this morning on "early today," done deal. congressional negotiators give final approval to a bipartisan payroll tax cut. no way out. the death toll rises from a horrendous fire tragedy in honduras. and stop the presses. a dramatic attack on a mexican newspaper is captur on video. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello, and good morning. i'm lynn berry. and today we begin with a

late-night agreement. just hours ago, house and senate negotiators agreed on the final version of a new deal to extend the payroll tax cut to the end of the year. a vote could come as early as friday. nbc's tracie potts joins us from washington with the details. tracie, good morning. >> reporter: lynn, good morning. good morning, everyone. we learned that late last night, the finance chairs on both the house and senate side saying it looked like they have enough support for at least negotiators to sign off on this. so, here's what it means. the 2% payroll tax cut, the average $40 a paycheck we got last year and so far this year, will continue until the end of this year, but it will be paid for, meaning congress will add $100 billion to the nation's debt. unemployment benefits, they will also continue past the end of this month, and that will be paid for by auctioning off mobile spectrum and also by requiring new federal workers to pay more into their pensions. but instead of 99 weeks, the max after may will be 73 weeks, and

that's if you're in a state with the highest unemployment rates. then finally, that 27% cut for doctors who see medicare patients, that will not happen. that's going to cost $20 billion, paid for by adjustments to the new health law. they are going to try to vote on this, we are told, on friday, if they can get around some rules that would prevent that. lynn? >> tracie potts, thank you. also, today is a busy day on the campaign trail for presidential candidates. republican mitt romney, who grew up in michigan, is expected to be endorsed by its governor, rick snyder, today, two weeks ahead of the state's primary on february 28@. rick santorum will also be in michigan today to speak about the economy after releasing four years of his federal income tax returns. they show a steady rise in his income from nearly $660,000 in 2007 to a peak of more than $1 million in 2009. and yesterday, president obama started a three-day campaign trip to the west coast. he is expected to bring in

millions of dollars in donations to his re-election effort. well, officials in honduras have confirmed at least 358 people have been killed in that prison fire. this started on wednesday by an inmate, and hundreds were trapped with no way out as flames swept through the aging jail. nbc's kerry sanders has our report. [ sirens ] >> reporter: like trapped animals in cages, prisoners had no escape as the fire raced through the overcrowded penitentiary. honduran prison officials and inmates who escaped the inferno say the fire was set by an enraged inmate. a local government official says that prisoner called her from a cell phone just moments before setting the blaze and announced he intended to kill everyone. the comayala prison was built in the 1940s. each door on the jail cell requires a key. reports are, the guard with those keys could not be found. residents nearby watched

helplessly as they listened to the screams of those dying inside. family members tried to break down the prison gates to reach loved ones, only to find hundreds of prisoners dead. kerry sanders, nbc news. >> terrible story. well, iran's top nuclear negotiator has sent a letter to world leaders, claiming the country is ready to resume talks with the u.s. over its nuclear program. but on wednesday, president mahmoud ahmadinejad toured a research reactor in tehran as his country bragged about its latest nuclear achievements. it's a move designed to show crippled by the recent killings of its scientists. u.s. and intelligence officials say iran is at least a year away from building any kind of weapon. iran is also threatening an oil embargo on european countries in retaliation for sanctions. and now, here's a look at some other stories making news

"early today" in america. a pilot's cell phone may have saved his life after his plane ran out of gas and crashed into the woods in northeastern mississippi. he was pinned upside down inside the wreckage until he was able to find his phone, and he stayed on the line while investigators used cell towers to help track him down. well, some parts of the country are still waiting for winter, in minnesota, the ice is thick enough in some spots to check and see if it's safe. the army corps of engineers did its testing of lake peppin, the biggest lake on the mississippi river, to make sure tow boats can get through without becoming trapped in the ice. and from freezing to sizzling, take a look at what researchers are calling the new hottest pepper on the planet. it is the trinidad moruga scorpion, and yes, it has a real bite, with a rating that experts describe as 2 million heat

units. i don't even know what that means, but it sounds hot. and they warn, if you sink your teeth into it, at first it seems mild, but then it turns "nasty." now for a look at your national and regional weather, here is nbc meteorologist bill karins. he has your weather channel forecast. good morning, bill. >> good morning. do you like spicy foods? >> i don't, not particularly. this one, you have to wear rubber gloves to handle it. that's how hot the chili is. so, i'm going to stick with, you know, the oatmeal -- >> the mild wings? >> absolutely. >> barbecue wings? >> but enjoy for all of you at home. >> some people are just into the spices. >> they love it. >> i don't like to cry when i eat my food. >> me either. >> good morning, everyone. we have an interesting forecast coming up this weekend, but first let's get through this morning. very mild conditions out there, temperatures very warm down around the gulf coast, where we still have a couple thunderstorms and heavy downpours. a little chilly in denver, but that's about it. got a little bit of snow in the very extreme northern edge of our system going through the ohio valley. northern michigan may be getting

some wet snowflakes. it's not going to be any big deal. the heaviest rains are down here along the gulf coast. along i-10 we have showers and downpours, even a couple thunderstorms strikes now being reported with some of those. most of this will stay south of atlanta. for you, just some light rain over the next hour or two. so, if you're on the east coast today, bottom line, keep that umbrella with you. we are going to see showers heading for the mid-atlantic during the day today, areas like new york city and d.c. and philly, you will have periods of light rain today. the heaviest rains this morning will be down in the southeast. middle of the country looking dry and pretty nice, too. that's a look at your national forecast. now here's a look at the weather outside your window. charlotte, north carolina, some periods of light rain will be likely during the day today. temperatures very mild. look at florida, almost getting on the warmish side. 82 in orlando. columbus, ohio, today, showers for you, especially this morning. and i teased it up, still a possibility of an east coast storm on sunday. some details a little later in

the show. you're shaking your head. you don't believe it's even possible. >> i don't know. i don't know. it's just getting me excited about it, and if it doesn't happen, i'll be really disappointed. coming up, a major airline raises prices. good news if you're tired of telemarketers. and one brand of candy goes on a diet. your early-morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, his moving act of kindness gets one very important parental stamp of approval. coming up, the spurs go for nine in a row and a near career high for the knicks' jeremy lin. you're watching "early today."

good morning, and welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry and here are some of your top headlines this morning. the l.a. county coroner has subpoenaed whitney houston's medical records. they want to know more about the medications found in her hotel

after she died saturday. officials say it's standard procedure. toxicology results are still on the way. the u.s. is setting a new record for interracial marriages. the pew research center says 1 in 12 marriages are of mixed race, citing an increase of asian and hispanic immigrants. and dramatic video is being released of gang members setting fire to the office of newspaper in mexico in november. more than a dozen men who smashed computers and terrorized employees are still on the loose. scientists in switzerland say they're developing a vacuum cleaner of sorts for outer space, scooping up rocket debris and space junk from orbit. now your top health headlines. a government official says a severe shortage of a childhood cancer drug should ease before hospitals run out of it in a couple weeks. the food and drug administration is working with three different companies that make a preservative-free drug used to treat a common form of childhood leukem leukemia, but the companies

still need to find a long-term solution to end the problem. for more information on this and other health stories, you can check out the health page at msnbc.com. >> announcer: "early today health" is brought to you by vagisil. bring yourself back. now an early look at wall street. the dow opens at 12,780 after dipping 97 points yesterday. the s&p lost 7 points. the nasdaq fell 16. taking a look at overseas trading this morning. in tokyo, the nikkei was down 22 points, while in hong kong, the hang seng lost 87. well, investors appear to be on edge this morning over the financial crisis in greece. stocks on wall street were off as european officials said the greek government has more questions to answer. with the eurozone finance ministers meeting scheduled for monday. moody's credit rating agency warns that the european credit crisis may bring down ratings for more than 100 banks and could affect some u.s. financial institutions as well.

u.s. homebuilders are more optimistic for the fifth straight month, and the government will report on new construction and permits for january this morning. foreclosure activity in the u.s. was up 3% in january from december but down 19% from january of last year. american manufacturing output rose in january by 0.7% with a big jump in motor vehicle production. southwest airlines raised fares $10 per round-trip ticket wednesday, and other airlines may follow. groupon says it hopes that by march, it will settle class-action lawsuits that allege the expiration dates on its coupons are improper. general motors is holding down expenses by freezing its pension plan for white-collar workers and giving salaried employees bonuses but not pay raises. the federal communication commission is cracking down on robo calls, forcing telemarketers to get people's

consent before making automated phone calls. and finally, mars candy says that by the end of 2013, all its chocolate bars will be slimmed down to 250 calories or less, and they'll soon have less salt. no more king-sized bars, guys. fortunately, m&m's are already under the limit and won't have to change. ooh, now i don't feel so bad! coming up, the spurs continue their streak, the magic shoot past the sixers and the rockets slip by the thunder. plus, we knew he could score, but now he's shown that he can dish out the assists as well. your early-morning sports headlines are straight ahead. in weather, it's an umbrella day for many of us on the east coast, and then a quiet thursday. your forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today." at lysol, we discovered a problem.

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you only need one. two times stronger than the leading value brand, they always win this test. soft non-lotion pillows, they're sure to impress. now the tissue monster had gone away, and puffs ultra soft & strong saved the day. a nose in need deserves puffs ultra soft & strong indeed. for those who prefer lotion, try puffs plus lotion. good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." and in sports, just when you think the lin streak could be over, the knicks' jeremy lin showcases a different part of his newfound game. here's nbc's fred roggin with an "early" look at all your sports headlines. >> good morning. with all eyes on the sensational jeremy lin, and it's easy to overlook that the knicks are doing something they haven't done all year, winning! today when the knicks made it seven in a row, jumped out to an early lead. lin scored just 10 points but

dished out a career-high 13 assists. the knicks had everything going for them. they're the hottest team in the league and jeremy lin is the talk of the nation. they won again, 100-85. nets were hoping to win over some knicks fans this season. perhaps they need to focus on winning games first. against the grizzlies, mike conley off the backboard to rudy gay. he had 25. this pretty much sums it up for new jersey. tony allen picked off the pass and went untouched coast to coast for the bucket. grizzlies won it 105-100. the nets have dropped seven in a row. on the flip side, you've got the spurs, san antonio flying under the radar and they're okay with that. tony parker scored 34 and had 14 assists against the raptors. spurs won their ninth in a row, 113-106. magic and sixers, orlando with the most balanced team of the year. six players scoring in double digits. brian anderson led the way with 27. the magic put a stall on the sixers, 108-97. kevin durant gave up the lead to oklahoma city but houston grabbed the lead back

with free throws. last chance for the thunder, down one. kevin durant, the game on the line, could not get the layup to fall. durant had 33, but the thunder needed a couple more. rockets won it 96-95. finally, former maverick corey brewer got his championship ring from owner mark cuban and they showed why they were the defending champs. you know dirk nowitzki will get his, but when lamar oden chips in 14rks you've got a good thing going. mavs win. that's sports on "early today." i'm fred roggin. which former presidential candidate won't be do the cha-cha on "dancing with the stars"? your early-morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, america's top dog receives the star treatment at a legendary new york restaurant. you're watching "early today."

welcome back to "early today." east coast today, you need the umbrella. everybody else in the middle of the country will be just fine. let me fast forward to this weekend. our computers are hinting at a storm system for the east coast. the problem is, there's not really a lot of cold air available. looks like a rain event for a lot of people. the storm should be coming up through the gulf coast saturday. a big soaking for the eastern seaboard in the southeast on sunday. higher elevations still have a chance of getting some snow, so don't give up on it completely yet. areas in southern new england and also there in the appalachians. well, if you're watching us on newschannel 36 in charlotte, north carolina, in nearby

asheville, see art that uses new technology in tandem, traditional craft material. it's the new materiality at the asheville art museum. that's your "early event of the day." >> thanks so much. now a look at the entertainment headlines. fans worldwide will have a chance to bid farewell to whitney houston this weekend. the late singer's publicist has announced saturday's private funeral in newark, new jersey, will be live streamed on the internet. we also learned that according to houston's death certificate, she will be buried in the same new jersey cemetery where her father was laid to rest. former republican presidential candidate michele bachmann says rumors of her appearing on the upcoming season of "dancing with the stars" are false, although she did win a polka competition in the tenth grade. fun fact there. and finally, after justin bieber flew a 6-year-old cancer patient and her family to new york to spend the day with him earlier this week, the girl's mom reportedly described the biebs as "charming," and so is

that little girl. i don't know if you've heard much about this story, but she's just an amazing, amazing little girl. so, she got the chance to spend the day with the biebs. >> i saw pictures of him like tossing her up in the air and catching her. >> yeah. am i surprised that biebs has been referred to -- >> his stock is high, best ever. >> thank you. this comes from wnbc 4 in new york, where a legendary broadly eatery welcomed its newest celebrity, maliki. this year's winner at the westminster dog show dined like royalty. the restaurant is known for steak, but i think he went with something lighter. the pekingese won best in show and must have given it all he had. while he chowed down for the cam raze, reports say the pooch kept falling asleep during his lunchtime visit. i'm lynn berry. this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

>> live, local, late-breaking, this is wbal-tv 11 news today. >> good morning. we are starting out with some sprinkle activity. it is not a big deal. just keep that in mind. the rain chances will call today. some light rain showers and sprinkles. up to 30's to around 40 degrees. 38 at the airport. 33 in parkton. off and on rain showers. a better chance for rain later today.

we will come back and check the seven-day forecast. >> 38 degrees on tv hill. pushing for a ban on tattoos and peers since. -- peariercinggs. >> a deal to keep your paycheck from shrinking is one step closer to being signed. >> and overnight accident affecting lanes of traffic on 95 and 895 and a new

[captioning made possible by constellation energy group] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >> live, local, late-breaking, this is wbal-tv 11 news today. >> we have some good news for your morning commute. 95 is back open at this hour near the fort mchenry