this morning on "early today" -- document drama. hundreds of thousands of secret government files are unleashed, making headlines around the world. war games. south korea's president has a warning for the north as the u.s. conducts military exercises in the yellow sea. and take it to the bank. one impressive fan in california sinks a shot from half-court. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello and good morning. welcome to our viewers across the nation, including the pacific time zone. i'm lynn berry, and today we

begin with damage control. white house officials are condemning the release of a quarter million classified cables by the web site wikileaks. the top-secret document dump reportedly exposes years of diplomatic strategy that u.s. officials say could put american lives at risk. nbc's brian mooar joins us from washington with the details. brian, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, lynn. the u.s. is facing tough questions about spying on diplomats. and whether legal or not, it's a blow to u.s. credibility. the united states wasn't just spying on top diplomats like u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon, we wanted everything from their dna to frequent flyer numbers. that is just one of untold thousands of revelations in the latest wikileak of more than a quarter million classified u.s. documents, now spreading over the airwaves and in newspapers around the globe. >> you're going to see the actual opinion that our

ambassadors, our senior officials have overseas of their counterparts. it's not going to be pretty in many cases. >> reporter: there are intimate revelations by u.s. relations with pakistan and claims saudi king abdullah pushed for a u.s. attack on iran's nuclear capabilities. even gossip about the british royal family. the group's founder, who's been in hiding, says the state department wants to stop the leaks for good reason. >> not publishing anything at all would mean not publishing the abuses by that organization. >> reporter: the white house condemned the leaks as reckless and dangerous. >> i agree with the pentagon's assessment that the people at wikileaks could have blood on their hands. >> reporter: meanwhile, wikileaks say there are more leaks on the way. and now the methods and motives of u.s. diplomats around the world are under new scrutiny and u.s. officials say the damage and ripple effects could last for years. lynn?

>> brian mooar in washington. brian, thank you. police say a foiled terror plot at a portland, oregon, christmas tree lighting may have sparked a revenge attack against a local islamic community. just two days after a suspect was arrested, someone set fire to the mosque he attends. nbc's frances koe has the latest. >> reporter: 19-year-old mohamed osman mohamud is set to appear in federal court in portland today. just blocks from the downtown square, the target of mohamud's alleged bomb plot. >> he was highly motivated. every time we contacted him he expressed his desire. >> reporter: 10,000 people had gathered at a tree lighting ceremony friday. but the fbi says just as mohamud tried to detonate what he thought was a bomb, federal agents swarmed in to arrest him. it was the end of a nearly year-long fbi sting. now, the muslim community is dealing with a possible backlash. mohamud's arrest may have sparked an arson attack sunday at an islamic center that

mohamud attended. police are investigating the case as a possible hate crime. >> this is a mosque that's been situated here for 40 years. you know. so it's more american than the majority of the population. >> reporter: mohamud's mother emerged from seclusion but made no comments to reporters as her son prepares to face some serious charges in court. frances koe, nbc news. and now here's a look at some other stories making news early today in america -- in california, firefighters rescued a dog that fell 40 feet down a septic hole. a construction crew found the yellow lab, who had wandered off sometime on thanksgiving eve. however, hours later, a rescuer was lowered into the 30-foot-wide opening to pull the dog to safety. the animal is reportedly in good condition. in pennsylvania, chilly temperatures didn't dampen the warm holiday spirit for some speedy santas. dressed in speedos and little elves the cheeky santas walked,

jogged in hopes of raising money for breast cancer research. the group hopes to top last year's $13,000 mark. back in california, one lucky fan scored the sweetest shot at this weekend's game between the chicago bulls and the sacramento kings. the man managed to nail a clean half-court shot and walked away his reward, with the keys to a brand new car. and in texas, a happy reunion for two unlikely friends. a goat and a great dayne were found wandering the streets together by a rescuer. when they were handed over to a shelter, the goat was impounded as stray livestock by the sheriff's department. after a public outpouring the goat was returned, and the duo reunited. now they've been adopted and they have a third that's been added to their pack. luck the three-legged dog. the end. and now here's a look at your national and regional weather with nbc meteorologist bill karins.

>> so to recap a three-legged dog, a dane and shelter at the same time? >> yes. and a speedo running the streets. >> entertaining me. >> that's what i try to do bill. >> i hope everyone had a wonderful thanksgiving weekend. through the weekend weather quieted down throughout much of the country. no travel problems out in the west either. temperatures very cold. stuck in a cold pattern ever since the day before thanksgiving. this morning at 15 in boys pip vegas in the 30s again. phoenix down to 41 degrees. not many warm spots out there. things change a little bit. a significant storm system out here in the ocean just behind our weather channel banner here and this brings a lot of moisture over to british columbia, washington state and in the cascades. typical la nina-type pattern we're in. continuing to see the storms in the pick northwest. that's what we expect for our extended forecast out through the winter. very active up here in the

northwest. we're cool throughout california, nevada, arizona. this storm misses you, though. it stays up to your north with winter storm watches for much of washington state and the higher elevations of oregon. also already have winter storm warnings here. the spine of the cascades and the olympic, pirnt storm warnings also. this time we will not get snow in the seattle area. the higher mountain terrain, 24 inches possible up here just north of the border, but in the cascades, talking another big dump of snow for those ski areas. the forecast for today, showery-type weather. rain at lower elevations. the other locations in the west are sunny and dry. that's a look at your monday orecast. we'll see ideal conditions over the next couple of day. hope you can get out and enjoy. tuesday forecast coming up,

lynn. >> bill, thanks so much. also coming up, the tally of ireland's debt is in, and from a partridge in a pear tree to 12 drummers drumming, how much does it all cost? early morning business headlines straight ahead. plus, which film gave "harry potter" close shave at the box office? a texas tussle in houston, chargers shock the colts and the bills hit a new low. you're watching "early today."

good morning and welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry, and here are some of your top headlines this morning -- south korea's president says he feels, quote, deep responsibility for failing to protect his people from a deadly north korean artillery attack last week. in his speech to his country today, the south's president also warned the north that they will face consequences for any future aggression. his comments came as u.s. and south korean warships held joint military exercises in the yellow

sea. nearly all of haiti's major presidential candidates are calling for yesterday's election results to be voided amid allegations of ballot stuffing and massive fraud. there are also reports that large numbers of voters were turned away from polling stations in the country still reeling from january's earthquake and the cholera epidemic. michigan authorities are asking the public for help in locating three young boys reported missing on the same day their father tried to hang himself. police say they fear the brother are in "extreme danger," adding that the father, who is in a mental health facility, has not been ruled out as a suspect in their disappearance. and hollywood is mourning the loss of actor leslie nielsen. known best for his breakout comedy roles in "airplane" and "the naked gun" series. the canada native died yesterday of complications from pneumonia at the age of 84.

and now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 11,092 after dropping 95 points during friday's abbreviated session. both the s&p and the nasdaq lost eight points. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei gained 86 points while in hong kong the hang seng rose 288. on wall street this morning we'll find out how u.s. investors react to a deal designed to fix ireland's debt crisis. europe's financial leaders have agreed to lend $115 billion to help ireland recover. bad bank debts and a massive budget deficit. despite claims from one european bank chief that the deal is sufficient to stem what he calls a classical sovereign debt crisis the euro slipped to a two-year low overnight, a sign some investors still fear spain and portugal could be next. elsewhere on the street, it's all about retail. today is cyber monday. and experts predict a wealth of

one-day deals will drive online sales to a record high. meanwhile, numbers from black friday are rolling in, and so far this season, it looks like americans are in the mood to spend. sales at shopping malls across the country reached $10.7 billion the day after thanksgiving. that's up 0.3% over last year. retailers will get even more attention on thursday when they deliver a sales update. also on deck this week, home prices will be out tomorrow. auto sales on wednesday, and the latest employment data is due out on friday. and it's that time again, and we have the tally on the 12 days of christmas list. and hold on to your wallets, this year the price from everything from 12 drummers drumming to a partridge in a pear tree is just under $100,000. so just stick with the gift cards this year. well the bills drop the ball and peyton has one of the worst games of his life.

plus, fists fly between the texans and the titans. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. our monday weather forecast is all about a big rain event that will head toward the east coast this week. your regional forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

good morning.

if you're just waking up this is "early today." and in sports the philadelphia eagles went into chicago flying high. but the bears brought them back down to earth. here's nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all your sports headlines. good monday morning. when you think about super bowl contenders, chicago bears usually don't come to mind. maybe they should. let's go to the windy city. jay cutler outplayed the eagles' michael vick. cutler threw a career high four touchdown passes and chicago built a big lead and held on to win their fourth straight. 31-26. bears are in first place thanks to the falcons. the packers scored with under a minute left to tie the game at 17 but that was just enough for atlanta. matt bryant hailed a 47-yarder, and the falcons won it 20-17. atlanta is now 9-2. new coach, new results for the vikings. filling in for the injured adrian peterson, gerhart punched it in from five yards out. vikes up in the third. go it the fourth. minnesota needed a first down to pull the game away. brett favre picked up the first. calling his own number. after the game,

he said the ten yards felt more like 50. at his age they would. leslie frazier, got his first win as head coach. and the chargers have hit their stride. they picked peyton manning four times. ran for touchdowns. san diego won 36-14. ugly scene in houston. the texans andre johnson and the titans cortland finnegan started to push and shove at the line of scrimmage. no harm, no foul, but on the next play, they took it a step further. off came the helmets, johnson got in a few punches before they were separated. both ejected. texans punched out the titans 20-0. and finally they say good teams always find a way to win and losing teams, well, they just lose. bills with a chance to beat the steelers in overtime. steve johnson in the end zone dropped the would-be game winner. moments later the steelers ended it with a 41-yard field goal. the bills let one slip away, steelers won it 19-16. that's your early look at sports on "early today." i'm fred roggin.

from a romantic comedy to an action flick to a musical, there was something for everyone at the theaters this weekend. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus how many sets of multiples does it take to set a world record? one texas school has the answer. you're watching "early today."

welcome back. a big storm moving into british

columbia, brushing washington state as we go throughout the day today, eventually later on today it portland. that's where the rain will be. snow at higher elevation. significant snow. especially the cascades. the rest of arizona, nevada, chilly, sunny and dry at least. today's forecast going into your tuesday, we are going to watch tomorrow. that storm system continuing to spread moisture further to the south. medford heavy snow back in the northern rockies. notice clouds increase around vegas and san francisco, but tomorrow, again, looks dry. if you're watching on kc 24 news in fresno, california, with a holiday season finally here, check out intricate christmas themed quilts from heritage quilters on display at the west fresno branch library, and that's your pacific event of the day. >> bill, thanks so much. now here's an early look at this morning's headlines in entertainment -- it was harry versus harry at the box office this weekend. with a fairy tale princess giving last weekend's champion a run for his money. "harry potter and the deathly

hallows part 1" barely kept its grip on first place after grossing $50.3 million. this weekend's cinderella story, however, was disney's "tangled," a retelling of the classic "rapunzel." it exceeded the studio's wildest fairy tale expectations with $49.1 million. third place went to "megamind" the animated super comedy, which took in $12.9 million in its fourth weekend. in fourth place with $11.8 million, the wildly panned musical "burlesque," starring cher and christina aguilera, attracted an audience that was 69% female. as for the weekend's other two new releases, the anne hathaway/jake gyllenhaal comedy comedy, "love and other drugs" took in just under $10 million, claiming sixth place, and the action thriller "faster" starring dwayne "the rock" johnson crossed the finish line in seventh place with just $8.7 million. pretty unbelievable, that "ra

-- "rapunzel" competed with harry potter. >> what do you think -- >> i love them. hilarious. "toy story 3" hilarious. am i wrong? >> i didn't peg you for that. >> really? >> no. >> a total dork, really, you didn't, bill? and this comes to us from kxas nbc 5 in dallas-ft. worth where a high school in nearby richardson, texas, has people seeing double and even triple. the high school's junior class holds the guinness world record for the most multiples in one class. ten sets of twins, and one set of triplets. no one can say what's in the water in richardson, but it seems to be contagious. the entire school has a total of 38 multiples. just unbelievable. i'm lynn berry, and this is "early today." just your first stop of the day, today, on your nbc station.

at one dinner table it's okay to play with your food. in fact, there's probably no stopping it. thailand celebrated its annual monkey festival by treating their furry friends to an all you can eat buffet. that means three tons of fresh fruit, vegetables and a little ice cream for the guests. the event is surely fun for the guests of honor but tourists also line up to get a look. you think you're stressed getting ready for the holidays? well, try being one of santa's helpers. these recruits are preparing for their duties in germany, where they learn all they need to know before the big day. that includes how to dress jolly, work with children, and, of course, sing carols.

most importantly, what to do when delivering those gifts. by the looks of one event in austria, it's still halloween. but these goblins and devils are dressed up for a different tradition. the annual holiday run. nearly 2,000 ghoulish creatures take to the streets ahead of st. nicholas day. billed as an anti-santa, they spook anyone who's naughty and warns them to clean up their act. i just find it a little extreme. >> i think it's a little more effective than the lump of coal in the stocking. >> yeah, it is. but the poor children are going to be -- hysterically crying. >> we're not worried about them. they'll get therapy later. >> exactly. time now for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day here on nbc -- congress returns to work for the final stretch of its lame duck session. it has a lengthy to-do list that includes dealing with expiring tax cuts and the possible repeal of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. leaders from nearly 200

countries are meeting in cancun for the u.n.'s climate change conference. the 12-day meeting aims to patch up wounds from last year's summit in copenhagen, where leaders failed to reach a formal agreement on climate change. and holiday cheer comes to washington as the capitol christmas tree arrives. the 67-foot wyoming tree will be lit december 7th. all day long you can stay on top of the very latest developments in those stories and others as they break on msnbc. and tonight, be sure to watch brian williams with "nbc nightly news." and finally, here's a look at what's coming up later this morning on the "today" show. an in-depth look at those leaked government documents. plus, the fallout the u.s. may face. and matt lauer catches up with reality tv personalities kim, kourtney and khloe kardashian. and now, keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports and more. i'm lynn berry. thanks for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day, today, on your nbc station. have a good one.

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