has coolant issues and the trifecta, iran launches another monkey into orbit. you got it, folks. it's monday. and this is "way too early." good morning, everybody. brian shactman here. we're inching our way to the christmas holiday. we have your nfl fix on monday and news on advatar sequels. but we want to start with a developing story overnight in the middle east. two lebanese soldiers were shout early this morning about it israeli army near the border between the two countries. no word yet on their conditions. army spokeswoman says the shooting happened after troops noticed suspicious activity. israeli soldier was killed late sunday night by a sniper with lebanon's army.

israeli and lebanon engaged in a 32-day war in 2006 raising renewed fears. it took 80 seconds for a high school student to inflict a new wave of damage in a community. karl pierson stormed the library friday afternoon where he shot a student at point blank range before turning the gun he bought the week before on himself. by all indications, the gunman was targeting his debate team coach with whom he had a dispute. and to those who knew him, pierson did not fit the conventional profile of someone who would attack classmates. >> i mean, you never see it in the moment. but looking back, there are so many signs that i could have seen. he told me that, you know, whenever he would get angry, he would be like, i just want to shoot everyone up. and that kind of thing. that can pass under the radar. guys say that kind of thing all

the time. but obviously wasn't kidding. >> on sunday night hundreds of students descended on the school for a vigil for 17-year-old yelled clair davis who remains in a coma. authorities believe pierson was not targeting her. she merely was in the wrong place at the wrong time. the shooting happened just miles from the columbine massacre back in 1999 and last year's aurora theater shooting that left 12 dead. arapahoe high school will be closed until after the winter break. let's turn our attention to washington. tomorrow the senate will vote on that bipartisan budget plan which easily passed the house last week. with that deal behind them, congressman ryan and senator murray are already looking to what they hope will be the next area of compromise, that would be tax reform. the debt ceiling, finding common ground may not be that easy. >> you are going to demand more for raising the debt ceiling?

>> we along with our counterparts are going to meet and discuss what it is we want to get out of the debt limit. we don't want anything out of this debt limit. we're going to decide what we can accomplish out of this debt limit fight. onest proble of the problems is know when it's going to hit. the treasury secretary has ultimate discretion on when this could occur. so the timing of this is very much in doubt. >> in terms of timing, after february 7th, the treasury will have to begin using so-called extraordinary measures to avoid default. meanwhile, wisconsin governor scott walker chiming in on some federal issues saying he supports congressman ryan's attempts at fiscal reform but real change will only begin when republicans start winning more elections. >> i think it shows incredible leadership and respect that paul ryan brings to the table. he's one of the guys that steps out of the role of member of congress and really stepped up to provide leadership. for those that believe the federal government is too big, too incruisive, too involved in our lives, what it tells us is we want to really budget deal we

can wrap our arms around. we have to win in the 2014 elections particularly in key senate races. spaul one of the rare people in washington who is acting more like a governor than just a member of congress. >> congressman paul ryan's strength on fiscal matters may be resonating a bit outside of capitol hill. according to the des moines register, 73% of republicans have a favorable view of ryan. that's the highest among all of the potential 2016 presidential hopefu hopefuls. on the democrat side, of course, all hillary clinton. 89% have a positive view of the former secretary of state. but the youth vote that helped lekt president obama in 2008 and 2012 may not be a sure thing for democrats in 2016. a usa today poll finds 45% of millennials approve of the president. less than a year ago that number was 67%. that's on par with several other recent polls of younger americans which find the president's approval rating among that key demo below 50%

now. to the latest on the continuing unrest in ukraine. the european union has suspended talks on a trade agreement that prompted all the massive protests there. ukraine's president initially agreed to sign the deal last month which would have weakened ties with russia but then he changed his mind. u.s. senators chris murphy from connecticut and john mccain from arizona addressed thousands of anti-government protesters before meeting with ukraine's president. in an interview with nbc news, senator mccain warned of possible sanctions if the government uses force against the demonstrators. >> i think the government knows that if they repress with brutality, these protesters that they have a real revolution on their hands. i am guardedly very guardedly optimistic that they will not try to repress these people. you've got half a million people or so demonstrating.

that's a pretty big challenge. >> turn our attention to south africa where after ten days of mourning nelson mandela is home. could military honors, the former south african president was laid to rest on sunday in his hometown. the ceremony inside a massive tent was elaborate and dramatic with candles filling the stage, thousands of selective guests wlug world leaders, dignitaries and celebrities like prince charles, oprah, and richard branson were on hand and around the country people gathered en masse to watch the giant screen tvs. then at noon as is tradition, mandela was buried as helicopters carrying flags flew overhead. pope frances pushing back, rejectsing suggestion that's his critiques of capitalism make him a maxist. he spoke out against what he sees as the new tyranny of graug inhe qualt. in an interview with the italian

newspaper, pope frances says in part, "the marxist ideology is wrong. i have met many marxists in my life who are good people so i do not feel offended." he also denied he is considering naming a female cardinal. he said women in the church must be valued, not clericalized. and there is also this adorable video over the weekend. a young boy removing pope frances' ketto. and the pope playfully laughed it off as you always seems able to do. wall street will be keeping a close eye on the federal reserve. they have their policy meeting, they want to know if they're going to do anything with that huge stimulus program they've been undertaking for the last few years. now despite posting modest gains, at least in the dow and the nasdaq on friday, the dow and s&p 500 locked the second consecutive week of losses. let's go to london where steve sedgwick is there for us. steve, good morning. >> yeah, very good day.

yeah, the losses last week, 1.5% to 1.6% for the major indices. everybody looking at the fomc and whether we're going to get a rally thereafter. individual stories including amazon workers in germany sent a delegation to seattle headquarters to protest about working conditions in germany. there's been strikes since may. germ and workers are after better salaries, clegting wage agreements and treatment around the company for its part. their salaries are the upper end of the logistics spectrum. retailers are seeing a lot more haggling than in previous years. lots more tools at their disposal of consumers. the signs, a website which collects data says 20% of big box retails have price match opportunities. >> i never gone into the big stores and make me haggle. it makes me uncomfortable. maybe i should do it. you talked about amazon. they're in a drone battle themselves and this time it's google getting involved. >> yeah.

google has taken over this company. they make all kinds of exciting things including big dog which can go over all kinds of terrain and chita, one of the fastest drones. a lot of the products are developed in relationship with the department of defense. for the short term, google is a defense contractor as well. it's part of the growing trend, you mentioned amazon as well of the big internet retailers. >> that is frightening. >> looking at robot ikz as well. although, brian, we had contact with the company, question not get any confirmation that they're roarking on a brian shactman mod which will is a cross between ron burgundy and terminator. >> i hope it's less scary than that harry potter spider video we looked at. steve, we appreciate it. he will forever be known as lawrence of arabia. peter o'toole passed away yesterday in london. the front page of "the new york times" pretty much sums it up. lawrence made him a star. carousing made him legendary. the movie was the biggest role.

he appeared in 40 more films and was comfortable on the stage as well. he would be nominated eight times for an academy award and infer won. that is the most nop nations of any actor without a victim rich. he was well known for the company he kept while drinking including richard burton and according to the time, he lost much of his earnings from lawrence after raina while gambling over the course of two nights in beirut and casa blanka. o'toole's daughter said he was sick for some time. he was 81 years old. we're going back to the well this morning, to the old days, the willie geist era. no twitter questions today other than why are you awake? your best and most creative answers. we have months and months of pent up demand for this, folks. #waytooearly. still ahead on "way too early," the bengal punter plays major role in last night's game. first, the steelers. let's just say that wasn't the

ugliest play of the night. and that sign language interpreter from south africa makes an appearance on "saturday night live." this time he let the signs fly. we'll check on weather, too, when we come right back. the international community gave saddam one last chance to resume cooperation with the weapons inspectors. saddam has failed to seize the chance. and so we had to act and act now. ♪ by the end of december, we'll be delivering ♪

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all right. time for sports and the nfl. two weeks left in the regular season. there are a lot of play-off spots up for grabs. start with the late game. steelers-bengals. pittsburgh already up 14-0. bengals punt antonio brown. going to just honestly just electrifying run.

67 yards for the touchdown. nobody is going to catch him. take a look at the block on the punter. i mean this is just brutal. watch this. by the way, you can make light of it. that broke his jaw. >> wow. >> steelers get the win 30-20. you know, those guys target those guys. like quarterbacks on interceptions in the old days. that is just brutal. patriots-dolphins. going for miami early. check out what happens to the holder on this field goal attempt. >> i'm sorry, laces out. miami pulls it together late in the fourth. down by three. ryan tannenhill takes it in with a minute left. brady k. he do it again? can he do it again? >> of course he can. he's brady. by the way, the guy that picked it off got a job in the nfl a week ago and picks it off. the patriots had a chance for the number one seed in the afc and it doesn't happen. dolphins win 24-20.

just part of my depression on sunday. all right. the dolphins, they move into that last wild card spot in the afc. kansas city chiefs beat the raiders. they clinch a spot. the colts also won. they clinched their division. a little more clarity in the afc. cowboys and packers, both looking to stay in the hunt. tony romo will find dez bryant who was just amazing. back of the end zone. i mean he is -- i don't know how he kept it two feet in. watch this. how? that is just -- okay, one and two. that's amazing. dallas up by 12. green bay, though, they get two touchdowns, this one a catch by james jones. they take a one point lead in the final minute. right? tony romo has a chance for a comeback. throws two interceptions in the final minute. i mean the cowboys, they're going to make big changes down there in big d. packers come from behind 37-36 without aaron rodgers.

jay cutler, back in action for the bears. taking on the browns. he had a few interceptions early. he settled down. they came back from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter. this 45-yard bomb -- >> that wasn't pretty. >> to jeffrey. talk about defense. just knock it down. bears win 38-31. let's look at the nfc standings. bears take first place in the north. lions can overtake them if they win tonight against the ravens. eagles still on top in the east despite their ugly loss against minnesota. cardinals who are my sort of sleeper team, i'm a big fan of the cardinals and packers still have a chance to make it. over the weekend, a freshman quarterback from florida state supporting new hardware this morning. >> and the winner is jamus winston. >> winston led the seminoles to an undefeated season. number one ranking and a chance for the national title. he won by the seventh largest

margin of any heisman winner although it must be pointed out 13% of voters left him off the ballot. >> can he go pro? does he have to wait one more year? >> i think he has to go another year. the manziel thing. he's an amazing athlete. stick with college. after weeks of speculation, texas long horns coach mack brown made it official. he will resign. brown will stay on to coach the long horns to the alamo bowl on december 30th. they won a national title under him and two big 12 championships in his 16 seasons. yeah, i was shocked when i read that. he was there for 16 years. i remember when he came over from north carolina. >> it was a big deal. >> 16 years ago? >> 16 years. we're old, bill. >> we have to check that again. a quick 16 years. >> i'll check it while do you your weather. >> how much snow did you get at your house? >> i felt like it was about five inches. >> okay. >> a little bit of freezing late. but by midday, once you got a little track on the sled, it was good. >> sledding was fun with the

kindz. for adults, it was a lot of shoveling. it was a lot of playing in areas in new england. albany did get more. good what he is? more snow on the way. it's coming tuesday. this will be another quick hitter. the cold air moves in today from the great lakes, very cold air, actually. it will get frigid and more cold. we'll see the snow over the top of pennsylvania. then right over the top of new york city. 9:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. the commute could be very difficult around new york city up through southern new england right during the day. riding home from boston will not be fun. this is not a huge snowstorm. we could get two to four inches from your house to new york city and new england. >> a white christmas, perhaps. >> no, it will rain and got up to 50 by the weekend. >> bill, good morning. >> coming up, republican leaders do seem to like the strategy behind the compromise. how the bipartisan agreement could impact the midterm elections. when we come back here, we

huddle around the cooler. iran reportedly says another monkey into space. how long the little guy was up there and what iran is hoping to accomplish with it there. hard news brought to you by lewis when we come back. [ female announcer ] we give you relief from your cold symptoms. you give them the giggles. tylenol cold® helps relieve your worst cold and flu symptoms. but for everything we do, we know you do so much more. tylenol cold®. mom? come in here. come in where? welcome to my mom cave. wow. sit down. you need some campbell's chunky soup before today's big game,

new chunky cheeseburger. mmm. i love cheeseburgers. i know you do. when did you get this place? when i negotiated your new contract, it was part of the deal. cool. [ male announcer ] campbell's chunky soup. it fills you up right.

at the top of the show we talked about the school shooting in colorado. it seems as though mass

shootings are on the rise, it turns out not to be the case. usa today reports there is usually about 29 mass killings per year with 147 victims. in 2013 out of 30 mass killings, 137 people were killed. of course, 137 too many. let's put aside the hard news for just a little bit. lighten it up with mr. lewis. how was your weekend? >> great weekend, thanks so much. if you like the movie "avatar," i know millions of people dshgs i have very good news for you. the film's director says he is planning three he is quells to the highest grossing film of all time. james cameron hopes to release the first in time for christmas 2016 and the following movies will follow two years after. the original "avatar" won three oscars and grossed nearly $2.8

billion at the worldwide box office. now let's tourn a little news in iran. iran is at it again. they're claiming that they sent another monkey into space this weekend. iran's news agency says that the monkey spent about 15 minutes in space before parachuted back to earth. now you may remember last time the country says it sent a monkey into space. it was back in january. here's a photo. and the photo showed a different monkey before the takeoff than after. this led some to question if the launch had some problems. iran says it simply released the wrong photo. you know, tomato, tomato. in other space news, china announced they carried out the first soft landing of a space probe on the moon in four decades. no monkeys were involved in this one as far as we know. now going to give you a spoiler alert here for you fans of "family guy." if you didn't see last night's episode, we're about to ruin it for you. we couldn't keep this one a

secret. >> i'll be right back. look out! what the hell? you're alive, my friend. >> what? of course i'm alive. what the hell is going on here? >> that car killed you. and when it did, a little part of me died as well. i couldn't live without you. so i came back from the future to save your life. >> wait. >> that's right. everyone's favorite talking dog is back. most fans weren't surprised by brian's return. there was some doubts when he was taken out of the opening credits. after the episode, the show creator tweeted, and thus the end of our warm fuzzy holiday lesson. never take those that you love for granted for they can be gone in a flash and those are some true words. now finally to snl. the interpreter fiasco from nelson mandela was still red meat for the writers. >> tonight, i like to focus on

health care. now, i have been listening. to what americans are saying. and some very valid concerns are being raised. some folks are bound to be frustrated. but many are more -- many more are excited. and while i cant say that i've been entirely thrilled with the resul results, i'm just relieved that website has been turned on again. >> i don't remember him doing the thriller during the memorial service. >> i mean, of course, the mandela situation. the last one got me. lewis, thank you very much.

we'll see you later. all right, still ahead on "way too early," why you are awake? we have some good ones here. pent up demand for the question and "morning joe" moments away. how are things with the new guy?

all we do is go out to dinner. that's it? i mean, he picks up the tab every time, which is great...what? he's using you. he probably has a citi thankyou card and gets 2x the points at restaurants. so he's just racking up points with me. some people... ugh! no, i've got it. the citi thankyou preferred card. now earn 2x the points on dining out and entertainment, with no annual fee.to apply, go to citi.com/thankyoucards [ ding! ] losing your chex mix too easily? time to deploy the boring-potato chip decoy bag. then no one will want to steal the deliciousness. [ male announcer ] with a variety of tastes and textures, only chex mix is a bag of interesting.

we'll have to could this again some time. we have great responses for why are you awake? we don't have a lot of time. give us one give us one good on >> aden said up cramming for my final calculus exam. can you tell me why i took this class. >> seriously, lesson number one in college, don't take calculus. lori williams working off the christmas cookies keep working. "morning joe" starts right now. well good morning. it is monday, december 16th. yes, we're getting closer to christmas. welcome to "morning joe." with us on set we have msnbc contributor mike barncle. you look very nice today, mike. >> thank you, mika. >> and he always looks nice. former treasury official and "morning joe" economicna