call me. second thoughts, herman cain is reassessing his run for the presidency following allegations of an extramarital affair. under siege, england evacuates diplomats from iran after its embassy comes under attack. and oh, christmas tree, preparation are underway for the lighting of the world's most famous. good morning, everyone. i'm lynn berry. those stories and more straight ahead. this is "first look on "on msnbc. all right, we begin this morning with a tough day on the campaign trail. republican herman cain says he's "reassessing his run for president." this is despite mixed signals from his camp and adamant

denials of a long-term affair with a georgia woman. meanwhile, another oops moment comes from texas governor rick perry in new hampshire. tracie potts is in washington for us with the details. good morning. >> reporter: it certainly was. herman cain says he's reassessing because of the allegations which he denied created a negative cloud around his campaign, an emotional toll for his family. so he's going to need to take a second look whether to continue his campaign. he didn't talk about it in his foreign policy speech yesterday. but he did e-mail supporters saying that ginger white's allegations of an affair were fabricated and she's a friend that he helped financially. but we're starting to see the impact. he backed out of an event yesterday. his campaign ad is on hold. supporters there backed out and even lost an endorsement from a state law maker in new hampshire. let's look at rick perry. yet another gaffe on the campaign trail. here's what he said about the

let voting auj in thge in this . those of you that will be 21 in november, i ask you for your support. >> he not only flubed the legal voting age, he messed up the date of the election. asked about that later, he said from time to time i'll make a mistake. >> tracie potts, thanks. elsewhere, occupy protesters have been cleared out of downtown philadelphia. this is, of course, two days after police ordered them to vacate their city hall encampment. protesters embarked on an early morning march after police began pulling down tents. this was just after 1:00 a.m. this morning. so far, there are no reports of any arrests. meanwhile, a similar scene is playing out in los angeles where police in riot gear have moved in to enforce an expired deadline for occupy protesters camped out in downtown l.a. it is unclear how many arrests have been made. but the scene remains calm. england says it is

withdrawing some staff and their families from tehran after its embassy was stormed by hard line iranian protesters angered offer new sanctions. and as bill kneely from our english broadcast parter itn reports, the iranian police did little to protect the embassy and its staff. >> reporter: at the mercy of a mob, international law is meant to prevent this. iran's police are meant to protect britain an embassy. but the diplomats inside can count on neither. the police are wearing riot helmets but they're not pulling the rioters off the main gate. dozens got in, stirred up by the regime, furious at british sanctions against iran's nuclear program. this was not spontaneous. it was broadcast live on iranian television, millions watching as the mob smashed its way through the embassy, breaking windows, throwing bombs and removing a portrait of the queen, ran sacking officers, scattering

documents. the iranian reporter sounding as anti-british as the crowd. >> unless british officials change their attitude toward the iranian nation and stop their policies. >> reporter: a second british compound six miles away was also stormed, cars set alight. diplomatic quarters of a british school attacked. at the embassy, six staff members were held by the mob and released only hours later. the royal crest was kicked down. in the commons, on the right of screen, the foreign secretary was handed a note to say britain's embassy was being trashed. he called it an outrage. >> we hold iranian government responsible for its failure to take adequate measures to protect our embassy as it is required to do. >> that behavior is not acceptable. >> the temperature between iran and the west is rising. britain is warning of serious consequences, the ambassador ordered out is preparing to leave. the crisis in iran is deepening.

bill kneely, itn news. vice president joe biden arrived unannounced in iraq. later today, biden is scheduled to meet with prime minister maliki to help steer a smooth transition with the withdrawal of u.s. combat forces from iraq after nearly nine years of war. a head of secretary of state hillary clinton's historic arrival in myanmar this morning, she said that she hopes this will lead to improvements in human rights. we shift gears and head to new york. we're counting down to the annual christmas tree lighting ceremony. nbc's michelle frans zen is outside the building with us this morning. >> reporter: it especially is. the colder weather was ushered in for the tree liting ceremony that takes place tonight. the 74 foot norway spruce behind me is dark at this time. come later tonight, it will

shine in all ilts glory illuminated with all the lights and five miles of wiring and topped with that crystal. that won't be the only star out tonight. there will be performances by carol king and tony bennett and justin bieber. this tree hails from a family in pennsylvania. it arrived here at 30 rock on veterans day. since then, workers have been working around the clock to get that tree ready for its moment tonight. of course, a new york tradition and also one that will be watched all around the country. lynn? >> thanks. be sure to catch christmas in rockefeller center hosted by al roker and savannah guthrie. it features performances by tony bennett and the world famous radio city rockettes. festivities begin tonight 8:00, 7:00 central on your local nbc station. here is your first look at some of the other news going on

around america today. a 1-year-old is fighting for his life after getting shot in the head on the set of a wrap video. he was one of seven people injured. police investigation has been hampered by uncooperative witnesses who may have returned fire on the gunman. so far there is no motive and no arrests have been made. one california thief trying to cover up a surveillance camera forgot about one big close-up. that would be his. a fast food restaurant security tape recorded this guy, clear picture of him, actually. the atm robbery suspect before he could cover up the lens with napkins, the stolen atm had about $2,000 inside. take a good look. police have not made any arrests. a nasty cold front hamterred the chicago area tuesday. the windy weather fueled 60 mile-per-hour wind gusts as well as 15 to 20-foot waves. crashing water battered the

shoreline shutting down paths usually used by runners and bikers. they uche lay void that during the winter time for obvious reasons. and now for a look at your national weather, let's check in with todd santos. he has the weather channel forecast. chicago folks are used to this weather. >> they are. they have the nickname for the city. the one issue as far as travel is concerned, 500 or so flights canceled out of o'hare. winds coming out of the west. that's the latest on o'hare. the backside of the system, wind should be settling down there. you notice the system, it dropped that snow across the south including again northern portion of mississippi, western tennessee, has now made its way to the north is in motion leaving the major cities on the quieter side of things and setting us up for cooler conditions. cleveland may see a few snow flaction flakes. we'll be dealing with the potential for a little bit of lake effect to get going. the system though in motion should not last very long. we have had a few totals back to

northern and central indiana, upwards of even 10 inches. so a decent snow producer. there winter storm warnings expire later on this morning. we're already seeing a few of those dropping off. that's a positive for many folks. travelwise, notice temperatures right around freezing mark. in some cases below the freezing mark. still slick roadways there. in the northeast, we have that front to sweep through boston. you're still on the milder side of things. the showers trailing north along the i-95 corridor. across the south, still cool numbers in place. certainly drive with care this morning. northeast, there is a look at that system departing the area. at least there is sunshine across the carolinas and southeast virginia. we'll talk more about what this system could produce including some big time gusty winds across the southwest. >> all right. thank you so much. also coming up, consumer confidence soars. american airlines parent spirals and surprising top searches of the year.

your "first look" this morning's business headlines is straight ahead. coming up, it moves for the jaguars, the nfl drops the hammer on su and it's valentine's day in boston. nyquil (st uffy ): hey, tylenol. you know we're kinda like twins. tylenol: we are? nyquil (stuffy): yeah, we both relieve coughs, sneezing, aches, fevers. tylenol: and i relieve nasal congestion. nyquil (stuffy): overachiever. anncr vo: tylenol cold multi-symptom nighttime relieves nasal congestion... nyquil cold & flu doesn't.

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. welcome back to "first look." michael jackson's former doctor conrad murray has been handed the maximum sentence of four years behind bars for his conviction on manslaughter charges in the singer's drug overdose tdeath. however, due to overcrowding, he'll serve less than two years. a 27-year-old new jersey man suspected of killing his 2-year-old daughter by tossing her into a creek happen captured in san diego. and only the royal newly weds could steal the spotlight from england's queen elizabeth at her own party. prince william and his wife kate

were on hand for a gala at buckingham palace honoring the queen's upcoming diamond jubilee. and now here's your "first look" at how wall street will open the day. the dow opens at 11,555 after gaining gaining 32 points yesterday. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, the nikkei fell 43 points. hong kong, the hang seng dropped 266. stronger than expected consumer confidence and progress with europe's financial mess sent most stocks higher tuesday. consumer confidence jumped to its highest level since july topping already optimistic forecasts. home depot and best buy shares jumped. in euro news, italian bond yields fell as the government sold $7.5 billion euros worth. also euro zone ministers offered three christmas rescue package and they made moves to beef up the zone's general rescue fund.

still, financials here fell on continued euro concern. bank of america fell to the lowest closing level since 2009. watch banks to day, standard & poors cut credit ratings on several. tuesday's hot tpotato was amr. they plunged to 6 cen ed td to share. trade was halted 28 times during the day. amr made the move due to a heavy debt load. the government claims that cargill discriminated against several thousand people and in favor of asians and pacific islanders. federal officials want to cancel hundreds of millions in cargill contractses. facebook is facing charges of misleading customers about

the privacy settings. and finally, justin bieber topped kim kardashian as the most searched celebrity any 2011. that may not be a surprise. this, on the other hand is a surprise. the casey anthony trial topped osama bin laden's death as the top news story search. kind of leaves you scratching your head there. coming up, a valentine for boston. a shake-up in jacksonville and new york's rangers take another on the ice. plus, two giants square off on the college hard wood and wasn't even close. your first look at sports is straight ahead. confidence. available in color. depend for women is now peach. looks and fits like underwear. same great protection. depend. good morning. great day.

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a boss tons red sox team took the first step toward putting the piece back together yesterday. here is fred roggin. good morning, it's wednesday everywhere else, it's valentines in baseball. the red sox hired bobby valentine to be the new manager. he took the mets to the world series in 2000. he'll have to start beating the yankees if he wants to stick around in boston. ohio state and number four duke played yesterday. great game on paper but not a great game on the court. buckeyes jumped out to a 19-point lead in the first half. 41 points. ohio stead led wire to wire and

blue out duke 85-63. football after a 3-8 start, the jaguars hired the head coach. the owner also agreed to sell the team who will keep the jags in jacksonville. del rio is out and so is su, the lions defensive tackle has been suspended two games for stomping on a packers player. he appealed the suspension but is expected to miss sunday's lions-saints game. sidney crosby tour back tour made a comeback. crosby may bed headliner. the rangers stole the show. brad richards and john mitchell scored 90 seconds apart in the second period. off to washington, d.c., new coach, same results for the caps. the debut is a forgettable one. blues took the lead midway through the second and held on for a 2-1 win. carolina also has a new coach and like the capitals, didn't matter. florida scored the game winner late in the third and had an empty netter. panthers win it 3-1. finally a great safe from the sabres.

the puck deflected off a teammate and the sprawling stop with a stick. unfortunately it was all for not, the islanders doubled up the sabres 2-1. that's your "first look" at sports. i'm fred roggin. and now for another look at the weather, here is the weather channel's todd santos. hello once again. >> hello. i mentioned the west. we have this system bringing in snow to the mountains and also again the chance for pretty gusty winds. of course, there's a look at it right now. you do see some rain through eastern portions of montana, a little snow exiting the bitterroots. some of that headed to the tee tons. really this system is a developing frontal boundary. along that, we'll see an area of low pressure. the biggest thing about that is we're going to see as that moves to the south, high pressure setting in. they're battling it out as it is going to drive the winds. there is a look at the winter advisories and winter storm warnings. winter storm watches, denver, 3 to 5 inches possible on the ground, especially as we get into the late day hours tomorrow. may start to see snow develop later in the day. really starting to seat pickup.

keep that in mind around denver. los angeles, especially in through see air yashgs we'll see gust potential through 70 miles per hour. it starts late tonight and up towards salt lake city. many of the wind advisories go right throughout day time on friday. there's a look at the temperatures across the area. and there's a little of what we can expect later today. denver, look going today. we're going to go from 60 today to snowfall into late tomorrow. again, it's a city certainly that is used to the big swings over there. >> guy richie talks about his ex while others are forgetting about theirs. and he has a license to kill and using it on the kardashians. can i help you? yeah, can i get a full-sized car? for full-sized cars, please listen to the following menu. for convertibles, press star one. i didn't catch that. to speak to a representative, please say representative now. representative. goodbye! you don't like automated customer service, and neither do we. that's why, unlike other cards, no matter when you call chase sapphire preferred,

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any planned medical or dental procedures, and don't stop taking pradaxa without your doctors approval, as stopping may increase your stroke risk. other side effects include indigestion,stomach pain, upset, or burning. if you have afib not caused by a heart valve problem, ask your doctor if pradaxa can reduce your risk of a stroke. for more information or help paying for pradaxa, visit pradaxa.com. nyquil tylenol: we are?ylenol. you know we're kinda like twins. nyquil (stuffy): yeah, we both relieve coughs, sneezing, aches, fevers. tylenol: and i relieve nasal congestion. nyquil (stuffy): overachiever. anncr vo: tylenol cold multi-symptom nighttime relieves nasal congestion... nyquil cold & flu doesn't.

welcome back. last night on "late night with jimmy fallen," he couldn't resist commenting on herman cain. >> the herman cain stuff, not good. yesterday a woman came forward and said she had an affair with cain that lasted 13 years. i don't know who the accuser is, but i'm pretty sure we can rule out kim kardashian. let me do the math. in honor of cyber monday, mitt romney's website offered sweatshirts and t-shirts for 40% off. not to be outdone, herman cain offered to take his clothe 100% off. some more election news. a new tv ad is running in iowa urging sarah palin to rethink her decision and join the

presidential race. it gets weird at the end when a voice says i'm barack obama and approve this message. i get it now. >> tonight jimmy welcomes actor jeremy pivin, ti. that is "late night with jimmy fallon" on your local nbc station. let's get a check of your entertainment news. guy richie has spoken for the first time in years about his marriage to madonna. the director of "sherlock hol s holmes" who split with the material girl three years ago did call their marriage a soap opera but says it is something he doesn't regret and it was very positive experience and he loves the kids that came out of it. a source tells the chicago sun times that demi moore has moved on from ashton kutcher. that was quick. the source says she isn't as tense and clearly unhappy as she was all this past summer. it is official, the twilight saga breaking dawn part one broke the $500 million mark

world bide on monday. only 12 days after its release. and finally, daniel craig is definitely not a fan of the kardashians. the big screen's current james bond blasts the reality plan in the january 2012 edition of british gq for making millions by flaunting their privileged private life in front of the public eye. er that labelling them as "and we are editing this for g-rated purposing, blanking idiots. you know. it's only 5:30 in the morning. we have to keep it clean. >> there are a lot of things that they can say that we're not able to say. we're supposed to be impartial. he doesn't have to be. i understand. that. >> you are sticking to injure journalistic guns on this one? >> yes. >> we're going to stay biassed about the kardashians. bill doesn't ever take that stand. he is pretty open about it. >> he's a big fan. >> i wouldn't go that far. he's going to kill me for saying that. i'm lynn berry. stay tuned for "way too early

with willie geist" is right now. newt gingrich on the polls from iowa to south carolina has mitt romney squirming and comparing the candidates' records in an intense interview last night. is newt the latest and greatest challenger to romney or is he here to stay? we're about to find out. great britain evacuates diplomats after the embassy was stormed. the question is, what does the attack mean for the relationship between iran and the united states? we'll have a report. and rick perry, encourages those 21 and older to get out and vote on november 12th of next year. there are a number of problems with that encouragement. the question is when did voting in elections become 21 to bridr, 18 to