best newt beginning in the world today. today. "first look" is up next. testing the limits. the u.s. supreme court looks at the legality of arizona's tough immigration law. buyer beware. surveillance video captures a violent purse snatching in a store parking lot. and bird brain? why was a rubber chicken sent to the edge of the earth's atmosphere? very good morning to you. i'm veronica de la cruz. those stories and much more, straight ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc. we begin this morning with the immigration battle. the u.s. supreme court heard arguments yesterday on the

federal government's challenge to arizona's controversial immigration law. most of them stood inclined to ruling the arizona law constitutional. nbc's steve handelsman has details. >> reporter: supporters of arizona's attempted crackdown on illegal immigration gathered outside the supreme court, and opponents who charge the arizona law would target hispanics, the obama administration dropped that charge. >> the government conceded that, no, it's not about racial profiling. >> reporter: the case is about arizona's right to require police to determine the immigration status of anyone they stop and suspect is illegal and to detain them while they check with the feds. the obama administration lawyer, argued they're driving those out of the state, but justice scalia noted arizona is not trying to kick out anybody the federal

government has already said does not belong me. "it seems to me," said chief justice john roberts, "that the federal government just doesn't want to know who's here illegally and who's not." swing justice anthony kennedy asked, must the state accept in its borders illegal migrants? liberal justice stephen breyer asked if they, arizona, just called the feds, what's the conflict? liberal justice sonia sotomayor, a latino, warned the obama lawyer about his case. "you can see it's not selling very well." arizona governor jan brewer left the hearing encouraged. >> arizona has a right. and i as governor, i felt, was somewhat assured that i had a right to protect the citizens of arizona. >> reporter: brewer charged president obama sued her state to get a boost with hispanic voters. i'm steve handelsman, nbc news, washington. nbc news has confirmed republican presidential

candidate newt gingrich plans to suspend his campaign next tuesday. the former house speaker will make the announcement on may 1st in washington. a senior campaign source says there is a high likelihood gingrich will also endorse the presumed gop nominee, mitt romney. there was more dramatic testimony on day three of the john edwards trial. the prosecution's star witness was once again on the stand testifying about the alleged plot to use campaign funds to hide edwards' affair with a former staffer. nbc's jay gray has more. >> reporter: for 2 1/2 days, andrew young has described at times in intricate detail a plan he says was implemented by john edwards to hide his mistress, rielle hunter, from his wife and the public during his run for the white house. the defense got their first shot at the star witness in the high-profile case, attacking inconsistencies between his testimony to this point and a tell-all book he's written about at fair. at one point, attorneys saying to mr. young, "you really hate mr. edwards, don't you?" his response, "i have mixed

feelings." young was also pushed about commissions from political organizations that he falsely submitted under his wife's name. >> the overall effect of the aggressive, and at many times effective cross examination, really a grilling, was likely to undermine andrew young's credibility in the eyes of the jury. >> reporter: but they will have to tread lightly after several comments during the first two days of testimony that can actually help the defense. young has said repeatedly that money from rachel mellon was given to edwards for his personal use and that she expected nothing in return for those donations. he's also indicated several times that edwards didn't believe he was doing anything wrong. >> every time andrew young questioned john edwards about the lawfulness of it, john edwards said i've thought about it, i've looked into it, it's perfectly okay. >> reporter: jay gray, nbc news, greensboro, north carolina. here's your "first look" at some of the other news going on around america today. in florida, purse snatchers inside a minivan dragged a woman for more than 150 feet. you can see her hanging to the

passenger's side before finally falling off. the van circled around her just before the attack. the woman suffered minor injuries and lost her purse in the assault. in philadelphia, call her a bad samaritan. a woman picked up a wad of more than $2,000 in cash, after the man in front of her unknowingly dropped it. instead of giving the money back, police say she stole it, even looking around to make sure no one saw her do it. police later arrested the woman, who reportedly confessed. in indiana, boom went the dynamite as crews demolished part of a bridge linking the hoosier state with kentucky. they blew up ramps to the bridge, which will be replaced by temporary ones. an entirely new bridge is expected to be ready by next year. finally in pennsylvania, this week's wild weather meant one last blast for skiers and snorders. a resort in somerset county, got a foot-and-a-half of snow. that meant they were able to

reopen for one last day, the latest they have ever finished a season. they also claim to have been the last ski resort on the east coast open this year. now for a look at national weather, we turn to nbc meteorologist bill karins with the weather channel forecast. i spent the weekend in the desert for coachella and it was 104 degrees and there was snow in the mountains? >> yes. >> i can't make sense of the weather at all this year! >> it's been interesting. that snow would have lasted in texas for maybe a second. yesterday was one of the hottest days in april history in the state of texas. i mean, we went through the march with all the record heat in the northern plains and all through the northeast, and right now, we've settled into a very hot weather pattern in texas. it was 104 degrees in april in lubbock, as hot as it's ever been in april. amarillo, childress and lubbock, all three cities set their all-time warmest april temperatures yesterday, incredible 100-degree heat here. it wasn't quite as warm around dallas, but 89 and even 94 in san antonio. you know, definitely summerlike.

this morning, still very warm. we're starting the morning at 74 in dallas. it's very warm all through the southeast. temperature 65 in atlanta. and you notice where the cool air is, definitely up in new england. that's probably the coolest air out there. you still need the jackets. away from the big cities, we're in the 30s in many spots, so definitely on the cold side. again, florida looks fantastic today with low humidities, so enjoy that while it lasts. the trouble weather, in between where the warm and cold air is. that's where we typically see all the issues. we have numerous showers and thunderstorms. and the west coast is a mess. we had the heavy rain late yesterday in southern california. that's going to push into arizona today. also, rainy weather right up the coast from areas idaho to washington and even through oregon. the worst weather this morning, though, as far as being dangerous, is in kentucky. a very strong line of storms rolling down, about to across interstate 65 from bowling green to elizabethtown. severe thunderstorm warnings with this line and some strong, gusty winds. so, stay inside there right around bowling green. give about a half hour until that storm passes by. also, thunderstorms in central portions of ohio this morning.

and if you're in virginia, anywhere between washington and richmond and roanoke, you've got a good chance of rain out there this morning. bring the umbrella. so, a lot of areas with minor concerns today, veronica. doesn't look like any tornadoes, so that's good. >> okay, well, that's some good news. thanks, bill. the nasdaq leads, big ben stands pat, and having it your way cage-free. your "first look" at this morning's business headlines is straight ahead. coming up, game seven between the caps and bruins into overtime. and could calvin johnson's season be over before it even starts? you're watching "first look" on msnbc. [ male announcer ] what can you do with plain white rice?

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hey, there. welcome back to "first look." i'm veronica de la cruz. here are some of the top stories making news this morning. after days of white house pressure, tomorrow the republican-led house is expected to vote on a bill that would prevent interest rates on federal student loans from doubling. house speaker john boehner believes it should be paid for

by taking money from president obama's health care overhaul. connecticut became the nation's 17th state to abolish the death penalty yesterday. the measure, however, only applies to future cases and not to the 11 men already on death row. a u.s. marine who criticized president obama on facebook over his economic policies is being given an other than honorable discharge. 26-year-old sergeant gary stein will lose most of his benefits. with the help of california schoolchildren, nasa launched a special probe to study the most intense radiation storm since 2003. a weather balloon equipped with a rubber chicken. camilla wore a space suit equipped with sensors to measure radiation. and now here's your "first look" at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 13,090 after gaining 89 points. the s&p added 18. the nasdaq skyrocketed upwards 68 points.

looking at overseas trading. in tokyo, the nikkei was up a fraction, while in hong kong, the hang seng rose 163. investors will be watching the latest unemployment numbers today as well as a slew of earnings reports. yesterday, apple's big earnings report sent the stock soaring back up over $600, giving the nasdaq composite index its biggest gain of the year. exxonmobil raised its quarterly dividend by 21% yesterday ahead of its earnings report today. the latest jobs data being released today is expected to show a slight decrease in unemployment claims from last week. federal reserve chairman ben bernanke said yesterday the central bank still plans to leave interest rates at their current low level until at least 2014 but says they are prepared to take action, if necessary. foreclosure activity increased in about half of the nation's cities in the first quarter, according to realty track, but overall, foreclosures were down compared to last year. facebook says it will beef

up security against hackers and spammers, eventually offering antivirus software to its 900 million users. dozens of 99% protesters marched outside of the general electric shareholders meeting in detroit yesterday, calling on the company and others to pay their fair share in taxes. ge, a minority owner of nbc universal, says its 2011 tax rate of 25% has been paid. and a whopper of an announcement from burger king. it will be the first u.s. fast-food chain to have all of its eggs and pork come from cage-free chickens and pigs by 2017, a move meant to placate animal welfare critics. a new member joins the 400 home run club and madden's nfl game meets this year's cover boy. plus, washington caps in round one of overtime.

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welcome back to "first look." i'm veronica de la cruz. in sports, last night the capitals eliminated the defending champion boston bruins to move on to the second round of hockey's stanley cup playoffs. here's nbc's fred roggin. >> good morning. there was only one thing better than a game seven, and that's overtime in game seven. let's go to boston, caps and bruins, winner moves on and the loser goes home. tied at one after regulation, now to sudden death overtime. about three minutes in, mike knuble drove it to the net. tim thomas made the first save

but couldn't make the second. joel ward slammed home the rebound, and with that, the door was slammed in the bruins' season. the caps took out the defending champs with a dramatic 2-1 win in o.t. and there's more where that came from, two more game sevens tonight. rangers and senators at 7:00 p.m. eastern on the nbc sports network. then at 8:30, panthers and devils from florida. nba, the race for the scoring title has come down to the final game. thunder's kevin durant scored 32 in a loss to the nuggets. that means kobe bryant will have to score at least 38 tonight in sacramento to win his third scoring title. kobe, the ball is in your court. baseball. the white sox paul konerko reached a milestone against the a's with his 400th career homer, just the fourth player in team history to hit that mark. howev however, the a's tied it and it was ended with a bloop single. in came the winning run. oakland won the 14-ingmar thon 5-4. to cleveland, billy butler

ended the winning streak with a pair of homers over the indians and they crushed cleveland 8-2. finally, the lions' calvin johnson will be on the cover of the madden video game, beating out cam newton with 52% of the vote. the cover is an honor and a curse. you see, the majority of players featured have either been injured or suffered a drastic decline in their careers. the lions have been through so much over the years, it will take much more than a video game curse to get them down. that's your "first look" at sports. i'm fred roggin. and now for another look at the weather, here's nbc meteorologist bill karins with the weather channel forecast. you are saying that we are going to need an umbrella all along the east coast, is that right? >> mid-atlantic northwards. >> sounds great. thanks, bill. >> you're safe from south carolina to florida. enjoy your sunshine. we're talking about a storm system now in the ohio valley, heading to the east coast later this evening. that's why a lot of us need the umbrella today. but it's a cold, chilly start. you also need the jacket in areas of new england. the rain will be a chilly rain

for you. we're warmer in d.c., so you could have a slight chance of mixing in thunderstorms, too. we have a lot of rain right now coming down through ohio, west virginia, to the mountainous areas of west virginia, even raleigh, north carolina has had some rain. eventually, all the cloud cover moves into new england. you'll start with sunshine in new york city and hartford, and as the day progresses, the clouds will move in and it will be a cloudy finish. and eventually, the rain showers push in also. so, here's the forecast today. the best chance of significant airport delays, definitely around washington, d.c., and richmond and raleigh, too, with showers and thunderstorms. as far as new england goes, most of those rain showers will be later this afternoon towards this evening. i mentioned the southeast, how gorgeous you're going to be today. still hot in texas. whole middle of the country actually looks nice. a little chilly in chicago today. we're also seeing a chance of thunderstorms in phoenix and denver as our west coast storm moves inland. a little rain yesterday in areas that don't typically see it, vegas. phoenix is going to get rain, too. >> but nice weekend weather, right? for the entire nation, that's what you're saying, for all of

us? >> we'll get to that tomorrow. >> thanks, bill. mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest woman of all? plus, you won't believe who the latest actress is linked to ashton kutcher, but she says no way. your "first look" at entertainment is straight ahead. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. oooh, what's her secret? [ male announcer ] dawn hand renewal with olay beauty. improves the look and feel of hands in just five uses. [ sponge ] soft, smooth... fabulous! [ male announcer ] dawn does more... [ sponge ] so it's not a chore.

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romney's the guy for gop -- >> oh, yeah. >> he's the nominee, he's going to be the candidate there. how about vp? what do you think? who's going to take that? >> well, you know, they've said rubio from florida. he said no. jeb bush, he said no. there are about three or four guys who have already turned him down.

he reminds me of a guy, spank edwards at school who's cool and couldn't get a date to the prom. nobody wants to run with him. i don't obviously agree with romney, but romney should be heard. i think the young people should hear him and then they'll know he doesn't know a thing. a lady woke me up the other day on a plane, best thing i've heard. she's an older lady. she says, you know, all these years, i hated your guts. now i watch your show, now i know why i hate your guts. >> that was msnbc's reverend al sharpton last night on "late night with jimmy fallon." >> saw a picture of him smiling, telling jokes. >> i know, it was great. don't miss the reverend sharpton on "politics nation" weekdays at 6:00 p.m. eastern right here on msnbc, the place for politics. and tonight, jimmy welcomes actor jason segel, lee soboleski and cc sabathia. that is "late night with jimmy fallon" week nights on your

local nbc station. well, a live episode of the nbc comedy hit "30 rock" worked once, so they're going to try it again. like the first, tonight's live episode will be performed at new york city's real-live 30 rock in the studio that is normally home to "saturday night live." nbc's mark barger has a preview. ♪ live show, it's a 30 rock live show ♪ >> reporter: the last time they did this -- >> does it seem weird in here to you? >> reporter: -- "the 30 rock" game came out of their first ever live show stoked. >> it makes me want to do it again, like tomorrow. >> reporter: that last go-round featured several guest star cameos and a west coast redo that was tweaked from an east coast version. >> i was blown away by how exciting and exhilarating it was. it was also so terrifying. and when it was done, it was like the greatest high that we all made it through. >> reporter: once again, studio 8h, normally home to "snl"-host the live episode. >> it's a crazy thing, especially when you have to move around to the different stages,

we have costume stages, the cameras and the cables and stuff. it's going to be a mess! >> reporter: in fact, there will be a lot of costume changes for the cast, because tonight's episode is loaded with flashbacks. >> we're basically going to trust the "snl" dressers to literally carry people to where they're supposed to be and put their clothes on them. >> reporter: it's a frenzied pace for a cast that usually films an episode with no audience over an entire week. >> it makes me appreciate what all the guys on "saturday night live" do every week. and i mean, it's kind of maddening, but it's super exciting. >> that's awesome! >> reporter: excitement that will peak when "30 rock" goes live tonight. mark barger, nbc news. >> and you're going to be here for that, right? it's just right upstairs. >> that would be worth it. >> yeah, seriously. it is time to continue on with some entertainment. sorry, but rumors of another relationship from "that '70s show" becoming a reality are definitely not true. mila kunis shooting down reports she is dating ashton kutcher --

>> good. >> telling "extra" it's absurd, a friend is a friend. lindsay lohan was late for "glee" following a late-night party. a cast member tweeted "some people show up late and just throw a wrench in things. not cool." "people" magazine named beyonce world's most beautiful woman for 2012. the 16-time grammy winner says she feels more beautiful than ever because she has given birth. she definitely has that glow, right? succeafter successful seque "the mummy" and "fast and the furious," dwayne johnson's hollywood friends refer to him now as franchise viagra. >> sounds like a sponsorship. could be the spokesperson. finally, believe it or not, the beach boys kicked off their 50th anniversary tour last night in tucson. the first stop on a five-month, 56-show tour. that sounds like a good one to catch, i think. >> yeah, before it's too late. i mean, how much longer can they keep going? it's crazy! >> i'm veronica de la cruz. this is "first look" on msnbc.

stay tuned, because "way too early with willie geist" starts right now. welcome to the general election, so says the obama campaign, as the president outright calls mitt romney an extremist, while another poll shows the two in a dead heat six months out. the question is, what did one james earl carter say to shake up the race and make president obama shake his head? the supreme court, meanwhile, hears arguments on the arizona immigration law that has received so much national attention. the question now is, why are court watchers saying it looks from the statements in court the justices may have no problem with the law? we'll take a closer look at it. and with another win, the washington nationals now own the best record in the national league, and the washington capitals with a dramatic game seven win over boston have knocked out the defending stanley cup champs. the question