this morning on "early today," come from behind victory. in dramatic fashion the house passes president obama's historic health care over haul. tiger talks. he speaks out since the first interview since the scanl broke. and fire and ice, a volcano dormant for neay 200 years roars to life in iceland. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

hello and good morning. i'm lynn berry. today we begin with back from the dead. after a year of bitter partisan combat and weeks of legislative maneuvering, house democrats have handed the white house a huge victory in the battle to overhaul the nation's health care system by a narrow 219-212 margin. last night congress voted to approve the legislation to pass coverage for 232 million americans. the stakes could not have been higher for president obama. widely viewed as dead as little as two months ago, he has managed to resurrect and pass the signature domestic goal of his presidency. but as nbc's brian mooar reports, republicans remain resolutely opposed and are warning democrats they'll pay dearly in november's midterm elections. >> reporter: good morning, lynn. after months of debate that polarized the nation the health care bill passed with just three votes to spare. >> the ayes are 219, the nays

are 212. >> reporter: democrats passed a landmark health care reform they're comparing to medicare and social security. >> so we believe that this act was passed tonight as an all-american act. this happened because we had the leadership of the president of the united states as a visionary, as a strategist, and as a persuader. >> reporter: it's a huge victory for president obama. >> this isn't radical reform but it is major reform. this legislation will not fix everything that ails our health care system, but it moves us decisively in the right direction. this is what change looks like. tonight's vote is not a victory for any one party. it's a victory for them. it's a victory for the american people. and it's a victory for common sense. >> reporter: republicans lost but didn't seem to feed it. >> and look at how this bill was

written. can you say it was done openly? with transparency and accountability? without back room deals behind closed doors hidden from the people? hell, no, you can't. >> reporter: the bill covers 232 million americans and costs nearly a trillion dollars an also leaves the nation bitterly divided. lawmakers had to run a visual gauntlet outside. >> we now know with absolutely certainty. >> no, you don't. >> the american people need health care and they need it now! >> they don't want a 2,400-page bill riddled with backroom deals. >> the bill is passed! >> reporter: the house passed a package of fixes that goes on to the senate, but in the meantime the house passed bill is the law of the land. the senate is expected to take up those house demanded fixes on

tuesday. lynn, back to you. >> brian, thank you for that. so once the legislation reaches the senate, what happens next? well, the house pass reconciliation bill, which amends previously approved senate legislation requires only a simple majority vote in the senate to become final with no possibility of republican filibuster. if the reconciliation package is approved without changes it goes to the president's desk for signing into law. however, the process is far from over because if there are charges and the republicans will try to make changes, the bill would be sent back to the house for another vote. in the 22 previous times reconciliation has been used, every time but once the senate has made changes and sent the bill back to the house. and now here's a look at some other stories making news early today in america. a tennessee man driving a stolen car delivered himself to authorities when he crashed onto the steps of a nashville courthouse. the man was driving so fast the car drove up two flights of

stairs, even though know one was in pursuit of the vehicle. the driver is in critical condition. a swarm of killer bees went on the attack in florida. a man was trimming a tree when thousands of africanized bees attacked him and his dog. the bees killeded the dog and left the man with stings all over his body. beekeepers sealed the northwest and said that the sound of the man's motorized pruning saw probably aggravated the hive. a skunk in colorado probably found himself in a sticky situation when his head was caught in a peanut butter jar. a wildlife expert lent a helping hand. when freed he dashed into a nearby yard. and the blossoms are blooming in the nation's capital. the first blooms of the nation's cherry blossom trees were in bloom. they expect the trees will be in full bloom in about two weeks. that was a great time of year there. now for a look at your national and regional weather

here's nbc meteorologist bill karins. bill, what an example this weekend of the drastic differences in the weather across the country. here in the east, gorgeous. much different story in the midwest. >> march is known as the cruelest month. it can be winter one minute and summer the next and you're back and forth. that's what happened as lynn mentioned. we saw snow up toward tulsa, oklahoma, jocelyn. some areas picked up 8 to 12 inches of snow, nearly blizzard conditionsing with windchills that were in the teens. so just an incredible scene. that snow will probably be gone in two or three days. it's going to warm up into the 60s in those same areas. that big storm still cranking over the southeast. now, the storm itself is not any more a snow producer. it's mostly just a rain event now. still bringing much cooler temperatures to the east and also very heavy rain now, cincinnati to columbus, up to charleston and windy conditions along with the storm.

all that rain is eventually going to work its way into the mid-atlantic in new england, especially later on tonight. so you get the gist of it. it's umbrella weather out there. many areas of the east. miami is also getting rain early today. as the storl pulling out of alabama, mississippi, we'll see cold showers. in general the snow is going to melt. in oklahoma city, up to 58 degrees. but what a march storm it was. that's a look at the monday forecast. now here's a look outside your window. many areas are going to be very chilly down there in alabama and mississippi, louisiana. look at birmingham, alabama. 45 degrees. that storm will be long gone by tomorrow. lynn, much calmer weather for the rest of this week, but, you know, as you mentioned, the only element we didn't have was severe weather. for the most part it was just a snow event. >> thank you, bill. toyota shareholders sue, ebay

fights crime and how health care will hit stock. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, the wimpy kid who could. also, tiger talks and more madness from the ncaa tournament. you're watching "early today."

good morning. welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry, and here are some of your topheadlines this morning. with lawmakers focusing much of their attention on health care, yesterday demonstrators funneled into washington hoping to draw attention to immigration overhaul. tens of thousands packed the national mall where president obama appeared in a video message saying he was committed to working on a bill to fix a, quote, broken immigration system. on the international stage, israel is on the president's agend agenda. he's invited israeli prime

minister benjamin netanyahu to meet him at the white house tomorrow. this as the relations triggered by a controversial announcement by the jewish state to build hundreds of homes in east jerusal jerusalem. just before leaving for the u.s. israel told his cab nate they will n halt construction. in haiti, a small earthquake sunday knocked down an apartment building killing at least three people. it happened in northern haiti, in an area not affected by the january 12 earthquake that devastated port-au-prince. and the ground is also rumbling in iceland. a volcano erued for the first time in 200 years. hundreds ee vagued and flights to iceland were canceled. and now here's an early look how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 10,741. the s&p shed 5 points, the nasdaq fell 16 points. taking a look at overseas

trading this morning in tokyo it was closed for the holiday while in honor coin the hang seng fell 437 points. >> last night's passage of a swe sweeping overhaul to the nation health care system is sure to shake thinks up. as a whole it was up. there's a mix on what it will have on stoks going forward. also on investers radar this week, key housing data, meanwhile oracle, best buy, and general mills are a few of the heavy hitters to report earnings this week. asian stocks and the euro slipped in overseas trading thanks to lingering fears about debt problems in greece. european leaders will meet later this week to decidon whether to bail out greece's struggling economy. general motors, daewoo unit, is recalling nearly 60,000 autos in south korea over problems with -- potential problems with fuel hoses, seats, and steering

wheels. meanwhile adding to toyota's woes, the automaker is now facing three proposed class action lawsuits over its sudden drop in stock price. shareholders claim they deliberately withheld details about the seriousness of its massive recalls in order to prop up its stock price. hundreds of british airway s flights were canceled thanks to cabin crews who failed to show up for work. and ebay and the national retail federation are teaming up with the fbi to crack down on thieves reselling stolen goods on the internet. last year retailers worldwide lost nearly $115 billion in stolen merchandise. and, finally, librians in sheffield, england, are so curious to hear about a book slipped into their return bin 45 years late that they' invited the guilty party to come forward to meet them without having to worry about any hefty fines. talk about dodging a bullet there. well, tiger answers some questions, a huge contract

signing in baseball, and just how mad can it get? cornell -- yes, cornell, advances as march madness lives up to its name. and more so. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. the storm that brought all that heavy snow this weekend to the heartland is now heading east to the rain. your regional forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today." e

krebs. >> i'm kimberly suiters. straight ahead a major victory for democrats. >> healthcare reform has passed. what's next and what it means for you and your family. >> tiger talks. this morning the golf star answers questions for the first time since the scandal. >> and how to ask for a raise even in a

good morning. if you're just wking up, this is "early today." and in sports, after facing one of the biggest scandals in sports history, tiger woods is finally starting to answer some questions. here's nbc's mario solis with an early look at all your sports headlines. hi, there. good morning. tiger woods has come out of hiding just days after announcing he'll return to the pga in april. tiger took questions yesterday for the first time in four months. >> i hurt a lot of people, not just my wife. my friends, my colleagues, the public, kids who looked up to me. there were a lot of people at thought i was a different person. i was living a life of a lie, i really was, and i was doing a lot of things, as i said, that hurt a lot of people. >> of course, tiger's first attorney meant back is the masters on april 8.

quick baseball te. the minnesota twins re-signed joe mauer. another thrilling day in the ncaa tourney. we begin with maryland and michigan state. the spartans up by as many as 15 when the twerps come storming back. only six seconds left. that's just enough time for michigan state. spartans with one last chance. corey lucius for the win and he gets it. michigan state prevents a complete meltdown and beats maryland in dramatic fashion, 85-83. they'll play northern iowa on friday. texas a&m and purdue needing overtime. chris cramer, not known for his offense but gets the job done. purdue up 83-81. the aggies have time for one last shot. b.j.'s pointer is off the mark. they advance with a 63-61 win. cornell may have done you in. the 12-seat shocking wisconsin leading from start to finish and

their s.a.t. scores aren't too bad either. they pull a win. they'll play top seeded kentucky next. and that's your early look at sports on "early today." i'm mario solis. well, alice won again as expected, but which new film flopped? your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, he's been called one of the greatest pittsburghers in the 20s century. but you probably know him better for his neighborhood and his sweaters. you're watching "early today."

morning. we had that snow that fell in kansas city over the weekend, but today will be 49 and sunny as we me all the white stuff. 67 in dallas, who even saw snow over the past weekend. that cold stormy wet weather is all headed to the east coast today. so have that umbrella handy from new york, philly, d.c., atlanta, all the way down into florida today. tomorrow looks a little bit better. we're going to get rid of some of the wet weather in the east. if you're watching us on wptz in burlington, hop into frog world. where you can learn all about the species at echo lake aquarium and science center. now here's an early look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. while johnny depp and alice

stole the show, a wimpy kid did put up a fight. alice in wonderland held the box office title for a third straight weekend in a month that's typically pretty slow. alice has earned 265 million bucks at home and well over half a billion worldwide. and "diary of a wimpy kid" was the surprise of the weekend opening in second. the kid comedy based on a successful cartoon novel obviously brought in families as well. more than 450% of the audience was over age 25. and expected to finish higher but still meeting dollar expectations, jennifer aniston and gerard butler's action comedy "the bounty hunter" landed in third. and finally jude law's and forest wit ter's "repoman" floppeded below third place, barely scraping above $6 million. that's the darn basketball. all the guys are at home

watching. >> i hope jennifer aniston can be brought of herself. the reviews for the movie were brutal but she still pulled in $21 million. so she's still got it. >> she always has the appeal. her movies always do mediocre at the time. this come to us from wpt wptix tv in neighborhood. the history center there unveiled a life size wax sculpture of mr. rogers. it shows him sitting on the show's original bench wearing his classic red sweater and tying his shoes. we all remember that scene. the opening commemorates what would have been rogers' 82nd birthday. that brings back memories. >> always be mine. >> i'm lynn berry and this is

our time is 4: 4. 45 degrees here in the nation's capital this morning. we have cloudy skies. some drizzle around as well. good morning, welcome to "news4 today" i'm joe krebs. i'm suit in for eun yang. we start admin early just for your birthday. a birthday treat for joe. let's check in with meteorologist tom kierein. >> going to have rain all day long it looks like? >> not for your birthday. you got your present yesterday. >> i did. nice too. >> wonderful. we got in the mid-70s yesterday. at this hour we do have some scattered showers moving through looking at the radar you see the color on radar, getting some of these showers psing from the southwest heading to the northeast. right now light rain in montgomery county near the district. here in northern prince george's county few sprinkles now in loudoun and fairfax county and through central virginia. the temperatures around the region are hovering in the upper 50s to near 60 degrees. 60 in washington.

up are 50s on the eastern shore, mid-50s out at the mountains. view from space with radar and cloud cover showing one band of moderate rain now in southern west virginia. that may be moving our way later today perhaps with a little bit of thunder. highs reaching the mid-60s pap bit of a wet day today. overnight tonight maybe a passing sprinkle as well as perhaps tomorrow through midday and than little sun back tomorrow afternoon. then sun returns wednesday and thursday with highs in the low and mid-60s. how is the morning commute? >> we'll start with glebe road the approach to chain bridge. bridge has been closed all weekend for the mor reconstruction project over there. om what we can the construction crews are in the final stages of pulling up all the barrels. quick check elsewhere on the wet pavement. 270 already on the slick side as is the beltway north of town but no ear major incidences to report. good morning. >> good morning. here's a look now at what is

happening. president obama is celebrating success in one of the key items of his domestic agenda, healthcare reform. the house approved historic legislation late last night that would provide coverage to millions of uninsured americans. not a single republican voted for the bill. the president said last night's passage is what change looks like. >> metro is giving you a chance to sou off on different options foreclosing its massive budget deficit. the transit agency is holding a series of public hearings on the martin coming weeks. the first hearing is tonight at oakton high school in vienna. another is scheduled on wednesday for st. francis xavier church. >> a woman convicted of killing her two adopted daughters will be sentenced today. renee bowman was convicted last month. a third daughter escaped from the house. >> former presidents clinton and

george w. bush are heading to haiti today. the trip is part of the effort to raise money for haiti earthquake relief. the former presidents will meet with the haitian people, government leaders and others providing earthquake relief. the goal is to help with the rebuilding effort. >> an 8-year-old girl died after getting trapped inside her burning home. the desperate mother ran for help. it was too late. news 4 derrick ward reports. >> reporter: her mother who ran to a mother's house for help was critically injured and airlifted to a nearby hospital. neighbors say it was around 11:00 saturday night when the usual quiet of this neighborhood was shattered by the sounds of sirens and breaking glass and of screams. >> approximately 25 firefighters were out on the scene, attempting to effect a rescue. they did a primary search.

discovered one fatality which was a female child and also had an adult female. >> reporter: as word of the tragedy spread through the neighborhood so did the grief and sympathy. one recalled how kennedy spent a warm spring day playing and visiting neighbors. >> she wanted candy. i gave her one piece. she came back and wanted another one. >> terrible situation. tragic. you know, 8-year-old beautiful girl, full of energy, full of life, had her whole life in front of her. this is a tragic situation. >> reporter: throughout the morning her playmates brought momentos. >> she was my best friend. and i will miss her. >> reporter: parents struggle with ways to explain to young