i'm lynn berry. welcome to our viewers across the nation, including the pacific time zone. today, we begin with a potential government shutdown. that's what is at stake if republicans and demjhu(uáh(p''t work out a deal to fund the government by march 4th. today, the republican-controlled house is expected to pass a bill with deep spending cuts, which democrats in the senate have vowed to block. as nbc's steve handelsman reports, some lawmakers are vowing to dig their heels in, like blocking funding for planned parenthood. >> reporter: the house was hyperactive. >> amendment number 196. >> reporter: quick debate and vote after vote. >> and the amendment is adopted. >> referee: $21 million cut for the national endowment for the arts $400 million in cuts for heating subsidies. grants reduced to half a billion dollars. house speaker boehner says he wants to slash $100 billion. >> read my lips. we're going to cut spending. >> reporter: outside boehner's home, a small protest. blocking pregnancy programs,

i'm lynn berry.oday, we begin with the storm right now, a treacherous storm system stretching more than 2,000 miles is roaring across the nation, tormenting folks from texas to maine. with more on how everyone is coping, here is nbc's kurt gregory. >> reporter: a massive blizzard brings the nation's mid section to a stand still. >> i can't urge enough for people to stay home and stay off the roads. >> reporter: up to 20 inches of blowing and drifting snow paralyzing oklahoma city and tulsa. the storm forecasters call missouri's worst in decades made even walking treacherous. high winds causing near zero visibility and closing interstates including i-70. and plenty of snow and driving headaches in st. louis. >> i like the snowfall a little bit. this is just ridiculous. >> reporter: chicago, bracing for its worst winter storm since the blizzard of 1967. >> we are prepared to use our whole fleet of 274 trucks and 120 garbage trucks with quick hitch plows. >> reporter: more than two feet of snow expected

i'm lynn berry.oday, we begin with compromise in cairo. the united states is reconsidering a push for swift reform in egypt, calling for a slower pace to progress, easing the call for a transition to power and president hosni mubarak to step down. whether egypt protesters accept the timetable for his stepdown remains to be seen. northbound's tracie potts joins us from washington with the latest. >> good morning, everyone. the u.s. is starting to wonder whether mubarak's immediate resignation may not be the best action because it would trigger a new election within 60 days mandatory, and given what's going on there, it's questionable whether they could organize free and fair electrics in such a short period of time, but government is now doing something to appease the protesters. the new cabinet has given government workers there a 15% raise in both salary and pension to alleviate some of the concerns over the economics and the poor conditions of so many people in that country. reaction outside egypt?

i'm lynn berry. today, we begin with going down with a fight. after more than a week of upheaval in libya, a defiant moammar gadhafi has vowed to fight until his, quote, last drop of blood. yesterday qadhafi also called anti-government protesters rats who deserved the death penalty. although he still has some backing in tripoli, qadhafi continues to see support slipping away. one of his closest associates, his interior minister, announced he was defecting, encouraging the armed forces there to join the revolt. meanwhile, the american government has chartered a ferry for today to help evacuate u.s. citizens who want to leave to malta. >>> and one of the hot spots of this up rising is eastern libya. nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engle is there taking a first hand look at the still unfolding rebellion. >> reporter: at the border crossing itself, there is no one on the libyan side. we drove about 100 miles in eastern libya. we didn't see a single gadhafi loyalist.ç we saw military barracks t

i'm lynn berry. today we begin with rebellion repercussion here in the u.s. libya's fierce uprising against moammar gadhafi is sending shock waves around the world, including global financial markets. for the first time since 2008, the price of oil has passed $100 a barrel. this as oil companies in libya, which has africa's largest reserves, suspend their operations. the unrest has dragged down stock markets from hong kong to wall street where the dow took another triple digit loss yesterday. we're going to have much more on that coming up in business. meanwhile, a defiant gadhafi has been flooding tripoli with militiamen and loyalist troops. however in another sign of waning support, two air force pilots parachuted out of their plane and let it crash rather than follow gadhafi's orders to bomb an opposition-held city. back here in the u.s., president obama broke his public silence on the violence calling it, quote, outrageous and he said his highest priority is protecting u.s. citizens as the state

i'm lynn berry. today we begin with searching for survivors. this morning, new zealand is scrambling to find people trapped under the rubble of a massive 6.3 earthquake. it struck midday yesterday in christchurch, the country's second largest city. the country's prime minister says so far at least 65 people are confirmed dead with that death toll expected to rise. this marks the second major earthquake endured by the southern new zealand city in just five months. hopefully no one was killed in the previous quake. however, this quake is proving to be much more devastating, in part because it was closer to the surface and centered the nearer to the city's main population. it also took place during lunchtime when the streets were crowded with people. christchurch's mayor described the city of 350,000 as a war zone and has declared a state of emergency. new zealand's prime minister warned, quote, we may well be witnessing new zealand's darkest day. >>> elsewhere, libya may be on the brink of collapse thi

i'm lynn berry.elcome to our viewers across the nation including the pacific time zone. today we begin with a dramatic turn of events. just when it seemed the situation in egypt had calmed, yesterday there was a sudden and deadly outbreak of violence in cairo as anti-government protesters came under attack. the egyptian government confirmed on state tv, the overnight clashes left five people dead and 836 people wounded. nbc news chief foreign affairs correspondent richard engle filed this report late last night from cairo. >> egypt ordered a crackdown against anti-government demonstrators, but not with troops, tanks or uniformed police. instead, it sent in goon squads disguised as supporters of president mubarak. it was immediately clear, these were not demonstrators. thousands of mubarak supporters charged into cairo's tahrir square. the protesters, unarmed, were caught off guard by the surprise attack. the pro mubarak demonstrators rushed the protesters on horseback and with camels. the protesters

i'm lynn berry. today we begin with beyond egypt. this morning, bahrain is the newest and fiercest flashpoint of unrest in the middle east. inspired by egypt's revolt, police have squared off with protesters in a confrontation that's killed at least four people. with more cnbc's jackie deangelis joins us with more from bahrain. jackie, good morning. >> good morning. the roads right now are blocked. we have major police force in pearl square. that's where last night's altercations occurred. there were reports that protesters were going to do another march today, but it seems like it's nothing for right now. now some hospitals are overflowing with people who are injured in last night's attack. police came in swiftly into the square, they were aggressive and fired shots and tear gas in the square around 3:00 a.m. we know thousands of protesters were camped out there. they've been protesting for about three days. reports of about four dead and hundreds are injured at this point. we also know that bahrain

i'm lynn berry. is your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. >>> one festival in china should probably come with safety guidelines. the annual firecracker and dragon festival kicked off with thousands of people dancing through the streets which were lit up with fireworks. the thousand year old tradition includes over 100 dragons and the ten best are set on fire at the end which is considered the highlight of the event. >>> well, one dining room in lithuania would have guaranteed a sweet evening with your valentine. it's made entirely from chocolate. it took 660 pounds and 55 square feet of the sweet stuff to build the confection. every last detail of the room, down to the table, the chairs, the books, and even bottles of wine were made of chocolate. >>> one couple in london celebrated valentine's day by taking the plunge. literally. the pair married under water at the london aquarium having met two years ago at the acquire yum, it seemed like the perfect place to tie the knot. while the m

i'm lynn berry. we begin with egypt on the edge. opponents of president hasni mubarak have called for one million egyptians to join force in protest today against their leader and as egyptians take to the streets, americans continue to flow out of the country. john ray from our english broadcast partner, itn, has the latest from cairo this morning. john, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning to you. a morning here that could be make or break for president mubarak. overnight in liberation square, tahrir square, the numbers swelling this morning. i'm looking down from our office here, and i see a steady stream of people heading up to joinç e protest. we have said all along here that if president mubarak loses the army, then he loses the presidency, and that's why this statement from the army overnight, it's just so significant. not so much that we will mark people marching today, month one expects them to do that, but the fact is, and i quote, "we recognize the legitimacy of your demands." th

i'm lynn berry. today we begin with a day of departure. that's what some aebt government protesters in egypt are calling today as they demand their president hosni mubarak leave immediately. they fill egyptian square marking mother day in the uprising that has killed more than 300 people according to the united nations. meanwhile, yesterday was another violent day in cairo. particularly for journalists. several were attacked by pro-government mobs. one was even stabbed in the leg with a screwdriver. however, overall, violence was significantly redeesd as egypt's army sent more soldiers many to stand between anti-government protesters and mubarak supporters. meanwhile, in an interview with abc muse, mubarak said he is fe1 up and wants to leave power, but he added, "if i resign today, there will be chaos." for more on how things are looking in tahrir square, we turn to ron allen who filed this report a little earlier. >> reporter: there are several hundred thousand people will. initial reports say the

i'm lynn berry.oday we begin with scandal on the hill. married republican new york congressman chris lee has stepped down from his post in the wake of reports that he sent a shirtless photo of himself to a woman he met on craigslist. nbc's kristen dahlgren has more. >> reporter: this is how washington was used to seeing western new york congressman chris lee. >> that's really what our job is, is to help people. >> reporter: but on wednesday afternoon, another image, a shirtless photo posted on gawker.com. the conservative republican and married father of one allegedly sent it in response to a craigslist ad for women seeking men. gawker also posted several e-mails lee reportedly exchanged with the woman claiming he was single and a washington lobbyist. just three hours after it became public, he was no longer a congressman. >> i hereby give notice of my resignation from the united states house of representatives. >> reporter: in a written statement, lee resigned and apologized to his family, constitue

i'm lynn berry. welcome to our viewers across the nation, including the pacific time zone. today we begin with egyptian furry. around the world yesterday, it was widely expected that egypt's president would resign following two weeks of unrest. instead, a defiant hosni mubarak announced he would remain in his richard engel has the latest from the capital. >> reporter: today we're seeing a new development from the egyptian army. the army gave a statement saying that it will act to guarantee the democratic reforms in this country take place. a second military statement was issued this morning saying that soon after this crisis is resolved, emergency law will be lifted. that the army will guarantee to make sure that free and fair elections take place. that the people's demands will be met and that the security services will not act in retribution and carry out any kind of crackdown or arrest campaign against the people who organize these demonstrations. clearly the people on the street want more. they w

i'm lynn berry. today we begin with a house divided. 26 house republicans sided with democrats in a surprising rejection of proposed extensions of the nation's anti-terrorism patriot act. dealing the house-led g.o.p. an unexpected blow from within its own ranks. tracie potts joins us from washington with more on that. tracy, good morning. >> reporter: lynn, good morning. there are three key provisions of the patriot act set to expire at the end of this month. one allows for multiple phone wiretaps by the government. another one often referred to as the library provision allows the fbi to search library records in a terror investigation. and also, it allows for the secret surveillance of non-u.s. citizens who have been linked to terrorist groups. the house tried to extend the three provisions but fell seven votes short. apparently because of a slip-up by the republican majority by the leadership. they fast-tracked this legislation, which meant they needed a two-thirds majority to pass it. but 26 repub

i'm lynn berry. thanks for watching "early today."t your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. have a good one. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com different jobs... ♪ ...different challenges. ♪ different opportunities. ♪ so why would universities stay the same? ♪ university of phoenix, because an educated world is a better world.

i'm lynn berry. today, we begin with a matter of time. libya's rebel forces show no signs of giving up despite a increasingly brutal crackdown from an increasingly incoherent muammar qadhafi. meanwhile, freedom can't come soon enough for more than 100 americans stuck on a ferry waiting to make way for malta, hoping calmer seas will allow them to escape the embattled country today. msnbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engel has our report. >> reporter: in the town of zswiyah today, 40 miles east of tripoli, at least 10 people were reportedly killed in fighting. but some of the worst violence has been here in benghati where hospitals are filled with wounded. >> i tend many, more than 300, more than 300 and injured more than 3,000. >> reporter: doctors say the victims were shot with bullets and anti-aircraft rounds. many were executed at close range. but colonel moammar gadhafi downplayed the violence and offered a radically different explanation in a bizarre and revealing radio address. we were

i'm lynn berry and here are some of your top headlines this morning.emboldened by the success in egypt and tunisia, thousands of anti-government demonstrators in yemen continue to call for the political reform and the resignation of their president who has ruled for 33 years. meanwhile, algerian opposition groups say they will follow-up mass protests this past weekend with demonstrations every saturday until the government there is changed. >>> a new york man accused of a 28 hour stabbing spree through the city is claiming he's the victim of a setup. that's what the ukranian immigrant yelled as he was being led from a police station yesterday before being arraigned on charges for stabbing three people to death and killing a pedestrian with a car. >>> arizona congresswoman gabrielle giffords is reportedly relearning how to speak and mouthing song lyrics such as "twinkle twinkle little star" and "happy birthday to you." she has been receiving bedside briefings on current events and according to the "new york times" she's she briefly spoke by telephone wi

lynn avenue. the woman was rushed to the hospital when she died from her injuries. >>> time now 6:34 a judge will hold another crucial hearing in the berry bonds criminal case. on that tape anderson allegedly describes injecting berry bonds with steroids. bonds attorney says that case is nothing but hearsay. yesterday the defense scored a big legal victory when federal prosecutors dropped six of the 11 accounts. prosecutors retained their central accusations. berry bonds lied to a jury when he lied about taking drugs. >>> time now is 6:35. i hear sal is check in on san rafael. how does it look? >> pam, you have good sources. absolutely. san rafael dave and pam looking very nice. we check in with marin county and on friday's in marin pam is a marin county resident. southbound 101 tends to be ha little lighter than usual going in and coming out. so hopefully this trend will not break today for some ran. bay bridge the same thing goes. since july when they started doing congestion pricing things have changed around here at the bay bridge. we're not getting a bigout right now. by now we should be if we will get one. this is 280 northbound ge