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. >> 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. >> takes $120 to fill up my truck. >> reporter: supply issues due to refinery problems on the east coast and ongoing klves conflicts in 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 week, how bad it could get. >> reporter: iran doesn't sell oil to the u.s. but it could cause the european countries to turn to u.s. suppliers and that could drive prices up for $4 and beyond by memorial day. >> americans feel sick to their stomach when they see that. it impacts their purchases that they make. so if gas prices go up even further, it's likely we will see a dent in the economy. >> repor

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. at gm's assembly plant in flint, michigan, for the first time in two years gm's overnight shift is back up and running. 750 new full-time jobs with benefits. >> i have a real piece of mind because i feel like i'm back on track. >> reporter: the iconic american company still has a long road ahead. the government still owns a big share of stock and gm still owes billions from the bailout. on the campaign trail mitt romney worked to rub up the crowd in his native miracle michigan giving a nod to its come back. >> i love the auto industry. i'm glad it went through a managed bankruptcy process which i recommended from the beginning. >> reporter: meanwhile, rick santorum kept the heat on president obama. >> this is a president who is suffocating this economy. this is a president who doesn't care about you. >> reporter: there are signs companies are starting to hire again. in the past week jobless claims fell to th

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. >> takes $120 to fill up my truck. >> reporter: supply issues due to refinery problems on the east coast and ongoing conflicts in oil rich countries. >> the geopolitics 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 week, how bad it could get. >> reporter: iran doesn't sell oil to the u.s. but it could cause the european countries to turn to u.s. suppliers and that could drive prices up to $4 and beyond by memorial day. >> americans feel sick to their stomach when they see that. it impacts their purchases that they make. so if gas prices go up even further, it's likely we will see a dent in the economy. >

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 through a bankruptcy process which i recommended from the beginning. >> meanwhile, rick santorum kept the heat on the president. >> this is a president who is suffocating this economy. this is a president who doesn't care about you. >> reporter: there are signs companies are starting to hire again. in the past week, jobless claims fell to their lowest in nearly four years. economists point to stronger retail

michelle franzen, nbc news,. >>> is maroon 5 i'm trying to get over the waffle house. >> is maroon 5'evine back in the dating market. >> snooki packs her bags and moves. time for hollywood headlines. hoboken has given snooki the boot? >> pretty much they kicked her to the curb. she and jay wow are doing their own spinoff. leave it to jersey city to say come to our city. the people in hoboken said we don't want you. jersey city think it will be a good thing. they have to have jersey city police with them at all times. they want to try to keep that down. >> they've got a record of that. >> despite starring in more than 70 movies, 67-year-old actor gary bussey says he's broke and has filed for bankruptcy. >> i had to look him up. do you know he was on "gunsmoke." he's been acting since he was 10. he said he's got like $50,000 in assets although he owes $500,000 to a million to irs, ucla medical center, lawyers, some woman in oklahoma who is accusing him of attacking her. there's one good thing. four movies in preproduction. maybe he'll make good money off those. you wonder why he's on th

michelle franzen looks into what's behind the price spike. >> reporter: if you're feeling the pinch on your wallet every time you fill up the tank -- >> it's definitely hurting me in the pocket. >> reporter: you're not alone. >> just like almost can't afford it but it's hard because you have to buy gas to get around. >> reporter: gas prices are at an all-time high for this time of the year. the average price for a gallon of regular is $3.56. and it's eating into monthly budgets. >> pretty high. it takes about $120 to fill up my truck. >> reporter: what is behind the spike? experts say growing global demand, supply issues due to refinery problems on the east coast, and ongoing conflicts in 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 just don't know from week to week how bad it could get. >> reporter: iran doesn't sell oil to the u.s. iran's move to cut off supplies to france and britain this summer could cause the european countries to turn to u.s. suppliers and that could drive prices

michelle franzen has more on whitney houston's illustrious career. ♪ how will i know >> reporter: whitneyfluenced an entire generation of young singers, everyone from mariah carey to adele, who owe a huge, huge gratitude to whitney houston. >> reporter: all who are now mourning her loss. in a statement mariah carey said she's heartbroken nand tears over the shocking death of my friend, the income portable miss whitney houston. christina aguilera said we have lost another legend, love and prayers to whitney's family. she will be missed. jessica simpson, i found my voice singing whitney houston's music. today i lost my idol. ♪ and i will always love you >> reporter: even dolly parton, who wrote the song made famous by houston in "the bodyguard" said, i can truly say from the bottom of my heart, whitney, i will always love you. you will be missed. houston was said to be making a comeback. something she tried before, after battling troubles in her life. she had a new movie project, and a new lease on life. >> i think that people were 100% rooting for whitney houston. everybody wanted to see a

michelle franzen, thank you so much. a statement from mariah carey. statements are pouring in from all over the entertainment industry. mariah carey says heartbroken and in tears over the shocking death of my friend, the incomparable whitney houston. my heartfelt condolences to whitney's family and friends through the world. she will never be forgotten as one of the greatest voices to ever grace the earth. mariah carey sending condolences about whitney's death. let's go to lola from the "today" show. what are you hearing? >> social media is talking about this in great deal. the outpouring of emotion about whitney houston's passing is tremendous. one of the five top trending topics on twitter are about her. so it is clear around the world, people are feeling the loss and people are wanting to share fond memories of not only whitney houston but her music, what it meant to their childhood. many people said her music was a sound track of their youth. people are sharing their memories, sharing song lyrics, posting their favorite whitney houston videos from

michelle franzen, nbc news. new york. >> locally gasoline prices are about 50 cents more than they were this time last year. according to triple-a drivers in the district are paying $3.76 for a gallon of regular. that's on average. in maryland it's $3.61. the cheapest gas in the area is in virginia where the state average is about $3.54. >>> next on news 4 at 6:00 a highway sign fell on to a truck on i-66. some think the problem may be even bigger than we first thought. >> this is prince george's county 911. >> hurry up. i got fire in my house. i got an invalid in here and the upstairs is on fire. help me! >> the couple rescued from their burning home thanks to the help from some quick-thinking neighbors. >> also a look back at john glenn's historic flight into space half a century ago. >>> coming up in sports maryland and georgetown at odds once again. terps head coach mark turgeon weighs in. kevin durant, more than okay in okc. also we catch up with clinton portis who is talking comeback. ♪ [ male announcer ]

he said, i have one area that's private. >> reporter: michelle franzen, nbc news, new york. >> a lotguys would like to trade lives and share his problem. you know what it's like to have no private life, right? when all the paparazzi always trying to get the picture. >> i'm like shoot me, take a picture. i'm here. >> i'm here. i'm still here. >> reporter: imagine surfing with dolphins and having the video to prove it. we'll have more on that. but first this is "today" on 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. >>> now to florida where a couple of teenagers set out to have some fun and out of the blue they got a surprise visit

he said, i have one area that's private. >> reporter: michelle franzen, nbc news, new york. >> a lotnd a lot of guys would like to trade lives and share his problem. you know what it's like to have no private life, right? when all the paparazzi always trying to get the picture. >> i'm like shoot me, take a picture. i'm here. >> i'm here. i'm still here. >> reporter: imagine surfing with dolphins and having the video to prove it. we'll have more on that. but first this is "today" on nbc. >>> now to florida where a couple of teenagers set out to have some fun and out of the blue they got a surprise visit and it was all captured on video. nbc's lilliana luciano has the story. >> reporter: they were surfing in florida. it's a mix of surfing and wakeboarding. marcos and his buddy mitchell overton say they're out on the water learning new tricks every weekend, but on new year's eve, an ordinary day of sufbing turned into an experience of a lifetime. >> i see everyone looking to the other side of the wake and pointing to the other side and i look over the side of it and i can see this huge

nbc's michelle franzen has details. >> reporter: boats broke up the icy waters of a stream and riverille, maine, and divers searched for clues in the case of missing toddler ayla reynolds. investigators returned to two areas they had searched once before on january 11th. divers retrieved some items on friday, but nothing, police say, to lead them closer to finding the 21-month-old. >> all of these items are unrelated to why we're standing here today. >> reporter: ayla, now missing for more than six weeks was last seen at the home of her father, justin de-petro, who along with his sister and girl rend reportedly told police she was abducted. but police believe the three are not telling them everything. last week police confirmed some of the blood found in his home matched ayla's, but investigators are not giving up their search. >> it's been 48 days. our concern grows every day, but we remain hopeful we're going to find her. >> he's not commenting on the case but in the past has denied any involvement in ayla's disappearance. >> i love my daughter. i would never do anything to harm my

for "today," michelle franzen, nbc news, new york. >> what does it say about us, that oh, britain hasjersey shore." >> do you watch? >> i watched two episodes because of all the hoopla, and i absolutely loved it! it is so addicting. you have to just -- just dive in from wherever you are. >> i came this close to calling it downdown abbey. >> this close. save for a couple of comments in the studio. >> thank you for saying that. still to come on a sunday edition of "today," inside whitney houston's funeral service. we'll talk with one of her musical collaborators who attend the memorial. first these messages. hey, aren't you supposed to be following that fidelity green line? well, yeah, but it keeps leading me back to my old office. i think it might be broken. or maybe it's trying to tell you something. yeah, but what could it be try-- oh, i left my 401(k) at my old job. and i left a jacket on the back of my door. but i think the line's talking about my 401(k). leave a 401(k) behind? roll it over with a company that's helping more people reach retirement than anyone else. call or come in

for "today," michelle franzen, nbc news, new york. >> nancy jeffrey is a senior editor for "people" magazineg. good morning, nancy. >> good morning. >> so it's been 20 years since this all happened. and jenna's now a teacher. she's a wife, a mother as well. you spoke with her. why did she choose to tell her story now? >> well, we had been curious about what had happened to her, and people reached out to her. and after many years of suffering in silence, she had begun journaling to deal with her painful feelings and finally was ready to tell her story. >> and i know that obviously we showed there, there was a media firestorm surrounding her, her mother, her family when this all happened. two movies made, the one we saw with holy hunter starring as her mother, wanda. is telling her story a way to respond to that, to tell it from her side? >> it is a way to set the record straight. one thing that would surprise people, she and amber had been friends. they used to play as children. and she did not feel a great rivalry toward amber. it was her mother's obsession, not hers? and hue did her mother'

nbc's michelle franzen looks back at houston's career. >> whitney houston reigned as one of pop musicadele. a huge, huge gratitude to whitney houston. >> all who are now mourning her loss. in a statement, mariah carey said "she's heartbroken and in tears over the shocking death of my friend. the incomparable miss whitney houston." christina aguilera took her condolences to twitter. we have lost another legend. love and prayers to whitney's family. she will be missed. >>> jessica simpson, i found my voice singing whitney houston's music. today i lost my idol. ♪ and i will always love you ♪ >> even dolly parton, who wrote the song made famous by houston in the bodyguard. said "i can truly say from the bottom of my heart, whitney, i will always love you. you will be missed." houston was said to be making a comeback. something she tried before after battling troubles in her life. she had a new movie project and a new lease on life. >> i think that people were 100% rooting for whitney houston. everybody wanted to see a comeback. >> last night her mentor, clive davis held a moment of silenc