i'm betty nguyen. we are following a developing story out of iraq right now. officials say at least 22 people are dead after a wave of violence across the country. at least 100 others were injured in the attacks. mostly car bombings spanning from the capital city baghdad northwest to new jersey and in northern kirkuk. the attacks come at a potential turning point for iraq. the country will host the first elections since the u.s. withdrew troops in 2011 in less than two weeks from now. >>> north korea is developing the 101st birthday of its founding further and washington fears the current leader may use this occasion to flex his military muscle. john kerry just reached up a three-day trip to the region. andrea mitchell reports now from tokyo. >> reporter: in tokyo john kerry reassured japan the u.s. will defend it from north korea but said the obama administration wouldn't negotiate with pyongyang under the right circumstances. >> what we ought to talk about is possibilities of peace and i think there are those possibilities notwithstanding the rhetoric and th

a lot of negative news on the biebs lately. >> i'm betty nguyen. this is "early today," just your first stop of the day, today, on your nbc station. >>> it is going to be a busy week on capitol hill as the nation bawaits for lawmakers to vote on what has everybody talking. >> >> let's look outside right now % at 4:26. warm out there and drizzle to start your day. let's check in on the forecast. >> tom? >> i would know you from um, w welcome back. great to have you back. we are starting off with a few scattered showers. getting a little bit of scattered light rain. farther to the east. moderate rain on the eastern shore. storm team four showing scattered showers in the area. roadways are going to be damp. w we are in the mid and upper 50s and it is near 50 farther north and west. right now across the rest of much of virginia into west virginia most locations there into the low and mid 50s. few showers for another few hours as you head out. let's take our first look at traffic in this morning. >> good morning. tom. pg good morning everyone. looking a

. >>> well, from pint-sized presidents to basketball blunders, nbc's betty nguyen takes a look at the week that was. >> reporter: the week kicked off with some easter fun until one bunny got a lesson in helmet laws. >>> then, on to april fools', where the white house pulled off a small presidential prank. but the joke was on president obama, whose basketball blunders left us asking, i thought he had game? >> this isn't good. yesterday, president obama shot baskets at the white house and only made 2 shots out of 22. even dick cheney was like, that guy needs to learn to shoot. i mean -- >> university of louisville basketball player kevin ware was back on his feet after a gruesome accident on the court. >> the network showed it once and then they showed it, and then that was it. it was -- you know what i'm talking about? it was, geez, let me show it to you now. >> going a bit too far. henrik stenson. >> meanwhile, masters champion bubba watson broke out his hovercraft golf cart. it is real and it is spectacular. from flying high to downright abusive, the rutgers university basketball coa

. >>> good morning, everyone, i'm betty nguyen. we are following a developing story out of iraq right now. officials say at least 22 people are dead after a wave of violence across the country. at least 100 others were injured in the attacks. mostly car bombings spanning from the capital city baghdad northwest and into northern kirkuk. the attacks come at a potential turning point for iraq. the country will host the first elections since the u.s. withdrew troops in 2011 in less than a week. >>> north korea is developing the 101st birthday of its founding further and washington fears the current leader may use this occasion to flex his military muscle. secretary of state john kerry has just rapid up a three-day trip into the region. nbc's chief correspondent "andrea mitchell reports" now from tokyo. >> reporter: in tokyo john kerry reassured japan the u.s. will defend it from north korea but said the obama administration would negotiate with pyongyang under the right circumstances. >> what we really ought to be talking about is poss

i'm betty nguyen. this is first look. way too early starts right now. >>> good tuesday morning to you. i'm peter alexander. this is way too early. obviously not just a clever name. thanks for getting up with us today. we appreciate it. it is tuesday, april 2nd. there's a lot going on. we'll start with connecticut lawmakers upping the ante in the gun control debate. they've reached an agreement over one of the toughest gun laws in the country. we'll tell you about the restrictions. that's actually in a moment. the boys of summer are back even if the temperatures were in the 30s for the first pitch in some places. not in new york. things heating up there already. still, the 2013 season is officially

i'm betty nguyen. well, the call for action in syria is growing in washington in the wake of new evidence indicating chemical weapons are now in play in the civil war-torn country. president obama has said crossing that line would be a game changer. well, now critics are calling the country's credibility into question, while the white house still wants more evidence. 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

i'm betty nguyen. right now tensions are rising as south korea reports signs that north korea is preparing to carry out a new nuclear test. meanwhile, the u.s. chairman of the joint chiefs says the pentagon has bolstered u.s. missile defenses because "he can't take the fact that pyongyang won't soon engage in some military action." nbc's jim maceda is in seoul, south korea. good morning, jim. give us the latest there. >> reporter: hi. well, the latest, betty, is that here the defense ministry has backed off, as you suggested, from that earlier statement. that was coming from another official from another ministry who had said that north korea was preparing for its fourth nuclear test. now, the ministry is denying that, saying there is, in fact, no indication that north korea is preparing such a test at its test site up in the north. obviously trying to tamp down tension here already high as south korea and the whole region, really, is waiting to see if and when the north korean leader, kim jong-un, tes

i'm betty nguyen. the fbi's investigation into the boston terror attack is picking up steam as the city prepares to mark one week since the bombings. here's what we know this morning, suspect dzhokhar tsarnaev remains in serious condition at a boston hospital with gunshot wounds including one to his throat possibly from a suicide attempt. he has yet to be charged in connection with the attack or been notified of his miranda rights, however, this morning officials tell nbc news he's awake and using pen and paper to answer questions from investigators. all of this as the fbi says it has obtained surveillance footage showing tsarnaev putting down his backpack near the finish line just minutes before the explosion. massachusetts governor deval patrick says he's been briefed on the footage. >> the suspect took the backpack off, put it down, did not react when the first explosion went off and then moved away from the backpack in time for the second explosion, so pretty clear about his involvement and pretty

. >>> i'm betty nguyen. "way too early" starts right now. >>> good morning, i'm bill karins and this is "way too early." thanks for being up with us on this monday, april fool's day. we have a lot to cover today including new signs that even background checks are dead on arrival in the senate. now some republican lawmakers are threatening a filibuster calling it a bridge too far. for what's left. overseas, a man who's being dogged egypt's jon stewart thrown in jail after speaking out against the government of president muhammad morsi. not a good sign for the government there. >>> finally, a

i'm betty nguyen. here's what's happening. last night president obama joined the washington press corps for the annual white house correspondents dinner. after the laughs, he took time to honor the people of boston and the journalists who covered the recent bombings. and the mississippi man arrested and charged with sending ricin laced letters. he could face life in prison if convicted. we're going to have more news later. now it's back to "lockup." >>> due to mature subject matter, viewer discretion is advised. >>> nathaniel jordan continues to bide his time in the mental health unit in cleveland's cuyahoga county correction center. gazing out his window, or reading religious books, he has been nothing but calm and compliant. but when he first arrived, it was very different. >> this nation told me to shoot the [ bleep ] in the face! ahhh! >> due to his out-of-control behavior, jordan was never able to be formally booked into the jail. so today officer henderson will take him through the process. >> how are you doing, mr. jord

. >>> hello, everyone, i'm betty nguyen. here's what's happening this evening. president obama joined the washington press corps for the white house correspondence dinner. after, he took time to honor the people of boston and the journalists who covered the recent bombings. >>> and a mississippi man has been arrested and charged with sending ricin-laced letters to president obama, a u.s. senator and a judge. james everett dutschke could face life in prison if convicted. >>> we'll have more news later. now, it's back to "lock up." >>> due to mature subject matter, viewer discretion is advised. >>> nathaniel jordan continues to bide his time in cleveland's cuyahoga county correction center. gazing out his window, or reading religious books, he has been nothing but calm and compliant. but when he first arrived, it was very different. >> this nation told me to shoot the [ bleep ] in the face! ahhh! >> due to his out of control behavior, jordan was never able to be formally booked into the jail. so today officer henderson oh will take him through the process. >> how

i'm betty nguyen. a planned us us missile test is being postponed because of recent tensions on the korean peninsula. those tensions have ramped up since new u.n. sanctions after north korea's third nuclear weapons it test in february. and tragedy has struck the family of pastor rick warren, the well-known author of "a purpose driven life." his 24-year-old son, matthew, has committed suicide after a long battle with mental illness and depression. now back to "lockup." >>> the iowa state penitentiary is more than 150 years old and is clearly showing signs of age. in 2005 while the prison was undergoing an update to its security systems, three inmates used the opportunity to make a brazen escape. the prison's correction al emergency response team or c.e.r.t. is on the front lines of that effort. >> we try to go over every square inch we can. >> take this camera and stick it down the conduits here and check for weapons, what they hide or behind this plate here. i was looking behind these brackets and we f

i'm betty nguyen. here's what's happening. charges may be filed tomorrow against 19-year-old dzhokhar tsarnaev, the suspected boston marathon bomber. authorities say due to an injury to his throat tsarnaev has not been questioned yet. he remains hospitalized in serious condition. >>> and in west texas four more first responders have been identified as among the 14 dead in last week's deadly texas fertilizer plant explosion. 200 others were injured in that blast. now it's back to "lockup." >>> due to mature subject matter, viewer discretion is advised. ♪ locked up locked ♪ think about things ♪ thinking about some things that never change in the game ♪ ♪ locked up, locked up ♪ thinking about some things ♪ thinking about some things that never change in the game ♪ ♪ i'm locked up >>> there's a regular occurrence at the maricopa county jail in phoenix that most inmates eventually grow used to. >> clothes on. stay where you're at. let them go in the shower. put something on when they come out. >> officers conduct

. >>> hello, i'm betty nguyen. president obama spoke at the planned parenthood national conference in washington. he vow to block women's health funding and said planned parent hood wasn't going anywhere. the committee grew at an expected pace. it expanded by 2.5%. country music star george jones has died. it's back to "lockup." >>> due to mature subject matter, viewer discretion is advised. >>> at the cuyahoga county correction center in cleveland, there's nobody to clean the housing units but the inmates themselves, and that suits herbie mckinney just fine. >> it's a daily routine. i clean the sinks three times a day just to keep the sickness down. a lot of these dudes come in from the streets and a lot are coming from heroin too. it's just nasty. they call me mr. clean, too, because that's all i do is clean, clean, clean. just can't stand a dirty place. we all live here. you got people pissing [ bleep ] on the floor. we do announcements to tell them, hey, whoever's pissing on the floor stop it. whoever's pissing

i'm betty nguyen. here's what's happening. the suspect in the boston marathon bombings is said to be in serious but stable condition after being arrested friday night. despite reports that dzhokhar tsarnaev is still unable to commu communicate, charges against the 19-year-old could come as early as today. >>> and in west, texas, officials say everyone is now accounted for. 14 people were killed and 200 injured thursday when a tank at a fertilizer plant exploded. now it's back to "lockup." >>> due to mature subject matter, viewer discretion is advised. >>> the high walls and razor wire that surround a maximum security prison leave no doubt that this is a place where you pay your dues for terrible decisions. but even in these stark environments, inmates will still find ways to celebrate life's milestones. >> we've covered all kinds of events in prison, from an inmate's birthday to an anniversary to a wedding, even a funeral, and nothing symbolizes the futility of committing a major crime more than seeing an inmate die in prison.

i'm betty nguyen. here's what's happening. at least one protester is dead and 66 more wounded in ethnic clashes outside a coptic christian cathedral in cairo. egyptian president mohammed morsi denounced the mob scene saying "any attack on a cathedral is an attack on me." >>> and president obama heads to connecticut to push for stricter gun control laws tomorrow. this amid word that a key republican and democrat are working on a compromise bill that would expand background checks to gun shows and online purchases. >>> now it's back to "lockup." >>> due to mature subject matter, viewer discretion is advised. >> officers of the brushy mountain correctional center in eastern tennessee know the importance of staying vigilant at all times. though the inmates' lives are tightly controlled, even the most routine activities can suddenly turn deadly. >> make sure you've got everything out of your pockets. >> we've got 47 going out on chains and they have all got to be bagged and ready to go by 9:30. so usually the chain mornings are rus

i'm betty nguyen. here is what's happening. secretary of state john kerry is in japan after a visit to china where the secretary said the chinese will cooperate on dealing with threats coming from north korea. >>> senator susan collins will vote in favor of expanded background checks for gun purchas purchases. she is the first to announce support for the senate bill. >>> and gas has dropped 14 cents in the last two weeks. the average is $3.53. more news later. now back to "lockup." >> due to mature subject matter, viewer discretion is advised. >>> despite being brutally attacked and having her throat cut by an inmate, pam kahanic only took the time she needed to heal before returning to work at the limon correctional facility's garment factory. >> she's a very courageous person. she wanted to come back to work right away. those were the first words out of her mouth to her husband, basically. >> pam sits up and yells at us "i'm going back to work. i'm not going to be quitting my job." this is when she was still laying on the bed

i'm betty nguyen. well, the call for action in syria is growing in washington in the wake of new evidence indicating chemical weapons are now in play in the civil