this morning on "early today," in cold blood. tensions rise after a u.s. soldier is held in connection with a predawn shooting rampage of afghan civilians. tornado tragedy. chilling, new images emerge of this month's devastating midwest storms. and galactic gaming. nasa gets on board as "angry birds" take flight in space. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello, and good morning. i'm lynn berry. and today we begin with a massacre in afghanistan. the pentagon is investigating yet another major setback for america's efforts in afghanistan. a u.s. soldier who went on a

shooting rampage near his base early yesterday, allegedly killing 16 civilians, including women and children. nbc's tracie potts joins us from washington with the latest on all this. tracie, good morning. >> reporter: lynn, good morning. this morning in afghanistan, there are warnings and calls for protests there as a result of all this. officials there in afghanistan and here in washington are calling it a senseless act of violence. afghanistan's president calls it terrorism. a u.s. soldier shot and killed nine children, three women and four men just 500 yards from the u.s. military base in southern afghanistan. he's in custody. >> nato's sitting in a tinder box, and this could be the spark that unravels our presence in afghanistan. >> reporter: president obama called president karzai sunday to apologize, saying we'll investigate and hold the shooter responsible. >> we're committed to an

enduring relationship with afghanistan, to obtain greater peace and security in the region. >> reporter: karzai in a statement called it an intentional act that will never be forgotten. one month after accidental burnings of a koran sparked deadly protests. >> unfortunately, these things happen in war. you had an israeli soldier killed, worshippers by the mosque. you just have to push through these things. >> reporter: in washington, lawmakers say this latest incident underscores why we need to get out. >> our timetable is pretty good. we're moving out, as the president said, and i think that's the right thing to do. >> reporter: but perhaps not too quickly. >> we should not forget that the attacks on the united states of america at 9/11 originated in afghanistan. >> reporter: now, the u.s. is concerned about violence as a result of all this. the embassy is warning americans to aid large, public gatherings, areas where americans tend to gather, and also they're telling americans to keep their travel plans private. lynn?

>> all right, tracie potts there for us in washington. tracie, thanks so much. well, in syria this morning, there is still no cease-fire deal to bring an end to the bloodshed there. kofi annan, the u.n. and arab league envoy, says he was optimistic after meeting with syrian president bashar al assad for a second time on sunday and admitted it will be tough to work out an agreement to end the government crackdown on opposition forces. activists say at least 25 people were killed sunday as syrian troops again attacked homs and other cities. government forces also shelled areas near syria's borders with both turkey and lebanon. the latest poll from "the washington post" and abc news shows record-high gas prices early this year have lowered president obama's approval rating. the sharply rising prices americans are paying to fill up their gas tanks pushed down the president's approval rating to 46%. and 50% now say they disapprove

of the way mr. obama is handling his job. nearly two-thirds of the americans surveyed are unhappy with the president's actions on gas prices, and almost half think that prices will keep going up. well, now here's a look at some other stories making news "early today in america." newly released video from kentucky shows the fury of the deadly tornado that swept through there earlier this month. the entire roof of that home was just ripped away in seconds. a man was trapped in his pickup truck as buildings all around him were shredded by the twister, which claimed six lives. there was also wild weather in hawaii. a waterspout making its way on to a small island during a thunderstorm complete with lightning strikes. pretty funky there. when the waterspout hit land, it turned into a small tornado, seriously damaging one home. well, talk about a wild turkey. a michigan woman is being accosted by the fearless bird

every time she heads outside her home. it even went after a news crew that came out to see for themselves. hazards of the job. the woman tried to use a broom to schoo the bird away, so she uses an umbrella. she's refusing to call animal control, saying she'll let nature take its course. finally, a washington state teenager is learning two valuable lessons -- don't steal and don't mess with mom. the 14-year-old boy is being forced to stand in his driveway holding a sign that reads "i'm a thief. i like to steal." his mother says she handed down the very public punishment after her son stole an ipod from a classmate. 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. i'm not a parent, so i can't judge, but that's tough love. >> you'd do it if i stole -- >> i would make you stand outside of nbc holding a sign. >> if i stole your breakfast or something, yeah. >> you know how i am about food.

don't touch it. >> yes, i know. good morning, everyone. i hope you had a wonderful weekend. the temperatures incredibly warm. there really was not a cold spot on the map yesterday throughout the lower 48. seattle was probably the chilliest at 44 degrees for your high yesterday, but we were in the mid-60s in minneapolis, upper 50s in new england. i mean, just incredible, gorgeous weather out there. so, here's what we're looking at today. the weather pattern for today into this week, the mild air rules, no doubt about it, but we have two storms, one a big, huge one in the northwest and then our lingering storm in the midaemi middle of the country that brought rain over the weekend to areas of arkansas, east texas. and we continue to watch the rain threat this morning. thunderstorms in louisiana and a shield of rain heading up through wisconsin into areas of michigan. the worst of that weather definitely down here from new iberia, heading straight across louisiana, baton rouge. a lot of thunderstorms that will advance towards new orleans throughout the morning hours. so, your forecast today, east coast very mild. enjoy it. but we have that wet weather and the possibility of getting some

strong storms around chicago later this afternoon. that's a look at your national forecast. now here's a look at the weather outside your window. from chicago to grand rapids, you've been getting some strong thunderstorms. could even be a few isolated tornadoes later today. so, a very rare mid-march severe weather out break there in the lower portions of lake michigan. this is a pretty incredible week, and we are going to see temperatures that are may-like throughout much of the country. >> it's just bizarre. >> yeah. >> considering how it used to be. bill, thanks so much. we will take it. the week ahead on wall street, ipad orders overwhelm, and beware of cyber-loefg monday? we'll explain, coming up. your early-morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, over the weekend, this eddie murphy clunker earned a perfect score, perfectly awful, that is. tiger limps off the golf course, kobe comes up big, and let the madness begin. the field is set for the ncaa basketball tournament.

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. japan marks the anniversary of last year's catastrophic earthquake and tsunami that killed more than 19,000 people. a moment of silence was observed yesterday across the country at the exact moment the magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck. cross-border fighting between gaza and israel has reportedly claimed the lives of three more gazans today, bringing the four-day death toll to 20. gaza militants fired dozens of rockets at israeli towns in retaliation for the killing of a top mill pant leader on friday. a student at the university of maryland has been arrested for threatening to go on a campus shooting rampage. campus police say 19-year-old alexander tsong posted plans on a website to "kill enough people to make it to national news."

he is undergoing psychiatric evaluation. an astronaut at the international space station demonstrated his version of the video game "angry birds space," demonstrating space physics, he showed an angry bird toy being launched into zero gravity flying on a straight line through the international space station. they've got some time up there. now, here's an "early look" at one of your top health headlines on msnbc.com. a new report says there are few protections for consumers from fake medicines. global health officials say there's no system to track sales of bogus drugs like the cancer medication avastin, which may have produced millions in profits for counterfeiters. up to 10% of medicines around the world are estimated to be illegal and dangerous fakes. and 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 g vagisil wash.

the dow opens at 12,922 after adding 14 points on friday. the s&p was up four points. the nasdaq rose 17. taking a look at overseas trading this morning. in tokyo, the nikkei lost 39 points, but in hong kong, the hang seng added 48. heading into the new week, we're getting more information about the economy, consumer spending and trade. the federal reserve meets to discuss the direction of the u.s. economy, but it's not expected to make any interest rate changes. in part, that's due to friday's february jobs report, which showed that hiring is still on the rise with 227,000 new positions created. and later this week, we'll get an update on how much people out there are buying with the consumer price index report. the economy is still feeling a drag from rising gas prices, up more than 12 cents in the last two weeks. american companies have a new opportunity to send their goods overseas as a major trade agreement between the u.s. and south korea goes into effect this week.

a year after japan's tsunami and nuclear crisis, machinery orders rose more than 3% as that economy rebuilds from the disasters. china's trade balance plunged into the red by more than $31 billion in february as imports doubled exports. the deal on greek debt is being discussed at today's meeting of european finance ministers as they prepare to pay part of the 130 billion euro bailout. if you preordered the new apple ipad online, you'll have to wait until next monday for it to be shipped due to heavy web traffic from folks avoiding crowds when sales start in stores this friday. and finally, expect a slow day in the office today. it is cyber-loafing monday. the start of daylight saving time means people are tired and they're spending more time on the internet, plus many will be concentrating on those march madness college basketball bracket choices, maybe a few

people in the studio maybe participating in that? i don't know, maybe? coming up, kobe comes up clutch against the celtics, tony stewart does a nascar end-around, and tiger woods' comeback is once again on hold. plus, vanderbilt shocks top-ranked kentucky for their first conference title in 60 years. your early-morning sports headlines are straight ahead. and while the rest of us are enjoying just beautiful weather in the pacific northwest, rainy and windy. your forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." and in sports, the teams have been chosen, the matchups are set, march madness is officially almost here. here's nbc's mario solis with an early look at all your sports headlines. >> hi, there, good morning. start filling out those brackets. the field is set for the ncaa basketball tournament, but before the madness begins, there were still a handful of conference titles to be won. kentucky is the number one team in the country but didn't play like it against vanderbilt. the commodores hung around all game and took the lead in the final minutes. vandy wins the s.e.c. title 71-64, snapping ku's 21-game win streak. despite the loss, kentucky still gets the top seed in the south bracket. florida state might be the

hottest team on the country. they beat duke on saturday and won the acc title with a win over north carolina. like kentucky, even though they lost, the tar heels are the number one seed in the midwest. michigan state is a top seed in the west bracket after beating ohio state to win the big ten championship. the senior, draymond green, knocks down the three in the final minute to put them up five. they win 68-64. to the guys who get paid to play, lakers and celtics. this goes down to the wire. celtics up one, under a minute to play. kobe bryant, who gets the friendly bounce off the iron. the masked ma'am was had 26. lakers win 97-94. nascar, tony stewart was the big winner in vegas, and not at the tables. he took the checkered flag at the las vegas motor speedway. it's his first win of the season. forgive me if you've heard this before, tiger woods is hurt, had to pull out of the cadillac championship in florida with a sore achilles. it's the same injury that kept him out about four months last season. don't be surprised if tiger

shuts it down until the masters in april. justin rose had a leg up on the competition. rose wins the cadillac by a single stroke over bubba watson. and that's your look at sports on "early today." i'm mario solis. once again, families flock to theaters to see what in just two weeks has become the year's biggest box office winner. your early-morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, who's the fairest of them all? no contest in alaska. we'll explain. you're watching "early today."

welcome back to "early today" on this monday. we have rain out there in many areas of the northern plains. watch out, especially from chicago to grand rapids, southern michigan. very rare that we have a chance of tornadoes this time of year, but there will be a few of them possible with some strong thunderstorms. also this morning, new orleans, got to watch out for some strong storms and heavy, heavy rain. as we go into tomorrow, into tuesday, beautiful weather returns to the midwest, but we'll watch some of those storms pushing through the southeast, but very warm weather everywhere. well, if you are watching on wvip nbc 30, hartford, connecticut, in nearby mystic, beautiful little spot, peer through underwater windows and experience an up-close, eye-to-eye encounter with beluga whales at the mystic aquarium. that's your "early today event of the day." i went there in second grade on a field trip. >> aww, your little name tag, aww. nice little picture there. time now for an "early look" at stories making headlines in entertainment.

this weekend's box office champ hit the double, also becoming the year's top-grossing film. "dr. seuss: the lorax" took its total earnings to $122 million in just ten days. the sci-fi starter "john carter" had a stronger-than-expected opening, taking second with over $30 million, but it cost a reported $250 million to make, minor detail. >> $220 million behind. >> so, it's a drop in the bucket. still, "john carter" dominated screens internationally, taking in an additional $70 million in 51 overseas theaters. >> i'm sorry. i apologize. >> wait before you speak. the r-rated flick "silent house" starring elizabeth olson opened quietly with $7 million in a virtual tie for fourth. but eddie murphy's "a thousand words" opened in sixth with $6 million-plus. however, thanks to absolutely horrible reviews, the film did

earn a rare distinction of earning a four of 0% on rotten tomatoes website. they have spoken. this is from channel 2 news in anchorage, alaska, where a local pageant winner showed her true beauty. debbie promised to shave her head if she raised $2,500 to fight childhood cancer. well, she met her goal, so out came the clippers. debbie, with some help from the very kids she's trying to help, took her buzz cut in stride. already the winner of one beauty contest, debbie says she's planning on keeping the bald look when she takes the stage as a contestant in june's miss alaska contest. good for her. i'm lynn berry and 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're off to a quiet start. we will put some rain in the forecast for later today and tonight. 37 at the airport. 46 degrees in the city. increasing clouds. later this evening, there could be some light rain showers. not a big deal. a high temperature of 65. we'll come back and check the forecast going into the wee kend. >> a maryland student is

arrested. >> a u.s. soldier kills civilians. we have the latest. >> b.g.e. will soon be under new ownership. >> we are tracking an accident on 95 out of the northeast. will check on a problem in the a

[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. >> good morning. i'm mindy basara. >> and i'm stan stovall. thank you for joining us this morning. >> it feels like spring out there. >> it will be in the 70's for most of this week. we will be in the 60's today. it is a little chilly right now. take a light jacket. take a light jacket.