fromouse speaker john boehner. they voted to reject the bipartisan compromise bill and the senate overwhelmingly approved saturday. house republicans say they object to the senate version because it only provides for a two-month extension. president obama is in the briefing room. let's listen in. >> what happened on saturday was such a big deal. nearly the entire senate including almost all of the republicans voted to prevent 160 million working americans from receiving a tax increase on january 1st. nearly the entire senate voted to make sure 2.5 million americans r7 out there looking for a job. they will lose unemployment insurance in the first two months of next year. just about everybody, democrats and republicans committed to making sure we find a way to extend the payroll tax cut and

unemployment insurance to the end of 2012. now even though republicans and democrats in the senate were willing to compromise, a faction of republicans in the house are refusing to even vote on the senate bill that cuts taxes for 160 million americans. because of the refusal to cooperate, they could face a tax hike in just 11y days. millions of americans who were out there looking for work could find their unemployment insurance expired. let's be clear. the compromise reached on saturday is the only viable way to prevent a tax hike on january 1st. the only one. all of the leaders in congress, democrats and republicans say they are committed to making sure we extend the payroll tax cut and unemployment insurance

for the entire year. by the way, this is something i called four months ago. the issue is that the republican and democratic leaders of the senate worked on a one-year deal and made good progress, but determined that they needed more time to reach an agreement. that's why they passed an insurance policy. in fact, the house republicans say they don't dispute the need for a payroll tax cut. what they are really trying to do and holding out for is to ring concessions from democrats on issues that have nothing to do with the payroll tax cut. issues where the parties mundamentally disagree. a one-year deal is not the issue. we can and we will come to that agreement as long as it's focused on the payroll tax cut

and unemployment and not focussed on extraneous issues. the issue right now is this. the clock is ticking. time is running out. if the house republicans refuse to vote for the senate bill or allow it to come up for a vote, taxes go up in 11 days. i saw today that one of the house republicans referred to what they are doing as "high stakes poker. she right about the stakes, but this is not poker. this is not a game. this shouldn't be politics as usual. right now the recovery is fragile, but moving in the right direction. our failure to do this could have effects not just on families, but the economy as a whole. it's not a game for the average family who doesn't have an extra $1,000 to lose. it's not a game for somebody who is out there looking for work

right now and might lose their house if unemployment insurance doesn't come through. it's not a game for the millions of americans who take a hit when the entire economy grows more slowly because these proposals are not extended. you know, i just got back from a ceremony at andrews air force base where we see the flags and the colors our troops fought under in iraq and met the last men and women to return home from that war. these americans and all american who is served are the embodiment of courage and selflessness and patriotism. when they fight together and sometimes die together, they don't know and certainly don't care who is say democrat and who is a republican and how someone is doing in the polls and how it might play in the spin room. they work as a team when they do their job and do it for something bigger than

themselves. the people in that this town need to learn something from them. we have more important things to worry about than politics right now. we have more important things to worry about than saving face. or figuring out internal caucus politics. we have people who are counting on us to make their lives a little bit easier. build an economy where hard work pays off and responsibility is rewarded. we owe it to them to come together right now and do the right thing. that's what the senate did. democrats and republicans in the senate said we will put our fights on other issues aside and go ahead and do what's right. on something we all agree to. let's go ahead and do it. we will have time later for the politics and time later to have fights around a whole bunch of

other issues. we know this is good for the economy and we went ahead and did the right thing. i need the speaker and house republicans to do the same. put politics aside, put aside issues where there fundamental disagreements and come together on something we agree on. let's not play brinksmanship. the american people are weary of it. they are tired of it. they expect better. i'm calling on the speaker and the house republican leadership to bring up the senate bill for a vote. give the american people the assurance they need in this holiday season. thank you. >> there you have it, the surprise visit to the daily briefing room with president obama expressing frustration.

we are waiting for john boehner to take to the podium. let's bring in jack kingston of georgia. thank you for your time. >> thank you. >> you get both ends here. saying house republicans holding up this deal and senate republican scott brown doubling down on the statement he issued earlier saying of the house republicans standing in the way, it angers me that house republicans would rather continue playing politics than find solutions. the actions will hurt men families and detrimental to our fragile economy. that is a republican. you heard from the president. what is your rely to that? >> let's strip off the rhetoric and the name calling and the say that the american people are tired of this or that and you are not being partisan. here's the reality that we are in. the house is ready to compromise with the senate. we have not voted on anything. our bill that passed on a

bipartisan basis last week has been rejected by the senate and given us a two-month extension. we don't think that's a good deal for the economy or the american people. they said let's go to conference. we have ten days to work this out and think the president should attend. what would happen if he showed leadership and brought mr. boehner and mr. reed downs to the white house and pulled out eggnog and maybe rum and cigars and pulled out it's a wonderful life dvds and said let's work this out. >> you kid something you are talking about movies and eggnog and nonsense. you have people after january 1st congressman, with all due respect, let's talk in numbers here. there american people who make far less money than you who will see the tax increase after the first. are you okay with that? >> tamron, here's what i'm saying. i am talking about leadership and the president bringing the leaders together at the white

house and saying guy, let's calm down and the three of us sit in a room and work this out. we can do it because we are americans and you know what, i'm the president of the united states who has been calling for a one-year extension this entire year and the house did it on a bipartisan basis. the senate went out of town. why don't you work this out. what i'm saying is good old fashioned leadership and fellowship. something this town needs badly. i worked on a bill this year and we have it passed. it took a lot of friendship to do it. even though the senate democrats that i dealt with disagreed. i believe this can happen. i have seen bigger deals in shorter periods of time, but it takes harry reid and john baner to put their politics aside and sit down and cut a deal. >> i think a lot of people agree, but you know the saying. if you want a friend in washington, get a dog.

here we are with the situation that rhetoric aside, we are looking at 11 days before people start to see an increase in tax. i know that as a house republican, you stand again it and you have said that you are against raising taxes for anyone. here we are with 11 days and the senate said let's pass this and get to the hard work that is needed to get an extension for a year. why not give the american people out there the peace of mind of knowing this deal that was overwhelmingly supported by the senate and the republicans say that house republicans like yourself are playing politics. these are not my words. i am not partisan. >> i know this. i know we are here because of the failed obama economic policies. i believe that a way out of it is a path that you can get to my friendship and bringing people

in the room and saying calm down. put your differences aside. we have 11 days and we have been working on this for months. we can get a bill done and shake hands and get it done. i think by the end of this week. i have been here for 19 years and i have seen bigger deals resolved in shorter periods of time. i disagree. i think friendship is extremely important and that's why as a member of the procreations committee, i got a bipartisan deal done with democrat senators partially because of friendship and a willingness to get outside of the noise of washington, d.c. that's what the situation calls for right now and not more finger-pointing, but more off camera. >> worry all due respect, you are saying in one breath, let's getting to and put aside the rhetoric and you started that entire idea that you are floating out there saying we are here because of the president's failed policies. that is exactly how you started

this conversation that i have to interpret as perhaps faux when you start in that way. >> tamron, i have to say we have a very unemployment rate, 11 to 13 million people out of work because we are sitting here arguing about unemployment instead of economic development and job creation. that's part of the problem. >> does unemployment insurance matter? >> it certainly matters. that's why i voted for a one-year extension on a bipartisan basis on the house bill that is what the president spent all this fall saying anything less would be inexcusable. he is entitled to change his mind which he apparently has. nancy pelosi and steny changed their mind and they're entitled to that. what i'm saying is to get out of this situation, the president needs to call mr. boehner and mr. reed down to the white house and get away from the noise and if you don't want the movie and the eggnog, i understand that. you can just sit down and say

let's get together. >> i will try one more time. gop senator dean helder of nevada said this of house republicans. what is playing out in washington, d.c. this week is about political leverage not about what's good for the american people. senator helder is a republican. is he wrong about house republicans? >> i would say this. if you want to quote the president of economic advisers, this bill will create 600,000 to one million jobs. why are we not doing it on a one-year basis to have that job creation. >> the president wanted that. >> 11 days is plenty of time. i have seen bigger deals in shorter periods of time come together. y am confident that mr. boehner and mr. reed can make this happen. i'm going to agree with you. a lot of finger pointing and partisanship. get away from it, but get in an isolated place and make it happen.

it can be done and we need to get it done. all we are saying is we are willing to compromise and don't want to leave town until we have a deal. it puts us at a disadvantage, but will harry reid appoint to hammer out the differences which by the way is done for over 200 years. now senator reid is saying we doesn't want to appoint conferrees. shou that responsible. >> he said i will not reopen negotiations for the house until they negotiate by republican leaders and supported by 90% of the senate. before i let you go, i have to ask you. >> that was the senate and not the house. >> i than, but the deal was riched in the senate and mitch mcconnell was leaving hie fiving. he praised the deal. >> the house did not agree with that. the senate could have an agreement. >> dear speaker boehner think there was a good deal? >> he did not agree with the deal or we wouldn't be here.

that was a senate deal and senate republicans and democrats came together. house members have not. when we have these kinds of differences, we set up a conference committee to iron out the differences. we have done this for over 200 years and on issues far bigger than this. we can make this happen. i don't think the senate is taking the right attitude by saying our way or the highway. we are gone and the american supreme a glitch, it's because house republicans stayed in town and we left and didn't accept the bill. it's not the time for our way or the highway. this is the time to sit down and come to a committee and have hare reed appoint and let's iron out the deal. i am willing to give. i am willing to look at all of the above. options and let's come up with something that's good for the economy. >> i have to ask you, what are the constituentsing you. we are from georgia and that state was hit hard. speaker boehner is walking out

now. thank you so much for your time. >> the president and leaders of both houses of congress have called for a year long extension of the payroll tax credit. the house passed a bill that would do just that. it would extend and reform unemployment skmrns protect social security and create jobs. we are proud of the bill that we passed. the house passed it with bipartisan support. nobody else will understand the senate passed a different bill. we oppose that bill because the two-month extension will create more uncertainty for job creators in the country when millions of americans are out of work. the payroll processing companies say the senate bill is

unworkable and so complex that many americans may not even get the tax credit. so today we have voted to go to a formal conference to resolve the differences between the two bills. this is the system that the founders gave us as old as our nation and as clear as the constitution. our house gop negotiators are here and rate to work as counterparts in the senate to resolve the differences as quickly as possible. our negotiators are kevin brady, david camp, renee elmers, a nan hayworth, tom price, tom reid, fred upton and greg walton. now it's up to the president to show real leadership. he said he won't leave town for the holidays until this bill is done. next up is clear. i think president obama needs to call on senate democrats to go

back into session and move to go to conference and sit down and resolve this bill as quickly as possible. i sent a letter to the president today asking him to do just this. we have done our work for the american people. now it's up to the president and democrats in the senate to do their job as well. without w that i will take a couple of questions. >> senate democrats said they are not coming back. does this mean tax cuts are going to last? >> we have done our job. all we need is to resolve our differences. a two-month extension is nothing more than kicking the can down the road. the president asked us to do this for a full year and we did. we offset the cost with reasonable offsets. there is no reason we can't do this. if you remember just several weeks ago the house had passed a d.o.d. authorization bill and the senate passed theirs in a

period of less than a week they resolved big differences and the two very large bills. no reason why we can't resolve this in short order. >> [inaudible]. >> a lot of ways to resolve this. we are doing this under what we will call regular order. the system that our founders gave us. if there is a difference between the two houses, we sit down and resolve the differences. the house members going home for the holidays because it's resolved or are you going to keep working here? >> our negotiators are here ready and able to work. the members of the leadership will be here ready and able to work. we will be available to do what needs to be done. the issue now is will the president engage with the senate

democrats and bring them to the table so we can resolve this and give to the president what he askeditous give him. a one-year extension of these expiring programs. >> the president of course had just said he appealed to you person that i need john boehner to help out. >> i need the president to help out. >> mr. speaker, i had a question. he is asking you to help out and of course he asked that you all take up the senate bill. any chance of that happening? >> the senate bill, we have already taken up the senate bill. we rejected the senate bill and we moved to go to conference. under the rules of the congress, that means the papers that were in our possession are on the way back to the united states senate.

>> [inaudible]. >> the senate voted to give the american people a $166 tax cut. we voted to gift american people a $1,000 tax cut. we will insist on doing this the right way. >> [inaudible]. what makes you feel that you can actually do that. >> we have not been working on this for weeks. i will make clear that i told the senate leaders, senator reed and senator mcconnell there would be no negotiations with the house until such time as the senate passed a bill. i meant whey said. when they were getting ready to pass this and somebody passed on to me what they thought it would

look like, i made it clear to them at that point. i was uncomfortable with what where they were and i expressed displeasure. once again taking the convenient route and not doing the people's work. thanks, everybody. park are it's a very interesting 22 minutes here. we started out the hour listening to president obama's response to the house republicans standing in the way of extending the payroll tax cut and you heard from john boehner saying he needs the president's help. joining me now is nbc director mark murray. thanks for joining us and we have kristen welker in the briefing room. let me start with you, kristen. i will get analysis from mark. the tone of the president that was a surprise moment with him walking in expressing frustration. what are we hearing at the white house? >> that's right. president obama certainly frustrated when he made that

surprise appearance here in the briefing room. he called on all leaders to come back and resolve this. he called out speaker boehner by name, say pg come back and resolve this issue. basically said that the bill that was passed by the senate on friday is the most viable option to get an extension of this payroll pax cut passed and also say look, we all agree that we wanted to see this payroll tax cut extended for a year. both couldn't agree how to pay for that. what they could come to the table on this was two-month extension of the tax cut. we are hearing behind the scenes that president obama essentially is trying to ramp up the pressure on house republicans to take action on this. trying to get a deal done before january 1st when these payroll tax cuts are set to expire for 160 million americans. >> thank you, kristen. let me bring in mark murray. we have the stage set today.

the president giving his thoughts and we heard from speaker boehner. i have to be honest with you. a lot of people are quite confused. we know the president as he stated wanted a one-year extension and this is the deal. the high five moment with mitch mcconnell and it was believed that the house republicans would support this or most of this. help us understand where things are. >> tamron, right now we are in the blame game situation where on december 31st nothing is done. taxes go up for millions of middle class americans. right now there is a game going on between the white house and we saw president obama come out and he was talking about that and house speaker john bane or who gets blamed if the tax cuts are not extended. right now if i'm john boehner, i don't like my position. they seem to be the a disadvantage. one important point noting with the senate passing legislation

by an 89-10 vote and that doesn't occur that often, that pretty much jams the house republicans. always the senate is the toughest place to get things passed because of the 60-vote threshold. if there is a conference for a house and senate negotiator, there is no guarantee that you get the 60 votes needed to pass that in the senate. that's where things stand. you will have a lot of back and forth. the house know republicans are at a disadvantage. >> let's talk about the leadership issue. you have speaker boehner yelling out and i need the president's help here. as you know it and what we can report here, was there an agreement or was speaker boehner aware that they were striking this deal and there would be a two-month extension here? was there a miscommunication? what's happening with the republican leadership here? >> i wasn't a fly on the wall and i can't tell what was said or not, but it is curious that

mitch mcconnell and senate republicans including the democratic members of the senate would all go on the christmas break without the understanding that john boehner and the house republicans thought that there was going to be a second stage, this type of conference committee and that mitch mcconnell and other republicans seem unaware that they need to come back suggests a big thing that there was a lack of communication going on between the house republicans and senate republicans. >> thank you so much for sticking around. kristen, thank you as well. the other major story we are following, deadly blizzard. six people killed as a result of this weather and thousands are stranded. we will have the latest for ow "news nation." ♪ [ male announcer ] the super bowl. the most epic day in america. and the end of a journey that began here, when the swipe of a visa card gave one man a chance to bring happiness to ten friends...

and humiliation to one. if you want this ticket, i need you to wear this helmet. i'm not gonna do it. i'm not gonna do it. i'm not gonna do it. [ sobs ] [ male announcer ] use your visa card for a chance to win. to see more of the story, visit our facebook page. yes. but lately we've been using k-y® intense™. it stimulates arousal so the big moment is... (announcer) k-y® brand intense™ - intensifies female satisfaction.

♪ [ engine revs ] ♪ [ male announcer ] oh what fun it is to ride. get the mercedes-benz on your wish list at the winter event going on now. but hurry -- the offer ends january 3rd. [ santa ] ho, ho, ho! >> tracking the storm, a deadly blizzard claims six lives and

strands thousands of travelers. tax cut showdown. do you think congress will let the payroll tax cut expire? increasing taxes on millions of americans. it is our gut check. you get a chance to chime in. call to testify former british tabloid piers morgan faces questions about the phone hacking scandal. plus -- ♪ a very live note. viral videos and which got the most clicks that. is on the list from snl. a deadly blizzard that shut down parts of highways in several states, we are hearing that hotels are filling up from new mexico to kansas as thousands of people are stranded. drivers behind the wheel forced to seek shelters off the road. this is what it looked like earlier today in kansas. near white out conditions and snow drifts up to four feet high

caused dozens of car accidents. that dumped more than a foot of snow and six confirmed a littlities. in garden city, kansas where temperatures are in the 20s. >> reporter: it was quite a storm. the first blizzard of the season hammering the high plains and parts of southern rockies as much as two feet of snow. wind gusts up to 72 miles an hour. that's a lethal combination and we have at least six fatalities and spinouts and wrecks. how about jackknifed tractor-trailers full of cattle. we saw that last night. with the wind and snow, 8 to ten feet and not as bad here in garden city although it is a cold wintry day. the roads are starting to open up a little bit more and traction that we can see the asphalt up here. the snow and ice is melting and sunshine. it's going to stay cold.

this storm leaves the cold air behind out here in the plains. for the east coast tonight and tomorrow, it will be rain for new york, philadelphia, d.c. and down to atlanta. rain and not snow. guarantee a white christmas? right here in garden city. back to you. >> all right, mike. karl parker is tracking the storm for the headquarters. it would be a nice white christmas, but this is serious business. people are strand and you have fatalities as a result of those white out conditions. >> it's been very bad indeed. the blizzard warnings have been drop and the snow is beginning to contract. i want to show you what it looks like on the visible picture. you can see the swirl associated in here and behind that, you notice the area that is not moving that. is the snow on the ground, largely bounded by i-40 where we had major problems. 25 and 70. here in southeast colorado as much as 10-foot drifts with a

snowfall of 20 inches. the snow is winding down and lingering light snow into iowa. further southward we have heavy rain across parts of the gulf coast and could be severe weather there. this is the model forecast and you can see the moisture continues to climb up into parts of the east. it will be a couple of wet days, but mild days in the east. 59 for the high tomorrow in d.c. the next storm is taking shape along the u.s.-canada border and drop down through the northern rockies starting tonight through the day tomorrow. continuing into thursday and heavy snow in the rockies there. we are talking about as much as six inches in the higher elevations and three to five in denver and more travel problems certainly. good news for the ski resorts across the inner mountain west. >> thank you. on to other news, the death of north korea's long time leader kim jung il, is sparking fear

and anxiety and fear the transfer of power to his young son may lead to more conflict in the bitter rivalry on the peninsula between the north and the south. more from beijing, china where china is watching the developments. >> good afternoon. the body of kim jung il was put on display in a glass case. rare footage was released showing kim jong un paying respects along with the rest of the north korean leadership. the north korean state-run leadership began a blitz on kim jung un. he was anointed the great successor and this was announced within hours of the news that his father had died on saturday. the state news agency called the son a great person born of heaven. both his father and grandfather were called this.

the state-run media described him as the spiritual pillar and the light house of hope for the north korean military and the people. mourner continued to pay respects ahead of the state funeral that will take place wednesday. the south korean government extended condolences and would not be sending representatives to the funeral. the north koreans have said that no foreign delegates would be invited, not even from the long time ally, china. in beijing today, the chinese president visited to pay his respects. just like many other governments especially in the region, china is keeping an eye on developments in the neighboring count rye. beijing expressed support, officials here are concerned that he may not have the skill or the experience to see through a peaceful and stable transition in the nuclear power. back to you.

>> thank you and president obama and vice president joe biden mark a milestone in the end of the war in iraq and tops the stories around the nation. the forces for iraq flag returned to home soil. they travelled to military post and suburban washington to welcome home general lloyd austin, the top commander in iraq. that's under the army custom. the flag will be stored or displayed. the traft troops with drew on sunday. >> a small plane headed for georgia crashed on one of new jersey's busiest highways. the plane spiraling out of control and losing pieces before hitting the ground and exploding on interstate 287. police shut down the highway as they investigate. not clear whether anyone on the ground was injured. a woman who started an international controversy when he was convicted aiding rebels. she and her 2-year-old son

arrived. she is back in the states since she was arrested on terrorism charges she is required to return to peru to serve the rest of her parole. the plan who meaded guilt to a plot to bomb an mlk day parade in washington state this year made a last minute attempt to withdraw his plea. she scheduled to be sentenced as part of a plea deal and hours before his hearing, his attorney asked the judge to withdraw the guilty plea. he is an army vet with ties to white supremacy groups. a big announcement from the nfl for the first time ever. the super bowl will be streamed online and even to mobile phones. you will be able to catch the biggest event in sports on the nfl website, nbc and the network broadcasting the game will stream on the site, verizon. the mobile ap will carry the game. last year's super bowl matchup

drew an audience of 11 million people. i am joined by darren rovell and all i could think about is the new commercial where the guy is having a romantic dinner with his girlfriend and checking the game. you can ruin all kinds of things you have that day. >> tamron, i think this is the next iteration of what we are talking about when you are doing the whole thing. you can watch something else on your and you can obviously watch on your mobile or on the internet. one interesting note is this enables nbc sports to sell a different commercial. you will be watching different commercials on the game versus actually online or on the mobile ap. obviously nbc realizes the value of the commercials and there is also an area where you can see the commercials that are running on tv. i think this is probably another way to get on the screen.

>> we appreciate you joining us for teams that will be there anyway. >> coming up, real life rescue gerard butler was filming a surfing scene for a new move when he was taken over by 15-foot waves. we have an update. here are things we thought you should know. you tube released the list of most viewed political videos of the year. at number three, with seven million views, presidential candidate rick perry's ad criticizing gays serving openly in the military. >> there is something wrong in the country when gays can serve openly in the military but our kids can openly celebrate christmas or pray in school. i will end of the war on religion. >> president obama's speech to the white house correspondent's dinner. back in april where he poked fun

or did more than poke fun at donald trump raising questions about his birth certificate. >> no one is happier and prouder to put this birth certificate matter to rest than the donald. that's because he can finally get back to focusing on the issues that matter. like did we fake the moon landing? >> by far the most watched political video on you tube, 18.3 million views. a 19-year-old university of iowa student's plea before a state legislature committee for marriage rights for his lesbian parents. >> in my 19 years not once i have i been confronted from anyone who realized i was raise bide a gay couple. the sexual orientation had zero effect on the content of my character. >> killing an amendment to iowa's constitution that revoked

gay marriage rights in the state. those are the things we thought you should know. we'll be right back. healthy . see? he's taking his vitamins. new one a day vitacraves plus omega-3 dha is a complete multivitamin for adults. plus an excellent source of omega-3 dha in a great tasting gummy. one a day, gummies for grown-ups. hey, hey, hey, hey. i can see who's on my network people! lance? lance? yes, yes you are next. all right. dave, i'm in. ♪ katie! what are you doing, sweetheart? supplementing my allowance. how long have we been gone? [ male announcer ] get low prices on the latest 4g phones, starting at $28.88. save money. live better. walmart.

coming up at the top of the hour, it's newt and mitt locked in a dead heat with two weeks to iowa and in a war of words over who is attacking who. plus the president's approval rating is on the rides while congress just when you thought they couldn't get any worse, prepare yourself. back to tamron. >> thanks, martin. tv host and editor piers morgan is on the hot seat testifying at the inquiry appearing through a video link from the u.s. morgan refused to give details into one of the most damning links between himself and the scandal. morgan admitting hearing a voice mail hacked from the phone of paul cartney's ex-wife heather mills. listen to specifics involving the tape. >> i can't discuss where i was

played that tape or who played it. it to do so to compromise a source. >> joining us live and what else did piers morgan have to say. >> what you saw was a tense exchange and probably as close as he got to appearing to be obstructive. time and again that investigator asked morgan about the cartney voice mail. he refused to go down down that trail for fear of giving away his source. then brian is the head of the committee of inquiry and he asked if there was any information that he could provide that might back up morgan's claim that he heard that voice mail legally and that morgan offered up this. he said that according to cartney, heather mills made recordings of their voice mail and distributed them to the media. the suggestion there being that

some third party journal i felt had actually played morgan one of the recordings. from the beginning to the end of this today, morgan really stood his ground. he said he had not been personally involved in the hiring of investigators though he did say that was done often at newspapers. he believed that his journalists at the daily mirror and news of the world were working according to the law. but he didding is that tabloid journalism was and is a dark art that is difficult to stomach. he gave examples. let's listen to what he had to say. >> it's from what we talked about. the paparazzi and photography to taking people out of their homes. it's not the kind of work that sounds like it, but every news organization will do it and the process of gathering news. >> morgan denied saying he knew

that the phone hacking was widespread. he denied paying police officers for information and said that was never practiced at the daily mirror. in a nut shell he held his ground and didn't get himself into too much trouble. he pretty much was good damage control. >> thank you very much, jim. moving on, actor gerard butler is involved in a pretty serious surfing accident and the top three most watched videos on you tube. let's get the scoop from courtney. we did the political hot list later and later the more popular. what happened to gerard butler? >> let's back up a little bit. tom cruise doing all his own stunts, what he was attempting over the weekend with mavericks and the surf spot was more risky and careless than anything we have seen other actors do.

stars in a film called of men and maverick where is he learned how to surf. on sunday he was paddling out to this surf spot. you are looking at the waves at mavericks in northern california near half moon bay. a huge set came in unexpectedly. basically he got pummelled. the bottom at mavericks has rocks and actual cave where is a surfer can get stuck underneath. he took two to waves where he couldn't come up and was pulled by a jetski and taken to the hospital. he is okay, but this is not kid's stuff. really experienced world class surfers die there routinely. mark foo in 1994 died there. butler was not a kufrer before this. this was not something you paddle out and hope for the best. >> they have insurance. >> they can't do it. they agree on it. >> they will insist on body doubles because it's not safe.

on a lighter subject. top entertainment you tube videos of the year, we got the top on today.com and narrow it down to the top three right here. coming in number three, we teased this earlier. jack sparrow featuring michael bolton on "saturday night live." it was hilarious. >> hilarious. >> fantastically done. the ultimate tease. we will play a little bit of this now. take a look. >> you know where the meat drawer is, right. ? >> yeah, what was in there? >> i will you what was in there. you know the bacon that is maple. >> the maple kind, yeah? >> when animals speak it's always fun e. >> it looks like he's talking. >> hollywood figured out quickly at the highest grossing film of all time. it's a success clearly on you tube as well. number one, this will anger so many kind. rebecca black and her song, friday.

that med her the most famous and infamous recording artist. if you haven't heard this song, i don't know where you have been exactly. one song that did make it on you tube and didn't make the top ten, but we will bring it out for you. tam lon officered it so much. two girls doing the nicky minaj song. ♪ i think that should be number one. with the rebecca black thing. a lot of people hate that she is number one. a lot of people had to see the video for it to be number one. >> this is the bane of our existence. so many people say i can't believe you are talking about this. this is the news. you are clicking it on it and reading it and watching the television show. these are things we love to take note of. it's pop culture and it is culture and that's what hit a big market for 2011.

>> number one. my little girls there. thank you for the latest entertainment news. logon or be a fan on facebook. up next, it's a big question. do you think congress will let the payroll tax cut expire and let taxes go up for millions of americans? it is our "news nation" gut check.

> find our twitter page@"news nation." we read all ever your fwetweets. rejecting the bipartisan bill to extend the payroll tax cuts and unemployment benefits for two months. house republicans are demanning a full extension, they say.

>> falling on the speaker and the house republican leadership to bring up the senate bill for a vote. give the american people the assurance they need in this holiday season. >> i need the president to help out. >> that's a little snippet of what we heard from the president as well as from house speaker john boehner. here are the numbers. if you earn $50,000, your taxes will rise $1,000. if you earn $75,000, taxes increase by $1500. you will see a $2,000 increase if you make $100,000. do you think they will let the tax cut expire increasing your taxes? go to "news nation" to cast your vote and look at what they are say being yesterday's gut check. with two weeks left until the iowa caucuses. do you agree with the strategist who said it's possible nothing will be decided in the race for the gop nomination coming out of

iowa. 89% said you agree with mark and you will greatly appreciate that. 11% of you said no. that does it for this edition. you can catch the "news nation" every weekday here on msnbc. martin bashir is up next. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] everyone deserves the gift of a pain free holiday. ♪ this season, discover aleve. all day pain relief with just two pills. have given way to sleeping. where sleepless nights yield to restful sleep. and lunesta can help you get there, like it has for so many people before.

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>> good afternoon. it's tuesday, december 20th and here's what's happening. the hunting season is upon us and iowa is the trophy. so, does mitt bag the big bear? parra are newt gingrich, really? >> before newt unleashes the hounds. >> i tell the truth. >> boehner as brave heart. >> freedom! >> a battle to the death indeed.