good morning. right now on "first look," president obama delivered his progress report on america. >> at this moment with the growing economy, shrinking deficits bustling industry booming energy production, we have risen from recession freer to write our own future than any other nation on earth. >> big themes that renewed obama energy and a few things no other president in history dared to speak of. four men charged in connection with the terror strikes in paris. then an espn report on the new england patriots and 11 underinflated balls.

a man is arrested for bulldozing the home he lived in with his wife. we'll give you details on that. thanks for joining us. president obama will travel to the midwest today, his first stop boise state university. there he'll promote some of the themes we heard during his state of the union address last night. his message was loud and clear, america is bouncing back. >> the shadow of crisis has passed and the state of the union is strong. at every step we were told our goals were misguided or too ambitious, and we would crush jobs and explode deficits. instead we've seen the fastest economic growth in over a decade. our deficits cut by two-thirds a stock market that has dounld and health care inflation at its lowest rate in 50 years. this is good news people.

>> president obama made history becoming the first president to say the words "lesbian buy sexual and transgender" in a state of the union address. during his hour-long speech, president obama also added some humor. >> i have no more campaigns to run. my only agenda -- [ applause ] i know because i won both of them. [ cheers and applause ] >> freshman senator joni ernst delivered the republican response. she took a more cordial approach than previous republican lawmakers. >> even if we may not always agree, it's important to hear different points of view in this great country. we appreciate the president

sharing his. rather than respond to his speech i'd like to talk about your priorities. with a little cooperation from the president we can get washington working again. >> nbc's tracie potts is in washington for us. tracie what were the big takeaways from the president's address? >> reporter: betty, the president urged americans not to be cynical and look at the facts, that we have seen progress. there are no jobs in this country, more graduates, more health care and no more recession. >> the shadow of crisis has passed. the state of the union is strong. >> reporter: president obama's state of the union took on everything from climate change to cuba immigration and isis. >> we will continue to hunt down terrorists -- >> reporter: he previewed what's coming in his budget in two weeks, free community college, paid sick leave, a push to raise the minimum wage policies he will says will help the middle class. >> these policy also continue to work as long as politics don't get in the way.

>> reporter: his push for higher taxes for the wealthy isn't likely to go far. republicans would rather cut spending. >> and balance the budget with meaningful reforms, not higher taxes like the president has proposed. >> i kind of think it was a rose-colored glasses speech. >> i was disappointed a lot of his proposals were expensive new entitlement entitlements. >> reporter: some republicans actually liked the president's ideas. >> the president presented great aspirational goals. the question is how are we going to get there? the devil is in the details. >> work with the president. >> reporter: a new game plan for a divided congress. today president obama hits the road to start selling his ideas to the public starting today in idaho. betty? >> thank you very much tracie. although senator joni ernst delivered the official republican response other republican lawmakers gave their own responses to the president's

speech. >> our future can include a road back to prosperity back to respect at home and abroad. the path we are on now does not lead there, but there is time to change course. this president tonight and for the past six years has had the wrong diagnosis, the wrong diagnosis for what ails or country. >> even if this president is not willing to work in a bipartisan way, not willing to help solve the fiscal and economic problems facing this country, it's time to move on. >> mitt romney and jeb bush responded. bush said i hope president obama will be mindful of the strong message americans sent in november. mitt romney called the president's speech disappointing, a missed opportunity to lead. mr. obama also attacked russian president vladimir putin.

just moments ago russia's prime minister responded saying the west will not isz late russia. he called on the u.s. for mutual cooperation and added return yeah does not want a new cold war. breaking news out of paris. four men are facing terror charges. french prosecutors say the men are suspected of providing logistical support to amedy coulibaly who shot and killed four hostages in a kosher supermarket. right now it is not clear whether the four suspects were involved in plotting the attacks or were aware of coulibaly's plans. let's take you to the nfl and the latest on what could be a huge scandal for a super bowl team just 11 days before the big game. we're talking about deflate-gate. espn is reporting that league sources tell them that 11 of 12 footballs used in sunday's rain-soaked afc championship blowout were underinflated. if they have less air in them

balls are easier to grip throw and catch, especially in the rain. the nfl requires each team provide 12 footballs for their own offenses and rules state each ball must be inflated between 12.5 and 13.5 pounds per square inch. but according to espn's report, 11 balls were tested and they were underinflated by about two pounds per square inch. remember both bill belichick and the patriots were fined for the 2007 spy-gate scandal for videotaping an opponent's defensive signals during a game. as for this investigation, the nfl said they are not commenting on the report. the patriots reiterated to nbc news they will continue to cooperate fully. now to the war on terror this morning. the race to find two japanese hostages threatened in a new isis video and a key u.s. ally could be on the brink of a coup. nbc news chief front xant

richard engel has the report. >> reporter: the group's beheader threatens in english to kill two japanese hostages unless japan pays $2000 million, the same amount isis says japan has committed to fighting the group. japan said it won't bow to terrorist demands, but it's a reminder that isis remains a dangerous force to be reckoned with. experts say being attacked by the u.s. has raised isis's profile, making it easier to recruit and raise money. isis is making progress in battle. a senior u.s. military official with personal knowledge of events tells nbc news the u.s.-led air war kills about 1,000 isis fighters a month, many of them in and around the city of kobani. but they are being replaced each month with 1500 new recruits. isis is holding the territory it controls. vast stretches of syria and most of central iraq.

>> in yemen the american backed government is teetering on the brink of collapse. this is the same government that cooperates with the u.s. military and cia allowing drone strikes to take place against al qaeda. anti-government rebels storm the president palace in the yemeni capital. the president doesn't work at the palace. he works out of his residence. there were gunfights at the residency. the president is clinging to power. unclear how much longer he can hang on. if the president were to be over throne the u.s. drone program would be at risk. from a foreign policy perspective there haven't been in big american wins to talk about. richard engel, nbc news istanbul. let's get down to business with cnbc's layne nah dowdy. >> good morning. toyota is king of the road. for the third straight gees the jap nieces automaker sold more than 10.2 million in 2014 ahead

of volkswagen and general motors. gm had been the top seller for more than 70 years until being sur passed by toyota in 2008. microsoft shows off windows 10 this morning. it offers more consistent experience across pcs, smart phones and xbox. walmart has launched gnaw service letting customers pick up their tax refunds in cash at stores. analysts say the service may appeal to people who don't have a bank account and walmart could benefit as well. consumers are inclined to spend that cash in stores. let's get the latest in sports from francis rivera. >> good morning. day three of the australian open. on the men's side roger federer eventually won in four sets. andy murray dominated australia 6-1, 6-3 6-2.

second seat maria sharapova bounced bank against alexandra panova. she finished strong taking the final set 7-5 to advance to the third round. the nfl is experimenting a change for sunday's pro bowl game by making the extra point attempt harder to convert. the uprights will be at 18.6 feet for field goal attempts but squeezed down to 14 on extra points. the kick will be moved back from the two yard line to the 15 essentially making it a 33.5 yard attempt. the lombardi trophy arrived at the arizona science center ahead of super bowl xlix at the university of phoenix stadium on february 1st airing on nbc. you'll remember this iconic movie scene from 1976 hit "rocky." sylvester stallone making those steps in philly famous when he

used them to train in the movie. a group of tourists were running the steps for fun and they got this treat right on top, they snapped a selfie with rocky star after spotting him. talk about excellent timing. my question is why is sylvester stallone randomly hanging out on the steps? >> maybe a little exercise. i keep hearing that song "eye of the tiger" in my head. we have new details on why social media might be the worst thing for your marriage. plus what one husband has to say after demolishing the family home without telling his wife.

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i'm meteorologist bill karins. we have snow to deal with as you head out the door in numerous cities for the morning commute. watch out in the mid atlantic this evening. from des moines to chicago this morning there's been a light coating of snow. now snowing in grand rapids.

toledo and cleveland we also have snow. further to the east a wintery mix over areas of west virginia heading towards baltimore and d.c. look at the temperature distance. d.c. is at 35, baltimore is 26. north of d.c. the best chance of getting accumulating snow during the end of your morning rush hour. as far as winter weather advisories go to including coastal new jersey and philadelphia, not a lot of snow. the coating will make roads treacherous this afternoon and this evening. about two inches for baltimore and d.c. you can see where the target area is. a lot of people will be driving home from school and work in the snow. >> bundle up. thank you very much. breaking news to tell you about. beefed up security in tel aviv just hours after a 23-year-old palestinian man stabbed at least nine people on a bus. he fled the scene. police shot and captured him sometime later. officials are calling the stabbing a terrorist attack. the u.s. supreme court unanimously ruled in favor of this arkansas prisoner who was

fighting for the right to grow his beard. he's a muslim who wanted to grow his beard longer for religious reasons. facebook once again taking the heat for divorce. a survey of legal firms case loads found the social media site accounts for a third of divorces involving infidelity. police arrested a new york man for renting a bulldozer and knocking down his own house? he then tossed the debris into dumpsters. his wife whose name is also on that deed had no idea what he was about to do. he says the foundation was crumbling and on monday he tried to get a permit to demolish the house but couldn't because the government office was closed because of mlk day. that's when he took matters into his own hands. can't wait to see what his wife has to say about that. the morning beverage that could protect you from skin cancer, plus the best sidebar stories from the president's big night. scrambled politics is next.

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but to get from the old way to the new you'll need the right it infrastructure. from a partner who knows how to make your enterprise more agile, borderless and secure. hp helps business move on all the possibilities of today. and stay ready for everything that is still to come. crest gave one friend crest 3d white whitestrips. and the other, a whitening toothpaste. here's what they thought. i can't tell if the paste whitened. well the whitestrips worked. yeah. the paste didn't do that. crest whitestrips work below the enamel surface to whiten 25x better than a leading whitening toothpaste. crest whitestrips. the way to whiten. can't say thank you enough. you have made my life special by being apart of it. (everyone) cheers! glad you made it buddy. thanks for inviting me. thanks again my friends. for everything for all your help. through all life's milestones our trusted advisors are with you every step of the way. congratulations! thanks for helping me plan for my retirement. you should come celebrate with us.

i'd be honored. plan for your goals with advisors you know and trust. so you can celebrate today and feel confident about tomorrow. chase. so you can. time for a very special post scrambled politics. 20 minutes past the hour. over 2.6 million tweets using sotu. it wasn't just what the president said that got reactions. many were pointing out the striking similarity between the president's energy secretary and a character used to sell quaker oats. i can see it. another side by side the first lady in what appears to be the

same michael kohrs dress worn by "the good wife" character. a picture of the shoes joni ernst was wearing, camouflage shoes. the state of the union wasn't without controversy. iowa republican congressman steve keen tweeted, quote, obama converts prosecutorial discretion by inviting a deportable to sit in place of honor at sotu. i should seat with alito. that deportable 20-year-old anna zamora who was granted temporary relief in 2012 and whose parents could be helped by the president's executive action. as for 2016 contenders mixed reaction from temperature's own party. hillary clinton tweeted barack obama pointed way to an economy that worked for all. now we need to step up and deliver for the middle class. former virginia governor jim webb was more defiant, live

tweeting the whole thing, not a fan of the middle class lingo, fighting for hard working americans and small business isn't about class. #web2016. the tweet of the night may go to former congressman john dengel wife is working late tonight. might eat ice cream for din know, #yolo. that's your morning dish of scrambled politics. let's dissect all this. i'm joined by politico reporter kevin robe low. republicans applauded after the president said he has no more campaigns to run. he shot back with an off-the-cuff remark by saying i know because i won both of them. what kind of signal did it send? >> it's obama trying to remind all the new republicans -- this is the largest republican majority since herbert hoover that he still has a role to play here. at the same time, it came not long after he was talking about

bipartisanship and we all need to get along. it was a nice reminder that they really all don't get along and aren't going to get along. >> the president also said let's set our sights higher than a single oil pipeline. why has that been such a big bat snl. >> that's the interesting thing. i think that's what obama was trying to say there, is that obama has always seemed a little be mused by the fact that keystone has become such a big battle. if you look at what his own state department reports say, keystone is not going to create that many permanent jobs under 100 permanent jobs. it is a lost temporary construction jobs and really won't have a huge impact on the environment according to the state department. there are people who disagree with that. it's not going to create that many jobs and have a huge impact on the environment, why are we fighting about it so much. that's always been obama's look at it. he's also saying when it comes to intrastluk tour why are we spending so much time on this project when obama and

republicans have proposed different ideas for larger infrastructure bills. >> he got in another zinger basically telling congress look, you try living off minimum wage. how strong was that statement? >> it's a strong statement and the moment that will live on for liberals for a while. a piece of rhetoric other democrats can use when they're fighting for minimum wage in their own states. the fact is the republican congress is not going to increase the minimum wage. however, a lot of states have done it on their own. obama can keep pushing for states to do that. a lot of states put it on the ballot. those ballot referendums passed even in red states. >> kevin, thanks for joining us today. we appreciate it. >> good to be on. still ahead, the one baef raj in your home that could protect you from the deadliest form of skin cancer.

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28 minutes past the hour. "time" magazine, this drink can protect you from skin khanner. grab your cup of coffee. researchers found that people who drink more than four cups of coffee a day on average have a 20% lower risk of developing melanoma. but adding to the risk of something drinking that much. beliebers, listen up. justin bieber will be roasted on comedy central in march. in response bieber tweeted, for years i have wanted comedy central to roast me. they said only if i provided them with more material so for a year now i have worked hard and bow did he give them a whole lot of material. it's actually a challenge. he's roasted every day practically. the comedians have to come up

with something new and fresh. >> this is going to be so easy for them. >> it is but it could be harder than you think, because it's so easy. >> we'll see some bear-chested tattoo editions. i'm betty nguyen on msnbc. "way too early" starts right now. america, for all that we have endured, for all the grit and hard work required to come back, for all the tasks that lie ahead, know this the shadow of crisis has passed, and the state of the union is strong. a confident president obama delivering his first state of the union before a republican controlled congress so confident that one columnist said you would never have known his party just last the election. reaction on obama care keystone and manners of race. also the part of senator ted cruz's response that he didn't

want you to see and supreme court justice ruth bader ginsburg gave the president the big bear hug right before the speech. what happened once he actually started to speak? this is "way too early." hi everybody. good morning. i'm thomas roberts. it's wednesday, january 21st. welcome to wait wait the show with the state of the union hang ever. we stayed up well past our bed times and we can commiserate with justice ginsburg. we'll talk about that coming up. the president has two years left in office. last night it was a very confident president obama addressing congress with proposals he says will lift the middle class. speaking to a packed chamber, the president claimed his and dane as practical, not partisan and patted his administration on the back for policies that are already in place. >> at