this morning on "early today," the gloves are off. mitt romney and newt gingrich come out swinging in last night's florida republican debate. deadly collapse. residents in rio run for their lives when a 20-story building suddenly comes crumbling to the ground. and spectacular skies. the northern lights put on another rare and dramatic display. 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 fight in florida. it was a verbal battle in jacksonville between mitt romney and newt gingrich in the final debate before tuesday's primary. they squabbled about many issues, including housing, immigration, even a colony on the moon. nbc's steve handlesman reports. >> reporter: mitt romney threw the first punch at newt gingrich. >> the idea i'm anti-immigrant is repulsive. >> you tell me what language you would use to describe someone that thinks deporting a grandmother or grandfather from their family -- >> our problem is not 11 million grandmothers. >> reporter: florida's housing crisis is blamed by freddie mac. >> we should have had a whistleblower, not a horn

tooter. >> frankly, i've had enough of this. we discovered governor romney owns both shares of freddie mac and fannie mae. >> reporter: they fought about spending in space, going to the moon. >> i do not want to turn around and say, it doesn't really matter. let the chinese dominate space. >> that's what got us into the trouble we're in now. we have to say no to this kind of spending. >> reporter: ron paul and rick santorum piled on. >> we have to be responsible in the way we allocate our resources. >> well, i don't think we should go to the moon. i think we should send some politicians up there. >> reporter: gingrich cried uncle. >> i would be glad to have a truce with you. >> reporter: though deal with four days to go. i'm steve handelsman, nbc news, washington. else wrrks a former u.s. marine pleaded guilty to shooting a gun at pentagon and other military targets last year.

after 24-year-old yonathan melaku pleaded guilty, they showed this video. the shots can be heard. you can see the muzzle flash from the gun. he also recorded himself wearing a mask. no one was hurt in the shootings. he was arrested last june and admits to five separate shootings in october and november 2010. twice at the national museum of the marine corps and once each at the pentagon and at coast guard and marine corps recruiting offices in virginia. prosecutors say he intended to strike fear throughout the region. he agreed to a 25-year prison term and will be sentenced in april. here's a look at some other stories making news early today in america. dramatic video shows a nashville police officer being attacked at a gas station after he responded to a report of a man causing a disturbance. police say the man punched and choked the officer as the store

clerk tried to intervene. other officers showed up in time to save their colleague and arrest the suspect who now faces attempted murder charges. in california a man police are calling the evil clown bandit due to his mask was stopped in the middle of a convenience store robbery. the store owner's father, a retired police officer in his 70s visiting from india, fought the robber, ripping off his mask and forcing him to leave empty handed. not bad work there. the suspect is still own the loose. in san diego, a suspect eed drunk driver was arrested three times in just five days. video shows one case where the man pulled up at a gas pump and forgot to put his car in park, causing it to roll backwards right into another vehicle. and a pennsylvania middle school is just saying no to uggs. that's right. the popular boots have been banned because officials say kids are using them as a place to hide cell phones and food. big problem there. students will still be allowed to wear them to and from school,

but they're going to have to change out of the uggs once they're on campus. now for a look at your national and regional weather, a man that's up in arms about the ugg ban, nbc meteorologist bill karins. what are you going to do with your ugg collection? >> why not my faux uggs. >> put those in the category. why discriminate? >> good morning, everyone. a change of pace with the weather today. normally we start with what's going on in the lower 48 and western half. there's not much weather going on. let's go north. i'm going to prove it is cold where swr. it is extremely cold. it's been a very, very brutal winter, even by alaska standards. we had a lot of snow over the last month or two. we've had these periods of extreme cold. we're in the middle of those right now. really, the coldest air you can find in the northern hemisphere is up here in central and northern alaska. fairbanks is minus 33. today, we'll be lucky if we get to minus 25 for a high.

anchorage is very cold. now down at minus 10. the forecast today in anchorage, only a high of minus 1. some blowing snow out there too. you get the gist of it. the lower 48 doesn't have anything compared to that. we have a quiet weather pattern. a front blew through. the only weather story in the next two days will be the gusty santa ana winds. you'll feel these up to possibly 40 miles per hour. mild air will continue out there. today, enjoy a nice, quiet friday for once. it's even dry in the pacific northwest. that's a l a little bit above seasonal in many locations, including california. so once again, we take our hats off and tip it to our friends in alaska. we still don't know how they do

it. >> wearing lots of uggs. about four layers of them. >> no ban on that. >> no. all right. coming up, unemployment nudges up. caterpillar hums. and taco bell for breakfast. your earl morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, is this actor about to revive his most beloved film role? coming up, an incredible buzzer beater, and the only draft where you want to be selected last. you're watching "early today."

good morning. welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry. here are some of your top headlines this morning. the international organization doctors without borders has stopped its work in detention centers. in the libyan city of misrata, saying it was being asked to care for prisoners who were being tortured. they say they treated bone fractures, tissue burns, and

kidney failure from beatings only to see detainees sent back for further interpretation. the governing transitional council will investigate. the united nations got an unexpected delivery this month, 35 pounds of cocaine. the narcotics stuffed inside a hallowed out textbook were intercepted at the u.n. mail room inside forged diplomatic pounchs with no return address. u.n. officials say the packages originated in mexico city. there were some tense moments for the australian prime minister yesterday when she was dragged by security guards from a protest that turned violent. dozens of riot police and one swift-handed bodyguard came to her rescue as she stumbled on the way to her waiting car. tragedy struck rio late wednesday night when a 20-story building spontaneously collapsed and crumbled, taking down two more buildings with it. rescuers have pulled at least

six bodies from the rubble. more than a dozen people are still missing. and finally, this week's spectacular light show continues in northern europe. look at that. thanks to the biggest solar storm in six years, folks in norway were treated to this amazing display of the aurora borealis. here's an early look at one of your top health headlines on msnbc.com. home births in the u.s. are up 30%. home births in 2009 were at their highest level in the 20 years since they've been collecting the data. they actually had a lower risk profile than hospital births. for more information on this and other health stories, check out the health page at msnbc.com. >> reporter: "early today" health is brought to you by the vagisil screening skit. and now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day.

the dow opens at 12,734 after losing 22 points yesterday. the s&p down seven points. the nasdaq lost 13. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo the nikkei fell 8 points. in hong kong, the hang seng gained 62. today we'll get fourth quarter numbers on the economy as the commerce department releases the report on gross domestic product. transocean, the owner of the rig that exploded in the gulf of mexico in 2010, is off the hook on pollution claims, according to a federal judge's ruling. the number of people filing for unemployment benefits rose last week from a nearly four-year low. still, economists say the long-term trend is pointing to further job gains ahead. the average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage rose from the lowest level on record, but it still remains below 4% for the eighth week in a row. orders for durable goods rose 3% last month due to a rebound in

business spending. among positive earnings reports, caterpillar says its fourth quarter profit jumped 60%, an indicator of the strength of the global economy. profits were up 3% for 3m for products for the home office and the car. strong smart phone sales for samsung electronics sent profits jumping 17% for the fourth quarter. a plan to reinvent jcpenney and cut prices sent shares for the department store chain soaring 19%. taco bell is jumping in to the busy fast food breakfast market and is now selling breakfast burritos and hash browns at some of its restaurants. finally, starbucks profits are up 10%, and they're adding stores. the very first starbucks location on the east coast in washington, d.c. will close forever this weekend to make way for an updated shopping center. coming up, the magic blow a huge lead. a couple bombs from way downtown. and remember when the all-star game used to be just the

all-star game? plus, it's what speed and thrill chasers watch the x games for monumental wipeouts. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. unless you live in the pacific northwest, your weekend forecast looks dry and nice. you're watching "early today."

good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." in sports, they're having a tough season. then there's the we're so embarrassing why even show up season. well, so far that's the way it's been for nba's orlando magic. here's nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all your sports headlines. >> good morning. there's just something about the celtics that brings out the worst in the orlando magic. just days after scoring a franchise low 56 in boston, the magic blew a 27-point lead to the celtics last night. simply fell apart in the fourth. outscored by 19 in the quarter. it's been an unforgettable week to say the least. clippers and memphis wore some of the ugliest jerseys you will ever see. nothing ugly about this. rudy gay with a buzzer beater at the end of the first quarter, but it wasn't enough. clippers went on to win. north carolina state's lorenzo brown threw up a prayer,

and it was answered. unfortunately, that was the only bright spot for the wolf pack. north carolina danced all over nc state 74-55. even if you don't like hockey, you have to love the way the nhl splits up the all-star teams. each team has a captain. one by one they pick the all stars for their teams. it's like playing in the park and choosing sides. in this draft, you want to be selected last. that's because the final pick gets a brand new car. and, no, it was not a zamboni. the sharks' logan couture never heard his name. no problem. he gets a giant key to a new honda. even if they thought he was the worst all-star, he gets the last laugh and drives away in style. finally, the winter x games are underway. a spectacular moment no matter how bad it looks. the rider was okay. he attempted a trick calmed a holy grab and holy moly. lost his grip on the snowmobile and down he went. amazingly, he bounced right back up. a few more looks, and you can

see how lucky he truly was. he was better than okay. he got back on that snowmobile and won the event. the word crazy doesn't begin to describe these athletes. that's your early look at sports on "early today." have a great weekend. >> well put, fred. coming up, the favorite, the wild card, and the dark horse at box office this weekend. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, with all the stress you face these days at airports, it's amazing it's taken this long for one to introduce a zen zone. you're watching "early today."

now here's an early look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. no box office blockbusters this weekend, but between new films and holdovers, it shapes up to be a super close battle. the safe choice of many is last weekend's champ "underworld: awakening" eking out a second straight win with 12 to $13 million. the wild card top choice of some based on liam neeson's recent box office success is the r-rated debut thriller "the gray" with 14 or $15 million. the pg-13 action comedy "one for the money" starring katherine heigl is also drawing underdog support. it's the only film with female draw and the only true date

movie. some experts think it could win big. i hadn't even heard of it. the suspense thriller "man on a ledge" starring sam worthington and elizabeth banks seems to have it all except good reviews. minor detail. some see it lucky to open in the top five. and finally, putting together the clues from a youtubet tsehat video that appeared yesterday, ait seems matthew broderick ma be reviving his ferris bueller character for a commercial in the upcoming super bowl. we should see how that would turn out to be. >> how great would that be? >> right? people have been waiting for this since, what was it, the late '80s? >> let's not say everyone. >> well, i have. >> everyone in our little bracket here. >> major crush on ferris growing up. i don't know if that translates. >> that's one of the things you shouldn't do a sequel to. >> that's why i think it's good they stuck to the super bowl act

rather than trying to do an entire new ferris bueller mid-life crisis. >> million-dollar ad. this comes from kntv in california's bay area where in san francisco at the international airport, you can do what many travelers only d l dream of doing, relax. the airport has opened a yoga room where fliers can stop by and stretch out. it's free and yoga mats are included. yoga instructors are not. all they ask is you keep your voice down and allow positive energy in. just like here at "early today." the new yoga room can be found just past the security line. >> wouldn't you want to bring your own yoga mat? that would be the new accessory. the airlines charge an extra $50. >> sounds about right. i'm lynn berry. this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

for pandas in china, it's training day for their biggest adventure yet. people gathered at a breeding facility to watch giant pandas learn to live in the wild. apples and other food are dangled from bamboo poles to exercise and strengthen the panda's hind legs for climbing trees. keepers say this will also raise their success at natural mating once released into the wild. real life snow dogs hit the trail in the czech republic. almost 100 teams from eight countries are competing in the 16th annual dog sled race, considered to be the toughest in europe. they'll have to overcome 149 miles of deep snow and freezing

temperatures in just four days. mushers must also spend one night sleeping in the snow. that must be the toughest. finally in new york city, the westminster kennel club dog show is getting more crowded. that's because the show will welcome six new breeds to the competition. among the new faces will be american english coonhound and the terrier. the newbies gathered for a press conference before the big event this february. looks a little different from their backyard, i'm sure. >> there's so many new breeds of dogs too. there's labradoodles and all these combined -- >> those are supposed to be very popular. well, it is time for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day here on nbc. marking the 67th anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camp where the nazi's sent jews to gas chambers. today, the u.n. designated

international holocaust remembrance day. every u.n. state is obliged to honor those victims and prevent future genocide. new tools will be unveiled to help professionals recognize stalking carried out using technology. and happy birthday to actress bridget fonda, who turns 48. all day long, you can stay on top of those developments as they break on nbc. tonight, be sure to watch brian williams on "nbc nightly news.n" on the "today" show, a colorado teenager shares a remarkable survivor story after losing her legs in a train hopping accident. and chelsea handler opens up to jenna bush hager in a revealing interview. now keep it on this channel for continuing 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