carolina. thanks to the horse for getting up so early with us. the new hampshire primary was a foregone conclusion, the vote here on saturday is anything but. we'll show you new polls in a moment and ask john heilemann if newt gingrich could sneak past mitt romney at the wire. south carolinians will anoint the eventual nominee in every election since 1908, the candidate who wins hear gone on to win the republican nomination. on that list, only bob dole did not then go on to win the presidency. mitt romney hopes to continue the palmetto tradition. a new nbc/marist poll out a couple of seconds ago, as a matter of fact, shui shows rom holding a ten-point lead over gingrich in the state of south carolina. romney, 34%. gingrich, 24%, ron paul and rick santorum bunched up behind them. following romney's shaking showing at the fox news debate on monday, and gingrich's perceived strong performance, that poll shows romney dropping 6 points here and gingrich

jumping four points, that's predebate versus post debate. tonight, they face off here in charleston in what could be a game changer for the primary. we're also expecting to hear from gingrich's second wife in a network television interview that could shape the opinion of some south carolina voters here. we'll get to all that with mr. heilemann in a moment. first, let's get to the news live at 5:30 a.m. this thursday, january 19th. with romney's lead over gingrich shrinking a bit, the could candidates ramping up their attacks with romney suddenly paying a little more attention to mr. gingrich again. gingrich started yesterday's bashing taking aim at romney's campaign tactics and his personal wealth. romney then followed comparing gingrich to a well known democrat. >> i fully expect the romney campaign to be unendingly dirty and dishonest for the next four days because they're desperate, they thought they could buy this, they're discovering they can't buy this, i think they're now going to have -- i think they have internal polls that show them losing and i think

they will do anything at any level and i need your help, people power will beat money power and i need your help to beat romney. >> the speaker the other day at the debate was talking about how he created millions of jobs when he was working with the reagan administration. well, he had been in congress two years when ronald reagan came to office. that would be like saying 435 congressmen were all responsible for those jobs. government doesn't create jobs. it is the private sector that creates jobs. congressmen taking responsibility or taking credit for helping create jobs is like al gore taking credit for the internet. >> with his first in the south primary just a couple of days away, another poll is suggesting mitt romney lacking enthusiasm within his own party. the new nbc/marist poll shows 56% of voters view the former massachusetts governor as an acceptable nominee. 26% say he is acceptable with reservations.

17% say romney is not acceptable to represent the republican party. this may have to do with the fact that only 13% of republican voters think romney is a true conservative. the same nbc poll shows santorum, gingrich and ron paul in a statistical tie, topping the field when it comes to their conservative credentials. that may play into gingrich's suggestion that conservative voters must unite around his candidacy to beat mitt romney. yesterday, rick santorum again slapped the former house speaker for suggesting that santorum should drop out of the race and get behind gingrich. gingrich attempted to downplay those remarks later in the day. >> first of all, i didn't say anybody should do anything. i said it would be very, very helpful as i hope that every santorum and perry voter will decide in the end that the only way to stop a massachusetts moderate is to vote for newt gingrich. i think that's -- if you look at the polling data, that's a fact. and i think in south carolina, being a georgia conservative is a big advantage. >> it is not, though, just

santorum and romney that gingrich may have to worry about. tonight, we're told, abc news will air an interview with gingrich's second wife mary ann. in a preview of what could be in store, mary ann gingrich had been saying as far back as the 1990s that she could end her former husband's career with a single interview. those are her words. joining us now, the national affairs editor for new york magazine, msnbc political analyst and co-author of "game change," the book that outshould the king james bible a couple of years ago, mr. john heilemann. let's reset here, coming out of new hampshire. looked like mitt romney could not be stopped. where are we two days ahead of the primary in south carolina? >> first of all, i want to say that i could probably end your entire career with one single interview. >> yes, you could. true story, actually. >> try to be nice. >> this will be a softball interview. >> i think the big story is that for a year mitt romney went -- proceeded as the de facto republican front-runner without ever coming under any kind of

real assault. it wasn't until the last day or 36 hours of the new hampshire primary that he really started to take some fire. and now through this entire week here in south carolina, he has taken more fire. that has had a certain negative consequence for him and there are things he's done that have been unforced errors that have brought more scrutiny on to him. he is creating an image for himself. you talked about him as the monopoly guy, the guy with the top hat. i think it is two different things. you have the gordon gecko image and the richey rich image. they're both bad images to have. in a state like this, where the unemployment rate is in double digits where it is twice as high as it was in new hampshire and iowa, it had a more negative effect. finally on romney, i think the establishment has worried for a year that his biggest problem would be he could not take a punch. and like i said, he didn't take very many for that entire year.

now, he seems to kind of -- not crumbling, but he has done some damage and gingrich and santorum have done damage to him and if this gap does close and the polling shows it is closing rapidly and gingrich wins this here on saturday, i think that's unlikely given the gap is still ten points acording to our poll this morning. if gingrich does pull this off, i think it will renew a huge amount of questions on the part of establishment republicans about whether this is really a guy who can go toe to toe with barack obama in the fall and win. >> even if it is tight, though, mitt romney wins, but gingrich comes in five points, something like that, behind him, what does that say going forward? do we lose a couple of people, first of all, when we move to florida and what happens to the race from there? >> i think under almost no circumstances do we not lose rick perry in any case going forward. i think rick santorum and newt gingrich are dedicated to fighting on. we're going know this morning later if romney won iowa or not, get the final certification of the votes from the iowa caucuses, he may end up holding

on to the win or having to for fit it to santorum, but romney will still be an extraordinarily strong position, even if he wins here by five points. a win is a win in south carolina, it will give him a huge amount of energy going into a bunch of states where he's uniquely in this field capable of competing because of his financial resources, his organization and so on. somebody had -- in order for this race to go on in a viable way, someone has to beat him here. and i think if he wins by a little bit, he's in very, very good shape. >> have you heard anything about the abc interview that is suppose to air tonight with mary ann gingrich, newt gingrich's second wife. drudge was all over it yesterday, sirens going. she did an interview with "esquire" magazine where she disclosed quit a bit and it wasn't that devastating. is there something more to this interview? >> you said for a long time she could end his career in a single interview, but she's given interviews. it is not like she's hidden from the press. a lot of people around gingrich, when that ifnterview came out,

which was a pretty tough thing, we won't go into the details in the morning because it is hard to talk about, it was hard on him but he survived it. i think unless she has something else that is much more devastating than what she already aired in the press before, i think he'll be okay. if she has some hidden bombshell, god knows, but there has never been apart from the threats and the vague air of i have this thing in my back pocket, that's a pretty big interview in "esquire," that was a long piece, she didn't kill him off. he's terminator like. you need a neutron bomb to kill newt. we'll see how that goes. >> the new nbc poll out for our show this morning has the race at ten points, mitt romney ahead of newt gingrich but that gap closing since the debate and newt gets another crack at hims. john, we'll talk to you in a minute coming up on "morning joe". >> the fur is going to fly tonight. >> it will be ugly. other news in washington, president obama facing intense political fallout over his decision to re jekt a proposed

oil poipeline through the heart of the country. the move is dividing the president's own supporters. the proposed pipeline would stretch from canada to refineries along the gulf coast. environmentalists oppose the plan over potential risk of damaging sensitive areas. the labor unions argue the project would create thousands of badly needed jobs. obama had hoped to put off the decision until after november's election, but republicans forced his hand by demanding an answer before february. that, you'll remember, was part of the negotiations to extend the payroll tax cut. with members of his party split over the decision, the president aimed to shift the blame yesterday to republicans saying in a statement, the rushed and arbitrary deadline insisted on by congressional republicans prevented a full assessment of the pipeline's impact, especially the health and safety of the american people, as well as our environment. i'm disappointed that republicans in congress forced this decision, but it does not change my administration's

commitment to american made energy that creates jobs and reduces our dependence on oil. the white house is stressing the president's decision does not kill the proposed pipeline altogether, but calls for more time to explore alternative routes through less environmentally sensitive areas. that explanation is not satisfying republicans who went on the attack from both capitol hill and out on the campaign trail. >> president obama is destroying tens of thousands of american jobs and shipping american energy security to the chinese. there is really no other way to put it. the president is selling out to american jobs for politics. president said he'll do anything that he can to create jobs. today that promise was broken. >> this is a stunningly stupid thing to do. these people are so out of touch with reality, it is as though they're governing mars. >> mitt romney also condemned the president's decision and

canada's prime minister says he is profoundly disappointed by the white house decision adding his country will explore building a pipeline to canada's west coast to ship oil to china. the company proposing the project now plans to reapply for a permit through the united states, which if approved, could green light construction sometime in 2014. after struggling for decades, one of america's great companies, eastman kodak, has now officially filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy. let's get more on that story as get all up in your business this morning. cnbc's steve sedgwick is live in london. good morning. >> very good day to you, willie. the company which we all know from our childhood and beyond, 1880 this company started up, a real icon of photography in the early years, they do have a lot of net in their favor still, around $5 billion worth of assets. but unfortunately, nearly $7 billion worth of debt. that debt load just became too much for them as a public company. so they have got protection now,

they're going to try to reorganize themselves in protection, sell off some huge store of patents which could ease that debt burden and come back, perhaps, in 2013. but a real blow for this company, which is really tried hard. it shed 47,000 jobs since 2003, but couldn't carry on in its current form. back to you. >> that's a sad day. steve sedgwick live in london, thanks so much. still ahead here live from charleston, stephen colbert will be our guest on "morning joe" tomorrow morning. last night, he continued his push to win the primary vote in south carolina. plus, even john mcenroe never smashed four rackets in one sitting. an tantrum for the ages at the australian open. that and the check on weather when "way too early" comes right back to the mills house in charleston, south carolina.

thank you, south carolina, for bringing us across the finish line first, in the first in the first of the south primary. i can speak for all the candidates when i say south carolinians are never just fair weather friends. thank you. ♪ [ telephone rings ] [ laughs ]

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welcome back to the mills house in charleston, south carolina, where we have set up shop two days ahead of the state's primary at 5:46 in the morning. back up now to new york for a check in your weather from nbc meteorologist bill karins. bill, good morning. >> good morning. a little chilly by your standards down there, gorgeous charleston. >> going up to 70 though today, bill. not to brag.

>> doesn't stay chilly long when the sun is out. a little snow on saturday. it is the middle of winter and it looks like winter. look at the windchill in minneapolis. it is minus 32 out there this morning. coldest by far that we have seen this winter. we have the cold air that invaded many areas of the northern u.s. and now we got snow in the forecast. we're going to see a mini snowstorm tomorrow in areas like milwaukee and chicago. and then eventually that snow is going to move into toledo, detroit, cleveland, buffalo, pittsburgh possibly, and then maybe even it appears now philadelphia and new york city, southern new england, someone will have a chance of 3 to 6 inches as we go throughout the day on saturday. keep that in your plans. forecast today, cold and blustery, there will be snowflakes tonight, but not a big deal. how does that high temperature look in minneapolis? 1 will be the official high as you said, you'll be nice and warm down there in the 60s where you are. i think we'll skip that minnesota primary. thanks so much. appreciate it, bill. let's turn to sports now. not every day you lead with a

hunkie actor rob lowe. today is just such a day. lowe managed to cause a social media firestorm yesterday by fueling speculation that colts star quarterback peyton manning was ready to retire. lowe, who is nbc's show "parks and recreation" set in indiana tweeted, peyton manning will not return to the nfl, hearing my fave. rich eisen tweeted, my people are saying man will return today. what do you hear. lowe added, colts fans, let's hope my info is wrong. don't like being wrong, but this time i'm hoping. he's friends with colts owner jim irsay and has been on the sidelines for the team's games in the past. there is no official response from manning who is out with a neck injury, but his father archie shot down the rumor to espn saying if paytterno peyton retire, he would have told his own man before he told rob lowe. the australian open is handing down a $1200 fine for a player's epic temper tantrum on

the court yesterday. down two sets in a break last night, 44th ranked marcos baghdatis of cyrus took his frustration out on his racket, slamming it to the ground repeatedly. that was just the beginning. he methodically went through his bag of rackets. passed one to a ball boy, took out another one, smashed it, and proceeded to destroy another one. racket number three came out, breaks that one. and number four, now he's fresh out of rackets. after letting out his frustration, he came back, found another racket apparently to win the third set, but did lose the match. he's one of several players to be fined this tournament for losing their cool. four rackets down in a span of about 30 seconds. hall of fame basketball star kareem abdul-jabbar lacing up his giant shoes for a new role as u.s. cultural ambassador. hillary clinton announced it yesterday. will travel the world to promote education and racial tolerance. coming up at the top of the

hour on "morning joe," brand-new poll shows mitt romney with a lead in south carolina, but newt gingrich chipping away after monday's debate. newt gets another crack at romney on stage tonight. we'll discuss that with joe and mika and our "morning joe" crew. we'll huddle up around the water cooler to watch the latest ad from the super pac formerly belonging to stephen colbert. going for broke in his fake run for the presidency. jenna shared her recipe with sharon, who emailed it to emily, who sent it to cindy, who wondered why her soup wasn't quite the same. the recipe's not the recipe... ohhh. [ female announcer ] ...without swanson. the broth cooks trust most when making soup. mmmm! [ female announcer ] the secret is swanson.

welcome back to "way too early," special coverage of the south carolina republican presidential primary. we're live in front of a fountain at the mills house in charleston. there has been plenty of talk about how important the evangelical vote may be to the candidate's chance of winning here. the military vote is crucial here. if you want to sound smart today, tell your friends, south carolina nearly 407,000 veterans in this state compromise close to 9% of the state's population. the military bases pump $18

million into the economy each and every year. stephen colbert formed an exploratory committee to run for president here in the state. he cannot. mr. colbert again last night. >> we conservatives need a single candidate who has appeal on a national level. last night, public policy polling released their latest national favorability ratings. you got gingrich at 26%. paul at 27%. and santorum at 30%, but still mitt romney leads them all in the dust at 35%. so, folks, i guess romney will be the guy who -- wait a second. wait. who is that up at the top of the poll with a 36% favorability rating? stephen colbert. whoo! boom. 36%. 3-6, 3-6.

right on top. right on top. right here. >> he's huge in south carolina. and the latest ads from colbert's former super pac now run by his buddy jon stewart opposes colbert's candidacy and urges voters not to vote for him. the ad is narrated by the one and only samuel l. jackson. >> america is in crisis. and stephen colbert is turning our election into a circus. this east coast hollywood elite is exploring a run for president of the united states of america of south carolina. and, come on, why is the t in his name silent? what else is he silent about? letting murderers out of jail? now a super pac that he founded is running attack ads against him, just so we'll think they're not coordinating. enough is enough! i've had it with these money grubbing super pacs messing with

our monday to friday election. south carolina, send stephen colbert a message. on january 21st, vote herman cain. >> that is a hard hitting ad. one more piece of noncolbert news to tell you about. actor mark wahlberg apologizing for comments made in a men's journal where he told the magazine he would have stopped terrorists from flying into the world trade center on september 11th had he been on the plane. wahlberg, as it turns out, was scheduled to be on one of those flights from boston that hit the world trade center. but decided to fly a week earlier instead. mr. wahlberg issued an apology saying, to suggest i would have done anything differently than the passengers on that plane was irresponsible. i deeply apologize to the families of the victims that my answer came off as insensitive. it was certainly not my intention. still ahead here on "way too early", what are you doing up at this hour? you're gamecocked and loaded, tweets, texts and e-mails are

next. "morning joe" is moments away as we come back to the mills house in charleston, south carolina. brad, where we going? just a second. just, just one second. ♪ what are you looking at? don't look up there. why are you looking up? ♪ get outta the car. get outta the car. ♪ are you ok? the... get in the car. get in the car! [ male announcer ] the epa estimated 42 mpg highway chevy cruze eco. from spending time together, to spending your lives together, chevy runs deep.

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