this morning on "early today" -- tax break. lawmakers signal a possible deal on extending tax cuts. end of the line? a surprising warning about the world's reserves of internet addresses. and up in smoke. a texas football stadium is reduced to rubble within seconds. captions paid for by nbc-universal television welcome to our viewers across the nation, including the pick time zone. i'm lynn berry. today we begin with cutting a deal. as expected, a weekend vote in

the senate took democrats' proposal to extend bush-era tax cuts for only some americans off the table. now with the clock ticking on this lame duck session of congress, lawmakers on both sides are signaling they may be ready to compromise and get a deal done. nbc's brian moore has our report. >> reporter: with time running out for the lame duck congress, republicans and democrats are softening their hard lines on extending the bush-era tax cuts. >> at least in theory, i think an agreement could be reached in the relatively near future. >> and you think so, too, senator? >> it could happen. i'm not going to rule it out. >> reporter: senate republicans rejected two different bills on saturday, insisting the tax cuts remain in place for everyone, not just the middle class. and without action, taxes go up for everyone on january 1st. but republicans say they're not going to let that happen. >> i don't think we can. i think that would be disastrous. >> reporter: democrats wanted to raise taxes only on the rich.

>> i'd be willing to go along with a one-year extension so we can protect the middle class. >> reporter: president obama says he'll sit down with republicans this week, and come up with a plan. >> we've had more conversations in the last two weeks than we've had in the last two years. and i think that's a good sign. a growing awareness that the power's going to be more symmetrical in the next congress. >> reporter: translation, democrats are going to have to relearn the art of the deal if they want to get anything done. brian mooar, nbc news, washington. more than a week after wikileaks began releasing secret embassy cables, the firestorm is far from dying down. now, it's been revealed that former australian prime minister kevin rudd once told the u.s. it should be prepared to use force against china if it could not be successfully integrated into the international community. meanwhile, the man behind wikileaks says he continues to receive death threats. nbc's peter alexander has the

details. >> reporter: it's a secret cache of uncensored files that's been described as a poison bill. julian assange is threatening to unleash the archive of documents if his website is shut down or he's arrested. assange told online readers of a british newspaper that more than 100,000 people worldwide have already downloaded the heavily encrypted file. if something happens to us, the key parts will be released automatically, he wrote. the huge array of files is believed to include documents on bp, bank of america, and guantanamo bay. with one reportedly called "insurance," locked by a 256-digit code that only assange knows. >> it's a ticking time bomb with a remote fuse. so, this bomb can go off the second that they release the key. and the key will spread around the internet in a matter of seconds. >> reporter: assange's lawyer defended a move on the bbc arguing wikileaks has been the target of cyber attacks and censorship. >> they need to protect themselves, and this is, i think

what they believe to be a thermal nuclear device effectively in the electronic age. >> reporter: u.s. leaders continue to condemn the releases. with one republican telling assange a high-tech terrorist. >> he needs to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. and if that becomes a problem, we need to change the law. >> reporter: the 39-year-old computer hacker is wanted for questioning by swedish authorities after allegations he raped and sexually molested two women in august. accusations he vehemently denies. even if he's arrested, it could be some time before assange is returned to sweden. >> i don't anticipate a final result within six months. >> that was nbc's peter alexander reporting. and now here's a look at some other stories making news early today in america -- police in new york are looking for a shooting suspect who left a cab driver in critical condition. surveillance shows a clear picture of the suspect, who wrestled with the driver before pulling a gun. the 53-year-old victim was shot seven times, including once in

the neck. texas christian university brought down parts of its 80-year-old football stadium yesterday. the planned implosion comes three weeks after the tcu horned frogs played their last home game and will make room for a $105 million renovation project scheduled to be completed in may 2012. and an ohio man found an inventive way to power the christmas lights on his 500-foot-long driveway. he created wind-powered energy with a windmill he built himself. electricity is pumped into a set of golf cart batteries which, in turn, power the man's l.e.d. lights. for him, he says the eco friendly project was just great learning. but for many folks it could spark some holiday energy bill-saving ideas. there you go. and now for a look at your national and regional weather, here's nbc meteorologist bill karins with the weather channel forecast. good morning, bill.

>> a cold wind. >> you're going to get it. the eastern half, freezing cold, western half, stormy. a lot of rain moving through the west. here with the storm system pretty much exiting most of the region and weakening heading to the inner mountain west, pieces heading up the coast pap plume coming up from the south. more moisture on the way and another tomorrow in the days ahead. the west coast, the stormy spot on the map. so far, radar tour, northwards, vegas, light rain. nothing too bad. maybe a quarter inch fell in downtown l.a. up in vegas, showers. further to the north a light rain moving up interstate 5 to the reading area. reno and lake tahoe, showers should end. sacramento, san francisco, drying out. portland, rainfall over the next two hours.

the mountainous areas are going to deal with snow in idaho and outside of tucson, arizona even cloudy. and santa rosa, can't rule out showers, nothing too heavy. tuesday's forecast coming up. thank you, bill. and also, big ben on the defensive. more madoff fallout. and the latest changes on facebook. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus the film that gets to say it overpowered "harry potter." coming up, the bcs title game is set. another injury for brett favre and tiger woods played well. but was it well enough? 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 -- the white house says president obama called chinese president hu jintao last night to urge him to, "send a clear message to north korea that its provocations are unacceptable." meanwhile, south korea's military began live firing drills off its coastline this morning, brushing aside the north's warning that the new exercises could ignite a war. six world powers are holding their first nuclear talks with iran in more than a year today. the meetings in switzerland are taking place just one day after iran claimed a milestone in its disputed nuclear program, saying it has everything needed to produce nuclear fuel. a french court found continental airlines and one of its mechanics guilty of criminal wrongdoing for the july 2000 crash of an air france concord sdwlaet killed 113 people.

investigators say a continental jet dropped debris on the runway of charles de gaulle airport leading to a fuel tank fire on the concourse. continental and the mechanic were both fine and continental was ordered to pay air france nearly $1.5 million in damages. and warning a number of internet available addresses used up come january. however, people don't need to worry about being shut out. internet providers will begin using a new system, which will produce billions more addresses. and now here's an early look at how wall street kicks off the day -- the dow opens at 11,382 after adding 19 points on friday. the s&p inched up three points, and the nasdaq rose 12. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei shed 11 points, while in hong kong the hang seng fell 82.

despite european debt woes, and friday's rough unemployment numbers, last week wall street not only held onto gains but rose, signaling to many investors are confident the latest rally will continue. many feel the markets are no longer so vulnerable. data certainly won't scare off traders this week, because there's not much. weekly jobless claims come in thursday and consumer sentiment friday. we'll see how investors react to fed chief ben bernanke's comments last night on cbs' "60 minutes." bernanke downplayed inflation fears, while warning that an extended period of unemployment could be the biggest risk for another "slowdown in the economy." keep an eye on pfizer today. the company's ceo unexpectedly stepped down yesterday, after 4 1/2 years to "recharge his batteries." the head of pfizer's global pharmaceutical operations will step in as interim chairman until a new ceo is elected.

hsbc has been slapped with a $9 billion lawsuit by the man tasked with recovering losses for the victims of convicted ponzi schemer bernard madoff. the london-based bank is the latest accused of continuing to fuel madoff's funds despite red flags that should have caused it to intervene. reuters reports this morning, aol is exploring a possible breakup of its dial-up service from its ad business that could lead to a merger with yahoo! more changes on facebook. a radical redesign is putting the focus on individual data and photos, to ramp up personal appeal on the social site. and 1.5 acres of land in montana may sound like a great spot to build a rural getaway. but beware, this secluded $69,000 property was the former home of ted kaczynski, also known as the unabomber. loses a little curb appeal. well, coming up, pittsburgh steals one in baltimore. peyton's woes continue. and tiger with a four-shot lead

is unbeatable, right? plus, it's already been a miserable season for brett favre. now his record-playing streak is in serious jeopardy. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. in weather, heavy lake-effect snow is the big story that continues into your tuesday. i'll give you your tuesday forecast coming up. you're watching "early today." ta.

good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." and in sports, after doing what they had to do this weekend the nation's top two college football teams punched their ticket to the national championship game. here's nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all your sports headlines. >> good monday morning to you. college football's bcs title game is set. no real surprise. number one auburn will play second ranked oregon for the national title on january 10th. first time either school has played for the bcs title. here we go to the pros -- steelers forced a turnover late in the fourth against the ravens. that set this up. ben roethlisberger hit isaac redman for the go-ahead score with about three minutes to play. pittsburgh won it 13-10. cincinnati great finish between the bengals and saints. new orleans down with under 40 seconds to play. drew brees, marcus colson in the end zone, saints win it. the season isn't getting any easier for brett favre. had to leave the game against the bills after hurting his shoulder.

he was sacked hard from behind, and to add insult to injury, he was picked off on the play. that to add insult to injury. he'll have an mri today. thankfully, there was nothing wrong with adrian peterson's back, because he carried the vikings. they won 38-14. what in the world has gotten into peyton manning? four picks against the cowboys. this one in overtime set up dallas for the game-winning field goal. the 38-yarder for the win. cowboys upset the colts 38-35 in o.t. california now for the chevron world challenge. probably the best tiger woods has looked all year. still not enough. his second approach a few feet from the pin on 18. u.s. open champ graeme mcdowell needed this to force a playoff and he drained it. that was the first playoff hole, oddly enough, 18th hole again, mcdowell similar putt, same results. he sank it and was up a stroke. tiger needed this to keep it going but pushed it wide right. woods blew a four-stroke lead and graeme mcdowell won the chevron world challenge. that's your early look at sports

on "early today." i'm fred roggin. hollywood's real-life murder mystery takes yet another odd twist. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, in the art world, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but what if you can't see it? you're watching "early today."

welcome back to "early today." hope you had a wonderful weekend.

we had rain in areas of los angeles. picked up about a quarter inch. showers in vegas this morning. today dry. partly cloudy skies, 65 degrees. not cold, but not the warmest either. rain showers, likely in salt lake city. a wintry mix around boise and showers working up the coastline. portland, oregon, leaving the house in the next hour or two, a chance of light rain. tomorrow, more wet weather in the northwest. everyone gets a decent day in california and nevada. on wednesday the next storm system will be moving onshore. if you're watching on knbc, nbc 4 in l.a. and california, take part in a local tradition in huntington park enjoying music from the city's tiny tots in the holiday tree lighting ceremony at keller park. that's your pick event of the day, lynn. >> bill, thanks soap. and now here's an early look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. minor upset this weekend at the box office. in the battle of the kid flicks.

"tangled," the animated comedy update of the classic fairy tale rapunzel took the number one spot with $21.5 million. "harry potter and the deathly hallows, part 1," which had been on top the two previous weekends finished in second with a much lower than expected $16.7 million. elsewhere, the mystery over the killing of hollywood pab la sift ronni chasen continues to swirl after a los angeles tv station reported ballistic tests show the gun that person of interest, harold smith, used to kill himself when approached by police last week was not the gun used to kill chasen. police reportedly now speculate smith, a to-time convicted felon, made up his boast about killing chasen. but when approached by police with a gun in his pocket, shot himself, rather than go back to prison. chasen's brother insists to "the new york times" he believes his sister's death was a road rage incident. this comes to us from miami,

florida, where one arsist's work is not only brecktaking but may actually cause you to hold your breath. they're so small. without microscope, just a speck of dust and even accidentally inhales one of his creations. the sculptures from basketball stars shaquille o'neal to little miss muffet are created with materials like carpet fibers or grains of sand then placed in a needle or on top of a pin head. >> that makes my head hurt. >> i had to lean into my tv to get a look at that i had no idea. the patience it must take. i can barely, like, draw a picture with my younger nephew. so i'm like -- i can't --. >> whew. i'm lynn berry and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day, today on your nbc station.

when you're famous birthday celebrations tend to be hyped up. the same is true for famous polar bears. knute got the royal treatment for his fourth birthday. a cake of meat and fish, which he devoured for the many tourists that traveled to see him. abandoned by his mother, knute became an instant sensation, sparking a souvenir frenzy. posing for a picture with santa isn't just for good little boys and girls. grown-ups got a piece of the jolly old man in this one of a kind photo op in maryland. scuba santa posed with all divers for the ultimate christmas card and the event was used as a food fund-raiser for

the needy. one man in china has set a new record that will be tough to forget. he won the world memory championship. finalists from over 20 countries competed in ten different events from recalling historic dates to abstract images. after two days of competition, the 20-year-old champ aced the final round by memorizing a shuffled deck of 52 cards in 24 seconds. which makes me feel so much more guilty that i can never find my keys. >> are you good at those things like those quick memory -- >> no. like, the game memory? remember that from when were you a kid? >> i used to hate "go fish." >> exactly. let's keep it on that level for us. don't know what that says about us. probably not good. time now for a look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day on nbc -- secretary of state hillary clinton meets in washington with the foreign ministers of south korea and japan to work on a strategy for dealing with the recent tensions in north korea. in san francisco, proposition 8, the legal battle over california's ban on

same-sex marriage, reaches its highest level yet. the ninth u.s. circuit court of appeals will hear arguments on the constitutionality of the ban. and today we honor the men and women who take on the dangerous jobs of going underground in search of coal and other minerals. it is national miners day. 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 -- find out why it's back to square one for police investigating the murder of l.a. publicist ronni chasen. and reese witherspoon and paul rudd stop by to talk about their new romantic comedy. 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. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com