best new thing in the word. now it's time for "the last word with lawrence o'donnell." "first look" is up next. breaking news this morning on "first look," new raids carried out early this morning in france. arrests are made and on the heels of the shootout in belgium with would be terrorists. we're also awaiting the start of a live press conference out of belgium with the latest on yesterday's raid. at home, did the government's wiretapping program prevent a plot to blow up the capitol? and pope francis speaks out on striking out at others. good morning, everybody. thanks for joining us on this friday. we have breaking news out of paris. police are questioning 12 new suspects in connection with last week's terrorist attacks. they were arrested following a raid early this morning and just moments ago, secretary of state john kerry laid a wreath at the offices of "charlie hebdo" and the kosher market.

this follows a meeting he had with french president francois allen is in paris. what do you know about the raids and what can you tell us about the press conference that we're waiting any moment now? >> reporter: well, this was a very significant raid last night in belgium in a town called verviers, some distance from the capital, a significant muslim population there. the target we understand, were young men who recently returned from syria and iraq fighting with isis or other militant groups there. police say they targeted this place because they thought that they were going to pull off or try to pull off an imminent terrorist attack along the line of what happened here in paris last week when 17 people were killed in those attacks at the magazine -- news magazine and at the jewish grocery store. so a lot of concern there in belgium that something was about to happen and the police moved in to try and stop it. two suspects were killed. another seriously wounded. there was a big gun battle

there. residents reported hearing explosions and then gunfire that lasted for a couple of minutes. authorities say there were no police officers or civilians who were injured in that altercation, in that confrontation. the operations went on into the night. there were raids at other locations around belgium. we're not sure whether there were more arrests or not, but obviously heightened state of alert there because of what happened here. we're also hearing that several jewish schools in belgium are closed today because of concern about attacks. as you know there have been a number of jewish institutions here in paris and elsewhere that have been attacked and a major attack in belgium last may at a jewish museum. so there, here in paris, and in germany yesterday more raids there as well. and 11 different locations across europe authorities on guard, worried, can concerned about the possibility of more attacks given what happened here, that deadly attack that killed 17 people in paris. back to you. >> a lot of developments. all right, ron allen in paris for us thank you very much. as we have been mentioning, we are awaiting a live press

conference in brussels to take place at any moment. this comes on the heels of yesterday's police raid on a suspected terror cell. here is a look at that press conference right there. as you see, the media there waiting for people to come to the podium and speak. we're waiting on the belgium federal prosecutor to take to the microphone and give us new details on what is going on in belgium following that raid. but as you know belgium police killed two islamic extremists and have taken another one alive. the men were allegedly plotting a paris style attack. but back here in the u.s. new details on how an ohio jihadist was nabbed. >> we would have never known about this had it not been for the fisa program and our ability to collect information on people who pose an imminent threat. >> nbc's tracie potts is live in washington for us this morning. the speaker's comments could

really renew the debate over the nsa's reach, couldn't it. >> reporter: it could because there have been some vigorous debate here on capitol hill, betty, about whether or not this government surveillance was warranted. now you have house speaker john boehner who we just said the other day was targeted himself in a foiled attack boehner is now saying it is because of this government surveillance that we were able to find out about this plot to bomb the u.s. tap tollcapitol building and shoot people as they fled from the building. it is going to be part of the topic that president obama and david cameron talk about. he's here in the u.s. he'll meet with the president today. we understand on the agenda when it comes to terrorism, that prime minister cameron will likely push the president to try to get google and facebook and other internet sites to allow more government surveillance so that together the two countries can use their intelligence to thwart attacks like this. betty in. >> tracie thank you very much. also new this morning,

dramatic travel and trade changes between the u.s. and cuba. while the embargo still exists more americans will be able to visit cuba as long as they are part of educational or cultural groups. journalists, medical and religious organizations or family visits. americans will be able to use credit cards, the internet and bring home up to $100 in cuban cigars. the changes come days after cuba released 53 political prisoners the u.s. wanted freed. duke university is going back on a plan to provide a weekly islamic call to prayer for muslims. the original intent was to put an amplifier in the school's chapel. the university says they wanted to promote unity. there are more than 700 muslim undergrads there. but they say it ended up causing too much controversy. franklin graham urged donors to withdraw support until the idea was scrapped. days after the attack on "charlie hebdo" the pope is

sending a clear message from his trip to the philippines, saying if you insult people you'll pay for it. after some backlash though the vatican is clarifying saying those comments are in no way a justification for the violence in paris. but they stand by the expression that there are limits to humor and free speech when it comes to religion. this morning, problems for republican presidential prospect ben carson. he compared isis to american patriots who fought in the revolutionary war and sacrificed their lives for freedom. carson said, quote, they were willing to die for what they believed in fast-forward to today, what do we have? we have got isis. we have got the -- they got the wrong philosophy, but they're willing to die for it while we're busily giving away every belief and every value for the sake of political correctness. carson made the remark at the republican national committee's winter meeting near san diego yesterday. rnc chairman reince priebus told nbc news that carson was making

a point about standing up for one's beliefs. let's get down to business with cnbc's landon dowdy. >> a federal judge ruled bp is liable for spilling just over 3 million barrels of oil into the gulf of mexico in the 20 10 deep water horizon disaster. that's less than prosecutors originally claimed and that means bp faces a maximum fine of $13.7 billion under the clean water act. southwest airlines has been fined a record $1.6 million for runway delays. the u.s. government says southwest violated rules last january when 16 planes were stuck on the tarmac at chicago's midway airport and passengers didn't have a chance to get off the planes after three hours. and you can now mack a beer run without ever leaving your couch. anheuser-busch launched an app called the bud light button that offers one hour delivery of a case of beer. for now, it is only available in washington, d.c. miller lite started a similar delivery service in boston seattle, new york and d.c. last year. betty, back to you. >> i have a feeling that will be

popular. thank you. now the latest in sports. it is a family reunion in l.a. austin rivers is joining the clippers to play for his dad, doc rivers. it is first time in nba history that a son has played for his father. the clippers acquired austin from the celtics in a three-timeeam trade that included the suns. the nba fined p.j. hairston for his over the top flop against the spurs. the dramatics of it all. kordell jones is not entering the nfl draft. he's the third string quarterback who stepped in to lead ohio state to three straight wins including the national championship against oregon. the mlb announced the 2016 all-star game will be held at san diego's petco park. sports rivalries are in full effect ahead of sunday's nfc playoff game against the seahawks and packers. the manager of a city near seattle banned the consumption

of cheese at city hall. can you believe it? the executive orders read like this, quote, due to the relationship between the green bay packers, fans and cheese the possession and/or consumption of cheese or cheese flavored products shall be banned in bainbridge island city hall on friday january 16th, 2015. but that is not the end of it. this is not a one-sided battle by any means. a milwaukee radio station has banned all music from seattle bands until after the game. so 94.5 the lake won't be playing nirvana, sound garden pearl jam or even jimi hendrix among others. the station is calling the stunt say no to seattle. getting ugly. golfer miguel angel jimenez hits an ace in the first round of the abu dhabi hsbc championship. and he's not holding back in his celebration. check out those moves. hip movement there. good for him. congratulations. here is a question want to

live longer all you have to do is start walking. that simple. a 12-year european study of some 330,000 men and women found that a brisk 20-minute walk every day reduced a person's risk of early death by 30%. so get to stepping. and boxing champion muhammad ali is back in the hospital. he's undergoing what is described as follow-up care. ali turns 73 tomorrow. ♪ ♪

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welcome back everyone. the weekend forecast looks very interesting for new england, especially for that big football game up there with the patriots and the colts. let's take you into the forecast. much of the country, 80% is going to get their january thaw today into the weekend. the exception, the great lakes and the northeast. another cold blast coming down out of canada this morning. there are snow squalls across upstate new york. and along the cold front, be careful driving the north way or new york state through way.

for today, the worst weather in the nation is out here in the northwest with rainy weather and snow in the high elevations. san francisco could get wet weather. we basically have a flurry or two in boston. temperatures mild out there. even saturday, 50s cover much of the southern half of the nation. enjoy that. here is how it gets interesting on sunday. storm forms off the coast. heads northwards during the day. it looks like it will be rain in the mid-atlantic as we go through sunday afternoon. sunday night, the rain moves up there into new england. that happens to be when the football game is starting right around 7:00. it looks like tom brady and andrew luck could be throwing in the rain a little bit. >> mud fest. thank you. stories making news this morning, the north miami beach police chief is facing scrutiny. it is all because some of his police officers used this set of mug shots you saw featuring six african-american men during target practice at a gun range. the sister of one of the men noticed it and she did when she and her fellow national guardsman were entering the gun range for a session. her brother is outraged over the use of his mug shot which was

taken 15 years ago, when he was 18. but the police chief says his officers won't be disciplined since they didn't violate any police department policies. he also denies charges of racial profiling. >> we utilize a -- an array of pictures. six pictures of people that look very similar. we have an array for black males, we have an array of white and hispanic males. >> i'm being used as a target and i'm not even living that life according to how they're portraying me as you know? i'm a father. i'm a husband. i'm a career man. i work 9 to 5. >> well there are more legal problems for chris brown. this time he could end up in prison. a los angeles judge revoked his probation in the rihanna physical assault case. the judge says he violated the terms of his probation when he left los angeles without permission to perform at a san jose nightclub this past weekend. the judge also says he poses a threat to public safety since

this was the second nightclub where a shooting took place. a formal hearing will be held in march when a judge could decide to put him behind bars for these violations. 13 more cases of the measles linked to california's disney theme parks bringing the total number to 39 spanning four states. the cdc says the flu vaccine is only 23% effective this year. and it does not include the most common strain circulating across the u.s. nevertheless, doctors are still encouraging everyone to get the vaccine because it protects against other strains that could pop up. we're only about halfway through flu season. well a gop ego battle brews. opposition research against hillary. and beer gate in pennsylvania? scrambled politics is next. for over 19 million people. [ susan ] my promotion allowed me to start investing for my retirement. transamerica made it easy. [ female announcer ] everyone has a moment when tomorrow becomes real. transamerica. transform tomorrow.

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breaking news to show you right now. a press conference is under way at this hour in brussels. this is coming from officials there following a raid yesterday there killing two terror suspects. we're looking to get more information as you see officials are giving out information to the media that is surrounding them. at the point we're looking at we're seeing that they're speaking in dutch and french so once they begin speaking in english, we will bring you the details of this press conference and so stay tuned for that. in the meantime we want to get you to some scrambled politics. the hill is reporting some gop bickering between new house oversight committee chairman jason chavez and darrell issa.

the reason is chavez had all the portraits of past chairman removed from the walls of the hearing room. a former staffer said it showed a massive inferiority complex. but he says he wants to put up pictures of real americans to remind the committee who they are working for. rnc chairman reince priebus tells bloomberg there is a very active research team working in arkansas looking deeply into hillary rodham clinton's past. he said quote, they're not going to be shy about it. >> we're going to get whatever we have to in order to share with the american people the truth about hillary and bill clinton. michigan republican governor rick snyder is standing up to the nra. yesterday, he vetoed a controversial bill that would have allowed conceal and carry permits for some people with domestic violence restraining orders. now, the nra says that's a misinterpretation. all right, now back now live to brussels belgium, where a news conference is under way

there. they're speaking in english so we can get new information on the terror raids there. let's take a listen. >> -- during the search warrant in verviers we found 40 weapons, several small weapons, firearms munition and explosives. moreover at verviers we found several police uniforms material for communication, walkie-talkies and radios, mobile cell phones and important amount of money. we found a firearm, ammunition a knife, different cell phones and different artifacts important for the investigation. moreover, to our people, two persons have been arrested in france. this operation was meant to

dismantle a terrorist cell not only the terrorist cell but also the logistic network behind it. this investigation for the time being has shown that these people had intention to kill several policemen in the street and at police -- the suspects deceased last evening is still going on. all we can say now, we'll answer any questions you want answer the questions in dutch. >> all right, we're learning new information about the raids this took place in belgium yesterday. raids that in fact killed two terror suspects. a third suspect has been taken into custody. according to official there, they found some ak-47s, some

small fire arms also found a lot of ammunition and explosives. but very importantly, they found several police forged documents and some money and said this raid told them that the terror suspects were intent on killing police officers. let's get more details now from nbc's ron allen who is in paris. ron, as you've been listening to this press conference getting more details, it looks like officials are really zeroing in on the possibility that there is a -- maybe a larger cell out there, or maybe a cell with larger arms that are involved in many other operations not just in france but in some of the other european countries. >> reporter: it's absolutely chilling, betty, what we learned from this press conference. this was a well armed, well trained perhaps group of young fighters. we believe that some of them had just come back from syria recently. there are literally hundreds of

belgian nationals who have gone to syria and iraq to fight with isis, other militant groups and disclosed number coming back and apparently trying to launch the kinds of attacks that the police there were talking about. intent on killing police officers with uniforms with walkie-talkies and communication devices, explosives automatic weapons and so forth. so, yes, this is a endemic problem in belgium, in france and in germany. in belgium, in particular belgium has the highest concentration of jihadists per capita, if you will. a small country. but given the 300 or so that have gone there, it has the highest and most dense concentration and there in belgium, it is a community of people who live right in the community. here in france for example, the -- many of the militants of those associated with the groups live on the outskirts of paris. there is a separation. and it is a different situation than belgium. that raid happened right near the center of town. i can also tell you that in belgium today, we understand some jewish schools have closed

because they're concerned about attacks. anti-semitic attack in belgium last may that killed four people. there, like here in paris and france, the jewish community feels very much under threat. so we also know that here in france over night there was a big roundup in paris. at least a dozen people were arrested in connection with the attacks here last week. and so far there has been no link, i should say, between what happened in belgium yesterday and the attacks here last week. but we do know that the gunman here who carried out the attacks last week did, we believe, obtain their weaponry in belgium. that's another connection. got to remember belgium is a couple of hours away. here, a roundup of suspects as the investigation continues. betty? >> a lot of people looking into this and many different countries. and we're going to try to stay on top of all of this for you. don't go away. "way too early" starts right now. because i make the best chicken noodle soup.

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worried about foreign fighters coming back from the iraq theater to europe since around 2004. this is starting to unfold as perhaps the nightmare people have been predicting for a long time. >> europe back on edge this time after a raid in belgium leaves two suspected terrorists dead with more in custody. we have the very latest after a briefing from the police. we have the details on the plot and you will hear about what they thought they had planned. a new era of restrictions scaled back for americans traveling to cuba. how the country, 90 miles from the u.s. just got a whole lot closer. and flu season. why americans who followed doctors' orders and got the

shot, well they still got sick this winter anyway. this is "way too early." hey, everybody. good morning. i'm thomas roberts. it is friday january 16th. welcome to "way too early." we are show the that did get the flu shot, though we still have been coughing and sneezing through this season. we'll have more on that story coming up. also, this breaking news we're following right now as we speak there is a press conference taking place in belgium. they're talking about this overnight raid that took place. they're speaking in french now. they're also speaking in dutch at some points and then also taking questions in english. we're going to dip back in when they do start answering questions once again in english. this is all as france comes to grips with the paris attacks that happened from a week ago. now officials in neighboring belgium say that 13 people have been detained after a series of anti-terror raids that thwarted