"first look" is up next. unfriendly skies. a jetblue captain is subdued by passengers after becoming unhinged in a midair outburst. smash and grab. surveillance video captures two thieves ramming an suv into a jewelry store. and petite puppy. meet the tiny canine vying for the title of world's smallest dog. good morning, everyone. i'm lynn berry. those stories and more are straight ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc. and we're going to begin this morning with air scare. a pilot for jetblue airlines is receiving medical attention after he had to be restrained by passengers on a flight from new york to las vegas. nbc's kurt gregory reports.

>> reporter: this is home video posted on youtube capturing the terrifying moments for passengers on board a jetblue flight when the captain was heard screaming, as passengers scrambled to subdue him. the plane was flying from new york to las vegas when sources say the captain began acting erratically, pushing buttons and steering the plane. the co-pilot became concerned and convinced the captain to leave the cockpit to take a break. an off-duty captain on board and witnesses say the pilot then seemed to lose control. >> just out of his mind and screaming and saying to the passengers, "say your prayers, say your prayers." >> it appeared he was trying to open the side door, so i wasn't going to let that happen there. were a lot of people at risk, 30 people on the plane. i said i'm going to have to stop this from happening. >> reporter: passengers restrained him while the cockpit declared an inflight emergency. >> jetblue 191 emergency, and we're going to need authorities

and medical to meet us at the airplane. >> i ran up and we were face to face, me and the captain, wrestled a little bit, and i got him turned around, and then other passengers jumped on, rolled on top of him. >> reporter: the flight was diverted to amarillo, where the captain was removed on a wheelchair and is receiving proper medical care. kurt gregory, nbc news. meanwhile, on another flight last night, a passenger caused a disturbance, allegedly hitting a flight attendant on us airways on route from charlotte, north carolina, to ft. myers, florida. after the plane landed safely, the female passenger was given medical attention at the airport and then taken away by police. the woman reportedly complained she was afraid of flying shortly before her outburst. well, at the u.s. supreme court in washington, it is the third and final day of oral arguments in the case of the nation's health care reform law. today's session will focus on what effect on the health care law and what it would be if the

mandate from congress to require nearly everyone to buy health insurance is just thrown out. nbc's tracie potts joins us live from outside the supreme court. tracie, good morning. >> reporter: lynn, good morning. they're also going to focus on the medicaid expansion. right now, qualifying for medicaid is different in every state. the states here today will argue they should not be forced, as they put it, to expand that program. also, more today on that requirement to buy health insurance. today, the supreme court considers whether the new health law can survive without requiring everyone to buy health insurance. on tuesday, justices debated how far the government can go making you spend your own money. can uncle sam force you to buy healthier food, too? >> everybody's in the market. therefore, you can make people buy broccoli. >> it seems pretty clear that if there are substantial effects on interstate commerce, congress can act. >> reporter: liberals argued there's a ripple effect.

>> people who don't participate in this market are making it much more expensive for the people who do. >> reporter: justice kennedy, the swing vote, suggested a unique solution may be warranted, if the government can justify it. >> the reason this is concerning is because it requires the individual to do an affirmative act. >> justice kennedy has always recognized that the reason we limit federal power is to protect individual liberty. >> reporter: also today, the court considers whether the government can expand medicaid, health insurance for low-income americans. washington will initially pay for it, but within a decade, that cost shifts to states. if the port upholds the health law, lawmakers across the street say they're ready to act. >> it is our job to make sure that that bill is never implemented. >> we're going to reject it in congress, we're going to reject it in the supreme court, and this november, we're going to reject it across america! >> reporter: now, a decision is

expected by june, right in the middle of a heated campaign season. lynn? >> tracie potts there for us live outside the supreme court, thanks so much. and regarding the supreme court health care arguments, last night on "the rachel maddow show," the senior editor of "slate" magazine spoke with rachel on what's weighing on the minds of the justices as they hear those arguments. take a listen. >> it appeared that, certainly, four of the conservative justices had kind of made up their minds and that justice kennedy, who's that central vote that everybody's watching, was awfully edgy about the individual mandate. so, i think it didn't look good. i will say two things in response to that. watching the second hour, it wasn't nearly as clear that justice kennedy was only uncomfortable with the government side in this case. he asked some pretty pointed question at the end of the hour, this second hour, of the challengers, and certainly gave

some intimation that he understood that the health care market is a little different from the broccoli market. what the justices are thinking, or certainly justices like, i think, anthony kennedy and chief justice john roberts, are thinking is how does this impact the court to hand down another 5-4, citizens united bush v. gore like opinion in an election year? >> lean forward with "the rachel maddow show" week nights at 9:00 p.m. eastern only on msnbc, the place for politics. well, here's your "first look" at other news in america today. in tennessee, it was anything but love thy neighbor after a man nearly demolished a home using a tractor to rip the house to shreds. there were small children inside at the time. the suspect lives next door and says he went on the rampage because the family living there was selling drugs, which they deny. the man is now facing multiple felony charges. in ohio, brazen thieves rammed the front of a jewelry store with a stolen suv. then they used hammers to smash

their way into the cases and make off with the jewels. police later caught up with the pair, briefly. they ran off, leaving the jewelry and suv behind. in florida, some protesters marching during a recent rally over the shooting death of trayvon martin broke away from their group and stormed a walgreens. more than 50 high school students ransacked the store and stole more than $1,000 worth of merchandise. and finally, not everyone is enjoying this year's unusual weather. farmers in michigan are setting bales of hay on fire to try and save their apple orchards from the plunging temperatures. they're hoping the smoke will provide a blanket of heat to the apple blossoms, which did bloom early due to the warm winter. a lot of people having that problem. now for a look at your national weather, we turn to nbc meteorologist bill karins. he has your weather channel forecast. good morning to you, bill. i don't get it, why couldn't we just stay warm all the way

through? >> you're the meteorologist. what are you looking to me for? i turn to the news. >> maybe because it's march, yeah. >> kidding. >> i know. well, we did get some damage up there, especially the apple crops in michigan, also there in new york state. and this morning, the cold air is holding on for one little last slap in the face. it's snowing this morning in areas of new hampshire, vermont, and into maine. it doesn't look like we'll see that getting into boston, but portsmouth northwards, you've got snowflakes falling. around augusta, also some reports of snow. i don't think it's going to accumulate much, but seeing it this time of year is bad enough. things have warmed up. yesterday was a very cold morning, all the windchills to deal with. now temperatures have soared, up about 30 degrees almost at this hour right now compared to yesterday. so, you don't quite need the layers like you did yesterday, or probably the hat or the gloves. we're in the 50s here waking up from detroit to cleveland, all the way down through all areas of ohio, even d.c. to new york, temperatures are in the mid-40s this morning compared to yesterday when we were right around 30 to 35 degrees.

so, you don't need the heavy coat and the gloves today. you can go back to your spring clothing. now, as far as the south goes, we're okay in the southeast. i notice a thunderstorm complex here in south texas. we're clear in the northern plains. we had watched some large hail and lightning with this, and it looks like the storm is still intense right over top of loredo. so up interstate 35, between san antonio and loredo, probably one of the worst drives of the morning. if you're joining us early on the west coast or late, depending what time you're heading to bed, there's been a lot of wet weather lately and it's going to be stormy. we're watching the heaviest in the mountains, but from sacramento up interstate 5, definitely rain to deal with this morning. forecastwise, travel on the west coast, definitely need the umbrella, and we will see showers today from d.c. to new york to boston, especially this afternoon, lynn. but at least it's not cold anymore. >> that's right. bill, thanks so much. well, allegations of corporate sabotage. limbaugh is still losing advertisers. and "harry potter" goes electronics. your "first look" at this morning's business headlines is

straight ahead. coming up, the mavericks rally, a laker legend buys the dodgers, and i'll tell you why the nfl season will start a day earlier than usual. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. [ male announcer ] in blind taste tests, even ragu users chose prego.

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welcome back to "first look." i'm lynn berry. and here's some of the top stories making news this morning. republican presidential candidate newt gingrich is downsizing his campaign and laying off about a third of his staff. insisting he is still a viable candidate, gingrich has hinged his entire strategy on mitt romney being incapable of securing the number of delegates needed to win the nomination, resulting in a so-called hung convention. syria has accepted a u.n.-sponsored peace plan, according to international envoy kofi annan, but the u.s. is skeptical about president bashar al assad's sincerity. assad was seen on state tv touring the streets of the devastated city of homs. a wildfire in colorado

killed an elderly couple and burned more than 20 buildings southwest of denver. 900 homes have been evacuated and more than 700 firefighters are battling the flames. and look at this little guy. a puppy small enough to fit on an iphone could set the world record for tiniest dog. the puppy weighed only 1 ounce when she was born. she was named beyonce because they say she's a survivor, and adorable. now with a "first look" at wall street starting the day. the down opened at 13,197 after losing 13 points yesterday. the s&p last three points and the fwhaz down two. looking at overseas trading, in tokyo, nikkei dipped 72 points while in hong kong, the hang seng lost 161. well, a little wall street window dressing brightened up a slightly down day for markets. heavyweights like home depot and ibm were among 175 stocks to hit fresh 52-week highs tuesday.

as fund managers dress up portfolios with top performers before the quarter ends on friday. fed chief ben bernanke says it's too soon to declare victory in the u.s. economic recovery. on the topic of more stimulus, bernanke told abc news the fed has not taken any options off the table. meanwhile, consumer confidence was mostly flat in january, while inflation expectations soared to a ten-month high. homebuilders rallied after better-than-expected earnings report from lennar, despite dismal housing data. apple shies hit an all-time high above $616. meanwhile this morning, apple offered a refund to australian buyers of its new ipad after a 4g incompatibility issue. fresh off a highly publicized phone hacking scandal, rupert murdoch's news corp. is facing another controversy over allegations it ran a secret sabotage unit that,

among other things, promoted piracy of its australian pay tv rivals. kohler is retreating from rush limbaugh's radio program after his on-air attack of a graduate student who testified in favor of insurer-provided contraception coverage. and finally, j.k. rowling has done it again. she's conjured up another realm in her "harry potter" empire. the website pottermore where ebooks of the popular series will be sold exclusively. and unlike other sellers, "harry potter" ebooks will be compatible on all major ereaders. coming up, the mavericks top the rockets, the sabres slay the caps and the panthers claw the canadiens. plus, kobe bryant comes up clutch, shooting the lakers past the warriors. your "first look" at sports is straight ahead. you're watchi ining "first look" thank you so much, i appreciate it, i'll be right back.

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so two seconds ago... hey mr. and mrs. harris, where's kevin? say hi kevin. hi. mom, put me down. put...the phone...down. hey guys. 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. ♪ welcome back to "first look." i'm lynn berry. and in sports, basketball legend magic johnson is making a return to the los angeles sports scene, but it won't be with the lakers. here's nbc's fred roggin. >> good morning. after years of turmoil and uncertainty, the los angeles dodgers finally have a new owner. a group led by magic johnson selected to be the new owners of the dodgers. there was supposed to be an auction today between three finalists. so much for that. money talks and magic johnson's group bid an unheard of $2 billion. game over.

magic and his group behind the baseball management are new owners, ending the frank mccourt era. to the lakers taking on the warriors. final minutes, lakers down two when kobe bryant took over. the jumper from the corner tied the game at 97. moments later, kobe again, same spot, same results. lakers take the lead with 30 seconds to play and go on to win it 104-101. now to dallas. rockets build an early 16-point lead. then the champs came roaring back. dirk nowitzki ended the first half with two of the team-high 21. rockets up just three at break. mavs took the lead for good in the third. never underestimate the heart of a champ. dallas rallies to win 90-81. football. the 2012 regular season will kick off with the super bowl champion giants hosting the dallas cowboys wednesday, september 5th on nbc. but the game was moved up a day to avoid a conflict with president obama's speech at the democratic national convention. hockey. sabres rolled into washington and took the final playoff spot in the east from the capitals.

buffalo won their fifth straight and the caps are on the outside looking in with five games left. finally, one of the teams washington is chasing is florida. they increased their lead in the southeast division with a shoot-out win against the canadiens. panthers on the verge of clinching their first playoff spot in 12 years. that's your "first look" at sports. i'm fred roggin. and now for another look at the weather, here is nbc meteorologist bill karins. he has your weather channel forecast. good morning to you, bill. you know, you go from like the most popular guy in class to the guy no one wants to sit next to. >> it was a great run i had. people were really happy with how warm it was. >> now you're dead to us. what else is new? >> up and down. i don't like ton even keel. good morning, everyone. this is towards the end of march where april is right around the corner. this is when i change modes from winter to severe weather. this is just about when we get into tornado season, peak months being april, may and june. we'll have a little severe weather today with a cold front coming down from the great

lakes. this yellow area is where we could have isolated severe storms, including the washington, d.c., area, northern virginia, western virginia and most of kentucky and northern tennessee. not tornadoes, though. mostly concerned about damaging winds and maybe some large hail. and the same goes for the kansas city area down to joplin and springfield, but no tornado outbreaks are in the forecast today or the next couple days. we're actually doing all right. we're on a nice little string here after the horrible ones about two weeks ago. as far as today's forecast, we're going to see showers, maybe a few storms in the east today. and again, around kansas city. otherwise, lynn, the west coast is where all the nasty weather is. >> all right, bill, thanks so much. coming up, back from the ocean's depths, director james cameron attends the launch of a different kind. plus, the parenting choices by this actress that has everyone say say talking. you're watching "first look."

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check this out. a woman here in new york claims her blind date stole her iphone and her wallet. she was like, i have to have that iphone back. i mean, what if he calls? here's an election update. yesterday, newt gingrich said he's not backing out of the gop race. you could tell. i mean, when gingrich backs out, you usually hear this -- [ beeping ] [ cheers and applause ] >> a strip club here in new york is offering to give tebow his first lap dance for free. yeah, it will be the first time where the customer is the one who keeps yelling "no touching!

no touching!" >> tonight jimmy welcomes actor aziz aczarrie from "parks & recreation" and celebrity chef wolfgang puck. that's "late night with jimmy fallon" week nights on your local nbc station. all right, now a check of your entertainment news. the all-time movie hit "titanic" set sail again in london yesterday. kate winslet and director james cameron walked the red carpet for the 3d premiere, which opens here a week from today. winslet joked she would not watch herself nude in 3d, saying "i'll be in the bar by that point." well, elsewhere, former nba star dennis rodman temporarily escaped jail for failure to pay spousal and child support tuesday. rodman's attorney said he can't pay his own expenses and is a "extremely sick alcoholic." well, he hasn't played one game in new york, but tim tebow has a sandwich named after him

at carnegie deli. the $22.22 jetbow is corn beef and pastrami. why not some american cheese on that, right? >> there is. >> bread, lettuce and tomato and mayo. that's disgusting. >> oh, it's not that bad. >> it's disgusting. it's still bleeding. and finally, actress, vegan and environmentalist elise ali silver stone posted some video of her pre chewing her 10-month-old's food and then feeding him from her mouth to his. >> oh, she didn't want the air to contaminate it. >> yeah, i'm not a parent and parents are very particular about these practices, so i don't know if this is a new thing that people are doing. >> every parent has had to do that like once to help their kid, but -- >> it's weird! i'm lynn berry. this is "first look" on msnbc. "way too early" is next.

today's the third and final day of argument before the supreme court over president obama's affordable care act, with most court watchers saying yesterday's debate over the individual mandate did not go well for the president and supporters of his law. the question is, what can we read into the questions asked by the justices? we will talk live to somebody who was inside the room. a bizarre scene on a flight from new york to las vegas. yes, even more bizarre than the usual scene on a flight from new york to las vegas, as one of the pilots is locked out of the cockpit by his co-pilot and tackled by passengers. the question is, what on earth happened to that pilot? and after a miserable stretch for dodgers fans, a los angeles super hero has swooped in to buy the team and save the day. the question is, can magic johnson fix the dodgers? it's "way too early" for this.