look into this, he signed the disaster declaration. we're going to have much more on this story tomorrow and in coming days, but that's the very interesting news out of flint tonight. watch this space. watch this space. "first look" is up next. it's wednesday, january 6th. right now on "first look," north korea claims they detonated a hydrogen bomb resulting in an earthquake and an emergency meeting between united nations security counsel. an emotion ol president obama puts forth his best plan to prevent the next mass shooting as the nra responds. is ted cruz getting under the donald's skin now that he's using the birther card? while also taking on the clintons. hillary called me sexist and that i had an inclination. what does she know about me? i had an inclination. when she said that, i said well your husband's now campaigning. it's open season. >> plus the godzilla of weather. america is getting hit with the

the worst el nino ever reported. flying will cost you more as airlines raise their prices. and tonight's your next chance to win powerball's $450 million jackpot. "first look" starts right now. good morning, everybody. thanks for being with us, i'm shannon mulaire. north korea says it has detonated a hydrogen bomb, saying it was a test and that it has joined the ranks of nations with nuclear weapons. the claim has not been confirmed by the united states. although south korea's defense ministry says it has confirmed the test. just a few hours ago, a 5.1 magnitude earthquake was detected near north korea's known test site, which may have been caused by the detonation. nbc's bill neely joins us now from london with more. good morning, bill. >> reporter: good morning, shannon. yes, it was the u.s. geological survey that first detected that 5.1 tremor. as you say, very close to an area where, in previous years, nuclear weapons have been tested in 2006, 2009, and 2013.

the announcement was then made, and it was a bit of a surprise, on north korean television. the announcers saying that north korea had successfully tested its first hydrogen bomb, and that this was in response to u.s. aggression. now that is a typical propaganda line from pyongyang, this is a country that feels it is under constant threat of attack, and invasion, by the united states. kim jong-un, leader, had said in december that they had a hydrogen bomb. that was treated with some skepticism by experts in the u.s., south korea, japan, and elsewhere. but this morning it appears it did conduct some kind of a test. now there is some skepticism about whether this is a full, hydrogen test. south korea, in particular, is saying it may be an atom bomb test, or somewhere between an atom bomb and a hydrogen bomb. there is a big difference. a hydrogen bomb is considerably more powerful, maybe four times

more powerful than an atomic weapon. so this would represent a considerable step-up in north korea's power if it is shown, and it may take months, if it is shown that this was, in fact, a hydrogen bomb test. shannon? >> all right an ongoing story. bill neely from london, thank you. back in the u.s., president obama is re-igniting an age-old battle with congress. in an emotional white house speech he outlined his new gun control executive order and calls out lawmakers for their inaction. nbc's tracie potts is live in washington for us this morning. tracie, conservatives are hitting back. >> well, no question about that. as expected, and not just on that gun issue, where the president has decided to go it alone, admitting there's only so much he can do. >> every time i think about those kids, it gets me mad. >> reporter: the nra is calling president obama's tearful speech restricting gun show sales an emotional, condescending

lecture. republicans aren't thrilled, either. >> once again we've seen the president overstep his executive authority, and every time he has done this, it has not ended well. >> reporter: there's only so much mr. obama can do. redefining which sellers must do background checks doesn't change the law. >> there was no change at all in the law. the president simply restated what has been the law since 1968. >> reporter: the white house is gearing up for a fight on that. and obamacare. >> we're willing to call their bluff. >> reporter: tonight the house votes again to dismantle the president's signature health care program. for the first time, it could also pass the senate. >> the shame in this institution is that it took 62 times for the will of the people to make its way to the president's desk. >> reporter: president obama won't sign it. >> this is not going anywhere. >> reporter: the bill would strip millions from planned parenthood. >> where exactly are the women in these areas supposed to go to

get a pap smear or to get a mammogram? >> reporter: president obama and congress at odds with his budget requests, just weeks away. >> nbc's tracie potts joining us from washington. the political cease-fire between the top two republican candidates for president may soon be over. speaking to msnbc's "morning joe," donald trump did something we haven't really seen yet. on camera he went after ted cruz and the fact that he was born in canada. >> and it's a problem for him, and it's a problem, obviously, for the republicans, because if the democrats -- let's assume he got a nomination, and the democrats bring suit. the suit takes two to three years to solve. so how do you run? so it's certainly a concern, i guess, for the party. but i hope that's not the case. i'm not involved in that. but a lot of people are bringing it up, absolutely. >> cruz tweeted a link to the infamous jump the shark clip from "happy days" in response. and then there's the republican front-runner's more public feud

with his democratic counterpart. but hillary clinton is now drawing back, refusing to address it. speaking to msnbc's chris matthews, clinton still didn't take trump's bait. >> why does he do whatever he does? i can only tell you what i hear from people. and what i hear from people is really about their lives and their future. i mean a lot of this back and forth that goes on -- >> i know, but -- >> in the political universe -- >> he's winning. >> well, we'll see. >> and of course that's not all. nbc's kristen welker has us covered. >> reporter: hillary clinton digging in. >> again refusing to engage with donald trump over his personal jabs during her first television interview of 2016, clinton told msnbc's chris matthews -- >> is it sexism? is it what it is? >> i will not respond to his personal attacks. >> reporter: clinton's campaign recently over shadowed by a barrage of attacks by trump who has criticized her husband for his sexual transgressions, just as president bill clinton

returned to the trail for the first time monday. >> he can say whatever he wants to say. i'm going to keep talking about what people talk to me about. >> reporter: but donald trump is showing no signs of letting up. >> it's fair game when they attack me i'm going to attack them. >> reporter: in an interview with nbc's "morning joe" trump said she's counterpunching after clinton accused him of sexism. >> i said your husband now campaigning, it's open season. now if he wasn't campaigning maybe it would be different, and if he weren't a past president it would be totally different. >> reporter: analysts say don't expect clinton to fire back at the republican front-runner any time soon. >> everybody who's taken on donald trump has learned that he will hit back and hit back hard and so i think there is a lesson that hillary clinton has learned. >> reporter: meanwhile trump was also on defense over his new campaign ad, which shows migrants and indicates they're crossing the southern border. in reality it's the moroccan border. >> it was really just footage. and frankly all it shows is people running across a border.

and as far as i'm concerned, when you look at it, the united states is becoming a dumping ground. and that's -- it was just a couple of seconds. that was kristen welker reporting. now to the extreme weather slamming into the west. a soaker fuelled in part by the so-called godzilla el nino. nbc's miguel almaguer has more from hard-hit los angeles. >> reporter: the western washout is here. so is a taste of the el nino effect. relentless rain pouring in across california. a scramble for some to escape the fast-rising water. cars and roads submerged near the bay area. rock slides and flooding near los angeles. >> be prepared. this storm is real. and it's coming. >> reporter: a conveyor belt of moisture lasting through the week, unleashing a water hose on the west. it's fuelled in part by a godzilla el nino, now tied as the strongest on record. >> so, none of us, all 20 million of us, are going to

escape the wrath of el nino. >> reporter: with the l.a. river rising fast, expected to crest later this week, voluntary evacuations are under way in campry la where there was a fire ten days ago there is flash flooding in solamar. the scorched soil can't absorb all the rain. the 101, a major highway, parksly shut down. the mountains already hit hard by snow, could get another two feet. el nino fuelled the deadly flooding in the midwest. 25 people killed, some 150 homes destroyed. now, another hallmark of el nino. this time punishing the west, and the worst of it still on the way. >> all right. let's get down to business now with cnbc's landon dowdy. good morning, landon. >> hi, shannon, good morning to you, as well. a new year brings new fare hikes from the major airlines. delta, american united, southwest, jetblue and virgin america are raising base round

trip fares on domestic flights by $6 for both business and leisure fares. the increase could be rolled back, but that's unlikely given the airlines' widespread support. texting while driving is a top cause of fatal accidents among teens, but technology may be able to help. a 20-year-old inventor has created a smart steering wheel that tracks whether both hands are on the wheel. parents can monitor their teens' driving habits via an app. and a new survey shows two-thirds of americans can't afford unexpected expenses such as a $500 car repair. people will try to make ends meet by cutting spending on other things, relying on credit cards or borrowing from family. they say this proves emergency savings are more than a personal finance cliche. shannon, back over to you. >> all right, landon, thank you. tonight's the night. the powerball jackpot is now $450 million, and growing. are you in it to win it? plus the oregon protesters dig in their heels as the standoff

enters its fifth day and takes a bizarre turn. details, next.

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. does a freshly printed fill you with optimism? then you might be gearcentric. right now, it's like paying just $9.99 after rewards for this case of paper! office depot officemax. gear up for great. staying in rhythm... it's how i try to live... how i stay active. so i need nutrition... that won't weigh me down. for the nutrition you want without the calories you don't... try boost® 100 calories. each delicious snack size drink gives you... 25 vitamins and minerals and 10 grams of protein. so it's big in nutrition and small in calories. i'm not about to swim in the slow lane. stay strong. stay active with boost®.

>> welcome back to "first look." we showed you right before the break all the dramatic pictures from california yesterday with the big storm moving through. they have another one coming through today. we have one of those storms in arizona now. winter storm warnings in the high elevations up in the rim, and as far as the winter storm goes in the west, 4 million people run der flood watches, and as far as the snow warnings go we have about -- excuse me 4 million people under the snow warning, as far as the watches go, we're watching about 18 million people with a chance of some flash flooding. here's the heavy rain and snow. phoenix is about to get drenched. it only rains about 20 to 30 days on average in phoenix. today is one of your rainy days of the year. probably one of the rainiest. possibility of half inch to an inch of rain in the desert. snow spreading through the rockies over the next couple days and eventually tomorrow, a little bit of that will go up near sioux city and minneapolis. it is cold once again in the east but not as bad as yesterday. and we will warm it up over the next three days.

one thing to watch over the next four to five days, another shot of cold air comes down. i was just looking up, shannon, the coldest all-time nfl game played was negative 13. we're not going to be at that level. but this has a chance to be in the top ten coldest nfl games ever played in minnesota sunday. >> playoffs, baby, they don't care. >> i know. the fans do. but the players will be all right. >> all right, bill, thank you. it is the fifth day of the armed occupation of an oregon wildlife refuge. overnight protesters strengthened their blockade by moving in heavy equipment, including greaters and a scoop truck. last night on the last word with lawrence o'donnell 55-year-old lavoy sat in a rocking chair under a tarp with a rifle on his lap. he told the reporter he's not moving. >> you're prepared to die? better dead than in a cell? >> absolutely. >> the protesters say they're not leaving until there's a plan in place to transfer federal land to locals. on nbc.com, fbi helped

tracking san bernardino killer attackers movements. investigators are struggling to figure out where they were for 18 minutes during the early afternoon. it's a critical gap in time after they shot and killed 14 people at the inland regional center, and fled in an suv. all right today is your big chance to win the $450 million powerball jackpot. the prize amount has ballooned since the last powerball winner in november. the odds of winning are 1 in 292 million. but somebody's got to take it home. so good luck to you. "scrambled politics" is next. ♪ soft, calm music "hi, you've reached emma.

i'm out of the office right now but will get back to you just as soon as i possibly can." join princess cruises for exclusive discovery at sea experiences. princess cruises. come back new. ♪ (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. are you taking a zumba class? when a moment turns romantic why pause to take a pill? or stop to find a bathroom? cialis for daily use is approved to treat both erectile dysfunction

and the urinary symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently, day or night. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medicines, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, get medical help right away for an erection lasting more than four hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or any symptoms of an allergic reaction, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about cialis and a $200 savings card. it took joel silverman years to become a master dog trainer. but only a few commands to master depositing checks at chase atms.

technology designed for you. so you can easily master the way you bank. all right here's your hump day edition of "scrambled politics." marco rubio's rivals are ganging up on him. first his choose of fight ware after this photo circulated online, ted cruz's communications director tweeted a link to a new york magazine article with the caption, a vote for marco rubio is a vote for men's high heeled booties. come on. and chris christie is hitting back at rubio's attack saying the senator can't, quote, slime his way to the white house. christie also took a swipe railing against legislator. >> all you do is essentially go to school. they schedule when you're supposed to be there, they tell you where to sit, and then they say, yes or no. say yes or no. senator rubio can't even seem to get that part. >> and on that subject, don't be surprised if you see this in a

political ad. >> i have missed votes this year. you know why? because while as a senator i can help shake the agenda, only a president can set the agenda. we're not going to fix america with senators and congressmen. >> yes, he's still a sitting united states senator. after the executive action on guns, a bold statement newly added to ted cruz's website. obama wants your guns. with a militarized president looking on. south carolina governor and rising republican star nikki haley will give the republican response to president obama's state of the union address next week but be careful what you wish for. in the past decade, those given that honor, include a pair of 2016 candidates who have already droned out, a man in prison, and kathleen sebelius, who oversaw the botched launch of the obamacare website. oh, yeah, and water bottle moment from senator marco rubio. he can't catch a break today, can he? the 2020 race for utah's governor could be interesting.

both mitt romney's son josh and well-known tea party congressman jason chaffetz have expressed interest. british parliament has set the date, january 18th. that's when to debate whether or not to ban donald trump from entering the uk. a public petition has been signed by more than half a million people. and donald trump will return to "the tonight show" on nbc this monday. he'll be talking to the best trump impersonator in the biz, our own jimmy fallon. just watch this from last night. >> hillary clinton said that she would investigate ufos and said that aliens may have already visited earth. when he heard that trump said forget the wall, we need a dome. let's build a huge, beautiful dome. and they can pay for it. we'll make the aliens pay for the dome. >> pretty good, isn't it? that is your morning dish of "scrambled politics." all right i'm joined now political reporter erin mcpike. erin, pretty good from jimmy fallon there with the trump.

>> he always is. he always is. >> all right, let's talk a little bit about north korea this morning. they claim that they successfully tested a hydrogen bomb. we're already hearing from marco rubio criticizing obama and clinton for their failed foreign policy. is this about to become a major campaign topic? and how much does it hurt clinton, if so? >> it certainly is going to be a major campaign topic, shannon. of course, terrorism and national security has been front and center for this campaign. marco rubio jumped on this first, because he does believe this helps him. he embraces a really pugilistic and kind of pro-active foreign policy. so he does think that this helps him. whether it hurts hillary clinton, i kind of doubt that. she has the most experience on foreign policy in this field. and she towers over the republicans as far as that concern. we have to say, though, that, of course, we don't know how accurate, yet, north korea's claims are. we're already hearing from some military officials who say it may not be quite as serious as north korea is claiming. >> going to take a few days to

sort that out for sure. let's talk a little bit about trump here, because he now is questioning ted cruz's eligibility to become president because he was born in canada. but his mom was an american citizen. now, most legal scholars say that means he meets the criteria, but it's not something that's ever been tested in court. is this a legit concern or just trump throwing stuff against the wall to see what sticks? >> it is not legitimate. ted cruz is what the constitution considers a natural-born citizen. as was john mccain. he was born on a panama military base, and this was not a problem for him. donald trump is simply worried about ted cruz winning iowa, and donald trump is trying to invalidate ted cruz wherever he can. >> all right. lastly, before we let you go, we saw a very emotional president obama lay out his executive order yesterday. fact of the matter is, he will face some legal challenges here. so when it comes to the legality of the order, will it stand up? >> when president obama issues some kind of executive action,

he always faces legal challenges. and really, the success of that depends on how strong his legal team is, and sort of how the justices on the high court feel that day. the bigger question may be whether it is a democrat or a republican who succeeds him. because a republican could strike it down with the stroke of a pen, whereas a hillary clinton or a bernie sanders would most likely hold it up. >> all right. erin mcpike joining us this morning. we appreciate it. have a great wednesday. >> thank you too. >> all right, thank you. up next we're going to go live to las vegas for a preview of this year's consumer electronics show. it's a fact. kind of like reunions equal blatant lying. the company is actually doing really well on, on social media. oh that's interesting. i - i started social media. oh! it was my...baby. aren't moving in the right direction,bers it can be a burden. but what if you could wake up to lower blood sugar? imagine loving your numbers. discover once-daily invokana®. with over 6 million prescriptions and counting,

it's the #1 prescribed sglt2 inhibitor that works to lower a1c. invokana® is used along with diet and exercise to significantly lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. it's a once-daily pill that works around the clock. here's how: invokana® reduces the amount of sugar allowed back in to the body through the kidneys and sends some sugar out through the process of urination. and while it's not for weight loss, it may help you lose weight. invokana® can cause important side effects, including dehydration, which may cause you to feel dizzy, faint, lightheaded, or weak, especially when you stand up. other side effects may include kidney problems, genital yeast infections, urinary tract infections, changes in urination, high potassium in the blood, increases in cholesterol, or risk of bone fracture. do not take invokana® if you have severe kidney problems or are on dialysis.

stop taking and call your doctor right away if you experience symptoms such as rash, swelling, or difficulty breathing or swallowing. tell your doctor about any medical conditions, medications you are taking, and if you have kidney or liver problems. using invokana® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase risk of low blood sugar. imagine life with a lower a1c. are you loving your numbers? there's only one invokana®. ask your doctor about it by name.

welcome back. the consumer electronics show gets under way in las vegas

today with the latest and greatest apps, gadgets and devices on display. nbc's jay gray is in sin city, not a bad assignment you have there. looks like you got some pretty fun gizmos there. hi, jay. >> look, shannon, you're right. there are gadgets and gizmos all over the place here. more than 2 million square feet of exhibits. more than 170,000 people expected to take it all in. not open to the public. but we have a few of the hot items here. wearables a big deal. this swarovski crystal activity band from polar tells you everything. sleeping, eating, workouts, heartrate, $150 or so. they make one that doesn't have the crystal, as well. misfit makes one that you can wear this coming out soon. you can wear as a wrist band or you can wear it as a necklace. these glasses, wear them while you ride your bike, it will tell you the elevation, it will tell you how fast you're going. it will tell you what you're doing. it will give you your heart rate. everything you need to know about the workout. then you can play it back and

see where you can get better. last thing here and it's amazing, this for you, it's a programmable remote. does everything on your tv and your house and you can do it to the person. got to go. see you later. >> all right, jay thank you. thanks for watching, everybody. "way too early" starts right now. each time this comes up, we are fed the excuse that commonsense reforms like background checks might not have stopped the last massacre. or the one before that. or the one before that. so why bother trying. i reject that thinking. we maybe can't save everybody, but we could save some. >> president obama frustrated with congress once again, launching a solo effort to curb gun violence in one of his most emotional speeches yet. >> every time i think about

those kids, it gets me mad. >> we'll have reaction. plus the u.n. security council calls an emergency meeting after the claim from north korea that its hydrogen bomb test was a quote, total success. nbc's bill neely joins us with the latest. and donald trump questions whether his canadian-born rival ted cruz is eligible to be president. but the only one who seems to be joking about it is senator cruz. it is 5:30 here on the east coast, 2:30 out west. this is "way too early." good morning. it is wednesday, january 6th, i'm shiba russell. we are following breaking news overnight right now. north korea claims to have