-- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com this morning on "early today," on the defensive. presidential hopeful rick santorum backpedals on comments about the president's faith. killer snow. tragedy strikes when a fast-moving avalanche catches skiers off guard in washington state. and solar twister. nasa releases stunning video of tornadoes on the surface of the sun. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello, and a very good morning to you. welcome to our viewers across the nation, including the

pacific time zone. i'm veronica de la cruz. today we begin with politics and theology. president obama's campaign is criticizing republican contender rick santorum. the former pennsylvania senator said that president obama believes in a, quote, phony theology, but santorum insists he wasn't talking about the president's christianity. nbc's tracie potts joins us from washington. >> reporter: good morning. last night, even more comments that raised eyebrows from santorum, who has pitched himself as the most conservative candidate in this rate. critics haare saying his commen over the weekend are over the line. last night, rick santorum seemed to compare president obama to hitler. >> maybe he's not the best guy after a while. you found out some things about this guy in europe. >> reporter: this after another controversial comment saturday. >> it's not about you. it's not about your quality of life. it's not about your jobs. it's about some phony ideal, some phony theology.

>> he's actually questioning the president's faith. that is a new low in american politics. >> reporter: santorum said he wasn't talking about the president's faith. >> i've repeatedly said i believe the president's a christian. he says he's a christian. i am talking about his world view. >> reporter: republicans came to santorum's rescue, criticizing president's birth control plan. >> he believes he can mandate certain benefits and activities of the american people. >> reporter: despite his commen comments, santorum is leading the latest michigan poll. romney unable to command the votes so far in his home state. newt gingrich sees opportunity. >> if any of us lose our home state. >> you have, i think, a very, very badly weakened candidacy. >> reporter: the obama campaign in response to santorum's comments said, yes, he attacked the president's faith in what they say is an increasingly

bitter race. >> tracie potts in washington. thank you. international nuclear weapons inspectors are in iran this morning to discuss suspicions that the country is working to build an atomic bomb. the u.s. is calling on israel not to launch an attack on iran's nuclear facilities. meanwhile, iran has escalated its dispute with europe over oil. >> reporter: iran remains defiant in the face of international pressure. they were cutting off supplies after the european union imposed sanctions on iran's fuel exports. there are few signs that iran intends to back down from its nuclear plants. western dip low malomats say ir moving forward to enrich uranium but lacks some key equipment. meanwhile iran flexed its military muscle again, starting a two-day military land exercise while its navy sent two warships to syria. they entered the mediterranean via the suez canal. this is only the second time

this has happened since the islamic revolution in 1979. at the same time iran's foreign minister announced that iran was willing to move quickly to resume talks with world powers after those talks collapsed a year ago. >> and that was nbc's ali arouzi in tehran. now here's a look at some other stories making news early today in america. a shootout at a drive-through market in cincinnati. surveillance video shows two armed men walking up to the clerk, emptying the register, and then opening fire, but the clerk's boss had a gun of his own. he told the men to freeze, but instead they fired at him, so he started shooting back, wounding one robber before tackling the other. both the owner and the clerk escaped unharmed. a man was rescued after falling 25 feet down a steep cliff along the pacific ocean in california. the victim had been out walking and bent down to pick up his cat when he lost his balance. he suffered only minor injuries. all right. don't feel too badly for this group of mourners.

they are merry widows, part of a celebration known as joe cain day. cain is credited with bringing mardi gras to mobile, alabama, and for more than 30 years, the ladies have held a procession leading to his burial site. finally, what better time than presidents' day weekend for the washington nationals to hold presidential mascot auditions. george washington, thomas jefferson, and abraham lincoln are all well represented, but being president isn't easy. you have to be able to run 200 yards wearing what amounts to a 12-foot-high costume, including, of course, that 45-pound head, so it looks like he's going to go down. yeah, but i guess it's all part of it, right? to fall over. >> it's to make you smile and laugh. >> right, right. >> and it worked. >> yeah. i guess you're right. >> good morning to you, veron a veronica. good morning, everyone. around the country, we had a big

storm system exiting the east coast with a little snow. now two weak storms. one in the middle of the country and one coming through california. just bringing a little bit of rain, little bit of snow overnight in the higher elevations. a little bit of rain went south of san jose. it's showing some enhancement, which means it looks like it intensified a little bit. we'll watch this continuing to push to the south. definitely showery type weather. maybe a little bit of light rain there along interstate 5. this will continue southwards during the day today. that's why we could keep the rain showers in the forecast, even as far south as los angeles. again, it doesn't have a lot of moisture with it. the pacific northwest is going to be more interesting. once this warm front kicks on shore, we're going to get into a moist flow. i think we'll get significant rain in the days ahead, especially in areas of cascades. it will be pretty mild too with that pacific air in place. as far as what we're dealing with temperature-wise, it's not all that cold. temperatures in the 30s in the northwest. 40s in southern california. vegas a little chilly with 40 degrees.

phoenix at 50. your presidents' day forecast, on and off rain showers with the warm front coming on shore in the north. san francisco catching a few showers. l.a., very slight chance of showers as that moisture to your north will try to work southward. temperature about 66. we're still cool in a few spots. not the presidents' day forecast. it low 50s in areas like portland today. san diego, not bad, but northeamostly cloudy. definitely not the nicest day, but not a washout either. >> a bit cooler for the west coast. thanks, bill. crude bubbles up, greek protests boil over, and a creative new way to get paid without leaving home. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead.

plus, nicolas cage wants vengeance as "ghost rider's" johnny blaze, but did his comic book comeback settle the score this weekend at the box office? linsanity continues to grow, phil mickelson hits an amazing shot on the final hole, and lebron james makes a couple kids cry. you're watching "early today."

hey, there. a very good morning to you. welcome back to "early today." i'm veronica de la cruz. here are some of your top headlines this morning. three skiers were killed sunday in an avalanche in washington state. a fourth skier who was wearing a safety device survived. they were swept more than a quarter mile down. a helicopter collided with a small plane in midair last night in california, but both pilots survived with only minor injuries. the chopper was able to land in a field near a highway, while the plane made it to an airport.

in mexico anxious family members waited for word outside a prison where at least 44 people have been killed in fighting between rival gangs. authorities believe it may have been designed to hide an escape attempt. the prison's director and its guards have been detained. it was the final good-bye for whitney houston as the music legend was brought to a new jersey cemetery for burial. fans lined the route as a motorcade transported houston's body from a funeral home after saturday's memorial. she was laid to rest next to her father in a brief private ceremony. and take a look at this. nasa has released incredible video showing what resembles tornados on the surface of the sun. scientists are using the pictures to learn how the sun's weather patterns affect us back on earth. u.s. markets are closed today, but here's a look at how wall street ended on friday. the dow closed at 12,949 after gaining 45 points. the s&p was up 3 points. the nasdaq lost 8. taking a look at overseas

trading this morning, in tokyo the nikkei claimed a hundred points while in hong kong, the hang seng added 66. while u.s. markets are closed for presidents' day, markets were up overseas on some good news out of china. asian markets climbed monday on china's decision to lower bank reserve levels to encourage lending and boost its economy. meanwhile japan's economy is off to a slow start this year with a record $18.5 billion trade deficit last month. oil prices jumped to a nine-month high, near $105 a barrel today after iran said it halted crude exports to britain and france ahead of fresh eu sanctions. eurozone officials held a conference call on sunday out of today's expected approval of a second greek bailout. in greece, thousands protested new austerity measures as it becomes increasingly apparent that another bailout is a short-term fix to the country's economic problems. elsewhere over the weekend, the co-founder of wynn resorts was forcibly bought out over alleged improper payments to overseas gambling regulators. the japanese tycoon is vowing legal action to block the

board's, quote, outrageous move. u.s. lawmakers have asked the federal trade commission to investigate reports of some privacy violations by google. state fines could follow if the ftc decides google violated a consent agreement reached last year. looking ahead, analysts are optimistic about existing home sales data for january, due out later this week. also on deck, earnings from heavy hitters kraft, macy's, and walmart. finally, if parking is scarce in your area, parkatmyhouse.com wants to help you cash in. it matches desperate drivers with home owners willing to rent out their driveways. defender makes history, mickelson is denied a second title, and some fans get a little more lebron than they bargained for. plus, linsanity consumes the garden as the knicks take on the world champs. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. your presidents' day forecast has a little bit of snow in it in the midwest. your forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

hey, there. a very good morning to you. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." in sports a new weapon in the knicks' arsenal sets up jeremy lin for another career game. here's nbc's bill seward with an early look at all of your sports headlines. >> hi, everybody. on friday night jeremy lin took the blame for his first loss as a knicks starter. two days later he was at the

garden bringing linsanity back to life. lin and the knicks hosting the mavs. second quarter, close game. lin with the steal, linding a helping hand to landry fields for the jam. career-high 14 assists for the harvard sensation. and then in the fourth, up two, lin with a clutch three-pointer with the shot clock winding down. 28 points for lin. knicks win it, 104-97. shoot-out, no k.c. thunder down five to the nuggets in the final minute, and kevin durant brings them back. connects from downtown. then in the closing seconds durant with the game-tying jam. we're going to overtime. and in o.t., durant doing it again. the steal leads the break. pretty finger roll. career-high 51 for durant. thunder rain down on the nuggets, 124-118. to golf, northern trust open in los angeles. high drama on the final hole. phil mickelson needs this to force a playoff. a miracle for lefty. 27-footer to force extra holes, and he is pumped.

playing partner keegan bradley, he's got a chance to join in on the playoffs. gets the roll, and we have a three-way showdown in l.a. despite the great shots on 18, bill haas gets it done on the second extra hole. 45-footer for birdie. nails it to win the northern trust open. his fourth career pga tournament title. back to basketball, in miami, heat hustling against the magic. lebron james crashing into the front row. landed on a couple of kids, left that little one crying. but a visit from the king makes it all better. heat rough up their fans and the magic, 90-78. that's your early look at sports on "early today." i'm bill seward. >> announcer: "early today" sports is brought to you by ice blue aqua velva. men get it. lindsay lohan is apparently her own best agent. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, we're going to take you to an event that proves fat tuesday isn't just for humans. you're watching "early today."

well, welcome back. hope you had a nice weekend. forecast-wise, there are showers heading south of san jose. there will be a chance of a sprinkle or two during the day in san francisco. not a lot. we'll have a steadier rain developing in the northwest, especially this afternoon through this evening as that front moves on shore. tomorrow, we'll be kind of

similar, unfortunately. still watching a chance of rain in the northwest. should be dry in california. a large trough over the west. that means the cooler air can funnel down through much of the west. temperatures in southern california will be a little cooler than they've been lately through this week. if you're watching on king 5 news in seattle, washington, experience love, anxiety, happiness, and other emotions through breathtaking photography at contents at the photo center northwest. that's your pacific event of the day. >> i just want to know about this photograph that's going to make me experience anxiety. what's that? >> i'll take the one for love instead. >> i'll second that. now here's an early look at this morning's headlines in entertainment news. two box office holdovers made impressive showings this weekend, beating out two newcomers. the denzel washington/ryan reynolds action flick "safe house" managed to pull in $24 million in its second weekend, while the romantic drama, "the vow," starring rachel mcadams and channing tatum was a close

second with $23.6 million. nicolas cage's "ghost rider: spirit of vengeance" debuted in third with a disappointing $22 million despite higher-priced 3-d tickets. the weekend's other debut, reese witherspoon's "this means war," failed to capture the same audience as "the vow," and it ranked fifth with $17.6 million. elsewhere, a representative for stephen colbert says the "colbert report" will return tonight following a sudden break due to his mother's ailing health. finally, sources close to lindsay lohan tell tmz she was dying to do "snl" again to kick start her comeback, and she reached out to executive producer loren michael herself to book the march 3rd gig. >> wow. i wonder how many times that it happens where someone asks "snl" instead of them asking you. >> i bet it happens quite a bit. >> you'd have to be powerful, or have a lot of drama to get a lot

of attention. >> we're going to see bill karins on there soon. >> yeah, everybody wants to see bill. >> when are you hosting? i'm going to mark my calendar. >> sometime in the next 30 years. this now comes to us from nbc 4 in los angeles where a man's best friend is apparently ready for mardi gras. dogs are dressed to impress in a contest called muddy gras. the annual event at the l.a. farmers market provided prizes and treats to each pooch declared king and queen. they also took part in a pet parade. noncanine competitors were also welcomed. no word if whether any of the fidos or the fifis are headed to new orleans for the mother of all mardi gras celebrations. i'm veronica dell la cruz. this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

well, dancers swung into the spotlight, kicking off the first night of brazil's main carnival parades. rockets roared and drums rolled as thousands of samba dancers took over the streets of rio de janeiro. over 80,000 cheered as they made their way through the samba parade for the iconic spectacle. very fun. in venice, carnival festivities took place under the theme "life is a theater, it's time to get masked." participants gathered for a boat parade along the city's famous

canals and later in st. mark's square to show off their elaborate costumes. this year's theme was chosen to celebrate the city's ancient association with masked performances, which began in the 16th century. in paris, an old passport led to a rendezvous 60 years in the making. after purchasing the passport as a souvenir at a flea market, a portuguese decided to track down its owner using facebook and google. it took eight months and a lot of determination, but he found the 85-year-old woman was living in paris where he returned the long-lost treasure. >> i tell you. it's fortunate, i mean, that she was still around. i mean, that's crazy. >> i can't believe he was able to find her using the internet. >> well, yeah. i mean an 85-year-old probably >> or a facebook profile. very cool. all right. now it's time for an early look at some of the stories we're going to follow throughout the day here on nbc. homeland security secretary janet napolitano is going to southern texas to begin a two-day review of customs and border protection operations and briefs. there she'll examine efforts to secure the border. 50 years ago today john

glenn made history becoming the first american to orbit the earth. tonight he'll be honored during a celebration banquet at ohio state university where captain mark kelly, the commander of the space shuttle "endeavour's" final mission, will speak. happy birthday to singer rihanna who turns 24 years old. happy birthday. all day long you can stay on top of the very latest developments in those stories and others as they break on msnbc. tonight be sure to watch brian williams with "nbc nightly news." and, finally, here's a look at what's coming up later today on the "today" show. a live report on the university of virginia lacrosse murder trial as jury deliberations are set to begin this week. also maroon 5 front man adam levine will be live in studio with a preview of his coaching skills on nbc's hit show "the voice." now keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports, and more. i'm veronica de la cruz. thanks so much for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. have a terrific monday.

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