good monday morning. right now on "first look," breaking news, a second explease in russia in one day's time wide receiver both leave at least 26 dead and concerns widen as the sochi winter olympics quickly approach. getting the ungettable. a report on one of our government's most sophisticated intelligence-gathering secret units. quake and crash. earthquakes cause a massive stretch of road to collapse. peyton manning adds to the record books. is that a shark just feet from a couple of boogie boarders? good morning to you, nice to see you, i'm veronica de la cruz. breaking news, another deadly suicide bombing has rocked the city of voe go grad, russia,

killing at least 14 on a bus. it comesed a day after another suicide bomber killed at least 17 people at the city's main train station. the carnage is putting the city on edge. it is 400 miles from sochi where the world will converge for the winter olympic games. the white house says the u.s. has agreed to cooperate with russia on counterterrorism efforts leading up to the games. and president putin has given orders to russia's national anti-terrorism committee to strengthen security throughout russia and volgograd. jim, good morning to you, what more can you tell us? >> reporter: good morning, ver veronica. investigators in volgograd, a major rail and bus hub for southern russia, a city you'd pass through on your way to or from sochi, vest conveyors have issued a statement saying this morning the bus bomb was carried out, they believe now, by a male suicide bomber. no one or group has yet claimed responsibility for either today's or sunday's attacks,

which as you say have now left at least 30 wounded -- 30 dead, more than 60 wounded. but the strong suspicion is that this was the work of an islamist insurgent group from the north caucasus. you're right, people are terrified in volgograd, a city of over 1 million. there are reports residents are too afraid to go outside and go about their daily lives. police are calling these latest attacks acts of terror and connecting them to a public appeal. furl several months ago by the chechen warlord, he appealed to his men to kill civilians and disrupt the upcominge ing sochi winter olympics, an event russian president vladimir putin has staked his prestige and reputation on. putin has deployed 40,000 special forces, police and agents around sochi to make it safe. but the militants have shown now they can really strike elsewhere in russia and at will. >> all right, jim, thank you for

that. severe weather is hampering another rescue attempt of that stranded ship in antarctica. snow showers and high winds made it impossible for the "aurora australia" to approach the research vessel but it came close. the rescuers were ten nautical miles away before having to retreat. they may make a second attempt if the weather improves. the ship has been stuck in layers of ice ten feet deep since christmas eve but spirits remain high with passengers posting video diaries on youtube. the passengers include scientists, tourists and crew members on a mission to retrace a 100-year-old antarctic mission. even if its waning days 2013 continues to prove a nightmare for the national security agency with new information on the government's organization's secret weapon coming to light. a german magazine claims to have internal documents that detail the agency's elite hacking unit known as tailored access operations, tao. the tao group is tasked with a mission of getting the

ungettable and sometimes did that by physically intercepting packages did install nsa bugs in electronics. the der spiegel report continues detailing james bond-like gadgets including cables that can record keyboard strokes and usb sticks that use micro transmitters to send data back to the nsa. according to an intelligence official, the t.a.o. has gathered "some of the most significant intelligence our country has ever seen." the purported source of those documents is nsa leaker edward snowden and some members of congress say they aren't impressed with his recent publicity blitz. >> you know, he has kindled an important public debate. but frankly, i think it came from a mixture of motivations on his part. and i think he should have saved the united stat-- stayed in the states and been willing to stand up for his beliefs if that's what motivated him. >> he stole classified documents that because of their release

jeopardize soldiers in the field and afghanistan and has allowed china and others to have valuable insight in the way our intelligence services operate to collect information to keep america safe. >> snowden's legal adviser appeared sunday on nbc's "meet the press." >> there are lots of times when people violate the law and society decides for one reason or another to look forward rather than backwards. i think this is one of those cases. for now he doesn't believe and i don't believe the cost of his act of conshebs should be a life behind bars. >> the secret service says a suspect in a bank robbery spree had also served time in prison for online threats against president obama in 2010. during a bank robbery attempt sunday the suspect mario garnett was shot and killed by a connect connect. he's believed to have robbed a bank in atlanta and shot and killed a police officer in tupelo, mississippi. they are getting ready for new year's eve in new york's times square. the amazing spider-man who is the official superhero of new year's eve helped test out the confetti that will be released

when 2014 arrives. the paper was sent flying from the marquee of the hard rock cafe. and for the first time, a supreme court just advertise, sonya sotomayor and new york native, will be in charge of pressing that button that drops the sparkling ball that rings in the new year. now let's get the latest in sports from richard louis, who's dressed as baby new year this morning. >> baby new year, far from that. testing the paper to make sure it falls the right way, good job. the season is done, now begins the road to the super bowl. eagles at cowboys in a win or go home game for them. fourth quarter, dallas down by eight. dez bryant cuts it to two. but later, the eagles intercept dallas, 24-22 the eagles move on. broken collarbone, aaron rodgers back after missing seven games. they missed his skill and some of his luck, like that right there, rodgers hit as he throws. everybody thinks it's

incomplete. no, it's not. green bay picks up the ball, walks it in. yeah, you got six for that. that's not it. packers down by one in the fourth. rodgers on fourth down with that beauty of a cannon to beat the bears 33-28. they're glad to have him back. the panthers defense destroys the falcons qb matt ryan nine times, beating carolina 21, atlanta 20. the saints destroy the bucs 42-17. cheefls at chargers. tied in the game. chiefs flub a game-winning field goal. into overtime, chargers then win with their own field goal. 27-24. seahawks beat the rams 27-9. they tie a franchise record for wins and winning the nfc championship as well. the afc's denver broncos dominate as peyton manning sets the single-season passing yard average record. 5,477. and while at it, why not, 55 season tds. another record. he also led denver to break the nfl single-season points record

with 606 points. all in a day's work. here's the playoff snapshot, broncos get home field advantage throughout the playoffs. nfc, seahawks get home field advantage throughout the playoffs. also in panthers, eagles, packers, my 49ers, and the saints. it was pride on the line for the last vikings game at metrodome. want to talk about that, it worked. they edged the lions 14-13. minnesota gets a new dome in three years. they may not want it, though. given the team or teams like the lions are 7-24 in the dome. some fans tried to rip seats out as souvenirs. not a good idea there. they didn't make it through security. they can get them later at a planned auction. jaguars, we had to show you, this he cannot be stopped. helmet pulled off by a defender, he charges on, look at him. despite his effort jags lose

that one to the colts 30-10. and look for more pink slips today in the nfl. the 4-12 cleveland browns coach was fired sunday. though the 8-8 jets coach rex ryan was saved. many expect the 3-13 redskins coach mike shanahan to get the boot. it's definitely, well, johnny football. not johnny basketball. yeah, the texas a&m qb trying the lay-up at the bobcats/hawks game, helping with the lay-up competition. he was not too happy as you saw him smirking at the end there. >> try winter sports. he could be johnny hockey. >> perhaps. he should stick to football for the next day or so, though. >> johnny football, all right. a rare shark sighting in minnesota to tell you about. take a look at this. it is a snow shark. it took three brothers about 95 hours to build this 15-foot-high snow sculpture of a shark in their frond yard. and the three are old pros. in past years, they actually

made a puffer fish and a wall rules, bill karins. >> i'm trying to think how long -- >> what inspires that? >> i don't know, how long's it going to last? when's it going to melt in minnesota, may? >> with your nor'easter passing through, awhile, right? >> it's cold there too. let's talk about the very active week of weather for people traveling in and around the new year's holiday, you're fine. end of the week, it really gets dicey. we're starting off this morning, dreamily cold air, windchills are very cold. kansas city to indianapolis. thankfully we don't have kids at bus stops so that's good. that cold air will work itself to the northeast. so we get a cold blast. behind it another snow storm. it starts as we go through wednesday. the gray is possibly 1 to 3 inches. at least the potential for that. then we really start to see the storm strengthen as it reaches the atlantic. the potential for snow, chicago to detroit on thursday. then into the northeast thursday night into friday. could be a full-blown nor'easter type storm. that purple shading shows the potential for over a foot of snow in a pretty large area. this is still pretty far out.

if you have travel plans thursday night and friday in the northeast, there's the potential it could be very difficult. just to show you how cold it's going to be, look at chicago. those are the highs. it's not even going to come close to freezing all week long. so this is the heart of winter right here. >> ouch. 13, 13 degrees. >> that's it. >> yikes. a major milestone for obamacare. plus why tomorrow might just be the best day of the year to buy that new car. tony starts iron man powers. the 2013 box office to new heights. are you ready grandma? just a second, sweetie.

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good morning. welcome back. some stories making news this morning. the government announced sunday that more than 1.1 million people have enrolled in health care coverage through healthcare.gov. the troubled website saw the vast majority of those signups, more than 975,000, in the month of december. the united nations says tomorrow's deadline for the removal of syria's chemical weapons is unlikely to be met. the u.n. cited recent violence in the area for the holdup.

while other reports claim syria hasn't even begun to move its weapons. seven-time formula 1 champion michael shoemaker is in critical condition in france after suffering a serious head injury while skiing. this morning doctors say he's been put into an artificial coma to reduce brain swelling but they are ununable to give aing pro. a series of small earthquakes in mexico caused a 900 foot stretch of highway to collapse and fall 100 feet. amazingly no injuries were reported in this freak accident. some business news. the dow and s&p 500 on track for four straight months of gains. and car shoppers, listen up. new year's eve might just be the best day of the year to buy a new 2013 car. dealers and automakers are willing to offer huge rebates and incentives to reach year-end sales targets. kiblinger.com reports shoppers should be able to score major discounts on clothing, electronics and other items. by 13 set a record for

domestic box office with moviegoers spending almost $11 billion. sequels were the key with "iron man 3" leading the pack at $1.2 billion. followed by "despicable me 2," "fast and furious 6," "the hunger games," and "monsters university." just ahead, the biggest political stories of 2013 and the "washington post" david nakamura with a look ahead at 2014 coming up next. ♪ ♪

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president obama is likely grateful that 2013 is in the rear-view mirror. but before we look ahead to 2014, nbc white house correspondent chris welker has a look back. >> i, barack hussein obama -- >> reporter: it was a year that started with great expectations. a few months later a trio of controversies quickly threatened to derail president obama's second-term agenda. revelations the irs was targeted conservative groups. and that the justice department was seizing the phone records of journalists. plus the ongoing fallout from the attacks on the u.s. consulate in benghazi. >> the fak is we had four dead americans. was it because of a protest? or was it because of guys out for a walk one night who decided they'd go kill some americans? what difference at this point does it make? >> reporter: one of president obama's biggest policy goals, enacting stiffer gun laws in the wake of the newtown tragedy, failed to go anywhere after a bipartisan deal was narrowly

defeated in the senate. >> this was a pretty shameful day for washington. >> reporter: his other big priority, immigration policy, didn't get much further. but it was the president's signature achievement, health care reform, that ended up becoming his biggest headache. the president forced to apologize over and over for the botched rollout. >> i am sorry. fiction it myself but i don't write code. we did fumble the ball on it. >> reporter: and for telling americans -- >> if you like your plan you can keep your plan. >> reporter: we now know that's not true and that infamous comment, along with revelations about the nsa's massive surveillance program, eroded the public's trust in the president. meanwhile, republicans didn't fare any better in 2013. the gop watched their poll numbers plummet after the public blamed them for shutting down the government. it was a failed effort aimed at defunding the president's health care law, led by tea party republicans like ted cruz who samed a filibuster that will go down in history. >> i do not like green eggs and ham. >> reporter: the one bright spot for both sides, a bipartisan

budget deal struck just a few weeks ago. could it be a sign 2014 could be better for washington and the american people? the president almost sounded hopeful at his year-end news conference. >> i firmly believe that 2014 can be a breakthrough year for america. >> and that was kristen welker reporting. joining me, let's bring in "washington post" reporter david nakamura. good to see you, good morning. we're listening to kristen talk about the affordable care act and how the president said he fumbled the ball here. but new numbers out, more than 1 million people have signed up for the exchanges. has the tide turned here? >> well, the white house certainly hopes so. but it's still a long time to go before the march 31st final deadline to get this new insurance for those who are uninsured. i think the white house is trying to ride the momentum. they're not where they expected to be when they first started to envision where they would be at the end of the year. i think they hoped more than 3 million people would have signed up. if you include the states about 2 million have done so.

their goal is 7 million by the end of march. and that's when people are going to judge them. they're hoping to ride this momentum, use success stories to build on it, hope to avoid more republican criticism. >> coverage kicks in for those millions on the 1st. so things might actually change. question for you, has the president signed up for the ac as well, do you know? >> he has, yes. he did when he went out to hawaii for vacation. he picked a lower-cost plan, they made a big point of it. they promised to do so by december 23rd and they did it. >> unemployment benefits, democrats saying they are making extensioning these a priority. republicans are going to expect something in return. david, what are your thoughts here? how could a compromise work? can they get this done? >> this is going to be one of the first orders of business for congress and the white house. i think the goal here is to maybe do be a extext for three months. there's a bipartisan group of senators working on this. the question though is where to find the $6 billion it costs for three months or $24 billion it

would cost for a one-year extension of this program. that's the sticking point. republicans want to find other cost savings and demand democrats take subsidies out of the farm bill or other areas where they might find compromise. >> david knack cure may with "the washington post," nice to see you. coming up next, bill karins and richard louis joins us for "first buzz" including two boys' close encounter at a california beach.

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it is time for "first buzz." ah, the beauty of live television. >> yes. >> as journalists we work so hard to bring you the news. >> so, so hard. >> so hard.

sometimes it doesn't go so well. take a look at this. >> linda carson, abc 7 -- would you not eat my pants aah! >> ha ha ha! >> first came up with the hand -- that was great. >> the location where he dropped -- please don't do that. >> it worked in practice. >> -- grinds up the sand and -- >> what? >> we've all done that one. >> i have not. >> really? >> maybe. >> never been caught, wait, wrong camera? what are we doing? >> yeah, i've definitely done that. >> there's some rough people out there. >> you know, it always happens. and that actually is a video -- >> those are the good ones. >> 2013's bloopers in the news business. more than 9 million people have viewed this video. and i think richard louis actually made the cut. >> i may have been.

like i said, i've done things like that before. >> should have been, may have been. >> may have been. >> bill karins, what are you talking about today? >> ever go somewhere and take a photo then see something in the background you didn't know was there am when you took the original photo? manhattan beach, california, look to the bottom right by these two 12-year-old boys in the surf. they look like they're in shallow water. that's a large wave. not sure if it's a shark or a dolphin. most people feel it's a juvenile shark. but juvenile or not, looks pretty big. >> looked like there were two. >> they're saying they almost photo bombed it. >> where's the second one? >> that was a long one too. >> i think they said it was a dolphin. >> merry christmas, let's talk about gifts. i'm good with that. >> kimye, i love talking about that. >> no. >> skip this. >> the daughter got one? a mini lamborghini.

>> no. >> fantastic. >> the difference in price, daddy's, $750,000. and the mini, probably maybe 50 bucks or 200 bucks. >> a waste of air time, i'm sorry. i'm veronica de la cruz. stay tuned for "way too early." just no chance that this was an al qaeda attack, if by al qaeda you mean the organization founded by osama bin laden. now, i try to understand some of the statements coming out of united states congress. if you're using the term al qaeda to describe even a local group of islamist militants who may dislike democracy or have a grudge against the united states, if you're going to call anybody like that al qaeda, then okay. >> a "new york times" report sheds new light on what happened in benghazi. we'll break down the key points that people will be talking about today. seemed like a fun story,

tourists stuck in antarctic ice. three rescue attempts later it seems they'll be hanging out a little while longer. the nfl regular season is over and the dallas cowboys do it again. the "it" isn't very good. highlights from the late game and everything else we can squeeze in on this monday edition of "way too early." good morning, everybody, it is monday, december the 30th. i want to point out a few other things in this show. britney spears, important stuff, started her stint in vegas. we'll have a clip for you in the cooler. if her music isn't your style and you're vigilant you may have had a chance to hear the new bruce springsteen album early. we'll explain also in "the cooler." breaking news of a second bombing in volgograd, the russian city rocked by a suicide attack on su