this morning on "early today" -- all about iowa. republican presidential candidates make the most of the final seven days before iowa caucuses. rich representatives. new figures show the growing pay divide between members of the house and the average american. and unbearably cute. denmark's darling polar bear cub opens his eyes for they first time. captions paid for by nbc-universal television senator hello and a very good morning to you. welcome to viewers across the

nation, including the pacific time zone. i'm veronica de la cruz. today we begin with one week to go. from bus tour to fresh tv ads, republican hopefuls are pulling out all the stops in iowa as they make their final campaign push. ahead of that state caucuses one week from today. nbc's brian mooar has the details. >> reporter: good morning. it's been a rough primary season, but the republicans are about to face their first official test. one week before the iowa caucuses, ron paul is leading the gop presidential pack. . but it's still anyone's race. >> usually the iowa caucuses aren't completely defined until very close to the end. >> reporter: while rick santorum is hunting for votes -- >> you're not electing someone to cast votes. you're electing a leader. >> reporter: michele bachmann is getting ready to hit all of iowa's 99 counties. rick perry released a new attack ad. but it's aimed at washington. >> let them get a job like everybody else back home. thank you so much. >> reporter: mitt romney is

still trying to convince iowans he's conservative enough. >> i'm going to do something to government. i'm going to make it simpler and smaller and smarter. >> reporter: newt gingrich failed to make virginia's primary ballot, and days before iowa, that's a setback he can't afford. >> we're disappointed but it was our fault. >> the virginia primary is now a side show. i can't imagine anybody paying much attention to it. >> reporter: but right now all eyes are on iowa, where anything can happen. republicans may be uneasy with ron paul, but right now in iowa he's got the organization to beat. >> brian mooar in washington, brian, thanks. the white house confirmed monday it's considering a request from yemen's president to travel to new york city for medical reasons. ali abdullah saleh is seeking treatment for injuries he suffered in a near-fatal june bomb blast in his presidential complex. the issue is a hot potato for the administration because many in yemen who hoped to see ali prosecuted for the deaths of hundreds of anti-government protests fear he'll seek asylum

here. a month ago saleh agreed to a new election. if permission is granted, the white house is expected to stress it will only be for medical treatment. as iraq struggles for stability without a president, there are new calls within maliki's own shiite government for a shakeup. the political radical cleric muqtada al sadr wants the current parliament to be dissolved and new elections held, but maliki may not want to start over. iraq is dealing with a new wave of violence, believed to be the work of sunni insurgents with ties to al qaeda. voters feeling a disconnect with washington may have more proof of a divide. a new analysis by "the washington post" shows that between 1984 and 2009 the median net worth of a member of the house of representatives, when adjusted for inflation more than doubled to an average of $725,000. during the same period, the

wealth of the average american family has dipped slightly to just over $20,000. california republican congressman darrell issa leads the pack with a net worth of nearly $450 million. here's a look at other stories making news "early today" in america. a north carolina employee used his left hook to bring an abrupt end to a would-be thief's attempted robbery. he saw the robber flash a gun in his waistband moments before he clocked him in the face. he laid on the floor bleeding until police arrived to arrest him. a five point buck gave one utah family a christmas story to tell for years to come. it was christmas eve when the animal fell into a window well and then broke through the bedroom window. unfortunately, animal control officers had to put the deer down to remove it. and finally, while much of the nation was recuperating from holiday shopping hangover and family gatherings, the crew

worked on floats for the tournament of roses parade. with less than a week until the event, they snipped flowers, gluing decorations and painting. the 132rd tournament of roses parade can be seen right here on nbc january 1st. now on for a look at your national and regional weather, bill karins with the weather channel forecast. i love look being at the floats. >> the parade is great. i am still on my christmas hangover. >> need more eggnog? >> all of the stress and gifts and everything else. everything was a day of like putting toys together. today i plan on doing that. >> you remembered the batteries, right? >> yes. a big storm to talk about the eastern portion of the u.s. travel trouble spot today. boa lot of heavy rain and gusty winds in the southeast. anyone traveling across country to atlanta or florida has to deal with the storm system. tonight, all through areas of

new england. in the west this is where our next storm system moved through yesterday. another one coming in today. three or four frontal systems that will come into the pacific northwest between now and saturday. each one will have a shot and rain and wind. snow levels high. mild pacific storm systems, and the high prasses, most will be rain events, not much snow. we would really like to build up the snow pack from the cascades to the sierras. as of right now, not looking like we'll see any in the near future. a snakey little front hanging over the pacific northwest. right now, light rain blowing on shore. you can see the general direction of the rain west to east. a mild flow of air, not seeing a lot of snow. only highest of elevations on top of the mountains. forecast will go, temperatures stay mild. coldest air, definitely locked up over the rockies, snow pack is in place. this afternoon should be okay in

southern california. maybe more than okay. you notice, this forecast pattern we're in now will go from tuesday at least until friday with a lot of clouds. on and off periods of wet weather. this is soggy weather we haven't had at all this december. ats in washington state. especially minor flood concerns by the weekend. >> vernon cashi one of the places that needs rain is san francisco. >> you're kidding? >> no. they actually need rain. the goal for the week on wall street, shopper goes wild on mega monday, and a girl spends tens of thousands of dollars on a bust.

a new lawsuit against lady gaga makes her sound like not the greatest person to work for. another tough outing for the defending champions. wild my in the independence bowl and drewrees makes nfl history. you're watching "early today."

very good morning to you. welcome back to "early today." i'm veronica de la cruz. here are some of your top headlines this morning. one week after the death of north korea's leader, his son and successor, kim jong-un, is sharpening his diplomatic skills. he welcomed a delegation yesterday. kim jong-un paid his respects to his father once again before the funeral tomorrow. christmas shopping takes a turn for the worse when an 18-year-old man was stabbed to death in oxford, england.

amateur video shows police struggling to allow emergency vehicles through. prince philip left the hospital after spending four days in the hospital for a blocked coronary artery. prince philip will return to the queen's private rural estate to join her and other rural family members. police in california say 19-year-old ruben ray jorado turned himself in for a shooting that left 22-year-old christopher sullivan, a purple heart recipient, paralyzed. an argument over football teams apparently led to the incident at sullivan's homecoming party last week. finally, we just can't get enough of these cute little pictures from denmark's month-old polar bear cub who's become a worldwide sensation. he just opened his eyes for the very first time. later this morning, you can see him live on the "today" show. something you probably don't want to miss. and now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the markets were closed yesterday, but the dow will open at 12,294, after closing last

friday up 124 points. s&p gained 11 points. the nasdaq was up 19. taking a look at overseas trading this morning in tokyo, the nikkei lost 38 points, but in hong kong the hang seng jumped 250. this week should be relatively quiet for investors with one hurdle before year's end. wall street enters the last few days facing light volume and one real question, can the nasdaq join the dow and s&p 500 to end 2011 in positive territory? the nasdaq is currently down 1.3% for the year. elsewhere there is optimism that yesterday dubbed mega monday by retailers with high hopes that americans off work would head to the stores will prove to be the third biggest shopping day of the holiday season. spurred on by bargain hunters and gift card redeemers, some even predicted yesterday retailers would outsell black friday, the day after thanksgiving, when americans spent over $27 billion. watch for fallout from a justice department opinion made

public friday that clears the way for states to legalize internet poker and virtually all other forms of gambling, except those on sporting contests. the move will reap billions in tax revenue. berkshire hathaway completed buying company chairman warren buffett's hometown paper "the omaha herald," for $150 million. and the assumption of $50 million in debt. in asia, chinese officials announced the industrial output is expected to ease next year to 11% growth. the yuan hit an all-time high against the dollar on monday. christmas game early for one very relieved boston music student who found the $175,000 violin she was loaned after she forgot it in ap. overhead compartment on a bus she rode to philadelphia on last week. a bowl game play, kardashian ex comes up big. and a last-second string by the hornets. plus breesing to an easy victory against atlanta, drew

brees breaks a big record. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. today will be the worst travel day of this holiday week. we're watching heavy rain for the eastern seaboard. you're watching "early today."

very good morning to you. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." in sports last night the new

orleans saints made it clear they're ready for the playoffs and their quarterback earned a slice of immortality. here's mario solis with your headlines. >> good morning. drew brees sets the record in dramatic fashion. needing 306 yards to brach the record, he starts chipping away at the first half. fourth quarter, under three minutes left, brees needs eight more yards and gets nine and drew brees breaks the single season passing record that stood for 27 years. saints with a 46-16 is win. north carolina and ms.ous in the independence bowl. the double pass, airs it out to west temp. and missouri firing on all

cylinders. and dwight jones makes the catch. hit, the ball fumbles and into the hands of xaifier gooden. they win big 41-24 for missouri. nba tough couple days for the champs after being blown out by the heat christmas day. the nuggets and mavericks, at one point denver scores 20 unanswered points in the second quarter. dallas never recovered. nuggets win. after an offseason that included a reality show, short marriage to kim kardashian and a divorce, kris humphries back to what he does best. double-double against washington. nets beat the wiz, 90-84. no chris paul? no problem for the hornets. final seconds, the big shot for the lead and gordon came from the clippers in the paul trade. big day for new orleans. drew brees sets the record and the new-look hornets win their opener 85-84. that's your look at sports on "early today."

i'm mario solis. who's getting married? who had a baby? who is fighting over a dog? your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, this is where all dads would like to greet their newborns for the first time, if they're lucky. you're watching "early today."

welcome back to "early today" as we go throughout the week, a lot of wet weather. three or four separate storms

move into the pacific northwest. none of them by themselves is blockbuster, big, huge storm. but the cumulative affect, rivers will rise by the weekend. today's forecast from medford, northward. on and off rain. especially in coastal areas. vegas, phoenix, tucson, everyone looking nice. and a peek at wednesday, more of the same. one storm after another. not many dry days until the weekend. partly cloudy and cooler in areas of california tomorrow. if you are watching us on kdw, news channel 8 in portland, oregon, see the role windows, doorways and mirrors have played in photography. through the looking glass at portland art museum. pacific event of the day. >> looks like a good one. huge photography fan. >> interesting. you have to teach me. >> okay. that's a deal. now here's an early look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. matthew mcconaughey asked his girlfriend camila alves to marry

him. the fact they have two kids already probably mean she said yes. so cute! okay, lady gaga is being sued by a former assistants saying she owes her thousands in back pay. overworked and underpaid, she says life with gaga wasn't pretty including dealing with "spontaneous random matters" in the middle of the night. robert de niro is a father again. the 60-year-old actor and his wife who is 56, had a baby girl through a surrogate mother. con gat lagss to them. and currently "girl with a dragon tattoo" star daniel craig says he looks for variety in other film roles. he says, quote, i love playing bond. it's fantastic. finally "people" magazine reporting hugh hefner and crystal harris are in a custody battle over their spaniel charlie. hefner thinks if she keeps the

ring and the bentley, he should at least get to keep charlie. i bet he's also keeping the mansion. who gets charlie? >> the dog? that's a big fight. >> it is. this to us from wcsh in portland, maine, one couple use aid brand new car to make a special delivery on christmas day. jolene and her husband were headed to the hospital when their fourth child decided to make her surprise entrance. her husband pleaded with her to wait, but she got herself calmed down, got him calmed down, they pulled off the delivery together. it was do it yourself, christmas and sure it will be their last delivery. i'm veronica de la cruz, "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

for years now germans have had an immediate way to rid themselves of christmas overindulgence. dressed in festive christmas attire and led by santa claus himself, 300 turned out for berlin's annual run, helping folks shed extra pound. deroif in china, one unannounced house guest charmed the locals. a red panda snuck up on one unexpecting family while they ate dinner and decided to come in and stay a while. native to southwest china, the species is considered endangered. kept warm and fed by the family during its stay, eventually the critter was released back into the wild by local officials.

one of colombia's poorest neighborhoods struck it rich. a 1,250-foot escalator has been built for people living on a steep hill. they built a network of steps to the top that was equivalent to climbing a 28-story building. now the moving stairway shortens what was a 35-minute hike to just six minutes. that's it. >> looks nice. convenient. >> i know, right? >> i don't know how -- they would have to build a dome to keep the weather over it. >> otherwise not a bad deal. >> yeah. i could use one of those. i bet everyone in san francisco would like one of those. time for an early look at stories we'll follow throughout the day on nbc. after nine months of bloodshed in syria, the arab league is sending a team of 60 monitors into the country. critics fear the monitors won't be allowed to see what's really happening. new york city times square new year's eve ball will get a facelift. nearly 300 new weather resistant

waterford crystal triangles will be installed, in this year's design called "let there be friendship." and speaking of friends, shout out to our neighbors here at 30 rock. happy birthday to radio city music hall which opened 79 years ago today back in 1932. happy birthday. all day long you can stay on top of the very latest developments in those stories and others as they break on msnbc. tonight be sure to watch brian williams with "nbc nightly news." finally, here's a look at what's coming up this morning on the "today" show. former "survivor" producer facing murder charges for the death of his wife, the victim's sister speaks out live in the studio. you'll get to meet that 1-month-old polar bear who opened his eyes for the very first time, something you definitely don't want to miss. keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports and much more. i'm veronica de la cruz. thank you for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. have a terrific tuesday. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com