it's friday, february 19th, and coming up on "early today," the trump versus pope francis as the pontiff criticized those who build walls instead of bridges. the donald shot back. >> for a religious leader to question a person's faith is disgraceful. and the democrats got specific ahead of nevada. clinton promises immigration reform in her first 100 days, while sanders confirms he's a strong civil libbertarian and feminist. >> and in fact gloria steinem, everybody knows she's one of the leading feminists may me an honorary woman many, many years ago. ed draw-dropping moment. a helicopter crash lands with five passengers. incredible details just ahead. plus, fair fight feud.

taxi drivers take on their uber counterparts. adele parodies ellen degeneres in a hilarious skill, and "early today" starts right now. and good morning, everyone. thanks for being with us. i'm shannon ma lare, just when you think you've seen it all in the 2016 race, something new. critical comments from pope francis on donald trump's wall proposal drew swift comments from the candidates. >> reporter: donald trump proving there is no thing and no one too political for his ire. >> he actually said i'm not a good christian or something. it's unbelievable. >> reporter: lashing out at the head of the catholic church after asked about trump's plan for a border wall between the u.s. and mexico. a person who only thinks about building walls wherever they may be and not building bridges is

not a christian, he told reporters. just hours earlier, the pontiff was praying along the mexican side of that very border. but while the pope wouldn't say who catholics should vote for, donald trump declared his holiness should hope it's when. >> if and when the vatican is attacked by isis, which as everyone knows is isis' ultimate trophy, i can promise you that the pope would have only wished and prayed that donald trump would have been president. >> reporter: another day, another controversy, still no clear break in his support. >> he has to respond. the pope's coming at him. >> donald trump is a good christian as is the pope. >> reporter: known for his religious voting block, only 13% in 2012 were catholic. nationally that number jumps to 25%. swing voters who supported the last three presidents. >> that ka katy tur reporting. later at a cnn town hall

trump softened his tone turning to a favorite target, the media. >> oh, the pope is a wonderful guy, and the pope made the statement and i think it was probably a little nicer statement than reported by you folks in the media, because after i read it, it was a little softer. >> speaking of the softer side of campaigning, ohio governor john kasich had a touching moment with an emotional supporter. the man told a story of recent personal struggle saying he found hope in god, his friends and now kasich's candidacy, but one request of the governor -- >> i'd really appreciate one of those hugs you've been talking about. [ applause ] >> nevada voters got to see the democratic candidates up close and personal last night on msnbc. chuck todd and jose diaz balart hosted a town hall allowing bernie sanders and hillary clinton to interact before the caucuses. the candidates were questioned on their positions and how quickly they could implement their proposals.

>> i'm not a dictator here. it has to do with a little bit of cooperation from the congress, but it is a major priority when you have 11 million people living in the shadows, i think we owe it to them to move as expeditiously as we can. >> we're going to introduce legislation, jose. absolutely introduce legislation. i'm going to call everybody on the committee, democrats and republicans alike. >> within 100 days? >> yeah. yeah. i'm going to introduce my priority legislation and this is at the top of that list. >> we both had a chance to vote on comprehensive immigration reform in 2007, the bill that senator ted kennedy championed. i voted for it. senator sanders voted against it. so i know how important it is to put together a coalition. >> in 2013, because it was a much better piece of legislation. you know, it's not a question of being perfect. nothing is perfect. that was, had particular egregious provisions in it. >> secretary clinton continued to point to her connection to both president obama and

clinton's add min vagss. as in their last debate, sanders comment drew strong reactions from the audience. >> attacked president obama, weak, disappointing. maybe it's that senator sanders wasn't really a democrat until he decided to run for president. he doesn't even know what the -- the last two democratic presidents did, and i'm -- you know what? well, it's true. i look at our last two democratic presidents. were they perfect? no. no person is, but i'll tell you what, i would take the two of them over any republican any time, anywhere. >> there is one of the two democratic candidates here who actually ran against barack obama. it wasn't me. all right. second of all, you know, i have worked very closely with president obama over the last seven years. he is a friend of mine. overall, i think the president has done an outstanding job, and the idea there can be a primary with different ideas floated and

debated, i don't think that that is terrible. >> the two remain in a dead heat going into tomorrow's showdown. a jaw-dropping moment caught on camera in hawaii. a tour helicopter plunged into the waters near the "uss arizona" memorial at pearl harbor thursday with five people onboard. then as nbc's almaguer explains, onlookers sprang into action. >> reporter: witnesses could tell something was wrong. the tail of the sightseeing helicopter was smoking as it quickly descended towards the rocky shoreline. then, the moment of impact. with the chopper sinking, several good samaritans plunged into the water to rescue the trapped passengers. >> and i seen the helicopter, started sputtering about 500 feet and the pilot did, what i would say, would be an amazing job. >> reporter: five people were aboard and pulled i shore. at least one suffering critical injury, all rushed to hospital by ambulance. the navy says the helicopter is

owned by genesis aviation. the same chopper seen here before the crash. offering aerial tours of the "arizona" memorial since 1999. the investigation what went wrong is under way. witnesses say it's a miracle everyone survived. miguel almaguer, nbc news. today the body of justice anthony scalia lies in the state hall. senate cruz said he will now attend the funeral after previously saying he planned to skip it. president bv b was blaeen been blasted for deciding not to attend. >> would i nominate someone? i probably would. as i said in the debate last saturday, i'm an article 2 guy. i think the presidency should be -- we should be respectful of the constitution, but whatever powers are afforded the presidency, the president ought to use them.

>> last night vice president joe biden sat down with msnbc's rachel maddow for an exclusive interview. she asked if president obama nominated him, would he say, yes? >> you never say to the president for certain you wouldn't do anything but i have no -- look at me now -- i have no desire. none. it would be a great honor for anyone, but i have no desire, anymore than george mitchell did. >> who do you think the president should pick? >> well, i haven't even had a chance to sit down with him yet to talk about the potential candidates. what we do is, in the past, lay out all the people, go out and survey a little bit and see who we think, who meets those criteria, and we think could have a chance of being confirmed. >> vice president biden will be attending justice scalia's funeral tomorrow. you can watch special coverage with brian williams beginning at 10:00 a.m. eastern on msnbc.

surprising comments from pope francis on the issue of birth control on his return flight from mexico. the pope said artificial contraceptives could be used to prevent the sexual transition of zika, the virus rampant in his native latin america linked to babies born with unusually small heads. this despite the catholic's long-standing ban on most forms of birth control. firefighters in missouri captured a video of a firenado as they palgts battled a 1 rshg rshgs 300 fire. and a coast guard boat rocked by 12-foot waves. the crew was out on a training mission of all things off the coast of cape cod earlier this month. incredible video. from fire to incredible waves off the coast of massachusetts. bill karins is joining us here. >> not enough adrenaline for me to go on that boat. >> i don't eve want to go on a

rowboat. good morning. what's up? >> a nice weekend forecast. get through a bad morning in the northwest. it's raining. the only rain really in the entire country. a little snow up there in the cascades and northern california, that rain's going to move onshore going throughout the morning. so again, upper high five, a wet drive. the worst towards the coast. olympics still throughout the central portion, northern cascades, dealing with snow, too, through the passes. today's forecast, the cities themselves are fine. seattle 52 with rain. san francisco, you may get a little showers. the majority of rain is north of you. nice day in l.a. phoenix no problems, 83 degrees. through the weekend, we dry it out. beautiful saturday, most areas 50s and 60s even into the 70s and 80s into the desert southwest and wrap up your weekend with 79 in l.a. that's a great looking sunday. looks like another chance of light rain in the northwest. at this point that does not look like to be a big storm. that's to make its way

into the northern rockies over the day today. looks like a pretty nice weekend. saturday, pretty much everywhere in the west. enjoy. >> i love it. can't dry up any better. first time since hurricane katrina. plus candidates weighing in on the apple privacy dilemma while fbi agents raided two relatives of the san bernardino shooter. you're watching "early today." ? do you love your wireless 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.

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with one towelette. need any more proof than that? neutrogena. 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. the fbi searched the california home of a relative of san bernardino shooter say edd farouk yesterday. that relative has not been charged with a crime. officials would not discuss the nature of the search, although the fbi has been trying to

figure out what happened to the shooter killing 14 people. and hacking into the iphone. ceo tim cook is fighting back citing privacy concerns. during last night's msnbc's democratic town hall, bernie sanders and hillary clinton spoke on the issue. >> of course, law enforcement has every reason to want to get information off of a killer's cell phone. apple understandably is worried about opening the door, creating what they call a back door into encryption that would not just have to field requests from the united states government, but from the chinese, russian, iranian governments. >> but count me in as somebody who is a very strong civil libertarian who believes we can fight terrorism without undermining our constitutional rights and our privacy rights. affluenza teen set to report to court later today, whether his case should be transferred

to adult court. couch could be sent to prison up to ten years when he turns 19, or be set free. and virgin galactic debuts spaceship 2, replacing the one destroyed in 2014 this ship makes tourist flights into space. angelina jolie, brad pitt and paris hilton those rumored to have already bought a $250,000 flight. go to disney, kind of boring after that, i imagine. just ahead, a major college upset in the making. plus, trouble at daytona ahead of sunday's 500. details on the seven cars involved, next.

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[ applause ] this is video from mobile, alabama where a cheering crowd welcomed the arrival of the first amtrak passenger train since hurricane katrina in 2005. tracks were damaged by katrina. the train traveled from jacksonville, florida, to new orleans making 14 stops along the way. welcome sight. in sports, nascar's new racing season kicks off with the daytona 500. scary moments during the duel races. jamie mcmurray attempted to block jimmie johnson, bouncing off kurt busch and others in a fiery seven-car wreck. all seven drivers are okay but

three of their cars, not so much. the nba is back in action and the cavs wasted no time shutting down the chicago bulls. it was cleveland's fourth straight. final cavs 106, chicago 95. college hoops now. things heating up, 6 maryland taking on lowly 19 minnesota. ooh. golden goffers 0-13 in the big ten, but no longer. >> and that will do it! a stunning upset! number 6 maryland goes down. >> not even march yet, people. the terps went down 68-63, despite the golden gophers shooting only 33%. pretty bad. finally to a dream and sport of a different kind. a 14-year-old from a small egyptian down training his donkey to jumphurdles.

and a dream one day he would eventually work with horses. rihanna. sure. just ahead, what new films do you need to watch this weekend? i'm going to tell you which ones you need to watch. plus, the wait is over. we've got the details on the long-awaited bladerunner sequel. it's next.

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"blade runner" lands in theaters 2018 starring ryes gosling, i'm listening and harrison ford reprising his role as rick deckard. this weekend in theaters see the amazing true story of track and field star jesse owens in "race." relive the historic journey to the olympics as he faces off against hitler's army of aryan athletes. following on the success of "peter pan" and "the wiz," nbc announced their next big television music's, "hairspray live." the cast yet to be announced. bill, still got a shot. remember that swankyholewood hills home in "the big lebowski"? of course. the owner is donating it to the museum of art. left as-is, and can be open to the public in the future s. there that much demand for it? i guess so. >> apparently. a rare copy featuring "spider-man" set a new record

for public auction. the 1962 edition sold for over $450,000. >> did i hear you say that? like, it's the original. >> oh, no. you're one of those. just be more? >> i think so. i would think. >> all right. and ellen degeneres sent adele on an interesting trip. >> in your purse is scissors. just stop shopping some. >> can i cut some off? thank you. all right. put it in your mouth and chew on it. [ laughter ] this is so good! this is so good. >> it's really good, actually. >> i feel like a deer in a forest. in a forest. these dogs shed like crazy. it's like being inside of a snow globe.

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leading the news in the "weekly planner." endangered baby dolphin dies an swimmers pass it around for selfies. >> great. >> the delonly 30,000 remain, a argentine wildlife foundation hopes the tragedy will serve as reminder of the dolphin's declining numbers. unbelievable. in the associated press pictures taken of a stolen kindle show up in cloud. the alleged thieves unaware the photos taken on the device are automatically updated to the owner's account. the woman apparently visited a church ash wednesday when members of the catholic church receive a mark on their forehead as a sign of repentance. hours after the picture was taken, the man returned the stolen device.

did the right thing. other stories we're following, banished taxi drivers took to the streets protesting competitors like uber. regulation is expected to loosen in order to widen competition in the industry. the miami fraternal order of police announced this week they plan to boycott beyonce's miami concert this april and urge all law enforcement labor organizations to do the same. the boycott is a response to the artist's controversial super bowl half time performance and music video. nasa announced yesterday it is building a new tell we scope calmed the w. first covering 100 times the field of view of the hubble. that's cool. incredible. >> the hubble, right. >>ed groundbreaking technology allows astronomers to have a much wider view of space. police in england today are calling on the public to help catch two thieves. two men caught on security

camera last weeke entering a va rental, viewing choking a man until he passed out. they got away with a watch worth 22,000 dollars. it's pretty clear. i would imagine somebody hopefully can recognize these people. >> they didn't cover themselves up. they tried, but, not well enough. >> not very good. >> good luck trying to get rid of a $22,000 gold rolex that everybody knows about. >> i know. a little bling. a look ahead, the body of justice antonin scalia lies in repose in the supreme court town hall. members of the public will be able to view the casket after a brief, private ceremony attended by the remaining eight justices and scalyia's family. happy birthday to singer/songwriter seal. he's 53. jeff daniels is 61. very different roles. motown legend smokey robinson turns 76. happy birthday to them all. i'm shannon mulaire, thanks for watching "early today."

today, remembering a fallen police veteran beloved by his fellow officers. we're live from the richmond memorial auditorium where the richmond police force will say good-bye to officer gus vegas. a string of sexual assault cases in berkeley. the department stepping up its search this morning armed with new information about how he's selecting his victims. plus, clearing up congestion on 580. a live look in dublin where drivers will have the option of cruising on new express lanes and for some folks it's free. "today in the bay" starts right now. good friday morning to you. thanks so much for joining us. i'm laura garcia-cannon. >> it's friday. the forecast cannot possibly disappoint and it it