♪ >> this morning on early today, looking for answers. conflicting details emerge about the u.s. soldier in the afghan killing spree. rampage aftermath. plots the u.s. military with a troubling demand. and a royal sport. the duchess of cambridge shows off her field hockey skills at london's olympic park. >> this is early today for friday, march 16th, 2012. >> hello, and good morning. welcome to our viewers across

the nation, including pacific time zone. we begin with the afghan shooting. the u.s. soldier accused of killing 16 people has hired a hi high-profile attorney to handle his defense. john hen rio brown says his client was not happy about going to afghanistan after suffering three injuries in tours of iraq. he denied there were reports of any marital injuries. meanwhile, a senior american official told the new york times, due to stress, alcohol and domestic issues, the soldier just snapped. the official told the times the account of the sergeant's state of mind came from two other solders.

ft.levenworth kansas could be the next stop. if convicted of murder, he could face the death penalty. thursday, in a continued fall out from those killings, america's military campaign suffered a double blow. in a visit to leon panetta, he demanded a pullback of nato troops from villages and rural areas and ask that the transfer of security responsible to afghan forces leading up to a complete withdraw be sped up. in addition, the taliban claiming a lack of clarity on the issues by the u.s. and doubts about american willingness to carry out promises "instead of waisting time." back here at home, president obama invites president biden in maryland and ohio with tough talks against their american rivals. tracy, good morning.

>> now, president obama and vice president biden jumping into this giving what they say is a different choice for americans. mitt romney, rick santorum. >> a one, two, three punch. vice president biden told auto worker ins ohio, republicans would let their bosses and employees go bankrupt. >> if you give any one of these guys a key to the white house, they will bankrupt the middle class again. >> joe bidden is doing what vice presidential candidates often do what is calling the other side out on issue differences. >> in maryland, president obama focused on energy and promises from his republican vivelle of cheaper gays. >> they start acting like we've got a magic wand.

they dismissed wind power. >> this is utter intellectual concepts. and we'll see who the american people want to elect. >> a campaign underway with both sides in the ring. >> and it is fully underway, the president actually has more events today in chicago and atlanta. >> all right, tracy, thank you. well, now, here's a look at some other stories making news early today in america. frightening moments in columbus ohio as a police officer rushed to stop a man who had just found four people near a college.

police say the attacker turned toward the officer and that's when she began to open fire. the video shows her knocked backwards, but she managed to hold onto her gun. the suspect and two of his victims are listed as critical. in michigan, a devastating tornado could be seen headed to a rural village of dexter. it would go onto damage more than a hundred homes. the storm breathed large hail to the area. thankfully, there were no reports of serious injuries. finally, the last bizarre moments of freedom on camera. smiling for a picture, the former illinois's was full of details. he actually passed by the prison, made one last stop at a restaurant where he also signed some autographs. he will be out of camera view for a while. he begins a 14-year corruption sentence. now, for a look at your national and regional weather.

he joins us from wtvj, that's our nbc affiliate in miami. >> nice to be here. had some nice spring weather. >> not on the west coast. >> no, different story there. the last weekend of winter and we're finding the east coast rather quiet. the west coast in on the action for the weekend. it's a start to our friday here. a lot of pacific moisture anywhere from central california. there's some awfully wet weather down for us in the portland area. that mountain snow is here. we could see some very nasty and wet weather up there. we're dealing with a lot of cool temperatures. we're quiet and dry in l.a. you'll see the sunshine this afternoon high at 64.

phoenix looking good at 85. a wet, friday forecast. highs at 48 in seattle. that's a look at at the it is a wet and grey day in the pacific northwest. >> thanks so much. coming up, the day of the ipad. more good news on the job front. and i'll take green catchup with those fries? you'll explain. >> it's not the 21 jump street you can remember. but it is expected to take the top spot this weekend on the box office. >> a slew of nba and, yeah,

march madness. you 'watching early today.

good morning, and welcome back to early today. north korea says today it will launch a long-range rocket mounted with a satellite. the provocative move comes only weeks after a moratorium on long range missile tests. united nation's secretary said yesterday that more than 8,000 people have died in syria over the past year. he has said the bloody crack down on the opposition by syrian troops is "indefensible." the most dangerous drivers in america are from st. louis, missouri. this according to men's health magazine. that came from dallas. the basis? they were from st. paul minnesota.

ben and jerry's has a limited batch of a new flavor to support a same-sex marriage in new england. and the duchess of cambridge lost her gowns and jewels and she accompanied prince charles with our charity where the kids were drawing the queen for their jubilee celebration. and now thehere's an early look msnbc.com. overweight men are 11% more likely to have low sperm counts or no production at all. and men who fall into the obese category are 42% more likely to have a low count. and 81% more likely to have none. you can check out the health page at msnbc.com. >> early today, health is brought to you by vagisil. bring yourself back.

>> here's a look at how wall street will kick off today. >> today may be another big day for apple. ipad customers in asia were greeted with cheers as they entered stores to buy the new version of the popular tablet come poulter. there are long lines now here in the u.s. as people wait to get their chance. a new tablet is reportedly in the works from nokia and finland. the company is working on a device that they hope they'll be able to compete with the ipad. this's a new mobile phone payment service that will allow check payments using a small triangular card reader.

wall street's winning streak is still alive. >> the u.s. and england may reportedly lower gas prices. president obama and david kim are going to discuss the issue this week. the rising gas prices at the pump may have pushed the consumer price index which will be released today. the number of americans that benefits last week fell to a four-year low. >> the move would not result in any job losses atuss the seattle plant. for saint pat riblike's day, burger king is celebrating with free french fries. saturday and sunday, you can get a free value-size order with

green ketchup. coming up, a trade day in the nba. and march madness marches on. last night, virginia commonwealth pulls off an upset win over wichita straight. the early morning sports headlines are straight away.

good morning. if you're just waking up, this is early today. in sports, yesterday's trade deadline for many players changing addresses. here's an early look at all of your sports headlines. >> good morning, the ncaa basketball tournament got away yesterday. but before we get to the upsets, there's a couple of notable trades. perhaps the biggest one is the one that didn't happen. as a matter of fact, he terminated his option. that means he'll be a member next season. and the lakers got some help with the point guard position. they picked up sessions from the tabs. they also september derrick

fisher to the offers. it is the richest contract for a defensiver in nfl history. out here we go, we'll be bringing the east. james sutherland starting hitting threes. syracuse escaped 72-65. kentucky was up by 32 at one point. and the wildcats won easily. uconn was cool. so what do the cyclones get for taking out the defending champ? how about not even supposed to be in the tournament. the pac-12 champs. and finally, last year, cinderella. >> i only favored wichita state. you see, it's got the friendly

balance off the iron. >> they couldn't get that three to go. i pulled up with another upset. that's your early look at sports. have a great weekend. i'm fled rogen. >> wait until you hear what he blamed it on. the early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, they've seen it all. they've covered the biggest story. but you won't believe what's got their undivided attention yesterday. you're watching early today.

welcome back to early today. it's a grey and dreary start. rain from seattle down to portland. they'll just keep coming all day long and through the weekend as well. into the 40s and the 50s in the news, weather, and sports west. sunshine in los angeles. so by tomorrow afternoon, into the showers and thunderstorms. if you're watching us on knsdnbc in san diego california, indulge in the sights and smells of 300 plants. and that's your pacific event of the day. love those flowers. >> no kidding. all right, ryan, thanks so much. here's an early look at sports and entertainment. the top-rated r-rated comedy

makes a comeback. 21 jump street starring the unlikely duo of jonah hill is looking to regain the box office that was enjoyed last summer. experts think it will muscle out two-time chance for the top spot with at least $30 millions. and speaking of r-rated comedy success, there's been lots of talk about the overbudgeted, under-performing john carter, there's been less noted for project x. it should actually finish in the top five again this weekend. passing $60 million in earns. and finally, russel grabbing a photographer's phone monday and throwing it through a nearby window. he joked that he did it as a tribute saying, quote, since steve jobs died, i can phot bear to see anyone use an iphone e

irreverently. >> is that the one where he goes for the crazy things to crdraw attention to himself? >> maybe to distract from the actual arrest? well, this coming to us from the nation's capitol where even white house get excited when a movie starts outside. he had reporters and photographers racing to keep up with him. clooney talked with the president about relief efforts in sudan. an nbc source said that only two lone hold outs were there to see and hear what the hollywood heavyweight had to say. i'm lynn barry, and this is your first stop of the day on your nbc station.

>> it's not the altitude. meet "norey" the first successful clone of a rare wo wool-producing goat. involving only a microscope and a steady hand. farmers hope the technology will produce more animals famed for their undercoat. vying for the title of ultimate pole champion focus on technical

difficulty and artistic performance. there's four divisions, women's, men's, disabled and doubled. promoting it as a legitimate form of dance and aerobics. and, finally, for one man in estonia, relaxing doesn't mean stopping. that's because he's created a mobile sauna combining his two passions, this seasoned inventor made catch work from different parts and built one on top. it's made up of a steam room, a cloak room and a nice little terrace there right by the driver's seat. why didn't we think of it? we could just roll it right here into the studio. and it would be so much easier. time now for a look at some of the early stories.

apple rolls out the latest version of the ipad, demonstrators will demand apple reform working conditions in the factory that manufacture their products. protesters want apple doing a better job for abuse, injury and death. in los angeles, a hearing will be held regarding mickey rooney for their personal gain. and happy birthday to jerry lewis who turns 86. those stories and others as they break on msnbc. tonight, be sure to watch brian williams. finally, here's a look at what's coming up later this morning on the today show. in a today exclusive, the attorney accused of killing 16 civilians in afghanistan gets it live. and 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.