thanks for being with us tonight. thanks for being with us tonight. "first look" is up next. off and running. as the gop presidential field narrows, remaining candidates set their sights on new hampshire. slap shot. amateur video captures hockey fans facing off after the nhl winter classic. and peak performance. one of switzerland's most famous mountains gets lit up for a big milestone. very good morning to you. i'm veronica de la cruz. those stories and much more straight ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc.

we begin this morning with next stop, new hampshire. the going is about to get rough in the granite state as mitt romney looks to widen the paper-thin lead he beat rick santorum by in iowa. in the meantime, michele bachmann has dropped out while texas governor rick perry says he is staying in. nbc's brian mooar has details for us from washington. brian, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. romney won iowa, but his competitors are pointing out the glass was three-quarters empty. mitt romney's campaigning on home turf with a win in iowa under his belt, the endorsement of john mccain in his pocket, and a runaway lead in the polls. >> do you think we can do a little better here in new hampshire? maybe? yeah. >> reporter: even though romney beat rick santorum by only eight votes in iowa, it's a win. >> with romney, ron paul and rick santorum in the top tier as the three serious contenders coming out of iowa is almost -- it's the perfect scenario for

the former massachusetts governor. >> reporter: santorum had virtually no organization, but his iowa win was worth $1 million influx in contributions. >> we're doing okay right now. and if the people here in new hampshire give us a shot, my guess is we'll do a lot better. >> reporter: with michele bachmann now out and south carolina and florida weeks away, the other candidates see opportunity. >> i'm told we got 66 more votes than in 2008, so virtually spent $10,000 per additional vote. >> i guess that means there's blue sky for the rest of us. >> reporter: if romney hold on to new hampshire, he'll be tough to beat. the latest polls out of new hampshire show romney has a 20-point lead on his closest competitor, who's ron paul. veronica? >> brian mooar in washington, thank you. in a politically provocative move, president obama bypassed the senate nomination process yesterday appointing the head of

a new consumer protection agency with a senate in recess. in ohio the president named richard cordray, a former attorney general in that state, to be the director of the consumer financial protection bureau. it comes just one month after senate rejected him for the post. while they threatened to take the matter to court, presidents of both parties have long used the method to force through controversial appointments. last night rachel maddow why it was important to appoint cordray now rather than seek approval from congress. >> until there was an actual director in place, you could not supervise the nonbank participants of our economy. when you think of the types of abuse that so many people suffered, unethical abuse at subprime lending, loans that

exploded on them, 40%, 50% of them came from nonbanks. still today we could not be supervising those. there are 20 people who take pay day loans. 20 million. they often average two weeks. in many cases, the interest on those is 400%. because those were not banks, they're nonbanks, we could not supervise them until richard cordray was in place this makes a big difference. >> don't miss rachel maddow's unique take on politics, that's weeknights at 9:00 p.m. on msnbc. today we will learn more about changes coming to the u.s. military, adapting to what could be a trillion dollars in budget cuts over the next decade. president obama and leon panetta will detail it at a pentagon

briefing this morning. the army is reported to cut troops by 80,000, leaving 490,000 soldiers. marine corps is expected to trim by 10%. the navy and air force would see less of an impact. the cuts would force a shift away from the policy of being ready to fight two ground wars at once. well, the german man accused of being the new year's eve arsonist in los angeles has been formally charged. 24-year-old harry burkhart faces 34 downs of arson. bail was set at under $3 million and ordered to surrender his passport. prosecutors say he use aid device to accelerate fires. now there's word burkhart is under investigation in germany after a fire at his family's home in frankfurt days before he left the united states. here is your "first look" at some of the other news going on around america today. a violent brawl broke out between hockey fans after the winter classic in philadelphia. police released video of flyer fans beating up new york ranger fans outside a cheese steak

restaurant. the attack cause the one of the victims, an iraq war vet and new jersey police officer, to be hospitalized with a concussion. no arrests have been made. a car thief's getaway came to a bizarre ending on the roof of one california apartment building. the suspect was speeding when he hit a curb, causing him to launch into the air. adding insult to injury, police captured the driver after he broke his leg jumping from the roof. and finally, quick thinking and technology got a montreal photographer into the united states after forgetting his passport at home. he showed a vermont border guard a stored image of the document on his ipad. although he should have been denied access, officials gave him a break after determining he was not a threat. he also got back into canada with that ipad passport. and now for a look at your national weather, we turn to meteorologist bill karins. have you worked out our business

model? our business plan? >> they already had the ipad, we have to do something different. >> the ipad passport, the app. we will come up with it we'll be billionaires overnight. >> i don't know billionaires for an app but -- >> it's the next angry birds. we had the cold temperatures with us, just like a snap of the fingers they're gone. it's much better this morning throughout areas of the eastern half of the country than it was yesterday morning. we actually had snow yesterday. if you were look outside the window around washington, d.c., as we went towards 8:00, 9:00, we had light snowflakes in the area. that southwest through delaware and maryland, even atlantic city had some snow. you may see some flakes today, otherwise just some snow squalling in the adirondacks. it's not as cold. still chilly by winter standards but not brutally cold winds like yesterday.

windchills are in the 20s in most cases and in the teens, yesterday we were in the negative numbers and zero. actually the temperature in the last 24 hours has gone up 15 to 20 degrees for almost everywhere on the east coast. behind that, there are temperatures that have not changed much and then another big warm up behind that from montana to denver. we get one warm up, and then another warm up on top of that that's why today we will see one of the warmest january days ever on the northern plains. we have that mild air coming up from the south, all the way up to montana, dakotas, even minnesota will have highs in the 20s. it's ridiculously warm in the middle of the country. the warm blast in the east will slowly exit in montana and billings, 58 degrees. 6 0 for kansas city.

chicago at least mid 40s. minneapolis around 46 degrees. these temperatures are incredible. no snow on the ground is one reason why we're able to get this warm. as far as the forecast goes, rain or snow, there's none on the map. we are looking at a sunny to partly cloudy day just about everywhere. some of that warmth will head to the east coast by saturday. areas in new england could get to the 50s. so much for that cold snap. >> i'm excited. i will break out the shorts and tank top. thanks, bill. good news for netflix for a change. kodak braces for bad news, and a big break for you tax procrastinators. your "first look" at this morning's business headlines is straight ahead. coming up, a record-setting orange bowl, the cubs trade their ace, and the longest goal you'll ever see. you are watching "first look" on msnbc. does any mother ever feel like their kids are adults?

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. welcome back to "first look" i'm veronica de la cruz. here are some of the top stories making news this morning. 31 inmates are dead after a fight at a northern mexico prison. it started when a group of inmates burst into a section they're banned from. the fight may have involved rival drug cartels. we're getting the first pictures from a landslide that killed 25 people at a gold mining site in the southern philippines. at least 100 residents in a village below may be buried under the rubble. government officials warned months ago the mountain was guaranteed to crumble. one police officer has been shot and killed and five others wounded after trying to serve a drug warrant in ogden, utah last night. neighbors heard three quick pops followed by silence and then a barrage of gunfire. a german artist is using the entire swiss mountainside as his canvas. he's projecting images on the side of the mountains. he's living in a base camp almost 10,000 feet up.

wow. top of the line tuna has been auctioned off in japan. the blue fin went for nearly $1200 a pound. the winning bidder owns a sushi chain and says he wants to liven up japan to help the country recover from last year's tsunami. here's your "first look" at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 12,418 after adding 21 points yesterday. the s&p was up a fraction. the nasdaq lost less than 1. taking a look at overseas trading this morning in tokyo, the nikkei fell 71 points. but in hong kong the hang seng gained 86. stocks barely budged wednesday, but on the bright side investors were able to hold on on to gains from an impressive first trading day of the year. alcoa and microsoft both added 2% to boost the dow while worries about europe's debt problems dragged bank shares lower. auto sales helped offset those

eurozone woes yesterday. netflix shot up 11% on news members streamed more than 2 billion hours of tv shows and movies online during the fourth quarter. oil fell from an eight-month high as concern of europe's debt crisis is worsen iing. yahoo! shares fell 3% after it named paypal scott thompson as its new chief. photo pioneer eastman kodak is reportedly getting ready to file for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. and elsewhere, more than 1,200 boeing employees will be out of work when it shchulterhu shuttes in wichita, kansas, by the end of next year. at&t has agreed to pay tivo $215 million plus monthly licensing fees to settle a patent infringement suit. and thanks to adele, u.s. album

sales were up 3% for the first rise in the music industry since 2004. and finally did news for you tax deadliners. the irs has pushed back its filing deadline to april 17th this year. april 15th falls on a sunday. and then the 16th is a holiday in washington, d.c. lucky for you. a big-name trade in baseball, a big upset in college hoops and the rarest of goals in soccer. plus west virginia grinds clemson into pulp at the orange bowl. your "first look" at sports is straight ahead. progresso. it fits! fantastic! [ man ] pro-gresso they fit! okay-y... okay??? i've been eating progresso and now my favorite old jeans...fit. okay is there a woman i can talk to? [ male announcer ] progresso. 40 soups 100 calories or less.

welcome back to "first look." i'm veronica de la cruz. in sport now, the west virginia mountaineers barely eked into the top 25, but last night against clemson in the orange bowl, they looked like the top-ranked team in the universe. here is fred roggin. >> good morning. every bcs bowl game has been a close one until last night. to the orange bowl in miami. clemson and west virginia. this was a good game for the first quarter. then the mountaineers started to pull away. smith flipped the ball to tavon austin. looked like a handoff but it was actually a pass. he threw four of six touchdowns that way. west virginia up 21-17. next play changed the entire game. clemson a yard away from taking the lead. ellington stripped at the goal line. darwin cook came out of the pile with the ball and he was gone, 99 yards the other way. that opened the floodgates. west virginia set a school and orange bowl record for points, embarrassed clemson 70, yep,

70-33. college hoops. temple beat a top ten team each of the last four years. this season it was third-ranked duke. wyatt led the way with 32. every time duke closed the game, the owls would knock down a shot at thor end. the other end. somewhere bill cosby is smiling. marquette and georgetown went down to the wire. thompson, the dagger from the corner. hoyas took the lead with 22 seconds left. georgetown rallied from ten down to beat marquette, 73-70. chicago cubs have had enough of carlos zambrano traded him to the marlins for volsted. zambrano waved his no-trade clause because he wanted to be reunited with friend ozzie guillen. nothing more embarrassing than being scored on by a goalie. everton, tim howard booted a 100-yard goal in bolton in the epl.

took one big bounce and found the back of the net. fourth goal in english premier league history. it was supposed to make the debut for landon donovan on loan from the galaxy. that's your "first look" at sports. i'm fred roggin. do you follow soccer? >> a bit of the premiere league. >> what is his name? >> the world cup comes around. >> what is the name of the spice girls husband? david beckham. >> yes. not playing. he plays for the galaxy. >> he was going to go to paris. >> see, you do know something about it. i'm impressed. all eyes headed this weekend and on tuesday the primary. what the weather will be. the candidates trying to get around up there. in the winter, once a week you usually get a snowstorm up there. things are warming up in new hampshire this morning along with the rest of new england. today about 38 in boston.

concord, new hampshire about 35, 34 degrees. we will see mostly dry conditions, only a few snow flurries up there in the mountains of northern new england. as far as the week leading up to it here and the weekend, the debate, people traveling all over the state, this is ideal. concord, new hampshire will be 42 on saturday. that's very warm for up there. on sunday and monday it cools off. the forecast, it's one panel off, tuesday, high pressure and temperatures will be on the cool side, but no weather issues at all leading up to the primary day. the record warmth in the middle of the country is incredible start. it's already been a warm winter. we're continuing that theory. 60s today in many areas of the plains. it won't feel like winter at all. >> but not here in new york. >> saturday is the warmest day for areas in the east. >> i cannot wait. who is splitting up? who got back together?

and who has signed up for big roles? and it's one thing for them to have a reality show on some cable channel, but they're about to invade the space of an american icon next. we will explain. your "first look" at entertainment is straight ahead. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. this new at&t 4g lte is fast. did you hear sam... ...got promoted to director? so 12 seconds ago. we should get him a present. thanks for the gift basket. you're welcome. you're welcome. did you see hr just sent out new... ...office rules? cause you're currently in violation of 6 of them. oh yeah, baby? ...and 7. did you guys hear that fred is leaving? so 30 seconds ago. [ noisemakers blow ] [ both ] we'll miss you! oh, facecake! there's some leftover cake. [ male announcer ] the new htc vivid. stay a step ahead with at&t 4g lte, with speeds up to 10x faster than 3g. ♪

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it was an exciting night. rick santorum came within eight votes of beating mitt romney. jon huntsman came within eight votes of having eight votes. france apparently passed a new law that makes it harder to become a french citizen. most people just get lazy and give up, at which point they're named a french citizen.

you see this? a new study found most preschoolers are overweight and don't get enough physical activity. i asked my 3-year-old nephew if he wanted to play tag? he was like, what, pictures on facebook? a man in maryland says the flashlight on his iphone helped save his life when he got lost during a hike. the angry birds hike on my iphone saved me from three awkward conversations on the elevato elevator. >> see, there you go. angry birds. tonight, jimmy welcomes rachel maddow, and musical guest sharon vanedden. angry birds. don't forget it. it's time for your "first look" at entertainment news. relationship news, contract signings, they all seem to dominate the headlines this

morning. actress zooey deschanel and ben gibbard are getting divorced a little over a month after their separation. they're so cute, too. >> sinead o'connor satweeted he divorce is off and they are back together. justin timberlake and jessica biel did get engaged during a holiday getaway in jackson, wyoming. hugh jackman has signed to play magician harry houdini on broadway. taylor swift has beat out lea michele, scarlett johansson, and evan rachel wood in the big role in "les miserables." >> she's going hollywood. >> she is. james franco signed with amazon to publish his first novel, a fictional account of his life. and barbie, the world's most famous doll, is getting three high-profile new friends. drum roll, please. yep, you guessed, it reality tv stars kim, kourtney and khloe kardashian.

>> do you think ken will leave barbie? >> i don't want to talk about it. >> i'm veronica de la cruz this is "first look" on msnbc. stay tuned because willie geist is up next. on to new hampshire. fresh off his eight-vote win in iowa, mitt romney picks up the support of the last republican nominee and attracts a concentrated fire of his opponents who call him among other things, liberal, boring and a chameleon. the question is, is there any possibility that romney loses new hampshire? rick santorum, after his close second place finish in iowa makes the case to voters and donors that he is the conservative alternative to romney in the race. the question is was the iowa vote an isolated incident or does santorum have the legs to push romney for the nomination? while president obama's campaign was calling romney a weak front-runner