[ cheers and applause ] ♪ this morning on "early today," losing patience. president obama tells libya's moammar gadhafi, it's time to go. web of worry, the bizarre reason behind the auto industry's latest recall. and have we met? national geographic unveils an image of the world's most typical person. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello and good morning. welcome it our viewers across the nation, including the pacific time zone. i'm lynn berry. today we begin with tough talk. president obama is no longer mincing words, saying the time has come for libyan leader moammar gadhafi to step down and

set the embattled country free, this as protesters gather for massive day of rage rallies after friday prayers. nbc's steve handelsman has our report. >> colonel gadhafi needs to step down from power and leave. >> reporter: president obama toughened his rhetoric after the escalation in libya. for a second day muammar qadhafi's war planes launched attacks near libyan rebel force who's were holding an oil region west of tripoli, the capital. no word on what, if anything, the jets hit. by the fighter jet had to be ordered by the libyan strong man. >> the violence must stop. moammar gadhafi has lost legitimacy to lead and he must leave. those who perpetrate the violence against the libyan people will be held accountable. >> reporter: president obama ordered u.s. military aircraft

to help evacuate foreigners from libya. but he has not ordered u.s. war planes to attack libyan war planes that take off, grounding gadhafi's air zone with a no fly zone. two senators said let's do it. >> i argue for the no fly zone and i think we could achieve it. >> reporter: but it would not be risk free for u.s. pilots. >> not as simple as throwing up a -- moving an aircraft carrier and deploying a bunch of planes. you have to take action to make sure you have air dominance. >> reporter: action to eliminate gadhafi's senses, his radar and missiles, action that president obama has not order. i'm steve handelsman, nbc news, washington. meanwhile, back in washington on the same day the labor department is expected to report significant progress on the jobs front, democrats and republicans are entering another day of talks to try to keep the government up and running without damaging the economy. nbc's tracie potts joins us from washington with more on that. tracie, good morning. >> lynn, good morning.

vice president joe biden is right in the middle of that place there by the white house to negotiate these budget cuts between democrats and republicans. the white house offering another $6.5 billion of cuts, but most of them programs that were already set to be reduced or eliminated. democrats don't want education to be touched at all. the white house also offering $44 billion in cuts from the president's most recent budget proposal, but republicans say that's not really a cut. the budget hasn't been approved yet.ç they are all trying to prevent another government shutdown come march 18th. now, you mentioned the new numbers. later this morning we will find out whether or not more jobs were created in this country last month. the new unemployment numbers are coming out soon. economists predict good news. they say while the unemployment raut may go up slightly from 9%, they're predicting as many as 200,000 jobs were created.

lynn. >> tracie, thanks so much. pro union protestses have vacated the wisconsin capital. that comes after a judge ruled yesterday that people are allowed to have unrestricted access to the building during normal business hours, but not sleep there overnight. meanwhile, governor scott walker says he will begin issuing thousands of layoff notices today if his bill to sharply reduce collective bargaining rights does not move forward. and senate republican leaders have passed a provision allowing police to arrest their awol democratic counterparts if they are seen anywhere in wisconsin. now here's a look at other stories making news early today in america. in california launching a $224 million satellite to study the earth's climate has ended in failure rsh a protective cover caused a drag on the rocket when it failed to separate. a similar mishap took place in

2009 when a satellite didn't have the speed to reach orbit and plummeted into the ocean. in texas, a suspected burglar scene went horribly wrong when he got stuck trying to break into a vacant home through the chimney. police came to his rescue after neighbors heard screams for help. firefighters used a crane to free the suspect before turning him over to police. in new york, a teacher has add some bounce in the classroom. she's removed the students' chairs and replaced them with stability balls. the change has not only helped the children concentrate on their lessons, but it's said to help increase muscle necessary core areas that increase posture. now for a look at your national and regional weather, here is nbc meteorologist bill karins with the weather channel forecast. he is doing bicep curls while

we're in commercial. >> no, i don't. let's go to hawaii this morning. a little unusual. this is where the worst weather is out there. actually, anywhere in the united states because we are watching a line of strong storms. we had severe storms overnight and now here honolulu some large thunderstorms. as the front slides through, heavy rain and flash flood issing going to be a possibility as we go throughout the morning hours here. it should clear out by the afternoon and start to head further towards the events, towards the maui area. now, forecasts obviously with the showers and storms, periods of heavy rain and temperatures in the 70s. yes, even hawaii isn't always paradise. they can get some very heavy rain and strong storms. especially in the wintertime. now in the west coast we have clouds moving oé shore. the next storm system does have a lot of moisture with it, so it's not going to be as rainy, but i can't promise you any sunshine. not with this thick blanket coming overhead. temperatures cool, too. only in the 30nd from medford, northward. we're not bad from l.a. to fine igs. s temperatures in the 70s. as our friends to the north here with the clouds, occasional showers, it's going to be a cool

friday in the pacific northwest. that's a look at your friday struggling. cloudy. only 43 degrees. weekend forecast coming up. >> bill, thanks. also coming up, investors wait for reassurances on america's jobs, and is facebook fueling marriage problems? a newer on theic liz art tadz on a new york politician at the movies. who will win? >> coming up, the magic stun the heat, and if there was a work stoppage in the nfl, one league is ready to step in and fill the void. 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.ç four years after a retired fbi agent mysteriously vanished inside iran, u.s. officials say they have proof he's alive and may be in southwest asia. it remains unclear who is holding robert levinson, but the man's family says they are, quote, tremendously encouraged by a break in the case. in a surprising turn, a federal judge in florida who ruled president obama's health care law unconstitutional is now allowing it to be implemented in the 26 states that challenge the overhaul while the obama administration pursues an appeal. a baby boy who was starved of oxygen during his birth is alive and well after doctors tried a radical new treatment on him. medical staff cooled jamie's brain for three days to decrease his metabolism and help his organs recover. doctors call it the biggest break through in the care of newborns in the last 20 years.

and have you seen this man? researchers at national geographic says he has the most typical face on the planet and there are 900 million people who look like him. the image is a composite of nearly 200,000 men who fit that description. however, within 20 years, the most typical person will likely reside in india. >> and now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 12,258 after climbing 191 points yesterday. the s&p added 22 points. the nasdaq gained 50. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei rose 107 points, while in hong kong the hang seng shot up 286. investors betting big on the jobs front pushed wall street to its best one-day rally in three months. the labor department said first time claims for unemployment benefits fell to the lowest

level since may 2008. hopes are high that this morning's report from the labor department will show unemployment rates fell below 9%. investors heard more good news, hiring has hit a new high in areas like health care and financial services. upbeat reports from the a number of retailers added to the day's gains. meanwhile, the recent surge in oil pushed prices at the pimp another 4 cents higher yesterday. the national average is now $3.43 a gallon. meanwhile, the global food price index hit a new record high for the third straight month. despite rising costs, however, the company behind fast food restaurants wendy's and ashby's added 7% after beating earnings estimates. mazda has announced what has to be the creepiest recall ever, recalling tens of thousands of 2009 and 2010 mazda that spiders are building webs in the fuel

lineses resulting in fuel tank cracks or leaks. continental is the latest airline to say good-bye to free in-flight snacks. united and us airways have cut out the freebies to slash costs. finally, a new study has uncovered a startling statistic. apparently, facebook is now cited in one out of every five divorces in the united states. it seems the social networking site is the primary source of online evidence in a whooping 66% of divorce cases. times have changed. coming up, what the commander in chief thinks about the nfl labor dispute. president obama weighs in. plus, the magic pull a houdini on miami, making the heat's lead suddenly disappear. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead.ç over the next couple of days, we're going to watch heavy rain and flooding. your weekend 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 in miami, the heat blew it and they blew it big, letting their 24-point lead over orlando slip away. here's nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all your sports headlines. good morning. all right. miami heat cruising up 24 at home. then the orlando magic found their shooting touch and went on

an incredible run. pick it up in the third. lebron james uncontested to the hoop and miami was having their way with orlando. it wouldn't last. the magic needed something to get back in the game and that something was the long ball. they hit eight three-pointers during a remarkable 40-9 run. 15 minutes later, the magic had the lead. after all that, the heat still had a chance. chris bosh for the tie. no, not much of a three-point shooter. how about lebron? he came up short. down 24 at one point, orlando held on to their second largest come back win in franchise history, 99-96. college hoops. numberç 15, st. john's has puld off plenty of college hoops this season. this time, unranked seton hall, played the role of giant killer. hazel scored 31 for the pirates. steve lavin was tossed for arguing with the official. seton hall won it, 84-70. now to the nfl. the mfl and its yub have agreed to a 24-hour extension.

they have until 9:00 p.m. tonight to reach a new deal or the owners will likely impose a lockout. yesterday, president obama made it clear that he has no plans to intervene. >> i'm a big football fan, but i also think that for an industry that's making $9 billion a year in revenue, they can figure out how to divide it up in a sensible way. >> and why am i not surprised, but the lingerie football league is eager to cash in on a possible nfl work stoppage. instead of watching linemen, perhaps you can watch scantly-clad women hit the gridiron. apparently there is something for everybody. that's your early look at sports on "early today." i'm fred roggin. charlie sheen may have stopped appearing on tv, but he is still making headlines. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, better late than never. we'll tell you about a mail

mystery 66 years in the making. you're watching "early today."

welcome back. dy mention that heavy rain moving through hawaii today. that should clear out by the weekend. up in the northwest, we're also watching rainshowers today. not a big storm. very nice, though, in the desert southwest.

as you go through your weekend, phoenix at 79, but still kind of wet and damp here in the northwest. a little warmer, but we just really can't catch a break in this area. we'll continue to watch that for you. well, as far as what we're also dealing with out there, altered landscape. krnv news 4 in nevada see a contemporary of photographs related to land use. that's at the nevada museum of art, that's your pacific event of the day. now here's a look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. at the box office this weekend, there is a new sheriff in town to stir things up. johnny depp stars in "rango." depp lends his voice to a reptile trying to restore law and order to a wild west town. rango is expected to take the number one spot in the low $40 million range. matt damon tries to tempt fate in the sci-fi thriller "the adjustment thriller."

they star as star-crossed lovers being followed by mysterious men. it's expected to top $20 million. two other debuts are expected to open in the $8 million range. the r-rated 80s comedy "take me home tonight" and "beastly," a retelling of the classic story "beauty and the beast." finally, charlie sheen is winning in one aspect of his life. the guinness book of world records just awarded the tv actor a rare honor, fastest time to one million followers on twitter. that's my goal to say winning on television. >> there are so many quotes. >> did you see the jimmy fallon charlie sheen skit? >> i don't know if anyone that

produces the oscars watching, jimmy fall oen would do a good job. >> we're not just saying that because we work for nbc. he is hilarious. >> do you think we can get on his show tonight now? >> come on. this comes to us from ksby news in california where in nearby camp roberts the delivery of a world war ii era letter has given a new term to the meaning of snail mail. it's been almost 70 years sense the letter was mailed to r.t. fletcher. it has a 1944 postmark and was sent to alabama from an army hospital where soldiers were a mystery there for you. i'm lynn berry, and this is "early today" just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

well, it was a rough start for one newborn in sweden. oliver, the first baby hippo to be born in the country had a dramatic first few weeks. the baby need his mother's milk, but she wouldn't let her come near her. zoo staff intervened, taking on the dapg russ task of milking oliver's mom until she had a change of heart, and now healthy mom and baby are doing quite well. germany has kicked off festivities. the event, nicknamed crazy days, brought out thousands of people. appropriately named as people dress up in costumes of all kinds from kings to clowns to other wacky wear. there's a lot of partying, a lot

of singing, and most of all, a great time there. here's one approach to silence critic that is think big budget effects are the only way to score a blockbuster hit. musicians in england played their instruments along to silent films. they're not just producing background music. they have sound effects, hoping to bring a little excitement and a larger audience to films that may seem a little outdated there. the crowd doesn't seem too excited. >> it's a nice dinner date. >> it looks lovely. >> lovely. >> lovely. i need more selling. i'm not too convinced.ç >> have to give you some good food with it. >> that always works. time now for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day here on nbc. this morning, the crews of the space shuttle "discovery" and the international space station will join a joint news conference. discovery astronauts having dropping off gear for the space station. the shuttle is due to return to earth on wednesday. in alabama, the 11th congressional civil rights pilgrimage begins to today.

the three-day journey is a tour of the history of the civil rights movement. and in delaware, jill biden, wife of vice president joe biden will deliver remarks at a ceremony for 200 airmen of the national guard. they're due to deploy overseas next week. 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. cnbc's maria bartiromo reports on those skyrocketing gas prices and whether there's any relief in sight. and from the recording studio to the board room, "celebrity apprentice" contestant latoya jackson talks about dealing with donald trump and remembering her brother, michael. 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. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

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