the >> you can see the entire conversation on our blog. that is all for today. we're going to be back next week, "if it's sunday." that's meet the press. >> on the defensive, presidentful hopeful rick santorum back pedals the president. killer snow in washington state. and, solar twister. nasa releases stunning video of tornadoes on the surface of the sun. those stories and much more straight ahead, this is "first look" on msnbc.

and we begin this morning with politics and theology. president obama's campaign is criticizing republican contender rick santorum. santorum says he wasn't talking about the president's christianity. nbc's trace si potts joins us from washington with details. >> veronica, good morning. critics say his comments this weekend went over the line. last night, rick santorum seem today compare president obama to hitler. >> maybe he's not best guy. after a while, you found out some things about this guy over in europe. >> this after another controversial comment saturday. >> it's not about you. it's not about your quality of life. it's not about your jobs.

it's about some phony ideal. some phony theology. >> he's actually questioning the president's fai. that is a new low in american politics. >> reporter: santorum says he wasn't talking about the president's faith. >> he says he's a christian, but i am talking about his world view. >> republicans came to santorum's rescue, criticizing president obama for requiring cherjs to play for employee's birth control. >> he is a political floes fi that means he can mandate certain activities of the american people. >> reporter: mitt romney. >> if any of the three offous lose our home state, santorum loses pennsylvania, romney loses georgia. you have a very, very bad week in presidency. >> reporter: he says he was

attacking the president's faith. >> trac, yerey pots. thank you. >> sus suspicions that the country is skretly launching an ie atomic bomb. >> iran remains defiant in the face of international pressure. the oil industry announced it was cutting off oil supplies to britain and france after the european union imposed saxs. there are a few signs that iran intends to back down from its nuclear path. weste western diplomats and at an underground city but lacks some of the key e kwinment.

they entered the med titerranea by the suz canal. this is only the second time this happened since 19d 79. at the same time, the foreign minister resumed quickly talks with world powers after those talks collapsed a year ago. >> and that was ali aruzi in teheran. a shoot out at a drive through market in cincinnati. surveillance video shows two armed men walking up to the clerk, emptying the register and then opening fire. he told the men to freeze so he started shooting back, wounded one robber before tackling the other. both the owner and the clerk escaped unharmed. >> a man was rescued after falling 25 feet down a steep cliff along the pacific ocean. the victim had been out walking and bent down to pick up his cat

when he lost his balance. all right, don't feel too badly for this group of mourners. they are married wid toes. cane is credited with bringing m mardi graas to mobile, alabama. what better sign than presidential weekend to hold mas kot editions. george washington, thomas jefferson, abraham lincoln all well represented here. but being president isn't easy. it's the 45 pound head without falling down oar maybe you don't want to fall down. >> it's more entertaining that way. sfwl we need a first look now, scott. >> we'll work on that.

>> well, after a weekend of relatively quiet weather through much of the country, we didn't get that snow at the tale end of the weekend yesterday. and this arirea didn't get a lo of snow this weekend. this was on i-75 near the ken tuck day border on the tennessee side. 50 people were treated, five were hospitalized. no fatalities, but 18 cars were in involved on that wreck alone. this was the storm. this had to be ten shl to be a big nor'easter. unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on if you like snow or not, it's heading safely off the coast. this was just a southern stream that just kept going to the south. that storm is leaving us. a little windy and could in its

wake today. high pressure rkts beautiful day in the ohio valley. so with this storm gone, the light snow has landed everywhere. a little built of light snow. it could be ending shortly. and now, nebraska, you'll be next. not a lot of snow, our computers are prediblgting the white is about 1-3 inches in a few spots. you have a chance at picking up an impbl or two. >> as far as what the forecast is going to call for. all eyes are on some could colder air. and then another shot other the weekend into the heartland. >> i know, isn't it march? >> romney. about nine days till march. >> all right. thapgs.

crude bubbles up, greek pro tests boil over and a creative new way to get pass unless it turks. >> linsanity continues toe grow. and lebron james makes a couple kids cry. you're watching first look on msnbc vmt [ degeneres ] what's more beautiful than a covergirl? two covergirls. get two miracles in one product. new tone rehab 2-in-1 foundation. covers spots, lines... and wrinkles.

and helps improve skin tone over time. new tone rehab from easy... breezy... beautiful... covergirl! covergirl! chocolate lemonade ? susie's lemonade... the movie. or... we make it pink ! with these 4g lte tablets, you can do business at lightning-fast speeds. we'll take all the strawberries, dave. you got it, kid. we have a winner. we're definitely gonna need another one. small businesses that want to grow use 4g lte technology from verizon. i wonder how she does it. that's why she's the boss. because the small business with the best technology rules. contact the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 1-800-974-6006. [ son ] mom, computer's broke! where's i.t. mom? she quit. [ male announcer ] even with technology -- it's all you. staples easy tech can help with everything from new computers to set-ups to tune-ups. stapes. that was easy. [ male announcer ] for our families... our neighbors... and our communities... america's beverage companies

have created a wide range of new choices. developing smaller portion sizes and more low- & no-calorie beverages... adding clear calorie labels so you know exactly what you're choosing... and in schools, replacing full-calorie soft drinks with lower-calorie options. with more choices and fewer calories, america's beverage companies are delivering.

three skiers were killed sunday in an avalanche. a fourth skier who was wearing a safety device survived. and a helicopter collided with a small plane in midair last night. both pie lots survived with only minor injuries. the troper was able to land on a field near a highway.

in mexico, anxious family members waited for word. authorities believed it may have been designed to hide an escape attempt. the prisoner's have been detained. >> it was a final good-bye for whitney. fans lined the route as the motorcade transported houston's body from a funeral home. she was laid to rest next to her father in a brief, private ceremony. and nasa has released incredible video resembling tornadoes on the surface of the sun. the douw closed at 12,949. the nasdaq lost eight.

the nikkei closed one 00 points. all u.s. mashlgts are closed for president's day. markets were up overseas. asian markets climbed monday on chi china's decision to encourage lending and boost its economy. meanwhile, japan's economy is off to a slow start this last year. oil prices jumped to a nine-month high after iran said it held the crude exports ahead of sanctions. >> another bail out is only a short-term fix to the country's economic problems. elsewhere, over the weekend, the cofounder of wynn resorts was bought out to overseas gambling

regulators. legal action to block the board's outrageous move. >> three u.s. lawmakers have asked the federal trade kmigts to investigate reports of prooif i have violations. and looking ahead, analysts are optimistic about existing home sales data for january ya. also on deck, earn lgs craft macys and walmart. if parking is scarce, park at my hout dot com helps you want to to catch n. all right. well, there are hundreds of satellites in orbit above the earth. 50 years ago toad, there wasn't much up there at all. one of a select group of american space pioneers who have the right is it true.

>> reporter: they were test pilotings turned into astronauts or what some called them "spam in a can." it was on the third mission, a marine avenue elevator bham the first american to orbit the earth. the mission lasted almost five hours. >> oh, that view is tremendous. >> yesterday, 50 years later, galterred with the scientists who helped america even the score in the space race. >> there wasn't any closer brotherhood ever formed than that which came together to get things off. you're the people that made it happen. glen recalls his eyes would change shape.

so they take up mini eye rt charts. what glen could not imagine then is that half a sen ri later, the u.s. would be depending on the russians for rides into orbit. >> i'm sorry we're not maximizing the research return on the space program. the international space station is the most unique laboratory ever put together. we have no way of getting into space ourselves. >> today, exotic robots and landers go where 50 years ago we imagined man himself would some day travel. but none of it would have been possible. >> and that was nbc's lester holt reporting. the thunder make history. mickleson and some fans get a lit 8 more le broken than they gardened for.

your first look at sports is straight ahead. you're watching first look on msnbc. that's why i recommend crest pro-health clinical gum protection. it helps eliminate plaque at the gum line, helping prevent gingivitis. it's even clinically proven to help reverse it in just 4 weeks. crest pro-health clinical gum protection. that's good morning, veggie style. hmmm. for half the calories plus veggie nutrition. could've had a v8. but is she eating sugar this week? maybe she wants the all natural, zero calorie stuff. but if you're wrong, you're insinuating she's fat. save yourself. it's only natural.

save yourself. [music playing] confidence. available in color. depend® for women is now peach. looks and fits like underwear.

same great protection. depend®. good morning. great day. two days later, he was at the garden bringing linsanity back to life.

lin and the knicks. lin with a steal. lending a helping hand. career-high 14 assists for the harvard sensation. and then in the fourth, up two, lin with a clunch-three-pointer with the shot clock winding down. knicks win it 104-97. thunder down five to the nug es and kevin durant brinks him back. then, in the closing seconds, durant with the game-tieing game. we're going to overtime. and durant does it again. the steal leads the break. pretty finger role. year-high, 51 for d. phil mickles on needs this to force a play off. 27 footer to force extra holes and he is pumped. the playing partner has a chance

to join in on the playoff. gets the role and we have a three-way show down in l.a. despite the great shots on 18, bill hawes gets it on the sec hole. nails it to win the northern trust hope, his fourth career pga tour title. lebron james crashing into the front row, landed on a couple of kiltz, left that little one crying. but a visit from the king makes it all better. he rough up tear fans. that's your first look at sports. >> ouch. now, for another quick look at the wealther as the weather channel forecast. he's a huge guy.

>> it's going to be, in comparison to how this winter hads been, it's going to be a blustery-type day. the sun will be out. it will be breezy. highs today in the 30s, windchill will be in the 20s during the day. the windchills will be in the 30s most part of the day. the troublesome weather is in the middle partsover country and late enough to be cold snow. . you're going to pick up a little bit of snow, but not a lot. decent days today in oklahoma and texas. and then, as we go towards tomorrow, you notice we're pretty mild around the country.

you notice how warm it is in the eastern seaboard? we're looking at d.c. being in the 50s for three or four days this week. >> i suppose i should say thank you for all of this mild weather. thank you. >> well, lindsey lohan is apparently her own best ajent. but diz his comic book comeback settle his score at the box office. your first look at entertainment is stralgt ahead. looking for financial advice. back then he had something more important to do. he wasn't focused on his future. but fortunately, somebody else was. at usaa we provide retirement planning for our military, veterans and their families. now more than ever, it's important to get financial advice from people who share your military values. for our free usaa retirement guide, call 877-242-usaa.

but we couldn't simply repeat history. we had to create it. introducing the 2013 lexus gs, with leading-edge safety technology, like available blind spot monitor... [ tires screech ] ...night view... and heads-up display. [ engine revving ] the all-new 2013 lexus gs. there's no going back. until the end of the quarter to think about your money... ♪ that right now, you want to know where you are, and where you'd like to be. we know you'd like to see the same information your advisor does so you can get a deeper understanding of what's going on with your portfolio. we know all this because we asked you, and what we heard helped us create pnc wealth insight, a smarter way to work with your pnc advisor, so you can make better decisions and live achievement.

it eegs's been a busy week for the president. i'm barack obama, or am i his evil twin, derek. you know, i was thinking about this. france is thinking about building a theme park inspired by napolean. each roller coaster says you must be this short to ride this ride. >> and the cast of the hit musical how to succeed in business without really trying. that is late-night with jimmy fallon, weeknights at 12:35, 11:35 central. now it is time for your first look at entertainment news. two box office delivers this weekend beating out two newcomers. denzel washington's safe housemanaged to pull in 24

million this weekend. nicholas cage's ghost rider, spirit of vengeance debuted at third. and the weekend's other day baa, reese witherspoon ranked 5th with 17$17.6 million. elsewhere, a representative for steven colbert says that the colbert report will continue. and, finally, sources close to lindsay lohan reached out to executives to book the march 3rd gig. >> all right, it's impressive. i guess she's up for it. >> it will get a lot of attention, too, everybody is going to see will she just butcher it? my advice, just laugh at yourself. and if she can make fun of

herself. >> do you want to put money on it? how doouchk it's going to go? >> i don't think. i hope it goes well for her. >> i'm veronick dela cruz. stay tuned because way too early starts now. blank wlar >> eight days now between the michigan primary and the race with rick santorum. now saying if romney loses the state, the party needs to find a new candidate. the question is what happens to this race in romney loses his own state. this as british and american diplomats warn israel about the strike on iran.