♪ gop with two surprisingly tight primaries. travels' choice. which of the nation's beaches made the best cut for sand and sun? and feeding frenzy. a school ofungry sharks are spotted uncomfortably close to an australian shore. >> announcer: this is early today for tuesday, march 13th, 2012. >> hello and good morning. welcome to our viewers across the nation including the pacific time zone. we begin with the south having

its say. folks can head to the polls today in mississippi and alabama where republican presidential candidates have been campaigning hard. caucuses will also be held today in hawaii. nbc's tracy pots joins in w washington with those details. >> it's going to be so critical in this race. the polls are tight. newt gingrich leading some of those polls. but mitt romney right behind him. in fact, leading some of them, as well. all trying to appeal to the southern voters. >> i kind of feel relatively at home here. in fact, this morning, when i had grits, i thought it was a very normal thing to do. >> southern voters say today's primaries are more than grits and gravy. >> i thought we were going to start talking about grits and biscuits and gravy, it seems like they're talking up to us.

>> i don't think anybody is going to vote because they are hunters or they like cheese grits. i don't think that really matters to most voters in the south. >> we need not to just say, you know, i came down here, i ate grits, i know what you need. >> like cheaper gas. gingrich and santorum both talked about gas prices. >> if we develop our energy capacity to the degree we could, that would bring down the price of gasoline. >> santorum's conservative message played well in the south. he admits it's been tough. >> we're just sucking hard on that swissle stick trying to get as much air as we can to keep ourselves alive. we've been doing it. >> gingrich needs to win the south to keep the campaign alive. santorum evangelical in the last election. but this year, republicans want to win. >> we're doing real well in mississippi. >> and, for many, that means going with the candidate who polls show has the best chance in november. now, speaking of november, the president's popularity has

taken a hit. he was surging for several weeks. a gallop over the weekend still had him at 49%. some other big polls have him at 41%. some analysts think that has a lot to do with gas prices. >> tracy, thank you. the american soldier accused of killing 16 afghan civilians could face execution if he is convicted. that service member arrested after the shooting spree on sunday will be tried under u.s. military legal code, which, in some cases, allows for the death penalty. the 38-year-old staff sergeant whose name has not been releas d ed trained as a sniper, he suffered a head injury in a vehicle accident in iraq. today, open fire on an afghan delegation which included two brothers visiting one of the two villages where the alleged killings took place. in washington state, for their own safety, the wife and two children of the soldiers

suspected of the killings have been moved onto a military base. >> elsewhere, a special united nations meeting has so far failed to find a way to stop the violence in syria. secretary of state met with diplomats yesterday to talk about a potential cease fire. russia, syria's most powerful ally, has vetoed two resolutions. mrs. clinton says that the security council cannot "stand silent" when governments attack their own people. opposition forces say government soldiers rounded up civilians and killed dozens yesterday. the u.n. says more than 7500 people have died in the fight against syria over the last year. and, now, here's a look at some other stories making news early today in america. no one was hurt and no passengers were aboard. but a delta airline 737 rolled up a taxi way this morning at

the atlanta airport and wound up in an embankment. maintenance workers were testing the engines when the plane began to move. it's not yet clear how much damage the plane suffered. it was a frightening scene in pennsylvania where a school playground went up in flames. surveillance video shows the fire being fuelled by the rubber mulch the playground stood on. there's no word on the cause, but police are looking for teenagers who were seen in the area before the fire. the playground wold originally built to honor a teacher who lost her battle with cancer. >> a controversial way to get online access going on in texas. more than a dozen homeless people are earning money by walking around wearing mobile wifi devices that create 4g hot spots. an english advertising company came up with the idea. they're calling it a "charitable experiment." critics say paying homeless

people to be walking cell phone towers is kind of insensitive. exploiting them a bit. here's a look at your national weather. good morning to you, bill. lots of people talking about this. it's sort of like both sides of the coin here, you know. >> it's a good idea, but just give them minimum wage. why 20 bucks? >> they're also taking donations, as well. people can donate to them. >> all right. i'm sure we'll hear more about that story in the future. as far as your future goes in areas of washington state, carry the umbrella. a big storm system went through yesterday. now we're watching the cold air move in. and, as typical, the instability showers are moving through areas of coastal washington and oregon state. the snow levels are very low, too. so when these showers come through, we may even see some snow. i think the portland area, 500 feet and above. well, well down there. so since this is where all the cold air is, it's really the

only cold spot in the entire country. here's the storm system. the big one went through. and then, behind that, another monster storm is going to come in as they go about two days from now. we're in a very stormy weather pattern. very active. very much like what we'd see in the middle of winter. a lot of rain moving up through fort brag. haven't had a lot of that this winter. you can see the instability showers off the coach as the main batch of precipitation begins to exit the cascade. temperatures in the 30s today and even with daytime highs only in the 40s. that's it. that's where the cold weather is. areas like lake tahoe. skiing resorts will get a little bit of fresh powder.

another big storm to come, so that's where all the active weather is. >> well, low volume on the street. yahoo does battle with facebook. and what a latte has in common with a tulip. plus, katie perry's dad speaks out about his daughter's split with russel brand. >> randy moss signs a deal and linsanity is no match for the mvp. you're watching early today. .

good morning and welcome back to "early today." a cease fire appears to be taking hold today on the border. after four days of palestinian rocket attacks and israeli military air strikes, egypt has seemed to broker the cease fire agreement. at least 30 people were killed today when a ferry packed with about 200 people capsized in a

river in southern bangladesh. 35 people were rescued, but about 150 other passengers are missing. the best beach in the u.s. is in saint peterpetersburg florida. it was praised for its sug sugary-white sand. it includes five in florida, two in hawaii and surprisingly only one in california. and a beach near the coast of australia has been closed due to a massive shark feeding frenzy. video from the helicopter shows about 50 sharks attacking a large school of tuna close to shore. and, now, here's an early look at how wall street will kick off today. the dow opens at 12,959. the s&p was up a fraction, but the nasdaq lost four. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo,

the nikkei added 9 points. as investors look ahead to today's said meetings, a lot of them sat on the sidelines yesterday. it was the lightest trading day of the year on the new york stock exchange and the nasdaq. energy, utility and consumer staple stock push blue chips higher. j.p. morgan chase was among banks that suffered ahead of a possible sound decision. china's online video company youku shot up 27% after announcing plans to buy rival tudo in an all-stock deal valued at more than a billion dollars. tudo shares skyrocketed more than 150%. yahoo filed a lawsuit against facebook in a california court. over 10 alleged patent infringements. elsewhere, a $25 billion settlement by five of the largest mortgage lenders.

pacific gas and electric will pay the city of san bruno california will pay $70 million in restitution for a pipeline explosion back in 2010. federal safety regulators are investigating sticky accelerators in as many as 1.9 million ford taurus. the world trade organization upheld its ruling that boeing received billions in unlawful subsidies from the u.s. which hurt european rival air bus. however, the panel also ruled air bus received billions more in low-interest loans from eu government. and a 24-year-old barista from hong kong scooped up the winning title and $2500 at the latte art championship in new york. his multi-layered tulip pattern puts his cup over the top. well, coming up, the sabers win in overtime.

another shot for randy moss in the nfl. and a land-mark night for an anaheim duck. plus, the bulls slam the knicks with a sixth straight loss. here, early morning, sports is straight ahead. >> the west coast got battered yesterday. you'll do so today with more rain and wind. you're watching early today.

in sports, searching just weeks ago, thanks to a long winning streak, suddenly, the chances of the new york knicks making the playoffs looks in jeopardy. here's fred rogen with a look at all of your sports headlines. >> good morning. it's hard to believe that less than a month ago, jeremy lin was the talk of the nation. well, times have changed. new york has lost six in a row and linsanity has become a distant memory. we've got a running with the bulls in the first half. jeremy had eight assists and new york was up two at the half. then, derek rose took the game over. the mvp knocked down the trey for the lead. and then elevated from the one-handed jam. rose can fly with the best of them. he finished with 32 and the bulls beat the knicks 104-99.

new orleans down two, five seconds to play. trevor string to the basket, rejected at the rim to end the game. bob cats won just their sixth of the year, 73-71. football randy moss worked out for the 49ers yesterday. and the team was so impressed, they sign him on the spot. moss said at his retirement, it inked a one-year deal to play for san francisco. montreal was down one. david was left wide open and tied the game with just four seconds left and forced overtime. but two minutes into the o.t., buffalo on the attack. derek roy, tyler meyers. sabers won 3-2 in o.t. finally, it can add another milestone hall of fame resume. the all-time scoring list. he's now in 19th place all time. however, the celebration was short lived. gabriel with a rocket passed hiller.

avalanche scored with a 3-2 win. that's your early look at sports on "early today." i'm fred rogen. >> what's next for oscar winner meryll strep? and what's definitely ahead for the real star artist? your early morning headlines are straight ahead. this is how many college students will be spending their free break. you're watching early today.

welcome back to "early today." strong storm system moving through the northwest. maybe a little bit interior to san jose to sacramento. some snow in the mountains near tahoe. the cold temperatures, very low snow levels will yield some rain showers. and even into tomorrow, not a lot changes here. it's a pretty big storm system that's going to continue with our instability showers. nbc 5, medford oregon explore the history, design and technology behind the elizabethian stage through a backstage tour. >> all right, phil, thank you so much. here's an early look at this morning's headlines in entertainment.

to hear katie perry's dad tell it, there was no bad feelings behind his daughter's break up. the reason for the split was simple, her career took off, leaving them very little time to spend together. what do you think about that? calling it just one of those things, he also insisted the split was friendly saying he is even still in touch with brand. sure. elsewhere, fresh off her oscar, merill strep introduced hillary clinton this weekend at a summit in new york and prompted her to play clinton next. finally, the first big celebrity known to be attending next month, white house correspondent center? oh, it's uggy. the dog from the artist. he's going to be attending as a guest at the washington times. i'm convinced they didn't make him pay for dinner. >> they'll probably have to make

him a special meal. >> he won't know. he's a hollywood star. >> he probably has a list of stuff. there's probably a list of thing that is he requires. >> yeah, i'm sure. >> and this comes to us from wave, wave-3 news in louisville, kentucky where nearby marysville, some college students are spending a different kind of break. students are volunteering for the clean-up effort in the wake of this one's deadly tornadoes. more than 80 students are helping pick up debris and clear roads. many say they've never seen tornado construction close up until now. i'm lynn barry and this is early today. just your first stop for today on your nbc station.

well, the solar storm may have been a bust, but one family in norway did get a little shower. the owners were astonished to find it wasn't vandals, but a meteorite that caused damage to their shed. they're lucky more damage wasn't done. weighing in at just over a pound, researchers say the rocks could be worth a small fortune. two men in china are after the best produce, but not for cooking. the pair of brothers drilled holes in vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes and leeks to create intricate instruments. they say vegetable, size, shape

and variety have a big effect on sound. but most important, it's freshness. the duo can play anything from traditional chineshier chinese modern pop. and, finally, in lafayette, five couples attempts to break the record for longest-held phone conversation. teens could pause for no longer than ten seconds and were allowed only five minutes of rest after every hour on the phone when all five teens surpassed the record of 43 hours. the two teams continued talking. they get 54 hours. organizers were the ones to finally throw in the towel. they called it a tie. any guesses on who would have been talking the most of that conversation between the couples? >> definitely the female. >> oh, yes. we have a tendency to do that, don't we? >> can i get something in? >> of course it's never your turn. it's time for an early look. secretary of homeland security

along with others will announce a new partnership between fema and the corporation for service. the alliance to respond to and recover from disaster. in alaska, the sled dog race that began over a week ago could come to an end later today. the first of the 66 mushers to cross the finish line will win $50,000 and a new truck. and actor william h.macy turns 62. all day long, stay atop the very latest developments and 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's coming up later this morning on the today show. a live report on the desperate housewives lawsuit brought by nicholas sheridan. will ferrell will be live with a preview of his latest movie entirely in spanish.

keep it on this channel for news, weather and more. thanks for watching "early today." just your first up today on your nbc station. have a good one.