this morning on "early today" -- eye on wisconsin. a key endorsement and a vow to fight on as republican presidential candidates look toward tuesday's primary. fatal blow. a tragic ending to a high-speed chase through the streets of philadelphia. and hot ticket. a spectacular nighttime show from one of the world's most active volcanos. 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, and today, we begin with battleground wisconsin. republican presidential front-runner mitt romney has

picked up another key endorsement ahead of tomorrow's primary in the badger state. this as rick santorum, under intense pressure from some in his own party to drop out, is vowing, instead, to stay in the race. nbc's brian mooar reports from washington. ♪ >> reporter: heading into tomorrow's big primary in wisconsin, mitt romney has the polls on his side and he has some heavyweight endorsements, too. >> i just want to assure every conservati conservative, i've spoken with mitt. >> freshman tea party senator ron johnson is backing romney, and so is paul ryan. >> you know what i call that? cheesehead domination. >> reporter: from the very top, republicans are closing ranks behind romney. >> i think he's going to be an excellent candidate, and i think the chances are overwhelming that he will be our nominee. >> reporter: the stars seem to be lining up against rick santorum, who needs wisconsin's delegates and a midwestern win. but no matter what, he says he's not dropping out. >> a fraction of the

establishment behind him and all of the endorsements and all of the inevitability and all the phony math, yet, here we are. >> reporter: newt gingrich agrees, the race isn't over until romney reaches the number of delegates needed for the nomination. but if romney wins wisconsin, the road to the nomination is getting shorter. brian mooar, nbc news, washington. well, a series of rallies were held in florida over the weekend with thousands demanding the arrest of george zimmerman, the man who shot and killed unarmed teen trayvon martin. well, this morning there are new questions being raised over potential evidence in the case. nbc's jay gray has details. >> no justice! >> no peace! >> reporter: the calls for justice rang out again sunday. >> i won't stop for my trayvon and for your trayvon. >> reporter: from the pulpits -- >> what do you want? >> justice! >> reporter: -- to the parks and practice fields, thousands gathered. during a weekend of rallies and protests filled with the same

growing refrain, arrest the man who killed trayvon martin. >> nobody has the right to kill anybody. >> reporter: 28-year-old community watch volunteer george zimmerman says he shot and killed the unarmed teenager to save his own life during a fight. screams can be heard in this 911 call from a neighbor during the confrontation. his family and attorney have said it's zimmerman calling out. >> so you think he's yelling "help?" >> yes. >> reporter: forensic audio experts using technology similar to that used by the nsa and cia analyzed the calls for the "orlando sentinel." tom owen was one of the men who ran those tests. >> the tests concluded that it's not the voice of mr. zimmerman. >> reporter: zimmerman's lawyer refused to discuss the results. >> i have no comment. when it comes time to litigate this case, we'll be in a court of law. >> reporter: if there are charges in the case. >> the issue here is did george zimmerman act in self-defense? >> reporter: police, a special prosecutor, the justice department and fbi are all

trying to answer that question with a grand jury scheduled to convene in less than two weeks. jay gray, nbc news. well, now here's a look at some other stories making news early today in america. in philadelphia, a deadly end to a police chase after a driver slammed into another car. the crash killed one man and injured two others, including a 4-year-old little boy. police say the pursuit began after the suspect pulled a gun on officers during a traffic stop. after the crash, the driver took off running but was captured a short time later. in michigan, some scary moments for firefighters when the roof of a burning building started to give way. two of the firefighters grabbed their colleague and held on to him as the roof began sinking. it happened while they were trying to cut holes in the top for ventilation. and, finally, surf's up. for all of you out there in california, high waves, possibly up to 15 feet in some spots, drew plenty of ocean lovers this weekend. and while it's great news for

surfers, it also comes with warnings from lifeguards about possible rip currents as high waves continue into today. but they look like they're having fun for now. and now for a look at your national and regional weather, here's nbc meteorologist bill karins. he has your weather channel forecast. some people on the west coast were actually enjoying their weather. >> it wasn't bad in california. the northwest is still a struggle, and that continues afght into april. ter we just gotte done with record rainfall in the month of march for portland, big storm on the map. gma i colorized the clouds a little bit to give you a better indication of whe the storm is. you can see the big circulation, the spinning of the center, the deep area of low pressure off the coast. the last couple storms pretty much came right onshore, maybe just north of washington state. this one's heading further up the coastline in british columbia, and actually, it's going to kind of parallel the coast today, and that's going to save us today, at least from all the wet weather. the bulk of the heavier rain's heading up through the central portion of the coastline of british columbia. we are going to watch the front dragging onshore later today in the olympic, tonight, tomorrow into seattle and even portland has a chance of some rain as we

go throughout late night tonight into tomorrow morning. but for this morning, this is okay. look at the radar. not much out here. the only radar echoes we have from the storm are off the coastline of vancouver island. for today, the southerly flow will actually be a pretty mild day, considering how cool it's been this spring. temperatures are starting off in the 40s, so light jacket meant for one of the cooler spots with boise. we're okay down in the southwest. it was actually a warm weekend down in the southwest. that has cooled off behind our front. today 75 in phoenix, 71 in vegas. and you'll notice 60s up to portland. so, today actually looks better than tomorrow. that's when the frontal system will bring us a little wet weather. that's a look at y0s this past weekend in the desert southwest. definitely a cooldown. forecast for tomorrow coming up. >> all right, bill. also coming up, how often

airlines are on time, new jobs are sprouting out, and owning a piece of "titanic" history. your early-morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, a first when it comes to the worst. a slew of awards adam sandler would probably prefer not to have won. the underdogs say they can win college basketball's national championship. plus, a couple hockey coaches make the nhl look like "wrestle mania." you're watching "early today." w

good morning and welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry, and here are some of your top headlines this morning. 60 countries, including the u.s., moved closer yesterday to direct intervention in the fighting in syria. secretary of state hillary clinton told the conference in turkey that "the time for excuses is over." clinton says the u.s. is sending communications equipment to rebel forces, and arab nations pledged $100 million to pay

opposition fighters. in russia today, a passenger plane carrying 43 people crashed shortly after takeoff in western siberia. at least 31 people were killed. 12 survivors are hospitalized in serious condition. nobel peace prize winner and former political prisoner aung san suu kyi has been elected to the parliament in myanmar. she spent years under house arrest by order of the military government. at least five people were killed in kansas when a crowded motor home hit a guardrail and went off a bridge, crashing into a ravine south of topeka yesterday. 13 other people in the vehicle were taken to hospitals. and mt. etna in sicily is putting on quite the show, as hot lava and ash erupt from the volcano for the fifth time this year. so far, no damage has been reported, and nearby airports remained open. and now here's an early look at one of your top health headlines on msnbc.com. new research may help explain why black women are 40% more

likely to develop cervical cancer and twice as likely to die from it. the research finds black women have more trouble clearing hpv, the virus that causes the disease. rather than less access to screening and follow-up care, the study found there might be a biological explanation. and for more information on this and other health stories, you can check out the health page at msnbc.com. >> announcer: "early today health" is brought to you by the vagisil screening kit. test for vaginal infections at home. and now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 13,212 after gaining 66 points on friday. the s&p was up 5 points, but the nasdaq was down 3. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei added 26 points, but in hong kong, the hang seng lost 33. wall street starts the second quarter today, hoping to continue strong momentum from the first. the dow posted an 8% gain for the first three months of 2012,

its best showing in 14 years. crude oil prices are up only slightly today, but still at about $103 a barrel in electronic trade. the latest manufacturing data from china is positive with the purchasing managers index jumping to an 11-month high. directv is not carrying programming in local stations of tribune broadcasting in 19 markets across the country after they failed to reach an agreement over the weekend. an annual report on air travel says last year airlines slightly improved their treatment of passengers, getting them to their destination as scheduled 80% of the time. auto sales in the u.s. are expected to show strong numbers when march data is released with about 13 million more cars sold compared to march of last year. the march report on unemployment will be released friday with economists predicting more than 200,000 jobs were added. still, they expect the unemployment rate to remain at 8.3%. and jobs are more plentiful

for graduating college seniors this year, up more than 10% from last year, according to a national survey of colleges and employers. and the menu from the last luncheon on the "titanic" was auctioned in england yesterday. it was saved by an american woman who had put it in her handbag. "titanic" passengers enjoyed such items as chicka a la maryland, more than a dozen other meat or fish selections and three desserts. the menu sold for $122,000. well, coming up, march madness spilled into april as kentucky prepared for kansas. and on the women's side, notre dame will square off with baylor. plus, a potential playoff preview between the flyers and the penguins turned ugly, even involving the coaches. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. >> you like it when the coaches are going at it. we're watching thunderstorms this afternoon. a few of those will be on the strong side in the midwest. your forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." and in sports, the baylor women's basketball team is just one win away from a perfect season and an ncaa title. here's nbc's mario solis with an early look at all your sports headlines. >> good monday to you. it's all about the final four. we'll talk men's title in a bit, but this morning it's ladies

first. women's final four in denver, all the top seeds made it. brittney griner leading baylor against stanford. second half, jordan madden, bucket and the foul. heisman winner robert griffen iii loves that. baylor wins it, 59-47. they're now 39-0. a national championship would make them the first team in history to reach 40 wins. the other semifinal, featuring connecticut and notre dame. final seconds, irish down two. after the miss, natalie novosel with the putback. that ties it to forced overtime. in o.t., the luck of the irish continues. brittany mallory from the land of plenty. notre dame wins, 83-75. irish against baylor tomorrow for the women's national championship. men's title to be decided tonight, kentucky and kansas, two of the most storied programs in college basketball. kentucky, the favorite, but the jayhawks feel up to the task. >> i truly believe in my heart we can beat anybody. you know, we may not be favored as series, you know, for playing four out of seven, but in my

heart, i believe we can beat anybody, and i think these guys feel the same way. >> kentucky and kansas tip off around 9:20 eastern. finally, hockey in pittsburgh, penguins and flyers, potential first-round preview, and it's clear they don't like each other. just over a minute to play, joe vitale levels danny briere, and here we go. everybody into the ring. let's dance. all players except the goalies get into the mix. but the action isn't just on the ice. the coaches climbed aboard, and they're shouting back and forth. both coaches ejected. nearly 70 minutes in penalties handed out in philly's 6-4 win. they'll square off again saturday and likely in the first round. i'm guessing the sparks have just begun to fly. and that's your look at sports on "early today." i'm mario solis. well, who won at the box office? and last night's big country music winners. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, there's always some group demonstrating about something at the nation's capital, but this weekend, things got really hairy. you're watching "early today."

welcome back to "early today." hope you had a wonderful weekend. forecastwise, pretty mild today, and the big storm system moving along the coastline is actually heading northward. so, we're going to keep it dry in most areas today. maybe the olympics will get some showers this afternoon, but temperatures are mild there. we're cooler in the desert southwest, but at least we're going to be sunny and pretty nice. temperatures are in the 70s. we warm up in phoenix tomorrow at 83. that storm system will bring us a cold front towards the shore and inland as we go throughout

tuesday. could be a period of some moderate, maybe a brief period of heavy rain, a lot of the big cities on i-5 come tomorrow morning. well, if you're watching us on king 5 news in seattle, washington, see ceramic sculptures, the showcase of the female figure and explore the human mind at "the realm of the feminine," at the gauge academy of art. that's your "pacific event of the day." >> now here's an early look at your headlines in entertainment. "the hunger games" made it two in a row at the box office this weekend. this time, it finished on top with $61 million. overall, including overseas, it's taken in 365 million bucks. "wrath of the titans" debuted in second with $34 million, but actually beat "the hunger games" overseas, earning another $78 million. the snow white opener "mirror, mirror" opened in line with expectation in third with $19 million. elsewhere, at last night's academy of country music awards, taylor swift won entertainer of the year. yeah, she looks great. other big winners, blake shelton

for top male vocalist. his wife, miranda lambert, took top female vocalist and album of the year. top female vocal group was lady antebellum. elsewhere, "variety" reports ashton kutcher will play steve jobs in an independent movie about the late apple co-founder. i don't see it. >> you don't like it? >> maybe it's just me. i don't know, i just don't see it. and, finally, in a first. adam sandler's "jack and jill" swept hollywood's razzies on sunday, taking every category, including worst picture and both worst actor and actress. of course, he played both a man and his twin sister. so, he got a whammy, or maybe a quadruple, all of them. >> he didn't have to pay the actors. obviously, that was him. in the first weekend, know how much it made? >> how much? >> $25 million. >> i heard it made a lot. he's laughing all way to the bank. like i don't care if it got the worst razzie. >> he's looking for the sequel. more publicity.

now i want to see it. this comes to us from wrc news 4 in washington, d.c., where protesters hope their view will win out by a hair. it's called the million mustache march. those with real and fake facial hair came together to call for a tax break on mustache grooming supplies. the so-called american mustache institute claims mustached americans earn more than those with a clean upper lip. but if you're wondering if they might be shaving the truth here -- get it? keep in mind that their rally was yesterday. of course, that was april fools' day, so everyone's having a good laugh. didn't take it seriously. >> a-plus for creativity. >> absolutely. i mean, they got maybe some people. not us. >> i could grow a mustache. >> i don't know if i want you to. i'm lynn berry. this is "early today," just the first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

a wildlife ranch in south africa gave a big welcome to a little friend. weighing in at just 11 pounds and totally adorable, harry the hippo caused a big stir when he arrived. the pygmy hippo has been on the critically endangered list with fewer than 3,000 still alive in the wild. zookeepers are taking special care, feeding harry every three hours, after which he gets a nice soak in his tub. well, for one couple in japan, taking the plunge into marriage is literal. strapped in atop the peak of the world's steepest roller coaster, one man made it official with his bride-to-be just before they literally took the 121-degree-angle plunge.

the couple was the first to sign up for the high-speed roller coaster wedding thrill, which includes a private coaster ride and a commemorative video. that's one way to do it. and, finally, noisy kids always ruining your flight? >> yes. >> well, one airline in canada has a solution. it's usually bill's kids. >> i know. >> westjet airlines released a commercial yesterday in which children ride in plastic bins on a conveyer belt and are then loaded into the plane's cargo section. that's right. the ad is all part of the airline's introduction of child-free cabins, but don't call child protective services. this is all an april fools' joke. and actually, i was pretty glad that april fools' fell on a sunday so i didn't have to deal with bill karins. >> i don't know what you're talking about. >> i had something in mind that you would have -- >> i would never pick on you or be harmful ever. >> ever. i'm putting that in the books. >> the day after april fools' day. >> you've now gone on record. >> it's time now for stories we'll see now throughout the day on nbc. u.n. peace envoy kofi annan is expected to brief the u.n. security counsel on syria and whether it has made any progress

toward implementing his six-point peace plan to end violence there. the federal government will make public census records from 1940 for the very first time. people's names, addresses, ages, and personal information such as marital status, how much they earned, and what they did for a living were kept under wraps for 72 years as required by a confidentiality law. and on this day in 1792 congress passed the coinage act, which authorized the establishment of the u.s. mint. all day long you can stay on top of the very latest developments in those stories and others as they break on msnbc. and tonight, be sure to watch brian williams with "nbc nightly news." finally, here's a look at what's coming up today on the "today" show. susan powell's parents speak out about the newly released evidence in the case of the missing mom. and a surprise "today" show legend will return with a very special announcement. 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.

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