Good morning to you. Im richard lui. We start with fast moving developments in ukraine. U. S. Fighter jets now in the region after crimeas parliament votes to join russia. A move that did not sit well with the u. S. Secretary of state john kerry is growing visibly irritated at the lack of progress and diplomatic talks and just hours ago, more countries including the Baltic States condemning russias actions. Adding to regional tensions. Nbcs jim maceda is in moscow watching the story for us. President s obama and putin have that one hour long phone call, that happened thursday. Some asking whats next now. Hi, richard. Thats right. President obama reached out this time to president putin at the end of that thursday day, a busy one it was, that saw the Crimean Peninsula voting to secede from the from ukraine. That was followed by obamas executive order to slap sanctions on all those who threatened ukraines sovereignty, at least in theory. Potentially, by the way, including putin himself. It was the second long call in six days but, again, there was still a huge gulf between the two leaders, just how to resolve the crisis with obama calling the pro russian crimean government illegitimate and putin returning the favor by claiming that the government in kiev is unconstitutional. Now, this morning the kremlin issued a statement here at moscow saying that while the two sides were far apart, putin did stress that u. S. russian relations were too important to be damaged by differences over any one, albeit, a major issue. But diplomacy did continue in rome led by u. S. Secretary of state john kerry. Even he failed to bring russian sergey lavrov, the foreign minister, into the same room with his ukrainian counterpart. That said, lavrov has reportedly carried the proposal by the u. S. And eu back to moscow for putins consideration. Now, that plan, the u. S. Calls for direct talks and new elections in may. The russians want a completely different deal, return to the february 21st accords, signed by viktor yanukovych, the outed ukrainian president. He would form a unity government and elections in december. Moscow doesnt admit that Russian Forces are in crimea. Folks are talking past each other. Jim, so ends another week there of back and forth as we look at what happened there in ukraine and russia. Appreciate it. Jim maceda, nbc reporting there for us in moscow. Now to the senate, blocking a change to military Sexual Assault cases. Lawmakers coming up five votes short of removing commanders of their authority to prosecute rape cases. Pentagon leaders who opposed the effort said it would undermine commanders. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand sponsored that, the new york democrat spearheading the year long campaign. We know that the deck is stacked against victims of Sexual Assault in the military today, and today, sadly, we saw the same in the halls of congress. The 2013 fiscal year had about 5400 reports of Sexual Assault in the military. That is a 60 increase compared to the year before. And that as two top military officials face Sexual Assault allegations of their own. Opening statements are expected today in the courtmartial of Brigadier General jeffrey sinclair. He pleaded guilty thursday to improper relationships with two female army officers. And committing adultery with a third. In addition, the married father of two pleaded not guilty to five other charges stemming from a female captains allegations that he forced her to perform a sex act. Also, the army suspending its top prosecutor for Sexual Assault cases. A woman claiming Lieutenant Colonel jay morris tried to grope and kiss her at a conference. That conferences topic, ironically, Sexual Assault. The army is investigating. More on the court ruling in favor of the practice known as upskirting. The Massachusetts Legislature has now made voted here to make it illegal. It comes a day after the state Supreme Court sided in favor of a man who had been secretly taking pictures up the skirts of women. Justices said it was okay because the women were not fully nude. The new bill makes it illegal to take, quote, intimate photos of women or children in public. In south africa, emotional graphic testimony at the murder trial of blade runner oscar pistorius. This morning, pistorius neighbor resumes testimony. The doctor says he saw pistorius weeping over his model girlfriend reeva steenkamp. He said pistorius was trying to help her breathe. Pistorius shot her last year. He said he mistook her for an intruder. The freakish weather pattern called el nino could be returning to u. S. Shores. Here is Anne Thompson. Reporter this is why the words el nino strikes fear. Houses collapse and the ground gives way in california. Weakened by the intense storms of 1997 and 98, the last major el nino. Southern californias rainfall totals more than doubled. Farmers now praying for rain in some parts of the west, and took a big dip 16 years ago. The losses from that el nino cost u. S. Agriculture as much as 1. 7 billion according to a study by texas a m. So just what is el nino . El nino is basically a warming of the sea surface temperatures in the central pacific. That warming of those above normal temperatures anywhere from half a degree to a degree, which doesnt sound like a lot, can actually change weather patterns not just in the united states, but all across the world. While el nino could send california ricocheting from drought to downpours, in the northern half of the country, it could mean miserably frigid snowy winter will not be repeated next year. El nino may help mitigate the brutally cold weather that we have had in the northeast, the midwest and the northern plains. However, youre not going to be able to say, definitely that this is going to get knocked out. Why . Because even though there is a forecast of an el nino, it doesnt mean it is going to happen. It could also mean fewer hurricanes in the atlantic because water temperatures would cool, depriving the storms of some energy. Good news for the oil and gas industry in the gulf of mexico. Nbcs Anne Thompson reporting for us. There is only a 50 50 chance of an el nino if we had to put odds on it. Nbcs meteorologist bill karins joins us now. There are different grades of el nino, there are strong ones like in the mid90s or weaker ones. Everyone thinks of california. Thats what i remember. Exactly. Lets talk about what we dealt with so far this march. Were at a neutral weather pattern in the pacific right now. Were just getting drenched up in the pacific northwest. This is off to the wettest start ever in seattle for a rainfall first week of march. Over 3 1 2 inches, portland over 2 inches. And we got the rain in the beginning of the month in l. A. And san francisco. Good start to the wet weather for this month. Dont have any huge storms on the way. You see on the far lefthand side of your screen, a few clouds over british columbia. Doesnt look like any wet weather arrives until the tail end of saturday, especially in seattle and then it could have a lingering shower into sunday and monday. It is not as wet as the last couple of storms. Today looks like a dry day everywhere. Mild and breezy in los angeles today at 74. Thats your national forecast. Well see how the el nino develops. Okay. Thank you very much, bill karins. Coffee cup leads to the capture of a suspected sexual predator. Well tell you how big a refund your neighbors are probably getting this year from the irs next. Transferred money from his before larry instantly bank of america savings account to his merrill edge retirement account. Before he opened his first hot chocolate stand calling winter an underserved season. And before he quit his friends leafraking business for not offering a 401k. Larry knew the importance of preparing for retirement. Thats why when the time came he counted on merrill edge to streamline his investing and help him plan for the road ahead. Thats the power of streamlined connections. Thats merrill edge and bank of america. [ female announcer ] unlike ordinary diapers pampers stay up to three times drier, so babies can sleep soundly all night. Pampers. Can you dance . Bum ba bum no. Can you make campbells chicken noodle soup . Yes [ wisest kid ] every can has 32 feet of slurpable noodles. Mom, youre awesome. Bum ba bum ba bum [ gong ] [ wisest kid ] mm mm good welcome back. Police in Washington State have suspected sex predator Brian Johnston in custody all because of a starbucks cup left at the crime scene. It had a stick we are where he bought it earlier in the day. So then police used Surveillance Footage from that location to identify him. Johnston is accused of kidnapping two women and assaulting them behind a motel. The fda is saying yes to lsd. The last time it did that was in the 1960s, almost half a century ago. The purpose, to study how the Psychedelic Drug can reduce anxiety from life threatening illnesses. The trials reports say patients see a sizable and sustained decrease in anxiety after taking lsd. Chrysler has ordered 93 first generation dodge vipers to be destroyed. Two of the nonstreet legal prototypes that were donated to schools have been involved in accidents recently. That cost Parent Company fiat millions of dollars. One Community College in washington says they have the fourth viper ever made, and cannot believe they have to destroy it. The white house full of soul music last night. Patti labelle, melissa etheridge, aretha franklin, the women of soul there, performing before the first couple, among other special guests, for a pbs special. Boy, that must have been something. Time for business and cnbcs sima moody. Safe way strikes a deal. They own several supermarkets including albertsons, the fifth largest chain. Safe way has 1300 stores. Americans Household Wealth jumped more than 10 trillion last year due to the booming stock market and rising home values. Household wealth measures real estate, stocks, Bank Accounts and other assets. The irs says the average tax refund this year is more than 3,000, survey shows most americans plan to use that cash to pay down debt, but other people are more likely to spend their refund on shopping are going out. Back to you. Thank you very much, sima. Staples. Com is doing better than the Staples Stores operating worldwide. The company is hoping to save about 500 million by closing 225 brick and Mortar Stores in the u. S. And canada by the end of next year. Legend has it that buffalo wings were created 50 years ago this week at the anchor bar in buffalo, new york. The story goes that the bars owner thought cutting up some large chicken wings would make handling them a little easier. Then she deep fried them, covered them in hot sauce and added some blue cheese dressing on the side. The rest is history. Food history. And now my favorite dish. Just ahead, lebron and company hit a brick wall in san antonio. What the heck was the South Carolina basketball coach saying that had to be blacked out . Got that coming up next. Save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. Ould yep, Everybody Knows that. Well, did you know the ancient pyramids were actually a mistake . Uhoh. Geico. Fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. Other things, you dont. [ female announcer ] charmin ultra soft is so soft you can actually see the softness with our comfort cushions. Plus you can use up to four times less. Enjoy the go with charmin ultra soft. [ male announcer ] the rhythm of life. [ whistle blowing ] where do you hear that beat . Campbells healthy request soup lets you hear it in your heart. [ basketball bouncing ] heart healthy. [ mm. ] great taste. [ tapping ] sounds good. Campbells healthy request. Mm mm good. ® this morning on today, their children were buried in an avalanche in their own backyard. But somehow survived. One familys terrifying experience. The miracle in montana live this morning on today. Now to sports. College hoops. Number 24 iowa at number 22 michigan state. Michigan state down in the first half by two. In the second, they come on back. Senior keith aptly ruling the game, double digit scoring and this assist. Alleyoop, michigan state, 8676. Villanova ending a 32year drought at winning the big east championship outright. None of the players even alive the last time this happened. They beat xavier 7770. South carolina mens basketball coach will be suspended. Frank martin on camera curses out aplayer during a timeout on tuesday. He is suspended for saturdays regular season finale. Good thing we blacked that out, right . Talk about passion. Hawaii and uc santa barbara. Santa barbara fan charging on to the court. Where is the security, right . He yells at the coach, gets escorted out and could be expelled if hes the studena st. Hawaii loses 6361. Lebron james struggles again. He decides to ditch his face mask. That helps a little bit there against san antonio. He takes a turnover for two. Not enough, though. San antonio wins 11187. Shapes saying you know the jersey sleeves, theyre so constricting, i cant move. No big, evidently. Miami number two in the eastern conference. Indiana clinched a playoff berth. San antonio is in second in the west. Oklahoma city leads. Clemson football, setting their only bcs bowl game win in Program History in stone, right there . As tradition goes, they unveiled a tombstone in their graveyard that has the biggest wins at the orange bowl. They beat number seven ranked buckeyes. They should have, right. Pitchers playing dressup. Tim lincecum at 170 on the left, 68, cameron lowey, 250 on the right, theyre swapping uniforms. And theyre probably talking like this right now. Just ahead, a weekend Weather Forecast worth waiting for. Nicole kidman does her best princess grace. Details when we return. [ sneezes ] [ male announcer ] you may be an allergy muddler. Try zyrtec®. It gives you powerful allergy relief. And zyrtec® is different than claritin® because zyrtec® starts working at hour 1 on the first day you take it. Claritin® doesnt start working until hour 3. [ sneezes ] [ male announcer ] zyrtec®. Love the air. [ female announcer ] this week only, save up to 10 on zyrtec® products. See sundays newspaper. [ clears throat ] hi. What did you do to deserve that thin mints flavor coffeemate . Its only one of the most delicious girl scout cookie flavors ever. I changed the printer ink. [ male announcer ] try coffeemate girl scout cookie flavors. Still running in the morning . Yeah. Getting your vegetables every day . When i can. [ bop ] [ male announcer ] couldve had a v8. Two full servings of vegetables for only 50 delicious calories. Innovative cc cream from nice n easy. Our advanced treatment helps keep highlights and lowlights shiny and luminous. Cc cream, find it in every box of nice n easy. The most natural shade of you. In every box oi cthis year aloneore places offi hit new york. Ist. And texas see, hotwire checks the competitions rates every day. So they can guarantee their low hotel prices. Hotwire hotwire. Com welcome back. As we head through the weekend, get ready for a warmup in Southern California today. 74, windy in the morning, especially higher elevations. Over the weekend, were going to jump up into the 80s. 82 in l. A. And sunny. San diego, should be warm. Phoenix should be nice. Next frontal system will linger along the northwest coast, though. There will be a chance for on and off rain. Not going to be too heavy. Rainfall amounts less than two inches in the mountains. Will linger with clouds into sunday. Southern cal, arizona, nice weekend. Windy, come on. 80 degrees there. A little taste, just a little. It has been seven years but the 300 sequel some of you wanted finally here. Trying to cash in on the massive success of the original 300 rise of an empire. Expected to hit theaters at number one this weekend. Expected to haul in around 42 million while mr. Peabody slides into second with an expected 37 million. Queen hits the road this summer with American Idol alum adam lambert as their Freddie Mercury fillin. Speaking of music icons, first footage from a jimi hendrix biopic hits the internet thursday. It looks at andre 3,000 in the lead role. Always entertaining. Remember isaiah washington, hes making a one episode comeback in grays anatomy. He was fired from the show in 2007 after on set clashes and antigay remarks. I didnt know it was still on tv. A series that has a lot of legs, my friend. The new trailer for grace of monaco features Nicole Kidman doing her best impression of the hitchco Hitchcock Muse turned royalty. The princess of monaco. You think she can pull it off . I think she can. It is a story that everybody in america loves to talk about. She has the grace. Everyone loves a and looks good, so far. Well see how it turns out. Im richard lui. This is early today. We hope it is just your first stop of the day right here on nbc. [ male announcer ] v8 vfusion plus energy. Natural energy from tea packed with real juice from delicious fruits and veggies. Its what you need for that extra boost oh and did we mention its only 50 calories . Need a lift . Couldve had a v8. In the juice aisle. Everything life throws my way. Except for frown lines. Those im throwing back. [ female announcer ] olay total effects. Nourishing vitamins, and 7 beautiful benefits in one. For youngerlooking skin. Olay. Your best beautiful. Leading the news in the new york times, abortion law pushes texas clinics to close doors. Yesterday two clinics run by whole Womans Health were shut down as a result of the new law, maki. Officials sleent on mass release of detainees. Immigration and customers enforcement officials are still refusing to reveal the names and criminal histories of 2200 detainees who are suddenly released in the u. S. Over a year ago without explanation. Stories were watching for you on this friday. Is this the founder of bitcoin . His name is dorian satosh Satoshi Nakamoto and they say hes the face behind this digital currency. The man himself telling the associated press, hang on a second, its not me. He said he didnt hear of bitcoin until his son said a reporter contacted him three weeks ago. What do you think . Since 2009, the currencys creator has been a mystery. They say they stand by their story. I guess he wants it to be remain anonymous as the currency kind of is. This is not anonymous here. Remember the spat on capitol hill this week . The one between representative issa of california and cummings of maryland. Issa called cummings, a democrat, to apologize, for cutting off his microphone during the irs hearing. Cummings says he accepted issas apology. Thats a bit bipartisanship now. See if they can move ahead on that. Using marijuana now legal in colorado. But a series of new psas remind users that drivie ining under t influence is not. The commercials use of light hearted approach, light hearted humor much more of a carrot than the stick. The Colorado Department of transportation hopes the psas educate pot smokers without alienating them with an overly stern tone. Now for a look ahead and a look back. Newsweek returns to newsstands after being online only since 2012. The cover piece revealed the unconfirmed identity of bitcoin as we talked about. Publishers are hoping the die heard readers will cough up 7. 99 per issue. Alexander graham bell patented the telephone. Wont buy a telephone either, probably, bill karins. He finally got it to work. It would gain worldwide attention in philadelphia. Dont forget to change your clocks for Daylight Saving time. Im richard lui with bill karin. Thank you for watching early today. Have a super weekend ahead. It was scary. Fire, fire, then all of a sudden i see the top of the roof. It was terrible and the people jumped out the window. A 3yearold boy thrown out of a second story window to escape flames in the east bay. Good morning to you. Im scott mcgrew. Im peggy bunker. Laura garciacannon has the morning off. Fire broke out at a hayward apartment complex on seventh and c streets. Christie smith is near the scene. Christie, how is the boy . Reporter you know, amazingly he was thrown from a window but all Things Considered he is doing pretty good. If you look at the front door of this apartment you
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