and 2-pack could have starred in an iconic hollywood movie. the role he auditioned for before his death in this morning's edition of "way too early." good morning, everybody. brian shactman here on january 8th. if you're a "house of cards" fan, hang on, we have a great trailer for season two later in "the cooler." also, troubling story about velveeta. might not have enough for the nfl playoffs. trouble. we'll have that for you in a few minutes, but we want to start with some serious stuff with the weather. again this morning, 20 degrees never sounded so good. i actually woke up this morning to about 5 in northwest new jersey, but relief is on the way to much of the country after the coldest day in decades. temperatures will pick up after a chilling polar vortex, as we're now calling it, left at least 21 people dead across the united states, including 6 in

illinois. there were subzero temperatures in chicago for 37 straight hours. with the wind, it felt like 31 below. some scary moments caught on camera in minnesota, where black ice sent a truck over an overpass, if you can see it on the upper right side of your screen. unbelievable. we're told the woman inside will be okay. it was so cold in the south that robert vick, an escaped prisoner in kentucky, well, he turned himself back in. the extreme cold grounded nearly 3,000 flights and shut down hundreds of schools across the country. it was below freezing in all 50 states at some point yesterday. bill karins will join us a little bit later with today's forecast and where it's going to warm up and when. we want to get to some tragic news to report overseas. four people are dead after a u.s. air force helicopter crashed during a training mission. the accident happened by the coast of eastern england. officials believe the victims were the four u.s. airmen on board. investigators are at the scene

right now to figure out the cause. it was a pavehawk helicopter, which is a modified version of a blackhawk. the pavehawk frequently used for search-and-rescue missions was also used after the japanese tsunami and hurricane katrina. this will be talked about across the board today, especially on msnbc and a little later on "morning joe." former secretary of defense robert gates blowing open the corridors of the white house, pentagon and state department with his new memoir. in "duty," gates says president obama rapidly began to doubt his own surge strategy in afghanistan. it was so stressful for gates, he considered resigning. the former secretary of defense also accuses officials in president obama's white house of suspicion and distrust of senior military officers. he writes, "the controlling nature of the obama white house and its determination to take credit for every good thing that happened while giving none to the career folks in the trenches who have actually done the work

offended secretary clinton as much as it did me." gates was also harsh in his assessment of the vice president, writing, "i think he has been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades." the white house pushing back on many of gates's claims. the former defense secretary will be on "morning joe" a week from today. authorities in new york say they have broken up a sickening social security scheme where bogus disability claims cost taxpayers millions of dollars. now, this is 106 people facing charges, including 80 retired new york city police officers and firefighters. some are accused of claiming they suffered post-traumatic stress from 9/11, even though they were nowhere near ground zero. officials say it was a virtual pyramid scheme run by the former head of the rackets bureau in the nassau county d.a.'s office on long island. >> many said they could no longer drive or be out of the house for more than a short walk

around the block. the investigation revealed lifestyles that were very different. >> take a look at this video. it shows louis furtado as a martial arts instructor. he collected nearly $500,000 after he said he was mentally disabled. richard constantino felt good enough to fish, posted this photo on facebook on the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. he received more than $200,000 in disability payments. and take a look at glen lieberman grinning as he gives two middle fingers in the water. well, the former cop, how much did he get? $175,000 in disability payments. officials say the scheme was worth up to $400 million. president obama scored a minor victory yesterday as the senate advances a bill to restore unemployment benefits for 1.3 million americans. six republicans joined the democratic caucus to vote to officially begin debate on this bill. it was just a procedural vote.

despite the white house saying they want benefits extended with no strings attached, majority leader harry reid says he is open to finding a way to offset the $6.5 billion jobless aid for the three-month extension of these benefits. yesterday the president spoke about the vote and what's next for the bill. >> i've heard the argument that says extending unemployment insurance will somehow hurt the unemployed because it saps their motivation to get a new job. i meet a lot of people. and i can't name a time where i met an american who would rather have an unemployment check than the pride of having a job. so, we've got to get this across the finish line without obstruction or delay and we need the house of representatives to be able to vote for it as well. in new jersey, governor chris christie once again proving he's not afraid to step

out from the shadows of the republican party. yesterday at a ceremonial signing of the state's so-called dream act, which allows undocumented high school graduates to take advantage of instate college tuition rates, christie took aim at washington's inability to get things done, laying out the case for similar legislation on the national level. >> the fact is, is that the taxpayers of this state have made an enormous investment in these young people, and the question is, do we want to maximize our investment through giving them nothing more than an opportunity? >> christie went on to say, "even if you're cold-hearted about this, you can agree with the common sense of the economics -- an investment made should be an investment maximized." the u.s. senate race in georgia being closely watched in part because of a field of high-profile, well-funded candidates. republican congressman paul broun, known for some controversial remarks on everything from obamacare to the age of the planet earth, raised eyebrows when he explained the

scenario under which republicans could lose. >> the only way georgia's going to change is if we have all these illegal aliens that are here in georgia, give them the right to vote, and that would be -- it would be morally wrong, it would be illegal to do so under our current law -- actually, there are all these illegal aliens are getting federal large and taking taxpayer dollars, and that's the only way this state is going to become democratic again in the next decade, number of decades. >> for perspective, the state has not had a democratic senator in nearly a decade. back in 2011, georgia signed into law one of the strictest illegal immigration laws in the country that, among other things, allows police officers to question suspects about their legal status during certain criminal investigations. let's stick with some senate races. why not? alison lundgren grimes, kentucky's senate campaign, of

course faced fire from mitch mcconnell, but now it's a democrat accusing her camp of foul play. in a 15-page document, ed marksbury says someone representing grimes offered to pay off his campaign debt and hire his campaign manager if he agreed to get out of the race. marksbury is running as an independent but was previously running in kentucky as a democrat. the grimes campaign flatly denies those claims. the dallas police chief is facing some backlash after a recent series of firings, but the issue isn't that the police chief, david brown, fired the officers, but rather, that they announced them on twitter. ear's one from last week. "i have terminated fc frank della for public intoxication, damaging a person's property and making offensive contact with a person." another says, "i have terminated sc amy wilburn today for firing her weapon upon an unarmed person without fear or justification." brown does mention for each tweet that the officers have a right to appeal, but critics say the tweets amount to public

humiliation. brown's defenders say he is simply providing information to the public about their police department. let's go to business now. today investors look to build off yesterday's gains, a strong day on the market across the board, more than 100 points in the dow jones industrial average. the s&p stopping a three-day slide to start the year. cnbc's steve sedgwick live for us in london. good morning, steve. >> yes, very good day to you, brian. the catalyst for that rally was some of the best trade figures for the month of november the u.s. has ever seen, so that was very positive stuff there, helped of course by less energy imports. let's get to corporates. microsoft, the search for the new ceo to take off from steve ballmer getting close. alan mulally, the boss at ford, was seen as a front-runner. he says he's staying at ford for at least a year, so ruled himself out. there's a couple outside candidates and insiders as well, including the former boss over at nokia, steven elop, considered to be front-runners

for this. elsewhere, the man unwinding the fraud of the madoff scandal, $17 billion of lost money there, he's now recovered a total of $10 billion worth of money for those clients who lost money from the madoff scandal. 59% recovered. he's chasing more money from more banks, the likes of unicredit, hsbc amongst those. they have denied benefiting from the madoff scandal. back to you. >> all right, what are they doing with our mcdonald's hamburgers here, steve? >> well, what is sustainable beef? and that is a huge, great big question. despite the fact that mcdonald's has said we will have sustainable beef, we will start sourcing from sustainable beef sources by 2016. the problem is, there is no official definition -- >> right. >> but we think they mean where environmental practices and workplace practices are very good and there is a continuous improvement in animal health, but with you don't know what that will do to prices and don't have a firm definition just yet. >> almost seems like sustainable beef that will last a long time or something, which is even little more troubling way to

look at it. >> more sustainable for the cow, of course. >> no, i was going to say, it's tough to sustain the cow. all right, steve. see you, buddy. we appreciate it. steve sedgwick live for us in london. all right, let's stick with some processed foods, right? i want to talk about velveeta for a second. if you like the so-called cheese, you might want to go out now and stock up. kraft foods says a velveeta shortage -- i know, this is in our news blog -- it could make it a hard-to-find item, and it's at a terrible time, about four weeks until the super bowl. so, as you get ready, whether it's saturday night's patriots game or the super bowl when you get ready to sit down and watch some football, what are you going to do to replace your velveeta for that dip? the most creative answers, use #waytooprocessed. we'll put the best answers later in the show. we already have some pretty creative things that are troubling, including spam and hard-boiled eggs. still ahead, just hours away from finding out the newest members of baseball's hall of fame, a couple guys right here

seem like shoo-ins, but there's a few others who may have a shot as well. we'll go through that. plus, steven seagal's run for arizona governor just got real. his campaign ad later in "the cooler" and weather with bill karins when we come right back. ♪ congressman giffords was holding a constituents meeting when a 22-year-old gunman, jared loughner, opened fire. congresswoman giffords was shot in the head, a shot that doctors say went through and through. she has been in surgery and now out and they say she is recovering in icu. it's donut friday at the office. and i'm low man on the totem pole.

so every friday morning they send me out to get the goods. but what they don't know is that i'm using my citi thankyou card at the coffee shop, so i get 2 times the points. and those points add up fast. so, sure, make me the grunt. 'cause i'll be using those points to help me get to a beach in miami. and allllllll the big shots will be stuck here at the cube farm. 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 if ...hey breathing's hard... know the feeling? copd includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. spiriva is a once-daily inhaled copd maintenance treatment that helps open my obstructed airways for a full 24 hours. spiriva helps me breathe easier.

spiriva handihaler tiotropium bromide inhalation powder does not replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms. tell your doctor if you have kidney problems, glaucoma, trouble urinating, or an enlarged prostate. these may worsen with spiriva. discuss all medicines you take, even eye drops. stop taking spiriva and seek immediate medical help if your breathing suddenly worsens, your throat or tongue swells, you get hives, vision changes or eye pain, or problems passing urine. other side effects include dry mouth and constipation. nothing can reverse copd. spiriva helps me breathe better. does breathing with copd weigh you down? don't wait to ask your doctor about spiriva. hi boys! i've made you campbell's chunky new england clam chowder. wow! this is incredible! i know. and now it has more clams! [ male announcer ] campbell's chunky soup. what? [ male announcer ] it fills you up right. we are the thinkers. the job jugglers.

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frank thomas and jeff mussina join them as other noteworthy first-timers on the ballot. >> where's piazza? >> piazza's there, just be patient. other possibilities, craig biggio, just missed out last year. >> there he is. >> bagwell, mike piazza. also, a little closely linked to the steroid era, though, barnacle's here. i think he's here because of the conversation. >> i'm linked to the steroid era? >> well, i mean, you're looking younger. you're like biden, getting more hair on the top of your head. >> thank you. >> who gets in? >> well, i think the problem is, you can only vote for ten. they can only vote for ten on the ballot. so, a guy like jack morris, who ought to have gotten in earlier, hopefully, he will get in, because this is his last year on the ballot. frank thomas will get in, glavine will get in, maddox will certainly get in. but again, none of them will get in unanimously, which, no one's ever been voted into the hall of fame unanimously. >> jeter will. >> babe ruth, ted williams -- jeter will, stop it. >> some guy from boston won't vote for jeter.

rafael palmera, sammy sosa also up, and it's one of the largest ballots ever, 36 candidates on the ballot. we'll break it up with peter gammons later on "morning joe." college hoops, ohio state at michigan state. buckeyes down three in the second half. check out aaron craft inbounding off the defender, a classic old-school play, come on. that's perfect! less than 30 seconds in regulation, the buckeyes' amir williams with the rebound and dunk. tied at 58. they were down ten. this one goes to overtime. tied at 66, spartans' keith appling, he is really good. the three-pointer for the lead with less than 30 to go. michigan state hangs on and hangs the first loss of the season on ohio state, 72-68 is the final. some nba action, new orleans at miami. lebron james had 32, dwyane wade 22. the heat rolled over the pelicans 107-88. why are we showing you? well, perhaps the play of the game late in the fourth quarter. king james poses for a little bit of a photo here.

and gave her a kiss. see, that's why they pay for those front-row seats. >> good for king james. i like lebron. let's get a check on the polar vortex. are you tired of that phrase, by the way? >> very tired of it, because it's being misused about 95% of the time. >> okay, so, give us the 5% that is the accurate use of it. >> well, the correct thing is, it's a piece of the polar vortex. it's not like the polar vortex is over the top of the united states. >> sounds like a will smith sci-fi movie. >> it's like saying siberia is over the united states. polar vortex is an area up in the north pole where it exists and just a piece of it came down. so, if that makes sense -- it doesn't. all right, let's move on. >> what are you talking about? that was all right. it's a polar vortex is big and it's not part of north america. >> it's a piece of it. people are saying the polar vortex is over us, which is incorrect. >> all right. >> let's move on. the snow continues this morning in buffalo. they've had about a foot on the ground, will get another couple inches today, and it's blowing all over. the blizzard warnings have been

dropped. they're hopefully today going to get a lot of the roads cleared out, but it hasn't been fun in western new york, and also a lot of heavy snow coming off of lake ontario. so, it's still very cold, it's just not as bad. temperatures still negative 17 in fargo, which isn't fun, and still as cold as 30 in new orleans, so this is still well below average, but yesterday was the peak of the cold many areas of the east. windchill this morning 6 in d.c. that's an improvement over yesterday. still minus 7 around new york. boston's not fun. and rhinelander, wisconsin, continues to be one of the lowest on the map day after day. the forecast gets warmer in a hurriy. look at this. by saturday, d.c. could be 62 with a chance of rain. then 50s it looks like will last sunday, monday, tuesday of next week, so a big warm-up. >> seems like every time the moisture comes in, it's warm enough to be rain and not snow for us. >> that's how it's been lately. a little sea salt. >> too bad for the sledding. thank you, bill. coming up on "morning joe," the president called him one of the best defense secretaries in american history, but now bob gates not holding back his criticism of the current administration. we'll get into the political

implications with steve rattner and nicolle wallace. and when we come back, we huddle around "the cooler." word of a 2-pac movie acre au addition has fans wondering of what he could have been. the role he wanted when "way too early" comes right back. so i tri ed depend so i last weekend. tri and it made the difference between hearing about my daughter's gym meet, and being there. yeah! nailed it! unlike the bargain brand, depend gives you new fit-flex®, our best protection. it's a smooth and comfortable fit with more lycra strands. hi sweetie! get your free sample at depend.com. this is the creamy chicken corn chowder. i mean, look at it. so indulgent. did i tell you i am on the... [ both ] chicken pot pie diet!

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at the top of the show, we

talked about the harsh criticism of the obama administration in robert gates's new book. if you want to sound smart today, tell your friends gates had a role in the federal government all the way back to 1974, working in various capacities under every president since richard nixon. gates has served on the national security council and as head of the cia before being appointed secretary of defense. let's put aside the news for a second, go to lewis. good morning, sir. >> good morning, brian. now, when samuel jackson takes on a movie role, it's hard to imagine another actor in his place. >> i do not believe the sith could have returned without us knowing. >> ah, hard to see the dark side is. >> we will use all our resources to unravel this mystery. we will discover the identity of your attacker. may the force be with you. >> that was jackson in "star wars episode 1: the phantom menace" as the jedi master. he appeared in all three parts of the "star wars" prequel

trilogy. now "rolling stone" reports that tupac shakur reports he did a reading with george lucas before the role went to jackson. shakur appeared in seven movies before he died in 1996, but tupac as jedi? i think i could see it. now, it's one of the hottest political dramas in television, and the buzz is building for season two of "house of cards," especially with the release of this new trailer. >> let's start this new chapter with a clean slate. >> i know you'll do whatever you think is best. >> we think congressional leadership took part. >> the vice president just assumed office. i can't have this conspiracy stuff going mainstream. >> the connections are troubling, especially underwood. >> so, this goes all the way to the white house? >> it might. >> i need you to delete all of our phone history. >> you want me to just walk away, act as if i don't know anything? >> he's in town and meeting with the president in 45 minutes. >> he's convincing the president to change his mind. >> you would be making a disastrous mistake. >> i feel like i'm losing control of my own damn administration. >> hit him again and hit him

now. >> he's a dangerous man. >> i want him obliterated. >> more than that, let's make him suffer. >> i don't know whether to be proud or terrified. >> kevin spacey's brilliant in that show. it looks amazing. i saw chris matthews with a little cameo there as well. now, season two of "house of cards" was released on valentine's day, that way you don't forget that date, all you men out there. now, you may have heard of steven seagal's considering running for governor of arizona. well, david letterman got his hands on the first campaign ad. >> this election, the people of arizona want a candidate they can trust to get the job done, and that man is steven seagal. mr. seagal has a long track record solving the most challenging issues of today. immigration reform. >> ahhh! [ laughter ] >> small business solutions. transportation.

steven seagal, leadership you can trust. >> ahh! >> there with steven seagal there, caseyry beck. that guy's got about 16 different black belts, so i think he's very well qualified. we should just elect pimm. now, jon stewart is catching up on the story since he was on break and is surprised with the restrictions on marijuana use in colorado. >> i imagine, you know, it's not going to be like the wild west out there in colorado. there will be stringent limits on this new wall. >> purchasers must be at least 21 years old. >> check. rules out the kiddies. >> you can't light up in public, and police warn, you still can't drive high. >> what? well, then riddle me this, batman, why does taco bell have a drive-through? >> listen, brian, no comment there. >> i'm surprised you didn't go to colorado as opposed to switzerland. >> that's right.

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so, there might be a velveeta shortage during the nfl playoffs, so for your dips, we thought we would solicit suggestions of a replacement. natalie sgro, time for one. >> >> how about this one, spam, hard boiled eggs and a jar of jalapenos slammed through a food processor. that sounds gross. ♪ stop, look around, here it comes ♪ >> and what i tried to do as a director, i try to -- the type is all off, sorry, but i'll just wing this. i try to take people on an emotional ride and