the president named names and in the last, how certainly did not mince words. >> proposed a budget so far to the right, it makes the contract with america look like the new deal. in fact, that renowned liberal newt gingrich first call the original version of the budget radical. and said it would contribute to right wing social engineering. one of my potential opponents, governor romney, has said that he hoped a similar version of this plan from last year would be introduced as a bill on day one of his presidency. a trojan horse disguised as deficit reduction plans. it is really an attempt to impose a radical vision on our country. it is thinly veiled social darwinism. >> let's bring in our "news nation" political panel. nationally syndicated radio talk show host, steve dais. and national political report he back with us again, erin. let me start with you on this,

president obama we know we got in advance what he would say. certainly his tone, the toughness being applauded by his supporters. and i've got a list of republicans who have sent out statements. paul ryan saying like his reckless budget, today's speech by president obama is revealing as it is disappointing. others lead by offering real solutions, he has chosen to distort the truth and divide americans. house speaker boehner, instead of reaching across the aisle to enact the changes needed to restore america's prosperity, the president has resorted to distortions and partisan pot shots. >> the republicans distort his record all the time, too. the thing that stood out to me about that speech was that he called governor romney out by name. because he does not like to do. that he talks about how there is still a primary going on and the republicans should be able to sort through their process. it is clear through all the actions that the obama campaign and the white house have taken in the last week, and some of

the words that have come out of president obama's mouth, the general election is on. >> absolutely. he may not like to do it early on but we know where things stand right now with mitt romney being the front-runner. here's the deal. let's look at this paul ryan plan. we said it was killing two birds with one stone, it was supported by mitt romney. certainly it came from paul ryan and if you hear the president there, he used your guy, newt gingrich, to be the stone, if you will, to throw at these two leading republicans. the ryan budget cuts $2.4 trillion from medicaid, $463 billion from mandatory programs like pell grants, other social services. $291 billion from discretionary programs. $134 billion from food stamp programs. you heard the president use the trojan horse here with this argument. what is your take on this? especially that he used your guy, newt gingrich, to go after your party. >> well, what the president was

alluding to is what was certainly not one of the former speaker's finer moments on this presidential campaign. and it nearly derailed his campaign several months ago when he made that statement. i think that really the question here, and i'm going to do something i don't do very often which is give the republicans credit. >> for what? >> what they're doing is framing the debate. the american people are not in a mood to grow government. they would like to see government reduced. and so that will cause a discussion. if you don't like these cuts, what do you actually want cut? what do you actually want done? maybe the president also needs to be reminded that there is democrats as well on capitol hill, and some of his budget proposals haven't had overwhelming democratic support either. >> erin, if that is the case and steve says they're in the mood to cut, we know time and time again, when we look at the polls, folks say including the most conservative that they want to cut but they don't want anything cut that benefits their life. there in lies the problem.

>> it does. i would point out this didn't get a lot of coverage but over the last six months or so, this white house has announced a couple initiatives to cut government, to get out some of the additional administrative costs and to start streamlining agencies. but people aren't talking about that because they don't seem to think that democrats are cutting government, too. but that's what this white house is trying to do. you're absolutely right. "the new york times" a couple months ago did a very big story on how americans in all kinds of states, and those who used the most government programs, hate the government and don't seem to even realize that they're getting government dollars in their own lives. >> let me play what the president had to say about the supreme court regarding his health care law. he made similar comments in the rose garden. let's play what he said today before ap. >> i don't anticipate the court striking this down. i think they take their responsibilities very seriously. >> so that's a little bit of what the president said there. but we know that he was criticized by again, many

conservatives and people on the right when he referred to an unelected group making the decision here. kind of the same argument we've heard from conservative when's they've not liked the decisions mated by judges, steve. >> his application is consistent but his premise is flawed. for example, if the president's premise was consistent, his application would be, i'm sure he would speak up on behalf of proposition 8 and voter id laws but he hasn't done that. the reality is there's nothing unconstitutional about a court determining what its opinion, that is what we're talking about here, its opinion on the constitutionality of a piece of legislation. what happens next is when we get into the activism part. when judges believe they can therefore impose their own law, like what the judges in my home state did on the issue of marriage. that's when we get into activism. i don't think anybody is arguing that judges have a role in this process and they're allowed to advise and consent. it is what comes after they issue their opinions. >> let me switch to the other topic that many people thought

we would be about which is super tuesday. wisconsin. the polls, i think, show mitt romney with such a significant lead, erin, it is one of those wah-wah moments. unless we're all surprised. but what has also stolen the show, sarah palin's appearance on the "today" show. let me play what she had to say about the front-runner. mitt romney, when asked by matt lauer this morning. >> it seems he is the nominee. are you happy with that? >> you know, anything is still possible. there can still be a bit of a shake-up. >> it doesn't sound like you're him a with mitt romney as the shake-up. >> anybody but obama. i honestly believe that anybody running on that gop ticket would be infinitely better than what we have today. >> let me bring in michael smerconish. her answer, anybody but obama. but not once did she name anything she believed mitt romney brought to the table through ideas, policies, a plan. anybody but the obama. and then that breathe in moment

cannot be ignored. that was her first reaction when he asked her about mitt romney. >> last night on hard ball, we played a whole series of gop on romney to show how tepid each of them seemed. yahoo has created a march madness like bracket where you vote on whose was more tepid. so she sort of parroting what you hear from a large segment of the gop populist. call me a cynic. i can't help but watch that and say isn't she a bit envy us of the fact that he is about to close the loop on the republican nomination. isn't. >> my heart of hearts, i think she wants to be in that position. when she talks about the convention, she is thinking about herself in that role. >> she said there are still delegates and she questioned whether someone else could come in and by math win this. >> who is she about? >> i don't know. i wondered the same thing. she had a chance to get in the game. >> no doubt. >> she had a chance.

she did not. >> i think she wanted more of a coronation. i think she was hoping this process would disintegrate and that some group of people would turn to her in the 11th hour in tampa and it looks increasingly unlikely that will happen. because romney will cinch this. >> she knew she would be asked the question. what else would we start with other than what do you think of mitt romney? he's the front-runner. i don't know if her response was thought out in her head. nonetheless, when your first reaction is this breathe-in moment, i think that speaks volumes. whether she said it or not. >> listen, i'll have to defer to you on female body language. >> no, no, no. i don't like that. that's male or female. this is nothing to do with her gender. >> politically speaking, i certainly think that she is speaking for a lot of conservatives. and i think also, she is aware that if this went to a convention and if it was brokered, if there was a draft. somebody else who is not running list, she would be number one on that list and i think that there

are several republicans that have watched and saw how this process played out. how weak of a candidate romney is as a front-runner and have maybe reevaluated the decisions that they made when they decided not to get in. this looks very familiar. this looks like john kerry in 2004. bob dole in 1996. he literally said to conservatives, i'll give you another reagan if that's what you want. tell me what you want. it looks like george herbert walker bush in 1992. gerald ford in 1976. what do all those elections have in common? all those guys lost. >> let me get your thoughts on this. here we are again, and i don't want to belabor her reaction because she gave the reaction she felt. she said she is a straight shooter in her heart. i think she put it out there and it was not as michael pointed out, a resounding endorsement of him. she said more strongly, anybody but obama, rather than this is our guy and here's why. >> yeah, well, look, i would point out, i would disagree a little bit with what steve said. that she might not any longer be

the choice of conservatives. i think many people were hoping that chris christy or jeb bush, even haley barbour. she is losing her grip on the party and on that conservative part of the party. she's been trying to pull newt gingrich through this and saying rick santorum needs to keep fighting the good fight. so she is really stirring the pot more than anything. and really likes the attention of doing that. and with romney shutting this down, she becomes less relevant throughout the rest of this year. >> michael, the final thought. that plays into exactly what you believe. >> i don't know that it necessarily helps her to be doing the "today" show. >> or helps mitt romney for that matter. >> it was great television. i haven't been so interested in morning news as i was today. it made for great entertainment. i don't know that it furthers her case if she wants to be elected nationwide. you begin on see her more in that role than you do as a chief executive. >> you begin to wonder with

these endorsements, how they're being worded. if mitt romney is saying never mine, i don't need the help. let me limp through this on my own and deal with the general election when i get there. thank you very much. the "news nation" is developing developing news in the trayvon martin case. nbc news has obtained documents connected to the case that could shed new light on george zimmerman's role in the neighborhood watch in that gated community. nbc national investigative correspondent michael isikoff joins me now from sanford, florida. what have you uncovered? >> reporter: well, first of all, the fbi was back in the neighborhood today, questioning witnesses. and anything, looking into the background of george zimmerman, anything that people in that gated community can tell them about zimmerman's background, this is a civil rights violation, at whether he was racially motivated. one interesting conversation i had today was with the head of the sanford neighborhood watch program. and in the 2011 meeting at the communicate at george

zimmerman's invitation. he invited this officer in. she is the one who oversees the neighborhood watch program. she gave a power point demonstration that was very clear and explicit. it says no vigilante patrols. do not seek to confront suspects. do not seek to apprehend them and do not carry a weapon. all that was presented at the organized meeting of the neighborhood watch program that george zimmerman himself set up at twin lakes in september, 2011. so at a very minimum, we now have double evidence of mr. zimmerman basically ignoring the instructions of sanford police. about how he was supposed to conduct these patrols. he was told from the beginning, do not confront the suspects. and then of course, on the evening of the trayvon martin shooting, he is told, do not pursue mr. martin after he call in to 911 and he continued to do

so. >> all right. michael isikoff with the latest from sanford, florida. there is now a heated back and forth between trayvon marnlt's parents and the state attorney who initially investigated the shooting. the parents sent a letter to the justice department, asking for an investigation of norm wolfinger's actions. they called a meeting hours after trayvon's death, quote, suspicious them want the department to find out why wolfing her overruled the investigator who wanted to charge george zimmerman with manslaughter. joining me now, joy-ann reid, managing editor. thank you for joining us. you've been on top of these developments. wolfinger has responded. he said these are outright lies in the letter. what is he pointing to as not factual? >> that's the problem. wolfinger isn't talking. i had been trying to get a statement from him for some time. he has not spoken at least publicly about this case. the allegations of him meeting

in person with the police chief in this case, bill lee, came from an anonymous source to us. >> would that be unusual? >> it would be highly unusual. it would even be unusual from people i've spoken with in law enforcement for the police chief to show up at an otherwise routine murder case. this wasn't the first murder in sanford. for the police chief to be there which was confirmed by the public information officer, and then for wolfinger, the state attorney to be there. >> why is it unusual. let's say they get the call in and they believe someone is using the stand your ground. sanford is a small town. this is not new york city. while there have been murders and break-ins, we're still talk b a small gated community. help us understand why it would be so unusual for these major players in this small town to be there. >> well, for one thing, i spoke with law enforcement folks who said, look, if it's the shooting of a police officer or by a police officer, you'll often see the police chief come in because it is a public relations case.

unless it was a high profile decedent. that would be another reason for him to come. the other thing that's unusual, normally an assistant state attorney, and i was told this by sources close to sanford law enforcement. the normal procedure they call in, you will get an assistant, a deputy, is the person who would respond. not the chief. the other issue is that norman wolfinger lives in the next county. he is over two counties away. he had to drive on a sunday night to an adjacent county to come down. that sounds like a highly important case to him if in fact what this anonymous source will us is true. >> all right. a lot of moving parts, as we say, but certainly all important pieces of this puzzle. as we move closer to this grand jury convening. coming up -- this is video, new details on what may have led a former student to open fire. this is some of the video that came to us moments before seven

people lost their lives on the california campus. a college campus in that state. plus, wanted. the u.s. puts a $10 million bounty on a pakistani militant believed to be targeting the united states. a lot more news ahead. you can join the conversation on my personal twitter page. [ e ngine revs ] [ male announcer ] strip away the styling. strip away the rearview monitors, tv screens, bluetooth... and even the cup holders. you know what's left? the only suv's with american-built f-alpha truck frames. the ruggedly capable pathfinder, xterra, armada. nissan. innovation for all. ♪ i've been fortunate to win on golf's biggest stages. but when joint pain and stiffness

from psoriatic arthritis hit, even the smallest things became difficult. i finally understood what serious joint pain is like. i talked to my rheumatologist and he prescribed enbrel. enbrel can help relieve pain, stiffness, and stop joint damage. because enbrel, etanercept, suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if, while on enbrel, you experience persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. [ phil ] get back to the things that matter most. ask your rheumatologist if enbrel is right for you. [ doctor ] enbrel, the number one biolog medicine prescribed by rheumatologists. do about medicare and social security... security. that's what matters to me...

me? i've been paying in all these years... years washington's been talking at us, but they never really listen... listen...it's not just some line item on a budget; it's what i'll have to live on... i live on branson street, and i have something to say... [ male announcer ] aarp is bringing the conversation on medicare and social security out from behind closed doors in washington. because you've earned a say. [ female announcer ] doors ifortunately,. there's an easier way with creditcards.com.

compare hundreds of cards from every major bank, and find the one that's right for you. creditcards.com. it's simple. search, compare, and apply. this is weather news. this is out of johnson county, texas that right south of ft. worth. between ft. worth and waco, some might say, a little bit of a distance. this is actually the county that my mother and family live in, in johnson county.

this is what they're seeing on the ground. we've got a number of calls in, people trying to find out the weather conditions and if schools are being, taking action. nonetheless, this is a tornado warning right outside of tarrant county. that would be ft. worth. this is johnson county. a number of watches and warnings in place throughout north texas. in fact, most of north texas under a tornado watchful this is some of the ominous video coming in out of johnson county, right outside of ft. worth. some of the small towns in that area, burleson, texas. joshua county also. now we're hearing that a tornado is on the ground in south dallas. this is the report we're getting in right now. tornado watch for most of north texas. we're getting unconfirmed, i should stress, unconfirmed reports that there is a tornado on the ground in south dallas, or south of dallas. let me get a distinction.

there is a difference between south dallas and south of dallas. so we're understanding that it is south of dallas. a tornado, a possible tornado on the ground south of dallas. this is video from johnson county, right outside of ft. worth, texas. in fact, i'll have to be honest with you. i am getting text messages from family members in the area right now and they are telling me that they are preparing, if they need to, to get into safe spots within their homes. and perhaps hunkering down. we've seen some extremely volatile weather in the midwest and the south, as you well know, which we've covered on many of these being fatal tornadoes ripping through parts of the midwest and the south. so we'll keep you up to date. right now, a possible unconfirmed tornado on the ground, south of dallas, texas. some very ominous video coming in out of johnson county. that's right outside of ft.

worth. and we'll keep you up to date. ♪ you are my sunshine, my only sunshine ♪

♪ you make me happy when skies are gray ♪ [ female announcer ] you know exactly what it takes to make them feel better. ♪ you make me happy [ female announcer ] that's why you choose children's tylenol. the same brand your mom trusted for you when you were young. ♪ how much i love you [ humming ] [ female announcer ] children's tylenol, the #1 brand of pain and fever relief recommended by pediatricians and used by moms decade after decade. [ humming ]

introducing gold choice. the freedom you can only get from hertz to keep the car you reserved or simply choose another. and it's free.

ya know, for whoever you are that day. it's just another way you'll be traveling at the speed of hertz. we're following news. this is outside of dallas-ft. worth. this is the kxas, the nbc station locally there. this is video coming in from their chopper. this is south of dallas. as you see, some very volatile weather. you can see the sparks there. the bottom of your screen. it appears to be, oxley i'm not confirming, it appears to be tornadic activity. it appears to be power lines. boom, right there, news. i've spoken with family members in johnson county under a tornado watch. my brother who work in johnson county at a bank said they've taken shelter in the bank where he works right now.

i've also spoken with my mother who has taken shelter as well in johnson county. several counties, most of them in north texas, under watch. let me bring in charles hadlock. where are you? >> reporter: we're at the bureau in ft. worth. we heard the sirens go off here in ft. worth. that was for a separate tornado. the one you're seeing on the ground now is about 45 miles away in southern dallas county. it has already caused extensive damage, we're told. we can't put our finger on exactly what has been hit. we do see debris flying in the air around that cloud. we see flashes of light indicating that transformers are blowing. schools have been locked down in the area as they continue to watch and monitor the dangerous situation developing in north central texas. >> you pointed out, those transformers. i was pointing out to our audience. i think you can see the screen at the bottom. it looks like flares, if you will, for lack of a better

description. this is a massive storm just from the visual that we're seeing. talk to me with the areas that you know of that are under this watch. >> this is in southern dallas county. the tornado was first spotted near the town of red oak in ellis county. it was moving to the northeast. it was a large tornado on the ground for several minutes. we haven't seen that in a long time in north texas. especially one captured on videotape and live television like we're seeing now. it looks like the storm may have drifted back into the clouds. as you see, it starts to come back down again. it is a very dangerous situation for people in southern dallas county right now. >> let me get you to hang on. carl parker with the weather channel is obviously following this. what can you tell me? >> that is a very well defined tornado.

no doubt about that. it is now passing along the south side of the dallas metro area. what you're looking at there is called the condensation funnel. that is the body of the tornado that you see. at the bottom there is something called the dust envelope. that is debris and there is a very well defined area of dust and debris that is now, it appears to be going through a more rural territory right now. but earlier, as it was going through neighborhoods, we did see a lot of structural debris. what appeared to be pieces of wood and trees of several power flashes. this is now again on the south side of the dallas area. it is coming right past that 20 corridor. moving to the north at 25 miles an hour. so unlike some of our previous severe weather events, when you see these storms moving so fast, in some cases, 50 or 60 miles an hour, in this case, it is not moving nearly as quickly. but still a very dangerous storm. and obviously has done a good

bit of damage already. >> and again, carl, give us, if you can, more perspective. we've been sitting on this shot and we have watched this, as you've pointed out. a clearly defined tornado here. we see a little less of it. of the formation. but give us again, your expert analysis of what we're watching here. >> well, you know, what we're probably dealing with is a sort of mid grade tornado. you tend to see the more violent tornadoes on days when you have a tremendous amount of environmental wind, which we have not seen as much of today in this particular case. so this storm is not moving as quickly. you can get the mid grade tornadoes that produce winds that are easily enough to do damage. that does appear to have been the case. at points along the path of this storm, we have seen huge cloud of debris spinning out from the center of the storm.

and moving out and that debris being wrapped around and thrown out. you've got several different types of motion within the tornado. you have got inflow flowing into the tornado. you've also got jump ward motion. so you've got the air flowing into the storm and then at some point, being drawn up and into the storm. that's why things are picked up. roofs are ripped up, that type of thing. then you have the circulation. you have the win within that that will ten to be stronger on the side of the tornado, on the right side of the tornado, relative to its forward motion. so as it is traveling along to the north or a little east of north, at about 25 miles an hour, it is going to be the east side, and in this picture, it looks like north is probably to our right. so it is going to be the side of the tornado that is nearest to us that is going to be causing the most damage. and you notice there, you see that area. that funnel that is dipping down. that's the condensation funnel. and then beyond that, you've got the dust envelope.

there are points at which the condensation funnel is not as well defined. in some cases, it appears to not be hitting the ground. but it is certainly still there. there is a circulation still in place, going all the way to the ground. and so that is a damaging tornado. i fear that we'll be hearing about some very serious damage and possibly injuries or worse. >> we're also getting reports of other possible tornadoes on the ground. what else can you tell us? this is not the only activity being reported in that area of north texas right now. >> no, and i haven't had a moment to update, but i can see that there are three tornado warnings in progress right now. one of those is now in between ft. worth and dallas. it looks like it is coming into the arlington area. we have another area there. there is another tornado warning on the northwest side of ft. worth and ft. worth metro area there. all of these storms are

generally moving off toward the north/northeast. the one that we're watching right now, which has now begun to take a larger, more weblg-like shape, still going strong. that's the one that will be coming up on the east side, or southeast side of dallas. so more immediately, it looks like that storm is right around hutchins. that's along i-20. and south and east of dallas coming up to the i-45 corridor. and then beyond that, will probably continue on the east side of the metro area and be moving up toward mesquite as well. and still very well defined there. again, you see the dust envelope at the bottom so it does still appear to be doing damage there, too. >> let me bring in mark, the public information officer for tarrant county. what can you tell me? >> well, we're monitoring the

tornadoes here in the operations center. we're monitoring the television broadcast. we're also monitoring our storm watchers are out on the field on the radio. >> what kind of information are you getting from the storm watchers? >> they're trying to keep in contact. visual contact with the tornadoes on the ground. >> how many are being reported on the ground? suspected tornadoes? >> right now, we've got one confirm tornado on the ground in arlington, around 820 and i-20. >> i believe that's what we're looking at right now. near i-20. you have several watches in effect, as i understand. tarrant county, johnson county. i believe also, joshua. a number of other places. what is happening where you are? >> we have a tornado warning. >> you can see, mark, you cannot see our screen but we visibly see debris flying through the

air. this tornado. and do we still have carl parker? are you there? okay, we see this debris now. and you see transformers. also exploding. this is a heavy populated area. i don't know specifically where. oxley, this is a part of this country that i am from. you see the homes for yourself at the bottom of the screen. >> this circulation -- >> as i'm at something on 5 right now. do you see who i'm talking to? >> hang on for a second, mark. carl, are you there? >> yes, i am. >> okay. tell me about what we're seeing. >> this circulation is on the southeast side of town. so this is very close to the intersection of 45 and 20. and that is near hutchins. it is now moving north northeast at 20 miles an hour. we have language now in the new warning from the dallas weather service office. this is a tornado emergency for dallas and hutchins. take shelter immediately. what do we mean by that? we mean, get to the lowest floor

in your home or your business. you want to put as many walls between and you the outside as possible. you want to cover your windows. get into an area with a small. a wall space such as a closet or a bathroom. something like. that we have seen a lot of damage debris at least from afar. we haven't seen it up close. we've seen a lot of debris in the air which would seem to indicate the storm has done a lot of damage. this tornado warning extends this storm farther north and east. and does include now dallas. this is on the east side of dallas. a tornado emergency. and there has been some confirmation of damage already. so heads up there right along the 45 corridor. hutchins and then between mesquite and dallas. the east side of dallas. we're still looking at a very well defined tornadic circulation. >> i've just again, and i hate to put it this way but i'm getting information from my own mother who is now hiding in her

home with two small children. my nephew's school has now put all of the students at the high school in burleson, texas, in the hallway for their protection. this is johnson county that i'm about. cleburne which is very near johnson county. they've sustained considerable damage near cleburne. the weather service, as you well know, says large and extremely dangerous tornados, about 20 mile south of dallas. and moving north, carl. >> yes. that storm, this is the one to the left. that's not the one we're looking at. there does appear to be a little bit of weakening with the circulation. sometime that can be deceptive. that condensation funnel may not extend all way to the ground. you've still got a circulation in place. it does appear that we're seeing some weakening with that storm. that's the one on the southeast side of dallas. there is another tornado

warning. another tornadic circulation for tarrant and dallas counties. that storm is going to be near worthington gardens. you need to take shelter now in arlington. grand prairie, haltham city. as we look at the live pictures here, it does appear this circulation has finally weakened which is not a tremendous surprise because again, we don't have the spectacular amount of upper level wind and low level wind. the sheer that is necessary to produce long track tornadoes of the type that we saw earlier this year on march 2nd or last year on april 27th. so these are generally going to be shorter lived tornadoes. most tornadoes live for about 20 minutes themselves last for 20 minutes. that may have been the case here. we're getting some reports across the metro area.

>> i have on the phone, thank you, carl, may i please ask you to stick around. i have joe holleran. are you there? >> yes, i am. >> what can you tell me is happening in joshua county? >> about 30 minutes ago, we had one tornado which touched down. we've had three or four others that dropped down. we've had the local schools have gone into a lockdown but we have just lifted those. we're getting in the truck now and starting to drive around the area to see if we can spot any damage. so far we've not had any reports of damage within the city limits of joshua. >> you were telling me the kids at the schools in your county had been placed on lockdown. that has been lifted since? >> in joshua, it has. my daughter is a teacher just north of here and she said she is still in lockdown there. >> my nephew is not very far from there. for those who don't know this area, we're about north texas. the region of the dallas/ft.

worth metroplex which would sound familiar to a national audience here. but these areas, there is a saying in texas. it takes you 45 minutes to get to your mailbox. these are wide counties. a wide area, if you will, that we're talking about here. mr. mayor, you've not seen any damage so far in your county. >> no, we have not. and we've had all of our crews have been out going around the city and they have not spotted any. >> thank you so much. the mayor of joshua county again in north texas. carl, if you're still there. you hear the mayor of that county saying that there were reports of suspected, at least, one or two or three, i believe, was his count of tornadoes, unconfirmed. but a lot of volatile activity. they've seen extremely warm weather in this area over the last few days. >> yeah, it has been very warm indeed. that's a part of what is driving these storms. there is no shortage of low level warmth and humidity. that's what you need to get the big updrafts. the tremendous thunderstorms that then begin to rotate when

you get enough sheer in the atmosphere. we do have a radar picture showing you the storm that is now moving toward arlington. there is a tornado warning in effect for arlington. we think that storm could be coming into arlington at about 1:40. right about now. the storm should be getting very close to arlington. and there is definitely what we call a hook echo on the radar picture here. we are seeing evidence of rotation as we look inside that storm. so heads up in arlington. now, looking at the other storm, farther east. this is the one south and east of dallas. you see there is still a hook echo here. this is the area with the circulation. you notice it is very close to i-20 and 45 now near huxins. last time we looked at the visuals there. the live pictures. we saw that -- >> let me get to you hang on for one second. i deeply apologize. i want to show our audience some of the video we're seeing of semis damaged as a result of

this violent weather. this tornadic activity that we've seen. i don't know where this is coming in. i'm told johnson county. at least from what we're hearing. we have to wait to confirm that. nonetheless, this is some of the video that we're getting. you mentioned arlington. i would like to give people a point. reference. we're talking to a national audience. that is, for example twlerk cowboys stadium is located. six flags as well. it is spring break for some people in the area. so there is normally a lot of activity, especially right around that area where folks come in to visit or even take their families to six flags which is near i-30 there. >> certainly is. as we look at this circulation, there is still a hook echo on the storm coming into arlington. please take cover right there. a tornado warning for you as the storm is moving north-northeast at 25 miles an hour. the circulation is not necessarily robust but because

we have had the visual evidence of the tornadoes already today, i want to take these warnings very seriously. that now coming into arlington as we speak. the cell that is off to the east still does have a tornado warning on it. that circulation is now right along 45 south of dallas. it appears that it will be heading up through the areas between dallas and mesquite. the east side of dallas is where that next circulation is heading. again, the last that we saw, i don't know if we still have those aerials. it did appear to be dissipating. >> you see people at the bottom of the screen. they're over to the damage of these big rigs. these semis. you see them standing out. i imagine in many cases in disbelief when you see something that sides tossed, as if it was a child's toy. literally one after the other after the other. if you get back to this wide shot of this screen here, you see to the left, to the right,

these big semis. that are definitely damaged as a result of this violent activity. people coming out to see. i know a lot of people have tweeted me about the traffic. folks are still driving. you have to understand, you're on the road. you don't know. maybe they're not listening. and foolishly, we know some people believe they can even outrun tornadoes. but the traffic there is tremendous. it is considered some of the worst in the country around these interstates where we're seeing this activity. 20, 35, 30, notorious traffic hot spots in north texas. >> and of course, this is the middle of the day. this is long been one of our greatest fears. those of us in the meteorology business. that a tornado would come into a major metro area, for example, at the height of rush hour when you've got all those people that are essentially trapped on the freeways and unable to go anywhere. we're at some pretty serious damage right there. you see the semis have been

flipped over. the movement on these storms was not very fast. they were moving to the north, north/northeast at 25 miles an hour. while this may not have been the most intense tornado, because of that slower movement, the winds would ten to be around for a little bit longer of a time of you see it looks like the top of the semi has been rimmed off altogether. >> it is peel like a can. we hear the phrases often. that roofs are peeled off. like cans. you see it for yourself. these folks coming out to look at the damage. hang on, carl. i have sherry jeffries, a public information officer for the dallas police department. thank you for joining us. with so much going on, what is the situation where you are? >> right now, we have confirmed that a tornado has hit the ground north of i-20 between lancaster and bonneville road. >> what else can you tell me about the damage reports? >> we're not getting any damage reports in right now. >> okay.

sherri, you're not getting any damage reports. >> i have not received any damage reports yet. >> let me get back to carl. what can you tell us? she is again in the dallas area saying that they have no damage reports but we've gotten reports from cleburne as well as right now, this report in hutchins. which is again, we're talk b the same area. i want to give people a better point of reference. they're about trailer trucks tossed into the air. a very dangerous system. people have been told to be on the alert for extreme conditions southeast of dallas and being told to get into a safe spot. >> yeah. >> we're still watching this. it's a i'm at my radar, it looks like it just updated. i don't know if i can take a look at the radar and i can show you the hook of this storm. that storm now appears to be going up just now east of 45. that's the storm that is in dallas county. so this is moving east of 45.

here's downtown dallas. this is i-45. there's i-20. this is hutchins. this is where the storm is where there was a tornado showing up via helicopter and on radar. there is still a hook echo in here. as we look in the storm, there is some evidence of rotation but it is not incredibly robust at this point. nonetheless, a dangerous storm that will be headed up east of dallas and there is now a brand new tornado warning that has been issued for eastern dallas county. that going until 2:15. you want to watch out for mesquite, in sunnyvale, roland and richardson as this moves north at 25 miles an hour. and still a tornado warning in effect there. >> here we go. this is some of the damage that we're seeing. this is video. let me listen in to where this is. >> she stumbled out of the house. sees these cars all tangled up

in herback front yard shelf did not know a tornado was coming. she heard the wind and the pounding rain and she heard the noise and she took cover in her bathtub. she is thanking her lucky stars that she did. she is alive to come out here and see this and survive this tornado pouring through lancaster. right over here is this cedar valley christian center. there were a couple dozen kids inside this place. the kids were screaming. the parents have been coming in here very worried. but all of the kids are fine. the kids are just fine. they're scared. they're worried, nervous, but they're alive and just fine. the building held up. the building is here and the kids are fine. some of these other houses are much worse shape. cars have disappeared, car ports have been peeled away. substantial damage in lancaster. we're just starting to get a look. this is what happens with these

tornadoes. this is why we warn you about them. serious business. >> one yes for you. were you hearing the sirens going off? i was told they were sounded in dallas county. >> reporter: they were indeed going off in lancaster. we heard them still going off as we came in here. >> thanks a lot. we've still got tornadoes on the ground. >> we'll find a nice balance of -- >> this is again the local station kxas. they're discussing damage in lancaster. this is all happening in north texas. carl parker, the weather channel is standing by. carl, i've been going back and forthwith my own family members who are in johnson county, right where this activity is taking place. i do know that my nephew's high school, burleson high school, on lockdown will my brother's bank of employment as well on lockdown. as you imagine, customers as will. my mother and two small children, like so many other families right now being told to get into a safe spot in their homes.

this activity we started watching, carl, about a half-hour ago, is still ongoing in north texas. >> that's right. there is a tornado warning that continues for the east side of dallas. that coming up through dallas, between dallas and mesquite. now north and east of 45. another tornado warning in the arlington area. the movement on these storms is north or north/northeast. about 25 miles an hour. moments ago we looked at some of the damage and saw some roofs that have been severely stripped or torn off. what you're talking about is ef-1 to ef-2 damage. that is between the low end and the moderate damage there. and that would be consistent with the level of wind that we have seen today in the environment. we don't have an incredibly strong area of environmental wind but certainly we do have enough wind to support the development of tornadoes, with all that low level warmth. there you're at the pictures from moments ago. you notice how difficult it is

to see that wedge shape there. that's because the tornado was being obscured by hazy sky and also, by rain. but as the helicopter moved around, and the storm became a little more front lit, we got a better look at what was going on. we did see at one point, a tremendous am of debris being thrown into the air. that's consistent with what we've seen on the ground. it came through a highly populated area on the south side of dallas. including right around mesquite there. excuse me. not mesquite but around the i-20 and 45 corridor. and we also got reports of damage. these have been damaging tornadoes. >> it's ongoing. just getting in sporadic information from obviously, our team and this is one of these rare occasions. my nephew just tweeted me.

or text messaged me from his high school where they are sitting in the hallway. we know that schools in dallas. johnson county are on lockdown. and carl, this watch will continue. you said until at least 8:00 eastern. >> that is local time. i can show you the radar with the cell that is to the, right now, over arlington. there is a hook echo sitting over arlington as we speak. that is now moving north northeast about 25 miles an hour. there is still a well-defined circulation within this storm. you can see how the precipitation wrapped around and into the bottom part of the storm. that is the circulation right in there. and within that, we're very clearly seeing circulation which

is now just north of arlington. right around the i-30 corridor. another circulation that continues now south and east of dallas, this is traveling up to the west of mesquite. >> you just mentioned mesquite. i just got another message from a family member. mesquite schools all taking cover. sirens have been going off for 30 minutes. this is a family member of the school board whose children are also in the mesquite schools, and by what i believe an accurate source. mesquite schools are taking cover. sirens have been going off. i've got this text message for 30 minutes now. >> we are looking at pictures from just moments ago of that tornado, as it was peaking.

this is the eastern most storm that came through the south side of the dallas metro area, right along 45 and i-20. for times there, you really couldn't see much of anything. often time, when you've got very humid environment, the storms will become what we call rain wrapped. and they become difficult to see. we saw a little power flash in there which would not be at all uncommon with the very strong winds, ripping up power lines and tearing up trees. we saw some large limbs and perhaps even trees being torn up with the storms. there is inflow. there is air being drawn into the center of the storm. that is very strong. you've got upward motion as well. that's why the the debris is actually drawn up and can travel with the circulation. and if you look closely, you see

the little bits of debris. it is very clearly structural debris. and that was then carried by the storm for a time. and then deposited, no doubt, somewhere very far away. in some cases, tornadoes have taken debris for miles and miles and miles. this is right around that time when the tornado was on the south side, dallas, not very long ago. you're at the condensation funnel. there is certainly some rain along the storm. and then right at the bottom, that is the interface, the dust envelope where all that debris is being churned up. again being thrown out by the storm. >> some of the reports we're getting in, severe home damage, several structural damage. trees, power lines, which you were just referring to and we witnessed in our own eyes. if we have that video. i don't know if we can turn it around will we want the audience to see the damage that we

watched earlier. we have seen beyond the images that you're watching on your screen. actual damage. there you have it. just of these big rigs being tossed about. we also tuned in to the local nbc station's report. we saw what was a school that was damaged. several homes, people seeing that we've seen so many times. people wandering out of their homes after seeking shelter. people at their community in disbelief at mother nature. we saw the big rigs and we witnessed the video of people coming out of their homes looking at the damage caused by this very violent weather pounding north texas right now. several reports of tornadoes on the ground. we are watching it with carl

park we are the weather channel. the one in johnson county, i believe it was, carl, that was fully formed, that we watched for a great period of time on the ground there. we're working to get more information. dfw airport i'm told in the path of this tornado. they're being told at the airport, to take shelter now. that is the dallas-ft. worth airport, as you all know. a major airport. a lot of flights in and out. american airlines is based in dallas-ft. worth. this is one of their major hubs. what are you telling me from the control room? let's go back to charles hadlock. what's the latest information that you have? charles, are you there? okay. we don't have charles. dallas-ft. worth airport in the path of this tornado. people in the airport are being

told to take shelter now at the airport. hopefully we can get somebody from the airport. that is where the american airlines hub. that airport is near arlington. for poichb reference, the dallas cowboys stadium is located there. this is a short drive, 15 maybe less minutes from the dallas-ft. worth airport. to give you perspective on all of this, this is a great portion of north texas right now under a tornado watch. we're naming many counties that you perhaps have never heard of before. all of these counties are in north texas. known as the dallas-ft. worth metroplex. commonly referred to as such with several tornadoes on the ground. so far we've not heard of any fatalities but we have seen video come in. a great amount of damage to homes, to businesses, as well.

we know school are on lockdown. my own nephew's school. his high school is under lockdown. my mother and two small children have sought shelter within her home in johnson county. my brother works at a bank. they've been told to seek shelter within that bank in johnson county. thousands of families in this area affected by, tens of thousands of families affected by this weather as we speak. so carl, this is video moments ago. what other activity are you watching? we're talking about a large patch of area. i say thousands of people but obviously, many more than that in the path of these storms. >> no doubt about that. there is a well defined circulation now. getting close to the airport. just north of arlington. a tornado warning ongoing. storm spotters and radar indicating this is moving northeast to 25. that should be there at about

the top of the hour. irving, grapevine, south lake at about 2:10. coppell and carrollton at 2:15. the cell that is farther eastward, this is what you're looking at. the cell that produced this tornado that you're looking at here. that one is not as well define as it once was. nonetheless, there is still a tornado warning that is in effect for dallas county. that is moving north at 20 miles an hour and passing to the west mesquite and now just to the east of dallas. it does appear the more dangerous of the two storms is the one close to the airport. and that is the one that will be getting up very close to irving and grapevine here in just a few minutes as it continues northward. you see the video of the one in the southeast side of dallas. and this is just moments ago. obscured, largely, by the haze