politifact, for all intents and purposes, is dead. they are over. they are over and out. crude reality. americans brace for more pain at the pump as gas prices skyrocket. lucky to be alive. a 9-year-old philadelphia girl survives a harrowing hit and run on her bicycle. weird science. a dutch lab uses stem cells to grow the world's first test tube burger. good morning. i'm lynn berry. those stories and more are straight ahead. will this is "first look" on msnbc. we begin this morning with going up. oil prices hit a nine month high

above $105 a barrel on monday after iran halted crude exports to britain and france. and american drivers are feeling the pain at the pump as prices have reached historic highs for this time of year. nbc's michelle franzen reports. >> reporter: if you're feeling the pinch on your wallet every time you fill up the tank -- >> it's definitely hurt me in the pocket. >> reporter: -- you're not alone. >> i can't afford it you have to buy gas to get around. >> reporter: gas prices at an all-time high for this time of year. the average price for a gallon of regular is $3.56 and eating into monthly budgets. >> takes $120 to fill up my truck. >> reporter: supply issues due to refinery problems on the east coast and ongoing conflicts in oil rich countries. >> the geopolitics in the middle east causing a psychology of fear about future supply has

probably never been greater and we don't know from week to week, how bad it could get. >> reporter: iran doesn't sell oil to the u.s. but it could cause the european countries to turn to u.s. suppliers and that could drive prices up to $4 and beyond by memorial day. >> americans feel sick to their stomach when they see that. it impacts their purchases that they make. so if gas prices go up even further, it's likely we will see a dent in the economy. >> reporter: some consumers are already making adjustments. >> i think you do think twice about making a round trip to the grocery store. >> reporter: thinking twice and cutting back where they can. michelle franzen, nbc news, new york. the republican primary in michigan is a week from today. mitt romney's home state has become a battleground for rick santorum who is leading in the polls. but could some of santorum's recent controversial statements lead to a romney comeback?

nbc's tracie potts joins us from washington with those details. good morning. >> reporter: lynn, good morning. santorum is leading in the polls in michigan right now and hoping to hold on to that for the next week. hoping to focus on that. but, instead, he has been explaining his comments about a phony theology. after a day explaining his phony theology remark last night, rick santorum refocused on an issue hitting midwesterners hard this winter, gas prices. >> this president is doing everything he can to hurt energy production in this country. >> reporter: with oil prices at a nine month high, the obama administration announced a deal to drill along the gulf border with mexico. and meantime we're now getting an idea how much money these candidates are rourworking with. romney raised $6.5 million last month, but told ohio is an tore vum spending too much in washington. >> when republicans go washington and spend like

democrats, you'll have a lot of spending. and that's what we've seen over the last several years. >> reporter: gingrich earned over $5.5 million and focused so social issues. >> a president who can order one religion to break its beliefs can order another religion to break its beliefs and can order any american to do anything because they believe they are the center of power and that's wrong. >> reporter: gingrich's fund-raising doesn't seem to be helping his chances in michigan. last month he spent more than he took in. and speaking of money and spending, we're finding out that the real money in this campaign is with those super pacs, the groups supporting the candidates. turned out in january they actually raised more than the candidates themselves. >> all right, tracie potts for us in washington. thanks. some promise meant republicans in key primary states have changed their endorsements in recent days even as poll numbers are changing.

former ohio senator mike dewine now the state's attorney general spoke last night to lawrence o'donnell and explained why he switched from supporting mitt romney to now backing rick santorum. >> campaigns have a way of sorting things out. and what i'm seeing in ohio and what i was seeing that the romney campaign was going nowhere. it didn't get any burn from day one until last weekend. still is not getting any better. there's no excitement. and the excitement that we're seeing in ohio at least is in regard to rick santorum. it was fairly easy after that for me. i've money rick for a long time. i've worked with him in the united states senate. i have a great deal of respect for him. i think ease he's resonating in ohio because people look at him and say he's real, he's telling them what he thinks, whether you agree or disagree. he's saying what he thinks.

and that's going very well. look, bottom line, i think he'll be a good president and i think he'll have the best chance by far of beating barack obama in the fall. and that's my objective. >> don't miss lawrence o'donnell's last word on the biggest stories of the day. the last word airs week nights at 10:00 p.m. eastern time only on msnbc, the polilace for politics. here's your first look at other news going on. in philadelphia, a driver has surrendered after hitting a 9-year-old girl with her car and then just taking off. surveillance video shows the child trying to cross the street on her bicycle, she then jumps off the bike and makes a run for it. that's when the car veereded toward her, knocking her on to the sidewalk, but fortunately can you believe it the girl sustained only minor injuries. near boston, a store clerk is being credited with saving two people from a house five. he saw the flames and then ran down the street and dashed in to

the burning home to make sure everyone escaped okay. the home was destroyed. in texas, high winds were stronger than a big rig could handle. the semi-truck was flipped on to its side along interstate 27. the winds created dusty miserable conditions, tearing in to roofs and taking out tree branches, even bending the arm of a railroad crossing. and mardi gras is about to hit a fever pitch in new orleans. you can hear them partying from up here. after days of parades, it is finally fat tuesday. will ferrell served as king backus at one parade on sunday. i'm sure that was entertaining. in the heart of all of it, the pren french quarter. new orleans takes in nearly $150 million a year from all the fun which i am sure has already begun. and now for a look at your national weather, we it turn to bill karins. did you say you already started?

it is 5:00 a.m. >> just in my mind. i wish. >> right. father of two over here doesn't really -- >> that's -- closing my eyes is as close as i'm going to come. >> a mental picture. go to your happy place. >> it's a nice forecast down will. looks like a beautiful time. well, as far as the forecast goes, the only trouble spot up in the northern plains, had about 1 to 2 inches of snow. looks like the northern plains will be the cold snowy spot through the end of this month into march. the east coast, looks like you will be the warm spot. very warm spot. as far as the middle of the country goes, we still have amazing winds yesterday, behind the storm system now set to be over illinois. so high pressure on the east coast, that means calm winds, a chilly morning. but a nice warm afternoon with the mild air. in the great lakes, we have light rain. indianapolis, cleveland, detroit, all the way down even possibly pittsburgh, fort wayne up to chicago, those are all areas that you need your

umbrellas today including all of the state of michigan. you'll go through a period of rain. davenport, northwest corner of illinois, a wintry next out there about. so that's probably one of those little travel trouble spots. but that's not too major. temperatures in chicago plenty warm, no concerns about the roads there. we're at 39 degrees. and you notice that surge of mild air, that's what's heading for the east coast. so your forecast today, after a blustery day yesterday, this will be nice. 54 in d.c., even boston getting up into the mid-40s. and dallas looks great. denver nice, too. much of the southeast is really going on warm up. look what happens on wednesday. we see almost april-like temperatures going up the eastern seaboard, nearly 70 in atlanta, d.c., it will get up to 60. and d.c. by the time we get to thursday, i think you have a chance of getting maybe near 70 on hurst. incredible warmth this week. and those cherry blossoms, they'll be fooled and you can almost guarantee they'll be

coming out. >> all right, bill, thanks so much. coming up, greece gets bailed out. again. amazon scores big with consumers. and why you should always follow the rules. at least when it comes to home construction. your first look at morning's business headlines is straight ahead. coming up, carmelo anthony upstaged in his return to the knicks. albert pujols talks about leaving st. louis. and manny ramirez is back. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. [ female announcer ] the best things in life are the real things.

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here are some of the top stories making news this morning. things could be getting worse in syria despite a red cross appeal for a cease-fire to treat the wound. video from social media claims to show new shelling in homs and overnight activists say they opened fire on damascus. a visit to cairo, john

mccain says a massacre is taking place in syria and trying to find a way to arm syrian rebels. two iranian warships docked on monday as a senior iranian lawmaker dethounsed u.s. calls for arming the syrian opposition. john glenn was honored last night 50 years after becoming the first to orbit the earth. he received a host of tributes from nasa legend along with the crew of the international space station. and do not look for this at your local burger joint. researchers in the netherlands are working on a test tube hamburger patty made out of stem cells and if it doesn't look tasty, the price won't be appealing either. they hope to sell the patty for $350,000. allege too much time on their hands there. now your first look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 12 drks 949

after adding 45 points. the s&p was up 3. the nasdaq lost 8. taking a look at overseas trading this morning. the nikkei down 22 points and in hong kong, the hang seng gained 53. investors return from the long weekend to the end of uncertainty. after a marathon 12-hour session in brussels, eurozone finance ministers finally agreed on a deal. it keeps greece out of default for the immediate future. reaction from asian markets was muted as analysts remain skeptical about a long-term fix for greece's financial situation. samsung electronics bucked the downward trend rising nearly 1%. it plans to spin off its flat screen unit. san francisco based construction giant urs has offered a 1.25 billion in cash to buy flint

energy services. a new survey finds consumer satisfaction improved slightly last year. specialty stores such as office supply, home goods and clothing retailers scored the highest marks. but online retailers beat out brick and mortars in overall satisfaction with amazon.com taking the top spot. finally, home builders beware. a michigan court has ordered a couple to demolish all or part of their million dollar home because the structure was built 80 feet from the neighbor's property instead of the required 100. coming up, the as make a surprise edition and the huskies in overtime. and the results are different this time as the nets get another shot at the knicks. your first look at sports is straight ahead.

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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. welcome back. in sports, coming off a big win against dallas and the long awaited return of carmelo anthony, the knicks had no time to get it together against the nets. here is fred roggin. good morning. jeremy lin's rise with the knicks coincided with carmelo anthony's absence after missing seven games with a groin injury, carmelo returned to the lineup and everybody in new york would see how they would mesh. madison square garden. knicks and nets.

jeremy lin knocks down the three in the second quarter. 21 points and 9 assists for lin. 11 for anthony. but darren williams stole the show in the third. on target from beyond the arc, next time down the court he did the same thing and might as well have been the dagger. 38 for williams and nets beat the knicks 100-92. to salt lake. two-point game. final seconds. richard jefferson from downtown. spurs win their 11th straight 106-102. baseball teams beginning to report to spring training and includes albert pujols who left st. louis for anaheim. pujols says he has no regrets. >> there were some great moments. i was able to accomplish two world series and an experience i want to bring to the city, you know, to anaheim and to this ball club and, hopefully, have probably better years than i had in st. louis and hopefully more championships.

manny ramirez signed one-year minor league deal with oakland. he has to serve 50-game suspension for his second violation of baseball's drug policy. to college hopes. johnson drove the length the court and laid it up and tied it, but connecticut came right back. napier pulled up from inside half-court and nailed it. the game winner for the defending champs. uconn won a thriller 73-70. that's your first look at sports. i'm fred roggin. and now for another look at the weather, here once again is bill karins. good morning you can bill. >> typically i'd being talking about a winter thaw is coming but it's warmer than it's been. it's crazy. let's talk about what's going to happen up in new england. this is an area that still had snow on the ground especially more than new england. it's a cold morning. albany at 19. we're at 20 in hartford. so there is chilly air out

there. it will warm up this afternoon getting in to the mid-40s in central new england. cities up near 50 and maybe even mid fifth from philly to d.c. just a chance of showers buffalo and pittsburgh, not a lot of wet weather. as far as boston goes, 44 is a little bit above average, but we'll go well above average wednesday, thursday and friday. we're not going to get near 70 like you are in d.c., but three days in a row, at the end of february in boston, extremely rare. and we'll continue that probably to friday, it will get chillier but sunny this upcoming weekend. as far as the forecast in the middle of the country, showers and snow showers continue today. areas like chicago up to green bay and milwaukee and just rain showers for you in areas like detroit and cleveland. and as we told you, tomorrow looks like april around the nation. it's an amazing weather pattern. >> bell, ha bill, thanks so much. coming up, together again. like it or not, rihanna and

chris brown reunite in a musical accep sense. your first look at entertainment is straight ahead. there's another way litter box dust:e purina tidy cats. tidy cats premium line of litters now works harder on dust. and our improved formulas neutralize odors better than ever in multiple-cat homes. so it's easier to keep your house smelling just the way you want it. purina tidy cats. keep your home smelling like home. [ male announcer ] for our families... our neighbors... and our communities... america's beverage companies have created a wide range of new choices.

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last week a couple in north carolina got married in the layaway section of a walmart. they picked a really exotic place for their honeymoon. target. will this is interesting. a new survey found that most hairdressers don't like listening to their clients' stories. on behalf of clients, i'd like to tell the hairdressers, ditto. high school really wasn't for

me, so -- microsoft founder bill gates attended a fund-raiser for president obama on friday. yeah. he wasn't invited, but in typical microsoft fashion, he crashed it. >> and tonight jimmy welcomes tyler perry, david wayne and performance from the broadway musical porgie and bess. that's week nights at 12:35 on your local nbc station. time for a little entertainment news. chris brown and rihanna have been reunited at least on twitter. they exchanged tweets yesterday and then he wished her a happy birthday. she thanked him. they released chab brated remixes of their ro ttwo songs. a study of academy award

voters it's not a diverse group that hands out the honors. the "los angeles times" found 94% of the academy's voting percentage are white and 77% are