what many are calling the most important case on this year's docket. >> reporter: if this is any barometer, interest is keen. a line again forming outside the court last thursday for people willing to brave the cold and wet for a seat inside. the justices take up proposition 8, the voter initiative that stopped same-sex marriage in california. two gay couples in the state are challenging the law saying it discriminates against them for no valid reason. >> i don't see how our getting married would impact anybody else's marriage negatively in any way. >> reporter: defenders of prop 8 say it's intended to protect the traditional notion of family. >> the institution of marriage and marriage laws are designed to attach mothers and fathers to each other and to the children that they may create and raise in the best environment. >> reporter: and then wednesday, the court hears a challenge to doma, the defense of marriage act, passed by congress in 1996. it blocks the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages in the states that allow it. much has changed in the 17 years

since president clinton signed it into law. he now says it should be overturned because it's unconstitutional discrimination. no states permitted same-sex marriage when congress passed doma. now nine states do allow it along with washington, d.c. 38 others ban it either by law or constitutional amendment. >> what do we want? >> marriage equality. >> when? >> now. >> reporter: and public opinion polls show that more than half of americans now say they support it. that's why supporters of marriage for gay couples claim the cultural tide is moving in their direction. >> if the supreme court disagrees with these claims, history will not look fondly on it. but the court almost prides itself on moving very slowly, not being out in front of the culture, lagging behind some, and that's probably the dilemma for the justices. >> of course, we'll be watching that right here on nbc. that was nbc's pete williams reporting for us. white house officials now say the united states is training syrian secular sources in neighboring jordan and has been for months. it's seen as a nonlethal way to

forces battling the regime of al assad. the trainees are reportedly not being provided with weapons from any of the countries involved in the training which also include france and the uk. on monday a top rebel leader was wounded in an attack after a bomb went off in his car. cold war-style espionage. bail has been denied for a u.s. defense contractor accused of leaking military secrets to his girlfriend who is a chinese national. prosecutors say 59-year-old benjamin bishop poses a danger to national security, and they want him behind bars until trial. he's said to have handed over classified information on u.s. warplanes, nuclear weapons and missile defenses that breach apparently occurred through e-mail and telephone calls from bishop's home phone to his 27-year-old mistress. she was studying in the united states. he was fired from his position upon his arrest earlier this month. an ethics investigation is looking to allege misuse of campaign funds by minnesota congresswoman michele bachmann.

a lawyer for bachmann is denying she did anything wrong, but a former field coordinator for the republican's 2012 presidential campaign filed a complaint with the federal election commission alleging that political action committee funds were improperly used to pay staffers and others. the office of congressional ethics is conducting a preliminary investigation and could dismiss the case or refer it to the house ethics committee. a new jersey man stepping forward yesterday to claim the $338 million powerball jackpot. talking about 44-year-old bodega owner pedro cassada telling reporters he was tired and nervous after turning in the winning ticket. we can bet that. the dominican-born father of five says he is very happy and intends to help his family with the winnings. his wife says she never expected to win and still can't believe it. 13 other tickets worth $1 million each fell just one number short of that jackpot.

one happy guy. a criminal indictment claims punxsutawney phil falsely predicted this year's early spring. but the famous groundhog's handler decided to take the blame. groundhog club inner circle president bill dealy told reporters while phil called for six more weeks of winter, he was the one who incorrectly translated the groundhog's prediction. the charges came from an ohio prosecutor who now says the animal may be pardoned for his, quote, wrongdoing. ah, says bill karins. >> it's just a misunderstanding. that's all. >> he was looking at the signs, all the wrong way. >> forget the fact that the whole country's covered in snow. >> well, you've promised that this will be the last system, though. >> i did. >> we will not indict you if you're wrong, though. >> you can if i am. no problem. time hard served, every morning. good morning, everyone. let's talk about this forecast. and as i mentioned, we talked about the snow. this is just an amazing map. this is the snow cover of the u.s. most likely in january after a big february storm.

the fact that this is the end of march now that we have 49% of the country snow covered. i mean, it's amazing all the way down to northern oklahoma and missouri and much of the intermountain west you'd expect it. we have a lack of snow in many areas of utah, northern arizona and nevada. the snow pack in the sierra and cascades -- cascades are all right but the sierra lower than we'd like. it's still going to remain cold many areas of the east. we're going to watch a warming pattern in the intermountain west through the next five days. by the time we get to easter sunday, the jet stream doing a big old dip or ridge to the north we'd call it. that's going to bring warm weather to the intermountain west into the northwest. unfortunately the cutoff low could bring cool, showery weather especially coastal areas of california on sunday. today we watch that storm system go through last night. just a lot of clouds with it. maybe a sprinkle in medford. overall we're doing okay. you do not need the umbrella in almost all areas of the west. that's a look at yothern califo

the next couple mornings watch out for that fog. it's one of those weeks like in l.a. where you'll deal with the fog in the morning, sunshine in the afternoon. >> poor l.a. thanks, bill. the crucial age that may determine your kids' future math skills opinion. a link to the colorado corrections officer. check out this spoof on "gilligan's island." guess what? you paid for it, and that's not all. you also paid tens of thousands of dollars on this "star trek" parody. "early today" is brought to you by advil pm."

welcome back. here are some other stories making news this morning. a memorial service monday for the colorado prison chief, just as police make a critical link in their investigation.

shell casings found at the scene of a shootout in texas appear to match those found at the murder scene in colorado. evan spencer ebel was left brain dead after that shootout last week. he is considered a suspect in the case. climate scientists are linking this winter's relentless snowstorms to shrinking amounts of ice in the arctic. new pictures reveal ice levels to be at their sixth lowest since records began more than 30 years ago. university of missouri researchers say kids who fall behind as early as first grade in basic math never recover. making it nearly impossible for them to comprehend more complicated math skills later. in addition the new study finds one in five adults in the u.s. lack the math competence expected of a fifth grader. jim carrey is starring in a new spoof on funny or die. it mocks gun enthusiasts by spoofing the late charlton heston. he plays a country singer named lonesome early.

he says it's a way of expressing his frustration on the lack of gun control. you may not heard of him, but his news reading app was just snapped up by yahoo! for a reported tens of millions of dollars. the british high schooler's invention takes stories and shortens them for smart phones. yahoo! also gave him a job. johnson & johnson is recalling 2 million blood glucose meters. it involves the verio iq. the problem, the meters do not provide a warning when a diabetic's blood sugar level is dangerously high. instead the meters just turn off. boeing saying everything went according to plan during monday's test flight of the 787 dreamliner. the aircraft had been grounded after two battery failures. federal charges have been filed against a french man accused of imperson aisonating

pilot. it was at philadelphia international airport while wearing a shirt with an air france logo. should airline passengers pay what they weigh? the heavier you are, the higher your air fare is the idea. it's being proposed by a business professor from norway who says charging for weight and space is a universally accepted principle. hmm. and check out these cheesy videos courtesy of your internal revenue service. they're supposedly training videos using the "star trek" and "gilligan's island" themes. the irs paid tens of thousands of dollars to produce them and initially defended the videos saying they have taxpayers on training costs. the spoofs were made in the irs's own $4 million a year tv studio. nra robo calls go out to residents near the newtown shooting. reaction to that. plus hero cops to the rescue. and fgcu fans are in a frenzy.

now to some other stories that caught our eye this morning. in north carolina road rage erupted into an all-out brawl. one driver was pummeled after attacking the driver he accused of trying to run him off the road. the beaten man's wife then gave him a gun which he then used to allegedly fire at his attacker's vehicle. the couple has been arrested on weapons and assault charges. next to ohio where dramatic

rescue was caught on tape. police officers pulled the driver from his burning truck after he crashed into a building. there were no serious injuries reported in that. now to connecticut where residents are expressing outrage over automated calls from the nra urging opposition to new gun-control legislation. one local had this to say. >> i was just kind of more shocked, you know, that that type of call would come to newtown. >> robo calls from the gun lobbying organization come three months after a gunman slaughtered 20 children and 6 adults inside sandy hook elementary school. in michigan, a military dad flew from kuwait just to have a special dance with his daughter. the teen's stepfather was also in attendance at the debutante ball, but she saved the last dance for her biological father who was absolutely overcome with emotion. in sports, tiger woods is back as the number one golfer in the world. woods won the arnold palmer invitational in florida by just two strokes as he hit a long putt that seemed headed straight

for the hole and looked like it might go in, but it stopped just short. tiger tapped it in for his eighth victory at the event which ties a 48-year-old pga tour record. the masters is in two weeks when woods will try to win his first major tournament in five years with things going his way this year. >> i'm very pleased that, you know, some of the shots that i struggled with last year are now strengths, and one of the things we need to continue on is getting more refined. >> he also has a new girlfriend this year. >> miami heat winning streak is now at 27 after they made a fourth quarter surge to beat orlando 108-94. the league record of 33 straight is just six wins away. we're counting. >> women's college basketball six seed oklahoma knocked off number three seed ucla. 85-72 to advance to the sweet 16. the sooners will face tennessee on sunday. number one seed connecticut

crushed eight seed vanderbilt. they advance to the sweet 16 for the 20th year in a row. and fans of the cinderella team of florida gulf coast university held a pep rally, they had two upsets to hit the sweet 16. the players showed their own enthusiasm as they get ready to play florida on friday night. lots of people watching that one. eric stangel said siri had not even heard of sgcu, by the way. siri's reply, "i couldn't find any places matching florida gulf coast university." maybe that will change. cheers, fresh prince, mary tyler moore and over 30 other tv classics. which has the best tv theme song of all time? plus, hurricane sandy victims continue fighting back and get a little help from these guys.

welcome back. your forecast for today is looking very nice through many areas. just like yesterday, it's not going to be too cloudy or for the most part rainy out there. clouds moving out in many cases. we will deal with fog in southern california along the coastal areas. we'll burn that off this afternoon. temperatures probably a little below seasonal levels in the california area. but a little above normal. and by the time we get to wednesday more of the same with a chance of a few showers in the northwest. doesn't look like a lot of wet weather. >> warm with spritzles, shall we say. time to vote for your

favorite tv theme songs of all time. we were arguing about this earlier. yahoo! -- of course you're right -- is getting in on the bracket madness with a theme song showdown letting users vote for the best tv tunes of all time. the voting is done in increments along only the best to move through each round so you can start getting voting right now. >> where's "the addams family"? jackson's vma is going on the auction block. it's estimated to fetch over $10 on,000. for the first time since 2009, the annual show will be held in new york city. brooklyn's barclays center will host the event. that airs live on august 25th. celebs are using their power for good by teaming up with the wwe to raise funds for victims of hurricane sandy. sean combs is hosting an online auction that includes items like meet and greet with sting. lunch with charlie sheen. and a role on "anger management." and a one of a kind guitar used by coldplay's chris martin.

good titles. and finally, nbc's "go on" is giving "friends" fans a little reunion tonight. take a look. >> actually, we both cry. i start crying. then he cries. >> i don't cry that much. >> yeah, you do. it's nonstop. >> i hardly ever cry. >> i like a sensitive guy. >> i cry all the time. i'm almost always crying. that's me, a sensitive crier who drives a porsche. >> i'm richard lui. you're watching "early today," just your first stop of the day on your nbc station.

leading the news on "politico," cultural wars return with a twist.

and that twist being that the left picks the fights and mostly enjoys being on the right side of public opinion. and in "usa today," forest service braces for bad wildfire season amid cuts with drought and tree-killing insects make many americans very nervous as wildfire season approaches. and the tsunami-ravaged area of northern japan smiles maybe few and far between, but volunteers gather to break a world record. see what they're doing there? 1,040 people walked arm in arm and leg to leg as one in the world's biggest three-legged race. participatants were overjoyed at a chance to have fun while calling attention to rebuilding efforts. that's a lot of people with legs tied together. a rescue effort is under way in northern ireland. fierce winter storms covered the area in a layer of deep snow and farmers rushed to free sheep buried beneath. as you can see, the rescued sheep were a little worse for wear. but with some tender love and care and warm weather, they'll soon be back on greener

pastures. resilient and warm. good thing they have got that big, furry coat. in tulsa, someone had a rough night. 28-year-old april brady took a memorable mug shot at the tulsa county jail this weekend. arrested for public intoxication. yeah, we could have guessed that. and battery as well on a police officer. it looks like she wore herself out. she fell asleep on the way to the station here, bill, unable to rouse the suspect. police, what they had to do, they had to prop up her face to snap the picture. >> the whole story's a little disturbing. the fish-faced mug shot is funny, but, you know. >> we've seen a lot here. i have not seen that before. time now for an early look at the day ahead and the day in history. president obama welcomes the 2012 nhl stanley cup champions the los angeles kings and major league soccer champions the l.a. galaxy to the white house for a ceremony. and on this day in 1979, the signing of an historic peace treaty. jimmy carter witnessed the agreement between the prime minister and egyptian president

anwar sadat. and happy birthday to nancy pelo pelosi, 73 today. coming up on "today," connecticut's rare newborn giraffe who is capturing hearts around the world. and "the voice" coach blake shelton becomes a "today's professional" and he'll also perform live there. keep it on this channel for weather, sports and more. i'm richard lui with bill karins. thanks for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day here on your nbc station. we'll see you again here tomorrow.

. . . freezing temperatures and snow waiting for a seat inside as america's highest court gets set to take up proposition 8. we give you live look at the south bay. we are checking that forecast. it smells like rain outside if i do say so myself on this tuesday, march 26th. this is "today in the bay." good morning. it is 4:31. i'm marla tallez in for jon kelley. >> i'm laura garcia cannon

police in san jose are investigating a deadly crash near oak hill memorial park. the crash happened at monterrey road near tully. bob redell is live at the scene gathering information. what is the latest? >> reporter: good morning to you, marla. you can see behind me the crash was so severe that the front part of what we believe was a ford focus or ford fusion was flattened. the driver that died here on the scene is still stuck inside. san jose police believe he was speeding on southbound monterrey highway when he lost control around 2:00 this morning. his car clipped two trees and sheered off a light pole before coming to rest in those bushes in front of a fast food restaurant. san jose police officer who happened to be on a traffic stop nearby heard the crash, responded. paramedics declared the driver dead a short time later.