today" "early today." the court takes up a high steaks rebate over health care reform. up in smoke. it was a dynamite defix for the home of the orlando imagine jiek and a titanic achieve mitt. he travels to the very bottom of the ocean. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello and a very good morning to you. i'm veronica de la cruz. today we begin with a supreme showdown. the justice of the supreme court takes on the constitutionality.

it will have a broad impact on america's health care system. nbc's brian mooar joins us live with the very latest. brian, good morning to you. >> reporter: hi, veronica. the health care law was sweeping in its vote and so was the challenge before the high court. from the moment president obama signed his signature health care reform law, this dau was inevitable. now it's time for the supreme court. those on both sides of the debate have been waiting outside the high court for days. >> you don't get many opportunities to witness something like this firsthand. >> reporter: many are hoping to catch an extraordinary three days of argument destined to make legal history. >> i have a daughter 27 who has epilepsy. >> reporter: for this mother the fight is personal as it is for this carolina coastline. >> related to religious rights and freedoms in america. >> reporter: at the core of this

case can congress force every american to pay for health care? >> 26 states are challenging the law including georgia. >> we look forward to the supreme court later this june holding the act unconstitutional. >> reporter: it is a showdown welcomed by the obama administration. >> by the end of the decade we're going be glade they called this obama care. >> reporter: a fight over health care and the boundaries of governme government. the case won't will decided till june but it will say it will redefine the boundaries of government health care and the boundaries of power. >> brian mooar in washington, thank you. today marks the one-month anniversary of the shooting of trayvon martin. the unarmed black teenager in florida was shot and killed by a watch volunteer who claims it was self-defense. thousands are expected at protests after a weekend of rallies and prays. nbc's jay gray has details. >> when it comes to might, play

for peace. >> reporter: a show of unity in florida. >> it's about pulling our community together. >> reporter: a shooting that's sparked a national outcia, prayers that echoed across the country sunday. normal church attire replaced with hoodies. >> we stand in solidarity with the family of trayvon martin. >> stop the violence. >> stop the violence. >> save the children. >> save the children. >> reporter: a growing refrain for justice for trayvon martin. he is george zimmerman, the community watch volunteer who shot and killed the 17-year-old a month ago today. his attorney returned to his claim of self-defense this weekend on the "today" show. >> george zimmerman suffered a broken nose, an jury, a gash to the back of his head. >> reporter: now his friends are also speaking out. >> through his family members i learned right after the shooting he couldn't stop crying. >> reporter: tears shed by

thousands, most by a growing course calling for answers and action. jay gray, nbc news. now here's a look at some other stories making news early today in america. in florida it didn't take magic but more than 600 pounds of explosives to d demolish the former home of the orlando magic basketball team. the amway arena came tumbling down in less than 20 seconds sunday morning. most people enjoyed the big finish. one man was treated for minor injuries after being hit by debris two blocks away. an oklahoma city police officer is under investigation for an arrest at will rogers airport. surveillance video appears to show police using a taser on a man after he tried go the wrong way at a checkpoint. officers then dragged the man face down across the floor while he was handcuffed from behind. the man claimed he wanted to give documents to presidential candidate newt gingrich. finally in detroit, thousands took part in the third

annual parade designed to rid the ailing city of evil spirits. a red gafr cast a spell on the city after being struck by a cane by one of detroit's founders. >> now for a look at the national and regional weather here's meteorologist bill karins with your weather. i think part-time want to dress up. >> you think people want a reason to dress up and go party and celebrate? >> let me think about that. yeah. >> hope people had a chance to enjoy the weekend. the weather was perfect in so many spots. there were some exceptions. bauch was one of the keeflt spots in the country at only 48 degrees. but look at all the heartland from denver to kansas city to st. louis to oklahoma. all the way in the southeast, beautiful, warm weather. windy in some spots. overall it was another nice march weekend. we did have a lot of thunderstorms in the carolinas.

it with us warm but we did get to deal with some of the large hail producing storms. a strong cold front is going to blow through new england today. definitely wear your winter coat. give your kids their gloves and mittens today. it will be a windy, chilly afternoon. it's a big difference. now there's a chunk of cool air trying to sneak down from canada for the rest of us. here's a look at the radar. we have wet weather around here. back here twarmd cape hatteras. that will be exiting as we go throughout the dry day. there's not many of us that need an umbrella. very mild once again. a few spots in texas all the way up into the plains. watch out for blowing dust. yeah, blowing dust later on this afternoon in denver and there's that cold windy forecast in new england. that's a look at your national forecast. now here's a look at the weather outside your window. sunshine in florida today. another beautiful warm day. 82 degrees. new orleans, nice warm air too. look how much chillier and

cooler it is in areas like columbus, detroit, cleveland, all the way to buffalo. it will feel a little more like winter. thing that's going to be the big theme. just new england's going to get hit by a little chunk of very cold air later tonight. >> it's going to be cold for us, but at least we're not boston. 44 degrees? oh, my goodness. bernanke speaks, more pain at the pump, and the heavy hitter at the ballpark that does a number on your bottom line. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus "the hunger games" eats up the competition at the box office, but did it have a record-breaking weekend. tigers back on the prowl, the final four is set, and quadruple overtime in atlanta. you're watching "early today."

a very good morning to you. welcome back to "early today."

i'm veronica de la cruz. here are some of your tophead lines this morning. at a nuclear summit in south korea president obama urged them to thing over their nuclear program. if a rocket strays over south korean territory, he might shoot it down. the u.s. is saying $50,000 for each of the 17 afghans killed in the shooting rampage. later the wife of the soldier charged with the murders will speak out for the first time in an exclusive interview. former vice president dick cheney is reportedly doing well after a heart transplant saturday, although some question him getting a new heart. doctors say he probably did not get special treatment. pope ben death conduct add huge outdoor mass in mexico. today he hechts for cuba. last night he was given a sombrero by a musician.

cameron returned to the titanic. he used a specially designed submarine for a dive of almost 7 miles. wow, now here's an early look at one of your top health headlines on msnbc.com. a new study founds for the first time a human gene that responds to flu. it may explain explain why some people get seriously ill or it kills them or others have a mild reaction. researchers say the discovery could lead to better treatment or vaccines for those with the gene. for more information on this and other stories head to the web and check out the health page at msnbc.com. and now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 13,080 after

gaining 34. the naz daycare was up. the nikkei added six points while in hong kong the hang seng was up a fraction. well, a little last-minute window dressing could help swing the market back into the black as some managers pick the best stocks. they'll refresh data on consumer goods, sentiment and pernlt income. ben bernanke's speech will be closely watched for any clues about another round of quantitative easing. health care stocks will be in focus as the supreme court weighs a challenge for the nation's health care reform this week. on the earnings front best buy is expected to report a rise in quarterly profits be but there's word it may close some underpormging stores. meanwhile blackberry research in motion could see its money reported in half.

yahoo! gears up for a nasty battle with one of its largest shareholders. llc lost the campaign to win four seats. >> the prees of gas is up 11 cents in the last two weeks bringing the national average to a gallon of regular to $3.93. pepsico is set to roll out its 60 calories next. those who don't like die eat soda but don't want all the calories. >> if you're not watching your waistline or wallet czech out the new hot dog at the texas ranger stadium. it tips the scale at one pound and it's as long as a baseball bat all for a mere 26 bucks and you'd better be none dri. >> tony notches his 13th win in nascar and the hawks with a marathon game. plus, after one of d greatest downfalls in sports the old tiger woods is back. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. and it looks like we're starting off this last week of

march on the warm side, what aed by surprise. your forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

hey, there. a very good morning to you. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." in sports there'll be no cinderella story this year as march madness comes down to a

face-off between four college heavy weights. here's nbc's mario solis with a look at all your early morning headlines. >> two more teams punched their ticket to the final for. we begin with north carolina and kansas city, kendall marshall sittinging this out with a broken riftst kansas pulls away in the final minutes. taylor on the break, manages to get the bucket. kansas up seven. carolina trienld to come back. travis relerford finishes on the other end. jayhawks end on a 12-0 run. they win 80-67. they'll play ohio state in the final for. kentucky will join. they were simply too much for baylor. at times it appeared like the bears didn't belong on the same court as the wildcats. they get a break when terence jones gets a free throw but he throws it down. kentucky wins, 82-70. they'll play rival louisville on saturday. the other big story yesterday

was tiger woods. starting the find round at bay hill with a one-stroke lead and kept it going. his approach from 182 yards, a thing of beauty. rolls it within three feet of the hole. birdies at eight to go up three strokes. the putter has been a sore spot for tiger recently, not anymore. he beats graham by five strokes to win for the first time in five. nascar tony stewart took the checkered win. it's his second win of the year. finally the hawks and jazz were having so much fun they didn't want to stop playing. tied after regulation, that go sbeefr overtime, and another and another and another. that's right. quadruple overtime. it took over three hours but the hawks won a mary anthony 139-133. that's a look at sports on "early today." i'm mario solis.

is she or isn't she. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, we're going to show you one who likely has a bright future on the basketball court. you're watching "early today."

welcome back to "early today" on this monday morning. here's what you need to know for your forecast as you're heading out the door today. if you're anywhere near id hoe up through porkings of montana, you have chance for showers and

storms later on this anywhere. anywhere from the great lakes to new england, it's going be cold and windy. in some cases the temperatures are going to be falling one of the bing things is later tonight into tomorrow morning we're expecting low temperatures in the 30s in the big cities, so it will be in the 20s in the suburbs. we're going have a freeze. of course, it's so warm we're concerned about any of the tender vegetation. if you're watching us on wlbt channel 3 in jackson, mississippi, ever wonder where a chipmunk sleeps or what an eagle feeds its young, hopefully not the chip munks find out the animal secrets at the mississippi museum of natural science. that's your early event of the day. movie-goers had a huge appetite for "the hunger games" this weekend. as expected, the film devoured the competition, taking in a whopping $155 million. the third highest u.s. opening of all time, the highest ever

for a nonsequel. the only movies that earned more on opening weekends were the "harry potter" finale and the batman sequel. after rumors miley cyrus sporting what look os to be a huge ring on her ring finger, we're told the sparkler is not an engagement ring. somebody tell her she's got it on the wrong finger then. kim kardashian has decided to press charges against her protester who through flower on her at an event thursday night. sources close to kim tell tmz she doesn't feel the woman should get away with it and she should be held accountable for her actions. this now coming to us from kkoa news 5 in colorado springs where in nearby springfield they're celebrating a different kind of march madness. a local 9-year-old boy made an amazing basket from half-court during an elementary school

event in oklahoma. the third grader launched the buzzer beater with one hand. it wasn't just luck that got him nothing but net, his dad sads while he was surprised he's been practicing the shot over and over in the gym, not only did it help the crowd but the team. one hand. >> easy. off the backboard. >> i've got to use both of them. >> we've discussed your basketball skills and we'll leave it at that. >> i know. i'm not that great at playing it. okay. i'm veronica de la cruz, this is 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. welcome back to the work week. it looks like the sun is finally returning. the storm is moving offshore. you can see the clouds around ocean city. those are pushing off to the east. skies are clearing around baltimore. behind the storm, temperatures are slightly cooler. we do have some wind and that will affect the temperatures. >> 4:57. 54 degrees on tv hill.

>> a meeting but said some requested to attend will likely be absent. >> a march and a rally in baltimore in honor of trayvon martin today. >> president obama health care reform lot heads to the supreme court today -- health care reform law. >> sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute. your morning commute. we will let you know

[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. >> is it going to be dry to start the week? >> we did need to get that rain. this month has