there's a major winter storm coming. get ready to bundle up. this is "way too early." turn on the electric blankets and get ready to work. i'm thomas roberts. welcome to "way too early." the show where mayor rob ford gets serious and an earthquake gets kind of funny. we'll explain in a moment. we'll explain with more serious news. he was one of the fathers of folk music. pete seeger passed away. he foundsed a radical student newspaper and described himself as a communist with a small c. he was fighting alongside unions and was indicted for contempt of congress for defying the house un-american activities committee. he had success with his musical kbrup, but many songs came fame

through other groups. he was a voice of protest during vietnam playing for tens of thousands in d.c. then 40 years later he stood in front of the lincoln memorial alongside his grandson and bruce springste springsteen singing "this land is your land." he was a kennedy center honoree and a member of the rock and roll hall of fame. his impact on musicians from rock to folk, his tireless efforts to clean new york's hudson river and in the later years participating in the occupy wall street movement, pete seeger was 94 years old. we want to get to the latest about the weather. the deep freeze continuing across so many states. 2,500 flights have already been cancelled because of the bitter cold. it it could cause the chain reaction, a ripple affect for flights going forward. windchills will have minnesota

feeling like 40 degrees below zero. a peacetime state of emergency has been declared because of propane shortages there. governor jindal declared a state of emergency as well. we want to check in with bill karins. this is a lot for the south to take in. >>. everything is closed. i don't know if we have had a day where many schools have been close closed because of the weather. all through the south from houston to the carolinas, school is out today. even local governments are out because they are expecting this ice and snow and sleet mixture. they don't have the equipment to treat it it on the roads. 31 million people will be affected by this storm. we're watching the snow breaking out just north of houston. houston is doing okay. driving in central louisiana, we have the snow and ice it will. that's where we'll continue to see nasty conditions.

new orleans, later tonight you'll deal with the worst of it. the windchills are dropping in the northeast today. some of the snow that we're going to deal with historic in nature. once every 10 years, 20 years, areas like virginia beach have a chance for a foot of snow. eastern north carolina, even south carolina. charlton and savannah, they could see a full blown ice storm. they can't handle it. they are not used to it. they can expect power outages if pr a long time. >> at least they have the warning to prepare. tonight the president delivering his state of the union address before congress. that's followed by kathy mcmorris rodgers with the republican response. then senator mike lee will give the tea party response. then rand paul will give his personal rebuttal to the president's speech. so three in total. president obama faces a fractured nation skeptical he can turn things around.

the poll shows 37% of americans say our state of the union is d divided. 3% believe the union is strong. 33% say they are posseessimist and worried about the remaining three years of president obama's second term. 16% say they are optimistic and confident. that's down 8 points from the same time last year. out of all those factors contributing to president obama's 43% approval rating, this is the third straight poll where the president's disapproval rating was over 50%. things aren't going much better on capitol hill. the sixth consecutive time that at least 80% of americans have a negative view of congress. 45% say they would like to see democrats take control of congress during this year's midterm elections. the poll takes a look at how the recent scandals have

impacted chris christie. just 22% have a positive view. in recent minds of voters that have a negative view of the governor has increased by 12 points. 42% say they believe christie is telling the truth about the george washington bridge scandal. 44% think he's not. hillary clinton says not only does she not know whether she will run for president in 2016, she's not even thinking about it it. addressing auto industry owners, she talked about her proudest moments including the decision to take out osama bin laden. >> my biggest regret is what happened in benghazi. it was a terrible tragedy. losing four americans, two diplomats and now it's public so i can say two cia operatives, losing an ambassador like chris stevens, who was one of our very

best. we were constantly trying to assess what do we do because if the united states pulls out of places, which sometimes we have to do, what are we leaving behind? stfs a great personal loss to me since i sent chris stevens to libya the first time. there's no military with the military tradition that can stand up against terrorists and militias. it's a dangerous world we're in and we have to be constantly asking ourselves what's the best decision. >> it was also during this event a paid speech in front of auto dealers and. makers that she mentioned she hasn't driven a car since 1996. critics say that makes her out of touch. tweet us your most creative answers. we're going to put some of those best answers later in the show. we have breaking news story to pass along from the ukraine. the country's prime minister resigned amid-protests.

it's a move to reach social political compromise. the unrest began two months ago after the country backed away from a trade deal. ukraine tightened its ties with russia. the protests escalated after laws restricting protests went into effect. we have seen some dramatic images from the violence. this one is an iconic image showing a priest praying right in the middle of the clashes between protesters and police. ukraine's president has promised to reveal the anti-protest laws. we turn to the u.s. as the president preps for the state of the union, the economy will take center stage with a focus on inequality. it it has one prominent member apologizing. tom perkins has been under fire for comparing anger at the rich to the crystal knock, which was a nazi campaign in the early days of jewish persecution.

he made those comments to the wall street under. yesterday he apologized for the comparison. take a look. >> my point was that when you start to use hatred against the minority, it can get out of control. that was my thought. now that has a messenger i have been to to ri killed by everybody, at least read the message. i'm friends with al gore, who tells me that inequality is the number one problem in america. but the 1% are not causing the inequali inequality. they are the job creators. i think that the solution is less interference, lower taxes, let the rich do what the rich do, which is get richer, but

along the way, they bring everybody else with them when the system is working. >> tom perkins has an estimated wealth of $8 billion. democratings and republicans came together to reach a deal on the farm bill. the bill is expected to save $23 billion over the next ten years. among those cuts eliminating direct payments to farmers and slashing $800 million a year in food stamp spending. thing a department will no longer be able to spend on tv and aradio ads to promote food stamps. they ensure that some are not eligible. the house could vote as soon as tomorrow. we turn to west virginia where the extent of the january 9th chemical spill is greater than believed. regulators believe 10,000 gallons leaked into the state's water supply. initial estimates were at 7,500 gallons. residents in nine counties were

unable to use their tap water because of that leak. let's talk some business news. later this morning that the federal reserve begins its two-day policy meeting. yesterday stocks continued their slide. last wednesday wall street had a strong rally on news that the central bank would maintain parts of its stimulus program. the dow and s&p have shed most of its gains since then. what's going on today? >> the shares of apple today dropped 8% in afterhour trading. apple sold 51 million iphones, but analysts were expecting 54 million. sales were good in emerging markets but fell in north america. apple also projecting sales in the current quarter will fall short of wall street estimates. banks continue to close branches as customers shift mobile and electronic banking.

research firms cut 1,500 branches last year. that's a record amount. branch numbers have been on a steady decline since 2009. cutting locations have boosted profits as they cut security costs. >> morgan, the talk of the first class stamp going up. that had people wagging tongues about what they were doing to try to raise revenue. what else is on their radar? >> so the postal service issued a report monday recommending they expand their financial services to meet the needs of underserved communities. the agency could earn $9 billion in annual revenue if they grabbed 10% generated by 68 million americans on the fringes of the banking system. those who don't have checking accounts. that may help the postal service reverse years of losses for current and retired workers. >> could be a smart business

trend. thank you. still ahead on "way too early," weather continuing to be one of the themes as we get closer to the super bowl. but it's not the only factor impacting ticket prices. we'll break that down for you. and rob ford is getting serious about toronto's budget. but his speech made it it difficult to take him seriously. that's when "way too early" comes right back. the challenger with a schoolteacher and six action naughts on board was consumed by an explosion less than two medicines after it it was launched at 11:38 eastern time this morning. [ male announcer ] here's a question for you:

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bowl tickets on the the cheap. speculation that super bowl xlviii were the priciest tickets. brokers say an $800 ticket is going for around $1200. that's it. it's only $800. in other years tickets were selling for more than twice face value. the cold weather part of the reason the ticket price is down. and some think the teams aren't sexy. now to nba action. hawks and thunder. tied at 109-109 with 5 seconds on the clock. >> a double team, durant pulling up, scores! 1.5 seconds left, he's done it again! >> the go ahead jumper. his 11th straight game scoring at least 30.

the thunder win, 111-109. ortiz is looking for an extension with the boston red sox. he led the sox to a title walk. during an interview with a boston tv station that he talked about his future. >> i would like to retire red sox, but that doesn't depend on me. this is business. people have different the thoughts every year. hopefully that's not the case. like i say, i think i will represent this organization and hopefully they see the value. >> in case you missed it, he had a chiwawa in his lap. and a matching top. the dog did not give comment about the fashion. >> fantastic.

>> bill karins, how do you follow that? >> you don't. >> freeze us out. >> i've been showing you these numbers all january. schools closed again in chicago and for good reason. they don't want kids out in dangerous weather conditions. minus 28 windchill in chicago u. some of the cold air has reached the east but it's not as bad as the ohiofor minneapolis today? >> no school today in minneapolis. most schools in minnesota are closed as well. for many districts, this is the fourth time just this month and it's not because of snow. it's really just because of the cold weather. a really long snap of this throughout the midwest. at the same time, people are struggling to stay warm because of a natural gas explosion. energy companies are asking people to turn their thermostats down to 60 degrees to alleviate that problem. a lot of people pretty chilly as

they are waking up this morning. there's also been tough travel conditions. >> you have no hat on and a windbreaker. how many layers? >> reporter: i've got a lot of layers on. but you're almost getting used to it out here. that's how bad it's been this winter. we have had so many cold somedays that this doesn't feel as bad. that's not a good sign for us here. it's becoming the norm. >> you and i would be abominable snowman. >> how are we supposed to sell this story if she's not wrapped up? how are we supposed to panic people? janelle, you're tough. coming up at the top ofunio. three republicans prepare to respond. i'm having a tough time today. my eyes are going on me. what new poll numbers are saying about what the president might be talking about on his big

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at the top of show, we talked about the death of pete seeger at the age of 94.

if you want to sound smart, tell him he's the only singer in the rock and roll hall of fame who was convicted of contempt of congress. he was charged after refusing to it testify over his past membership in the communist party. his conviction was overturned in 1961. let's huddle around the cooler and talk to lewis about why the most favorite man, the mayor of toronto, is back in the headlines. >> rob ford is making a serious pitch to his city and lawmaker to consider spending cuts to avoid the deficit. it's hard to take him seriously. >> folks, without rob ford in charge, it it doesn't take long to return to the ways of the past. the reality is since november many counselors have gotten who pays the bills. the taxpayers are our boss. >> look at that broncos jersey. the budget will be discussed later today. back in november he was stripped of most of his authority.

his odd words of choice is not the first time the cameras caught him looking less than mayoral. no word on what jersey he plans to wear on election day. >> taking a nap. a lot of politicians take a nap. >>. i wonder if he's coming to the super bowl? check his facebook status. let's head over to late night. steven colbert is high off his grammy win for best spoken word alb album. >>. unfortunately the evening was marred when my friend macle mother and lewis had to politicize their gay anthem. ♪ >> we are gathered here to celebrate love and harmony in every key, in every color. as i look out on this audience, i'm delighted to see the faces

of 30 couples who chose this moment to celebrate their vows with us here in los angeles. by the power vested in me by the state of california i now pronounce you a married couple! >> i don't know about you, but madonna's entrance gave me the urge to eat a bucket of fried chicken. >> i saw your friend there tom. >> let's head over to jimmy fallon who saw a silver lining after a serious earthquake rocked part of new zealand. >> they were doing a greyhound race and there was a 6.3 magnitude earthquake during the race and it it didn't stop the guy from calling the race from staying calm and trying to do his job. it's weird. >> everything shaking here, i'm afraid. we might have a bit of an earthquake going on. in fact, we have a very large earthquake going here.

the race is underway here. the monitor has fallen on me. >> i'm not going to be able to do much to record this race. >> i'm being mugged right now. i'm bleeding a little bit. i'm bleeding a lot. >> that's excellence in reporting. i expect nothing less from you. >> i'm about to be attacked right now. >> stop shaking the camera. >> power on through. >> still ahead onway wisconsin, hillary clinton hasn't driven a car since 1996. some say that makes her out of touch. >> and the hair. >> we want to know what makehouse feel out of touch. your most creative tweets. "morning joe" and the hazing is moments away. [ male announcer ] staples has everything you need to launch your big idea.

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i had a pink flip phone, embarrassing. >> john talker has one of those. >> when former disney stars are twirk twerking, i feel out of touch. >> twerking is a topic on out of show and being touched aggressively by joe and mika. did you see that? >> i did. it was a little aggressive. "morning joe" beginnings right now. ♪ as i went walking i saw the skyway ♪ ♪ i s