stylish state dinner. the president and first lady roll out washington's red carpet for their london counterparts. fast forward. nasa shows off an impressive condensed view of the moon's evolution. and master marsupial. the four legged critter is a hit on the web for its impressive downhill skis. good morning, everyone. i'm lynn berry. this is first look on msnbc. we begin this morning on the campaign trail. on the heels of primaries in mississippi and alabama republican presidential candidates rick santorum and

mitt romney are shifting their focus much farther south looking forward to purt terto rico's primary. >> lynn, this morning rick scrum is campaigning in puerto rico. they have 20 delegates at stake for the primary but will not vote in november. >> rick santorum's back in puerto rico today after telling residents he'll push for state hood if they want it and if they make english the main language on the island. still reeling from surprise victories in alabama and mississippi, santorum insisted he's not pressuring newt gingrich to drop out. >> i didn't ask newt gingrich to get into this race. i'm not going to ask him to get out of the race. >> reporter: puerto rico's delegates will only be winner take all if one of the candidates can get more than half of the votes. that's unlikely. mitt romney is off today. he'll be in puerto rico friday after buying a million dollar's

ads. romney and gingrich are fighting for the state's 54 delegates. >> if i'm he a weak front-runner what does that make newt gingrich? i'm glad that i've got about twice as many delegates. >> santorum and i have drained most of his current treasury. he can raise money from billionaires. we raise money from middle class people. >> reporter: romney argues he's got broad based support but the southern primaries highlighted his problems with conservative voters. >> tracy for us in washington. there's been a lot of talk whether newt gingrich should pull out of the race before the republican presidential nomination. last night on "the ed show", former democratic candidate told ed he has to make that decision himself. >> i don't think you ought to be telling people when to get out of the race. i think your analysis is right. there's no doubt that if newt stays in romney has a better

chance. there's some winner take all states and that means romney's going to get 100% of the delegates. if newt stays in romney wins with 37 or 38%. newt's got to figure this out for himself. he got into it. he has to figure out when the right time to exit. alabama and mississippi weren't going to vote for obama anyway. here's where it's killing them. romney said he wanted to get rid of planned parenthood. how do you think that's going to play among republican women in the philadelphia suburbs. that's the swing vote in pennsylvania. each night ed schultz and his guests debate the issues affecting americans. the u.s. soldier accused of killing 16 afghan civilians has been moved out of the country. he's been moved to a detention center in kuwait. a military lawyer from his base near seattle is going to travel to meet with his client.

during defect secretary leon panetta's talk to american troops yesterday the marines were ordered to be unarmed and leave their weapons outside. as panetta's plane was arriving in afghanistan, an afghan driver in a stolen pickup truck crashed into a ditch as he attempted to hit a group of marines. that driver was killed. in his attempts to crush opposition to his regime syrian president bashar al-assad has been reportedly been getting advice from iran. the guardian published excerpts of what it says are e-mails sent by assad and his wife since last june. he was advised by iran how to handle about the uprising and joked about his prompts of reform. assad was also told about western journalists in homs and urgeed to tighten the security grip on the city. the e-mails also showed assad and his wife enjoying a luxurious lifestyle as the violence escalated. a much lighter note.

last night president obama and first lady michelle hosted their sixth state dinner. this one honoring english prime minister david cameron and his wife samantha. both the president and the first lady looked really nice in their formals. mrs. camerons sparkling dark blue gown prompted the president to say very pretty and even turn to his wife and said, they look better than us. at the dinner the president toasted the two nation's long alliance while prime minister cameron toasted the president swhag a pleasure it was to work with someone with, quote, clear reason and with fundamental decency. the star studded affair was attended by among others actor george clooney. here is your first look at some of the other news going on around america today. a surprise ending to a freeway chase in california after a highway patrol officer bumped the back of a puckup truck to stop a suspected drunk driver, they found a baby in the car.

officers say they didn't know the child was in the truck until the pursuit was over. in south carolina police officers arrived just in time to save one of their own. a state trooper had to be pulled from fiery wreckage after his patrol car crashed after chasing a motorcyclist. the officer broke both of his legs. surveillance video shows a thief attacking the owner of a deli but the victim managed to fight back grabbing a baseball bat and hitting the rob ber over and over again. both men eventually ran out of the store. the thief is still on the loose. and finally, a ski resort has posted a video of a opossum riding the slopes on a tiny little snowboard. the little guy is named rattatoulli. he was outfitted with an itty bitty ski pass. like some of his human skiers, this year the fun didn't last. the resort closed for the season

last week because there's no snow because it's 70 degrees outside. now for a look at your national freaky weather, bill karins. >> tomorrow we'll have a video of the opossum with the bathing suit. >> how are you doing, bill? >> this is easy. >> kick your heels up. >> cake walk lately. beautiful conditions continue, but there are some changes out there. in new england you need to pay attention. also heading towards the pitszburg area. first let's start with what happened yesterday. incredible warmth especially in the midwest. 81 in chicago. one of the earliest 80 degree readings we've ever had in march. areas like travis city michigan was in the 80s. here's -- this map shows where the cold air is. it's mostly showed here in the blue. if you're in the blue, it's cold. it's more like winter. that's far north up into canada. as we go throughout the upcoming

weekend a cold air comes down. there will be snow in many areas of california. it doesn't head east. this is thursday of next week. all of the cold air is locked to the north. that's why this amazing weather pattern is going to roll on through the weekend and into next week. we may just stay this way. as far as what we're dealing with now, very warm up here from chicago to kansas. it dumped snow last night in maine. the north winds behind that are bringing down cooler air from cana canada. here's a storm. it's not summer like conditions everywhere. it's a cool morning. you need to wear the winter coat for the kids as you head out the door in new england. a lot of temperatures in the 30z, maybe the gloves and a hat. little later this afternoon it will be nice. definitely a chilly morning. the one spot with wet weather, areas of ohio had some heavy rain. these are lightening strikes over the last half hour. definitely active weather in

eastern areas of ohio. that will head for the greater pittsburgh area about an hour or two from now. today's forecast we should be dry for many areas of the east. washington, d.c., you should see near record high temperatures today. definitely cooler from boston, providence, hartford, new york city. atlanta, 80. slight chance of late day afternoon storm. chicago the same. the warmth is going to head east again by the time we get to friday. that's when the temperatures will continue to be on the rice. lynn, we're looking fairly nice into the weekend. not a lot of wet weather. >> bill, thanks so much. financials fly. apple cruises higher. finding a roommate just as if you were finding a date. your first look at this morning's business headlines is straight ahead. >> coming up a win-lose situation for the knicks. the lions break the bank and the president fills out his bracket. you're watching "first look" on

msnbc. >> it used to upset me and now it makes me mad to see people use patriotism as a pawn in their political argument. i know personally growing up in a military family the sacrifice that is made on a daily basis. the troops aren't red and blue. they're not black and white. they're not male and female. they are americans. when they put their uniforms on, they are americans and that's a fact. that's good morning, veggie style. hmmm. for half the calories plus veggie nutrition. could've had a v8. i care about my car because... i think it's a cool car. i think it's stylish and it makes a statement at the same time. and i've never had a car like that. people don't totally understand how the volt works.

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. welcome back to "first look." i'm lynn berry. here's some of the top stories making news this morning. greg smith, an employee at goldman sachs resigned yesterday detailing his complaints. he called the practices toxic. he says the firm's interests always came first with callous talk about ripping off clients. gold man ceo lloyd blankfine said he was disgruntled. officials say they were ne gle gent in not warning students of a gunman on campus. blah guy yes vish goes to prison. he said what he did was legal and that an appeal of his conviction will succeed. the remains of 22 belgian

children and six adults killed in a bush crash in switzerland are being returned to their home country. the victims were mourninged yesterday in belgium. nasa has assembled an amazing video animation tracing the history of the moon. it shows the moon forming into a ball of molten rock. the formation of the surface and the many collisions that left all those craters. now here's your first look at how wall street is going to kick off the day. the dow opens at 13,194 after adding 16 points yesterday. the s&p was down a point. the nasdaq was up a fraction. taking a look at overseas training. in tokyo, the nikkei gained 13 points. hang seng added 45. after posting the biggest gains tuesday, blue chips eke the out another win. bank of america was the dow's biggest gainer. three of the four banks that failed the fed's stress test, citigroup, met life, ally

financial struggled yesterday. news of stock buy backs and possible dividend increases boosted wells far gee and key corp. meanwhile, apple due to unveil the new ipad in stores tomorrow jumped nearly 4% thanks to analyst's upgrades. elsewhere, the s&p broke its week long winning streak. shares of proctor and gamble dipped before the day closed. chef von shares slipped. however, recent optimism about the u.s. economy helped lift the dollar to an 11-month high against the yen and a one month high against the euro. realty track reports the number of americans receiving delinquency notices on their homes rose last month while the overall number of foreclosures dropped. if you're thinking about using your paypal account to bet on those college basketball games, you may want to think again. the company that is been sending their alerts to customers suspected of using the is err advice for march madness wage

gers saying their account use has been, quote, limited. finally, you probably heard about speed dating, but how about speed roommating. thanks to a new online service that's moved across the pond, new yorkers can now have a fast way to find and screen a potential roommate or renter without making any kind of commitment. in health news this morning, a new government report says most women between the ages of 30 and 65 can actually go five years between cervical cancer screenings. however, experts say extending the time between pap smears may lead to a small increase in the number of women who could die from cervical cancer. the report does say women aged 21 to 30 should continue screenings every three years. for more information on this and other health stories, you can check out the health page at msnbc.com. the lions hand out the biggest contract ever for a wide receiver. and even president obama has the march madness bug.

plus, even without the reining mvp the bulls slam the miami heat. your first look at sports is straight ahead. you're watching first look on msnbc i think it's final seconds, ohh, down by two, shoots a three, game over. so two seconds ago... hey mr. and mrs. harris, where's kevin? say hi kevin. did you hear... the choys had their baby? so 29 seconds ago. well we should get them a gift. [ choys ] thanks for the gift! [ amy and rob ] you're welcome! you're welcome! [ male announcer ] get it fast with at&t. the nation's largest 4g network. at&t. ♪ ♪ oh, my maltipoo's depressed. but my affordable prius c means i can pay for his acupuncture. whew. i love my pooch. oh no! my homemade sushi... turned p-ushi! use estimated 53 mpg to find a gluten-free alternative. look, this means i'm a chef.

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or your money back. and for dry messes big and small try swiffer sweeper vac. . welcome back to "first look." i'm lynn berry. in sports last night the new york knicks shook off the surprise resignation of their head coach and they snapped a six game losing streak. here's nbc's fred roggin. >> good morning, mike d'antoni

has finally had enough. maybe if the knicks played like this dan tony would be working. 9 knicks crushed the trail blazers by 42. new york lost their coach but won the game. derrick rose sat out. the back up point guard had arguably the best game of his career. a team high 24 against the heat. chicago had six players in double figures. bulls turned on the heat 106-102. nba trade day today. tony parker has been on a tear lately. the chance of mvp. he finished with 31 points for the second straight game. san antonio won it 122-111. the lions signed calvinon ser to a $132 million deal for eight years. college hoops the field of 64 is

set. vermont will play north carolina after they beat lamar. just the fifth time vermont is in the tournament. they advance 71-59. south florida also moved on. at one point they were up 32 on cal. golden bears made it respectable but couldn't get over the hump. south florida won it 65-54. finally how does your bracket stack up with the president's? he's got kentucky, missouri, ohio state, north carolina in the final four. three years ago he had the tar heels winning it all and he was right. once again he picked north carolina. any coincidence that the democratic convention is also in north carolina? you be the judge. that's your "first look" at sports. i'm fred roggin. let's talk brackets with the expert. nbc meteorologist bill karins. you think he's a weather guy? oh, no. >> i didn't even know the game started at noon. >> don't already put me down. i've got my bracket right here. >> i handed you my bracket. >> long beach state taking it all. >> a lot of people actually

think that they can go to the sweet 16. they're a little sleeper team. >> that's why i picked them. >> i'm going to make you fill a bracket out by the end of today and you won't have any clue what you're doing. good morning, everyone. today's weather, the only area of the country that is a lot changed. one of those spots in new york city. temperatures down 17 degrees from yesterday morning. yesterday morning was so ridiculously warm. it's expected that it's a little bit cooler. temperatures in the 40s. jacket weather, maybe gloves. we're in the 30s up in areas of new england. that's where winter has returned briefly but that's where it is for at least this morning. this afternoon a little bit of improvement. the exception being boston. you could have your wind coming off water. the ocean waters up there are still pretty pretty. if you're in the coastal areas, your temperatures will be lower than areas in land. we could see thunderstorms today. we see them approaching areas like pittsburgh. same with buffalo a little later today. we should be dry around d.c. and

philly. maybe showers and storms moving in later on tonight. in the middle of the country we continue our amazing warm stretch. kansas and st. louis, 80 degrees. denver, beautiful by your standards, 78. montana is still warm. anyone joining us from the west coast, i've had lots of friends from seattle to portland, where's our warmth? you are suffering through this chilly weather pattern t. will continue for you even as we go into tomorrow and over the weekend you could deal with snow in the mountains outside of los angeles. the los angeles marathon is this weekend. it could be a rare event where it could rain. you could have people running in ponchos. >> thanks, bill. coming up, an actress gets a baby. an actor gets an nc 17 rating. an old film gets a new night in theaters. plus once again lindsey lohan is accused of a late night driving incident. once again she is denying it.

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welcome back. it's time now for a little entertainment news. charlene is now a mom. she has adopted an african-american baby boy named jackson. congratulations to her. elsewhere, tmz reports new orleans police has issued an arrest warrant for russell brand accused of grabbing a photograph's phone and throwing it through the window of a nearby law firm. lindsay lohan tweeted yesterday that allegations she was in a hit and run the night before were, quote, completely a lie. however, reports say witnesses saw lohan in a black porch doing

a u. turn to avoid photographers grazing both a man and his car. the man is said to be considering charges. some bad news for matthew mccon in a hey. killer joe will definitely have an nc-17 rating considered a box office killer for violent and sexual content when it comes out this summer. finally, "the body guard" will be in theaters again for its 20th anniversary. just one night. that's going to be on wednesday, march 28th at 7:30. bill, do not run out right now. the lines are going to be long. >> do a date night and go and see that. 7:30 is tough. >> really? does that screw up your date night. >> if you want to have dinner beforehand, you have to get an early meal. >> deep thoughts by bill karins. >> trying to plan a nice, romantic night out. >> i'm lynn berry. this is "first look" on msnbc.

willy's next. the united states soldier accused of killing 16 civilians in afghanistan has been moved out of that country now. this is defense secretary leon panetta avoiding an apparent suicide attack as he arrived on a military base. the question is what was america's message for fighting men and women in the wake of this ugly incident and what is he telling the afghan leadership. we will have a live report from the ground. afghanistan at the top of the agenda as the president hosted prime minister david cameron. the question is have they agreed to expedite the move of coalition troops out of afghanistan. the man who has designs on that white house says he's not concerned about his losses down south this week. he's also getting a little tired of being criticized for being rich. >> guess what, i made a lot of money. i've been very successful. i'm he not going to apologize