. good thursday morning. blizzard conditions. get ready for mother nature's welcome to 2014 that will include 103 million americans under winter weather warnings or advisories. an apartment building blaze and explosion sends a dozen people to the hospital as firefighters battle the flames in frigid temperatures. pot a plenty. legal marijuana sales in colorado draw huge crowds and big money for the state. plus some of the most exciting new year's day bowl games in a while. and what is the deal with an 11-year-old stum stuck in a washing machine? the new year is beginning

with a bang with millions in the path of near blizzard like conditions. advisories an warnings are in effect for more than a dozen states. bitter cold and up to 18 inches of snow expected in some parts. boston has declared a snow emergency. and public schools will be closed tomorrow. snow preps are under way in connecticut, new york and beyond. many spent new year's day buying ice melt, shovels and snow blowers. new york governor andrew cuomo says roads could be closed before tonight's commute. blizzard warnings are in effect on long island. this same storm system already left its mark on the midwest. it dropped at least a half foot of snow in chicago. it also canceled more than 630 flights at o'hare airport yesterday. this morning flight aware reports more than 900 cancellations. and a to tell it us just how bad it can get, bill karins is here with the latest. >> we get the snowstorm, which will be trouble enough.

we're used to it in the wintertime. but the cold on top of it is what makes the storm special. windchills friday morning in the northeast at minus 10. so let's break it down. again, 106 million people under some sort of advisory or warning. 49 million people under warning. warnings up for cape cod and portions of long island. winter storm warnings there new york city to boston. the white on the map is the snow. it's already filled in overnight especially i-90 from boston to new albany. also a lot of heavy snow in areas of indiana and also pushing into ohio. how much snow? the highest total definitely in the purple area from albany to hartford to providencprovidence. new york city, 5 to 6. columbus, ohio, a little bit

less. d.c. and baltimore maybe 1 or 2 inches. again the timing, the worst will be now in the ohio valley, during the day today in new england and then tonight overnight in areas around new york city. >> and then bitter cold. >> get out and shovel as it is snowing because you won't want to be out there after the storm leaves. how to breaking news unfolding right now at the bottom of the earth with 74 people stranded aboard the antarctic ship, the first group of 12 passengers have been rescued in what is being described as a race against time. just hours ago, a helicopter arrived on a self-made helipad. the plan is to chopper passengers off the boat and to a near by ice breaker. the ship has been stuck in a field of ice for more than a week now. the new year is also bringing health care under the affordable care act. the government says more than 2 million people have already signed up, but the supreme court

threw in a last minute wrench blocking a contraception requirement. tracie potts in live in washington. how does this break down for us? >> reporter: well, for now for companies that didn't want to comply with the part of the law, it brings down like this. the supreme court has sided with religious organizations who say they should not be forced to cover contraceptives as part of this new health law. this morning this family is among 2 mill beyond americans happy to now have health insurance they can afford. >> this means a lot to people like us being self-employed. >> reporter: but on capitol hill, opponents say that is only half the story. >> 6 million people who had plans they liked that have been thrown off of it, i don't think there is anything to celebrate. >> reporter: there are still snafus. people without i.d. cards, others not showing up in the system. the obama administration set p a toll free number to help. >> if someone is in the system, if they have gone through the paperwork, and for some reason the insurer doesn't have it, if

they call that number, we'll be able to identify them. >> reporter: but there are still computer glichls and some insurers say people just aren't signing up. >> this cannot succeed without some adjustments. >> reporter: another hitch just hours before the new year's deadline, the u.s. supreme court said religious groups don't have to cover birth control. the obama administration says its rules already address that. but those rules deal with church groups and religious groups, not necessarily the companies affiliated with them like universities and hospitals and charities. some of those cases are still working their way up through the courts. >> all right, thank you so much. and a major foush chemicpus clemency for edward snowden. the "new york times" says enormous value lies in the information he has revealed writing, mr. snowden deserves better than a life of permanent exile, fear and flight.

he may have committed a crime to do so, but he has done his country a great service. it is time for the united sta s states -- he should have the hope to lead a life of advocating for greater privacy and intelligence oversight. snowden has temporary asylum in russia. he's charged with espionage and felony theft of government property. u.s. officials have urged him to return and face the charges. 14 people were rushed to the hospital after an apartment building in downtown minneapolis caught fire from an explosion. firefighters did the best they could to control the 20 foot flames but were eventually forced to foul back. fire officials say the building became unsafe and firefighters had to battle that blaze from the outside with hoses. they also had to deal with freezing temperatures and windchills near minus 20 degrees. residents of the second and

third floor apartments were either rescued with ladders or they actually had to jump from windows. six of the 14 people taken to the hospital are in critical condition. the cause of the fire, well, that's still being investigated. james avery best known as the father and uncle phil to will smith's character on the hit sitcom fresh prince of bellaire as died from complications of open heart surgery. >>, so officer, don't tell us to wait and don't tell us to sit down. just open that damn cell and let those two boys out of there or i'll tie this place up in so much litigation that your grandchildren will need lawyers. >> the actor who played avery's son carlton tweeted i'm deeply saddened to say james savory has passed away. he was a second father to me. i will miss him greatly. avery was 68 years old. well, new year's day means serious college football and a richard lui will be here with that. good morning, richard. >> good morning. we have a lot.

when you talk about new year's day, it is all about serious college football. we'll start with the rose bowl. the 100th time they played this game, michigan state versus stanford. michigan state down by three, qben der pressure there, throws an ugly pick six. but later redeems himself with seconds left in the first half, but still down by three. in the fourth, state gets another clutch touchdown to win the rose bowl 24-20. there it is right there. great way it to celebrate in the 70 plus weather, right some gatorade dump. >> they missed. >> no, they didn't miss. what happened is that the assistant coach blocked it for the head coach. that is sacrifice, my friend. >> nebraska takes on georgia. the play of the game, nebraska connecting from its own end zone. the 99 yard play tied an a record and the longest ever in a bowl game. i don't think he lost his breath. nebraska with the upset. outback bowl, iowa at lsu, and the play that could have cost

eye wat game. he gets the interception, runs it back, but he tosses the ball before krcrossing the goal line. lsu slow to start, but wins 21-14. fiesta bowl, goodson tries to fiesta about his interception. he jumps, does not stick the landing. the former gonzaga baseballketb lost his balance. baylor loses. 134 of t some of the announcements to enter the nfl, bridgewater is going, and from south carolina, we have clowney. of course it is early. the chicago bears head coach lovie smith is back. after taking 2013 off, he was hired to lead the tampa bay buccaneers.

they don't call michigan stadium the big house for nothing. 105,491 fans at the sixth winter classic. it was the most shivering fans ever at a hockey game. detroit and toronto battle it out in snow and windchill temperatures below zero. >> those are some diehard fans. >> toronto wins in a tie breaking shoot-out 3-2. nobody left. and how is this for a new year tradition? rome italy, daredevils ignore the cold by diving over 50 feet into the river, a ritual over half a century old. >> a pretty good looking dive. all right. >> speedos looked different 50 years ago. >> yeah, they did. pot poll sales exceed lofty expectations. plus knowing what you know, if you could, would you vote to reelect toronto mayor rob ford? you're watching "first look" on msnbc. is this the bacon and cheese diet?

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all eyes are on colorado as they became the first state to sell marijuana for recreational use. thousands lined up to buy an ounce of pot for prices ranging from $300 to over $500 before tax. the turnout was so big some of the stores actually had to close early. the battle over the life of jahi mcmath, the 13-year-old declared brain dead after a tonsillectomy, tips with the life and hope network getting involved. the organization says it has been helping mcmath's family as they try to transfer jahi from children's hospital oakland to another facility. doctors say there is no chance the teen will come back to life. the former prime minister of israel has taken a turn for the worse with a hospital spokesman saying he is in critical condition and his life is in danger. he's been in a coma since 2006 after suffering a stroke while in office. the rose parade played host

to a same-sex marriage on wednesday. the first ever to occur during the event. it took place aboard the aids health care foundation float that was made to look like a wedding cake. and this morning the 2014 toronto may or kral race will have its first candidate, current mayor rob fod. you you may remember mayor ford is the man who ran on the platform of saving taxpayers money. he also admitted to smoking crack, if you recall. scrambled politics, in the case of the missing fdr bible, new laws and america is becoming a kinder, gentler place. lers. the up all-nighters. and the ones who turn ideas into action. we've made our passions our life's work. we strive for the moments where we can say, "i did it!" ♪ we are entrepreneurs who started it all... with a signature. legalzoom has helped start over 1 million businesses, turning dreamers into business owners.

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♪ now here is your first look at this morning's addition odis scrambled politics. bill de blasio took his oath by his hand resting on a bible used by fdr. in colorado, the first person to buy the new legal marijuana was a iraq war veteran an activist for legal weed saying it helps alleviate his symptoms from post-traumatic stress disorder. >> the top five american cities in murder rates all experienced a drop in the violence last year. in to 13, chicago had 412 murders. that's down from 503 in 2012. new york had only 333. down from 417. its lowest number in recorded

history. detroit had only one less than new york. los angeles had a big drop to 255. and philadelphia was the lowest with 246, down more than 25%. the new year brings a bunch of new laws now in effect. lake connecticut becoming the latest state to allow online voter registration. and after a long line in florida, a new law offers more sxanss for early voting. also before launching spy drones, police in illinois now have to get a court order. and in text texas, you'll have to pay a new 8.25% sales tax on alcoholic drinks in restaurants that used to be tax trfree. >>. and under a new law in los angeles, shoppers need bring their own bags or pay a dime for a paper bag. >> barb broara turn is continuio recuperate. president obama sent his best wishes for a speedy recovery. nd at best went golfing

wednesday. he made a pretty good approach shot on to the 18th green. his put almot almost went in th country. a small crowd of fans cheered on. >> happy new year, everybody. >> we love you! >> i love you back. happy new year. and that is your morning dish of scrambled politics. so joining me now for our first look at politics is cindy dated columnist bob franken. good to see you. >> good morning. of course he lets us see when he gets a great golf shot off. >> minus how many before that weren't so good, right? >> highly edited tape. >> we have to talk about this, the rollout glitches. obamacare is in effect now. are you expecting to see more coverage confusion as people show up for doctor appointments? >> i think it's inevitable.

i think that also the first they didn't produce much of a crush because most doctors weren't making prescriptions, that kind of thing. but i think in the next week or so, we'll see all kinds of glitches. we sort of go into phase two of the controversy now. it depends on just how well it works from here on out. >> we'll be watching for that. here is something a lot of people will be talking about today. the "new york times" editorial board is pushing for clemency for edward snowden. how significant is this? >> i think it's hugely significant. the "times" is not exactly somebody that is normally out will. but it's an interesting question. people are arguing that he's really just a whistleblower, perhaps should be celebrated, but i think another yquestion i should there be clemency for the people he exposed like the government officials who lied to congress, which is a crime. those unconstitutional acts or arguably unconstitutional acts, that kind of thing. this is a very complicated issue. >> and snowden is charged with

espionage and felony theft of government property. but the "times" says there was enormous value in the information snowden has revealed and he's done this country a great service. do you see this as beginning of a larger push for some kind of plea bargain? >> well, i suspect there might be, but i'm wondering if he should plea bargain and suggest that maybe some of the people who he exposed should be the ones who are plea bargaining. the fact of the matter is that the justice department at the behest of the administration which is operating at the behest of national security people is on a vendetta to try and take action against edward snowden when many argue that in fact he's a hero and should be celebrated as opposed to being pursued and prosecuted. >> i i want to he said on this little note here since it is 2014. we finally have gotten to this point. any new year's resolutions? >> i resolved a long time ago

not to make any new year's resolutions. >> come on, bob. really, that's all you got? >> that's all i've got. will is one that i've kept over the years and that is that i won't eat light bulbs anymore. >> that's probably better for your health. all right. thank you. coming up, the three biggest buzz worthy stories of the day. clay. 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. we're gonna be late. ♪

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time for first buzz. aside from the fact bob franken has resolved not eat light bulb bes -- what i can tell you? >> good not to do that. >> and there is a new year baby

with quite a story.>> good not . >> and there is a new year baby with quite a story. >> how about this one, a woman gave birth to twins in the washington, d.c. area. she had a girl first and then a boy. but the catch was that the girl was born just before the stroke of midnight, 11:58. the boy was horn at born the at. she said it's a mixed blessing because they will have separate the birthdays which is unheard of. would you you rather be the older or younger one? >> you have to hold on to the youth as long as you can. and speaking of young girls, there is an 11-year-old who actually got stuck in of all things a washing machine. yeah. check it out, she was playing hide and go seek. this is a girl in utah. and her family couldn't get her out. they used things like butter, peanut butter, ice, none of it

worked. so they had to call 911 and firefighters brought in the you p power tools. shed a a few bruises, but she's okay. >> probably got the legs propped in there. >> there is a person whose legal name is beautiful existence. she was talking to buzz feed about this. for afternon entire year her che was to eat only things from starbucks or starbucks inspired locations. she was not sponsored by them. thets a neither are we. but it cost her about $500 to $600 a rear. she did not feed her two kids with that. coming on 20 14, her plan is to do every recreational sport she says which is about 80. she'll be are working on looking at rei. >> don't you get sick of something at a certain point you can't do it anymore? >> on thanksgiving, she wanted a

hamburger because she couldn't eat anything else. and she had to stock up because on christmas, they were closed. >> breakfast is great every day for her. >> true. thanks for joining us. stay tuned for "way too early". helicopter will take us home. >> thanks, everyone. finally on the move. the vacation story of a lifetime about to pen its last chapter. the helicopter has arrived to start getting people off that ship stuck in the antarctic ice. and what the midwest dealt with yesterday heading toward the northeast. mr. bill karins will break down what parts of the country need to change their travel plans today. i guess some in colorado just stopped by the pot store, pick up the cheetos, a few movies.

pot now legal. but you can't take it out of state. so the crew here, we're pretty stone cold sober on january 2. this is "way too early". good morning, everybody. brian shactman here. it is thursday, january 2, 2014. if any of you still write checks, remember that today. happy new year, everybody. here is hoping we have a few extra folks on the treadmills this morning. later in the show, twins born in separate years. pretty cool story. we'll have that for you in the cooler. and a slew of football news to talk about. but we begin with the weather. just two days into the new year and already blizzard-like conditions being forecast for a huge section of the country. right now nearly 40 million people are under winter storm warnings. in michigan, there are snow emergencies across the state as snow has made a mess of just