Kansas. Wichita, 14 inches. Thats the most theyve seen in more than 50 years. Inches piling up in omaha and st. Louis. 1,000 plows are working in kansas alone, but its doing little to keep drivers from being stranded. Actually, you saw a plow itself getting toppled over. Even the plows are having trouble staying on top of things. Hundreds of flights have been scrubbed. Bill karins will have more for us a little later in weather. Right now, we want to turn to politics. Were now just one week from the automatic cuts that will slash 85 billion from government spending. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the sequester will cost 750,000 jobs and lower Economic Growth by 0. 6 . Dont forget we were negative in gdp in the last quarter. It could mean longer lines at the airport, less funding for teachers, and cuts at the pentagon that Officials Say could hurt national security. Still, the white house and republicans remained lock in a stalemate over how to deal with the sequester. Yesterday, president obama called john boehner and mitchell mcconnell, but neither republican leader has any appetite for new taxes, something the president says should be part of the deal. The president spoke with reverend al sharpton yesterday. My sense is that their basic view is that nothing is important enough to raise taxes on wealthy individuals or corporations, and they would prefer to see these kinds of cuts that could slow down our recovery over closing tax loophol loopholes. And thats the thing that binds their Party Together at this point. This is a major argument, obviously, weve been having for the last three years. Unfortunately, i think republicans right now have been so dug in on this notion of never raising taxes that it becomes difficult for them to see an obvious answer right in front of them. Of course, you have to take the battle to twitter. The showdown continued online with White House Press secretary jay carney mixing it up with congress boehners spokesman. He tweeted, quote, was it balanced when the president got 600 billion in revenue with no spending cuts just last month . Carney replied by citing a usa today poll with americans support potus balanced approach to deficit reduction. Outoftouch. Well, the math is Getting Better for chuck hagel to be confirmed as defense secretary perhaps as early as next week. In a letter, though, 15 republican senators urged for hagel to withdraw his nomination. On that list included marco rubio and ted cruz. It reads in part, while we respect senator hagels honorable military service, we respectfully request you withdraw his nomination. It would be unprecedented for a secretary of defense to take Office Without the broad base of bipartisan support and confidence needed to serve effectively in this critical position. Ted cruz added, quote, in the last 50 years, no other secretary of defense has been confirmed with more than three members voting against him, and in the entire history of the position, no one has been confirmed with more than 11 no votes, end quote. Still, hagel got support from former senator bob dole, who called him an exceptional leader, and senator Richard Shelby of alabama. It was kind of an underwhelming vote of confidence. Shelby said, quote, hes probably as good as were going to get, end quote. The Senate Returns from recess next week. There are some new numbers out this morning that could impact the debate over gun violence in america. An analysis by usa today shows most people who died in a mass shooting were killed by someone they knew. Of the more than 900 People Killed in those types of attacks over the past seven years, 40 involved a family member. Thats according to a breakdown of fbi records. Now, yesterday Vice President joe biden was just a few miles from the site of the sandy hook shooting in newtown, connecticut, where he ramped up the pressure on congress. People say and you read and people write about the Political Risk and why theyre unacceptable to take on. I say its unacceptable not to take these on. Its just simply unacceptable. It is not something we can fail to do. If youre concerned about your political survival, you should be concerned about the survival of our children. Guess what . I believe the price to be paid politically to those who refuse to act, who refuse to step forward. Because americas changed on this issue. We now turn to the devastating attacks in syria that could stall efforts to make peace in the wartorn country. At least three car bombs exploded in the capital city of damascus yesterday, killing a reported 72 people and wounding hundreds more. The deadliest was detonated near the headquarters of president Bashar Al Assads ruling party and the russian embassy. So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the attacks. Rebel forces have made increasing efforts to break assads stronghold in damascus, which beforehand has been pretty much unscathed by the ongoing civil war. Also overseas, in just about two hours, we should find out whether olympic runner Oscar Pistorius will be let out of jail on bail as he awaits his trial for allegedly murdering his girlfriend. The prosecution has argued that pistorius killed Reeva Steenkamp in cold blood, saying his narrative of selfdefense does not pass muster. The lead investigator was replaced on the case yesterday. He had been a star witness for the prosecution but was suddenly charged with attempted murder for his role in firing at a mini bus back in 2011. As far as the pistorius investigation go, he admits to botching aspects of the case from possibly contaminating the crime scene, to failing to recover one of the bullets at the scene. Pistorius coach says if the blade runner is released on b l bail, he will return immediately to his training. Now to some business news. After 38 days, boeing finally believes it has a solution to the issue that caused several batteries in the companys 787 dreamliner jets to overheat and in some instances catch fire. A team of executives will meet with the faa today to present their proposal, hoping to get the jets back in the skies within two months. For more on the story, lets go to my colleague at cnbc, Steve Sedgwick live in london. Theyre going to meet the administrator over at the faa. The solution could be increasing the space between these lithium ion cell batteries. We havent got any confirmation thats part of the solution. As you say, hopefully they would be back in the air by april if they convince the faa and the transportation secretary that this is going to solve the concern about these combustible batteries, so to speak. Its cost them a lot of money. For instance, theyve already had to pay money for lost revenues. Its cost them 200 million a month in lost revenue from sales of dreamliners. Its a huge problem. Hopefully they have a solution. Listen, lets talk about stuff thats more fun for people as theyre getting up here. Tech news. Google getting into the touchscreen computer business. Apple, i mean, reading about what this new product might be actually gets me excited about wearing something on my wrist for a change. Yeah, brian, i can see its all very buck rogers, having a computer thats a bracelet, thats a watch. It is very exciting. According to various sources, a Patent Application has been published for an advanced wearable computer in the form of a bracelet that could double as a watch. I think thats you all over. Google, in the meantime, have unveiled the pixel, costing 1299 for a wifi version only. Its touchscreen as well. Its very interesting when you look at those two stories and compare what hewlettpackard is doing. Okay numbers, but people are giving up on the pc market and perhaps going for the bracelets. Im just waiting for the star trek power so i can get beamed to london at 5 00 p. M. And have a pint with you. Have a great weekend, steve. As always, we want to know why youre awake. We know why were awake, because we have to work. Email us at waytooearly msnbc. Com. Well read the best response as always. Its a friday, so lets bring it, folks. Still ahead, an historic defeat on the links for tiger woods and rory mcilroy. Well explain what happened to the two best governors during the pga championship. And lewis and i, you want to rely on us, for picks for the weekends academy awards. That and a check on weather when way too early comes right back. 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[ female announcer ] swiffer sweepers electrostatic dry cloths attract and lock dirt, dust, and hair on contact to clean 50 more than a broom. Its a difference you can feel. Swiffer gives cleaning a whole new meaning. And now swiffer wet and dry refills are available with the fresh scent of gain. Yeah. Then howd i get this. [ voice of dennis ]. Safe driving bonus check . Every six months without an accident, allstate sends a check. Ok. [ voice of dennis ] silence. Are you in good hands . All your important legal matters in just minutes. Protect your family. And launch your dreams. At legalzoom. Com we put the law on your side. A live look at hour Nations Capital on this friday. 5 44 exactly in the eastern time zone. Pretty placid scene there. Not the case in other parts of the country. I always study my weather before i have to interact with bill karins. We have a storm splitting in two, right . Is that whats happening . One storm weakens, another one forms. Yeah, kind of splits. A little piece of energy jumps off it. We can sit down for an hour and no, no. Thats okay, bill. You can have your 90 seconds. Ill put you to sleep in about five minutes. Good morning, everyone. We are watching this big, epic storm in the midwest weakening, but its still having an impact. Chicago got a couple inches. Were also dealing with icy weather. Freezing rain in ohio and indiana. Even areas of North Carolina are getting freezing rain and mixture of snow in the higher terrain. The worst of it by far, wisconsin, minnesota, and areas of michigan. This area of white is all snow coming down. Looks like shortly its going to move through even detroit. Were not expecting a lot more accumulations. Later today its going to rain heavy down in the south. Even tomorrow, too, that rain is going to come up the coast. This is what brian was talking about. This is the next storm thats going to come up the east coast and eventually youll get into the cold air in new england. Ive been mentioning all week long, looked like we were going to have this snowstorm in new england. Were going to be saved in southern new england because of warmer temperatures, more rain than snow. So areas like new york city and new haven, no major problems. The heaviest snows north of boston. 495 northwards. Mass pike northwards. Heres what im thinking snowfall amounts. Manchester, probably the highest, best chance of getting near a foot. Especially higher elevations. This will be a heavy, wet snow. Boston, 3 to 6. Alba albany, 3 to 6. We can deal with this compared to the last couple storms. Bottom line, a lot of areas dealing with wintry weather. Be careful out there. Midwest through the ohio valley. Looks like youre getting snowed in, barnacle. He blinks at this. They Start Playing baseball games this weekend. He waused to walk to work backwards up a hill in driving snow. Back in the day. All right, thanks, bill. Lets go into sports with tiger woods and rory mcilroy combining to make the wrong kind of history at the match play championships in arizona. Tiger, the number two player in the world, dropped his first round match to Charles Howell iii, who hadnt qualified for match play in this tournament in five years. Tiger conceded the match on the 17th hole. Rory mcilroy, the top golfer on the planet, defeated by shane lowery of ireland, who was seeded dead last in the tournament. This is just the second time in the history of the match play championships that the two top seeds have been ousted in the first round. Looks like that round with the president didnt help tiger very much. Now to the nba. Heat facing the bulls in chicago. The miami heat trying to push their winning streak to nine games. First quarter, lebron steps in front of the pass, takes it up the floor, beats the defense for the hoop for the finish. He had a doubledouble, couple assists shy of a tripledouble. Go to the fourth quarter. The heat up big. Lebron finds wade for the reverse layup. The heat went 8667. Their ninegame win streak, the longest of the season. Derek rose cant come back fast enough. To College Hoops with california playing their first game since head coach Mike Montgomery shoved his star shooting guard in the chest. Tied in the final seconds of regulation. Justin cobb throws up the jumper and gets it for the win. Cal upsets number 23 oregon 4846. Cal has won six of their last seven games. Kind of a bubble team. This should help them maybe get into the tournament. Finally, an unbelievable trick shot. Check this out. Comes to us from William Carey university in hattiesburg, mississippi. Watch this. Cheerleader ashley goes for the front flip and half court shot. How awesome is that . You cant change that on youtube. The ball is in the frame the entire time. That is not a fake. Shes a 21yearold junior. She also plays soccer and runs track for William Carey. Shes been trying the shot all season during halftime. She finally got it on her fifth try. Thats awesome. Thats the last one of the loop. Now me on the camera. Coming up on morning joe, its two steps forward, one step backward for chuck hagels bid to run the pentagon. A new contingent of Senate Critics is calling for him to withdraw his nomination. The crew will weigh in on that. When we come back, well huddle around the water cooler. Lewis, back from lala land. Well see what he learned in tinsel town as we break down the oscar gold when way too early comes right back. All right. Time to hit the water cooler. Youre not going to big time me since you took a private jet to l. A. No, no, i didnt go private jet. I figured i had to go out there. Get on the ground, see what people are talking about. Take just a little look here at some of the stuff i shot while i was out there. Is in and out better than five guys . Its the best. The day they bring it to the east coast is the day im an extremely happy man. You see here i am, going to screen the films. I watched every film consecutively. So its a hard job, but someones got to do it. Nice. All within five minutes of filming. So why dont we take a look at some of the nominees, as they say on stage. Go ahead, roll the clip. The oscars, the glitz and glamour of hollywood on display for all to see, featuring the entertainment industrys biggest names all sharing a single stage to honor a year in achievement. Its a ceremony known to create a few memorable moments of its own from the holly berry kiss. Those feelgood moments from the Goodwill Hunting boys from boston. This years also sure to make history as hollywood celebrates its best year ever, pulling in more than 10. 8 billion at the box offices. Bond, james bond. The bell of the ball is without a doubt Silver Linings playbook. Bradley cooper picked up nods from the academy, his first nomination. This is a guy with a lot of dimension and soul who hasnt put it on screen yet. You stumble upon certain things in your life you never expect. For me, this was one from the beginning when i first played this character. Its set up for a big night, becoming the first film in 31 years to grab nominations in all foracting categories, joining the likes of a streetcar named desire, and network. Im as mad as hell, and im not going to take this anymore. Lincoln is poised to take home several awards, leading all films with 12 nominations. Stephen spielberg is looking to take home his 12th golden award. I always really wanted to do something on lincoln. Daniel day lewis is on in pursuit of his third oscar. I like our chances now. Jessica chastain picked up her second nomination for zero dark thirty. But its quvenzhane wallace, whos ready to steal the night away from her fellow nominees. Who the man . Im the man all eyes will be on ben affleck sundays night who was snubbed by theed academy for directing argo. Its the odds on favorite to beat the field for best picture, which could make for a true hollywood ending. I thought, if i can even execute in a basic way on this, this would be the best thing ive ever done by far. Now, brian, i know you moonlight as a film critic. Id like to hear what your choices are. So for best actress in a leading role, your pick . I heard you like jennifer lau lawrence. I think its 50 50 between her and jessica chastain. I like quvenzhane wallace. Really . 9 years old. She did an amazing job. Beasts of the southern wild is an amazing film. Lets go to the men. Best actor in a leading role . This is kind of i feel bad for bradley cooper, a friend of the show, did an amazing job. Bottom line, Daniel Day Lewis is the best actor on the planet. He brought to life an icon. I agree. I love danield daylewis. Lets go on to picture of the year. Listen, ben affleck, in some ways, were the same. I cant stand him because hes achieving much more than i am. I feel a lot of selfpity in that sense. I think hes going to win. He got snubbed for best director. You go from gone, baby, gone to the town. Hes growing up before our eyes. Silver linings playbook i thought was the most complete film of the year. An amazing triumph. Thats my choice. I dont want to miss the next story, so were going to move on here. Regardless of who wins or loses, the losers arent going to go home empty handed. This Marketing Firm is giving away all the nonwinners oscars swag bags. Theyre valued at more than 45,000. There are free trips to australia, hawaii, and mexico. All three . All three. And bottles of tequila and condoms will be in the bag. There are also natural choices like acupuncture. It also includes ways to look better, personal training sessions, weight loss retreats, appointments for injectable fillers. I dont know what that is. And a portioncontrolled dinner. Go to mexico with the tequila. Im not even going to make the condom comment. Listen, youre going to let me do the tease. I appreciate that. Bill never lets me do. That. Still ahead on way too early, why are you awake . Your awardwinning tweets, texts, and emails are next. Just one bite opens a world of delight. A flavor paradise of Delicious Fishes friskies seafood sensations. Feed the senses. Tens of thousands of dollars in hidden fees on their 401 k s . go to etrade and roll over your old 401 k s to a new etrade retirement account. None of them charge annual fees and all of them offer low cost investments. Etrade. Less for us. More for you. Otherworldly things. But there are some things ive never seen before. This ge jet engine can understand 5,000 data samples per second. Which is good for business. Because planes use less fuel, spend less time on the ground and more time in the air. Suddenly, faraway places dont seem so. Far away. 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