocumented workers. >>> anthony weiner is eyeing for run for new york city. he resigned after being cut in a sexting scandal. >>> and no leftover money from his failed campaign to sarah palin. the unspent $1.3 million was put in an account for future mcclain politica

nbc's tracie potts has details. good morning, tracie. explain some of this confusion. >> reporter: sure. there's not a complete deal yet. this gang of eight who has been working sings last fall has one of the biggest disagreements in place. the aflcio and the union have come together on a guest worker plan. how do you keep them in the country legally but not necessarily give them a path to citizenship? they've come up with some dedales that would start in 2015. up to 200,000 visas could be issued. marco rubio is on that gang of eight, but he says while there is a deal they need to go through hearings. >> tracie potts, thank you so much. we appreciate that. >>> officials say four people were injured after a driver crashed into a california walmart and then began beating shoppers. police say the man plowed through the front of the store late sunday morning, grabbed something inside the store and then started hitting people. one shopper suffered injuries and was taken to the hospital while three others were treated nearby. it's still not kn

"today in the bay's" tracie potts has the very latest from washington. >>> take a look at north korea's target practice on pictures of u.s. soldiers and new animation shooting down u.s. planes. the white house says, so far, all talk and no action. >> despite the harsh rhetoric, we are not seeing changes to the north korean military posture. >> as of this morning, we have stealth fighter jets and bombers overhead and a navy destroyer headed that way. >> you have to let them know that we are around. even if they consider these rhetorical flourishes. >> i don't think we can take anything for granted. the united states, south korea and our other partners in that region have to be very prepared in the event that something could happen here. i think the greater likelihood is miscalculation. >> south korean officials held a security meeting overnight. people on the streets there don't seem worried. >> i really don't think people are thinking that they are going to come and attack us, because america has our back. >> kim jong-un has cut off emergency ties to world leaders and says his missiles

tra tracie potts has the details. >> reporter: these families deplaning from air force one, they came back from connecticut with president obama yesterday to lobby congress, to expand background checks. here they are getting off the plane after president obama made a speech at the university of hartford yesterday where he urged congress, especially the senate, to give him an up or down vote on his proposal, including universal background checks. there are at least a dozen senators who have promised to filibuster that effort, not even allowing it to come up for a vote. pressure from within and from without. the group mayors against illegal guns headed by mayor bloomberg has an ad out now trying to pressure pennsylvania's pat toomey, who is a republican working on a compromise, they're trying to pressure him to do something to come up with a plan that his republican colleagues will at least vote on and not try to put off in a filibuster. we'll find out more today as those family as begin their lobbying effort here. >> we'll be following that, thank you very much, tracie potts in washing

tracie potts has more details. >>> in a statement just out this morning, north korea's army says the moment of explosion is approaching fast. a south korean news agency reports one of kim jong-un's mid-range missile is on the move, raising fears of a nuclear attack. >> they have nuclear capacity. they have missile delivery capacity now. >> if north korea goes beyond the rhetoric and begins to take little shots at south korea and there is an exchange of fire, you have uncharted territory here. >> north korea's military got final approval to use smaller, lighter, more diversified weapons. two-thirds of south koreans want their own nuclear arsenal for protection. >> the last thing the world needs is more nuclear nations. >> experts here not sure what to make of this. >> i don't think they are interested in a confrontation with the united states. we have 30,000 troops there. >>> the second day south koreans were turned away from the border industrial park jointly run by the north and south. the united states thinks that north korea's missiles could reach no further than south korea but w

tracie potts has more on how washington is responding. >> compress observing a moment of silence foroston's victims. intelligence officials brief lawmakers on what they know about the explosion. >> the most important thing is that we get it right. >> the president sent an fbi team to boston promising justice. >> we will find out who did this and hold them accountable. >> more security around the city. the parade and fireworks for today's celebration will go on. >> i want people to feel comfortable. >> d.c. on high alert as washington tries to pin down the nature of the attack. giving boston taxpayers an extension. they will announce more details about that later today. tracie potts, wbal-tv 11 news. >> now weather and traffic together on the 1's. >> a busy start your morning commute. transit.rt with mass metro on time at this hour. delays oncking some southbound 95 because of this accident. two flames are blocked right at lanes are-- two left blocked. northbound delays on the b-w parkway at powder mill road. 60 miles per hour on southbound 83. the j.f.x. moving well at ruxton road. t

tracie potts, nbc news, washington. >> thank you, tracy. 4:36. the two suspects in the first known al qaeda terrorist plot in court head to court. canadian authorities carried out two men that wanted to carry out a major terrorist attack on a passenger train from toronto to new york. both men are believed to have ties to an al qaeda cell based in iran and have been under surveillance since august. a bail hearing is set for today in toronto. >> a prominent defense attorney fighting to keep her law license after admitting to smuggling out of jail a hit list for her client. lor lorna brown going before the state bar for an administrative trial. confessing to hiding a hand-written note in her legal papers after visiting him in 2010. that note contained a list of people whom bay allegedly wanted dead. he was convicted of ordering the murders of oakland journalist, chauncey bailey and two other men in 2007. brown could be disbarred for the offense. >>> a san francisco city attorney wants to know why dozens of mentally ill patients are being shipped to

they ordered more as they continue to investigate. >> all right, tracie potts in washington. thanks so much for that. >>> after a rollercoaster day of reports on the investigation into the boston bombings, it appears authorities have pictures of their suspect. the front page of this morning's "boston globe" claims authorities have image of bombing suspect. we also know the identity of the third victim killed by those blasts. 23-year-old lindsay lu, a grad student from china, has been identified by boston university. 29-year-old crystal campbell and 8-year-old martin richard were injured. chris, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, to you, maura. right across from me at holy cross cathedral, 11:00 eastern time, there will be a memorial honoring the victims. the president and the first lady will be here. it comes on a day when there's a report of a huge breakthrough in this case, something that could be a turning point, after going through thousands of photographs and surveillance videos. police believe that they have been able to take away one picture of a man in a basebal

nbc's tracie potts has all the details live from washington. tracie, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. let's re-emphasize. the senate unanimously approved it. every single democrat and republican coming up with this fix so people don't have to sit in the airport for up to three hours as we've seen in some airports this week. they are shifting money from one part of the faa budget to another. $253 million that had been slated for airport improvements and other projects now to pay these air traffic controllers who have been off the job one day every other week. as a result of sequestration cuts. that left aports short 1500 controllers a day since sunday, thus, leading to the delays. they had to slow down takeoffs and landings. so the rest of those on duty could safely manage the traffic. the white house reaction? they are saying this is a temporary fix but a good idea for travelers and a good idea for lawmakers, too. because after today, they are headed home on a week-long break to face all those frustrated and angry travelers, hopefully, t

tracie potts in washington. thanks for that. >>> people at the scene of explosions are speaking out about what they saw. one witnesses said he could feel the explosions from his feet to his chest. a photographer on the scene shared his story with our own brian williams. he was just half a block away when he first heard the explosion. >> it was just -- it was one of the craziest scenes i've ever seen. nobody knew what to do. half the people were running away. ems was running towards the scene. nobody knew what to do. everyone was in fear. >> this is like a bomb explosion that we hear about in the news in baghdad or israel or some other tragic space in the world. >> it went off, me and him were like -- we were rooting on our friend. and boom. both of us, we've been to afghanistan. we expect that there. >> what went on? everybody went, a bomb. >> the first explosion happened a lot further down from us. and the second one was right across the street from us. yeah. it was loud. it was really, really loud. and people

tracie potts live from washington. thank you. >>> nbc's dylan drier is here with a look at the wednesday forecast. good morning. >> good morning. we are actually watching a lot of severe weather moving across the country, especially down across oklahoma today. but we also have wintry weather still occurring across the northern plains. it doesn't look like that much right now. it is going to strengthen and become more severe as we go throughout the day. the snowfall will continue to accumulate, especially across south dakota and nebraska today. we're actually going to see another, perhaps 6 to 12 inches of snow across parts of western and central nebraska over the course of today. and even denver will pick up a few more inches of snowfall today. look at all the lightning with these storms though across illinois, indiana, and stretching down into kentucky. we are going to see some stronger storms that way. but the biggest threat of severe weather today will be back across oklahoma especially. we'll see the possibility of

let's check in with "today in the bay's" tracie potts right now live on capitol hill with at least one bay area lawmaker calling today's votes a quick fix. tracy, good morning. >> good morning, it is a fix a lot of travelers wanted to see making it easier to get out of sfo, oakland, san jose and airports all over the country that have seen delays as a result of air traffic controllers being furloughed one day every other week, which means 1500 of them are off the job every single day. they have to slow down the flight traffic and that's why people have been stuck one, two, sometimes three hours in the airport. now, washington is working on it. the senate un animously passed this. the house votes on it today. $53 million to take care of the air traffic controllers. >> we are just fooling ourselves if we think we are doing the american people any favor by not finding a real solution. >> of course, this comes just in time for lawmakers headed home this weekend. they are off next week. they will be in their district for a week. if they go home with a fix in hand, they won't hear from lots

>> tracie potts, thank you for the update. >>> 5:43. the two suspects in the first known al qaeda terrorist plot in canada head to court today. they arrested two men that wanted to carry out a major terrorist attack on a rail passenger trail from toronto to new york. video shows one of the suspects after his arrest. both men are believed to have ties to al qaeda cells based in iran and under surveillance since august. a bail hearing is set in toronto for today >>> new video of the damage left behind after a car bomb exploded outside the french embassy in libya. that last happening early this morning. two french guards were injured. the motive not clear. french president, francois olan denouncing the attack, calling it an assault not just on france but all other countries fighting terrorism. >>> keep your eyes on the sky. a plane that needs only the sun's rays to fly taking off for a test flight. bob redell joins us live at move f moffett field where the first solar plane is getting warmed up. >> reporter: good morning. here we are. i wa

tracie potts, thank you very much for the update. >>> 5:45.t a month after connecticut passed some of the toughest gun restrictions in the country. lawmakers are learning, it is not as simple as they thought. many gun owners say the law is confusing. they are not sure whether their weapons are considered legal. the law immediately banned magazines over 10 rounds and all assault style weapons. the law allows owners who had those items before the law was signed to keep them. lawmakers say they have been inundated with questions and they are still working to sort out the particulars of the law. billboard signs advocating gun rights are causing big controversy in colorado. they depict native americans with it's words, turn in your arms, the government will take care of you. for now, the people who pay for the signs are remaining anonymous. several civil rights groups are demanding the billboards be taken down. >>> the in-laws of one of the suspected boston marathon bombers is being investigated by the fbi. they are carrying away evidence from cath

tracie potts with a look at how capitol hill is responding to the bombings.erry mcsweeney. >> jamie:ing us live in boston from a city that is now forever changed. >> reporter: good morning to you. it is a city that is forever changed. right now, it seems unable to move past that moment when the bombs went off. this is a street where the bombs went off. the runners were coming down. you can see that they are beginning to have a bit of a memorial here. some flowers showing up in this, the past half hour. as you look down boyleston street, it is a street frozen in time just as it was pretty much when the bombs went off yesterday. right now, take a look at an aerial view of the finish line at copley square. several streets shut down in all directions. a total of a mile worth of streets. it is all part of a crime scene. several streets have been shut down since after the race. police officers standing guard. national guard, s.w.a.t. team fully armed walking the streets. a few hours ago, these streets were filled with total chaos. thousands of runners and spectator

>> tracie potts, thank you very much. we will continue to follow this story all morning long. it was a scene out there in boston. our very own terry mcsweeney will be live in that city. keeping an eye on the upcoming investigate. expecting an update in the 6:00 hour. >> 5:43. >> as tracy mentioned, the gang of eight will roll out the immigration bill. lawmakers say the bill will be filed today but without fanfare out of respect for the victims and families in the explosion in boston. the bipartisan bill will place the 11 million people in the country illegally on a path to citizenship. part of the bill would take steps to secure the border. it would create a new legal immigration system that would offer merritt visas to the tens of thousands of high-tech and low-skilled workers that u.s. employers want to hire. >>> in the meantime, former congresswoman, gabby giffords, returning to capitol hill. she is receiving a plaque honoring a former aide that died. that gunman killed five others and seriously wounded gifford during a town hall meeting. giffords has been in the forefront

"today in the bay's" tracie potts is live on capitol hill with all the details. morning, tracie. >> reporter: good morning. buses being turned around on video coming in from north korea, south korea. those south korean workers who normally work in that factory were told not today. south korean workers already there were sent home. this is jointly operated but a change in policy for the north koreans as of this morning. also the u.s. focus on its policy in the region trying to protect its allies, south korea and japan work iing diplomatically. news from the pentagon that joint chief chair martin dempsey will be headed to china. china typically influencing what north korea does or perhaps in this case does not do. and dempsey is headed over to try to see if china can somehow intervene and prevent this from escalating. >> all right. tracie potts, thank you very much, from washington, d.c. we'll check with you later. >>> later this afternoon, president obama will be making several stops across the bay area. the president will be attending fund-raisers where he is exp

nbc's tracie potts is live in washington with more. >> reporter: good morning. right after this happened capitol police went into action. they are warning visitors to the capitol complex to expect more police presence, visible presence today. as you noted some lawmakers have already been briefed, others get more details on this investigation today. >> the house will now observe a moment of silence in memory of the victims of today's attack in boston. >> reporter: congress observing a moment of silence for boston's victims. this morning the capitol flag remains at half-staff. later today the fbi, homeland security and intelligence officials brief lawmakers on what they know about the explosion. >> the most important thing we do it right. >> reporter: lawmakers were quick to call it an act of terror but the president did not. >> we'll find out who did this. and we will hold them accountable. >> reporter: there's a security perimeter around the white house and more security throughout the city this morning at airports and metro station. but d.c. officials say the p

nbc's tracie potts has details from washington for us. tracie, good friday to you. people want to ask this, how soon would the solution take effect? >> reporter: possibly as early as this weekend so maybe you don't have to sit around for one, two and three hours like people did earlier this week. the senate unanimously approved this last night. every democrat and republican voting to shift $253 million from one part of the faa budget to another, money that had been planned for airport improvements and other projects now to pay those air traffic controllers who have been forced to stay home one day every other week because they were home and there were fewer people on the job, airports had to slow down takeoffs and landing, and that's why people were sitting around waiting for flights. now it looks like if this vote goes through as expected today in the house, that could end possibly as early as this weekend. it does not mean almost 150 towers that are slated to close in june, that that situation is going to change at all. that's totally different. richard? >> all ri

"today in the bay's" tracie potts is live where today's rally is being held. ie, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. this afternoon, we are expecting thousands of people here. take a look behind me. this is the national mall, the area where organizers say they expect maybe even tens of thousands of people from all over the country. we hear there are going to be 400 buses dropping people off here for this immigration rally, taking a live look now at the mall where this rally is going to get under way later this afternoon. the aim? to push lawmakers this time to get something done. what we're hearing is some of the last major stumbling blocks is something that may have been worked out this morning from senator dianne feinstein that farm workers and growers have worked out one of the last snags they were at odds over wages, making sure people who have been in this country, working, living for years. but illegally can now say a path to citizenship. 1.7 million part of the group's numbers u.s.a. who say they toent want to rush this. they want to make sure that

tracie potts has the latest from washington. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, the white house and some lawmakers on capitol hill warming to the idea of a deal that would put the air traffic controllers 1,200 to 1,50 o a day. there have been waits up to three hours for come around the country. it's been an issue here on capitol hill. a testy exchange with one lawmaker saying they weren't given enough warning. >> we have been talking about reduction and available controller hours of 10% for months. >> but you didn't tell them which airports and which airlines. >> they should expect major impacts and facilities. >> if there is a deal and the air traffic controllers get back on the job, it may or may not include the 149 small towers scheduled to close in june. >> thank you so much for that. >>> new leads and new questions of security lapses this morning in the boston bombing case. the cia says it put the older brother, tamerlan tsarnaev on the watch list. his parents are returning to the u.s. to take his body home. his young

nbc's tracie potts has more now from washington. good morning, tracie. >> reporter: hi, betty. good morning, everyone. he's talked about both of those issues. both could end up facing a big challenge and uphill battle in the republican controlled house. for now we're waiting to see if it gets past the senate. the gang of eight is expected to unveil their immigration bill tomorrow. senator marco rubio was on a record seven talk shows this weekend pitching it. >> it's a way to address the millions of people that are here undocumented in a passionate way but a responsible way. >> reporter: this bill is by no means a done deal. >> this will increase the legal flow of low wages. >> reporter: deal with the border first. >> look, if those things are done right now, we'll deal with the 11 million once they're done. >> reporter: on gun control, the deal worked out by republican joe manchion and toomey will talk about internet sales and gun shows. >> we're working it and discussing with colleagues on both sides that we have bipartisan support. >> reporter: there's bipartisan opposition,

nbc's tracie potts is on the mall. tomorrow also could be a key day on this issue. >> reporter: right, dara, because tomorrow we could see legislation for the first time. this gang of eight, four republicans and four democrats who have been working for months now to come up with some sort of immigration compromise could get that legislation out as early as tomorrow. though we hear likely it will be next week. and then, of course, we'll have weeks of hearings and discussion after that. but today here on the national mall, we are expecting thousands, if not tens of thousands of people who want to see immigration reform happen. these are pro-immigration reform groups. many of them have come from all over the country. some 400 busloads, we're told, plus people who want to try to influence congress, not just to get it done but to get it done quickly. they've been waiting. the group of eight missed their deadline last month. quite frankly, this was something that was promised in the first administration. they're hoping it wi

tracie potts joins us from washington with details and the speculation. all kinds of speculation this morning. >> especially about hillary clinton. good morning. she comes with an impressive resume, former first lady, secretary of state. it's politics, until she says no, absolutely no, the answer could be yes. sharing the stage, hillary clinton and the vice president complimented each other. >> there's no woman like hillary clinton. hillary clinton, that's a fact. >> the vice president, biden and i worked together on so many important issues. >> reporter: their mere presence together, her first since stepping down as secretary of state is fueling questions about whether either may run for president in 2016. >> it's joe biden waiting to see what hillary clinton is going to do. if she gets in, it's going to be difficult for him to make the race. >> reporter: both can draw big cash. clinton has two things biden doesn't, higher favoribility ratings, 67% to 48% and a new political action committee. supporters rallied outside the event. their website went live

tracie potts joins us live. >> new this morning, the north says it is pulling away 50,000 workers fromhat joint industrial complex that's just inside north korea. they have been blocking south korean workers for days now, getting into it now. it looks like they may pull out all together as the united states continues to navigate this growing conflict on the korean peninsula. the u.s., in an abundance of caution, pulling back, not going through with the test that should happen in california postponing a d.c. visit for our top military commander until all of this cools down. the white house would not be surprised if there is a missile test by north korea this week for a couple of reasons. john kerry is going to be there. our secretary of state, later in the week. a good opportunity from their standpoint. the anniversary of the birth of their founder, north korea has told foreign diplomates they need to get out. they wouldn't be surprised the white house said if something happened this week, possibly by wednesday. >> one to certainly watch. tracie potts, live from washington. >>> new this

thank you, tracie potts. >>> south korean officials say some 800 citizens trapped in north korea are being allowed to return home. this after pyongyang stepped up pressure on the south by closing access to a joint industrial park near the border. on tuesday secretary of state john kerry announced he'll travel to seoul next week. after kim jong-un's latest power play. nbc's richard engel is in seoul. >> reporter: kim jong-un undid years of diplomacy vowing to reopen the yongbyon nuclear reactor, capable of producing enough plutonium to make a nuclear bomb a year. north korea closed it in 2007, even destroying a cooling tower. to show its commitment to a now shattered deal with the u.s. >> if they restart their nuclear facility, yongbyon, that is in direct violation of their international obligations and would be a very serious step. >> reporter: but kim jong-un shows no sign that he's even listening to the outside world. it would be a mistake to dismiss kim as a mere boy emperor stomping his feet. >> people think north korea is unpredictable. it's very predictable. it's power driven.

"today in the bay's" tracie potts is live on capitol hill.cal weapons would be a game-changer for the u.s. and our involvement in syria's civil war. >> that is the big question, marla. our involvement. when will we get involved, how will we get involved, specially in light of new violence just today. six killed when the prime minister of syria was targeted. ju just in this morning from syria's state news agency. the country's prime minister survived an assassination attempted to. his convoy was bombed. there are vairying reports of other deaths and injuries. they have some evidence syria's government may have used chemical weapons on its own people. president obama had called that a red line for action. now, he is cautious. >> knowing that potentially chemical weapons have been used inside of syria doesn't tell us when they were used, how they were used. >> there is pressure from capitol hill to act soon. >> for america to sit on the sidelines and do nothing is a huge mistake. >> more than just syria, iran is paying attention to this, north k

>> tracie potts, thank you so much. >>> scotland yard is on high alert as margaret thatcher is laid to rest. we'll go live to london. >>> plus, former south carolina governor mark sanford is in the hot seat again. we'll tell you why when "early today" returns. here are some other stories we're following this morning. nbc news capitol hill correspondent kelly o'donnell reporting the gang of eight senators' new bill has been filed. the bill would create a path to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented individuals currently living in the u.s. >>> former south carolina governor mark sanford is being accused of trespassing at the home of his ex-wife. he's ordered to appear at a hearing next month two days after a special congressional election. sanford is trying to revive his political career after it was derailed by an extramarital affair that ended his marriage. >>> and new zealand has become the 13th country in the world and the first in the asia-pacific region to legalize same-sex marriage. hundreds of gay rights advocates celebrated the 77-55 vote last night outside of parliament

nbc's tracie potts is on the mall for us this morning. traci, tomorrow also could be a key day on this issue. >> reporter: it could. tomorrow we could finally see that legislation that the so-called gang of eight has been promising. these are the four democrats and republicans who have been trying to work on some sort of compromise that both sides can live with. we're out here today because in just a few hours, thousands of organizers and maybe tens of thousands of people are going to flood the national mall. these are the groups that are pro immigration reform. they want to see reform happen. they want to see a path to citizenship for the estimated 11 million people who have been working and living in this country illegally. some of them for years. now one of the keys to getting that done is farmworkers. they sat down with growers and have an agreement on visas that would allow many of these people to stay in the country. but the opposition, those who oppose, say that people who came into this country illegally should not get a quick path

nbc's tracie potts has details now from washington. tracie, good morning. >> reporter: hi, betty, good morning. and more from syria's state news agency this morning, its prime minister convoy was attacked in damascus. the prime minister said to be okay. varying reports of deaths and injuries from that attack. but it does underscore the seriousness of the violence there and why some here in washington want to act quickly. amateur video from syria, the fighting getting worse. and now the u.s. has some evidence syria's government may have used chemical weapons on its own people. president obama had called that a red line for action. now he's cautious. >> knowing that potentially chemical weapons have been used inside of syria doesn't tell us when they were used, how they were used. >> reporter: there's pressure from capitol hill to act, soon. >> for america to sit on the sidelines and do nothing is a huge mistake. >> more than just syria, iran is paying attention to this, north korea is paying attention to this. >> reporter: but what type

tracie potts has the latest. >> reporter: good morning. dropped apparently for lack of evidence. they searched the suspect's home and found no traces, no evidence at all of ricin, this after paul kevin curtis spent one week behind bars. the mississippi man accused of sending those letters to senator wicker, to president obama and to a mississippi judge. but after being released he spoke with his attorney and said that he's looking forward to getting back to normal. here's more of what he said. >> i respect president obama, i love my country and would never do anything to pose a threat to him or any other u.s. official. >> reporter: now authorities are looking at the home of another mississippi man, another man from tupelo who says he's also innocent. he doesn't even know how to make ricin, but they're looking into his home. interestingly the two suspects have had an ongoing feud for years. mara? >> tracie, thank you very much for that. >> well, it's the sound of a bullet proof white board and it's on its way to one minnesota school. the high school is no stranger to school violen

tracie potts, wbal-tv 11 news. >> now weather and traffic together on the 1's. morning. not a bad start on this tuesday morning weather-wise. we have cloud cover but no precipitation. 53 degrees in pikesville. the school day forecast, maybe a light jacket this morning. we expect a high temperature near 71 with partly cloudy skies. >> good morning. still a busy start on 95 out of the northeast. we have an accident involving a tractor-trailer. it is having a southbound impact on 895 and 95 southbound. the right lane is closed southbound 95 at the split along with the left lane of 895 southbound. ofis impacting traffic south white marsh down to the accident scene. 26 miles per hour on average. this is a live camera in the white marsh area. accident in towson on york road. northbound 295 at powder mill road, we still have the right lane closed. a disabled vehicle on eastbound 50 is now gone. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> 6:22. the nba playoffs start in just a few days. here is a look at last night's winning maryland lottery numbers. .> good morning the orioles a

tracie potts joins us live with more. good morning, tracie >>> that was back in 2011 at the request of russian intelligence. they cleared him after he traveled to russia and came back with no travel restrictions. in light of what's happened, in light of remaining and lingering questions about whether he may have been radicalized there or whether he had any terrorist ties, now the fbi is facing heat for that. listen. >> i want to know how the fbi or the system dropped the ball when he was identified as the potential terrorist. it was a mistake. i don't know if our laws are insufficient or the fbi failed but we are at war with radical islamists and we need to up our game. >> at some point, they have nothing. you can't ask them to do something with nothing. >> in the meantime, the 19-year-old younger brother who survived is in a hospital in boston. he is being questioned by the high value detainee interrogation group. those questions and his answers for the first 48 hours without a miranda warning not admission i believe in c

"today in the bay's" tracie potts monitoring the new details. us live from washington, d.c. with the very latest. >>> good morning, tracey. the white house says it won't be surprised to see the test in the next few days, maybe by wednesday, because that's the day north korea has said foreign diplomates need to be out of its borders because they can't protect them after that point. also, with secretary kerry heading to south korea to the region, and it is the anniversary of the birth of the founder of north korea, a pretty good time north korea may think for testing these nuclear missiles. we know they have two on the launch pads. now, we have new information this morning about that factory, that complex that's right on the border of north and south korea. apparently, north korea has decided to pull more than 50,000 workers who works at that complex and they may shut it down all together pulling out of that joint venture with south korea. it looks like they may pull out all together. still, unknown. what might the response be from south korea if,

"today in the bay's" tracie potts live in washington, d.c.amilies turning their grief into action. is it enough to save the struggling effort to enact tougher gun laws? >> they are certainly coming at a critical time. this gun control legislation seems to be going nowhere fast. after getting a ride on air force one from connecticut where the president was speaking yesterday, the families are now here. they are on capitol hill this morning trying to convince lawmakers to expand gun control. specifically background checks, perhaps not universal. certainly, to expand background checks. that's one effort going on. law enforcement officials from all over the country are going to be talking about why the administration wants tougher gun laws. it is something that six states, including connecticut, have done since the new town shooting. ten states have scaled back restrictions on guns. there is a divide. we are seeing that here on capitol hill as well. thursday, first lady, mhelle obama, heads to chicago, all of this in an effort to try to jump-star