cause of the people who he sent to get saddam hussein's smoking gun, right in? it's a free country. this is his new cause. and the man can say whatever he? it's a free country. this is his new post, and the man can say whatever he wants. "first look" is up next. >> good thursday morning. right now on "first look" bloody street battle. protesters and police go head-to-head in a violent and deadly conflict that has killed dozens. shoe bomb alert. homeland security warns of a potential new security threat from overseas flights coming to america. confederate controversy. george gornl's new confederate battle flag license plates are stirring up plenty of trouble. plus, number one is undefeated no more. also, a multimillionaire minted overnight with the $425 million powerball. one biker takes on the law, and guess who won.

it is a fragile truce between government opposition forces in ukraine that turned out to be just that. as new clashes erupted early this morning, gun fear range out around 10:00 a.m. local time in kiev's end pent square sending people running for cover. jim maceda. >> good morning, betty. everyone is asking now what truce? it's true that the day started out less tense than on the previous two days on independent square there in kiev, but at one point this morning as riot police seemed to pull back, protesters then moved in figure up space and so many clashes broke out. p they threw firebombs at police, who fired back with stun brand new aids. then things quickly spun out of control. police claimed at least 20 police officers were wounded amid reports of snipers rsh

mrooif rounds being fired. eyewitnesss, including richard engel, saw several dead bowe bodies in a hotel off the swear, and volunteers using makeshift stretchers to move the wounded and perhaps the dead to other areas. later at least seven bodies am were tweeted. it was a photo tweeted by a reuters photographer. this is once again a violent, very fluid situation we're seeing reports of up to 15 kills so far just this morning. there's a compromise that they hope to stop the violence and get them negotiating. those talks never happened. four men sterz came to kiev for a discussion with victor janakovich, the pro government president who wanted sanctions

on ukraine. that meeting had to be canceled. i'm afraid this fragile truce was, in fact, still -- >> very fragile. we do appreciate that report. also, there is a new terror warning this morning. a homeland security official says they have picked up intelligence that terrorists are working on new designs for shoe explosives aboard airplanes. nbc's pete williams has details. >> reporter: officials familiar with the warning say it applies to airlines that fly from overseas to the united states. flights at foreign airports that go directly to the u.s., passengers will see increased attention paid to their footwear. shoes that are worn and are carried in carry-on bags should be x-rayed, and it's urging airlines to use the swabs that check for traces of explosives on passengers' shoes as well. it will be a new spernks for many foreign flyers. >> this is a change. unlike passengers in the wraits who are used to taking their

shoes off, in many airports overseas, that is not required. >> reporter: officials say threat information is not specific to any particular airline, country of origin, or time frame, and they say there's no indication of a specific plot, but airlines that fly from the middle east, north africa, and some parts of europe are being advised to be extra cautious. the idea of hiding explosives in shoes has been tried before by an englishman, richard reid, who attempted to blow up a flight from pair toys miami just before christmas in 2001. he had an explosive hidden in the soles. he is serving a life experience at the super max prison in colorado. >> officials say this is not connected to the warning about the possibility of toothpaste bombs being smuggled into sochi. speaking of sochi, it's day 13 of the winter olympics with six gold medals up for grabs. team usa is now leading the pack

with 23 medals total, seven of them gold. meanwhile, norway is now the gold medal leader with nine. jay gray is live in sochi. jay, a huge day for u.s. women's hockey. >> reporter: team usa played their bitter rival, team canada. these two teams don't like each other, and before the olympic tournament two games before this tournament they dropped the glove and got into an all-out brawl. it's unbelievable that these women were out fighting, and they can't do that in the olympics or they'll be tossed out. canada haz has already beat them once. 3-2-1 in the pool games. they are the better team here. they feel like they made some mistakes that cost them that game, and they lost four years ago many vancouver.

now they want to take the gold medal home. u.s. men hockey, they get started tomorrow, and their big showdown against canada made it to a quarterfinal, and, again, these are teams that met four years ago in the final, and canada prevailed in that in overtime. it will be interesting to see how it works out this year. women's figure skaegt, the final is tonight. the free skate. the 18-year-old approximate her first olympics. in a preskate during the team competition, she was impeccable. highest score she's ever got know. she's about six points or so out of third gear. she needs another tremendous skate. >> it is so nerve racking watching those skaters out there on the ice. all right. i'm on the edge of my seat with it. thank you. sflirchlgt now for the rest in sports with veronica dela cruz. >> i'll be glued to the tube for figure skating. let's start with the baltimore ravens running back ray rice, according to a summons obtained

by espn, he struck his fiance with his hand and then he had to drag her out of the elevator. it was on tmz on wednesday. his attorney says that the video is authentic, but only shows the very end of the incident. rice is due in court next tuesday. cruz at the orange is beatable. less than a minute left. boston college hustles in the paint and ties it up taking you into overtime. seconds. boston college leads by three. syracuse tries for the three pointer. tries for the three pointer. and he misses. >> so close. >> the syracuse winning streak at 25 beating the orange 62-59. now number three. wichita state is the only undae feet team. a shocker is beating loyola. it gives them their 28 straight victories. practice, it makes perfect, right? >> that's what they say.

>> a seven-car wreck. check this out. contact between matt kenseth and joey logano start the mess. the car was smashed against the wall. all seven drivers, luckily, were okay. >> that's incredible. >> big mess there. after russia's shocking 3-1 loss at sochi in men's hockey, jay was just talking about it, fans obviously wrup set or asleep at their desk. i don't know. moscow news shared this photo of the team all in despair. snoo even the mascot. >> the olympics bear face palming in his hand tweeting that the bear stayed in the stands all alone for over an hour after the loss. >> are you serious? >> i heard he did the same thing after julia lipinstia fell. >> it's all about the games. >> absolutely. thank you. so check out the very different weather shots. a few marines put the foot of

the snow that fell on northern virginia to some really good use. this is quite amazing. it took them two days to build a stunning snow replica of the iwo jima sculpture outside the national museum at the marine corps. one church is sending a message that reads, whoever is praying for snow, please stop. i promise you, bill, it is not me. i am praying for some sunshine. can we get some questionabling to me -- quickly to melt all this way? >> flooding is a huge concern. you want it to go, right? >> trust me, i want it gone. >> people in eli will are watching this this morning. we have flood warnings in a few spots. we have heavy rain moving through the region. it's a light storm with thunderstorms coming up through the ohio valley as we go throughout the afternoon into the tennessee valley. maybe a few severe storms. i mention the heavy rain. look at this radar. the yellow and the orange and

even thunderstorms right now. from the chicago area up to milwaukee, watch out for a lot of water on the road and secondary roads with poor drainage areas throughout your morning commute. we will see severe storms this afternoon and this evening. a large area. not too many tornadoes, but we will see wind damage with the storms. indianapolis down through new orleans, and the back side of the storm, snow. minneapolis to duluth, up to six to 12 inches. there's a back side of the storm. this is like a typical spring storm. if the east coast is warm for two days. that's it. two days. closing the gap on minimum wage. also, the winner of the powerba powerball. maybe it's you. are georgia's license plates for real? details next.

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cnbc has your first look at business. facebook is biling mobile

messaging service what's app for $15 million. it's the biggest acquisition ever for facebook. what's app has more than 450 million users worldwide. it lets people chat, text, share photos and video with their smart phone contacts. it's free for the first year and $1 a year after that. gap is raising wages for its foreign employees to $10 an hour next year the move could impact about 65,000 people. wal-mart says it's exploring whether to raise its minimum wage. google plans to expand its high speed internet service to 44 more cities across eight states, including atlanta, phoenix, and portland in an effort to compete with the cable and phone companies. the company says google fiber is 100 times faster than other broadband services. >> 100 times. thank you. some stories making news this morning. once again, georgia officials have approved a specialty license plate that features the confederate flag bringing back the debate over whether the symbol is racially charged. the wrupted plate now has a second larger confederate flag

as the background. now, some call it a slap in the face. african-americans, while others say it only promotes history. a judge in atlanta has ordered martin luther king's bible and nobel peace prize be locked up in a safe-deposit box, accessible only by the court. this is just the latest development in the legal battle over who owns the historical items. dr. king's two sons want those items to be sold while his daughter insist had he is trying to preserve her father's legacy by keeping them. there is a new millionaire in millpedas, california, thanks to the $425 million powerball drawing. the lucky winner hasn't been revealed just yet, but we can guarantee he or she is in for one heck of a day. unlike a biker in texas, though, who posted this video on facebook that shows him weaving through traffic at 100 miles an hour. in the post he taunted police saying catch me if you can. well, they --s and now he faces

multiple charges. careful what you wish for. republican rand paul fights for felons' rights and which famous former southern governor who did eight years in prison is hoping to run for congress? i'll show you next. in metamu. and that gelling helps to lower some cholesterol. metamucil. 3 amazing benefits in 1 super fiber.

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. sfwlimplgts time for a heaping pile of scrambled eggs. house speaker john boehner is under attack by a conservative group madison project. this follows the passage of a

farm bill and the compromised budget plan. they told "the daily beast" they will not support 2014 candidates who back the current republican leadership. african-american leaders in ohio have proposed a voters bill of rights amendment to the state constitution, but it's being blocked by mike dewine, the republican state attorney general. you can read this story that could have major implications for the 2016 presidential campaign this morning on msnbc.com. republican senator rand paul of kentucky spoke in favor of restoring voting rights for people convicted of felonies. pauls he believes in a second chance, but the bill may be put on hold for five years before taking affect. an ex-conformer governor may run for congress in louisiana. 86-year-old edwin edwards who served eight years in prison for racketeering is considering the race in a heavily republican district. edwards says "i'm the only hope the democrats have here." >> and embattled new jersey

governor chris christie is scheduled to hold a town hall meeting today which has been postponed twice because of bad weather. a designer in florida is now selling a commemorative chris christie bridgegate doll. check it out. the doll made is holding a sign with the words stop, traffic study. it's wearing orange crossing guard jacket and a traffic cone on his head. and "the tonight show's" jimmy fallon had advice for toronto's controversial mayor rod ford. >> crack is whack, unless you have any. then there's just say no when anyone asks if you sold me crack. good advice. next there is how much worse could i get? let's find out. that sounds fun. that sounds like a challenge. >> that's your morning dish of scrambled politics.

all right. so it is thursday. you know what that means. we are joined by syndicated columnist bob franken. hey, bob. >> good morning, betty. i can't help but think about edwin edwards, who spent eight years in prison for racketeering. >> 80 years old. >> did you ever think that might qualify hundred to run for congress? >> you never know. >> he would fit right in, yes. >> i want to say something of a serious nature. we've been watching this play out all weeklong, for a couple of weeks now in ukraine. all it is violence there prompting president obama to make it clear that ukraine and syria, in fact, do not -- does russia see it that way, though? >> you know, that's -- this is very serious, and what he is trying to point out is that this whole war is no longer in place. at least it is right now. the ukraine is serious for all kinds of reasons, and the role russia could play could be something that could restart the cold war. i think we have to wait until

the olympics are over to see if russia, quite frankly, might decide to intefr convenient, perhaps militarily, if the situation is unresolved. this is very serious. >> russia could restart the cold war in all of this. >> well, what's interesting is there has been this sort of gradual exploration to the -- we're nowhere near that at this point, but ukraine certainly poses a danger. >> let's get closer to home. canadian prime minister steven harper is frustrated pushing hard for the keystone pipeline. when asked about it yesterday, though, president obama said it will continue on a set process. is he going to have to make a decision quickly, or is this going to be a lengthy process that actually ka strain relations with our neighbor to the north? >> well, actually, what harper said is when are you going to do the keystone pipeline? the question really is now with how long the process is going to take, including a new monkey wrench in the process, a ruling by a nebraska state judge just

yesterday that could cause a delay that could last several months, so it may be out of president obama's hands right now. that process -- that court ruling is being appealed. >> we'll watch it play out. bob franken, as always, thank you very much. >> thank you. coming up, bill and veronica here with our first buzz picks of the day. plus, nightly news's brian williams rapping as he never thought he could. next. this is for real this time. step seven point two one two. verify and lock. command is locked. five seconds. three, two, one. standing by for capture. the most innovative software on the planet... dragon is captured. is connecting today's leading companies to places beyond it. siemens. answers. like a ramen noodle- every-night budget.

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♪ bang, bang, boogie, let's rock ♪ ♪ you don't stop ♪ your body rock ♪ go so far ♪ you've heard my voice, but identify brought two friends along ♪ ♪ next on the mike my friend hank, sing that song ♪ ♪ ♪ the reasons i'll tell you why ♪ >> amazing. >> to lester holt. >> amazing. >> jimmy fallon on twitter yesterday afternoon, he said it's the best one ever, and i think at first it was kind of like okay, and then all of a sudden lester comes in. >> that was it. >> lester, brian. >> he is pretty good. >> bri wi was good, though. >> i love it when he slow jams the news, too. i think he is amazing. >> i want to talk about this. i don't know if you have seen this video.

it's hell ailarious. lockheed martin, who knew, this is what they do on their off time. they're playing -- it's a competition that lockheed martin, these national engineers week is what it's called. six teams actually were given ten minutes to tape a teammate to the wall. the person that stayed there the longest won. the team juan made us do it, they won the competition. the person stayed on the wall for 15 minutes, which goes to show that duct tape is all that it's cracked up to be. >> they all have a high school competition. >> don't give kids any ideas. >> we'll duct tape you to that wall. you better be careful. hey, we've been talking about the olympics. >> you guys know this one, right? it was the mean scene around the world. american figure skater ashley wagner. you can't -- you can't forget this face.

you can't forget this face. she skated yesterday. >> she's happy apparently, right? >> she did well. >> honestly, i think she skated really well. i think she's been unfairly targeted. >> all right. "way too early" starts right now. >> hey, what's up, jonah? >> jimmy, nothing much. things have been a little crazy lately. _#live lavita loca. >> morning joe _#living lavita mocha. no coffee no worky. congrats on your oscar no, ma'am nation, _#wolf of wall street. >> _#wrau, baby, -#my wife. >> _#yeah, baby. >> _#my money on my mind. >> hey, guys.

_#been done. >> _#where whatevs. >> _#haters going to hate. _#i'm over you dog. >> twitter talk takes over the tonight show. must see of brian and lester. _#special cameo appearance. snap chat, look out. what's app is eegd your lunch and joining the cool kids at the facebook table and doing it for billions. the mind-blowing deal. then the truce fails. deadly violence between kiev and police in protesters after the stalled diplomatic talks. this is "way too early." ♪ hey, good morning. i'm thomas roberts, february the 20th, and welcome too "way too early." breaking news this morning, we start out with violence breaking out once more in