tv First Look MSNBC December 16, 2010 5:00am-5:30am EST
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9/11 truther. what does that say? >> well it says a lot but i'm actually more concerned about this professor who claims that separation of church and state is a myth. it's not a myth. thomas jefferson said that that was an essential part of the first amendment. >> john nichols of "the nation." always a pleasure. tonight i asked do you believe that president obama's tax compromise with republicans will create jobs? 23% of you said yes. 77% of you said no. that's not a good number. house call. president obama's tax cut deal cruises through the senate but the fight is not over yet. head scratcher. a team of forensic scientists manages to unravel a 400-year-old mystery. and ice castle. frigid winds create a giant frozen sculpture on the shores of lake erie.
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i'm lynn berry. those stories and more are straight ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc. we begin with rounding the bend. in a rare bipartisan push, the senate voted overwhelmingly in favor of a people that will prevent a new year's day tax hike for millions of americans. still, despite the inclusion of a provision to provide jobless aid to many house democrats will try to make one more change before it's a done deal. nbc's tracie potts joins us from washington. good morning. >> reporter: lynn, good morning. house democrats are making a last-minute push to make that estate tax. one would pass exactly the version that passed in the
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senate with the exception of a higher estate tax. if that happens everything goes back to the senate and looking at possibly long delays in trying to get it done. the second would pass exactly the same version that came through the stat and very likely go straight to president obama's desk for his signature. also today, the senate has begun debate on the repeal of don't ask, don't tell. the house has passed that measure by 75 votes which included 15 republicans but the question in the senate, is there enough time to get this done? no timetable has been set for the vote yet. democrats wanted to get it through before republicans take control of the courthouse and have more influence over the senate in january. also, still on the agenda, the s.t.a.r.t. treaty with russia, the senate has to rat fie it and president obama ratified. a two-thirds majority is needed to get it passed. lynn? >> tracie, thanks so much.
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it appears the majority of american people approve to the tax cuts. according to a new poll, 59% of those surveyed support it while 36% disapprove. however the president's job approval rating has come in at 45%, down 2 points from last month. still the president's battle may not be all uphill. looking ahead, it shows him ahead if he would run against mitt romney, sarah palin or senator john thune. they were not quite as optimistic about the country's direction. 63% think it's headed in the wrong direction. not surprisingly as the nation emerges from what's known as the great recession, a combined 54% say the past 10 years have been
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either a very bad decade or one of the worst decades in american history. back to the s.t.a.r.t. treaty that is the nuclear arms agreement with russia that tracie mentioned earlier, the president wanted it to be ratified before the holidays. last night on "the rachel maddow" show she asked john kerry why he thinks it's so important to pass. >> we have an opportunity to make history and reduce the number of nuclear weapons pointed at the united states. we have an opportunity to increase our security, to make americans safer, by once again getting people back on the ground in russia to be able to inspect what the russians are doing. we haven't had people on the ground for a year now. every member of our intelligence community has said pass this treaty. every former secretary of defense has said pass the treaty. former secretaries of state, pass the treaty so our hope is
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that we can step away from all of the stuff you were appropriately talking about a few minutes ago and get the senate to rise to its constitutional responsibilities and get away from the partisan politics and do what foreign policy requires and national security requires, which is focus on the country. >> each night she has a unique take on politics, weeknights at 9:00 eastern right here on msnbc, the place for politics. this morning's "new york times" reports that federal prosecutors are trying to build a conspiracy case against julian assange. according to "the times" the justice department is trying to find out whether assange encouraged or helped private bradley manning, the army specialist suspected of leaking classified state department files who is currently being held in a virginia prison. if assange did so, officials believe they could charge him as
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a conspirator in the leak not just a passive recipient of the documents who then published them. here's your first look at some other news going on today. in minnesota if you really need a more tangible of idea of how bad the winter weather is, look at what this speck of metal will turn into. an abandoned car completely buried scratched by a snowmobile that ran over it. state workers got it out with the help of a tow truck and the owner can expect a bill. frozen temperatures that push thought into florida are affecting marine life. large number of shellfish and sea sponges all washed on a local beach there as the warm gulf waters turned cold. experts say it's still too soon to know the long-term effects. in ohio buried behind this gorgeous ice sculpture is a light house. bone-chilling winds blew the waters of lake erie on to the lighthouse and other navigation
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markers encasing them completely in ice and the arctic blast could last another week which means we could admire nature's work of art longer. a look at the national weather and bill karins is quickly becoming the least popular kid in the room. >> thanks. >> hey, what? >> what did you say? ever been to niagara falls. >> no, i haven't. >> in the wintertime, that's what it reminded me. all of that happens on the frees in its way. pretty cool. >> i'm sure the folks in ohio are just loving it. >> well, we can appreciate the beauty from inside maybe sometimes. this morning the problem is the temperatures. not so much that it's as cold as it was, but because we have warmer air moving into the cold air, we have an icy mess out there this morning especial will i in the ohio valley all heading for the mid-atlantic region under winter storm warnings here in areas everywhere in pink.
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southern indiana where we picked up snow overnight. most of kentucky has had an ice storm. up to a quarter inch and now winter storm warnings into virginia, almost all of southern west virginia, even a portion of north carolina where we'll see more ice and know during the day today. even a winter weather add advisory for washington, d.c. expecting 1 to 2 inches of snow during the day today. here's a look at the radar. pink is where the ice is. that's been over lexington, louisville, cincinnati, mostly central and northern kentucky really the problem area for the ice. the snow has been prevalent around indianapolis, we already picked up about an inch or two and now that is starting to extend now moving into all of west virginia and eventually that will slide through areas of washington, d.c. and richmond, richmond could end up with 3 to 5 inches of snow out of this. after last year's blockbuster season, it's amazing we're already getting another storm. here's a look -- closer look at the radar, huntington, west
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virginia, all snow but freezing rain through kentucky. not quite seeing a lot of the snow hit the ground. the air is dry there but it'll moisten up and we will see it going up to roanoke and charlotte during the morning commute. d.c. to richmond as we go throughout probably the end of the rush hour more like midmorning, it'll be a daylight snow event for d.c. and areas like alexandria. the highest totals in the mountains, 6 to 10 inches and this little band of 3 to 6 goes through richmond, so, lynn, philadelphia, new york, boston does not get this storm. this is literally isolated just to that area between richmond and d.c. >> lucky them. bill, thanks so much. grinches take hold on wall street. beer is booming and the world's most expensive christmas tree. your "first look" at this morning's business headlines straight ahead. coming up sydney crosby puts
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welcome back to "first look." i'm lynn berry. here's some top news. greece's government is condemning violent protest that's rupted across athens yesterday as demonstrators angry over budget cuts clashed with police, torched cars and hurled gasoline bombs. arriving was part of the country's seventh general strike. but unionsup set over a set of austerity measures meant to pull greece out of its worst financial crisis since world war ii. a russian soyuz spacecraft is headed towards the international space station after blasting off from kazakhstan carrying an american, russian and italian expected to stay there for nearly six months. the government is outlying drop side cribs after the deaths of more than 30 infants and
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toddlers. they have come under scrutiny because of malfunctioning hardware that can create a space pore a child to become trapped or strangled. and scientists say they've identified an embalmed head as belonging to king henry iv of france assassinated by a catholic fanatic in 1610. nine months of test represented researchers late the late mon factor's skull which has been shuffled between private collections ever since it disappeared during the french revolution more than 200 years ago. had 0 would want to collect that? here's your first look at how wall street kicks off. it opens at 11, 57. the nasdaq shed 10. taking a look at overseas trading in, tokyo, the nikkei inched up one point but the hang seng tumbled 306. for the third straight day a
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late sell-off sent a chill and profit takers convinced the rally ran its course have been moving in late wiping out morning gains, apple and netflix, for example, both followed that. up just a fraction at the close after being significantly higher earlier. the day actually started down with the dollar rising on new euro debt concerns. moody's even warns spain, its rating could be downgraded. the mood brightened on industrial and manufacturing data. industrial production rose in november at its fastest pace in four months and manufacturing activity in the new york area rebounded strongly. treasury yields continued rising. sparking worry about rising borrowing costs which in turn sent bank stocks and other financials lower. in company news boston beer, the maker of sam adams rose over 12% after raising its 2010 earnings forecast saying it's shipping 12% more products than last year.
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elsewhere the justice department sued bp and other companies for the gulf oil spill hoping to get billions for economic and environmental damage above and beyond what's already been paid. the administration says high level talks with china produced agreements on issues including piracy of u.s. intellectual property and china's continued barriers on or to american beef. speaking of china mcdonald's plans its biggest expansion there yet. opening up to 200 new restaurants next year. finally, one abu dabby hotel boasts the most expensive christmas tree ever with a value of over $11 million. it's a fake 40-foot evergreen decorated with silver and gold bows but it is the necklaces, earrings and other jewelry that drapes around the tree's branches that gives it that record value and that kind of puts my $30 charlie brown tree to shame. well, coming up buzzer be
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beaters abound in the nba. the heat winning streak hits double digits and baseball loses a hall of famer. plus, the celtics and knicks went back and forth in a thriller that went down to the final second and beyond. first look at sports is straight ahead watching "first look" on msnbc. [ phones ping, buzz ] [ laughs ] that's so dumb. [ laughter ] nice. [ male announcer ] don't be left behind. get it first with at&t. the nation's fastest mobile broadband network. period. rethink possible.
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[ male announcer ] there are billions of people in the world. ♪ but only one dad. ♪ show him how much you care with gillette's family of products. ♪ [ male announcer ] there are billions of people in the world. ♪ but only one dad. ♪ show him how much you care with gillette's family of products. ♪ welcome back to "first look." i'm lynn berry. a garden party in new york where the rivalry between the knicks and celtics was reborn.
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here's nbc's fred roggin. good morning to you. the knicks haven't been relevant since the mid '90s but maybe they're ready to return. taking on them, nobody is playing better than amar'e stoudt a stoudamire. 0.4 seconds left. knicks a last shout, should mire for the shot and got it. take a look. he didn't get it off if time. knicks played good but not good enough. spurs and bucks came down to the buzzer beater and spurs won it 92-90. last time the heave and cavs plays it was all lebron. now dwyane wade. think he's punched. moments later another thunderous one-handed jam. the heat won their tenth
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straight 101-95. some sad news to report from baseball. hall of fame bob feller passed away yesterday. feller won 266 games all with the cleveland indians, also a world war ii hero that left baseball during his prime to serve in the navy. he was 92. the penguins' sydney crosby extended his scoring streak to 20 games. new york scored four unanswered and rangers won it 3-1. this may be the last name you see sal alosi. after tripping a player he was suspended for the season. now he's suspended indefinitely after the team five out he ordered five inactive players to form a human wall along the sideline. he's been doing it without the team's knowledge. may have tripped a player but now alosi is taking a big fall. that's your first look at sports. i'm fred roggin. >> another quick look at the weather. here's nbc's meteorologist bill karins. >> you know it's cold when i stop shopping on airfare for
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warm destination between my weather hits. >> probably not a good thing. i don't know. we can't lose you here, bill. you're not allowed to take vacation. didn't they tell you that. >> i haven't gotten that memo let. let's talk about temperatures. still very cold. especially new england. windchills, 6 in pittsburgh, 10 at boston. 18 in new york. 8 in philadelphia so there's still one more really cold morning to get through. skies are relatively snow-free. there's a couple baupdzs near syracuse and utica but do have snow that will be moving in through areas of virginia during the day. not expecting a lot of snow or any for that area from boston to new york to philly but d.c. through virginia is where you will get snow. just in d.c. but richmond could get 3 to 5. obviously cold today. light snow in d.c. watch out also for areas of kentucky, and indiana and illinois for freezing rain this morning. >> all right, bill.
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bearer of great news. we love it, thanks. here, what one hollywood bad girl has to say about the pass and about today's crop. she's about to do something in "playbook" she's never done. your first look at entertainment is straight ahead. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. it's the only listerine®t gets teeth two shades whiter. and makes tooth enamel two times stronger. get dual action listerine® whitening® rinse. building whiter, stronger teeth. get dual action listerine® whitening® rinse. boss: and now i'll turn it over gecko: ah, thank you, sir. as we all know, geico has been saving people money on rv, camper and trailer insurance... ...as well as motorcycle insurance... gecko: oh...sorry, technical difficulties. boss: uh...what about this? gecko: what's this one do? gecko: um...maybe that one. ♪ dance music boss: ok, let's keep rolling. we're on motorcycle insurance. vo: take fifteen minutes to see how much you can save on motorcycle, rv, and camper insurance.
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the recession. america's middle class. meanwhile, some republicans have started to wonder if they made this deal too soon. got to rap ♪ the nation's taxpayers have a crisis ♪ ♪ they might stop paying their taxes like wesley snipes ♪ >> in his latest effort to win support from his own party obama enlisted the services of former president clinton. oh, yeah. with obama swings this way and that only makes sense to call in the biggest swinger of all, the smoothest of them all, the barry white of democratic politics, slick willie, bill clinton's a bad mother -- >> shut your mouth. >> i'm just talking about bill clinton. >> i can dig it. it just gets funnier every time he welcomes paul rudd and alan
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black weeknights 12:35, 11:35 central time on your local nbc station. it's time for your "first look" at entertainment news. last night at the premiere of his latest film johnny depp gave swarms of fans more than their money's worth. he waded into a huge crowd patiently signing autographs and posing for pictures as hundreds turned out for the italian premiere of "the tourist." angelina jolie turned out with brad pitt saying her focus for christmas is on her children. at 43 pamela anderson will make her 13th appearance in "playbook" magazine. this one will be different. in addition to eight pages of pictures, there will be a poem written by anderson. how sweet. finally a bad girl of old says today's bad girls are much worse. the brad of the '90s "beverly hills 90210" tels us it's
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nothing compared to her saying none of her girls went into rehab and didn't go out and flash people so take that, hilton. >> i love poetry too. >> i know. you read for the articles, right? >> i can't wait. >> haikus. okay, now just getting creepy, bill. thanks. appreciate that. let's wrap this up. i'm lynn berry and this is "first look" on msnbc but stay tuned. "way too early with willie geist" starts right now. president obama's tax deal cruised through the senate yesterday. today the house gets a shot at it but not before trying to hack away at the estate tax provision. the question is will progressive democrats change the bill and send it back to a senate that has said it will reject any changes? meanwhile, the long anticipated review of our afghanistan strategy is due out today. the question is, could
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