making news in america this morning. >> can we win in afghanistan? the public support slipping. the year-long assessment of the war is out today. pet projects. earmarks in the government's spending bill by senators who actually pledged to give them up. and beauty sleep. can more zs really make you more attractive? good morning, everyone. thanks for being with us today. right now, about american american troops are fighting the war in afghanistan. our new poll, though, says support for the war is eroding. >> 60% of americans say it hasn't been worth fighting. and that's a slide since july. >> with the pessimistic backdrop, the obama

administration will release its long-awaited review of the war today. >> mike boettcher has a preview from afghanistan. >> reporter: good morning, rob and vinita. the assessment will be divided into three sections. and it will first state there has been great progress in dismantling, disrupting and defeating the taliban and al qaeda in afghanistan and other parts of the world. the first section deals with al qaeda. the report will state that top al-qaeda leadership has been assassinated in drone strikes in afghanistan and elsewhere. and they've managed to take out many of the safe places in pakistan and other places in the world. secondly, it deals with pakistan. it says there's greater cooperation between the united states and pakistan. but there's still problem there's. a giant safe haven exists in north waziristan province in pakistan. and that's something that will have to be dealt with in the future and in the coming spring. thirdly, in afghanistan, the

report will state that the troop surge of 30,000 troops has made a difference in the south of n. afghanistan. but problems remain in the north and west. and in the east of afghanistan, where the surge troops did not go, they expect heavy fighting in the spring in those areas. rob and vinita? >> all right. thanks a lot, mike. the war in afghanistan is now the nation's longest ever. and this year has been the bloodiest so far. almost 500 americans have been killed. almost 4,500 wounded. there are just a few more days left for congress to act on some pressing issues. so, here's where we stand on the three biggest. on the effort to extend those tax cuts, the senate overwhelmingly passed the bill yesterday. but it's fate today in the house is uncertain. as for the ban on gays in the military, the house approved the bill yesterday, and now it goes to the senate. and ratifying the important nuclear treaty with russia, the senate voted to begin debate.

and it's likely to pass with a two-thirds vote. a spending bill is set for saturday. to keep the government run mpg but it's filled with billions of pet projects. here's jonathan karl. >> reporter: christmastime on capitol hill. plenty of gifts for special interests and pet projects for powerful lawmakers. case in point -- >> this appropriations bill. >> reporter: the so-called omnibus appropriations bill. $1.1 trillion to keep the government running for the next year. it's filled with old-fashioned pork. more than $8 billion in earmarks, special projects tacked on by individual members of congress. there's $80 million for the restoration of pacific coastal salmon. some of it for land-locked nevada, which hasn't seen wild salmon since the 1930s. $300,000 for the polynesian voyaging society in hawaii. $235,000 for noxious weed management in nevada.

the bill is being pushed by democrats, and has been attacked by republicans. >> the bill is loaded up with pork projects. >> this is an outrage. >> reporter: but wait. many of these earmarks were inserted by republican senators. >> going through this bill, there's earmark after earmark from the both of you. i mean, millions of dollars in earmarks from the two of you and from other senators. how do you have any credibility on this? why do you have earmarks in here? >> because we're going to vote against the bill. this is the wrong way to do business. >> reporter: were you wrong when you put these earmarks in before? >> karl, this is not just about earmarks. earmarks are a symptom of wasteful washington spending that the american people have said they want reformed. >> reporter: is that an acknowledgement that it was wrong to put the earmarks in the first place? i guess that's my question. >> you asked the question about five times. and i tried to answer it to the best of my ability. >> reporter: jonathan karl, abc news, capitol hill. some more wintry weather is battering parts of the south this morning and wreaking havoc on roads where salt spreaders are pretty hard to come by.

an ice storm is now glazing over tennessee and kentucky. and another round of snow is in store for the upper midwest. karen travers has more. >> reporter: the bitter cold and relentless winter weather are showing no signs of easing up. snow was followed by ice in parts of the midwest. this lighthouse near cleveland is frozen solid. in the southeast, sleet and freezing rain turned roads into skating rinks. at least five people were killed in accidents caused by icy conditions. parts of kentucky and tennessee are bracing this morning for ice accumulations of up to half an inch. >> i couldn't see it. black ice, it's transparent. you can't see it. folks, you have to be real careful. especially if you have a loved one in the car with you. >> reporter: lake-effect snow pummeled upstate new york. with two weeks to go, this month is already the second-snowiest december on record in that region. residents of minnesota are still digging out from their own massive snowfall this week. and officials will are now

concerned about how this early winter weather will affect their budget. >> we have to plow the snow. >> we spend what we need to spend to make the roads as safe as possible. >> reporter: no surprise here, the roof of the minneapolis metrodome, which collapsed under the weight of 17 inches of snow on monday, will not be fixed in time for the monday night vikings game. the game was moved to the university of minnesota's outdoor stadium. the only problem is, it's full of snow. >> it's going to be a lot of shoveling. a lot of work. don't really mind it. >> reporter: about a dozen states can expect a cold and icy commute this morning, as a mixture of snow, sleet and freezing rain makes its way across the southeast and mid-atlantic region. karen travers, abc news. >> stories to keep in mind. we tell you about this morning's weather from around the nation. about two inches of snow in washington, d.c. and virginia. rain in raleigh. fleuries in phillie and another ten inches of snow for syracuse and rochester, new york. morning snowshowers from cheyenne to fargo. and scattered showers from

seattle to portland. >> meanwhile, 35 in colorado springs. 33 in salt lake city. and 51 in sacramento. teens for fargo and minneapolis. and 33 in k most mostly 30s in the northeast. 70s, though, in miami and new orleans. one more weather story this morning. a powerful storm that battered israel has now exposed a rare, ancient artifact. the 1,700-year-old roman-era statue was found in the sand after high waves and gusty winds knocked down parts of an archaeological site. and when we come back this morning, outlawed. the government bans baby cribs that are used by millions of parents. and where you can find the world's most expensive christmas tree.

foreclosures fell sharply last month. but it was only probably a temporary drop. repossessions tumbled 28% from october. the lowest level in 18 months. but that was mainly the result of several lenders temporarily freezing foreclosures to review potentially flawed paperwork. and time, now, for a check of market activity, starting overseas. tokyo's nikkei average was virtually unchanged today. ticking up one point. hong kong's hang seng, is lower. and in london, the ftse opened higher. on wall street, the dow fell 19 points yesterday. the nasdaq dropped ten points. a crib type that has been used by millions of babies for generations has now been

declared too dangerous. the government is outlawing drop-side cribs. beginning in june, it will be illegal to manufacture, sell and resell these cribs. dannon has agreed to a 21 million thr settlement over marketing claims of its yogurt and drink. there is not enough evidence that active ya relieves irregularity. it will be easier to tag all of your photos on facebook. the social networking site is adding new facial recognition software in the coming weeks. it works by matching new photos to others that have been tagged. users worried about privacy can turn the feature off. it doesn't matter what's under the christmas tree when your tree looks like this. it is the world's most expensive christmas tree, covered in about $11 million worth of jewelry. diamond necklaces, earrings,

pearls emerald and ruby bracelets. the tree is in a lobby in a hotel in abu dhabi. >> the same hotel that saw the world's first atm machine that dispenses gold bars. coming up next on this thursday morning, a new picture of the man who opened fire during that school board meeting in florida. and the beauty sleep study. does more sleep make you sexier? ♪ ♪ a blender for aunt sue ♪ head phones for uncle wayne ♪ pillow pets and hot wheels for my sister's kids in maine ♪ ♪ oh, walgreens has perfect gifts ♪ ♪ for all those on your list ♪ like a walgreens gift card ♪ for your daughter's teacher miss gilchrest ♪ [ female announcer ] finish up your list at walgreens and get $5 in walgreens super jingle cash with every $25 you spend. good for anything in the store. [ female announcer ] stay jolly with walgreens.

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a new casino is hoping to beat the odds out in las vegas. as the city struggles to bounce back from the recession. this $3.9 billion complex, the cosmopolitan, opened to the public overnight. the big gamble is whether it can keep the slot machines and game tables busy and also fill 3,000 rooms. expect icy roads this morning across tennessee and

kentucky, especially on i-40. snow and ice on i-95. snow-covered on i-90, from erie to buffalo and syracuse. and slick across the upper midwest. >> and if you're flying today, you can expect some airport delays in phoenix, denver, chicago, minneapolis, d.c., charlotte and atlanta. we are getting a clearer picture this morning of that gunman who opened fire on a florida school board meeting. >> his wife describes clay duke as a gentle giant, who was pushed over the edge by the bad economy. she also says her husband did not mean to hurt anyone but himself. ryan owens has more details, now, from panama city. >> reporter: police say the man who shattered that school board meeting was a 56-year-old ex-con with a grudge. clay duke was angry the board has fired his wife, a special ed teacher, earlier this year. >> he loved me. he loved his family. and he was just trying to have

keep stop, as he would say, dump on me. >> reporter: on clay duke's body, they found something even more disturbing. >> he had another box of ammo. and i believe that box of ammo was full and would contain 50 rounds. >> reporter: while others went to safety, board member ginger littleton snuck back in. and tried to knock the gun out of duke's hand with her purse. >> i have three, wonderful daughters. and they said, mom, are you just stupid? what were you thinking? >> reporter: her act of bravery was the only one. the superintendent, bill husfelt, calmly negotiated with duke. trying to get the other board members to leave. >> i don't want anybody to get hurt. and i have a feeling that what you want is the cops to come in and kill you because you're mad. >> i'm going to die today. >> but why? this isn't worth it. this is a problem. please, don't. please, don't. please. [ gunfire ] >> reporter: police say duke fired at least 14 rounds. every, single one missed.

>> i'm telling you right now, i have no doubt that i'm here by the grace of god. >> reporter: ryan owens, abc news, panama city, florida. >> experts we spoke with said there's several important survival moments in that incident. they say ginger littleton was wrong to hit the gunman with her bag. and that they could have used a more soothing tone to diffuse that situation. a man who has been convicted of a terror plot here in new york city, has been sentenced to life in prison. before being sentenced, he insisted he was wrongly convicted, saying he doesn't believe in harming anyone. and in arizona, border patrol agent brian terry is being mourned after he was killed in a shoot-out with bandits. terry was part of an elite unit that goes after suspects that prey on immigrants crossing into the u.s. homeland security secretary janet napolitano will visit the same area today.

well, it looks like beauty sleep is not just a myth. swedish researchers say you can actually see it in your face. they photographed nearly two dozen people before and after they were sleep-deprived. observers found that those that did not get enough shut eye looked less attractive than those well-rested. researchers say sleep is probably more effective than any beauty treatment you can buy. >> not the best news for us. >> not at all. it's time for sports. the nfl's week 14 gets under way tonight with the 49ers visiting the chargers. we get last night's highlights now from espn news. >> good morning. i'm steve weissman with your espn news update. a huge night in the nba. it's a rivalry renewed. knicks/celtics from the garden. new york riding an eight-game win streak. boston winning ten in a row. tied at 116-116. paul pierce had 32. boston taking the two-point lead. 0.4 on the clock. last chance for the knicks.

amare stoudemire, outside for the win. yes. 39 points for amare. but wait. these don't count. the ball still in his hand as the buzzer sounds. knicks fall in a heartbreaker. 118-116. meanwhile, lebron and the heat hosting the cavs. since these teams played in cleveland, miami has not lost. cleveland has not won. dwyane wade showing why. big dunk. tell the folks what you think about my dunk. dwyane wade. a huge game and even bigger fourth quarter. eight minutes to go. wade, from the wing for three. he was three of four from deep in that fourth quarter. had 17 points. how about another three? dwyane wade with 28 points. heat have won ten in a row. best team in the nba. tim duncan and the spurs hosting the milwaukee bucks. five seconds to go. manu ginobili, has never hit a game-winner in his career. never say never.

you the manu. spurs win 92-90. an nba best 21-3. to the ice we go.ey crosby e sidney crosby and the penguins hosting the rangers. sidney crosby helping evgeni malkin. he's had a point in 20-straight games. that's a career-high. but the pens lose, 4-1. that's your espn news update. for all your other scores and highlights, check out the highlight express, until 3:00 p.m. eastern today. one of baseball's greatest right-handers has lost his battle with cancer. hall of famer bob feller died in a hospice last night of leukemia. feller broke into the major leagues in 1936, just shy of his 18th birthday. he left baseball in his prime to fight in world war ii. robert feller was 92 years old. when we return on this thursday, a dress code for new york city's cab drivers. stay with us.

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house. democratic lawmakers are threatening to derail the measure over the estate tax provision they say is too generous to the rich. wikileaks founder julian assange could be released from a british jail today. he was branted bail earlier in the week. but his release is being fought by swedish prosecutors. new york city cabbies may have to upgrade their wardrobes in a change to the dress code is approved later today. the taxi commission is expected to vote on whether drivers should have a, quote, professional appearance. larry king signs off for the final time after 25 years of hosting his cnn talk show. bill maher and ryan seacrests are among the guests that will be giving him the royal sendoff. coming up later on "good morning america," this video of a good samaritan helping a police officer got everyone talking. now, the grateful cop is getting a chance to say thanks to his rescuer. it is a reunion you don't want to miss. >> very brave woman. for some of you, your local news is coming up next. >> for everyone else, "america

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finally this morning, the skinny on a new diet promising to freeze away the fat. >> it's called thermal dieting, adjusting your body temperature

to burn off those extra pounds. andrea canning gave it a try. >> reporter: why would anyone want to walk outside in the bitter cold, like this. >> we're doing it in the name of weight loss. >> reporter: we're trying thermal dieting. a new understanding of how cool temperatures can melt pounds. we are below freezing now. and we can certainly feel it. what does that mean for us? how many extra calories are we burning because of this cold weather? >> we are burning at least 50% more calories. >> reporter: seem too good to be true? author tim ferriss says the body has to work overtime to overcome the cold. >> the body wants to maintain a balance, a homeostasis. so, 98.6 degrees. and if you make it cold, it will do everything it can to get back to 98.6. and it burns calories to do that. heat equals calories. >> reporter: what is going on in your body? >> there's actually a type of fat called brown adipose tissue. b.a.t. cold can trigger this b.a.t., it actually produces heat and you burn fat tissue. >> reporter: his advice is

backed by real science. >> we can use the thermal environment to supercharge our weight loss. >> reporter: cray cronise a former nasa scientist, investigated the effects of temperature on astronauts. >> in environments as mild as 60 degrees, some of these people saw metabolism rates boost by as much as 20%. >> reporter: cronise had been struggling to lose weight with diet and exercise. adding a thermal element, he tripled the rate of weight loss. going from this to this, losing 30 pounds in 6, short weeks. he says smaller actions like turning down the thermostat and drinking ice water can boost the metabolism and are a lot less painful than this. my toes are turning red. i think i'm getting frostbite. andrea canning, abc news, new york. >> i'll just stay fat. >> given the arctic chill, it's the perfect time to test it out. >> no kidding. that is what is making news