it is 5:30 here on the east coast, 2:30 out west. this is "way too early." hey, there. good morning. it's thursday, march 31st. i'm alex witt. in green bay, wisconsin, yesterday, donald trump walked into hailstorm of criticism after an exchange over abortion with chris matthews in an exclusive town hall. >> if you see abortion is a crime or murder you have to deal with it under the law. should abortion be punished? >> well, people in certain parts of the republican party and conservative republicans would say yes, they should be punished. >> how about you? >> i would say that it's a very serious problem. and it's a problem that we have to decide on up. it's very -- >> but you're for banning -- >> wait, are you going to say

put them in jail? >> i'm asking you, because you say you want to ban it. what does that mean? >> i'm against -- i'm pro-life, yes. >> how do you ban abortion? how do you actually do it? >> you know, you go back to a position like they had, where people will perhaps go to illegal places. >> yeah. >> but you have to ban it. >> but the churches make the moral judgments but you're running for president of the united states will be chief executive of the united states. do you believe in -- do you believe in punishment for abortion, yes for no? >> the answer is there has to be a form of punishment. >> for the woman? >> yeah. >> ten cents, ten year? >> i don't know. >> why not? you take positions on everything else. >> i do. it's a complicated position. >> a fine? imprisonment for a young woman who finds herself pregnant. >> that has to be determined. >> what about the young man, is he responsible under the laws -- >> different feeling, different

people. i would say no. >> it drew a swift and bracing backlash. and trump said, quote, this issue is unclear and should be put back in the states for determination. like ronald reagan i'm pro-life with exceptions which i have outlined numerous times. and two hours later, trump took out a second clarification saying if abortion was outlawed by congress or the states, quote, the doctor or any other person performing this illegal act upon a woman would be held legally responsible. not the woman. the woman is a victim in this case, as is the life in her womb. my position has not changed. like ronald reagan i'm pro-life with exceptions. well, here's the presidential field disavowing the comments. >> should women who get abortions be punished? >> of course not. and donald's comments today are just the latest demonstration he hasn't thought seriously about the problems facing this

country. that he's willing to say anything to try to get elected. >> absolutely not. and i mean, i do have exceptions for rape, insist, life of the mother, but women shouldn't be punished. i'm sure donald trump will say he didn't say it, misquoted or whatever. but i don't think so. >> what donald trump said today is outrageous and dangerous. you know, i'm constantly just taken aback at the kinds of things that he advocates for. you know, maya angelou said when someone shows you who they are, believe them. once again, he has shown us who he is. >> women have the right to control their own bodies and they have the right to make those personal decisions themselves. but to punish a woman for having an abortion is beyond comprehension. i don't know what world this person lives in. >> groups like planned parenthood and march for life alike spoke out and they're using the comments to attack the

competition. one said in part, quote, it's not surprising given that she and trump are cut from the same anti-choice cloth. and ayotte said that women should not be punished, i'm glad that mr. trump retracted the troubling comments. in is the food and the drug -- this is the food and the drug eased access to the abortion pill. they can use it with fewer visits to the doctor. it affects ohio, north dakota and texas whose laws adhere to the older protocol for the abortion inducing drug that was approved in 2000. the other big headline from the town hall with trump had to do with nuclear weapons. take a look at this exchange. >> they hear a guy running for president of the united states, using nuclear weapons. >> why do we make them? >> because it's --

>> i would be the last one to use the nuclear weapon, sort of the end of the the world. >> can you tell the middle east we're not going to use the nuclear weapon? >> i won't take it off the table. >> you might use it in europe? >> no, i don't think. so. >> well, change it. >> i'm not taking the cards off the table. >> well, this comes as -- after trump told "the new york times" he would use nuclear weapons only as a quote, absolute last step and he said he supported the idea of japan and south korea developing their open nukes. a reversal of the nuclear disarmament. later today leaders from 50 nations will gather in washington on preventing nukes from falling into the hands of terrorists. the president is out with a "washington post" op-ed where he says the u.s. is is on track to meet the benchmarks with russia. he's ruled out developing new nuclear warheads and touted the success of the iran deal. last night, ted cruz stood by the controversial suggestion

of monitoring muslim communities and he accused president obama and hillary clinton of political correctness to a fault when it comes to labelling, quote, radical islam. >> if you look at what happened in europe, many of the it can be traced to the fact that the vast numbers of muslims have been allowed in europe. and many are living in communities that are isolated, the law enforcement doesn't even go there. you know, one of those in brussels is called molenbeek that's been traced over and over again to many of the terror attacks that we have seen. and what happens when you don't engage is you get radicalization. >> and as republicans are fighting for wisconsin, the marquette university law school poll has ted cruz up 21 points since last month. john kasich is up 13% to 21%. meanwhile on the democratic side the poll shows bernie sanders leading hillary clinton

by four points in wisconsin. 49% to 45%. that's signed the margin of error by the way. senator sanders also performs better in head to head match-ups with republicans in that state. clinton trails john kasich by nine points, ties ted cruz and beats donald trump by ten. sanders meanwhile beats kasich by two points, cruz by 13 and trump by 19. and while clinton and sanders trained their attacks on each other and out on the trail, both focussed their attention on the republican side in back-to-back interviews last night on msnbc. >> the republican party today has moved very, very far to the right. they are way out of touch with where the american people are. >> you know, going after mexicans as rapists and criminals, insulting women, barring muslims, you know, that reflects a certain strain of belief within the republican party. >> i think to be honest with you, i just don't -- you know,

say this rhetorically, this is a fringe party. >> they may express it in different ways and some are more colorful than others certainly. but when you really strip it down, they are peddling the same failed policies that they have for the last 30, 40 years. >> and clinton went on the they she feels a sense of responsibility to speak out against trump and cruz. >> when i talk about trump or cruz, i'm not turning my attention to the general election as though the primary is not still going on. but i also know how the rest of the world is hearing trump and cruz. i know how other americans are hearing them. you have trump talking about racially profiling muslim communities. and cruz talking about policing muslim communities. i can't let that go unanswered. you know, i'm fighting to unite our country and i don't think you wait and then take on these outrageous, offensive, dangerous statements. you take them on as they happen.

>> for a long time, you know, i think the media just was in awe of the ratings spikes and the amazing number of eyes that were willing to watch trump do anything. and so he was basically unchallenged. he has not demonstrated that he can really broaden his appeal, but i don't want his views to be appealing either so i'm going to keep raising my voice about him. >> well, let's go now to severe weather, lashing parts of the south and midwest. there are reports of five tornadoes around tulsa, oklahoma, yesterday. the weather channel reports at least nine people have been taken to the hospital, one in kit critical condition. the officials are going door to door in the affected areas to make sure everyone is okay. bill karins says more than 27 million people are at risk of severe weather again today. we'll get an update in a few

moments. turning oversea, a frenchman arrested last week has been charged with plotting a terrorist attack. inside the man's apartment, prosecutors say police found a cache of explosive material, including tatp which was used in the suicide bomb set off in paris and brussels, five stolen passports still in the packaging. meanwhile, new photos show some of the damage following last week's terror attacks in brussels. nbc foreign correspondent keir simmons has more. >> reporter: a new look at the devastation inside brussels airport and an explosion at the check-in desk, blood on the floor. this is where the third bomb blew up after the airport was evacuated. but were the isis terrorists planning to target a head of state? "the new york times" is reporting that the men behind the brussels bombing had a floor plan and photographs of the

belgium prime minister's officer. they were found on ibrahim el bakraoui's computer laptop left in the trash can. we have learned the identity of the third american killed in the attacks. gail martinez of texas was traveling with her husband and their four children at the time of the bombings. we are still waiting to learn the identity of one more victim from the brussels attacks. and things are looking up for 19-year-old mason wells. one of the american mormon missionaries injured in last week's attacks in brussels. after suffering burns and a severed achilles tendon he's on his way to recovery. his bandage is gone and his spirit is up. you may remember that wells is no stranger to tragedy. in 2013 he was close to the boston marathon finish line, but he was unharmed. he was also in france during the paris terrorist attacks, but two hours from the city. up next, drama in l. afrment. it has nothing to do with the hollywood.

what d'angelo russell is saying about the video he released. and plus that severe weather was enough to force this plane to make an emergency landing. >> this guy behind me, he's saying are we going down, are we going down? and he goes, i've got kids. it's a husband and wife sitting behind me. i looked back and i said, sir, i said, i promise you this aircraft is 100% safe. >> that was good to hear. the plane did land safely, but the bad weather just keeps on coming. bill karins is here with an update.

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unprecedented 24 hour closure. mayor muriel bowser said shutting it down for one day was an inconvenience, but shutting it down for month a time will have far-reaching consequences for the riders and the region. time for sports. we begin with a story out of the world of nascar. driver derek white has been arrested in connection with the biggest tobacco smuggling bust in north american history. white who became the first native american driver to start a sprint cup race last year was arrested. the smuggling operation brought the tobacco to canada where they were resold without being declare foshdz texass. money from profits was allegedly used to purchase illicit drugs or laundered overseas. now in salt lake city the warrior trailed the jazz in the final seconds of regulation. >> livingston rebound, clay on the reload. another three, good. >> golden state's klay thompson drains the game-tying

three-point we are 15 seconds left. sending the game into overtime where the warriors would take over. reigning mvp steph curry scored 31 points including six straight in o.t. leading golden state to the 68th victory of the season. it was a big night for green who had 500 rebound, 500 assist, 100 steals in a single season. to los angeles, a special guest was invited by kobe bryant to watch the lakers taken to heat last night. that being lamar odom taking a courtside seat in the first trip back to the staples center since his hospitalization last october. after nine minutes on the court, bryant came out of the game. wrapped up in the ice. meanwhile this contest would come down to the tie game in the final seconds of overtime. >> and in a tie game, randall attacks. over the defense -- he scores!

and the lakers -- >> l.a. randall forced the go ahead basket so the lakers win it 102-100. fans can celebrate last night's lakers victory much of the focus has been on the team's off the court issues. l.a. rookie d'angelo russell apologized yesterday after video surfaced that shows him recording a private conversation between himself and teammate nick young in which young is talking about relationships with women other than his fiancee. >> i don't know. as sick as possible. i wish i could make things better right away. but i can't. if i have lost anybody's trust, i'll work my tail off to gain it back. >> laker fans apparently did not buy the apology. as the staples center crowd greeted russell with boos during the game. no word if the locker room has warmed up to russell, after

reports that the teammates were giving him the cold shoulder. not cool. >> the bro code violated. >> totally violated. what's up with the weather? >> let's show you the pictures. the scary scene started near the tulsa airport and continued on the ground for a while. it was a pretty intense tornado. it did damage numerous homes, destroyed a couple. one person critically injured. tulsa schools are closed because there's still power out because of this tornado. as it knocked down power lines and everything else in its path. but no fatalities. so that was one piece of good news. also the heavy torrential rains have caused numerous problems in arkansas. this is in little rock, where they picked up around three to five inches of rain. that's continued during the overnight hours. as you see, water will pick up just about anything. let's talk about what we're dealing with now. we have one tornado watch in effect for southern portions of louisiana. and soaking rain in northern portions of mississippi and central tennessee. as far as the tornado watch it

doesn't include new orleans. it's hattiesburg, mccomb, into covington. we haven't had any tornados in a couple of hour, i don't expect to see many. maybe an isolated one over the next hour or two. later today, the storms will regenerate. 27 million people are at risk, it goes from southern portions of the great lakes, almost near chicago. all the way down to new orleans. but the area greatest risk of tornados appears to be this area of northern mississippi, from memphis down to birmingham. that will be late this afternoon into this evening. the other story is of course the heavy rain we're getting. we saw the pictures near little rock. we have flash flood warnings in memphis and in greenville. we have our flash flood watch that goes back to atlanta into central georgia. not only do you have to worry about the severe threat, but the heavy rains that are coming with the storms. rainfall totals up to six inches locally possible. but definitely two to four inches here throughout areas of alabama, georgia, and eventually into south carolina.

then finally, for everyone just loving the story of our warm spring, it comes to a crashing end this weekend. 6:00 a.m. sunday, windchill down to 19 in washington, d.c. so don't put away the hat, the gloves or any of that stuff yet. very cold. even monday morning, 6 windchill in burlington. negative 3 on tuesday, and alex yesterday i showed you a snow map. thankfully the european model has backed off. it will still snow, but not be horrible. >> thank you very much, bill. we'll be right back. my fine lines and wrinkles in one week. and the longer i use it the better it works. retinol correxion from roc. methods, not miracles. and we are theic plays) hbug chicks.ie and i'm jess. we are a nano-business. windows 10 really helps us get the word out about how awesome bugs are. kids learn to be brave and curious and all kids speak the language of bug. "hey cortana, find my katydid video"

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now let's get a check of the other morning's headlines, louis burgdo burgdorf? >> let's start with ted cruz, he was on the west coast with jimmy kimmel and he was met head on about the frayed relations between he and his fellow republicans. >> just a week ago, lindsey graham hosted an event for me. i joked at the beginning i said, listen, this is a first. this is the first event i have ever had hosted by someone who three weeks earlier called for my murder. >> that's interesting. you kind of held out until they found someone that they liked less than you. >> there you go. listen, that's -- >> that's what you have to do. >> it is a powerful strategy and compared to donald, i'm the quiet, shy, soft-spoken one.

>> now, massachusetts senator elizabeth warren stopped by the late show with stephen colbert. when asked about donald trump, she didn't hold pack. >> you have tweeted a few things. you have gone on the warpath here. you tweeted let's be honest, @real donald trump is a loser. count all his failed business, see how he cheated people out of -- like a scam at trump university. @real donald trump is a serious threat. the way i see it it's our job to make that @donald trump stops his campaign every bit the loser as he started it. but some would say why are you getting down in the schoolyard with donald trump? isn't this just name calling? >> look, come on. this isn't name calling. this is taking the credential that he claims he's running on, and that is his business success and saying no buster, we're not buying that. he is not a business success.

he is a business loser. >> tough words for donald trump there. now senator warren wasn't the only big guest on colbert last night. >> cartoon trump, how do you respond to anderson cooper comparing you to a 5-year-old? >> anderson cooper is a dumb dumb. he's a stupid head. a total poopy pants, it's sad. >> you're sounding a little immature. >> i know you are, but what am i? >> come on. you sound like an idiot. >> stephen, i'm rubber, you're glue, i have a lawyer and i will sue. >> well, what about the videotape? it clearly shows that your campaign manager grabbed a reporter roughly. >> no, he didn't. >> yes, he did. >> no, he didn't. >> yes, he did. >> no, he didn't. infinity. >> infinity. does that settle that? infinity settles it? >> that settles it. >> that's all i've got for you,

alex. >> i can't take any more. anyway, thank you so much, louis. that does it for me and "way too early." coming up on "morning joe" we'll dig into why donald trump wasted no time back tracking on his stance that women should be punished if abortions were banned joining the conversation this morning, john kasich, former candidate mike huckabee and mayor bill de blasio. "morning joe" just moments away. o make beauty last. roc retinol started visibly reducing my fine lines and wrinkles in one week. and the longer i use it the better it works. retinol correxion from roc. methods, not miracles. what if 30,000 people download the new app? we're good. okay... what if a million people download the new app? we're good. five million? good. we scale on demand. hybrid infrastructure, boom. ok. what if 30 million people download the app? we're not good. we're total heroes. scale on demand

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who do you like better, obama or trump? [ cheers and applause ] >> i dislike obama's policies more. >> i see. >> but donald -- donald is a unique individual. [ laughter ] i will say i was watching the early part of the show and if i were in my car and getting ready to reverse and saw donald in the backup camera -- [ laughter ] -- i'm not confident which pedal i'd push. >> all right. wow. willie, ted cruz getting laughs there. >> i was going to say, when ted cruz becomes the darling of the comedy late night