signed the declaration of war against japan. we're not going to attack japan today. the world has changed and the economic situation is different. >> he's certainly going soft on japan. >> as for the democrats, senator dick durbin says entitlement programs like medicare and medicaid are fair game in deficit negotiations but insists social security should be left alone. >> social security does not add one penny to our debt. not a penny. it's a separate funded operation, and we can do things that i believe we should now, smaller things, played out over the long term that gives it solvency. medicare is another story. only 12 years of solvency lie ahead if we do nothing. so those who say don't touch it, don't change it are ignoring the obvious. >> despite showing a willingness for reform, senator durbin ruled out raising the age for medicare eligibility. if lawmakers fail to act by january 1st, the american people will face roughly $600 billion in tax increases and spending

cuts. because he watches "morning joe" every weekday morning -- >> i don't think that's true. maybe. >> -- monday through friday, senator john mccain is taking our advice and softening his attacks on susan rice. after vowing to block her potential nomination as secretary of state. now, republicans are claiming the ambassador deliberately misled the country in the aftermath of the september 11th attacks on the u.s. consulate in benghazi. but rice says she's not to blame, arguing that she relied on talking points from the intelligence community. now, although senator mccain had threatened a senate filibuster earlier this month, he says he's now open to meeting directly with ms. rice. >> is there anything that ambassador rice can do to change your mind about it? >> sure. she can give everyone the benefit of explaining their position and the actions that they took, and i'll be glad to have the opportunity to discuss these issues with her. >> she could conceivably get your vote for secretary of

state? >> i think she deserves the ability and the opportunity to explain herself and her position. >> mika, he sounds very open-minded to me. >> yeah, just a tad bit different than he did a few days ago. >> perhaps he cares too much. now, the white house says no decision's been made as far as cabinet selections go for the president's second term, but i'm still holding out that mika brzezinski will be america's next secretary of state. the obama administration is reportedly weighing its options on what sort of force -- wouldn't your dad be proud of you? >> yeah. i think he'd find that to be deserving. >> i think he might spit his coffee up all over himself. anyway, trying to figure out what type of force the u.s. military's going to leave in afghanistan after 2014. now, according to "the new york times," options range from a small counterterrorism unit to more than 10,000 americans and nato troops. there are also some ongoing discussions over how quickly that drawdown of those 66,000 troops still in the war zone are going to be. the talks factor in recommendations of commanders on

the ground, many of whom favor a substantial force through next year's fighting season. that may be at odds with some of the white house, which "the new york times" says are describing as "very war weary." you know, mika, when you consider that every one of those troops out there have to worry about their afghan, quote, allies turning guns on them at any moment and shooting them, you know, they're not the only ones who are war weary. bring the troops home. >> it's too long. mass protests are planned on the streets of cairo tomorrow after egypt's president, mohamed morsi, granted himself sweeping power over the country's judicial system. that sparked days of violent demonstrations and shook egypt's stock market which dropped nearly 10%. members of morsi's own government questioned the presidential decree, and several officials resigned because of it. but the administration says the move is necessary to keep supporters of former president hosni maubarak from blocking democratic reforms.

morsi is expected to meet with senior judges today in an effort to stave off a wider crisis. >> this comes from a man who originally said they were never going to be involved in the government in the first place. in syria where rebels say they've taken control of a key base near the capital of damascus. government forces, meanwhile, continue to target opposition forces with airstrikes. at least eight children were killed when one of those bombing runs had it tore through a village. rebel fighters are largely focusing their efforts on capturing air bases in an effort to ground the regime's warplanes and helicopters. still, forces loyal to the president have far greater weaponry in a civil war that activists say now have killed at least 40,000 people since just last march. walmart says it is unsure whether or not it was still buying products made at a factory in bangladesh, still. so they did at some point, but they're not sure if the clothes

are there right now, where over 100 workers were killed in a devastating fire over the weekend. i find that very, very confusing. either your clothes are there or they're not. thousands of people took to the streets this morning demanding justice for the victims. according to the workers' rights groups, the garment workers were working overtime to make clothing for major american retailers including walmart, sears and some others. walmart says it recently stopped buying products from nearly 50 bangladeshi factories because of fire risk. fire marshals are expected to wrap up their investigation today in friday's natural gas explosion in downtown springfield, massachusetts, that injured 19 people. officials say a utility worker was trying to track down the source of leaking gas when he accidentally punctured a line. the explosion destroyed a strip club and damaged several other buildings. looking at the video here, it's amazing no one was killed, though willie geist is still in mourning. there were also reports of a

potential leak. one of the clubs' dancers says she smelled gas for months. the accused owner uses deodorizers, though, to try to mask the odors. all right. there's another chance to get rich on wednesday because it's gambling. >> it's a scam. >> it's gambling. >> the poor people that do this. >> no, i know, and everyone covers this like it's a huge, exciting story. they do network news packages on powerball and the excitement of it. >> here's the good news. we were this far -- hold on -- >> it's gambling. >> -- we were this far -- this far. one number away from losing t.j. for good. >> yeah. >> sweet jesus. why did you let us down? you got us so close to the goal line and then you clutched the ball. >> the other side of the powerball story is that it's gambling. nobody won the big jackpot this weekend. it's a $325 million prize. it's getting rolled over wednesday night. its drawing is expected to be about $425 million, the largest in the history of the lottery

game. >> you know our director, t.j., he had four numbers plus the powerball. on wednesday night. one more number, mika, and he would have had it! >> we would have had him out of here. that i would take, even though i don't think that we should have government-sanctioned gambling, but whatever. >> close doesn't count. still ahead on "way too early" -- is he talking? >> i'm sorry, t.j., what did you say? >> he's talent now. >> i said, close doesn't count. >> no, it doesn't, actually. >> you made a little bit of money, though, didn't you? >> tiny bit. >> gambling. >> tiny bit. you call $10,000 a tiny bit? you know, after taxes, that's $25. >> it's 25 cents. coming up, the super bowl's defending -- we're paying him too much if he thinks that's a lot of money. i wish i could make that much. the giants looked unbelievable last night. >> now you're waking up. terrific. >> the packers did something in their bed in front of a live

national audience. we'll have the highlights around the league next in sports. plus, after a hard-fought campaign season, the candidates get a chance to unwind. we're going to show you how they spent their holiday break. and we might just throw up a little bit in our mouth. and we're also going to explain why our friend, joe biden, took a dip in the frigid waters of nantucket sound. and actually, nobody pushed him. >> that's nice. that and a check on weather when "way too early" comes right back. you are looking at live pictures of what continues to be a hostage situation. it has been almost ten hours since heavily armed gunmen possibly dozens of them stormed multiple well-traveled locales throughout mumbai. why do toys for tots and hasbro

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all right. let's get a check on weather from nbc meteorologist bill karins. bill, i'll tell you, the weather this weekend was really nice. it would be too cold in the morning. >> yeah. >> you make it till about 12:00, this is san diego weather. you know what san diego means, right, in german? >> inform me. >> i know that you're a really big deal. >> i'm a really big deal, you know. no, i'll tell you in the break what san diego means. >> thank you. let me know that. >> yeah, but what's the weather like this week? is it going to get warmer? it's too cold when i wake up. i want it to be warmer. can you do that for me? >> you've still got your southern blood. >> i am. >> it takes those of you in the south a little longer to adjust. the cold has settled in, it's probably here to stay. these windchills is what really gets to you. that's what we had over the weekend especially great lakes and northeast and mid-atlantic. once again the windchills are the story. our friends up there in fargo,

they're probably not complaining. i'm sure they don't like it, but minus six windchill already, middle of the winter-type morning for you. minneapolis has a windchill of one. kansas city, 21. so you can see, much of the country has been covered up with this really chilly air mass across the nation. we have a little bit of lake-effect snow. anyone driving, new york state throughway especially around the syracuse area, be careful. a little bit of light snow for you. then late today, the south still has a little bit of moisture left. and enough warmth that we're going to get some strong thunderstorms just outside of houston up towards east texas and northern louisiana. large hail and wind damage possible with storms late today. that storm, by the way, after a nice day on the east coast today, will slide into the mid-atlantic. there's just enough cold air available that from areas just outside of philadelphia and new york city, we are going to see one or two inches of kind of a slushy snow during the daylight hours tomorrow. so joe, it's in the a big snow event for areas around new york city or philly, but just a little coating out there. >> is it going to be, like, 75 any time this week?

>> maybe april. >> oh. >> thank you, bill. >> thank you, bill. time for some sports now. eli manning and the giants try to close out a rough november with a win over the packers last night. pick it up in the second quarter. eli manning drops back on third down and finds his favorite target, victor cruz, for the touchdown. there you go. giants up 24-7. about a minute to go before halftime, packers trying to get something going. but aaron rodgers is stripped on the play by osi umenyiora. >> it's that mustache. >> five sacks and two turnovers in the game. they go on to win in impressive fashion, 38-10. the giants now hold a two-game lead over the redskins and cowboys for the nfc east lead. >> i tell you what, bears' quarterback jay cutler came back from a concussion yesterday against the vikings and had a great game. in the second quarter, cutler rolls out on a play action fake, scans the field and passes it to matt spaeth who somehow bounds in and hauls it for the touchdown. the bears go on to win, 28-10.

what a catch over their division rivals. >> and with the packers' loss to the giants, the bears take over sole possession of first place in the nfc north at 8-3. ravens in san diego facing the chargers under two minutes left to play. ravens down by three facing fourth and 29. joe flacco. >> flacco. >> dumps it off to ray rice, and rice finds some running room, cuts back to the middle of the field and dives ahead for the first down. that would set up the game-tying field goal and send it into overtime. in overtime now, flacco throws one up for torrey smith who makes a beautiful adjustment and comes down with the catch for a 31-yard gain. justin tuck hits the game-winning field goal from 38 yards out. ravens escape with a 16-13 win. steelers lost to the browns yesterday, so the ravens now have a three-game lead over the steelers and bengals in the afc north. the surprising colts are looking for a win over the bills to stay in the playoff hunt. scoreless in the first quarter. >> t.i. hilton.

>> fields a punt at the 25 yard line. weaves past a couple defenders and sprints 75 yards untouched to the end zone. the colts win, 20-13, and they improve their record to 7-4. currently the number five seed team in the afc playoff picture is shocking the football world. 49ers on the road facing the saints who have won their last five games. pick it up, 31 seconds before the half. drew brees throws into traffic and ahmad brooks steps in front of it for the interception. he returns it 55 yards for the score. one of the -- one of two pick sixes for the niners' defense. 49ers go on to win, 31-21, and move to 8-2 on the year. saints now a game back of a wild card spot at 5-6. >> and what a weekend for college football. the latest bcs standings came out last night, and there are no real surprises. with a win over southern cal on saturday, the top-ranked fighting irish punched their ticket to miami for the national

championship game. and they're going there for the first time since 1989. they're going to take on either alabama or georgia who will face off this weekend for the s.e.c. championship game in atlanta. that's going to be a heck of a battle. florida and oregon round out the top five. and mika, as you said, that florida offense really surprising. you're right about the gators. you told me early in the year, watch out for those gators. >> i tell you, my insight is valuable. i'm glad you're finally getting that. >> finally. always shoot us as e-mail at waytooearly@msnbc.com or tweet us and let us know why you're awake. we'll read the best responses later in the show. coming up at the top of the hour on "morning joe," republican lawmakers show signs of compromise on the fiscal cliff with some backing away from grover norquist and his anti-tax pledge. we'll discuss what that means for the livelihood of a deal ahead with the "morning joe" crew. and when we come back here, we're going to huddle around the water cooler.

we finally have a dollar value for what it would cost to ride a manatee. we'll be right back. [ male announcer ] introducing the new dell xps 12. part of a whole new line of tablets from dell. it's changing the conversation. ♪

we told you at the top of the show that a congressional compromise might be in the works that would keep the government from going over the so-called fiscal cliff at the start of

2013. if a deal can't be reached, the vast majority of american families will be affected starting on january 2nd. if you want to sound smart today. >> i want to sound smart. what should i do? >> read the next one. >> how do i sound smart? >> tell your friends 90% of american households would face higher tax bills for 2013 if congress can't come up with a deficit reduction plan to replace the fiscal cliff. a family with a $40,000 to $65,000 in annual income would pay an average of $2,000 in additional taxes. and if you don't want to sound smart, well -- >> that's easy. >> -- just quote what we're about to tell you. >> go over to louis. >> enough of the real sweet. let's go over to sweet boy lou, pretty boy lou, whatever you want to call him, at the water cooler. >> it's time to gather around the water cooler to check out how mitt romney spent his thanksgiving. >> that's what i want to know. i was just asking mika, i

wonder. >> here he is smiling minus the dark suit. a little bedhead. they posted this photo on facebook with wife, ann, the morning after thanksgiving. he said i hope everyone had a great thanksgiving. on his facebook page, much to be thankful for this year. >> not for a lot of republicans, mitt. a lot of republicans aren't thankful right now. >> they look happy. >> things were a little less warm and cozy for joe biden for his annual trip to nantucket. he took an early-morning cold plunge in the frigid nantucket waters to raise money for the public library. >> that's a great cause. mika, i bet somebody pushed him in. >> yeah, i know some people in connecticut who do that, but they don't wear clothes. >> really? >> the president at a library, wasting no time tackling his christmas list, spotted shopping with daughters at a local independent bookstore in arlington, virginia, this past weekend. the president reportedly read off a list on his blackberry. >> the president is still using a blackberry. >> according to the white house. >> what is that, 1979?

>> 15 children's books he'll give to his family for christmas. >> why doesn't he use an iphone? >> i don't know. i think blackberrys are pretty efficient. i use a blackberry. >> i guess you and the president. an army of two. >> what else? >> we have another very, very important story. some financial relief is coming for lindsay lohan finally. >> thank god! >> according to tmz actor charlie sheen wrote her a $100,000 check to cover some of the reportedly $230,000 she still owes the irs. the two became close while filming "scary movie 5." lohan has been working hard for her own paycheck. last night the biopic "liz & dick" premiered on lifetime. she looks like liz taylor. let's take a look at some of the best moments. >> all right. >> what are you looking at? huh? >> out. >> are you staring at my chest? >> why not? it's the very heart of you. >> i love you.

elizabeth wants to play. ♪ you know you can never leave them. you were playing. i was just another knot. what's me? is that me? is that me? >> mistake lore. may we speak with you a moment? mistake lore, please. >> that's the worst. >> close to home. >> you know, she'd better hope that charlie sheen has a lot more money to pay her. >> that looked like my thanksgiving weekend. >> what do you mean, your thanksgiving weekend? every morning you're down on the office. >> we have to get to this story because this is very important as well. something not to do while vacationing in florida, your

home state, joe. this manatee joyride sent a florida woman to jail back in september in the waters off st. petersburg. anna gloria garcia gutierrez decided to take a ride on the back of a manatee according to "the tampa bay times," another beachgoer snapped the picture. gutierrez admitted to touching the manatee. >> that is a crime. >> she didn't know it was illegal. manatees have been endangered since the '60s and molestation carries a $500 fine. >> don't i know that. >> police arrested gutierrez. >> you found out the hard way, joe. >> you know the fifth time it's a felony? >> you know what? >> thank god i have good lawyers. >> i feel bad for those poor manatees. anyhow. >> molested manatees. i don't know what the world is coming to. >> sweet lou, what's next? still ahead, why are you awake? your feets, texts and e-mails are next, and "morning joe" is now just moments away. >> oh, thank god. ♪

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with his wife, danielle, almost every weekend. derrell hasn't been able to visit his mom back east in a long time. [ shirley ] things are sometimes a little tight around the house. i wasn't able to go to the wedding. [ emily jo ] since derrell couldn't get home, we decided to bring home to him and then just gave him a little bit of help finding his way. ♪ [ laughs ] [ applause ] i love you. i love you, too. oh. at the top of the show, we asked, why are you awake? why? what would you be thinking?

producer john tower has your answers. john. >> i've got two here, mika. i'm awake to see joe complaining about the cold again without socks on. and cal writes, please get mika a very large cup of strong starbucks immediately. i always look forward to a feisty morning, but she looks like she's ready to go back to sleep this morning. >> i'll work on it. i've got a couple of shots in here. also, any others, john? that's it? that's it? shots of what? >> shots of what? >> oh, i'm awake now. dan, get the pictures ready. all right, "morning joe" starts right now. ♪ all you've got to tell me now is wyoming wyomihy is wyoming wyomi why why why ♪ on the snap, stepping up, look out, bulls. coming loose. umenyiora was able to create the fumble and pierre-paul winds up with the recovery. on the ground.