maddowblog.com. tonight is the night to talk to the friends and family about what to do for the big 11-11-11. so happy veterans day tomorrow. make plans. preemptive strike. former penn state head coach, joe paterno prepares for the worst. after the oops, rick perry tries to prepare for his gav. meet a goat with a gnarly pastime. good morning. i'm veronica de la cruz. this is "first look" on msnbc.

we begin this morning with a defensive play in the wake of a stunning child sex scandal, msnbc has learned that joe paterno has reached out to a high-powered washington, d.c. criminal defense attorney as speculation swirls about the families that could file suits against the former coach. officials are digging deeper into the allegations of abuse and the cover-up that has rocked the campus to its core. jay gray reports. later today, the penn state board of trustees will meet again as multiple investigations into alleged child sexual abuse continue. >> the specific aspectses of these terrible activities that occurred and the terrible damage that was done really remains to be established by whatever law enforcement investigations are yet underway as well as the investigation by our own board of trustees, special committee. >> reporter: pennsylvania governor, tom corbett, shifted the focus to victims during a

visit last night. >> we need to identify these victims of sexual abuse. we need to find them. we need to help them. they are our children. >> reporter: while the nittany lions interim football coach needs to search for a way to bring his splintered team and college back together. >> i am going to find a way to restore the confidence and start a healing process. >> it is an overwhelming task. >> it will be tough to move forward. >> reporter: a long and difficult journey that will include a candle light vigil for the alleged victims on thursday night. turning to the campaign trail, texas governor, rick perry, isn't letting his debate night fumble sideline his white house aspirations. he said it went into full-on damage control mode facing critics and comments head on. tracie potts joins us from washington with more on that nd a strategic move by the obama administration. tracy, good morning to you.

>> veronica, not remembering which federal agency to cut has gotten a lot of attention for texas governor, rick perry, who was languishing in the polls about you now he has been all over tv in the last 24 hours or so including late night talk shows. they had quite a bit of fodder to work with. take a look at what was said last night on david letterman. >> number six. >> hey, listen, you try concentrating with mitt romney smiling at you. that is one handsome dude. i know. i know exactly what you are talking about. >> now, analysts are saying on a serious note, perry is going to have to do a lot of prep, that he cannot afford to make another mistake like this in tomorrow's debate in south carolina, which will focus on national security. back here in washington, the obama administration is effectively putting off a decision on the keystone xl oil pipeline under pressure from nebraska officials,

environmentalists, they have decided to put off that decision until after the 2012 election. tracie potts in washington, thank you. in the wake of recent allegations of past sexual harassment against herman cain, rachel maddow asked them to weigh in on perceptions from women in the country. >> every characterization that has been made by this campaign has been to create a box whereby if a woman reports, she is a gold digger. if she doesn't, she is also a gold dilger. if she comes forward, she is a liar. if she doesn't, she is also a liar. i think the point has to be let's address this on the merits. let's not start from the assumption that every single woman is desperate, desperate to speed dial a plaintiff's attorney and humiliate the candidate. let's start from the assumption that we have two competing narratives and need to sort it out but not from the assumption

that one part of the narrative, the narrative from the accuser is tainted by the fact she is a woman and a liar and looking to get rich quick and get a book deal. it is amazing we have put into place an entire legal system that encourages her to come forward, that protects her from being called a hooker and a gold digger for coming forward and yet still she is a hooker and a gold digger despite this legal architecture. >> lean forward with the rachel maddow show weeknights at 9:00 eastern right here on msnbc, the place for politics. elsewhere, on this veteran's day, a rare display of by party shan ship in the senate, advance an incentive to put those that sacrificed for the nation back to work. on capitol hill, every senator voted in favor of a measure to award tax credits of up to $9,600 to companies that hire disabled vets that have been looking for a job for at least six months. it calls for more job counseling

and training for vets and troops about to be discharged. the measure moves to the house where it is expected to pass. here is your first look at some of the other news going on around america. the u.s. navy soared to new heights in new york yesterday. the mz-38 air ship became the first to be launched by the naval branch of america's armed services in half a century. they were conducted for communication exercises. who says the youth don't care about politics? high school senior, jeremy minier was elected mayor of air daily, iowa. he didn't campaign, wasn't on the ballot and didn't have to kiss any babies to become mayor of the town with a population of 74. he secured the win with write-in votes. las vegas has couples around the world wanting to start their new life together on 11-11-11. yesterday, they completed the final paperwork needed to walk down the aisle on this imagine tall date.

a california surfer turned his pet goat's first trip to grope beach into a totally awesome sight. he put the animal on his surf board and i guess from the looks of it, you could say she is a natural. now, for a look at the national weather, we turn to msnbc meteorologist, bill keirens with the weather channel forecast. >> what happened on the surf forward. >> the water-skiing squirrel. >> and then the dogs and the bulldogs on the skate boards. >> and then there was bill karins. >> no, never tried surfing. i will someday. weatherwise, really shaping up for a pretty nice veterans day out there and a great veterans day and awe thank to all the vets watching us this morning. temperatures are very chilly. the cold air has arrived first in the midwest. every in blue is where the windchills are below 32 degrees. this is one of the colder mornings we have seen across the lower 48. this is what you expect as we head through this time of year.

such a great weather pattern for so long on the east coast. now, that's coming to an end as that storm system quoms through. the colder air has arrived. it is a brisk friday throughout the great lakes and all along the east coast. nice weather is beginning to return. this is going to be the trend over the weekend. after the big cool-down, a slow warm up for much of us. all of the stormy weather is going to be out here in california, southern california is going to see some rain from santa barn barbara to l.a. with that cold air over the warm lakes, we have our first lake effect snow of the season from lake erie to northwestern portions of pennsylvania. even state college getting a little snow squall. only 50 today in new york after being near 70 yesterday. that will be a little shock to the system. temperatures cool in the southeast. sunshine just about everywhere. a good day for traveling around the country.

rainy and cool weather on the west coast. not often do we get rain in l.a. but it does happen, particularly in these la nina winters. saturday's forecast, again, very quiet. we start the warmup. 71, friday in dallas. even the east is going to warm up on sunday. areas in the 50s should be near 60 by the time we hit sunday. it is only a really short-lived cooldown, veronica. looks like another nice weather pattern towards the end of the weekend. >> looking forward to it. progress in europe. a staggering sum paid for a not so staggering photo. your first look at this morning's business headlines is straight ahead. >>. >> coming up, the raiders shut down the chargers and an epic meltdown from golfer, john daley. you are watching first look on msnbc. [ male announcer ] there are only so many foods

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welcome back to "first look." a u.s. army sergeant has been convicted by a court-martial of the gruesome murders of unarmed african villagers and cutting their fingers off as trophies. the jury panel decided 26-year-old calvin gibbs would be eligible for parole in 8 1/2 years. activists say at least 30 civilians and 26 soldiers were killed in syria yesterday ahead of friday prayers. one of the highest daily death tolls in the seven-month crackdown on prodemocracy protests. a miami judge has returned a $100 million judgment against a priest accused of abusing boyce. a prominent conservation group has officially declared african's black rhino extinct.

they say poaching has driven other rhino sub species to the brink of distinction. officials in spain are closely monitoring the eruption of an under-water volcano because of potentially harmful gases. one person has been sickened. wall street will kick off. the dow opens at 11,893 after rising 112 points yesterday. the s&p gained 10 points. the nasdaq up 3. overseas, nikkei added 13 points. the hang seng climbed 173. signs of progress in europe and recovery at home led wall street to a moderate recovery thursday. italy secured a low interest in their $7 billion loan sending the yield on italian bonds below 7%. the crisis level may spike to wednesday. relief came from italy's president saying silvio

berlusconi will step down soon. in greece, a day after talks broke down over a new government, a senior banker was named prime minister. lifting the street ace gloom, u.s. unemployment applications fell to the lowest level since april. exports hit an all-time high in september with the u.s. trade deficit at the lowest of the year. in earnings, cisco rose. green mountain coffee plunged 39% on short revenue. viacom expanded its stock by $10 billion and topped expectations same to paramounts transformers dark of the moon. nordstrom profits rose because affluent shoppers are still buying. after the bell, disney rose on higher theme park spending and paid t vst growth. starbucks which bought juice company, evolution fresh, plans a new juice bar chain. in another round of questioning from english's np's news corp exec, james murdoch, insists that he was kept in the dark

about phone hacking blaming senior aids. believe it or not, this 1999 photograph of the rhine river sold for $4.3 million this week, a record for any photograph sold at an auction. wow! a battle of the techs on the gridiron. a hat trick on the ice and a pro golfer plays an amateur round. >> plus, the raiders and their new quarterback are making people take notice. your first look at sports is sfrat ahead. you are watching "first look" on msnbc. 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. [ woman ] i had cancer. i have no evidence of disease now.

[ woman #2 ] 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. ♪ [ man ] from the moment we walk in the front door, just to see me -- not as a cancer patient, but as a person that had been helped by their work, i was just blown away. life's been good to me. i feel like one of the luckiest guys in the world. ♪ hg r ocng ♪thlingat i feel like one of the luckiest guys in the world. oh, ven noothiou♪thlingat i feel like one of the luckiest guys in the world. oh, ndnd

welcome back to "first look." in sports, long a profootball, suddenly the oakland raiders are threatening to become relevant again. here is fred roggin. many believe the raiders paid too much for carson palmer. last night he was worth every penny. he dropped back, surveyed the field and threw a strike to denarius moore. the chargers didn't back down. philip rivers defense brought a tremendous catch with two defenders all over him. san diego closed the gap, down 17-10. that's as close as they would get. palmer wanted more, he got it, another touchdown to denarius moore, the rookie quickly becoming his favorite target. raiders took over first place with a 27-4 win. the chargers have dropped four straight.

virginia tech secured the top spot in the acc, pulled away from georgia tech in the fourth quarter. logan thomas to chris drager, up eight. number 11, houston, gets no respect. perhaps this will help. charlie sims had a field day against tulane. two touchdowns, 207 yards on just ten carries and sims played only three-quarters. that's impressive. houston, a perfect 10-0 after a ridiculous 73-7 win. a bad day playing gofrl is better than a bad day at work. tell that to john daly. he accidentally hit the long ball out of the sand trap. he hit a range ball. i don't think that's the brand he uses. then, on the next hole, he hit seven balls in the water. seven. it would have been more but he ran out of balls and there were no range balls around. he decided enough was enough and gave his scorecard to his partner and walked off. to make matters worse, on the

way out, his girlfriend shoved a photographer. that's another look at sports. here is bill karins with the weather channel forecast. don't you hate it when that happens. >> i have probably done that before. i was foolish enough to keep hitting them. >> i am sure i would do the same thing. >> he is a very interesting character that john daly. yesterday, we saw heavy vain in eastern new england. beginning to finally clear out. now, just extreme down east maine is dealing with it to bar harbor. clearing out the clouds. brisk in new england. once the front has gone through, the temperatures are starting to drop off. the west coast is also seeing stormy weather. we have a big storm system just off the california coast that's going to bring moisture to areas like santa barbara, l.a., tonight into tomorrow is going to pick up some rainfall. no the a lot on the radar. you can see it just off the coast of san francisco. some showers approaching areas of the valley.

we are going to watch. the west coast is kind of stormy this weekend. everyone else looks pretty nice. here is a look at your weekend forecast. first, veterans day, lots of sunshine, cold morning, nice afternoon in many spots. as we go to saturday, we begin the warmup, areas like atlanta today, 55, tomorrow, 54. the temperatures begin to jump. i think we are going to see an enjoyable weekend. chicago, up to 58. by the time we get to sunday, some wet weather in the apacific north. much of the country, very quiet, chilly in areas from the great lakes to new england and the mid-atlantic, sunday, 60 degrees. ever since we had that big snowstorm in the east, mother nature is just making up for it. it has been nice. >> or she just can't make up her mind. 70 one day and 50 the next. i will take it. not complaining. >> good. calming the storm, oscar officials pick a tried and true host. >> will fans of the gladiator genre drive this film to the top. your first look at

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welcome back to "first look" i'm veronica de la cruz. we had a taste of rick perry on david letterman's show poking fun at his recent embarrassing debate gav. here is perry delivering the top five rick perry excuses. >> number five, rick perry excuse. >> el nino. >> okay, thank you. >> number four? >> i had a five-hour energy drink six hours before the

debate. >> oh, no. i hate that. [ applause ] >> number three. >> i really hope to give you all my favorite talk show but instead i ended up here. >> what? hey, wait a minute. i'm right here. i heard that. >> thank you. >> number two? >> i wanted to help take the heat off my buddy, herman cain. [ applause ] >> let's put this stuff in the cabboose. the number one rick perry excuse. >> i just learned justin bieber is my father. >> all right. it is time for your first look at entertainment news. at the box office, defending champ "puss and boots" may claw

but "awards" may end up edging it out. the long shot is adam sandler's holiday theme comedy jack and jill featuring sandler playing identical twins. >> i want it to be funny. i want it to be a happy gilmore type movie. >> experts see it earning in the low to mid $20 million range. despite star power, the bio pick, starring leonardo dicaprio can't compete because it is not in enough theaters this weekend. still, it should take in close to $15 million. 63-year-old comedian, billy crystal, will host the academy awards for his nineth go-ahead and first in this decade after a week of turmoil surrounding next year's telecast including eddy murphy p droing out. they went with the familiar and the reassuring. >> the safety net? >> the safety net, exactly. no one risky like ricky gervais. >> people have been tweeting they want to see ricky gervais.

>> that's because they like the train rec. i'm veronica de la cruz. this is "first look." stay tuned. "way too early" with willie geist starts right now. the investigation into former penn state assistant football coach jerry sandusky expands outside the state of pennsylvania as the school somehow attempts after a week like this to play a home football game tomorrow. the question is, with joe paterno know hiring a high-profile lawyer, could criminal charges be coming down the pipeline for those involved in a cover-up of alleged child rape? meanwhile, president obama finally gets a piece of this jobs bill through the senate with an assist from the military on this veterans day. good news for the unemployed vets. the question is, how sad is it that the only thing we get anything through congress on jobs is by putting our troops into the bill. rick perry jets into new york to do