and they're not listening to me and there's nothing i can do, why am i here, why am i not home in bed? >> am i allowed to lie? >> of course. isn't that what politicians do? >> secretary of state kerry tempers expectations on a cease-fire on a war torn syria and the spokesman says it's time for russia to put up or shut up. and apple is wanted to up lock a phone used by the san bernardino shoot effort but it's turning into a fight. it's 5:30 on the east coast, 2:30 on the west coast. this is "way too early." hey, everybody. good morning. let's get down to business, wednesday, february 17th, i'm thomas roberts. we are live in columbia, south

carolina. and yesterday, president obama expressed his dismay at the republican side of the white house race. and after a summit with southeast asian leaders he singled out the frontrunner for the gop, donald trump. >> i continue to believe mr. trump will not be president. and the reason is because i have a lot of faith in the american people and i think they recognize that being president is a serious job. it's not hosting a talk show or a reality show. it's not promotion. it's not marketing. it's hard. and a lot of people count on us getting it right. and it requires being able to work with leaders around the world in a way that reflects the importance of the office. and gives people confidence that

you know the facts. and you know their names. and you know where they are on a map. and you know something about their history. and you're not just go to play to the crowd back home. because they have their own crowds back home. and you're trying to solve problems. >> part of what the president said was repeated to trump at a campaign event here in south carolina where donald trump responded. >> he has done such a lousy job as president. [ cheers and applause ] you look at our budgets, you look at our spending. we can't beat isis. obamacare is terrible. we're going to terminate it. we're going to absolutely terminate and replace it. i mean, you look at everything. our borders are like swiss cheese. this man has done such a bad job, he set us back so far and

for him to say that actually is a great compliment if you want to know the truth. and -- >> so ted cruz is squarely focusing his campaign on social issues and upping his attacks on donald trump invoking jesus christ and ronald reagan in a straight to camera video. cruz said he will prosecute planned parenthood accusing them of selling parts of human fetuses and he had this to say about donald trump. >> donald trump spent most of his adult life enthusiastically pro abortion. even for partial birth abortion if you can believe it. now donald trump is on the candidate left in the republican field who won't even pledge to defund planned parenthood which is why planned parenthood named donald trump their favorite republican last fall. >> so trump responded with a single statement despite senator ted cruz attempting to smear me and totally lie about my beliefs and position, i'm a conservative person and i believe in

conservative values. like ronald reagan on many issues, i have evolved. i'm pro life and i have been for a long time. so let's lock at this, the latest polling because we have a new one from american research group. it's taken over the last three days and look at where it puts donald trump. at 33%. that's 17 points ahead of marco rubio at 16%, ted cruz at 14%, john kasich at 14%. then rounding out the bottom two, jeb bush at 9 and ben carson at 3%. the house republican survey has donald trump up 18 points. trump is at 34% and there ted cruz is at 16%, marco rubio at 15 and jeb bush at 15%. look at the cnn/orc poll and that shows donald trump at 38%. ted cruz at 22%. rubio and jeb bush respectively at 14 and 10% with ben carson at 6 and john kasich at the bottom with just 4%. now, this was a poll conducted

before saturday's edelegate -- debate at that time which had donald trump at 40%. and now president obama says he intends to do his job. in doing so nominate a qualified supreme court candidate in spite of republicans. speaking at a press conference yesterday, the president expects the senate to do its job and consider his nomination to replace justice antonin scalia. >> the constitution is pretty clear about what is supposed to happen now. when there is a vacancy on the supreme court, the president of the united states is to nominate someone. the senate is to consider that nomination. historically, this has not been viewed as a question. there's no unwritten law that says that it can only be done on

off years. that's not in the constitutional text. i'm amused when i hear people who claim to be strict interpreters of the constitution suddenly reading into it a whole series of provisions that are not there. there's more than enough time for the senate to consider in a thoughtful way the record of a nominee that i present and to make a decision. and i intend to nominate in due time a very well-qualified candidate. >> the president's comments came as some republicans suggested that that are open to at least holding hearings on his choice. chief among them judiciary chair republican senator chuck grassley of iowa who said that he wouldn't rule them out and while politicians jockeyed over the vacancy, the supreme court began memorializing justice

scalia yesterday, draping his chair and his place on the court's mahogany bench in his honor. the justices are set to meet for first time without scalia on friday, the same day his body will lie in repose at the high court. all right. look at the left side of the race with how the democrats are polling in the democratic race, hillary clinton maintains a strong double digit lead over bernie sanders in south carolina. the new cnn/orc poll has clinton continuing to lead by a wide margin by african-american voters here and clinton looked to improve upon that advantage with a wide ranging speech on race yesterday in harlem in which she unveiled her $125 billion plan to combat what she called systemic racism in the u.s. >> so when i decided to run for president, i knew these issues had to be at the heart of my campaign. that's where they have always been. that's where they always will

be. but i want to add something else. we democrats have a special obligation. if we're serious about our commitment to the poor, to those who need some help, including african-americans, if we continue to ask black people to vote for us we cannot minimize the realities of the lives they lead or take their concerns for granted. [ applause ] we can't just show up at election time and say the right things. and think that's enough. we can't start building relationships a few weeks before a vote. >> she met with leaders with the members of the national urban league and the naacp and the national action network. afterwards the reverend sharpton hinted he decided on which

candidate to endorse. >> you have to watch her. i said, only you know, and you're not telling. >> my lips are sealed. >> said her lips are sealed. he has met with sanders and clinton and bernie sanders campaigned here in south carolina and in georgia. and then sanders ended his day with a massive rally at the historically black morehouse college located in atlanta. he started the day with a prayer breakfast and at an event with eric garner's daughter here at the university of south carolina. >> understand that what's going on now, especially with regard to african-americans, this is not new. it has been going on decade after decade after decade. the only difference is the cell phone video. that's the only difference. because what was going on in the

past was never recorded and the police officers' testimony was accepted as truth. but this video, this cell phone, makes all the difference in the world. so clearly as a nation we need criminal justice reform. >> the united nations says the syrian government will allow humanitarian aid to access several besieged areas of syria. this news comes after dozens of civilians were killed in air strikes that hit 700 hospitals and schools on monday. last week, world powers agreed to implement a cease-fire by this friday, but it was during a brief statement yesterday that spokesman mark toner stressed the need for progress and blamed russia for the stand-still. >> it's put up or shut up. russia has pledged as -- has bought into the issg statement of last week that there should be a cessation of hostilities.

they need to observe influence on the -- exert influence on the syrian regime to make sure that happens. in an interview last night, secretary of state john kerry explained it may take longer than a week to reach a cease-fire. >> we have an agreement trying to make it work over the course of the week and it will all -- i think everybody believes it will take a little longer than that. we didn't want to say, okay, let's have a cease-fire in three weeks or two weeks, doesn't make sense. because we said a week we'll get it done sooner than if we had done it in two or three weeks. >> all right, so here's a big update. last night the eagles of death metal returned to the paris stage. this was the band playing at the bataclan and they played last night in the olympia theater. in the crowd, survivors from the original concert. others had to lead midway

through to overcome emotion that they felt by that. but they are back. good to see. still ahead on "way too early" have you heard about this? it's apple versus the feds. the company says it's being asked to do something it's never done before. plus, even after a scandal ridden season, nfl commissioner roger goodell still making a fortune. those stories and a check on weather when "way too early" comes back. we are live at the liberty tap room in south carolina. too early for a drink, but not too early for a diet mountain dew.

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may increase risk of low blood sugar. imagine life with a lower a1c. are you loving your numbers? there's only one invokana®. ask your doctor about it by name. trust number one doctor recommended dulcolax constipated? use dulcolax tablets for gentle overnight relief suppositories for relief in minutes and stool softeners for comfortable relief of hard stools. dulcolax, designed for dependable relief welcome back, everybody. have you heard about this, because it's new this morning where apple is planning to fight an order to help federal investigators access an iphone used by one of the san bernardino shooters. the u.s. attorney's office in l.a. said it needed apple's help. the magistrate ruled that apple must provide reasonable assistance to the fbi.

so in a message to customers, apple said it cooperated with the fbi investigation and writes in part, now the u.s. government has asked us for something we simply do not have. and something we consider too dangerous to create. they have asked us to build a back door to the iphone. saeed farook and his wife tashfeen malik died in a shoot-out with police after killing 14 people on december the 2nd. shifting focus now, let's turn and check in on business. u.s. stocks rallied yesterday making two straight sessions of gains. however, a major market mover, oil prices. they are lower this morning as skepticism mounts over a production freeze by major oil producers. which another oil giant iran is calling illogical. cnbc's louisa bojesen has more on this. break all this down for us about oil. >> well, thomas, first of all, just here within the last hour

or so we have seen oil moving significancely higher now. so we're trading quite a bit up on the back of what's taking place. you were talking about the middle east a second ago. i want to tie in, because you have the turks and you have the saudis and they want to put ground troops in place in northern syria and at the same time condemning these latest rounds of russian air strikes. at the same time though keeping in mind that the saudis and the russians they have to sit at the same table now and talk about whether or not to scale back production. you have the four countries that have agreed to freeze output at january levels and people are trying to decipher it as the levels are still very high and the market is stabilizing on its own. so we're watching the oil prices very closely. on top of that, the fed minutes who is arguing for a rate hike to come? so we'll be looking closer at that. the u.s. futures are pointing to a slightly higher open today in your session. >> louisa bojesen, thank you

very much. reporting from london for us, appreciate it. we move now on to sports and we begin with college basketball. and start in mississippi, the bulldogs on their way back from the 17 point deficit, trailing vanderbilt in the final few minutes of regulation. take a look. >> didn't give it up at all. newman has a look. at the three, well off the mark. ware gets it. ready, into the corner. and -- >> whoa! >> look at that. weatherspoon sinks that three-pointer at the buzzer, ands in mississippi state wins i. we turn to the nba and early dealings ahead of the deadline. the detroit pistons says ilyasova and brandon jennings have been sent to the magic in exchange for 23-year-old forward toe bias harris. the pistons expect the promising

young player to bolster their chances of reaching the post position for the first time since 2009. meanwhile, according to the league's most recent tax filing, get this, we're talking about the nfl, its league paying that commissioner roger goodell 34.1 million bucks last year. goodell who turns 57 on friday had a base salary of $3.5 million. but received a large sum and other reportable compensation, including a bonus of $26.5 million. the total is actually slightly down from the $35 million he received the previous year. the 2014 fiscal year is the last full year that the league office will be required to disclose goodell's pay after becoming a for profit business back in july. all right. so that was the not for profit? anyway, let's get a check of your weather from nbc's raphael miranda. i won't tell you the millions he

makes. he doesn't even need to show up for work. >> nice. we have high pressure settling in, so we haven't seen a radar this quiet in many days. enjoy it while it lasts. in the west, some rain and snow there. the other big story is the heat expanding over the next few days. we have been seeing that heat trapped in the southwest. still in the 90s in phoenix. expanding east, kansas city into the 70s on thursday for february. that's about 26 degrees above average. and then we get into it in the midwest. st. louis on friday. 70 degrees. we're not going to stop there. we're headed into cleveland as well. 50's on friday and then setting up for the weekend very nice. mid 50s here in new york city. a february thaw. 69 degrees in louisville. yeah, this is like a blow torch saturday coming our way. not yet though, it's still chilly in chicago. today, your national outlook shows 29 degrees.

and the west coast is turning stormy over the next few days. thomas, back to you. >> all right, thank you. still ahead this morning, secretary of state john kerry heads to hollywood to help fight isis. we'll explain when "way too early" comes right back. stick around. know you have insights from professional investment strategists to help set your mind at ease. know that planning for retirement can be the least of your worries. with the guidance of a pnc investments financial advisor, know you can get help staying on track for the future you've always wanted. when age-related macular have degeneration, amd we came up with a plan to help reduce my risk of progression. and everywhere i look... i'm reminded to stick to my plan. including preservision areds 2. my doctor said preservision areds 2 has the exact nutrient formula that the national eye institute recommends

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all right. everybody, welcome back to "way too early." a quick programming note i want to pass along. gop frontrunner donald trump is my guest on the phone. 11:00 a.m. today, he's doing to

call in and we have a lot to chat about. then donald is going to be sitting down for a town hall, joe and mika hold this exclusive tonight at 8:00 p.m. on msnbc. they're coming down to charleston to do that. i want to get a check on the other morning's headlines. we head back to the control room and louis burgdorf. >> good morning, thomas. hollywood and washington have more in common than you think. yesterday, secretary of state kerry discussed perceptions of america around the world and ways to combat the p.r. campaign the islamic state is pushing. now, the secretary tweeted in an image of the meeting after adding great convo with l.a. studio execs. good to hear their perspectives. this is not the first time that washington has consulted with hollywood. back in 2001 more than a dozen writers and directors met with pentagon advisers on what could happen next following the 9/11 attacks. now, it turns out in monday,

in los angeles, paul mccartney was denied access to a late night grammy party. you see mccartney appearing to speak with a bouncer at the door to the nightclub. apparently the place of the rapper tyga's vip party. after several minutes sir paul walks away with beck. they're appearing to be in shock. mccartney seems to mutter how vip do we got to get? now, a representative for the club says that the singer was not denied access because realized he was looking for a location of another party. once he realized the mix-up he left on his own or maybe the bouncer didn't see it his way, thomas. now, it looks like presidential candidate donald trump is back on a hit television show. "the tonight show" kicked off day two of los angeles week with a few reprisals. jimmy fallon as donald trump in the return of the '90s sitcom, "full house." >> look, i know i won in new

hampshire, my numbers were huge. but i'm afraid that if i don't win the nomination, everyone will say i'm a loser. >> donald, i know winning is very important to you. but sometimes it's okay to lose. right, guys? [ cheers and applause ] >> you guys are right. i have to stay in the race. otherwise, a clinton will be in the white house again. who wants to see something from the '90s come back in 2016? [ laughter ] [ cheers and applause ] >> just remember, donald, if you win, and become president, that's great. but if you lose and don't become president, we'll be even prouder. [ cheers and applause ] now, it's time for bed. you got it, honey. >> you got it, dude.

>> well, donald trump, "full house" it's happening. "fuller house" debuts soon. >> that was one of the lines by the olsen twins. they're not coming back for "the fuller house." it's a big secret they'll make a cameo. >> i didn't see them there, so it's a big secret. >> a teachable moment from fallon. that's going to do it for me on "way too early." coming up on "morning joe" president obama is picking a fight and trump is fighting back. and hillary clinton meets with civil right leaders in harlem and seek an endorsement. is reverend al sharpton ready to back a candidate? that's all coming up on "morning joe." constipated?

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