making news on this monday, january 3rd. a new congress is headed to washington. among them, lots more republicans who seem ready for a big fight with the obama administration. the video that's put an aircraft carrier commander's job in jeopardy. questions this morning about the chain of command. and it's playoff time in the nfl. who's in, who's out, and what to look forward to next weekend. good morning. when president obama returns to washington tomorrow, we will be in a dramatically political world. republicans are about to take control in the house while they are in the senate in greater numbers. >> and that new political muscle has some gop lawmakers

apparently ready for a fight. emily schmidt is joining us from washington with a preview. >> reporter: rob and vinita, good morning to you. in this new year, the president's team has a few new faces, congress has a lot of new members. but beginning this week, we'll see if washington wants to get past the same old partisan politics. president obama wraps up his vacation trading relaxation and rest for another "r." republican leadership in the house. >> i'm willing to work with anyone of either party who's got a good idea and commitment to see it through. >> reporter: it means what democrats did in the last session. >> they created too much debt and if you want to reduce the size of government, i think you'll find a willing patter in in the government. >> reporter: one goal, repealing the president's plan. >> we said we will bring up a vote to repeal the health care early. >> reporter: the vote wouldn't change the law as democrats

still control the senate, and president obama would never sign it. but with 100 new republicans getting sworn in this week, there's a real push to send a symbolic message back home. >> they can say i voted on what i said i was going to vote on and it's not my fault that the president vetoed it or the senate didn't pass it. >> you heard a lot of what they're against. i don't know what they're in favor of. >> reporter: congress must led the government borrow more money or face a shut down. the president's top economic adviser said that would be catastrophic. >> that would be the worst financial economic crisis than anything we saw in 2008. >> house republicans are promising more theories into on president obama's economic policy, saying that wasteful spending, not political infighting are the real political enemies. vinita? >> emily schmidt reporting from washington. thank you. one last bit of business as the lame duck session of congress has been wrapped up. president obama has signed a bill that provided more than $4 billion in help to 911 survivors, as well as first

responders. health care benefits and compensation should be available to the ground zero survivors on july the 1st. when "uss enterprise" deploys for the middle east, in just a few weekses, its current commander may not be on board. captain owen honors may not be on board. >> reporter: laced with profanity. >> reporter: anti-gay slurs. >> let's get to my favorite topic, skid over there, chicthe gay kid over there, chicks in the shower. >> reporter: pictures of women in showers together, as well as men on a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the "uss enterprise." the navy confirms videos were made in 2006 and 2007. the skits shown on the ship's internal system when captain owen honors was the number two officer on board.

>> he is done and i think he ought to be consulting somebody to get some advice on the next chapter of his life. >> reporter: with "the enterprise" being tie up in norfolk, the navy won't go that far, saying honors' status has not changed, but accountable for setting up the proper and unfolding honor and commitment and that the navy has initiated an investigation. >> as usual, the captain had no idea about the contents of the video. >> reporter: throughout, he admits what are offensive comments and jokes. >> the question is whether they should have known because a naval commander is expected not only to take care of the things that come to his or her attention, but also to run, literally a tight ship. >> reporter: the navy said when the admiral learned of the videos in 2007, he ordered them stopped but their very existence races raises broader questions.

>> i think the sort of insensitive, inappropriate behavior that the administration is looking to change when they repeal don't ask, don't tell. and this will sort of be a test for not only the navy but the armed services as a whole. >> reporter: david kerley, abc news, washington. medical researchers are set to reveal details of a supersensitive blood test today. they say the test can detect a single cancer cell among a billion healthy ones. it was developed in boston and now johnson & johnson wants to mark it. the experimental test is this year. if it's successful, it could be a major advance in cancer treatment. at least three people have died in some of the worst flooding to hit australia in a decade. the latest victim was a man who drowned after his car literally was washed off a roadway. floodwaters now cover an area larger than france and germany combined. it could take a month before everything finally drys out. well, speaking of weather, lately southern california has been anything but, as the

southern end of the state faces an unusual blast of winter weather.ust 30 miet this, snow fell just 30 miles north of downtown los angeles yesterday, covering the city of valencia in white for the first time in decades. the snow also forced major highways to shut down. now for this morning's weather from around the nation. the stormy weather continues in the southwest today. heavy rain in southern california, along with an additional half foot of snow in the mountains around l.a. snow stretches from nevada to colorado, and flurries from minneapolis to milwaukee. >> meanwhile, just 5 degrees in fargo, 18 in the twin cities. 32 in detroit. 36 here in new york. 51 in atlanta and a sunny 77 in miami. 30s in the pacific northwest, 52 in sacramento. and when we come back on this monday, a big, new and very high-profile investment in facebook. that's in business news straight ahead. and on top of that, what killed thousands of black birds, seemingly all at once.

experts are looking at everything from hail to new year's fireworks. we'll be right back.

welcome back. it is time now for a check of market activities starting overseas. tokyo's nikkei exchange was closed today. hong kong's hang seng was up in late trading. in london, the ftse is also closed. wall street with 11,577. in gained 11% in 2010. nasdaq at 2652 it gained 17% last year.

a new deal is reportedly pumping $500 million into facebook. according to "the new york times," the investment by goldman sachs and a russian firm also puts facebook's value at a stunning $50 billion. facebook could use that money to develop some new products or acquire more companies. apple says iphone alarm clocks will be working this morning. there are reports out of asia of failed alarms and late, angry people. that's after numerous iphone alarms failed over the u.s. all over the weekend. here is ryan owens. >> reporter: it is the sound we dread most in the morning. and courtesy of apple, millions of americans didn't have to hear it this weekend. just in time for the new year, a software glitch in the iphone 4 turned the alarm clock function off. i talked to our i talked to our technology contributor becky worley about it with, what else -- an iphone. so, again, apple's pretty lucky this is a holiday weekend, huh?

>> yes, if this had been on a monday morning, it might have been oversleeping. >> reporter: it wasn't that. but studies show half of iphone users rely on their phone as their primary alarm. >> everybody's having a problem with it. in fact, employees have been late to work here because of it. >> reporter: they might have been late for work but found plenty of time to post on twitter. stupid iphone alarm let me down this morning. woke up so late, accidently, of course, i won't blame an iphone glitch, but i will. apple promises it will be fixed so no excuses to be late for the work week. >> an unexpected sleep-in courtesy of steve jobs. come on, when you can blame it on the iphone, isn't that great? >> reporter: maybe, but this new year's glitch does harken back to y2-k. 11 years ago, we weren't sure anyone would wake up on new year's day. this year, if you had an iphone, you probably didn't. ryan owens, abc news, los angeles.

well, the news for drivers could be going from bad to worse. many analysts forecast the average gallon of gas could cost $3.75 for the spring. they blame the rising demand from asia driving up the gas. last week, one former oil executive said gas could hit five bucks a gallon in 2012. and "little fockers" took in $26.3 million. the comedy was the nation's top movie over the weekend. "true grit" a remake of the john wayne classic was second. "tron: legacy" came in third. when we come back, california gets set to say good-bye to the governator. >> i like your accent. and going long. in hopes of getting into the nfl playoffs but it was it too little, too late? highlights coming up. [ female announcer ] splenda® no calorie sweetener is sweet... and more. if you replace 3 tablespoons of sugar a day with splenda®

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a slippery ride for drivers in southern california. a rare snowfall glazed over roads north of los angeles. parts of interstate 5 were shut down in both directions after cars started sliding across the lanes. there were a number of fender benders but no serious crashes. and today, you can expect more of the same in california as the morning commutes gets under way. snow and ice on stretches of i-5 from l.a. to san diego. slick on i-15 from lvegas. and salt lake city. icy on i-94 from the twin cities to milwaukee. if you are flying today, expect airport delays in los angeles, las vegas, phoenix and minneapolis. well, we'll have to wait to see what arnold schwarzenegger's next act will be. after seven years as governor of california, schwarzenegger leaves office today. his popularity, though, has suffered greatly, amid the golden state's fiscal crisis. rajesh mirchandani of the bbc reports from los angeles. >> i am arnold schwarzenegger -- >> reporter: even hollywood couldn't make this up.

the eighth largest economy on earth led by the governator. republican governor arnold schwarzenegger brought snow biz glamour into politics. >> wow, this is like winning an oscar. >> reporter: but on this day, she met his match. he frequently battled with state politicians late into the night on budgets. >> we will not let go on the budget. that's the bottom line. >> reporter: only in the last week in office did he manage to reform this unwieldily protest. california now faces a $24 billion shortfall. some of the highest rates of foreclosure and unemployment. the state is worse off now than when schwarzenegger took office. arnold schwarzenegger came into office a true hollywood superstar. he leaves still famous, but far fewer fans. in fact, opinion polls show less than a quarter of californians would applaud his performance as governor. it hasn't all been bad, he snowed off his eco-credentials

by swapping his gas-guzzler for a green version. >> what do you think. >> reporter: and he successfully championed california as an environmental leader. he believes his next role will build on that vision. then again, this action film appearance last year shows he can't quit the limelight when h another, he back" somehow or another, he meant it. rajesh mirchandani, bbc news, los angeles. a magnitude 7.2 earthquake rocked southern chile sunday afternoon. fearing a tsunami, thousands of people took off in search of higher ground. but officials now say there is no threat and so far there have been no reports of death, injuries or damage. when alfred hitchcock terrorized his fictional town with swimming birds, they were alive. but in central arkansas about 2,000 dead birds mysteriously fell from the sky in the town of beebe. experts, though, have ruled out poisoning or illness. they're speculating the flock was more likely hit by

lightning, high-altitude hail or freaked out by new year's what . what a bizarre story there. >> sad to see. brett favre has announced his third retirement from professional football. this time, without shedding any tears, at least not publicly. >> the future hall of fame quarterback did not even suit up for what he claims was his last nfl game. favre said the lingering effects of his recent concussion played a huge role on his decision to hang up his cleats for good. as for the sunday night nfl highlights, we get those from espn news. good morning, i'm steve weissman with your espn news update. playoff spots still up for grabs in the nfc, tom coughlin and the giants must win, facing the red skins third quarter. giants up 10-7, backed up deep. eli manning finds mario manningham, 92 yards for the touchdown. manningham over 100 yards. giants up 17-7. move to the fourth quarter. same count.

rex grossman, looking to bring it back to anthony armstrong. 64-yard touchdown for the redskins to pull within 3. just over a minute to play. redskins, fourth and four, grossman, and it's incomplete. so the giants hang on to win 17-14. now, they need green bay to lose if they want to make the playoffs. speaking of which, the packers hosting chicago.the bea lovie smith and the bears already have the nfc north locked up. they still play their starters. fourth quarter, tied at 3-3. aaron rodgers with all day, finds greg jennings. 46 yards down to the 1. forecast is 97 for jennings. play action to donald 9 yards, a ers finished with 229 yards, a touchdown. 10-3, packs. jay cutler still in the game. across the middle. picked off by nick collins. he goes down to steal it.

cutler has thrown a pick if four straight games. the packers hang on to win 10-3. they advance. to the playoffs. the giants are out. and for all your scores and highlights check out the highlight express airing until 3:00 p.m. eastern on espn news. back to you in new york. now, to the big question, although is in and out of nfl playoffs. >> it all kicks off saturday afternoon when the defending super bowl clamps, the saints, travel to seattle. of course, seattle beat st. louis late last night. that night, a rematch of last year's title game when the jets take on the colts in indianapolis. >> on sunday, the ravens travel to kansas city to take on the chiefs. and the packers visit philadelphia for a showdown with the eagles. >> should be a good year. coming up next, the stories we're following today, including the investigation into that lewd navy video. and lindsay lohan has a big day ahead. details on that and more when we come right back. your mouth is amazing.

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and now a look ahead to the stories we'll be watching on this monday. president obama wraps up his hawaii vacation later today. he returns to the white house on tuesday. the navy is now promising a full investigation after the discovery of lewd videos allegedly made by the commander of the "uss enterprise." a software glitch is believed to be the reason iphone alarm clocks failed to ring over the weekend. apple says alarms will work today, but there are already

reports of silent phones and angry late people overseas in asia. southern californians are bracing for another frigid forecast. another half foot of snow could fall in the mountains near los angeles. a day after snow and ice forced interstate 5 to shut down. and lindsay lohan is set to leave the betty ford rehab center today. after three months of court-ordered rehab. but her problems, of course, far from over. lohan will be coming out of rehab with no job. and still unresolved legal troubles to boot. and in miami, it's stanford against virginia tech. the cardinals haven't lost since early october. and the hokies haven't won -- or have won their last 11 games so something's got to give. coming up later on "good morning america." today, there was plenty of action off the field for the new york jets. more pictures have surfaced of coach rex ryan's foot fetish.

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finally, from us this morning, out with the old and in with the new. as we kick off 2011, we have a lot to look forward to. >> and that can mean big changes from politics to religion, to wall street and beyond. our correspondents here at abc

give us their take on what's in store for the next 12 months. one of the things i cover here at abc news is faith in america. here's my prediction for the coming year. i think you're going to see an increasing rebellion against american christians against those big, slick megachurches. there are many christians out there starting to believe that the megachurches are too impersonal, more like starbucks than pure house of worship. the big question about 2011 is 2012, as is in is she go to come running for president? like every other reporter in america, what am i doing to find out? i'm following her twitter page. look for president obama to make increasing overtures to african-american voters. the president has support of more than 90% of african-americans. i think there is a quiet conversation going on among black americans that the president has tended to shy away from identifying himself as the

black president. the stock market will continue to rise, but unfortunately, so will foreclosures. 2011 could go down as the year of foreclosures. and home prices, expect them to continue declining across the country as well. in 2011, we're going to see a smartphone in every hand, in every pocket, and in every purse. apple said they sold 45 million iphones in 2010. google says they're activating 300,000 of their android phones a day. this year, when you think about hot spots in the world. i think attention is going to shift from pakistan to yemen. all eyes are going to be on yemen. by that, i mean eyes in the sky. expect more drones and more attacks. i predicted there will be a social media exodus. we'll be so tired of oversharing on facebook and twitter that we'll finally drop off in droves. in fact, i just made that prediction my status update. >> well, done, jeremy. >> that is what's making news this morning. >> have a great monday, everybody.