making news on this thursday, december 2nd. >> will your taxes go up next month? it is one of the most heated issues on capitol hill. and it comes up for a vote today. deadly twist in the murder investigation of a popular hollywood publicist. a man linked to the crime commits suicide. and tonight, he'll be facing the music. lebron james returns to cleveland, the hometown he shunned for sunny florida. good morning, everyone. thanks for being with us. well, we will see a test of the new political landscape today on capitol hill. >> lawmakers in the house are voting on the crucial issue of extending bush-era tax cuts for the middle class.

and a compromise on the issue may be in the works in the senate. >> is it a new era of cooperation? emily schmidt joins us from washington with a preview. good morning, emily. >> reporter: rob and vinita, good morning to you. there's been a lot of talk in washington this week about finding bipartisan, political common ground. but all that talk gets put to the test today. the results could change the look of your taxes, as soon as next month. the battle over bush-era tax cuts topped the obama agenda today, with a house vote about who should get extended breaks on their taxes. >> american people said election day, stop the games. stop the spending. stop the looming taxes. >> reporter: republicans say everyone needs the tax hike. most democrats want high earners to pay more. they say it's hypocritical that just this week republicans blocked extended unemployment benefits. yet, they're now working to help families making more than $250,000 a year. >> have to pay for unemployment insurance. we don't have to pay for tax cuts for the rich. >> reporter: it sounds like familiar political deadlock.

yet, this time, there's a deadline. the cuts expire december 31st. >> nobody wants to see taxes on middle-class families go up, starting january 1st.treasuryepy secretary and white house budget director will continue with meetings that began on wednesday, working with lawmakers from both parties to find middle ground. >> we had a very civil, constructive discussion. >> reporter: at the same time, all 42 republican senators signed a letter vowing to block most bills, unless tax rates stay the same. >> we're going to extend the current tax rates. we're not going to raise taxes on anybody. the only thing we're discussing now is just how long that extension will be. >> reporter: there is one sign of agreement on capitol hill. the house has passed a resolution that would extend federal funding to help keep the government running through the middle of the month. current funding, set to expire tomorrow. rob and vinita? >> emily schmidt, thanks for that report. another issue in political limbo this morning, the senate's approval of the nuclear s.t.a.r.t. treaty with russia.

senate republicans blocking the treaty got a nudge from one of their own. former secretary of state colin powell met with president obama yesterday. powell has said failing to ratify the treaty could leave the u.s. in a vulnerable position. and one more note from capitol hill, where republicans are vowing to get rid of symbolic resolution. you've probably seen these, when a member of congress honors a person or a sports team. yesterday on the house floor, a resolution was passed for golfer chichi rodriguez. the new measure will prevent any such bill from making it to the floor. secretary of state hillary clinton arrived in kyrgystan this morning to meet with government leaders and also greet u.s. troops. she arrived from kazakhstan, where she attended an international security conference and announced a nuclear security deal with the former soviet republic of belarus. a calmer day is in store for the east coast, after deadly weather with twisters, thunderstorms and powerful winds. airline delays in the new york

area dragged on for more than five hours. and dozens of homes in the south are now in ruins. here's t.j. winick. >> reporter: like a life-sized doll house, you can easily see inside ariana barecca's home. >> i think the most important thing, we wanted to get some bibles. and some of my family's sotos from when my dad passed. >> reporter: barecca lost the entire side of her georgia abode, when a 130-mile-per-hour twister destroyed more than 50 homes in this community. >> it just got real quiet. all of a sudden, a bunch of rain came down. you hear the wind vibrate the house. and all of a sudden, you hear a commotion outside. and look down the street and the house is down to the ground. >> reporter: the east coast was hit with another day of severe rain and weather, that knocked out power to thousands, caused millions in damage, and killed at least two people. winds blew a tree into this new jersey home, while tornado and flood watches remained in effect for much of the southeast, as far north as washington, d.c. the reason for that was a big clash of air masses.

cold air rushing south, meeting up with warm air from the gulf of mexico. and lots of energy in the atmosphere. we're able to produce severe thunderstorms, lots of damaging wind gusts. >> reporter: in tennessee, a rock slide followed two inches of rain, blocking part of a highway between knoxville and the airport. across the midwest, it's all about the bitter cold and now snow, which has made for a harrowing commute. >> down south, they were pretty slick. i just come from the south side. there was a wreck at 465 and 65. >> reporter: the big weather story heading into the weekend and all of next week will be that cold air and plenty of lake-effect snow. rob and vinita? >> t.j. winick, thank you. that lake-effect snow is already coming down in western new york and pennsylvania. there will be a foot on the ground by tonight. rain in seattle and portland, moving later to san francisco. 6 to 12 inches of snow in the northern rockies. and five inches in the sierras. it's 54 degrees in sacramento. 44 in salt lake city. and 38 in billings.

fargo will only get up to 12 degrees. it's 22 in the twin cities. 31 in chicago. mostly 40s in the northeast. and 71 degrees in miami. and in other news, now, being even a little overweight can lead to an early death. that's according to a new study out this morning. researchers found those with a few extra pounds were 13% more likely to die than those at a healthy weight. some earlier studies had suggested that carrying a little fat was okay. but the authors of this study now say extra fat is harmful. we have an update, now, on a dozen haitian children who have been stuck in legal limbo at a pittsburgh orphanage for almost a year. the way has been cleared for boys and girls to be adopted by families here in the u.s. >> the legal snag came partly because the children have parents back in haiti. but those families have agreed to give up custody. and the haitian government has approved the adoptions. when we come back on this thursday, burger joints, even motorcyclemakers. banks weren't the only one to get government bailouts.

and shocking suicide. an overnight twist for police trying to solve the murder of a hollywood publicist. and a busted bumper can often break the bank. but can some new rules change that? ççççççççççççççççççççççççççñ

there are encouraging signs this morning that the economic recovery is gaining traction. a slew of reports show things moving in the right direction. private companies added thousands more jobs in november than previous months, while

manufacturing expanded for the 16th-straight month. auto sales jumped 17% last month, a sign the market is recovery. those reports are boosting overseas stocks this morning, after one of the best days on wall street this year. tokyo's nikkei average jumped 1.8% today. hong kong's hang seng is higher. in london, the ftse opened higher. on wall street, the dow surged 250 points yesterday, its biggest 1-day gain in 3 months. and the nasdaq jumped 51 points. the federal reserve has released details on the extent of its emergency lending programs during the height of the financial crisis. most of the $3.3 trillion in lent out, went to banks, including many foreign ones. but the federal government also loaned billions to some of the biggest names in business. including mcdonald's, general electric, verizon and harley davidson. cyber monday was a huge success. it was the busiest online shopping day ever, with americans spending $1 billion within 24 hours for the very

first time. there was no shortage of deals to entice shoppers. 90% of retailers offered promotions that day. a fender-bender in an suv can lead to pretty hefty repair bills. now tests for the insurance institute for highway safety, finds when an suv hits a car at just ten miles per hour, repairs can cost as much as 6 grand. the bumper standards that apply to cars do not alive to suvs, pickups and minivance. coming up next on this thursday morning, a drama months in the making. lebron james returns to play in cleveland tonight. >> the crowd will be worked up for that one. also, a big scare for the nation's number one college team. highlights from espn, coming up next. [ male announcer ] this is rachel, a busy mom. she starts at dawn and so does her back pain. that's two pills for a four hour drive. the drive is done. so it's a day of games and two more pills. the games are over, her pain is back,

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♪ washington, d.c. is shining

a little brighter this morning, thanks to the festival of lights, as jews around the world celebrate hanukkah. the giant menorah in front of the white house was lit. snow-covered on i-90, around erie, pennsylvania, syracuse, rochester and buffalo. snow on i-15, from central montana to salt lake city. and on i-90, from spokane to helena. wet on i-5, in the pacific northwest. >> and if you're flying today, you can expect some airport delays in seattle, san francisco, salt lake city and detroit. it could have been the big break that hollywood has been hoping for. >> late last night, police were closing in on a person of interest in the murder of a top studio publicist. but moments later, that person is dead, committing suicide. the murder mystery of celebrity publicist ronni chasen took another deadly turn late wednesday, as police approached a man with possible ties to the case. >> we attempted to talk to the

suspect. when they did, the suspect produced a handgun. and there was a self-inflicted gunshot wound. >> reporter: the man police call a person of interest, killed himself in the lobby of an apartment house in a busy part of hollywood. detectives wanted to talk to him about the execution-style slaying of ronni chasen, the publicist shot to death in the front seat of her mercedes in the middle of beverly hills. chasen's murder continues to be front-page news, two weeks after it happened. police have released few details of their investigation. but wednesday, the preliminary autopsy report said the shooter was an expert shot. with the death of a potential suspect, the case itself, now d.o.a. >> does this mean that the chasen investigation isn't over yet? >> that's correct. it's not over yet. >> it may be a while before we learn more. the official autopsy report is now on security hold, which means police must approve its

release. kidnap victim elizabeth smart stormed out of the courtroom yesterday, as a psychiatrist was on the stand. the doctor testified that her alleged attacker was motivated by a desire to have children and create a new race in an imaginary zion. he said that brian david mitchell suffers from psychotic illness. but prosecutors in utah believe that mitchell is simply faking it. the man convicted in that connecticut home invasion will be formally sentenced to death today. the lone survivor of that brutal attack, dr. william petit, is expected to speak directly to steven hayes about the murder of his wife and two daughters. hayes will be given a chance to speak. actor wesley snipes is heading to britain a week from today. he's been ordered to report to a federal lockup in pennsylvania, to begin serving a three-year sentence for failing to file income tax returns from 1999 to 2001. a motion to allow snipes to remain free while he appeals was denied by a judge.

well, if you were anywhere close to the cleveland cavaliers arena tonight, be prepared to hear the thunderous roar of 20,000-plus fans booing at the top of their lungs. that's because former hometown hero, lebron james, returns for the first time, wearing the jersey of another team. t.j. winick has a preview. >> reporter: in cleveland, they were the words that turned the king into an outlaw. >> i'm going to take my talents to south beach. >> reporter: that proclamation by nba superstar, lebron james, in july, set the stage for tonight's homecoming, when lebron's new team, the miami heat, come to his old team, the cleveland cavaliers. >> emotionally draining. i can tell already for myself. >> reporter: after lebron fled blue-collar cleveland for the glitz and glamour of miami, cav fans, including team owner dan gilbert, were furious with the

prodigy. >> i know people can be mad. it's going to be a bad week. >> if he had stayed, would i have kept tickets? yes. >> reporter: the two-time mvp has since tried to remake his image. >> what should i do? >> reporter: with all of the lofty expectations and prediction of multiple championships, miami is finding the road bumpy. it's barely playing .500 ball. even the first fan has chimed in. >> there's no "i," in team. no matter how good a player is, no matter how a group of players are, if they haven't played together, they are going to take some time. >> sounds like politics. >> same thing. >> reporter: lebron james will need a thick skin for tonight. >> my first thought is he will be booed heavily. but i don't think it will be a lovely reception. >> reporter: but it will be a pricey one. t.j. winick, abc news, new york. >> that's going to be quite a night in cleveland. two of the top teams in college basketball tipped off last night. here, now, is steve weissman, espn news, with all of the

highlights. >> good morning. i'm steve weissman, with your espn news update. we start in the acc big ten challenge. duke taking on michigan state. coach k.'s squad, ranked number one in the land. msu, number six. duke two down, the freshman, kyre irving, with the bucket and the foul. later in the first, more from irving. he's good in the first hand. still in the first, he's good from outside. this for three. duke up 28-25. second half, time for the senior to get some love. kyle singler. he had 15 points. duke starts pulling away. more from irving. freshman, 31 points, 6 rebounds. duke wins 84-79. meanwhile, number 16, florida, taking on the university of central florida. that means marcus jordan, son of michael, kicks off to herzog. go to the second half, tied at 46-46. jordan, on the crossover.

of his papa. straight to the rack. he had 14 points. minute left, florida down three. vernon macklin, trying to keep the gators alive. florida down one. with 20 seconds to go, three-point ball game. irvin walker for the tie. that's off the board. but another chance. gators, 2 of 13 from outside the por rob la. central florida winning over the florida gators for the first time in ten meets. and that's your espn news update. for all your highlights, watch the highlight express on espn news until 3:00 p.m. eastern today. i'm steve weissman. back to you in new york. the white house is shimmering this morning, all dressed up for the holidays. >> first lady michelle obama showed off this year's decorations, along with all 19 christmas trees.

there were several versions of the dog beau, including this one made of 40,000 pipe cleaners. mrs. obama said the greatest blessings of all are the ones that don't cost a thing. >> took a week to make the winter wonder land come to life. but it looks great. >> 100,000 people expected there in the next month. crazy. coming up next, the stories we'll be follows today, including nasa's big announcement today about life in outer space. - hey. he went to jared. - he definitely went to jared. that's a peerless diamond. that's the ideal ideal-cut diamond. what? female announcer: jared has five times the selection of ordinary jewelry stores, with thousands of loose diamonds and hundreds of settings to create your own one-of-a-kind ring. - that's an extraordinarily... [sniffs] beautiful moment. - yo, man. you crying? - [sniffs] no. announcer: that's the power of selection. that's jared, the galeria of jewelry.

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stories we'll be watching on this thursday. lawmakers in the house are expected to approve extending those bush-era tax cuts to the middle class. and a compromise on the issue appears to be making progress in the senate. the senate armed services committee hears testimony today from top military leaders about ending the ban on gays serving openly in the u.s. military. president obama hosts newly-elected republican and democratic governors at the white house. on the agenda, working together and reconciling preelection day tension. nasa is set to unveil a new scientific finding that it says will impact the search for evidence of extra terrestrial life. soccer's governing body decides on who will host the 2018 and 2022 games. and singing legend, aretha franklin is set to undergo an undisclosed medical procedure today. franklin canceled all her appearances through may, under doctors orders. for some of you, your local

news is next. >> for everyone else, "america this morning" continues right after this. [ female announcer ] imagine the possibilities with stelara®. for adults, stelara® helps control moderate or severe plaque psoriasis with 4 doses a year, after 2 starter doses. in a medical study, 7 out of 10 stelara® patients saw at least 75% clearer skin at 12 weeks. and 6 out of 10 patients had their plaque psoriasis rated as cleared or minimal at 12 weeks. stelara® may lower your ability to fight infections and increase your risk of infections. some serious infections require hospitalization.

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and finally this morning, celebrating the life and legacy of a hollywood powerhouse, with the midas touch. >> the man behind the long list of megahits died earlier this

week. he focused on glamour and fame, turning his shows into solid gold. more, now, from david wright. ♪ there were no boundaries >> reporter: before "american idol." there was "star search." before music television, there was "solid gold." before "real housewives of beverly hills," there was "lifestyles of the rich and famous." >> this home has played host to the kings and queens, prince and princesses. >> reporter: all of them created by producer, alfred macini, who was certainly rich. but not exactly famous. >> he was rich in love and generosity to people in the television industry. >> reporter: macini's first job at age 10, was at a tootsie roll factory in new jersey. his first tv was at cbs, as a liaison with local affiliates. his big insight, was that local stations needed inexpensive programs of their own. >> he was absolutely the father

of first-run syndication. >> reporter: macini helped plenty of others become famous. we have "star search" to thank for britney spears, bee yons, and christina aguilera, to name a few. his most lasting contribution is still on the air, with its original host. >> filming was completed. >> reporter: al macini died monday in honolulu. but his legacy lives on. right after your local news. david wright, abc news, hollywood. >> very sad loss. coming up later on "good morning america," do you hate those loud commercials that seem to blast out of your tv set? well, lawmakers on capitol hill are vowing to turn the volume way down, later this week. and we will have a preview. >> finally. i've been waiting on that. that is what's making news in america this morning. >> get more later on "good morning america." or of course, anytime at abcnews.com. >> thank you so much for joining us today, everybody. have a great thursday.