the red line in syria. and takes a new jabs at congress. we'll run through the highlights, straight ahead. also, a heated town hall exchange, as one of the senators who voted against the background checks bill, get confronted by a family member of the newtown victim. we'll show you why she walked out. first, let's get to the news, 5:30 a.m. here in new york city. we start in syria. and the question, where is the red line when our country will intervene in syria's civil war? in a news conference yesterday, president obama said, if syria had used chemical weapons, it would be a game-changer. but he was careful not to make any definitive claims. >> what we now have is evidence that chemical weapons have been used inside of syria. but we don't know how they were used, when they were used, who used them. we don't have a chain of custody, that establishes what exactly happened. and when i am making decisions

about america's national security and the potential for taking additional action, in response to chemical weapon use, i have to make sure i have the facts. if we end up rushing to judgment, without hard, effective evidence, then we can find ourselves in the position where we can't mobilize the international community to support what we do. >> "the washington post" says the president is preparing for the first time, to send lethal arms to syrian opposition leaders. the white house has long resisted calls to do so. it has opted to pour $500,000 of nonlethal assistance in the country. it is seeking diplomatic solutions. president obama phoned vladimir putin on monday. and secretary of state john kerry will travel there in the coming days. syria's ambassador has called the allegation of chemical weapons trumped up.

and hezbollah in lebanon indicated it could step up its role in assisting assad's government, to prevent the country from falling in, quote, american or israeli hands. hezbollah has long been suspected of supporting rebels across the border in syria. nearly 500,000 refugees have come to lebanon. and some 8,000 refugees a day are streaming into jordan. and that number is expected to approach a total of 1.2 million by year's end. to give that number perspective, jordan's total population is only 6.5 million. president obama faced questions about the state of revolt at the prison at guantanamo bay. where 100 of 166 inmates are on a hunger strike. president obama says the prison is less important than ever, with the fwhars afghanistan

coming to a close. >> guantanamo is not necessary to keep america safe. it is expensive. it is inefficient. it hurts us, in terms of our international standing. it lessens cooperation with our allies. it is a recruitment tool for extremists. it needs to be closed. i don't want these individuals to die. obviously, the pentagon is trying to manage the situation as best as they can. but i think all of us should reflect on why exactly are we doing this? >> the pentagon has taken controversial steps to keep prisoners alive. bringing in extra medical staff to force-feed 20 of the detainees, over the medical objections of the medical association. president obama wanted to close the prison as one of his first

acts of president. but it remains open after several wranglings with congress. the cost of the prison, $177 million a year, the most expensive of any in the u.s. that's at a cost of more than $1 million per prisoner. come live at the hilton. a massive $150 million upgrade is under consideration by the pentagon. it includes a $12 million for the dining hall. $11 million unit for the detainees. $10 million for the legal complex for the detainees. and another $11 million upgrade to the communications facility. federal investigators are expanding their search for several persons of interest in the boston marathon bombing. the fbi is looking for individuals who may have had contact with tsaranev's brother, before the april 15th attack. they're tracking the handgun the older brother used during the shoot-out with police. meanwhile, an official review has been launched by the director of national

intelligence to ensure information was properly shared between the nation's top counterterrorism agencies, leading up to the bombing. president obama defended the law enforcement groups yesterday, saying the fbi and the department of homeland security, performed their responsibilities, in, quote, exampleliry position. according to the fbi, investigators have found trace levels of ricin in martial arts studio owned by james everett dutschke. and on a dust map he threw away while under surveillance by the fbi. an affidavit shows that dutschke ordered castor beans, to make the poison, ricin. back to the news conference at the white house, where domestic issues played a big role to push through priorities. president obama played down the

suggestion that he's lost momentum, following the defeat of the gun bill in the senate and the fallout over the sequester. he tangled with the press over the faa furloughs, until a few days ago were causing big delays at airplanes. the president says there's only so much he can do without cooperation on capitol hill. >> you seem to suggest that somehow, these folks have no responsibilities. and my job is to somehow get them to behave. that's their job. they're elected, members of congress are elected, in order to do what's right for their constituencies and for the american people. >> the issue of gun reform is also playing out far from the nation's capital. kelly ayotte of new hampshire, who voted against extended background checks is finding herself at the center of the debate. she is facing angry voters back home, for a political price. tensions boiled over in a town

hall event yesterday. among those questioning the senator were erica lafferty, whose mother was murdered in the newtown massacre. >> you had mentioned that day, owners of gun stores, that the extended background chex would cost. i'm just wondering why the burden of my mother being gunned down in the hall of an elementary school isn't just as important as that? why is that something not being supported? >> erica, certainly, let me just say, that i'm obviously so sorry. and as everyone here, no matter what our views are, for what you have been through. and i think that ultimately, when we look at what happened in sandy hook, i understand that's what drove this whole discussion. all of us want to make sure that that doesn't happen again. i took a lot of heat.

i will say, from even members of my own party, that didn't like the fact that i voted to actually go to debate on this issue. because i do -- we can have strong disagreements. but ultimately, everything should be debated and discussed. >> she was prepped and ready for that question. after the senator's answer, erica walked out of the room, telling reporters afterwards, she had, quote, had enough. according to public policy polling, kelly ayotte's poll numbers went from a net positive in october, to a net negative currently. now, to massachusetts, where the ballot is set to fill secretary of state john kerry's former senate seat. for the democrats, long-time congressman, ed markey beat stephen lynch by 14 points. they duelled it out in a heated race, with lynch accusing markey of lying about his record. and for the republicans, it's

newcomer gabriel gomez, the son of colombian immigrants. he is a former navy s.e.a.l. who got a harvard mba. they a are looking to him to turn a blue state red. the food and drug administration is rolling out plans to make the plan b morning-after pill available over the counter without prescriptions. to girls as young as 15 years old. however, the fda's decision can be nothing more than symbolic in a matter of days. last month, a federal judge ordered the agency to make plan b available to all women over the counter, recogardless of ag. all other women must request a pill from a pharmacist. the white house has until may 5th to appeal the judges' ruling. now, to business. all three indices posting gains, another impressive month for our 2013 bull market.

in fact, the dow is coming off its best start to a year since 1999. the good old days. while the s&p and the nasdaq logged their sixth-straight month of gains. steve, it can't go on forever, can it? >> no. we don't think so. if the s&p was on its current projectry, we would be on 40% for the year. and yet, the s&p did close another record high yesterday, 1597. the catalyst came on two fronts this time. one was economic data. we had strong metropolitan home sales. the february pace of growth we've seen in nine years. a very strong growth there. also, consumer confidence was strong. the other side of the coin was the fact this corporates, as well. we've seen a rebound of some names under pressure, namely apple. it closed at $442. that's after it announced the

largest nonfinancial bond deal in history. $50 billion of demand for this bond deal, to a 30-year paper. the investors couldn't get enough of this one, as well. these were catalysts for the broader markets which continue to rally. >> it's amazing the numbers keep going up. the housing prices are going up. but the unemployment numbers aren't budging too much. it doesn't seem to make a difference. thanks as always, steve. let us know why you're awake. shoot us an e-mail at way too early at msnbc.com. still ahead on "way too early," the washington nationals were facing their toughest opponent yet. but bryce harper wasn't helping the cause. we'll show you why, next in sports. and later in outrageous new bill proposed by one senator that takes aim at a tradition on capitol hill. that story and a check on weather in the midwest, you don't want to hear it, when "way too early" comes back.

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it's no wonder the world can't wait to see what bold does next. trust your instincts to make the call. to treat my low testosterone, my doctor and i went with axiron, the only underarm low t treatment. axiron can restore t levels to normal in about 2 weeks in most men. axiron is not for use in women or anyone younger than 18 or men with prostate or breast cancer. women, especially those who are or who may become pregnant and children should avoid contact where axiron is applied as unexpected signs of puberty in children or changes in body hair or increased acne in women may occur. report these symptoms to your doctor. tell your doctor about all medical conditions and medications. serious side effects could include increased risk of prostate cancer; worsening prostate symptoms; decreased sperm count; ankle, feet or body swelling; enlarged or painful breasts; problems breathing while sleeping; and blood clots in the legs. common side effects include skin redness or irritation where applied, increased red blood cell count, headache, diarrhea, vomiting, and increase in psa.

ask your doctor about the only underarm low t treatment, axiron. this is a difficult day. a lot of us on the east coast are celebrating that we finally have warmed up. we're beautiful. the leaves are coming out on the trees. we can deal with the pollen. but the midwest, on the other hand, not so fun. yesterday, beautiful. no problems. 72 in minneapolis. 82, kansas city. 63, denver. now, winter is returning. yes, winter. on may 1st. this man, the colors, white shows you where it is snowing. it is now snowing pretty good, from ft. collins, colorado,

cheyenne, wyoming, to nebraska. denver has dropped to 34. and snow is on the way. three to six inches of snow, on the grass and the cars, in denver, by the end of today. especially later on tonight. the bottom line, winter's returned in a big way. and it's just cold, too. it's not going to stick so much in a lot of areas. the ground is going to be warm and it's going to melt right away. how much are we seeing? the snowfall totals, cheyenne could get three to six. and the gray, shows one to three inches possible. all the way through iowa. very rare to see snow, let alone have it accumulate in the midwest, in may. we're going to deal with maybe a sliver of severe weather out here in texas. don't expect tornadoes. that's good. a few strong thunderstorms, from abilene, texas, to red river, to areas in oklahoma again. not too many tornados. we're expecting about 68 and

sunny. 69 and sunny in the big apple. in sports, in the nba playoff games that finished while most of us were sleeping. game five between the nuggets and warriors. this is ty lawson, throwing the alley-oop to andre iguodala. he led the nuggets with 25 points. the nuggets go on to win, 107-100, to take a 3-2 series lead. take it to l.a. for game five between the clippers and the grizzlies. this is also a great series. uh-oh. blake griffin, high ankle sprain. left the game in the third. zach randolph took advantage. memphis had some horses down low with a lot of beef on them. and he's got nice touch for a big man there. zach randolph and memphis, beat the clippers, 103-93. they take a 3-2 series lead and go home to wrap that series up. now, on to baseball. great match-up of two of the top teams in the national league. the braves versus the nats. tim hudson.

that's a shot. bryce harper has a bead on it. he jumps. he timed it well. looks like he left a little too high. hit off the heel of his glove, over the fence. that's a home run for the pitcher, tim hudson. helps the braves to an 8-1 victory over the nates. congratulation on career win number 200. and this brought to you by producer, john tower. davie johnson was the manager for if the opposing team when hudson won his first game. let's turn to hockey. the stanley cup playoffs under way last night. the l.a. kings battling it out against the blues. battling it out. this one goes to overtime. and oops. goalie misplayed the puck behind the net. that's alex steen. he sees an opportunity. backhands it into the goal. he takes the series lead, 1-0, with a 2-1 victory over the

kings. blackhawks and the wild. between periods. this is why we're showing you hockey highlights. danica was there. danica patrick on the ice. nice shot there. that's the shoot the puck event. she makes the shot from center ice on her first try. she must have been -- must have been a good luck. the blackhawks win 2-1, in overtime, taking a one-game lead over minnesota. one day after being released by the new york jets, quarterback tim tebow has a new offer to play. that is, with the omaha beef. yes. that's a team. of the indoor football league. the salary can easily get him a couple happy meals. $75 per game. substantially less than the $2 million he just earned with the jets last season. but better than zero. when the beef's starting quarterback -- wonder if he's proud of that. james mcnear learned of the

tebow offer, told reporter, i think he can learn a lot from me. coming up, president obama takes the white house podium to weigh in on syria to gun perform. but will it help gain momentum for the white house agenda. around here, we'll huddle around the watercooler, to add to the long list of weatherman bloopers. we'll show you the clip next. i did? when visa signature asked everybody what upgraded experiences really mattered... you suggested luxury car service instead of "strength training with patrick willis." come on todd! flap them chicken wings. [ grunts ] well, i travel a lot and umm... [ male announcer ] at visa signature,

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enough of what we like to call the real news. gather around our watercooler. for a weatherman's biggest fear. houston chief meteorologist, david paul, experienced an attack of the hiccups. miraculously, he made it through it. >> outside of the beltway, it's highway 6 out to katy. just moved out the west. i have the hiccups, of course. excuse me. on the sunny side. cypress to copperfield. and here's the big picture.

we could see scattered showers and a couple of thunderstorms during the overnight. and that will lead for a chance for record low temperatures friday morning, down to 42. >> this would have been hyste c hysterical if it weren't for all the weather we had. >> it's hysterical, anyways. well, it's been a tradition for southern senators since the preair conditioning days. that's like my summer camp shots. some lawmakers switch out their wool suits for sears sucker suits. the sears sucker suit trend is huge in the missouri state senate. but one senator, ryan mckenna, is refusing to give in. in a handwritten amendment, he tried to ban the fabric from the senate. any person over the age of 8,

living in this state, may not wear sears sucker suits because adults look ridiculous in sears sucker suits. mckenna withdrew the amendment. and adding it to a higher education bill probably wasn't the right place to it. after seeing that picture, not so sure i'm against it. sears sucker tuesday was retired from the senate last year. we're up on the non-wrinkle fashion trends here. one another one? how about the 100-day shirt? i'm interested. you can wear this shirt for 100 days-straight, with no washing. no odor. and no wrinkles. maybe a bib included. nyc start-up company says the secret is in the wool fabric. >> i wore in shirt for 100 days straight. no washing, no dry cleaning, no wrinkles, no odor. and i did everything in this

shirt. how? wool. we created a shirt that will redefine what you think of wool. it's light, breathable, and best of all, soft. >> one shirt will cost you -- 98 bucks. not bad. the company has started a kick starter campaign to try to get the shirts mass produced. check them out at woolinprints.com. still ahead, why are you awake? your tweets, texts and e-mails are next. and "morning joe," now. get that lint off him, just moments away. [ female announcer ] girls don't talk about pads, but they do talk about always infinity.

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riding the dog like it's a small horse is frowned upon in this establishment! luckily though, ya know, i conceal this bad boy underneath my blanket just so i can get on e-trade. check my investment portfolio, research stocks...

wait, why are you taking... oh, i see...solitary. just a man and his thoughts. and a smartphone... with an e-trade app. ♪ nobody knows... [ male announcer ] e-trade. investing unleashed. at the top of the show, we asked you, why are you awake? >> we got a couple here. my 1-month-old is a fan of "way too early." he wakes up every morning, is just in time. >> we get them when their eyes start to focus, we tend to lose

them. what's next? >> keith on twitter. 85 degrees yesterday. crazy, i blame you, bill karins. >> the midwest is -- i don't know how you do it. especially around the denver area.karins. >> denver 71 and 30 the next and now going to snow. we did the shirt for the 100 dollars that lasted a whole year. joke on us. we were supposed to raise 30,000 but they have raised $200,000. i'm going to start my own shirt company. great show, everyone. see you back here this morning. "morning joe" starts right now. ♪ >> you had mentioned that day -- owners of gun source, that extend the backgrounds checks. i'm just wondering why the burden of my mother being gunned down in the halls of her elementary school isn't as important as