early "today . this morning ing early tod facing the heat. president obama faceing action n libya. and above and beyond, video captures a clerk fighting back against two would-be robbers. >> this is early today for tuesday, march 29th, 2011. >> good morning to you. i'm veronica delacruz.

it is a move that has been hotly debated by some in washington but one he is standing firmly behind. for more we go to tracy pots in washington. >> reporter: good morning to you. the president talked about defending the military action we have already taken but now putting pressure on moammar gadhafi's government. >> i refuse to wait for the images of slaughter and mass graves before taking action. >> reporter: he defends our attacks on libya. saying our interests on values were at stake. saying -- >> if we tried to over throw moammar gadhafi by force, our coalition would splin teter and

have to put troops on the ground. >> meeting with hillary clinton today. >> reporter: aiming to put pressure on him to step down. >> we have an embargo. he is getting weaker all of the time. >> reporter: critics saying the president should have consulted congress first. >> tomorrow nato takes over and libya takes center stage at the world's latest front in the fight for freedom. the question is what about other countries that are seeing these types of demonstrations. what is our policy going to be? other countries looking for freedom will find a friend in the united states. >> thank you. don't miss brian williams interview tonight right here on your nbc station.

the list of challenges facing japan keeps getting longer and mortar e terrifying. development supports suspicion that dangerous radioactive water can remain in the environment for thousands of years. so far officials claims levels found are not harmful to human health. yet another sign of the crisis gripping yemen. explosion tore through factory. blast which appears to have been accidental underscores collapse of authority there after six weeks of mount iing protest.

now here is a look at some of the stories making news early today in america. in colorado, two men trying to rob a store got a big surprise. video shows clerk lunging for the gun and wrestles him to the floor. clerk escorts suspect out of the store with a pellet gun. in texas, one person was killed when a truck collided on a highw highway. the truck was going on the wrong way on the highway. in florida, stunt plane fell from the sky. pilot was performing a routine maneuver when the plane crashed.

and in michigan, one school had the day off but not because of snow. drivers arrived early monday morning to find a fleet of flat tires. so far, no word on who let the air out of more than 50 school bus buss. and now for a look at your national and regional weather. bill, i don't know maybe we shouldn't be giving the kids any ideas. >> that is a bad prank. that one is going to cost a lot of money and let's chat about the forecast. it is cold across the country. as we end the month of march, heading and look towards april, the windchills are below freezing. we are above in the pacific northwest. rain, worse than what they are

dealing with in other areas. wherever i one is searching and waiting for the warm up, the only spot ip the country that is going to warm up is southern california and nevada. arizona will also warm up. i mentioned that rain, you can see the clouds in the white. the green has moved on shore. it is a rainy morning here in the pacific northwest. here is a look at the close up of the radar. you can see it spreading now heading towards spokane and showers around portland. as we go throughout the day, showers are likely. you know the umbrella is needed up interstate 5. in california today, we are into the 70s. nice weather is returning here. mid 70s.

still nothing compared to phoenix at 86. highs in the lowh is below average. well, damp tuesday followed by guess what? a damp wednesday in the northwest. >> rain in seattle are you sure bill? i have never heard of that. >> yeah, a bad joke. it keeps going. >> investors play chicken. leaders making sacrifices in japan. your early morning business headlines coming up next. >> and a plea deal. >> the knicks got their slide and the spurs continue to struggle. and the wizards win a road game. yes, it is true.

you are watching ay."

welt cowelcome back and her are some of your top headlines. some of your top headlines. democrats have offered budget cuts and republicans say they are standing firm on their party's plan to cut the budget. more than 40 foreign ministers are gathering to map out long-term solutions to the criticize. >> the pain of rejection is more than just a figure of speech. researchers found that pain

triggered brain activities similar to physical pain. with one month to go before the royal wedding. new set of collectible stamps have been released. they will be available starting april 21st, eight days before the ceremony. and now here is a look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow will open. drop in stoc economic instability and japan's nuclear problems kept traders

cautious. stocks were open and brokerage updates and consummer spending rose. inflation accelerated at a faster pace since 2009. more americans signed contracts to buy homes since february and levels remained healthy. forecast warning at marriott sent the hotel tumbling. koda k kodak in patent controversy and ebay lost over 4%. netflix rose 3% on a deal to stream movies in canada. and halliburton announcing first

quarter earnings could be trimmed. and home depot announcing a buyback. rose shows his thorns and the knicks and anthony and their embarrassing skid. early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. >> the cool weather continues over much of the country. tuesday forecast is coming up. you are watching early "today".

well good morning. if you are wake iing up, this i early today. in sports, last night carmello anthony came up with his best game with the knicks. here is a look at all of your sports headlines. good morning, carmello anthony said last night's game was a must win. knicks up 3 with under ten seconds to play.

100-100 and we are off to over time. all of new york chauncey phillips and he carries the knicks to their first win in seven games. the bulls got taken out to pasture by the sixers. philly up 16 at the break. rose gets the bulls at 4:00. in for the late up sixers win 97-85. they are doing their best to hold on to the spot in the east. p putting on the finishing touches with the steal and the dunk. indiana 107-100. no tony parker for the spurs. no problem for the blaez eblaze

rext blazers. the wizards won their second road game of the year. with 4 seconds left forcing over time. and then it is crawford again goes in for the dunk and the lead. it took 37 games but the wizards finally win their second on the road in ot. and that is a look at supportso" >> plus danger can be a constant companion to a snow border. coming up an accident as the snow border wearing a helmet cam saw it. you are watching early "today."

kell welcome back. here is a look at your tuesday forecast. you will need an umbrella. san francisco nice today. not bad. even prescott and flagstaff everywhere is looking good. 80 degree and phoenix heading up near 90. this is where the only warm air

is. not bad. chance of showers in seattle and portland. if you are watching us in seattle, washington, sitting in first class. check those out. style in the aisle. >> wow, what airline is that? are they flying you to the moon? what were they wearing? there is an early look at headlines and entertainment. helen mirren stuck her hands and feet in. and willie nelson has been offered a deal in the case. a $100 fine if he sings in the

courtroom. no word on whether or not the judge or willie will accept the deal. his big brother's wedding is getting a lot of attention. prince william will join service men walking along the polar ice cap. the charity, walking with the wounded helps to help wounded soldiers. you have to applaud him for distracting the world from the royal wedding madness. >> remember when they were kids and he was kind of the goofy one and now he is a stud. >> he is and the most eligible bachelor on the face of the planet. >> this comes from california where staying connected on the

slopes saved a man's life. after 20 minutes stuck upside down in the snow struggling for his cell phone he reached it as his wife was calling. the ski patrol was able to track him down and dig him out in just one hour. he was lucky. >> first off there is helmet cams for skiing. >> you haven't seen those? >> it makes sense. you can watch yourself going down and through the crash it kept working. >> safety first. >> this is your first stop of the day today on your nbctation

las vegas has another reason to be known as sin city. organized crime mob experience brings together videos and artifacts. as well as facts about famous mobsters. at one contest in romania women from around the country were selected for the colorful competition. the audience watched for their belly dancing skills. they performed in skirts and

jewelry highlighting the roma people. french dare devil climbed a building looming a whopping half a mile high. this time the 48-year-old wore a safety harness climbing with his bare hands a reached the top after six hours. six hours, you probably could have done it in three or four? >> i couldn't have done it in three. >> all right time now for a look at a story we are going to follow throughout the day. the supreme court hears arguments on whether or not a sex discrimination suit against wal-mart can continue on as a sex discrimination suit. erin brococich, over alleged

contamination of drinking water. her crusade was portrayed on film by julia roberts. and the anniversary of the last combat troops left in the vietnam war. all day long you can stay on top of the latest developments of those stories and others as they break on msnbc. and here is what is coming up later this morning on the "today" show. hear from a former girlfriend of the late john f. kennedy, junior. and a special look back at the women of the "today" show. now keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports and much more. thank you so much for watching early "today". we'll see you back here tomorrow.