intense pressure from some of his party to drop out is vowing instead to stay in the race. nbc's brian mooar reports from washington. >> how are you guys doing? >> reporter: mitt romney is hoping a win in wisconsin's primary will bring an end to his rough road to the nomination. >> and on tuesday we're going to pick the next president of the united states. >> reporter: house budget committee chairman paul ryan is endorsing mitt romney and so is tea partier ron johnson. >> i totally believe he's committed to saving america. >> reporter: and with the republican establishment and prom nantd tea party members lining up behind him, romney is looking ahead. >> this is an election about what america is going to be. >> reporter: romney has a commanding lead in delegates and rick santorum is clearly tired of hearing about it. >> i'm not going to talk about this anymore. we're focused on doing well in wisconsin. >> reporter: santorum is shrugging off romney endorsements and laughing about the nomination. >> i'm encouraged by this. >> reporter: but santorum has reason to be concerned too. tuesday is his last chance to win a big prize in the midwest before the gop race heads to his home state of pennsylvania. brian mooar, nbc news, washington. well, a series of rallies were held in florida over the weekend with thousands demanding the arrest of george zimmerman, the man who shot and killed unarmed teen trayvon martin. this morning there are new questions being raised over potential evidence in the case. nbc's jay gray has the story. >> reporter: calls for justice rang out in sunday. >> i won't stop for my trayvon to your trayvon. >> reporter: from the pulpits to the parks and practice fields thousands gathered. during a weekend of rallies and protests filled with the same growing refrain, arrest the man who killed trayvon martin. >> nobody has the right to kill anybody. >> reporter: 28-year-old neighborhood watchman george zimmerman said he shot and killed the teenager to save his own life. screams with be heard in this 911 call during a confrontation. his family and neighbored say it's zimmerman calls out. technology analyzed the call for the "orlando sentinel." tom owen was one of them who ran the test. zimmerman's lawyer refused to discuss the results. >> i have no comment. >> reporter: if there are charges in the case. >> the issue is did george zimmerman here act in self-defense. >> reporter: police, a special prosecutor, the justice department, and the fbi are all trying to answer that question with grand jury scheduled to convene in less than two weeks. jay gray, nbc news. and now here's a look at some other stories making news early today in america. in philadelphia a deadly end to a police chase after a driver slammed into another car. the crash did kill one man and injured two others, including a 4-year-old little boy. police say the pursuit began after the suspect pulled a gun on officers during a traffic stop. after the crash the driver took off running but was captured moments latering. >> in michigan, a scaringy moment for firefighters. the roof began sinking. this all happened while they were trying to cut holes in the top for ventilation. and finally, surf's up. in california high waves possibly up to 15 feet in some spots drew plenty of ocean lovers this weekend. while it's great news for surfers, it also comes with warnings from lifeguards about possible rip currents as the high water continues today. and now for a look at your national and regional weather, here's nbc meteorologist bill karins with the weather channel forecast. good morning to you bill. >> happy april. >> yeah, exactly. we skipped over april fools'. i knowing bill karins would have had something up his sleeve. >> i would have sat in something, knowing you. good morning, everyone. unbelievable heat continued for us. yesterday was in the 80s in many spots, even 90s in a few spots in west texas and 90s in areas like northern iowa and southern portions of south dakota. pretty crazy stuff here in the middle of the country. thinks are changing. we're going to watch the middle of the country. that's where all the storms are going to be. it did rain pretty good last night. that storm is heading off the coast. a little cool and windy conditions for you today. so the heat continues, at least through the daylight hours today. we still have a few thunderstorms left over. they were in the ohio valley last night. now they're coming through the mountains and they're trying to make their way toward greensboro, north carolina. you can see some of those showers and storms. we'll watch those across interstate 81. late this morning, that's when you get a severe weather outbreak. a large area has a chance of strong storms including wichita, oklahoma and these areas. those ayas, keep an eye to the sky late this afternoon. damaging winds probably the biggest concern in the middle of the nation. southeast, still dry for you. temperatures pretty warm and also a big cooldown in denver. that's a look at the national forecast. now here's a look outside your window. pittsburgh, pennsylvania, not bad for you. you were a little cool over the weekday. around 60 degrees. raleigh, cool. talk about cool and chilly weather, it snowed on saturday in connecticut and massachusetts. it was chilly yesterday. a slow improvement this week. overall, just the incredible heat in the midwest. it's going to be in the 90s in a few spots. even in st. louis maybe. >> unbelievable. bill, thanks so much. k078ing up how often airlines are on time, new jobs are cropping up and owning a piece of titanic history. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus coming up awards adam sandler would preferred not to one. a championship p plus a couple of hockey coaches make the nhl look like wrestlemania. you're watching "early today." good morning and welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry, and here are some of your top headlines this morning. 60 countries including the u.s. moved closer yesterday to direct intervention in the fighting in syria as secretary of state hillary clinton told the conference in turkey that, quote, time for excuses is over. clinton says the u.s. is sending equipment to the forces. an arab nation pledged $100 million to pay off opposition fighters. in russia a plane crashed shortly after takeoff in western siberia. at least 16 people were kill and 12 survived the crash. no bell peace prize winner and former political leader aung san suu kyi has been elected to the par plament. at least five people were killed in kansas when a crowded motor home hit a guardrail and wenl off a bridge in south tope topeka. 13 other people were taken to hospital. and mt. sicily is putting on a show as lava and hot ash erupt from the volcano for the fifth time this year. so far no damage has been reported and nearby afrirports remain open. new research may help explain why black women are more likely to develop cervical cancer and twice as likely to die from it. the research finds black women have more trouble claring hpv, the virus that causes the disease. rather than less access to screening and follow-up care, the study found there might be a buy lodggical explanation. for more stories like these check out msnbc.com. and now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 13,212 after gaining 66 points on friday. the s&p was up 5 points, but the nasdaq was down 3. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei add 26d points, but in hong kong the hang seng lost 33. wall street starts the second quarter today, hoping to continue strong momentum from the first. the dow posted an 8% gain for the first three months of 2012, its best showing in 14 years. crude oil prices are up only slightly today, but still at about $103 a barrel in electronic trade. the latest manufacturing data from china is positive with the purchasing managers index jumping to an 11-month high. directv is not carrying programming in local stations across 19 broadcast companies after they failed to reach an agreement over the weekend. an annual report on air draft said last year air travel slightly improved their treatment of passengers, getting them to their destination as scheduled 80% of time. auto sales in the u.s. are expected to show strong numbers when march data is relaced when 13,000 more cars sold compared to march of last year. the march report on unemployment will be released friday with the economists predicting more than 200,000 jobs were added. still they expect the unemployment rate to remain at 8.3%. and jobs are more plenlt full for graduating college seniors this year, up more than 10% according to a national survey of colleges and employers. and the menu from the last luncheon on the titanic was auctioned in england yesterday. it was saved by an american woman who had put it in her handbag. titanic passengers enjoyed such items as chicken a la maryland. chicken and three desserts. the menu sold for $122,000. coming up march madness building into april as kentucky prepares for kansas, and on the women's side notre dame will square off with baylor. plus a potential playoff between the penguins and flyers turned ugly, even involving the coaches. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. we're watching thunderstorm this afternoon. a few of those will be strong in the midwest. your forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today." good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." and in sports the women's baylor basketball team is one win away from a perfect season and an naac title. here's mario solis with an early look at all your headlines. >> good monday do you. it's all about the final four. we'll talk men's title in a bit, but this morning it's ladies first. women's final four in denvering all the top seeds making. brittney griner leading in the second half. baylor wins it, 59-47. they're now 39-0. a national championship would make them the first team in history to reach 40 wins. the other final, connecticut and notre dame. final seconds, irish down two. natalie with the putback. that ties it to forced overtime. in o.t. the luck of the irish continues. brittney mallory from the land of plenty. notre dame wince, 83-756789 irish tomorrow for the women's national championship. tonight, kentucky and kansas, two of the most storied teams in basketball. the jayhawks feel up to the task. >> i truly believe in my heart we can beat anybody. you know, we may not be favored as series for playing four out of seven but in my heart i believe we can beat anybody and i believe these guys can feel the same way. >> kentucky and kansas tip off around 9:00 eastern. finally pittsburgh and flyers, potential for a strong preview and it's clear they don't like each other. just a minute to play, here we go. everybody into the ring. let's dance. all players except the goalies get into the mick. but the action isn't just on the ice. the coaches climbed aboard and they're shouting back and forth. both coaches injected. nearly 70 penalties handed out in philly. they're score off on friday and likely in the first round. i'm guessing the sparks have just begun to fly. that's a look at sports on early today. i'm mario solis. who won at the box office and last night's big country winners. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight 'iowa head. this weekend things got really hairy. you're watching "early today." today" on this monday morning. hope you had a wonderful weekend. i know new england wasn't the nicest, but eventually the clouds will clear. it will be a windy day, kind of chilly. the middle of the country stays very warm but late today around the dallas area, amarillo, could see thunderstorms, strong storms off to louisiana and south texas. could deal with strong storms today later in the evening. that that same area, looks like you're going to be the stormy spot this week. if you're watching us on wath beautiful washington, mass, sep bright the places and spirit of the town at images of arlington and the arlington center for the arts. and that's your "early today" event of the day, lynn. and now here's an early look at your headlines in entertainment. "hunger games" made it to the top. overseas it's taken in $365 million. "wrath of the titans" debuted in second with $34 million but duelly beat "the hunger games" overseas. the snow whyte opener "mirror, mirror opened with expectation at $19 million. elsewhere at the country music award taylor smith won entertainer of the year. other big winners blake shelton. his wife miranda lambert took top female. top female vocal group was lady antebellum. and ashton kutcher will play steve jobs in a movie. finally, a first. adam sandler's "jack and jill swts swept the razzies took every category including worst picture and worst actress and actor to for a man and his twin sisters. even this is bad with me. >> he's probably laughing at it. how did katie holmes sign up for that movie. >> i don't think there was any other options on the table. >> oh. >> did i say that? i didn't mean that. this comes to us from wrc news 4 in washington, d.c., where protesters hope their view will win out by a hair. they call it the million mustache march. those with real and fake facial hair came together to call for a tax break on mustache grooming supplies. the so-called american moustache institute claims mustache americans earn more than those with a clean upper lip. but if you are wondering if they may be shaving the truth, keep in mind the rally was yesterday, which was april fools' day. there you go. there you go. i'm lynn berry, and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day, today on your nbc station. >> live, local, late-breaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today. >> good morning. we are working up to a few clouds across the area. we had some showers overnight. it did not bring more than 1/10 inches of rain. it is going to beat breezy. -- to be breezy. we do expect high temperatures around 60 degrees. more details on the forecast. >> we will see you in a bit. the time is now 4:57. >> a gop presidential candidate makes his second stop in maryland today. plus -- police need help catching the driver of a hit and run. there are willing to pay for the information. >> is the wisconsin primary mitt romney's shortcut to the nomination? more from washington on that story. >> checking on your morning commute -- already one problem. commute -- already one problem. we will >> live, local, late-breaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today. >> good morning everyone. >> i am stan stovall. thank you for joining us. >> what are we going to expect today? >> we had a couple of showers. i think most of those are clearing out. it is pretty windy today, so grip that steering wheel.
the badger state. this as rick santorum under intense pressure from some of his party to drop out is vowing instead to stay in the race. nbc's brian mooar reports from washington. >> how are you guys doing? >> reporter: mitt romney is hoping a win in wisconsin's primary will bring an end to his rough road to the nomination. >> and on tuesday we're going to pick the next president of the united states. >> reporter: house budget committee chairman paul ryan is endorsing mitt romney and so is tea partier ron johnson. >> i totally believe he's committed to saving america. >> reporter: and with the republican establishment and prom nantd tea party members lining up behind him, romney is looking ahead. >> this is an election about what america is going to be. >> reporter: romney has a commanding lead in delegates and rick santorum is clearly tired of hearing about it. >> i'm not going to talk about this anymore. we're focused on doing well in wisconsin. >> reporter: santorum is shrugging off romney endorsements and laughing about the nomination. >> i'm encouraged by this. >> reporter: but santorum has reason to be concerned too. tuesday is his last chance to win a big prize in the midwest before the gop race heads to his home state of pennsylvania. brian mooar, nbc news, washington. well, a series of rallies were held in florida over the weekend with thousands demanding the arrest of george zimmerman, the man who shot and killed unarmed teen trayvon martin. this morning there are new questions being raised over potential evidence in the case. nbc's jay gray has the story. >> reporter: calls for justice rang out in sunday. >> i won't stop for my trayvon to your trayvon. >> reporter: from the pulpits to the parks and practice fields thousands gathered. during a weekend of rallies and protests filled with the same growing refrain, arrest the man who killed trayvon martin. >> nobody has the right to kill anybody. >> reporter: 28-year-old neighborhood watchman george zimmerman said he shot and killed the teenager to save his own life. screams with be heard in this 911 call during a confrontation. his family and neighbored say it's zimmerman calls out. technology analyzed the call for the "orlando sentinel." tom owen was one of them who ran the test. zimmerman's lawyer refused to discuss the results. >> i have no comment. >> reporter: if there are charges in the case. >> the issue is did george zimmerman here act in self-defense. >> reporter: police, a special prosecutor, the justice department, and the fbi are all trying to answer that question with grand jury scheduled to convene in less than two weeks. jay gray, nbc news. and now here's a look at some other stories making news early today in america. in philadelphia a deadly end to a police chase after a driver slammed into another car. the crash did kill one man and injured two others, including a 4-year-old little boy. police say the pursuit began after the suspect pulled a gun on officers during a traffic stop. after the crash the driver took off running but was captured moments latering. >> in michigan, a scaringy moment for firefighters. the roof began sinking. this all happened while they were trying to cut holes in the top for ventilation. and finally, surf's up. in california high waves possibly up to 15 feet in some spots drew plenty of ocean lovers this weekend. while it's great news for surfers, it also comes with warnings from lifeguards about possible rip currents as the high water continues today. and now for a look at your national and regional weather, here's nbc meteorologist bill karins with the weather channel forecast. good morning to you bill. >> happy april. >> yeah, exactly. we skipped over april fools'. i knowing bill karins would have had something up his sleeve. >> i would have sat in something, knowing you. good morning, everyone. unbelievable heat continued for us. yesterday was in the 80s in many spots, even 90s in a few spots in west texas and 90s in areas like northern iowa and southern portions of south dakota. pretty crazy stuff here in the middle of the country. thinks are changing. we're going to watch the middle of the country. that's where all the storms are going to be. it did rain pretty good last night. that storm is heading off the coast. a little cool and windy conditions for you today. so the heat continues, at least through the daylight hours today. we still have a few thunderstorms left over. they were in the ohio valley last night. now they're coming through the mountains and they're trying to make their way toward greensboro, north carolina. you can see some of those showers and storms. we'll watch those across interstate 81. late this morning, that's when you get a severe weather outbreak. a large area has a chance of strong storms including wichita, oklahoma and these areas. those ayas, keep an eye to the sky late this afternoon. damaging winds probably the biggest concern in the middle of the nation. southeast, still dry for you. temperatures pretty warm and also a big cooldown in denver. that's a look at the national forecast. now here's a look outside your window. pittsburgh, pennsylvania, not bad for you. you were a little cool over the weekday. around 60 degrees. raleigh, cool. talk about cool and chilly weather, it snowed on saturday in connecticut and massachusetts. it was chilly yesterday. a slow improvement this week. overall, just the incredible heat in the midwest. it's going to be in the 90s in a few spots. even in st. louis maybe. >> unbelievable. bill, thanks so much. k078ing up how often airlines are on time, new jobs are cropping up and owning a piece of titanic history. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus coming up awards adam sandler would preferred not to one. a championship p plus a couple of hockey coaches make the nhl look like wrestlemania. you're watching "early today." good morning and welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry, and here are some of your top headlines this morning. 60 countries including the u.s. moved closer yesterday to direct intervention in the fighting in syria as secretary of state hillary clinton told the conference in turkey that, quote, time for excuses is over. clinton says the u.s. is sending equipment to the forces. an arab nation pledged $100 million to pay off opposition fighters. in russia a plane crashed shortly after takeoff in western siberia. at least 16 people were kill and 12 survived the crash. no bell peace prize winner and former political leader aung san suu kyi has been elected to the par plament. at least five people were killed in kansas when a crowded motor home hit a guardrail and wenl off a bridge in south tope topeka. 13 other people were taken to hospital. and mt. sicily is putting on a show as lava and hot ash erupt from the volcano for the fifth time this year. so far no damage has been reported and nearby afrirports remain open. new research may help explain why black women are more likely to develop cervical cancer and twice as likely to die from it. the research finds black women have more trouble claring hpv, the virus that causes the disease. rather than less access to screening and follow-up care, the study found there might be a buy lodggical explanation. for more stories like these check out msnbc.com. and now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 13,212 after gaining 66 points on friday. the s&p was up 5 points, but the nasdaq was down 3. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei add 26d points, but in hong kong the hang seng lost 33. wall street starts the second quarter today, hoping to continue strong momentum from the first. the dow posted an 8% gain for the first three months of 2012, its best showing in 14 years. crude oil prices are up only slightly today, but still at about $103 a barrel in electronic trade. the latest manufacturing data from china is positive with the purchasing managers index jumping to an 11-month high. directv is not carrying programming in local stations across 19 broadcast companies after they failed to reach an agreement over the weekend. an annual report on air draft said last year air travel slightly improved their treatment of passengers, getting them to their destination as scheduled 80% of time. auto sales in the u.s. are expected to show strong numbers when march data is relaced when 13,000 more cars sold compared to march of last year. the march report on unemployment will be released friday with the economists predicting more than 200,000 jobs were added. still they expect the unemployment rate to remain at 8.3%. and jobs are more plenlt full for graduating college seniors this year, up more than 10% according to a national survey of colleges and employers. and the menu from the last luncheon on the titanic was auctioned in england yesterday. it was saved by an american woman who had put it in her handbag. titanic passengers enjoyed such items as chicken a la maryland. chicken and three desserts. the menu sold for $122,000. coming up march madness building into april as kentucky prepares for kansas, and on the women's side notre dame will square off with baylor. plus a potential playoff between the penguins and flyers turned ugly, even involving the coaches. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. we're watching thunderstorm this afternoon. a few of those will be strong in the midwest. your forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today." good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." and in sports the women's baylor basketball team is one win away from a perfect season and an naac title. here's mario solis with an early look at all your headlines. >> good monday do you. it's all about the final four. we'll talk men's title in a bit, but this morning it's ladies first. women's final four in denvering all the top seeds making. brittney griner leading in the second half. baylor wins it, 59-47. they're now 39-0. a national championship would make them the first team in history to reach 40 wins. the other final, connecticut and notre dame. final seconds, irish down two. natalie with the putback. that ties it to forced overtime. in o.t. the luck of the irish continues. brittney mallory from the land of plenty. notre dame wince, 83-756789 irish tomorrow for the women's national championship. tonight, kentucky and kansas, two of the most storied teams in basketball. the jayhawks feel up to the task. >> i truly believe in my heart we can beat anybody. you know, we may not be favored as series for playing four out of seven but in my heart i believe we can beat anybody and i believe these guys can feel the same way. >> kentucky and kansas tip off around 9:00 eastern. finally pittsburgh and flyers, potential for a strong preview and it's clear they don't like each other. just a minute to play, here we go. everybody into the ring. let's dance. all players except the goalies get into the mick. but the action isn't just on the ice. the coaches climbed aboard and they're shouting back and forth. both coaches injected. nearly 70 penalties handed out in philly. they're score off on friday and likely in the first round. i'm guessing the sparks have just begun to fly. that's a look at sports on early today. i'm mario solis. who won at the box office and last night's big country winners. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight 'iowa head. this weekend things got really hairy. you're watching "early today." today" on this monday morning. hope you had a wonderful weekend. i know new england wasn't the nicest, but eventually the clouds will clear. it will be a windy day, kind of chilly. the middle of the country stays very warm but late today around the dallas area, amarillo, could see thunderstorms, strong storms off to louisiana and south texas. could deal with strong storms today later in the evening. that that same area, looks like you're going to be the stormy spot this week. if you're watching us on wath beautiful washington, mass, sep bright the places and spirit of the town at images of arlington and the arlington center for the arts. and that's your "early today" event of the day, lynn. and now here's an early look at your headlines in entertainment. "hunger games" made it to the top. overseas it's taken in $365 million. "wrath of the titans" debuted in second with $34 million but duelly beat "the hunger games" overseas. the snow whyte opener "mirror, mirror opened with expectation at $19 million. elsewhere at the country music award taylor smith won entertainer of the year. other big winners blake shelton. his wife miranda lambert took top female. top female vocal group was lady antebellum. and ashton kutcher will play steve jobs in a movie. finally, a first. adam sandler's "jack and jill swts swept the razzies took every category including worst picture and worst actress and actor to for a man and his twin sisters. even this is bad with me. >> he's probably laughing at it. how did katie holmes sign up for that movie. >> i don't think there was any other options on the table. >> oh. >> did i say that? i didn't mean that. this comes to us from wrc news 4 in washington, d.c., where protesters hope their view will win out by a hair. they call it the million mustache march. those with real and fake facial hair came together to call for a tax break on mustache grooming supplies. the so-called american moustache institute claims mustache americans earn more than those with a clean upper lip. but if you are wondering if they may be shaving the truth, keep in mind the rally was yesterday, which was april fools' day. there you go. there you go. i'm lynn berry, and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day, today on your nbc station. welcome to april, everybody. for some of us that's meant rain, showers, i'm aaron gilchrist. >> i'm eun yang. welcome to "news4 today" on this monday, april 2, 2012. police are on the lookout for a man who stabbed a woman. it happened before 1:00 in the 4200 block of massachusetts avenue in northwest washington. no word on the circumstances surrounding the stabbing. the victim was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. police have made no arrests in this case. later this morning police will address the violent weekend in prince george's county. there were four shootings within 48 hours. eight people were hurt, three people were killed. the violence started friday with a domestic dispute on northwest drive in adelphi. three people were shot. early saturday someone shot and killed 19-year-old lester flores quintonilla. the latest shooting happened sunday morning. police say a fight broke out inside a home on judith avenue in district heights. two men were shot, one died. so far, no arrests have been made in any of these cases. this morning, d.c. police are warning taxicab passengers, especially women, to take precautions after a string of attacks. seven taxi drivers are facing charges for attacking passengers in recent weeks. six of the seven victims have been women. one was allegedly dragged out of the cab by her ankles. another was pu