plus, is kanye west millions in debt. a monster weekk at the box office. and what happens when you giving a sea lion a selfie stick? "early today" starts right now. good morning. the stakes are high after the death of supreme court justice antoninscalia. it's already reached the point of a justice scalia dissent. president obama says he will nominate a new justice although so far there is no timetable for an announcement. and the president's republican colleagues don't think it should be his to make at all. here's the bottom line. i don't trust barack obama on the supreme court justices it's called delay, delay, delay. >> i don't think the president should move forward and we should let the next president of the united states should decide.

agreeing what we should. >> those opinions have been met with harsh words on thether side of the aisle by hillary clinton. >> it is outrageous that republicans in the senate and on the campaign trail have already pledged to block any replacement that president obama nominates. there are 340 days until the next president takes office, so that is plenty of time. >> nbc's tracie potts joins us now in from washingngn to sort it all out. od morning, tracie. >> good morning. it's possible the president coul move on a potential nominee, a replacement pretty quickly. it's taken him about a month in advance the last time he did this. let's take a look at some of names that are coming up.

from the d.c. court of appeals. a former u.s. deputy solicitor general who argued more than 20 cases in front of the u.s. supreme court, paul watford appointed by president obama to the ninth circuit out of california. nine republicansoted in favor of watford. that could be key. he also clerked previously for justice ginsburg. patricia millen also on thehe circuit court of appeals. r case got caught up in the filibuster over it. a lot of names out there already. we're seeing some battling back and forth not only between republicans and the president over whether or not he should make this nomination but between republicans. ted cruz already has an ad out this morning saying if donald

be trusted to nominate the next supreme court justice for the united states. we'll keep an eye on this as moreotential nominees are mentioned, dara as they slug it out and whether or not president should actually make the selectiln in his last days in office. >> there are only ive days left and the field is down to just six candidates but saturday night's debate was the most venomous debate and there were plenty of fights in both english and spanish. nbc's gabe gutierrez has more. >> reporter: after moments of silence forustice scalia came the most contentious debate so far. >> helies. >> liar, liar, liar. >> reporter: the variation of liar was used at least 13 times. the most used by donald trump.

foreign policy and how to fight isis and syria. >> it's absolutely ludicrous to suggest that russia could be a positive partner in this. >> jeb is so wrong. >> while donald trump was building a reality tv show, my brother was building a security apparatus to keep us said. >> the world trade center. >> don't go after my moer. >> reporter: marco rubio came ter his defense. >> that's what allowed isis to grow and by 2001 be able to strike america. >> reporter: at one point cruz took advantage of. >> i don't why he would say that spanish. [ speaking spanish ]

on trump. >> you're the biggest liar. you're probably worse than jeb bush. you are the single biggest liar. >> donald has the worst pattern. when he speaks to his own record, he speaks liar, liar, liar. >> reporter: john kasich speaks to a different tone. >> i've got to tell you. this is just crazy. this is just nuts. geez, oh, man. >> that was gabe gutierrez reporting. a bitter arctic cold air is bringing cold weather. meanwhile weather that's struck midwesterners has headed east. >> reporter: whether it was the cause of a huge pile june that shut down a major stretch of u.s. highway in minneapolis, at least ten people were taken to the hospital with injuries. >> we know a squall came through and it was zero. it turned icy quickly.

but this is one of the worst crashes i've ever seen. >> reporter: it was the coldest valentine's day on record in the northeast and frigid temperatures caused problems for firefighters in new jersey. >> we got off a plane yesterday ani nearly ran back into the airport. i had never known cold like that ever. >> reporter: there is good news. forecasters predict a warmup later this week. nbc's rafael is here to tell us when the weather will change. good morning, rafael. >> good morning. it's going to be a messy day acrosshe east. we have a messy presidents' day developing. freezing rain a possibility for the carolinas and virginia. that snow will transition later on today, tonight, and freezing rain and eventually rain with

heavy rain overnight into tuesday and even flooding concerns there, but it could end as snow in the interior throughout the day on tuesday. a busy travel day and the weather is not big for the east. d.c., new york, philadelphia, chicago is quiet dealing with a beautiful day. temperatures there well into the 80s and tomorrow again, tracking the heavy rain for the big cities of the northeast. look at the temperatures. well into the 50s. 55 for the city. flooding will be a concern there, 87 in los angeles and tracking storminess across florida. that's a look at the national weather. now here's a closer l lk at your day ahead. it ooh going to be a messy day across the mid-atlantic and northeast with snow, ice, and freezing rain changing over to rain later on tonight. watching out for severe weather across the gulf coast like mobile could see severe storms this afternoon. so not a great travel day for all the folks heading home after

>> no, but a good day to have off and stay home. >> yes. pope francis visited one of the poorest cities in mexico city. he preached his message of equality and hope to more than 300,000 attending mass. nbc's anne thompson has more. >> reporter: pope francis went to the city notorious for poverty andcrime. francis rode through the graffiti covered streets given a makeover by criminals more appropriate for the occasion, the pope portrayed in all kinds of was even as a graffiti artist. it has one of the highest murder and disappearance rates in mexico. it's such a dangerous place this man tells me today's mass is one of the rare times she can

more than 300,000 people filled the dusty fields to hear the pope warn of the temptations of wealth, vanity, andpride, emphatically telling them there can be no dialogue with the devil. your evil can fear like a daily reality. francis is asking these people, many ofhem poor and powerless to join the front lines of making mexico a land of opportunity. for a moment one ofts most dangerous cities was a better place. anne thompson, nbc news, mexico. 48 people had to be rescued from a frigid new england ski slope after their tram cars got stuck 40 feet above the ground. look at this. rescuers actually had to use rope to help stranded schoolers propel through a hatch in the bottom of the car to the ground

thqnkfully nobody was injured. they say a breaking sis is to blame and it could take a few days to fix the problem. marvel's latest movie "flick" has started. "dead pool" earn $135 million. "dead pool" had been the biggest. also for the biggest february weekend and biggest president's four-day weekend. meanwhile it debuted in third while ben stiller's much hyped "zoolander 2" took in a disappointed $16.7 million. an accusation of a woman choking spitzer. and get rt rd for a triple threat with three separate covers.

symptoms worsen because your heart isn't pumping well. (water filling room) about 50 percent of people die (dog whimpering) within 5 years of getting diagnosed. but there's something you can do. talk to your doctor about heart faure treatment options. because the more you know, the more likely you are... (dog whimpering) to keep it pumping. bleeding gums? you may think it's a result of brushing too hard. it's not. it's a sign of early gum disease... listerine(r) can help reverse... early gum disease in just two weeks. listerine(r). power to your mouth !

so i switched to tide pods. they're super concentrated... so i get a better clean. voted 2016 product of the year. if it's got to be clean, it's got to be tide. today you can do everything in just one click, even keep your toilet clean and fresh. introducing lysol click gel. click it in to enjoy clean freshness with every flush. lysol. start healthing. yeah, click i'm going to share a photo of my eggo waffle when it pops up. that's so interesting honey because i'm gointo share a photo of my eggo waffle when it pops up. (whispers) l'eggo my eggo anncr: golden crispy, warm and fluffy eggo waffles.

fqrmer new york governor eliot spitzer is accused of choking a woman at the la plaza in new york city. the woman reportedly cut her wrists after being choked and was taken to the hospital after calling 911. upon leaving the hosostal the woman parentally then boarded a plane back to russia. no charges have been filed. a spokesperson for spitzer has told nbc news tre is no truth to the allegation. police are investigating. a explosive device was attached to the bottom of an avis rent a car in new mexico, yesterday. . >> a mechanic looked up and saw a devece on the vehicle. that's what the investigator is

car came from and who dropped itt off. bollywood dancers were performing on stage when a fire broke out. around 20,000 spectators had to be evacuated. the cause of the fire is still unknown. washington state police believe they've finally captured the beard-o ban did wearing a fake beard, glasses, and nose guard. after surveillance they arrested christian francois on friday. for first time ever "sports illustrated" will have three different covers. graham will be the first plus cover. and just ahead, leftly blows one at pebble beach and cob by's curtain call at the all-star game.

there must be higher love down in the heart what do you think? and in the stars above hi ted, glad you could join us, we think you're going to like these numbers. bring me a higher love i could rise above nothing seems to work. your hair is still thinning. you may have inactive follicles. reactivate them with women's rogaine foam. the only once a day treatment proven to regrow new hairs up to 48% thicker. revive your va-va-voom.

janet? cough if you can hear me. don't even think about it. i took mucinex dm for my phlegmy cough. yeah...but what about mike? it works on his cough too. cough! it works on his cough too. mucinex dm relieves wet and dry coughs for 12 hours.

this morning on "today," the new report series step in or step off. it's a series of social experiments to see how people would respond in an ethical dilemma. today's focus, shoplifting. now to sports. the five-time lakers champion enjoying every minute with e

a fan favorite and kobe finished with ten points on the night. and check this out. 290 points combined for all of his all-star appearances as he waves good-bye and thanks to the fans. the rest of the game was a scoring fest for the rest of the fans including tubs of alley-oops, three-pointers and those that hit the stratosphere. 196-173. nba resumes play on thursday. next, the beautiful golf courses and pebble beach pro-am. phil mickelson started but missed a five-foot birdie putt that would have thrust him up against taylor. taylor finished 17 under par to mickelson's 16 under. now to nascar's biggest event of the year, the daytona 500 will have 20 yt chase

's the son of two-time winner bill elliott and the youngest driver to land a top spot. the race is sunday at 1:00 p.m. just ahead, who will be the big winners at tonight's grammy awards. we'll tell your predictions. plus, get excited. game of throne fans. we'll have a sneak peak for this upcoming season. up next. next. to be on top of your mom game... nailed it! thanks so much. you need a balanced coffee you can drink throughout the day. good girl. mccaf\ coffees brew a smooth blend. for a taste that's not too strong, but never weak. so you can savor every sip knowing you are matriarch supreme. mommy's not a napkin hey. mccaf\. available where you buy groceries. we give you relief from your cold & flu. you give them a case of the giggles. tylenol cold helps relieve your worst cold & flu symptoms... you can n ve them

tylenol check this out, bro. what's that, broheim? i switched to geico and got more. more savings on car insurance? yeah bro-fessor, and more. like renters insurance. more ways totoave. nice, bro-tato chip. that's not all, bro-tein shake.. geico has motorcycle and rv insurance, too. oh, that's a lot more. oh yeah, i'm all about more, teddy brosevelt. geico. expect great savings and a whole lot more. i take prilosec otc each morning for my frequent heartburn because you can't beat ro heartburn! ahhh the sweet taste of victory! prilosec otc. one pill each morning.

now to some entertainment news. today is growing for the grammy awards. the rapper leads the pack with 11 nominations. taylor swift and the w wkend are also big contenders. both have nine nominations. at last night's awards steven fry brought home a little bit honoring the tradition of the kiss cam. they played to the stars of maggie smith and leonardo dicaprio. he also won big by taking home best actor for a role in "" the revenant. >> seven mine. >> that is the latest tse from the sixth season of game of thrones.

those who died. they're fueling speculation of whose dea is next. this month nb will air a special that features the reunion of the cast of "friends. "here to commend is rachel from friends. >> oh, my god. this is incredible. it's so a great to see you. >> oh, colin, oh, hi, hi, wow, yeah. >> rachel, i've got to say i haven't seen you since the '90s. yeyh, yeah, i've been good. i've been good, yeah. >> good. . >> the special will air february 21st and i know w wre all going

>> that was a great. >> this is "early today." it's not a quick fix. it's my decision to make beauty lala. 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. i'm going to share a photo of my eggo waffle when it pops up. that's so interesting honey because i'm going to share a photo of my eggo waffle when it pops up. (whiers) l'eggo my eggo

l'eggo my eggo. leading the news on nbcnews.com, a missile mistakenly sent to cuba in 2013 has been returned to the u.s. they mistakenly sent it to them in a nato training exercise. though it contains no missiles they were concerned cuba would share the technology. kanye west $53 million in debt. he surprised fans, i write this

$53 million in personal debt followed by mark zuckerberg invests $1 billion into kanye west's ideas. zuckerberg has not responded. in "the guardian" a spanish civil servant skips work for years without anyone noticing. he collected a salary for a a job he hadn't shown up for in at least six years. garcia was discovered when his employer tried to award him with a long service medal. they have seized over 9 million of liquid meth an get min. they used gels and art supplies in their attempt to smuggle it t in. and a chinese artist is making a name for himself.

lifejackets to symbolize those who drowned in the attempt t t reach european shores. 15,000 chilean participants wore the tomato. they provided juicy ammunition. the art of taking a selfie is no longer just for humans. now sea lions are joining in on the fun. milo the sea lion gave visitors a front row seat to the underwater world after trainer mounted a camera on the end o o a gopro polye. it's since been going viral. i think that's a great way. >> i even seen a cat doing it. >> give him a gopro and a selfie camera. now it's time to look ahead. president obama will meade with leaders. the group will cover issues including security, trade, and climate change.

as the u.s. steps up efforts. janet dickerson is 61. dr. quinn herself actress jane seymour turns 65 today.

thanks for watching right now there is a battle brewing in washington. >> half a million dollars after an armed thief stormed a local business. we are just a few weeks into tax season already and stammers causing a big-time problem, what you need to watch out for. >> live, nbc 6 today staurdz now. >> i am eric harman.

it's monday, february 15th. president's day. some of you have a day off. >> if you enjoy , this is what you have to encounter. >> it's a warm morning across the area, progressively through the weekend bringing temperatures up and we will see that come together in the next few days as we make a quick turn to the 80s. a few clouds in the skies but we are dry at this hour. temperatures a lot warmer than what we are looking at. 70, ft. uderdale. and if you live out towards the beaches, you have been feeling that breeze all night long. it will be a breezy, if not windy forecast for today, and from time to time, shower may come into play. the radar down through the keys, i think we will see spotty showers come into play and more isolated activity by the time we get to the afternoonhours.