this morning on "early today," shaken to the core. shocked nations around the globe scramble to help quake-devastated victims in haiti. on thin ice. two men cheat death after freeze driving on a frozen canal. a realm brant original turns up in the most unlikely of places. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello and good morning. i'm lynn berry. and today we begin with streets of agony.

words like destruction and disaster simply don't begin to cover the almost unimaginable scene unfolding in the nation of haiti this morning. despite a massive coordinated response, international workers warn tuesday's powerful earthquake may only be the start to what suffering lies ahead. those who survived face shortfalls of food, medicine and water. and the simple grief of seeing family members killed in their nation's capital in ruins. nbc's brian williams is in haiti this morning and filed this report late last night. >> reporter: good evening from port-au-prince, haiti. this is a desperate place tonight. we're on the grounds of an active tarmac here at the international airport. and we're standing in some of the few lights in all of port-au-prince. this is a nation where tonight, if you don't have a generator, if you don't have food or fuel or water, you join thousands of others, as we're just now

getting a handle on the extent of the destruction. a nation where there is desperation in everyday life. one of the poorest nations on earth. and now this, the 7.0 quake and the now regular aftershocks that are broiling the surface of the ground in haiti. they weaken further the buildings. many of them built without building codes at all. sent people scattering into the streets. we're in for a second straight desperate night here in haiti. the light of day tomorrow will bring more attention to the relief effort at the airport. some of it already coming in without volunteers able to carry it to those who need it. in port-au-prince, brian williams, nbc news. you can see more of brian williams's special reporting later this morning on "today" and tonight on "nbc nightly news" right here on this nbc station. and with the united states launching a major relief

operation, secretary of state hillary clinton is cutting short her pacific trip to help spearhead the american aid effort. secretary clinton had been scheduled for travel to new guin guinea, australia and new zee land. instead, clinton will be heading back to washington where she will lead the state department's relief efforts. and later on the "today" show, meredith vieira speaks with secretary clinton about the qaa fast any in haiti and what steps the u.s. will be taking with relief efforts. that's this morning on "today" right here on your nbc station. and as the united states brings aid to haiti, the question of health care here at home continues to dominate on capitol hill. following a meeting yesterday, president obama and democratic leaders say they've moved forward on an overhaul but have yet to settle on a final deal. meanwhile, a group of 15 attorneys general are now threaten to go sue over a controversial subsidy that would

reportedly bring $100 billion in medicaid exemptions for nebraska. it wasn't included in the bill to win the support of senator ben nelson and what some are calling the corn husker kickback. >> now here's a look at some other stories making news early today in america. a new exhibit in washington, d.c. is sure to make you clean out the cluttered closets. a realm brant etching was found in a bathroom catholic. the university president found the print while searching for paper towels. the school won't say how much the etching is worth, but similar works have sold for as much as $100,000. and visitors in philadelphia can once again admire one of the world's most famous statues. the thinker was returned to the pedestal outside a local museum yesterday after it was moved for renovations. while there are other casts of the stooch chew around the world, this one and another in

paris are considered iconic. researchers in florida are monitoring eight extremery rare orchid species. the cold snap is threatening the blooms, which are part of a 20-year-old experiment. scientists have little else to do but wait for warmer weather. homeowners in minnesota are desperately hoping they can save their house after it was basically turned into an igloo. the owners were on vacation when a pipe burst on the second floor flooding the home and turning it into this icy disaster. there's damage to the ceilings, the walls and the floor. officials are still trying to determine if the structure will have to be demolished. and now for a look at your national and regional weather here's nbc meteorologist bill karins with the weather channel forecast. bill, with those temperatures that you were showing us last week, i would expect that. this week it's gotten a little bit better. >> a little bit. but it's not going to melt that

ice in the house he especially in minnesota. they might have to wait until march to melt that. good morning. of course one of the big stories that's happening or the big story is what's happening in haiti. people are asking me how common is it to see an earthquake like this. official there it was a 7.0. this is around the whole globe. we get one 8.0 or higher. 17.0 to 17.9 are major earthquakes. it happened to be ten miles away from port-au-prince. we have seen pictures of what that devastation can do to poorly built buildings. light rain in texas. everybody is warming up this morning. in the east, travel looks fantastic. temperatures will be warming slowly. we should be sunny in most cases. in the middle of the country, no travel problems either. just light rain from houston and downpours from san antonio south

wards. not a bad thursday overall coast to coast. that's a look at your national weather. now here's a look at the weather outside your window. sunshine in atlanta, 57 today. d.c. should be 46 and sunny, too. dallas, texas, not bad at 54. as you can see, that arctic air is long gone. we should have a nice, mild stretch in the next week or two. that's your thursday forecast, lynn. >> all right, bill, thanks so much. well, banks get grilled, jewelry gets tossed, and the smallest in the big apple. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, along with her cohotter spencer, she's known for her outrageous behavior but you will not believer what she's gone and done now. rockets and timber wolves need triple overtime, and chris johnson takes home another honor. you're watching "early today."

>> good morning, and welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry. here are some of your top headlines this morning. comments from pat robertson are creating a firestorm once again. he's blaming the crisis in haiti on the nations packed with the devil. on his television program, robertson said haiti has been, quote, cursed since the 19th century when hatians pledged to serve the devil if he would help them win independence from france. the quake, in which thousands are thought to have died, may have been a, quote, blessing in disguise. also drawing fire for his comments on haiti, conservative radio host rush limbaugh on his program implied president obama cared more about haiti than he did about the attempted christmas bombing. he also charged the obama administration would use the disaster to benefit politically, boosting its credibility with both, quote, light and

dark-skinned black community in this country. in argentina, a mud slide ripped through a vacation row sort injuring 50 people. an avalanche of water surprised tourists after a nearby river overflowed its bank and tore into the resort complex. no one there was seriously injured. and talk about a bad idea all around. in scotland, two men tried to drive down a partially frozen waterway. as you can see, that didn't work out so well. the men and their dog got out okay. the jokesters have been charged with reckless conduct. >> and now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 10,680. the s&p nudged up 9. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei jumped 172 points. but in hong kong, the hang seng fell 31 points. financial stocks rebounded

wednesday despite a scolding on capitol hill for the heads of the nation's banks. ceos from some of the countries biggest banks appeared at a kokzal hearing where lawmakers took them to task for their role in the current financial crisis. surprisingly, that slap on the wrist did not spell disaster for stocks. markets rallied on word from the federal reserve that an economic recovery is making its way across the country despite the struggling job market. meanwhile, a warming trend across the country kept cap on the price of crude. google atlantaed to pull out of the country altogether. that was good news for china's largest seven engine. shares shot up 13%. house oversight committee has subpoenaed e-mails, phone logs and meeting notes from treasury secretary timothy geithner. the committee is investigating the role of the new york fed in the bailout of big banks,

including goldman sachs and morgan stanley. the associated press says hershey is crafting a bid to buy cadbury on its own without the help of italian candymaker ferraro. a record near 3 million american households were threatened with foreclosure last year. just last month, the number receiving notices, spiked 14%. the nation's product safety agency issued an unprecedented warning to parents wednesday, don't give your children cheap metal jewelry. if they already have it, toss it out. recent reports on jewelry made in china show they may contain toxic levels of academy up and lead. intel, chip maker posted quart quarter earnings today after the bell. finally, man hat hand's skinniest house is off the market after fetching a fat price of $2.1 million. the 9 1/2 foot wide tall house

was once occupied by mallat. how to get back at the coach who quits. timber wolves corey brewer beats the buzzer, but did he beat the rockets. your early morning sports headlines are just ahead. the january thaw continues coast to coast. your regional forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

goomorning. if you're just waking up, this is "early toda" in sports, the lakers all-sta slooter may be suffering bacpains but kobe bryt still managed to be a different nd of pain for the dallamavericks. here's nbc's fred roggin with an early look aall your sports headlines. good morning. if you ever doubted kobe bryant's heart and will to play, he proved it lt night agnst the dallas maverks. seond leg of a texas two-step. bryant has been nursing a broken finger, could bary walk off the court because of back spasms but payed in pain against dallas. a bit of ague history in the fourth. dirk nowitski nailed the jumper becoming the first european to hit the 20oint milestone. tied at 95. cue kob long jper for the lead. nothing bunet.

chalk up another game winner for bryant. wild finish inouston btween the rockets and tberwolves. minso down the. that was swered. buzzer beater from 47 feet tied it at 96. on to overtime they went. remainied through most othe .t. wi under ten secon lt in the second overtime, ellingn let it f from beyond the ashrc and got it. can you say triple overtime. rockets win a wil onen triple o.t. tennessee titans chris johnson won the a.t. offensive player of t year award. instead of the faest man in football, he rushed for over 2,000 yards and rack up 16 touchdowns. kiffin intduced as n coach at usc yesterday. one retailer has turn a gative into a positive. you can take your shirts to hound dog and receive 2 off

your ne purcha. he will donate the shirtsto earthquakeictims in iti. gre ia that really puts everythi in perspective. that's your early look at sports on "early today." i'm fred roggin. > well, is he or isn' he? will new york city's most eligible bachelor be getting married? your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, it's juhe thing youeed for a backyard conversation starter. and it can be yours for a price. oue watching "early day."

welcome back. we connuo watch some developing moisture and rain showerseading over the gulf corpus christi up here to houston, victia, batorouge and all through areas of southerla larks you do have a chance showers today. overall, the forecast around the country for any of yur trel looks pretty nice as aalm weather pattern at least for the next two days or so. just down around the guf, heavy rain and up in the pacific rthwest. everyone else shod be dry. wel, if you're watchingwlwt news 5 in cincinnat ohio, discover mummies. learn how modern sciece can help uncover 1,000-year-old secrets hidden in tombs at the cincinnati seum centr. that's your "early today" event of the day,ynn. >> all right, ill. thank you so much now here's aook at this morning's headlines in entertainment.

sad news to star w. teddy nder gravity, r&b sex symbol of the '70 died yesterday at 59. after starting out with the blue notes, he n solond garnered a devoted following. in 1982, he sufred a devastating car accident that left him paralyzed. he diedecovering from colon cancer surgery. "the new york post recently reported derek jeter plans to marr minka kelly in november. but a friend of kelly's said it's not true. they're dating, they're happy but there's no talk of marriage. finally, heidi montag is a reat example f young people, right? well, of what they should not do. monday to go emerged from two months of hiding on the cover of "people" magazine to tell us she's been recering from t plastic surgery procedures, all of them in on day. she calls herself, quote, beyond obsessed about making herself

what she calls, quote, the best me. does not even look like her, bill. i can't en name ten procedus. >> that's a good point, to alin one day. what is the wld coming to? well, do you ever want a piece of hisry? how about pre-history the? this comes om news 4 in tucson, arizona where p-histo ion sale. a roughly 20,0-ye-old wooly mammoth stding close to feetta can b yours. scientistsay it to overten years to excavate but i probly won't take that long to get the neighbors dropping if you take it home. this a bargain at half a a million dollars. i'm lynn berry, and this is "early today," just your first stopf the day today on your nbc station.

[captioning made possible by constellation energy group] >> good morning, everyone. the weather is nice and quiet on this thursday morning. it is a little chilly but we have a nice little warm-up in the forecast. in the 20's. it is 23. lots of sunshine and it will be a little bit warmer than the last couple of days. the high temperatures will climb into the mid 40's. first time in a long time we're forecasting temperatures above the seasonal norms. now over to the news desk. >> the time now 4:57. here is a look ahead. >> in washington, the obama administration is readying a

massive u.s. response to the disaster in haiti. that story coming up. >> a nice ride out there so far. just a couple of water main with the resurgence of h1n1... ...it's important to follow the cdc's guidelines to help protect your family. remember to wash your hands. and, to prevent the spread of influenza virus... ...it's important to keep surfaces clean by wiping them down with a household disinfectant according to directions on the product label. you can trust lysol, because products like lysol disinfecting wipes and lysol disinfectant spray... ...are proven to kill the h1n1 virus. for more tips, visit lysol.com so. how were your holidays? great!... eating, from thanksgiving to new year's. lots of mom's rich food. i do love to cook! but now i'm feeling a little irregular, sluggish. that was me. but now i'm eating better plus activia every morning. i feel great. activia with bifidus regularis helps regulate your digestive system

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>> good morning. happy thursday. >> thanks for joining us for 11 news today. >> we have the forecast. a little warmer? >> yes, it is going to get warmer. i like to you said happy thursday. most people wait until friday. thursdays are nice too. it is a little cold out there this morning but we do have a warm-up in the forecast for this afternoon. we're in the 20's now 28 in westminster. 25 in frederick. it is going to warm up to mid 40's this afternoon and for the first time since lasar