this morning on "early today," zeroing in. air strikes target the libyan capital as allied forces turn up the heat on moammar gadhafi. dead zone, dramatic photos provide the first glimpse inside japan's crippled nuclear plant. and spring fling, severe weather and wintry storms tear through portions of the nation. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello and good morning.

welcome. i'm lynn berry. today we begin with no letups. for five straight days now, western war planes have been fiercely pounding libya in a crisis that's unified nations around the world against the regime of libyan ruler moammar gadhafi. in tripoli, anti-aircraft fire lit up the sky once again. the air strikes appear to have thwarted gadhafi's efforts to overtake his opponents for now. although there has been retaliation. in misrata, there have been reports of sniper attacks by pro gadhafi supporters. meanwhile, off the coast of libya, nato warships are now on patrol and forcing the u.n. arms embargo against the country. meanwhile, as criticism of the administration's handling of libya mounts, today, the president meets with his national security team to discuss strategy. for more on that, we go to nbc's tracie potts in washington. tracie, good morning. >> lynn, good morning. no doubt, the question will be

how do we get out? the president said we're not sending ground troops there. he said we want our mission there to back off and for the u.s. not to be in charge of this. within days, he says, but the problem is the french don't want to take over, nato can't agree on whether or who will take over. that has become a challenge. secretary of state clinton said that moammar gadhafi can end this pretty quickly stepping down. it's he and his team who have decisions to make to wrap up and end those air strikes. finally, what does the american public think about this? a reuters poll finds 60% support our involvement in libya, eight out of ten say we should do more to remove gadhafi from power. lynn? >> tracie potts in washington, thanks so much. after months of relative quiet, tensions are mounting in the mideast. no reported injuries after israeli aircraft struck

suspected targets in the gaza strip. the assault comes after rocket and mortar fire directed at israel and a bomb ripped through a bus stop in jerusalem. one woman was killed, the first fatal attack in the city in several years. we are getting the first look inside the crippled fukushima nuclear plant in japan where workers are desperately trying to prevent more radiation from seeping into the atmosphere. new photographs from inside the facility show crews trying to stabilize the damaged reactor yesterday. today, officials report three workers were exposed to radioactivity and two of them were sent to the hospital for treatment. meanwhile, workers are distributing bottled water all across tokyo after residents cleared store shelves following yesterday's warning that the city's tap water had elevated radiation. and the japanese government now estimates this month's earthquake and tsunami may cost up to $309 billion in damage, which would make it the world's

most expensive natural disaster ever. now here's a look at other stories making news early today in america. in florida, last night a major fire erupted in a fuel tank parked at miami international airport, just unbelievable flames there. it took significant manpower to put out the blaze. approximately 20 crews were on scene battling those flames. at this time it's unclear how the fire started or if it will cause flight delays. in texas, an accident between an 18-wheeler and a car left the big rig dangling over the side of an elevated ramp. using a fire truck ladder, a rescue crew managed to safely pull the truck driver from the cab. crews are working to see if anyone is trapped in the car under the rig. the wreck is expected to create a nightmare for morning commute drivers. in pennsylvania, severe storm system delivered a one-two punch of wild weather in some locations.

golf ball sized hail pummeled various areas while a tornado touched down in the western part of the state, tearing the roofs off several homes and businesses. officials say no serious injuries have been reported. and finally in minnesota, wind gusts of 50 miles per hour produced great surfing conditions, that's right, curving conditions on lake superior. two surfers took advantage of the first and probably only surfing season, the waves were six to eight feet. and mere is nbc meteorologist bill karins with the forecast. we saw the tornado, the west coast was hit as well. >> one report of a tornado in central california, numerous reports of hail and temperatures are cool, we've had one storm move through, the second one is moving in today and another one is going to come in over the weekend so just an active period of weather. temperatures in the 40s for the most part so definitely the

winter clothes are needed along with the gloves, the hat and umbrella. the rain, the next storm track it here on weather.com, tracking to the south, moving onshore, with rain on the coast and rain in the valley and heavy mountain snows. each storm adds one or two feet of snowpack in the mountains. the green is the radar filling right in as the storm moves onshore. we have a line of showers that just went through san francisco, now approaching sacramento. in the mountains more snow starting to fall, it will get heavier later on today. we're talking another one to two feet as i mentioned. the area of blue is snow. interstate 80 is difficult to go by. it will require chains and may be closed later on today. just another day in the life of the west coast. that's a look at yourchance of

thunderstorms everywhere else, maybe even some downpours. lin, lynn, as i mentioned a sequence of storms and no end in sight. >> bill, thank you, i guess. coming up, oil climbs, home sales tumble and the movie even anyone that is a hard core film fan won't be able to sit through. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, hollywood loses a legend some are describing as the last true star. coming up, the heat motor by the pistons and is it time for the knicks to push the panic button? 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. federal officials are reviewing

staffing at airports across the country after two passenger planes landed at reagan national airport yesterday without clearance because the air traffic controller had fallen asleep. transportation secretary ray lahood has since ordered that two traffic controllers be on duty at the washington, d.c., area airport late at night. a soldier who pleaded guilty to the murders of three unarmed afghan civilians has been sentenced to 24 years in prison. jeremy morelock says he plotted to kill afghans with four other soldiers. yesterday's sentencing came days after the german news magazine "der spiegel" showed warlock and another soldier posing with dead afghans. actress lindsay lohan is opting to face trial and a possible lengthy prison time in her felony grand theft case rather than accept a plea deal which would have put her behind bars for several months. and a private collector in paris may have been duped out of more than $4 million.

the mexican government says a mayan warrior sculpture bought at auction this week is fake. the auctioneer insists, however, the pre-colombian art is authentic. and here is an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 12,086 after gaining 67 points yesterday. the s&p inched up 3 points and the nasdaq added 14. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei fell 14 points but in hong kong, the hang seng rose 89. stocks moved higher wednesday, but today we'll see if they have enough strength to shake off a troubling turn in europe's debt saga. portugal's prime minister resigned wednesday after parliament rejected his latest austerity measures aimed at keeping the country from following greece and ireland's bailouts. >> yesterday's stocks rebounded on news that gas consumption is actually up, despite higher prices at the pump.

fueling optimism, the recent spike in oil prices may not stall the economic recovery. that news was especially comforting on a day when oil prices reached their highest level in 2 1/2 years, settling just under $106 a barrel. meanwhile, shares of freeport mcmoren copper and gold jumped after its ceo said the company can't afford to make a big purchase. on the downside financials fell after the federal reserve rejected bank of america's plan to increase its dividend because it failed to pass the fed's stress tests. another drag on the day, sales of new homes plunged 17% in january to the lowest on record. more fallout from japan's disasters. toyota says a shortage of japanese made parts will likely impact production at one or more of its north american plants. keep an eye on research in motion. the blackberrymaker reports earnings after the bell. and finally, here is one movie you probably won't be renting any time soon.

yesterday a modern art festival in helsinki was set to screen what it believes is the world's longest film with a running time of 240 hours. that means they will still be screening it this time next week. thanks, but no thanks. coming up, the magic cast a spell over the knicks, the grizzlies gobbled the shamrocks and some last-second heroics for the ducks. plus detroit looks to quench the heat. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. the storm system that brought wild weather to the ohio valley exiting the east coast today. now our focus goes to the west coast. your forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." in sports, new york city sports fans and sports writers are not known for their patience. what little they do have may have run out with the knicks. here's nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all your sports headlines. good thursday morning. it's hard to believe that a team could get worse with the addition of a superstar, but that is exactly what happened with the new york knicks. they have carmelo anthony, but they still have glaring problems in the middle. the magic's dwight howard took advantage, seemingly scoring at will, finishing with 33 points

and 11 boards. orlando won it, 111-99. that loss dropped the knicks below .500 for the first time since november. the heat have had their share of problems this season, and almost lost to the struggling pistons. rodney's jam kept the game close. james with the throw down. the pistons made it interest, but the heat pulled away 100-94. celts had a chance to climb back into first place in the east. but the grizzlies weren't having it. memphis up 3 with a minute to play. celts one last shot and it was short. grizzlies held it, with 90-87. spurs and mavericks went down to the wire. chandler put the nuggets up two. spurs are the best team in the league, but not last night. ginobli's three was off the mark. no superstars in denver, yet they keep on winning, 115-112. hockey, red wings and knucks. daniel dean scored a pair of golds, numbers 39 and 40 on the year. running away with the west after

a 2-1 victory. a great finish between the ducks and the stars. anaheim down one, final seconds. scrub in front of the net and the puck fell right into his lap. he tied it with five seconds to go in the game. check out the 40-year-old salani celebrating like a teenager. ducks kept the excitement going in overtime. bobby ryan to rookie cam fowler for the win. the oldest player tied it in regulati regulation, and the youngest player won it in o.t., 4-3. that's your early look at sports on "early today." i'm fred roggin. a look back on the dazzling life and career of elizabeth taylor. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, meet the teens who countered the notion that today's youth is all apathy. you're watching "early today."

good thursday morning. welcome back. rain is in the forecast once again, heavy rain at this especially from san francisco northward up the coast, where we're going to get drenched and that will work its way into portland also. chance of showers in seattle. a lot of the heavy rains will miss you. l.a. will get some showers this afternoon, but dry in phoenix. these storms will linger. a break friday and another storm over the weekend. be prepared. we're not going to see any gorgeous spring weather. watching us on nbc san diego,

california, sneak a peek behind the old globe theater and step into an authentic costume the addressing the part, that's your pacific event of the day. >> bill, thanks so much. now here's a look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. few artists can live up to the billing larger than life. but elizabeth taylor was one of those few. she died early yesterday at the age of 79 from congestive heart failure. nbc's stephanie stanton takes a look back at taylor's remarkable career. >> reporter: with her striking beauty and violet eyes, elizabeth taylor was the epitome of a hollywood icon. >> in some ways she is the last of the classic hollywood studio star. >> reporter: taylor rose to stardom when she was a teenager in "national velvet." she went on to star in dozens of hollywood films, including "cat on a hot tin roof" and "cleopatra." she earned five academy award nominations and won two oscars.

she was also the first woman to earn $1 million for a film. off screen, her life was just as dramatic. >> i would say that her life story had more incidents, more drama than the most of the films that she actually did. >> married eight times to seven different men, it was her romance to richard burton whom she first married in 1964 and then again in 1975 that created a media frenzy. >> they were trailblazers for the paparazzi. there had never been anything like that. there had never been stars that big, there had never been a romance that big, that famous and public and scandalous. >> reporter: in 2009 she privately mourned the passing of one of her best friends, michael jackson. in her later years, it was her charity work for aids research that she says kept her going. stephanie stanton, nbc news, los angeles. >> really an american icon. a lot of tributes coming out for elizabeth taylor. this comes to us from kxas

nbc 5 in dallas, texas, where in nearby denton one teenager is pounding the pavement hoping to find some work in the world of politics. 18-year-old zorro is running for a seat on the city council. when he's not studying, the college student is campaigning meeting the residents he wants to represent. an incumbent opponent is his biggest hurdle on election day. but the chance to make a difference is the driving force that's keeping him from sitting on the sidelines. you were doing that when you were 18, right, bill? >> no, i wasn't. my mother does local politics and i have gone door to door knocking with her and it takes courage. >> i didn't realize. >> nowadays people don't like you knocking on their doors as much as they used to. >> with a kid like that i'm sure they'd love it. >> yes, he looks nice. i'm lynn berry, and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

as the country mourns their beloved kanut, a zoo in germany is introducing twins that could fill his shoes. gregor and alleyut made their appearance with their mother close behind. the little ones tested the waters of a new outdoor enclosure, getting a taste of spring there. their debut is the first time visitors can watch a mother polar bear care for her young. in the wake of japan's massive earthquake, a museum in beijing is educating its visitors on survival skills. the china fire museum offers a simulation of a 5.0 magnitude earthquake and other natural disasters. among the scenarios, patrons get a taste of what it's like to be caught in a building or subway

fire. a record 700 people visited two days after the quake in japan. to cook this next tasty treat, you'll need a shovel instead of a spoon. the largest food company in venezuela has managed to whip up the world's largest arape. it is a traditional favorite in the country, it is a flat corn and flour patty, normally the size of a hockey puck but this record-breaking one was 1,000 pounds and measured at almost 20 feet across. bill, just a fun fact, it made for 2,000 portions. >> that's a lot of butter you would need for that. >> yeah, it sounds delicious. have you ever had one? >> no. but i've heard good things. it's a must when you go to venezuela. >> it's something we have to try. time now for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day here on nbc. in california, an arraignment hearing is scheduled for former officials of the scandal-plagued city of bell. several ex-council members are accused of paying themselves six

figure salaries while the city was going broke. also in california, jury selection begins in the trial of michael jackson's doctor, conrad murray. he's pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter in michael jackson's death. and today marks the 22nd anniversary of the exxon "valdez" disaster. in 1989 the supertanker struck a reef off alaska's coast, spilling 11 million gallons of oil, the worst u.s. oil spill, until last year's bp disaster. all day long, you can stay on top of the very latest in those developments and other stories 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. "today" takes you to the front lines of the war in libya as explosions rock that country's capital for a fifth day. and actor bradley cooper is live on the plaza to talk about his new hit film "limitless" and what it's like working with robert de niro. 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.