lin-sanity. that's some excitement, leading the niknicks to a 17-point comeback. that wonderful three-pointer, look at this place going bananas. we'll talk about what lin-sanity means coming up. >> even toronto loves him, that's where they were playing. new details on whitney houston, a report on a drug investigation now. folks really want to say their good-byes but they're saying, the family is saying there's no michael jackson-like farewell scheduled for her. they will have a small service at her childhood church. also, it was such a big story, amanda knox being cleared and heaving italy after having spent several years in prison. guess what. story may not be over, the prosecutors want a second crack and they are appealing that conviction being overturned. could she be headed back to italy? could she be going back to jail? we'll let you know all about that. up first here, congress on the verge of allowing you to keep more of your money. negotiators reached a tentative deal to extend the payroll tax cut for the rest of the year. as well as unemployment insurance. but it is still not a done deal. it could get the endorsement of a house/senate conference committee today. >> this is all happening after republicans really backed off on that big demand for measures to pay for this tax holiday ending. some republicans are still saying, you know what? this is still they'ving from our future generations. >> why are we arguing over a middle class tax cut that has been given to us for by name, to reduce the amount that we're paying into social security? what we should be talking about is real tax reform. we should be talking about what it's going to take to increase our revenues by broadening our economic base, by growing our economy. we need to be talking about what the american people want to hear and that's where the jobs are going to come from. >> maybe that's why the reason the president is not so convinced he's actually going to get one of these deals on the his desk and says, i'll believe it when i see it. >> you can't take anything for granted here in washington. until my signature is actually on it. >> so because of this agreement, 160 million working people will keep their tax cut. about $1,000 for the average family, that's over a year. it equals $40 per paycheck. christine romans is live in atlanta. we have a new poll out about the payroll tax. tell us what americans are saying about it. >> good morning, ladies. americans are saying they want to keep their extra money in their paycheck. some 54% of people polled say they approve of passing favoring the payroll tax cut for all american workers. only 42% oppose it. we keep talking about this $40 per paycheck number. that's if you make $50,000 a year, you're going to take home about $40 extra a paycheck. you did last year too, so it means now you wouldn't see less money in your paycheck. it looks like this agreement would be for the rest of the year. the president of course yesterday as you guys pointed out was a little bit cautious, saying he'll believe when it he finally signs it. it looks, all indications are republicans and democrats have found common ground on this payroll tax cut. just not paying for it. they're going to let it happen without paying for it. at least through the end of the year, in an election year, they don't want 160 million workers to have a tax increase. >> there's a couple other negotiations ongoing as well that don't necessarily have to do with payroll extensions, more like unemployment, et cetera. >> also the doc fix, how much doctors are reimbursed for medicare services, body these things will have to be paid for. what you're seeing is arguments among democrats and republicans about how to do that. there had been some talk ladies among republicans about maybe for those extended unemployment benefits you have to have drug test organize some sort of -- kinds of testing to see if you would be eligible to have more unemployment benefits. not sure if that's going to fly. it just shows you on all of these issues there's still a lot of wrangling about these other issues, about how to get them paid for. again, we're running huge deficits and republicans are saying, we can't keep going on like this, temporary emergency measures over and over and over again, because we have to pay for it eventually. >> is that what they call kicking the can officially? >> yeah, they kicked the can so far i don't think anybody knows what a can is so far. >> i know. i mean, look. but it's an election year so everything, you know -- it's an election year. >> christine romans. more on that later from you, i hope. when are you coming back by the way? >> tomorrow. >> oh, good. >> let's get doughnuts. i need doughnuts. >> that's a little complicated at this hour of the morning. looking forward to seeing you tomorrow. >> doughnuts for the skinny girls, go for it. christine, thanks for that. syria on the brink of a full-scale war this morning with the slaughter of civilians. it is now spreading across the country. we have live pictures from homs. look at that black smoke, it's from a bombed oil pipeline. government troops say that they are intensifying shelling in that area. it is by the government troops. opposition says four dead already this morning, 49 killed tuesday. and reports also of government snipers on the street corners in homs. government attacks are spreading across syria now. even though there are other neighborhoods, other communities and other cities that are being hit, homes is still the focus, the dots, this is where the attacks are coming in, at least the reports from opposition members. homs is still berg the brunt of it. some of the other cities, dara, damascus, the capital. at this point the question becomes, should the united states step in? that's been bandied about but it hasn't been put to the u.s., now it is. look at these numbers. the latest polling shows an overwhelming number of americans oppose doing anything about aiding those syrians who are so desperate. 3-1. it's really remarkable. the question, do we have a responsibility? and that overwhelming answer, no. probably because we've kind of been there before and it hasn't worked out well. >> it's tough, though. it's tough to watch all of those impanels. a lot of people are weighing in on that. just difficult to see. we've heard syrian troops are using civilians as human shields. now video proof of that. listen to reporting from nick patton walsh. >> reporter: there had been reports the army was using detained civilians as human shields to prevent opposition militants shooting at them. now a video, the authenticity of which we can't confirm, seems to show that. slowly they crouch. then kneel. a child's voice behind the camera muttering, oh, mom, will they shoot them? look, look. the soldiers advance down the road. they then lie flat. >> it's so disturbing. and our nick patton walsh joins us live now from beirut in neighboring lebanon. obviously in beirut, lebanon, because it is just so lethal to be reporting from inside syria. nick, one of the reports i heard this morning is ringing so loud to me that these people inside syria, these opposition members, are so desperate, they're now suggesting they would accept help from israel? >> reporter: i'm sure it will feel that level of desperation. i spoke to an activist inside homes in a district which has borne the brunt of the artillery onslaught. as we spoke again this morning, i think actually more than yesterday we heard artillery shells thump in around him. let me just bring up now that picture of the skyline live showing the thick, black smoke from an oil pipeline that's been hit. the syrian military, syrian government, say that was the sabotage of free syrian army. omar, who i spoke to, said this was an air strike by the syrian military. deeply distressing if they are now using jets against that area. it's been pounded heavily now for 11 days. hundreds dead. omar referring to how actually there are now 100 people trying to shelter underground. just simply trying to eke out a life as they say they've been punished now intenselily this very well equipped military surrounding them. >> nick, it occurred to me at one point i haven't heard a lot from hezbollah. a lot of people in america equate hezbollah with a big terrorist group, but where you are, in your neck of the woods, hezbollah is a -- almost like a charitable organization. has hezbollah weighed in on either side of this? are they trying to aid some of these people? where do they stand? >> reporter: openly, it's been very clear that lebanon wants to stay neutral. it's been very clear they want to keep out of this. maybe there are private channels and systems, certainly there's enough kinship on both sides of the border between lebanon and syria, families who know each other, that yes, of course aid is going through. i'm not sure that constitutes a military sense. there was actually a shipment of weapons stopped on the border between lebanon and syria recently, a small run we understand. there are signs of that but certainly here where hezbollah are and have been for a while, a quiet predominant political force, pretty much since 2006 when they defeated israel so strongly defending this country against what many saw here as an israeli attack, hezbollah have not really put themselves in the forefront of this at all. it remains very much a struggle of the syrian people. >> it seems like they can't get help from friends or enemies, they're so lost, these people in syria. nick patton walsh, thanks very much, appreciate that. back at home there are new details in the investigation into whitney houston's death. police zeroing in on all those prescription medications that were found in her hotel room with her where she drowned. the "los angeles times" saying investigators are now expected to subpoena some of her doctors and pharmacies that supplied some of those drugs to her maybe wind the next couple of days, in fact. information about that and the medications might start coming in in this investigation. also new this morning, whitney houston will not be mourned at a large public memorial. the family is said to hold a private invitation-only service. it is scheduled saturday at the childhood church where she first began her singing. new hope baptist church in newark, new jersey, and it seats only 1,500 people. many fans are really disappointed about this news. they had hoped to pay their respects to the international star. the new hope pastor defends the family's decision to cnn's jason carroll. >> the family knows that they have to share whitney with the world. they're not ignoring that. but at the same time, it's such a -- the shock of it. and i shared with them, no decision is a wrong decision at this time. it's just however they feel to do it. >> a tough line. susan candiotti is live in newark, new jersey, with the very latest. susan, i have to tell you i passed by the apollo theater yesterday in harlem and it was a memorial to whitney. the fans feel like they need to say good-bye. are there any plans or any talk about that potentially happening? >> reporter: well, this might be as close as they'll be able to get, and that is outside the church. you see the flowers, the balloons, the signs to her. but there is talk of the possibility of putting up a big jumbo screen or a big screen outside. that, of course, would entail having a camera inside on this invitation-only celebration of her life. there will be a lot of grieving going on, but in fact fans might be able to see what's going on from the outside. you know, a lot of people believe that she belongs to newark and east orange and this area. fans from here and abroad, and they'd like to be a part of it. but for now, no big event at a public arena will be scheduled at this time. and the funeral director says that's just the way the family wants it. >> they have shared her for 30-some years. with the city, with the state, with the world. this is their time now for their farewell. >> reporter: and of course, governor christie here in new jersey has ordered flags to be flown at half-staff at government buildings on saturday when that private funeral and burial will be held. >> we called it an invitation-only funeral. do we know who potentially is on that list? >> reporter: well, certainly i think it's fair to say that obviously family members and big-name celebrities who were the closest to her. of course, her aunt will be there, her cousins, of course a number of people that we've been hearing from in the last few days are widely expected to be here, both from this local area, many celebrities who knew her and worked with her, as well as those no doubt from los angeles. >> and just lastly, very quickly here, the investigation that is ongoing, zeroing in now on the prescription pills? >> that's right. they are. and that's pretty standard operating procedure. you know, her friends have said she hasn't used any hard drugs for a few years but certainly we do know she was taking at the very least zan naction, which is an anti-anxiety drug, as well as some medication for her throat. but that in combination with what friends said she'd been drinking champagne, for example, earlier that day, a party before. and that can be a lethal combination. but again, we must stress we don't know what caused her to drown in the bathtub, whether it was from an overdose or some other medical reason. >> all right, susan candiotti live for us in newark, new jersey, thank you. >> it sure brings back those memories of anna nicole smith's death. we waited and waited for toxicology results. once you get cause of death you get manner of death and that's where investigators really start to zero in. >> it's just so sad. >> it fors everybody, everyone involved. we are going to switch gears only because there's some potential weather issues. possible thunderstorms? thunder in some communities, is that right, rob? >> we do have a threat down south. feels a little bit like spring in spots, it will feel like winter in spots before this week is done. shots out of arizona. the southwest corner of the u.s. yesterday got a little bit of it, you bet. especially north of, what is that, tucson? oh, yeah, bring it. places like flagstaff got 5, 6 inches. that's normal. to get snow in tucson, that's not normal. it was 40 degrees and raining in las vegas yesterday. so that's miserable. gives you an idea of that cold air all the way down to the mexican border. all right, loose rainfall across parts of the northeast right now, especially in the new york city area, that will go away fairly quickly. but fog's an issue in atlanta and other spots across parts of the south. new york metro, you'll see some delays because of the showers and the fog in atlanta and chicago and also the threat for thunderstorms, as you mentioned, across the south, including dallas. but mostly houston through lake charles, beaumont, texas, into new orleans later on today. the threat for seeing damaging storms with that, maybe an isolated tornado. there's the warming-up of the atmosphere, 74 expected in dallas. spring or kind of. >> do you think bomb-binating might be the word of the day today? >> is it? >> i have a dictionary, i keep it with me all the time. >> all right. i might add that to the weather technical terms here. >> tweet it out, mr. marciano. >> you got it. >> a thank you to our illustrious crew that supplies us with these extraordinarily difficult words every day. >> you step up and you deliver every day, good for you. >> it makes me sound erudite but i'm not. >> we're expanding our vocabulary. wobbling off with best in show. the judges named their top dog at the westminster top dog at madison square garden. >> best in show at the 136th annual westminster kennel club, america's dog show, is -- the peek niece. >> look at that cutie pa tootty. >> malachi won pest in show. >> frizzy hair. >> he petty beat out the dalmatian, look how cute. sorry. also beat out the german shepherd, the doberman pinscher, the wire-haired dachshund. they don't get any cash for this, in case you're wondering how coveted this prize is. it's a big deal because you get a silver bowl and you get a lot, a lot, a lot of breeding opportunities which i suppose in dog world can equate into a lot of the prize money. >> a face only a mother can love. >> 17 minutes past the hour, ahead on "early start, jer my lin. look, look. does it again. lin-sanity is spreading across the globe. >> he finds the twine. is that what they say? i don't know, i'm guessing. so if he's excited, this guy's getting excited too because he is soaring in the polls. it's san-torium. i'm making that up. it as pretty exciting time for rick santorum as he pulls ahead of romney in the critical states and the states upcoming. has class warfare broken out across the gop? you'll find the numbers rather intriguing. who ordered the yummy cereal? yummy. 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[ male announcer ] you do, business pro. you do. go national. go like a pro. ♪ the kid is hot tonight >> oh, good morning washington. but this song is all about canada. kind of. it's from canada, anyway. loverboy singing us in with "the kid is hot tonight." i wonder if that refers to santorum. he's been doing pretty well lately. >> i think it's lin. >> jeremy lin, of course. of course, you'd have to be another foreigner, right? jeremy lin been having a real good time in the last five games. doing just amazing. >> we're going to focus on him in a minute here. 21 minutes past the hour. congress reaching a tentative agreement to extend the payroll tax cut and jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed for another year. >> syria on the brink of a full-scale civil war. government troops killed 53 more civilians since yesterday. the violence now spreading to other cities across that country. rick santorum soaring. republican voters now view him more favorably than mitt romney in a new cnn/orc poll. >> he's san-toring? >> that's a good one. >> he's having as good a time as lin is having. now it's sweeping across international borders with loverboy singing about him. turning into a toe bow-like phenomenon and he did it again last night. have a peek-a-boo at this and you'll know what we're talking about. this is the game-winning basket. look at him, a three-pointer. at least i'm told that's a three-pointer. he did it, look at that. 1.5 seconds to go. >> the new york knicks beat the toronto raptors 90-87 because of that. look at this, though. the toronto fans were cheering for lin. the knicks now have won six in a row with lin at the helm. listen to lin right after the game. >> think it's a miracle from god is the way i described it. just because obviously -- i don't think anybody expected this to happen. >> joining us now, l.z. granderson, cnn.com contributor and senior writer at espn. good morning to you. >> good morning to you, how are you? >> i'm doing well. okay,