. >> good morning. coming up on "early today," details over a possible ukrainian cease-fire just announced by russia's vladimir putin. bob simon tragically killed in a new york city car cras the president's aggressive plan to step up military in the fight against isis terrorists. lotly well over half a billion dollars and three big winners. plus new detail surrounding the murder of three north carolina students. civilians take down the driver involved in a high-speed police chase and a fire at the malibu home of a major hollywood actor. it is thursday february 12th, "early today" starts right now.

good morning, good to be with you. breaking news unfolding as we speak. russian president vladimir putin announced a cease-fire in the ukrainian conflict. it will begin saturday at might need. ukrainian president poroshenko said both sides will start moving out weapons in the next two weeks. angle, a merkel and francois hollande were part of the talks. the agreement includes release of hostages. it comes one day after intense fighting with pro-russian separatists claimed the lives of 19 ukrainian soldiers. also breaking legendary "60 minutes" correspondent bob simon died. he was killed in an accident on wednesday. he was a passenger in a car sitting in the back seat. police say the driver lost control, slammed into another car and the median of the highway. by the time police arrived the

73-year-old was unconscious and unresponsive. he later died at a hospital. his career spanned 47 years and won him 27 emmys and four peabody awards. he started as reporter and assignment editor in 1967. it was his war reporting that put him on the map. his book "forty days" chronicled the time he and his crew spent in an iraqi prison in 1991. in 1996 simon joined "60 minutes." his most recent piece a feature on the oscar nominated film "selma" aired this weekend. "selma" and hollywood are apart, one a dream factory, the other a small southern town where 50 years ago history was written in blood. his cbs news colleagues are remembering his life and work. anchor scott pelley said one of the great writers of a generation has passed. bob simon was a journal is of extraordinary courage.

cnn's anderson cooper who is also a correspondent for "60 minutes" tweeted, "bob simon was the best writer in my opinion, working in broadcast news. i have admired him from the time i was a kid watching. bob simon is survived by his wife and daughter tanya, who is a producer at "60 minutes." this morning washington lawmakers will weigh president obama's request for use of force against isis. at the same time they will vote on ashton carter to be the next secretary of defense. carter would be expected to carry out the president's plan against the terror group. tracie potts is live in washington. tracie members of both sides of the aisle seem to have concerns about the president's request. >> reporter: they do. less than 24 after the request hit capitol hill there is a robust debate about what this authorization would do and what it would not. >> this afternoon congress and ashton carter as defense

secretary, take over a war president obama wants to expand up to three years in iraq syria and perhaps beyond. >> the president should have all the tools necessary to win the fight that we're in. >> there is no appetite for any boots on the ground except in limited circumstances. >> that is the key issue. will congress authorize what the president calls limited enduring offensive combat? >> very broad, very ambiguous. none of us really knows what enduring offensive operation means. >> president obama explains. >> i will only send troops into harm's way when it's absolutely necessary for national security. >> i'm not going to vote for anything without interpretation. >> military leaders insist this war cannot be won by air alone. >> we know we need competent partners on the ground but they don't necessarily need to be u.s. boots on the ground.

>> reporter: democrats want more detail. >> so you don't have an open ended check. we don't end up in another iraq and afghanistan. >> reporter: republicans want more leeway. >> we may not advocate that for now but why take the option off the table. >> reporter: a vote may not happen until march. until then they say the president needs to explain why we need to send the troops in. >> a lot of clarification seems to be needed. thank you. white house helping family of deceased american hodge kayla mueller set the record straight on what she experienced during her time in isis security. quote, reports that have been published by certain news outlets regarding kayla's time in isil captivity are speculative and unproven at this time. for a firsthand account of kale ark's time in captivity, we encourage people to read the letter written by kayla in captivity which was released by

kayla's parents earlier this week. chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell spoke with nbc's rachel maddow on the motivation behind the white house statement. >> they have been on other networks. we have not published these reports that kayla during her captivity was under the protection of an isis commander, implications. normally they would not deny these things because it would involve intelligence. what they are saying this is too important. the family has suffered enough. the reports simply aren't true. >> meanwhile white house officials are trying to determine how the 26-year-old aid worker died. a triple murder possibly over a parking spot. a candlelight vigil held at the university of carolina chapel hill for three muslims all shot by a neighbor on tuesday. 46-year-old craig stephen hicks charged with three counts of first degree murder. the question what was the motive. police say the shooting was likely the tragic end over a feud over a parking space.

the suspect's wife backs that up. the family says it's because of religion the father. >> spoke about they were uncomfortable with. still trending on twitter this morning, hashtag muslim lives matter. a 911 call reporting a carjacking police chased this dodge challenger on the highway and through residential streets but ended this way in a bang. the driver tried to split two cars at a red light but slammed between them. a man, a mother and her child were inside. after asking her son if he was okay, the woman got out and went after the suspect. that led to a fight and a takedown. that's when police arrived. the mother later explained an added level of emotion. >> i just lost my four-year-old child on the second day of school. to think of something happening

to another one of my kids i just can't imagine. >> this from dallas police major max geron, thankful citizens who held the chase suspect weren't injured by him. would never advise you to do that. adrenaline and anger. three winning tickets in that gigantic powerball jackpot. the tickets, they were sold in north carolina, puerto rico and tech. in texas the ticket was sold at the apple tree food martin princeton. these are your winning numbers. 11 13 25 39 54 with a powerball of 19. now, the lucky winners will split $564 million. that is the fifth largest lottery prize in u.s. history. there are also 33 tickets that matched all the numbers except the powerball. there's still hope for some of us. those tickets are each worth $1 million. not bad at all, right? >> a consolation prize. >> i don't know about consolation prize when it comes to the weather for some of us but here is meteorologist bill karins. how are we looking?

>> split. we're very much split, eastern half is cold and west is warm. right now huge arctic air mass out of canada. this is air up in alaska near fairbanks two days ago. now down near minneapolis, negative 18 right now windchill. no such thing as windchill in the west. yesterday was a beautiful, absolutely summer gorgeous day. l.a. one of the warmest spots in the entire nation at 85 degrees yesterday. it was mid-50s all the way up the west coast. no problems there. as i mentioned warm period over the next couple of days. cooled off a little towards the weekend. this is like getting a tan weather, 86 degrees. we still have a little rain to deal with in washington state. there's not a lot. storm going a little further to the north. that's the one wet spot on the map. as we go to the next five days not much advertised for the west. weather pattern set, cold in the east and warm air and dry conditions through much of the west today. so enjoy it while you have it i guess. that's your national weather. now here is a closer look at your forecast.

so as i mentioned, definitely umbrella weather from astoria, bellingham, seattle. further south to medford southwards you're dry. also watch out so cal with 80s, can't beat that. all right, bill. thank you very much. now a way to control your facebook for eternity plus the "american sniper" murder trial got under way with some emotional details from chris kyle's widow taya. we'll be right back. almay celebrates the true spirit of american beauty. which rises from the heart of our great country... dreams are born. hopes fly high... we love this country with a passion. you can see the pride in our eyes. read the joy on our faces. hear the love on our lips. we create products

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welcome back. stories making news this morning. an emotional first day in the trial of a former marine accused of killing navy s.e.a.l. chris kyle and his friend chad littlefield.

kyle's widow was the first witnessed called to the stand. during her tearful testimony she recounted her final phone conversation with her husband. earlier during opening statements defense attorney for eddie routh spoke about a text sent by his friend chad littlefield as the three men drove to the shooting range. >> chris kyle in the driver's seat on his telephone and he texts chad littlefield sitting right next to him. he texts him, this dude is straight up nuts. >> he says ralph suffered from mental illness including psychosis and ptsd but the prosecutor said there were other factors in the incident. >> not only did he know when his conduct was wrong he thought he had to take their lives because he was in danger. >> he admits that he murdered

these two men, that he used drugs and alcohol that morning, and that he knew what he was doing was wrong. >> ralph has pleaded not guilty. the west coast labor dispute that caused shortages of mcdonald's fries overseas is getting worse. 29 seaports will be shut down for four days while contract negotiations continue. a new facebook policy let's you designate a family member to handle your account when you die. they will be able to do the very things you do now like accept new friend requests and update your cover picture. notice anything odd in this picture? police became suspicious when they saw snow had only melted on this part of a row of houses so they raided it and found a substantial pot growing operation. they figured out the lamps used to cultivate the plants melted the snow. let's get down to business with cnbc's landon dowdy. good morning, landon. >> reporter: frances, good morning to you. a new study found women don't like to talk about money.

they hold back discussing finances with friends or family because they consider it too personal or makes them uncomfortable. three-quarters saving for the future, 60% say they worry they won't have enough for retirement. kisses won't come cheap for valentine's day especially chocolate ones. cocoa prices have soared due to rising demand for chocolate in asia. chocolate producers such as hershey and russell stover to shrink packages. netflix accidentally released new episodes from the show's third seen two weeks early. it was taken down shortly after it was posted. netflix blames it on a technical glitch. back to you. >> thank you very much. just ahead, seriously, a push to ban yoga pants? tiger's comeback plan. how the one-time great lanceing to back on track. sults, but first, we have a very special guest. come on out, flo! p to back on track. la to back on track. n to back on track. s to back on track. to back on track. t to back on track. o to back on track. to back on track. to back on track.

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♪ oh, all i can say ♪ >> this morning on "today," six-time grammy winner ricky martin performed from his new album. live in studio. now we take you to sports this morning. they used players living outside the district to defeat the championship. now a reaction to the team being stripped of their title. first from one of the player's dad's then a player from nevada's team. >> thirteen individuals who went out there and worked hard to win

that title and for it to be stripped away from them is devastating. >> i wanted since the beginning of the year and i'm just so happy -- i was so happy when we got the title but i was also excited for jackie robinson and the league. i made a lot of friends on that team so i was kind of heart broken for them. >> word the team from nevada will get a visit from the white house. tiger woods and his unacceptable golf game after shooting an 82 in phoenix an then pulling out of torrey pines with back issues. the world's former number one plans to continue physical therapy, practicing and is hoping to return in a few weeks for the honda classic. new orleans star anthony davis pulled out of all-star game. he was injured when he took this nasty fall against the boards. watch that really looks like it hurts. college hoops virginia survives a close one against wolfpack of nc state 51-47, the first game

without injured starter justin anderson. the world of college hoops say good-bye to one-of-a-kind. hall of fame coach jerry tarkanian tarkanian, admired by players and coaches died after being admitted with difficulty breathing and an infection. he took rebels to final four four times and winning it all in 1990. he was 84. just ahead how a florida couple woke up inside a garbage truck. plus a fire in malibu leaves one former james bond actor out in the cold. you're watching "early today."

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time now for some entertainment news. breaking overnight here a fire at pierce brosnan's malibu home. fifth firefighters contained the blaze in the garage. it's still not known what caused it. thankfully no one was injured. new developments in suge knight's hit-and-run. he his lawyer said he has video showing the gunman before he was hit in the parking lot. he was charged with the felony in the 2014 incident where he threatened to kill a photographer. she strips down for animal rights. a 90-foot billboard in times square. >> i don't know about this one.

>> promoting of all things sustainable fishing practices. more celebs for 40th anniversary special. we're talking about bradley cooper edward norton they have all been added to the lineup. the special airs live this sunday. >> at this point who is going to be snubbed? it's so many. >> they have to keep adding. hugh grant and charles barkley joined jimmy fallon for a round of golf around "the tonight show" studios. >> here we go. go, charles, go. >> where is your ball? what are you doing with my ball? >> you've seen it all on "the tonight show." i'm frances rivera, this is "early today." we hope this is only your first stop of the day on nbc. americans... 57% of us try to exercise regularly. 83% try to eat healthy. yet up to 90% of us fall short

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"the new york times," former korean air executive gets one-year sentence in nut rage episode. remember that story, the daughter of korean air chairman forced the flight to return to the gate in december. the rope she wanted the chief flight attendant removed for serving macadamia nuts in a package instead of a plate. heavy rains destroyed in bolivia, dozens of homes so far collapsed. on msnbc.com gop lawmaker wants to ban yoga pants, all nipple exposure. montana state representative david moore's bill is part of the effort to strengthen the state's indecent exposure law. the bill admonishes william. some other stories we're

following here. captain of "costa concordia," the cruise ship that wrecked off italy sentenced to 16 people in prison. 32 people died in that disaster. according to associated press some survivors and victims felt the punishment was shorter than the captain deserved. late yesterday afternoon u.s. house of representatives passed a bill approving keystone pipeline. only one republican voted against it. 29 democrats voted in favor of it. president obama is promising to veto the measure. two people in florida got quite a wakeup call when they woke up inside a garbage truck. what happened here? the man and woman fell asleep in the dumpster. >> how do you get in the dumpster? >> next morning the drive dumped the container. just before compacting the trash, he saw on the camera the couple jumping around in the truck. he said the man and woman were both drunk. >> how do you get in a dumpster drunk. >> what do you do when you're

drunk sometimes. >> not that. one lawmaker is getting attention for what he did on camera. c-span caught congressman andy harris, watch right here sit down behind a colleague, see what he's doing, winking at the camera. >> secret code. >> he winks one more time gets up and walks off. what's that about? the hill reached on the to a spokesperson for harris. said, quote, his mother watches him on c-span and gets a kick out of it. have you ever done that bill this morning on the news scratch your nose. >> you know what never. >> me neither. not a big deal. >> take requests. in the middle of reading start winking at people. >> now a look ahead. kanye west headlines a concert in new york city. 10,000 people expected to show up for the show part of the nba all-star weekend. i'm frances rivera thanks so much for watching "early today" on this thursday. hope to see you again next time. >> now wink.

a very good thursday morning, friday even it's 4:30. i'm sam brock. >> i'm laura garcia-cannon. good friday eve and happy thursday to you. >> sam, laura, everybody at home good looking day shaping up temperatures mostly in the 40s and the 50s right now. want to pull out this live picture of san jose. pretty clear, but we have some patchy fog developing. we'll track that for you. plus that warming tren really kicks in throughout the day today. more on that in just moments. first want to say good morning to mike inouye and they cancheck the drive. always something going on. >> almost 4:31 loom how man