>> if you watched the grammys last night you know it was a soulful tribute to whitney houston. one performer there still too shaken up to sing and we'll talk about all the winners from last night. a massive budget battle. an election preview. it seems to be. the president is unveiling his final spending plan before the 2012 election today. and you know what, it's mot even delivered to capitol hill and the gop is already on it. what are they going to say about it and how do we know this will be the preview of the general election campaign? and lin han sanity. look at this guy. knicks new sensation, jeremy lin, making headlines on the other side of the globe as well. >> keep your eyes on that one. this is one of those sensations that just sort of came out of know where. >> did you know about him before they wrote about him this weekend. >> never heard a thing about him. >> i don't know a lot about basketball. >> i do. i couldn't believe i didn't know this guy. wait until you hear the details. >> a fun story even if you're not a basketball fan. to one of the top stories, the death of music legend. you can't not know about whitney houston music lover or not, but the story becomes a mystery, how did she die? the autopsy now complete as we said. but just exactly what might have killed her could take weeks to find out. that's the status of the toxicology results, they take time. this report could take up to eight weeks for us to find out. sources it tell "the los angeles times" that detectives are looking into whether or not she drowned. she was found in a bathtub at the beverly hills hilton and tmz is reporting medical officials found water in her lungs, but the coroner would not comment on that. radar on-line says police found prescription drugs, valium and a sleeping medication in her hotel room as well. david mattingly has the latest from los angeles from us. if we talk about the toxicology reports, i know in michael jackson's case, which was, you know, the last big icon to die, those toxicology reports took three months for us to actually get the results. >> that's right. we're looking for at least a month. we're talking six to eight weeks before the toxicology reports come back in this case. there were so many reporters gathered here yesterday when the coroner came out to make a statement, so many questions about what kind of drugs were found at the scene, what kind of drugs might have been involved in this case and everyone walking away with very few answers at all. listen now to what the coroner had to say. >> i know there's reports that she maybe was drowned or did she overdose, but no, we won't make a final determination until all the tests are in. there was no visible signs of trauma and foul play is not suspected at this time. >> reporter: now you heard what the coroner there was able to confirm, that there were no visible signs of trauma, no foul play is suspected, and earlier the coroner did also confirm that whitney houston was found in her bathtub in her hotel room. that was reported earlier by police. paramedics did attempt to perform cpr when they arrived. they were unable to revive her there at the scene. again, all these reports about prescription drugs being found at the scene, none of that absolutely none of that confirmed yesterday. >> david, there were reports that her daughter, bobbi kristina, was taken to the hospital. do you know anything about that? >> reporter: a family member has confirmed to us she was taken to the hospital and released. wasn't serious. she was described as being overwhelmed. that was very understandable considering the circumstances. but no details really about inside houston's family. we know her former husband, bobby brown, did have to leave the stage during a performance. he got very emotional during a performance on saturday night and then he had to cancel a performance on sunday. everyone here absolutely reeling by this sudden news. >> we understand he has arrived in los angeles. i'm sure we're going to hear much more from you. david mattingly, live from l.a., thank you for that report. for anybody who is watching the grammys they certainly put together quite a tribute and it was really last minute too. one of the more memorable moments coming from jennifer hudson when she sang whitney's biggest hit. take a listen. ♪ and i will always love you ♪ i >> listen to that song forever, right? >> unbelievable. >> hudson singing "i will always love you." the host of the show, l.l. cool jay started the ceremony with a prayer for whitney. >> heavenly father, we thank you for sharing our sister whitney with us. today our thoughts are with her mother, her daughter, and all of her loved ones and although she is gone too soon, we remain truly blessed to have been touched by her beautiful spirit and to have her lasting legacy of music to cherish and share forever. amen. >> it's interesting to see the audience reacting like that. another huge music legend chaka khan backed out of the planned performance last night. just saying it was too soon for her to do that. this is what she tweeted. as i grieve the loss of my friend and, quote, little sister, i don't feel it appropriate to perform at this time. continue to pray for the family. you probably will be wondering what was going on with whitney's ex-husband bobby brown, he was performing and sobbing on a stage, he went ahead with a planned concert with new edition, his old group, in mississippi, this video take on the night of her death. he reportedly broke down before this show. he wasn't even on for the opening song, but he came out later, apparently quite emotional, crying several times on stage and then shouted out to the crowd, i love you whitney, and asked for prayers for his family. >> you want to honor your commitments, right, as an artist, but that's got to be a very, very dif cut moment. he skipped last night's concert in nashville and flew to los angeles to comfort his only child bobbi kristina. whitney houston never forget her new jersey roots and they won't forget her. every seat filled inside newark's new hope baptist church where she sang as a child along with her mother cissy houston and dionne warwick. >> flags flew at half staff at the school named after whitney houston, in east orange, new jersey, where she went to school. where she was born, the mayor, cory booker, said, quote, a legend and great american artist and always one of newark's and new jersey's treasured daughters. and the governor of new jersey also weighing in, chris christie, saying whitney houston was a true new jersey treasure. her terribly premature death is an awful loss. >> when i came in this morning somebody asked me what is the first whitney houston song you played right after. i said i didn't have to. because they were playing all over the place. reliving one of whitney houston's finest moments, this was the first one i heard, the stunning rendition of the st"th star-spangled banner" of the super bowl in 1991. ♪ and the rockets red glare the bombs bursting in air gave proof through the night that our flag was still there ♪ ♪ o say does that star spangled banner yet wave ♪ ♪ o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave ♪ >> everybody was talking about, that nobody ever sang it like that. it was the performance that moved a nation. fighting the persian gulf war. houston had planned a different arrangement with jazz chords and gospel rhythms but the nfl asked her to strip it down and she did. it shot to number one on the billboard charts. the detroit pistons played it on the jumbo tron before their basketball game on sunday as well. >> look at ha. i was just listening to that. probably heard it a couple dozen times. each time goose bumps. just such -- you said no one had ever sung it like that and i don't think anyone ever will. >> i wonder if they didn't have anybody there live singing that and that was part of the tribute, that she would do that. incredible moment. ten minutes past the hour here. 6:30 this morning, we're talking to "rolling stone" magazine editor joe levy, he has the details on the death investigation, her final performance, and, of course, her lasting legacy. >> that legacy is what is so critical in this story. switching gears, another big day in politics. in a few hours the white house will release president obama's budget for the next fiscal year. expected to ignite a brand new war in washington over some old issues that just won't seem to go away like tax hikes for the wealthy and payroll tax holiday for millions of working families out there. . >> christine romans is in atlanta at the cnn center. what else is in his plan? good morning to you. >> good morning, ladies. you know they say a president's budget is sort of his blueprint or his, you know, wish list for how he'd like it to be, but don't forget that congress has to pass these things. we know how his are going right now between the president and this congress. what has the president laid out there in an election year for what he wants? he wants spending cuts and in the end, by 2013, he says he would have the budget deficit below 3% of gdp, that's good, $4 trillion in cuts overall, but targeted spending increases in infrastructure and education spending. he's really making what he looks like -- what looks like a play to the middle class, starting jobs on roads, extending, you know, airport projects, really trying to get some money out there in the economy. also, the buffet rule. how do you pay for this? raise taxes on the wealthy. one thing the bush tax cuts would be allowed to expire for the wealthiest earners and something called the buffet tax. you've heard of this. the buffet rule. for everyone that has $1 million or more, has to pay a 30% tax rate. you would have this targeted spending on the middle class, but be paid for by taxing the rich, something the republicans says is a nonstarter. >> christine, it bears repeating because the payroll tax cut for those who it would apply to, not the wealthiest, what does it mean in real numbers for folks on their paychecks? >> it's interesting. you're getting that right now and you had it last year. it's a few dollars, up to $40 a week in your paycheck. the president is also pushing out like trying to tell everyone that this is real money for you, if the payroll tax cut becomes permanent, something this budget is set to contain. listen to what president said in his weekly radio address. >> this tax cut is common sense. if you're a family making about $50,000 a year, this tax cut amounts to about $1,000 a year. that's about $40 in every paycheck. >> the interesting thing about that payroll tax holiday is a lot of people the studies show people say they haven't noticed the extra money in their paycheck but they would notice in this kind of economy if that moneye money isn't in their paycheck. making that to try to say let's make this permanent. >> it was exciting to see the boost in education spending. if it materializes. >> yeah. you know, the thing is, that this is a country that we have to have long-term deficit reduction at the same time needing to make improvements in the american economy. how you do that is a huge ideological fight between republicans and democrats in an election year no less. we'll hear more about the president and his budget. >> everyone has their pet -- we've got news breaking about the space program and the cuts there too. everybody has their pet projects that they think are the most important. thanks. >> we miss you over here. >> i'll see you in a few minutes. >> yeah. >> all right. it's chaos on the streets of athens as greek lawmakers approve another round of austerity measures. this was the scene outside the greek parliament. police are using tear gas and stun grenades to try to break up all of the protests. dozens of people have been arrested. lawmakers in greece have approved some really deep budget cuts and while that might sound great, not so much on the street. it was really necessary according to many for the eurozone leaders to sign off on the $172 billion bailout that they want to hand over to that itty bit itty country. like i said, it may not be resonating on the streets where matthew chance is live, he's in athens for us. it looks quiet behind you, but it has been a mess there all weekend. >> it has. it's been utter chaos here on the streets of athens. this is the main square outside the parliament building right behind me. tens of thousands of people last night on the streets, protesting against these austerity measures which are deeply unpopular. thousands clashed with the riot police, buildings set ablaze, there were stun grenades fired, tear gas, the air was like full of this really choking gas, very difficult to breathe at many points throughout the evening. so unpopular and anger against the austerity measures. you mentioned it may sound like a good thing. from the point of view from the euro perhaps or the banks in europe, it certainly is. there's been a positive reaction to it. balance that with the fact that ordinary greeks have seen their country sink in terms of their living standards over the course of the past several years. unemployment among 16 to 24-year-olds, get this, 48%. now that's something that is truly, truly painful and the last thing they want to hear is there are going to be more austerity cuts, more job losses, more wage cuts in the years ahead. that's why there was such anger tonight. >> did they realize, i was reading over some of the numbers, i knew it was bad where you were standing, but that greece's debts are 160% of their gdp? that is off the rails, matthew. >> yeah. there's no doubt that greece's debt problems are astronomical. they spent years borrowing way, way more at low interest rates than they could ever repay. you speak to ordinary greeks and they say give us 200 years to pay these debts off and it's not going to happen. why are we trying? why are we trying to couple these services when we know we're never going to pay this money back. >> that's fascinating. 48% unemployment. you know, we're talking about 8% being astronomical here. matthew chance, thank you. thank you for that. 16 minutes past the hour. snowy, icy start of the work week in the south and midwest. it is downright cold, rob marciano. >> winter is here, guys. good morning, it's monday in the middle of february and we're finally getting weather like we should. here are pictures out of west texas, amarillo, lubbock, seeing a decent amount of snow yesterday. five, six inches in some spots, enough to shut down roads and cause accidents. similar scene last night through kansas. here's shots out of wichita, where snow has been falling and some crews were out dealing with multiple car accidents in that state. and the snow now heading through oklahoma, even parts of north texas, getting into arkansas as well. cold air has settled into the eastern third of the country. don't have to tell you about that. it was a chilly weekend. 20s right now as far south as the florida panhandle. here comes the moisture. rain in louisiana. north of dallas. across the red river, getting into snow. winter storm warnings posted for arkansas and the snowfall we expect to see, four to six inches in some spots, but stretching into chicago and the good news with this system is it exits the mountains, we're looking at a decent amount of snow pack that continues to build thankfully out west. new york, you got winds, travel delays there in the morning dallas maybe delays and san francisco and los angeles, your next round of pacific storms heads into the west coast. back to you. >> rob marciano, thank you for that. still to come on "early start," heard of this? lin sanity? lin incredible, lin it to win it, that was my own, i made it up. >> lin it to win it. >> it may be. >> may catch on. >> it may catch on. his name is jeremy lin and if you don't know about him now, you need to know about him in the next segment. stick around for it. >> if you have a little super star in the making he gives those little guys hope. >> it's a great story. two big wins for mitt romney this weekend, so why does it feel like he lost? >> and also, in syria it just continues to get worse. look at this. tanks that are reportedly covered with civilians too as human shields and now the arab league has made a decision, stepping in to say we need peacekeepers. is it going to work, though? you're watching "early start." el that can help lower cholesterol and who ordered the yummy cereal? yummy. [ woman ] lower cholesterol. [ man 2 ] yummy. i got that wrong didn't i? 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