good morning. breaking news. package bombs explode at the swiss and chilean embassies in rome injurying two people. investigators are trying to figure out whose behind it. buried in mud. dangerous mudslides in southern california force families to flee their homes. the storms may be over for now, but the danger from seven straight days of rain could last for weeks. suddenly silent. one of nfl's most brash and outspoken coaches put in the hot seat. >> this is a personal matter. you know, i hope you can respect the fact i wish not to discuss it.

>> as he's questioned about some personal videos that have become the talk of the internet today, thursday, december 23rd, 2010. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" at 7:00 a.m. on the west coast. >> i'm amy robach. we're following this breaking news in rome. two separate bombings at two embassies. >> the first happened at the swiss embassy where a staffer was injured when a package exploded as it was opened. then three hours latary similar blast at the chilean embassy. italian police are conducting checks at all embassies in rome. let's get to martin fletcher. martin, what can you tell us? >> reporter: matt, rough beginning to christmas in italy. the first blast was at midday in the embassy of switzerland.

it was a bomb inside a package, and the embassy staffer who opened it was seriously wounded in the hands. three hours later in the embassy of chile, another blast and the person there also opened the package and he was injured. there have also been reports of a third suspect package at the embassy of the ukraine. apparently it wasn't opened, isn't really sure if it was even a bomb. all this comes after a fake bomb was discovered under a seat in a railway train on the outskirts of rome earlier. the mayor says of it doesn't appear to be any internal italian issue but rather of an international agency. that's putting other police forces in other countries on alert for suspect packages but no more have been reported. in rome all embassies are on alert for suspicious packages. >> martin, generally when something like this occurs, someone picks up the phone and claims responsibility. any such claims? >> reporter: well, not so far. you know, and there may not be

any because it's all rather similar to what happened in greece last month. parcel bombs there were sent to foreign embassies there as well in athens. authorities there thought it was the work of far left militants, but again no one claimed responsibility there in greece and no claim either so far in rome. >> nbc's martin fletcher who is in london for thus morning. thank you very much. nbc news terrorism analyst evan coleman is with us now by phone. evan, good morning to you. >> good morning. >> we just heard no claim of responsibility, but obviously that's what investigators will be honing in on now. who may be responsible for this. any possible connection to islamic terrorist groups like al qaeda at this point? >> probably not. if you look, number one, this type of bomb design, it doesn't look like the kind that al qaeda usually goes for. it wasn't designed for a mass casualty attack. and switzerland, you know, there is some anger over the swiss decision to ban the construction of new minarets following a referendum earlier this year, but, frankly, it hasn't got that much attention. and chile, i have no idea why al

qaeda would try to char get chile. i think if you look at the attacks that took place about a month ago in greece involving foreign embassies, both the chilean embassy and the swiss embassy in athens were targeted during that campaign, and i think it's very likely that there is some kind of connection between these two. >> and what about that suspicious package found on an empty train in rome's metro system? it triggered a bomb alert. it was a false alarm, but could that package have been a warning? >> it could be, although italian police right now seem to be downplaying that possibility. they seem to be suggesting that there doesn't appear to be an immediate connection between the two, and if you look at the package that was discovered on board the train, not only was it missing a detonator, supposedly it was also missing explosives. so, you know, it could be, but as far as italian police think so far, they do appear to be unconnected. >> and speaking specifically about these bombs, they didn't seem terribly powerful. what then would the perpetrators be hoping to achieve? >> i think a political message.

look, i mean, there's a lot of anger right now at european governments due to the activities that they've been engaged in in terms of trying to fix the european economy in general, and, look, left extremist groups have a variety of different grievances against these governments. it could just be a political message, and that's probably why this bomb was not designed to kill or at least it wasn't designed to kill a large number of people. hopefully, that is the case and hopefully this is going to be it. but if you look at what happened in athens last month, there were 14 separate pack am that is were discovered either at embassies or in foreign countries. so far we've only discovered two or three, and the question i think investigators are going to be asking is are there another 11 somewhere out there we haven't found yet. >> evan coleman, thanks so much. >> we want to tell you we've reached out to officials at the department of homeland security this morning here at nbc news. they are keeping abreast of the situation in italy. they have been in touch with their italian counterparts and from what they're telling us, they don't see any threat to

u.s. citizens or targets like embassies here in the united states at this point. we'll keep you abreast of that. also here at home in southern california they're finally getting a break from seven straight days of rain that's left some neighborhoods looking more like war zones. nbc's miguel almaguer is live in highland about 60 miles to the east of los angeles. miguel, good morning to you. >> reporter: matt, good morning. christmas trees were up in this neighborhood, residents were getting ready for a holiday weekend. now, dozens of homes in this area look like this. this is a 12-foot high ceiling for a patio. a wall of mud surged right below it and broke into the home behind me. many say the family that lived here is lucky to be alive. a blanket of mud, a community buried in debris. joop i just never seen anything like this. >> reporter: in highland, california, the flash flooding began when a nearby river spilled into town. first, a stream of water, then a sea of mud.

brian ran. >> just came straight down the hill like a liquid hill. >> reporter: more than 30 homes were damaged, 100 people rescued. karen hernandez narrowly escaped with her own life. she used an emergency ladder just to get out of her own house. >> the whole backyard was flooded and by the time i knew it, i had a river in my living room. i got nothing left, nothing. >> reporter: after a week of wet weather, california was hit with a knockout punch wednesday. in orange county neighbors couldn't stop the hills from giving way. roads became rivers, rising water turned to solid mud. in laguna beach, 30 rescues. jeremy hess' home was swamped with four feet of water. his grandmother got out through a window. >> we went out through our upstairs neighbor and took shelter with them for a while. it was pretty scary. >> reporter: in los angeles a

half year's worth of rain in a single week. amtrak from l.a. to san diego was shut down. roads impassable. six counties remain under a state of emergency. qualcomm stadium in san diego is an island. 47 people at a nearby hotel were rescued when a creek burst its banks. all across the west raging rivers caused problems. in littlefield, arizona, this home teetered on the edge. the property already a total loss. in utah the st. george river swallowed equipment and destroyed a bridge. but back in highland, the water is gone, the damage is done. many here won't be coming home for christmas. the damage in this neighborhood alone will be in the tens of millions, and although the storm has passed, the water is still here and the cleanup will take months. amy? >> miguel almaguer, thank you. and earlier this morning we

spoke to karen hernandez, the woman who made that quick escape from her second-story window, and i began by asking her to describe what happened. >> well, i woke up at 4:30 thinking somebody was trying to break into my back door, so i ran downstairs to the patio door and flung it open and i just seen water coming as fast as it could and the kids ran downstairs with me. we tried to grab as much as we could, but it only took seconds before my living room was a roaring river. we were lucky to get out the way we did. >> and you got out with an emergency ladder you had set up for a fire. i have to ask, did you ever imagine having to use it, and especially under those conditions? >> no, we never did. we just kept it for purely emergency, but this was an emergency. we needed to get out, we needed to get out fast. >> and you can see by the pictures we're -- >> the water was rising fast. >> you lived in that house for 18 years. once the mud settled and you were able to get a look inside your house, can you tell us what it was like for you to see your

home and your belongings in that condition? >> i really -- it's devastating. we have nothing left. that's all we had, and now we don't even have flood insurance. so we've got nothing, nothing. >> and i know that money has been tight for your family this year, karen. you just had gotten all of your christmas presents under the christmas tree. how do you plan on trying to reclaim part of the holidays? what's your way forward at this point? >> we don't have anything. i don't have anything planned. we have nothing. we scraped up what we could for the kids. now, all that is gone. >> i know you checked with your insurance company. you said your insurance company will not cover you for this type of damage. do you have plans -- >> no.

we don't have any plans. right now we're just going to have to live from day to day. >> and i know certainly that you are so thankful you had that ladder there. you're entire family got out safely. i know you have to feel sod gratitude at least for your lives at this point given the unbelievable conditions you all had to suffer through to get out. >> yeah, we did. you know what? i have to be grateful that my kids are out alive and well. i thank god for that, and the whole neighborhood around us and my family, they were here with us within seconds, and i got to thank them for all that they did for us. >> well -- >> so i give thanks to everybody. >> karen hernandez, we certainly wish you the best in these really difficult days, and we are, too, so happy that you all were able to get out safely. we wish the best for you moving forward. karen hernandez, thanks. >> thank you. >> your heart breaks for karen and her family. >> and not that it would ever be good timing to go through

something like this, but especially just days before christmas. >> you have to be able though to grab some small, positive thing out of this. and her family is safe. that ladder, i mean -- >> imagine if that hadn't been there. how many of us have that in why our home. >> i may go out. you think about that now. again, our thoughts and prayers with karen and her family and all the people out there who are suffering. let's get a check of the morning's other top stories. carl is over at the news desk. carl, good morning. >> good morning. massive live fire artillery driltion are under way in south korea. in a show of force following the north's deadly attack on that country last month. it was one of the largest military exercises in that country's history. pyongyang says it's ready to use nuclear weapons to wage a, quote, holy war, against the south. a chicago fire department is mourning two of its own after a roof collapsed on a flaming building killing two in the line of duty and injuring 17 others. an election official is recommending that former white house chief of staff rahm emanuel be allowed to run for mayor of chicago.

opponents say emanuel does not meet a one-year residency requirement for candidates. the united nations is investigating the prison conditions of bradley manning, the army private charged with leaking thousands of secret cables to wikileaks. manning's supporters have equated his conditions with torture. the pentagon denied manning is being mistreated. it will be a silent night for christians in iraqs where congregations can canceled or muted christmas celebrations. in october a bloody siege killed 68 worshippers at a baghdad church. threats have continued against that country's dwindling christian minority. secret service agents in texas were rattled overnight when a local man lost control of his vehicle and careened onto former president george w. bush's lawn. the driver was briefly detained, but no one was injured. it's been 130 years but the name billy the kid may finally be cleared. new mexico governor bill richardson could pardon the

outlaw for killing a sheriff in 1878. documents suggest the gunslinger was promised amnesty for the crime in exchange for testimony in another case. it is now 7: it's atypical to see this type of weather during a la nina year. so the good news is we are going to get a break here in the southern california so they will be able to start with the recovery efforts. s ethun will be moving in for christmas day. a littleit of rain is going toe get in. we are not going to see that huge plume of moisture inundate us yet again. a piece of that system is now in

the four corners and that will continue to track eastbound as we head into our christmas eve and also into our christmas day and bring a chance of swtt first here to the smes on christmas eve and then on christmas day a better chance of seeing snow in the south than there is in the northeast. figure that one out. as we head into our sunday, that low is going to track up the coast and that's when we have a better chance for thank you, stephanie. i'm christina loren and the sun is back. we will stay dry for a couple of days. highs mostly ending up in the 50s and 60 degrees tomorrow and another storm on the way for your saturday into sunday. 58 degrees and nice and dry monday into tuesday and another round of rain as we head into the middle of next week. make is a great day. amy, over to you. >> all right, stephanie. thank you. president obama arrived in hawaii this morning to begin his

christmas vacation after leaving washington on a high note. nbc's white house correspondent savannah guthrie is here with those details. good morning. >> there are plenty of big fights ahead as republicans gain power in washington, but for now after suffering the agony of defeat in the midterms, the white house is savoring the thrill of victory. >> reporter: the president starts his 11-day vacation to hawaii leaving washington with a string of bipartisan victories he was anxious to highlight. >> a lot of folks in this town predicted that after the midterm elections washington would be headed for more partisanship and more gridlock, and instead this has been a season of progress for the american people. >> on measures for further reduction and limitation of strategic offensive arms -- >> reporter: on it's final day the senate passed the president's number one foreign policy objective, the new s.t.a.r.t. arms reduction treaty with russia. 13 republicans broke ranks to

support the agreement. >> this is a good day. i am just overwhelmed. this is a very good day. >> reporter: the president also signed into law the repeal of the ban on gays in the military. >> i say to all americans, gay or straight, who want nothing more than to defend this country in uniform, your country needs you, your country wants you, and we will be honored to welcome you into the ranks of the finest military the world has ever known. >> reporter: but later before reporters, the president acknowledged wrestling with his own position on gay marriage. >> my baseline is a strong civil union that provides them the protections and the legal rights that married couples have. but i recognize that from their perspective it is not enough. >> reporter: and coming down to the wire, republicans and democrats also reached a compromise to provide health benefits to 9/11 first responders who became ill from working at ground zero. >> this is a proud day.

a proud day for everyone who has been involved in this effort and for everyone who bears the title citizen of the usa. >> reporter: well, the president will spend the next 11 days in hawaii. we'll get briefings every day, but this is supposed to be r & r. aides are already at work on the state of the union speech for early next year. >> thanks very much. rachel maddow is the host of the rachel maddow show on msnbc. it's halftime. so the end of the first half of the president's -- we don't know if it's his first term or last term, but good couple of weeks. consider though what happened before those couple weeks, how would you rate the first two years? >> i think if you look at what the president wanted to accomplish legislatively, not the big i want to transform the nation, but legislatively what he wanted, i think he's about 85% of way through what he said he wanted to do. >> what were the big failures? >> stuff that he says he's still working on, immigration reform, energy reform, closing

guantanamo bay and getting rid of the bush tax cuts. >> we remember on the campaign and we saw him in just about every appearance he made during the campaign two years ago he said he wanted to get rid of those tax cuts for the wealthiest americans, and whatever you want to call the bill that was passed last week, the compromise or whatever, he failed to accomplish that. >> well, yeah, and the president -- what's interesting about it is the president never said he changed his mind about it. he said he would still love to have gotten rid of them, he just wasn't able to pull them off in his negotiations with republicans and that's why i think the base and a lot of his supporters were very worried after that deal. i talked about it with meredith here. the idea that the president wasn't changing his mind about what he wanted, but maybe he wasn't powerful enough to get what he wanted. then we have the lame duck session where it was just like the to-do list just got things checked off every single day. >> so we're talking about legislative accomplishments and failures. let's talk about a more difficult thing to get your arms around, this hope and change message that he ran on to quote a famous former alaska governor,

how is that hopey, changey stuff working out for you. how is the tone in washington different or how is it the same. >> one thing that was instructive is how they handled the don't ask, don't tell ceremony. they held it in an auditorium to accommodate all the people who wanted to be there to quite literally cheer the president while he did it and take some credit themselves for having been part of it. to see the president almost elated at that event smacking the desk and saying this is done, yes, we did, and to see them trying to bring in so many people into this, make it a real event, i think they're trying to reconnect his presidency to the narrative that made people want to elect him in the first place. >> to connect to the base and you think that issue may do it better than some other issues of the past. >> it's definitely an issue that will make the base happy, but you know what? 65 senate votes passed the repeal of don't ask, don't tell, and there were a ton of republican senators who voted for the s.t.a.r.t. treaty, for example. part of his message was that

there's not going to be bad guys here. a lot of people in the base, i would say myself included as a very straunch liberal, wanted him to take apart republicanism, take apart conservatism, go after him. he never wanted to pursue it that way. he said we have common ground and we can move the country forward without being divisive. the don't ask, don't tell fight, s.t.a.r.t. fight, some of the other things are the way he wants to move forward with republican support on common ground. >> and we will see what happens when the new year is upon us. happy holidays. >> thanks a lot. >> thanks for coming in this morning. by the way, the rachel maddow show airs week nights at 9:00 p.m. pacific time on msnbc. now, here is amy. matt, thanks. now to the new fall out over the latest accident during a performance of the broadway show "spiterman:turn off the dark." here is nbc's jeff rossen. >> reporter: the stars of "spider-m "spider-man" took to broadway wednesday night on the sidewalk signing autographs and taking pictures for disappointed fans. >> refunding tickets over here.

>> reporter: wednesday night's performance was abruptly canceled just hours before curtain up. >> we did ask for a refund because now i don't even know if the show is going to go on. >> four people now injured. it is a mess. >> reporter: at a performance this week, spidey's stuntman fell 30 feet and tumbled head first into the orchestra pit. his name is christopher tierney, at a hospital with broken ribs and internal bleeding. during rehearsals another actor broke his foot in a stunt. in october yet another actor broke his wrists. and in november an actress suffered a concussion when a cable hit her 234 in thehead. >> do you feel safe on the set? >> i do feel safe. >> it was an unfortunate event the other night, but safety precautions have gone up even more since then and i have always felt safe. >> reporter: patrick paige plays the green goblin. >> the injuries in our show are a terrible thing, and no one

wants to discount that at all, but injuries in a big show are something that happens. >> reporter: but some broadway actors want "spider-man" shut down down. the star of next to normal tweeted does someone have to die? spitionerman should be ashamed of itself. the star of rent took to facebook calling spider-man a steaming pile of actor crippling ex pla tiff. >> this is the biggest train wreck i have ever seen. there's another injury, this show is really finished i think. >> reporter: the department of labor has deskended on the foxwood theater checking for possible violations. wednesday inspectors and the producers worked together making changes to the show to improve safety. there's a lot at stake. spider-man: turn off the dark is the most expensive broadway show ever at $65 million with music from u2's bono. >> i think you will see tentative, scared actors doing stuff they don't feel is safe.

>> nbc's jeff rossen, we're back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc.

good morning. i'm marla tellez. while tonight's dry start for your thursday, we will go to christina loren. >> lock at this. the sun is back in full force. a little bit of patchy fog, but looking good. temperature macing out in the upper 50s. looking good through tomorrow. you won't need the umbrella, but come christmas day, a powerful storm clearing by late sunday. have a great day, bay area. ♪

♪ ♪ ♪

[ male announcer ] now everyone can explore the world from home. at&t is making high speed internet more affordable than ever at only $14.95 a month. one-year price guarantee. taking toxins off tap in the south bay, the epa is looking to tighten standards for chromium 6, a known carcinogen. san jose is named where cancer-causing chemicals have been found in tap water. they released a report after analyzing drinking water across the country. >> county park in south san jose

is off limits indefinitely. the parks department shut it down after a landfill company released a by product of methane gas into the creek at the northern end of the park. they don't know if it's harmful to humans or an medicals. a few trails are closed until further notice. we will be back with the next news and weather.

thank you, stephannie. we do have a thin deck of stratus clouds overhead, but we

will see the sunshine once again. temperatures in the upper 50s. 56 in santa cruz. 57 for redwood city and 56 in san francisco. as we head through the next couple of days, we will see changes. gusty winds friday night and storms into saturday. have a great day. amy, over to you. >> all right, stephanie. thank you. now, to the latest on those assault allegations made against lindsay lohan by a betty ford staffer. in a moment, we'll talk to her attorney. first, kristen welker has details. good morning. >> good morning to you. this has become a real case of t the -- she said she said blaming each other for going on the attack. >> dawn holland, tight-lipped as she left a palm springs doctor's office wednesday, her arm still

bandaged after she left after a scuffle with lindsay lohan. earlier, she was speaking out and told tmz that earlier, lohan, a patient at the center went out drinking and missed curfew and got out of control when holland confronted her. >> she grabbed my wrist and snatched it down and twisted my arm and hand. i went to the emergency room and found i had a severe sprain to my arm and hand. >> reporter: the betty ford center fired holland saying she violated patient confidentiality and the attorney general's office was contacted. now, her lawyer is firing back calling the termination unlawful. when a patient attacks a caregiver, the patient waives a large part of their privacy. officials at the clinic declined comment but observers say

holland's willingness to grant an interview right away raises questions about her credibility. >> i think it definitely makes dawn look bad. the whole thing is confidentiality. you can't talk about someone in rehab right now. that is a big no-no. regime team lohan is also lashing out, saying lohan feels she is the victim. she was out getting her hair done, completely sober and only missed curfew by a few minutes when she returned to an angry holland who pushed her. >> i did not touch the woman. i am not willing to risk my job over any patient. >> reporter: this is not the first time holland has been embroiled in accusations of assaulted. according to court documents, holland filed a restraining order against her husband last year saying he grabbed her and pushed her. but her husband makes the same claim, writing as she got out of bed, she hit me. for lohan, this latest incident could be a major setback. after three months of treatment, the 24-year-old was just two

weeks away from getting out of rehab and starting a new life. >> everybody said she's a changed person, and then, bam, this happens. huge allegations that she hit a starv staffer. it's a big deal for her. >> police are still investigating this case, no charges filed at this point in time. lohan's parents say they stand wearily behind her and still expect her to be released from the center january 3rd. a amy. >> thank you. keith davidson is miss holland's attorney. good morning. >> good morning. >> does your client regret speaking out to tmz now that this is played out so publicly. >> i think she does regret it. she was caught off guard by the attention this incident garnered and she regrets a large part of what happened and the publicity that's been generated. >> you released a statement on wednesday on behalf of your

client, dawn holland and said you were retained to investigate civil rights claims she has against the clinic surrounding her recent unlawful termination. what are those claims based on? >> based on a large part unlawful termination by the betty ford clinic. the suit is based -- the investigation is based, really, in the whistle-blower statute in california. this is really an attempt by betty ford to cover up the incident and prevent public disclosure of any sort of claim by either lindsay lohan or dawn holland. >> speaking of that, seau you state the clinic has made immoral and unethical requests of miss holland. what were those requests specifically? >> from the very outset of this incident, petty ford had really attacked my client, had ordered her not to speak to the police,

had ordered her, once she did speak to the police, to change her story. this is all in an effort to protect their own image in this very competitive rehabilitation marketplace. given your client's statement of what happened that night. does she plan to sue lindsay lohan? >> absolutely not. she applauds miss lohan in her rehabilitation. it's not a perfect science and oftentimes it gets a bit ugh any. >> she doesn't hover any ill wills towards lindsay lohan given some of the rock lohan reportedly made about your client? >> no. i'm not so sure they were comments made by miss lohan. i've spoken to members of miss lohan's family and her father, michael. i can assure you this is an incident in the context of rehabilitation, is not uncommon.

there's sometimes confrontational verbal, oftentimes physical. if this happened on the street corner, this would not gain any attention, there would be no charges filed. to a certain extent, there's almost an assumption of risk in these types of settings by patients and caregivers. my client, dawn holland applauds miss lohan and congratulates her efforts. she's seen firsthand what miss lohan has gone through. she herself is a recovering addict and she wants nothing more than miss lohan to get better, get well and heal herself. >> keith davidson, thanks so much. >> thank you. coming up next, does it promote creativity or chaos? the school with no teachers and no tests, right after this. [ male announcer ] it's here. the all-new chevy cruze. msn autos called it "the class of its class right now." but that's not the only story.

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school, this comes to mind, desks where kids sit, teacher up front, maybe holding up a flashcard like this. what if you took all this away, got rid of the zerks adesks and boards and teachers, would it still be a place of learning? you decide. it's the school you may have wanted when you were a kid. no teachers, no curriculum, no homework. in south florida, the sunset school is in session. kids show up when they like, go home when they like. and the parents say, it's exactly what they want. >> what i feel like i'm doing by putting him here, he's becoming an individual. >> you're booking tradition. >> yeah. look at me. >> she has two daughters, heather and rio.

>> when people say, it feels like something from the '60s, which it is and kind of a hippie dippy sort of thing. no disrespect, you're sitting here with the purple hair and everything's. do the puzzle pieces fit there? >> yeah. for sure. >> reporter: before you jump to conclusion -- >> what sold you on this? >> i had children, i had my daughter. >> reporter: consider who some of the parents are. >> i'm an engineer and graduated from mit. >> reporter: you worked at? >> ford and microsoft and boeing. >> reporter: all places where she says she saw high-tech jobs farmed out to places like india. >> i love it, yes, you do, you love butterflies. >> reporter: tomorrow's winners in then business world she believes is creative. >> you believe this is fostering that free spirit? >> definitely. definitely. i see it every day. >> these are copcorn? >> what? >> copcorn. >> do they smell?

>> yep. smell like popcorn. >> popcorn. >> reporter: the philosophy, kids learn by discovery. >> what star was in the opera house? >> reporter: i have no idea. >> the wizard of oz. >> reporter: as we saw, that curiosity includes reading. at times, it's also chaos. what do you make of what they're doing? >> it seems to me like this is a bit of home schooling mixed with a little anarchy. >> reporter: education expert, hillary fears what could happen if they're never tested. >> if they're never judge and we don't know how they're doing, how do we measure their potential? >> reporter: there are two dozens of these schools and it's been around two decades and there are graduates. >> reporter: we found 22-year-old grace miller juggling college studies and her

own cleaning business. >> when i went into an untraditional experience, i figure out what i wanted to do, who i wanted to be and how to achieve that. >> reporter: school rules are set by democratic rule. >> i propose we don't pee in the garden. >> reporter: in this case, they voted to sentence the offender, 4-year-old, julian to cleanup and then all the others pitched in anyway. >> it's what will happen over time that will tell the story. >> reporter: for these kids' parents who know there are no do overs, this is an education for love. there are no tests, no grades, and after 12 years, no high school develops, the kids can get a go ahead if they take that test and s.a.t. and go to college, as you saw a student. interestingly, they do stick to that democratic model. they voted to let us come do this story. >> clearly, you won, kerry.

thank you very much. we appreciate it. still ahead, a special holiday surprise for more than 100 military moms to be. first, these messages. seven years ago, i had this idea. to make baby food the way moms would. happybaby strives to make the best organic baby food. in a business like ours, personal connections are so important. we use our american express open gold card to further those connections. last year we took dozens of trips using membership rewards points to meet with the farmers that grow our sweet potatoes and merchants that sell our product. we've gone from being in 5 stores to 7,500. booming is using points to make connections that grow your business.

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8:00 now on a thursday morning, the 23rd day of december, 2010. 32 degrees, right at the freezing level, here in mid-town manhattan, the tree shining brightly, lots of people in our plaza getting into the holiday spirit. warmer than the past few days, we're thankful for that and i'm sure they are. i am joined by amy robach filling in while meredith takes a little time off. good to have you here. >> thank you. always nice to be here. >> it has been a busy year, when you stop and look at the stories we have covered here. coming up in a few minutes,

we'll look back at the major news stories, political headlines, natural disasters, some of the people that touched our lives this year, everything from celebrities to olympics. and the devastating earthquake in haiti. we will look back at the year 2010 in just a couple minutes. >> also ahead, a baby bonanza at fort drum at this hour, more than 100 women expecting and unfortunately many of their husbands are stationed overseas. we have a big surprise for all of them coming up. and speaking of children, we will take a look at some last minute holiday gifts for the children on your list, coming in at under $10. which is important. before we go further, let's go inside. carl quintilla has headlines as he fills in for ann. >> good morning. president obama is now in hawaii for his christmas vacation after congress gave him early political presents. wednesday, the lame duck senate ratified a nuclear arms treaty the president signed with russia

in april and congress passed a scaled back health care bill for ground zero workers and the president signed a bill repealing the "don't ask, don't tell" policy for gay services members. a massive cleanup under way in california. in highland park mudslides and flooding damaged third homes and am track services suspended an the director of san diego's equal come stadium says the submerged field will be ready for tonight's bowl game between san diego. and giving a victory to incumbent republican senator, lisa macao ski, refusing to overturn the results. chapman led a double life in the u.s. before a cold war style spy swap has turned political activist, speaking wednesday at a rally for prime minister vladimir putin's party.

putin himself is a former kgb spy. a new study finds obesity raises a driver's risk of dying in a car crash by as much as 56%. and eating local has been taken to a whole new extreme in china. subway stations there now have refrigerated vending machines that sell live hairy crabs, a local delicacy. i think i'll stick with the snickers, if you don't mind. it's now 8:03. to stephanie with the weather. are you going to have a wh >> good morning to you. bay area. not a white christmas, but definitely a wet christmas. that's what we're counting on. but as you can see, a nice, beautiful sunrise over the city by the bay. and this morning, temperaturewise, we're looking pretty good.

mostly upper 40s. around the bay in the upper 50s. 58 degrees today for san jose. 56 down in gilroy. there's that storm as of christmas day. clearing by late sunday. have a great thursday. >> amy, over to you. >> stephanie, thank you. coming up, people who made headlines in 2010. right after this. ♪

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♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] some people just know how to build things well. give you and your loved ones an expertly engineered mercedes-benz... ho ho ho! [ male announcer ] ...at the winter event going on now. and stay connected with three years of mbrace service complimentary. we are back now at 8:08 as "today" looks back at 2010 from the devastation in haiti to victory in vancouver and the push and pull of politics, one heck of a year. >> yes. a look back at the news and news makers in 2010, as we reported

to you here on "today." >> where do you stand on that? >> november 2nd is coming! >> how do you know what you put out there? >> a look of champions. >> right now. >> will not be foresaken. >> when that last miner was ed pull out -- >> good morning. destruction and despair, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake leads to devastation in a haiti. >> haiti is crying out for help and it can't come soon enough. >> reporter: not since a tsunami has there been a humanitarian crisis that needed the world's help, and this one in haiti. >> to the people of haiti, you will not be foresaken, you will not be forgotten. >> buildings on both sides have collapsed. >> i need help, i need help.

>> there's not enough doctors to care for all the injured so parents are stepping in and taking care of their own children. nearly half of haiti's population are children, and they are really bearing the weight of the suffering here. >> patients continue to pour into clinics like this all over port-au-prince. >> done. done. >> you okay? >> no, i'm not. it's terrible. >> reporter: with an estimated 1.3 million people still living intent camps across the country, time is running out. >> what he said was george bush doesn't care about black people. >> saying he's a racist. >> i resent it, it's not true and one of the most disgusting moments of my presidency. >> what would you say to him if

he would meet with you face to face. if he would? >> i don't need you guys to show the tape and pop my emotions. i don't need all the jazz. >> we'll get out in back. i'll do something else. >> all of a sudden, you're dumping him on me? so much a man can take. >> are you so glad to be removed from hit? >> it's nice to be out of the pressure cooker. >> can you guarantee in the wake of this withdrawal we will not see an explosion of sectarian violence? >> i can't guarantee anything but i'm willing to bet everything. >> this version of health care did not receive one republican vote. >> the republican party made a calculated decision that they would not support whatever we did. >> the job has aged him a little. you look at his hair. he gets grayer. there's a little more wear and tear on his face. he still looks good, mind you. >> he's cute. >> i'm not bad mouthing your

husband. >> you are now a convicted felon. do you take any responsibilities with what's become of you. >> we will appeal that. >> why don't you think it's -- >> this project has created tremendous pain to people who paid the ultimate sacrifice. >> did you know you were near the border? >> we had no idea, no indication. >> how do you let go of the anger? >> it's unhealthy. >> you are forever now hitched to this? >> i am. >> why this place? why this issue? >> an awful lot of people that are in danger. what will you say to the next generation, that you stoodpu by and did nothing? >> reporter: tent between's less than stellar economic outlook, new evidence of that on wall street. >> executives from wall street and goldman sachs blasted. >> you have less insight than a

pit boss in las vegas. >> the president is expected to sign a sweeping set of financial reforms into law. >> why hasn't it resulted in jobs to this point? >> jobs jobs jobs. >> did your company drag its feet? >> no. i don't believe we did. >> the new orleans saints are super bowl champions. >> now, the debate raging over those plans to build a mosque near ground zero. >> they're going to burn those korans on saturday. >> an angry obama meets one-on-one in the office with stanley mcchrystal. >> i welcome debate among my teams but won't tolerate division. >> do you think you deserve a phone call from president obama? >> i think i do. >> ash clouds from iceland forced airports to shut down. >> it shows no sign of abating at this point. >> a suspect arrested overnight in the attempted attack on time

square. >> terrorism in europe is not history. >> they were trying to blow up planes. the bombs were fully operational and nearly impossible to detect in cargo screening. the controversial new guidelines could make the wait at airports even longer. >> has this us m put us at risk? >> do you plan to accelerate your plans to release further documents? >> elizabeth edwards passed away peacefully in her home. >> i don't know what the ultimate plan is but i do think when bad things happen you have the strength to face them. >> i want to be the last to say, mom, i really really love you more.

let the games begin. >> this is for the gold. can he do it? he's got another gold medal! >> lindsey vonn reveals to us she has an injury. >> are you 50% right now? are you less? what would you say? >> i couldn't tell you. i fought through injuries before. it will be really hard. >> lindsey vonn is the gold medalist. >> apollo now trying to get to the podium. >> apolo anton ohno has just set history. >> i guess that label is amazing feeling. >> the skate of his life! >> the first american man to win olympic gold in 32 years. has it sunk in, olympic

champion? >> it hasn't. what i'm really excited about is my performance and hopefully do my job and have my best skate in the most important moment of my life. >> i am deeply sorry for my irresponsible and selfish behavior. >> yet another tape reportedly of oscar winner, mel gibson. >> how dare you! >> lindsay lohan is heading to jail. >> you can't blame it all on the tabloids. she's made wrong choices. >> she's still paying the price. >> she allegedly went into a drunken rage and trashed his hotel room. >> my son is a -- you can do anything you want in life. >> now, they got it. >> vander sloop now wanted for

the murder of another woman. >> the largest exchange of spy suspects between the u.s. and russia since the end of the cold war. the social event of the summer. >> matt's been giggling non-stop since the announcement of this engagement. >> we're excited. breaking news. emergency crews search for 11 workers missing after a powerful explosion and oil rig off the coast of louisiana. >> officials cannot engage what's called a blowout preventer in the next day or so, it could be months. >> leah knocks on my bathroom door, says, did you plug the hole yet, daddy. washing the oil along the score of the louisiana coast. >> the oil is everywhere. >> this is an example of some of

the damage taken place as the oil rolls in. >> please help us. we need it now more than ever. >> we will make bp pay for the damage their negligence has cost. >> this is the time to spend more time in the gulf. never thought i would say this to a president, but kick some butt. >> they potentially had the best answers so i know whose ass to kick. >> static hill. >> bottom kill. >> federal officials have now declared the bp well in new mexico effectively dead. >> 33 workers in chile, trapped for 17 days, 2000 feet down, then all of a sudden, look at this. >> an incredible new video from inside the mine in chile. >> there were notes attached to it. we are all fine in shelter. three powerful drills and crews working 24-7 to build a

rescue hole to the miners. >> this is day 60. >> they will reinforce the shaft down to where the miners are. >> a scene being played out in chile as one by one, the 33 trapped miners are brought to the surface. >> last man out. >> their 70 day underground ordeal finally over. >> i think for my part, i survived, thanks to god. he was always with us. always said, they felt god was watching over them. the was the 34th. a lot is riding on the special election being held today in massachusetts. >> the independent voice in massachusetts has spoken! >> what's next for the president and the democratic party? >> state of the union, state of

the presidency. >> right now, i know there are many americans who aren't sure if they still believe we can change. >> what risk do the republicans run by being the party of no? >> may may very well reap the political benefit. >> the white house is saying democrats may have to go it alone on health care reform. >> speaker of the house, nanty pelosi, knows how to deliver the votes. >> the bill is passed. >> hell no, you can't! >> our next supreme court justice, elena kagan. >> the last american combat troops officially lead iraq. >> the last ever. >> we are the tea party. >> how's that hopey-changey stuff working out for you? >> palin's power. >> i'm not a witch. >> you gave them eight years to dig the hole, give us four years

to get out. >> i'm exhausted of defending you. >> good morning. decision day 2010. >> we've come to take our government back! >> the bell that just rang isn't the end of the fight, the start of the next round. >> we hope president obama will now respect the will of the people, change course. >> i'm not recommending for every future president that they take a shellacking like i did last night. >> the key win on "don't ask, don't tell". >> an early christmas president on millions of americans who will not see a big tax increase. >> there'll be times we won't agree. we have to work through those times together. that's the major accomplishment. >> sometimes you forget all the things you talked about in 12 months. >> it's hard to believe all that happened in a year's time. >> all the drama with every news story, more intense than i can

remember in recent years. >> we want to thank kyle and david, katie buckley and the entire graphices team for putting that piece together. you did a great job. we appreciate it. you did a great job. we appreciate it. we're back right after this. [scraping] [piano keys banging] [scraping] [horns honking] with deposits in your engine, it can feel like something's holding your car back. let me guess, 16. [laughing] yeeah. that's why there's castrol gtx... with our most powerful deposit fighting ingredient ever. castrol gtx exceeds the toughest new industry standard. don't let deposits hold your car back. get castrol gtx. it's more than just oil. it's liquid engineering.

get great savings on all the fixings at walmart. we'll match any store's price on groceries right at the register. and we take coupons too. add that to our everyday low prices, and you can make it a tasty holiday for everyone at walmart. and you can make it a tasty holiday for everyone [children screaming] [growl] i met my husband here. i got to know my grandkids here. we've discovered so much here together. but my doctor told me that during that time my high cholesterol was contributing to plaque buildup in my arteries. that's why i'm fighting my cholesterol... with crestor. along with diet, crestor does more than help manage cholesterol, when diet and exercise alone aren't enough. crestor is also proven to slow plaque buildup in arteries. crestor is not right for everyone, like people with liver disease, or women who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant. simple blood tests will check for liver problems. tell your doctor

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at toyotathon. hurry in today. just ahead, a special holiday surprise for deserving military moms to be. >> good morning. it's 8:6. good day to get out and do some last-minute christmas shopping. for a check on the forecast here's christina loren. >> especially because the roadways are mostly empty right now. a lot of people have the day 06 today. if you don't, we're right there with you. good morning, bay area. temperatures mostly in the upper 60s. we do have changes on the way tomorrow night. christmas eve, windy conditions pick up and then rain and wind, all the way throughout your christmas saturday. sunday, some showers hang around, another break monday into tuesday. more rain wednesday.

this morning, two people are dead, four others are injured, and a manhunt is under way for the gunman. police say neighbors called 911 around 7:15 last night after hearing shots fired near lyndon avenue and 8th lane in south san francisco. police came out and found three people on the ground, two of them were already dead. another victim is in critical condition. we spoke with one woman who says her 15-year-old brother was shot in the leg.

>> my brother -- so, he's right now not talking. >> witnesses say they saw a 2000 to 2002 brown chevy impala with tinted windows drive away from the area after the shootings. more local news and weather coming up in about 30 minutes. that's at 8:56. the "today" show returns in less than a minute. have a great day.

we are back, 8:30 on a thursday morning. 23rd day of december. this is a very happening place now. you're looking live at the north pole, kind of. and santa and the elves getting ready for the big night tomorrow night. a lot of people in the plaza hoping they're on santa's list. i'm matt lauer joined by a couple of people, one who's been

naughty and one who's been nice. >> it's not working but it's okay. i'm matt lauer along with amy robach while meredith is off today and carl quintilla joins us as well, ann is on vacation, al is on vacation and meredith. i feel like the odd man out. coming up, saluting of military moms. >> we will head to fort drum in new york and meet the women doing the heavy lifting during their husband's deployment. we have a big surprise in store for all these moms. >> do you have resolutions for hitting the gym in the new year? we will talk about the hidden dangers about the local health club you might need to know about. also ahead, i love this show, "the singoff."

we have the winners of this year's "singoff" in our suedio, called "committed" a gospel group from alabama here for a very special performance coming up. ♪ stephanie abrams is filling in for al. are you excited about your white christmas? >> very excited. >> what will you do different? >> lobster instead of turkey. >> you trade in the steak for the lobster. we'll see a white christmas, our predicted white christmas all the way down to the south potentially, even the atl. here's our forecast, before we get to christmas, christmas eve, right? we will see sunshine anywhere from the >> thank you, stephanie. i'm meteorologist christina loren. take a look at the beautiful drive this morning over the golden gate. nice, mostly clear skies, shaping up for the second half of your day. the sun will return, but it

won't be back for long. we've got another round of storms to deal with, as we head into your christmas holiday. temperaturewise today, mostly in the upper 50s. another round of storms as of saturday into sunday. have a great thursday, bay area. you might not have a white christmas in florida but a beachy forecast. that's not a bad trade-off, amy. thanks so much. coming up next, a big pur surprise with expectant military moms. first, "today" on nbc.

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