this morning on "early today," it's the economy. president obama prepares to address the nation tonight with renewed focus on jobs and spending cuts. rewriting history, a long time lincoln researcher confesses to tampering with the documents signed by honest abe. and winter wonderland, an arctic blast leaves parts of the northeast, literally, frozen solid. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello and good morning.

i'm lynn berry. today, we begin with united we stand. president obama will deliver his state of the union address tonight where he hopes that the theme of unity and a focus on creating jobs will hit home with congress and the nation. nbc tracie potts joins us live from washington with more on that. tracie, good morning. >> reporter: hi, lynn. good morning. jobs, invasion, all big themes tonight. he is also talking about expanding some government programs. he told military families just yesterday he wanted to expand government support. that is not what republicans here on capitol hill want to hear. they, in fact, earlier today before that speech about take a vote on that before the president's speech. democrats say they need a number. republicans had promised $100 billion in cuts this first year, but now that the fiscal year is half over, they're saying it could be less tan that. there are some signs of

cooperation. at least five dozen members of congress have said they plan to sit together tonight. we also know that some of the families from the arizona shootings will be here. the intern who was a hero in that will also be a v.i.p. member at the state of the union tonight. mark kelly, gabrielle giffords' husband, declined his invitation. he wants to stay with her. the republican response coming from paul ryan. the tea party's response fromç michelle backman. that speak by the president set forth tonight. lynn. >> tracie potts in washington. thank you. nbc news will have live coverage of the president's state of the union address beginning tonight at 6:00 p.m. pacific time right here on your nbc station. an illinois appeals court has kicked former white house chief of staff rahm emanuel off the ballot for the mayor's race in chicago.

that candidates must live in the city they hope to lead for at least a year before the election. emanuel's lawyers are now asking the illinois supreme court to stay the ruling and hearing an expedited appeal. meanwhile, chicago's board of elections chairman has order printing to begin on ballots without emanuel's name in order to be ready for january 31st, the start of early voting. russian officials are trying to figure out who was behind a deadly terror attack at moscow's busiest airport yet. at least 35 people were killed and over is 00 injured. so far, there's been no claimed of responsibility, but officials have focused on chechan militants that have claimed many recent terror attacks in russia, including last year's double suicide bombing in the moscow subway system in a killed 40. jared loughner, the man accused in this month's deadly tucson shootings has pleaded not guilty to charges he tried to kill congresswoman gabrielle giffords and two of her aides. making his second court

appearance monday, loughner reportedly smiled through most of the proceedings. when asked if there were any doubts about loughner's ability to understand the charges, his lawyers gave no hint of how they plan to defend the 22-year-old, saying only that they were not raising any issues at this time. more charges are expected to be filed against loughner, some of which may carry the death penalty. now here's a look at other stories making news early today in america. in california, several surfs wiped out violently when a massive set of waves moved into also in california several surfers wiped out violently when a set of massive waves moved into half-moon bay. they were estimated to be 15 to 18 feet high. one wave thought to be even higher sent a surfer to the hospital. he is currently in a medically induced coma after being found

floating face down. in new york the mercury dipped to one of the all-time city lows. the cold turned cars andç fountains into virtual ice sculptures. there were a few new yorkers that felt right at home with the arctic front hitting the city. cuddled up there. back in california. compton's cricket club. the city's widely known for its poverty, crime, and violence now boasts the first all american team to tour australia. the club named the compton homeys made up of latino and african-american ex-gang members and homeless men started playing 14 years ago. that's great. now for a look at your national and regional weather here's bill karins. you know, bill, if living in those folks in southern california, if they didn't love it enough, those pictures of frozen cars will make them say, yeah, guys, i'm good over here.

>> it has been so nice the last week in l.a. i mean, ever since the golden globes it's been sunny and about 70 to 75. it's been an incredible stretch of weather. another big storm is heading up the east coast, too, so they're going to daily with that as we go throughout the next two days. while in the west all the storms are coming in. the northern portions here up even north of seattle lately. most of the storms have been coming on shore in british columbia. they've been diving down to the deep south, and that's why we've been so nice here in the west. we haven't seen any storms plowing on shore. it's been a while since we picked up snow in the sierra mountains. you remember the beginning of the season with huge amounts of snow, and i guess it's still good. we still have that base. we're still skiing on it. cloudy skies in the northwest. mild, clear skies in much of california, nevada. the storm with rain in washington state has weakened. it's pretty mild. nothing too cold. the coldest spot is medford. a pair of 46 in seattle, and not bad, l.a., this morning at 52,

and sunglasses once again today with a high in the mid to upper 70s. what a great stretch of winter weather this has been. that's a look at yourt 474 degr. mostly cloudy, mrinks of sun, 51 in portland. that great weather has to end sooner or later, doesn't it? >> we all hope it does. >> send some of that air this way. >> exactly. all right, bill. thanks so much. well, earnings pushed wall street. what's inside your taco? and the pope hits the like button on facebook. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, oprah winfrey had a secret, and yet on her show she revealed it. coming up, the nhl's biggest star pulls out of the all-star game.

three great finishes in the nba, and was jay cutler really hurt in the championship? you're watching early today.

good morning, and welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry. here are some of your top headlines this morning. u.s. military officials tell nbc news that so far, investigators have not been able to link wikileaks founder julian assange to bradley manning, the army private suspected of passing on confidential documents to the whistle blowing website. officials say investigators determined mauning unlawfully downloaded secret cables and passed them on to an unauthorized person, but there is apparently no evidence he passed it directly to assange. a former engineer from hawaii has been sentenced to 32 years in prison for selling military secret toes china. prosecutors say the 66-year-old who works on the design for the b2 stealth bomber pocketed at least $110,000 by selling

classified engine technology. white house officials say carol browner is stepping down as president obama's chief advisor in the coming weeks. her departure signals white house plans to lower the priority of environmental legislation since the republican takeover of the house. and a noted historian has been banned for life from the national archives after he confessed to altering a document from abraham lincoln. thomas lowery made it appear that he spared an army private from the death president just hours after being assassinated in 1865. >> and now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 11,980 after climbing 108 points yesterday. the s&p was up 7 points. the nasdaq rose 28. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei gained 119 points. but in hong kong, the hang seng

put wall street's recent rally back on track and markets into position to break through key levels. a share buyback from intel renewed ininvestors' optimism and drove the dow within striking distance of its psychological 12,000 mark. alcoa offered more fuel for the day's momentum picking up 4% on rising aluminum demand. the s&p could crack its key 1300 level today. investors weigh fresh data on home prices and consumer confidence. before the bell earnings, verizon met the street's expectation while dupont surpassed estimates. nvidia shaurz rose on speculation its stock could nearly double in price this year. mcdonald's earnings fell in line with analyst estimates, but the fast foot chain warned it will have to raise price this is year to keep up with rising food costs. meanwhile, investors welcome jc penney's aggressive overhaul plan to appoint two new board

members, close under performing stores, and do away with its mail order catalog. american express reported earnings after the bell. chipmaker texas instruments was down after hours in the wake of fourth quarter earnings that barely beat estimates. for the first time in general motors history, it sold more cars and trucks in china last year than the u.s. taco bell is denying accusations of false advertising. a class action suit claims its beef doesn't meet federal requirements to be labeled as such after testing found it contained less than 35% actual beef. and finally, pope benedict lifted social networking to an elevated status among catholics saying it can help create positive relations. they warned about excessive exposure to the virtual world. still a blessing. nfl playoff incriminations, a big upset in college hoops and a big loss for the nhl all-star game.

plus, it was a night of wild buzzer beater finishes in the nba. your early morning sports headlines are just ahead. >> in weather the east coast waits for the next winter storm, and the west coast continues winter mild. you're watching "early today."

good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." in sports, the new orleans hornets kept their winning streak alive last night against the thunder the heart-stopping way. here's nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all your sports headlines. good morning. a handful of nba games that went right down to the wire, we'll get do it. we'll start in new orleans, thunder and hornets tide with under 10 seconds to play. the fadeway, hornets win their ninth straight. grizzlies and raptor he tied. rudy gate, nothing but the bottom of the net. grizzlies hand the raptors their eighth straight loss, 100-98. tabs and nets are are two of the worst teams in the league, but somebody has to win. new jersey up, 103-101. cavs with the last shot, but the three-pointer was off the the shot.

who needs carmello? the nets have won 3 of 4 after stepping away from the anthony strayed. the bears' season is over, but speculation about their quarterback continues. jay cutler pulled himself out of the nfc championship game with a knee injury, and that left fans to question his toughness. yesterday, an mri @evealed he suffered a sprained mcl in his knee. the packers won the game and will play the steelers in the super bowl. sydney crosby continues to recover from a concussion and will skip this weekend's nhl all-star game. the leading vote getter and arguably the best player in the world has missed eight games after taking these two hits to the head earlier this month. finally, the panthers ranked second in the nation for less than 24 hours before they were upset by notre dame. pitt had no answer. 19 points for hans borrow. 19 points for him. irish eyes are smiling. notre dame beat pitt, 56-51. that's your early look at sports on "early today." i'm fred roggin.

another setback for the homeless man with the golden voice. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, they're friends, they're coworkers, but soon, for one day only, they'll be rooting against each other. we'll explain. you're watching "early today."

welcome back. we're continuing to watch cloudy

skies in the pacific northwest. the temperatures are mild. call it 50 today for a high in seattle. portland also. just slight chance of a little drizzle out there, but nothing like yesterday. i don't even think you need your umbrella. 53 in medford. look at san francisco. l.a., vegas. everyone continues this great trend. i mean, this has been picture perfect weather over the last week or so. today or tomorrow, actually, 78 in l.a. 78 in phoenix. even back to the intermountain west salt lake city is even starting to warm up. if you are watching us in anchorage, alaska, see photographs in screen and film for one of the most iconic artists of the 21st century. andy warhol manufactured at the anchorage museum. that's your pacific event of the day. >> thanks. here's an early look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. oprah winfrey's long rumored secret was finally revealed on her program monday when she called the b, quote, the miracle of all miracled. winfrey revealed t a half sister which until recently she knew nothing about.

and patricia, a 48-year-old milwaukee woman was given up for adoption by winfrey's mother when the talk show host was 8 years old and living with her father. patricia knew since 2007 she was related to the talk show host but had difficulty contacting her. ted williams, the homeless man with the golden voice left a texas rehab facility yesterday against medical advice. reports say regis philbin's departure from his show was about abc wanting him to take a pay cut of millions. responding yesterday, philbin responded he's been planning it for a long time. christina aguilera has been chosen to sing the national anthem at the super bowl. steelers-packers. now, go. >> steelers. >> there's no heart in that. there's no -- >> there's zero heart in that. my heart was left on sunday night when the jets didn't show

up for the first half. >> i wrn. >> i wanted to check to see if i may be related to oprah. >> you would get lovely christmas presents. this comes to us from kxas, nbc 5ç in dallas, texas, where two moms are making the super bowl very personal in their place of business. joyce and diane are coworkers. they talk all the time, but now it's mostly trash talk. both have sons playing in the super bowl. joyce is rooting for dimitry and the packers while diana is excited for dorein and the steelers. each says their son will wil win while both say they'll be living a dream come true. fun for them. i'm lynn berry, and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

when you've got lemons, make a lemonade and when you have snow, make an enormous snowman. a man in latvia has broken the record for the largest snowman in the country. his only tool? a few shovels. the massive tourist attraction is over 28 feet high, and visitors can actually climb inside from a view from the top of his hat. if your new year's resolution was to hit the gym more, one man in texas might put your goal to shame. he's out to break a world record by running 24 hours straight on a treadmill. the world record is marked by distance, not time, so he will need to log 154 miles to break the u.s. record and more than 160 miles to set the world record. it's the most famous address

in london, so what is with the unlikely visitor? a rat dashed across the doorstep of 10 downing street during a news conference. unfortunately this is not his first appearance at the prime minister's private residence. last week he startled the cameraman. the little guy was thankfully chased away by police. but we know where there's one, there's 300. you know he has, like, 500 friends that he's going back to going, like, we've been made. >> rats, where are they on your list of critters? >> they're pretty close to spiders. >> really? you put spiders up that high. >> they're high, bill. >> they help you. >> i know, but they are terrifying. i'm that girl. i am. time now for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day here on nbc. first responders will present aç signed u.s. flag to congresswoman gabrielle giffords' office. the first guantanamo bay detainee to be convicted on a terrorism charge in a u.s. court will be sentenced in new york.

achmed galanni was related to the bombings in africa. 224 people died, including 12 americans. first lady michelle obama will deliver the national mentoring summit's key note address. she's expected to announce the corporate mentoring challenge, an initiative to encourage companies to launch, support or expand mentoring program.s. all day long, you can stay on top of the very latest developments in those stories and others as they break on msnbc. and tonight be sure to watch brian williams with nbc "nightly news." and, finally, here's a look at what's coming up later this morning on the "today" show. find out more about what the president has planned for tonight's big speech. and "today" is live in hollywood for the 83rd annual academy award nominations. now keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports and more. i'm lynn berry. thanks for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. have a good one.

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