good morning on this fat tuesday. coming up on "early today," secretary of state john kerry is on his way to ukraine as the u.s. ratchets up the pressure on russian leader vladimir putin over his military occupation in crimea. >> i think the strong condemnation that is received from countries around the world indicates the degree to which russia is on the wrong side of history on this. >> as midterm primary election season kicks off, new poll numbers mean bad news for both parties. say it isn't so. the pope drops an f bomb at mass. rescuers begin picking up classic corvettes in a sinkhole. and a massive snowman that puts all others to shame. it is tuesday, march 4th. "early today" starts right now.

good morning to you. i'm frances rivera. we start this tuesday with rising tensions around the world. just a short time ago, russian president vladimir putin told reporters in moscow he supports viktor yanukovych and he reserves the right to use force in eastern ukraine as a last resort. right now, some 16,000 russian troops are holding firm in the region of ukraine known as crimea. ian williams is live for us in what looks like a very foggy kiev. what else did the president say? >> reporter: yeah, good morning, frances, from a very foggy and drizzly kiev into which john kerry will be flying about half an hour from now. and that's when we'll get first reaction to what was an incredibly combative press conference from vladimir putin, in which he said the government here was illegitimate, had come to power through a coup d'etat,

dominated by fascists. he also said that while russia had the right to use force, it didn't have any immediate intention to do so. he also said that his government was reaching out to the government here in kiev. now, when kerry arrives, he's expected to go straight, but to meetings with the prime minister and other senior government officials. his primary purpose here will be to show support for kiev's interim government. there are already protesters gathering at parliament here, urging a top line from their parliament, but also from john kerry. they want to hear what he intends to do to back up the rhetoric, what sanctions there may be, but also what he intends to put on the table in terms of practical support for ukraine, because, of course, the economy here is on the brink of collapse. and in dire need of at least some temporary bailout, frances. >> all right, ian, anxious to hear what secretary kerry has to

say later on when he touches down. thank you so much. later today in washington, president obama will unveil his 2015 budget proposal. it is a $1 trillion plan expected to call for an end to an era of austerity. the president will ask for billions of dollars in fresh spending for job training, early childhood education and other programs aimed at jolting the middle class. mr. obama wants to expand the earned income tax credit, one of the most popular credits for the working poor. but the proposal will have a short shelf life. republicans who control the house are also voicing their disagreements with many ideas. house speaker john boehner says these early details prove the president was never serious in addressing the nation's long-term debt. political news outside washington today, today is primary day in several states which officially kicks off the 2014 midterm season. perhaps the most high profile race of the day is in texas. state senator wendy davis is expected to grab the democratic nomination for governor. analysts will be looking at results to see there is any way democrats can win come november

in a deeply red state. this morning, there are bad numbers for both parties. nearly seven in ten americans say republicans are out of touch with their needs. this from a new washington post abc news poll that puts the gop well below mark for the democrats. on the issue, democrats hold a slight edge when it comes to helping the middle class and health care policy. voters are split evenly on who is best for the economy. but all of that isn't translating into an advantage for the democrats, especially in the closely divided senate. half the voters in state where senate elections say they prefer a republican candidate. and 42% say they vote for a democrat. we now take you to south africa where it is day two of the trial of blade runner olympian oscar pistorius accused of murdering his model girlfriend reeva steenkamp. nbc's chapman bell is in pretoria, south africa, covering the trial. what is the latest you can bring us? >> reporter: good morning, frances. oscar pistorius arrives in court today under an umbrella, rushing

through the rain and clouds of awaiting journalists to get a glimpse of him as he entered court for the second day of his trial in pretoria. the second day and we're on the second witness. this morning we heard from yesterday's witness who had said she heard a blood curdling scream and then gunshots on the night that reeva steenkamp was killed. the second witness today, she also went as far as to say she heard a scream on that evening, followed by gunshots, but went even further saying for an hour before that, she did hear an argument, she heard a woman arguing. now we're taking a break now in court, but testimony will continue all today where oscar's defense team will continue to try to pick apart these prosecution witness that this was in fact not an argument that led to a murder, but a pure accident, an intruder he thought was in his house. back to you. >> chapman, thank you. coming up later on the "today" show, hear from the mother of reeva steenkamp. turning to the weather and

what seems to be a never-ending story of record low temperatures crippling snowfall and flight cancellations. four to six inches of snow fell in the mid-atlantic on monday. it forced the shutdown of the federal government in washington as well as school and businesses in neighboring counties. cold will continue to grip the region with overnight temperatures expected in single digits. winter woes have also slammed air travel, thousands of passengers were stranded as airports canceled 2700 flights nationwide. and with monday's flight disruptions, it brought the number of canceled flights to 87,000 since december 1st. that is a record. but the snowfall did allow some people to have some fun. people clashed in the national mall in a national snowball fight. looks like frosty the snowman on steroid, all juiced up. a minnesota farmer used a massive snowfall in the midwest to build a 50 foot snowman. so the kids there, especially they love that movie "frozen," do you want to build a massive

50 foot snowman? >> i know the song. it is big compared to the cars. >> and the tree limbs they used for the arms too. >> quite the crane to get the hat on. well, as far as the snow in d.c., five to six inches, for d.c., a pretty big deal. not going to melt anytime soon there. in the west, some rain yesterday and into this morning. in the pacific northwest, decent amount of rain, seattle, 1.2 on tuesday, olympia, portland, half an inch, less in yakima, not a lot of snow, snow levels are still pretty high. we did get a little rain in san francisco, tenth of an inch in sacramento. that helped. a little higher totals there in northern california. as far as rain goes, it is just about shut off now, only a few showers left there heading up 80 to tahoe. still a little bit of rain left up in the pacific northwest. you see the radar kind of clearing itself out as little energy, the storm system with it is moving through northern nevada and going to head up

through areas around salt lake city during the day today. as far as the northwest goes, looks like portland, you're dry. still another slug of moisture coming into the seattle area. olympia, northwards, puget sound, a little bit of rain. some rain shadow they call it from the olympics will keep you dry, down right around the water level. as far as the forecast goes today, there will somebody damp weather, showers in the northwest, but not the heavy rain like yesterday. little cooler in san francisco. not bad. 61. that's your national forecast. so after the big rainstorm in l.a., we went through friday and now it looks kind of quiet. >> quiet can be good. >> little bit of time to dry out. we need a little more though. >> bill karins, thank you very

much. still to come, closic cars getting a new lease on life. holy slip. the pope delivers a blessing with a curse. we'll explain in two minutes. [ male announcer ] frequent heartburn? the choice is yours. chalky... not chalky. temporary... 24 hour. lots of tablets... one pill. you decide. prevent acid with prevacid 24hr.

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switch to walgreens today where you could save with copays as low as zero dollars on select medicare part d plans. at the corner of happy and healthy. welcome back. some stories making news this morning, pope francis wishes he could get this one back. the pope mistakenly dropped an f bomb in italian. he quickly realized it and corrected himself, so now we're wondering how many hail marys he'll have to say for that one. the trial of osama bin laden's son-in-law began in new york city on monday. sulaiman abu ghaith is the highest ranking al qaeda member to face trial in the united states since the 9/11 attacks. he has been charged with conspireing to kill americans. first lady michelle obama is heading to china later this month on an official white house trip. mrs. obama, who will be joined by her two daughters, plans to visit various universities and high schools in the region.

remember those corvettes that fell victim to a sinkhole at the national corvette museum last month? they're finally being lifted out. at least three of them are. the other five corvettes, they're not able to be recovered leaving them to rust in peace. on to health news this morning, a new government report finds more expectant mothers are giving hospitaling the heave-ho in favor of a more natural birthing experience at home or in a birthing center. births outside the hospital rose from 1.26% in 2011 to 1.36% in 2012. and two thirds of those births are happening at home according to researchers. "early today" health is brought to you by vagisil, the experts in intimate health. time to get down to business with cnbc's courtney reagan. good morning. >> good morning, frances. stocks suffered their worst day in a month on monday. the crisis in ukraine overshadowing positive economic

data on manufacturing and personal income spending. oil prices are down today on news russian president vladimir putin's ordered troops taking part in military exercises near ukraine back to their bases. well, disney and dish network signed a deal to let dish offer content from channels on set top boxes and mobile devices. dish will disable an ad skipping feature on the dvr for three days after abc primetime shows air. a new report finds u.s. national parks eases dollars to the economy. in 2012 they generated nearly $15 billion in spending and gateway communities or those within 60 miles of a park. frances, back to you. >> courtney, thank you very much. just ahead, lebron james scored big last night with 61 points, a career high. and the brooklyn nets look to extend jason collins' contract. plus, take a look. who wore that better? it is a swimsuit standoff next. [ male announcer ] pain. once you feel it coming,

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this morning on "today," jane fonda is live in studio. the award winning actress and activist is out with a new book called being a teen. what she said every teenager should know about sex, love and health. that's this morning on "today." now, let's get to the latest in sports this morning in the nba. miami's lebron james wore a clear new mask to protect his broken nose and maybe it was his lucky charm. he had a huge night.

he made shot after shot with 24 points in the first half and 25 in the third quarter alone. franchise record. he finished with 61 points at the career high as the heat beat charlotte 124-107. afterwards, lebron says he was just really in the zone. >> i had it going. when you get into a zone, you know, i went up there for 33. and i just try to keep the same routine, but like i said, once you get into a zone, you feel like you're shooting a golf ball into the ocean. >> the zone. and brooklyn nets center jason collins, the first openly gay player, is reportedly getting a ten-day contract extension. teammates darren williams had 20 points last night as the nets beat chicago 96-80. in baseball, video replay was used for first time on a spring training play at first base. minnesota runner was called safe. toronto manager john gibbons challenged the call, but the video showed the umpire made the

right decision. the texas rangers training camp in arizona, russell wilson was fielding grounders like any other prospect. he played baseball in college, but this was a one-day event. he plans to stick with football and the seattle seahawks. and check out this party at -- for the detroit tigers over the weekend. that's supermodel kate upton on the right to clarify. she seemed to be giving catcher brian holiday lessons for wom s women's swimsuits. no zero gravity chamber for kate. in wisconsin, yukon high school pulled off a meiracle wih that buzzer beater. the championship, the fans rushed to celebrate there. big man on campus, you know he's a popular guy around. coming up by now, you've probably seen ellen's famous selfie at the oscars. we'll show you who was trying to get in on the action. you're watching "early today." good job!

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has an exclusive 5 in 1 formula. it's clinically proven to hydrate dryness, illuminate dullness, lift sagging, diminish the look of dark spots, and smooth the appearance of wrinkles. together these 5 elements create ageless looking skin. roc® multi correxion 5 in 1. it's high performance skincare™ only from roc®. well, welcome back. after yesterday's rains and last night's rains around san francisco, should have a dry day today. 61 degrees in there. sacramento, same for you. up by 5. still showers kicking in, slow coming in off the water. then as we look towards the forecast into wednesday, again, still some showers around, not a really big organized heavy rainfall event. and that last couple of okdays have been looking ahead into the future to see if any big weather systems are on their way. and it does look like in the next five days we will see some

significant rains up in the es mountains could see some higher than that. it doesn't look like we'll get much in the rainfall south of san francisco over the next week at least. maybe there is some hope towards the middle of the month. nothing in the foreseeable future. so the rainy season ends at the end of this month, once we get to april, usually we start our dry season. hoping for maybe one or two more soakings if we get lucky. >> if we get lucky, bill, thank you very much. after collecting several hundred dollars from slebz at the oscars, ellen made sure her pizza delivery guy got his big tip. >> so you left before i gave you -- i wanted to give you a tip. i passed pharrell's hat around and i ended up getting about $600, something like that. there is more. here is a thousand dollars, you have a total of a thousand dollars. >> thousand dollars and more than 15 minutes. remember the selfie seen around the world? there is a new angle that surfaced on twitter showing liza

minnelli wanted in on the epic photo. >> a little too short. >> a little too short, yeah. >> we may end up seeing more of ellen's oscar high jinks next year. it was most watched entertainment telecast in ten years with 43 million people tuning in. and enews revealing on monday that scarlett johansson is pregnant. she's expecting her firstfiance. here is her problem. she's about to begin shooting avengers 2, so all of her scenes are being moved up. the charity auction for pharrell's big brown hat that ellen was passing around for the grammys is over and guess who won? arby's. they revealed in a tweet they paid over $44,000 for the famous cap. >> smart pr move. jimmy fallon discovered john travolta wasn't the only one to flub a name at the oscars on sunday.

>> lee nard yonardo dicaprio sa jennifer lawrence flubbed his name when he was presented the best actor award and pronounced it matthew mcconaughey. >> i have to admit yesterday, i dvr replayed that six or seven times and still belly laughed every single time i watched it. >> you can see it coming, you can see the fear in his eyes. >> i know. tough tv. all right, bill, thank you very much. i'm francis rivera. this is "early today." we hope it is your first stop of the day on nbc. with kids you expect stuff like grass stains... but nobody warned me about this. [ whispers ] that boys start to smell. mom! what? you're becoming a man.

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welcome back. today is mardi gras and thousands are in new orleans for the giant celebrations highlighted by parades and music, floats and costumes. last day of the carnival season means colorful beads and a whole lot of excitement. nbc's jay gray is live in the big easy. we're just going to skip over that whole thing, the whole story of how you get the beads down there, right? >> reporter: yeah. let's just pretend that it is just reporter involvement. frances, take a look down bourbon street. what is happening right now is a couple hundred people still out from last night. but you would expect that here. mainly they're preparing for today, the crews are out. i'm sure you can hear them. the bulldozers, the power washers, trying to clean up so they can make a big mess again

as they end the carnival season. ♪ the sounds of the season. echo from the french quarter. marching bands, madness of parades, and the unique sounds and sights along bourbon street. >> happy mardi gras. >> reporter: and that's the middle of it all is the crew of rex. this is a sneak peek inside rex's den, 27 floats, 20 that are totally redesigned every year, new colors, and designs that many say define mardi gras. >> rex is the oldest parade organization and carnival in new orleans. it is really the public face of carnival. >> reporter: a face that is constantly changing. >> happy mardi gras, baby! this is how we roll! >> reporter: that face of the party can be found behind glasses and beads, costumes, masks, even a little paint. the most popular design --

>> mardi gras colors and a lot of glitter. >> reporter: which is kind of what fat tuesday on the eve of lent is all about. >> the whole idea is there is a time of excess and you give it up the next day. that's not going to work in omaha. >> reporter: but in new orleans, the annual celebration seems to work just fine. you know, rex will roll in a few hours here, kind of wrapping up the parade fortune. and then thousands will end mardi gras, packing bourbon street once again tonight. and frances, you talked about the beads. i want to make sure you're not left out. so i toss it back to you now. >> how thoughtful, jay. thank you so much. grabbing those right here. we appreciate it. have a good time. all right, we want to leave you now with this live picture from kiev where secretary of state john kerry has just arrived to show support for ukraine's new leadership. a pivotal day. we'll keep you updated

throughout the day on msnbc and nbc.

good tuesday morning to you. it's 4:30. i'm scott mcgrew. >> i'm peggy bunker in for laura garcia-cannon. we start by taking you outside bright and early as we get a live look across the bay area at san francisco, palo alto, also san jose. you can see there are clouds and a few wet roads as the rain did move through the bay area overnight. time to check in with meteorologist christina loren to see what we can expect as we head out the door on this tuesday. >> good morning, peggy, scott, everybody at home. the showers right now are clearing out of the area. throughout day you want to bring that umbrella. we're fair game for hit or miss spotty cells to move on shore. then we get another round of rain as