this morning on "early today," super soaker. southern california begins a big cleanup after days of relentless rain. not so lame duck, congress hands president obama a slew of legislative victories for the holidays. and road to fame, an iconic crosswalk, more by the fab four and road to fame, an iconic crosswalk, more by the fab four crosses into the history books. 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 water logged in the west. this holiday season, many in the western u.s. will likely have mud and flooded basement on their minds instead of stockings and christmas gifts. in california, one holiday tradition hit a snag after qualcomm stadium, home to the poinsettia bowl, was flooded. still, tonight's game between navy and san diego state is scheduled to be played. and with more on the storm, here is nbc's chris clackum. >> reporter: the ground continues to slide away in southern california. another round of torrential rainfall wrestled residents in laguna beach out of their beds early wednesday morning. >> it was like the heavens opened up. it was constant. it didn't stop. it didn't stop. >> a big mudslide came down and got us all stuck. >> i was over there and water started coming in. >> reporter: for a while, jeremy hess, his grandmother and a friend were trapped by the raging mud and water. >> there was definitely a point in time i thought we weren't going to make it out.

>> reporter: the town's business district spent hours three feet under water. property damage will likely be in the tens of millions. >> all the businesses, especially on ocean avenue, i have three friends that have businesses there and it was just like three or four feet tall. >> reporter: flooding is a problem further south in san diego where rescuers are using rafts to rescue guests from a hotel surrounded by water. the mudslides gobbling up homes on hillsides are wiping out roads. as the system moves inland, rain is changing to snow, sn the sierra nevada mountns., fora though, a massive cleanup has begun that will likely last as long as the storm did. >> that's unbelievable. president obama took off for hawaii late yesterday and bid washington farewell for the holidays. before he left, lawmakers

delivered some early christmas treats for the president. it was a year that didn't go smoothly for the white house, but sure ended on a high note. nbc's steve handelsman reports. >> reporter: he didn't call himself the comeback kid, but president obama wants himself seen as a winner since democrats got shellacked in the november elections. >> i think it's fair to say that this has been the most productive post-election period we've had in decades. >> the senate ratified the president's new s.t.a.r.t. nuclear treaty with russia. 13 republicans joined democrats, the biggest obama diplomatic accomplishment and a victory for bipartisanship. >> if there's any lesson to draw from these past few weeks it's that we are not doomed to endless gridlock. >> reporter: last week, the president pushed through his tax deal with republicans. lawmakers celebrated passing the health bill to aid 9/11 first responders. and there was celebration as the president signed the repeal of don't ask, don't tell.

he said he's reconsidering his opposition to gay marriage. his biggest disappointment, failing to push through the dream act to give citizenship to kids brought illegally to the u.s. and president obama admits, getting a string of big wins will be a lot harder next year. i'm steve handelsman, nbc news, capitol hill. >> now here's a look at other stories making news early today in america. in california, police are looking for two teenage girls who they say vandalized a man's elaborate christmas display. the two, unaware of a home security camera, dismantled most of the lights and damaged a charity donation box. police hope leads from the public will help them identify the suspects. new york city mayor michael bloomberg oversaw the installation of what's being called the survivor tree at the world trade center site. it was recovered about a month

after the september 11th attacks, scorched with snapped roots and standing only eight feet tall. it now stands 30 feet high, a testament to the city's unyielding spirit. and in rhode island, one resident pulled an april fools' prank on the neighbors in december. it's a dummy on a ladder appearing to be falling while hanging christmas lights. and it's so realistic, some people have even stopped to help. some got a giggle, but others say the hanging dummy needs to come down. now for a look at your national and regional weather, here is nbc meteorologist todd santos with the weather channel forecast. good morning. >> good morning. a good way to start decorating for christmas back in halloween and just applies all of the way tl through. wild stuff. a little bit more of it but kind of funny. one thing not funny the last couple of days, the amount of rain you've seen. thankfully today the sunshine returns. i'll start with that. look at these totals.

santa ana mountains and l.a. county mountains, over 20 inches worth accumulative rainfall. you can see the difference in between some of these places. like san diego and the city, 7 6.7. but in the mountains, 18.2 inches. huge numbers. thankfully again this morning dealing with quieter conditions. the same impulse will track part of that across the country the next couple of days but it's moving. likely dump some pretty big snowfall totals, especially in the mountains outside denver once you get in the west of the continental divide there. seattle back towards portland will continue to bring in chances for rain showers. the next couple of days, if you're traveling to the northeast, a little bit of snow up near boston. as far as the west is concerned, big improvement at least at this point, though now we have to deal with the clean-up leading into christmas, there's a look at what's left of it this morning. a few showers moved through phoenix early a chance of it in the

morning. mount shasta, california, still mostly cloudy but at least drying out up there, 41 degrees. so, lynn, again, at least there's some kind of silver lining here in the forecast for the west. we'll talk more about what we can expect travelwise coming up. >> big collective sigh of relief out there. tautd, thanks so much. stocks glow, banks bubble and the purse raises thousands for charity. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, the latest subject of diplomatic u.s. cables leaked by wikileaks is anna nicole smith? boise state hits the jackpot in vegas. cam newton wraps up yet another honor. the celtics and spurs go squeaking. 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. south korea has staged its largest ever live firing drill. the exercises come exactly a month after north korea attacked a south korean island killing four and took place miles from the heavily armed demilitarized zone that separates the two koreas. following the drills the north criticized the south and said it is ready to launch, quote, a sacred war. an election hearing officer in chicago has decided former white house chief of staff rahm emanuel should be allowed on the february ballot for chicago mayor. his candidacy has been challenged by opponents who say emanuel doesn't meet the one-year residency requirement. the election board meets later today. while the panel is expected to accept the officer's recommendation, the board's decision is almost sure to be challenged in the courts. researchers have apparently

found evidence of a previously unknown ancient cousin of humans. a 30,000-year-old finger bone and a tooth were discovered in siberia. scientists say the bone is very different from early neanderthals and modern humans and is from a previous unknown species now called the neesopian. in london, a street crossing made famous by the beatles has been designated a protected heritage site by the english government. the crossing site appears on the beatles "abbey road" album cover. and now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 11,559 after gaining 26 points yesterday. the s&p was up 4 points. the nasdaq edged up 3. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei fell 24 points while in hong kong, the hang seng dropped 142. heading into the last day of

trade before the christmas holiday, the nation's broadest and most diverse stock market sits in a place it hasn't been since the height of the financial crisis. the s&p 500 climbed above 1,255 where it closed just days after lehman filed for bankruptcy more than two years ago. for 2010, it is up 12.9%, led by a remarkable 6.6% gain this month alone. with the numbers coming back, so is the confidence. the volatility index, wall street's fear gauge fell to its lowest level in 2 1/2 years. fittingly, bank stocks led the way. bank of america was up over 3% and jpmorgan chase climbed just under 3%. and it's not just the big guys. one index, the stock and regional banks was up 3.7% and a whopping 19.4% for the month. economic data is also consistently looking up. the government said wednesday

the economy grew faster than previously thought over the summer and sales of previously occupied homes rose 5.6% last month. even holiday shoppers are looking up. figures show retail revenue up 5.5% during this year's last weekend before christmas compared to down 6.2% last year. elsewhere, politico reports haliburton will pay $35 million to the nigerian government to settle a bribery case that include charges filed against former vice president dick cheney. finally, the purse panama school board member ginger used to hit a gunman sold on ebay last night for just over 13,000 bucks. the bid was matched, all going to the security that donates bikes and toys to needy children. coming up, larry brown steps down, sid the kid can't be stopped, and the celtics look like a mean, green, winning

machine. plus, the spurs are also on a winning streak, but denver tried to wash that away, putting them through the spin is cycle. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. and with many of our friends taking to the roads and the skies over the next couple of days, we'll take another look at travel coming up. you're watching "early today."

good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." in sports, larry brown is the only coach to lead his team to an nba and ncaa championship. but the 70-year-old is hanging up his whistle in charlotte. here's nbc's mario solis with an early look at all your sports headlines. good morning. forgive me if you've heard this before. larry brown is done coaching. the hall of famer who always seems to leave his team mid season has done it again. he stepped down as the bobcats head coach after a dismal start. the celtics won their 14th in a row. off the turn over, paul pierce, williams. boston up, 84-80. the chance in the final seconds, but andre is blocked by kevin garnett. celtics win this one, 84-80. spurs and the nuggets, the nasty 360 spin and lay-up. if the game was born on highlight reel plays, this one would have been over. unfortunately for denver, it is not. gary neal leading the way.

wait, who. gary neal scoring 22, including 10 straight in the first quarter. spurs won. ever wonder why the wizards are the worst team in the east? here's proof. andre blats for the easy lay-up. easy for me to say. on the flip side, the bulls are one of the best. derek rose with the putter step and bucket. that is as good as it gets. bulls win, 87-80. hockey, it's hard not to love number 87 when he's playing like this. sydney crosby unleashing a rocket in the first period against the panthers. that brings the scoring streak to a remarkable 22 games. pens win, 5-2. college football, you can add another honor to cam newton won the ap player of the year award, collecting 51 of the 60 votes. now, at one point, boise state was on a fast track to a bcs bid. but instead, they have to settle for the macco bowl against utah. the broncos made the most of it. gives them the lead with an

84-yard score. boise state never looks back. they win big in las vegas, 26-3. that's your early look at sports on "early today." i'm mario solis. is mr. spielberg going to washington? your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, it may look like any other visit with santa at christmastime. but actually, this one is very special. you're watching "early today."

welcome back to "early today." want to talk a little bit about what we're expecting this thursday, the best part of the entire forecast from san francisco back to l.a. all of the way down to san diego, sunshi sunshine. that's again the positive. 54 in san francisco, 55 later today. with snow pushing up towards the mountains. the one spot that will remain wet across the west. seattle back through portland, especially out toward the olympic range. a quick look up toward alaska. beautiful toward anchorage and the hawaiian island chain, a good chance for showers right on into the weekend. if you're watching us on knbc 4 in los angeles, california, participant in a hands on gallery experience with puzzles, drawings and role plays. stop by family art stops at the getty center for a playful introduction to art. that's your pacific event of the day. lynn? >> todd, thanks so much. now here's an early look at the morning headlines and entertainment. it turns out steven spielberg

will not become the wizard behind the curtain. spielberg spokesman was quick to turn around a statement of denial saying, quote, he has made his career directing actors, not political people. spielberg's spokesman was quick to turn around a statement of denial saying, quote, he has made it his career to direct actors, not political figures. there you go. no joke, no gimmick. marvel economics said one member of the fantastic four, either mr. fantastic, invisible woman, human torch, or the thing will die next month in issue 587. finally, the late anna nicole smith has made wikileaks. a 2006 diplomatic document published by "guardian newspaper" shows after smith was granted an unusually swift residency in the bahamas, the deputy chief cabled washington, quote, not since

category 4 hurricane betsy made landfall in 1965 has one woman done as much damage in nassau. a lot of these leaks are more gossip than anything else. >> it's more of what do you say behind people's backs. i'm pretty sure that one didn't compromise national security though. >> absolutely. this comes to us from kxas nbc 5 in dallas, texas, nearby plano, where christmas sounds like any other time of the year, but sounds like no other. hearing impaired children watching the choir sing and sign christmas carols but they also got to speak to santa. santa says their faces light up when they realize he actually signs back to them. a reminder that merry christmas in any language always warms the heart. that's great. i'm lynn berry, and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

rats aren't known for their cleanliness, but here is a refreshing sight -- sort of. in japan, giant rodents went for a dip in a hot spring. related to the guinea pigs, the animals are considered the world's largest rodent and love to be in the water. locals usually take citrus baths this time of year which explains the lemons. at one restaurant in china, the robots are at your service. a futuristic restaurant is using the waiter of the future. moving along a track, the mechanical servers use trays and carts to deliver food to customers, but don't worry, there are sensors that they use

to prevent them from crashing into anything. as for the rest of the staff, the six human chefs are outnumbered by the seven wired co-workers. looking for a quick snack from the vending machine? how about a live crab? that's right. a subway station vending machine in china is building the head turner as a healthy alternative to your chips and candy bars. the harry crabs are a seasonal delicacy. they get cleaned and they're put in small containers where customers can snap them up for under 10 bucks a pop. do you see how confused they look? >> wait a minute. is this thing alive? wyoming could take note, they could do bison vending machines. the machines would have to be big. >> here at 30 rock, we have lo mein in the vending machines. >> no crab. >> a little competition. time now for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day here on nbc. president obama is escaping washington politics for the holidays. he and the first family are in hawaii where the president was born.

in michigan, there will be a candlelight vigil for three young missing brothers. they were last seen with their now jailed father who police say lied about turning over his children to another woman. he is being held on parental kidnapping charges. on this day in 1823, a new york paper first published an account of a visit from st. nicholas, a poem more popularly known as "twas the night before christmas." 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. how wild weather in the western part of the country could impact your holiday travel plans. and hear from the attorney for a former betty ford clinic staffer who says she was assaulted by lindsay lohan. 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 [ female anpride.r ] what will you gain when you lose?™ pizzazz. sass! [ laughter ] [ woman ] i'm feeling that! [ female announcer ] the special k challenge™ begins january 1st. free personalized plans at specialk.com. what will you gain when you lose?™