and lobster legend. maine's monster 27-pound catch is set free. 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 rising gas prices and politics. drivers around the country are feeling the pain at pump with gas prices at a record high for this time of year and still going up. meanwhile, president obama is defending his policies against his republican challengers. nbc's tracie potts joins us with details. >> reporter: good morning. there's one area where both of them agree. there's little they can do to affect the prices we're seeing right now. american drivers feeling helpless at the pump. >> takes about $120 for me to

fill up my truck. that's not that fun. >> reporter: prices spiked almost a dime in some areas overnight and hit $5 a gallon in california. analysts say expect higher prices by summer in part because the economy's improving. that drives up demand. president obama said thursday there's no quick fix. >> there are no silver bullets short term when it comes to gas prices. anybody who says otherwise isn't telling the truth. >> the silver bullet patrol si should have been implemented three years ago. >> reporter: the president taking heat for not drilling more. >> on day one, for instance, i'm going to say to the department of energy and the department of the interior, i want you to grant licenses to drillers for oil and gas, miners for coal. take advantage of our resources right away. >> reporter: but president obama says drill, baby, drill, is just a bumper sticker. the real answer -- >> and 100 years of subsidies for an industry that's rarely been more profitable and make sure we're doubling down on clean energy.

>> i think a lot of people will disagree deeply with barack obama over the idea we should wait around. >> reporter: greener fuel may eventually make a difference, but experts say drivers looking for relief today might want to consider biking to work. and if today's prices aren't enough to get drivers frustrated, consider this had. aaa saying we could be looking at an average of $4.35 a gallon this summer. >> hard to imagine. tracie potts for us in washington. tracie, thank you. well, republican candidate rick santorum appears to be gaining on mitt romney in popularity with republican women. even though santorum opposes contraception and abortion, a new poll from "the washington post" and abc news found that santorum is now seen favorably by 50% of gop women. that's a 13-point gain since january. but santorum still trails romney by four points in favorability ratings. well, afghan police are

facing another day of angry protests. this morning, hundreds of demonstrators marched toward the presidential palace in the capital chanting "death to america." police fired into the air to try to disperse the crowd. the demonstrations follow the accidental burning of copies of the quran by u.s. troops at the air base north of kabul. president obama has apologized to the afghan people for that incident. now here's a look at other stories making news early today in america. scary moments for customers as a pickup truck smashed into the front of a convenience store. the truck came in so fast, those inside had no time to run. luckily, that man right in the path of the truck only suffered minor injuries. police say the driver may have suffered a medical condition before the crash. a kansas family is giving new meaning to the term yard

sale. their entire backyard was transformed to resemble a town right out of the old west. now it can be yours. the man who built it is putting ads on ebay and craigslist. the asking price, $20,000. finally, the tale of a lobster that isn't just huge, it's lucky. a 27-pound lobster was accidentally caught by a shrimp fisherman in the gulf of maine. they usually weigh in at just over one pound. the fisherman turned over the lobster, nicknamed rocky, to the state akwar rum for -- aquarium for inspection. he's now back in the water to live out his days. now for a look at your national and regional weather, here is meteorologist bill karins with the weather channel forecast. you were a maine guy for a while. you still travel up there. >> i love it up there. lobster festivals were great. i've seen big lobsters before. maybe five or six pounders. but 27? that thing would take your ankle

off. >> yes. >> the revenge of the lobster. look out. well, good morning, everyone. we are looking at a pretty decent forecast as we head into the weekend. a lot of people wondering what the forecast is going to be like for the oscars in l.a. we are watching a little bit of unsettled weather in the northwest. i told you yesterday that it was probably your best day you're going to see. right now, temperatures are a little cool back through the inner mountain west. definitely on the cool side. temperatures in the 30s and 40s in the northwest. l.a. right now at 53. san diego, you're very similar. what we're watching is a ridge of high pressure. you can see all the clear skies. there's no clouds at all over areas of california. that's giving you a nice, cool morning. the storm system going up into british columbia, which has been the trend much of this winter, is bringing the milder pacific air on shore. with it, a little bit of moisture, especially in the northwest. we have showers in the forecast today. eventually, since it's a little colder this time than the last

storm, we're going to get heavy snow in the next 48 hours, especially over the weekend in the cascades. really going to build back that snow pack. today's forecast, bring the umbrella in the northwest. california, looking fantastic. that's a l in the mountains, significant snow all weekend. oscar forecast, looking pretty good. that's coming up. >> that's some good news. bill, thanks so much. oil bubbles over, apple talks dividends, and is the maid of the mist a thing of the past? your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, can tyler perry deliver the goods at the box office in his first attempt to shed his signature role? coming up, a scary moment for danica patrick. the heat put an end to linsanity, and a landmark ruling

on the ryan braun drug suspension. you're watching "early today." good morning.

black back to "early today". i'm lynn berry. here are some of your top headlines this morning. with the crackdown in syria showing no signs of slowing down, the u.s., arab and european nations are expected to deliver an ultimatum today. at a conference they will demand president assad allow humanitarian aid. former u.n. secretary-general kofi annan has been appointed as the u.n. and arab envoy to deal with the crisis. maryland is set to become the eighth state to legalize same-sex marriage after the state senate approved a bill thursday sponsored by the governor, who plans to sign it into law this week. in virginia, a bill requiring ultrasounds for women seeking abortions has been pulled from consideration for

the year. the move comes a day after governor bob mcdonald dropped support for a key provision requiring invasive ultrasounds. emotional reaction in court from an alabama man acquitted after being charged with the murder in the drowning death of his newlywed on their honeymoon. gabe watson was accused of killing his bride ty tooe that. the judge said the evidence was sorely lacking. a rescue helicopter began to shake violently and then fall apart during landing. four people aboard managed to escape without serious injuries. now here's an early look at one of your top health headlines on msnbc.com. a new study says bird flu may be more common than previously thought, but not as deadly. the world health organization says the h5n1 virus killed 51 -- 59% of people who become infected and are sick enough to go to a hospital.

but this new study found that more people were infected who didn't go to hospitals, which would mean a lower death rate. for more information on this and other health stories, check out the health page at msnbc.com. >> announcer: "early today" health is brought to you by vagisil cream. now here is an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 12,984, after adding 46 points. the s&p 500 was up five points. the nasdaq gained 23. taking a look at overseas trading this morning. in tokyo, the nikkei was up 51 points. while in hong kong, the hang seng added 25. the dow made another run at 13,000 on thursday, but came up short before the bell. stocks recovered from an early loss, only to come up shy. failing to close above the milestone once again. the blue chips pierced that key 13,000 level three times tuesday. yesterday's momentum was fueled by news that jobless claims did not rise last week.

and, instead, held steady at a four-year low. however, the day's gains were capped by weak retail earnings from the likes of kohl's dill ards and target and sears missed earnings estimates but shares soared 20% on news it will spin off unprofitable stores and sell others. soaring 78% after federal regulators recommended approval of its weight loss drug qnexa. despite uptick in crude inventories last week oil rose to a fresh nine-month high near $109 a barrel overseas today after settling up more than $1.50 thursday. bailed out insurer aig weighed in with a big quarterly profit and sending shares 3% higher after the bell. protecter & gamble cost cutting plans that will eliminate more than 4,000 jobs. apple shareholders were encouraged to hear that the cash flush company is, quote, thinking very deeply about

offering dividends this year. it could be the end of 150-year era at niagara falls. the iconic maid of the mist tour boat company has lost its contract to another operator. the maid has a contract on the american side through 2042, but the boats are stored across the border, leaving the company's fate up in the air. coming up, the knicks can't stand the heat. the thunderstorms the lakers. and more pithing -- putting problems for tiger woods. plus, the darlg of daytona takes a big hit. the weekend forecast will start chilly but a nice warm-up at the end. your forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." in sports, controversy in major league baseball as the tables turn for mvp ryan braun. here is fred roggin with an early look at all of your sports headlines. good morning. baseball season about a month away and the brewers ryan braun already picked up a big win. the national league mvp the first player to challenge a drug suspension and have it overturned. braun tested positive for elevated testosterone in october and suspended 50 games. independent arbitrator overturned the ruling because

the test sample was mishandled during the process. the commissioner disagreed with the ruling. braun will report to spring training with the brewers as scheduled today. basketball, highly anticipated matchup between the heat and the new-look knicks. miami finally exposed jeremy lin and forced him to turn the ball over eight times. he had as many giveaways as points. easily the worst game of his young career. chris bosh and lebron wade scored 20 or more. the heat brought the knicks back down to the earth. from the best in the east to the best in the west. thunder gave the lakers fits and busted it wide open in the third. kevin durant a game high 33. oklahoma city won it 100-85. golf back to the drawing board for tiger woods and hitting the fairways and greens and short game has gone south. missed six putts within ten feet of the hole during the second round of the matchplay championship. his tournament ended when he pushed a five footer that would have extended his match against nick watney.

tyinger is done. what else is new? finally, scary moment for danica patrick. bumped from behind and hit the wall. amazingly, she walked away from the accident and walked away without injury. despite the crash, she qualified for the daytona 500 this weekend and will become the third woman to drive in the great american race. that's your early look at sports on "early today." have a great weekend. i'm fred roggin. one movie star gets a warning from the producers of this weekend's academy awards. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, a man with an extraordinary place in one of america's most difficult times finally gets his due. you're watching "early today."

welcome back. let me take you through your weekend forecast. starting with today, rain showers in the northwest. it's not going to be all that much of a washout. as we go through the weekend with the cold air in place, the mountains will get significant snow. mountains of idaho, montana, wyoming, and especially in the cascades. really nothing in the sierras. as far as saturday's forecast goes, looking warm in l.a. phoenix looking nice. cities will be okay. as we go into sunday, more of the same as we linger with that moisture through the northwest. if you're watching us on kgw in portland, oregon, experience art, music, poetry, and film at three frag ms of a lost tale at the portland art museum.

that's your pacific event of the day. >> all right, bill. thanks so much. here are some of your top headlines in entertainment. tyler perry steps out of character this weekend for the first time. he sheds his medea ego in "good deeds." it's expected to take in $18 million. "act of valor" stars actual navy s.e.a.l.s who discover a terror plot. it should command $17 million. paul rudd and jennifer aniston play city slickers in "wanderlust." it's expected to make $11 million. elsewhere, it seems snooki and jwoww are getting unwelcome reception in that jersey city neighborhood when the spin-off is being taped. there's a wine shop next door that's posted a sign banning them from entering. >> they wanted to have some inventory left. >> i guess so. finally a public battle brewing between academy award

organizers and sasha baren cohen. he says he's going to post a video response to, quote, the academy of motion picture arts and zionists on his movie site later today. >> will there be a point we're mature enough where we don't think that's funny? >> i hope not. it will be interesting to see if he shows up regardless. >> crashing the red carpet? >> i have a feeling that's something he will do. we'll see. this comes to us from wdam 7 in hattiesburg, mississippi, where in nearby foxworth the man believed to be the last american slave has finally received an honor more than 40 years overdue. a headstone was unveiled thursday for sylvester magee. he died in 1971 at the incredible age of 130, but he has never had a significant grave marker until now. his daughter didn't live to see the day, but his grandchildren and great grandchildren were on

hand for the ceremony. i'm lynn berry. this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

a new tour in prague is taking folks behind the scenes of the dark side of history. a travel agency is now offering the corruption tour, which highlights the most famous corruption schemes and the men and women behind them. the tour was created to provide

entertainment while spreading awareness on the country's ongoing battle against corruption. it looks like they are mixing breakfast with stamina in london. people gathered for the annual pancake race as part of london's shrove tuesday celebration before the start of lent. 60 runners sprinted while flipping pancakes in a skillet during the relay race. the contest is also for a good cause. proceeds all go to charity. in china, it's a full house for one couple. the pair's tibetan mastiff gave birth to a litter of 22 puppies. considered to be the most precious breed in the world, the owners care for them around the clock, making sure they're warm and fed. so far, the surviving 15 of the bunch are showing promise. just to put it in perspective, usually, there's only like four to eight of them. 22, extremely unusual. >> only 15 survive? >> i know but it's unusually -- >> why didn't you leave that part out?

>> it's important for folks to know the true story. >> but you made me sad. >> sorry about that. turn that frown upside down, bill. we will tell you an early look at the stories we will follow throughout the day here on nbc. opening statements begin in a trial of a rutgers student who is accused of using a web cam to spy on his roommate's intimate relationship with another man. following that, tyler clementi jumped off a bridge. hugo chavez flies to cuba for surgery. and 31 years ago today, buckingham palace announced the engagement of prince charles to lady diana spencer. 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." finally, here's a look at what is coming up later this morning on the "today" show. after a judge cleared a husband who had been on trial for murdering his wife during their honeymoon, hear from the

prosecutor in the case. and al is live in south beach at the wine and food festival with superstar chef paula deen. now, keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports and more. i'm lynn berry. thank you 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 ...and on the go... ...with some really big news. it's b-i-g -- big. high speed internet from at&t at home... ...includes wi-fi access on the go. woo-hoo! [ together ] it's an unbelievable deal. well, gotta go. but wait -- there's more... [ female announcer ] go to the website below today and get high speed internet for the unbelievably low price of just 14.95 a month for 12 months with a one-year price guarantee. it's all the speed you need at a great price.

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