bye-bye! [ cheers and applause ] ♪ this morning on "early today," you're hired. gop front runner mitt romney picks up a surprise endorsement from real estate mogul donald trump. egypt's unrest. another day of violent clashes. and telltale signs. a south carolina man fed up with neighborhood crimes takes matters into his own hands. 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 the trump card. donald trump gave mitt romney his endorsement yesterday. the move came as a surprise to newt gingrich's campaign officials and add fuel for critics who claim romney is out of touch with the less fortunate. nbc's brian moore mooar joins u washington. >> reporter: good morning. he's throwing his muscle behind mitt romney because he's not going to allow bad things to continue to this country, but the image of two ultra-rich guys standing next to each other in vegas, not exactly helping mitt romney get past his statement that he was not concerned about the very poor because they have a safety net. romney says that statement made in an interview with cnn was a misstatement of something he has said throughout his time on the campaign trail that he's trying to help the middle class. newt gingrich, of course, quick to pounce. he said that we should care about the very poor and then president obama during the national prayer breakfast,

though not actually making a political statement, said that he believes that he should be his brother's keeper. he talked about his christian faith as a driving force behind his economic policies, and that was the president's most explicit account yet of how he uses his religious underpinnings to make political decisions. lynn. >> all right, brian mooar for us in washington. thanks so much. elsewhere, the nation's largest breast cancer charity is facing a lot of backlash over cutting money to planned parenthood to pay for breast screenings for low-income people and those without insurance. yesterday, new york city mayor michael bloomberg announced he will donate up to $250,000 in matching funds to planned parenthood to replace that money. critics accuse komen of caving into pressure from anti-abortion groups. nbc's leisa meyers has more. >> it was really awful. they should be ashamed of themselves. >> reporter: the komen ceo struggled to contain the damage.

first on msnbc. >> it's not true. >> that's not true. >> reporter: there's an explosion of anger. >> there's a tremendous amount, lisa, of emotion. whenever you're dealing with issues of vulnerable populations, whenever there's the idea of a change. >> a lot of folks see this as a craven political decision. >> we're not a political organization. >> reporter: she said they've stopped grants to planned parenthood because they're under investigation and because much of that money was passed on to other providers. however, sources knowledgeable about the decision claim these are excuses and that komen actually was trying to find a way to stop funding planned parenthood because of pressure from anti-abortion groups. they also say komen's top health official molly williams recently

resigned in protest over the decision. brinker would not comment. >> your own organization has said that planned parenthood, using your own money, has done live-saving work. >> we think they've done some great work over a period of time. we're not commenting on the past. we're commenting on the nature of the grants that have to be done in the future. >> reporter: brinker says other grant recipients will also lose funding. lisa meyers, nbc news, washington. now here's a look at other stories making news. new york city police have released video of an armed robber terrorizing people at gunpoint at local gas stations. he's been attacking customers, and he shot and wound a store clerk. new video shows the moment of impact when a bus carrying rush hour commuters was hit by a pickup trush. the december crash killed the pickup driver is, but everyone aboard the bus driver, something the bus driver supervisor's credit to her quick reaction.

a sign of the times in south carolina, literally. one man has had enough of growing crime. he's put up a message outside his home reading "crack dealers, users, and prostitutes not welcome here." the street has only five homes, yet there were 57 calls for law enforcement there in just the past year. some aren't thrilled by the sign, but authorities say it is within the law. and finally, check out the home of one new york giants fan and what it's turned into. a giant shrine. 40 years worth of memorabilia, including the actual ten-yard marker from the old giants stadium and a pair of seats. but he will not be there on sunday. that's because he was lucky enough to score a ticket to the big game. you can catch it here on this nbc station. now for a look at your national and regional weather, here's nbc meteorologist bill kairl karins. patriots or giants? >> neither. i want them both to lose. >> i know. he's a jets fan.

>> at least the people in san francisco can relate to me. they're angry they're not in it. they probably don't want the giants to win. it's a mess. i'm going to be like you and watch it for the commercials. how sad. well, good morning, everyone. we're wgatinch a beautiful weather pattern in the west. that's all because tathe big stm is over colorado. they are getting dumped on this morning. want to talk neou ot of the o bigger snow events we've had. areas from boulder to denver going to pick up one to two feet of snow. it's a blizzard, actually. it will track out into the central plains later today and tonight. that's where winter is. that's really about the only spot in the entire country. got a crazy jet stream weather pattern. it's taking the storms now all the way up into southern portions of alaska, where it's going to be stormy over the next couple days. this big huge ridge protects the west coast. that's where we're lined up for a really nice weekend. when it's beautiful on the west coast, usually alaska and british columbia see the storms. that will be the case today. could be a little fog earlier

today in medford. it will clear out for a nice afternoon. looking sunny and great. l.a. looks nice today. seattle at 50 degrees. almost early spring weather pattern. thall, the sunshine nice for february. washington and oregon, after morning clouds, sunshine. one of the better weekend forecasts that we've had this winter in the west. >> wow. all right. good to hear. bill, thanks so much. coming up, wall street waits on jobs. the u.s. spanks a swiss bank. and the lottery winner who's not going to change her life. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, word of a staggering television offer made to beyonce. nba all-stars are announced. good news for peyton manning. and a dance-off between the

giants' victor cruz and madonna. 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. nbc news has confirmed gunmen have kidnapped two americans and their egyptian tour guide after stopping a minivan. the gunmen were from a tribe. it is not yet known what they are demanding for the safe return of the three. this morning's "washington post" reports defense secretary leon panetta believes israel is positioning itself for a surprise attack against iran to stop it from building a nuclear bomb. according to u.s. officials, panetta believes there's a greater than 50% chance israel will attack iran in the coming months. a rare bipartisan vote of

96-3 was sneeen in the senate. they passed a bill keeping members of congress using insider information making stock trades. and slippery conditions from snow and ice on a highway contributed to a 20-car pileup in milan, italy. no one died, but more than 30 people suffered minor injuries. well, now here's an early look at one of your top health headlines on msnbc.com. new england patriots quarterback tom brady is fighting for his ailing 66-year-old quarterback coach. a staph infection after leg surgery five years ago caused tom martinez's kidneys to fail. now he's more than one of 90,000 americans waiting for a kidney donor. brady's facebook site links a website which matches kidney donors with people in need. for more on this, 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 12,705 after losing 11 points yesterday. the s&p was up 1 point. the nasdaq gained 11. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei was down 44 points. in hong kong, the hang seng added 17. investors played it safe thursday as they waited on today's january employment report. today is all about jobs. some analysts do not expect to see strong increases after wednesday's report on private sector employment showing fewer jobs created than expected. yesterday earnings missed from merck dragged on the dow and weighed down the drug maker pfizer. mixed january retail sales pa s painted a picture of cost-conscious shoppers. discounters cost koe and target

topped expectations while department chains macy's and dil lards came up short. abercrombie & fitch tumbled on a weak sales forecast. gap projected better than expected earnings thanks to sales at banana republic. green mountain coffee was another big mover. shares up 24%. merger talks between swiss mining companies xstrata and glencore gave investors a healthy dose of optimism. elsewhere, switzerland's oldest bank has been indicted by u.s. prrtds on charges it helped wealthy americans stash more than $1.2 billion in secret accounts. and talk about job satisfaction. a very lucky 21-year-old waitress in florida who won $1 million in a scratch-off game says she has no plans to quit her day job. she says she likes working there

that much. good for her. coming up, the knicks battle the bulls. peyton manning can play next year. and the nba names its all-stars. plus, has madonna tipped off who she's rooting for in the super bowl? your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. a major winter storm in the middle of the country will head east this weekend. you're watching "early today."

good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." in sports, getting off to a quick start in this lockout shortened nba season was particularly important for anyone shooting for a chance to make the all-star team. here's nbc's mario solis with an early look at all your sports headlines. >> hi, there. good morning. the starting lineups for the nba all-star game have been announced. the magic's dwight howard was the leading vote getter in the east. no surprise here. kobe bryant got the most votes in the west. the knicks' carmelo anthony and derrick rose are also starters for the east. they faced off at madison square garden last night. rose takes the game by storming the fourth. amar'e stoudemire matches rose blow for blow. this one comes down to the final shot. knicks down three with about

five seconds left. melo heaves it from around half court. won't get it done. bulls win 105-102. dwyane wade and lebron james, chris paul, andrew bynum, and kevin durant also join the all-star team. timmy duncan is on the bubble to make the team this year. nine boards against the hornets will help his cause. san antonio improved to 12-1 at home with a 93-81 win. nfl, peyton manning got good news yesterday. he's been medically cleared to play football again. he missed the entire season after having multiple surgeries on his neck. now the only question is whether he'll play for the colts or somewhere else. finally, super bowl xlvi is this sunday, and it's sure going to be a good one. no matter who wins, fans want to be entertained, so cue the material girl. madonna will be performing the super bowl halftime show. yesterday, she channelled her

inner victor cruz. the giants receiver salsa dances every time he scores a touchdown. so who's the better dancer? you be the judge. here's victor. the giants are hoping he does a lot of dancing. super bowl xlvi is this sunday on nbc. that's your early look at sports. "harry potter" has a new role at box office this weekend. and ringo has his stay on a beatles reunion. plus, it is every kid's dream. now some say it's become a symbol of government regulation going too far. you're watching "early today."

welcome back to "early today" on this friday morning. we're looking at an absolutely gorgeous weekend over the next three days here from seattle to portland, medford, all the way everywhere in between. san francisco, san jose. everyone's going to have sunshine today. grab the sunglasses. you'll need them over the weekend. forecast does not change a lot. we have a big storm in colorado. there's no storms heading your way, even into sunday. what a fabulous weekend. if you're watching us on ktuu-tv in anchorage, alaska, see stunning glass sculptures and interpret the unique traditions at echoes, fires, and shadows. >> sounds interesting. thanks so much. here's a look at the

headlines in entertainment. the supernatural thriller "the woman in black" starring "harry potter's" daniel radcliffe is expected by some to take the top spot, earning up to $20 million. another top opener expected, "chronicle." the weekend family film "big miracle" based on a true story about a whale rescue should open with around $10 million. elsewhere, ringo star told cnn he wouldn't rule out playing again with paul mccartney. as far as any future reunion at this summer's london olympics, ringo said, quote, it's never going to happen. finally, one report says beyonce has hired six nannies to care for her one new daughter around the clock. this is also a head scratcher. another report says simon cowell has offered beyonce $.5 billion to judge "x factor."

>> over five years. >> what? >> wow. $100,000 a year. >> $100 million. >> excuse me. you wouldn't think the show would make that much money. >> she better be printing money onset. >> j. lo wants a raise. >> no kidding. this comes from detroit, where the future of one boy's tree house is up in the air. city officials have told the 13-year-old that his backyard tree house violates a local ordinance and is going to have to come down. the boy built it along with his friends and his dad, but it sits 26 feet off the ground, which is kind of impressive. the zoning board admits it's well built but insists it's too dangerous and could lead to lawsuits. the bow and his father vow to fight the ruling. that's kind of a downer. incredible tree house. i'm lynn berry. this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

most dread attempting to parallel park, but try fitting into a spot at this lot. two parking attendants in china have made the best out of the worst situation resembling a game of tetris. they've managed to fit 70 cars in a lot designed for only 32. as easy as they make it seem, one valet said at times he may have to move 20 cars just to pull one out. well, a warning for you. you may want to put down the cereal for this one. 64 years after receiving a care package, one man in germany decided to finally open the can of lard it contained. feeling that people waste good

food because it's past its expiration date, he said think again. he spread it on toast and said it was gritty and tasteless, but certainly edible. i don't think so. forget the spread. when it comes to the super bowl, the animals say it's split. a greater one-horned asian rhino at the fort worth zoo has picked the new york giants to be the winner of super bowl xlvi by pushing around a giants helmet. this was unscientific. meanwhile, a tiger at the montgomery zoo attacked a container of treats signifying a patriot victory. really, we have no news for you. >> i like the octopus from the world cup. that was a little more reliable. >> the octopus. well, it's time now for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day. pennsylvania prosecutors will hand jerry sandusky's lawyer the names of the ten young men identified as victims in the

sexual abuse case. sandusky, who has been charged with multiple counts of mollessation, believe to have taken place over a 15-year period is on house arrest awaiting trial. the american heart association is encouraging everyone to support and sport red for national wear red day in support of american heart month. the group is devoted in part to teaching americans how to live healthier and avoid heart disease. actor nathan lane turns 56. all day long, you can stay on top of the latest developments on those and others as they break on msnbc. tonight, be sure to watch brian williams on "nbc nightly news." here's what's coming up on the "today" show. ann curry and al roker are live in indianapolis with a preview of the super bowl. adam levine joins gym class heros for a special concert live from indianapolis. 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.