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 republicans, including tea party members, sided with democrats against it. supporters say it's key to prevent a terror attack, but those against it say is in a huge government intervention. if the house and the senate don't agree by the end of the month, those provisions will expire. lynn? >> tracie potts in

veronica. >> tracie potts in washington.thank you so much. >>> now here's a look at some other stories making muse early today in america. many massachusetts workers inside a coffee shop received quite a jolt when a minivan came crashing through the front entrance. fortunately, business was slow at the timeç of the crash and one was injured. the driver of the toyota said her gas pedal became stuck. her claim possibly makes this another accident caused by toyota accelerator problems. >>> in washington d.c. a malfunctioning escalator led to a dangerous dom mow effect. dozens of people tumbled over each other after the subway escalator suddenly sped up. several people were injured. investigators believe brake system failure is the cause. >>> in georgia it was the end of an era. 150 pounds of explosives brought down a building that was once a part of franklin elmore roosevelt's public housing policy. hundreds watched as a building that stood for 70 years was reduced to rubble in a matter of seconds. low income housing will be b

northbound's tracie potts joins us from washington with the latest. >> good morning, everyone.he 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? there are concerns about the peace agreement with israel from 1979, that treaty may not hold. prime minister benjamin netanyahu of israel tells his parliament that the treaty possibly could be canceled, that egypt is unraveling from within. also, what started it all? we now know that the google marketing manager who set up a facebook page sparking a youth revolution has been freed. in a tearful television in

tracie potts is in washington with those details. >> you are here to represent people and have to be accessible. >> reporter: but not like this. a bare-chested photo to a personal ad on craigslist. this congressman is married with a child. >> everybody makes mistakes. nobody seems to be able to live with what they do. >> it is a very, very public life. wherever you go, then you are likely to be on tape. >> i hereby give notice of my resignation. >> reporter: the announcement of his resignation came just hours after the photo was posted and the flirtatious e-mails. the woman broke contact after googling him and learning he was a two-term congressman. last fall lee won 74% of the vote. >> it is a sad state of affairs when you have somebody that you are supposed to respect publicly lets you down. >> reporter: in a statement lee admits to profound mistakes and says, quote, i regret the harm that my actions have caused my family, my staff and my constituents. i deeply and sincerely apologize to them all. congressman lee was a member of two powerful house committees and was actually in a h

tracie potts is here with that story. >> reporter: the problems unintended acceleration. sticking gas pedals. toyotas suddenly speaking or speeding out of control. it led to two massive recalls involving 8 million toyota and lexus cars and as many as 89 deaths in the last decade. it cost millions to fix but $30 million in fines but $10 billion in potential lawsuits hurting the company's reputation. >> it kind of makes me a little nervous to drive my car right now, actually. >> for many, many years it has been one of the most trusted brands in the auto industry. >> reporter: regulators were blamed for not bearing down hard enough on safety, but toyota insisted the government initially agreed that the company's electronics were safe. more recently a problem with toyota's fuel pressure sensors prompted an immediate voluntary recall. >> there's no need to panic whatsoever. >> reporter: engineers tested the cars and software. today the results. the government even brought in nasa engineers to see if electromagnetic radiation may have caused a problem. tracie potts, nbc news, w

nbc's tracie potts is in washington with more. zbhr. >> reporter: unless congress acts money to run the federal government runs out march 4th. the house votes later this week on cutting $61 billion from what we are spending this year. the pentagon is worried. >> the damage done across our military from that reduction would be magnified. >> cuts of that level will be detrimental to america's national security. >> reporter: much of what we owe is paying for wars overseas. even democrats worry it costs way too much. >> america can no longer afford to police the word. >> reporter: president obama's new budget is up for scrutiny in several hearings today. >> we are tightening our belts to live within our means. >> the only way to truly tackle our deficits is to cut excessive spending wherever we find it. >> reporter: 3.7 trillion dollars. republicans call it irresponsible, pate patronizing and full of math. but first congress has less than three weeks to deal with this year's budget and prevent a government shutdown. the last time that

lynn. >> tracie ports potts in washington. thank you. >>> now here's a look at other stories making news early today in america. many in texas we want to warn our viewers that this is graphic. it is released surveillance video showing houston police officers beating a burglary suspect. since the incident the teen was convicted. seven police officers have been terminated, and four officers have been charged. >>> in connecticut heavy snow continued to be a headache for the owner of the gas station many shelton when the canopy above the gas pumps gave way. no one was injured at the time of the collapse. in california the 2011 gold rush has begun. a nine-pound nugget found by a man with a metal detector is on display. the so-called washington nugget is said to be the largest many existence, and it's scheduled to be auctioned off. bids could reach more than a quarter of a million dollars. >>> finally in massachusetts. remember that turkey with a temper? well, it's been identified. it may be a kennedy. ethel kennedy has come forward

nbc's tracie potts joins us with washington with more on that. racie, good morning. >> lynn, good morning. rejected before it's really even on the table, that top democrat senator harry reid on the senate side has said that next week he will introduce a plan to extend current spending for 30 days, but republicans say no can do. they insist on budget cuts. in fact, the house under speaker john boehner proposed $60 billion in cuts, which some say could lead to thousands of government workers being furlowed, losing time off the job. democrats are not serious, some say, and they have got to cut spending. there will be no extension at the current rates which they say are 24% higher than when president obama took office. ç extent the ma took office. current rates. republicans say no can do. bottom line, it's gridlock here on capitol hill. lynn. >>> tracie, thanks so much. >>> now here's a look at other stories making news early today in america. in texas, a group of bystanders came together to save a man from a fiery death, helping him escape from a car

tracie potts joins us with more. >> reporter: this is a $3house painless process.letlet's start with the defici. the white house saying that the np new budgnew budget for 2e deficrdeficit bp defide that's only about a quarter of what the deficit commission recommended. the white house says it will focus on education with cuts to balance the spending. the big question is how big will they cut into the big four. medicaid, medicare, social security, and defense. republicans are looking for even more cuts saying we should get rid of fannie mae and freddie mac. >>> it is the music industry's biggest night with legendary artists such as barbara streisand and justin bieber taking stable for the grammy awards. and with more, here is nbc's mark barger. >> reporter: country crossover big time at the grammy awards sunday night. five wins for lady antebellum including song and record of the year for "need you now." >> this has completely changed our lives and we love you all so much. thank you. >> reporter: a back stage celebration also played out for the canadian rock band ar

tracie potts is live in washington.ublicans are showing no love for the new budget on valentine's day either. >> reporter: no, they are not. in fact, they say this is a budget where we can cut even more. the president and the white house say the budget will reduce our deficit by $1.1 trillion, which is really only a quarter of what the deficit commission recommended over the next decade. but they also said there's a lot of give and take here. for example, expanding pell grants so students can go to college and pay more towards their college courses. but limiting that money to the school year so they can't be used for summer courses. also, there are some medicare cuts that would prevent the government from having to cut what doctors are paid to reimburse for seeing medicare patients. now what republicans are concerned about are the tax breaks for the wealthy that may go away in this budget. they are also wondering whether or not president obama is really going to take an ax to the bigger parts of the budget, medicare, me

tracie potts joins us from washington with more on that. >> reporter: social media sites have really fuelled these protests. we've seen that in egypt and other countries, and today in a major policy speech secretary of state hillary clinton will say that the u.s. supports these on-line democracy movements and will warn middle eastern government that is while they may be able to slow them down, they will not be able to stop the spread of democracy by restricting the internet. specifically in excerpts from that speech, she will say there is no app for that. we've seen similar demonstrations to what happened in egyptç around that region i iran. tens of thousands of demonstrators supporting the egyptians have come out and clashed with police. we do know that one person was killed. they were shot to death. several others were wounded. we saw similar demonstrations to bahrain where authorities used rubber bullets to control the crowd and in yemen where there have been protests as well. all of them regarding reform in those countries. lynn. >> tracie, thanks so much. >>> nbc news has learn

live from capitol hill, tracie potts.to you, brent. >> thank you. >>> the google executive turned protester is speaking out this morning telling people what not to do. scott mcgrew is here with more. >> i was just checking his tweets. he does not want to talk to the foreign press. this is rael or wael ghonim. he tweets, quote, my friends, please do thought create logos with my personal photos in general, in specific, the google logo as well. take a look at this. he was appearing on television. if you look carefully behind all the words in the flag there, that's a google t-shirt with the graphic there underneath the pasted on graphic. this morning ghonim is on his way back to tahrir square. it is just about 5:00 in the evening cairo time. he tweeted earlier this morning our time that he was returning to the protest in that time but we have not heard more from him. we'll continue to watch this. again, the to goment exec google executive jailed and now out of jail. mubarak supporters are rally around him. >>> thank you, scot

tracie potts is in washington monitoring the situation as people in cairo are getting more frustrated by the minute. >> reporter: egypt's president is refusing to go and so are the protesters. >>> >> they are stubborn as well just like president hosni mubarak. >> reporter: even president obama thought he would step down. >> history is unfolding. the moment of transformation is taking place. >> reporter: but mubarak won't budge turning over command to his vice president but vowing to stay on until september. disappointment in cairo and here in the u.s. >> well, we honestly expected him to resign today but he didn't. it was such a letdown. >> reporter: what happens now? will a coo force him out? >> there will be violence because of the danger. the stakes are higher. >> reporter: the u.s. is pushing but promises not to interfere. >> not only with there be an uprising but also will have reaction from the united states. >> reporter: in a statement president obama said it is not clear if mubarak's decision is immediate. >>> watch continuing coverage from egypt throughout the work day. just

tracie potts live in washington, d.c. this morning. process of getting americans out of the country appears to be slow moving. >> reporter: yeah, it's going to be difficult but there are at least another 1,000 americans who want to get out on those government charter planes, there could be more who show up without having contact with the government. they show up at the airport, so that process is beginning today. they are getting people out under mandatory evacuations, state department employee who is are non-essential, you talked about president hosni mubarak, his supporters in the streets of cairo and there have been clashes this morning with the anti-government protesters, sticks and stones thrown, weapons more difficult than that. but we understand there were some injuries. internet service is back on as of a few hours ago. it is coming in more intense situation after the president announced that he would step down and not run for re-election. but that he would stay in office through september. that after the u.s. government urged

and today in the bay's tracie potts is live in washington, d.c. look at how what's happening in libya could affect us. tracy. >> reporter: good morning. now this morning we're seeing pictures out of eastern libya of demonstrators celebrating, it is believed that those demonstrators have taken control in that region of the country. meantime, we continue to see protests around the country. here at home as well as americans worry and wonder about their relatives abroad. the united states has been trying to get flights out with members of the embassy and their families for the last couple of days. it hasn't worked. now starting today they are trying to ferry americans out of libya, even though there appears to be a storm off tripoli, new information there, they are still hoping to get that ferry under way. the bottom line, these protests continue, moammar gadhafi said he will not step down and some here in the united states want the obama administration to push harder and try to force him out. they are walking a bit of a tight rope, this is a country

tracie potts is live in washington, d.c.ght for libya is being felt in the united states. >> reporter: good morning. a couple of things you want to be aware of. gas prices are already starting to skew upward even though libya really doesn't deliver a lot of gas to the united states but analysts say the fear that these type of protests could spread throughout the middle east is what's causing your gas prices to rise. also today, the u.s. is starting a ferry trying to get the 600 or so americans who want to leave, out of libya, plus thousands more who are dual citizens. they have been trying to get embassy families out which plane unsuccessfully and now today we're seeing more protests, particularly in the eastern region, where opposition groups say that they have now taken control, the military there saying they are no longer loyal to moammar gadhafi who refuses to leave. new this morning, new information from a swedish tabloid that an ex-justice minister from libya says that gadhafi personally ordered the lockerbie bombing.

"today in the bay's" capitol hill reporter tracie potts is live in washington with the latest on whattration is doing. good morning. >> reporter: scott, good morning. good morning, everyone. they are still trying to work out the transition plan. the president says the transition is underway, not quite there yet, though. we know that the government has sat down with the opposition groups promising to stop interfering with the media, the protests and the internet to lift emergency law and also to investigate corruption and open up presidential elections. but as we see in these live pictures and hear this morning, they are still not satisfied. they insist that president hosni mubarak step down. no indication at all that he will do that, but the protestors are not leaving. this is non-negotiable. why they are making progress on that issue they still seem to be at a standstill. that's where we are today. secretary of state hillary clinton has said maybe it is not such a good idea that he step down immediately because there's no transition plan in place yet. there's no transition or coaliti

tracie potts is live now in washington, d.c., where lawmakers are being public about telling mubarak step down. tracie? >> reporter: yes, brent, they are. the senate passed a resolution saying this transition needs to happen immediately. the obama administration is and according to senior officials has been talking over the last few days about how to do this peacefully, how to deal with this diplomatically, how to get hosni mubarak out and get the new transitional government in. the best working plan they have so far is that the vice president of egypt, omar suleman, would lead the coalition, including the military and some of the opposition groups, including the muslim brotherhood which is organizing some of the protests, which has been banned from government service in the past. the u.s. officials emphasize there's no one plan here that they are discussing lots of options. they want to be careful this is not seen as the u.s. pushing a new government on to the egyptian people. now, the state department, they still say that about 2,300 people have gotten out of egypt, but they are st

tracie potts is live in washington, d.c.update what the obama administration is saying. >> reporter: things are getting worse. let's look at some of those live pictures, certainly disturbing. on the streets of cairo, lots of violent clashes there just in the last few hours between anti-government protesters and those who support president hosni mubarak. the anti-government protesters say they will not leave until he quits. he said he won't run for re-election but plans to stay until september. president obama t the white house, urged him to oversee an orderly transition of power, the pictures we're seeing now coming out of egypt are anything but. the big concern at this point is getting the rest of the americans who want to leave out of there. several thousand have been shuttled out. the state department says they know of at least 1,000 more. they'll continue the charter flights but the big challenge is getting the americans to the airport. some say demonstrators helped them get to the airport but they are dealing with curfe

tracie potts is live in washington, d.c., with america's reaction to this latest chaos. tracie?erica is disappointed as many of the egyptians. if you are talking about the u.s. government, when he decided not to step down, but new this morning we do understand, brent, that he has left the presidential palace. there were a lot of protesters crowded around there this morning as well. and we understand that he has left the palace for an undisclosed location, possibly out of cairo, but he is still in egypt. this is a situation that just seem fos seems to be getting more and more tense. protesters are calling for him to step down. mubarak says he will not do that. earlier we got word that the military is backing his attempt to stay until september, but they say they will support free and fair elections. before that speech yesterday president obama said that this could be a moment of transformation for egypt, but afterward he issued a pretty lengthy statement saying this was not a clear transition, the transfer of power, much of the power to the vice president while he says or stays i

tracie potts is live in washington this morning with the latest on this scandal now on capitol hill.morning. >> reporter: laura, it was a quick, breaking scandal and it was quickly over within a matter of hours. congressman chris lee of western new york, suburban buffalo area, apparently responded to an advertisement on craigslist. a woman who was looking for a date. he responded that he was a single washington lobbyist. he is, in fact, a married washington politician with one child. he also sent this bare-chested photo of himself to the woman. that photo and the e-mail exchange were all public yesterday on a website. and within a few hours he had stepped down. the announcement came on the house floor that he was resigning his position followed by a statement where lee said he's made profound mistakes and regrets the harm he's caused his family, staff and constituents. he's deeply and sincerely apologizing to them all and was out just a few hours after the scandal first broke. laura? >> amazing. thank you, tracie. >>> 5:43 right now. good morning, i'm laura garcia-cannon. >> i'm bren

"today in the bay's" tracie potts is live in washington, d.c., with the latest.-afternoon in cairo right now, and the protests seem to be much calmer. >> reporter: yes, much calmer than what we saw on friday or in previous days. and in the last couple of weeks, it has been almost two weeks now, the concessions investigating corruption are just one of the things the egyptian government has agreed to do now that they are sitting down with some of the opposition groups. they have also agreed not to interfere with the internet again to let the media cover this story as it unfolds in cairo. not to interfere with the protestors. they said they will lift emergency law once they get the emergency situation under control. and they want to open presidential elections so more people can run. the one thing they have not agreed to is whether mubarak will step down immediately. that's what the protestors say is the one non-negotiable demand. for now vice president omar suleiman is leading the opposition groups but is operating under mubarak's government. there's only so much h

tracie potts is live with the latest from there. >> reporter: brent, good morning.ew pictures this morning unfold of what seems to be another day of increasing violence, the white house message is getting tougher. a couple of days ago they were asking president mubarak to acknowledge the democratic movement in his country. now we are hearing the white house say that the transition that he talked about happening in september needs to happen now. they are one step short, the white house spokesman did, saying he needs to leave office now, but they very clearly made the point that this transition needs to happen right now. now, the morning has seen more clashes between mubarak supporters and anti-government protestors. the military is moving in but really hasn't opened fire or fully opened up on the protestors. we are waiting to find out exactly what will happen there. the white house also reviewing aid for egypt. $1.3 billion we send to that country every single year. as for the evacuations, nearly 2,000 americans are now out. the state department is telling them if yo

tracie potts is live in washington, d.c., trying to explain exactly what's taking place. tracie?ter: hey, brent. friday is the deadline if democrats and republicans here on capitol hill can't come to some sort of compromise, the federal government will shut down. many essential services will continue, but they kicked the can down the road for months now. we are in the middle of a fiscal year where we have no set budget. now, this is the same type of problem we are seeing in other places like wisconsin. states all across the country have their own budget battles. we have seen the protests in wisconsin for the last couple of weeks. they also are having a difficult time trying to figure out what to cut out of the budget to make it balance. back in washington there's a compromise on the table, republicans offering a two-week extension with $4 billion in cuts. it is something the democrats say they are happy to look at. it may actually land in the senate tomorrow trying to prevent that government shutdown by the end of the week. >> we'll see how this goes throughout the course of the

tracie potts is live in washington, d.c., this morning.nt is putting the blame squarery on libya's government. >> reporter: he is. now he's sending secretary of state hillary clinton to geneva on monday to talk with other countries, other foreign ministers about what they can do, possibly sanctions, to bring this very dangerous, very volatile situation to a safe end. a couple of updates for you this morning. first of all, we were waiting to hear from moammar gadhafi who promised to make a statement later this morning about the army attack on protesters in a mosque early this morning. we understand he is now on a phone interview with state tv. we are waiting to get more details about that. also, waiting to hear whether or not that ferry full of americans headed for malta was able to takeoff. it has been delayed as a result of weather problems off the coast of tripoli. and then also new this morning the state department says it has be told by libya's government that journalists who have entered the country illegally to cover the violence, to

and "today in the bay's" capitol hill reporter tracie potts is live in washington, d.c.aring that there are some high-level meetings going on in washington right now trying to help with some kind of transition of power. >> reporter: well, the u.s. has been in touch we jinx officials, egyptian officials, but they are trying to work out some sort of deal where mubarak leaves and there's a trance igsal government headed by the vice president of egypt with the military and these opposition groups involved. now, as that is going on, the crowds are gathering in the square as we have seen in these live pictures coming in all morning. crowd estimates are now up to 100,000. and it is a different tone than we have seen, not the fighting and the violence that we saw in past days, but today flags, people holding up signs, chanting "leave, leave" referring to mubarak. they are calling this the day of leave. they have been chanting and the crowds have been growing the last couple of hours. mubarak's party, however, says the demonstrators you are looking at don't necessarily represent

tracie spoths potts is in washington with more on that. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. >> lynn, good morning. that speech was a huge disappointment here in the united states, as well. initially, president obama also was hopeful that he would step down and answer the call of these protesters, addressing the u.s. before mubarak's speech, president obama said that we were witnessing history unfold, and after that he said mubarak's failure to step down is not a clear transition in egypt and that it is not immediate, meaningful, or significant. that the country has failed to seize an opportunity here. the big question remains, how much influence does the unite"h states have here? they're walking a tight rope between trying to prevent this stand-off from getting worse and more violent and also not imposing what the united states wants on the egyptian people. lynn. >> tracie, thanks so much. >>> well, elsewhere facing a mini-revolt in the republican party. house speaker john boehner is now promising the largest budget cuts in congressio

tracie potts is live in washington, d.c., with america's reaction to the chaos going on there. tracie. >> reporter: good morning. the protests are occurring on the square and also at the presidential palace. the u.s. has been putting the pressure on as we look at these live pictures and see the protests. we see the brewing anger and frustration of the egyptian people. the u.s. has been putting the pressure on mubarak. he has not -- he says he plans to stay in office until september. president obama like everyone else including members of mubarak's party was hopeful he would step down saying this is a moment of transformation. then after that speech another lengthy statement from the president from the white house saying that this turning power over to the vice president while he keeps the title is not a clear transition, not what the egyptian people are asking for, not immediate, meaningful or significant. but there's only so much the u.s. can do. we are standing on the sidelines watching the diplomatic tightrope as we see the protests going on trying noed to overstep our bounds

tracie potts is live in washington covering the very latest from there. >> reporter: good morning.hey haven't used the words step down immediately, but what the white house has said is the time for transition is now. not september when president mubarak says he won't run for re-election. in fact, this morning at the national prayer breakfast president obama talked about praying for the situation, the violence that's going on there and that egypt's government will heed the voices of those anti-government protestors that we are now seeing in some of these live pictures coming in from central cairo. again today, more violent crashes, not nearly to the degree of what we saw last night, but certainly a day where violence seems to be escalating. the prime minister has now issued an apology for the pro-mubarak supporters crashing into the square yesterday saying they will investigate and hold responsible anyone who was involved in the five deaths and more than 830 who were wounded. the opposition now saying there will be no talks. this is new this morning, no talks until mubarak steps dow

"today in the bay's" tracie potts is live in washington this morning with a preview of what we expectort. tracie? >> reporter: good morning, everyone. 8 million of those toyotas you were talking about were recalled over the last two years. you may remember because of acceleration problems, sudden acceleration, sticking gas pedals complicated by problems with floor mats that really became an issue for toyota and for regulators who were accused of not paying as much attention to safety as they should have. so for the past ten months government engineers have been taking a very close look at toyota to see if they can figure out what caused all of those problems. in addition to the recalls, it cost millions of dollars to fix the cars, there were fines and lawsuits, up to 89 deaths are blamed for these sudden act cig acceleration problems. government and nasa engineers over the last ten months have been trying to figure out is it electromagnetic radiation, is it software or mechanical? their results in this report are coming out this afternoon. brent? >> we'll wait for that report. thanks

"today in the bay's" tracie potts is live in washington, d.c., with more on how the u.s. t more pressure on libya trying to end the bloody revolution. traci? >> reporter: we just got word that the ferry did get off this morning just a short while ago. the managing director of the private ferry company says they were able to leave the port in tripoli. it is an eight-hour trip to malta, so they expect to arrive some time later this afternoon our time. meantime, there's still chaos at the airport. a lot of people are trying to get out. the state department is trying to get a charter flight in there today to evacuate some of those remaining americans. and as you mentioned, big questions about sanctions, what will the u.s. and other nations do to try to stop this violence. president obama is talking with leaders of britain, spain, italy, they are going to be talking about possible sanctions, like freezing assets, a travel ban on some of the top leaders from libya's government. maybe even a no-fly zone. something the u.s. says they have to work together with other countries to i

tracie potts is live in washington, d.c.re show nothing love for the new budget on valentine's day. >> reporter: no, not at all, brent. they are already talking about the fact that the president didn't cut enough out of this budget. it is a $3 trillion budget. the white house says that it will reduce the deficit by just over a trillion dollars, but really that's only a quarter of what the deficit commission recommended. a lot of those cuts will come from rolling back and limiting tax breaks for the wealthy. the white house says they will focus here on education, and there will be some additional spending in some areas where they balance that. for example, for pell grants for college students but not allowing them to use them for summer classes. the public wants to know if the president is going to attack the big four, the thing that is really making the budget grow. medicare, medicaid and defense cuts. ironically, while they look at the new budget for 2012 they have yet to decide what to do about the current fiscal year 2011

tracie potts is live to explain what's happening today. >> reporter: hi, brent.d morning, everyone. friday is the deadline we'll see a shutdown if democrats and republicans here can't come up with some sort of compromise. and there is one on the table. house republicans are suggesting a two-week extension of the current budget with $4 billion in cuts. democrats, which control the senate, say that they will consider that but really want a longer four-week extension. they have been kicking this can down the road for several months now. the problem is they are dealing with a part of the budget that's very small. they have not touched larger parts like social security and medicare. also state budget is a big concern. the protests we have seen in wiscons wisconsin, and we have many at the white house today talking about what the president can do to help them with their own state budgets. by the way, california's governor won't be here, he says he has a lot going on at home. brent? >> thank for the update, tracii. >>> meanwhile, hundreds of protesters are at the capito

live on capitol hill, tracie potts, back to you. >> a lot of people to get out quickly.e time is 5:45. we are checking our forecast today. still chilly. we are starting to see now maybe the possibility of the actual dusting of snow on the bay area hills. >> yes, indeed. i do think that it will happen, a little dust of snow on the east bay hills, in particular, but will we see flurries at sea level? now flurries, a sudden burst of snow with the wind gust, so you have a wind gust that takes the precipitation up into the atmosphere, it freezes and comes down usually as a mix with no or little accumulation. so i do think that is possible below 500 feet. i think any snow that sticks will be above 500 feet. and the chance for that really arrives as of saturday morning. now, there's a slight chance that could happen as we head into tomorrow morning as snow levels are already coming down to 1,000 feet as we head into tonight. 45 degrees in oakland. right now it is pretty mild out there compared to where we were for the past two days at this time because we have clouds overhead a

tracie potts is live in washington, d.c., with the very latest. >> reporter: brent, good morning.rning, everyone. it is really like day have a vu, deja vu. we are seeing more protests and demonstrations but similar issues. people protesting against what they see as a repressive government against poverty in their nation. the latest in iran where we understand now that two people were killed, one of them shot according to authorities there. thousands of people demonstrated there in support of what was happening. the reforms being called for in egypt and in tunisia. we understand in iran that 1500 people were arrested according to the opposition. and, of course, this brings back memories of those mass protests that we saw there in 2009. also, today in yemen, more demonstrations there turning ugly, quite frankly, rock and baton clashes between police, opposition protesters and those supporting the government. about 1,000 of them march today. the latest word is that four of them were wounded. they are now asking their president not for reforms but to leave. just what we saw in egypt.

tracie potts is live with more on how the u.s.n libya to put an end to the bloody revolution. good morning. >> reporter: yes, good morning, laura. they are really trying to bring this thing to an end. a couple updates for you this morning, that ferry you mentioned, it has now taken off from trip lee. apparently the weather conditions eased a bit. they took off about 3 1/2 hours ago. we expect to hear this afternoon of a safe arrival. again, amid all the violence there, the u.s. has been able to get a charter airplane into tripoli for more americans who want to evacuate. that, again, they are hoping to takeoff today. they will probably have to prioritize, we are told, and people with medical emergencies will be able to go first. now, the airport chaos, the chaos in the streets, the obama administration is teaming up with european nations trying to do something about this. the president has been on the phone with leaders in britain, italy, france, trying to figure out what types of sanctions they might be willing to consider imposin

tracie potts is live in washington this morning with all the latest scandals from capitol hill. >> reporterng. the thing that everyone is talking about is how fast all of this went down. mid-afternoon yesterday we saw the e-mails and photo online. a couple hours later, three hours later, congressman chris lee says he's resigning. it was announced on the house floor early yesterday evening. now, here's what we know that happened. apparently he answered a craigslist ad for a woman looking for a date. there was an exchapgs of e-mail. at some point he sent her a photo-himself topless. a photo he took of himself on his blackberry. she began to suspect something. friends told her something could be wrong. she googled him and realized he was not the single washington lobbyist that he said but was, in fact, a married u.s. congressman. she turned the photos over. they were published on the ebb with website gawker.com. when all this came to light the congressman decided to step down. in fact, in a statement he said he made profound mistakes and regrets the harm he caused his family, his staff and con