yourself, dog pee can't stop santorum to go to something you want, i'd be happy to give it to you for free, use it for whatever you want. high stakes debate. the gop race heats up as presidential hopefuls prepare to square off in arizona. lucky 13,000? the dow breaks a key barrier for the first time since the 2008 financial crisis. and flying high. thrill seekers in utah take rope swinging to new heights. good morning, everyone. i'm lynn berry. those stories and more is straight ahead. this is fir"first look" on msnb. and we're going to begin this morning with another

candidate's debate. with less than a week to go before the arizona and michigan primaries the remaining republican candidates will square off tonight. and rick santorum, who has surged in the polls, may get a lot of attention. tracie potts joins us with those details. tracie, good morning? >> reporter: good morning. while mitt romney is fighting to win his home state of michigan. santorum is trying to turn his success there into votes in arizona. rick santorum is the one to watch tonight. he soared ahead nationally and in michigan. he still trails mitt romney tonight in arizona where the debates happen. >> i will win in the states that matter to win this election. >> reporter: santorum's now under attack in a new ad from ron paul. >> is this dude serious? >> reporter: focusing on social issues worked for santorum. mitt romney is looking right meeting with the tea party and hammering president obama. >> unfortunately, perhaps

because of the people the president hangs around with, their secular agenda, they have fought against religion. >> reporter: at tonight's debate santorum will get more scrutiny because he's the new front-runner, but so will mitt romney. >> he's under the microscope. he's under be pressure. he needs to do well. he needs to re-establish a sense that he's the front-runner in the race. >> reporter: newt gingrich, far behind in the polls, is trying to connect with voters by focusing on a hot button issue, gas prices. >> reporter: romney and santorum will campaign in arizona before tonight's debate there. lynn? >> tracie potts for us in washington. president obama follows up on his state of the union speech today to propose cutting the corporate tax rate to help businesses in the u.s. the president's plan would reduce taxes on companies from 35% to 28%. it would lower the effective tax rate for manufacturers to only 25%. corporations would lose dozens of loopholes and subsidies to

make the tax code more simple and they say fair. corporations with overseas operations would face a minimum tax on their foreign earnings. the plan does face an uncertain future in congress. to wall street now where the dow saw its biggest day since before the market planniunged i 2008. for the first time in nearly four years the dow jones industrial average traded above that psychologically important 13 thousand mark yesterday. we'll have much more on what triggered the blue chips rally and why it didn't hold on to those gains. that's coming up in business just a few minutes away. first we want to give you your first look at some of the other news going on around america today. a bridge connecting ohio and west virginia was blown up tuesday morning. crews demolished the for the stub bin bridge over the ohio river. in a few seconds there it was closed three years ago after cracks were found. mountain lions aren't usually known for being afraid. one spent the morning 40 feet up

in a tree after a german shepherd chased it and apparently spooked the animal. the cat spent hours hanging out above a california neighborhood. wildlife officials decided to just let the lion come down ond. probably not a good idea to worry that one. they put fat into fat tuesday. it's a race to see who can chow down on the most polish donuts. a long time winner was able to fend off his hungry competition once again. finally, a group of climbers turned dare devils in utah built what they're calling the world's largest rope swing. online video of their high flying act has received more than 5 million hits in one week. the swingers took numerous steps to make the rope safer. because they were outside national park boundaries, it was perfectly legal. now for a look at your national

weather, we turn to bill karns. it was professionally shot. high definition. fish eye lens. going for the oscar. >> i'm going to blame you when i eat donuts. >> you blame me for everything. it's if pancakes, donuts, all the same thing. >> that's true. >> don't worry about it. >> jelly filled. thanks. good morning, everyone. we have an incredibly warm, this is the day for you. people are texting me, twittering me, whatever you call that stuff, lynn, all the way from across the country. flowers are out in new england. it's been an incredibly warm winter. this morning we're at 45 in new york. temperatures in the 40s as far north of montana. there's not many chilly areas. what's going on? why are we going to see an incredibly warm april like weather pattern. we have a warm spot over lake superior.

it will sit there for another 24 to 48 hours. it will act as a heat pump. the winds flow counterclockwise around the storms. that's got a westerly or southwesterly wind going all the way from the gulf in texas through the eastern half of the country. all the warmer air is down to the south. this is blocking all the cold air from the north for the time being and allowing the warmth just to flow across the eastern half of the nation. that's why it's so warm out there. you can actually see the spinning right here. that's where that storm is located. that's why it's just so mild out there in so many areas. we even have thunderstorms this morning approaching memphis. almost like a summertime weather pattern where you get thunderstorms late at night ahead of the warm fronts. there's the mild air. as far as the storms go they'll be arriving in memphis area soon. if you're driving interstate 55 heading outside anytime shortly, you will a he get some downpours. there's lightening strikes. we could see some small hale with those storms as they move into tennessee. also the other area of concern, with all the warm weather, heavy

rain in the pacific northwest, we have major flooding problems on some of the rivers in washington state. the heavy rain threat has shifted south. the snow levels are so incredibly high that it's raining where there's a deep snow pack. with the melting of that water and the rain, we have a spring like weather problem in the northwest with the river flooding. here's the high temperatures. we'll be in the low 60s from the carolinas into virginia. we'll be in the mid 50s even in boston with partly cloudy skies. it won't even be completely sunny. dallas today, lynn, 76 degrees. >> nice. >> incredible stuff. >> bill, thaungs so much. the dow soares. netflix has a rivalries. the feds consumer watchdog has your back. just call him crooner in chief. coming up, president obama since the blues. >> coming up, a pair of big upsets in college basketball but

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welcome back to "first look." i'm lynn berry. here's some top stories making news. the u.s. embassy in kabul, afghanistan, is on lockdown as hundreds have taken to the streets in protest for the u.s. burning korans. the u.s. has apologized for the burning. to syria now where opposition activists have concerned to nbc news that two western journalists have been killed in homs. one is believed to be an american born reporter working for "the sunday times of london." the other is a french journal list. rebels say at least 125 people have been killed in government led violence since yesterday. u.n. nuclear inspectors say they were blocked from inspecting a site during a visit to iran this week.

that news comes as an iranian general warns his country would consider a preempttive strike against any nation considered a threat. one of the best known works of arm, "the scream" is going up for auction in may. it could fetch $80 million. and finally it could be a real life water world right there. scientists say they've discovered a new planet more than twice the size of earth with more water and less rock than we have but it's also a bit too hot for any of us to live on with a surface temperature of about 446 degrees. back to politics now where one of the potential choices for vice president for vice president is bob mcdonnell. the governor will sign the measure and last night megan

mccain spoke about the bill. >> i feel like now i have to go on national television and delineate between the two things. i'm horrified by this as a woman. as a republican woman i'm horrified. it scares me that this can go on. it scares me that a woman can be vaginally probed without consent and a doctor's consent. i think this is radioactive for governor mcdonnell and say he would pass it. i think it will get a lot of play on right wing blogs but i think when it comes to mainstream more moderate republicans, with independents, it's radioactive. governor mcdonnell will get a lot of evangelical votes but he will not get any of the regular republican votes. >> don't miss the "rachel maddow

show" here on msnbc. here is your first look at how wall street is going to kick off the day. the dow opens at 12,965. that's after adding 15 points yesterday. the s&p is up a fraction. the nasdaq lost three. taking a look into overseas trading this morning. in tokyo, the nikkei rose 90 points. the hang seng gained 70. a wave of optimism pushed the dow into prerecession territory. two hours into trading the dow broke the 13,000 mark since 2008. lingering worries about that country's financial stability and some mixed corporate reports here at home dragged stocks lower late in the day. encouraging earnings from retail heavy weights home depot and macy's added to the blue chip's upward momentum. disappointing results from walmart dragged that stock 4% lower and weighed heavily on the

dough. kraft had lower. barnes & noble was lower. after the bell dell shares dipped on disappointing earnings thanks to dwindling pc demand and competition from apple. comcast, majority owner of this network, is giving netflix a run for its money with the launch of an online streaming video service to its cable subscribers this week. johnson and johnson has tapped an insider to replace its outgoing ceo in the wake of an embarrassing safety recall. the government's financial consumer probe is looking out for people. northrup drum mond got back into action with the egg drop challenge. coming up the wildcats claw the tigers.

seton hall shocks georgetown. the spurs' streak is snapped. plus a late game surge hands the miami heat a seventh consecutive win. your "first look" at sports is straight ahead. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. ying facial cleanser from neutrogena® naturals. developed with dermatologists... it's clinically proven to remove 99% of dirt and toxins and purify pores. and with natural willowbark it contains no dyes, parabens or harsh sulfates. dirt and toxins do a vanishing act and my skin feels pure and healthy. [ female announcer ] purifying facial cleanser from neutrogena naturals. dave, i've downloaded a virus. yeah. ♪ dave, where are we on the new laptop? it's so slow! i'm calling dave. [ telephone rings ] [ sighs ] i need a new i.t. guy. [ male announcer ] in a small business, technology is all you.

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so i used my citi thank you card to pick up some accessories. a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? we talked about getting a diamond. but with all the thank you points i've been earning... ♪ ...i flew us to the rock i really had in mind. ♪ [ male announcer ] the citi thank you card. earn points you can use for travel on any airline, with no blackout dates. welcome back to "first look." i'm lynn berry. in sports college basketball's kentucky staves off an upset from mississippi state. here's nbc's fred rog begin. >> good morning. less than a month away from the

tournament. number one ranked kentucky trailed by as many as 13 to mississippi state on the road. wildcats, however, proved why they are the most talented team in the nation. darius miller nailed the 3. kentucky cut their deficit to one. later michael kid gill cyst gave his first lead. scored off the miss plus a foul. back to miller who finished with 12 off the bench all in the second half. nailed the dagger from downtown. kentucky finished the game on a 20 to 4 lun. survived oning 73-64 and clinching the sec title. kansas state beat missouri. rodney mcbrooder finished with 24. kansas state shocked third ranked missouri for the second time 78-68. seton hall improved its chances to make the tournament. stunning number 9 george town shooting 61% for the game.

jordan theodore five for five. career high 29. seton hall dominated 9th ranked georgetown, 93-55. nba coach george popovich didn't care about extending their lead. he said the veterans needed a rest. portland took advantage. blew san antonio out. jamal crawford scored 20. 137-97 the final. heat hosting the kings. lebron james has perfected the long distance alley-oop. seems like he pulls one off every game. dwayne wade finished with 30. 120-108. that's your first look at sports. i'm fred roggin. here is nbc meteorologist bill karins standing proudly in front of that 72 degrees. >> show you the five day forecast for washington. d.c., what month would you think you were in if you woke up out of a cave? 61 today. 72 on thursday.

d.c. 63 on friday and then it gets colder over the weekend with temperatures near 50. you probably think it was april or maybe late march. not the end of february. that's what we're looking at today. it's going to be a cloudy day. there are some showers out there on and off. not a lot of wet weather. temperatures soar from the 60s to 50s. upper 50s as far north as massachusetts. we'll see a lot of snow melt. in dallas, look at you, 76 today. 81 on thursday. people have their air conditioners on. 65 on friday. beautiful weather over the weekend in dallas. not just isolated to the east coast. one spot though that it's going to return to winter in a hurry, not going to get that much of a warmup. you're pretty much done. around minneapolis up through the northern plains. minneapolis you'll be the first to experience some of that cold air coming down. your high temperatures, which is still above average, goes back to where you typically should be late february with highs only around the freezing mark.

you could get a little bout of snow. it will mostly be confined to the northern plains and also through the rockies. >> bill, thanks so much. coming up, adele lifts more than just trophies at last night's bring the awart awards. charlie sheen has a rare stroke of conscience. who would have thought it? your first look at entertainment is straight ahead. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. ah, welcome to hotels.com.

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this whole class warfare argument is over 4 percentage points in the tax code. when you have no defense against paying fairer tax rates? what do you have to do? you have to come up with a lie. you have to come up with a slogan. class warfare. everyone is talking about the presidential election and, get this, tomorrow night is the 20th republican debate, which

explains that new campaign slogan, vote mitt romney or else we'll keep doing this. some tv news, guys. the oscars are this sunday and 40 million people are expected to watch it on abc. yeah. but in fairness, half of them are just brad pitts' kids cheering him on. disney california adventure park pepper sprayed a drunk man. this is cool, the park offered to sell him a photo of his reaction for just 30 bucks. looks like goofey's holding him. and tonight jimmy welcomes "star trek" legend william shatner. top chef host pat nalachme. broadway performance, anything goes. that's late night with jimmy fallon, 12:35 on your local nbc station. time for a little entertainment news. is charlie sheen turning over a new leaf?

i feel like we need the law and order. in a statement on his website the one time self proclaimed war lock apologized to ashton kutcher for trashing him. he called in live to rant about him saying i'm tired of pretending the show doesn't suck. i'm tired of pretending ashton doesn't suck. newly engaged drew berry more has sparked pregnancy rumors after she was holding what appeared to be an ultrasound image. can't we give people some privacy. a rep for the 36-year-old actress only fueled speculation. put it in your purse, right? finally fresh from her six grammy wins earlier this month, singer adele continued her winning streak at the brit awards tuesday. unfortunately her big night was soured when she flipped the middle finger on stage. >> i like angry adele. >> but it's because -- of course you do. it's because her acceptance speech was cut short so she

defended that gesture saying it went out to the suits behind the event. no one likes to be cut off. they need their glory. >> she threatened to be all nice in the next album? no. angry adele. >> we know that's not happening. finally, last night at the white house president obama doubled down on his new found love on singing during a tribute to the blues. ♪ ♪ come on, baby don't you wanna go ♪ ♪ ain't no place, sweet home chicago ♪ he's good. bebe king duet. the president welcomed mick jagger, booker t. jones. that concert will be held in celebration of black history month. it will be broadcast on pbs. the first time he was a little apprehensi apprehensive.

this time he owned it. i'm lynn berry. this is "first look" republican candidates gear up for tonight's debate as new polls show a tight race between front-runners mitt romney and rick santorum in the next primary states of michigan and arizona. meanwhile, mitt romney joins the chorus of republican voices accusing president obama of wagging war on religion. the question is which candidates will stoop to the lowest common denominator to win primary votes. and more good news for the economy. yesterday the dow surged briefly past the symbolic 13,000 mark, the highest since 2008, when unemployment was at a meager 5.4% and lehman brothers was still a respectable organization. the question is, if wall street is making a comeback, why does it