we're joined by nbc's miguel almaguer in west covina, california. john yang is in chicago and ron mott in atlanta. ron, we'll start with you. good evening. >> reporter: brian, good evening to you. the average cost for a gallon of regular here in georgia, $3.43. that is up 13 cents in just the past week. 40 cents over the past month and almost 80 cents higher than it was this time a year ago here at this exxon station in the buckhead section of atlanta. the prices are a little higher than the state average. the pain at the pump starting to spread as well. taxi riders are being hit with a $2 fuel surcharge every time they get into a cab. that went into effect a few weeks ago. and school districts around the state starting to pay attention to those bus budgets, because especially those districts that did not lock in their gas prices. >> reporter: this is john yang in chicago where gas prices have gone up 11% in the last month alone. now an average of $3.71 a gallon. that's 20 cents higher than the national average. one reason why it's higher here is th

miguel almaguer is there.

nbc's miguel almaguer is in west covina, california, tonight with this story. miguel, let's start with those gas prices over your shoulder. >> reporter: yeah, brian, good evening. sticker shock for so many californians. while us out west are used to higher gas prices, what's happening here is trickling down well beyond the pump. this los angeles suburb pumping out some of the highest gas prices in the nation. in west covina, you pay a premium for premium. $4.99. >> it's frustrating. >> reporter: in this bedroom community, we found the price of gas affects an entire city's economy. >> daniel, you're getting ready to go on a delivery pretty soon. >> reporter: 79-year-old mario del fonte, a second generation florist, worries his business will wither away if prices continue to soar. his livelihood and that of his eight employees is on the line. >> this is one that's going by 9:00. >> reporter: when gas prices shot up, so did delivery costs. $50 now to fill up his small van. >> how much more we can stand, i can't answer that. >> reporter: realtor barbara akins says w

california is feeling the most pain, and that's where we start tonight with nbc's miguel almaguer. >> reporter: from new york to illinois to california, sticker shock. >> it's a ripoff. $4 a gallon? i spent $65 to fill up my car, it will only last me like a week. >> reporter: $4 a gallon is a bargain in some california cities. >> it's frustrating. it's only going to go up more. >> reporter: in the golden state gas prices spiked nearly 50 cents a gallon in february alone. michigan, up 38 cents. illinois rose 34 cents. and in new york the jump at the pump was 28 cents a gallon last month. fear from ongoing turmoil in the middle east contributing to the rise in prices, but not the only factor. >> we're seeing demand increases, not only in the u.s. but throughout asia, africa, and south america that are all contributing to higher crude oil prices and consequently higher gasoline prices at the pump. >> reporter: those higher gas prices came as many were starting to feel better about the economy, but now any extra cash may be going right into the the tank. >> i think it's crazy. >> reporter

we have more from nbc's miguel al al almaguer. >> reporter: at u.s. military facilities in japan, relief efforts are underway. 1,500 pounds of rice and bread loaded onto sea hawk helicopters. the desperately needed food air lifted to cities crippled by the quake. at sea, the uss blue ridge is on the way. loaded with supplies the carrier left singapore friday. >> we are here to help the japanese people. >> reporter: with japan in a state of emergency, more help is coming from around the world. search and rescue teams from 45 countries are ready to respond. south korea, australia and the united kingdom have all deployed search teams and time is working against them. >> we know there are miracles survivors days after an incident like this. but we know the longer time goes on, the less likely it is that we will find survivors. >> in fairfax, virginia, teams loaded supplies. tomorrow they'll join a feel from los angeles in japan. it was that same crew that pulled a woman in haiti from the rubble of port-au-prince six days after the devastating earthquake t

importantly, we have lost an incredible human being." >> let's begin in los angeles with nbc's miguel almaguer at cedars-sinai a few miles from here for the last few weeks. she had been struggling with heart problems and spent her 79th birthday last month at the hospital. today, her four children were at her bedside when she passed away. elizabeth taylor had a long history of health problems. she underwent at least 20 major operations. she nearly died from a bout with pneumonia back in 1990. here in hollywood and all around the world, taylor was known as a legendary actress and icon. she was a two-time oscar winner for her performances in "butterfield eight" and "who's afraid of virginia wolff." she was married eight times, her husbands were actors, a construction worker, even a u.s. senator. later in life, though, she focused her attention on the hiv/aids academepidemic, becomi tireless advocate. this morning, tributes are pouring in. musician and close friends elton john said, "we have lost a hollywood giant, more importantly, we have lost an incredible human being." dead at the age of 79, e

against the west coast of the united states, beginning with the hawaiian island chain, nbc's miguel almaguer is in santa cruz, california, tonight. miguel, good evening. >> reporter: brian, good evening. a 25-year-old california man is dead tonight, swept out to sea after a tsunami surge near the oregon border. this just in, four coastal counties here in california are under a state of emergency. in santa cruz, powerful currents capsized six boats, knocked others on their side and tossed some into the harbor. the cleanup here is still under way. six to seven-foot waves hit the small oregon coastal city of seaside nine hours after the earthquake. tsunami sirens and reverse 911 calls jolted many out of bed early this morning, as evacuations were ordered in oregon and washington state. but it was in hawaii that was hit first. sirens there sent residents scrambling to higher ground. homes and cars were destroyed, although the damage has been minimal. again, brian, four counties here in california are in a state of emergency. back to you. >> miguel al mmaguer in santa cruz, california, tonight. >

for "today," miguel almaguer, nbc news, west covina, california. >> joining us with more is steve liesman, cnbc's senior economics reporter. great to see you. >> good to be here. p. >> we can't buy a break here. one moment we're saying more people are going back to work, but a lot of that paycheck is going to gas. >> it's just the thing we've been waiting for. i've had the pleasure and sometimes displeasure of sitting if this seat and telling you about the lousy jobs numbers month after month. we finally got the number we've been waiting for, we got to get theducing the workforce and now, yeah, overall the commodity price rise poses a really serious challenge. >> but this is not seasonal because traditional arch of around memorial day, we see the gas prices go up for the summer. when you start projecting this out, could this now be another ding to an economy starting to find its footing? >> it definitely could be and the biggest question becomes how much will this is all related to the middle east. traders think maybe about $10 a barrel built in from the unrest in the middle east. if that

here's nbc's miguel almaguer. >> reporter: they are some of hollywood's hottest names.sa hudgens, scarlett johansson, jessica alba. these beauties are among the suspected victims of internet hackers. federal officials confirm to nbc news a-list celebrities like miley cyrus, christina aguilera and selena gomez may have had their personal accounts hijacked. dozens of high profile female entertainers filed criminal complaints. according to the website some of the e-mail accounts are said to contain compromising photos, nude pictures, even private videos, images that have been leaked. >> the hacker or hackers had access to e-mail accounts of the celebrities. they have access to all sorts of information. e-mails, friends' e-mails, photos or videos shared. >> reporter: this week, former "high school musical" star vanessa hudgens met with the fbi. it wouldn't be the first time embarrassing nude photos of the starlet had been leaked online. in 2007, nude photos were stolen and posted. that same year fellow teen idol miley cyrus was hacked. provocative images from her e-mail acc

miguel almaguer is there. good morning to you. >> reporter: matt, good morning. if commuters in california were paying the national average for gas, it would be a bargain. here at the chevron in san francisco, it is $4.29 for a gallon of gas. drivers in san francisco are paying the highest price for a gallon of gas anywhere across the country. february was a brutal month not just here in california but all across the country. i want to show you how drastically gas prices spiked in february. in new york, they had gas prices rise 28 cents a gallon in february alone. in illinois, up 34 cents. michigan spiked 38 cents and last month the jump at the pump here in california was nearly 50 cents. now why are we paying so much for gas in california? well, there are two answers. strict emission laws mean california requires a special blend of gasoline, a more environmentally friendly blend. so it's more expensive. number two, californians are taxed at the highest rate for gas. add those together and drivers here in california and specifically here in san francisco are payi

miguel almaguer in los angeles this morning.ll have more on elizabeth taylor in our next half hour, including an exclusive live interview with her long-time friend and publicist. but first, this is "today" on nbc. with her long-time publicist. never in my lifetime did i think i could walk 60 miles in 3 days. 60 miles compared to what a cancer patient goes through is a walk in the park. from the moment i registered, people started immediately supporting me and asking me how they could help. you meet the most wonderful, inspiring people. when you accomplish those 60 miles, it's truly life-changing. (man) register today for the... and receive $25 off your registration fee. because everyone deserves a lifetime. >>> just ahead, should a school accommodate or kick out a girl with a severe peanut allergy? >> the heated debate, after your local nurse. [ woman ] can't anything help these itchy allergy eyes? [ male announcer ] visine-a is clinically proven to relieve all your worst eye allergy symptoms. it goes right where you need it, re