this morning on "early today," wide open. the republican presidential race shifts to florida after a stunning come-from-behind victory by newt gingrich in south carolina. remembering a legend. fans mourn the death of beloved penn state coach joe paterno, whose career ended in scandal. and death dive. a comet has a fatal encounter with the sun. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello and good morning. welcome to our viewers across

the nation. i'm lynn berry. today we begin with anybody's glam. the gop presidential contest is heating up in the sunshine state where mitt romney is hoping that releasing tax returns will help him reclaim his front-runner status after being beaten in south carolina on saturday. nbc's tracie potts joins us from washington with more on all of this. tracie, good morning. >> reporter: lynn, good morning. good morning, everyone. let's talk about romney and those taxes. he said not until april when the 2011 taxes are ready. now he says i'll release them early. in fact, i'll do it this week. he says, why not? santorum also planning to release his taxes now. gingrich already did. he paid almost $1 million in taxes. that expected to be a big topic at debate in tampa tonight. florida voters getting a chance to decide who they want to represent their state as a winner in this primary that's coming up in just about a week now. coming out of south carolina, newt gingrich now has the

momentum. he has not been on top of the polls in florida, but after his big and somewhat unexpected win in south carolina, he takes that momentum into florida. rick santorum thinks he can win because if he puts it i'm the only candidate who's won a state so far that isn't in my backyard. >> tracie, thank you. don't miss tonight's nbc news republican presidential debate moderated by brian williams live from the university of south florida in tampa bay. it begins at 9:00/8:00 central time right here. arizona congresswoman gabrielle giffords is resigning from congress. she was wounded in the tucson tucson shooting rampage a year ago that killed six people. since then, giffords has been in rehab learning to speak and walk again. that job is not complete, and she will step down to focus on her recovery. nbc's jay gray has the latest. >> reporter: it was just over a year ago that the gunshots rang out in tucson.

six people killed, a dozen injured, including arizona congresswoman gabrielle giffords shot in the head at point-blank range. >> i don't remember much from that horrible day, but i will never forget the trust you placed in me to be your voice. >> reporter: a voice rarely heard since the attack. a voice that this weekend announced after five years in congress her public career would be put on hold. >> i will step down this week. >> reporter: in the youtube video, giffords says she needs to focus on her continuing recovery and do what's right for arizona. news of her decision spread quickly. president obama released a statement late sunday saying giffords and her husband, astronaut mark kelly, quote, have taught us the true meaning of hope in the face of despair, determination in the face of

incredible odds. >> i'm getting better. >> reporter: it's already been an incredible recovery, but giffords insists she's not done and promises we will hear that voice for years to come. >> i will return. >> reporter: jay gray, nbc news. >> nice to see her doing so well. now here's a look at some other stories making news early today in america. it's a muddy mess near seattle. a wall of mud came pouring into three homes in bellvue sunday, lifting one car high enough to press it into the roof of a garage. a water main break may be to blame. this is just incredible. near chicago, an illinois man is recovering after accidently shooting a 3 1/2-inch nail into his brain. it happened while he was doing construction. even after the accident, he kept working for hours. didn't even go to the hospital until the next day. doctors say the nail came within

millimeters of the part of the brain that controls motor function. in detroit, a chilling message delivered via motorcade. more than a dozen hearses drove through the most dangerous parts of the city. they're trying to draw attention to the 10% increase in homicides last year. finally, some badly needed help for a pair of kittens injured during birth. one kitten named braveheart had to have its leg amputated, but an animal shelter was able to attach a prosthetic leg. now the kittens are feeling better an will eventually go up for adoption. now for a look at your national and regional weather, we check in with bill karins. he has your weather channel forecast. bill, you've also been tracking those tornados. >> it's january 23rd, and we've had about 20 tornados overnight. now we're going to report the possible fatalities in alabama. looks like alabama has been the focal point of severe storms.

this was early. this was in fordyce, arkansas. they had their own share of damage. no fatalities there. that was just the beginning of the tornados last night. they're continuing at this hour. let me show you on the map where the severe storms have been. reports of about 16 separate tornados. the ones in alabama have been the strongest and the worst. oak grove is one of those places we're hearing has had sections of the town destroyed. just northeast of birmingham, alabama, is where some of the worst was. here's what the radar looks like. you can see tornado warnings out there. those are the bad storms just northeast of birmingham about two hours ago. prayers to all those people as they go through another disasters. remember, tuscaloosa was hit so hard spring last year. as far as the west goes f you watched the football game last night, you saw the miserable conditions in california. although, the rain is needed. it did ruin a lot of people's sundays. we're finally getting heavy snow at the highest of elevations.

you notice the green on the map. a wet ride this morning. that will shift to the south. everyone areas like l.a. have rain in the forecast later today. try to work your way, but not a lot. i'll give you any updates on the horrible news out of alabama later if we get any. >> bill, thanks so much. also coming up, changes at research in motion. gas at the pump rises. and warren buffett's strange cultural exchange. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, the underdog film about the underdog world war ii pilots steals the thunder from the weekend's top dog at the box office. the patriots survive. the giants need overtime. and remembering the life and

times of football legend joe paterno. you're watching "early today."

good morning and welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry, and here are some of your top headlines this morning. at least 178 people were killed in attacks by islamics insurgents in northern nigeria. gunmen and car bombers struck friday in a coordinated series of attacks targeting police stations. after 33 years in power in yemen, departing president ali abdullah saleh has left the country and is headed to the u.s. for medical treatment. he was badly burned during a rocket attack on his compound last summer at the height of the violent protest calling for him to resign. arab league foreign ministers propose that syrian president bashar assad hand over power to a new unity government. the ministers had planned to ask the u.n. security council to endorse the plan, but syria immediately rejected it. a 13th victim has been recovered from the cruise ship that went aground off the coast of italy. at least 19 people are still

missing, but one rescue official says that number could be higher because unregistered passengers might have been on board. and for the very first time technology has observed a comet being vaporized as it approached the sun back on july 6th. the comet, which was about the size of an aircraft carrier, burned up in about 20 minutes. well, now here's an early look at one of your top health headlines on msnbc.com. the federal government is cutting back on hospital reimbursements to reduce health care costs, and that's sparking a fierce competition for wealthy patients who are willing to pay for luxuries like chefs and butlers. for example, beyonce and jay-z's baby was born in a hospital where they reportedly paid up to $1 million to take over a floor. and for more information on this and other health stories, you can check out the health page at msnbc.com. and now here's an early look

at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 12,720 after gaining 96 points on friday. the s&p added a fraction. the nasdaq was down a point. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo the nikkei lost just a smidge, and in hong kong the hang seng rose 167. well, barring any big surprises, a flurry of earnings are bound to draw the biggest buzz on wall street this week. a dozen dow companies and about a quarter of the s&p 500 will weigh in with fourth quarter results, including industry heavyweights apple, boeing, mcdonald's, and procter & gamble. an updated economic outlook from fed chief ben bernanke will also be high on investors' agenda this week. fourth quarter gdp is due out friday. the broadest measure of economic growth is expected to come in around 3%, the fastest pace since the second quarter of 2010. blackberry maker research in motion has announced its co-ceos are stepping down.

apache energy is buying cordillera energy partners for nearly $3 billion to soak up some 250,000 acres of fresh fracking plays in the anadarko basin. the average price for a regular gallon of gas inched up three cents to $3.39 over the last two weeks. the price of a first-class stamp is now up to 45 cents after rising for the first time in 2 1/2 years yesterday. no fancy hotels for occupiers in switzerland. they're building igloos to house protesters at the world economic forum in davos. and, finally, warren buffett showed up on chinese state tv with a unique greeting for the new year. the billionaire investor strummed and sang "i've been working on the railroad" on a ukulele. and that is your random news for the day. well, coming up, if you want to know about the agony of defeat, just ask the baltimore ravens.

plus, the new york giants and the san francisco 49ers stage yet another classic playoff battle. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. we don't have a lot of winter weather to talk about this week, but we have some severe storms. your forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

good morning.

if you're just waking up, this is "early today." and in sports, joe paterno, who coached penn state's nittany lions for 46 years and was the winningest coach in major college football history, died this weekend. here's nbc's mario solis with an early look at all your sports headlines. hi, there. good morning. we begin with the news out of state college, pennsylvania. legendary penn state football coach joe paterno passed away yesterday. the winningest college football coach of all time lost his battle with lung cancer yesterday morning. paterno coached 46 years at penn state, won over 400 games and 2 national championships. he was unceremoniously fired in november amid a child sex abuse scandal involving his former assistant coach jerry sandusky. his health quickly deteriorated over the last two months, and he'd been in the hospital since january 13th with complications of his lung cancer treatment. he passed away surrounded by family sunday morning. thousands gathered for a candlelight vigil last night to remember the life and spirit of a legend. joe paterno was 85 years old. the old ball coach would

have loved the nfl conference championship games yesterday, each going down to the wire. we begin in san francisco. a battle by the bay between the niners and giants. new york up three in the third when alex smith airs it out for vernon davis, a perfect toss. vernon's second touchdown of the game gives the 49ers a 14-10 lead. the giants would answer in the fourth. after a fumbled recovery that gave the giants great field position, eli manning throws a dart to mario manningham. new york up, 17-14. niners would add a field goal to force overtime, and three minutes in, the giants get the break they needed. kyle williams fumbles the ball, and new york recovers. moments later lawrence tynes sends the giants to the superbowl with a 31-yard field goal. new york wins a thriller, 20-17 in overtime. hard to top that, but the pats and ravens came pretty close. third quarter, joe flacco hitting torrey smith, and he does the rest. baltimore takes the lead with a 29-yard touchdown. pats jumped back on top in the fourth. tom brady leaping over the pile. new england up, 23-20.

like in the nfc, this championship game coming down to a field goal. 15 seconds left to billy cundiff with a 31-yarder to force overtime, and he shanks it. patriots survive, 23-20. they will play the giants in super bowl xlvi. and that's a look at sports on "early today." i'm mario solis. well, another show biz couple bites the dust, and alec baldwin's weight loss secret. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, some children dream of being ready to protect and serve this way. believe it or not, other kids have espionage in mind. you're watching "early today."

wlak -- welcome back to "early today." the big story today are the tornados that have moved through alabama. there are now some confirmed fataliti fatalities. as far as the west goes, nothing violent like that. there's a pretty powerful storm system that will be rolling through southern california. it will bring rain to areas that haven't seen it in a while. tomorrow, a powerful storm comes in the northwest another soaking. if you're watching us on knxe nbc in san diego, california, see ancient egyptian techniques used to preserve the world around them at modern day

mu mum mummy. >> bill, thanks so much. and now here's an early look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. this weekend it turned out to be the runner-up that was the big box office winner. as expected, 3-d and imax showings of kate beckinsale's "underworld: awakening," power v vampire saga's fourth film took first place with over $25 million. but the second placed "red tails," the film about world war ii's tuskegee airmen, surprised everyone, taking in just over $19 million, almost doubling expectations. elsewhere in a statement last night, surprising news, at least to mi. seal and heidi klum confirmed recent rumors they're separating. and the "sunday express" reports that before britney spears' upcoming third wedding, her father will go to court to drop his legal control over her affairs. tmz reports tracy morgan was rushed to a hospital from the sundance film festival last night due to what his rep calls a, quote, combination of exhaustion and altitude. and, finally, 53-year-old

alec baldwin says he lost 33 pounds in four months by not eating sugar. who knew it was that easy? he also told "access hollywood" "30 rock" look back sometime in some form next year. and this comes from wrc news 4 in washington, d.c. kids were invited to learn the tricks of the trade at the international spy museum's annual spyfest. the children tried their hand at dusting for fingerprints, deciphering coded messages, and even learned tips on how to spot liars. i'm lynn berry, and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

in romania worshippers take it to a new altitude. at 1.2 miles above sea level craftsmen have constructed a church made entirely of ice. walls, sculptures, and even the altar has been crafted from ice blocks where weddings and christenings are expected to be held. despite temperatures hovering around 14 degrees, more than 40 people attended the first ceremony. well, a freezing flash mob seemed a perfect way to express a message in vienna. more than 200 people dressed in their finest waltzed through the main square under the theme "recycling is good." despite the heavy snow, folks showed off some impressive moves, carrying bottles and pieces of cardboard before tossing their trash into

recycling bins. and, finally, in chile one theater company is bringing a story of the "titanic" to life. using an array of pyrotechnics and elaborate water displays, they told the tail of the ill-fated 1912 journey. they make it a unique twist on memorable characters, and it's built as a black comedy. some scenes being a little over the top and dramatic. i think james cameron would be a little disappointed. >> kind of like you. >> it's monday. you're starting with me on monday? usually it's like wednesday that you go for the digs. >> maybe i'll take days off to make up for it. >> shocking. well, it's time now for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day here on nbc. two and a half years after his indictment, billionaire allen stanford goes on trial in houston. prosecutors say he ran a $7 billion ponzi scheme, the second largest in history, only behind

bernie madoff. jailed as a flight risk in 2009, stanford suffered a prison beating that he claims led him to lose most of his memory. unreleased lyrics written by michael jackson will be auctioned off by his bankrupt dermatologist. they're expected to bring in between $3,000 to $5,000. and on this day in 1973 president nixon announced an agreement had been reached to end the vietnam war. 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 on the "today" show. in a "today" exclusive, hear from a woman who shot her husband 11 times but was cleared of murder by a jury after claiming self-defense. details on an engagement announcement from one-time kidnapping victim elizabeth smart. and 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