it's tuesday, february 16th, and coming up on "early today," it's a political battle swirls around choosing the next supreme court nominee, the nasty name-calling and personal attacks get even more bare-knuckled. >> this guy, ted cruz is the most dishonest guy i think i've ever met in politics. i've never heard a politician call anoer politician directly a liar. >> when both marco rubio and donald trump scream liar liar, it makes you wonder how they would handle dealing with putin. to music's biggest night. what happened to adele's return performance. and the multiple tributes that brought down the house. plus wicked weather, tornadoes and driving snow cause havoc around the u.s. a magical moment in mexico for the faithful. and pope francis. and a creature from the

depths of the polar vortex. "early today" starts now. thanks for being with us. the battle lines have been drawn between republicans and democrats over who should fill the vacancy left in the supreme court after justice antonin scalia's death. republicans are doubling and tripling down, that the nomination should be left to the next president. a belief becoming a battle cry on the campaign trail. >> i intend to make 2016 a referendum on the u.s. supreme court. >> we're not moving forward on a nominee until after the election. >> the republicans should not allow it to happen. >> on the other side of the aisle, democrats say that it is president obama's responsibility. >> for the president, this boils down to something very simple, just doing his job and we expect the senate to do the same. >> it would be the height of irresponsibility for the republican leadership not to have a vote on a nominee from the president. >> and the white house adds that the president will not announce a nominee until congress returns

from break next week and that he doesn't plan on making a recess appointment. at least for the time being. nbc's tracie potts joins us from washington with where the fight goes next. good morning, tracie. >> good morning, everyone. where it goes next is president obama probably picking a nominee who may or may not get a vote here on capitol hill. you just heard from senator leahy who now says that the president does have a short list and they've got more names to propose to him. but the question is whether or not any of those potential nominees will ever get a vote here. >> it's unprecedented. it's pure politics. >> from capitol hill -- >> it is wrong. it is not responsible. >> to the campaign trail -- >> talk about cowardice. talk about obstructionism. >> democrats are pushing back hard at republicans' refusal to give president obama supreme court nominee a vote. >> let's have a hearing. let's hear from our constituents what they think. and then vote. not say no vote at all. >> the people of this country should send a very clear

message, that is not the way our constitution works. >> they point out anthony kennedy was won firmed by a democrat senate in president reagan's final year. >> the constitution does not include exemptions for election years or for the president's last term in office. we're in an election year, i'm not going to pretend that's not part of the atmospherics here. >> the republican candidates insist the replacement for justice scalia should not be president obama's choice. >> the republicans should reject. i think the new president should have that option. >> the practical implications are nil. it's all about politics. >> they argue even if an obama nominee is confirmed. it could be too late to have any impact this term. back live now shannon a "washington post" op-ed came out overnight. it was top democrat harry reid calling this nakedly partisan, that's the way he described it. he says that republicans really are insulting americans as he put it by trying to block this vote. >> tracie potts live in d.c.,

thank you. turning now to the race for the white house. former president george w. bush is back on the campaign trail. standing shoulder to shoulder with his little brother. jeb bush is hoping to cash in on past bush family successes in the palmetto state. both bush 41 and 43 won south carolina's primary. but jeb's strategy may be too little, too late. front-runner donald trump continues to lead the field ahead of saturday's republican primary. meanwhile, trump is renewing threats to run as a third-party candidate for president after being booed in recent debates in which he refers to special interests and donors, trump claims the republican national committee is defaulting on its pledge to treat him with respect. >> the rnc, better get its act together because i signed a pledge. but the pledge isn't being honored by them. i signed a pledge, the pledge isn't being honored by the rnc. the rnc does a terrible job, a terrible job. just remember what i said, remember in this room.

i signed a pledge. but it's a double-edged pledge. and as far as i'm concerned they're in default of their pledge. >> plus the democratic race tightens ahead of the nevada caucus. nbc's dan sheneman has latest. >> jeb bush got help on the campaign trail in south carolina from his brother. former president george w. bush, who had choice words for gop front-runner donald trump. >> and in my experience, the strongest person usually isn't the loudest one in the room. >> for his part, the billionaire dismissed jeb bush's campaign. >> the candidate i don't think it's going to happen. >> earlier in the day, at a news conference, trump repeated his attacks aimed at another rival, ted cruz. >> he doesn't even have the right to serve as president. or even run as president. he was born in canada. so i will bring that lawsuit, if he doesn't apologize. >> senator cruz dismissed trump and suggested the suit was a sign of desperation.

>> this is the most rattled i've ever seen donald today. >> on the democratic side, former secretary of state hillary clinton focused on saturday's caucus in nevada. with hopes to rebound after her loss in new hampshire to bernie sanders who she believes is only concerned with wall street. >> i'm not a single-issue candidate. because this not a single-issue country. >> bernie sanders has brushed off that charge and took his campaign to michigan. he said he met with families affected by the water crisis in flint. >> just come from a meeting which was one of the more difficult meetings that i have ever attended. >> analysts believe the flint water crisis is an issue that resonates with african-american voters across the country. dan sheneman, nbc news. last night the best of the best in the music world got together for the 58th grammy awards. the show featured some epic performances from the night's biggest winners, including kendrick lamar and taylor swift. and also some moving tributes to

the late glenn frey and david bowie. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ >> so many great performances, but night not without its mishaps, just ask adele whose highly anticipated return was upstaged by a sound problem. ♪ ♪ >> still pretty good but after the show she tweeted that the mics fell on the pea ano strings, so it sounded like it was out of tune. rihanna was supposed to perform, but had to bow out at the last minute on doctor's orders due to bronchitis. a massive storm system spread misery from the gulf coast to maine, suspected tornadoes touched down in florida's panhandle and mississippi, destroying more than a dozen homes in century, florida, video captured the moment a woman was pulled from the debris of her tornado-damaged home. rescuers there formed a human

chain to carry her to safety. mississippi officials say storm damage was reported in 20 counties with homes destroyed, trees downed and power outages. and the storm brought four inches of fresh snow to the nation's capital. much of d.c. was under a winter storm warning with fears of dangerous driving conditions. stormy weather returns to the west, nbc meteorologist rafael miranda has more on that. >> major pattern change finally coming to the west. it's been so warm and so dry for so long. that ends tomorrow. let's track some storminess. this is wednesday morning and you can see the cold fronts moving onshore. we're expecting heavy rain, it arrives through the afternoon on wednesday, rain, gusty winds and significant mountain snows. you can see the rain extending down into southern california. where you've been enjoying temperatures into the 80s and 90s. that's going to change as well. for your thursday, another front moves onshore bringing another round of heavy rain. so the stormy pattern lasts for a few days ahead. it's going to be stormy out east today.

watch out for travel delays from boston, new york city and washington, d.c. and this is your last day to enjoy these record temperatures in los angeles, 88 degrees. near 90 in phoenix. and watch as they drop. 70s tomorrow with showers across california. especially in san francisco. 91 in phoenix. and by thursday, down to the 60s in los angeles. he t's a look at your national 50s, lots of clouds, dry in portland, temperatures there in the 60s. so finally cooling down. you have one more day in southern california. >> 90 in palm springs in february. amazing. rafael, thank you. straight ahead, we'll tell you which segment of the population is drinking all the wine. plus would you pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for -- a license plate? you're watching "early today."

ee could protect you from diabetes? what if one sit-up could prevent heart disease? one. wishful thinking, right? but there is one step you can take to help prevent another serious disease. pneumococcal pneumonia. if you are 50 or older, one dose of the prevnar 13® vaccine can help protect you from pneumococcal pneumonia, an illness that can cause coughing, chest pain, difficulty breathing, and may even put you in the hospital. even if you have already been vaccinated with another pneumonia vaccine, prevnar 13® may help provide additional protection. prevnar 13® is used in adults 50 and older to help prevent infections from 13 strains of the bacteria that cause pneumococcal pneumonia. you should not receive prevnar 13® if you have had a severe allergic reaction to the vaccine or its ingredients. if you have a weakened immune system, you may have a lower response to the vaccine. common side effects were pain, redness or swelling at the injection site, limited arm movement, fatigue, headache, muscle or joint pain, less appetite, chills, or rash. get this one done. ask your doctor or pharmacist about prevnar 13® today.

announcement: thisbiggest of the decade.the with total accumulation of up to three feet. roads will be shut down indefinitely. and schools are closed. campbell's soups go great with a cold and a nice red. made for real, real life. one day a rider made a decision. the decision to ride on and save money. he decided to save money by switching his motorcycle insurance to geico. there's no shame in saving money. ride on, ride proud. geico motorcycle, great rates for great rides.

over 50 people were killed yesterday in air strikes on seven schools and hospitals in syria. one of the hospitals was supported by doctors without borders. who is accusing russia or syria for the attacks. >> this has been a period of intensified bombing, particularly in the north of syria. we have condemned that in the strongest terms. >> this comes days away from a cease-fire between syrian government forces and rebels. that's supposed to go into effect by the week's end. today, the eagles of death metal return to paris to continue their show that was interrupted by a terrorist attack on november 13th. >> for lack of a better way to describe it, my friends died very beautifully with great courage, you know.

i'm not going to let the bad guys win. >> in another interview, band front man jesse hughes says the attack strengthened his views on gun control saying until nobody has guns everybody has to have them. halfway through his week-long dour of mexico, pope francis celebrated mass with hundreds of thousands of indigenous pilgrims in the southern state of chiapas. the pontiff blessed a child who was lifted up with his wheelchair to come into contact with pope francis. can you believe this delaware license plate sold for $325,000 at auction on sunday? delaware is just one of the few states where low-digit plates can be bought and sold directly by residents. the plates are considered investments. i'd take the cash. let's get down to business with cnbc's susan lee. good morning, susan. >> good morning, shannon. the markets may start the holiday week with lots of green arrows. stocks could add to friday's gains boosted by a jump in oil

prices. crude is up again, once again, above $30 a barrel as officials from saudi arabia and russia are meeting. the saudis, russia, venezuela and guitar agreeing to freeze production at january levels. also the words millennials and drinking may bring to mind craft beer or keg parties. but don't forget about wine. a new study showing millennials drank 42% of all wine in the u.s. last year. more than any other generation. and the average two cases per person. they're also shelling out for good wine, paying more than $20 a bottle in the past month. and chinese consumers bought nearly half of the world's luxury goods last year. they spent nearly $117 billion. and the chinese government says 120 million tourists went overseas in 2015. contributing to 12% of global spending. back to you. >> all right, susan, thank you. just ahead, a serious health issue may sideline one of the nba's best. and the u.s. women's soccer

team scored how many goals? we're going to let you know, next on "early today." eless keyboard more than certain family members? is your success due to a filing system only you understand? does printing from your tablet to your wireless printer give you a jolt of confidence? if so, you may be gearcentric. someone who knows that the right office gear helps you do great things. and there's one place that has it all. office depot officemax. gear up for great. and feeling good, sort of.n and real, and 500 calories or less. the clean pairings menu. at panera. food as it should be.

at hillshire farm, spice is the spice of life. that's why our craftsmen season every sausage perfectly. so you can coax out great flavor effortlessly. hillshire farm. because it's worth doing right. at hillshire farm, there's a reason our slow roasted turkey taste so fresh seconds after carving, we not only seal every slice, we double seal it. the results are something to savor. hillshire farm. because it's worth doing right.

this morning, "today" takes you behind the scenes at the grammys for music's record-breaking night. let's check sports now, shall we? a big health scare for the miami heat's chris bosh. the a.p. is reporting that the

forward is dealing with a blood clot in his left calf. had a similar issue last season. bosh is expected to meet with doctors thursday to discuss the use of blood thinners and a course of treatment. then a night to remember for the u.s. women's national soccer team as forward crystal dunn put on quite a show. the 23-year-old scored five goals as the u.s. easily defeated puerto rico 10-0 in an olympic qualifying game. like a baseball game. the second-ranked kansas jayhawks avenged last month's loss to oklahoma state. the cowboys got as close as seven points before kansas pulled away for the 94-67 blowout. virginia took its home winning streak to 18 games as they dominated north carolina state 73-53. and here's your a.p. top ten men's basketball. villanova remains number one, getting 44 of 65 first-place votes. kansas got the other 21 first-place votes. followed by oklahoma, iowa, north carolina and the rest of those there. but march madness, is crazy, you

never know. just ahead, we remember prince's late protege, vanity. at the grammys, fashion was as hot as the music. who killed it on the red carpet? we'll show you, next. ity. ity. and i'd like to... cut. so i'm gonna take this opportunity to direct. thank you, we'll call you. evening, film noir, smoke, atmosphere... bob... you're a young farmhand and e*trade is your cow. milk it. e*trade is all about seizing opportunity. defiance is in our bones. citracal pearls. delicious berries and cream. soft, chewable, calcium plus vitamin d. only from citracal.

and feeling good, sort of.n and real, and 500 calories or less. the clean pairings menu. at panera. food as it should be. it's my decision to make beauty last. fix. roc retinol started visibly reducing my fine lines and wrinkles in one week. and the longer i use it the better it works. retinol correxion from roc. methods, not miracles.

my son and i used to watch the red carpet shows on tv now, i'm walking them. life is unpredictable being flake free isn't. because i have used head and shoulders for 20 years. used regularly, it removes up to 100% of flakes keeping you protected live flake free for life with heart failure, danger is always on the rise. symptoms worsen because your heart isn't pumping well. (water filling room) about 50 percent of people die (dog whimpering) within 5 years of getting diagnosed. but there's something you can do. talk to your doctor about heart failure treatment options. because the more you know, the more likely you are... (dog whimpering) to keep it pumping. all right. now to some entertainment news this morning, last night's grammys wasn't all about the music. fashion standouted included lady gaga who returned with a flashy

blue number sky-high heels and an orange wig. taylor swift showed off her abs in a bright colored skirt and crop top. and chrissie teigen had that pregnancy glow enter a white-caped gown. the red carpet looked fierce with all the celeb fashions. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> '80s singer vanity, prince's former protege has died at the age of 57, no word yet on the cause of death. best known for her hit, "nasty girl." ever dreamed of being james bond? now could be your chance. aston-martin db 10 from the latest bond flick is up for auction. only deten were made and this o is estimated to sell for $1.4 million. the car was designed for the bond franchise, will be the only one of the ten to be released for public sale.

sore rafael. now's your chance. the new video is the official announcement that "star wars" episode 8 has begun filming. joining the cast is benecio del toro and laura dern. jimmy fallon's tight pants got him in a little bit of hot water with will ferrell and christina aguilera. >> a new baby, ain't that a bag of beans. especially since you and i haven't spoken that one magical night we shared together nine months ago. >> now you listen to me, you fat-faced cob-nobeler. i don't know who you are or what butt hole you crawled out of. but this is my woman. and that is our baby. and every night he gets swaddled in the tightest of pants.

♪ bleeding gums? you may think it's a result of brushing too hard. it's not. it's a sign of early gum disease... listerine(r) can help reverse... early gum disease in just two weeks. listerine(r). power to your mouth™!

leading the news in the "new york times," lincoln memorial to get major renovation. it will largely be funded by an $18.5 million private donation. the changes will include opening a space beneath the memorial for classrooms and exhibits. graffiti from workers who built the monument in the 1920s will also be on display. that's kind of cool. and in the "telegraph," saunas, a bar, mini fridges and aquariums found inside mexican riot jail. aquariums? when authorities entered a mexican jail to investigate a riot that killed 49 inmates last week they discovered luxurious amenities, such as saunas and bars, the contraband goods were hauled out and the prison's superintendant has been

arrested. jts an airline pilots union has demanding action to curb the use of lasers on airport. a virgin atlantic plane had to return to london after a laser aimed at a cockpit affected a pilot's vision. shopping carts for those with mobility-related disabilities it allows special needs caregivers without having to push a cart and a wheelchair at the same time. all target stores will have one by march 19th. miners have unearthed angola's largest diamond ever. the 404-carat stone comes in at 7 centimeters and could be worth over $14 million. the second-largest diamond was only half that size. from the depths of the frigid vortex, meet octavius. standing 18 feet tall and 35

feet wide, it took these brothers 500 hours to carve the sculpture out of 150 tons of snow. >> when we're not ice fishing we're out here working on the sculpture. >> don't you ever get cold? >> never. >> what do you do for a living that can you do that all day? it's incredible. the brothers have been building snow sculptures for the past five years. this year the boys are taking donations from visitors to raise money for clean drinking water in haiti, that's great. so far almost $8,000 have been raised. look at the detail. >> beautiful. >> it really is. >> there's a little bit of melting going on over the next few days, we might lose a leg or two. not the whole thing, though. celebrating birthdays today, you may remember his emmick temper on the court, tennis legend john mcenroe turns 57 and ice t is 58 and lavar burton of "roots" turns 59. i'm shannon malar. thanks for watching "early

today." today." have a great tuesday, everyone. pg&e is committed to clean energy and part of that commitment is our partnership with habitat for humanity. our mission is to build homes, community and hope. our homeowners are low-income families, so the abili for them to have lower energy cost is wonderful. we have been able to provide about 600 families with solar on their homes. that's over nine and a half million dollars of investment by pg&e, and that allows us to provide clean energy for everyone here. it's been a great partnership. together, we're building a better california.

swat team in richn-- they net an arrest in the twin peaks double-homicide. what we're learning this after police block streets and deploy the s.w.a.t. team, they net an arrest. what we're learning about the suspect. plus a break-in epidemic that has ravaged san francisco heads south. more break-ins in the south bay. florida and a week old colt found abandoned in a ravine, still alive and waiting critical treatment. how you can help save valentine. "today in the bay" starts now. a good tuesday morning. thank you for joining us. i'm sam brock. >> and i'm laura garcia cannon. let's get a look at that forecast. >> good morning. we start out with mostly clear skies. chilly temperatures in the north