that's at 9:00 p.m. eastern. that is all for today. we'll be back next week, two days before the florida primary. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com the republican presidential race shifts to florida. remembering a legend. fans mourn the death of beloved penn state coach joe paterno whose career ended in scandal. and death dive. a comet has a fatal encounter with the sun. good morning, everyone. i'm lynn barry. those stories and more straight ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc.

>> and we begin this morning with anybody's ball game. the gop presidential contest is heating up in the sunshine state. where mitt romney is hoping that releasing his most recent tax returns will help him reclaim his front runner status after being beaten in south carolina saturday. tracey pots joins us with more on this. >> lynn, good morning. ron paul has decided essentially not to compete in florida. it's a winner take all state for the delegates there. so this is a three-way race between mitt romney, newt gingrich and rick santorum. >> number one, biggest race in the country is? >> florida. >> in tampa, the stage is set for tonight's debate. taxes, once again, will be a key issue. rick santorum says he'll release his this week, and, now, so will mitt romney. >> we were going to release them anyway in april. >> after reversing his double

digit lead and losing south carolina, romney's hitting florida hard, reminding voters of newt gingrich's failed leadership in washington. >> what's he been doing for 15 years? he's been working as a lobbyist, yeah, and selling influence around washington. >> i was not a lobbyist. i was never a lobbyist. i never did any lobbying. >> gingrich hinted at what he'll bring up in tonight's debate and insists on straight answers. >> the fact is he is trying to cleverly hide behind an argument that no high school debater would ever lat stand. >> santorum says he's the only candidate who's won a state not in or near his own backyard. >> florida can send the real winner on to the victory in the future. >> but santorum isn't leading any of the florida polls. romney is leading most of them, gingrich surged ahead in the most recent poll of florida voters. >> all right, tracey pots there for us in washington.

don't miss tonight's nbc news republican president debate. it will be live from the university of south florida in tampa bay and it begins at 9, 8 central time on your local nbc station. well, arizona congresswoman is resigning from congress. she, of course, was wounded in the tucson shooting rampage a year ago. since then, giffords has been in rehab learning to speak and walk again. but that job is not complete. and she will step down to focus on her recovery. nbc's jay greg has the latest. >> reporter: it was just over a year ago that the gunshots rang out in tucson. six people killed, a dozen injured, including arizona congresswoman, gabriel gifford, shot in the head at point-blank range. >> i don't remember much from that horrible day. but i will never forget the trust.

trust that you place in me to be your voice. >> reporter: a voice rarely heard since the attack. a voice that this weekend denounced after five years in congress, her public career would be put on hold. >> i will step down this week. >> reporter: in the youtube video, gifford says she needs to focus on her continuing recovery and do what's right for arizona. news of her decision spread quickly. president obama released a statement late sunday saying gifford and her husband, astronaut mark kelly have taught us the true meaning of hope in the face of dispair, determination in the face of incredible odds. it's a lesson that began in a hospital room just days after the shooting. and continued in august when she shocked the nation and her colleagues by returning to washington. >> and liberty and justice for all. >> two weeks ago, she led the pledge of allegiance at a vigil

marking the anniversary of the shooting. >> i'm getting better. >> it's already been an incredible recovery. but giffords insists she's not done and promises we will hear that voice for years to come. >> i will return. >> jay grey, nbc news. >> and here is your first look at some of the other news going on around america today. it's a muddy mess near seattle. a wall of mud, it came pouring into three homes in bellview sunday, lifting one car high enough to press it into the roof of a garage. a water main break may be to blame. well, near chicago, an illinois man is recovering after accidentally shooting a three-and-a-half inch nail into his brain. it happened while the man was doing construction with a nail gun in his home. even after the accident, he kept on working for hours, didn't even go to the hospital until the next day. doctors say the nail came within

millimeters of the part of the brain that controls motor function. unreal. well, in detroit, a chilling message delivered via motorcade. more than a dozen mortuaries joined forces and drove horses through some of the most dangerous parts of the city. they're trying to call attention to the 10% increase in homicides last year which claimed 308 victims. and, finally, some badly needed help for a pair of kittens injured during birth. one kitten named braveheart had to have its leg amputated. but an animal shelter was able to attach a prosthetic leg. now the kittens are feeling better and will eventually go up for adoption. for a look at the national weather, we check in with nbc meteorologist bill karens. good morning to you, bill. how was your weekend? >> it was okay. we got to play in a little bit of snow. >> just a smij. i was hoping for me. >> and it's going to be gone in a hurry.

it's an active, warm weather pattern this morning. overnight, i haven't been tracking snow, i've been tracking tornadoes and severe weather. it's been a crazy scene throughout the last 24 hours. this is arkansas, two homes were destroyed, a barn was destroyed, two injuries. no fatalities. these storms went through the overnight hours when it was dark. so that's the worst for tornadoes. you can't even see them. we are currently watching tornadoes even at this hour, and alabama, especially. so far, 11 tornado reports. we've had about 127 severe weather reports. a lot of wind reports out of areas of tennessee and kentucky. areas of large hail and, now, as i mention, that severe weather threat is in alabama. if anyone is in birmingham and meridian, it looks like the worst of those storms is heading to the east. birmingham has one strong storm going through. a lot of lightning strike social security going to go through the southern side of the city. right now, a couple tornado

warnings. eventually, we'll watch areas from montgomery up towards atlanta. just a rough morning. here we are in the middle of january, end of january, dealing with tornadoes at this time of the hour. very rare. it's all associated with a very strong storm center over the top of illinois. the backside is a little bit of snow. the roads could be a little slick. one thing that is good is that all of the cold air that was in new england is now leaving us. as this storm system arrives, i don't think we'll have to deal too much with snow or freezing rain. it's mostly going to be a rain event. we're already at 33 in d.c. and 36 in new york city. so there's some suburbs out there outside of the big cities. you may have a little bit of freezing rain or a little coating of ice out there this morning, but i think that will improve dramatically. there's not a lot of cold air anywhere. it's another mild weather pattern across the country. so as far as the forecast goes, atlanta down to alabama is the worst of it. the new england area, most of that rain will come in later in

the day. i think we will have some airport delays, but not till probably this afternoon or this evening. >> coming up, changes at research in motion. gasz at the pump rises and warren buffet's strange cultural exchange. trust me, it is bizarre. your first look at this morning's business headlines, it's straight ahead. >> the patriots survive, the giants need overtime. and remembering the life and times of football legend joe paterno. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. dave. dave. dave.

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here are some of the top stories making news this morning. at least 178 people were killed in attacks by islamic insurgents. gunmen and car bombers struck friday in a series of attacks. after 33 years in power in yemen, departing president has left the country and is headed

to the u.s. for medical treatment. he was badly burned during a rocket attack on his compound last summer after a violent protest called for him to resign. syrian president called to hand over power to a new unity government. the ministers had planned to ask the u.n. security council to endorse the plan. and for the very first time, technology has observed a comet being vaporized as it approached the sun back on july 6th. the comet was about the size of an aircraft carrier and it burned up in about 20 minutes. well, elsewhere, a 13th victim has been recovered from the cruise ship that went around off the coast of italy. at least 19 people are still missing. one rescue official says that number could be higher because unregistered passengers might have been on board. the ship's captain has denied claims it was his sole decision

to come so close to shore. sascha williams from itn filed this report last night. >> they still pray for good news. but, today, they had divers searching the concordia had found another body. a woman who had been on the 7th deck. the confirmed death toll is to 13. they don't know exactly how many people are still unaccounted for. after briefing the man in charge, a number of unregistered passengers might have been on board. and in another blow to the ship's operator, the captain of the concordia has claimed that costa cruises not only knew but actually ordered him to do it. schettino, still under arrest, told his bosses that the stunt would be good publicity, something the company denies.

as judges try to get to the bottom of what exactly did happen, the search continues. hope that anyone can still be alive has all but faded. >> and now, here's your first look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 12,720 after gaining 96 points friday. the s&p added a fraction. taking a look at overseas trading, in tokyo, the nikkei rose just a smij. well, barring any big surprises, a flurry of earnings are bound to draw the biggest buzz on wall street this week. a dozen dow companies at about a quarter of the s&p 500 will weigh in with fourth quarter results, including apple, boeing, mcdonalds and proctor and gamble. an economic outlook will also be high on investor's agenda this week. the fourth quarter gdp is due

out friday. the broadest measure is expected to come in around 3%, the fastest pace since the second quarter of 2010. blackberry maker research in motion has announced its co-ceos are stepping down. apache energy is soaking up some 250,000 acres of plays in the basin. the average price of a regular gallon of gas inched up three cents to s ts t s ts to $3.39. the price of a stamp is up after rising for the first time in two and a half years. switzerland is building igloos. and, sfienlly, warren buffet showed up on chinese tv with a unique greeting for the new year. the billionaire investor strummed and sang i've been working on the railroad on a yuk

lay lee. i told you it was bizarre. well, if you want to know about the agony of defeat, just ask the baltimore ravens. plus, new york giants and the san francisco 49ers stage yet another classic playoff battle. your first look at sports is triegt ahead. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. [ male announcer ] the inspiring story

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but sometimes i wonder... what's left behind? [ female announcer ] purifying facial cleanser from neutrogena® naturals. removes 99% of dirt and toxins without dyes, parabens or harsh sulfates. so skin feels pure and healthy. [ female announcer ] from neutrogena® naturals. so i used my citi thank you card to pick up some accessories. a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? we talked about getting a diamond. but with all the thank you points i've been earning... ♪ ...i flew us to the rock i really had in mind. ♪ [ male announcer ] the citi thank you card. earn points you can use for travel on any airline, with no blackout dates. in sports, joe paterno who coached for 46 years and was the

winningest coach in college football history died this weekend. here's nbc's mario solis. >> reporter: joe paterno passed away yesterday. the winningest college football coach of all time lost his battle with lung cancer yesterday. he coached 46 years with penn state, won over 400 games and two national championships. he was unceremoniously fired in december. his health quickly deteriorated over the last two mons and had been in the hospital since january 13th for complications with this lung cancer treatment. thousands gathered for a candle light vigil to remember the life and spirit of a legend. joe paterno was 85 years old. the old ball coach would have loved the championship games yesterday. we begin in san francisco. a battle by the bay between the niners and giants.

new york up three when alex airs it out, a perfect toss. vernon's second touchdown. a 14-10 lead. giants would answer in the fourth after a fumble recovery and gave new york great field position. new york up 17-14. niners would add a field goal to force overtime and three minutes in, the giants get the break they needed. kyle williams fumbles a ball and new york recovers. moments later, the giants go to the super ball with a 31 yard field goal. hard to top that, but the pats and ravens came pretty close. joe flacco hitting torey smith. baltimore take it is lead and the pats jump back on top in the fourth, tom brady leaping over the pile. like in the nfc, this championship game coming down to a field goal. 15 seconds left with a 31 yarder to force overtime and he shanks it.

patriots survive 23-20, they will play the giants in super bowl 46. that's your first look at sports. >> and, now, for another look at the weather, here's nbc meteorologist. bill, did you notice representing the giants today. >> oh, that's what it is. which giants is that? baseball or football giants? >> not really, actually. i heard screams in the apartment. i thought there was a fire. i had no idea the giants won. >> there was a few excited new yorkers. >> yes, they are. they are. god bless you. >> well, good morning. let me give you an update on the tornado stuff. there appears to be some bad news coming from alabama. we got a report from the weather service that there appears to be a large tornado on the ground. there's been a lot of damage that's been doeb. done. now, this is the birmingham, alabama area. it appears it went through the gardendale area. now, that tornado, you can see the clear signature on it right there. when you see the bright reds surrounded by the yellows and

the greens, that's actually the spinning motion of the storm. and there's beginning reports, you know, from the radar that there's debris ball. in other words, there's been enough destruction down by this tornado that it's picked up the houses and threw it up into the sky. now the radar beam shoots out. and that's what we're looking at. if you know anyone that's in the springville area, give them a call. i know it's four something in the morning there, but they have a nighttime tornado, a large one, it appears, heading right over top of them. it looks like it's right over the top just north of interstate 59. we're going to watch it heading up towards gadston. that will be the next city. so we'll give you reports as soon as we get them in. it looks like a large tornado has been on the ground over the last hour. it will be raining, bring the umbrella with you from new england down through the mid atlantic. again, here we are, january in the morning hours dealing with tornadoes.

>> obviously, you pointed out, people get a phone call. >> yeah, all right, bill, thanks so much. coming up, another showbiz couple bites the dust. plus, the film about if underdog world war ii pilots steals the thunder from the weekend's top dog. your first look at entertainment is straight ahead. you're watching first look on msnbc. advice... and my hands were full. i couldn't sort through it all. with unitedhealthcare, it's different. we have access to great specialists, and our pediatrician gets all the information. everyone works as a team. and i only need to talk to one person about her care. we're more than 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare.

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this weekend, it turned out the runner up was the biggest box office winner. as expected, 3-d and imax

showings to first place with over 25 million. but the second place, red tails, the film about world war ii's airmen surprised everyone, taking in just over $19 million, almost doubling expectations. elsewhere in a statement last night, ceal and heidi cloom have confirmed recent rumors that they're separating. her father will go to court to drop his cleel control over her affairs. tmz reports tracey morgan was rushed to a hospital last night due to what his rep called a combination of exhaustion and altitude. and, finally, 53-year-old alec baldwin says he lost 30 pounds in four months by not eating sugar. he also said 30 rock will be back again in some form next

year. isn't it obnoxious when celebrities say here's how to lose weight? >> my excuse is always, well, they have a chef, trainers, they don't have to work, you know? they have ten nannies. >> oh, barry, this is the first look on msnbc. stay tuned. way too early is next. pat, san francisco and back to the super bowl where they will meet tom brady's patriots once again. remember when the patriots were 18-0 and the giants beat them in the super bowl and the g