♪ this morning on "early today," numbers crunch. all eyes on the economy as february jobs numbers are set to be released. no day at the beach. dramatic video shows a pot of dolphins being rescued by sunbathers in brazil. having a bad day? we will show you a place where you can channel your anger with a bat. 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, the focus on the economy. wall street to washington, a lot of attention will be paid to the

government's monthly jobs report. that is due out later this morning. this as the president seeks to reassure the voters he's the best candidate to keep the recovering economy on the right track. nbc's tracie potts joins us with more from washington. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. good morning, everyone. when we see those jobs numbers come out today, we expect they will continue the trend we've seen for the last few months, supporting a robust recovery. but republicans think they can do it better and faster. economists predict more than 200,000 new jobs were created last month. not as many as january, but still enough to support a robust recovery. the unemployment rate's expected to stay flat. republicans running against president obama don't call that good news. >> i keep waiting to hear something about a fundamental improvement of the job situation in this country. he just hasn't been able to do that yet. >> reporter: creating jobs is a central issue on the campaign

trail. >> it's impossible to argue on a supply and demand basis that 800 million barrels would not have an back. >> reporter: today in virginia, president obama talks about how to boost manufacturing in the area rick santorum says he can improve. >> we want you to create jobs here in america. well, if we're going to do that, then we need to have not just a market for the manufactured goods here in america, but we want to be an exporting giant. >> reporter: all the candidates are focused on upcoming primaries in alabama and mississippi. the southern vote may determine who can capture the party's base. mitt romney's leading the latest alabama poll and just gotten a endorsement from mississippi's governor. and that's why he decided to endorse governor romney. he thinks he's the one who can win. lynn. >> all right, tracie potts for us in washington. tracie, thanks so much. elsewhere, the senate has rejected a republican attempt to the approval of a pipeline from

canada to texas. the vote to must pass the vote to attach the project fell just short of the 60 votes needed to pass. president obama personally called and lobbied senators asking them to oppose it. earlier this year, the president put off the pipeline proposal which would ship oil from canada down to the gulf coast pending further environmental review. recent controversial pardons given out by the former mississippi governor during his term has been upheld by the state's highest court. in january during his final days in office, governor haley barbour issued about 200 pardons. the mississippi supreme court was asked to void ten of those pardons on technical grounds, including four for inmates serving life sentences for murder. but the court agreed with state lawyers who argued the court had no authority to overturn the pardons. here is a look at some of the other stories making news early today in america.

a mississippi couple calls it a miracle. they survived after a giant log smashed right through the windshield of their minivan when a logging truck lost its load. the couple says they had just dropped off their kids minutes before the accident. the two inside the van were injured but they are going to make a full recovery. a scare for a texas man as an suv went out of control, barrelled into his front yard, and came dangerously close to hitting him. the driver was a 16-year-old boy whose mother came forward after hearing about the close call. no word why the boy lost control. no charges have been filed. a blinding dust storm combined with fierce winds made the going tough for drivers in albuquerque. state police had to escort vehicles and even shut down parts of i-25. power outages and flight delays were also reported. finally, it's friday. have you had a long week? head to dallas. that's where there's a place offering to help you get it out of your system.

it's called the anger room. you can pay to smash things like mannequins, tv sets, and furniture all without getting into any trouble. the company claims to have helped 300 people, including some psychiatrists. now for a look at your national and regional weather, here is meteorologist bill karins with your weather channel forecast. good morning. any pent up anger you need to get out? >> yeah, but i wouldn't smash a tv though. >> just throw your papers at me on commercial breaks. that's easier. less violent too. >> very much so. lynn lynn, if i was on vacation this week in hawaii, i would not be happy. this is the fourth day of rain in a row. we talked about the record rainfall two or three days ago. this is just a slow-moving winter storm lingering over the region. we're having periods of heavy rain once again, especially in maui. it's just wet, cloudy. that's keeping temperatures a little cooler than normal too.

u unfortunately, it's sticking around today. highs, mid 70s at most. as far as the forecast on the west coast, big, huge storm rocketed itself just south of alaska, northern portions of british columbia. just a drawn out front lingering across the coast. thankfully, this area of high pressure is protecting the west coast. there's a big dome here that's not allowing that front, at least at this time, to move to the west coast. that's going to give you another beautiful day in southern california, nevada, really all of california. just a little bit of that warm front trying to edges toward the coast is going to bring a little wet weather today to washington state. not a lot, just a little. then a more significant shot towards tomorrow. have the umbrella handy, especially areas to the west side of the olympics and the puget sound. not a lot of wet weather today, just a few showers. forecast today, there's a little chance of showers up here. a little bit of light rain on the coast. from portland southward, you are dry, mild, and what a beautiful day it's going to be from phoenix to tucson, san diego to

l.a., and everywhere in between. that's a l beautiful, beautiful day. weekend forecast, a little interesting for the west coast. storm coming it looks like saturday into sunday. nonchts fun. all right, bill. we'll wait for that. also coming up, greece says it's good, your chance to buy rock 'n' roll stock, and the sale of a house that starred in a very popular movie. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, it cost tens of millions, and it's about a guy from the past in outer space. is it launching this weekend to the top of the box office heap? coming up, buzzer-beaters, double overtime, and could this have been the last game for dwight howard in a magic jersey? 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. six world powers meeting in vienna say diplomacy, not war, is the way to prevent iran from getting a nuclear weapon. the u.s., england, france and germany were joined by russia and china and urging talks ahead of meetings with iranian diplomats. according to an israel newspaper while president obama was meeting earlier this week with benjamin netanyahu, israel asked the u.s. for bunker buster bombs to improve its ability to attack iran's underground nuclear sites. a white house spokesman denies that report. changes are being made to both coke and pepsi on the way they make the caramel coloring used in their soda. this is all a result of a california law requiring drinks containing a certain level of carcinogens carry a cancer

warning label. in paris a smokey fire caused the evacuation of the famous plaz van dome, the center of luxury in the city. an underground parking fire reportedly caused about $6 million worth of damage to expensive cars. a new viral video from brazil shows 30 stranded dolphins who were pushed toward shore by a strong current but beach-goers pulled the dolphins by the tails safely back into deeper water. now here is an early look how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 12,907 after adding 70 points yesterday. the s&p gained 13 points. the nasdaq nudged up 34. taking a look at overseas trading this morning. in tokyo, the nikkei climbed 160 points while in hong kong, the hang seng was up 185. this morning, greece's ongoing debt drama took a dramatic turn away from a disastrous default. after convincing enough investors to take a loss on government bonds, greece has

ensured it will receive its $172 billion european bailout. greece needed 90% participation in the critical bond swap and as of this morning, it had secured upwards of 85%. athens says legislative maneuvering will push total participation above 95%. good news out of greece and a fresh report showing china's inflation fell sharply last month drove asian markets higher. yesterday, news that families took on more debt at the end of last year held offset a rise in weekly jobless claims. the february jobs report is due out this morning and will be closely watched by wall street and main street. more than 200,000 financially strapped households will see their mortgages reduced thanks to a side deal bank of america has struck with the government over part of alleged foreclosure abuses. elsewhere, coach has added 5% on an upbeat sales report. slow growth in february is

eating into mcdonald's bottom line. shares dipped 3%. rare earth miner molycorp is buying neotechnologies for $1.3 billion. fender guitar fans will soon be able to buy a piece of rock 'n' roll history. the instrument maker filed for the an ipo to the tune of $200 million. and one lucky buyer has landed a piece of movie history. remember that house? the "home alone" house has been sold for just over $1.5 million. coming up, capitals rally in overtime, the bulls stumble against the magic, and let the peyton manning sweepstakes begin. plus, a georgetown basket forces double overtime in the big east clash with cincinnati. so who came out on top? your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. after all the warm weather, wouldn't you certainly like your weekend to be the same? those details are coming up. you're watching "early today."

good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." in sports, last night the orlando magic marched into chicago and snapped the bulls' eight-game winning streak. here is nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all of your sports headlines. >> good morning. with the trade deadline less than a week away, dwight howard is likely now to his final four

games as a member of the orlando magic. against the bulls this is the reason why everybody wants howard. j juked noah one way. orlando up five at the half. howard can also run the floor. took a long pass and threw it down. 29 points and 18 boards. in the end it wasn't howard but ryan anderson with a dagger. a three for the lead and the magic won it 99-94. great finishes in college hoops. overtime between georgetown and cincinnati. time winding down. henry simms got the layup to fall. we're on to double o.t. with a name like cashmere wright you know he has a soft touch. the floater for the lead in the final seconds. cincy advances to the semis. 72-70. now to vegas where franklin hit the jackpot. nailed a three at the buzzer for the win. they beat boise state in dramatic fashion, 65-62. hockey, the devils kovalchuk is living up to his $100 million contract.

devils sunk the isles 5-1. on the flip side, you have alex ovechkin having the worst season of his career, but it appears to be turning around just in time for a playoff run. scored the game winner in o.t. against the lightning. second overtime goal in the last five games. caps won it 3-2. peyton manning says he hopes to decide on a new team within the next week. but one of his servers at a steak house in north carolina also needs a new job. manning's $740 bill included gratuity, but he dropped a $200 tip on top of that. the waiter thought that was pretty cool. he posted this picture online. not so cool to the restaurant's manager and fired the server for violating the company's private policy. he'll now join peyton in the unemployment line. that is your early look at sports on "early today." i'm fred roggin. why eddie murphy has already tarnished box office reputation, may take another hit this weekend. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, the president and first lady get up close and personal with a few of their supporters. you're watching "early today."

welcome back to "early today." we take you through your weekend forecast. dealing with a decent if not beautiful-type day today. coastal areas of washington state, we have that front bumping up against you there with clouds and wet weather. overall, beautiful. everywhere is looking at a sunny day after a cool start.

as we go into saturday, this is when it gets more interesting. we get a new system coming in. a better chance of moisture here. even saturday into sunday, that rain threat and the actual parent storm will be near the northwest going through british columbia. that's why we'll keep you damp over the weekend, especially sunday. if you're watching us on knbc nbc 4 in los angeles, california, in nearby long beach, spending a evening with the ocean's ultimate predators at shark lagoon night at the aquarium of the pacific. that's your pacific event of the day, lynn. i think i'd like to do that. >> that does sound fun, doesn't it? thanks so much. here is an early look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. according to the experts, while the reigning top film is poised to triumph again doesn't mean an interesting weekend at the box office. "dr. seuss' the lor l -- lorax"

is expected to take in $40 million. "john carter" transported to a mars-like planet reportedly cost a quarter of a billion dollars to make and should come in second perhaps taking in as much as $30 million. bill is not so confident though. the rated r horror debut "silent house" stars elizabeth olson and features a cinematic rarity. its store presented in realtime, and it appears to have one single uninterrupted shot. >> yeah, i don't like it. scary. >> fright fans could drive its take into the low teen millions. and, finally, there is the eddie murphy comedy "a thousand words" shelved for three years. that's never a good sign. reviews have been nasty and expectations for this one are real low. >> he has made me laugh so much in my life that he's forgiven for anything he does. >> really? you have a bank so full of joy from eddie murphy.

>> i can pull out "delirious" any day and start laughing. >> you have one fan over here. it can bomb. that's fine. the obama election campaign held a cozier type fund-raising dinner last night. the president and first lady dined at a local restaurant with three lucky winners of an online contest. those chosen are described as grassroot campaign donors, the head of a tennessee nonprofit, a former social worker from wisconsin, and retired school administrator from massachusetts. while the campaign has done this twice before, the first time mrs. obama has taken part. you know, that's when your manners are on. you're calling mom. where does the fork go? a little bit of pressure. >> what would you order? >> yes, nothing. just salad. keep it simple. >> that's messy with the dressing. >> that's true. i'm lynn berry. this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

you no longer have to be an olympian to carry a torch, budget permitting. past trophies of the memorabilia will be up for grabs at a london auction house. iconic torches ranging from the 1936 berlin games up to the 1996 games in atlanta value close to $5,000, while prized items such as the 1896 marathon winners cup is expected to sell for $250,000. in a time of economic uncertainty, we could all use a good luck charm. but how much would you pay for one? the dragon fish hailed in asia as a symbol of wealth, power, and prosperity, can fetch up to

$15,000 a piece. the 150 million-year-old species is highly sought after because of its culture and scarety in the wild. one group claims to cluck their way into the guinness book of world records. the group over 600 hope to make a record in a category that never existed before. the most people wearing animal noses at a single venue. sounds like a good idea, right? participants sported their snouts for 11 minutes and 39 seconds. that surpassed the ten minutes required by guinness, and they did the chicken dance. i feel like i'm at a wedding. >> i'm trying to figure out where anyone would gather in large numbers and wear animal noses. >> yeah, why anyone would think of that. >> maybe at a cleveland football game? dog pound? in alabama, a five-day march commemorating the selma to

montgomery voting rights march will end with a rally at the state capitol building. organizers, including al sharpton, hope to draw attention to controversial voting laws passed in states around the country. in washington, secretary of state hillary clinton will announce the first innovation award to the empowerment of women and girls. one year ago the space shuttle discovery ended its career as the most flown u.s. spaceship returning from orbit for the last time. all day long, you can stay on top of the latest development withes 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. whitney houston's hairstylist and long-time friend speaks out on what really happened on the day the singer died. in a "today" exclusive, meet the filmmaker about one of the world's most wanted war criminals. 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