good morning. i'm thomas roberts. welcome to "way too early." the show that can heat up a cold january morning especially when we have miss universe at 5:45. [ whistling ] >> fran cois excited. the region braces for more snow as it tries to dig out from the blizzard. mother nature may drop another two to four inches of snow tomorrow into friday. another storm is looming for the weekend. crews are working overtime in nantucket which experienced whiteout conditions and severe flooding. dylan dryer has more from the island. >> reporter: 78 miles per hour hurricane-force winds. tree limbs bent from the heavy snow triggering power to go out. >> we were looking around going, there are wires down everywhere tree limbs. >> reporter: we were on the first batch of public ferries to the ieltd where 40 utility trucks from as far as canada were loaded aboard.

>> ice is a lot worse than wind or rain. this was a hurricane in the winter. >> reporter: now people are just trying to get home. what are you hearing it's like is this. >> my family lost power. they lost power yesterday morning. >> we are resilient, a strong group of people. we work together. it's a close-knit community. >> that was dylan drier reporting. now over seas where there is new tension on the israel/lebanon border after hezbollah missiles left two dead. the raid on a convoy comes in response to an israeli drone strike that killed several hezbollah fighters and a general from the revolutionary guard. a u.s. peacekeeper from spain was killed when israeli forces fired dozens of shells into southern lebanon. israel invaded lebanon in 2006 in a bloody war that left more than a thousand lebanese dead

and israelis as well with. the u.s. state department called it a blatant violation of the u.n. cease-fire. the white house relationship with the israeli prime minister is at a new low after he accepted an invitation to address congress in march without consulting the obama administration first. a senior american official complained that the israeli ambassador to the u.s. ron dermer is putting netanyahu's political ambitions ahead of the nations' relationship. the prime minister is up for re-election two weeks following the speech. derma said he has no regret this is advancing israel's interests. nancy pelosi said she was expressing concerns by phone to the prime minister and called the circumstances of his invitation from speaker boehner inappropriate. officials are analyzing an audio tape from islamic state militants allegedly of a japanese hostage. he says jordan has to release an iraqi woman connected to suicide

bombings in 2005. if she is released he said his life will be spared but the message warns a pilot held by isis will be killed if the woman isn't turned over. jordan said it would exchange the woman and pilot if the country saw proof that he was safe. so in a few hours the senate judiciary committee will hear from witnesses as they consider loretta lynch's nomination to be the ethics attorney general. she walked a fine line in her confirmation hearing yesterday, vowing to remain independent if confirmed. she defended president obama's executive actions on immigration and distanced herselves from the president's views on marijuana. she promised a fresh start between the u.s. justice department and congress as republican lawmakers frequently invoked the departing attorney general. >> if you are con if i wered will you commit to enforce and defend the laws of the constitution of the united states regardless of your personal views on any matter? >> absolutely sir. >> i'm flad you said that.

attorney general holder answered that question in the same way. >> you're not eric holder are you? >> no, sir. >> if confirmed, how would your tenure as attorney general differ from that of eric holder's. >> i will be the person i have always been as i have led my office through two terms focused on the protection of the people of my district. if confirmed as attorney general on the protection of all of the american people. >> here we go. if confirmed lynch will become the country's first black female attorney general. the word "if" used a lot there as the hear ings continue today. >> mitt romney is atop the polls and back on the road. but this time it's 2015. a new poll shows him in front of jeb bush and scott walker among republican voters in south carolina. romney lost there in 2012 to newt gingrich. he was talking to students at mississippi university testing

themes he could use in a third presidentle yal campaign. the event was closed to cameras but reporters said he seemed looser. he discussed his mormon faith, something he plans to delve into more than in 2012. he took shots at the president's foreign policy calling out hillary clinton by name and spoke about eliminating poverty in america from the heart of the poorest state in the country. we switch to business news and a rough day for the markets on wednesday with the losses across the board in the dow down nearly 200 points. the big talk on wall street is a kaeng in leadership at one of america's most iconic chains. steve sedgwick joins us live from london to talk about this and what's going on with mcdonald's. steve, good morning. >> big changes at mcdonald's. don thompson has been in charge for three years. he 's leaving the company. he basically failed to turn it around delaware spite mass sanl sieve channels. the net income down 15%.

stock has been flat since he took over when the stock market broadly is up 36%. a lot of challenges. we talked about the menus, employee issues and their roll-out of the brand across the globe as well. don thompson setting down. steve easterbrook has been with the company since 1993 and takes over as the uh new ceo of mcdonald's. marissa mire has been in charge of yahoo!er for about the same amount of time as thompson. they are now spinning off their $39 billion stake in ali baba is oh the focus is on the core business and what she's doing to turn it around. yahoo! came a long way under her. earning still down. revenues dipped 1%. the transition from desk top to mobile a challenge for yahoo! >> much appreciated. we'll talk later as we watch the markets. they are down over 200 points. still ahead, she's here. the newly crowned miss universe

paulina vega will join us on set. we have a lot to talk about. i was there. we have behind-the-scenes things to reveal to you. seattle seahawks running back marchand lynch may have failed at the only thing he set out to accomplish at media day this weekend with. how his plan to avoid a fine may have backfired on him.

good job! still running in the morning? yeah. getting your vegetables every day? when i can. [ bop ] [ male announcer ] could've had a v8. two full servings of vegetables for only 50 delicious calories. we are days away from super bowl xlix and the deflate gate

cloud is above phoenix. the new york times reported the nfl has turned to columbia university physicists to determine if weather and atmosphere affect pressure and footballs used in the afc championship game. the patriots and coach bill belichick suggested that's what happened. more sports news now from the daily news. er marchand lichblg's repeated one liner may have helped him side step fines as far as media availability. but what he was wearing could cost him. he wore a hat with his beast mode logo a brand not approved by the nfl during the event. the unsanctioned gear could land him a $100,000 fine. meanwhile he was back at it with more of the same yesterday. >> nothing changed from yesterday. same. i've got the same thing i had yesterday. you know why i'm here. >> all right. maybe the most that we hear out of lynch on super bowl week was

during an entertainment week interview with michelle williams who got him to open up. we mean open up his pipes. >> we are so fortunate to have you with us today. >> is that right? >> i know you're probably not going to say much . i can play this with you, too. ♪ i got the eye of the tiger ♪ >> i love it. you know what? because of that you have done enough. we'll give you an x box. >> straight up? >> is that all right? >> oh, yeah. that's going straight to my foundation. one lucky kid from my foundation will be going home with an xbox 1. >> there we go. he opened up to michelle williams. the nba and the cavs without lebron james hosting the blazers. game tied in the final seconds. >> sends it for three. kyrie irving! are you kidding me?

53. >> cleveland's kyrie irving sinks the go ahead three with just over six seconds remaining. he adds another basket for a career high 55 points in the game. cavs win it 99-94. cleveland's eighth win in a uh row. we get this from the l.a. times. kobe bryant will be out nine months after yesterday's surgery to repair a torn ro today toe cuff. next year will be his 20th season in the nba and final year of his contract. >> that's sad. so many greats end this way. jeter was beat up. kobe's beat up. >> the body takes all this after 20 years. >> you want them to go out on top. >> he's still on top. he's doing fine. >> in the pocketbook. >> how are we weather-wise? >> the next storm will hit new england hard. especially areas north of boston. we are talking new hampshire. maine will get nailed. it won't be fun in the cape

either. light snow this morning. here is how much snow we are expecting. this isn't a block buster snow event for new york or scranton. enough to plow or shovel from buffalo to syracuse, albany. into northern portions of new england the storm blows up friday into saturday morning. we'll have a lot of blowing and drifting snow problems from portland to bangor maine. we could see six to 12 inches. possibly another foot on top of the two feet on the ground already. i was looking at cape cod. one or two inches of snow out of this but winds will be 40 to 50 miles per hour gusts. think about this. it's all light powdery snow. 40 to 50 miles per hour gusts feels like a ground blizzard. the snow will be blowing all over. that's the storm threat. the next storm threat will be sunday into monday. our computers are in disagreement. a few have a major snowstorm from the midatlantic to the northeast. usually reliable european models have the storm out to sea. it's for d.c., balt pr many

philadelphia new york. we still have to watch over the weekend. sunday into monday. >> okay. something to keep an eye out for. we appreciate you staying on top of it. thank you, bill. we are here in cold and snowy new york city. things were definitely hot in florida this weekend. i was lucky enough to host the miss universe pageant in doaral with natalie morales. the winner displayed the big it faker tor early this the competition and beat miss usa to take the crown. here with me now in studio. the new miss universe paulina vega. good morning. >> uh how are you? [ speaking spanish ] >> you look gorgeous. how is it going? >> i have the crown. >> yes. >> what want to put it on i don't know. >> yes. i didn't get to put it on. this is newly made for you. you oozed confidence from the start.

did you have nerves that night? >> oh yeah a little bit. when i was in the top 5 i was pretty calm. i felt like a winner. >> you definitely looked like a winner. can we show the moment. this is where i knew you had it locked up. gavin mcgraw singing his song. you come down the flames burst behind you right on time. >> i know. >> you take his hand and there it is. look at the flames. they burst behind you. you come down. he's escorting you. you decide to sing along with him and what locked it up the hair flip. there it is. right there. didn't it make you nervous to have gavin mcgraw serenading you? >> it was so much fun. the whole point. just having fun, be natural be mement. >> when it came to the judges' question and the facebook question, you used an interpreter. here we are. your english is flawless. >> thank you very much.

>> so craft areycrafty. why use the interpreter if your english is so good? >> you're too nervous. the world oh is watching. i preferred to be safe and have that guy to help me out. >> also you had the question i think, from rob dyrdek talking about what a woman can learn from a man. you flipped it around on him. i said what that's too difficult. >> you knocked it out of the park turned it around and said women can learn from men who are thoughtful about equality. >> exactly. >> that was really good. reallier really sharp. your fans were packed in the audience. even the vice president talked about having a change of venue because in miami so many people were from colombia they took up all the hotels. >> i know. >> fan support is huge. so many people are proud of this accomplishment for you. >> the support, the company and the love was great since day one. so i feel really great.

really confident. every win was great. i had so much luck you know? >> let's talk about the dramatic moment in the commercial break right before we announce you as the winner and the finalists. miss puerto rico behind you collapsed. >> i know. >> all we hear is a big thud. there you are. we can see your silver dress on the left. she's right behind all of you. do we know what happened? >> i have no idea. puerto rico was my roommate. so i get really scared. we were 30 seconds to go. >> correct. >> we had no time. i hope she's okay. >> she had just won miss photogenic. we took the selselfie. there was a lot of pressure in a three-hour show like this. >> of course. >> we send our best to miss puerto rico. your platform for miss universe now is hiv/aids awareness. >> yes. >> you have a big task ahead of you throughout the year.

how do you take that message and spread it to countries that may not be as friendly to people that are suffering with the stigma of hiv/aids. >> that's a point i want to support. we can see a lot of discrimination, you know? i want to spread this message out. and in my country, hopefully and just work with my heart. that's the whole point. >> congratulations to you. you were fantastic that night. a lot of oh people thought i took a picture of you in rehearsals and you threw your arm up in the air. you were in a red dress. there was an it factor you had right away even in rehearsals. you were one to keep an eye on and you knocked it out of the park during the live broadcast which was a lot of pressure and hard work. i know you're coming back. there's the picture i took of you in rehearsals. >> so great. i like it. >> let them have it. >> but when it comes to "morning joe" coming up.

mika brzezinski isn't a fan of pageants. >> i'm ready. >> i took miss canada's hockey stick. i have that for you. and also this. under the crown, this is a list of the ratings on nbc. >> just go armed with the fact that is we were number onement. the show was up 122%. that and the stick and you and mika will get along fine. let her wear the crown. >> of course. >> paulina vega, the new miss universe universe. [ applause ] >> let's hear it. we made her get up early. thank you very much. >> thank you. >> we'll see later this morning for "morning joe" in the 7:00 a.m. eastern hour again hockey stick, ratings, crown, the trifecta of things to get through mika. still ahead, super bowl ads people are talking about and at the top of the hour on "morning joe," i want to make sure mika isn't here to hit me.

robert gibbs, richard haass and ayman mohyeldin from nbc will be joining the take. he's here early. so early. why would ayman show up early? he's never this early. never, ever this early.

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bowls, the ads. nbc university server sal says the commercial slots have sold out to 70 advertisers. they were going for about $4.5 million a pop. this year's line-up will feature the first ever super bowl commercial on domestic violence. it's a chilling public service announcement are from the know more campaign featuring an actual call to 9/11. take a look. >> 9/11 operator. where is the emergency? >> 127 grand river. >> what's going on? >> i would like to order a pizza for delivery. >> you have reached 9/11. >> half pepperoni, half mushroom. >> this is 9/11. is everything okay? do you have an emergency or not? >> yes. >> you are unable to talk because -- >> right, right. >> okay. is there someone in the room with you? just say yes or no. >> yes.

>> okay. >> it looks like i have an officer a mile from your location. are there weapons in your house? >> no. >> can you stay on the phone with me? >> no. thank you. >> according to the wall street journal the nfl financed this spot and donated air time to run it. budweiser unleashing the new lost dog ad. like last year it features the bond between a clydesdale and a cute pup. ♪ ♪ ♪ i would walk 500 miles ♪ ♪ and i would walk 500 more ♪

♪ just to be -- ♪ >> the ad wud was up on youtube yesterday. received over 5 million views. godaddy pulled its ad to be a riff on the ad. critics slammed the portrayal of a lost puppy reunited with its owner. >> look it's buddy! i'm glad you made it home -- because i just sold you on this website i built with go daddy. ship him out. [ whining ] >> that's cold. go daddy released a statement saying it under estimated the emotional response of the ad and pulled it when the controversy began to swirl. the next president of the united states will have a new air force one. two the current fleet will be replaced by boeing's new generation 747 jet. that will do it for "way too early." "morning joe" is moments away. don't miss it. plus paulina vega returns during

the 7:00 hour to reveal more secret prs the night of miss universe and see how mika does. she'll be just fine. we'll be right back after this.

in a race, it's about getting to the finish line. in life, it's how you get there that matters most. like when i found out i had a blood clot in my leg. my doctor said that it could travel to my lungs and become an even bigger problem. so he talked to me about xarelto®. >>xarelto® is the first oral prescription blood thinner proven to treat and help prevent dvt and pe that doesn't require regular blood monitoring or changes to your diet. for a prior dvt i took warfarin, which required routine blood testing and dietary restrictions. not this time. while i was taking xarelto®, i still had to stop racing, but i didn't have to deal with that blood monitoring routine. >>don't stop taking xarelto®, rivaroxaban, unless your doctor tells you to. while taking xarelto®, you may bruise more easily and it may take longer for bleeding to stop. xarelto® may increase your risk of bleeding if you take certain medicines. xarelto® can cause serious bleeding, and in rare cases, may be fatal. get help right away if you develop unexpected bleeding, unusual bruising, or tingling.

if you have had spinal anesthesia while on xarelto®, watch for back pain or any nerve or muscle related signs or symptoms. do not take xarelto® if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. tell your doctor before all planned medical or dental procedures. before starting xarelto® tell your doctor about any conditions such as kidney, liver, or bleeding problems. xarelto® is proven to reduce the risk of dvt and pe, with no regular blood monitoring and no known dietary restrictions. treatment with xarelto® was the right move for me. ask your doctor about xarelto® today. [ narrator ] mama sherman and the legion of super fans. wow! [ narrator ] on a mission to get richard to his campbell's chunky soup. it's new chunky beer-n-cheese with beef and bacon soup. i love it. and mama loves you. ♪ ♪

♪ the weather bureau has apologized for overforecasting. take a look at this apology. >> the national weather service apologizes for not doing enough to communicate uncertainty about our blizzard forecast for new york city. effective immediately, we're implementing i think so chas to improve the accuracy of our snowfall predictions. >> this friday expect 12 to 28 inches of snow. >> a message from the national weather service. >> welcome to "morning joe." we have a lot going on. we're going the give you