be his to makake 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't think the president should move forward and we should let the next president of the united states should decide. >> i'm glad the senate is agreeing what we should. >> those opinions have been met with harsh words on the other 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 it all out. good morning, tracie. >> good morning. it's possible the president could 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. first of all, seb real of them 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 republicans voted in favor of watford. that could be key. he also clerked previously for justice ginsburg. patricia millen also o the circuit court of appeals. 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 republicans. ted cruz already has an ad out this morning saying if donald trump is selected he could not be trusted to nominate the next united states. we'll keep an eye on this as more potential nominees are mentioned, dara as they slug it out and whether or not president should actually make the selection in his last days in office. >> there are only five 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 nbc's gabe gutrrez has more. >> reporter: after moments of silence for justice scalia came the most contentious debate so far. >> he lies. >> liar, liar, liar. >> reportete the variation of liar was used at least 13 times. the most used by donald trump. trump slammed by jeb bush over foreign poli 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 mother. >> reporter: marco rubio came after his defense. 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 because he doesn't speak [ speaking spanish ] on trump. >> you're the biggest liar. you're probably worse than jeb bush. you are the single biggest liar. >> donaldas the worst pattern. when he speaks to his own record, he speaks liar, liar, liar. >> reporter: john kasich speaks 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 meanwhile weather that's struck midwesferners has headed east. >> reporter: whether it was thehe 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. it is what it is, we deal with it. but this is one of the worst crashes i've ever peen. >> reporter: it was the coldest valentine's day on recoror in the northeast and frigid temperatures caused problems for firefighters in new jersey. >> we got off a plane yesterday airport. ever. >> reporter: there is good news. forecasters predict a warmup later this week. nbc's rafael is here to tell good morning, rafael. >> good morning.g. it's going to be a messy day across the 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 much milder weather in the northeast. 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, trackin the heav 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. 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.t. watching o o 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 the holiday weekend. >> no, but a good day to have off and stay home. >> yes. poperancis 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 and crime. francis rode through the 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 woman tells me today's mass is one of the rare times she can bring her children to a public event. more than 300,000 people filled the dusty fields to hear the pope warn of the temptations of alth, vanity, and pride, 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 of them poor and powerless to join the fro lines of making mexico a land of opportvnity. for a moment one o o its most dangerous cities was a better place. 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 h hch in the bottom of the car to the ground about 40 feet from the mountain. thankfully 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" h h been the biggest. also for the biggest february weekend and biggest president's meanwhile it debutut 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. you're watching "e"ely today."ay." 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 failure treatment options. because the more you know, the more likely you are... 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(whispers) l'eggo my eggo anncr: golden crispy, warm and fluffy eggo waffles. l'eggo my eggo. former 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 hospital the woman parentally then boarded a plane back to russia. no charges have been filed. a spokesperson for spitzer has told nbc news there is no truth to the allegation. an explosive device was attached to the bottom of an avis rent a car in new mexico, yesterday. . >> a mechanic looked up and saw a device on the vehicle. that's what the investigator is looking at right now, where that car came from and who dropped it f. > 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 guarar after surveillance they arrested christian francois on friday. illustrated" will have three different covers. graham will be the first plus sizeod toll grace the swimsuit cover. and just ahead, leftly blows one at pebble beach and cob by's curtain call at the all-star game. details up next.t. yeah...sorry about that. think about it 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 nothing seems to work. your hair is still thinning. you may have inactive follicles. reactivatehem 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. and save $10. 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. thth five-time lakers champion enjoying every minute with the best of the best. 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. 6-173. nba resumes play on thursday. next, the beautiful golf 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 ununr. now to nascar's biggest event of the year, the daytona 500 will have 20 yt chase elliott racing from the poll. he'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 gmmy awards. we'llell your predictions. plus, get excited. game of throne fans. we'll have aneak peak for ts 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. so you can savor every sip knowing you are matriarch supreme. mommy's not a napkin honey. 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 give them everything you've got. 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 to save. 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 momo, teddy brosevelt. geico. expect great savings and a whole lot more. 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 weekend 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. best actor for a role in " the revenant. >> seven mine. >> that is the latest tease from the sixth season of game of thrones. it's set in black and white of those who died. they're fueling speculation off whose death is next. this month nbc 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. yeah. haven't seen you since the '90s. yeah, yeah, i've been good. i've been good, yeah. >> good. >> the special will a a februaryy 21st and i know we're all going to be. >> that was a great. >> this is "early today." 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. (whispers) l'eggo my eggo anncr: golden crispypywarm and fluffy eggo waffles. l'eggo my eggo. leading the news on nbcnews.com, a missile mistakenly sent to cuba in 2013 they mistakenly sent it to them in a nato training exercise. though it contains no missiles they were concerned cuba would share the tececology. > kanye west $53 million in debt. he surprised fans, i write this to you, my brothers, while still $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 job he hadn't shown up for in at least six years. garcia was discovered when his employer tried to award him with million of liquid meth an get min. they used gels and art supplies in their attempt to smuggle it in. and a chinese artist is making a name for himself. the art it used over 14,000 lifejackets to symbolize those who drowned in the attempt to 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 n. milohe sea lion gave visitors a front row seat to the underwater world after trainer mounted a camera on the end of a 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 t te to look ahead. president obama will meade with leaders. the group will cover issues including security, trade, and climate change. analysts sayayhe meeting comes as the u.s. steps up efforts.# janet dickerson is 61. dr. quinn herself actress jane seymour turns 65 today. thanks for watching this morning: the debate over what to do now with the supreme court. this comes after the death of justice scalia. an iowa legal expert weighs in -- about the next step. and an amazing story of survival. a man pulled head-first into a wood chippppr. but thanks to s helmet -- and i'm jerry gallagher. let's check on your weather now with storm track 7 meteorologist eileen loan. good morning. iowa dot camera is showing that the roads are mainly wet, but we have fog.. it is producing visibilities less than half a mile in many areas this morning. temps are in the upper teens to mid 20s, so there is freezingng fog out there this morning, too, so be careful. we may have a few breaks in the clouds today, but i think we wil keep some of the g and some flurries today with