>> john huntsman saying we nd new ideas, we need a new voice, heck, we need a new party. but remember, vote for my guy, vote for mitt romney. i endorse him. it sounds less convincing when you put it like that. convincin put it like that. "first look" is up next. fed up at the pump. president obama defends his energy policy as gas prices rise toward record highs. close call. a brazilian rescue chopper touches down moments before falling apart. and lobster legend. maine's monster 27-pound catch is set free. good morning, everyone. i'm lynn berry. those stories and more are straight ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc. and we are going to begin

with rising gas prices and politics. drivers around the country are feeling the pain at the pump with gas prices at a record high for this time of year and still going up. meanwhile, president obama is defending his policies against his republican challengers. nbc's tracie potts joins us from washington with the details. traci, good morning. >> lynn, good morning. here's one area where president obama and the oil industry agree. apparently there is little they can do to affect prices right now. american drivers feeling helpless at the pump. >> takes about $120 for me to fill up my truck. that's not that fun. >> reporter: prices spiked almost a dime in some areas overnight. it hit $5 a gallon in california. analysts say expect higher prices by summer, in part because the economy's improving. that drives up demand. president obama said thursday there's no quick fix. >> there are no silver bullets short term when it comes to gas prices and anybody who says

otherwise, isn't telling the truth. >> the silver bullet policy should have been implemented three years ago. >> reporter: the president taking heat for not drilling more. >> on day one, for instance, i'm going to say to the department of energy and the department of the interior, grant licenses to drillers for oil and gas, miners for coal, take advantage of our resources right away. >> reporter: but president obama says drill baby drill is just a bumper sticker. the real answer. >> 100 years of subsidies for an industry rarely been more profitable and make sure we're doubling down on clean energy. >> i think a lot of people will disagree deeply with barack obama over the idea we should wait around. >> reporter: greener fuel may make a difference but drivers looking for relief today might want to consider biking to work. and if that's not bad enough, aaa is predicting an average price per gallon of $4.35 this summer. lynn? >> that is going to hurt. tracie potts for us in

washington, thanks. republican presidential candidate rick santorum appears to be gaining on mitt romney in popularity with republican women. even though santorum opposes contraception and abortion, a new poll from "the washington post" and abc news found that santorum is now seen favorably by 57% of gop women. that's a 13-point gain since january. but santorum still trails romney by four points in the favor ratings with female republicans. to afghanistan. u.s. soldiers and afghan police are bracing for another day of protests. this morning, there are reports of hundreds of demonstrators marching towards the presidential poll lace in the capital chanting "death to america." two american soldiers and eight afghans were killed during protests thursday. two americans were killed by an afghan soldier as hundreds of protesters tried to take over a u.s. base. the demonstrations follow the accidental burning of copies of the koran, the muslim holy book

by u.s. troops at bagram air base north of kabul. president obama apologized to the afghan people for the incident and says the u.s. will take steps to avoid any recurrence. now here is your first look at other news going on around america today. some scary moments for customers after a pickup truck smashed right into the front of a convenience store there. the truck came in so fast, all those people standing right there, didn't have time to run. luckily a man right in the path of that truck suffered only minor injuries. police say the driver may have suffered some kind of medical condition right before the crash. a kansas family is giving new meaning to the term yard sale. doesn't that look lovely? their entire backyard was transformed to resemble a town right out flds wild west. it can be yours. the man who built it is putting ads on ebay and craigslist. the asking price, $20,000. finally, the tale of a

lobster that isn't just huge, it's also lucky. a 27-pound lobster was accidentally caught by a shrimp fisherman of all people in the gulf of maine. they usually weigh in at just over one pound. the fisherman turned over the lobster, nicknamed rocky, to the state aquarium for inspection, but put ysh your bib down, he was set free. he's back in the water to live out his days happily ever after. and now for a look at your national weather we turn to nbc meteorologist bill karins. he has your weather channel forecast. >> you're an experienced lobster eater. he wouldn't even taste that good? >> the smaller the lobster the more succulent. 27 points -- >> right. >> not so much. >> send him back. >> i don't know that i would have turned down any kind of lobster. >> i know you're sympathetic to rocky. you think he deserves a second chance. >> yeah. lobster is lobster. >> come on. give me a little steak. >> i lived in maine, i know.

got them off the boat. good morning, everyone. we are looking at the snowstorm in the west. temperatures have cooled off, peoples which surprise snow up in new england and areas of new jersey. first thing's first, we had our beautiful warm air and now we're returning more like winter or at least a portion of winter in the northern plains. temperatures have dropped below freezing, many areas of the rockies, northern plains and chicago. temperatures continue to drop as the snow continues to fall. the surprise in the forecast the amount of cold air that came in last night for a northern new jersey, connecticut, rhode island and portions of massachusetts, that has set the stage for the snow you're looking out the window in connecticut at. some areas reporting as much as two to three inches on the ground. as far as chicago goes, the city that was going to get hit the worst from the snowstorm, thinking six to eight inches of snow, we've got two inches on the ground. we still have to go through the back side of the storm which is in this band which will be colder. we're at 34. temperatures will probably drop a little further, probably pick

up another two to three inches. not six to ten or six to eight in chicago, more or less ending up around four or five. still snowing pretty good, interstate 88 the worst of the morning commute out there. michigan, this area has light snow, plenty cold enough to stick on the ground from grand rapids northwards of interstate 96 here. detroit we dropped your totals now probably only two to four inches north of you, could pick up around six. the snow in southern new england, you can see it in here that white, just a burst of moderate snow that has moved into central connecticut, just along the border here of new york and connecticut is where it's really hard around -- just heading north-northwest of the new haven area that could translate to hartford shortly. reports are reported very slippery in those areas. as far as the watches and warnings, the heaviest snow later on tonight will be up in northern new england where we could pick up six to 12 inches from burlington up to northern maine. everyone else in new england, this is the worst of it.

it's about over with. a little surprise snow out there, not what you want on your friday morning for your drive. >> no. all right. bill, thanks so much. coming up, oil bubbles over. apple talks dividends. and is the maid of the mist a thing of the past. your first look at this morning's business headlines is straight ahead. coming up, a scary moment for danica patrick, the heat put an end to lin sanity and a ruling on the ryan braun drug suspension. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. ok, guys-- what's next ?

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"first look." i'm lynn berry. here's some of the top stories making news this morning. with the crackdown in syria showing no signs of slowing down, the u.s., arab and european nations are expected to deliver an ultimatum today. at a conference in tunisia, they will demand president assad agree to a cease-fire and allow humanitarian aid. former u.n. secretary-general

kofi annan has been appointed as the u.n. and arab envoy to deal with the crisis. maryland is set to become the eighth state to legalize same-sex marriage after the state senate approved a bill thursday sponsored by governor o'malley who plans to sign it into law this week. in virginia, a bill requiring ultrasounds for women seeking abortions has been pulled from consideration for the year. the move comes a day after governor bob mcdonald dropped support for a key provision requiring invasive ultrasounds. emotional reaction in court from an alabama man acquitted after being charged with the murder in the drowning death of his newlywed on their honeymoon. gabe watson was accused of killing his bride during a diving trip in the great barrier reef of australia. the judge said the evidence was, quote, sorely lacking. just amazing video out of brazil where a rescue helicopter began to shake violently and then just fall apart during landing.

four people aboard managed to escape without serious injuries. now here is your "first look" on how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 12,984 after adding 46 points yesterday. the nasdaq gained 23. taking a look at overseas trading this morning. in tokyo the nikkei was up 51 points. while in hong kong, the hang seng added 25. the dow made another run at 13,000 on thursday, but came up short before the bell. stocks recovered from an early loss, only to come up shy. failing to close above the milestone once again. the blue chips pierced that key level of 13,000 three times on tuesday. yesterday's momentum was fueled by news that jobless claims did not rise last week. and, instead, held steady at a four-year low. however, the day's gains were capped by weak retail earnings from the likes of cole's

dillards and target and sears missed earnings estimates but shares soared 20% on news it will spin off unprofitable stores and sell others. soaring 78% after federal regulators recommended approval of its weight loss drug qnexa. despite an uptick in crude inventories last week oil rose a fresh nine month high, nearly $109 a barrel today overseas after settling up more than $1.50 thursday. bailed out insurer aig weighed in with a big quarterly profit and sending shares 3% higher after the bell. consumer powerhouse protecter & gamble cost cutting plans that will eliminate more than 4,000 jobs. apple shareholders were encouraged to hear that the cash flush company is thinking, quote, very deeply about offering dividends this year. it could be the end of a 150-year era at niagara falls. the iconic maid of the mist tour boat company has lost its

canadian contract to a u.s. operator which plans to upgrade the aging fleet in 2014. the maid has a contract on the american side through 2042, but the boats are sort of across the border and that's leaving the company's fate up in the air. coming up, the knicks can't stand the heat. the thunder storm the lakers, and more putting problems for tiger woods. the darling of daytona takes a big hit. your first look at sports is straight ahead. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. ard. but i have this new smartphone. and now i can see everything more clearly. ♪ i can organize the analysis. sort through all the data. maybe even rattle some cages. i predict that i'm going to like the future. because the future is where i'll be serving up humble pie. with a little side of crow. [ male announcer ] at&t introduces the samsung galaxy note. a smartphone and tablet in one. ♪

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welcome back to "first look." i'm lynn berry. in sports controversy in major league baseball as the tables turn for mvp ryan braun. here is nbc's fred roggin. good morning. baseball season about a month away and the brewers ryan braun already picked up a big win. the national league mvp the first player to challenge a drug suspension and have it overturned. braun tested positive for elevated testosterone in october and suspended 50 games. independent arbitrator overturned the ruling because the test sample was mishandled during the process. the commissioner's office disagreed with the ruling. braun will report to spring training with the brewers as scheduled today. basketball. anticipated matchup between the knicks and heat. jeremy lin, turned the ball over eight times. had as many giveaways as points. easily the worst game of his young career. chris bosh and lebron james

scored 20 or more. the heat brought the knicks back down to earth. to the best in the west, thunder gave the lakers fits, busted it wide open in the third. kevin durant a game high 33. oklahoma city won it 100-85. golf back to the drawing board for tiger woods and he's finally hitting the fairways and greens, now his short game has gone south, missed six putts within ten feet of the hole during the second round of the matchplay championship. he would have extended his match against nick watney. tiger is done. what else is new? finally, scary moment for danica patrick. bumped from behind, lost control of her car, hit the wall hard yesterday. amazingly she walked away from the accident and avoided serious injury, thanks to a collapsible wall in the track. despite the crash she qualified for the daytona 500 this weekend and will become just the third woman to drive in the great american race. that's your first look at sports. have a great weekend. i'm fred roggin. >> for another look at the weather here is nbc meteorologist bill karins. he has your weather channel

forecast. >> you were scolding me when he was talking. you started the jeremy lin conversation and what happened last night and we all started discussing it. >> four seconds away from coming back on. >> i get a little snippy. >> wasn't his best moment last night. the first kind of -- >> he's under a lot of pressure. >> the first -- well, you know, first little oops. yeah. good morning, everyone. we are talking a little snow this morning. if you're in areas especially of connecticut into rhode island, that's where we are watching some of the worst of the weather this morn. we had about two inches of snow that has fallen in some portions of connecticut and hudson valley. that's where the roads are the most slippery. that's going to head out and temperatures will warm up in the morning. we'll start to melt some of that. it will change to rain. it's not going to be as warm as yesterday in many areas of the country, including new england. we'll still be mild out there. we could see a period of rain late today. we may have a break around d.c., baltimore and philly as we go throughout the morning. the snowy spot, the snowiest is

here in northern illinois, southern portions of wisconsin from milwaukee to rockford to chicago, a band of moderate snow that has to go through. that's also where you'll have a difficult morning commute. as far as the forecast goes today, we're clearing it out, we're dry throughout much of the middle of the country. the eastern half of the country, late today, we could have severe thunderstorms rolling through the north carolina/south carolina area, maybe even isolated tornado as that strong cold front will bring in that colder air. as far as saturday goes, definitely much chillier across the country, including the southeast, chicago. high temperature only 31. this is actually going to feel like winter once again. it's going to be very windy in areas of new england, especially along the coast. i know even new york city could see wind gusts up to 60 miles per hour. hold on to your hat and be prepared for that. by the time we get to sunday everything calms down and temperatures will begin to warm up. it's a pretty dynamic storm. we got the snow this morning and then we're going to see a lot of winds around the east coast

saturday morning. >> bill, thanks so much. coming up, one movie star gets a warning from the producers of this weekend's academy awards. plus, can tyler perry deliver the goods at the box office in his first attempt to shed his signature role. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. doesn't have to take longer. i'm done. i'm gonna read one of these. i'm gonna read one of these! [ female announcer ] unlike sprays and dust rags, swiffer 360 duster's extender gets into hard-to-reach places without the hassle. so you can get unbelievable dust pickup in less time without missing a thing. i love that book. can you believe the twin did it? ♪ swiffer. great clean in less time. or your money back.

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welcome back to "first look." this year's academy awards on sunday night could remind people of the very first oscar's presentation back in 1929 which was the hayday of the silent movie. as nbc's mark barger reports the heavy favorite this year is also a silent film. >> reporter: the silent film

"wings" won the equivalent of best picture at the first academy awards in 1929. for the first time since then, silence could again be golden. >> everybody has fallen in love with "the artist" eight others are best contenders including "the help" "the descendents" and "hugo" but it's the "artist" that's expected to charm academy voters. >> it is a story about old hollywood, about the ups and downs of a career in the movie industry, and it's also a great romance. >> reporter: "the artist" star dujardin is a cofavorite for best actor along with "the descendents" george clooney. >> i have to say, i love dujardin, i love clooney, i'm happy. >> reporter: best actress another duel between viola davis and meryl streep, a two-time oscar winner. >> it does sound weird to say that meryl streep winning an

oscar would be an upset. it's been almost 30 years since she's won an oscar. >> reporter: christopher plumber has never won oscar but he's expected to for his performance in "beginners" dominated best supporting actor throughout awards season. "the help's" octavia spencer has done the same with best supporting actress. >> the two deserve all the awards they've gotten including the oscar they will surely win this weekend. >> reporter: it could be a night where oscar's present recalls its past. mark barger, nbc news. >> we have our own analysis. we'll hold off. first your -- come on bill, wake up, get your coffee. first look at entertainment news. tyler perry steps out of character this weekend for the first time. he sheds his madea alter ego in "good deeds" about a businessman who befriends a struggling mom. "act of valor" stars navy s.e.a.l.s who discover a terror plot. should command $17 million. paul rudd and jennifer aniston

play city slickers on a hippie commune in "wonder lust" expected to make $11 million. elsewhere, seems snooki and jwoww of "jersey shore" fame are getting an unwelcome reception in the neighborhood where their spinoff is being taped. no surprisep next door has actuallyosted a sign that bans them from entering. >> the same on your ban. >> i don't think they drink wine. something tells me it's stronger. a public battle brewing between bore rat comedian sacha baron cohen and the academy organizers. they banned him from attending sunday's ceremony as his character from "the dictator" the funny man is going to post a video in response on his movie site later today. >> are you excited about the oscars this year? >> i haven't seen any of the movies. >> that's a no. >> i watch the red carpet. you know, it's like me and the commercials -- >> you care about the red carpet than who's going to win what awards.

>> you haven't seen them either, so we'll tune in on monday. i'm lynn berry. >> see what angelina jolie is wearing. >> this is "first look" on msnbc. stay tuned. "way too early" is next. mitt romney takes a victory lap following wednesday night's debate finding time on the trail to reminisce about rick santorum's flub about being a, quote, team player on no child left behind. the question is, how much will it shake up the race before tuesday's primary? in maryland, the state senate last night followed the house of delegates and passed a bill legalizing same-sex marriage. the governor promises to sign it. the question is, will opponents of the pending new law muster up enough signatures to put it on the ballot as a public referendum in november. finally lin-tastrofe she jet down to south beach to play he bon james on the heat home turf. let's say the story is over. the question is did president obama take time from his busy campaignsc