[ cheers and applause ] 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 rounding the bend. in a rare bipartisan push, the senate voted overwhelmingly in favor of a proposal that will prevent a new year's day tax hike for millions of americans. still, despite the inclusion of a much debated provision to extend jobless aid to many, house democrats say they'll try to make one more change before it's a done deal. nbc's tracie potts joins us from washington with more on that. tracie, good morning. >> lynn, good morning. house democrats simply put do not like this estate tax provision and today they're going to make a last-ditch effort to change it. so expect two votes in the house today on this huge tax deal. number one, a vote without that 35%, in fact, they want to raise that 35% that will be charged to estates. and one vote that's exactly the same version as senate passed. if, in fact, they're able to change the estate tax and make people who pass on those wealthiest states pay more, then

this whole thing goes back to the senate and could possibly derail this entire deal to prevent tax hikes on january 1st. if, in fact, they are not able to get that through, what passes today could end up going straight to the president's desk. so two votes you want to look out for this afternoon. also, the repeal of don't ask, don't tell is in the hands of the senate after passing the house of representatives by a mar join of 75 votes, 15 republicans. does the senate have enough time to deal with this? democrats want to get it done because they realize they will have a lot less political capital to get it done after the beginning of the year. finally, the s.t.a.r.t. treaty still has to ratify this. senate majority leader harry reid is pushing to get this done before the holidays, also. some are objecting saying rushing it through is reckless. lynn? >> tracie potts in washington. tracie, thank you. as for that controversial proposal to extend all of the bush era tax cuts, it appears

this majority of american people approve. according to a new nbc news/"wall street journal" poll, 59% of those surveyed support the tax compromise while just 36% disapprove. however, the president's job approval rating has once again hit its lowest level, coming in at just 45%. that's down two points from last month. still the president's battle may not be all uphill. looking ahead to 2012, polls show the president ahead if he were to run against the likes of mitt romney, sarah palin, or senator john thune. the public wasn't quite as optimistic about the nation's direction. 63% think the country is headed in the wrong direction. that's the most since obama took office. and not surprisingly as the nation emerges from what's known as the great recession, a combined 54% say the past ten years have either been a very bad decade or one of the worst decades in american history.

this morning's "new york times" reports that federal prosecutors are trying to build a conspiracy case against wikileaks founder julian assange. according to the "times," the justice department is trying to figure out whether assange encouraged or helped private bradley manning, the army specialist suspected of leaking classified state department files, who is currently being held in a virginia prison. if assange did so, officials believe they could charge him as a conspirator in the leak, not just a passive recipient of the documents who then published them. and now here's a look at some other stories making news early today in america. in minnesota, if you really need a more tangible idea of just how bad winter weather is, look at what this speck of metal in the snow is going to turn into. it's an abandoned car that's been completely buried, scratched by a snowmobile that ran over it. state workers got the car out with the help of a tow truck.

authorities say the owner can expect a bill. frigid temperatures that pushed south and into florida are affecting marine life. large numbers of dead sea creatures, like fish, shellfish, and sea sponges all washed up on a local beach as the warm gulf waters turned cold. experts say it's still too soon to know the long-term effects. and in ohio, this is remarkable, buried beneath this gorgeous ice sculpture is a lighthouse. bone-chilling winds blew the icy waters of lake erie onto the lighthouse and other navigation markers, encasing them completely in ice. forecasters say the arctic blast could last another week, which means more time to admire nature's work of art. positive spin on it there for you. and now for a look at your national and regional weather, here's nbc meteorologist bill karins with the weather channel forecast. >> i wouldn't wand to be underneath that when it melts. >> or the captain of a boat,

either, the navigation equipment, it's not good. >> they fight with that all the time though in the really cold climates. this arctic outbreak hasn't hit the west coast much. it's been mostly eastern half of the nation over the month of december. now they're getting a winter storm overnight ice storm in kentucky and now snow in virginia and north carolina. we have our own little weak system that has moved into southern california. we've had light rain on and off in los angeles overnight and now down towards san diego we're starting to watch the showers. and even in central portions of arizona. so as far as the weather pattern goes, it looks very unsettled for california over the next week or two. some of the worst weather in the country. heaviest rains and snows will occur throughout the mountainous areas of california over the next week or two. here's our radar this morning. you never see an extended forecast for los angeles like this. after it clears out today we've got a chance of rain friday, saturday, and sunday in los angeles, of all places. so our active weather pattern will begin here as we head towards the weekend, even

in washington state. only 38 for your high today. more damp weather ahead. friday forecast coming up. >> bill, thanks so much. well, grinches take hold on wall street, beer is booming, and the world's most expensive christmas tree. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, she's about to do something in "playboy" she's never done before. coming up, sidney crosby puts his scoring streak on the line, a buzzer beater in san antonio, and a great finish between the knicks and the celts. 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.

greece's government is condemning violent protests that erupted across athens yesterday as demonstrators angry over budget cuts clashed with police, torched cars, and hurled gasoline bombs. the rioting was part of the country's seventh general strike this year by unions upset over a series of austerity measures meant to pull greece out of its worst financial crisis since world war ii. a russian soyuz spacecraft is headed toward the international space station after blasting off from kazakhstan yesterday. the rocket is carrying an american, a russian, and an italian who are expected to stay at the iss for nearly six months. the government is outlawing dropside cribs after the deaths of more than 30 infants and toddlers in the past decade. the cribs have come under scrutiny in recent years because of malfunctioning hardware that can create a space for a child to become trapped or strangled.

and scientists say they have identified an embalmed head as belonging to king henry the iv of france, who was assassinated by a catholic fanatic in the year 1610. nine months of tests helped researchers i.d. the late monarch's skull, which has been shuffled between private collections ever since it disappeared during the french revolution more than 200 years ago. strange thing to collect. and now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 11,457 after falling 19 points yesterday. the s&p dipped 6 points. the nasdaq shed 10. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo the nikkei inched up one point, but in hong kong the hang seng tumbled, 306. for a third straight day, a late sell-off sent a chill over wall street wednesday. profit takers, apparently convinced the recent rally has run its course, have been moving in late, wiping out morning gains. apple and netflix, for example,

both followed the recent pattern, up just a fraction at the close after being significantly higher earlier. the day actually started down, but the dollar rising on new euro debt concerns. rooney's warned spain its debt ratings could be downgraded. the mood brightened on industrial and manufacturing data. industrial production rose in november, its fastest pace in four months. and manufacturing activity in the new york area rebounded strongly. treasury yields continued rising, sparking worry about rising borrowing costs, which in turn, sent bank stocks and other financials lower. in company news, boston beer, maker of sam adams, rose over 12% after raising its 2010 earnings forecast, saying it's shipping 12% more products than last year. elsewhere, the justice department sued bp and several other companies for the gulf oil spill hoping to get billions for economic and environmental damage above and beyond what's already been paid.

the adminstration says high-level talks with china produced agreements on issues including piracy of u.s. intellectual property and china's continued barriers to american beef. speaking of china, mcdonald's plans its biggest expansion there yet, opening up 200 new restaurants next year. >> and, finally, one abu dhabi hotel boasts the most expensive christmas tree ever with a value of over $11 million. it's a fake 40-foot evergreen decorated with silver and gold bows, but it's the necklaces, earrings, and other jewelry draped around the tree's branches that really gives it that record value. just puts a little bang in there for their buck. well, coming up, buzzer beaters abound in the nba, the heat winning streak hits double digits, and baseball loses a hall of famer. plus, the celtics/knicks went back and forth in a thriller that went down to the final second and beyond. your early morning sports

headlines are straight ahead. an active winter weather pattern continues across the country right into your friday. your forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today." that's going to go right in your glove. ohhh.

oh. see that? great job. ok, now let's get ready for the ball... here it comes... here you go. good catch. perfect! alright now for the best part. let's see your pour. ohhh...let's get those in the bowl. these are way too good to waste, right? oh, yea. let's go for it... around the bowl and... [ male announcer ] share what you love... with who you love. mmmmm. kellogg's frosted flakes®... they're g-r-r-reat!™ good catch, dad. [ laughs ] good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." and in sports there was a garden party last night in new york

where the old rivalry between the knicks and the celtics was reborn. here's nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all your sports headlines. >> good morning to you. the knicks haven't been relevant since the mid-'90s, but maybe just maybe they're ready to return to the nba spotlight. taking on the celts, nobody in the league is playing better then amare' stoudemire right now. he's had a season-high with 39, and this one went down to the wire. tied game. paul pierce drained a jumper. 0.4 of a second left. the celts up two. knicks, the last shot. stoudemire for the win. got it! but wait. take another look. he didn't get it off in time. knicks played good, but not good enough. celts won their 11th straight, 118-116. spurs and bucks also came down to the final shot, tied at 90. manu ginobli drove to his left, pulled up, and nailed the off-balance buzzer beamer, and that was it. spurs won it, 92-90. the last time the heat and cavs played, it was all lebron james. this time it was all dwyane wade. first quarter, a huge dunk and one. wade went flying into the crowd and popped back up like a prize fighter. do you think he's pumped?

moments later, another thunderous one-handed jam. wade had a game-high 28. the heat won their tenth straight, 101-95. some sad news to report from baseball. hall of fame pitcher bob feller passed away yesterday. feller won 266 games, all with the cleveland indians. he was also a world war ii hero that left baseball during his prime to serve in the navy. bob feller was 92. the penguins' sidney crosby has extended his scoring streak to 20 games with an assist against the rangers, but it wasn't enough. new york scored four unanswered in the third, and the rangers and, finally, this may be the last time you'll see jets' coach sal alosi. after tripping a dolphin player on sunday, he was suspended for the season. now he's suspended indefinitely after the team found out that he ordered five inactive players to form a human wall along the sidelines. alosi had been doing this all season without the team's knowledge. he may have tripped a player, but it's alosi who's now taken a big fall. that's your early look at sports on "early today." i'm fred roggin. "early today" sports is

brought to you by just for men mustache and beard. keep your edge. hear what one hollywood bad girl of the past has to say about today's crop. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, christmas never stinks, and thanks to one man in oklahoma, this year's christmas toys won't be stinking either. you're watching "early today."

good morning.

it's not all that often that we track rain on our radar in southern california but that's the case this morning. light rain from los angeles almost making it to palm springs. san diego is dry to this point. it's going to shift your way. interstate 5, probably have travel delays i imagine with people driving in the rain. as far as the forecast goes out there we are going to watch los angeles, a chance of rain the next couple of days. maybe even periods of heavy rain. today after the morning rain we'll get just partly cloudy skies this afternoon. so it will dry itself out. some of the showers could make their way all of the way to phoenix. a look at your friday forecast out there, it's going to call for more wet weather. this time not the north west. it's really going to be in central and southern california over the next couple of days. if you're watching us on kgw, news channel 8, portland, oregon, take a drive to the history of oregon's license plates. see how they've evolved since 1911, that license to drive. at the oregon historical society. that's your pacific event of the day, lynn. i don't know if everyone's in to

that. my dad used to have them all on the wall of the garage growing up. >> it's cool. i like that. >> it's one of those things. >> bill, thank you. now here's a early look at the morning headlines in entertainment. last night at the premiere of his latest film, johnny depp gave swirms of fans more than their money's worth. depp waded into a huge crowd, patiently signing autographs and posing for pictures as hundreds turned out for the italian premiere of "the tourist." costar angelina jolie turned out with her significant other brad pitt, telling the italian media her focus for christmas is on her children. at 43 pamela anderson will soon be making her 13th appearance in "playboy" magazine, but this one is going to be different. in addition to eight pages of pictures, there will be a poem written by anderson. how sweet. and, finally, a bad girl of old says today's bad girls are much, much worse.

the brat of the '90s, "beverly hills 90210"'s shannen doherty tells "access hollywood" that behavior of tinseltown's bad girls of the past is nothing compared to now, saying she's pretty sure none of her era's bad girls went into rehab, and, quote, we didn't go out and flash people. well, this comes to us from kfor, news channel 4 in oklahoma city, oklahoma, where thanks to one man, more than 800 needy kids will have a merry christmas. roger volunteered to clean up more than a thousand toys sprayed in their storage bin by a skunk. the volunteers who collected the toys hoped fresh air and deodorizers would help, but the skunk funk still lingered. roger heard their story, and he brought out his skunkinator, which should do the trick, providing a christmas miracle for little kids who need plenty of christmas cheer. i'm lynn berry, and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day, today on your nbc station.

parades are traditionally full of color, and one in mexico disnot disappoint. as you can see, at mexico city's day of the clowns. in honor of the country's patron saint guadeloupe, 200 colorful clowns paraded through the city streets with props and other instruments. the tradition is thought to bring good luck in the coming year. well, for the time being, it definitely brought plenty of good times. when you think of meeting the pope, this probably does not come to mind. in a rare chance to perform at the vatican, acrobats opted for an unusual stunt. the group whipped off their shirts, and they formed a human tower.

while the bear-chested troupe got some cheers from the crowd, the pope seemed to have a more measured response. one man is hoping his best friend can make it into the record books. in canada a man believes his dog is the oldest in the world. the owner had stumbled upon a shy mixed breed at a foster shelter 18 years ago. according to the vet, at the time the dog was 7. that makes the dog 25 years old today, doggy equivalent of 125 years old. bill, what do you think he feeds him? you have a dog. >> yeah. i know a lot of people have older dogs, and they've actually fed them like human food all along, like meat. >> all natural. >> yeah. mine is 14 1/2. he's got a ways to go before he catches up to him. >> good luck with that. time now for a look at some of the stories we'll follow on nbc. florida's attorney general will make his case in front of a u.s. district court judge, arguing that part of the nation's new health care law will result in a financial burden his state can't

afford. today's hearing comes just days after a federal judge in virginia calls the health care law's minimum requirement unconstitutional. in washington president obama will host his second white house tribal nation's conference, a gathering of leaders from 565 federally recognized tribes. and today we'll find out which actors were honored by fellow actors with the announcement of the nominees for the screen actor's guild awards. 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." finally, here's a look at what's coming up today on the "today" show. hear about a new york tv weather woman who police say made up claims she was sexually assaulted in central park. and actor matt damon stops by to talk about his new movie "true grit." 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