if it's sunday it's "meet the press." new reality -- with congress back in session, president obama returns from his world wind tour of asia to face an embolden republican party. free at last, somali pirates release a retired couple after more than a year in captivity. what's in a word? which newly coined words and phrases top the list for 2010. good morning. i'm lynn berry. those stories and more straight ahead. this is 'first look" on msnbc.

we begin this morning with back to work. lawmakers will tack al long list of to-dos during a lame duck session of congress that gets under way on capitol hill today. expectations are low that we'll see much post-election progress. nbc's tracie potts joins us from washington with all the details. tracie, good morning. >> lynn, good morning. the old congress is coming back. the new congress is coming in. dozens of new members of the house of representatives and new senators hoping to make a difference. they're already filing into washington. fresh-faced members of congress armed with public support, ready to make big changes. >> i'm not going to be bullied. >> reporter: but before they're sworn in, this congress has to decide whether to let your taxes go up at the end of this year.

>> there's no bend on the permanent extension of tax cuts for the wealthiest americans. >> reporter: the white house has signaled it may support a temporary extension for the wealthy. >> if that's all we can get out of the president and he is the president, so we'll work with him on that. >> reporter: president obama just back from asia said sunday he would like it to know how republicans plan to pay for that $700 billion. congress also needs to pass spending bills to avoid a federal government shutdown and deal with the budget's big ticket items, medicare, preventing another cut in what doctors are paid, and social security. >> we've got to come to grips with social security, medicare and medicaid before it's too late. >> reporter: democrats are hoping they can squeeze in approving $250 social security checks to make up for no cost of living increase next year. so is there really compromise in the area here on capitol hill? here in washington, we'll get a better idea of that later this

week when president obama meets with the new leaders of the democrat and the republican parties here on capitol hill. lynn? >> tracy pots in washington, thank you. afghanistan president hamid karzai is drawing heat from american lawmakers and military leaders over his criticism of the u.s. war strategy in afghanistan. in a washington post port-au-prince interview this weekend, he said he wanted to reduce military operations and end special operation raids. however those raids are a key part of the u.s. counterinsurgency strategy. according to the "post" general david petraeus expressed, quote, astonishment and disappointment with his remarks. according to this morning's "new york times" the obama administration will be laying out a plan this week that aims to end the american combat mission in afghanistan by 2014. the u.s. would start handing over security duties to afghan forces over the next 18 to 24 months. president obama is praising israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu for trying to win

approval from his cabinet of a proposal to freeze construction in the disputed west bank. the plan would see israel and force a construction ban for 90 days. in exchange washington would give israel military aid and support of the united nations. if approved by the israeli government, the deal could help revive peace talks with palestinians which collapsed at the end of september. tonight, msnbc will host a town hall event. it focuses on the impact of arizona's controversial immigration law and the role latino voters played in this year's midterm elections. you'll hear from undocumented studts and teens who have been born and raised here in the u.s. and here's a preview. ♪ >> since i was little my dad would always tell me, don't tell anybody you're from mexico. >> i considered this my country and, you know, i'd be more than proud to serve and protect our freedom.

>> people talk about getting in line, but what line do i get in? >> i think around high school it really started hitting, the fact that undocumented was going to be a bayer to overcome. they can't say that i don't belong here, that i'm not welcome here, that i'm not needed here, because i am. >> it's our home because like for me, personally, i was here since i was 4 years old. >> i have been part of this community since i was little. i've been part of this state, this country, and i feel part of it. i feel american. i am american. this is the community that saw me grow up. >> and be sure to join lawrence o'donnell and msnbc contributor maria teresa kumar for the event "beyond borderlines" live from the university of san diego, beginning at 10:00 p.m. eastern. here's your chance to participate in the special town hall event. send your questions to msnbc town hall questions at nbc uni.com or visit us on facebook

at facebook.com/thelastword and on twitter at thelastword. your first look at some of the other news going on around america today. in colorado three u.s. soldiers were arrested after their attempted raid of a medical marijuana dispensary hit a snag. security video captures the panic when they realized they accidentally locked themselves inside. they've each been slapped with burglary charges. a three mile stretch of one california beach is littered with thousands of jellyfish. officials are investigating. they say a similar event happened about seven years ago, but it was a smaller type of jellyfish. they believe these are moon jellyfish which are about a foot in diameter. heavy snow in minnesota didn't stop a group of 300 cyclists from competing in the state championship. racers did their best to keep warm, but unfortunately that didn't prevent the inevitable wipeouts. the promoter offered this

observation, there's a reason it's called the hardest hour in sigh cling. in new york competitive speed eating champ kobayashi failed to break the world record for downing a 12-inch pizza in the fastest time. he said it was the guinness rule of using a knife and fork and the soft dough that threw off his time. kobayashi was 17 seconds short of a record, but still clocked in at an impressive two minutes and three seconds. and now for a look at your national weather, we turn to nbc meteorologist bill karins with the weather forecast. i still can't figure out how does this guy still stay thin? you would expect him to be like 300 pounds. he has all of these competitions that -- and he's like a stick. >> yeah. who knows. >> can you figure that out for me? >> i could go there and tell you i'm not really sure what happens after the contest, if it stays down or not. >> okay. you went there. >> they have rules. hot dog eating contest for a certain amount of time they have

to keep it. let's move on. let's talk about the forecast. over the weekend in minnesota, they had a lot of heavy snow in minneapolis, up to duluth, lot of people, lot of kids got out and enjoyed the sledding and snow balls. no snow out there this morning. the only problem down here in the deep south and this is a big rainmaker. a lot of moisture moving up from the gulf. if you live in louisiana, mississippi, alabama or georgia rain is heading your way and going to move up the eastern seaboard over the next two to three days. umbrella weather, definitely new orleans. heavy rain is on the way. heading out of shreveport and baton rouge. lot of heavy rain from jackson into montgomery. atlanta, you get a little break over the next hour or two, and then the rain will move in at the tail end of your morning rush hour. how much lane are we talking about? the possibilities here of up to about an inch widespread. so this is actually one of the bigger rain events we've had in the fall. this will go from tennessee to kentucky later tonight through the carolinas and then up through the big cities of i-95,

d.c., philly, new york, and boston. more or less tomorrow as we go throughout the day. temperatures, it's pretty mild out ahead of it. a at least it's not a cold rain. the only cold weather is where we have the snowpack in minnesota, it's in the 30s. chicago it's a little chilly for you this morning and also denver. pretty close to average this time of year. we're still waiting for our arctic outbreak. we haven't had that yet. today's forecast rain from new orleans to atlanta, florida does look sunny, temperatures will be around 80 degrees. as i mentioned, there's a slight chance of a drizzle and cloudy skies in new england, but at least it's going to be warm. the bottom line is, you know, you get to bring the umbrella and wet weather in the deep south today. tomorrow it's going to be up the east coast. >> bill, thanks. another no-go for four loko. targeting the fed. and if you want to live like a rock star, try being a college president. your fist look at this morning's business headlines is straight ahead. a hail mary for the ages a brawl on broadway and new coach,

new results for the cowboys. you're watching 'first look" on msnbc. hey, did you ever finish last month's invoices? sadly, no. oh. but i did pick up your dry cleaning and had your shoes shined. well, i made you a reservation at the sushi place around the corner. well, in that case, i better get back to these invoices... which i'll do right after making your favorite pancakes. you know what?

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welcome back to "first look." i'm lynn berry. here are some of the top stories making news this morning. ohio police say a 13-year-old girl who disappeared with her mother, brother and a family friend last week, was found bound and gagged in a man's basement. but otherwise in good condition. the homeowner, 30-year-old matthew hoffman, was arrested yesterday on one count of kidnapping, but authorities have not been able to locate the girl's family. the death toll in haiti's cholera epidemic continues to climb, reaching more than 900 over the weekend. in addition, the disease has been found in six of ten provinces in the earthquake-battered country. a british couple kidnapped from their yacht by somali pirates are free this morning, after spending more than a year in captivity. the couple were handed to local authorities in a somali town yesterday after they reportedly paid a $300,000 ransom. and a new survey finds that

spillcam and vuvuzela were the top words of 2010, reflecting the global impact of the gulf oil disaster and that noisy south african horns at the world cup soccer tournament. also in the top ten, refudiate, the mistaken mix of refute and repudiate coined by alaska governor sarah palin which i'm sure will leave a mark. here's your first look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 11,192 after falling 90 points on friday. the s&p lost 14 points. and the nasdaq dropped 37. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei rose 102 points. but in hong kong, the hang seng fell 195. after a bumpy stretch that put an end to wall street's recent rallies, this week investors will be on the watch for any sign of the economic strength from a number of factors. economic data on deck this week includes fresh industrial

production numbers, and an updated outlook from home builders on the still struggling housing market. inflation will be in focus on the wholesale end consumer levels. both are expected to show prices on the rise. retailers reporting october sales are expected to be slightly stronger. we'll also find out how those numbers impact earnings with quarterly reports from walmart, home depot, and target. a total of 10 companies are poised to go public this week with general motors leading that impressive lineup. gm is hoping to raise at least $10 billion with shares expected to go for upwards of $29 apiece. the federal reserve's plan to energize the economy will remain on the radar. according to "the wall street journal," a group of gop strategists, economists, and politicians are launching a newspaper ad campaign calling for the fed to drop its $600 billion stimulus. as of friday, shipments of the caffeinated alcoholic beverage four loko will no longer arrive in new york state.

the controversial drink is under investigation by the fda, and has already been banned in washington, michigan, utah, and oklahoma. meanwhile, new york senator charles schumer is asking for a federal investigation into lead levels in some reusable grocery bags. and finally, where does all that pricey college tuition go? well, according to the latest annual survey by the chronicle of higher education, a record 30 presidents at private colleges took home compensation packages worth $1 million or more in 2008. seven more than the previous year. good sector to be in. well in health news, at least one area, working women have achieved a dubious equality with men. a government-funded study has found female workers in stressful jobs are more likely to suffer from clogged arteries, heart attacks or strokes than

women with less job strain and women who worry about losing their jobs have higher blood pressure, cholesterol and body weight. and it for more information on this and other health stories check out the health page at msnbc.com. a thrill in jacksonville, the patriots rebound and the jets work overtime again. plus, just when everyone had written them off, the dallas cowboys play lights out against one of the nfl's top teams. your first look at sports is straight ahead. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. spital, u.c.l.a. because when it comes to kids and healing... you're not just powering a toy. you're powering a smile. duracell. trusted everywhere. across the country when the economy tumbled, jpmorgan chase set up new offices to work one-on-one with homeowners. since 2009, we've helped over 200,000 americans keep their homes.

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welcome back to "first look." i'm lynn berry. in sports a new coaching era is under way for thes that cowboys and the new guy has already paid giant dividends. here's nbc's fred roggin. >> good monday morning to you. earlier this week jerry jones sent his team a message, firing their head coach and the cowboys responded in a big way against the giants. let's go to new york. a series of power outages stopped play in the third quarter. no problem for the cowboys, they had plenty of energy. eli manning picked off in the end zone by bryan mccann and he was off to the races untouched. 101 yards down the sideline for the score. jason garrett earned his first win as head coach. cowboys won it 33-20. great finish, jags and texans, last play of the game tied at 24. david garrard threw up a prayer and his prayer was answered. the ball was batted right to mike thomas. game over. jags won it 31-24.

now to cleveland, jets and browns final minutes, colt mccoy found the end zone and tied it at 21 forcing overtime. no field goal needed to win this one. mark sanchez connecting with santonio holmes. holmes did the rest, 37 yards to the house. jets won in o.t. 26-20. patriots had their way with the steelers. tom brady hooked up with rob gronkowski not once, not twice but three times. the pats made a statement in pittsburgh 39-26. finally, ugly moment in the rangers/oilers game. sean avery dropped his gloves and he just leveled. the referee quickly broke things up, words were exchanged. avery headed to the locker room. that's when the fun began. grab a partner, it's a brawl. even the ranger bench got involved. colin frazier wanted to take on the whole team. when it was all said and done, 124 minutes in penalties handed out, including four ejections. the fight was a draw. but the rangers won the game 8-2. that's your first look at sports. i'm fred roggin. >> here's nbc meteorologist bill

karins with a weather forecast. >> still amazing that happens at hockey games. >> only in hockey. it gets rowdy in other sports but in hockey they take the gloves off. >> it's socially accepted. >> that's why they have the glass wall. >> protect people. talk about the forecast, good morning, if you're just joining us what a beautiful weekend it was through all of new england. the entire east coast had a gorgeous weekend. it's going to be hard to copy and do that again as we head to the cold weather season. temperatures this morning are mild. notice as you head out the door it's really not that cold. you can wear the fall jacket if you want. light showers in upstate new york. today is not a rainy day. maybe a little drizzle. more clouds than anything else from d.c. northwards. tomorrow is date when the rain arrives. we're going to be partly cloudy to mostly cloudy just about every location out there. breaks of sunshine at best. temperatures will be in the 50s. it won't be too chilly out there. d.c. should get to about 62. tuesday is the day when the rain

arrives. it will increase in intensity from south to north, d.c. to philly to new york, today the rain is down here in the deep south. if you're in the southeast have the brumbrella as you go into yr monday. >> thank you very much. well, "megamind" has another mega weekend at the box office. you're not going to believe how former president bill clinton spent this past weekend. your first look at entertainment is straight ahead. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. for the ball... here it comes... here you go. good catch. perfect! alright now for the best part. let's see your pour. ohhh...let's get those in the bowl. these are way too good to waste, right? oh, yea. let's go for it... around the bowl and... [ male announcer ] share what you love... with who you love. mmmmm. kellogg's frosted flakes... they're g-r-r-reat! good catch, dad. [ laughs ]

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welcome back to "first look." i'm lynn berry. friday on late night with jimmy fallon leave it to jimmy to find

humor with hillary clinton's meeting with benjamin netanyahu. >> she had a six hour meeting at a hotel, wait i think this is bill's schedule. this isn't mine. can't be mine. i think i missed -- speaking of bill clinton, today he released a statement where he called george w. bush's new memoir, well written and interesting. then bush released a statement calling clinton's lie, convincing and much appreciated. big international news, gap just opened its first store in china this week. or as gap clothing put it, we'r coming home for the holidays. this is just bizarre. a man in connecticut shot twice at a deli but went home to eat a sandwich before going to the hospital. both he and the sandwich are being called heros. >> tonight jimmy welcomes harry potter star daniel rat cliff and quincy jones, that's "late night with jimmy fallon" 12:35 on your

local nbc station. time for your entaintment news. family power spoke at the weekend box office. earning the animated 3-d comedy "megamind" top spot for the second straight weekend. for weeks there have been virtually no films for younger audiences. until "megamind" and families filled the theaters again to the tune of $30 million. $90 million in just two weeks. stifled by "megamind" and others, denzel washington's usual box office mojo couldn't push the debut of "unstoppable" past second place with $23.5 million. another opener, the invading aliens of "skyline" managed fourth with just under $12 million. and the debut of "morning glory" starring harrison ford struggled into fifth with less than $10 million. touchdown for jessica simpson. she's engaged to former nfl player eric johnson. and tmz reports that former president bill clinton shot a cameo appearance in thailand this weekend for the upcoming

movie, bill, any guess what it is? >> i think it's a really funny movie with -- it's going to be hard to top the first one. something to do with the hangover. >> hang over2. what an odd couple. >> i wish we could keep showing the clip of mike tyson's cameo. >> they will be the four best friends anyone could happen. i'm lin berry. stay tuned, "way too early" with willie geist starts right now. a new report this morning says president obama is ready with a plan to end the american mission in afghanistan by 2014. the question is, should we even be surprised that afghan president hamid karzai suggested we should not let the door hit us on the way out. the lame duck session of congress begins today. can you feel the excitement. tax cuts and nancy pelosi's fight to keep power on the agenda for the next couple months. which democrat is telling pelosi to step