this morning on "early today" -- first hurdle. lawmakers gear up for a key test vote on the president's tax cut deal with republicans. snowed under. a massive storm system buries the midwest collapsing the roof of the minneapolis metrodome. and cosmic suicide? scientists may have unraveled one of the solar system's greatest mysteries. captions paid for by nbc-universal television a very good morning to you. welcome to our viewers across the nation including the pacific time zone. i'm veronica de la cruz, and today we begin with testing the waters. the senate will get its first

crack at the president's controversial plan to temporarily extend tax cuts for all americans today. the test vote paves the way for a final vote later in the week, and then it's on to the house where critics say the real battle will begin. nbc's tracie potts joins us live from washington with details. tracie, good morning to you. >> reporter: veronica, good morning. good morning, everyone. this tax vote will tell us have democrats and republicans have enough support to get this passed and whether they can do it without major changes. they expect a final vote tuesday or wednesday. dick durbin, the number two democrat in the senate, is now also urging his colleagues in the house, the democrats there, to get this done, because he said to them, look, after the beginning of the year when republicans take over the house, you're not going to have nearly enough ability to try to get this passed in 2011. the house is really where the hangup is. democrats there have said, look, we'll bite the bull wlit et whe

comes to tax cuts for the wealthy but have an issue with the state tax and want a separate vote on that and now say they will not hold up the tax deal as a result of that estate tax, but they want a separate vote on it. veronica? >> tracie potts in washington. tracie, thank you. a massive snowstorm buried parts of the midwest over the weekend wreaking havoc on roadways and runways across the region. at least six deaths are being blamed on the wicked winterlike weather that brought biting winds and dumped nearly two feet of powerful powder. incomes's frances koe has this report. >> reporter: the great digout has begun in hard-hit minnesota. >> i've never seen it this bad before, i don't think. >> there's a lot of snow on the ground. >> reporter: more than 17 inches of snow piled high and snarled traffic, as blizzardlike conditions swept through minneapolis over the weekend. residents spent most of their sunday trying to free their cars and their homes from the snowy mess. >> this one seems a lot more

packed down from the wind blowing. so the snow is really heavy. >> reporter: that weight brought big troubles to the home of the vikings. >> three roof panels ruptured. that caused the collapse. >> reporter: early sunday morning the inflatable roof of the vikings stadium collapsed. >> one of the key issues that hurt us, is the very high winds. and that, with the high snow accumulation, really impacted us. >> reporter: the storm that dumped so much snow in minnesota also brought winter's worst to iowa and wisconsin, where officials are warning residents of some counties to stay off the roads. as the storm moved eastward, winter weather warnings have been issued for parts of illinois. all this, with winter's official start still nine days away. frances koe, nbc news. elsewhere, flooding remains a serious concern in the pacific northwest this morning where record rainfall has triggered mudslides along some western washington rivers. flood watches and warnings sent several residents rushing to get

sandbags in place yesterday, while hundreds of others were told to consider evacuating. no injuries were reported, but scores of homes were flooded as rivers rose. the national weather service says the water in some places could go as high as 22 feet before it starts to fall later today. and here's a look at some other stories making news "early today" in america. in washington, d.c., the president and his family spent the evening spreading the holiday spirit. they were greeted by a group of tiny elves at a fund-raiser at the national building museum. one got into a little mischief, but it wasn't anything that the first lady couldn't handle. the family was there helping to raise money for the children's national hospital. in connecticut, about 500 kids in grades 5 through 8 took part in a lego building competition. but these weren't your run of the mill lego designs. they were robot legos. the theme was biomedical engineering, so teams created robots that did things like

dispense medicine. the kids enjoyed the friendly competition but teachers stress that lessons in teamwork and science are building blocks for a successful future. and then in california, 30 tons of snow was dump on the hermosa beach for the first annual snow festival. kids of all ages had fun sledding up and down the icy slope, and although they were dressed for the wintry weather, it was actually, check this out, a balmy 83 degrees. oh, my goodness. now for a look at your national and regional weather, here is nbc's meteorologist bill karins. it was, what, 87 yesterday in los angeles? >> beautiful weather. best in the entire country. the only area like that, too. i mean, even the pacific northwest had horrible weather, veronica. as we look at the radar of what happened, the rain came in, and was really concentrated on saturday and early sunday up here in the pacific northwest. we had about two to three

inches, pretty widespread. also very warm, too. temperatures in the 50s, even at the high elevations. we already had the snow pack. so the rivers fill up in a hurry. still have numerous flood warnings out there. a lot of the rivers are cresting now and it will slowly improve. some towns had evacuations take place. as far as radar goes, still showers. all the heavy stuff is over with. a lot shifted down to the south. a little more concentrated around medford overnight. they're they're getting a break. today scattered showers. looks like heavy downpour, done. we can thank our pacific moisture. you can see it streamed right onshore. there were was throughout the weekend. as far as this week, unsettled. a boundary setting up here and we'll see showers. no additional flooding but mild temperatures and a lot of clouds throughout the beginning of this week. the warm spot, by far, the nicest weather in the country, from phoenix to tucson to san

diego, palm springs. los angeles, just gorgeous weather out there and eve tuesday that trend continues at least here for arizona. that's a the bowl. look at the northwest. just showers continue today. take a look at extended forecast coming up. >> no additional flooding. right, bill? we've had viewers write in. >> this looks like the peak. no. >> good. thanks. a deal in the works. what to look for on wall street this week. and a fashion debate in english proper. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, one film winning and losing all at the same time at the box office over the weekend? coming up, snow helps the patriots while it collapses the roof of one nfl stadium. and the jets prove cheaters never prosper. you're watching "early today."

good morning to you and welcome back to "early today," i'm veronica de la cruz. here are some of your top headlines this morning -- six american troops and two afghan soldiers were killed yesterday when a suicide bomber detonated a mini bus packed with explosives near the gates of a new military installation in southern afghanistan. the taliban claimed responsibility for the bombing, which is the deadliest attack on coalition troops this month. london police are investigating reports that a suicide bomber behind twin attacks in sweden this weekend lived, studied and worked in england until recently. saturday's explosion came as christmas shoppers crowded a busy area of the swedish capital. new research suggests that saturn's mysterious rings may be the result of a cosmic suicide. scientists say that a doomed

moon hurled itself into the planet about 4.5 billion years ago. however, as it made its way, gravity likely stripped off the moon's icy outer layers forming the now famous rings which stretch across saturn's equator. and anticipation is building for next april's royal wedding. england's prince william and his fiancee kate middleton released two official photographs to mark their engagement. they were taken by mario testino who is also famous for taking beautiful shots of william's mother, the late princess diana. and now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 11,410 after adding 40 points friday. the s&p edged up seven points and the nasdaq climbed 20. taking a look at overseas trading this morning in tokyo the nikkei rose 81 points while in hong kong, the hang seng climbed 154. is a big holiday acquisition the kind of spark that will help wall street keep its so-called santa rally going today?

the financial times reports general electric, the current owner of this network, may announce a $1.2 billion takeover of the english oil services company wellstring holdings as early as today. also the great atlantic and pacific tea company, more commonly known as a&p filed for bankruptcy sunday. once america's largest grocer the chain plans to keep stores open with no interruption of business during reorganization. today starts the last full week of trading before christmas. the s&p 500 stands at its highest level since september 2008. and the nasdaq sits at its best point since late december 2007. november's inflation numbers will dominate the week's economic data with the producer price index due tuesday and the consumer price index out wednesday. in the nation's capital, the federal reserve's open markets committee gathered tuesday for its last meeting of the year. recent stronger economic data could spark a fed debate over continuing the central bank's $600 billion stimulus plan.

also, in washington, wall street will eye the battle over tax cuts. although extending the cuts appears headed for passage, traders will watch for bumps in the road. reporting quarterly earnings this week, best buy, fedex, general mills, oracle, research in motion, and home builder. finely, all in england. particularly on the soccer field. lightweight scarves known at snoods are favored by players from warm weather countries, not used to england the damp chill, but manchester united's famed coach has put the big chill on the fashion fad, banning the scarves on his team, calling them unmanly. hmm. bah, humbug. >> the jets hit major turbulence and a fan is the man in oklahoma city. plus it's been a rough year for the dallas cowboys, and last night a division rival rubbed salt in their wounds. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. the latest arctic blast

continues to push to the south and east. i'll have your tuesday forecast coming up. you're watching "early today."

and good morning to you. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." in sports, on sun against one of the nfl's hottest team, the chicago bears got caught

hibernating. here's nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all your sports headlines. good morning. the patriots and bears are two of the nfl's best teams but yesterday the pats pulled off a snow job. a winter wonderland in chicago didn't stop tom brady. two touchdowns including this 59-yarder to dion branch to end the first half. patriots won in a rout 36-7. they improve to 11-2. jets and dolphins in jersey watch closely as conditioning coach trips dolphin quarterback nolan terrell during a punt return. the dolphins players called the jets cheaters. cheaters never prosper. sanchez to santonio holmes who brought the sure touchdown. jets lost it 10-6. last seconds between the redskins and bucs in our nation's capital. donovan mcnabb to santana moss for the score with just nine seconds to play. they just need the extra point to tie. oh, boy. the holder couldn't handle the snap. tampa beat washington 17-16 to keep their playoff hopes alive. to dallas. in a moment of silence for don meredith before the cowboys and eagles.

he would have liked this one. fourth quarter. michael vick to desean jackson and he did the rest. turned on the after burners right to the middle of the field. despite the best efforts of a couple of cowboys, jackson with a little showboating. turned around at the goal line and fell backwards into the end zone while taunting the cowboys. they lead the in the l east at 9-4. incredible video from minnesota where the inflatable roof at the metrodome collapsed under the weight of snow from a heavy storm that passed through the twin cities on saturday. because of that the vikings and giants game postponed. it will be played tonight in detroit. and finally to the nba halftime in oklahoma city. thunder fan, with a half-court shot to win $20,000. not a bad night for roberts. check out the reaction from former oklahoma and cowboys coach barry switzer. the thunder won the game 106-77. that's your early look at sports on "early today." i'm fred roggin. >> good for him. well, a preview of which film may win best picture at the oscars.

your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus coming up, it is a dream come true for kids who deserve to have some dreams come true. you're watching "early today."

welcomes back on this monday. heavy rain over the weekend led to prit serious river flooding in washington state. today damp but not the heavy rains for you. a little further to the south here in oregon. now as far as southern

california, enjoy one more gorgeous day in l.a. and all of the southern half of the sunshine state here. it looks like vegas down to phoenix will still be sunny as we sggo into tuesday. showers moving into san francisco and the moisture stream continues up in the northwest with showers, but warm temperatures as we go into the middle of this week. if you're watching us on kcra 3 in sacramento, california, check out the psychedelic '60s and swinging '70s through art. rock concerts venue at psychedelic poster art at the california mu saseum. that's your pick event. >> favorite band of that time? >> pink floyd in high school. >> lead zeppelin all the way. >> of course. now here's a look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. there was good news and bad news this weekend at the box office for the number one film. "the chronicles of narnia" took the top spot

which took over the series after disney abandoned it. however at $24 million this latest chapter came in way below expectations. still, it took in $80 million in 85 other countries which significantly softens the blow. in second place, "the tourist" starring johnny depp and angelina jolie. it also came in below expectations at $17 million. elsewhere, the influential los angeles film critics association has added to the growing oscar buzz surrounding the facebook drama "the social network" picking it as the year's best film. finally, paris hilton's one-time reality tv bff nicole richie finally married her rocker boyfriend joel madden over the weekend in los angeles. the couple, who have dated for more than four years, have a 2-year-old daughter harlow winter kate and a 15-month-old son farrow midnight. >> bill did you ever go see "morning glory."

>> no. i didn't. glad i didn't. review, didn't do so well. >> put that on your list of movies to see. i'm telling you. >> bottom of my list. >> okay. this comes from channel 4 3 in cleveland, ohio, a group of boys and girls visited the airport for an early holiday treat. that is thanks to continental airlines. kids from a local pediatric hospital took time off from fighting what ails them to take a magical flight to the north pole. santa, mrs. claus and the elves welcomed the group to their them to filled with giant candy canes, holly and where for just one day, nothing else mattered. i'm veronica de la cruz, and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

well, runners might kick off their shoes when a race ends but usually not before it starts. in india one group of runners went barefoot to participate in a half marathon. 300 shoeless runners hit the road for the 13-mile race. although organizers of the event claim it was the first marathon of its kind, racing barefoot is actually quite common in india. looks quite painful, as well. they say it takes two to tango, but in argentina it can take an entire city. in buenos aires hundreds of dancing couples took to the streets to celebrate national tango day. festive locals tangoed to music with their partners, showing off some fancy footwork. the sultry dance has been a fundamental part of argentine culture since the 1800s.

it's not unusual in the holiday season to spot the occasional santa. but hundreds of them? hmm. well, that's exactly what people saw in london over the weekend. with christmas only a few weeks away, hundreds of red-sutded santas teamed up to spread holiday fun throughout the city. organizers of the festive flash mob called santa con called it a "nonsensical celebration of christmas good cheer." i don't know about you, bill, but i think santa con was happening here in new york as well. >> there's been a lot of them. my only idea is we need to start making santa suits because it seems like it would be a good industry. >> where's yours? why aren't you wearing yours? >> if i had one, i'd wear it. >> all right. fine. time now for an early look at some of the stories we're going to be following throughout the day on nbc -- as of today, those popular alcoholic energy drinks are supposed to be off store shelves across the country. last month the fda issued warnings to several makers of the controversial beverages calling them unsafe. folks at fedex are gearing up for what's expected to be the

company's busiest shipping day ever. that is thanks in part to all of the holiday shopping americans are now doing online. and you may want to bundle up tonight to check out what's being billed as the best meteor shower of the year. prime viewing time is expected after midnight. but if you head out earlier, it should still be a spectacular show. and all day long you can stay on top of the very latest developments in those stories as well as others as they break on msnbc. tonight, be sure to watch brian williams with "nbc nightly news." and finally, here's a look at what's coming up a little later this morning on the "today" show. hear from the father of elizabeth smart whose kidnapper was convicted friday. and in a "today" exclusive, meet a ballerina whose weight was attacked by a critic saying she's eaten quote, one too many sugar plums. hmm. now keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports and much more, i'm veronica de la cruz. thank you so much for watching "early today." just your first stop of the day,

today on your nbc station. have a terrific day.