this morning on "early today," a country in chaos. moammar gadhafi tightens his grip on libya's capital while the unrest sends oil prices surging. caller i.d., a prank phone call highlights ties between wisconsin's governor and a billionaire backer. and breaking point, tuesday's earthquake in new zeland spurs a massive glacier tuesday's earthquake in new zeland spurs a massive glacier collapse. captions paid for by nbc-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 rebellion repercussion here in the u.s.

libya's fierce uprising against moammar gadhafi is sending shock waves around the world, including global financial markets. for the first time since 2008, the price of oil has passed $100 a barrel. this as oil companies in libya, which has africa's largest reserves, suspend their operations. the unrest has dragged down stock markets from hong kong to wall street where the dow took another triple digit loss yesterday. we're going to have much more on that coming up in business. meanwhile, a defiant gadhafi has been flooding tripoli with militiamen and loyalist troops. however in another sign of waning support, two air force pilots parachuted out of their plane and let it crash rather than follow gadhafi's orders to bomb an opposition-held city. back here in the u.s., president obama broke his public silence on the violence calling it, quote, outrageous and he said his highest priority is protecting u.s. citizens as the

state department works to evacuate them from libya by ferry. those efforts have been delayed by bad weather. a judge in london ruled this morning that wikileaks founder julian assange can be extradited to sweden over allegations of rape and sexual molestation by two women. representatives for assaj who expressed concern their client risked being handed over to the u.s. have announced they will appeal. protests over a proposal to strip public employees in wisconsin of collective bargaining rights. now that divide is deepening after a prank phone call to that state's governor put a spotlight on potential motives behind that controversy. here is michael isakoff. >> reporter: publicly governor scott walker has insisted the standoff over union rights in wisconsin is all about saving money. >> we're going to balance the budget the right way, not going to push it off to the next

generation to taxpayers. >> reporter: in a phone call he thought he was having with a major phone donner, walker provided his critics with evidence that they've been saying all along, to crush public unions. >> this is about public sector unions, essentially about having the taxpayer used to pay to lobby with the taxpayer money. it's ridiculous. >> reporter: he believed the caller was david koch, a philanthropist. he was talking to a left leaning journalist posing as koch. >> this is our moment and our time to change the course of history. >> reporter: the governor's plan would force government workers to contribute with pension and benefits, severely limit bargaining. and make it more difficult to collect union dues. if he succeeds it could dry up a major source of campaign cash for democrats like unions like the weac, the teachers union. >> the union money is a huge factor for democratic candidates

and weac stands above the rest. >> reporter: it's pumped more than $10 million in state races over the past decade, almost all of it for democrats. >> this is really about shifting the landscape in wisconsin, tilting the balance of power in favor of governor walker's party. >> reporter: critics charge walker's plan advances the conservative agenda of david koch and his brother charles who own koch industries an energy firm with nearly 3,000 workers in wisconsin. last year koch industry's pac gave $43,000 to walker's campaign, the maximum under state law. a notice provision in walker's budget would allow the sale of state owned power planses without bids would could benefit koch industries. the company told nbc it has no industry in purchasing wisconsin power plants and insisted walker's plans wouldn't benefit koch more than any other business in wisconsin. at the end of the call, an invitation --

>> once you crush these, i will fly you out to calley and really show you a good time. >> that would be outstanding. >> nbc news, washington. now here's a look at other stories making news early today in america. in texas, a dallas police officer has been fired following an investigation into unnecessary force. dash cam video captured the officer kicking a handcuffed suspect in the face and pepper praying him. the incident led to a ten-day suspension for a second officer. in pennsylvania an explosion inside a gas well turned the night sky orange. workers were executing a gas extraction process when several liquid storage tanks caught fire and exploded. rescue teams transported three workers to nearby hospitals. their condition is unknown at this time. in missouri, icy roads turned yesterday's morning commute into a big mess. nearly two dozen people were injured in a 31-car pileup that many described as terrifying. the slick patch of highway caused first responders to crash

adding to the pileup. fortunately all injuries were minor. finally in minnesota, roger built an ice castle each year but his 2011 conception is his biggest and finest. at 64 feet high and 85 feet wide, the ice sculpture dwarfs roger's actual home. recent weather has caused the structure to melt slightly but roger estimates that parts of the castle will stay standing until june. now for a look at your national and regional weather, here's nbc meteorologist bill karins with the weather channel forecast. good morning, bill. >> your wife says go out of the house and do something. >> i don't think it means a 65-foot ice castle. only in minnesota. >> you can make that icy stuff in the pacific northwest because that's where temperatures are falling, winter has returned and in a big way. this is a significant cold outbreak for this time of year. we've already got cool air in place, but behind this storm, this air is coming down from alaska and the north pole and that cold air is allowing snow to fall even down at the valley

floor. we're 28 this morning in seattle, 33 in portland, with snow and now the cold air is going to shift down into california in the days ahead. here's a look at the current radar. here's the batch of snow moving into portland. your morning commute definitely going to have to deal with snow covered roads, the bridges and overpasses and even around medford temperatures continue to fall and winter storm warnings issued pretty far to the south heavy snow in the mountains of central sierras, but in the hills outside of san francisco, expect to see a couple inches of snow. this is a cold and winter storm, one we haven't seen in years in central california. that's a look at your national forecastcalifornr santa rosa, 5h showers. it will stay cool even tomorrow. lynn, usually when we talk record cold and snow we haven't

been talking about the west coast. i guess it's their turn. >> exactly. we had enough of it in the east. thank you. more on oil surge, the good news and the bad news on wall street bonuses, and lady gaga muscles target. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus a judge lets lindsay lohan know in no uncertain terms her chances of avoiding jail this time are very slim. coming up, a buzzer beater in college hoops. the nets pull off a blockbuster deal and carmelo's debut goes as scripted. 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. democratic congressman david wu of oregon is facing calls to resign this morning following reports of erratic and unprofessional behavior, including sending a photo to staffers last fall showing him wearing a tiger costume. wu has apologized but both the state republican chairman and one of oregon's largest

newspapers says he should quit. in a major policy shift, the obama administration has decided that a federal law deciding marriage between a man and a woman is unconstitutional and will no longer defend it in court. meanwhile, hawaii's governor has signed a bill into law legalizing civil unions for same-sex couples. making hawaii the seventh state to extend such recognition to gay couples. new zealand's death toll has risen to 98 and the earthquake shook loose a 30 to 40 million ton block of ice from a glaser, now an iceberg in the lake, it's the size of 20 football fields. here's a look at how wall street will kick off. the dow opens at 12,105 after tumbling another 107 points yesterday. the s&p dropped 8. the nasdaq slid 33. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei sank 126 points while in hong kong the hang seng plunged 305.

the rising price of oil not only has stocks sliding, it has some analysts worried about a new american if not global recession. oil touched 100 bucks a barrel for the first time in two years wednesday fueling a second straight day of selling as unrest in libya intensified. energy companies were the exception to the downward trend cashing in on supply fears. traders will continue to track oil prices today along with weekly jobless claims and durable goods data. hp's lackluster earnings were the biggest drag on the dow and the tech sector. ford is recalling nearly 150,000 '0 a 5 and '06 f-150 trucks over driver's side air bags that could accidentally deploy. fidelity says workers are steady setting aside cash for retirement pushing balances for a ten-year high. it appears wall street bonuses shrank last year, dipping to a total 20.8 billion from 22.5 billion in 2009. however, 2010 totals were still the fifth highest on record.

lady gaga is flexing her market muscle, brokering a deal for target for an exclusive rights to her "born this way" single in exchange for the company's agreement to stop funding anti-gay groups. and despite attracting over 3 million users in just three days, facebook has pulled the plug on the so-called stalker app which allows users to track changes in their friend's relationship status. facebook cited its right to, quote, protect user experience. the spurs win in final minutes, wisconsin win in the final seconds and the nets save face with their big trade. carmelo coached the apple with basketball optimism. your sports headlines are straight ahead. it's a busy weather day, severe weather in the central plains and a winter storm moving down the west coast. your thursday forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

good morning. if you're just waking up this is "early today." in sports, last night at new york's madison square garden, day one of the knicks carmelo anthony era was an undebatable success. here's nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all your sports headlines. good morning. carmelo anthony said having a chance to play for the knicks is a dream come true. last night, that dream became a reality.

pomp and circumstance as anthony was introduced at madison square garden didn't take long for him to make an impact. garden, his first bucket sent msg into a frenzy. they had plenty to cheer about all game. anthony finished with a dunk and the knicks up two at the break. you can't overlook the importance of chauncey billups. a couple of great moves around the defenders and a lay-up, he had 21. but the night belonged to the brooklyn native, pair of clutch shots down the stretch, the knicks beat the bucs 114-108. new jersey nets took one last jab at carmelo. they stole his thunder pulling off a deal of their own. new jersey acquired point guard deron williams for devon harris, two first round draft picks and cash. arguably the best point guard in the league the nets are hoping williams can be the corner stone of their franchise for years to come. spurs and thunder, tony parker grabbed the rebound and drained the jumper and the spurs were up three.

last chance for oklahoma. jeff green for the tie, air ball. despite 30 from kevin durant, spurs won it, 109-105. to indy, pistons up late in the fourth. indiana had the lead with five seconds to play. but that was plenty of time for detroit. although they couldn't even get a shot off. when the pacers held on to win, 102-101. if you like those finishes, you'll love this, unless, of course, you're a michigan fan. three seconds left. wisconsin down two. freshman josh gosur from beyond the arc and banks in the buzzer beater. a little bit of lock but the badgers will take it. number 12 wisconsin escapes with a 53-52 win. er that your early look at sports on "early today." i'm fred roggin. early today sports is brought to you by ice blue aqua velva, men get it. another bizarre and offensive diatribe from kanye west. your entertainment headlines are straight ahead. one new york event gives regular

folks to see what it feels like to walk the red carpet with that statute in your hand. you're watching "early today."

welcome back. today a very interesting day with the cold air in the west, the storm around, instability snow showers flying through the cities including seattle, portland and medford. seattle you were under a winter storm warning now only calling

one or two inches. portland winter storm warning. the rain will make it down to san francisco. the storm still with us on friday but drops further to the south, we end that moisture up in the northwest, but we're still going to be watching cold rain from san francisco even l.a., only 61 degrees with some rain expected. a lot of the hills outside of san francisco in the high mountains there in the central sierra you will be dealing with a snowstorm. kind of an interesting event as we end february. if you're watching us on kcra 3, sacramento, california, see a showcase of clay artwork from wood fire pottery to porcelain bowls at the vase and beyond at the crocker art museum. vase, vase. >> potato, potato. you can say both, we don't care. now here's a look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. a judge warned lindsay lohan on wednesday if she plea bargains or is sentenced on a jewelry theft charge, she's going to jail, quote, period. lohan, charged with stealing a $2,500 necklace from an l.a. store last month has until march

10th to decide whether to go to trial or take a plea deal. tmz reports prosecutors are offering a six-month sentence. the judge warned lohan she could even be jailed before any trial begins for violating probation for drunk driving. think lohan's recent troubles might have given her new found respect for the law? monday she was ticketed in west hollywood for driving 59 for a 35 mile per hour street. kanye west is at it again. in a vulgar n-word laden tweet the rapper recommends contraception to avoid pregnancy blackmail. he could be bad for your health. england's epilepsy action warns watching his latest video "all of the lights" can cause ep leptic seizures. >> really? >> really? really, bill? >> sounds like an episode of "er" or "house". >> could can watching the

wiggles. come on. this comes from wnbc 4 new york where one exhibit is creating quite a stir. even in jaded seen it all new york city. whoopi goldberg helped kick off the fifth annual meet the oscar exhibit. new yorkers lined up to get a close encounter with the golden statute and learn about the history behind the hardware. linked to hollywood's night of night the free event offers a chance to strike a pose with oscar and give that fantasy speech of thanks to the academy for all of us wannabes out there. >> would you adlib your speech or have it written. >> >> of course i would have it written. i didn't expect this. hold on one moment. i would like to thank. yeah. i'm all ready bill, when it comes. i'm lynn berry, this is "early today," your first stop of the day, today, on your nbc station.

having your cell phone go off at the wrong time can be embarrassing. but in kentucky, it can land you behind bars. seconds after a judge warned a jail time for anyone whose cell phone went off in his courtroom this man's phone did just that. he was sentenced to 72 hours behind bars and the judge says he will continue issuing jail time for cell phone offenders. tough love. a lot goes into planning the world's most famous party. with two weeks to go into carnivale, samba schools are designing costumes and building notes for the hundreds of thousands of tourists who attend it is a spectacular party. for the schools it's more. they work year-round for this

event and are rigorously judged on their performances. finally, the ultimate human trick. this 7-year-old in serbia claims to be magnetic. everything from silverware to remote controls will stick to his body. and it's not just metal. plates will stick to his chest as well. he's been this way since birth. it even keeps him from playing on the computer, just standing in front of one will shut it down. i'm no doctor, but it sounds unhealthy. >> everything was okay until the cast iron pot was put on his chest. >> then it's child abuse. >> time to take an early look at stories we'll follow throughout the day on nbc. space shuttle "discovery" is scheduled to launch at 4:50 p.m. eastern time. "discovery" will be marking its final voyage, dropping off supplies to the international space station. today marks the 20th anniversary of the first gulf in

the middle east. a conflict triggered by iraq's invasion of kuwait on this date in 1991 allied forces launched the ground operation that would lead to a cease-fire just 100 hours later. and this evening the president and first lady will host music legends at the white house for a concert celebrating black history month and the legacy of motown records. all day long stay on the latest developments in those stories and others as they break on msnbc. tonight be sure to watch brian williams with ""nbc nightly news." ." a look at what's coming up on the "today" show. find out what's next for libya as leader moammar gadhafi vows to stamp out an uprising of anti-government demonstrators closing in on the capital. today brings you a live report with the latest on lindsay lohan and her fight to stay out of jail. and 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.

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