the south african arrived in court. he had fired four shots at girlfriend, reeva steencamp through a bathroom door. the 21-year-old model was hit three times, the door broken open. oscar pistorius has denied the allegations, and defense attorneys say the killing was not murder. meanwhile, services are held for reeva steencamp in the town of port elizabeth. and a dramatic fall from grace, this morning, oakley and other sponsors are cutting ties with him. and turning now to gas prices, the surprising pace at which they are climbing, regular unleaded going up for the past two days, the national average at 3.73, a gallon, 15 cents in a week, and 40 cents in a month. reporter: at gas stations across the country, customers are asking the same question, what could possibly send gas prices up 43 cents in a month? that is an extra 8.60 on a 20 gallon car. in chicago, more than that. up 70 cents a month to 4.22 a gallon, at this station, 4.29. for this taxi driver, ray, it is real money. i pay for my own gas, nobody else pays for it. reporter: in los angeles, up 50 cents a month, to 4.28, some charges up to 5 a gallon. we just went to las vegas, and the gas prices were 1.50 less. reporter: from places coast to coast, gas prices are rising every day. the rising gasoline prices are extraordinary for this time of year, we usually see it in the summer driving season. reporter: what is going on? analysts say the reasons are many, china is demanding more and more every day to power their growing economy, just as opec cut their output, and here at home, refineries are shutting down for maintenance as they prepare to switch to a summer blend. then market speculation and a weaker dollar play a role. we have to work, we keep coming to work every day. you have to put gas in your car to come to work. reporter: 43 cents in a month. that was nbc s tom costello. after a weekend, the president and staffers will be back at work this morning, but with only ten days to prevent the automatic spending cuts, one group will be absent. reporter: good morning, congress is away all week on recess, now strategists say they will make calls and try to come up with alternative savings. but voters here at the capitol say that is not good enough. president obama is back at the white house after a weekend golfing in florida. but congress is still away on recess, taking a break announced monday. voters in the capitol are upset that they actually went home. i would be hard at work. reporter: congress has just a week left to avoid the self-imposed spending cuts. they re not paying attention, it is less than a week away. in the past, they brought things down to the wire and figured things up. reporter: lawmakers are not entirely on vacation. they re back in their districts talking about the impact of the sequester. in boston, funding for health research would be reduced. we have got to stop the sequestration cuts, we can t strand our researchers. reporter: in indiana, they could slow production driving up the cost of your main course. and in san diego, about 30,000 military jobs would be in jeopardy. i m as frustrated as you that they sent us home. reporter: insiders say staffers are also negotiating, even with their bosses away. i believe at the staff level, but also at the member level behind the scenes there is a lot of maneuvering back and forth. reporter: all that back and forth, however, is not creating a lot of confidence. law enforcements will agree on alternative savings before march one, lawmakers agreed to the sequester thinking it would force them to come up with a better compromise to force the nation s debt. so far that has not happened, and when they get back they will have just four days. back to you. all right, danielle, thank you so much for that. and passengers on board the ill-fated carnival cruise are beginning to get answers after being stranded. diesel fuel sparked a fire that knocked out power to the vessel. the coast guard officials expect to complete their investigation but estimate a full investigation will take about six months. and now, here is a first look at the morning s dish of scrambled politics. one and done, senator from nebraska won t run for a second term, not seeking re-election, he wants to spend more time with his family. johanns denies he is leaving because of partisan politics. and marco rubio s laugh over the drink of water. he is selling marco rubio water bottles for $25 over his website, and as people laugh over the gaffe, he is laughing all the way to the bank, raising $400,000. last year, sarah palin told the group at this time next year we ll have a true conservative in the white house. so much for her psychic powers. and former secretary sink of state hillary clinton will start to make speeches, getting fees as high as $100,000 per gig. the first lady may also make speeches for free or donate money to charity. and first lady michelle obama said her new bangs were inspired by a mid-life crisis. on rachael ray, she joked about her new do . this is my mid-life crisis, the bangs, i couldn t get a sports car, i couldn t bungee jump, so you went to the bangs. you went for the bangs. i can do this, this is all mine. all mine, and one more edition of scrambled politics. good morning, bill. i m getting over the $100,000 that hillary clinton will get per speech. that is the money after you leave office. you can make a lot by speaking. who would stay in office? why? well, good morning, everyone, let s take a look at the forecast, get you out the door, a lot of people returning to school after the long weekend. snow comes to wisconsin, a lot of rain with the system all the way to michigan, pennsylvania, erie, looks like rain there for pittsburgh, too, one big story today, the cold air behind the system is just a nasty morning up here in the dakotas, all through minnesota, the cold air all the way down to st. louis, and chicago today. the eastern seaboard, getting away with it this morning, rain showers this afternoon, the cold air on the east coast tomorrow. here is a look at the current radar, detroit, just fine, light rain, cleveland, showers ending for you. trying to mix in right now, changing over to wet snow areas, be aware of that. snow coming down here in the very cold air, from milwaukee, just north of chicago. we ll watch that, rain further to the south, thunderstorms down from new orleans to mobile. it is cold, minus 41 right now is the wind chill in dakota, minus two in denver. a significant shot, very cold air in the winds, blowing into chicago, minneapolis, all the central plains, tomorrow, bundle up, rain showers today on and off from new england all the way down to georgia. all right, thank you so much, bill. well, just ahead, a history lesson, making a change over 100 years later. and details on a whopper of a hacking as burger king s twitter account gets hacked. you re watching first look on msnbc. [ shapiro ] at legalzoom, you can take care of virtually all your important legal matters in just minutes. protect your family. and launch your dreams. at legalzoom.com we put the law on your side. and launch your dreams. with tasty grilled flavor and goodness to savor friskies grillers blend. feed the senses. many cereals say they re good for your heart, but did you know there s a cereal that s recommended by doctors? it s post shredded wheat. recommended by nine out of ten doctors to help reduce the risk of heart disease. post shredded wheat is made with only one ingredient: one hundred percent whole grain wheat, with no added sugar or salt. try adding fruit for more health benefits and more taste in your bowl. it s the ideal way to start your heart healthy day. try post shredded wheat. this has been medifacts for post shredded wheat. sheboygan, sheboy . welcome back, here is some other stories making news this morning. well, there are almost 150 years late, but mississippi has officially ratified the 13th amendment to abolish slavery. the move comes after two men saw the film lincoln and learned mississippi remained the only state with the holdout. and state house of representatives approving measures calling for universal background checks and bans on magazines more than 16 rounds, it is in response to last year s aurora shooting. scientists warn that winter patterns could bring less snow. two studies cite global warming saying that a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture. and the meteor that fell in russia sparking a gold rush. the chunks could be worth $2200 per gram, more than 40 times the current cost of gold. and speaking of money, the dow opening at 13,981 after adding eight points before the holiday weekend. the s&p down eight points, the nikkei adding six. after last week s flurry of mergers, the investors show that another corporate marriage is in the work works. office max and office depot could join forces earlier this week. and the fourth quarter results after the bell, today, the bad news could be good for advocates of the looming buyout between del and equity. and agra giant, company is suing bowman for $80,000, claiming patent infringement regarding soy beans he purchased from a source. and hacking burger king, somebody posted profanity. no word on who hacked the account. but burger king took it in stride. interesting day, but we re back, welcome to the new followers. this afternoon, boeing s engineers expected to reject a contract from management in the move that could result in a strike from 20,000 workers. they re under the gun to resolve battery problems that grounded their new dreamline fleet. and that time of year again, the girl scout s assault on the diet resolutions, in full force. they re making it easy to get your thin mint fix, with the new cookie app to find your location. and coming up, whale watchers in southern california treated to a very rare sight, and saying good-bye for an los angeles laker s legend. plus, seeing is believing, when golfers pull off an amazing shot. you re watching msnbc. got enough joshua trees? . on up to 25 devices. so you can spend less time. yea, the golden barrels. managing wireless costs and technology and more time driving your business potential. looks like we re going to need to order more agaves. ah! oh! ow! . and more bandages. that s powerful. shareable data plus unlimited talk and text. now save $50 on a droid razr maxx hd by motorola. by the armful? by the barrelful? the carful? how about.by the bowlful? campbell s soups give you nutrition, energy, and can help you keep a healthy weight. campbell s. it s amazing what soup can do. because every flake is double-toasted. splashed with sweet honey. and covered in rich double-roasted peanuts. mmm. [ hero ] yummy. [ male announcer ] kellogg s crunchy nut. it s super delicious! [ male announcer ] kellogg s crunchy nut. if your a man with low testosterone, you should know that axiron is here. the only underarm treatment for low t. that s right, the one you apply to the underarm. axiron is not for use in women or anyone younger than 18. axiron can transfer to others through direct contact. women, especially those who are or who may become pregnant, and children should avoid contact where axiron is applied as unexpected signs of puberty in children or changes in body hair or increased acne in women may occur. report these signs and symptoms to your doctor if they occur. tell your doctor about all medical conditions and medications. do not use if you have prostate or breast cancer. serious side effects could include increased risk of prostate cancer; worsening prostate symptoms; decreased sperm count; ankle, feet, or body swelling; enlarged or painful breasts; problems breathing while sleeping; and blood clots in the legs. common side effects include skin redness or irritation where applied, increased red blood cell count, headache, diarrhea, vomiting, and increase in psa. see your doctor, and for a 30-day free trial, go to axiron.com. welcome back, turning now to some of the big political stories of the day, let s bring in linn sweet, a washington bureau columnist, linn, good morning, thank you for joining us. reporter: good morning. now, let s start with the big budget battle looming in washington, we re just ten days away from the big spending cuts. who will pay the price ultimately? reporter: congress is a very unpopular institution in the united states, even though it is partisan wrangling. jesse jackson jr. expected back in court, due to charges of misusing campaign funds. reporter: there is an appearance here, they charges wife, sandy, who has a count of income tax fraud, this is a serious family situation and a legal situation. she could face time or probation, we expect both of them in court this week. and speaking of political comebacks, as we reported, former governor mark sanford running for a house seat. he resigned in 2009, after having an affair with a woman in argentina, who he is now engaged to. does this have the makings of a political comeback? reporter: yes, he is asking for forgiveness, a first step. it is a big race, he is the best known in the republican primary. so people often have second acts in politics. all right, lynn sweet, thank you so much for your perspective, we appreciate it. and other news in america, we begin in florida, firefighters fought raging flames in a gas station, there were few vehicles in close proximity when fire came out of two pumps, they put out the flames before anybody got hurt. and next, a blizzard shutting down roads in fargo, road crews braving 45 miles an hour winds and a wall of serious driving conditions. the road closures were in place for most of the day. in colorado, the ski patrol raced to save skiers swept up in an avalanche. a group of 15 skiers needed to be dug out after they were buried. each skier was accounted for. none suffered major injuries. finally, to the waters off the coast of san diego, where a spectacular sight played out for whale watchers. thousands of dolphins swam along a sight-seeing vessel, giving them an amazing show. some believe that the pod of animals form in an area where there is plenty of food, that makes sense. and notre dame, 13 points from jack coolly, came from behind for knock off pittsburgh, 51-42, and a member of the laker s hall of fame, died. jerry buss put together superstars who won ten championships. and the tampa bay buccaneers arrested after trying to take a loaded handgun in his carry-on bag, not a good idea. and mascots for the washington nationals who visited mt. rushmore and the giant carvings of the presidents. and brown with excitement at the winner nationals, when his engine exploded and sent the vehicle spinning, luckily no injuries. and in north carolina, nine seniors lined up and sank nine putts, one right after the other, an amazing hole-in-9. a great shot. and bill karins has more on the weather. they need a camera crew. good morning, we re watching rain push through pittsburgh, erie, cleveland, through buffalo. i guess it is better than snow. just be prepared for that if you leave the house today. we ll see a period of dry weather from all of new england, down through the mid-atlantic and washington, d.c. as we go through the morning, d.c. will see rain after the rush hour. and sometime about the noon hour or so up through philadelphia, new york city, hartford, boston as we go through the middle of the afternoon. warmer than what we dealt with in the last two years, temperatures significantly warmer, heading up in the 40s and 50s today, much colder into wednesday, thursday, the cold air today, wind chill in minneapolis a four, the temperatures that way pretty much in chicago all the way back through the northern plains. the big story, there is a storm today in california, through the middle of the country. this will be a big storm. we re looking at a lot of winter weather and snow in the midwest. mostly wednesday and thursday. all right, thank you so much, bill. well, just ahead, it is alec baldwin versus new york post. and we ll have adorable pictures of the baby, aww. na help transform my mouth. [ male announcer ] go pro. for a clean that s up to four times better, try these crest pro-health products together. [ sara ] i ve been using crest pro-health. so far.it feels different. [ male announcer ] crest pro-health protects not just some, but all these areas dentists check most. my mouth feels healthier. it feels cleaner. i think my dentist is gonna see the difference. [ male announcer ] go pro with crest pro-health. i don t think i ll ever go back to another product. see. but, dad, you ve got. [ voice of dennis ] allstate. with accident forgiveness, they guarantee your rates won t go up just because of an accident. smart kid. [ voice of dennis ] indeed. are you in good hands? al . here is what people are talking about. the white house s immigration plan was leaked over the weekend. and florida, senator marco rubio is already calling it dead on arrival, which incidentally is already the florida state motto. that is not nice, well, the saga of alec baldwin s problems are continuing, the new york post is accusing him of grabbing the reporter by the arm and saying i hope you choke to death. the claim said he turned to the photographer, calling him a racial slur and said none of it is true. baldwin said none of it was true, and spent the day on twitter. and josh duhamel and fergie having their first child. little pea the front woman tweeted the news with the hash tag, my lovely baby bump. and yesterday, we told you about the new wine label for brad and angelina. 32 respondents said yes, but it looks like chloe kardashian may follow britney spears out the door at the x factor. it is believed that kardashian is getting canned simply because she was not very good. and paul mccartney talked about his grand kids and said they beat him at games, he said i made the original record, so shut up. the ultimate trump card if you wrote the music. do you ever play the rock star? you re so much cooler than i am. playing rock band makes me cool, your standards are very low. finally, in brownsville, texas, zoo officials hope that they can save the life of the little guerilla. she has been kept alive by volunteers since she was rejected by her mother, moved to a zoo in cincinnati. the officials hope she can create a bond with one of the adult females. we hope they have a good relationship. way too early with the guest host, peter alexander, starts right now. our president, barack obama took a day off to go play golf in florida. i don t care, what do i care? play golf. played with a guy named tiger woods. this is our president playing golf this weekend. what do you think? that is your drop program at
The quarterbacks Tom Brady, Josh Allen, Aaron Rodgers and Alex Smith along with Giants' legend Buster Posey and Lakers' Hall of Famer Pau Gasol, put a charge into what was once called the Crosby Clambake.
Everyone has a list of things that they can say where they were and what they were doing when they happened. I will always remember where I was and what I was doing when I learned that George Carlin had died, as well as when Michael Jackson died. I will always remember my first concert (Journey a.
Who Is Mitch Kupchak? The Lakers' New Player, Stats & NBA Career In Winning Time Season 2 screenrant.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from screenrant.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.