reporting live from washington d.c., allison burns, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> time now 5:15. now that the pentagon has released its report on the military isodont ask don't tell policy, senate democrats are moving to hold a vote on repealing the policy this month. defense secretary robert gates wants the senate to act before it adjourns this month. gates says there's an urgency for congress to act because the courts could invalidate the policy without warning leaving the military with no time to prepare for the change. >> i am determined to see that if the law is repealed, the changes are implemented in such a way as to minimize any negative impact on the morale, cohesion. >> that pentagon report concluded that repealing the began on gays serving openly in the military would present only a low risk to the arms forces ability to carry out their missions. senate democrats have scheduled hearings on repealing the policy beginning tomorrow. >>> a soldier from vacaville is facing court-martial on five charges related to incidents in afghanistan. staff sergeant accused of severely

allison burns is live in our washington d.c. newsroom with details. good morning, allison. >> reporter: good morning to you, claudine. new labels on meat are going to look like the nutrition labels you're used to seeing on lots of other products. they're going to list calories, calories from fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium and more on the most commonly purchased cuts of meat. the feds say the goal is to make americans more conscious of health choices and help them fight obesity. nutrition experts predict people might be shocked at what's in meat. a 4-ounce serving of ground beef that is 73% lean has 350- calories, 270 of them from fat. the new labels will appear in 2012. the food police, groups like the center for science in the public interest say these labels should have been in place a long time ago. reporting live from washington d.c., allison burns, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> it's now official. san francisco mayor gavin newsome will not assume the office of lieutenant governor on monday. he left yesterday for vacation with his family. he's s

ktvu's allison burns is live in our washington d.c. newsroom with more on whether the census could effect california. allison. >> reporter: good morning to you, dave. the state population count will impact how many representatives you have here in the u.s. house of representatives. now right now california has more than any other state, 53 representatives in the house, but the state's slower growth over the past few years might mean less representation. >> california had been gaining seats for a number of years. eight seats one decade, seven seats another decade. now for the very first time we may see california not only not gaining a seat, but maybe even losing a seat. >> reporter: that means california might also lose an electoral college vote in the next presidential race. most of the states across the u.s. that are expected to gain seats in congress are republican leaning states. reporting live from washington d.c., allison burns, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> controversial new rules governing access to the internet are likely to take ef

but as ktvu's allison burns reports, there's still some questions looming about when that war will end. good morning, allison. >> reporter: good morning to you, pam. this review comes almost a year after president obama ordered that surge of 30,000 additional troops in afghanistan. and it lays out the goals for when the troops will come home. let's take a closer look here at some of the key points. the report says that the al qaeda leadership is at its weakest point since after the war started that the conditions are being sent to reduce troops in july of next year and for afghans to take total control security in 2014. but progress is fragile. president obama will deliver it in a few hours. he is not expected to to say how many troops will be leaving next summer. california senator barbara boxer wants president obama to stick to the time line. >> i also want to say is that i'm working in every way i can to end this war in afghanistan. i support beginning to bring troops home in 2011. there's some talk it might be extended to another year. i don't support that. >> reporter: meanwhile a

ktvu's allison burns is live in our washington d.c. newsroom with the details. good morning, allison. >> reporter: good morning to you, dave. it might be some information you'd rather ignore. these new labels are going to include information listing calories, calories from fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium and more on the most commonly purchased cuts of meat. nutrition experts predict people might be shocked at what's in meat. a 4-ounce serving of ground beef 73% lean meat has 350- calories, 270 of them from fat. the new label wills appear in 2012. the food police groups like the center for science in the public interest say the labels are a long time coming. in fact, the cspi has issued this report called food labeling chaos calling for more labels. they want people to get information on just about everything at the grocery store including the caffeine content in drinks. reporting live from washington d.c., allison burn, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> time now 5:14. it's now official. san francisco mayor will not assume the office of lieutenant governor on monda

allison burns is in our washington d.c. newsroom with more on if the census could effect california. allison. >> reporter: good morning to you, pam. remember all those ads telling you how important it was to fill out your census forms? now we are seeing why. as the results are revealed this morning, they will change how the 435 seats in the u.s. house of representatives are allocated. we talked to the head of a prominent consulting firm here called election data services. he says california's population boom has slowed over the past few years. that could mean one less seat in congress and one less electoral college vote in the 2012 presidential election. >> california had been gaining seats for a number of years. eight seats one decade, seven seats another decade. now for the for various time we may see california not only not gaining a seat but maybe even losing a seat. >> reporter: now in all eight states are expected to gain congressional seats. most of them are republican leaning states. nine states are expected to lose

as ktvu's allison burns reports, democratic leaders are pushing the vote to extend tax cuts for the middle class but let them expire for the rich. good morning, allison. >> reporter: good morning to you, pam. that's right. democratic leaders want a tax hike for families making over $250,000 a year. but they want to extend the bush era tax cuts for everyone else. republicans want everyone to keep the current tax rates. the obama administration is trying to hash out a compromise. but house leaders want a vote today. at the same time, gop senators are warning they won't take up any other issues like extending unemployment benefits until the tax debate is resolved. we were there when house speaker nancy pelosi appeared with hundreds of unemployed workers denouncing the gop strategy. >> tax cuts for the rich do not create jobs. they haven't throughout the bush administration. unemployment insurance creates jobs. does not add to the deficit. >> reporter: the fighting and finger pointing is intensifying as we get closer to today's vote. i'll show you why some democrats don't even want the house t

allison burns is live. >> reporter: good morning.ats it that for a while yesterday it looked like this tax deal might be going down but in the end the final vote was overwhelming. >> on this vote the yays are 277, the nays are 148. the motion is adopted. >> reporter: the house okayed the $857 billion deal to extend bush era tax cuts even though many democrats did not like the tax rates for the wealthy. house speaker nancy pelosi said republicans held democrats hostage in the deal. this morning republican leaders are celebrating the win. >> republicans fought hard for this legislation up until last week most democrats resisted. in the end, the american people were heard. that's a welcome change, mr. president from the last two years. >> reporter: almost the entire bay area delegation voted against it. east bay congressman jerry voted yes. nancy pelosi did not vote. president obama will sign the deal in to law in just about five hours, his message today is that while he didn't like everything in the deal, he believes it's going to be g

as ktvu's allison burns reports now from our washington d.c. newsroom, there are some pretty -- some new assessments of the war that are very harsh. allison, good morning. >> reporter: well, good morning to you, dave. that's right. some classified intelligence estimates have been leaked to the press. they reportedly say the united states is not going to succeed in afghanistan unless pakistan does more to hunt down insurgents on the border. these intelligence estimates say the u.s. has made progress in key afghan cities, but pakistan must do a lot more to shut down lawless triable regions in the border. insurgents are crossing the border and planting bombs in afghanistan. the reports also say though that u.s. drone attacks on the border to take out al qaeda and taliban leaders are having an impact. president obama is set to release his policy review of afghan tomorrow. it's going to point to the progress and for troops to begin leaving next summer. >> we have seen through counterterrorism success at degrading senior al qaeda leaders. and we've s

for now live in washington d.c., allison burns, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> time now 5:14. back here at home flags at the state capitol will fly at half staff honoring monterey county soldier killed in afghanistan. the 45-year-old staff sergeant died in a noncombat incident. he's leaving behind his wife and their 6-year-old daughter. he visited his daughter's school just last month for veterans day. he received a standing ovation when he was introduced. >>> well, it now looks like the senate will not vote on starting debate on repealing the military's don't ask don't tell policy until after they deal with the tax cut legislation. senate leader harry reed canceled a procedure vote yesterday after republican senator susan collins asked for delay in exchange for her support for the legislation. collins says republicans want the senate to take up the tax cuts before they work on anything else. >>> the 21-year-old accused of trying to detonate what he thought was a bomb at a military recruiting center in maryland was reportedly looking for help and that's how he got caught. acco

as allison burns reports, it's the latest high pressure tactic to try to sway skeptical democrats. good morning, allison. >> reporter: good morning to you, pam. i got an e-mail from oakland congresswoman barbara lee's office also head of the congressional black caucus. she says this tax cut deal would disproportionately hurt poor and low income families. but the white house has a different message. white house economic advisor larry summers surprised a lot of people when he said there is a recession threat if congress doesn't act. he says it would materially increase the risk the economy would stall out and we would have a double dip. some economists are issuing similar statements and a new report from analytics predicts a tax cut deal could cut the unemployment rate to 8.7% from its current rate of 9.8%. president obama's talking about lobbying democrats who don't want to extend the tax cuts for the rich. >> it is inaccurate to characterize democrats with large as feeling "betrayed." i think democrats are looking at this bill and already have had a whole bunch of them who said thi

reporting live from washington d.c., allison burns, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> time now 5:14. well, the fate of the military's don't ask don't tell policy is now up to the u.s. senate after the house approved a repeal of the policy yesterday. senator joe lieberman who is a sponsor of the repeal measure says he has enough votes. >> we've got not 60 but now 61 members of the u.s. senate publicly committed to the repeal of don't ask don't tell. all that will stop that repeal is a totally unacceptable refusal to bring our measure up in a timely way. >> the bill now moves to the senate as a so-called privilege bill streamlining the process for bringing toyota to a vote. >>> president obama's bill comes up for vote today after being approved in the senate. the senate passed the bill that would extend the bush era tax cuts for all americans for two years and some federal unemployment benefits for 13 months. house democratic leaders plan to pass the bill, but first they will hold a vote on improving a higher estate tax than the one negotiated by president obama. >>> meantime the a new

we go to ktvu's allison burns to explain how it involves a critical deadline that passed at midnight last night. good morning, allison. >> reporter: good morning to you, pam. and local members of congress, nancy pelosi and george miller among those leading today's rally calling for another lifeline for unemployed workers. the senate failed to meet last night's midnight deadline to extend federal benefits for the long-term unemployed. that means about 800,000 people are going to stop getting their money today. two million americans will lose their benefits by the end of the year if congress does not act. republicans and some democrats are blocking the extension because they say it will add to the federal deficit. but democratic leaders are ridiculing that argument. >> it doesn't make any sense. our economy still has a long way to go on the road to recovery. there are five job seekers for every open position today. the unemployment rate stands at 9.6%. and senate republicans really think that now is a good time to cut families off from the support that they depend on? >> reporter: the

but this morning as ktvu's allison burns reports from our washington d.c. bureau, we are learning about two classified reports that paint a dim view of the progress. good morning, allison. >> reporter: good morning to you, pam. the bottom line from these reports is that if the u.s. wants to succeed in afghanistan, it needs much more help from pakistan. the new york times is reporting that two national intelligence estimates point to significant gains on the battlefield in afghanistan, but say pakistan must do more to shut down lawless triable regions on the border. insurgents are crossing the boarder and planting bombs in afghanistan. on a more positive note, the u.s. drone attacks on the border to take out al qaeda and taliban leaders are having an impact. president obama is already facing increased pressure from democrats in congress to end the war including from a number of bay area members of congress. i'll have more on what is expected out of tomorrow's afghanistan policy review during my next update in about an hour. for now we're live in washington d

allison burns reports the tax rates go up for everybody if congress doesn't extend them. and the hopes seem to be fading for a compromise on this. allison, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, dave. you know our tax rates for next year are still up in the air. president obama was hoping to reach a deal with republicans. here's his treasury secretary in talks with republican and democratic representatives yesterday. but this morning the chances of a compromise seem to be diminishing by the minute. here's why. first the house is forcing a vote today to extend the tax cuts just for the middle class. but not for the rich. republicans want the tax cuts for everyone. the senate gop is vowing not to take up any other issues like extending unemployment benefits until the tax issue is resolved. >> we need to show the american people that we care more about them and their ability to pay their bills than we do about the special interest groups legislative christmas list. >> reporter: now even if democrats can muster enough votes in the house today to extend those tax cuts

our washington dc bureau received advance summary of the report and as allison burns reports question are looming about when the war will end. >> reporter: most of the report is classified put the white house is releasing a summary and it says that troops can begin leaving as scheduled next summer. let's look here at some of the key points in this afghanistan policy review. it says al-qaeda leadership is at the weakest point that the conditions are set to reduce u.s. troops in july of next year, and for afghanistans to take total control of security in 2014. but the report says progress is fragile. president obama will deliver it in a few hours, he is not expected to say how many troops will be leaving next summer. critics like california senator barbara boxer are speaking out this week against the war calling on the president to stick to the timeline. >> we have been in afghanistan a long time. they are going to have to stand up and defend their country as all nations have to do. >> a washington poll shows supot for the war in afghanistan is at an all time low, a record 60% of americ

allison burns is joining us now from the washington, d.c. news room with the story.ood morning allison. >> reporter: good morning to you. british police are staying quiet about the details. i'm not revealing information like what these suspects were allegedly plotting. if there are going to be anymore arrests. but here is what we know. we know 12 suspects are in custody. they are men between ages 17 and 28. britain's sky news reports the group was suspect of plotting a bombing campaign in the runup to christmas. the suspects has been under surveillance for weeks. last year al queda attempted a christmas day attack using an underwear bomb on a plane traveling to detroit. as we have been reporting for the last few months, the u.s. state department still has a travel alert in effect warning americans about possible terror attacks overseas. it is important to mention here that the terror alert level in europe is up to severe. that's the second highiest level. meaning officials say a high probability of a terrorist attack. reporting live from washington, d.c. allison burn

allison burns. >>> a british judge today released assange on $316,000 bond.he spent more than a week in jail after swedish authorities issued an arrest warrant on alleged sex crimes. assange denies the charges and promised his cheering supporters today that he will fight to clear his name. >> i hope to continue my work and continue to protect my innocence in this matter. >> reporter: assange will stay in the home of a wiki leaks supporter in england, he must report with police every day. >>> and once again pg & e finds himself in hot water, the question is, can we trust pg & e. >>> what happened today that could change the way police approach suspects. >>> pg & e is in hot water again today. it was revealed that a year and a half ago, the california utilities commission sternly warned the repeated violations were putting the public in danger. it's the latest in what has been an endless successions of problems. problems that are shaking public confidence in it. tom vacar joins us now with what pg & e chief and his chief critic has to say about this never endle

allison burns joins us live from washington. allison, good morning. >> reporter:good morning, tori.here has been so much focus in recent weeks on how to reduce the growing federal deficit. well, consider this -- the congressional budget office estimates that this obama gop tax deal to extend bush-era tax cuts for two more years will raise the federal deficit by $ 857 billion. that's bigger than the very controversial $787 billion economic stimulus plan last y ear. the white house insists it's a good deal. >> by making that two-year t rade, we got things on the obama priority list, twice -- >> now, those include an extension of long-term u nemployment benefits and some clean energy tax incentives that have been championed by came's senators. it is expected to move forward in the senate today but it's still unclear what's going to happen in the house where a lot of democrats are still hoping to make some changes to limit those tax breaks for the wealthy -- >> thank you, allison. >>> the court-apointed trustee serving as the victims' advocate in the bernard madoff says nothing will cha

allison burns, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> it is 7:14 right now also in washington dc, the senate armed services committee is holding a hearing on repealing the military's don't ask, don't tell policy. that's joseph lieberman speaking there. defense secretary robert gates and michael mullen are testifying along with other military leaders. gates and mullen are urging congress to repeal the ban on gays serving openly in the military. they say a just released pentagon report we told you about yesterday shows most members of the military are not opposed but in questioning this morning, senator mccain is concerned about the service members who did express reservations. >>> supporters of prop 8 asked a judge to sep aside and remove himself from a hearing set for next week. they questioned judge steven reinhardt's impartiality because his wife is a outspoken opponent. she has taken part in legal proceedings against the ban on same sex marriage. if he rescueses himself another judge would be chosen at random and the hearing would be postponed probably. >>> there is a new report that says 50,00

alison burns, ktvu channel 2 news. >> thank you, allison. >>> well, controversial new r ules governing access to the internet could soon take effect. the so-called net neutrality rules are expected to be a pproved by the scc today. it would essentially keep h igh- speed net companies from slowing down internet -- slowing down websites. >>> if you get a social security check it won't be in the mail much longer. social security payments are going paperless. new social security recipients will have to accept paperless payments starting may first of next year and those already on social security will have until march of 2013 to make the switch to either direct deposit or a debit card. that's expected to save taxpayers $1 billion over the next ten years. >>> california health officials say fewer people are lighting up around the state but progress to cut down on smoke something a lot slower. the state department of public health says 13.1% of adults were smokers in 2009. that's .2% lower than the year before. more than a 50% reduction from 1985. now, they also reduced -- released county num

reporting live from washington, d.c., alison burns, ktvu channel 2 news. >> -- >> thank you, allison. >>> well, salmonella connected to alfalfa sprouts had -- is connected to here in california. the outbreak has been connected to sprouts produced by tiny greens organic farm in illinois. the fda is warning everybody just stay away interest that product. >>> 8:14. a group founded by george c luneny has teamed up with google, the up and human rights organizations to keep watch on sudan by satellite ahead after controversial vote next month. clooney's group, not -- not on our watch, is funding the startup phase. this will show any mass movements of troops, civilians or warning signs of potential violence. on january 9th. people in sudan are scheduled to vote on a referendum on whether to divide the country. a long-time bay area resident may be deported but he wants governor schwarzenegger to grant him a pardon. 41-year-old eddie zheng is an ex-con who -- ex-con who served time at san quentin. but works at a local outreach program. he was sentenced from seven years to life for a home invas

burn them. and we asked you what some of the tactics you used. allison allison says i am doing the weight watchers program and have been since september. good for you. if you want to come in and by track everything i eat i can say i lost 19.2 pounds and still losing. that's great news for you allison. if you want to share your two cents on the hot topics head to wmar facebook fan page and click and let us know what are some of the wildest things you've done in an effort to hughes weight. have you starved yourself or seen yourself or freezing yourself whatever it is you are doing let us know. megan. >>> if you hate battling the crowds as much as shipping fees tomorrow is the perperfect day because it's free. shipping day. more than 1500 online retailers will send your order free. it starts at midnight on friday. and end at midnight saturday. started in 2008 and didn't seem to pick up steam until last year when some 750 merchants decide they are going to take part as well. that's doubled the amount offering that deal so go to free shipping day.com for the

burns is live in our washington, d.c. bureau with the latest. good morning, allison. >> reporter: well, good morning, tori. that's right.nt obama has invited some high-tech heavy weights from the bay area. we have a list here for you of the local business leaders at this white house meeting. john chambers, chairman and ceo of cisco systems in san jose. >>> ahead of the meeting the -- meeting of total -- total of 20 ceos, the president said his feel is to find new ways to work together to spur hiring. >>> this morning i hope to elicit ideas from these business lead there is will help us not only climb out of the recession but seize the promise of this moment. ideas about tax reform. ideas about a balanced approach to regulation. >> now, eric have myth and john door will be leading the -- schmidt that and john door will be leading the meeting on innovations. >>> a senate vote is expected op that tax cut package that president obama negotiated with republicans. it is expected to easily pass with bipartisan support after clearing a test vote on monday. if the tax cut package is approved in the senate. it will then go to the

alison burns joins us live to explain what's happening right now and reaction from c alifornia's two senators to this deal. good morning, allison. >> reporter: good morning to y ou, tori. the senate came into session just about an hour ago and already we've been getting an earful about this $856 billion deal that will extend the b ush- era tax cuts for two more years. now, last night the senate voted overwhelmingly to move forward with the debate on the tax bill, final senate approval is e xpected later today. no one is really happy about it. testimonies are angry about continuing tax cuts for the wealthy, republicans wealthy about the extras like tax breaks for clean energy. both of california's senators are voting for it. here is how california senator barbara boxer explained her vote just a few minutes ago. >> i voted for this bill because i think our economy cobs to be in a fragile state when it comes to job growth. >> house democrats are now under more pressure to okay the deal but democrats there are still hoping to make some changes. reporting live from washington, d.c. alison burns, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> the healthca

burns is live in our washington, d.c. newsroom with a look at what's been agree the upon so far. good morning, allison. >> reporter: good morning. while house democrats are mounting a revolt against it. senate democrats are finally unveiling a text of the deal. there are extras in it, i ncluding new tax breaks aimed at boosting production of b iofuel and energy-efficient cars. house democrats say there are simply too many giveaways for the rich. but president obama is standing behind the bill. >> if one side takes out what they don't like, and the other side takes out what they don't like, we're gonna have that. and that, a blank piece of p aper, is not gonna prevent middle-class tax cuts from going up. >> reporter: now barbara lee from oakland is among those l eading the feet against this. i will have coverage for you during my next update. alison burns, ktvu channel 2 news. >> okay. thank you. >>> well, the lack of progress on the tax-cut legislation is blamed for a defeat of the don't ask, don't tell. a procedural vote in the senate failed to pass. they say they got enough votes but senate republic

burns is live in our washington, d.c. newsroom with a breakdown about what the tax c uts mean to you and your f amily. good morning, allison. >> reporter: good morning. the word here at the capitol is that president obama might be willing to go along with the compromise that would extend all of the tax cuts for two years. but it's unclear if democrats in congress will sign on to a deal like that. over the weekend, senate democrats held two votes to increase taxes on the richest americans. republicans blocked the m easures. they say taxes should stay the same for everyone. republican leader mitch mcconnell is more optimistic now about a deal. >> i think it's pretty clear n ow, taxes are not going up on anything in the middle of this recession. we're discussing how long we should maintain current tax r ates. there are other issues that many people feel are important to address. >> reporter: here's what's at stake if the tax cuts expire -- a couple with two kids making did the 75,000 a year pays about $1650 in federal taxes now. if the bush era tax cuts expeer, those taxes go up to about $4300 a year. we expect to hear what p

burns is live in our washington, d.c. newsroom. you have details on when the prime minister says american troops need to go. good morning, allison. >> reporter: good morning to y ou, dave. prime minister al-maliki did a two-hour interview with" the wall street journal "and says the united states must stick to its plan to pull the troops out of iraq by the end of next year. he said the last -- this is the last -- >>> he says his country and security forces are capable of confronting any remaining t hreats to iraq's security and the insistence that iraq would not be pulled into alignment with iran. a majority of iraqis have a ssumed that u.s. presence would last beyond next year. the obama administration says the u.s. is on track to meet that goal of withdrawing troops but a robust security operation will remain at the u.s. embassy in baghdad. reporting live from washington, d.c., alison burns, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> thank you. alison. >>> 7:14. india is under a nationwide terror alert this morning because of threats of a major attack over the new year's eve weekend. police have been going from door to door searching for four me

alison burns joining us live now and tells us that some of them are using some pretty harsh language as they react to that tax cut deal worked out with the republicans. >> good morning, allison. >> reporter: good morning to y ou, dave. that's right. one democrat called it a bad deal that was not skillfully negotiated. but new this morning, one of president obama's top aide is sounding very optimistic that congress will eventually okay the deal with republicans on tax cuts. house speaker nancy pelosi is not so sure. she came out of a meeting with democrats last night and said they don't want to support continued tax cuts for the wellny. >> i think it's fair to say there is a certain amount of u nease with the proposal that was put forth by the president. he made tax cuts to those m aking -- the upper 2% of our -- of our country does not create jobs. it simply adds to the deficit. the president and vice president are working to a deal that will extend bush-era tax cuts for everyone for two years and e xlend long-term unemployment benefits. reporting live from washington, d.c., alison burns, ktvu channel 2 news. >> okay. thank you. >>> we talked with some bay area residents ask