making news in america this morning. >> the motion is adopted. >> an overnight vote on capitol hill means that dreaded spike in your taxes will not happen. but members of both parties voice their frustration. it does not have sarah palin's support. she opens up about the bill and more in a new interview with our robin roberts. and larry king's good-bye. a nightly staple signs off. good morning. and thanks for being with us. read my lips. no new taxes. last night, the house worked overtime and finally approved that compromise tax package just

after midnight. it extends the bush-era tax cuts for everyone for two more years. >> and now, that bill is on its way to the president, who is expected to sign it later today. karen travers joins us now with how the vote went down. good morning to you, karen. >> reporter: good morning, rob. well, before this vote was passed with bipartisan support, both democrats and republicans expressed their displeasure. after months of fierce negotiation and contentious compromise, the house of representatives passed a temporary extension of all of the bush tax cuts. >> on this vote, the yeas are 277. the nays are 148. the motion is adopted. >> reporter: the vote came just before midnight and had bipartisan support. the senate easily passed the same measure on wednesday. the $858 billion tax plan will extend the bush tax cuts for all americans for two more years.

extend unemployment benefits for an additional 13 months for approximately 9 million americans. and provide $400 billion in tax cuts and credits, aimed at boosting the struggling economy. with this legislation, the average u.s. household with an income of nearly $50,000, will continue to keep its tax cut of over $2,000. the most contentious element of the bill, the extension of tax breaks for the wealthy, the 5% of americans making more than $250,000. as a candidate, mr. obama promised to roll back these cuts and keep those in place for the middle class. but with republicans threatening to hold up all of the extensions, democrats backed down. democrats were outraged. but president obama said compromise was necessary. >> this isn't an abstract debate. this is real money, for real people, that will make a real difference in the lives of the folks who sent us here. >> reporter: last night, members of the president's party continued to vent their frustration. >> it gives away $120 billion to the super rich. >> reporter: republicans said the bill was the best they could get right now. >> this tax deal is not perfect. >> reporter: none of the provisions in this bill are paid

for. so, as democrats and republicans fight about spending and cuts, these tax cuts are going to add nearly $1 trillion to the skyrocketing national deficit. rob and vinita? >> karen travers live in washington this morning. thank you. sarah palin, for one, thinks the new plan is a, quote, lousy deal. in an exclusive interview with "good morning america" anchor robin roberts, palin said extending the bush tax cuts for only two years creates too much uncertainty for businesses. palin also said she is thankful that president obama agreed to give tax cuts to the wealthy, too. although, she doesn't call it a compromise. >> it is a flip-flop on his position on taxes because he was so adamant about not allowing the tax cut extension to take place for job creators. and then, all of a sudden, one day, he was fine with it. >> palin also opens up about her kids and even takes robin snowmobiling. don't miss the interview this morning on "good morning america." travel stress just got a little more stressful, with a

new warning about terror attacks possibly coming over the holidays. state and local law enforcement have been warned about the threats. but no specific plots have been uncovered here in the u.s. the warnings follow claims from rebels who have been captured in iraq. at the same time, riders of washington, d.c.'s metro system will now be subject to random bag inspections. authorities say those searches are not in reaction to any particular threat. with memories of the massacre at ft. hood, texas, still fresh, officials at a north carolina base weren't taking any chances last night. they put pope air force base on lockdown after a shooting incident in which no one was injured. the extra security measures have now been lifted and a soldier is in custody. also in custody this morning, an unemployed japanese man who attacked passengers on a bus with a knife. four people were stabbed and nine others were hurt trying to get away. most of the injured were students on their way to school. the man confessed, saying he wanted to end his life. he has already been charged with

attempted murder. julian assange is free on bail this morning. but the wikileaks founder says a secret u.s. grand jury is considering espionage charges and may indict him. assange said being jailed was a good experience for a journalist. but that his current situation may be more of a problem. >> why i am free, i am under house arrest, in a way that seriously interferes with my privacy, as an investigative journalist dealing with the most sensitive materials in the world and sensitive sources. >> assange is confined to a friend's mansion north of london. but he will have unlimited use of the internet. stay tuned. julian assange will talk live with george stephanopoulos coming up in a little while on "good morning america." the security guard that may have saved many lives by shooting the crazed gunman at a florida school board meeting says he's not a hero. mike jones, a retired police officer, came forward yesterday

with an emotional account of the ordeal. he says he was peeking through the door, when he saw clay duke take aim at the board. >> i saw him square up, just like this, in front of the superintendent with both hands. i thought, here we go. it's on. i fired two more rounds and hit him twice. and he went down. then, his arm came up. and he was firing at me. >> duke, as you know, then shot and killed himself. jones expressed grief over his death, saying his heart goes out to duke's family. the snow has stopped out in west virginia. but the roads are still treacherous this morning, as all the melting snow refreezes. several inches of snow had many cars and trucks slipping and sliding off highways yesterday. a real mess. plows even had a tough time keeping up, even on the most heavily-traveled roads. now, for a look at this morning's weather from around the country. rainy across much of california, from san diego up to sacramento. up to two feet of snow in the sierras. rain and mountain snow in the southern rockies. snowshowers around the great

lakes. meanwhile, rain from northern minnesota into michigan. showers in savannah, tallahassee, and new orleans. >> 78 degrees in miami. 53 in atlanta. and 34 here in new york. a bitter 11 degrees in fargo. 13 in minneapolis. and 29 in detroit. phoenix will climb to 62 degrees. it's 46 in seattle. 30 in boise. and 20 in billings. coming up next, a weight warning for anyone who eats lunch at their desk. then, an abc news investigation. gaping holes in airport security. guns and knives missed by screeners. how safe are we? and a brawl breaks out in parliament, sending some lawmakers to the hospital. at purina one, we want your cat to be as healthy as possible so, we set out to discover the nutritional science in some of nature's best ingredients. that's how we created purina one with smartblend. nutritionally optimized with

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overseas stocks are mostly higher to end the week. tokyo's nikkei average was down slightly this morning. but hong kong's hang seng is higher. and in london, the ftse opened slightly higher, as well. on wall street, the dow was up 41 points yesterday. the nasdaq rose 20 points. hybrid cars are environmentally friendly, of course. but they're not particularly friendly to the blind. well, that's about to change. a bill requiring hybrid and electric vehicles to have a minimum sound level is now headed to president obama's desk, after the house approved it thursday. blind pedestrians have complained that the quiet purr of the hybrid cars poses a risk to them. the obama administration has unveiled a new proposal to protect your privacy online. it would require companies to

give clear notice of what data their collecting, while giving customers a chance to opt out. any new rules require congressional action. the federal reserve now wants to put a cap on the fees merchants pay for debit card transactions. retail groups say the limits could result in discounts for customers. but the card companies say it comes at their expense. the holiday shopping season is entering the home stretch. and many online stores are participating in free shipping day today. and tomorrow is supersaturday, the last saturday before christmas. it's expected to be one of the busiest shopping days of the year. and next week, many stores will stay open around the clock. well, if you go online shopping or maybe play solitaire while you each lunch, you may want to stop. researchers have found that eating at your desk makes you more likely to snack later in the day. they say, when you're distracted, it affects our memory of what we eat, which then affects our appetite. next on this friday morning, the government pulls its

recommendation for a popular breast cancer drug. police used this video to track down the women who attacked a pregnant teen on a city bus. and after 25 years, larry king signs off, but does not say good-bye.

well, it is back to school today for all the kids who got an early snow day outside the nation's capital. a storm dumped several inches of snow from west virginia to maryland. many drivers took it slow on the glazed-over roads. but some of them still lost control of their cars. >> wish we still had snow days, huh? a slick morning commute in the washington area, with icy patches on i-95, from baltimore to north carolina. also, on i-40, from nashville to raleigh. wet on i-10, from jacksonville to new orleans. and slick out west, on i-5, from sacramento to san diego.

rain and snow on i-20 and 40 in the southern rockies. >> if you are flying today, expect just a few airport delays in san francisco, los angeles and new orleans. earlier, we mentioned that new warning about possible terror attacks over the holiday season. well, such warnings only increase the pressure, of course, on tsa agents at the nation's airports. >> they are supposed to serve as a last line of defense. but some apparently aren't paying much attention. our brian ross has his investigation into the tsa. >> reporter: in the midst of last year's christmas travel period, tsa screeners at houston's bush airport somehow managed to miss a loaded, high-powered glock pistol in an empty computer carry-on bag. this is what it would have looked like. authorities tell abc news it happens all the time, screeners asleep at the screen. >> with a determined threat, like that in al qaeda, that

should be troubling news, indeed. >> reporter: in fact, the owner of the gun in houston boarded a continental flight and flew to his destination before realizing the gun was in his carry-on bag. >> i mean this is not a small gun. it's a .40 caliber gun. >> reporter: houston business man, farid seif, who carries a gun because he works late, says he forgot to unpack it before the trip, and reported the incident as soon as he landed, astounded at the security lapse. >> there was nothing else in there. how can you miss it? you cannot miss it. >> reporter: the failures of tsa screeners to spot guns and other dangerous items is a closely held government secret. results from the most recent so-called red team tests by the government accountability office were apparently so bad they are classified. and despite billions of dollars spent on equipment, the last line of defense remains individual tsa screeners, faced with an often mind-numbing task. >> we don't pay them very much money. and we don't train them very well. and you get what you get. >> reporter: the tsa says the screeners in houston who were asleep at the screen were disciplined but not fired. brian ross, abc news, new york.

the los angeles police department is asking the public to help them identify 160 women whose pictures they found at the home of a suspected serial killer. they've now posted those photos online. lonnie franklin is accused of killing ten women, some back in the '80s, and others between 2002 and 2007. because of that gap in years, he's now being called the grim sleeper. meanwhile, investigators in seattle say surveillance video taken on a city bus helped them arrest five teens in a senseless attack. police say the teens took an mp3 player from a pregnant 17-year-old girl and then beat her when she asked for it back, even though her boyfriend tried to intervene. the girl needed six stitches to close a gash above her eye. thankfully, though, the baby was not hurt. breast cancer patients may soon lose access to the world's best-selling cancer drug. the fda say the risks of avastin outweigh the benefits. and in studies, the drug failed to help patients live longer.

avastin will still be prescribed for her cancers. but cutting its use for breast cancer could cost the drugmaker $1 billion a year. construction of the new world trade center here in new york is at the half-way point. steel beams for the freedom tower reached the 52nd floor yesterday, more than 600 feet above the ground. workers are trying to finish up the 104-story building by the end of next year. and once completed, that building will be the tallest in the country. it's fair to say things got a little personal, not to mention physical, between lawmakers in ukraine. pro-government and anti-opposition lawmakers went at it. the brawl erupted after the minority members spent most of the day protesting a criminal investigation of one of their members. they got the worst of it, with four of them going to the hospital. there was also some physical contact last night, as week 15 in the nfl got under way. details on that, now, from espn news. >> good morning. a good one in the nfl last night. at least on paper.

the chargers and niners, two teams that have turned their seasons around. no antonio gates for san diego. out with a foot injury. first chargers' possession of the game. philip rivers, looking deep for vincent jackson. and he's got him. look at that effort by jackson. 7-0, san diego. so nice, we show it twice. jackson, literally takes it away from nate clemens. a 58-yard touchdown. fourth quarter, san diego in control. rivers to jackson again. their third connection of the night. the chargers win 34-7. they are now 8-6, in that tight afc west. let's go to the nba. paul pierce and the celtics riding an 11-game win streak, hosting the hawks. late second quarter. kevin garnett down low. that's a high-percentage shot. garnett with 17 points. we go to the third quarter. marvin williams knocks down the

three. 26 points for him. fourth quarter action now. paul pierce, the big guy can hit the three ball. pierce with 15 points. he also had ten assists. dishing this to glen davis here. the celtics win 102-90. that's 12-straight wins for boston. one of the hottest teams in the nba. that will do it for me. i'm ducis rodgers. an icon in our business has stepped aside. larry king ended his nightly show last night after 25 years on cnn. >> he was joined by many people he interviewed over the years. abc's diane sawyer and barbara walters were both there. so was former president bill clinton. >> larry even interviewed a version of himself. and then, he offered a farewell. >> i am -- i don't know what to say, except to you, my audience. thank you. and instead of good-bye, how about, so long. >> and with that, the trademark background dimmed, leaving just his iconic microphone behind.

>> what a career. well, coming up next, why online shopping will spike today. what hundreds of retailers are now offering for free. depression is a serious medical condition that can take so much out of you. i feel like i have to wind myself up just to get out of bed. then...well, i have to keep winding myself up to deal with the sadness, the loss of interest, the trouble concentrating, the lack of energy. [ male announcer ] if depression is taking so much out of you, ask your doctor about pristiq®. pristiq is a prescription medicine proven to treat depression. pristiq is thought to work by affecting the levels of two chemicals in the brain, serotonin and norepinephrine. tell your doctor right away if your depression worsens or you have unusual changes in mood, behavior, or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase suicidal thoughts and behaviors in children, teens and young adults. pristiq is not approved for children under 18. do not take pristiq with maois.

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benefits and funds other tax cuts and stimulus programs. but it adds nearly $1 trillion to the national debt. federal officials are warning of potential terror attack against targets in the u.s. and europe this holiday season. but they say no specific plot against the u.s. has been uncovered. another meeting of the minds today at the white house. after the president discusses the economy with top executives this week, he will meet today with labor leaders. and a last-minute deal to send off your holiday gifts. more than 1,000 retailers are offering free shipping today and are promising to get those packages delivered by christmas. >> those days are numbered for standard shipping. coming up later on "good morning america," robin roberts travels to wasilla, alaska, for a visit with sarah palin. >> in this morning's exclusive, the former governor shares her views on everything from the new tax bill to the holidays out in alaska. now, for some of you, your local news is next. >> for everyone else, the late-night comics honor larry king in their very own ways.

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now out guide morning, maryland ." a scary situation after a stranger roams the halls at a middle school. a thief tried to steal money meant for shelter animals. thanks to a family e. was caught and the money is back with the shelter this morning. and no water for some near north avenue in baltimore. a water main break is causing major slick headaches this morning. we are live there good morning and good morning, maryland. it's friday, december 17th. it's the 17th. >> it's friday. who cares. >> it's friday. we don't mind. i am charlie crowson. >> i am megan pringle. you are new to baltimore. charlie is from arkansas, what did you think of the snow. >> love it. my mom called and said the first thing anyone from arkansas will say is it icing because you get

more ice than snow and i said no. i am running errands no problem. traffic was okay. good morning. >> all right. we will see what's on tap for the rest of the day and the rest of your all important weekend. here's lynette charles filling in for justin berk. >> good morning. i need a collective wohoo in the studio. we can continue. on this friday, we have the sunshine returning. it's going to be absolutely gorgeous outside. it's going to be cold, though. the high temperature coming in right around 33 degrees. and the slick roads we will see that today but mainly this morning. we could see more snow for the weekend. check out the snow total for yesterday. bwi1.2 inches. condition daubing about an inch. harwood around 1.1. pg county 1.3 inches. frostburg 2.5. and into dc, 1 1/2 inches. and a little over 1 1á inches in running brook and demass cuss about