♪ this morning on "early today," tension in timberland. the northwest and the pacific northwest brace for what could be a wicked winter storm. cruise catastrophe. the death toll rises in last week's italian ship wreck as dramatic recordings surface of the captain who abandoned ship. and mighty mineral. feast your eyes on the world's largest emerald, soon to be up for grabs. 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 western wallop. in the pacific northwest, folks are bracing for what could be a major snow storm with the potential of several feet of accumulation in mountain areas. travel is already been snarled in cities like portland and seattle where the average annual snowfall is barely six inches. nbc's kirk gregory reports. >> reporter: old man winter is slamming into the pacific northwest. snow has been falling steadily in parts of oregon and washington making road conditions hazardous. with the worst expected later today. seattle, more used to rain than snow, is preparing for a major winter wallop. the national weather service has issued a winter storm warning for much of the region where up to two feet of snow is forecasted in the cascade mountains. >> get off on 34. turn around. it's going to be closed until

probably tomorrow. >> really? >> reporter: interstate 90 through the snowe kwal mi pass was closed tuesday because of avalanche danger. >> the weather does what it wants to do. >> reporter: this is the scene about an hour outside of portland. major highways are slick and treacherous as snowplows work to keep up. >> we're expecting more snow, so our crews are working 12-hour shifts. >> reporter: around-the-clock work for a winter storm showing no signs of letting up. kurt gregory, nbc news. elsewhere, the death toll is now 11 from that grounded luxury liner off the coast of italy. it could go higher. in a dramatic audiotape, the captain, who is facing criminal charges, was ordered to go back to the ship he abandoned friday night. two dozen people are still missing. yet, this morning the search has been suspended due to movement of the ship. michelle kosinski followed the course of yesterday's dramatic events. >> reporter: a loud blast

mid-day was not an accident. but the fastest way inside the concordia's hull. this video was shot by divers urgently making their way through holes they punched. then deep inside, the murky silence that friday night was the start of a vacation. they hammered their way through the dim maze of rooms under 30 feet of water at times, searching for victims. as the search continued, the ship's captain was in court charged with manslaughter, causing the wreck, abandoning ship, which an audio recording now reveals. in a heated phone conversation from off the ship friday night a few hours after the accident with furious port authority captain defalco. after days in jail, the captain was released and placed under

house arrest. his attorney claims he may have saved many lives by acting quickly to beach the ship. otherwise, it may have sunk completely in deeper water. back to you. >> and that was michelle kosinski reporting from italy. elsewhere, there was a security scare last night at the white house. the secret service locked down the building after someone apparently tossed a smoke bomb over the fence on the north side during a protest by members of the occupy movement. president obama was not there at the time. about a thousand demonstrators had marched to the white house at the end of a rally that started on capitol hill. earlier in the day, four people were arrested after skirmishes with police. now here's a look at other stories making news early today in america. a shoplifting duo getaway attempt led to an all-out brawl inside a new jersey store. the scuffle began when the male suspect attacked the plea who con fronted him. ouch.

the couple escaped with over $1400 worth of baby formula. no arrests have been made. tennessee authorities rescued over 100 dogs crammed into a truck and minivan for a cross-country trip. police made the heartbreaking discovery after 25 dogs were spotted inside the minivan without any food or water. further inspection revealed other animals locked inside the cargo area of the trunk. those owners were arrested for aggravated animal cruelty. and finally, my vote for "early today" mascot. it's a pet of one louisiana artist, and i think she has a little pi kcasso in her. the animal's work is starting to get some attention. one piece was sold for $40, which was donated to a local animal shelter. she holds it so delicately. now for a look at your national and regional weather, we check in with meteorologist

bill karins. you're tracking that massive storm in the pacific northwest. >> some areas are getting more than expected. others are guessing less. that's the way it works. the forecast shifted a little further to the south. that has implications in northern california. first off, temperatures. if you're not below freezing, it's hard to get any accumulation on the roads, especially the major highways. that's why in portland, a lot of the major roads are improving as we go on. you were 32 with snow last night. now we're mixed in with rain at 34. we're hoping those roads will continue to improve in your area. medford is very warm. seattle, you're the cold spot. that's why the most accumulations were expect eed i washington state. watch the warm our trying to work in from the south, changing things over to rain. right now, a rain and snow mix. maybe sleet pellets. if you get up in any elevation, you'll get the snow. lower elevations, we're getting the warmer air mixing in. the majority of the snow for

portland is over now. further to the north, since the storm has been to south, seattle's snow total is only 2 to 5 inches now. to the south, even the mountains of california are getting more into the act than they were expecting. snowfall totals once again in the mountains will be around three feet by the time we're all said and done. all the way back through idaho and wyoming. that's a look at yourevent. santa rosa, california, some rain for you. same with sacramento. of course, with big storms like this, i don't have time to get to everyone. stay tuned to your local nbc station. >> of course. bill, thanks so much. coming up, rocky times for cruise lines. yahoo!'s cofounder walks away. and burning cash to stay alive. literally. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, six months before

opening night of the next "batman" film and they're already selling tickets. . coming up, the colts make a move. miami turns up the heat with a big third quarter. and look out mr. president, the first lady has a bat. you're watching "early today."

good morning. welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry. here's some of your top headlines this morning. an online protest is underway right now. as many as 10,000 websites are either blocking access or protesting in some manner trying to stop congress from passing online piracy legislation. one congressman who supports the act argues demonstrators are spreading misinformation about legislation. in wisconsin, those behind an effort to recall governor scott walker were required to collect more than half a million signatures to get it on the ballot. yesterday, they showed up with nearly twice that number. walker has been under fire for

effectively ending collective bargaining for most state workers. cameras caught the president and the first lady heading into a washington restaurant last night to celebrate her birthday. the first couple was joined by friends at a d.c. steak house. and in canada, check this out. it is the world's largest cut emerald. it's 57,000 carats and weighs over 25 pounds, valued at $1.15 million. it could be yours. the emerald goes up for auction next week. i feel like a game show host. here's an early look at one of your top health headlines on msnbc.com. in revealing to al roker on the "today" show that she has type two diabetes, paula deen defends her cooking style. she says she's always encouraged moderation and doesn't plan a big change in recipes, which features lots of butter and fried food. but deen has endorsed a diabetes drug injection.

for more information on this and other health stories, check out the health page at msnbc.com. and now in here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens the 12,482 after gaining 60 points yesterday. the s&p added four points. the nasdaq rose 17. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo the nikkei climbed 84 points while in hong kong the hang seng nudged up 59. well, investors return to work tuesday to slight by significant signs of improvement overseas. stocks got an early boost from modest improvements in china's economy while surprisingly solid interest in debt auctions in spain, greece, and europe's bailout fund eased fears about recent credit downgrades. however, early gains were paired by a steep drop in citigroup's profit that sent its shares

tumble 8%. meanwhile, wells fargo rose after reporting a 20% jump in quarterly profits. carnival cruise lines plunged nearly 14% in the wake of that deadly cruise ship disaster involving one of its italian lines. royal caribbean also slid 6% as analysts worry about a possible ripple effect on the industry. kraft is cutting about 1600 jobs in north america this year as part of its restructuring plans. on the upside, shares of struggling retailer sears shot up on speculation that the company could soon go private. lionsgate entertainment add 4% after agreeing to buy the owner of the popular "twilight" franchise. a late day warning from the world bank could impact markets today. the bank's bi-annual report stated that global economic growth will slow. after the bell, shares of yahoo!

went higher after the co-founder announced his departure. finally, proof that cash really is king. a hiker who was recently trapped for two freezing nights on snowy mount reinier says he stayed warm by burning his socks and one and five-dollar bills. the big shake-up starts in indianapolis. arch rivals square off in college hoops. and baseball's world champs stir up trouble at white house. plus, the heat pound on san antonio to get back on the winning track. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. the major snow storm is moving onshore in the northwest. where is it heading next? your forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." in sports, the first step in what many expect to be a total overhaul of an nfl franchise took place yesterday. here's nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all your sports headlines. good morning. the indianapolis colts continue to clean house yesterday. they fired head coach jim caldwell. it's the latest in a handful of moves made by the team in the last two weeks. caldwell led indianapolis to the super bowl in 2009. without the injured peyton manning, the colts were 2-14

last season. indy has the number one pick in the draft, likely will select stanford quarterback andrew luck. that raises the question, is peyton manning the next one to be forced out sth. the heat got back on track against the spurs. busted the game wide open in the third. outscored san antonio by seven in the quarter. lebron james stopped and popped for two of his three in the quarter. the heat cruise without dwyane wade. derrick rose also missed another game. like the heat, the bulls had no problem getting a win. carlos boozer filled the voids. 1i points against the suns. chicago won it. college hoops. the big ten may be the most competitive conference in the country. seems like every game goes down the waire. case in point. final minutes. stu douglas gave the lead with the layup. michigan held on to win it

60-59. and to the victors go the spoils. the world champion st. louis cardinals visited the white house yesterday. they gave the president cardinal jerse jerseys, and he said this. >> i'm worried about giving my wife a bat. if i mess up -- >> i'll take my bat. >> just goes to show you, doesn't matter if it's your house or the white house, the woman rules the roost. and i hear she's got good power as well. that's your early look at sports on "early today." i'm fred roggin. >> always a good lesson. coming up, ricky says no more. plus, good news and bad news for lindsay lohan. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, he may be young, but he's no different than any other election winner. now it's time to deliver. you're watching "early today."

welcome back to "early today." our friends at weather channel giving us live shots from downtown seattle with the snow coming down. looks like the roads are getting covered here as the storm begins to move in. not expecting a blockbuster historic event in seattle. definitely two to five inches. watching rain mixing in in portland. rain and snow will be moving into northern california. even the mountains of northern california going to pick up good snow. if you're watching on knsd in

san diego, california, see teams use photography and new immediamedia to explore environmental issues at sea/saw annual youth exhibition at you see yum of photographic arts. that's your pacific event of the day. i'm all excited about the snow. i can't concentrate. >> you're just a little meteorologist nerd. >> nerd? now a look at this morning's early headlines in entertainment. how big is the next "batman" sequel going to be? well, tickets have already sold out in several cities. seats are already being resold on craigslist for $100 a piece. ebay is probably next. ricky gervais says he'll never host the glolden globes again. he wrote on his blog hosting was like a parachute jump. you can only really enjoy it when in retrospect you realize you didn't die and it was quite an amazing thing to do. finally, more proof it's always something with lindsay lohan. what's the deal here? yesterday, she got her second

thumbs up in a row from her judge who said she's on track to complete probation by the end of march. we're making progress. there's always a but. e-online reports lohan's comeback role as elizabeth taylor may be over before it starts. the lifetime movie is being shot in canada, where unless he gets special permission, she might not be allowed into the country for another five years. this comes from kwwl channel 7 in waterloo, iowa. one teen's afterschool job earned him a nickname around high school, the mayor. jeremy recently previeded over his first city council meeting because he really is the mayor. the 18-year-old's first order of business was to decide when to plow the roads. the senior in high school has big goals for the town. i'm lynn berry. this is "early today." just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

two sea lions made their debut in china on monday. a pair of white bengal tigers met visitors for the very first time in celebration of a chinese spring festival. born two months ago, the twins have already learned to walk and also play together. they're also adorable. the bengal tiger is one of the world's most endangered animals with only around 210 populating the wild. in south korea, one aquarium dove into the year of the dragon with a splash. a team of divers plunged into an enormous fish tank and performed a range of under water tricks swimming through a school of sardines and even riding on

unicycles. they decked themselves out in dragon outfits to celebrate the coming of the lunar year. in greece, ancient monuments are going to do their part to aid the financial recovery. greece's culture ministry announced that archaeological landmarks will soon be offered for rent to advertising firms and other enterprises. first up is the acropolis. it's available to rent for under $2,000. the ministry believes the move will generate capital for the debt-stricken country. i picture big, fat greek wedding. >> oh, yeah. only $2,000 for the wedding hall? >> that's nothing. >> yeah, that's cheap. >> a whole new trend. can we do that for the chrysler building? time for a look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day. the supreme court could rule in three cases, two of which involve price. one case could give officers the right to strip search anyone they arrest, even for minor

crimes such as a traffic violation. another would allow officers the right to place a gps tracking device on a suspect's car without a search warrant. the high court could also rule on whether the fcc can continue punishing broadcasters for airing unexpected profanity. near los angeles, 7,000 brand new u.s. citizens will be sworn in during a mass ceremony. and happy birthday to kevin costner turning 57. all day long, stay on top of the latest developments on those stories and others as they break on msnbc. tonight, be sure to watch brian williams with "nbc nightly news." here's a look at what's coming up later this morning on the "today" show. in a "today" exclusive, chris christie speaks out about the gop presidential race and whether he'd consider being a running mate. and details on a medical mystery in new york high school where 12 girls are suffering tourette-like symptoms. 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