get ready for the lindsay lohan motivational speaking tour. making surprise visits this summer to springfield, missouri. spokane, washington. lubbock, texas. gallup, new mexico. paramus, new jersey. purchase tickets now, online or at participating convenient stores. tickets nonrefundable. good morning. i'm mark halperin and this is "way too early." thanks for being with us. on this thursday, february 27th. i can't sweat the small

stuff. i got a state to rebuild. >> we'll show you how responded at length to being left off the invite list. some moving testimony on capitol hill as loved ones on those killed in the newton massacre speak out. our top story live here in new york city. you're looking here at some live pictures from the vatican. pope benedict xvi is stepping down today. this morning the 85-year-old pontiff is spending a few moments exchanging words with the cardinals before he heads out on a helicopter to the papal residence south of rome. all right, now to developments on the civil war in syria, roughly about an hour from now, secretary of state john kerry is expected to announce a u.s. policy shift when it comes to aiding the

rebels. kerry is in rome for an international conference aimed at dealing with the conflict. for the first time obama administration plans to offer nonlethal assistance in syria. the reports say that the aid package could include body armor, communication equipment, night vision gear and vehicles. the white house however is stopping short of providing weapons. senator marco rubio of florida, has a slightly different take on how the u.s. should help. >> there are plenty of weapons in syria. they're coming from other countries. . what the opposition really needs is access to ammunition. one thing that we can consider, is if we can identify responsible groups, and i think

that's a step to prepare to advocate for. >> andrea mitchell will join us with more on "morning joe." president obama plans to meet with congressional leaders tomorrow, the same day that the $85 billion sequester cuts are expected to start. still at odds on whether or not tax revenue will be part of any deal. members of both parties huddled with the president, which was a described as a brief conversation yesterday on capitol hill, nothing seems to have gotten done there. today in the senate, something else nothing else will get done. both are expected to put forward some competing plans. both of those measures, one democrat and one republican, expected to fail. speaker boehner said enough with the new taxes is expected to hold a news conference at 11:15 this morning.

he's curbed overseas trips. the head of the faa meanwhile warning there could be major flight delays in new york, chicago and san francisco for starters, as the sequester forces a furlough of thousands of workers and the attorney general eric holder said that the across the board cuts would make the nation less safe. >> the justice department is going to lose 9% of its budget between now and the 30th. there not going to be as many fbi acts, atf agents, dea agents. this is something that's going to have an impact on the safety of this country. anybody who says that's not true is either lying or saying something that is contrary to the facts. >> fitch around with yesterday that the u.s. could lose its top

aaa rating on debt. that will fall in part dealing with the shoulders of this man jack lew, confirmed as treasury secretary yesterday. 71-26 vote. so far, the markets aren't showing too much concern about these cuts. the dow surged 175 points yesterday. let the good times roll there. senate hearing over the future of gun legislation turned emotional yesterday. the father of first grader jesse lewis fought back tears as he shared photos of his son. he's a supporter of the second amendment called on congress to ban assault weapons and address mental health issues. >> jesse was the love of my life. he was the only family i had left. it's hard for me to be here today to talk about my deceased

son. i have to. i'm his voice. i'm not here for the sympathy and a pat on the back. as many people stated in the town of newtown. i'm here to speak up for my son. >> also testimony from the e.r. physician who was on duty the day of shooting. he said that the massacre was a tipping point in health issue. >> when i see a patient and i talk to them about the risk of alcoholer morbid obesity, texting and driving, can i talk to them about the risk of gun violence. please. please don't tell that to the people of tucson, or aurora, or columbine or virginia tech and don't tell that to the people of newtown. >> also yesterday, mayor michael

bloomberg met with some senators in washington and separately with joe biden at the white house to talk about gun violence. vice president biden told a group of attorney generals that the election in illinois showed a sea change in the america consciousness. >> public mood has changed. the excuse that's too politically risky to act is no longer acceptable. from the first time since newtown, voters sent a clear unequivocal signal. the voters sent a message last night not only to the nra but to if politicians all over the country, by electing robin kelly who stood up strong for gun safety, totally consistent with

our second amendment rights. they sent a message. the message, there will be a moral price for action. this is not 1994. people know too much. >> the chief lobbyists for the nra disagree, pushing back telling the associated press that bloomberg just quote, spent over $2 million to hold the deepest blue seat in the u.s. house, in a race where the nra spent zero and had no involvement. supreme court has taken up a debate on one of the landmark voting laws. the plaintiff in the case shelby county, alabama, said it's so undated and no longer constitutional. the requirement of the states to

get federal approval before changing election laws was a great perpetuation. surprise, surprise. justice anthony kennedy in this case is likely to be the swing vote. meanwhile, as black history month comes to a close, president obama helped unveil a statue of rosa parks at the u.s. capitol. rosa parks was ordered by a bus driver to give up her seat to a white passenger in montgomery, alabama, she famously refused. president obama at the ceremony praised parks' act. >> like the passengers on the bus, we see the way things are,

children hungry in a land of plenty. entire neighborhoods ravaged by violence. families hobbled by job loss or illness. rosa parks tells us there's always something that we can do. >> that statue of parks is the first of any african-american woman to go on display at the capitol. new jersey governor chris christie is not taking his snub next month as a sign of waning support. christie seemed unconcerned about his standing with cpac leaders. >> i didn't know that i hadn't been invited to cpac until two days ago when i saw it in the news. so, yeah, pa apparently, i haven't been invited. i wish them the best. they don't want to invite me,

it's their call. it's their organization and it's their business. it's not like i'm lacking for invitations to speak here and there. i can't sweat the small stuff. i have a state to rebuild. >> despite that exclusion from cpac, he has the support from mitt romney. he donated to his gubernatorial campaign. as always, let us why you're awake watching this program. shoot us an e-mail at way too early at msnbc.com. we'll read the best responses later in the show. still ahead -- suspensions

are heanded down between the brawl on tuesday. later in the show, cory booker comes to the rescue once again, this time in the name of love. how he helped save one man's marriage proposal. a check of the weather when "way too early" comes right back. it was a fierce gun battle lasting about an hour, federal and state police agents exchangesed shot with a group called branch davidians at this compound about 90 miles south of dallas.

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live pictures there. preskating rockefeller center. "way too early" and a check of our weather and nbc meteorologist bill karins. >> let's get rid of winter. get rid of february. february is going out pretty quiet. unlike yesterday with a huge storm through areas, milwaukee got it pretty good. what's left of that storm is beginning light snow this morning to areas like detroit and north of there especially. columbus and cincinnati, snow showers and some rain showers through the mid-atlantic. most of these temperatures are above freezing. that's the big storm as it has weakened significantly. middle of the country, quiet as can be. no big storms. march comes in like a lion and

out like a lamb. no lion to be found. middle of the country, much cooler. no big storms to deal with. the next storm, possible winter storm, winter event will be as we go through sunday into monday, that white stripe, that could potentially be a snow event, maybe heading to the mid-atlantic. middle of next week. it looks like we get a quiet weekend. mark? >> bill, thanks so much. all right, now a look at some sports. a major nfl trade. the 49ers have agreed to send quarterback alex smith to the chiefs for a conditional first-round pick next year. smith's departure has been rumored for a while. since the former number one pick lost his starting job to colin

kaepernick midway through the season. smith's arrival means that matt cassel is likely going to be released from the team even though he has two years and over $16 million left. on the extension he signed back in 2009. some college hoops now. uconn hosting number 17 georgetown. final seconds on of the game. hoyas has a chance to put it away the free throw. they miss. uconn hits the game-tying three right here. boom, we go to overtime tied at 91. first overtime ended up in another tie. now we head to a second overtime. clock winding down. georgetown down by one. porter jr. drives here. uconn gets it back. this time, they can't get the buzzer-beater to go. georgetown survives in the two extra sessions. 79-78. more college hoops now. number four michigan takes it on

the road against penn state. we pick it up in the second half. michigan gets the trade here. trey burke gives it up. michigan goes up by 11. they were up by as many as 14 in the second half. but here come your nittany lions. under 5:00 to play. newbill buries the three. locked at 74. over a minute left. penn state up by one. the layup goes. penn state, watch this, very nice. penn state wins it 84-78. michigan becomes the latest top ten team to go down at the hands of an unranked opponent. nba suspensions handed down yesterday for this brawl tuesday night. pacers and warriors, suspended one game without pay for their roles in starting the fight. steph curry bounced back pretty

nice nicely last night. second quarter, curry behind the arc, drains the three. 27 points in the first half. fourth quarter, more from curry, he hits the pull-up three, very nice. golden tate goes up, 5:00 left to play. now under 4:00. curry, again, deep three, he had 41 points. the knicks go up for good. despite that huge night from curry. some conclusion attend of the game, the wizards against the pistons concerning what would have been a game-winning shot taken away. >> steal, driving. kicks it out. ariza, baseline, dagger! >> wow. wow. >> ariza from the baseline for

three and the wizards with a miraculous comeback in washington! we saw what appeared the ball go through the net. eventually it came up short. >> the dagger has been retracted. >> first time ever. >> despite the confusion in the booth, as you can see from the other angles the pistons went on to win. coming up at the top of the hour -- president obama and congressional leaders are taking it down to the wire, they'll meet tomorrow. when we come back here, we'll huddle around the water cooler, going to watch jon stewart give career advice to the outgoing pope. that's on "way too early" coming back right here. [ male announcer ] ah... retirement. sit back, relax,

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all right. let's take a much well deserved break from real news. gather around the water cooler. this is an all-new episode. >> all-new episode. the first story is no shocker. cory booker has saved the day

again. he pulled the neighbor from a burning building and rescued a dog left out in the cold. now booker is answering calls for love. this week, new york city lawyer asked booker help him propose to his girlfriend. booker responded immediately over twitter. he said quote, i'm a romantic and it sounds fun. the phone rang and booker was on the other line. burns was waiting with two glasses of bubbly and a ring. of course, she said yes. that's guy's kissing babies and saving dogs. he's the man. now, he's making love connections. he's good. big fan, big fan. mark, as long as there is market for drugs in america, they'll find inventive ways to

get drugs into the country. $43,000 marijuana was found in soup cans outside the arizona/mexico border. they confiscated this home made marijuana launcher. it's powered by a compressor from the engine of the old car. 30-pound packages of weed across the border. pretty cool. let's move to some more serious news. pope benedict is in the final hours as serving as pope and jon stewart has a little bit of advice for him in his retirement. take a look. >> second career seems out the

question. today the vatican revealed his retirement home is just behind st. peter's. >> oh, that will be comfortable. he'll be unexpectedly stopping by, checking up on the new pope, oh really, that's where you're going to be holding communion? i used to do it over there, that's what god wanted. >> any other perks might be losing? >> those red prada shoes that e he's fond of they go. >> that has to hurt. no greater insult to a man in italy than to take away his designer shoes. >> oh. live shots of the pope right now at the vatican. he's saying good-bye.

bidding a fond farewell. still ahead -- why are you awake. your tweets, texts and e-mails are next. and "morning joe" just moments away from now. i've got something for you too. (announcer) fancy feast delights with cheddar. a meal that is sure to delight your cheese lover. fancy feast. the best ingredient is love. [ nyquil bottle ] just reading your label. wait...you relieve nasal congestion? sure don't you? [ nyquil bottle ] dude! [ female announcer ] tylenol® cold multi-symptom nighttime relieves nasal congestion. nyquil® cold and flu doesn't. relieves nasal congestion. you know it can be hard to lbreathe, and how that feels.e,