good morning to you. i'm richard lui. for the first time lance armstrong may be waking up with a clean conscience this morning after repeated denial in the face of accusations he was part of the history of doping schemes in sports. the seven-time tour de france champion has reportedly committed to using performance-enhancing drugs. nbc's kurt gregory has more. >> reporter: according to the associated press, seven-time tour de france winner lance armstrong has admitted to using performance enhancing drugs during his famed cycling career. armstrong reportedly made the admission with a taped interview with oprah winfrey in his hometown of austin, texas. following the interview opera tweeted, just wrapped with lance armstrong. he came ready. last year he was stripped of his seven tour titles and banned for life following a report from the u.s. anti-doping agency, a report that labeled armstrong as

the mastermind of a, quote, systematic, sustained and highly professionalized team-run doping conspiracy. nbc news has learned that in a conversation the 41-year-old armstrong said, quote, it was just the way the game was played at the time, so it was a level playing field. before he interviewed with oprah, armstrong visited the headquarters of the cancer foundation he founded. there he told the livestrong staff, quote, i'm sorry, and apologized for letting them down. but did not give them a full admission. >> people at livestrong have been pressuring him for a little while now to minimize this damage. >> reporter: damage years of lying and cheating has done to an organization and to the legacy of a sports icon. kurt gregory, nbc news. so what about the potential legal and financial fallout ahead for the athlete worth an estimated $100 million? "the new york times" is reporting armstrong is in talks with the justice department to possibly testify in a federal

whistle-blower case against several powerful cycling insiders who allegedly knew about his doping and possibly facilitated it. part of that deal would include paying back several million dollars to his long-time sponsor, the u.s. postal service, and just this morning, by the way, the southern australian government says it wants armstrong to pay back several million dollars in appearance fees there. turning to the gun control, one month to the day of the shooting in newtown, connecticut, new york's state controlled senate pushed to move quickly by democratic governor andrew kuomo voted to expand the state's ban on assault weapons. the assembly votes later today. this week president obama is expected to make an announcement about a comprehensive plan to reduce gun violence including a push for major legislation to include background checks. at a news conference on monday, mr. obama promised to act alone

if necessary. >> but i'm confident there's some steps that we can take that don't require legislation and that are within my authority as president. >> the president could use executive powers on 19 separate actions to bypass congress. in newtown, connecticut, monday grieving family members of 11 victims of the sandy hook elementary school shooting announced plans for an a anti-violence campaign. the nonprofit group, sandy hook promise, will focus on mental health, school safety and gun responsibility. >> the middle ground and the answers, i actually think will come from gun owners themselves. those are the people that understand where the limits are, what's reasonable, what's responsible and what isn't. >> the national rifle association says they're doing their part to, quote, instill safe and responsible sponsorship. sunday the nra released a target shooting app on itunes,

including one for those as young as preschoolers. nra practice range includes a shooting practice feature, safety tips and state by state gun laws designed for enthusiasts age 4 and up. the aid bill to help victims of superstorm sandy could be voted on today in the house. the emergency spending package would send almost $51 million to victims in new york, new jersey and connecticut, but it faces a tough fight from conservatives who want to lower the cost and require offsetting spending cuts to pay for the efforts. lawmakers from the northeast from both parties are pushing the bill to help the recovery from the worst storm to strike the region. in just over a week, secretary of state hillary clinton will testify on the 9/11 attack in benghazi, libya. clinton will talk to a house committee on january 23rd. earlier plans for her to testify were canceled when clinton got sick, suffered a concussion and was hospitalized for treatment of a blood clot in her head. the attack on the american compound in benghazi claimed the

stevens, sean smith, tyronn woods and glenn dougherty. now for a look at the weather, here's nbc's dylan dreyer. >> l.a. should get back into the 70s soon enough but we'll see a nice break from the mountain snow. there isn't much on the radar here showing up anywhere from seattle right down into l.a. and even over into phoenix, too. we do have a stalled front sitting across the southeast. that's where all the rain is focused on today. also just north of dallas up into oklahoma, that's where we'll see some snow and ice this morning. here you see seattle, portland down into san francisco and l.a., san diego, too, nothing going on. some expected snowfall through northern wyoming. we're looking for about 3 to 6 inches out that way. again, other than that, things are nice and quiet.

today's highs should be in the 30s and 40s, 50s and 60s down through california. look at l.a. this is the warm weather they were hoping for for the golden globe. by the time we get into next weekend, temperatures will be i look nice and sunny. it has been above average in the east, below average in the west and things are evening out. >> time for crisp air. coca-cola's controversial take on obesity and nike's newest $100 million golfer. plus, heroes find the strength to lift a car and save a life. you've got to see this. you're watching "early today."

welcome back. here are some stories making news this morning. in a monday afternoon press conference, president obama said he would not negotiate on the debt ceiling although he said he's open to more spending cuts but he insisted the u.s. is, quote, not a dead beat nation. officials in stratford, connecticut, plan to rename an elementary school in honor of victoria soto, a teacher killed in last month's newtown school shooting. officials say she died trying to shield her students from the gunman. walmart will announce a plan to hire every veteran cha wants a job, which could mean 100,000 new jobs. george w.h. bush was released from the hospital after a month. william paul, son of kentucky rand paul, faces charges of assaulting a flight attendant on a january 5th flight. in addition to underage drinking and other charges. the chicago transportation authority is suing united airlines, claiming they are buying its jet fuel 70 miles

away to avoid playing close to $300,000 in sales taxes. students at university of vermont should not bring bottled water when they return to campus because the school banned its sale for environmental reasons. they are the largest public university to prohibit bottled water on campus. to wall street, the dow opens at 13,507 after adding 18 yesterday. the s&p and nasdaq are both down. overseas the nikkei gained 77 points but the hang sell fell 31. nas dam and s&p slipped monday thanks to worries apple has gone sour. shares of the tech titan dipped below $500 for the first time in one year after reports the company cut orders for iphone parts due to weak demand. after the bell ben bernanke praised washington's fiscal

cliff deal which he said probably would have caused a recession this year but cautioned, quote, we are not out of the woods yet. a troubling new report finds more than one in four workers are dipping into retirement funds to keep up with their current bills. apparently folks in their 40s are most likely to do this. some good news on the housing front. new numbers show home prices rose 7.5% in 2012. that's the most in six years, thanks to improving demand and fear of foreclosures. swatch scooping up henry winston's line of watches for $1 billion. toyota sold just under 10 million vehicles last year. coca-cola is taking heat for its new ad campaign, meanwhile, encouraging people to come together to fight obesity.

critics say, coke is just doing damage control to combat its contribution to the country's growing obesity problem. we'll find out what facebook's big mystery is at a much-hyped media event today. rumors are ranging from a new search feature to rival google to a possible facebook smartphone. and nike pulling out all the stops in abu dab habi welcoming rory mcilroy to the company. he officially made the switch to the swoosh monday, signing a multi-year deal estimated between $100 and $250 million. i've got to start taking those golf lessons i think. an amazing rescue, sheriff joe's freezing inmates and serena's big comeback. and a final flyover for one of the famed tuskegee airmen.

time for stories making news across america. in new york city police officers flex their muscles to free a man trapped under a taxi cab. they lifted this vehicle off the 19-year-old who was struck after running into the street. the victim is now hospitalized in critical condition. amazing video. next to utah where an overturned semi exploded into a fiery wreck. the big rig caught fire when flames erupted from one of the two gasoline tankers it was hauling.

fast-acting firefighters were able to contain the inferno and keep that second tank from igniting. a tractor trailer also rolled over in texas causing 6,000 gallons of hot asphalt to spill onto the highway there. officials believe high speed driving was the cause of the rollover. cleanup crews spent about eight hours restoring that truck and roadway. freezing temperatures in arizona are forcing prisoners at sheriff joe arpaio's jail to bundle up. the tent city inmates are wrapping themselves in trash bags and extra blankets to stay as warm as possible in the 20-degree weather. finally for you, friends and family of colonel fitzroy newsom traveled to pay their respects. newsom was part of the tuskegee airmen credited for breaking down racial barriers and executing several successful missions in world war ii. he was 94. in sports, we begin with the autopsy results on kansas city chief linebacker jovan belcher. tests show belcher was legally

drunk in december when he shot and killed girlfriend kasandra perkins and then took his own life at arrowhead stadium. he had a blood alcohol level more than twice the legal limit in missouri. next to college basketball, louisville the new number one team had a convincing win in connecticut. the cardinals won 11 straight games 73-58 against unranked uconn. and number four kansas got 17 points from ben mcelmore when they demolished unranked baylor. the jayhawked won the game. at the australian open, serena williams injured her right ankle but she got it wrapped and went on to win in straight sets in less than an hour. amazing feat there. after the broncos playoff loss to baltimore, tim tebow's brother peter tweeted, quote, am i the only one in denver who is happy right now? his brother won a playoff game for denver. peter tebow later apologized for that tweet. >> announcer: "early today" sports is brought to you by just for men mustache and beard. keep your edge.

just ahead, oddsmakers are already betting on whether will and kate's baby will be born on grandma princess diana's birthday. plus, bill clinton and steven spielberg's big secret. we will reveal that for you next. you're watching "early today."

good morning and welcome back. another chilly morning in california. l.a. starting off at 39 degrees but you're almost done with that

really cool air you've been dealing with. temperatures in seattle and portland in mid-30s right now. we'll top out in the 30s. watch out for freezing fog in the pacific northwest. especially across the coast of oregon. and then it is going to be sunny right down into california. temperatures today in the 50s and 60s. tomorrow's even better. we should inch closer to 70 degrees in l.a. much needed warm air for that area. they couldn't really handle the cold air, the orange crops and everything, it's been brutal. >> when i lived there, i couldn't stand it when it went below 50 degrees. thanks a lot. well, it looks like tina fey and amy poehler may have a new annual gig. the hosting pair scored the highest ratings for the golden globes since 2007, now, the pressure is on first time oscar host seth macfarlane who said, it doesn't matter how i do. oscar hosts always get thrashed. when bill clinton strutted out on stage at the globes, everyone in the room was surprised but steven spielberg. e! news reported the speilberg

pitched the idea to his presidential buddy earlier last week. clinton was later seen chatting up jennifer lopez at the after parties. damian lewis was seen dancing gangnam style after the show. he's going to regret that picture, i think. while the cia would frown on this behavior, we'll let it slide for one night, but not again. a new report from the l.a. county coroner's office says actress natalie wood sustained bruising prior to entry into the water on the night she drowned in 1981. but the medical examiner says since there's limited evidence, they can't say. and finally bookmakers in the uk are putting the odds the 40 to 1 for duchess kate to give birth on princess diana's july 1st birthday, the best odds july 17th. >> i feel like everyone would eat that up. that would be such an ironic occurrence, unless it was planned. >> they are favorites.

well, this next comes from kwqc news in davenport, iowa. social media played an integral part in an emotional sibling reunion. billy and betty ended their 65 years of separation with a hug. the dramatic meeting was set in motion by the man's 8-year-old neighbor who used facebook to track down betty. the mini private eye took on the project after learning of billy's desire to find his sister. this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

to estonia, one board game might leave you breathless there. they used metal game boards and pieces to stay in places beneath the surface. the same diving company previously set a guinness world record for hosting a 52-person underwater checkers tournament. gamers from around the world are finally getting some recognition. guinness world records has come out with a 2013 gamers edition. a colorado man has the largest video game memorabilia collection thanks to more than 8,000 pieces of merchandise. others were recognized for noteworthy high scoring games and even owning the smallest arcade machine. my thumbs hurt already watching that. well, a doggy dancer wows his owner in a video. this free-spirited pup exhibits his flare for dancing in time to

the owner's guitar. the 2-year-old english bull dog has serious moves, bobbing along to the sultry blues music. he happens to be deaf. i like the dog hanging out in the background like, what's he doing? >> when everybody else is doing gangnam style and everybody else is watching from the sidelines. >> is that gangnam style there? time for a look ahead and a look back. survivors of the aurora, colorado, massacre will get a chance to tour century 16 theater ahead of its reopening on thursday. extensive renovations have been done since the rampage. four years ago a feat of heroism and quick-thinking by captain sullenberger. >> surviving flight 1549, a commercial aircraft, from new york to charlotte, lands in the hudson river in new york city. amazingly, all the passengers got out alive.

>> and as we learned, a flock of birds had collided with us airways flight 1549, causing its engine to fail. what a story it was. all day long you can stay on top of the very latest developments on those stories and the best political analysis on msnbc. tonight be sure to watch "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. here's a look at what's coming up on the "today" show. savannah going one-on-one with supreme court justice sotomayor. and you'll also get to hear the kardashian sisters, kim and kourtney dish about marriage, motherhood and miami. keep it on this station for weather, sports and more. thanks for watching today, just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. have a terrific tuesday.

>> our son is here because of this foundation. we'll always be indebted to that. >> conflicted and heavy hearts in the bay area this morning after lance armstrong's reported doping confession. we're just hours away from facebook's big unveil but we're already getting insight into the social network's secret. the cold air bringing down temperatures and then some as we take a live look outside. it's a cold morning. we'll make it through together. this tuesday morning, january 15th. this is "today in the bay." it is 4:30. good morning to one and all. i'm jon kelley. >> i'm laura garcia-cannon. lots to get to. let's check the forecast with meteorologist christina loren. good morning. >> good morning to you. you made it to tuesday. it's cold out there.