this morning on "early today," sticker shock. with gas prices hitting $4, president obama launches a plan of attack at the pump. smash and run, a robbery suspect attacks an elderly woman on a new york city sidewalk. and dropping the ball, a world famous soccer team's trophy becomes a speed bump after it falls in front of a trophy becomes a speed bump after it falls in front of a bus. 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 a crude awakening. gas prices have been on the rise for months. with parts of the nation now paying more than $4 a gallon, there appears to be no end in sight. the president has launched a federal investigation aimed at finding out if oil markets are being manipulated to drive prices even higher. tracie potts joins us with more. >> reporter: good morning. so many americans frustrated about these prices and now the president has asked the attorney general to pull together a task force to see if that's fraud or manipulation going on as these prices continue to rise. the national average for a balan gallon of gas is about 30 cents higher than a month ago. >> probably still not -- still not even full. >> reporter: americans are frustrated. >> i'm working for gas. >> they're going to have to start taking out a loan for gas

now. >> i'm hoping it goes down. honestly, i really do, because i will have to get rid of one of our cars. >> reporter: but is it all about the market or is there price man inhags goi inlags going on? the justice department is putting together a task force to investigate. >> we'll make sure nonno one is taking advantage. >> reporter: the financial fraud enforcement working group will look at traders and speculate tore, although so far there is no evidence of wrongdoing. >> the bottom line is many of these speculative activities might be perfectly legal. >> reporter: looking ahead to summer analysts say expect things to get worse. >> we're looking at about $4.45, something close to $4.40, and then starting to come back down right around october of this year. >> it makes me want to invest in a bike or something. >> reporter: many already have and i can tell you that some analysts are predicting depending on circumstances, gas

prices up to $6 a gallon this summer. >> hard to comprehend. thanks so much. and as gas prices have gone up, not surprisingly, america's optimism has gone in the opposite direction. according to the latest poll, the nation's mood is at its lowest in two years. the survey shows those who think the economy is getting worse has jumped 13% in just one month. of course, this is all bad news for the president. only 38% approve of his handling of the economy. the pentagon says that president obama has approved the use of armed predator drones in libya. in a move aimed at helping rebel fighters, according to defense secretary robert gates, this is the first time the unmanned aircraft will be used for conflict since the conflict began. mike lullen said air strikes

have degraded gadhafi ground forces up on 40%, but he conceded the battle is moving toward a stalemate. now here's a look at other stories making news early today in america. in new york, a security camera was rolling when a 78-year-old woman fell victim to a brazen thief. the unsuspecting victim was walking with her husband when the suspect sneaked up behind and grabbed her purse. fortunately, the fall only caused some minor injuries. no arrest has been made. in pennsylvania, fire companies arrived on the scene of a blaze inside a high school undergoing renovations. the school was empty at the time the fire erupted and luckily no one was hurt. authorities are now investigating the cause and they say they're focusing on an air-conditioning unit. in kentucky, it was a reversal of roles for several firefighters. the company was en route to a call when their truck drifted off the road and flipped over, clipping an oncoming truck. the firefighters had to be cut from the truck before being taken to the hospital.

also from the bluegrass state, major league baseball and louisville slugger are teaming up to take a swing at breast cancer. more than 250 players will be swinging from the fences with pink bats on mother's day. the bats will later be sold at auction to benefit the cancer fighting charity susan g. komen for the cure. now for a look at your national and regional weather, here is nbc meteorologist bill karins. how is that easter broadcast? all the kids waiting for hathei baskets. >> you don't want a soggy basket. the forecast is interesting. some areas will be cooler than normal. much of southern california. contuing with a foggy, cloudy period. very much a weather pattern that you gets a we head towards the late spring, early summer. but it's just arrived a little earlier this year and it's not going anywhere anytime soon. middle of the country you'll

hear about flooding and severe storms from the ohio valley and areas around missouri over the upcoming weekend. we're pretty much clearing out of the rockies. that storm system heading to the north. so we have a little bit of a break. today will be a day with a good deal of sunshine as long as you're away from the on shore flow from the coast, you'll have a good deal of sunshine. pacific meft lonorthwest looks . high pressure overhead. and there's those low clouds. the next storm system probably won't move in until saturday temperature it, though, where that area of cool high pressure, it's chilly in boise and not much better in portland and seattle. so a cool start, but temperatures up in the 60s in some cases. much of oregon will be good. seattle can't complain. and l.a. this afternoon, we should get you into some sunshine maybe if we're lucky,

up near 70. and the samecoyakima should be around 59 with a good deal of spine. sunshine. looking good in many areas. easter sunday forecast coming up. >> all right, thanks so much. more shocking news about your cell phone. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, everyone's favorite wise cracking grandma is back and she is set to rule the holiday box office. pacers down 6ers and are taken to the limits, the stanley cup champs flex their muscles. 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. nevada senator john enson says he will resign today amid an ethics investigation. the republican lawmaker has acknowledged having an affair with a former staffer and helping her husband, also a staffer, find a lobbying position. still, he insists he's done nothing wrong. pakistani intelligence officials say at least 22 people have been killed in a u.s. missile strike on a home along the afghan border. there are reports that some civilians are among the dead. the strike happened in a region of pakistan known for its taliban presence. in honor of weekend's 21st birthday of the hubble space telescope, nasa has released a spectacular image of a pair of interacting galaxies.

the picture shows one galaxy being distorted by the gravitational pull of a smaller neighbor. and it took 18 years for the soccer team real madrid to win back a trophy only to watch it get crushed under the wheels of a bus. players were celebrating when one accidentally dropped it. the trophy is now being repaired. now here's an early look at how the markets ended yet. the dow closed at 12 drks 505. climbing 52 points. the s&p added 7 points. the nasdaq rose 17. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei dipped 3 points. but in hong kong, the hang seng gained 242. despite u.s. markets being closed today, upbeat earnings helped them end the holiday shortened week on a high note. apple's impressive earnings drove stocks higher.

crude prices continued to climb while the price of gold hit another record high. verizon slipped 2% after its first quarter profit more than tripled, but average user revenue rose less than expected. earnings at general electric, a minority owner of this network, rose 77%, but shares slid in response to weak industrial revenue. mcdonald's dipped despite strong sales after a warning from the fast food chain about rising costs worried investors. fast food rival yumm brands reported a healthy rise in profit. in the wake of widespread controversy over tracking devices in apple's iphones, this morning's wall street journal reports iphones and android smartphones both routinely transmit location data back to apple and google helping them tap a growing multibillion dollar market for location-based services.

toyota is recalling more than 200,000 rav 4s and nearly 100,000 highlander suvs over potential air bag problems. a federal jury ruled mattel does not own the sketches or the idea for the popular bratz dolls made by mga entertainment despite the claim that the designer made the drawings while employed by mattel. finally, not sure what to do with that drawer of t-shirts? for about $250, you can have them made into a soft and cuddly quilt. the dodgers manage to ignore disrakss about in their faceoff with the braves. plus lebron james and dwyane wade plow ahead with their playoff charge. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. heavy rain and flooding is in the forecast right into the weekend. 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, the indiana pacers are now deeper in the playoff poll with derek rose leading the way for the bulls. here's nbc's mario solis with an early look at all your sports headlines. good morning.

he did it all season long and now derek rose is carrying the bulls in the playoffs. to indy for game three against the pacers rose driving into a crowd and gets the lay-up to fall between three defenders. chicago takes the lead with 17 seconds left. pacers have one final shot. forget the tie. they go for the win, but granger is off the mark from downtown. bulls hold on, 88-84. they can close out the pacers tomorrow. the heat have a 3-0 lead in their series. check out the great move by lebron james. dribbles behind the back, the dunk. miami pulls away in the fourth quarter. heat win, 98-94. the trailblazers have made it a series in the win column against the mavericks. this three puts the blazers up by 11. portland wins, 97-92. game four is tomorrow. nhl after dropping the first two games, the bruins battle

back to tie the series with the canadiens. michael ryder's second goal of the night in o.t. they win, 5-4 in overtime. the black hawks are playing like a desperate team and it's working. they drop a five spot on the canucks. black hawks win, 5-0, and trail 3-2 in the series. finally, the l.a. dodgers front office is in shambles, but that hasn't affected the play on the field. taking on the braves tide at 3 until the 12th inning, matt camp ends it with one swing, a two-run walk-off hom ey eyre. management after a 5-3 win in extra. that's your look at sports on "early today." i'm mario solis. embattled actor mel gibson opens up about those phone recordings. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, a texas man combines two of his passions with pretty amazing results.

you're watching "early today."

take you through your weekend forecast. a migs day will in the pacific northwest. a little chilly this morning, but it this afternoon will be your reward. overall all all in then's trav

won't see any problems it at the airports. saturday a little bit of shower activity in medford. sacramento, a 30% chance, also. still remaining cool in much of coastal california. valleys looking mice. and nice. and easter, a new storm system moves in.nice. nice. and easter, a new storm system moves in. if you're watching us on kgw news channel 8 portland, see plants and animals native to pacific shores including sea lions and otters at steller cove at the oregon zoo and that's your pacific event of the day. >> is that otter doing the backstroke? >> you've never seen that? >> beautiful. now here's a look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. there are very few sure things in hollywood, but it seems tyler perry's madea franchise may be one of them. perry runs as a sassy grandmother in madea's big happy family.

it will come out on top this easter weekend with an expected $32 million. last weekend's top flick "rio" should take number two with around $26 million. the weekend's other big picture, "water for elephants" has gotten luke warm reviews. still with the help of pattinson's fans, it could take as much as $20 million. finally, actor mel gibson has broken his silence over all those explosive phone recordings leaked by his ex. he tells deadline hollywood that while he regrets what he said on the tapes, he claims they were edited and he has never treated anyone badly or in a discriminatory way based on their gender, race, religion or sexuality, period. >> why would he regret it? >> don't just question, bill.

just smile and nod. that's what we do. this comes to us from kxas nbc 5 in dallas, texas, where one man as transformed his fondness for a frosty beverage into a form of artistic expression. lewis has a unique way of recycling. he's using his yard as a canvas by putting empty beer cans, unleashing his creativity on the world. his collection should be described as a shrine for the six-pack. that's what we're going to say. but for lewis, it's a combination of pleasure and a newly discovered creative artistic passion. i'm lynn berry, and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

>> it looks like one of the seven wonderers of the world has competition. a replica of the taj mahal was built on the southern coast of india. the wooden structure took 45 days to build with the help of 500 workers and was designed with the details of the original in mind. ahead of next week's royal wedding, one exhibit in london is showing off the sweet tradition of the wedding cake. a look back at some of the most famous royal confections on display. no detail was too small.

queen elizabeth's wedding treat stood nine feet tall. artists used only film and photos to ensure accuracy. they say opposites attract, but this is just ridiculous. in germany, a swan has fallen head over heels for a blue tractor. for the past four years, swanny has been infatuated with the machine, waddling over every time he hears the engine roar and following close by. experts can only guess that there's some connection to loud machinery from an early age that made its mark. i don't know if it's necessarily love, but that's what we're calling it. >> we have learned as males that when the female roars, we just follow. >> that's why you're married, bill. take note, guys. time now for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day here on nbc. around the world, nations will be celebrating their commitment to our planet's environment. on this earth day. earth day was first held on this day in 1970, which many consider

the birth of the modern environmental movement. in california, lindsay lohan is due back in a los angeles courtroom over a grand theft case involving a $2,500 necklace. today's hearing is to determine whether she should stand trial. lohan says she is innocent and has turned down a plea deal in the case. and happy birthday to legendary actor jack nicholson. today, he turns 74. 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. tom brokaw and jane pauley look back on their years in the "today" anchor chairs and harry potter star daniel radcliff talks about going from wizardry to wall street in the hit musical how to succeed in business without really trying. 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. the day today on your nbc station. have a good one. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com