better than an eyewitness, because the science doesn't lie or doesn't get confused or forget. >> but it's never going to bring shirley back, and we know that, but at least by leaving that courtroom, having him sentenced to life, we knew we had done to life, we knew we had done everything we could for shirley. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com crisis in ukraine. desperate and billions in debt. how the u.s. may be stepping in to help and why it could reignite cold war flames with russia. we're live. a mysterious virus paralyzing children in california. parents desperate for a cure. the new information we're learned this morning. arctic outbreak! millions across the country waking up this morning to bitter-cold temperatures. record lows could be broken. stay in bed, everyone. indra petersons tracking how cold it's going to get. >> getting to ridiculous, obscene levels at this point. >> good morning and welcome to

"early start"! i'm christine romans. >> so nice, you had to say it twice. hi, there. i'm john berman. it is tuesday, february 25th, 5:00 a.m. in the east. let's begin this morning with grave concern about a polio-like illness that's caused partial paralysis in children in california. doctors not exactly sure what it is or what's causing it. five cases have been confirmed, and state health officials say there may be 20 more cases. sophia is one of the children studied so far showing signs of this elness. all of these kids received polio vaccination. doctors say the children experienced sudden, apparent irreversible paralysis affecting one or more limbs. >> the prognosis we've seen so far is not good. most of the children we've seen have not recovered use of their arm or leg. >> i'd like to say that sophia is still a healthy, young girl who's thriving. she goes to preschool. she does dance. and we were very lucky that it only affected her left arm.

i was with her in the er when she was having trouble breathing. i know that we are so lucky that she's here and i know that many families go through losing a child. so, we are so grateful that sophia is with us today, and she's going to do amazing things. >> oh, my goodness. love those parents. doctors studying the syndrome says it's extremely rare. they say all cases have been reported in california and only in the past 18 months. >> and the unknown there has to be so frustrated for parents and families. all right, this morning, it has all the makings of a diplomatic showdown. russia calling the ousting of the ukrainian president an armed mutiny and says a new ukrainian government is not legitimate. there is a manhunt right now for viktor yanukovych, the ousted president who is now a fugitive accused of the mass murder of his own people. and as that happens, the u.s. is reaching out, offering financial assistance to the country in turmoil and dispatching a senior diplomatic envoy to kiev to

discuss emergency u.s. support. reports say ukraine has delayed until thursday putting an interim government in place. that deadline had been for today. they extended it until thursday. still, there are serious questions about whether even that can happen amid the chaos. cnn's nick paton walsh live in kiev this morning. nick, what's the latest from there? >> reporter: what we're hearing at the moment is that bill burns, deputy secretary of state, is arriving today with people from the u.s. treasury. they will, of course, have to address the issue of the emergency amount of money that ukraine needs right now. they asked yesterday for $35 billion, but that's going to be a real tough ask, because the russians are willing to put $15 billion in. the eu, the u.s. are talking the right talk, but they don't have the cash in hand yet and there are conditions they would like to see, like the currency being devalued, like the imf being more closely involved, where they will put extra strain on the economy here as well. but i think the vision of support the west is trying to offer by stepping in where the

russians have stepped back. you did mention how the russians have said through their prime minister that this was an armed riot that removed the government and they're not sure about the legitimacy of what's followed, but the real question is, when do we hear from vladimir putin? he really calls the shots in moscow and he's been noticeably silent, having just left the sochi winter olympics that he was very much put through a spectacle of the way he'd like to see russia in the future. we haven't heard his word on this yet, noticeably silent. we're waiting to see quite what the u.s. can provide in terms of financial assistance, but behind me here, still grieving. we've been hearing almost constant mass now for those who died, for dozens who died last thursday. a lot of anger still here, both at the riches that have fled viktor yanukovych, last seen in a private house near balaclava, but a fugitive on the run. they want him brought to trial. they want to see their new parliament and government transparent and open. during the russia votes that happened yesterday, putting various ministers in with votes.

there were people outside the parliament crying shame, angry at how the whole process had a lack of transparency to it, so people here demanding a lot from their government. the government has an extraordinarily hard task ahead of it and needs money right now. difficult days ahead. >> difficult, indeed. and nick, we can hear the sounds of those memorial services happening behind you, the sounds of mourning today in kiev. nick paton walsh, thank you so much. all right, big news for your 401(k) this morning. the bull market in stocks alive and well. the s&p 500 hit a record high yesterday and opens this morning less than a point from that closing high today. tech stocks on fire. facebook, google, tesla shares, record highs for those tech stocks. the nasdaq, a 14-year high almost, and that enthusiasm is circling the globe at this hour. japan's nikkei just closed above 15,000. australia's main index slipped, but not before hitting a nearly six-year high in australia stocks. stock futures here in the u.s. holding steady this morning. this has been a stellar run. i want to show you what it looks

like. this is a run that started nearly five years ago. the s&p 500 has nearly tripled in value since hitting bottom in 2009, five years ago about next week. there's been a wave of corporate deals, facebook buying whatsapp, comcast buying time warner cable. most corporate earnings have come in strong. the economy is growing, and the federal reserve is planning to pull back its stimulus out of the economy only gradually. for now, all of those ingredients still fueling a bull market. the big question for everyone with a little skin in the game, a little exposure to, say, the stock market and their 401(k), they're wondering how long this five-year-long bull can last. >> well, in january it was tough. january was not a good month and everybody was talking about is this the correction people have been waiting for? not a technical correction in january. >> no, 5.8% is what the s&p fell, need 10% for a technical correction. just falling 5% was enough to find a lot of new buyers and now up near record highs again. >> here we go. six minutes after the hour. a look at the long-awaited

republican plan to simplify the u.s. tax code. this will be released tomorrow, but cnn already has highlights. the measure would slash the top income tax rate from 39.6% to 25%. there would only be two tax brackets, 25% and 10%. the plan would also impose a sur tax on the super rich. a joint congressional committee analyzed the plan to determine that the vast amount of taxpayers would see little or no change to their tax bill. there's no crisis looming, but the white house says president obama will have a private sit-down with house speaker john boehner in the oval office this morning. it's not known specifically what they'll discuss, just that a broad set of topics on the agenda. it's likely the president will lobby the speaker on his legislative priorities, including immigration reform, a minimum wage increase and extending unemployment benefits that lapsed last year. >> you know, not such a bad thing for the president and speaker to talk, just so they can talk. defense secretary chuck hagel travels to army and air force installations today to pitch his plan for a leaner u.s. military.

hagel's proposed defense budget calls for a smaller fighting force pretty much across the board and includes more possible base closings. this would shrink the army to preworld war ii levels. hagel says the u.s. requires a smaller high-tech military as opposed to a larger, less modern force. in venezuela, a key opposition leader slamming president nicolas maduro. instead of showing up for a scheduled meeting with him. enrique kprilas said the meeting would like look an endorsement of the repressive regime and wouldn't say whether he would sit out a national peace conference hosted by the president, called for tomorrow. for weeks, venezuela has been torn by political strife that's reportedly left more than a dozen dead. people there very angry about poor security in the country and 50%-plus inflation. >> it's crazy. all right, this will get u.s. attention. reuters is reporting a deal for iraq to buy arms and ammunition from iran. this is a move that would violate a u.n. embargo on weapon

sales by tehran. the report shows the agreement was reached back in november. it's said nuri al maliki made the deal after being fed up in delays with u.s. arm shipments. a fishing vessel stranded in antarctic waters. 90 people are said to be aboard the vessel. the chilean navy head is operating a search-and-rescue operation at this point. we will follow this and bring you details as they become available. extreme cold making a comeback. temperatures heading due south again. parts of the midwest and the northeast could see record lows up to 40 degrees below normal. does this sound familiar? >> very familiar, all too familiar. indra petersons is here to explain it all to us. >> i have no idea what you're talking about. what? yeah, we know this by now. we're definitely talking about that arctic chill again making its way down to the south. we're talking about that cold air kind of hanging around the midwest and the lakes today, but

that cold air's going to spread even further. let's just talk about where the temperatures are this morning. very easy to see where the purples are, right? minneapolis right now negative 3, but that's not even with the windchill brought in. you add in the windchill and you're talking about these temperatures feeling like 20 below. new york city right now, i know, i was shaking running into work this morning. feels like 19. there's good reason for that, right? now let's talk about what else is expected. you can see around indianapolis, they saw about half an inch. some flurries will be out there throughout the day. we're not expecting a lot, but yes, it may take some people by surprise, i suppose. then, overnight in through tomorrow, still talking about some flurries out there. a little low making its way around. new york city 0.2 inches, not a lot, d.c. a little over an inch. you get the picture, flurries, not a major storm. farther down south, talking about 1 to 2 inches of rain, since it is warmer, and that's not the big story. the big story is the cold. how long's going to last? well, throughout the week. look how nervous i am already. >> i know. thanks for that. but you say it might take people by surprise. you should never be taken by

surprise if you listen to indra. she will always tell you -- >> love you more now, john. >> it's true. thanks, indra. did you catch it last night? seth meyers, one of my favorite late-night talk show hosts, he is now on tv. late-night franchise on nbc. the former head "snl" writer and update anchor debuted as host of nbc's "late night," taking over for jimmy fallon. the first guest on his show, amy poehler, former "snl" castmate, of course, and also vice president joe biden who said he resisted stealing meyers' opening night thunder. >> you've been very open about talking about 2016 and considering what you're going to do. where are you in your thought process? what are you taking into account? >> well, you know, i was planning on making a major announcement tonight, but i decided tonight's your night. >> thank you. thank you. >> so, i hope you'll invite me back. >> yes, absolutely. and amy, your 2016 plans? >> oh, i'm going to run for president. >> okay, great. >> how about vice president joe biden showing some comic timing

there? that was terrific. amy poehler had encouraging words for her good friend, seth meyers, as a host, saying "i've watched you for 13 years. pretend to listen to people." there's fred armenson, another former castmate, leading the band there. >> the vice president has comic timing and comic mistiming, both of them. he's very funny. >> an unusual and valued commendation. a new warning for women about tylenol this morning. why researchers say taking the drug while pregnant could affect your child for life. all right, take a look at this. they say their lives flashed before their eyes. a family celebrating, but it ends in tragedy. the warning they want you to hear this morning, next. wow. (vo) you are a business pro.

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looking to unseat mitch mcconnell, who also faces a primary challenge from the right. grimes calls clinton a longtime, close family friend. indeed, he is. she hopes his popularity will give her a boost in the typically red state. bill clinton won kentucky in 1992, which is interesting. people forget that. also interesting, this is a state where barack obama could not go to campaign for a democratic senate candidate, but bill clinton can. new jersey governor chris christie releases his proposed state budget today as new polls show his approval ratings in the tank. according to the monmouth university poll, only 49% of registered state voters approve of the job he's doing. in january it was 58%. last year 70%. those are poll numbers, you know, politicians don't like to see. >> no. >> bridgegate may be to blame. more people than ever now say christie has not come clean about his politically motivated lane closures on the george washington bridge. more testimony today in the trial of kerry kennedy. that's the daughter of robert kennedy charged with driving under the influence of a

sleeping aid. on monday, jurors watched a seemingly disoriented kennedy allegedly failing three sobriety tests on police video. prosecutors say she had a duty to pull over before causing the minor accident. two of her brothers and her 85-year-old mother, ethel, were in court on monday. kennedy is expected to take the stand. all right, u.s. attempts to extradite mexican drug lord joaquin "el chapo" guzman are on the back burner this morning. that's because mexican authorities have formally charged him with cocaine trafficking and a judge will decide today whether to put him on trial in mexico. guzman's lawyers have already filed a petition asking the mexican courts to block any extradition request from the united states. ohio's governor honoring the three women who survived a decade of captivity in a cleveland house. amanda berry, gina dejesus and michelle knight received courage awards. it is so wonderful to see them all smiling. the three appearing on stage monday night with governor john kasich. he said the three extraordinary women, despite having the worst in this world thrown at them,

rose above it and emerged not as victims but as victors. lovely words. all right, federal marshals joining the man@hunt for a convicted child rapist who cut off his ankle monitor and fled a group home in colorado. there he is. police say 51-year-old eric hartwell is a sexually violent predator. he had been living at independence house in denver since december and police say this is not the first time he has escaped. >> he has a history of this. he served his time in the correctional facilities, and then gets released under supervised release, cuts off a bracelet or a monitoring device and is gone. >> hartwell was convicted of raping a 6-year-old and trying to rape a pregnant teenager. he was paroled to the denver facility under lifetime supervision because he failed to register as a sex offender. we have some stunning video to show you of a deck collapse in indiana. look at that. 24 people plunging more than a story to the ground. that is just unbelievable. this happened back in december

during a family christmas party as people gathered for a group photo. you can see it happen right there. the deck just gives way. >> we were in shock. i mean, i said how could this happen? >> some people called this a freak accident. you know, a meteorite hissing your house would be a freak accident. this was going to fall one day. >> the family involved is now suing the people who made and maintained the deck. they're hoping the video can help others spot potential deck dangers. three of the people injured in the collapse still are not walking. a new study suggests women with genetic mutations carrying the risk of breast and ovarian cancer can reduce their risk of cancer if they have their ovaries removed by the age of 35. the study shows that the risk is reduced by as much as 80%. researchers at the university of toronto tracked nearly 6,000 women to determine the survival benefit. >> i think there's a lot of medical news this morning that will make women take notice, including this. new fears about acetaminophen,

the active drug in tylenol. a new study suggests a strong link between prenatal use in cases of adhd, attention deficit disorder. the study shows that increased risk for kids whose mother took the drug, especially during the second and third trimesters. many doctors say fevers could pose an even greater risk to the fetus and would still recommend tylenol to control those fevers. >> oh, wow. all right, a big change for baseball, a new rule that could change the way the game is played. andy scholes breaks it all down next in the "bleacher report." >> no home plate collisions here! [ male announcer ] at northrop grumman,

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all right, sports fans, you may have missed this. i did. michael sam's historic quest to become the nfl's first openly gay player hit a snag as he struggled at the nfl combine. andy scholes tells us more in the "bleacher report." break it down for us. >> before the combine, michael sam was predicted to be a mid to late-round pick in may's nfl draft, but he definitely did not help that projection with his performance yesterday. sam ran a disappointing 4.91 40-yard dash. he also struggled in the weight room and in the moving drills. while sam did not impress the scouts, jadeveon clowney sure did. the 6'5", 255-pound defensive end ran a 4.53 40-yard dash. that's just insane for a man his size. check out warren sapp's reaction. clowney is expected to be a top three pick in the draft. all right, trending on bleacherreport.com this morning,

knicks versus mavs. tied at 108 with time winding down, carmelo anthony teeing up dirk nowitzki. dirk tosses it up, it bounces around, then goes in at buzzer. mavs over the knicks 110-108. and that right there may be the nail in the coffin to the knicks' miserable season. and dirk's game-winner not the end of the bad news for the knicks. point guard raymond felton was arrested this morning on three counts of criminal possession of a weapon. the "new york post" is reporting that felton allegedly pointed a gun at a woman. among the charges for felton are second and third-degree criminal possession of a firearm, which are felonies. all right, major league baseball has approved a new experimental rule that they say will help prevent the most egregious collisions at home plate. the new rule prevents catchers from blocking the plate before they have possession of the ball, and it prevents runners from deviating from their direction path to make contact with the catcher to try to knock

the ball out. umpires will be able to use video replay to make sure they get these calls right. and john, baseball purists, you know, they don't like rule changes that change the game in any way. what do you think about this new rule? >> i think they need to do something, try to do something to address the home plate collisions, because they're ridiculous things. it happened a lot to us here on "early start,". no, in all seriousness, i think they need to do do something. there's a little bit of a gray area here, i'm not sure i quite understand. i think it would put the runners at risk because the catcher can still stand there if he has the ball and i think the runner won't know what he does now? >> basically, the runner has to slide and they're sliding into a catcher that has all this gear on. it could cause further injury. >> that's a concern. and also having to make that snap decision when you're ten feet away from the bag. that could lead to snapped ankles, things like that, but i like trying to address it somehow. >> why didn't andy scholes ask me what i think about it? >> what do you think about it?

>> i think whatever you think, berman. that's my instructed opinion on sports. >> now we know you're lying. the top headlines and everything you need to know for the day and the stock market, after the break. orkin' the menu. mayo? corn dogs? you are so outta here! aah! [ female announcer ] the complete balanced nutrition of great-tasting ensure. 24 vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, and 9 grams of protein. [ bottle ] ensure®. nutrition in charge™. abreva can heal a cold sore in as few as 2 1/2 days when used at the first sign. without it, the virus spreads from cell to cell. unlike other treatments, abreva penetrates deep to block the virus, to protect healthy cells so cold sores heal fast. as fast as 2 1/2 days when used at the first sign. ♪ learn more at abreva.com. don't tough it out. knock it out! fast. [ female announcer ] only with abreva. knock it out! fast. peoi go to angie's listt for all kinds of reasons. to gauge whether or not the projects will be done

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a mystery illness terrifying parents. children suddenly paralyzed, doctors unable to help. new information that we're learning just this morning. watching for records on wall street. markets closing near record highs on monday. we're going to tell you what happened overnight and what you can expect this morning. and developing overnight.

did you miss this? joe biden helping seth meyers kick off late night with a big announcement, sort of. welcome back to "early start," everyone. great to see you. i'm john berman. >> i'm christine romans. it's 30 minutes after the hour. word of a potential health threat in california. officials mystified by a childhood illness that mimics polio but isn't. sophia is one of five confirmed cases showing signs of this illness. there may be 20 more. doctors say the children experience sudden, apparently irreversible paralysis affecting one or more limbs. >> the prognosis that we've seen so far is not good. most of the children we've seen have not recovered use of their arm or leg. >> i'd like to say that sophia is still a healthy, young girl who's thriving. she goes to preschool. she does dance. and we were very lucky that it only affected her left arm. i was with her in the er when

she was having trouble breathing. i know that we are so lucky that she's here, and i know that many families go through losing a child, so we are so grateful that sophia is with us today, and she's going to do amazing things. >> i'm sure she will. all of the children being studied were vaccinated against polio. doctors studying the syndrome say it's extremely rare. they say all the cases have been reported in california and only in the past 18 months. >> still a mystery. a diplomatic showdown brewing with ukraine set to form a new government, and russia refusing to acknowledge the new government. moscow blasts the ousting of president viktor yanukovych as an armed mutiny. yanukovych is now being hunted in his own country, accused of mass murder. with ukraine in turmoil, the u.s. says it is ready to provide financial assistance to help stabilize the new government. cnn's nick paton walsh is live in kiev. nick, meanwhile, there is a stunning silence from russian leader vladimir putin.

>> reporter: absolutely. we've only heard from his prime minister, dmitry medvedev, not really the main player when it comes to foreign policy decisions in moscow. with putin being at the winter games the last few weeks, just left recently, but we haven't heard a beg, overarching statement on this remarkable crisis for him and his sphere of influence in this part of the world. today in kiev arrived u.s. deputy secretary of state william burns with some officials from the u.s. treasury. they're here to obviously provide political support initially but to talk through the complex, messy task of whether the billions of dollars that ukraine needs right now to keep its economy and government afloat, where does that come from? it was going to come from russia, but they had political demands upon ukraine that led to the protest behind me. now the eu are asked to supply that, but they are being cautious. they want to see the imf involved and set various terms to make sure the money, in their eyes, is spent correctly, but $35 billion is the figure the

government said they wanted yesterday, and they also said the country is bankrupt, that the coffers are empty. so, real pressing demands right now. while the manhunt goes on for viktor yanukovych, charges of mass murder against him. he was last seen leaving a house in balaclava. suggestions he may be hiding on a russian naval base. nothing confirmed about that at all, but still, the crisis continuing here because the country does not have a fully competent government yet. ministers filling up the cabinet, but the question of who's prime minister, effectively, the new ceo of the country under the weakened constitution that viktor yanukovych agreed but eventually led to his ouster hasn't been decided. that could be by thursday. >> political intrigue, economic entreeg at the same time. you can hear the speakers behind nick, the memorial services for the people killed in kiev over the last week. thanks, nick. all right, here in the states, an urgent question for your 401(k) this morning -- will the stock market rally keep going or hit the pause button?

the s&p 500 will open within one point of its record closing high. the nasdaq is at a nearly 14-year high. and the rally is boosting overseas markets. japan's nikkei leading the way. a month ago we were talking about a potential correction in the market, fwhaut drama appears to be over. january's losses completely erased! and your 401(k) is jumping. fidelity says the average balance was $46,000 five years ago in 2009 when the stock market hit bottom. it's gone almost straight up since then. the average balance now $90,000. here's why. the s&p 500 has surged more than 170% in that time. but now it's raising major questions about what's next. remember, this bull market is nearly five years old. most analysts are optimistic, but they're cautious, because history shows the older the bull run, the more volatile it is. and john, there has not been a meaningful pullback in two or three years for the stock market. a lot of people saying when a pullback comes, it could be ugly. but in the meantime, every pullback just keeps going to new

highs. >> january was what, 5%? but that didn't stop things. all right, thanks so much. one on one at the white house. president obama and house speaker john boehner will have a private sit-down in the oval office this morning. broad set of topics said to be on the agenda. it is likely the president will lobby the speaker on his legislative priorities, including immigration reform, a minimum wage increase and sti extending unemployment benefits that lapsed last year. unclear how receptive the speaker will be, but productive that the two are meeting. chuck hagel says it's time for reality as wars end in an era of budget cuts. the proposed budget for 2015 calls for a smaller fighting force across the board and another round of base closures, shrinking the army to preworld war ii levels. he says the u.s. needs a smaller, high-tech military, as opposed to a larger, less-modern force. this morning reuters reporting that iraq has signed a deal to purchase weapons from iran, one that would break a united nations-imposed embargo

in weapons sales by tehran. the deal is reportedly worth $195 million and includes light and medium arms, various types of ammunition, communications equipment and protection against chemical agents. several iraqi lawmakers telling reuters that prime minister nuri al maliki made the deal after being fed up with delays in u.s. arm shipments. breaking this morning, a south korean flag fishing vessel stranded in antarctic waters with some 90 crew members aboard. chilean navy officials say the "quang jong ho" ran aground by the coast. all members are said to be in good health. they are waiting to coordinate a rescue plan. last week's thaw was nothing but a -- i can't even say it -- nothing but a weather tease. how's that? big cold is back with a vengeance. parts of the west and midwest could see temperatures some 40 degrees below normal. a weather tease. >> he says this with a smile on his face. indra petersons has some explaining to do on this. it's like forecasting the stock

market, you can't take credit or blame with the forecast, right? you have to just tell it like it is. >> when it's good, i have to take credit, because i have no choice, it is always my fault, so i want the return favor come springtime. nevertheless, here we go again, guys. take a look. see the blue, the pink, the purple? this is not good stuff, the cold air dipping into the upper midwest and heading into the northeast, each day spreading farther down to the south. that is the problem that we are dealing with today. in fact, windchill advisories are out there. why? because it's cold. let's talk about the current temperatures. here's what it's actually like out there. kansas city 24, chicago 18, minneapolis without the windchill 3 below. now let's add the windchill. it almost looks like it was already in play, but no. feels like 20 below in minneapolis, chicago single digits. that's what it feels like right now. even down to the south, atlanta just barely above freezing at 36 degrees. you know it's cold when the southeast feels a little chill. and it's not the only story today. the difference from yesterday, even some flurries are going to be making their way through the

ohio valley and into the northeast. nothing major, but enough. you'll see maybe just about under an inch for some of the big cities out there. lake-effect snow totals will be higher off the lakes. down to the south, yes, it's warmer, so several inches of rain are going to be seen out there, but again, the big story, the cold is here, it is getting worse by tomorrow morning. so, if you thought today was bad, nothing compared to tomorrow, guys. >> meteorological tease. >> there's your tease. >> i just said it right there out loud. all right. >> thanks, indra. all right, while you were sleeping, vice president joe biden making a big appearance late night. what he had to say about, i don't know, a 2016 presidential run? we're breaking it down for you live right after the break. mine was earned in korea in 1953. afghanistan, in 2009. orbiting the moon in 1971. [ male announcer ] once it's earned, usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation. because it offers a superior level of protection. and because usaa's commitment to serve current and former military members and their families is without equal. begin your legacy.

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how much traction clinton's name will have in a red state. paul steinhauser is joining us with more from washington. good morning! >> reporter: good morning! the democrats bringing out the big gun, i guess you could say. bill clinton is basically a rock star on the campaign trail for his party. here he goes again. and you made a good point, this time again campaigning in a red state where president barack obama and his policies are not so popular. a senior democratic party official told me that bill clinton's probably their best surrogate in these kind of states, rather than the president himself. and with the democrats defending a bunch of senate seats in those states, expect to see a lot of bill clinton this year. as for today, alison grimes, there is a family tie here to the clintons. her father was the party boss, the democratic party boss in kentucky back in the day, and he's also very close to both bill and hillary clinton. he chaired hillary clinton's 2008 campaign in kentucky. and you know what? we've seen this with bill clinton the last couple cycles when he goes on the campaign trail, he often helps people who backed hillary clinton in 2008. so, all this kind of hovering

over bill clinton now as he goes out on the trail this year, because you've got hillary clinton thinking about running in 2016. and finally, the race itself, as you mentioned, grimes going against mcdonnell. remember, mcconnell is senate majority leader. he not only faces her in the general election, he has to get through a primary challenge, being challenged by a tea party surrogate on the right. >> while you're talking about the clintons, let's continue this episode of "i love the '90s" and let's talk about the bush family, because jeb bush making a big splash in the news with a potential 2016 thing hanging on the horizon. >> reporter: yep, and he was asked yesterday about that. he said listen, i'll decide by the end of the year, so no news there. but he was asked about his mother's president, jeb would make a good president, but there have been enough bushes in the white house, let somebody else run. >> i get the point, and if i were to run, i would have to overcome that. and so would hillary, by the way. keep the same standards for

everybody. >> reporter: there you go, jeb bush admitting it's an issue for him and hillary clinton. >> meantime, you have the vice president on with seth meyers last night. i want your reaction to something he said but didn't say. >> you've been very open about talking about 2016 and considering what you're going to do. where are you in your thought process? what are you taking into account? >> well, you know, i was planning on making a major announcement tonight, and, but i decided tonight's your night. >> thank you. thank you. >> and so -- >> thank you. >> so, i hope you'll invite me back. >> yes, absolutely. and amy, your 2016 plans? >> oh, i'm going to run for president. >> okay, great. >> i hope you'll invite me back, paul, he says, so he can make an announcement? >> well, there was the big news right there, amy poehler's running for president, not joe biden. i don't know. she's got my vote. seriously, though, joe biden's not going to make that announcement on a late-night talk show, no doubt about that, but he's having a lot of fun raising his visibility. this morning he's on "the view," talking about health care and joining the ladies of "the

view," so expect more joe biden raising his visibility this year as he gets closer to making a decision on running for president again. guys? >> didn't john edwards announce his candidacy on "the daily show"? i guess you could make the case that it didn't work out for him. paul steinhauser, thank you very much. let's look at what's coming up on "new day." >> kate bolduan is joining us. good morning, kate. >> one recommendation, do not follow how john edwards ran his campaign. not advisable. all right, good morning, guys. we'll be talking about defense secretary chuck hagel's proposal to trim down the military this morning, trim it. when we say trim, it's actually a pretty huge cut, reducing the army to its smallest size in decades. now comes, of course, the backlash, a lot of congress saying no way, no thanks, this is not a good idea. we're going to talk this morning with senator john mccain. he's going to be joining us live to talk about what he thinks of the secretary's plan. and also, it was the new hit of the winter games, slopestyle skiing. american men took all three medals, gold, silver and bronze

in that event. they are all three here this morning to talk about their great russian adventure. they are three very interesting guys. they call themselves like family is how they describe themselves, and they're going to be joining us to talk about it. >> photo bomb! >> yeah. >> going to be sneaking around with his phone. >> it's going to be fun. coming up for us, you have to look at these pictures. a family shaken when a celebration turns to horror. look at that. the warning they want you to hear this morning, coming up next. peoi go to angie's listt for all kinds of reasons. to gauge whether or not the projects will be done in a timely fashion and within budget. angie's list members can tell you which provider is the best in town. you'll find reviews on everything from home repair to healthcare. now that we're expecting, i like the fact i can go onto angie's list and look for pediatricians. the service providers that i've found on angie's list actually have blown me away. find out why more than two million members count on angie's list. angie's list -- reviews you can trust.

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the governor of arizona facing pressure this morning to veto a bill many have called discriminatory. the arizona house approved a bill allowing business owners to refuse service to same-sex couples because of their religious beliefs. the move has cast unwanted attention on the state and some elected officials are now saying

it's a bad decision. >> we feel very badly that the state reputation has been tarnished by our vote, and that's why we're asking the governor to veto this. >> we want to correct something that we did that it isn't good for the state, especially if you look around and see the negative publicity from all over the world, as bob said. it's been bad. >> the nfl, which is set to host next year's super bowl in arizona, says in a statement to cnn that it's "following this controversy in the state and will continue to do so, should the bill be signed into law." >> a thinly veiled threat from the nfl there. >> it is. new fears about se acetaminoph acetaminophen, the drug in tylenol, connected to adhd, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. the study shows increased risks for kids whose mother took the drug, especially during the second and third trimesters. a frighting in scene in indiana. 24 people -- oh, it's hard to watch -- they plunged to the ground after a deck collapse. it actually happened back in december during a family

christmas party. as people gathered for a group photo, the deck gave way. >> we were in shock. i mean, i said how could this happen? >> some people called this a freak accident. you know, a meteorite hitting your house would be a freak accident. this was going to fall one day. >> the family involved is now suing the people who made and maintained the deck. they're hoping the video can help others spot potential deck dangers. three of the people injured in that collapse still are not walking. profiles in courage now. amanda berry, gina dejesus and michelle knight, who of course, survived a decade of captivity in a cleveland house, are receiving ohio's courage award. look at this, the three women getting a group hug from ohio governor john kasich during monday's ceremony. kasich called them extraordinary and said despite having the worst in this world thrown at them, they rose above it and emerged not as victims but as victors. love seeing them smile. all right, coming up for us

next, samsung out with its newest smartphone. tech hype. the stakes very, very high. "money time" is next. ♪ ♪ turn around ♪ every now and then i get a little bit hungry ♪ ♪ and there's nothing really good around ♪ ♪ turn around ♪ every now and then i get a little bit tired ♪ ♪ of living off the taste of the air ♪ ♪ turn around, barry ♪ finally, i have a manly chocolatey snack ♪ ♪ and fiber so my wife won't give me any more flack ♪ ♪ i finally found the right snack ♪ ♪ you want a way to help minimize blood sugar spikes. support heart health.

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good morning. welcome back to "early start." it's "money time." the biggest question in money today, will the bull market keep running, or is it running out? wall street is making another run at record highs. the s&p 500 within one point of its closing high. the bull market is getting ready to celebrate, oh, its fifth birthday. that's in less than two weeks. >> happy birthday! >> i know, and it has been happy if you've been invested in the market, but everyone's wondering, when will stocks run out of steam? after all, not all the news has been good. housing numbers out this week will probably be weak. i'm expecting kind of a weak number today. and winter weather dampened the economy in january and february. for now, though, analysts are optimistic. we'll see if there's a pause button hit today. futures pretty flat right now. $19 billion, hey, that's cheap! >> huh? >> that's the message from facebook ceo mark zuckerberg in his first public comments about the deal to buy whatsapp for $19 billion, an astonishing sum. speaking at a big tech

conference known as mobile world congress, zuckerberg points to whatsapp's growing user base. >> on a path to connecting more than a billion people, and there are very few services in the world that can reach that level, and they're all incredibly valuable. >> whatsapp users pay $1 a year to use the service, so if it gets a billion users, it's projected, hey, that's not bad, right? nice chunk of change for facebook, but it really wants those eyeballs. meanwhile, whatsapp says it will start offering voice calls this spring. and the galaxy s-5 debut. samsung launching its latest smartphone at the same conference zuckerberg was appearing at. for samsung, the stakes are high. last year's galaxy s-4 was criticized for being virtually the same as the previous version, and that was a sales disappointment. so, this time the company has some new bells and whistles. the s5 is resistant to dust and water. the display can adapt to bright and dim settings. it also has a heart rate sensor, fingerprint scanner on the home button, just like the iphone.

>> but it sounds like samsung's having the same problem apple's having, which is that real, new, true groundbreaking innovation is tough. these phones have advanced sort of as far as they can get. >> i know, and people have very high expectations. they want a big, you know, a big bang every time, and now they're getting just kind of little bangs. >> the water-proof thing could be interesting, though, since you have to make calls under water sometimes. >> i like the sensor that detects whether it's bright or dim. >> thanks for the prognosis we've seen so far is not good. most the children seen have not recovered. >> new details on the scary polio-like disease paralyzing children in california. we're going to hear from their parents for the first time. arctic plunge. the winter that will not let up. temperatures set to drop well

below normal today across the midwest and east. we're tracking it all. ted nugent speaking out after calling the president a subhuman mongrel. his new promise about moving forward using such language. your "new day" starts right now. good morning. welcome to "new day." welcome to the conversation. >> welcome. it's tuesday, february 25th, 6:00 in the east. we're all sick. coming up a real medical mystery for you. as many as 25 children stricken by an illness similar to polio. one of the victims, this sweet little girl named sophia