today. somewhat a 2016 start. we'll be back next week because if it's sunday it's "meet the press." it's monday, january 4th. right now on "first look" new year, new opportunities for the candidates to attack one another as the sprint to the iowa caucuses begins with a flurry between the front-runners. an armed standoff in oregon with anti-government activists heats up as some protesters pledged to die for their cause. rested, relaxed and ready to tackle gun control. using the power of the presidency through executive privilege and his attorney general. plus a major rift in saudi arabia cuts all diplomatic ties with iran, who woornz of divine vengeance. the powerball jackpot exploded to over $400 million. and the nfl playoff matchups are set. "first look" starts right now.

good morning. i'm gigi stonewoods. it's officially 2016, so finally at long last question start talking about the race for president. today hillary clinton gets a major jolt as her husband hits the campaign trail in new hampshire fort first time on her behalf but donald trump's attacks on them are getting sharper and we start with nbc's kristen welker. donald trump increasingly looking beyond his gop rivals and taking aim at the democratic front-runner. no holds barred. >> they've created isis. hillary clinton created isis with obama. >> reporter: hillary clinton firing back in new hampshire. >> you know the republicans seem to have a particular fixation on blaming president obama and me for everything that happens in the world. >> reporter: trump is also tying clinton to her husband's past sexual infidelities. >> it hasn't been a pretty picture for her or bill. i'm the only one willing to talk

about his problems. i mean, what he did and what he has gone through i think is frankly terrible especially if she wants to play the woman card. >> reporter: clinton now counting on the former president to bolster her campaign on monday in new hampshire. >> he is so excited about coming back to the granite state. >> reporter: but the issue went beyond trump when a republican state lawmaker heckled clinton about her husband's alleged past sexual misconduct. >> you are very rude and i'm not going to ever call on you. >> reporter: but trump is also on defense after al shabab, the al qaeda affiliate based in africa used him in a recruiting video. >> i have to say what i have to say. >> reporter: fodder for clinton who continues to slam trump's inflammatory rhetoric. >> it's not only shameful and offensive, it is counterproductive and dangerous. >> reporter: trump's republican rivals largely giving the front-runner a pass. >> the radical jihadists do not

exist because of donald trump's campaign. >> let's not get so concerned about how offended our enemies are. >> reporter: as the war of words heats up between the two front-runners a crush of candidates in iowa and new hampshire, both states pivotal. >> front-runners have to keep winning. expectations for clinton are sky high and now expectations for trump are sky high. >> that was kristen welker reporting. it has been an angry race and not just for the candidates. there's a new online poll by nbc news, survey monkey and "esquire" shows 49% of americans find themselves feeling angrier now about current events than they were one year ago. whites angriest at 54%, latinos at 43% and african-americans at 33%. republicans are angrier than democrats by a 19-point margin and finally 53% of women are feeling angrier about current events compared to 44% of men.

presidentby ma has gun laws in the crosshairs apparently ready to bypass congress to tighten the rules. nbc's edward lawrence is in washington. the president and attorney general meet in a few hours. what is their focus going to be? >> gun control. the president outlined gun control as the most important issue to tackle this year. he's expected to bypass congress to make it happen. president obama fresh off vacation and taking aim at gun control. he meets with loretta lynch to talk about ways to increase background checks for people wanting to buy guns. >> it is a policy supported by some 90% of the american people. it was supported by a majority of nra households, but the gun lobby mobilized against it and the senate blocked it. >> reporter: democratic front-runner for president hillary clinton applauds the move to use executive orders to

increase background checks for gun buyers. republican candidates disagree. >> now this president wants to act as if he's a king, as if he's a dictator. the fact is, if he wants to make changes to the laws, go to congress and convince the congress they're necessary. >> so he's going to sign another executive order having to do with the second amendment, having to do with guns. i will veto that. i will unsign that so fast. >> his first impulse always is to take rights away from law-abiding sit zebs and it's wrong. >> reporter: still, this is at the top of the president's agenda for his final year in office. >> nbc's edward lawrence in washington, thank you. now to a developing story in a remote part of oregon where right now anti-government activists are occupying an office building at a wildlife refu refuge, protesting the prison sentence of two local ranchers and what they call the tyranny of the federal government. kristen dahlgren has more. >> reporter: from the remote and frozen oregon wilderness a call to arms. >> this will become a base place

for patriots from all over the country to come and to be housed here and live here and we're planning on staying here for several years. >> reporter: the group of armed protesters taking over the maller national wildlife refuge. brother ryan gave us a tour. >> we're here only to promote the constitution, the supreme layoff the land, and to help the people reestablish their rights. >> reporter: this latest standoff started after weeks of tension and a peaceful protest on saturday. dozens rallying in support of dwight and steve hammond, two oregon ranchers facing jail time for lighting fires on federal land. >> i'm going to jail for five years for 127. seems like a bit of an overkill. >> reporter: the hammonds already served time before a judge ruled it wasn't enough. >> they wanted to stand up for their rights. we'll be right there by their

side. >> the are hammonds attorney says they will report to federal prison monday and the bundys don't speak for them. one member posting a good-bye video to his family. >> i am 100% willing to lay my life down. >> reporter: so far officials, including the fbi, have kept a low profile. >> they're going to have to make some decision at some point that they can't let people just come in there at will. >> reporter: protesters have said they won't get violent unless the government does but some locals worry it won't end well. >> people are afraid. >> reporter: as the militants promise they won't back down. kristen dal gran, nbc news. this morning, communities along the mississippi river continue the cleanup effort after historic flooding. the death toll stands at 25 across illinois and missouri as officials remain watchful for more flooding even as the waters recede. on sunday, illinois authorities

recovered the body of an 18-year-old killed when his vehicle was swept up by the floodwaters. the river reached a record crest in mott mo town of cape gerardo according to governor nixon's office. the army corps of engineers is expecting levees in boast states. saudi arabia's foreign minister says the kingdom is severing ties with iran, in response to violent protests in iran, includes attacks on the saudi embassy in tehran. protests broke out after saudi arabia executed 47 people including a shyite cleric critical of the saudi royal family. iranian president rouhani took to twitter, condemned the execution, and said the attack on the embassy was by no means justified. iran's top leader said there would be "divine revenge." u.s. officials called for diplomatic engagement and affirmative steps to ease tensions in the region. here in the u.s., ethan

couch, the so-called affluenza teen, is mounting a high-profile defense to fight extradition from mexico to the u.s. fernando benitez confirms to nbc news he's representing couch. he says the 18-year-old was unlawfully detained in puerto vallarta last week and has committed no crime in mexico. benitez filed paperwork last week that blocks his deportation. imdwrags attorneys say the legal process could drag on for months. couch's mother, tanya, was deported to the u.s. last week and awaiting extradition from los angeles to texas, that could happen early this week. the pair had been on the run since failing to check in with his probation officer. ethan couch killed four people when he drove drunk in 2013. let's get down to business with cnbc's landon dowdy. >> wall street could start the new year on a negative note following big declines in asia

and europe being sparked in part by china, where trading was halted today after stocks fell 7%. analysts point to reports showing weak innocence china's manufacturing sector for a tenth straight month. and the milk for your morning coffee may cost a bit more. last week's blizzard in the southwest killing more than 30,000 dairy cows. farmers in texas and new mexico are warning a milk shortage as there are fewer cows producing less milk and road closures kept trucks from reaching farms. the excitement is building, the powerball jackpot now up to $400 million and the chances of one person winning is roughly 292 million to one. if you take the lump sum cash payout a cool $244,800,000. i hope you're getting a ticket, gigi. >> getting one and feeling lucky. thanks, landon. in sports, nfl playoff time first football night in america at lambeau field, the minnesota vikings jumped ahead with this

bird from adrian peterson. vikings win 20-13 and face seattle in the wildcard while the pack travels to washington to battle the redskins. it was peyton manning to the rescues athe veteran replaced brock osweiler in the third to set up a pair of scoring drive as the broncos clinch the afc west and top seed leading the chargers 27-20. text tan its beat jacksonville and fight their way into a wild card spot against the chiefs who have a ten-game winning streak going. the other wild card matchup, pittsburgh who defeated cleveland 28-12 behind the big game from big ben. the steeler also face the bengals in cincinnati. the dolphins put the smackdown on to the patriots who liched into the playoffs, including this 20-10 loss in miami. his bills sent the jets packing. after missing an extra point,

dan carpenter took it on the nose, his tell met bounced back after being slammed to the ground and of course this was all caught on camera, poor thing. ouch. bills could pi's wife, camille, getting ready for a major deposition. on the same day presidentby ma talks gun control hundreds take to the scene of the san bernardino shooting, details up next. ♪ soft, calm music

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and you? rubbery buttons. enter the x1 voice remote. now when someone says... show me funny movies. watch discovery. record this. voila. remotes, come out from the cushions, you are back. the x1 voice remote is here. welcome back to "first look." winter is returning in a big way. it's going to feel like the middle of winter in many areas that have been so warm up to this point. the only areas dealing with snow this morning off of lake michigan, everywhere here in western michigan dealing with snow, around grand rapids and one spot of heavy snow if you're driving early in between cleveland and erie, south of ashtabula interstate 90 a burst of heavy snow and lake-effect bands. there's not a lot of bad weather out there. the only story is the cold taken is cold in areas of northern new england this morning, much colder than you've been. windchills in the negative

numbers, at negative 8 in burlington, zero in binghamton, 4 in buffalo and down into the 20s the big cities on i-95. the coldest air we've had. high temperatures 30s in the big cities, northern new england high temperatures in the teens and single digits but it's a quick shot. tuesday morning is very cold and starts to warm up and gigi by the time we get to wednesday, much of areas of new england are back up into the 30s and 40s so it's quick but it's a reminder of how we should be. >> exactly what, winter used to be like. bill karins thanks. camille cosby is set to testify on wednesday in a defamation suit against her husband in massachusetts. it's a civil suit brought on by several women accusing the comedian of sexually asalting them. the lawsuit is unrelated to the criminal charges brought against cosby last week in pennsylvania. more than 500 employees at san bernardino's inland regional center are returning to work today. the center had been closed since december 2nd when syad farook

and his wife killed 14 others. memorial service will be held today in honor of the victims. a pennsylvania man was caught speeding at 86 miles per hour in new york, after his new york driver's license had been suspended, wait for it, 88 times. 43-year-old eric dunbar was caught for unlawfully having a second unexpired license from pennsylvania. he's expected to be arraigned today. the man needs to be off the road. now one of the worst political predictions of the gop race for president is coming up next. stay with us. use dulcolax tablets for gentle overnight relief suppositories for relief in minutes and stool softeners for comfortable relief of hard stools. dulcolax, designed for dependable relief at ally bank no branches equals great rates. it's a fact. kind of like ordering wine equals pretending to know wine. pinot noir, which means peanut of the night.

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it's covered by most health plans. time for your monday edition of "scrambled politics." if you have a lot of extra time today take a look at this from "the washington post," one year, two races inside the republican party's bizarre tumultuous 2015 it's a great read but nearly 14,000 word state of the race. in jeb bush's words, two of the most successful republican governors maybe in the history of the country. in reality rick perry dropped out three months ago and jeb bush is outside the top five in some polls, both looking up to donald trump, starting today the front-runner will be airing a new tv ad in iowa and new hampshire bypassing his primary competition, instead going after the president and hillary clinton. according to "the washington post," a deep voiced man speaks

ominously about isis and illegal immigration. john kasich will air his first ad in new hampshire this week called america never give up and highlights his tough upbringing and political achievements. political pandering doesn't get much more than this, stanford shellacked iowa, 45-16 in the rose bowl. stanford grad carly fiorina tweeted "love my alma mater but rooting for a hawkeyes win today." congressman dingell says i groaned so hard i may have pulled a muscle. yesterday fiorina had to defend herself. >> for heaven's sakes, can't a girl ever have a little bit of fun? that was a tongue-in-cheek tweet which the people of iowa understand because i was asked over and over again in iowa, having attended a hawkeye tailgate, they knew my heart was torn. >> pandering, that's your

morning dish of "scrambled politics." jane timm is here, good morning. >> good morning. >> even for donald trump his attacks against the clnts have gotten a little bit more scathing. what's different about his latest tirades? >> they're not just personal he's really attacking her for her leadership in the middle east and wars and with some selective history he's blaming her yesterday for unseating saddam hussein which was a policy put in place long before clinton took that role as secretary of state. he's going after the fears that americans have, a war-weary country and saying, you know, this is her fault. let's blame her for this. if he can make it stick i think it could be potent. this what fueled his rise. >> going after fears indeed, and he's going to be doing that in a new ad. what exactly are we going to see here? >> these ads are very us versus them, playing into the deep, darkest fears. the most xenophobic feelings the country might have, saying this

is what the election is about, user this success them and i'm the guy you want defending us. these are pretty intense ads and going straight for hillary clinton as we said earlier instead of going for the primary, that works for donald trump and looks like he's the winner already even if it's just his own narration that's telling him that >> it certainly has been work so long far. now we have president obama going after gun violence, taking his fight directly to the people, bypassing congress. what's your take on this? >> i'd say that president owe pa ma sort of failure to get gun control through congress years ago after newtown is maybe his key regret and i think he'sing if to push everything possible can he get through with executive action. we know he's meeting with his cabinet today to try to figure out what is legal, what he can make stick and work before he gets out. he'll try to do everything he can with the powers he still has. >> a giant hurdle to overcome. new hampshire, iowa, all eyes on those two states. who is do or die here? >> ted cruz is looking very strong in iowa. we see him having a very strong ground game and that's key.

you have to get people to go to the caucuses. they could take hours so it's a big get out the vote movement but i think what i'm looking for, who comes in second, third and fourth. that's where we saw romney last time and where you see a candidate with crossover appeal with the strong evangelical conservatives in iowa. >> this time eight years ago giuliani and clinton were in the lead, thanks so much. just ahead requesting the force awakens" on a record-breaking tear. and "game of thrones" fans will be upset when you hear this. stay with us. ♪ (cell phone rings) where are you? well the squirrels are back in the attic. mom? your dad won't call an exterminator... can i call you back, mom? he says it's personal this time... if you're a mom, you call at the worst time. it's what you do. if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, you switch to geico. it's what you do. where are you? it's very loud there.

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now to some entertainment

news "game of thrones" fans hoping to read the book before next season airs this spring will be disappointed to hear this. it was announced over the weekend "the winds of winter" will not be ready before the sixth season starts on hbo april 8th. on his blog he wrote "no one could possibly be more disappointed than me. i'm months away still, and that's if the writing goes well. sometimes it does and sometimes doesn't." "star wars" breaking a weekend record at the box office. raking in $88 million over the weekend alone topping the box office for the third week. it surpassed "jurassic world" and "titanic" to become the highest earner of all-time. in three weeks it brought in $700 million behind only "avatar" which remains in the lead. >> for about two weeks. i finally decided to take my

6-year-old son because it's pg-13, it was a tough call. i'm going for it. >> a momentous occasion, touching. i'm gigi stonewoods. this is "first look" on msnbc. like us on facebook. "way too early" right now. it hasn't been a very pretty picture for her or bill because i'm the only one that's willing to talk about his problems. >> you can't make america great again if you insult and demean the people of america. >> i think the polls would indicate you failed to connect with voters in 2015. >> chris let's let the people in iowa and new hampshire and south carolina and nevada decide that. >> what if congress did something, anything to protect our kids from gun violence? i directed my team at the white house to look into any new actions i can take and on monday i'll meet with our attorney general loretta lynch to discuss our options. >> this president is a pet lent child. whenever he can't get what he wants because quite frankly the american people rejected his

agenda. >> if you're not feeling well, if you're having all sorts of difficulty, if your wife says she's leaving you, she doesn't love you anymore, i don't care, get out and vote, right? you got to get out and vote. >> well the holidays are behind us, and the first presidential primary contest now just four weeks away. what you just heard only a taste of how the candidates are ramping up. plus iran erupts into protest after the execution of a prominent cleric by its main rival saudi arabia, setting fire to its embassy, and now a major move by the saudi kingdom. armed protesters who took over a national wildlife refuge in oregon say they plan to stay at the site for as long as it takes. we'll have the latest on the standoff. it is 5:30 on the east coast, 2:30 out west. this is "way too early."