bombshell in trump's financials. the pictures coming in from across the south this morning, devastating. an update on the severe weather that's now being blamed for at least eight deaths. it is 5:30 here on the east coast, 2:30 out west. this is "way too early." good morning. it's thursday, february 25th. i'm alex witt. donald trump has been feuding with mitt romney since the beginning of his campaign and yesterday romney took his strongest swipe yet at republican front-runner. calling on the candidates to release their back taxes. a question that dogged his 2012 campaign suggesting trump has something to hide. >> frankly, i think we have good reason to believe that there's a bombshell in donald trump's

taxes. >> what do you mean? >> well, i think there's something there. either he's not anywhere near as wealthy as he says he is, or he hasn't been paying the kind of taxes we'dexpect him to pay or he's not giving money to the vets or to the disabled like he's been telling us like he's been doing. and i think that's the reason that i think that there's a bomb shell in there is because every time he's asked about his taxes he dodges and delays and says, well, we're working on it. hey, we're not talking about the taxes coming due this year. of course they're working on those. they won't be ready for months. we are talking about taxes already filed, back taxes. my back taxes when i ran in 2012, i put them put them out in january of 2012. why isn't he willing to let us look at the tax returns? that's something -- i mean, this was an issue in my campaign. that's why i'm so sensitive to it. >> well, trump took to twitter yesterday to respond writing, quote, when mitt romney asked me

for my endorsement last time around he was so awkward and goofy that we all should have known he could not win. and romney who tote my blew an election that should have been won and whose tax returns made him look like a fool is now playing tough guy. he said this about whether he's release his returns in an interview. >> my returns are extremely complex and i'll make a determination at the right time. i'm in no rush to do it. nobody has been bringing it up against for mir and the reason he brings it up is because he lost in the last election and lost very badly. frankly i get audited every single year, so, you know, mine unlike everybody else, who never gets audited i get audited every single year. >> and he picked up the first two congressional endorsements, chris collins and duncan hunter. the tenth republican debate is tonight in houston and they have for the most part trained the attacks on each other and

that ended yesterday. >> in the head to head polls, donald consistently lose to hillary. i consistently beat hillary. the question is how do we prevent nominating a candidate who loses the general election or for that matter if donald wins the general election who the heck would know what he does as president? we need a president we can trust. >> we have a president right now that treats the prime minister of israel with less respect than what he gives the ayatollah in iran. and again, the front-runner in this race, donald trump, has said he won't take sides on israel versus the palestinians because he wants to be an honest broker. when i'm president we're going to take sides. we are going to be on israel's side. >> meanwhile, ohio governor john kasich is resisting calls to drop out and clear the way for cruz or rubio. >> of course i'm staying in the race. of course i am. why would i drop out when i've got best chance to be the nominee outside of trump? if i get out, which i'm not

going do, trump is going to be the nominee. end of story. >> hillary clinton was interrupted by two black lives matter activists at a private event last night. the huffington post obtained video of the incident and you see this youth activist named ashley williams walking right in front of clinton as she addresses the audience. she's holding that sign there quoting comments clinton made as first lady way back in 1996 about her husband's crime bill and the at risk youth it was targeting. here's some of the comments from 1996 followed by the incident last night in south carolina. >> but we also have to have an organized effort against gangs, just as we had an organized effort against the mob. we need to take the people on. they're often connected to big drug cartels. they are not just gangs of kids anymore. they are often the kinds of kids that are called super predators. no conscience, no empathy. we can talk about why they ended up that way, but first we have to bring them to heal and the

president asked the fbi to launch a concerted effort against gangs everywhere. so i think we've got a very -- i think we've got something saying -- we have to bring them -- >> apologize for mass incarcerations. >> okay. we'll talk about that. >> i'm not a super predator, hillary clinton. >> fine, we'll talk about it. >> can you apologize for the mass incarcerations? >> can you let me talk and -- there are a lot of issues in this campaign. the very first speech that i gave back in april was about criminal justice reform and about -- >> -- predators. you owe black people an apology. >> excuse -- that's inappropriate. >> you know what? nobody ever asked me before. you're the first person to ask me. you're the first person to ask me that. okay. back to the issues. >> okay. well, williams tells huffington

post she and a colleague contributed $500 to attend that debate. there were about a hundred people or so in attendance. in april, in that april speech on criminal justice, clinton mentioned as she was being confronted she distanced herself from many of her husband's comments on crime. meanwhile, black lives matter activists were not the only ones knocking clinton for her past support of her husband's policies. yesterday, bernie sanders criticized clinton for backing welfare legislation signed into law in 1996. >> during that period i spoke out against so-called welfare reform. because i thought it was scapegoating people who were helpless. people who were very, very vulnerable. secretary clinton at that time had a very different position on welfare reform. strongly supported it.

and worked hard to round up votes for its passage. >> those remarks came on the day in which sanders held two massive rallies in two different midwestern states. after leaving south carolina, he stopped in kansas city, where he addressed a crowd of over 7,000 people. he then travelled to tulsa, oklahoma, for a speech in front of just under 7,000 telling the audience there that he still has a path to victory. >> on march 1 here in oklahoma, you are going to have the opportunity to make history. you're going to have the opportunity to help lead this country in a political revolution. [ cheers and applause ] we can win here in oklahoma and a victory here is the path to victory nationally. >> and today with just two days remaining before the south carolina primary, senator sanders will be holding events in ohio, michigan and illinois.

each those states has a primary after super tuesday. well, speculation about who president obama might nominate to fill the open seat on the supreme court has now turned to nevada governor brian sandoval. nbc news has confirmed the white house is vetting the republican former federal judge. the prospect of selecting a moderate republican is guaranteed to turn up the political heat, big time on the senate republicans who vowed not to hold hearings on any nominee until the next president is in office. the current president says he's sympathetic to the politics of it all, but he insists he's going to do his job. >> so i understand the posture that they're taking right now. i get the politics of it. i'm sure they're under enormous pressure from their base and their constituencies around this issue. i have talked to many of them and i have told them i'm sympathetic. by the way, there's not a lot of

vigor when they defend the position they're taking when they wouldn't even met with the supreme court nominee. they're pretty sheepish when they make the comments so we'll see how it plays itself out. i'm going to do my job. i'll nominate somebody and let the american people decide if that person is qualified. >> well, the president will meet with senate judiciary chairman chuck grassley to discuss the vacancy early next week. this morning, former texas governor rick perry is clear of all corruption charges in a 6-2 decision. the texas court of criminal appeals dropped a felony abuse of power charge against him. it was the second of two charges he had faced after being indicted in 2014. speaking yesterday, perry called the indictment a baseless political attack. >> i have always known that the actions that i took were not only lawful and legal, they were right. >> perry's 2014 indictment came after he threatened to veto

funding for a public corruption unit unless the travis county district attorney resigned because of a drunk driving arrest. well, the powerful storm is being blamed for four deaths in virginia. it hit the town of waverly yesterday, killing a 2-year-old boy and three men. seven others were injured. state police say the funnel cloud left an eight to ten mile path of destruction. more than 200,000 people are still without power in virginia, florida and louisiana. states of emergency have been declared in seven louisiana parishes where four tornadoes have been confirmed so far. we'll get an update from bill karins in a moment. still ahead on "way too early," tiger woods picks up a 9 iron and swings back at reports of his demise. an emotional day in the civil trial brought by erin andrews as her father testified on her behalf. what he said about her state of mind after a stalker recorded her in the nude and posted the

videos online. and tim cook's most provocative defense of why apple shouldn't unlock iphones for the federal government. that and more when "way too early" comes right back. thank you. imagine if the things you bought every day... ...earned you miles to get to the places you really want to go. with the united mileageplus explorer card, you'll get a free checked bag, two united club passes, priority boarding, and 30,000 bonus miles. everything you need for an unforgettable vacation.

the united mileageplus explorer card. imagine where it will take you. aren't moving in the right direction,bers it can be a burden. but what if you could wake up to lower blood sugar? imagine loving your numbers. discover once-daily invokana®. with over 6 million prescriptions and counting, it's the #1 prescribed sglt2 inhibitor that works to lower a1c. invokana® is used along with diet and exercise to significantly lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. it's a once-daily pill that works around the clock. here's how: invokana® reduces the amount of sugar allowed back in

to the body through the kidneys and sends some sugar out through the process of urination. and while it's not for weight loss, it may help you lose weight. invokana® can cause important side effects, including dehydration, which may cause you to feel dizzy, faint, lightheaded, or weak, especially when you stand up. other side effects may include kidney problems, genital yeast infections, urinary tract infections, changes in urination, high potassium in the blood, increases in cholesterol, or risk of bone fracture. do not take invokana® if you have severe kidney problems or are on dialysis. stop taking and call your doctor right away if you experience symptoms such as rash, swelling, or difficulty breathing or swallowing. tell your doctor about any medical conditions, medications you are taking, and if you have kidney or liver problems. using invokana® with a sulfonylurea or insulin 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. let's turn to business now where apple's battle with the fbi over encryption is nowhere near being over. the iphone maker appears to be girding for the next big fight. "the new york times" reports apple engineers are developing new security measures that will make it impossible for the government to break into the locked iphones. apple wouldn't comment. this development comes as apple ceo tim cook reiterated the repercussions of complying with the fbi's request to build a back door to the iphone, framing the request in dramatic terms. >> this case is not about my phone. this case is about the future. what is at stake here is can the government compel apple to write

software that we believe would make hundreds of millions of customers vulnerable around the world, including in the u.s. >> do you have any concern that you might be able to prevent a terrorist attack by breaking into that phone? >> david, some things are hard and some things are right. and some things are both. this is one of those things. think about this. it is in our view the software equivalent of cancer. is this something that should be created? technology can do so many things, but there are many things technology should never be allowed to do. and the way you not allow it is to not create it. >> wow. some analogy there. apple has until tomorrow to respond to a court order. the company says they're willing to take the case all the way to the supreme court if necessary. cnbc's hadley gamble is joining us live with london with more on this. good morning to you. is there any indication that the headlines are affecting apple's bottom line? >> well, good morning, alex.

there's no indication of that so far with many people even suggesting that if apple is able to enhance these security measures that that would be an even better marketing tool for the iphone going forward. of course the bigger question is not just about whether apple will respond tomorrow to that court order but whether or not this the a fight that has to go -- this is a fight that has to go to congress. in terms of federal legislation they only require traditional phone makers to make data accessible or available to law enforcement. they don't require that of apple and google and certainly those companies seem to want to keep it that way. alex? >> hadley gamble, something to keep our eye on with your help. thanks. a dramatic day in the civil lawsuit brought by erin andrews. in court, she looked on in tears as her father testified about her trauma after a man secretly filmled her in -- filmed her in

a hotel room in 2008. nbc's morgan radford has this story. >> reporter: an emotional day for erin andrews. wiping away tears while her father describes her as a shell of the person she once was. >> she's terrified. she's depressed. she's not the girl that we used to know. >> reporter: steve andrews a veteran reporter testifying on behalf of his daughter and her $75 million suit against the man convicted of stalking and secretly filming her naked in her nashville hotel room in 2008. >> she kept screaming i'm on the internet, i'm naked, you know, everything i worked for is done. >> reporter: michael barrett removed and altered the peep hole of andrews' hotel room. then held up a cell phone and recorded her naked. >> he wanted a room right next to her. i remember thinking to myself how does this happen? >> reporter: erin andrews's attorney called a hotel expert to the stand. >> it's a cardinal sin to give

somebody's room number away. >> reporter: the hotel's lawyer blames the stalker. >> he deceived, he connived, he stalked. that's what mr. barrett did. >> reporter: mr. andrews believes someone needs to pay for what happened to his daughter. >> first time in my life that as her -- sorry, as her father, where i didn't know if she was safe or not. i feared for her life. >> morgan rad forth reporting there. it's been a pretty bad month for the university of tennessee athletics as two women alleged they were sexually assaulted by football players. espn reports that the women blame an unsafe culture on campus caused by unchecked behavior on the part of student athletes. and as more details about this lawsuit become available to the public, we are now told that volunteers head coach butch jones has been accused of calling a player who helped an

alleged rape victim a trait tore the team. jones has denied that allegation. jones along with the head coaches of each tennessee sports team defended the culture within the athletics department. the university is also issuing a statement defending the response to sexual assault allegations on campus to say that facts will demonstrate it acted properly. the number of women suing is eight. new york giants defensive end jason pierre-paul is seeking $15 million in damage after adam schefter tweeted out his medical records. it claims the reporter violated his privacy by posting the medical information as well as photos of his injured hand just days after a july 4th fireworks accident. earlier this month, the miami hospital that was treating pierre-paul fired two employees for improperly accessing his records. and finally, an update on golf icon tiger woods an what was likely an effort to dispel

rumors about his setback. he tweeted this video of him on a golf simulator with him progressing nicely. rory mcilroy used it as an opportunity to jab tiger about his lower body, he said, do a few calf raises will you? he told reporters there was no timetable for the return. i don't know if that was very nice, what do you think? >> rory's little dig? >> yeah. kind of unnecessary, bill. >> rory is like a gym nut. he's getting big. so -- i don't know. >> maybe too big. >> exactly. last night, the winds are just the story. if you're up in new england, you're up in the middle of the night and even early this morning, up in cape cod and maine this is an incredible storm for february. you get a storm like this in late march or april. but the amount of severe weather

we have with this storm system is incredible. we had additional fatalities in virginia, a 2-year-old boy. in all, we had 19 tornadoes reported yesterday. the wind reports were just so widespread they were so strong with the -- we had 82 mile per hour gusts in massachusetts. and 75 miles in connecticut. that's a lot of people without power still in areas of new england. hopefully that will be turned on during the day today. we had severe thunderstorm warnings in maine of all places in february. and the weather service up there said they had never done that before. that's how unusual it is. especially overnight in the middle of winter to be dealing with severe storms. there's the cold side, we still have snow in much of michigan, heading down to ft. wayne. if you're traveling anywhere in west virginia you'll go through snow squalls today. i don't expect a lot of snow out of this. the higher peaks can pick up four to eight in the appalachians. just a few inches, one or two

inches no big deal by your standards. the forecast for the rest of the country, we still are very dry in the west. remember we were talking about alex, the el nino winter. hopefully our drought prayers will be answered. southern california really missed out this winter and it's looking too late unfortunately. >> that's a big bummer for california. they need it so badly. >> the end of winter has been warm and hot and the snow is melting. not a good situation. still ahead on "way too early," a listening party at the white house that the president called bittersweet. we'll tell you who was honored when "way too early" comes right back.

does a freshly printed presentation fill you with optimism? then you might be gearcentric. ♪ right now, get 25% back in rewards on hp ink, toner, and paper! office depot officemax. gear up for great ®.

now let's get a check on the morning's other headlines. for that we head to the control room and the man, louis burgdorf. >> good morning. last night, president obama honored the legendary ray charles whose sound that the president says continues to influence generations of musicians. now, this was the program's 56th production and dates back to the jimmy carter administration. now, past events have honored sir paul mccarthy and stevie wonder and celebrating music genres from country to blues. the tribute to ray charles airs tonight on pbs. he's one of the greats. i really look forward to that. all right, now to some late night here. the focus of the republican presidential race is ow on super tuesday. the people are still talking

about donald trump's victory speech from nevada and his affinity for the quote, poorly educated. >> we won the evangelicals. we won with young. we won with old. we won with highly educated. we won with poorly educated. i love the poorly educated. [ laughter ] >> well, it's -- they feel the same way about you. in fact, the poorly educated love him so much they made him this advertisement. >> in dangerous times america needs a leeder. someone who is tough enough to stand up to the terists and secure the mexican border. we need a president who will stand up to dictates like lil' kim and vald amort putin and donald trump believes in the constipation. and he will protect your rights under the second commencement. this october let's make america

grate again. donald trump, paid for by this guy. >> that's all i've got for you, alex. >> it doesn't get better than that. thank you so much, louis. >> you got it. that's a wrap for me. and coming up on "morning joe," donald trump center stage. this could be brutal. and greg abbott and senator bob corker of tennessee joining in the conversation. the governor has endorsed but is the senator ready? the gang's all here. "morning joe" is moments away.

we're here to help you get your project done right by making sure you get a fair price and quality service guaranteed. when my doctor told me i have age-related macular 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 to help reduce the risk of progression of moderate to advanced amd... after 15 years of clinical studies. preservision areds 2. because my eyes are everything. fill you with optimism? presentation then you might be gearcentric. ♪ right now, get 25% back in rewards on hp ink, toner, and paper! office depot officemax. gear up for great ®.

won't keep you up at night.n 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.

>> last night was the republican caucus in nevada and donald trump scored a big victory, bringing him one step closer to the republican nomination. yup presidentsy is get very real right now. it's getting so real, mexico is starting to think a sexual a great idea. they're like "just put it up, we'll pay for it. we want to be on this side