this morning on "early today," countdown in des moines. iowans have one more day to decide which gop candidate for president will get their vote. arson spree, authorities search for clues after dozens of fires are touched off in los angeles over the weekend. and riding high, side by side daredevils make a death defying jump to ring in the new year. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello and good morning. welcome to viewers across the nation, including the pacific time zone. i'm veronica de la cruz. today we begin with the final push. republican presidential candidates have one more day to

court iowa's first in the nation voters. mitt romney is ahead in the latest polls, but a late surge from rick santorum and a large number of undecided iowans means this could still be anyone's race. tracie potts is live in des moines. good morning to you. >> veronica, good morning to you santorum seems to be the one to watch with a late surge. if you are used to casting a secret ballot. the caucus ballot is a whole different ball game. people here like to see their candidates, talk to them, shake their hand, and right now, more iowans are leaning toward rick santorum. >> trust your judgment, and lead, like that right decision. >> reporter: the "des moines register" puts santorum third, but virtually tied. >> rick santorum rock solid on values issues. >> reporter: that's the issue between these two.

who is more conservative. >> you can't have a strong economy unless you have strong families and moral values. >> i'll let people make their own assessment of our respective records. i'm a conservative. >> reporter: the late surge prompted opponents to pounce. >> he has a spending problem, an earmark problem. >> reporter: 4-10 iowans could still change their mind. michele bachmann is hoping for a spot. and newt gingrich is hinting that romney bought this race. riding high is ron paul, a solid second in iowa. >> i may come in first, i may come in second. i doubt if i come in third or fourth. >> reporter: feeling confident with just over 24 hours to go. a very busy day for candidates, crisscrossing the states with nearly two dozen separate events, veronica. >> tracie potts in des moines, iowa. nice to see up. more suspected arsons in

carports in los angeles. in addition to the dozens of cars that have been set on fire "the l.a. times" reporting nine new fires overnight. hours after police released surveillance video of a person of interest seen leaving a parking structure in hollywood where one of the fires started. they burnt in several neighborhoods. police should lock their cars and leave carport lights on at night. there is a $60,000 reward. manhunt continues for the killer of a park ranger at mt. ranier national park in washington state. 34-year-old margaret anderson gunned down yesterday while trying to stop a driver who ignored a checkpoint at the park. dozens of officers are combing rugged, snowy terrain in their search. they are looking for 24-year-old benjamin colton barnes, an iraq war vet believed to have survivalist skills. he is suspected in the shooting of four people hours earlier

near seattle. other stories making news early today in america. for folks in arkansas, 2012 began with the same mystery that kicked off 2011. for the second straight year, a flock of dead birds fell from the sky. last year, officials blamed fireworks for the death. the new year brought chaos at one denver hotel. guests locked out of their rooms when a key card software system crashed after midnight. there were reports of scuffles and guests becoming ill. the system up and running again after 3:00 in the morning. over 1,000 new yorkers marked the first day of 2012 at the annual coney island polar plunge. the unseasonably warm 50-degree weather warmed up the water to 45 degrees. the money will be donated to a summer camp for kids with life-threatening illnesses.

and philadelphia's broad street filled with a colorful brigade. participant in elaborate costumes compete for cash prizes. and now for a look at national and regional weather, here is nbc meteorologist bill karins. not a bad tradition, to dress up on new year's. >> today is almost like a continuation of new year's day. >> i thought it was the 1st. you corrected me earlier. >> it could be a continuation. it feels like it. the rose bowl parade is today. it's going to feel like it. good morning, everyone. a great new year to you. hope your new year was fantastic. weatherwise, nothing too bad. mild, considering what time of year it is in many locations. 61 in phoenix. warmest spots in the counted right now. there is a weak storm system just off the california coastline, typically this time of the year when we say we have

a storm off the california coastline, skiers get excited. looks like mountain snow added and fresh powder. just like the way the storms have been this season, too warm and tracking too far to the north. once again, looks like the jet stream will take the storm system, bring it to the north and kind of moisture starved throughout areas of the west. we won't see much in the way of cold temperatures either. suspected snowfall map over the next 48 hours, bare as it gets. northern portions of the casc e cascadcascad cascades expected to get snow tomorrow. for skiers and water suppliers, we need to build up snow pack. 80 in l.a. 77 in phoenix. mild, beautiful day. 6 in vegas. showers in the northwest will be really light and scattered. should not ruin your monday plans. that's a look

48 degrees, partly cloudy and nice, 66. a nice, quiet start to the new year in the west, but no snow in the mountains. >> you said 80 degrees in los angeles? >> pretty mild day. >> you think they want to switch places with us here in new york? >> if they did, they would have. >> just one one week maybe. europe warns investors to look ahead. and how powerball officials are sweetening the pot. tom cruise rings in the new year on top. the nfl playoffs are set. who says you need a helmet to play football? you're watching "early today."

good morning, and welcome back to "early today." i'm veronica de la cruz. here are some of your top headlines this morning. iran claims it has created its

first nuclear fuel rod and placed it in a research reactor despite u.n. and u.s. efforts to stop iran's development of a nuclear weapon. also sunday, iran's navy test fired what it calls an advanced surface air missile in the strait of hormuz, a critical pass for part of the world's oil supply. in the philippines, one boy was killed and more than 700 people injured by fire crackers and gunfire welcoming in the new year. so many fireworks were set off, a dozen airline flights had to be diverted because of all the smoke in the air. in delaware, the new year meant the start of legalized same-sex unions. a pair of lawyers became the first couple to take advantage. delaware senator chris kunz read the sermon. days after leaving the hospital, england's prince phillip joined the family for the new year's day church service. check this out, former x fames medalist levi lavallee

broke his own record for a snowmobile jump, more than 400 feet. doing so as another athlete made the jump side by side on a motorcycle. wow. >> and now here's an early look at some of your top health headlines on msnbc.com. medications to treat attention hyperactivity deficit disorder are in short supply. many patients are currently unable to find a pharmacy with enough pills to fill their prescriptions the. the "new york times" is reporting the shortage is mainly due to low manufacturing limits set by the drug enforcement administration in an effort to minimize abuse. for more information on this story and others, head to our health page online at msnbc.com. "early today health" brought to you by vagisil feminine wash. u.s. markets are closed for the new year holiday, but here is an early look at how they ended out the year. the dough close at 12,217 on

friday after falling 69 points. the s&p was down 5. the nasdaq lost 8. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei dipped 56 points. in hong kong, the hang seng was up 36. the new year marks the start of a new quarter of wall street. some are predicting it's going to be a bumpy ride as investors remain focused on europe's debt crisis. french president nicolas sarkozy said the greatest crisis europe has faced since the second world war is, quote, not over. german chancellor angela merkel warned next year will be, no doubt, more difficult than 2011. here in the u.s., the dow rose 5.5% as investors sought out the safety of blue chip stocks. the broader s&p 500 ended the year flat while the nasdaq lost 1.8 for the year. looking ahead, the big jobs report is on friday. this time, experts are predicting some 150,000 new hires.

also ahead this week, the latest auto sales figures are expected to be up for december. minutes from the fed's latest meeting will be released tuesday. investors will be looking for reassurance that the u.s. economy is on the mend. an arbitration panel has awarded exxon mobil $908 million in compensation for venezuela's 2007 nationalization of its oil assets. the award is less than 10% of what exxon was seeking. and it used to be all you needed was a dollar and a dream, but now even that is about to go up. tickets for the multi state powerball are doubling in price to $2. beginning january 15th, to entice players with larger jackpots. the jets season comes to an end while the giants head to the playoffs. a texan linebacker makes a helmet to helmet hit, but without a helmet. ouch. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. it seems like we've been waiting all winter for the snow and the cold air.

at least the cold air is arriving. your forecast is coming up next. you're watching "early today."

good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." in sports, last night it was all or nothing for the new york giants as they claimed the nfl's last playoff spot.

here is nbc's mario solis with an early look at all your sports headlines. good morning. win and you're in, simple enough. and the new york giants made it look easy. g-men came to play against eli manning. cruz does the rest. going 74 yards to the house, giants up, 7-0 and never look back. they beat dallas, 31-14. they play atlanta next sunday. that's because the falcons made the buccaneers walk the plank. atlanta was up 42-0 in the first quarter. that's a new franchise record in the first half. falcons win 41-23. speaking of franchise records, the packers set one against the lions with aaron rodgers, the backup went out and threw a team best 484 yards and six touchdowns. packers won and the lions will host the saints in the nfc wild card game. san diego beat oakland, 38-26.

richard goodman returns a kickoff 105 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter. the win eliminates the raiders and even though the broncos left yesterday, they'll host the steelers in the afc wild card game. jets will be watching the playoffs from home. mark sanchez tossing an interception against the dolphins. finally, the most important piece of football equipment has to be the helmet, right? the texans brian bremen may disagree. no helmet, but that doesn't stop him. take a second look. his head hits the player. although he claims to be okay, some would argue that before that play he wasn't okay to begin with. that's a look at sports on "early today." "war horse" gains traction. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead.

and in tampa, a couple welcomes twins born a year apart. we'll explain. you're watching "early today."

welcome back to monday. the first monday of the new year. hope you had a wonderful weekend. forecast wise, not many issues. slight chance of showers moving on shore. northern california, coastline of oregon, up toward the seattle area. a slight chance of showers. not going to be a lot of rain

out of the system. very mild air around l.a., san diego, palm springs, california will be gorgeous, along with arizona. tuesday, that storm system continues to move to the north. showers around the seattle area. mild air continues throughout much of the area. and salt lake city, up to 46. enjoy it while it lasts. knbc, nbc 4 on? los angeles, california. survey the plittly and and social role of artists at under the big black sun at the museum of contemporary art. on the pacific event of the day. veronica. >> l.a., where it's 80 degrees today. >> have to go inside to stay cool in the a.c. now here's a look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. tom cruise's new mission remained impossible to beat at the box office. "mission impossible-ghost protocal" came in first at the box office. cruise's first $100 million hit

since "mission impossible iii" in 2006. sherlock holmes second with 22.1 million. and "alvin and the chipmunks chipwrecked" came in third. $18.3 million. "war horse" finished a strong fourth with almost $17 million, likely benefiting from world of mouth. "the girl with the dragon tattoo" continued to underperform in fifth place. it came in with $16.3 million. sources tell tmz the marriage of katy perry and russell brand had issues due to katy being a partier and russell being a home body. from wfla in tampa, florida.

one couple began the new year much the same way they ended it in 2011. in one night, blake and jocelyn blair became the parents of the first and last babies of the year. they welcomed jenna into the world at 11:59 and leah at midnight on new year's day. the twins' parents say the birth was a surprise since the girls weren't due until january 26th and they can't think of a better way to start off 012. can you imagine that being your birthday? >> they were born in different years. some school districts, the cutoff is the first of the year, she cuckoo be different grades. >> oh, that's crazy. i'm veronica de la cruz. this is "early today," just your first top of the day today on your nbc station.

it seems there are some new candidates for king of the jungle. three lions were born at the national zoo of morocco. known as the lion of atlantis, it is extinct in the wild. the zoo currently has the most lions of atlantis in the world with 27 of them. in china, rescue dogs showcase their skill and discipline for recruits in beijing. the well-trained group is able to follow each of their trainers' wishes, sitting, standing and spinning on command. 12 of the dogs have been officially qualified as canine's bravest.

what better way to start the new year's offi than with a splash. in rome, a group of thrill seekers dove off a 50-foot bridge into an icy river. the tradition was started 50 years ago by an unemployed lifeguard trying to find work as a stuntsman. they look to see which will take the dangerous approach and not belly flop. >> the thigh slap doesn't feel good either. >> not from 50 feet. >> and the cold water. time now for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day here on nbc. after spending the holidays in his native hawaii, president obama returns to work. today is a federal holiday. u.s. financial markets are closed along with most banks and no first class mail delivery. and since new year's day fell on a sunday this year, the 123rd tournament of roses parade

takes place today in pasadena, california. this year's grand marshall is iraq war vet and "dancing with the stars" champ j.r. martinez. see the parade live right here on this nbc station. and all day long, you can stay on top of the latest developments in those stories and others as they break on msnbc. tonight, be sure to watch brian williams with nbc nightly news. and finally, here is a look at what's coming up later this morning on the "today" show. hear from presidential candidate rick perry live from iowa on whether he'll be able to turn around his campaign despite poor poll numbers. and the father of missing toddler ayla reynolds speaks out in a "today" exclusive. now keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports and more. thanks for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. have a terrific monday. first monday of 2012. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com