we'll keep you posted as we learn more about senator kirk's progress, but in the meantime, of course, all of our thoughts and best wishes are with the senator and with his family tonight. southern slug fest. things get heated between newt gingrich and mitt romney in last night's debate. bumper cars. weather gets the best of motorists in utah. and orbital outburst. how the strongest solar eruption since 2005 could affect you. good morning. this is first look on msnbc. today we begin with a fiery fight. a week to go before the florida primary, the republican

candidates came out swinging on a debate last night on nbc. romney accused gingrich of, quote, influence pedaling. nbc steve handelsman reports from tampa. >> reporter: newt gingrich and mitt romney each with one primary win, tried to finish one another off in florida. >> i think it's about leadership and the speaker was given an opportunity to be the leader of our party in 1994 and at the end of four years he had to resign in disgrace. >> i think the american public deserves a discussion about how to beat barack obama and what we would do about the economy. i think this is the worst kind of trivial politics. >> reporter: ron paul is not contending florida. rick santorum a weak third, warns al qaeda could be active in cuba, but in a state hard hit by the housing crisis, freddie mac is an issue. the federally backed lender

blamed by some for the mortgage mess. newt gingrich worked for freddie and released his contract. >> you were making over a million dollars. at the same time, people in florida were hurt by millions of dollars. >> reporter: romney made millions in business. >> i'm proud of the fact that i pay a lot of taxes. >> i'd like to bring everybody else down to mitt's rate. >> reporter: a moment of agreement in a night of combat. i'm steve handelsman, nbc news, tampa. some details now on the romney tax returns and the gingrich work for freddie mac. in 2010, romney paid about $3 million in federal tax on more than $21 million in income from his investments. charitable gifts reduced his tax rate to less than 14%. romney will pay about $3.2 million with an effective tax rate of more than 15%. newt gingrich released his contract with mortgage giant

freddie mac for what were called, quote, consulting and related services. he was paid a total of 1.6 million dollars for his eight years of work at freddie mac. after last night's debate, voters are comparing this on another key issue, electability. and last night on the ed sew, ed asked barney frank when the conservative right is diluting itself into thinking future gingrich can beat president obama. >> the people who are supporting gingrich are not persuaded by the electability issue because i've seen this on which when you have people who are very angry, very committed, they believe that they represent the majority. and they will tell you that in fact there are as we know millions and millions who don't vote. and the most passionate claim the nonvoters as their supporters. and i guarantee you there are people who believe if they can

nominate newt gingrich and they get this absolutely angry conservatism, that a lot of people who don't now speak out will come out and vote and i guess this is in some ways going to be a test because the republican establishment will try to stop him as the democrats tried to stop george mcgovern. tip o'neill lost a primary in his hometown of cambridge, massachusetts to a mcgovernite. i think they're wrong, but let's have that test. >> the ed sew week nighow week #:00 eastern. tonight, the political spotlight shifts to president obama as he lays out his vision for the nation in his third state of the union address. tracie potts joins us from washington with a preview of tonight's speech. good morning. >> reporter: it's critical, perhaps more so than any other state of the union.

the argument for president obama's second term. and he previewed over the weekend in his weekly address some of what he'll talk about fan standing up for middle class families, rewarding hard work, and he's expected to chide congress for its inaction. the president reviewing his jobs plan and also national security, the end of the iraq war, the killing of osama bin laden, the arab spring, plus, we are told, new proposals for housing, manufacturing, and college and, yes, he will, again, call on the wealthy to pay more taxes. among those in attendance, look for congresswoman gabrielle giffords, expected to attend tonight after announcing over the weekend she is stepping down from congress. her last event yesterday in tucson finishing that meet and greet where she was shot just over a year ago. >> tracie potts, thank you very much. don't miss our special coverage of the address beginning tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern time right

here on msnbc, the place for politics. the u.s. supreme court has made a ruling about personal privacy. the justices voted unanimously against allowing police to use gps technology to track suspects without first getting a judge's approval. jay gray has a closer look at the high court decision. all right it's the way many of us get to where we're going. but gps has hit a road block when it comes to police mapping out surveillance strategies. in a decision some call one of the most important of the commuter age, the supreme court has ruled investigators must get a search warrant before secretly attaching a gps tracking device to a suspect's vehicle. justices announced their unanimous decision after hearing an appeal in nonfrom anton jones who was convicted after police installed a gps device on his

grand cherokee. >> 9 c-0 for a fourth amendment case is remarkable and long range implications will be simple, the police will have to be a little bit more respectful of people's rights, property rights. >> reporter: some experts say the decision could have far reaching effects when it comes to technology and the law. >> the court is probably always going to be playing catch up. but i think the important point here is that the court is trying and is saying we are going to try to maintain some protections for privacy. >> reporter: a tough goal as tech and the tactics to use it continue to race forward. jay gray, nbc news. here's your first look at some of the other news going on around america today. hours before last night's debate, presidential candidate rick santorum glitter bombed during a stop in florida. attackers yelled stop the hate as security dragged him out. he claimed to be a part of the local open tampa movement and angry with santorum on gays' rights.

a dramatic rescue caught on video after a snowmobiler got caught in an avalanche on sunday in washington state. the victim was at the bottom of the hill looking back up to see another snowmobiler who, unwittingly, caused the hill to give way, swallowing the victim below. other snowmobilers rushed to get the man quickly and dig him out. he is said to be okay. a rock slide in san francisco caused a boulder five feet wide to come down destroying a parked car. rain caused part of the hill to loosen. no one was hurt. in utah, when they say take it easy on the roads during bad weather there is a reason. this is youtube video that shows drivers slipping and sliding and, in some cases, crashing in the snow. even four-wheel drive vehicles fell victim.

now for a look at your weather, bill karins has your weather channel forecast. >> good morning. so helpless in those situations. >> and you hope you're going show enough. >> yes. yesterday at this time we were talking about the tornadoes and unfortunately, it was as bad as it appeared to be on my radar screen. this is from just outside of birmingham, alabama. jefferson county. mostly the paradise valley area was hit the hardest. 200 homes, 100 injuries. when you see the ddamage like t it's amazing we only had two fatalities. those are the first tornado fatalities of this year. this is the map. they started in arkansas and then we had a little bit of a break and then they formed on the border of mississippi, alabama and then the really big ones were right here just outside of birmingham. and in all, it looks like there's about 12 tornadoes and some were long track tornadoes, on the ground for a while. it appears that about six of

those in alabama. we'll get the official reports in the next two or three days. very rare for january. not unheard of, but rare. that storm system responsible for -- it's now up in canada. a pretty quiet day in the eastern half of the country. but the next storm is on its way. and this is throw mover and will bring a soaking rain it our friends mis-texas. our computer is estimating that we could see some areas picking up two to three inches of rain. text as still has this drought that's gone on for like the last two or three years. so this would be great. an estimated two to three inches is the yellow and the orange from oklahoma all the way to texas, possibly a little here in arkansas. so we'll see how it plays out. but it's a very wet forecast, there will be thunderstorms and periods of down pours, 00. now, temperatures. when you walk outside this morning in new england, and all along the mid atlantic, it's mild. and doesn't feel like the end of january. we're 50 right now in boston. 47 in new york. the snow that fell on saturday,

gone completely. many areas are bare. even in which i wichicago, most is gone. it's cool in the northern plains, but definitely not cold. so a beautiful january day. 51 in new york, 54 in d.c. southeast will be just fine. and there's the wet weather in texas. but, lynn, it looks like january will end the way it started, unusually warm. >> all right, bill, thanks so much. coming up, apple prepares to weigh in. applying pressure on iran. and a new ring tone from a very unlikely artist. . and coming up, the spurs need every second. worst game in orlando imagine he can history and stanley cup mvp snubs the president. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. [ male announcer ] drinking a smoothie with no vegetable nutrition?

♪ [ gong ] strawberry banana! [ male announcer ] for a smoothie with real fruit plus veggie nutrition new v8 v-fusion smoothie. could've had a v8.

kell come back to "first look."

here are some of the top stories making news this morning. a former cia officer has been arrested and facing charges of illegally disclosing classified information. he allegedly leaked information to journalists about the identity of a covert officer and the capture of a terrorism suspect. rand paul set off an alarm at an airport monday. he was detained after refusing to allow a security officer to pat him down. paul eventually caught a later flight. and the sun may cause problems today. the strongest solar magnetic storm could disrupt power grids and astronauts at the international space station may need to shield themselves from increased solar radiation. now your first look it tr

markets. the dow opens at 12,7058, after losing 11 points. the s&p added a fraction. the nasdaq was down 2. take ago look at overseas trading this morning. in tokyo, the nikkei was up 19 points. while in hong kong, the hang seng gained 167. a fourth quarter earnings will start early and roll in all day. tech titan apple weighs in after the closing bell. in late trade last night, texas instruments shares were up 2.5% thanks to hire than expected revenue. earlier chesapeake energy was among the biggest movers rising 6%. the nation's second largest natural gas producer announced it will slash drilling by nearly half in response to prices that plunged 45% last year. oil inched toward a hundred dollars overseas. this after the european union decided yesterday to embargo imports of iranian oil. the u.s. treasury department moved against iran later in the say sanctioning iran's third

largest bank one of tehran's fewest measures of trade. keep interest rates low in order to speed a finalized bailout. back on the street. blackberry maker research in motion lost 8% after its new chief revealed he has no plans for drastic changes at the company. macy's has filed suit against martha stewart living, claiming it violated an exclusive arrangement by agreeing to sell the brand at rival jcpenney's. employees at disney theme parks will soon be allowed to grow beards and goatees for the first time ever. if you just can't get enough of president obama's rendition of al green's "let's stay together" at the apollo last week, you're in luck. it's now a ring tone you can download from his website. only minorly awkward when it goes off. the ring stones fly. orlando has no magic. and partisan political division

from a hockey goalie. plus the spurs and who are nets battle down to the wire. you're watching "first look." someday, but not today mr. intern. today, your boss needs her caffeine. the boss that calls you nick. your name is nate. but you'll do whatever it takes to impress. you'll bring her the all-natural sugar in the raw and the all natural, zero calorie sweetener stevia in the raw. now run along and learn lots. like how she doesn't drink coffee, just tea. it's only natural.

laces? really? slip-on's the way to go. more people do that, security would be like -- there's no charge for the bag. thanks. i know a quiet little place where we can get some work done. there's a three-prong plug. i have club passes. [ male announcer ] now there's a mileage card that offers special perks on united, like a free checked bag, united club passes, and priority boarding. thanks. ♪ okay. what's your secret? ♪ [ male announcer ] the new united mileageplus explorer card. get it and you're in.

welcome back to "first look." in supports, is boston that good or is orlando that bad? here's fred roggin.

good morning, after struggling the first month of the season the boston celtics appear to be turning things around and last night they simply dominated the magic. off to boston we go. celts held the magic to franchise low in points and field goals. paul pierce scored 19 and orlando scored 20 points in the entire second half. celts beat the magic by 31. great finish in new orleans. spurs up two. 13 seconds to play. jarrett jack threw up a wild layup. landry there to tip it in and the score is tied. plenty of time for tim duncan. running hook and nothing but net. he had 28 but none bigger than that one. the spurs win. kevin love had a field day against the rockets. 39 points and 12 boards but that wasn't enough. the t'wolves fell apart in the fourth and minnesota needed more love. the red wings beat the blues at home. datsyuk scored his 14th goal of

the season. red wings have the best mark in the league. if it seems like every week another championship team at the white house, you're right. dallas mavericks and st. louis cardinals visited the president earlier this month. yesterday, it was the boston bruins' turn. the stanley cup champs made the trip to washington, d.c. but noticeably absent was tim thomas. he snubbed the president, tweeted that he believes the federal government has grown out of control, threatening the rights and liberties of the people and exercised his right as a citizen not to visit the white house. as far as the nhl is concerned, tim thomas is now in the dog house. that is your first look at sports. i'm fred roggin. how for another look at the weather, here is bill karins. i guess there is no separation between sports and politics. >> no, but you were supposed to lead that in like here's the guy in my dog house. >> i leave that to you. you're the one with the painful -- >> oh, i knew you'd get your

digs in. >> you had yours yesterday. well, good morning, every. it's a mild morning out there from boston all the way down through the mid-atlantic. enjoy it, i guess. 50s in boston. 40s in new york to d.c. and it looks like it will stick around for a a while, too. temperatures for this afternoon will hold where they are. we'll see a lot of clouds in the morning and it should clear out nicely as we go throughout the day. a little colder back bay buffalo, some of the colder air begins to work in. but not a bad week. look at philadelphia. yes, another rain event thursday and friday, but 45 for a high, 47, 54. even saturday, 47. it's not until sunday that the east coast will see the next shot of cold air coming in. for our friends joining us on the pacific northwest, it looks like your next storm is now moving in. already some rain and snow in the medford area. portland you're cry for now, but your morning commute will have rain in it and eventually that will move its way into seattle, too. so the forecast highlights out

there, mild on the east coast and just a couple rainmakers, not a lot of snow to be found. >> all right, bill, thanks so much. the queen of soul says not so fast. the latest on a controversial former couple. plus a few years ago she dumped her prime time show for bigger and better things. now she's singing a different tune. your first look at entertainment is straight ahead. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. ♪ i've discovered gold. [ female announcer ] roc® retinol... the gold standard in anti-aging. clinically proven to give 10 years back to the look of skin.

nothing's better than gold. [ female announcer ] roc® retinol correxion deep wrinkle night cream. prego?! but i've been buying ragu for years. [ thinking ] i wonder what other questionable choices i've made? [ '80s dance music plays ] [ sighs ] [ male announcer ] choose taste. choose prego. i'm giving you the silent treatment. so you're calling to tell me you're giving me the silent treatment? ummm, yeah. jen, this is like the eighth time you've called... no, it's fine,

my family has free unlimited mobile-to-any-mobile minutes. i can call all i want. i don't think you understand how the silent treatment works. hello? [ male announcer ] buy unlimited messaging and get free unlimited calling to any mobile phone on any network. at&t.

welcome back to "first look." time for a little entertainment news. when it comes to wedding bells, aretha franklin put hers on hold. the 69-year-old queen of soul

called off her summer wedding posting she felt her moving too fast. chris brown is shutting down rumors he and rihanna are back together insisting he is dating an up and coming model. reports say rihanna and that same model had to be physically separated during a recent night club controversy. finally, katherine heigl who ended her run on "grey's anatomy" a few years ago to pursue her movie career says she wish she hadn't. she has proposaled the show about possibly returning. i think because i may be the only person that enjoyed the movie-as we know it. >> so is it better to be dating an up and coming model or a holgd? >> a model. up and coming model -- >> a little more intrigue about it, though. >> but will they make it, will they not some maybe they have to

date chris brown to actually do that. stay tuned. way too early with willie geist starts right now. the speaker was given an opportunity to be the leader of our party in 1994 and at the end of four years, he had to resign in disgrace. in the 15 years after he left the speaker ship, the speaker has been working as an influence pedaler in washington. >> mitt romney comes out of south carolina swinging in florida. going after newt gingrich on his claims of being a washington outsider despite a career inside washington. the question is, has romney started to build a more forceful argument against the former speaker of the house? we'll talk thrive john heilemann. and president obama will deliver his state of the union address tonight with a focus on jobs and what he calls economic fairness. the question is, will he be there delivering the state of the union at this time next year? and a