coming up with new lynn talk. >> lynn your face. >> that's very good. he's on a real lynn streak. lynn credible. >> watch these at 11:00 larry takes credit too for all of us here, thanks for watching appreciate your time. hope to see new an hour on channel 7. appreciate your time. hope to see new an hour on channel 7. goodbye for now

lynn? >> tracy pots in washington.hank you. >>> the latest pew research numbers size up the republican primary race and the match-up against president obama. rick santorum's support is surging among tea party supporters and white evangelicals in the contest for the gop nomination. santorum is now in a virtual tie with mitt romney with santorum edging romney by two points. 30% to 28%. the same poll found president obama with sizeable leads over the two top republicans that he may face in november. mr. obama leads santorum by 10 points and romney by 8 points. >>> now here's a look at other stories making news early today in america. >>> protesters dangled from a bridge on monday. four people were arrested including two who were hanging from ropes and lowered into police boats. their demonstration is one of several expected during the visit of china's vice president. >>> in charlotte a school bus driver who rescued all of her passengers from an inferno last week was honored. lynn dor ra richardson was at the wheel when an

i'm lynn berry. today we begin with coming home. the body of singer whitney houston is back in her home state of new jersey this morning. plans for a memorial and funeral to be held later this week are being made. meanwhile, questions and the investigation into what exactly killed the pop star continues. nbc's sarah edwards has the latest. >> reporter: the body of 48-year-old whitney houston arrived late monday night back in her home state of new jersey. earlier in the day after the singer's remains were released to her family, houston's body was taken to a funeral home where it was prepared for the flight back to her hometown of newark. as she made her final flight questions surrounding her sudden death saturday at the beverly hilton continued. they say bottles of prescription were found in her hotel room and they were looking into all possibilities. >> the person could have suffered a heart attack or embolism or something, and no matter what medications they're taking, until we run a tox and see th

lynn? >> that's for sure. thank you. >>> the buffett bill was introduced in the u.s. senate wednesday. proposed after warren buffett complained his secretary pays a higher tax rate than he does, the bill would make anyone earning more than $1 million a year pay at least 30% to the irs. last night on "the ed show" senator bernie sanders, an independent from vermont, talked to ed schultz about poverty, fairness and the buffett bill. >> the reality is that poverty today is at an all-time high. we did a hearing on this in my subcommittee. if you are in the lowest 20% of the american people, you will die 6 1/2 years younger than if you're in the top 20%. so poverty in many ways is a death sentence. romney and his friends want to cut medicaid, throw children off of health insurance. they want to cut medicare, cut social security and they are going to war against the poorest people in this country. i think that is a moral -- just an immoral position to take. i would not want to be a republican def

i'm lynn berry. today, we begin with a santorum surge. despite back to back wins in florida and nevada, new poll numbers have gop front runner mitt romney suddenly taking rival rick santorum seriously ahead of primaries and caucuses today in colorado, missouri, and minnesota. brian mooar is in washington with the details on this. brian, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, lynn. rick santorum is hoping to change the dynamics of this race in a single day and emerge this evening as the conservative choice. if this isn't judgment day for the santorum campaign, it is certainly close. he's running out of time and money. but he's hoping for a strong showing if not a win in minnesota and in missouri, where newt gingrich is not on the ballot and ron paul is hunting for other votes in the caucus states. santorum is hoping for a head to head contest with romney. romney is hoping for a good showing in colorado, hoping to show that he is, in fact, the front runner. as far as gingrich and paul at this point,

brian, good morning. >> good morning, lynn. the story within the story is that las vegas is still counting caucus votes. with 90% of the voting in, mitt romney has a big win, right around 50%. newt gingrich coming in second with 21. ron paul right behind with 19%. it's not just that mitt romney won. it's how he won. a broad-based coalition of the very conservative, which chips away newt gingrich's argument that he is the conservative candidate. at this point gingrich looking to count up as many delegates he has rather than win a lot of states. another chance tomorrow as colorado, minnesota, and missouri hold their presidential contest. but mihm at this point looking every bit the front-runner. ron paul had counted on the caucus states. he is in trouble now, as is rick santorum, who finished fourth place in nevada. lynn? >> brian mooar for us there in washington. brian, thanks so much. >>> well, the two-year long story of a missing mother took a horrifying twist yesterday in washington state after a powerful house explosion kill

lynn? >> tracie potts in washington, thank you. >>> the taliban have claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in eastern afghanistan early today. a car bomb exploded at the gates of the jalalabad airport. killing nine people. mostly civilians. the taliban says the attack was revenge for the burning of korans at an american military base a week ago. on sunday eight u.s. soldiers were wounded in a grenade attack at a u.s. base in kunduz province. and a manhunt continues for a gunman who shot and killed two u.s. military officers saturday inside an afghan ministry building. >>> the u.s. military says it's investigating a taliban claim of possible food tampering at a base in eastern afghanistan, but that no personnel have been sickened or injured. >>> now here is a look at other stories making news "early today in america." a thief used a hammer to smash his way into a philadelphia jewelry store window, grabbing thousands of dollars in merchandise. a store clerk came rushing to the display

lynn? >> brian moore, thank you. >>> elsewhere, tuesday's night's victories in colorado, missouri and minnesota for republican presidential candidate rick santorum has sparked new life into his campaign. last night on "the ed show" republican strategist steve schmidt who worked for john mccain in 2008 told ed how he thinks santorum's wins have changed the race. >> it was a huge night for him and it starts to collapse the inevitability story line around mitt romney. if you look at the contest right now, there's been eight. rick santorum has won four, mitt romney has won three. now, rick santorum needs newt gingrich to either get out of this race or he needs those gingrich voters to collapse newt gingrich's support and come over to him pretty decisively. because if there are two candidates splitting the conservative vote looking ahead at the remaining contests this month and going on to super tuesday i still think it means that it's big trouble for those candidates. >> i think that rick santo

lynn? >> brian mooar in washington, thank. >>> a two-year long story of a missing mother took a terrible twist. more now from nbc's francisco. >> reporter: firefighters sift through the litter that is now the home where josh powell lived. earlier in the day, a social worker arrived with his two young sons. later, the house exploded. >> we believed he intentionally schedule the fire. >> reporter: this is the latest twist in the two-year long saga. susan powell was reported missing in 2009. her husband had told detectives he had taken their 2 and 4-year-old sons camping. detectives could never disprove or corroborate his story. he became a person of interest in the case. for months on end searchers combed the powell's utah neighborhood, even isolated desert areas, hoping to find any trace of the 28-year-old mother. her husband's family told investigators and press that susan may have run off with another man. but her family called those accusations ludicrous, saying she'd never leave her chil

i'm lynn berry, this is "first look" on msnbc. early" with willie geist starts now. >>> another week, another republican candidate pushing his way past mitt romney for the lead in the national polls. this time it's rick santorum. becomes a target for romney's million dollar attack machine in the next primary state of michigan. the question is, if santorum pulls off a win in romney's former home state could it be the end of the road for mitt? >>> a show down in the gulf, united states battle ship stare down in the strait of hormuz with both sides battling for dam i nance, the question is could a trigger finger turn the stand-off in a crisis? we have a report from the deck

so lynn, another day, 60s all the way up to new york city today. more week of above average temps. >> bill, thanks so much. >>> coming up adele prepares to sing again. michelle obama gets jay leno to do something he hasn't done in decades. >> may be the biggest shaker when it comes to super pac money you won't believe how much stephen colbert has raised. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. for fastidious librarian emily skinner, each day was fueled by thorough preparation for events to come. well somewhere along the way, emily went right on living. but you see, with the help of her raymond james financial advisor, she had planned for every eventuality. ...which meant she continued to have the means to live on... ...even at the ripe old age of 187. life well planned. see what a raymond james advisor can do for you. ♪ feel the power my young friend. mmm! [ male announcer ] for excellent fruit and veggie nutrition... v8 v-fusion, also refreshing plus tea. could've had a v8. over a million people have discovered how easy it is to use legalzoom for i

i'm lynn berry. good morning. >>> republicans in washington and on the campaign trail are speaking out against a new rule requiring that all insurers include birth control in their health care coverage. nbc's brian moore joins us from washington with the latest on this. brian, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, lynn. the white house says the president is trying to protect women but republicans say he's gone too far. congressional republicans are vowing to roll back and force religious groups with insurance plans to cover birth control. >> this attack by the federal government on religious freedom in our country must not stand and will not stand. >> this is not a women's rights issue. this is a religious liberty issue. >> reporter: the catholic churched hope to get a waviver but didn't. >> the federal government is imposing upon the church. >> reporter: now the issue is a talking point on the presidential campaign trail. >> this president who is deliberately undermining religious liberty in this

i'm lynn berry.his is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. >>> an angel soars above the city of venice as celebrators kick off carnival. thousands gathered in st. mark's square to celebrate the flight of the angel. spectators dressed in costumes and colorful masks, they stood by as the angel descended from the bell tower of the basilica. it's a festival that dates back to the 16th century as a time for feasting and fun. >>> well, even non-humans need a little hot tub therapy every once in a while. in japan where there's been an unusually harsh winter, wild snow monkeys bathe in hot springs that reach 105 degrees. the primates usually enjoy a morning dip before returning to the forest in the afternoon, observing tourists are cautioned not to feed or touch the monkeys and to keep their voices down. >>> so what do you get for your the man that has everything? well, the big boys' toy exhibit can help. in dubai the latest in ultra luxury was unveiled from flashy cars t

i'm lynn berry.s expected, mitt romney sailed to victory last night in florida. he bested newt gingrich by 14 percentage points in the win-or-take-all state. meanwhile, romney's camp confirms he'll begin secret service protection tomorrow at their request. tracie potts joins us with more. good morning. >> reporter: lynn, good morning. good morning, everyone. this was romney's night. he won florida hands down. gingrich kept saying the polls were going his way, but he wasn't able to pull it out. though, he insists this will be a two-man race until the very end. >> i want to thank you tonight for this great victory. >> reporter: mitt romney now has three times as many delegates as newt gingrich and starting tomorrow secret service protection too after a decisive win in florida. he won women, seniors, and hispanics. 46% of the vote after bombarding florida with ads targeting gingrich. >> a competitive primary does not divide us, it prepares us. ours will be a united party with a winning ticket for americ

i'm lynn berry. and today we begin with "the artist," a black-and-white nostalgic nod to old hollywood stole the show at last night's oscars. nbc's jinah kim joins us from hollywood with all the red carpet glitz and glam and the details on who took home the coveted gold. jinah, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, lynn. you know, george clooney joked during our interview with him on the red carpet that now he's going to be doing silent pictures. and after this, that may not be far from the truth. with no color and almost no words, "the artist" has revived an art form that has not been celebrated by oscar in 83 years. >> and the oscar goes to -- "the artist." >> reporter: "the artist" swept the academy awards' top three honors, winning best picture, best director and best actor for jean dujardin. [ speaking foreign language ] >> i love you! >> reporter: dujardin is the first frenchman ever to win an acting oscar, and "the artist" became only the second silent film to take the academy's top prize a

lynn? >> tracie potts for us in washington. >>> taliban claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in eastern afghanistan early today. a car bomb exploded at the gates of the jalalabad airport, killing nine people, mostly civilians. the taliban says it was revenge for burning of korans at an american military base a week ago. >>> on sunday, eight u.s. soldiers were wounded in a grenade attack at a u.s. base in can dur province. hunt continues for a man who killed and shot two men. >>> u.s. military says it is investigating a taliban claim of possible food tampering at a base in eastern afghanistan but that no personnel have been sickened or injured. >>> now, here's your first look at some other news going on around america today. a thief use aid hammer to smash his way into a philadelphia jewelry store window grabbing thousands of dollars in merchandise on the way. >>> a store clerk came rushing to the display right as the robber took off. the man carried out the robbery in broad daylight

i'm lynn berry.>> today, we begin with a campaign crossroad. later today in washington, gop presidential hopeful mitt romney will deliver a speech to 10,000 members of the conservative political action conference. with rival rick santorum three victories tuesday night leaving more than just a hint conservative republicans aren't so enthusiastic about romney as the party's nominee, his performance today could be crucial. with more on that and the ongoing fight over health care coverage for birth control, nbc's brian mooar joins us from washington. brian, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, lynn. mitt romney's most conservative supporters have been urging him to step up his game. today is his chance. ♪ >> reporter: before the gop presidential hopefuls address a big gathering of conservatives here in washington today, former candidate rick perry set the tone. >> if it's halftime in america, i'm fearful of what the final score is going to be if we let this president start the second half as the quar

i'm lynn berry. today we begin with going up. oil prices hit a nine-month high after iran halled crude exports to britain and france. american drivers are feeling the pain at the pump as gasoline prices have reached historic high for this time of year. nbc's michelle franzen reports. >> reporter: if you're feeling the pinch on your wallet every time you fill up the tank. >> it's definitely hurt me in the pocket. >> reporter: you're not alone. >> i can't afford it you have to buy gas to get around. >> reporter: gas prices at an all-time high for this time of year. the average price for a gallon of regular is $3.56 and eating into monthly budgets. >> pretty high. it takes about $120 for me to fill up my truck. >> reporter: so what's behind the spike? supply issues due to refinery problems on the east coast and ongoing conflicts in the oil rich countries. >> the geo politics in the middle east causing a psychology of fear about future supply has probably never been greater and we don't know from week to

lynn? >> tracie potts for us in washington. >>> president obama follows up on his state of the union speech today to propose cutting the corporate tax rate to help businesses in the u.s. the president's plan would reduce taxes on companies from 35% to 28%. it would lower the effective tax rate for manufacturers to only 25%. corporations would lose dozens of loopholes and subsidies to make the tax code more simple and they say fair. corporations with overseas operations would face a minimum tax on their foreign earnings. the plan does face an uncertain future in congress. >>> to wall street now where the dow saw its biggest day since before the market planniunged i 2008. for the first time in nearly four years the dow jones industrial average traded above that psychologically important 13 thousand mark yesterday. we'll have much more on what triggered the blue chips rally and why it didn't hold on to those gains. that's coming up in business just a few minutes away. first we want to give you

i'm lynn berry. thanks for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. have a good one.

i'm lynn berry. today, we begin with another candidates' debate. less than a week before the arizona and michigan primaries, the remaining republican candidates will square off tonight. brand new poll numbers this morning show just how close the race is in michigan. nbc's tracie potts joins us from washington with those details. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. those numbers show us that mitt romney is still fighting to win his home state while rick santorum is hoping to transfer that surge in michigan to votes in arizona. rick santorum is the one to watch tonight. nbc's brand new poll out this morning has him in a statistical tie with mitt romney in michigan, behind by just two points in the margin of error but down by 16 in arizona, where tonight's debate is being held. >> i always have and will win in the states that matter to win this election. >> reporter: santorum is now under attack in a new ad from ron paul. >> is this dude serious? >> reporter: focusing on social issues worked for sa

lynn? >> tracie potts for us in washington.hank 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 28th. 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 there. it was started on wednesday by an inmate, and hundreds were trapped with no way out as flames swept through the jail. nbc's kerry sanders has our report. [ sirens ] >> reporter: like trapped animals in cages,

lynn? >> brian moore there for us in washington, thanks so much. >>> elsewhere, the nation's largest breast cancer charity, susan g. komen for the cure is facing backlash for planned parenthood. michael bloomberg he'll know date up to $250,000 in matching funds to planned parenthood to make up for that money. nbc's lisa meyers has more. >> really awful. should be ashamed of themselves. >> reporter: she struggled to contain the damage first on msnbc. >> that's not true. not true. >> there is an explosion of anger among your long time supporters. >> there is a tremendous amount, lisa, of emotion. whenever you're dealing with issues of vulnerable populations, whenever there is the idea of change. >> a lot of folks see this as a political indecision. >> we are not a political organization and this is not based on a political decision. >> reporter: brinker says the group is under investigation in congress and some states. because much of that money was passed on to other providers and didn't mee

lynn? >> brian moore for us in washington, thanks so much. >>> it appears that improving economic conditions have bolstered president obama's chances against the current top two presidential contenders. a new "the washington post"/abc news survey finds for the first time if the election were held now president obama would beat mitt romney 51% to 45%. his margin widens against newt gingrich as the gop candidate with 54% of those surveyed to picking the president to 43% in favor of the former speaker of the house. >>> president obama's campaign is now asking wealthy democratic donors to contribute to super pacs is that support his re-election and a reversal of his long-held position on super pac positions. while the president has raised the most money for the 2012 campaign he is facing a deep disadvantage in money raised by priorities usa action. as seen in this year's republican caucuses and primaries the so-called super pacs is spend unlimited amounts of cash and negative ads while shieldin

i'm lynn berry.>> a romney rout. he bested newt gingrich in the winner take all state in florida. after securing the front-runner status, romney's camp has confirmed he will begin receiving secret service protection starting tomorrow. nbc's steve handelsman joins us from tampa. >> reporter: good morning from tampa. mitt romney and his backer figure he is more likely to be the gop nominee after his convincing victory in this huge state. it's the biggest primary win so far. >> florida, you're the best! >> reporter: mitt romney celebrated in tampa, site of the republican convention, and showed off how he would take on barack obama if he is the nominee. >> mr. president, you were elected to lead. you chose to follow and now it's time for you to get out of the way. >> reporter: just ten days ago, romney badly lost south carolina to newt gingrich. he came to florida to fight the former speaker. and did in two debates and 3,200 tv ads. almost every one attacking gingrich. >> newt attacks because he has more

i'm lynn berry. those stories and more are straight ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc. and we begin this morning with positive economic signs. the u.s. economy seems to be improving as unemployment claims last week were at their lowest level since 2008. and a bailed out american auto company is now showing record profits. nbc's michelle franzen has details. >> reporter: detroit's largest automaker, general motors, posted earnings of $7.6 billion last year, its biggest profit in nearly two decades. a lot g.m.'s assembly plant in flint, michigan, for the first time in years the overnight shift is back up and running. >> i have a real peace of mind because i feel like i'm back on track. >> the iconic american company still has a long road ahead. the government still owns a big share of stock and g.m. still owes billions from the bailout. on the campaign trail, mitt romney worked to rev up the crowd to his native michigan. >> i love the auto industry. i want to see it thrive and grow. i'm glad it went

lynn? >> brian in washington, thanks. >>> the white house is defending itself in a controversial over contraception and religion. white house spokesman jay carney says the administration wants to reassure hospitals and others connected to the catholic church about a new requirement for them to provide birth control coverage to employees, regardless of religious beliefs. while carney stressed president obama wants women employees to have the contraceptive health care plan and option, he also seemed to indicate possible flexibility on how that requirement might be met, while respecting religious views. republican presidential candidates have recently jumped on the issue, criticizing the policy as an attack on religion. >>> a senior vice president is stepping down from the breast cancer charity susan g. komen for the cure. karen handel resigned as the charity's senior vice president for public policy and chief lobbyist after the group reversed its decision to stop funding planned parenthood. h

i'm lynn berry. this is first look on msnbc. >>> we begin this morning with coming home. the body of singer whitney houston is back in her home state of new jersey this morning where plans for a memorial and funeral to be held later this week are being made. meanwhile, questions and the investigation into what exactly killed the pop star continue. nbc's sara edwards has the latest. >> the body of 48-year-old whitney houston arrived late monday night back in her home state of new jersey. earlier in the day, after the singer's remains were released to her family, her body was taken to a funeral home and prepared for a flight back to newark. as houston made her final flight, questions surrounding her sudden death saturday at the beverly hilton continue. los angeles county coroner's office confirmed that bottles of prescriptions were found in her hotel room and they're looking for all possibilities that could have led to her death. >> the person could have suffered a heart attack or embolism or something

i'm lynn berry.e begin with next stop nevada. gop presidential hopefuls are taking their campaigns out west where caucuses will be held in nevada on saturday and in minnesota and colorado next tuesday. meanwhile, it was not all smooth sailing for front-runner mitt romney who instead of basking in his florida victory spent the day defending a comment he made about the poor. nbc's brian moore joins us from washington with more on this. brian, good morning. >> reporter: this coming from the candidate who made a $10,000 bet and said he likes to fire people, it is another potentially costly error. >> the success of some does not make the rest of us poorer. >> reporter: beginning today gop presidential candidate mitt romney has the official protection of the u.s. secret service. but not before he got glitter bombed by a gay rights activist and he hurt himself while talking to cnn about protecting the middle class. >> i'm not concerned about the very poor. we have a safety net there. if it needs repair i'll

lynn? >> tracie thanks. >>> today a busy day for the presidential candidates. mitt romney who grew up in michigan is expected to be endorsed by its governor, rick snyder today. this is less than two weeks ahead of the state's primary on february 28th. rick santorum will 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 income from $660,000 in 2007 to a peak of more than a million dollars in 2009. >>> 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 reelection effort. >>> the republican battle between mitt romney and rick santorum may come down to which one wins the support of the conservative republicans. last night on last word, santorum's campaign spokesperson told lawrence why she thinks her boss is the real conservative in the race. >> not who is the first out of the gate, who has the staying power. what rick santorum has been doing since he started driving around by himself

jeremy lin is heating up the basketball courts making people all over the country company " lynn"sane. kiet do was more. >> at jeremy lynn's old stomping grounds at happy hour and they have been in the sanity on tap. >> is empowering. we have our moments. and it is personified as one person, jeremy lynn. >> jeremy spent summer nights here at the old pro sports bar. it seems everyone has the story or personal connection making this the unofficial headquarters of "lynn"sanity. working here is the mix of surrealism and pride. >> did i think it would be this big? no. >> i have to make sure we know what he missed. >> it's crazy. it's just crazy. we worked a lot on film and we will look at the film and see what defense gives us. but thank you for the energy as always. >> with seven wins in overall, the "lynn"sanity and the puns continue. >> shortly after the game, jeremy tweed, seven in the row. he is the quintessential point guard always willing to share in the success. >> do they keep the chair for him there? for barstool wormlike update sitting there empty? >> they were having adequate t

. >> last night, jeymy lynn's palo alto high school and with the knicks visiting the verizon center. the third quarter, wizards tied it at 58 and john wall in transig. finished with 29 points and six assists and your wiz orders up two. the knicks pull away in the fourth. finished with 23 points and a career high 10 assists and wizards fall 107-93 and much of the crowd pulling for lynn and new york. >> and that is our job to play to have it on our side, you know, everybody that pays -- and has a right to -- and at home you want the fans on your side. coach k, coach roy williams and duke, unc. down 10 and two minutes left. now down two with secs left and austin rivers -- seconds left and austin rivers, buries the

lynn? >>> todd, thanks so much. >>> coming up, who would you pick to play princess diana in a movie? >>> a tear-jerker story from previous tear-jerkers is set to make other films cry at the box office. first look at entertainment straight ahead. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. laces? really? slip-on's the way to go. more people do that, security would be like -- there's no charge for the bag. thanks. i know a quiet little place where we can get some work done. there's a three-prong plug. i have club passes. [ male announcer ] now there's a mileage card that offers special perks on united, like a free checked bag, united club passes, and priority boarding. thanks. ♪ okay. what's your secret? ♪ [ male announcer ] the new united mileageplus explorer card. get it and you're in. but we couldn't simply repeat history. we had to create it. introducing the 2013 lexus gs, with leading-edge safety technology, like available blind spot monitor... [ tires screech ] ...night view... and heads-up