and look at chicago, willie geist. today we're predicting a high of 85. >> 85 degrees as they go to vote in the state of illinois. >> yeah. the warmest temperature they've ever had any march ever in their history is 88. they have an outside shot of that. >> unbelievable. keep the good weather coming. >>> we'll turn to sports now. tebow mania is about to be replaced by manning mania in denver. the peyton manning sweepstakes are settled with the 36-year-old former colts quarterback choosing the denver broncos as his new team. manning's agent still working out details, the deal expected to be worth about 95 million ldz over five years. the addition of manning raises the obvious question -- what about tim tebow? remember him? led the broncos to the playoffs last season? joining us by phone, mike florio of nbc sports and the founder of pro football talk.com. mike, great to talk to you at this hour. >> hey, willie. how are you? >> great. thanks for calling in. why denver for peyton manning? >> i think when you look at the ot

the people willie geist talked to. >> sanctioned for ethics violations. >> you've seen the ads but you might not know how campaigns dig up all that dirt on their opponents. tonight, an inside look at the people who create what is called oppo research. >> you, your spouse, your kids, everything you've ever done is looked at. >> when they find an embarrassing fact, photo or video, watch out. >> this was the political equivalent of a gunshot wound to the head. he actually dropped out because the ad was so devastating. >>> and the trayvon martin tragedy has the whole country talking about it, including some of our friends here at nbc news. tonight why it's so personal for so many. that and more as "rock center" gets under way. >>> good evening and welcome to "rock center." we begin here tonight with something we used to associate primarily with dimly lit strip malls. and while some pawn shops are still right there where they have always been, the pawn business has changed remarkably. and in a recession, the pawn business is way up. for starters, they have money to lend. you can't often say

i'm willie geist. this is "way too early." look i

good morning, i'm willie geist. this is "way too early." in a moment to mark halperin to break this all down. but first, let's get to the results of last night, i

>>> good morning i'm willie geist. this is way too early the show that was declared unconstitutional in 2007 geist versus the american viewing public. thanks for being up with us. shoot me an e-mail at way too early or tweet me at willie geist. do what brit any does text wide awake with your response to 622639. the next 30 minutes will be a cram session. president obama's open mic movement honesty with russian president medvedev and reaction from the republican presidential field. mitt romney saw the "hunger games" movie. >> pg 13. is it a little too violent for young kids? >> i think it's a little disturbing for young kids. >> a little taste four. we'll have romney's full review later. first let's get to the news. here at 30 rock in new york city this morning the supreme court is set to take up the central issue in the fight over president obama's health care law. whether or not congress overstepped its authority under the constitution by requiring americans to buy medical insurance or to face a penalty if they do not

i'm willie geist. it's friday, march nd and i am back home in bergen county, new jersey, where i grew up and went to a public high school about 15 minutes from here. a lot like the one we'll spend the morning today. fort lee high school traditionally has been a very good school ranking in the top 100 of new jersey high schools, but a couple years ago it slipped a bit and was labeled by the state a school that needs improvement. improve it did. last year, just one year after getting the needs improvement tag, fort lee graduated 98% of its students. with 94% of them going on to college. later you will meet some of the administrators and teachers who are using new methods and new philosophy to re-energize the students. they're proud around here this week, we should point out, because fort lee high school products, the brothers ralph and glen zipper. ralph seen here in the upper left won oscars sunday for best featured length documentary for their film "undefeated" the story of a high school football team

>>> and willie geist visits the upright citizens for gays. the gritty, i amprov group that stayed true to their roots. they're comedians looking for fame and fortune. so they come here, a place where they need lots of courage. >> did you ever walk out on stage and go, oh, my gosh, there are three people here right now? >> reporter: what's the secret to the underground comedy group that's creating so many stars? >> when you walk in, it feels really special. >> don't cry. >> okay. >> oh, you got her to cry. >> guys, keep rolling. >> that and more tonight as "rock center" gets under way. >>> good evening, and welcome to "rock center." tonight at the white house, a long evening is wrapping up after a long day. tonight, the president and first lady threw a state dinner for the british prime minister, david cameron, who comes here at a very serious moment, and it all got discussed earlier today from the economy to iran to afghanistan. it's all part of what they always call the special relationship between the two countries. and between these two me

. >> good morning, i'm willi willie geist. this is "way too early." i'm glad you're up with us this morning watching on msnbc or listening live. shoot me an e-mail. i don't know w let me know why you're upright now. we'll read the best responses later in the show. the next 30 minutes will be your cram session. a lot to tell you about today, a lot including a new poll that shows president obama at 50% approval. that's just a day after the new york times poll had him at an all-time low of 41%. we'll sort three all of that. >> i eernl learning to say j'all and i like grits. grits yall and foxworthy. first, though, let's get to the news. live at 530 a.m., we begin with a little breaking news just within the hour. nbc news has declared mitt romney in the hawaii republican caucuses. he won 45% of the vote beating rick santorum by 20 points. rick saint's southern suite gave the pa set rios last fight. romney is the party's inevitable nominee. just after 10:00 eastern time, he won with 35% report. so third place finished there in alabama for romney. then, jus

i'm joe scarborough, along with mika brzezinski and willie geist.his morning, our education with starbucks brings us to historic ft. lee high school. in the shadows of the george washington bridge in ft. lee, new jersey. >> it is another great success story in american education. a school that has consistently ranked among the top schools in the state. and when success began to slip a few years ago, strong and innovative leadership swiftly brought the school back to prominence. so is there a formula that is recreatable across the country? we're going to cut through the politics and get into the hot-button issues standing in the way of progress. >> among our guests are going to be new jersey's own governor chris christie, delaware's governor jack markell, and connecticut's governor dannel malloy. >> they're going to sound off. >> they're going to sound off. right here at mid court. reverend al, you and i will be ref. also with us, former washington, d.c. school's chancellor michelle rhee, former governor of vermont, howard dean. and randi weingarten.

way too early with willie geist starts right now. >>> the florida state legislature who sponsored florida's stand your ground law says based on the evidence he's seen, it does not apply to the confrontation between zimmerman and martin. are police in sanford, florida any closer to making an arrest in this case? we'll have the report from florida. >>> when you thought the primary race could pt get more bizarre, the campaigns and obama team spend the day talking about etch-a-sketch. what is the line? more than a one cycle misstep. >>> tim tebow is coming to new york city to the jets. they just signed him to an extensive extension. the question is, how will tebow mania play ie

. >> and i'm willie geist in this morning for matt. good to be with you, ann. happy spring day for you. after nearly six weeks of speculation we now know how whitney houston died in a hotel bathtub in beverly hills on the eve of the grammy awards. >> that's right. the los angeles coroner's office has ruled it a drowning. citing cocaine use as contributing factors, and the coroner said the death should serve as a warning. we'll talk about that and the findings with dr. nancy synderman. >> also new details in the search for california teen sierra lamar who disappeared one week ago. a team from the fbi searched her family's home last night. so what were they looking for? and did they find anything that can help them locate the 15-year-old. sierra lamar's parents speak out in a live interview. >>> plus, at the start of republican presidential race, of course, we all know michelle bachman was an early front-runner. her campaign eventually lost steam. she's yet to endorse a candidate but that's not stopping her from calling on her party to unify quickly. she is in th

in new york, willie geist and msnbc contributor, mike barnicle. guys, a lot to talk about. willie, the supreme court case. unbelievable poll coming out not only on the health care law and what americans want, but also in afghanistan. americans have some very clear cut decisions, made up their mind on health care and the war. >> the question of the war, "the new york times" poll, it's not just the number, which is 7 and 10 americans think we should not be fighting in afghanistan. itis the jump. it's up 16 points. there's not a lot of mystery to it. you can walk through the terrible things happening with staff sergeant robert bales, the burning of the koran and where nato officers and troops have been shot by soldiers. >> yeah. >> there's a slow, steady beat of the american people saying we ought not be there anymore. >> sam stein, you look at the cbs poll that came out, "the new york times" poll that came out yesterday. the first case of the argument. it was fascinating. the supreme court said we are not going to put this off until 2014. in fact, it's jermaine now. we are goi

i'm lynn berry, this is "first look" "way too early with willie geist" -- i say girl. >> all right. >per tuesday, the day that could reshape the long race for the republican nomination with voting in 11 states. the question are, where does the campaign go if mitt romney wins the competition in ohio and what happens if he loses it to rick santorum? we will talk live in a second to john heilman. israeli lee prime minister benjamin netanyahu says the world can't wait much longer to stop iran's nuclear program, this as the president says we have your back. the question is where is this thing headed and how deeply will the u.s. be involved? and they're back, virginia commonwealth university one of the great cinderella stories last season wins a tight one to get back to the big dance. the question is, d they have more of that magic this year? it's "way too early" for this.

stay tuned because "way too early with willie geist" starts right now. >>> today is the day at the supreme court when the men and women in the black robes will hear arguments for and against the individual mandate at the core of president obama's affordable health care act. the question is can americans be come foeld buy health insurance even if they don't want it. >>> a "new york times" poll tells the story of an american public increasingly exhausted by the steady stream of bad news out of afghanistan. now seven in ten saying we should not be fighting there any more. the question is will public opinion for the president's hand in expediting the withdrawal where it's been sfo iv 1/2 years. >>> tim tebow meets the new york press, introduced as the jets new back up quarterback. the question is, how long can

willie geist went to ask them how they cope when the no cell phone rule is rudely violated. >> ladieslcome to the booth theater. >> reporter: production stage manager james fitssimmons pleads with the audience at every performance. >> please take this opportunity to make sure that your cell phones are turned off. thank you for your cooperation and enjoy the show. >> reporter: but some people just don't cooperate. actor stacy keatch. >> it's a big problem. it's a terrible distraction not only for the actors but the other members of the audience. it destroys the illusion. >> the one that always gets me, whether it's at a play or the movies is the one that keeps ringing and keeps ringing. >> oh, i know, i know. >> and you're going answer the phone. >> we all have our ways of coping. >> reporter: starring on broadway in the hit play "other desert city" says many actors have a line at the ready to address the inevitable cell phone interruption. >> i was doing a one-man show some time ago. a cell phone went off and kept going off. i finally just stopped and just said if that's for me i'll g

i'm willie geist. this is "way too early." the show that was signed to an extension. we have to pay msnbc to be on the air. i have a terrible agent. glad you are with us this morning on tv or listening on radio. shoot me an e-mail or tweet me. let me know what you are doing up at this hour. or do what sanchez does text awake to 622639. the next 30 minutes is your cram session for this thursday, march 22nd. a lot going on today including the stand off between french police and a man alleged to have killed children at a jewish school. >>> plus, blago's barber speaks out about the most famous hair in chicago. first, let's get to the news live at 5:30 a.m., 30 rock in new york city. a rally is planned to demand the arrest of george zimmerman, the watch cam tan who shot and killed trayvon martin last month in what he calls self-defense. he was unarmed and walking home at the time of the shooting. his parents joined a demonstration in new york city yesterday. hundreds of protesters calling for justice back in florida. city commissioners approved a motion of no confidence in

stay tuned because willie geist is up next. >>> the police chief in the state prosecutor overseeing theorida both stepped down as thousands of protesters take to the streets calling for justice. the question is, 26 days after trayvon's death, why is the shooter still a free man? >>> day two of this etch a sketch nonsense as rick santorum said he might prefer president obama to ritny, drawing gasps from the conservative peanut gallery. the question is, how long can mitt romney's rivals carry around a toy for children ages three and up before people stop taking them seriously? >>> and syracuse and ohio state battle for the right to play in the elite

tonight, willie geist takes us inside the comedy laboratory called "the up right citizens' brigade,"re amy poehler is among the proud parents. >> the upright citizens brigade has been described assault active, absurdist, collaborative, smart and weird. >> well, that's nice. those five words aren't bad. >> i didn't pick them. there were a ton of terrible ones. >> i was going to say. ♪ ♪ our machines help identify early stages of cancer and it's something that we're extremely proud of. you see someone who is saved because of this technology you know that the things that you do in your life, matter. if i did have an opportunity to meet a cancer survivor i'm sure i could take something positive away from that. [ jocelyn ] my name is jocelyn and i'm a cancer survivor. [ mimi ] i had cancer. i have no evidence of disease now. [ erica ] i would love to meet the people that made the machines. i had such an amazing group of doctors and nurses, it would just make such a complete picture of why i'm sitting here today. ♪ ♪ [ herb ] from the moment we walked in the front door just to see me -- no

. >> as willie geist said, i hope people save their receipts on the jeremy lin jerseys.ch madness at the white house. we're back in 30 seconds, politics of the president's picks. >>> what else did you think i was going to deep dive today? get your brackets out. march madness starts 2 1/2 hours from now. basketball's first fan president obama, of course, is even getting visiting prime minister david cameron into the game. >> was our president helping you follow the game? >> he was giving me some tips, he's going to help me fill out my bracket. >> and he's going to teach me cricket. >> that's the deal. >> i don't understand what's going on. >> yesterday, the president was informed apparently to follow cricket you need five days to see a whole match. the president may be good for tips, but he's been pretty spotty when it comes to picking the final four. he started strong as a candidate in 2008. got 3 out of 4 right. since then, he's been 0 for 8. coming up empty in his final four. both in 2010 and 2011 i think it's proof he's got his mind on other things. the president unve

i'm willie geist. this is the show that is huge in germany. i'm graduate you're up with us this morning watching on msnbc or listening live on sirius xm radio. shoot me an e-mail or tweet me. i want to know what you're doing up that the hour. or you can text the word awake followed by your response to 622639. we'll read the best responses later in the show. the next 30 minutes will be your cram session for this tuesday, march 13th. a lot to get to today, including the santorum campaign making the case that it would win a brokered convention in tampa. we'll check their math on that. plus jon stewart takes a look at mitt romney's southern strategy of saying y'all, talking about grits, and hanging with jeff foxworthy. that clip coming up later in the show. first let's get to the news here at 30 rock in new york city. new protests broke out overnight in afghanistan as anger continues to build over the rogue u.s. army sniper alleged to have killed 16 afghan civilians early sunday in a door to door shooting spree about a mile from his military base.

>>> good morning, i'm willie geist this is "way too early" the cinderella story of the nit tournament. i'm glad you're watching on msnbc or listening on sirius radio. shoot me an e-mail or tweet me @williegeist 1. text 622639. we'll read the best responses later. next 30 minutes will be the cram session for super tuesday, march the 6th, a lot to tell you about including senator john mccain calling for american-led air strikes against syria. >>> stephen colbert counts down the minutes until conservatives must fall in love with mitt romney. we'll watch the clock with colbert later in the show. >>> first to the news live at 5:30 a.m., here at 30 rock. after mons of campaigning the single biggest day in the republican presidential race is here with 11 states including wyoming caucuses and more than 400 delegates up for grabs, the next 16 or so hours will go a long way in dertermining the nominee and perhaps the next president of the united states. much of the focus is on ohio, a key battleground and must-win for republicans. as of now the numbers suggest ohio, anybody's game. three differ

i'm willie geist. this is "way too early," the show known as the tiger woods of early morning cable news. i'm glad you're up with us watching on msnc or listening live on sirius xm radio. shoot me an e-mail or tweet me and let me know what you're doing up at this hour. or do what senator many do and r answer to 622639. it's a thursday, a lot going on today. ben bernanke is warning the country is headed off a fiscal cliff. we'll dig into what he meant by that. >>> and we'll wake you up with a little lithuanian stage jiving. with fans like these, who needs enemies. the seas part for a russian rock star later in the show. first to the news live at 5:30 a.m. at 30 rock in new york city. breaking news out of afghanistan where two nato troops have been shot dead by a pair of gunmen, one of whom is believed to be an afghan soldier. if confirmed it would be the latest example of a militant impostor killing the nato coalition this follows a period of heightened violence in the region after koran burning at a mi

i'm willie geist. this is way too early, the show that tears up every time the alarm clock goes off on a weekday. glad you're up watching on msnbc or listening live on sirius xm radio. shoot me an e-mail or tweet me and let me know what you're doing up at this hour. or text awake to 622639. we'll read the responses later in the show. the next 30 minutes will be your cram session for this monday, march 5th. a lot to tell you about, including rush limbaugh's apology for comments he made on the air about a georgetown university law school student. plus, snl's mitt romney spins his narrow victory in michigan with a little help from his fake sons. that clip a little bit later in the show. first, though, let's get to the news live at 5:30 a.m. here at "30 rock" in new york city. the presidential candidates spread out across the country today, one day ahead of super tuesday. 10 states will be in play tomorrow with 400 delegates at stake. the contest could bolster front-runner mitt romney. he added to his camp

"way too early" with willie geist starts right now. >>> as the republican race for president swings southmitt romney says he feels like he's playing an away game when he runs down there. what does it say that the likely nominee feels like a visitor around the base of the party's support? republicans in congress this morning accusing president obama of going out of his way now to kill jobs by again in a vote yesterday lobbying against the keystone pipeline. the question is, is the president being held hostage by environmentalists as republicans charge he is? and jay-z sets off a debate on the floor of the florida state legislature. the question is, did his lyrics to "99 problems" swing a key

i'm veronica dela cruz, stay tuned, because "way too early" with willie geist starts right now. >>> tonightpeople of illinois for their vote and for this extraordinary victory. >> mitt romney wins illinois by double digits and his campaign suggests it would be a good idea for rick santorum to pack it in and hand romney the nomination. >>> the question is -- will a couple of winnable states ahead and cash in his pocket. why would santorum stop now? we'll talk live to mike allen. >>> with the top u.s. commander in afghanistan testifying on capitol hill, the attorney for accused shooter, robert bales, says he will put the war on trial in the defense of the staff sergeant. the question is, can you blame one man's alleged mass murder on a war. >>> and the denver broncos make it official -- introducing peyton manning as their new quarterback and saying thanks for the memories to tim tebow. the question is, which teams are knocking on tebow's door. it's "way too early" for this.

i'm willie geist this is "way too early," the show that will be very difficult for you to watch this week if you don't like vanderbilt. glad you are up with us watching on msnbc or listening live on sirius/xm radio. you can text the word awake followed by your response to 622639. we'll read the best responses later in the show. the next 30 minutes will be your cram session for this monday, march 12. a lot to tell you about, including kofi annan's attempt to talk to syrian president al assad. and tina fey couldn't come back to do her best sarah palin, so they had andy sandberg do it. first to the news at 5:30 a.m. a united states army sergeant is being detained today by his fellow troops in afghanistan after american officials say he went on a nighttime massacre killing at least 16 afghan civilians as they slept in their homes over the weekend. coalition spokesman says the shooter abandoned his post at a military base and walked to a nearby village, there he allegedly opened fire inside three separate homes killing as many as nine children. five other civilians were reportedly injured

"way too early" with willie geist starts right now. >> tonight we're doing some counting.up the delegates for the convention and it looks good. we're counting down until the days until november and that looks even better. >> this was a big night tonight. lots of states. we're going to win a few, we're going to lose a few but as it looks right now, we're going to get at least a couple of gold medals and a whole lot of silver medals. >> six of super tuesdays ten states, 200 delegates or so have been added to mitt romney's total this morning

>>> good morning, i'm willie geist and this is "way too early," the show that finished just behind blago in last night's illinois primary. i'm glad you're watching on msnbc or listening on sirius xm radio. let me know what you're doing up at this hour. or you can do what lava lamp owners do, text the word awake followed by your response to 622639 and we'll read your responses later. >>> the next 30 minutes will be your cram session for this wednesday, march 21, a lot to tell you about, the justice department stepping into the investigation of the shooting death of 17-year-old trayvon martin. we will have a report from florida. >>> plus, in light of the tebow news in denver, jimmy falun breaks out the tebow get-up once again, perhaps for the last time. that clip later in the show. >>> first the news, live at 5:30 a.m. at 30 rock in new york city. mitt romney has taken another step toward the republican presidential nomination. after scoring a decisive victory in the illinois primary. romney won with 47% of the vote. defeating rick santorum by 12 points. ron paul and newt gingrich were dow

"way too early with willie geist" starts right now. >>> protesters are in the streets in afghanistanmorning two days after a 38-year-old american staff sergeant allegedly walked off his base and killed 16 afghan civilians. the question is, what kind of pressure has this incident put on president obama to speed up the withdrawal from the country? we'll have a live report. >>> three states up for grabs today in the race for the republican nomination, including alabama and mississippi, where polls show a tight three-way race. the question is, if romney continues his losing streak in the south, do we still call him the frontrunner tomorrow morning. >>> and derrick rose puts an official end to the linsanity. as the bulls hand the knicks their sixth consecutive loss. the question is, did you keep the receipt on that jeremy lin jersey you bought a couple