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it's 2:00 p.m. on the east coast, i'm jessica layton. live at msnbc headquarters here in new york city. breaking news overseas, a massive earthquake striking japan. triggering tsunami warnings across the region. the shocking images we are now seeing of the destruction left behind. plus, a deadly fire fight in the red sea as tensions only build in the middle east, and a new and major political blow to benjamin netanyahu inside israel. and all eyes on iowa with just two weeks until iowa voters choose their top choice for president, how are the candidates making that final push. hello, and we begin with the shocking tsunami warnings after a series of deadly earthquakes struck the sea of japan earlier today. the biggest quake reaching a magnitude of 7.6 with the epicenter just over 300 miles west of tokyo, and then this prompted japan, russia, and

north korea to all issue tsunami warnings after the quakes. the intense shaking sent people running as buildings collapsed even trapping some people under the rubble. local japanese media tonight reporting at least three people have died so far. and we want you to take a look at this train station. the board overhead swinging dangerously back and forth before the entire station just goes dark. and the quakes also caused massive fires that engulfed several buildings. nbc's meagan fitzgerald is following this for us. what's the latest there? >> reporter: what we know is this is one of the most significant earthquakes that the western part of japan has seen in years. major tv network in japan have reported that three people have died. one of them dying after being trapped in the rubble. that continues to be a focus as officials say there are multiple reports of people being trapped under collapsed buildings and homes. roads have buckled and cracked

making them impassable. the prime minister who will personally head the nation's disaster relief says supplies will come in by boat. at this point, that's the only way to make it in. the military has been deployed to help as tens of thousands of people are without power. shelters have been put in place because temperatures in the region are near freezing. it is also important to note that officials have confirmed that the nuclear plants in the region have not seen any irregularities. you can bet they are keeping a close eye on that as well. back to you. >> meagan fitzgerald reporting, thank you. now to the middle east where temperatures are rising, for weeks houthi rebels have been attacking ships linked to israel because of the ongoing conflict in gaza. overnight, hamas claimed responsibility for a barrage of rockets fired from gaza toward tel aviv right after the stroke of midnight.

the new year now bringing about new questions. as to netanyahu's future as the israeli supreme court has struck down a key component of the controversial judicial overhaul. nbc's josh lederman is reporting in tel aviv. aaron gilchrist is reporting from st. croix where president biden is spending the holiday, and also with us, retired u.s. army colonel, jack jacobs, a medal of honor recipient. great to have all three of you with me. josh, i want to start with you. how significant is this ruling by israel's supreme court? >> reporter: it's a huge deal, jessica, because you'll remember this judicial overhaul had fueled massive protests, hundreds of thousands of israels taking to the streets, really for most of 2023, until the october 7th terror attacks took other everything else. the high court invalidating part of what netanyahu had pushed through, which was to say that the supreme court could no

longer invalidate specific laws that it deemed to be unreasonable. the court today saying, no, we do have a right to review those laws and to say whether government ministers or lawmakers have put forward something that is inappropriate and unreasonable. so this is a major blow to prime minister netanyahu, but i think the real question is how much is this going to push this issue back to the forefront, once again, start to tear this nation apart from within. given the fact that this country is so laser focused right now on the war in the gaza strip, the party of prime minister netanyahu, they are decrying the ruling, saying it undermines the unity that the country has behind the troops. the big question is will this once again light a fire under the prime minister's efforts to overhaul the judicial system here. will this create yet new opposition to his leadership or will the country remain squarely

focused on this war that prime minister netanyahu was saying is going to go on for many months, jessica. >> josh lederman, thank you. i want to ask, what is the situation in the red sea looking like today, and how is the biden white house responding to all of this? >> jessica, president biden here on saint croix called together his national security team. he had vice president harris on the call as well. his national security adviser is here in the virgin islands with the president, and he was able to get an update on all the activities happening in the middle east, including the activity from the houthi rebels based in yemen. yesterday's actions really were an escalation of what they have been doing up to this point. since november, we have seen drone attacks. we have seen missile launches as well from houthi controlled areas of yemen. yesterday was the first time we saw fighters on the boat, approaching container shop, and

opening fire on security forces and u.s. navy helicopters who responded to distress calls. those helicopters fired back, sending three of the four boats that were in the water and killing people on board the boats. this is the sort of activity that the biden administration was hoping to avoid. it's hosted these thousands of american naval troops and assets in the mediterranean sea, and in the red sea for that matter to try to deter these actors from taking these aggressive actions and to this point, the houthis in the area where they have a significance presence in the red sea, they have chosen to execute, we believe, about 24 aggressive acts like this since november 19th. the biden administration has said there are no options that are off the table when it comes to taking action to suppress these sorts of attacks and to protect commercial assets that are moving through the red sea economies really around the world, jessica. >> aaron gilchrist reporting, thank you.

colonel, the next few are for you. u.s. central command says the houthis have launched 23 attacks on shipping vessels in just the past few weeks. if these attacks persist and the u.s. keeps being forced to defend its shipping lanes, at what point is the union getting dragged into a direct conflict with iran? >> well, the united states is going to continue to counter attack, attack the houthis where they are, and where they attack, and of course houthi rebels have been saying this is all in response to israeli invasion of gaza, but they have not in the past needed an excuse to attack american interests and shipping in the area, and so we can expect it will continue. we have to remember that the houthis are proxies of iran, to the extent that i ran can continue to have the houthis attack our interest, the

interests of others in the region, they will continue to do, so and the united states forces in the region will counter attack. the real question is whether or not at some juncture, western forces will attack iran, and we can't expect explosion like that to happen. >> as we talk about a larger reginald conflict, the idf has exchanged fire with hezbollah across the border for weeks now. what are you watching for in the new year which could indicate whether the car expands into a regional conflict. >> that's much more concerning. hezbollah has been attacking israel for some time. an opening of a second front would not only expand the war but also make it much more difficult for israel to do what it say it is its principle mugs is, and that is to defeat hamas, and also to get its hostages

back. so having to keep forces on the northern border with lebanon makes it much more difficult for israel to operate with some speed in gaza which everyone would like to see. the war itself has had really deleterious effect on the israeli economy, and there are some like 350,000 active reservists on duty because of the war, and they are undoubtedly going to be recalled home. >> we're talking about that later in the show today. before you go, i want to turn to the war in ukraine. russia launched an assault with 90 drones in the hours leading you have to new year's day, after vowing to retaliate after strikes in belgrade killed two dozen people on saturday.

from where you sit, what does the escalation in the attacks say about where the war is heading in the new year? it appears we lost colonel jack jacobs. we will try to get him back. up next, we go to iowa, where candidates are ramping up campaigns. where the race stands in the hawk eye state when we're back in 60 seconds. k about nurtec od. that first time you take a step back. i made that. with your very own online store. i sold that. and you can manage it all in one place. i built this. and it was easy, with a partner that puts you first. godaddy.

welcome back, we are just two weeks out now from those critical iowa caucuses, and that means crunch time for the republican presidential candidates. ron desantis who is betting big on iowa to keep his campaign afloat appeared at a new year's eve event with a key endorser in that state, the influential evangelical leader bob vander

plaats. he assured the crowd that florida's governor would shock the nation on january 15th. desantis says the choice is simple. >> the way i view the choice in this primary, donald trump is running on his issues. nikki haley is running on her donor's issues. i'm the only one running on your issues. >> nbc's sarah dean is in des moines. charlie dent is a former republican congressman, and basil smikle is a democratic strategist. thank you all for being here today. sarah, what is the feeling on the ground in iowa two weeks out from the caucuses, and what can we expect from the candidates as they have to make their final push? >> reporter: we can expect the candidates to be campaigning in the hawk eye state nonstop leading to the january 15th

caucus, which will be the first test of the candidates who spent the bulk of 2023 trying to breakthrough a race dominated by former president donald trump. florida governor ron desantis, and entrepreneur vivek ramaswamy have put their resources and time into iowa. they have both completed what is known as the full grassley. they visited all 99 counties in iowa, and they're starting off 2024 campaigning here as well. ron desantis today and vivek ramaswamy with six events tomorrow. donald trump will also be spending a lot of time in the hawk eye state. either donald trump himself or one of his campaign surrogates will have an event almost every day. donald trump, vivek ramaswamy and ron desantis have set the expectation and goal that they want to win the iowa caucus. nikki haley has taken a little bit of a different approach. she has spent a lot more time in new hampshire, but recently her campaign has gotten some national momentum, and while

riding that wave, she spent a little bit more time here. she was at a university of iowa women's basketball game with her son, practicing the retail politics that iowa is used to. she has not set the expectation to win. she will be in new hampshire tomorrow. >> we heard bob vander plaats insisting that desantis will shock the nation in two weeks in iowa. is he going to be right? >> i don't think he will be. but iowa is do or die for ron desantis. he's thrown all of his eggs in one basket. iowa isn't much of predicting anything. it really doesn't mean much, and the evangelicals have a heavy weight in this state. they put their thumb on the scale. it's a good indication of where the evangelicals are, not the

rest of the country. he needs to move hard o in new hampshire where she has momentum. desantis, it is it for him and ramaswamy for that matter. >> how do you see the race two weeks out from the important caucus? >> i think for any of the candidates who are not named donald trump, the key for any of them is to find a way to change the narrative. we have been talking over the last few weeks and months that this is likely to be a trump-biden, 2.0. is there a republican candidate that can chip away at that narrative, even if ron desantis doesn't win iowa, if he comes close to beating donald trump, for example, or nikki haley or ron desantis win new hampshire or he has the ability to sort of change the narrative and rewrite the race a little bit. donald trump runs the table.

pretty much a done deal. if it's ron desantis losing in iowa, i don't see any comeback for him. i would also say when i don't see on the republican side is the equivalent of a jim clyburn. is there someone that can turn around and say, look, i know where some of you are but we need to go with this person right now, and shift the party's direction to that person. i don't know that that's going to happen. we may, again, be back at trump-biden, 2.0. >> i think a lot of people initially thought that person might be nikki haley. we know she got the endorsement of prominent republicans, comparing her to golda mayor of israel and the uk's margaret thatcher. could that lately endorsement have an effect, and does hailey

have a legitimate shot in iowa? . >> she has a shot at second place in iowa. donald trump is going to win that. can she breakthrough and surpass ron desantis in iowa. if she does, that's good for her. she'll carry that into new hampshire, and as we all know, new hampshire often zigs when iowa zags. it's a different type of election in new hampshire. nikki haley is looking at her prize as new hampshire. she needs a good showing in iowa to carry some momentum. but right now, it's donald trump's game in iowa, and she's going to have to put up her final offer in new hampshire. >> i want to talk about how the candidates have spent their time. donald trump held 28 events there, vivek ramaswamy went all in hosting 233 events. desantis with 144, haley had 45.

and chris christie, zilch. does retail politics matter in a cycle where a former president is in the race? >> retail politics always matters. what we have seen in this particular race is that you've had some of the republican leadership struggle, if you will, to find a way to create an alternative to donald trump or at least to prop one up. as you have seen some leaders in new hampshire and iowa and other parts of the country, supporting candidates other than donald trump, we've always seen, and we've always known that the grass rots seems to be with him. i could argue that republican members of congress are also with them. when you have that kind of unanimity outside of the specific in-state leadership, but you have that extraordinary even cult like following on the ground, retail politics still matters but the retail politics in this case is really sewn up,

if you will, by donald trump and he's loomed large over this race since he lost office in 2020. >> if you're team biden, what are you looking for to happen in iowa. what do you want to happen in iowa? >> that's a great question. i would say if there is that shift in narrative. as charlie said earlier, iowa is not going to predict anything. it's new hampshire i'm looking at, and nevada, south carolina that i'm looking at. if there's a narrative shift. then i do think the biden campaign is going to have to shift gears in part because there's been all of this focus on donald trump and democracy and january 6th. so it will be a bit of a shift, but the reality is that the thing i see on the democratic side, i don't see on the

republican side. that's unanimity. and strength going into 2024. >> we could talk all day. i have to leave it there. sarah dean, basil smikle, congressman, you're going to be back with me in a moment. the latest episode of "how to win 2024" is available. democratic whip catherine clark joins claire mccaskill, and jennifer palmieri with the worst republican votes of 2023. scan the qr code to take a listen. new year, new laws, we're taking a look at the state measures getting attention today, including nevada's push to protect election workers after a series of threats. keep it right here. and feeding their dogs dog food that's actually well, food. developed with vets. made from real meat and veggies. portioned for your dog. and delivered right to your door.

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it's a new year with new state laws from greater protections for election workers to gender neutral aisles of toys. the notable measures that took effect at midnight. >> reporter: after threats drove away top election officials, nevada took action. starting january 1st, those harass, intimidate or harm election workers, could face four years in prison under a new law. >> most people don't realize that 80% of our election workers are women, those are our

daughters, wives, sisters, mothers. >> reporter: a campaign promise by secretary of state francisco aguilar, the law makes nevada one of a handful of states where threats to election workers are a felony. >> we cannot run elections without people. they are our unsung heroes of democracy. >> reporter: in tennessee, a new law toughens penalties for distracted driving. those under 18 cited for a second offense could see their license suspended. the measure is named far local businessman who died in an accident. california is requiring stores with more than 500 employees in the state to offer gender neutral toy sections. failure to comply could result in fines. >> why would it be that a dinosaur or truck would be in the boy's section or glitter or paint would be in the girl's section. let's just allow kids to be kids. >> you've seen criticism of

that. one newspaper called it california's latest woke insanity. how do you respond to that? >> the bill was private sector, following that of major retailers, target and so many others are going in this direction. this is a manufactured controversy in saying that it is potentially a woke government. >> reporter: in louisiana, the state legislature overrode the bill of gender affirming care for transgendered minors, prohibiting doctors from prescribing puberty blockers and hormone treatments. critics say it won't survive a court challenge. >> it's my sincere belief that this bill is unconstitutional. i believe the courts will declare that in due course. >> reporter: pennsylvania toughened penalties for those who failed to stop for red lights on school buses. and michigan is allowing 16 year olds to preregister to vote. with a presidential election in 2024, at least 14 states have passed measures making it harder

to vote, and 23 states have enacted laws making it easier. how these changes will affect the outcome is unclear. joining me now, former federal prosecutor, msnbc legal analyst, and hoist of justice matters. john kirschner, and charlie dent. happy new year to both of you. let's start wh the new law out of nevada protecting election workers. how difficult will this be to enforce? >> it won't be difficult to enforce but prosecutors will have to aggressively consider whether charges should be brought under the new law. enhanced penalties for threatening election workers is not only important but increasingly necessary. one thing about the new legislation that should be music to everybody's ears is it passed both houses of the nevada

legislature unanimously. it was supported by a secretary of state who's a democrat, signed into law by a governor who's a republican. it's nice to see that people have come together in nevada to recognize that we have to protect election workers, and it expands criminal liability. it makes it a felony for anybody to disseminate personal information about an election worker without their consent. i have to believe that shaye moss and freeman could have benefitted by a law like that in georgia. >> you bring up a great point. how big of an issue do you expect election workers intimidation nationwide throughout the 2024 presidential race? >> i think this is an enormously consequential issue. these elections only function because of these people who do

the work on election day, and they're not getting paid a whole lot of money. they think they're doing it out of civic duty. if they have reason to fear that are -- for their safety, i'm not sure how we can conduct free and fair elections without them. it's important that other states follow nevada's lead, and do things to enact laws to protect these election workers. because we desperately need them. and i think it's a very important issue. we saw what happened in georgia where giuliani was hit with a big settlement over his misconduct down there because of what he did to two election workers. these are the types of messages being sent to some of these people who don't respect our democratic institutions and make our elections function. >> follow up to that, are these

messages enough or do there have to be more concrete consequences? >> i think they need to pass laws like nevada, and as these prosecutors will have to make decisions about whether to prosecute, when does the conduct of a person become intimidating, and what is it harassment? these are going to be judgment calls. i think some signals are going to have to be sent. some people will have to go to jail to send the message. we're seeing aggressive behavior about people simply doing their job, and being accused of all sort of things they did not do. it's long past time that law enforcement step it up so to speak on these transgressors. >> a federal appeals court, bans people from carrying firearms in

most public places, talking about playgrounds and libraries. a lower court judge had blocked it. with the differing court opinions here, how do you see this one playing out? >> the federal court judge who just issued the injunction blocking the implementation of this new law which as you say was really designed to try to get at, reduce, if not prevent gun violence in playgrounds, libraries, that judge issued a ruling as part of the injunction, saying in his view, this law is, quote, repugnant to the second amendment. that is strong language, sot injunction will remain in place, the case will continue to be litigated. it's an ominous sign for the prospect of this legislation passing constitutional muster. unless the supreme court chooses to revisit the scope and sweep

of the second amendment's right to bear arms, it seems like largely unecd gun violence will continue sadly to be the no in america. >> chlie, let's zoom out here and talk auc broader issue. 2023 saw little law making in congress. many will tell you it's one of the least productive sessions. the house had 724 votes, 27 laws were enacted. is anything going to change in 2024? >> i doubt it. part of the reason why 2023 was so unproductive, it took a few weeks to establish a speaker, and vacated kevin mccarthy from his position, and select another speaker. they were spinning their wheels for much of this congress, passing a debt ceiling budget greet law, a couple of continuing resolutions to keep the government funding, and can kicked everything else.

of course it's divided government and this session comes on the heels of a previous session where a lot was done with the various laws, c.h.i.p.s act, the climate change bill, e.r.a. so there might be a certain amount of restraint imposed when you have a divided government in this case, but largely i think the congress is unproductive because of the fact that house republicans don't have a functional majority, and they have a difficult time doing the basics. >> let's hope they surprise us in january. glenn kirschner, and charlie dent, thank you so much. john fetterman giving candid insight into his mental health struggles months after being treated for clinical depression. here's what he told "meet the

press" moderator, kristen welker. >> at what point did you know you needed real help, that you needed to check yourself into a hospital? after the election, that's when things actually accelerated and got worse, and at that point, i wasn't able to leave bed. and my kids, i really scared my kids, and they thought, you won, dad, why aren't we enough. why are you still so sad? why are you even more sad, and it was hard to explain why i was. and of course, a 9-year-old child wouldn't understand that. and it was awful. and that's when it was continuing to get more and more intense, and i pleaded not to go down to d.c. for kind of the orientation in the middle of

november. and was -- i tried to explain, look, i'm probably going to need some time to get better. >> when asked why he decided to be so transparent about the struggles, senator fetterman said he wants to help people in hopes that they will not suffer the way that he did. there's no shame in speaking up and asking for help. up next, heading home from the holidays. today is expected to be one of the busiest days for air travel. we hear from passengers about what they're dealing with so far. but first a look at how some people around the country rang in the beginning of 2024. here in new york city, the thousands of reveler es watch the crystal ball in times square a heavy security presence. a giant red high legal drop with a drag queen sitting inside. happy new year to all of you. you're watching msnbc reports.

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it is of course new year's day, and that means the official holiday travel season is now wrapping up. today is expected to be one of the busiest days at the airports across the u.s., as millions of people head back home. the tsa says it expects to screen more than 2 1/2 million passengers today alone.

we're following how things are going for the travelers, and if the weather is cooperating. msnbc's antonia hylton is a laguardia airport in new york, and meteorologist bill karins is tracking the forecast. how are things looking for those flying home for their new year's eve plans? >> reporter: hey, jessica, i do not want to jinx it, but things are pretty good here at laguardia, and have been since the morning. travelers are happy. they came here, they tell me, three or four hours even in advance of the time they needed to check in. they were fearful of what we saw this time last year, with the southwest airlines meltdown, millions of americans stranded, trying desperately to get flights, sleeping overnight in airports and on cots. that's not the case here. people are moving through tick -- quickly in an orderly way. just over a dozen or so across the u.s., and a bit over a thousand delays, and while that

still of course poses many challenges, it is nothing like what we saw happen this time last year. take a listen to happy travelers i've met. >> this year's experience is very much organized, much more organized than last year's experience, and i think travelers are aware of travel delays during the holidays, so people are more mindful about leaving early. >> did you deal with any delays? >> no, maybe about a 20 minute delay leaving out of new orleans, but other than that, that was it. travel was perfect here. >> reporter: people have consistently told me that they feel like the airlines are also better staffed than they were just a year ago. and they're grateful for it. especially when you keep in mind, according to aaa we're looking at 115 million americans who are 50 or more miles from home right now, and who are slowly starting to make their way back today. and this is all going to extend into tomorrow, so if you're someone who's planning to head to the airport tonight or tomorrow morning, even though it

looks good now, please plan ahead, leave a little extra time, especially if you're packing a bag. that's your best bet to avoid traffic and get to where you need to go safely. jessica. >> and you never know when that luck can change. bill, it seems like most of the travelers are getting lucky for the time being. she said the words happy travelers. we almost never hear that. >> it's too bad we can't continue this. this is like the greatest start to weather in the new year history. it's beautiful from coast to coast. very few locations clouds to talk about, let alone rain or snow. the one exception is some areas in northern maryland, the higher elevations here. they have picked up 1 or 2 inches on the grassy surfaces. it's not causing travel delays. that's the worst thing i could find on my weather map. it's san diego weather across the entire southern half of the

country. there's a little more clouds around new orleans. northern half of the country is just fine. let's look ahead to travel. all of our highways are green. that means we have no weather impacts. all of our airports are green. no problems there. tomorrow, we see that rain blossoming in areas of texas. dallas, san antonio, going in and out out of hobby in houston. you could have minor delays. the storm of interest for everyone, coast to coast, comes on to the west coast, as we go throughout tuesday night. as we look at wednesday, strong storm, rain, wind, high elevation, snow, that storm is going to move across the country. it's going to take about five days to exit the east coast with significant impacts. kind of like one of the classic winter storms. there's more cold air in place. we will get snow on the north side of this. great for the mountainous areas, colorado. we need to build up the snow pack in california. this is as we go through friday. by the time we get to the weekend, saturday, sunday, that

storm is going to be off the east coast. i'll tease everyone. this is not an official forecast. just one computer model telling us who's going to get snow. this is over the next seven days. we have had one of the worst starts to a snow season ever, across the lower 48. this is a map that gets your attention in areas that have had no snono in the mid atlantic, southern new england, there's a chance for a snowstorm as we go throughout sunday. we don't know who's going to get the worst of that. we talk about the first snow could be a big snow, and maybe even areas like here in new york city, i'm sure i'll be talking about this a lot more in the days ahead. >> we will look forward to that. people are missing the snow. not today for traveling. i can't remember a year where we weren't driving through a blizzard. >> this was the year you should have done it. >> i was here with you. >> i'm glad you are, happy new year. >> bill karins, thank you so much. still ahead, american idol allegations, paula abdul accusing the executive producer

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there are some shocking new allegations to tell you about from behind the scenes at "american idol," former judge, paula abdul is accusing the show's executive producer of sexual assault and harassment. nbc's dana griffin has more. and we want to warn you, some of these details are graphic. >> i'm really going to enjoy myself this evening. >> reporter: former "american idol," and "so you think you can dance" judge is accusing nigel lithgoe of sexual harassment. >> are you dating anybody at the moment? >> why are you asking me that? >> the grammy award winning singer, dancer, said the assault happened in the early 2000s and again in 2015. according to the suit filed friday, the 61-year-old says

litgo shoved her against the wall of an elevator, grabbed her genitals and breasts, and began shoving his tongue down her throat. she told a representative. it alleges that abdul was discriminated against in terms of compensation and benefits, compared to one of the show's judges and hosts. the second alleged assault occurred in 2015, lythgoe invited her to his home, and forced himself on top of her, and proclaiming the two would make an excellent power couple, according to the suit. >> hands down, you make me so proud. >> reporter: lythgoe responding to the statement, while paula's history of erratic behavior is well known, i can't pretend to understand exactly why she would file a lawsuit that she must know is untrue.

but i can promise i will fight this appalling smear. >> why file a suit today? >> because under california law, which revived the statute of limitations in some sexual assault and harassment cases, any claims that pre-date 2009, she needs to file by today or else she may be out of time. >> reporter: a chart topping entertainer, the latest woman to take legal action against a hollywood power player. dana griffin, nbc news. still ahead, rescuers searching the rubble after japan was jolted by a big earthquake this morning. the latest videos coming in of the damage when we come back. make sure to check out a new morning show coming to nbc weekends. symone sanders, teaming up to bring their political expertise to "the weekend," premiering saturday, january 13th, at

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. hi there, i'm jessica layton at msnbc headquarters in new york city. our top stories of this hour. we have breaking news, a decision from israel's supreme court that could deepen divisions in the country just as prime minister benjamin netanyahu promises many more