hope to see you tomorrow! [ cheers and applause ] ♪ this morning on "early today," losing his shirt. a republican congressman resigns after a racy self-portrait surfaces. major milestone, congresswoman gabrielle giffords speaks for the first time since being shot in the head. and roadside rack up. icy conditions caused some major and roadside rack up. icy conditions caused some major problems on a virginia highway. captions paid for by nbnbc-universal television hello and good morning. welcome to our viewers across the nation including the pacific time zone. i'm lynn berry. today we begin with scandal on the hill. married republican new york congressman chris lee has stepped down from his post in

the wake of reports that he sent a shirtless photo of himself to a woman he met on craigslist. nbc's kristen dahlgren has more. >> reporter: this is how washington was used to seeing western new york congressman chris lee. >> that's really what our job is, is to help people. >> reporter: but on wednesday afternoon, another image, a shirtless photo posted on gawker.com. the conservative republican and married father of one allegedly sent it in response to a craigslist ad for women seeking men. gawker also posted several e-mails lee reportedly exchanged with the woman claiming he was single and a washington lobbyist. just three hours after it became public, he was no longer a congressman. >> i hereby give notice of my resignation from the united states house of representatives. >> reporter: in a written statement, lee resigned and apologized to his family, constituents and staff saying, quote, i have made profound mistakes. members of the house were

stunned. >> all of a sudden, one of our teammates is gone in a quick news cycle that i knew nothing about until just a few minutes ago. >> reporter: even in a town that is no stranger to scandal, this one seemed to blow up in a flash. kristin dahlgren, nbc news, washington. this morning, it will be a messy commute across the south as yet another winter storm coats the region in white. the same storm system socked the plains yesterday and piled up two feet of fresh snow in parts of oklahoma and arkansas, states still cleaning up from last week's epic storm. tulsa added five more inches and several traffic accidents to its winter snow total, making the cities this year the snowiest winter ever. across the lower portion of the u.s., the snow and ice has made road conditions treacherous. at least three traffic deaths are blamed on this system. and nbc meteorologist bill karins will have much more on the storm coming up in just a few minutes.

but first, in an ominous sign for embattled president hosni mubarak's regime, egyptian government workers have joined the country's revolt, staging strikes and protests across the country. for the first time yesterday, thousands of employees from key industries including oil and gas, education and transportation all took to the streets to protest unfair wages and mismanagement. it comes as the country's foreign minister warned of a military crackdown if the demonstrations escalate. reports surfaced that the army had detained and tortured pro democracy activists. still, more strikes are planned for today and organizers have called for a new protest of millions tomorrow. now here's a look at other stories making news early today in america. in pennsylvania, an explosive fire downed power lines and led to the evacuation of two city blocks in allentown. the three-alarm inferno was

sparked as one house exploded and ignited four other structures. firefighters fought the blaze into the night and have not determined the cause of the initial explosion yet the. in arizona a phoenix bus driver is wondering why she was attacked by a passenger. a surveillance camera captured the violent assault as passengers looked on. police have made an arrest, but the suspect has not given a reason for the attack. in florida, one elderly man was run over, just as he was about to board a city bus. watch again here as an suv pulls up on to the sidewalk and mows down the unsuspecting victim. the driver left the scene on foot before police arrived. the 91-year-old victim is listed in critical condition. finally, in virginia, the day went from bad to worse to the driver of a disabled vehicle when he was forced to get out of the way of a sliding pickup truck. the pickup hit a patch of ice before slamming into the truck on the side of the road. both motorists suffered minor injuries. now for a look at your national

and regional weather, here's nbc meteorologist bill karins with your weather channel forecast. bill, good morning to you. >> oh lynn, let this winter end, right? >> no kidding. >> amazing. snowing hard in eastern north carolina this morning. we're setting record low temperatures, where it snowed yesterday through arkansas, oklahoma and texas. this is just about the end of it. we got a big pattern change occurring as we go throughout the next couple days. now everything in this country starts with the west coast and heads east and right now, the best weather is all over the west. mostly sunny skies will be the story once the sun gets up there today. we have some clouds up here in the pacific northwest, but except for that we have a nice weather pattern. this is called a big ridge of high pressure that's taking all the stormy weather, sending it through canada and at the same time this dip in the jet stream, when the winds go north to south like this it drags the cold air with it. that's why it's been so cold over the last six weeks. this weather path were will be different this week. we'll go to a zonal flow where we'll see the jet stream off the

pacific. that means we're going to see an increase of wet weather on the west coast about five to eight days from now. so enjoy the great weather while it lasts because this weather pattern change for the middle of the country will warm up, on the west coast, probably an increase of rain storms. temperature wise this morning, a little colder in portland and seattle than it's been the last couple morning. 40 vegas. today's forecast not bad. we'll see temperatures in the 50s. it's going to be sunny today and much of nevada, arizona looking good today and sunny. l.a., one of the warmest forecasts in the country, call it partly cloudy in the northwest. that's a look at your thursday salem, oregon, 50 and partly cloudy. lynn, the good times in the west coast roll right into the weekend for the forecast coming you. >> i'm sure they're going to love that. thanks so much.

also coming up, cisco slides, big ben speaks, a lawsuit against the nfl over the super bowl skeet scandal. your early morning business headlines straight ahead. lindsay lohan arrives at court to face felony charges and a no-nonsense judge. coming up, duke and north carolina renew their rivalry and when you thought it couldn't get any worse for the cavs it did. 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. just over a month after being shot in the head, arizona congresswoman gabrielle giffords is speaking again. a major milestone in her recovery. aides say one of her first words was a request for toast with her breakfast. homeland security secretary janet napolitano is warning the threat of a terrorist attack in the u.s. is now at its highest

level since the september 11th attacks partly because of home grown radicalizations. those comments came at a congressional hearing yesterday, where another official said anwar al awac ki an american born islamic cleric tops osama bin laden as the biggest threat to the u.s. in a speech to the parliament in belgium yesterday england's prince charles lashed out at climate change skeptics saying they are having a corrosive effect on public opinion and playing a, quote, reckless game of roulette with the planet's future. and if you've got $40,000 laying around, you may be able to buy a rare copy of the so-called wicked bible on display at a san francisco book fair this weekend. the 17th century bible shocked readers by accidentally omitting the word "not" from a commandment, resulting in the advice thou shall commit adultery. that's an important world. >> and now here's an early look

at one of your top health headlines on msnbc.com. new research is raising concern about diet soda, showing regular drinkers have a 61% risk of heart attack and stroke than those who don't drink it. more study is need. but with no clear chemical or biological explanation, doctors speculate they tend towards risky behavior such as lack of exercise, drinking and excessive alcohol. for more information on this and other health stories check out the health page at msnbc.com. >> and now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 12,239 after adding six points yesterday. the s&p shed 3 points. the nasdaq dipped 7. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei dropped 12 points while in hong kong the hang seng plunged 455. the question on wall street today will be will cisco snap the dow's winning streak?

after the bell, cisco's weak earnings and dismal outlook sent shares of the bellwetter equipment maker tumbling in late trade. fed chair ben bernanke warned the newly gop led house budget committee that massive spending cuts could have dire consequences if the u.s. defaults on its debt. bernanke waved off inflation fears and said expect high unemployment for several years. meanwhile, dwindling supplies could have affects for months. case in point, after releasing earnings that beat the street, coca-cola said its products will cost more this year. whole foods continues to buck the belt tightening trend. after the bell it raised its profit outlook thanks to rising sales from its wealthier customers. the new york stock exchange is near a deal to be acquired by germany's deutsch bors. according to cnbc if the deal is approved the famed nyse name

will stay the same. >> hewlett-packard unveiled its new touch pad tablet yesterday, hoping to give apple's ipad a run for its money. pack light if you're flying. u.s. airways this valentine's day weekend, the airline just upped the price of overweight luggage to 90 bucks. and looks like all those offers for future super bowl tickets, didn't help. the first of at least two lawsuits this one for $5 million, has been filed against the nfl and the dallas cowboys, claiming league and stadium officials knew for at least a week they would be short hundreds of prepaid seats at last sunday's big game. well, coming up -- the night of the rivals in college hoops and another night to forget in cleveland. plus, the nba's best rookie blows by one of the league's top all stars. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. now that the latest winter storm is leaving and the arctic blast, that's on the wane. a big winter thaw is on the way.

your forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." in sports, it's always one of college basketball's best matchups of the season. last night, they did not disappoint. here's nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all your sports

headlines. good morning. arguably, the best rivalry in any sport, duke versus north carolina has lost some of its luster over the last few years, but last night, it lived up to the billing. the tar heels jumped out to an early lead. john hanson, a ridiculous up and under move and north carolina led by 14 at the half. but the blue devils and ranked number five in the conry for nothing. smith sparked a comeback. career high 34. duke survived, 79-73. classic big east matchup number 11 georgetown, 13th ranked syracuse. thompson tied it with a three. off the turnover, chris wright found freeman for the lead. georgetown won, 64-56. rutgers pulled off the win against number 10 villanova. final seconds down three. >> john nan mitchell fouled with less than a second to play. then a free throw for the win and rutgers stunned nova, 77-76. to the guys who get paid to play, knickers and clippers, new

york's down 20 and rallied in the fourth. stoudamire cut the lead to three. that's as close as they would get. randy foi caught fire late, scored 17 of 24 in the quarter. clippers with a rare road win, 116-108. now to new jersey where the nets beat the hornets in overtime. a game to remember, career high 25, including five three-pointers. nets won it 103-101 in o.t. another record. finally, the cavaliers set another record. they lost their 26th straight, tying the tampa bay bucs for the longest losing streak in the four major sports. this time the pistons got the easy win. there is a glimmer of hope for cavs, the wizards who haven't won a road game all season. that's an early look at sports. i'm fred roggin. >> early today sports is brought to you by just for men hair color, live forward. showbiz couple trouble mounts and a big hollywood casting surprise.

your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. lus for most kids, lizards mean a day off for school. one little girl in the snow who became a life saver. you're watching "early today."

welcome back on this thursday morning. some of the best weather in the country featured in southern california. the winds may be up a little bit, 77 in l.a. that's going to be definitely

the warmest spot in the lower 48. 67 in phoenix. still nice in san francisco, what a great trend you have over the next three or four days. sacramento, same for you. pacific northwest we have a couple more clouds to deal with here from seattle down to olympia and tacoma. portland at 49, partly cloudy. same forecast holds true on friday. more clouds try to sneak their way down to medford. can't complain with temperatures in the 50s. another day near 80 in l.a. watching us on krnv news 4 in reno, watercolor paintings of landscapes and indoor spaces that explore the use of light at expressive lieu my ness sense at the nevada museum of art. >> thanks, bill. now here's a look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. lindsay lohan was arraigned on charges of felony grand theft yesterday and met a judge who won't be giving her the star treatment. moments after she entered a not guilty plea, judge keith schwartz warned lohan a felony charge was serious and saying, quote, you're no

different than anyone else so please don't push your luck. he set bail at $40,000, warning if she's accused of breaking the law while free, he will have her held without bail. elsewhere thought of as a happy showbiz couple, yesterday ashlee simpson and pete wentz announced they're splitting up after less than three years of marriage. "life and style" reports three months into their marriage russell brand's wife katy perry started asking friends if they have any recommendation for a marriage counselor. and finally, julia roberts is looking to different her america's sweetheart reputation, playing the meanest stepmother of them all, signing on to play the evil queen in an upcoming "snow white" film project. although one smile or a laugh, and she's like the sweet stepmother. >> all morning if she can pull it off. she has to go with like dark hair. >> jet black hair. >> yeah. >> we'll see how it plays out. and this comes to us from

ktiv news channel 4 in sioux city, iowa, where one 4-year-old showed kids can rise to the situation. even in the scariest of situations. avery jumped into action after an accident trapped her mom and her brother in the car. she freed herself and walked a quarter of a mile. before finding help at a farm house. unaware avery had left, her mom panicked thinking she may have been pinned under the car. well, all her prayers were answered when paramedics arrived and reunited mom with her heroic daughter who would be good to have in a dangerous situation. >> lynn, at 4, i think i may still have been in diapers. >> i wouldn't doubt it. probably wouldn't doubt that. we're moving on. i'm lynn berry. this is "early today," just your first stop of the day, today, on your nbc station.

for most babies, it's pink or blue. but for this one little, it's all about orange. a ginger haired baboon was born at a zoo in israel. a rarity for the breed. it's the first orange haired baboon officials have seen for 30 years making for celebrations among zookeepers there. the little one and her 20-year-old mom as you can see are pretty oblivious to all the fuss. a team of divers in mexico helped to untangle a huge mess there. underwater cameras captured the dangerous task of freeing a nearly 70,000 pound whale trapped in a fishing net. it took six divers about a half hour to untangle the mammal. divers believe she had been stuck there several days.

a father and son looking for adventure went no further thanks to their front yard. thanks to a brutal winter, the duo crafted their own extreme sport of ice climbing at home rigging garden hoses and sprinkler nozzles they built an ice tree they're able to scale with ice picks and climbing picks making for a nontraditional snow day. making us look like slackers as well. >> when i was a kid, lynn, my dad would take 2x4s and made me an ice rink with a sheet of plastic. i thought that was cool. >> mr. karen has upped the bar there. >> yes. time now for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day here on nbc. in texas, there will be a rosary service at an el paso high school for two of the school's students who were killed in a car dealership in mexico this weekend. in the closely watched chicago mayoral race, candidates will face off tonight in a forum on solutions to solve the city's problems. early voting is already under way in the six-way race with the

general election set for february 22nd. and in washington, the league of united latin american citizens will honor lawmakers who have championed key issues important to latinos. among the honorees, indiana senator richard luger. 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. details on wednesday's lunch meeting between prince william's fiancee, kate middleton, and her future step mother-in-law. camilla parker bowles. rock legend elton john stops by to talk about his new movie and becoming a first-time father. 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. your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. have a good one. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com