we see him fly ago way into the beautiful roman sunset he goes. watching this as an american audience brings up a sense memory of what it means to see a leader leaving on a helicopter and saying good-bye when we americans see leaders leave on a helicopter at the end of our reign. that means presidents leaving the white house at the end of their term. like george w. bush or bill clinton or ren onald ray again or maybe they served one term and lost. we are used to seeing leaders take off on that bill deluxe chopper and never come back. but today seeing the pope do that exit stage up like a

president. unlike presidents who are leaving the white house forever and not coming back. today the pope took off and left the vatican but he is going to go on vacation and then come back to the vatican where he will live dressed in white called your holy iness chairing this man he gets him nights and the new pope gets him days. and the expope's brother says that benedict will be happy to advise his successor while he is hanging around the vatican. it is going to take him back too. >> i never thought i would say this but oh to be a fly on the wall at the vatican when he gets back. vatican when he gets back. "first look" is up next.

very happy friday to you. right now on "first look," sequester looms at midnight like cinderella's deadline. the senate chaplain may have said it all. >> rise up, oh, god, and safe us from ourselves. >> last night, the white house took legal steps to outlaw california's ban on same-sex marriage. odd couple. basketball bad boy dennis rodman vows to be friends forever with north korea's kim jong-un. plus, tiger woods puts on the hip waiters to test the waters. and the faa isn't happy about these passengers doing the harlem shake. good morning. the obama administration offers a powerful message to the supreme court. overturn california's ban on

same-sex marriage. the court is gearing up to hear two cases on the topic later this season in the brief. officials say the ban violates the constitution's equal protection clause. same-sex marriage remains an issue dividing many americanings. only nine states in the district of columbia allow for same-sex marriages. it took an interesting turn later this week when several high-profile republicans came out in support of the movement. they include john huntsman and last year's rnc featured guest and famous open-chair talker, actor clint eastwood. well, it is sequester day in washington. a meeting is set for later this morning at the white house between president obama and congressional leaders, but it might be too little, too late. lawmakers have so far not acted, and it prompted a rare public outcry in the senate. >> rise up, oh, god, and save us

from ourselves. pour your wisdom upon our lawmakers so that they will do your will. >> nbc's tracie potts joins now from washington. tracie, good morning to you. what do you have to say about reverend barry black there? >> reporter: well, it's kind of interesting when you take a look at what's going on and the fact we've seen these public polls where they seem to echo that same sentiment. now today the white house saying the number one purpose of this meeting is to try to avoid these cuts, but as you noted, it may be too late. >> we're not going to walk away from the only chance of getting spending under control around here. >> reporter: but they did, literally. the house is gone this morning. that means virtually zero chance of any last-minute deal to avoid these cuts. >> i'll be here -- >> reporter: top leaders meet with president obama this morning. >> my message at the white house will be the same as what i'm

telling you today. it's time for them to do their job and pass a bill. >> there are no preconditions to a meeting like this. any topic is up for discussion. >> reporter: not just today's cuts, but also government funding that runs out later this month. >> get it all done at once. it would be so easy to do. >> reporter: the cuts aren't official yet, but we're already seeing the impact. the "uss truman" is on stand by. arlington cemetery is expected to cut 100 funerals a month. iowa families may lose their chance to get funding. plus, furloughs and layoffs. >> i have two kids at home. i have my wife who's working. >> i have tuition. i have a daughter in college. this is her last year. >> reporter: more than half the nation's government workers bracing for unpaid days off. >> we will survive. we'll do okay. but i think this is a hell of a way to run a railroad. >> reporter: and here's another look at it, really, from the outside looking in, veronica.

the imf, the international monetary fund, is saying this goes through, they may have to take another look at their growth estimates for the united states, maybe cutting them by as much as half a percent. >> all right. we'll see what happens at 11:59:59. thank you. well, the army soldier charged in the largest legal class has pled guilty. private riley manning admitted in open court thursday to providing military and diplomatic files to julian assange's whistleblower site. it was all in an effort to expose what he called the military's blod lust and disregard for human life. the admission could send the 25-year-old to prison for some 20 years. he'll still stand trial for more serious charges like aiding the enemy. prosecutors will also argue that osama bin laden had some of the leaked material at his compound. 1.2 billion roman catholics

have no pope. after eight years, benedict xvi stepped down thursday with tearftear ful fare wells and a flying off into the sunset. the 85-year-old says he's beginning the final stages of his life as simply a pilgrim. on monday, cardinals will gather to make plans for electing a new pope. a new law is now in effect in arkansas banning most abortions starting the 20th week of pregnancy. a veto of the law was overridden thursday after the house did the same on wednesday. the state senate also proved a more restrictive ban that could ban abortions even earlier, after 12 weeks of pregnancy. the governor declined whether to say he would veto the 12-week ban. okay. so you may not have noticed, but last year there was an extra ring of radiation that was circling the earth. twin nasa space probes made the surprising discovery. it was a new radiation belt that joined two known belts, seen here in yellow. nasa scientists say the new

ring, which lasted for more than four weeks, may have been caused by a giant solar eruption last august. the giant amounts of radiation the belts generation can pose serious risks for satellites. here is your first look at the weather. we bring in dylan dryer now. we'll get you that in a second. first, politics. the race for the illinois seat in the house is now set. the republican nominee will be paul mckinley, who's a convicted felon and spent time in prison for armed robbery and aggravated battery. if you're wondering, state law does allow him to vote. the conservatives who snubbed chris christie are being snubbed in return. christie was not invited to speak next month, but he doesn't seem fazed. >> i didn't know i hadn't been invited until like two days ago when i saw it in the news. i wish him the best.

let him have a great conference. as for the rest of it, it doesn't bother me a whole heck of a lot. i can't sweat the small stuff. i got a state to rebuild. gop strategist karl rove talk aboed about the criticism his 2012 campaign. and pat robertson, host of the religious tv show "the 700 club," has been known for saying wild things over the years. monday, a viewer sent in a letter about buying sweaters to prevent demons from entering the house. >> can demonic spirits attach themselves to inanimate objects? the answer is yes. but i don't think ever sweater you get from goodwill has demons in it. >> and that is your morning dish of scrambled politics. now we bring in nbc

meteorologist dylan dreyer. just in case you're wondering, not every sweater at goodwill is -- >> that's good to know. another interesting story coming off the shores of lake michigan. we have ice boulders showing up on the shores. take a look at that. looks like a totally change, alien concept here, but it's actually pretty normal. it's when the sheets of ice break off on the frozen lake michigan and then get tossed around in president wthe waves rolled over and turn into these ice bolders. the dogs like them too. we are going to see a little bit of snow around the great lakes. nuisance snow over the course of the next couple days. that includes the weekend. little more intense through central and northern new england, especially over the weekend where we could end up with about 3 to 6 inches of

snowfall. we're also focusing on this huge dip in the jet stream. yes, it's march, but cold, cold air is surging into areas in the southeast. normal high temperatures are in the 60s and 70s. atlanta today will only top out around 48 degrees. looks like orlando will be almost 10 degrees below average as well. freeze warnings likely to be posted all across the southeast, including florida, especially tomorrow morning. veronica? >> all right. thanks. a doggy who done it, one of westminster's finest is found dead days after the dog show. plus, rescuers use a hell continuer to save a deer. and duke is the latest to lose to the unranked. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. [ woman ] my boyfriend and i were going on vacation,

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good morning. welcome back. stories making news this morning. the house has voted to reauthorize the violence against

women act. the bill had run into some republican opposition for its inclusion of lesbians and native americans. a 26-year-old man is under arrest this morning in connection with last week's deadly maserati shooting on the las vegas strip. he was tracked down thursday in l.a. after a week-long man hunt. the faa is investigating an incident after this video was posted from on board a frontier airlines flight. it shows colorado college students performing the harlem shake some 30,000 feet in the air. the airline insists all safety measures were followed. mean while, a dog owner is looking into the death of her prized pooch just days after it showed in the westminster dog show. she says her 3-year-old dog might have deliberately been poisoned while competing. and talk about walking on thin ice. this deer in canada became stranded on a frozen lake and struggled for hours to gain footing on the ice. it was too thin for rescuers to

take on, so helicopter pilots used the downdraft from their blades to blow the deer to safety. the dow just 16 points from its all-time high. we're going to see if march comes in like a lion or a bear. february car sales are on deck today. they're expected to be slightly up from january. best buy is up before the bell. investors are eager to hear of reports that a deal to take the company private is not accurate. groupon landed with a thud. yesterday, they fired their ceo. elsewhere, jcpenney chief has about six months to turn things around before calls come in for his resignation. boeing is reportedly about to cut hundreds of workers in a south carolina dreamliner factory. meanwhile, chrysler is pouring $400 million into a factory in indiana. the irs says the sequester

means a furlough of five to six days for its employees. a recent ban in plastic bags has led to an uptick in shoplifting. this six-bedroom, six-bath brick home can be yours for just $1.9 million. and for the fourth straight year, hawaii residents have the highest well-being in the united states while west virginia residents have the lowest. colorado came in at number two. and one mother to be is outsourcing one of the biggest decisions of her life, her baby's name. natasha hill won a contest online. now she's being paid $5,000 to let complete strangers name her child. is that a good idea? i don't know. straight ahead, dealing with a despit. plus, a wickedly dangerous situation when a semi goes too fast on slick roads.

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cart full of groceries. a customer chasing him actually shot the thief claiming he wanted to mark the vehicle for police. in oregon, we're going to call this one bad luck butt dial. a suspected drug dealer accidently dialed 911 while negotiating payment for the illegal contraband. dispatchers used the gps to catch the drug dealer red handed. >> when you got to go, you got to go, right? a woman in tennessee got more than relief. in need of a restestroom, she stopped at a local restaurant. she got charged $5. handlers tried to calm the mammoth sea creature as he thrashed and splashed. he's doing better now, finally adjusting to his new roommates and sprawling watery home. now to sports. another college basketball upset. joe harris of unranked virginia

had a big night with 36 points to knock off number-three duke. it should improve their chances of a spot in the ncaa tournament. now to the nba. the clippers' chris paul working the give-and-go with blake griffin who gets the bucket and the foul and scores 18 points. chris paul leads los angeles for the win. now to the warriors. a fight resulted in two suspensions. check this out. his paychecks go to his parents. now his father says he's also going to reduce his son's allowance. here's an all-time odd couple north korea's kim jong-un and dennis rodman watching a basketball game together in pyongyang. at the pga honda class nick florida, tiger woods hit a shot

that landed in a water hazard, so he took off his shoes and socks, got wet to hit out and save his par, finishing the day 6 bang of tck of the leader. and the latest version of the dance craze the harlem shake. this is the miami heat. they said they were just trying to have fun with what they call the south beach shake. now for another look at the weather, here's nbc meteorologist dylan dreyer. >> 26 in chicago right now. 36 degrees in atlanta. that's where the cold air is going to be most noticeable, especially into this weekend. highs in atlanta today, only 48 degrees. some nuisance snow showers in and around the great lakes. those will start to move into the northeast as we start off the weekend. but atlanta starting off about

42 degrees tomorrow. even orlando will only make it a into the low to mid-60s. temperatures will be about 15 to 20 degrees below average in the south this weekend. >> cold. well, there's still time. we're waiting for you. >> out of time, sorry. just ahead, we're going to tell you what's happening this weekend for your entertainment pleasure. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. look, if you have copd like me, you know it can be hard to breathe, and how that feels. copd includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. spiriva helps control my copd symptoms by keeping my airways open for 24 hours. plus, it reduces copd flare-ups. spiriva is the only once-daily inhaled copd maintenance treatment that does both.

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welcome back. from three-letter words to one too many popes, we have your breakdown on the week that was. >> the red carpet was white hot

at the oscars this year with mostly fashion hits, a few misses, and one very big stumble. the first lady was there too, bearing her signature sculpted arms, but iranian press felt the need to cover them up. the sequester got testy. >> we should not have to move a third bill before the senate gets off their ass to do something. >> that word. >> get off his ass. >> he said ass. >> congress did get a few things done, ending a season in purgatory for obama cabinet picks jack lew and chuck hagel. mean while, the winds of change blue a text-sized nightmare into this house covering it from top to bottom in tumble weeds. over in kansas, a midwest whiteout. other cringe worthy moments, the sixth annual sword swallowing day. and a little easier to stomach, a few laughs over one company's misfortune. >> the university of phoenix could lose its license because of questionable billing policies. which makes sense when you find

out they got their accounting degrow from the university of phoenix. >> one billionaire is building titanic two. he says this one won't sink. while this wealthy fellow has even bigger plans. and one lucky couple on a round-trip to mars. and pope benedict xvi said a farewell, then his private farewell, then an almost so long before heading into retirement. but wait, there's going to be two popes? >> you can't have one vatican with two popes. it's like gotham with multiple batmans. you shine the bat signal, all these clowns show up. >> all right. coming up next in entertainment news, we're going to talk about some box office news which is poised for a giant disappointment this weekend. "jack the giant slayer" hits theaters today. the film's $200 million budget isn't doing it any