president obama not mincing words in his disgust there and protesters in jordan express their outrage against isis after the murder of a jordanian prisoner is displayed to the world. back here at home a tragic commute, a suv crashing with a train. after this a 40 million copies sold of to kill a mockingbird, a sequel of sort from the author this is so exciting. harper lee, what has she done? we'll explain. this is "way too early." very good. hey, everybody. good morning. i'm thomas roberts. it's wednesday, february 4th. it wasn't the left shark at the super bowl halftime show. left shark was the best though. everybody loves the les shark. down to business.

out of jordan amid a strong statement overnight, after the islamic militants burned alive a jordan pilot apparently. two prisoners were executed after a hanging. the reports of the pilot's gruesome death triggered demonstrations across jordan to demand justice and revenge. richard engel has for us this morning. >> reporter: locked in a metal cage, doused in fuel, the young jordanian pilot moments before he died. the most savage act yet. by the new group known for its shocking brutality. relatives could not contain their disgust and fury. the pilot was 26. he was just married in july. he was captured the day before

christmas after ejecting from an f-16. on a mission to attack isis in syria. part of the u.s.-led coalition. jordan's king abdullah, a close u.s. ally. at the white house before cutting short his washington visit. earlier on jordan television he called the murder cowardly terror, with a group with no relation to islam. >> reporter: president obama said the killing intensifies his determination to fight isis. >> should this video be authentic, it's just one more indication of the viciousness and barbarity of this organization. >> we're also learning this morning about an american woman who's being held hostage by islamic-state militants. >> reporter: 26-year-old american woman working for aid organizations trying to help

refuges, taken hostage a year ago, august her name hometown and organization are withheld at her parents' request. always top of mind of the white house. as the president told savannah this week. >> we're in very close contact with the family trying to keep them updated. obviously, this is something that's heartbreaking for families and our obligation is to make sure we can do anything we can to try to make sure that any american citizen is rescued from this situation. >> reporter: isis has wiped out boards are forcing the u.s. to rely on murky context. the only positive sign isis has never acknowledged capturing the aid worker and executing a woman on camera may be deeply offensive to isis follower and there's reason to believe they're not intent upon killing female hostages. >> that was nbc's andrea mitchell reporting.

seven people here are dead after a commuter train passing through westchester county in new york crashed into an suv, a packed metro north train, speeding through the town just north of the city at rush hour when it slammed into a black jeep cherokee a dozen more injured. joining us now is rehema ellis. explain the very latest and what we know happened on this railroad crossing. the tragedy that ensued. >> reporter: pretty much what you have mentioned, thomas that the train was a commuter train that left new york city in the height of the commuter rush hour making its way, as passengers on that train normally did, then it happened upon this car on the track, there was some questions whether the gate was down or not, but we do know that seven people died

including the driver of that vehicle, we're now waiting for the ntsb investigators to arrive on the scene and to really sort out more of what did happened. there were 12 people who were injured according to the transportation authorities. 12 of them were brought here number one trauma center in this area. we'll pan over just a little bit, earlier overnight, i had an opportunity to go inside where loved one of these family members are waiting on word on exact condition. as i said 12 people were brought here ten of them we're told were seriously injured, the exact extent of those injuries we hope to find out at some point this morning. andrew cuomo also visited the scene. he tweeted overnight the tragic crash of the metro north train

is a precious reminder of how precious life is. authorities have pointed out, also, this is the worst tragedy on this line for this commuter rail in the history of this line, we'll try to find out exactly why it happened over the next few days. >> the governor made such a good point about the life being so precious. is there any information about eyewitnesses talking about the jeep driver getting out of her vehicle after being caught on the tracks and then returning to her vehicle? >> reporter: there is some accounts of that. people say they saw this woman, as you just pointed out, got out of her vehicle, looked to the rear of the vehicle, and then got back in and then's when the crash occurred. >> thank you. another air tragedy in asia to report this morning, this time in taiwan at least 13 people were killed after a

xheeshl jet crashed shortly after takeoff, the transasian's plane clipped a bridge crashing into a shallow river. 58 passengers and crew were onboard. officials say at least 28 people have been found alive so far, 31 of the passengers were from mainland china, the others from taiwan. we'll bring you updates as we get them. the debate on vaccinations is continuing to shake out among candidates in 2016. chris christie called for balance on vaccinations, the time day of his trip to the uk. senator rand paul is back-tracking from his comments he was aware of normal children developing disorders, but he said -- and he tweeted out this

picture. president obama has no doubt about the safeties of vaccines. >> since that time i believe that was in 2010 that study was retracted because it was completely undermined based on additional scientific data presented. it's the responsibility of parents across the country to get their kids vaccinated for the measles. >> a republican is raising some eyebrows about what he made about public health mandates. the north carolina senator said he would be okay if businesses in the food industry opt out of requiring employees washing their hands. >> we're sitting back at a table, it was near the restrooms

and one of the employees came out, she said for example, don't you believe that this regulation that requires this gentleman to wash his hands before he serves his ss you food. i don't have any problem with starbucks if they choose to opt out of this policy as long as they post a sign we don't require our employees to wash their hands >> yeah. you're paying so much to your attention, you're confused. health experts say that hand washing is the first line of defense against viruses like the flu. haven't they see the rossen reports? they test on what's everything. anyway we turn to business news, strong day for wall street nearly 300-point gain day for the dow, nasdaq and s&p

500. let's talk about that with cnbc. jeff, what can you tell us about disney and chipotle. >> yeah, absolutely. disney is phenomenal. just this frozen movie just continues to give to disney we had a 19% jump in the earnings on that first quarter, $2.8 billion here and a lot of that is coming out of the merchandising still from frozen. the consumer products division is up 22%. international, not so strong issues with the shanghai and hong kong resorts dragging down that segment. but disney is doing fine. up 3%. just on chipotle, this mexican grill business they seem to be

doing well because mcdonald's is not doing so well they're clearly picking up some business here w the group they call fast casual, i think that's 18 to 30 who want a quick fix, they want a healthy fix, instead of going to mcdonald's they're now going to chipotle even though they reported something like 50%-plus increase in earnings for the quarter ended december 30th, the shares were off 5% in the after-hours. a little disappointed those numbers weren't stronger. but they seem to be doing fine compared to their major rival. tell us about the merge potentially between office depot and staples. this would be huge. >> this is fascinating, 18 years ago, the regulators effectively shefd this merger plan now i guess the regulators feel that

there's so much competition in the paper clips and stationery area to go through, starboard value, they own some stock in both of these businesses and they have been been saying it's a no-brainer you push these two businesses together when the wall street journal reported this story on monday we saw the share price of both of these businesses rise here. it looked like the investors are on board. it looks like a deal that will finally come to market. back to you. >> okay jeff thank you. still ahead on "way too early" -- when it comes to exercise could less be more? more findings on the effects of running and your health. yeah. run less. anyway up next more talk from phil jackson, the failings on the new york knicks. when we come right back.

the granddaughter of william randolph hearst was kidnapped. patricia, 19-year-old student was taken from her hospital and her fiance was beaten and had to be hospitalized.

[ female announcer ] we help make secure financial tomorrows a reality for over 19 million people. [ alex ] transamerica helped provide a lifetime of retirement income. so i can focus on what matters most. [ female announcer ] everyone has a moment when tomorrow becomes real. transamerica. [meow mix jingle slowly and quietly plucks] right on cue. [cat meows] ♪meow, meow, meow, meow...♪ it's more than just a meal it's meow mix mealtime. with great taste and 100% complete nutrition, it's the only one cats ask for by name. know that chasing performance can mean lower returns and fewer choices in retirement. know that proper allocation could help increase returns so you can enjoy that second home sooner.

know the right financial planning can help you save for college and retirement. know where you stand with pnc total insight. a new investing and banking experience with personalized guidance and online tools. visit a branch, call or go online today. ♪ ♪ ♪ "here i am. rock you like a hurricane." ♪ fiber one now makes cookies. find them in the cookie aisle. your mom's got your back. your friends have your back. your dog's definitely got your back. but who's got your back when you need legal help? we do. we're legalzoom, and over the last 10 years, we've helped millions of people protect their families and run their businesses. we have the right people on-hand to answer your questions backed by a trusted network of attorneys. so visit us today for legal help you can count on. legalzoom. legal help is here.

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. all right, time for sports. we begin with some college hoops for you kentucky hosting georgia. wildcats come out on top again. harris with season-high 23 points in that game. kentucky improved to a perfect 22-0 after the win over the bulldogs, my father in law is very happy. the red storm's pointer giving a performance of a

lifetime check out pointer under the basket defending the layup, keep an eye out. oh. >> what's that. >> the basket is scored. pointer flals his arms. it's a very obvious flop. no penalty has been called. he has been nominated for an emmy. as for the game butler wins 85-62. to the nba, knicks president phil jackson in an interview with the "the new york times" discussing the dismal state of his new team. jackson said it's quote like nothing i have seen before. admitted quote, so far, my experiment has fallen flat" on its face. after a loss to the celtics last night. >> hey. all right in the nfl, cleveland browns receiver josh gordon is suspended for at least one year without pay after

testing positive for alcohol. gordon was issued a no-drinking restriction by the nfl after two prior substance abuse policy violations. he'll have to apply for reinstatement. the gm said -- all right, you remember the red pickup awarded to tom brady after winning the super bowl. the quarterback said he wants to gift the truck to the rookie cornerback malcolm butler. he intercepted russell wilson's pass. at the goal line. solidifying the patriots' fate as the super bowl champ.

>> you're trying to make me like tom brady? because i'm not going to like tom brady no matter what. >> let's get a check on your weather. bill karins joins us right now. winter is going to be relentless. >> brutal. >> the cold snow cold snow pattern corners. right now, light snow a nuisance snow. across upstate new york moderate snow hudson valley shortly. careful there. northern band has developed in omaha, des moines central illinois, even chicago, a little coating of sugar on top of the snow pack you have all right. today, this afternoon, st. louis, chicago, indianapolis everywhere in between, detroit,

pittsburgh later this afternoon, this evening overnight, it may go to new england. three to four inches in a few spots. lot of the big cities will be just fine. the one behind it for sunday/monday, possibly a little bit bigger. we're going to track that storm starting in the plains this is the wednesday/thursday event, as we watch it up in british columbia that's the next storm to watch as we go through friday saturday and then into sunday that pink coating is 6 to 12 possible. targeting somewhere in the new england early, mid-atlantic. expect rough travels sunday/monday in those areas. that will be round four five. >> we're over it. the ice gets underneath and -- jen, don't worry. >> he's rusty. he's been in phoenix the last three days.

>> come on. thank you, bill. coming up top at morning joe, the threat of isis. plus new york reporting on the american hostage being held. from nbc's andrea mitchell. back here, the trial of the man accused of killing navy s.e.a.l. chris kyle be postponed because of the success of the movie. and most reliable 4g lte network: verizon. with xlte, our 4g lte bandwidth has doubled in over 400 cities. and now, save without settling. get 2 lines with 10gb of data for just $110... ...or four lines for just $140. and get a $150 bill credit for each smartphone you switch. hurry! offers end february 4th. only on verizon.

can this decadent, fruit topped pastry... ...with indulgent streusel crumble, be from... fiber one. fiber one streusel.

welcome back everybody. publicity surrounding the hit american sniper will not delay the trial of the man accused of killing navy s.e.a.l. chris kyle. the attorney argued that the trial should be delayed until

the movie is over. highest earning war movie of all time. ralph is accused of shooting and killing his kyle and his friend littlefield. attorneys are reportedly expecting to use the defense of temporary intensity. the trial is expected to begin next week. a new report claims one in four nonsmoker americans are exposed to smoke. exposure among black children remains very high at 68%, twice the level for white and mexican american children. the cdc credited smoke-free legislation in 26 states and about 700 cities for the overall drop. very important news for runners and nonexercises alike,

too much running could be harmful to your health if you're on a treadmill right now, listen up, a new study finds that joggers who run 1 to 2.4 hours per week have a lower mortality than couch poe to tie toes. the study shows runner ran four to six hours per week -- five miles was the optimal speed found for joggers. than running three days per week. don't worry about running, jen elliptical it is. author harper lee who wrote to kill a mockingbird, announced that she's going to public a second book the second novel came out. i completed a know value called go set a watchman. it features the character known

as scout as an adult woman, i and i thought it was a pretty decent effort. my editor persuaded me to write a know value what became to kill a mockingbird from the point of view of young scout. she was quote, humbled and amazed that the book will be published, it's due out in july. coming up next on "way too early" -- the stories we'll be talking about the day ahead and "morning joe" is just ahead. stick around.

at ally bank no branches equals great rates. it's a fact. kind of like mute buttons equal danger. ...that sound good? not being on this phone call sounds good. it's not muted. was that you jason? it was geoffrey! it was jason. it could've been brenda.

[ 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. ♪ ♪

welcome back everybody. check on the day before. the senate armed service committee is set to hold a we know patriots fans will be out in force to celebrate their big win. >> that will do it for way"way too

early." morning joe begins in a minute. stick around. >> good morning, news day, we have several stories developing right now. there was a fiery and deadly train crash last night just a few miles north of us in new york city. here's the daily news. horror fiery nightmare and that was during the commute. also