jimmy fallon happening right this morning on "early today," short lived, the seemingly cooperative spirit on capitol hill sputters with republicans and democrats drifting apart again on tax cuts. storm whipping, a powerful weather system smacks the northeast after tearing up the south and midwest. and bear on the loose, scary moments for police trying to and bear on the loose, scary moments for police trying to wrangle a wild bear in slovakia. 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. today, we begin with no easy compromise. not long after lawmakers touted a new era of cooperation on capitol hill, democrats and republicans have gotten off to a rocky start in their search for common ground over bush era tax cuts. nbc's tracie potts joins us from washington with the details. tracie, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, good morning, everyone. republicans claim that what the white house is saying is different than what democrats are doing here on capitol hill. they are moving forward with a vote only on tax cuts, continuing for the middle class, which republicans say they absolutely will not support as a result, senate republicans, all of them in a letter, are now threatening to block any legislation until there is a deal on this issue. providing those tax cuts,

continuing them past the end of this year, could actually add to the nation's debt. and we've now heard from the deficit commission, and what some are saying is a radical plan to cut down on the nation's debt, including raising the retirement age of 68 or 69 and phasing out popular tax deductions like the home mortgage deduction. they say it could save $4 trillion. and believe it or not, democrats and republicans, some of them are backing this. lynn? >> tracie potts in washington. tracie, thank you. well, the first day of december delivered a deadly winter-like storm that swept across the nation's mid section and wreaked havoc up and down the east coast. residents in several states were tormented with damaging winds and flooding that stoked out power and snarled traffic for most of the day. nbc's kirk gregory has the story. >> reporter: the powerful storm system left indiana in the deep freeze, numerous accidents near indianapolis and a chilling scare for one motorist whose suv slid into an icy popped.

elizabeth perez escaped thanks to two officers who risked their lives to save hers. the storm left a trail of damage from georgia to pennsylvania. near atlanta, the cleanup began at sun up. 56 homes damaged in one neighborhood. in western north carolina, a mudslide swept a home off its foundation. heavy rains and strong winds toppled trees and power lines in northern virginia and maryland. flooding the problem in pennsylvania, more than 3 inches of rain fell over 24 hours in many areas. the bad weather meant long flight delays and cancellations at new york's laguardia airport. >> there's no need to get frustrated about it because if they're not going, they're not going. >> reporter: strong winds rustled the big branches of 30 rock's christmas tree and sent hats flying in the nation's capital on the first day of hanukkah. and it's the sounds of the season in the great lakes.

snow shovels and snowplows rumbling into action from duluth, minnesota, to rochester, new york. kurt gregory, nbc news. now here's a look at other stories making news early today in america. a new jersey store clerk came out swinging his machete against three armed men. the suspects stormed in. one managed to clean out the register, but the power struggle quickly shifted. the clerk took the upper hand and beat the men out of the store. police are still looking for the men. there's a lot of banter in one alaska barber shop after an suv plowed through the store, stopping dangerously close to seated customers. police say the driver of the suv was pulling into a parking space when his foot slipped off the brake pedal and on to the gas. fortunately no one was hurt. the driver has been cited. in ohio, a collapsed metal silo spilled tons of corn on to a nearby home, rocking it off its foundation. the avalanche buried the area with up to 12 feet of corn.

fortunately, the family made it out safely. in the meantime, bulldozing crews continue to clean up the mess while an investigation gets under way. and in california, governor arnold schwarzenegger joined in on the festivities at the 17th annual hanukkah celebration and menorah lighting sir mocere dancing it up with a group of rabbis there. the traditional jewish tradition started yesterday at sunset and continues until sunset on december 9th. look at the gov there. now for a look at your national and regional weather, here is nbc meteorologist bill karins. >> "dancing with the stars," line one. >> that's how they roll in california. one shot. >> not bad. >> good morning, everyone. we have rain in northern california and snow at the higher elevations. this is about the worst weather we're going to see in the entire nation today. tranquil weather pattern. watching some of the clouds

increasing down along the california coast, too. you may not get much sunshine today in santa monica. as far as the actual rainfall goes, there's not a lot of it. it will add up a lit bit today. also, southern portions of oregon, medford. the northern extent, it's really about eugene. portland should be dry today. you see the white, that's the snow there. temperatures are chilly. we just got finished with one of our coldest months ever in november in the state of arizona. this morning, 46 in phoenix again. vegas is down in the 30s. we continue with a very cold start to our winter season. today's forecast highs today, 75 in phoenix. 70s around l.a. today. ukiah, california, 74. pendleton, oregon, more snow.

and idaho is going to get nailed with another significant snowstorm tonight. we'll be back with your friday outlook, lynn. >> bill, thanks so much. coming up, stocks sizzle, job numbers improve and a piece of history goes up for auction. but who would want it? the early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, is snoop dogg planning on rubbing elbows with royalty across the pond? nets and thunder need triple overtime. a possible final four preview, and what has gotten into the lakers? you're watching "early today."

good morning, and welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry. here are some of your top headlines this morning. england's newspaper "the independent" reports that wikileaks founder julian assange is in a secret location out side of london. he's informed police there of his whereabouts but they've been

unable to arrest him because swedish authorities made a mistake when filing his arrest warrant. yesterday his lawyer called the allegations of rape and sexual molestation a persecution and not a prosecution adding that his client has agreed to answer any questions in the case. a former new orleans police officer has been sentenced to eight years in prison for helping to cover up the deadly shootings of two unarmed civilians after hurricane katrina. michael hunter was given the maximum sentence allowed for what the judge called a, quote, sickingly brutal incident. a new government report out today finds that nearly 50,000 prison inmates claimed more than $130 million in tax refunds this year without providing any wage information. although the report stops short of calling it fraud, it does say the internal revenue service should further investigate the inmates' tax returns. and authorities in slovakia say they were forced to shoot a wild brown bear who spread panic

among residents of a local town. the animal was captured and released into the wild last night, but was killed after it made a second attempt to wander into a populated area. and now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 11,255 after leaping 249 points yesterday. the s&p climbed 25 points. the nasdaq surged 51. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei rose 180 points. in hong kong, the hang seng added 198. stocks posted their biggest gains in three months wednesday as euro debt fears faded and evidence the u.s. economy is improving strengthened. the rally surged on speculation the european central bank will finally take strong sweeping steps to end the mounting continental debt crisis. also fueling buying, a report showing small businesses added the largest amount of workers in three years.

good news ahead of tomorrow's government figures on november unemployment. positive data just kept rolling in. manufacturing activity rose in november for the 16th straight month. the federal reserve announced the economy improved in 10 of 12 regions. automakers posted better than expected sales for november and pointed to a slow but steady return of consumer demand. a research firm reported online retail sales for cyber monday hit an all-time high, more than $1 billion, a first for web shopping. elsewhere, the federal reserve revealed details of trillions of emergency aid it gave to both u.s. and foreign banks and nonbank companies during the financial crisis. the biggest borrower was citigroup, $2.2 trillion in emergency lending. interestingly, goldman sachs, viewed as one of the stronger banks during the crisis, actually was one of the heaviest

borrowers, a total of $615 billion. this despite the fact that several times during the crisis, goldman sachs' ceo said they didn't need help. keep an eye on pepsi today. they agreed to buy a stake in a russian food and beverage company for $3.8 billion. and finally, proof you can sell anything. the coffin that once held lee harvey oswald, president john f. kennedy's presumed killer, issing with auctioned by a ft. worth, texas, funeral homeowner. bidding is expected to go as high as $100,000. not necessarily something for the mantle. coming up, the pistons misfire against the heat. there's trouble in sin tinselto tinseltown. and the freshman dominate the top ten battle. plus, michael jordan's son came up with the moves last night that would make any father proud. your early morning sports headlines are just ahead. one big storm has exited the east coast. now the west coast is next. your thursday forecast is coming u' w"earat today." 3q

lysol knows you work hard every day to help keep your family healthy, especially during cold and flu season. and lysol disinfectant spray is approved to kill more germs than any other brand, even h1n1. learn more at lysol.com good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." in sports, there's been so much hype about lebron james' return to cleveland tonight. but first, the miami heat had to play last night's game. here's nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all your sports headlines.

>> good morning to you. lebron james makes his much anticipated return to cleveland tonight. but before that, the heat had to get past the pistons. here we go to miami in the first quarter. watch lebron with the scoop. pretty finger roll. james had 18. the heat held the pistons to just nine in the third. defense led to offense. dwyane wade with the dunk. the heat won easily, 97-72. tonight should be a fun one against the cavs. miami will face l.a. in the finals, but to the in they keep playing like this. shane caught fire in the fourth. 11 points in the final three minutes. the rockets won it, 109-99. now to chicago with the magic continue to roll. they made quick work of the ball. nelson led the way. orlando spoiled carlos' debut, 107-78. celtics high were dynamic in the east. they went down to the wire with the trail blazers. that one was a dagger in the final second. celts won their fifth straight,

99-95. great finish between the nets. years si down three. at the buzzer, he got it and that forced overtime. they needed not one, not two, but three. russell westbrook took over in the o.t., blew by everybody. the bucket, the foul, he had 38. thunder won it in triple o.t. college hoops looking down the road. number one duke and sixth ranked michigan state. duke and sixed ranked michigan state and it was irving's coming out party. the freshman scored 21. duke is a perfect 7-0. they won it, 84-79. finally, central florida upset south florida. flip the defense. go to the rim. got the tough layup, the fall. not exactly like his dad, but that was pretty close. central florida won it, 57-54. that's your early look at sports on "early today." i'm fred roggin. more mystery in a real life hollywood murder mystery. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, tis the season for

christmas decorations. coming up, we'll show you some yule tide lightingoff probably never seen before. you're watching "early today."

welcome back on this thursday morning. forecastwise today, bring the umbrella. if you're in northern california or in southern portioning of oregon, that's going to be the worse of it. in the lower elevations, mixture

of rain and snow in areas like boise. high elevations are going to get more snow. and a lot of it, too. especially idaho and jackson hole, wyoming has been a jackpot for snow so far this winter. chilly the next two days in a row. areas of arizona, vegas and l.a. still struggling with the temperatures in the 60s and low 70s. if you're watching us on knsd, nbc 739 in san diego, california, join museum curators for an informative and enlightening tour of japanese art at the dreams and diversions exhibit at the san diego museum of art. that's your pacific event of the day, lynn. >> bill, thanks so much. now here's a look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. a strange twist last night in the real life hollywood murder case that reads like a hollywood script. los angeles police say a man connected to the slaying of well known hollywood publicist ronnie chason shot himself to death at a hollywood hotel as police served a search warrant. chason was mysteriously shot to

death two weeks as as she drove home from a movie premier. nbc news has learned police believe the man who shot himself was the man who shot chason. shifting gears on a much lighter note in hollywood yesterday, actress reese witherspoon became the latest to be honored with a star on hollywood's walk of fame. finally, snoop dogg appeared to confirm tabloid rumors that he's been invited to perform at prince william's bachelor party. aides to william would only say as opposed to the wedding the prince's bachelor party would be, quote, an entirely private occasion. you know, that would make sense. >> what if he int vited welly nelson, too. >> big party. willie nelson would just add a whole other layer of excitement to that. >> old harry. >> he knows a good party when he

sees one. that's for sure. this comes to us from wnyt, news channel 13 in albany, new york, where one clever guy came up with some holiday home decorations a girl couldn't say no to. joe had the snowman, the penguins and santa on the lawn, but atop the roof was a holiday greeting like no other. a marriage proposal to his high school sweetheart, saying marry me, dana. she said yes. now they both have all they want for christmas, a proposal and a future she says couldn't be more perfect. how many guys out there do you think feel pretty bad about themselves. >> not me. the ring is a little smaller than it should be. he has to pay the electric bill. >> yeah. i'm sure she was still pretty happy. i'm lynn berry, and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

here is proof santa's helpers come in all shapes and sizes. a 90-year-old good samaritan in nebraska spends his time building toys for charity. from his assisted center the toymaker crafts planes and trains from wood. last year, over 300 of his toys were donated and hundreds more are planned for this year's season of giving. good for him. one very special tunnel turns 20, nicknamed the chunnel for its path through the english channel. it connects the uk and france and all hands were on deck to celebrate its 20th anniversary. it was built in 1990 as a joint

effort between the two countries. now 10 million travelers a year utilize this high speed rail system. you may think dressing up like a princess is just for little girls. but for one woman in london, it's now her job. the former pharmacist assistant is now a kate middleton look alike. she's cashing in on a comparison that many have made for years and at upwards of $1,000 a day, it doesn't sound like a bad gig. i don't know, bill, what do you think? is it that close? >> it's not bad. the teeth are a little different, but except for that, i think it's pretty similar. >> yeah. i don't know who is paying $1,000 day for her to show up, but i guess the reception is not that bad. >> if you're throwing a party and you want to -- >> i guess, yeah, but if you have that kind of money to throw around, call us. we'll do something. >> who do you look like? time now for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day here on nbc. in washington, the house is scheduled to decide whether to censure republican congressman charles rangel.

the house ethics committee has recommended censure after finding the new york democrat guilty of 11 separate ethics violations. president obama will host a hanukkah celebration at the white house in honor of the eight-day jewish festival of lights that began yesterday. and for all you football fans out there, or as we say in the states soccer, we'll find out which cities will host the 2018 and 2022 world cup finals. 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. al roker has the latest on wintry weather that has slammed much of the nation. and a sorority pledge who quit school after being targeted by an internet predator talks to meredith live. 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. the day today on your nbc station. have a good one. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com