good morning on this last day of 2013. right now on "first look," ready for rescue. icebreakers unable to reach the stranded antarctic ship and a helicopter will be used to rescue the passengers. fireball. a derailed train erupts in flames and in plumes of thick, toxic, black smoke into the air and forcing residents to hunker down. going pro. reports that johnny football will skip another year of college to cash in on the nfl. plus, 2013 was a great year for investors, ford cars and trucks, and president obama's favorite tv shows. happy new year. it's nice to see you. i'm veronica de la cruz. 74 passengers and crew members on board that stranded russian

research ship in antarctica will remain hunkered down, at least for now. whiteout conditions are keeping a chinese helicopter from landing at the site. weather conditions aren't expected to improve until at least tomorrow. when they do, the plan is for the chinese helicopter to take all 52 passengers to its vessel while all 22 crew members remain with the ship as icebreakers try to reach it. the ship has been stranded since christmas eve. a california state judge extends life support for a teenage girl. a retraining order will keep 13-year-old johiah mcmath on life support. she was brain-dead following complications from a tonsillecto tonsillectomy. her family says they've found a facility in new york state that will accept the girl and has made transportation arrangements. the federal aviation administration announced a major milestone in getting drones into the skies over the united states. the faa has chosen test flights in six states, each with unique challenges for drone operations. from the bitter cold of fairbanks, alaska, to the

sweltering heat of corpus christi, texas, and back up to rome, new york, where drones will be test flown in the heavily congested air traffic in the northeast. the goal is to have commercial drones sharing the skies way the end of 2014 in what's projected to be an industry worth billions of dollars. right now, any civilian with no training is free to fly drones as long as it's below 400 feet and away from populated areas or airports. this morning, doctors say formula 1 racing champ michael schumacher is fighting for his life after suffering severe head injuries in a skiing accident in the french alps. doctors say they can't say what schumacher's future is, but that they're working around the clock to try to buy him time. the 44-year-old racing great has been placed in a medically induced coma to release pressure on his brain, which suffered bleeding and bruising when he struck a rock sunday while skiing on a family vacation. huge fireball shot into the sky above castleton, north carolina, monday after a train flew off the tracks. early afternoon, a train

carrying crude oil collided with another train that had gone off the tracks, causing several explosions and clouds of black smoke to fill the air. local authorities have recommended residents evacuate their homes in case the dark clouds carry any toxic fumes. no injuries have been reported. well, tonight an estimated 1 million revelers from around the globe are expected to pack new york city's times square to ring in 2014 with the dropping of the iconic crystal ball. and as usual, the nypd is taking no chances. nbc's sarah dollop is live for us in times square with details. sarah, good morning. how big a police presence can we expect? >> reporter: well, just a huge police presence expected here tonight, veronica, and some things, like the bomb-sniffing dogs, the security sweeps, rooftop patrols, those are going to be very visible to the people here, but other things, like plain-clothed detectives with radiation detectors in their palms will blend right in with the 1 million people expected here tonight. one of the world's biggest and

most well-known parties. >> love it, just amazing atmosphere. >> reporter: times square, counting down the last few minutes of 2013. those who will brave the crowds will also brave the cold, temperatures expected to be in the 20s. earlier, a final dress rehearsal with the times square ball. it's a sparkling centerpiece featuring more than 2,600 crystals with updated designs for this year's celebration. >> three, two -- >> reporter: and a test confetti drop. >> happy new year! >> well, this is an experience for me. i've never been into the new years in new york city, so this is great. i'm so excited. >> reporter: a new year with new resolutions for the more than 1 million people expected to pack times square and the 1 billion expected to watch it on tv. >> get more centered in our lives. we're getting older and closer to retirement, so trying to figure out what we want to do when we grow up. >> reporter: a fresh start in the first few minutes of 2014.

so, who gets the honor of pushing the button that will lower the ball this year? that belongs to u.s. supreme court justice and bronx native sonia sotomayor. veronica, back to you. >> i thought you were going to say that you do. >> reporter: i wish it was me. >> sarah dallof -- >> reporter: i will be somewhere warm. >> thanks, sarah. let's check in with my good friend, richard lui. you know, that would be something, right? >> it would be, but then sarah -- >> press that button? >> she would have to work 24 hours straight is what would happen if she was there, right? >> yeah, yeah, but still, quite an honor. >> it would be. i'm going to stay in the warm, as sarah will. very good tuesday to you, actually, there, veronica. johnny football is going pro. johnny manziel is heading to the nfl, says nfl.com. if the texas a&m quarterback can get into the first round of the draft, as many expect here, it's more likely it's a yes. now, if it's the second round for him, who knows whether he'll actually go. it's expected the heisman trophy winner might announce after

tonight's chick-fil-a bowl. talking about qbs, davis webb tied a holiday bowl record of ten touchdowns and they upset arizona state to break a five-game losing streak, 37-23. two teams want ad a bigger finale. only one found it in the alamo bowl. mac brown hosted his last game after 16 seasons. number ten oregon playing like it did earlier in the season. it blows out texas 30-7. at music city bowl, mississippi makes it ten wins in the last eleven bowls. georgia tech makes it eight losses in the last nine, losing 25-17. in the armed forces bowl, navy's keenan reynolds, 31 rushing tds for the season. he joins the 30-touchdown qb rushing club. middle tennessee state loses a chippy game 24-6. four more nfl coaches fired on monday. washington's mike shanahan, tampa bay's greg schiano, minnesota's leslie frasier and

detroit's jim schwartz. that now leaves six job openings out of 32 teams. and here's one guy who has a new job, tim tebow. the former nfl quarterback joins espn as college football analyst. tebow's multiyear commitment debuts january 6th, and pregame coverage of the bcs national championship game. he's got a job. happy 29th birthday to lebron james. and his special day gift, 26 points, or his 525th time in a row scoring double digits. james back from an injury leads miami over denver 97-94. utah reporter brooke graham, her voice keeps getting higher, and then -- oh, veronica, she loses consciousness during that live interview. and then when she recovers, she nonchalantly finishes the interview there. graham saying on her blog that she commonly faints in high cold altitudes, and that's okay if you want to giggle, because she did this very same thing when

she watched that video. >> she is such a trooper. she is such a trooper. >> yeah. >> she gets right back up and keeps going. >> and she finishes it altogether. >> that's crazy. thanks. now for a look at your new year's eve weather, here's nbc meteorologist bill karins. you know, we were just talking to sarah and richard who are saying they're not going to brave the cold. they're going to be indoors tonight because it's going to be how cold? >> yeah, very. >> really? >> times square, it will probably be about 10, 15 degrees with the windchill, so that's not where you want to be. maybe an hour or two, but not longer than that. as far as other areas, it's baderly cold morning, this is a huge arctic outbreak. windchills in fargo minus 31, chicago minus 8. we've got nashville at 18, new york city's down to 17 and new england is cold, too. northern maine at minus 8. there's a little area of light snow this morning now traveling over ohio and heading for pennsylvania and new york state. may put down just a little slick coating. the storm behind it that i have circled is the storm that's going to be more significant. that will drop some snow during the day today, areas of south dakota through iowa, tonight near chicago.

so, the stroke of midnight, be careful there. then the ohio valley. as far as the northeast goes, still looks like we have a snowstorm coming. it won't be a blockbuster event. it will be light and it will be fluffy. our one computer, american model, is saying possibly 6 to 10 inches from a good chunk of central portions of new england, but maybe not so much from new york city southwards. so, again, that's thursday, so that's just a peek look at it. >> all right, but tonight -- >> it's just going to be pretty much cold everywhere. >> just going to be really cold? >> yes. >> all right, thanks, bill. major security concerns for our olympic athletes arise from terror strikes in russia. plus, getting high will cost you plenty in colorado as recreational marijuana sellers and the state prepare for a potential winfall. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. nouncer ] we eased your back pain... ♪ ready or not. [ female announcer ] ...so you can be up there. here i come! [ female announcer ] ...down there, around there... and under there for him. tylenol® provides strong pain relief

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welcome back. some top stories now. san antonio spurs guard tony parker has apologized after a photo of him making an anti-semitic gesture known as a cunel surfaced on the internet.

the gesture is perceived to be a variation of the nazi salute. parker released a statement monday saying "i will certainly never repeat the gesture and sincerely apologize for any misunderstanding or harm relating to my actions." health officials in israel announce the government will begin paying for abortions for women age 20 to 33, regardless of circumstance. until now, subsidized abortions were only available in medical emergencies or cases of rape and abuse. three people are in the hospital after an suv careened off the road and into a popeyes chicken restaurant monday. police say the driver of the suv ran a red light, clipped another car and then smashed into the restaurant. the building has been declared unsafe for occupancy. and over 1,600 people have been evacuated from the area surrounding an erupting volcano in eastern el salvador. smoke and ash have been shooting into the air since sunday's big eruption, forcing nearby residents to huddle in emergency shelters. well, almost three dozen people have been killed by suicide bombers in russia since sunday, raising fears of similar

attacks on the upcoming sochi olympic games. police presence has been stepped up at train stations and airports across the country with even tighter security in sochi, where the olympic winter games are set to begin in just 37 days. nbc's duncan golestani is live for us in london. duncan, good morning. how will these bombings affect security at the games? >> good morning, veronica. well, in terms of the actual games' location at sochi, it seems unlikely to change very much. security is already foremidably tight. visitors will need a spectator pass that requires passport details to be given to the authorities and there's a 1,500-square-mile security zone around the black seacoast resort. so, the russian olympic committee chief says everything necessary already has been done, but there are ways we are likely to see things change. first, at locations away from sochi. many experts believe who is is behind these attacks is going off to so-called soft targets that create panic, so major

transport hubs like volgograd station. that's where security is being increased. second, how athletes and officials travel to the games. we're already seeing some countries saying their people only fly into the resort, not leave the area, and will not be vacationing in russia when the games are over. the presidents of the international olympic committee has said he believes the russians will deliver a safe and secure games. veronica, back to you. >> all right, duncan. thank you. now for your "first look" at business, we turn to cnbc's bertha coombs. good morning, bertha. >> good morning, veronica. you know, facebook still dominates social media, but people are branching out. a new survey finds that while a majority use facebook, about 40% frequently visit two or more social networking sites. affluent men are heavy users of linkedin, while pinterest is more popular with women. meantime, netflix ceo reed hastings is ringing in the new year on a high note, raise in

pay to $6 million amid subscribers increase. stock has quau draupled this year. and expect high prices for getting high in colorado, which begins legal pot sales tomorrow. experts say demand could outstrip supply. plus, state and local officials are putting on a hefty sales tax of 31%. high cost for high times. back to you. >> brings a whole new meaning to mile high city. all right. thanks, bertha. all right, taking stock on this last day of trading for 2013, the dow jones saw 15 record closes, including monday's new all-time high and the best return since 1996 with a 25.9% gain. 2013 was also a great year when it comes to energy-efficient homes. americans haven't used this little power since 2001. it was also a banner year for ford, which expects to top toyota as the best-selling vehicle brand in north america. and the u.s. population grew by about 2.2 million people this

year. according to the census bureau, baby will be born every eight seconds in january with one death occurring every twelve seconds. coming up, bill and richard will be here for "first buzz" with their choices for the best stories on this last day of 2013. plus, president obama's favorite tv shows of the year. it's all next. is the creamy chn corn chowder. i mean, look at it. so indulgent. did i tell you i am on the... [ both ] chicken pot pie diet! me too! [ male announcer ] so indulgent, you'll never believe they're light. 100-calorie progresso light soups.

now here's your "first look" at this year's final helping of "scrambled politics." politico reports that after the

do-nothing congress of 2013, the new year could be even worse, but some lawmakers are hoping to pass at least smaller items, like a farm bill and a debt limit extension. california congressman ed royce filed for re-election this week, but instead of listing the 39th congressional district he has represented since winning re-election in 2012, he listed the 40th district he used to serve. just like us, president obama loves to sit down and binge watch his top tv shows. according to "the new york times," some of his favorites include "house of cards," "breaking bad," "the wire," "game of thrones," "boardwalk empire," "downton abbey," "mad men," "homeland," "modern family," "parks and recreation" and msnbc's "first look." michelle obama congratulated robin roberts on coming out, saying "i am so happy for you and amber. you continue to make us so

proud." and a gallup poll found president obama is the most admired man in america and hillary rodham clinton is the most admired woman. bill clinton has a meeting on new year's day to lead the swearing-in ceremony for bill de blasio, becoming new york's first democratic mayor in 20 years. outgoing mayor michael bloomberg spent $650 million of his own money on campaigning, personal and professional travel, charity, all while taking only $1 per year salary while he was in office. monday he signed the bill banning the use of e-cigarettes in the city, and he heard from a woman protesting his antismoking campaign. >> good people disobey bad laws. >> okay. okay, thank you. we just don't permit smoking in public building. so, appreciate your comments. >> and that's going to do it for your morning dish of scrambled politics. and joining me now from new orleans for our first look at

politics, "newsday"'s ellis h henniken. >> how are you doing, veronica? >> good. you recently wrote an article on the nsa and edward snowden. and of course, the question, to spy or not to spy. ellis, it's a question that not even the federal judiciary can answer. i want your take on what you make of the recent rulings, and also, what do you have to say about snowden declaring he's been victorious here? >> well, boy, we sure will not be getting any guidance yet from the federal courts, right? one judge says the program is almost clearly unconstitutional. the other judge says, eh, looks pretty good to me. i don't see much of a problem here. inevitably, this thing does have to get resolved by the u.s. supreme court, and that's going to take a while, so we're going to be in this limbo period, and everybody can look at it and spout off, including, including edward snowden, right, who's now declaring himself victorious. >> right, and did he actually accomplish anything? >> well, you know, listen, i

think it's pretty hard to defend all his methods. i do not want, and i don't think most americans want just, you know, your average nsa contractor deciding what should be public and what should be private. i mean, that's a very serious decision, and you can't have every freelancer doing it, but he has created a real national discussion on this thing, and here we are debating it, we're talk being it, wondering how far our government should go, and that was a big part of snowden's aim. so, to that extent, yeah, i do think he's achieved something. >> all right, so, ellis henican says somewhat victorious. >> well, yeah. i would say depending on what your goal is, he has forced the issue, you know, right on to the front burner of american politics, and i do think that's a big part of what he wanted to do. >> all right, ellis, quickly, let's move on to 2014 and talk strategy for the democrats. word on the street is that their strategy is to focus on raising the minimum wage. is that right? >> well, that is right. and you know what, the polls tell us it's a winner.

the vast majority of americans think it's crazy to expect adults to be able to support a family on 7 bucks and change an hour and that it really does need to go up a couple of bucks. it's an issue that democrats can rally around after health care reform, which has been so tough for them and may still be, that actually seems to help them with folks. >> quickly, can you tell us what the president should do to get those sagging poll numbers up? >> listen, it's going to be a long climb. i mean, the main thing is just to make sure that this health care thing keeps improving, that people can get on to the system, that the results they get are better, and then they just pluck off these issues one at a time. do something with immigration, do something with raising the minimum wage, focus on those middle class issues where republicans i think are still pretty vulnerable. >> all right, ellis henican, happy new year. nice to see you, my friend. >> same to you. talk to you soon. time now for "first buzz." let's check in with richard lui and bill karins to see what they have been eyeing this morning.

i know you're looking at the nsa, right? no, you're looking at nasa. >> very close, nasa. has the same letters, plus another "a." >> ellis was looking at the nsa this morning. >> he's looking at the nsa, i'm looking at nasa. they came out with interesting technology, it's called a superball baht. what they do is send rovers, like opportunity. they have pillows on the outside and it hits a planet and then it bounces, and then it has to strip it off. now they're going to put it all together and just have this ball that bounces, and then it doesn't strip off -- >> crazy. >> -- that outer skin. it just moves around the planet that way. >> rolling around. >> rolling around, because it can absorb all of -- i guess we don't have the video -- it absorbs all of the pressure and all of the energy. >> that makes sense. >> it's really cool. and they actually framed it after a human skeleton. there's some incan idea right there. so, the skeleton absorbs all that energy, very fascinating. >> do you guys make new years resolutions? >> yes. >> no.

>> do you ever stick to them? richard, since you make them? >> not really, no, i don't. but i do it just because it's fun, yeah. >> all right, well, "time" magazine has a couple of really great ideas to go ahead and stick to your new years resolution. they say, you know, just do it. if you're going to say you want to walk more, don't just say it, do it. maybe go get a dog and that's going to commit you to walking for, what, the next decade. >> oh, yeah. it will. oh, yeah. >> 16 years. >> the next 20 years. >> lack of sleep sometimes. >> they also say, you know, don't just say you're going to join the gym, join it, and then make dates with your friends, and that would be where you would meet up. make that your meeting point. >> that one always falls by the side. >> it does. for everybody. >> it's a tough thing. >> it's tough. all right, so, the waterford crystal, it's a crystal ball. let's have fun on new year's eve. go to these locations where they drop other things from the skies. first, key west, florida, they drop a conch shell, a pirate wrench and a red high heel shoe.

tempe, arizona? how about dipping the tortilla chip into the cup of salsa, smart, right? >> i love that! >> pittsburgh, pennsylvania, of course, dropping the heinz ketchup bottle. >> that makes sense. >> and wilkes-barre, pennsylvania, this is the most creative one. they take a chunk of coal and slowly drops and turns into a diamond at the bottom. and where i'm going tonight, brass town, north carolina, a live possum in a cage. >> oh, yeah. >> a live possum. >> i'm veronica de la cruz. this is "first look" just like yours. huh. [ male announcer ] and roasted white meat chicken. just like yours. [ male announcer ] you'll think it's homemade. i love this show. [ male announcer ] try campbell's homestyle soup. [ male announcer ] you'll think it's homemade. i love this show. that it's given me time toabout reflect on some of life'seen biggest questions. like, if you could save hundreds on car insurance by making one simple call, why wouldn't you make that call? see, the only thing i can think of is that you can't get any... bars. ah, that's better. it's a beautiful view. i wonder if i can see mt. rushmore from here.

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good morning on this last day of 2013. right now on "first look," ready for rescue. icebreakers unable to reach the stranded antarctic ship and a helicopter will be used to rescue the passengers. fireball. a derailed train erupts in flames and delivers plumes of toxic, black smoke into the air and forcing residents to hunker down. going pro. reports that johnny football will skip another year of college to cash in on the nfl. plus, 2013 was a great year for investors, ford cars and trucks, and president obama's favorite tv shows. happy new year.