rivers elementary school. mark nelson walked six miles in the snow to be with his daughter. >> the atl blame game, big questions remain over why atlanta commuters turned into the walking frozen. how political leaders are responding to the heat. and president obama hits the campaign trail to sell his state of the union address to the people. should he have stayed in d.c. to make the case on the hill? and justin bieber and mayor rob ford can't seem to catch a break. which one is accused of organizing a prison beating? this is "way too early." good morning. i'm thomas roberts. welcome to "way too early." this is january 30th, a thursday. this is the show that is never too frozen to show you topless photos of justin bieber. if you play your cards right, maybe vladimir putin, too. yeah. yeah. vladimir putin. speaking of frozen parts of the

southeastern u.s. finally thawing out but others are in deep paralysis in austin, texas there were 300 accidents. a dash cam recorder caught this truck careening off the highway. the interstate outside of bi birmingh birmingham, alabama saw gridlock conditions. in charleston, south carolina, one of the biggest cable bridges in the world closed for the first time because of the ice. notice had it worse than atlanta. just two inches of snow provided disastrous results. there is still a civilian state of emergency for georgia. atlanta being a city defined by its commuters, and tuesday's trip home stretched into wednesday. by yesterday afternoon, even the national guard was called in to bring meals to stranded drivers who spent up to 14 hours on the roads. some stretches of the highway were totally abandoned, others drew comparisons to the hit

zombie show "the walking dead" filmed in atlanta. look at that. a handful of children were forced to sleep on school buses, 2,000 others had to sleep at schools. the conditions were too icy to get home. other kids could not wait. that's elizabeth grace anderson born on the way to the hospital while parked in traffic. for many the situation boiled over into anger as leaders pointed to faulty forecasts. the mayor even took to twitter. >> from the outside looking in, it may look like that atlanta simply was not prepared. what do you say to that? >> i would say the eyes of the nation are on the state. so, i'm not going to get into that blame game. the crisis that we're going through is across the region. there's no one who is doing any better job than we're doing in the city of atlanta. >> what could we do to have avoided that? we can't control mother nature. just as we could not make better predictions, neither could

school superintendents, that's why the school children were in the situation they were in because they were probably looking at the same modeling that some of state folks were look at. >> many meteorologists shook their heads at this one. here is al roker. >> the mayor and the governor got on tv yesterday and said, oh, this wasn't expected. and that's not true. we were talking about this monday, that this was going to happen. they took a gamble. they didn't want to pre-treat the roads. i don't think they wanted to spend the money and do what they needed to. then they told -- everybody started going home around noon. by 1:30, i 285, i-75, i-85 was a parking lot. and this was poor planning on the mayor's part and the governor's part. >> so there's plenty of blame to go around in atlanta. we want to know who you think is responsible? tweet us your best and most creative answers. we'll put those up later in the

show. republican congressman michael grimm has had another interaction with a local reporter, but this time it was an apology after this confrontation. >> let me be clear to you. >> i just want to ask you -- why? why? it's a valid question. >> i'm telling you. >> why? >> you're not man enough. you're not man enough. >> michael scottoa reporter, was trying to ask a campaign finance question. congressman grimm apologized yesterday and offered to meet scotto for lunch. he said it was a long day. >> i'm a human being, sometimes your emotions get the better of you. the bottom line is it shouldn't happen. you shouldn't lose your cool. that's why i aapologized. when you're wrong, you're wrong.

that's why i apologized. >> it was harsh. >> yeah, it was harsh. i lost my cool and it shouldn't have happened. >> the watchdog group citizens for responsibility and ethics in washington is calling for federal officials to open an investigation into the incident. newly released ratings from neilsen show president obama reached a new low in viewership for his state of the union address. 33.3 million people tuned in tuesday night. in just a few hours the president will continues his tour outside washington focusing on income inequality. he will visit a ge plant in wisconsin and visit nashville. trips like this for the president are nothing new, but will this be anything different? joining me in studio is congressman debbie wasserman shultz. great to have you here. >> great to be here. >> let's talk about the president's trip and taking the message to the people. some say he was so critical of

congress, i would not just stay in d.c., go to the hill, shake hands and talk to people about what he wants to get done. >> as we noticed over the last five years republicans don't seem interested in doing anything other than throwing obstacles in the path of progress. he's willing to work with them. said that tuesday night. wants to make sure that people know that he is focused on building ladders to the middle class and helping more people have opportunities to keep a roof over their head, make life better. >> what is the most actionable item that you think can get done? >> i think we need to focus on increasing the minimum wage. that's something that the overwhelming majority of americans support and deserve. we have to make sure manufacturing hubs can get creative. congress has an opportunity to work with him so we can make things in america again. making sure women have an opportunity to succeed. allowing them to balance work and family, not choose between a job and caring for families. those are all things we should be able to embrace and work k t

together on. >> michael grimm has apologized against scotto of news one. obviously it happens on the hill, but what did you think of that? >> there's no excuse for coming unhinged like that. at first he did not apologize, and said, yeah, that's how i reacted. like any other member of congress would want to react. it shows he's a bit unstable and not appropriate for a member of congress or anyone. >> do you want to throw me off the riser? >> you better watch me. >> i know. i know. i worry about you. great to have you here. >> thanks. today's new yo"new york tim exploring governor chris christie and the politics of his office and how he could be left out of the loop when it came to the george washington bridge scandal. this piece talks about how the governor targeted key towns in new jersey to ensure his re-election. the so-called top 100 list

included swing towns. two of christie's administration have been pushed out because of the scandal. the piece is painting a portrait of a close-working environment sometimes around the governor's kitchen table and at a metlife stadium box, and even minor legislation goes through his lawyers or chief of staff. the latest poll shows the majority believe that the scandal is an indicator of bigger problems with christie's leadership. some believe christie is the party's biggest chance to beat hillary clinton. a whole bunch of passengers are relieved to be back on dry land after their cruise ship vacation took a nasty turn. "explorer of the seas" returned yesterday to its port in new jersey. nearly 700 of the 3,000 passengers on board became sick

with the norovirus. the ten-day trip to the u.s. virgin islands was cut short, and for many it was the first time and last time they're going cruising. >> i just want to go to london. i never wanted to go home so much in my life. i've had enough. >> you could see everyone sitting there being sick in buckets, in bags. it was awful. they just gave us a number to wait. i had to wait three hours to be seen. >> the staff would not let you go anywhere without squeezing hand sanitizer on your hand. i think i probably had more hand sanitizer on these hands in the last week than my life. >> the cruiship will be sanitiz before heading out on the next voyage. the super bowl buzz is building as both teams get back to practice. we're looking at the most interesting prop bets out there. that's coming your way next. later, the cooler and new accusation against mayor rob ford. this one could force the mayor of toronto to defend himself in

a courtroom that story and a check of weather when "way too early" comes right back. mine was earned in korea in 1953. afghanistan, in 2009. orbiting the moon in 1971. [ male announcer ] once it's earned, usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation.

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i just served my mother-in-law your chicken noodle soup but she loved it so much... i told her it was homemade. everyone tells a little white lie now and then. but now she wants my recipe [ clears his throat ] [ softly ] she's right behind me isn't she? [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. all right. we start with nba action in sports. heat hosting the thunder. akc trailing by as much as 18 early. kevin durant knocks down three over lebron james to take the lead. third quarter, thunder pulling away. james with a jumper over durant. 34 points on the night for james wouldn't be enough. trying to look over there. durant finished with 33 points, that's 12 straight games he scored at least 30. okc wins it 112-95. we have the rangers and the islanders facing off at yankees

stadium. tied at 1, dominic moore gets it near the crease where corsillo snaps it in for the lead. the blue shirts sweep the stadium serieses. all players are required to participate in media days prior to the super bowl, but marshon lynch is no fan of the media. on tuesday he made a brief appearance saying very little. on tuesday he took it further by having teammate michael robinson field questions. >> to break the monotony a bit, marshon not answering you guys. you can direct your questions to me. check. >> michael, how is marshon feeling about this? >> hey, man, you know, he has not talked to you guys most of his life. i think he said that. he just wants to play ball, boss. >> michael, how would you def e define -- >> it's a lifestyle, boss. >> michael, how does marshon feel about skittles? >> he loves his power pellets before the game, boss. >> i'm here, man.

i'm here to play the final, boss. >> boss. >> yeah. how do you feel about skittles, boss? only about 85 hours away from the kickoff to super bowl 48. for all you folks out there looking to make the game more interesting, we have the prop bets for you. here's a few strange ones. remember moreno's tears during the national anthem in december? >> waterfall. >> the odds stand 3-2 on that one. the chances of another blackout like during last year's super bowl. you can buy into that one 20-1. >> 20-1? that should be a million to one. >> and if you're a keen observer to peyton manning's line of scrimmage tendencies -- >> omaha! omaha! omaha! >> all right so online sports books are take bets on the

number of times peyton manning is yelling omaha. would have to predict if he would say the city more or less than 27 times. >> under. it would be great if he came up with a new city. >> lincoln! >> sioux city. >> that's a fabulous one. all right there in the area of the midwest. >> you going to put money down on the big game? >> no, i'm not. i don't have a dog in this race. vufrnl >> you have to take sides sooner or later. >> i like peyton manning so i'll take the broncos. >> i liked your twitter question this morning. >> another story. hold on. >> this better be good. >> someone will attack you out of the corner. stand by. we led the show with the debacle that has the winter storm in atlanta and the city crippled, so many heroic stories, one involves chipper jones. braves first baseman freddie

freeman tweeted out he was stuck in the snow. so chipper found him. >> in his hunting gear, nonetheless. that's the warm weather suit. >> a lot of people have to figure out how to get their cars in this. they're stuck all over the roads. >> a lot of people wondering who to blame, everything else. there's not a lot of blame in atlanta. in birmingham, they are blaming the forecasters there, because they were only calling for a dusting, they got two inches. people got stuck. in atlanta, they were supposed to get two inches, they did. >> isn't two inches a dusting? >> to us up here, it's like what is the difference. down there -- >> show stopper. >> today is the day we melt everything, the roads will clear out by the end of the day. still a frigid morning from montgomery to birmingham. a lot of people in north florida got a lot of ice, too. that highway i-10 was shut down in that area. i don't want to ignore what happened to you.

during the day today we warm it up. all of the icy stuff should be melted by the end of the day. i think around atlanta, very little will be left by the end of the day. 38 for your high. gets warmer over the weekend into the 60s. we'll be done withs will return. and the warmup in the midwest. we're 30 degrees warmer in minneapolis than at this time yesterday. for minneapolis you are dealing with a mini snowstorm this morning. you will pick up about 4 to 6 inches during the morning rush hour. be careful out there around the twin cities. you're used to it 4. to 6 during the busy morning time will cause some delays. that will avoid chicago and stay to your north. this is more like it. 34 in d.c. we're warming it up. the super bowl looks like it will be around 40 degrees at the start of kickoff. nfl, everyone else has to be smiling. >> ticket sales were down, people were saying, because people were not hot about the weather conditions. >> no problem sitting in the stands for that. >> thank you very much. coming up at the top of the

hour on "morning joe," new information about governor christie's inner circle. how his political machine operated, and what it might reveal about the gwb investigation. and we come back here, we'll huddle around the water cooler. another day, another stop at police station for justin bieber. the latest accusations and why he could be facing jail time. beliebers are not giving in. they're there to support him. [ male announcer ] campbell's homestyle. mmm! this is delicious katie. it's not bad for canned soup, right? pfft! [ laughs ] you nearly had us there. canned soup. [ male announcer ] they just might think it's homemade. try campbell's homestyle soup. when electricity is generated with natural gas instead of today's most used source, how much are co2 emissions reduced? up to 30%? 45%? 60%? the answer is... up to 60% less.

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at the top of the show we talked about the winter weather that shut down the city of atlanta. if you want to sound smart tell your friends that 2.6 inches of snow is the 20th heaviest one-day snowfall in the city's history. the city has recorded an inch or more of snow about 55 times since 1928. let's huddle around the cooler and talk to louis. i'm a canadian and worried about my cousins to the north. >> you don't have to worry. news from toronto is dominating the cooler. we'll start with justin bieber. the pop star is facing assault charges after allegedly attacking a limo driver last months. bieber turned himself into police yesterday amid a chaotic scene. it is his second arrest in less than a week. last week he was arrested for dui and drag racing in miami.

bieber is still finding a way to show himself off as a charmer, like in this brand new video. >> are these takis? what are takis? >> they're like little cheetos. >> oh. i like to taki to you on the phone. >> i'm sure all the young women are eating that up. speaking of charmers, toronto mayor rob ford is facing a brand new lawsuit this morning. his sister's former boyfriend, you have to watch out for the sister's boyfriends, says ford is involved in setting up a jailhouse beating. scott mcintyre said ford ordered the meeting after mcintyre threatened to expose ford's substance abuse problems. ford allegedly asked the former football coach of his to carry out the assault. we'll keep you updated on that.

>> the canadian heisenburg. jimmy kimmel found one seahawk fanatic taking his commitment to the extreme. >> this guy is a serious seahawk fan. his name is tim connors. he jumped the tattoo gun this year. >> tim conner's seahawk pride will never have his pride go away. no matter how hard it hurts, no tattoo beats him's other tattoo which declares the hawks super bowl champs when they haven't even played the game. >> there's a good chance he'll lose that arm in a vending machine any way. >> that's wrong. i don't know if i would do that. >> like the mitt romney for president tattoo. >> i'm sure that one got lasered off. the super fan got another tattoo this past monday. now that's the golden girls

permanently tattooed on his arm. he's a man of great taste. i like blanch. >> blanch. >> i know you're a golden girls fan. >> i know who the golden girls are. i'm glad his arm was big enough for all four of them. >> last night, thomas, i went out to times square. i froze my butt off. i wanted to check out super bowl boulevard. it's incredible. unexpectedly i ran into mayor deblasio. he was kicking off the festivities. i asked if he would ride the 06-foot tall toboggan with me. >> mr. mayor, have you ridden the toboggan yet. >> i'm looking forward to it. >> can you ride it with me tomorrow? >> i don't know if i can do it. i'll ride with dante hopefully. >> he will ride with his son, dante. i will be there live tomorrow, even though it's going to be freezing. i think the experience and excitement of being out there will completely outweigh the cold weather. i look forward to being there,

showing you what's going on down there. >> yeah. i'm going to take louis today to the friar's roast. >> there's mika. >> i like the turtleneck, mika. >> is he a shining star. like a diamond in the rough. >> i don't know. we've been doing this for, like, a year. he still looks too excited about himself. >> that is true. >> remember six months ago? look at how much you shined me up. >> it's different. you have something to be excited about. >> we're just trying to kill some time here. i think we're light on "way too early." ♪ ♪ ♪ make every day, her day with a full menu of appetizers and entrées

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stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about cialis for daily use and a free 30-tablet trial. earlier in the show we asked you about the blame game in atlanta. who is to blame for the problems there? natalie has some answers. >> one viewer said this is clearly some cross-promotion from disney for sing along friday. and another says there are days when you clearly sit home in your pajamas and enjoy colorado

edibles. >> which i think he means pot brownies or pot cookies. i thought he meant edible "morning joe" starts right now. . ♪ . >> all right. good morning. it is canada day here on "morning joe." it is thursday, january 30th and a very special day. with us on the set is the chairman of deutch incorporated as we look at pictures of a completely useless story that we won't cover if i have anything to do with it. >> a little late for that. there it is! >> donny, did you do that? turn that down! we actually interrupted live coverage to go to some stupid court appearance. we won'te