tonight ann curry reports on the overwhelming response now being felt around the world. "nightly news" begins now. 6 captions paid for by nbc-universal television >>> four days since the tragedy that altered our entire country, the gun lobby has spoken its first words on the subject. 9 national rifle association, routine teenl referred to as the most powerful lobbying in the country have been silent out of respect for the victims after one man took 28 lives including his own, 20 little school children in newtown, connecticut. along with mental health the gun control debate has come roar into the american conversation in addition the nra is promising to say more at a news conference at the end of the week. we begin with tom costello in washington. >> reporter: the white house today said president obama supports a bill that would outlaw assault rifles and high ammo clips. four days after the newtown massacre, the nra today broke its silence in a statement saying it's made up of 4 million moms and dads, sons and daughters, who are shocked, sad and heart broken by the murder

this one started with ann curry.so much sadness she shared a thought via social media. imagine if everybody committed to an act of kindness as a way of honoring the 20 children and six teachers whose lives were lost in newtown, connecticut. what she wrote on twitter took off. tonight ann reports on the overwhelming response that has made a difference of its own. >> reporter: sparked by a simple idea the twitter #26acts and #20-acts are now igniting a a movement of kindness. people doing deeds big and small to honor the lives of the victims in newtown. >> the entire country is overwhelmed by great sadness. there's many of us who wish we could do more. >> reporter: in california, kelly took her 11-year-old son nicholas shopping for toys for less fortunate kids. buying one in memory of each child who died. she's among tens of thousands of americans who are tweeting "i'm in" acts of kindness ranging from buying a stranger coffee to leaving gift cards on people's windshields anonymously, to making it a point to reach out

as ann curry reports, a movement is turning that feeling on its head. >> reporter: sparked by a simpledea the twitter #26acts a and #20acts are igniting a movement of kindness. people doing good deeds big and small to honor the lives lost at sandy hook elementary. >> i think the country is overwhelmed by great sadness. there's many of white houus who could do more. >> reporter: in california, kelly took her 11-year-old sonic also a shopping for toys for less fortunate kids, buying one in memory of each child who died. she's among tens of thousands of americans who are tweeting i'm in, acts of kindness, ranging from buying a stranger coffee to leaving gift cards on peoples windshields anonymously, making it a point to reach out to lonely classmates in schools. in chicago, jake riley is working on his second act of kindness in two days. stopping on his way home from work to donate a care package he made for the homeless. >> i thought that was a good way to push back against the hate with kindness. check this one out. >> reporter: in atlanta, cindy pitts and nina are trying to collect eno

. >>> also tonight, ann curry travels to new zealand to visit film director peter jackson. can his hotly anticipated new movie "the hobbit" possibly live up to "the lord of the rings"? >> one of my favorite characters. >> ann goes inside his magical world. >> now we're really in trouble. >> yeah, where are we looking? oh, dear. >> that and more tonight as "rock center" gets under way. >>> good evening and welcome to "rock center." the impact of apple on life in america is well established by any standard. they have changed our electronics and our culture and whether you're the owner of apple products or not, you've got to admit that much. as much as any company can be about one guy, apple was steve jobs. and now that steve jobs is gone, apple is run by tim cook. he hasn't talked a whole lot about his life or his business. he certainly hasn't done so on television until now. apple is famously secretively and while it took months of meetings and negotiations, tim cook agreed to be interviewed and we met up at one of the places apple has transformed. nobody remembers the guy wh

i feel like i done something worthy. >> ann curry with that portrait of those amazing women. this morning on "today's" holiday kitchen, last minute christmas dishes. if you're worries about what to serve guests tomorrow don't panic. sunny is here to save you. good to see you you. >> nice to see you, too. happy holidays. >> i walked in and usually we taste at the end of the segment. the ham lookd so good i had a piece before. i cheated a little bit. >> it's simple. if your pantry is all right, you have to pick up the ham today. no big deal. we make a honey mustard ham. very easy. brown sugar and add in the zest of two oranges. for that, a couple of sprigs of thyme all chopped up. while you mix that together, take some whole ground mustard and slather it on top of the half of the ham. it's like a little spackle, you know what i mean? we're building a meal here, so we need spackle for all of the layers of love we put onto it. >> what do you like? >> i like it because it has texture and bite to it. we put something sweet. it's a little tangy as well so it cuts through the brown s

. >> it first began with nbc's anne curry posting on twitter, "what if we all did something nice" or of kindness to include the teachers lost. the hash tag began trending and people are responding. this d.c. rez desident tweeted 3-year-old donates to toys for tots. or this person who paid for someone else's breakfast. at your nearest post office, there's a way for you to send condolences directly to newtown. this specially made p.o. box now offers a way for the world to comfort the grief-stricken town. >> i think it's fantastic to give people a way to focus their sympathy for everyone up there. >> erica gonzalez, news 4. >> and here's the address for sending those condo lenszs. you can also address it to specific groups like the first responders or to teachers in general up there. to see more displays of generosity or to get involved yourself, visit nbcwashington.com and search 26 acts. that's all for "news 4" this week. i'm wendy rieger. thanks for joining us and we will see you ain next time. ♪

on twitter, people are calling for call for ann curry's 26 acts of kindness.be with us. we have seen this before, especially in recent years. this flood of social media reaction to disaster or tragedy. it does, shthough, as i was discussing with howard seem different. instead of people just expressing their outrage, they're actually trying to do something. do you think social media as a real catalyst this time? >> well, as we discussed before, the obama administration has made social media part of the landscape with this incredible tragedy that is incredible emotional for the whole world. social media is important for moving dialogue forward. it's very difficult to see anything good we'll we're all in this period of mourning. it's quite tragic. >> it is. in the meantime, the nra has been silent since the tragedy unfolded. took down its facebook page. it has not tweeted since thursday. what's the strategy behind that, do you think? >> well, the nra did exactly what they needed to do. they had to do. the nra can't -- they can't say anything now. they can't -- yo

nbc's ann curry and others on social media sites are helping to spread the word with the hash tag 26cts. we will share some of those spontaneous tributes on twitter and on the nbc washington facebook page in our next half hour. >>> we have breaking news at this hour out of montgomery county where police are on the scene of a shooting in aspen hill. it happened just before 4:30 at an apartment complex along connecticut avenue near grand prix road. police tell us the man was shot in the eye. he was taken to the hospital but no word on his condition. police are still in the area right now searching for a suspect. pat collins, we understand, is just arriving on the scene. pat, what have you learned? >> reporter: take a look down the street. you can see all the cop cars down there and there are plenty more on the other side. we are at north gate park. it is near grand prix and connecticut avenue in montgomery county. police have fanned out here. they have s.w.a.t. team members, they have k-9 dogs. they are looking for what is described to me as an active suspect. now around 4:25, this aft

>> reporter: nbc news woman ann curry says she was feeling powerless when she tweeted this suggestion. and the world has taken notice. >> it caught my eye. i said that's a good idea. maybe we'll make people better, make people happier. >> reporter: the idea has picked up steam, and people all over the country have begun performing 26 acts of unexpected kindness to strangers and posting their lists as they go. small things like buying doughnuts for an office or leaving a cheerful note for the garbage collector. >> this morning, i bought coffee for the people behind behind me again and told the cashier to say it was on the house. >> you don't know what to do to help, and this is just something to make a difference and pass it on. >> i'm hoping 26 acts will catch on, and people will take care of each other. >> reporter: when so much of what goes viral online today seems silly and pointless, this has the ability to show off man's better side. at cal state east bay, this professor says this is the real power of social networks. >> the medium enables us to in a sense grieve together and rec

we have a look at some of the loss in this town tonight from nbc's ann curry. >> reporter: as hard as it is to comprehend this tragedy, keeping them safe, what happened today is unbearable. >> everyone kind of works together, so it is hard. >> reporter: erin is a behavioral therapist. she works one-on-one with kindergartners and pre school students. she doesn't work on friday, so as fate would have it she was out of the line of fire. her father texted her after the attack. >> it makes me happy i was not there, but guilty i was not there, as well, to help. >> reporter: we were with erin and several of their friends today when with lumps in their throats, they waited together, with word about what happened to their colleagues and their students. >> just to not be there and not to have any information it is hard to hear everything through the news. >> reporter: details trickled in, and they were dreadful. >> i don't even know how to wrap my head around the fact that so many children were killed. knowing the ages at the school, they're so little and they're so tiny and they're so innocent

we have a look at some of the loss at -- tonight with anne curry. >> reporter: what happened today is unbearable. >> it is a close community, everyone kind of works together, so it is hard. >> reporter: erin deleah is a therapist at sandy hook elementary school. she works one-on-one with kindergarten and pre school stude students. she doesn't work on friday, so as fate would have it, she was out of the line of fire, her father texted her about the attack. >> it makes me feel happy i was not this, but guilty as well, that i was not there to help. >> reporter: we were with erin and several friends today, when with lumps in their throats, they waited for word with their colleagues and students. >> just to not be there, and not have information it is hard to hear everything from the news. >> reporter: details came in, they're dreadful. >> i don't know how to wrap my head around the fact that so many children were killed, knowing that the angels of this school, they're so little and they're so tiny and they're so innocent. i can't even -- there are not words to express. >> reporter: and th

tragedy at newtown, now known as the 26 acts movement was sparked with a tweet by our own colleague, ann curry, who learned more about this global out-pouring of generosity from carl quintilla. >> reporter: it started with a simple idea posted to twitter. what if we could honor the 26 lives lost at sandy hook elementary with small acts of kindness, leaving a stranger an unexpected treat or inspirational message or a way to keep warm. >> i've always made quilts. i thought, wouldn't it be nice to make quilt, one for each child and then donate them. >> reporter: using the #26acts, people began sharing their kindness on social media and just nine days later what has become a massive wave reaching to the halls of congress. >> i think america was looking for ways to demonstrate their grief, caring, empathy. >> reporter: to the other side of the world. >> i just kind of thought, you know, if this makes someone smile, that's a pretty good thing. >> reporter: as more and more people shared their good deeds online, they inspired others. teachers challenged their students. in rhode island, ashley prugh's

ann curry takes us to new zealand to show us how peter jackson and his team brought the middle earthve some delicious cocktails that will really impress your guests. >> natalie was just saying how much she was looking forward to the cocktail segment. before that, we're going to get another check of the weather. we turn to maria larosa in for al this morning. >> we're tracking another system that's going to bring stormy weather, snowy weather across much of the country once again. as we get into tomorrow, the snow is going to be through the ohio valley into the northeast. generally, 1 to 3. there will be spots picking up up more than that. showers from the southeast to the mid-atlantic. midsection is quite but cold, but we'll see temperatures well below average again. then our western system taking a little snow into parts of the colorado rockies. you see showers developing sunday. sunshine returns in the southeast to parts of the mid-atlantic but remaining cool. temperatures will remain below average for the day. the big game on sunday in d.c. will rema. >>> and that's a look at your

ann curry traveled to his hometown of wellington, new zealand for a rare and exclusive interview. >>w his movies. sir peter jackson. yes, he's a sir, is the creative genius behind blockbusters like "king kong" and "lord of the rings." now a decade after he directed and co-wrote "the ring's" trilogy, now comes "the hobbit." >> why did you fight so hard to keep the filming of this movie, "the hobbit," in new zealand? >> i've always wanted to make my films here. i just regard myself as a new zealand film maker. i don't feel compelled to go somewhere else in order to do what i want to do. >> reporter: he's been able to build an entire movie-making industry five minutes from his home in wellington complete with high-tech special effect facilities, giant sound stages and a state of the art production house. it's even where "the hobbit" had its world premiere. >> you were credited with bringing hollywood to new zealand. so much of it wellington is called wellywood. wouldn't it have been easier to go to hollywood than bring hollywood here? >> not necessarily, it's easier to make your films i

. >> it first began with nbc's ann curry posing the question on twitter -- what if we all did somethingngs to honor the children or 26 acts of kindness to include the teachers lost. the hash tag began trending and people are responding. this d.c. resident tweeted. her 3-year-old donated two toys for tots. or this person, who paid for some one else's breakfast. at your nearest post office, there is a way for you to send condolences, directly to newtown. >> i thought a great idea. >> this po box now offers a way for the world to comfort the grief stricken town. >> i think it is fantastic to give people -- a way to focus their, sympathy for everyone up there. >> reporter: now there are two big questions, to go along with that po box number. can i send more than just a card? a letter, maybe a care package? absolutely you can. number two, who do i address tight. want to send it to first responders, to teachers, to sandy hook elementary school in general, write that on the top line. leave it to the postal service to get it to the right people. live in northwest, erica gonzalez, news 4. >>> lo

about the 26 lives cut short in connecticut and the nation tries to heal its collective wound, nbc's ann curry has come up with an idea. what if people joined together to commit 20 acts of kindness to honor the children lost up in sandy hook. that idea took hold on social media. and the number was increased to 26. to honor the kids and the adults who were killed. celebrities have sent it out to all their followers as have teachers groups, first responders and regular parents. tonight people worldwide are taking action. some are buying dinner for strangers. others coffee for firefighters. some are donating money to teachers' fund. one woman is making hats for 26 newborns at a local hospital. another ribbons for co-workers to wear in memory of those lost. we here at news 4 and nbc news are in. tell us on facebook and twitter what you might do. tell us if some one else has done something for you or you can simply read the messages and take solace and hope in the random acts of kindness taking place all around us. >> that's cool. >> great idea. >> great. >> nice to focus on something positive. >>

the 26 acts movement was sparked with a tweet by our friend, ann curry.t spawned into an outpouring from people who are making a difference. it started with a simple idea posted to twitter. what if we could honor the 26 lives lost at sandy hook elementary with small acts of kindness, leaving a stranger an unexpected treat or an inspirational message or a way to keep warm. >> i've always made quilts. and so i thought, wouldn't it be nice to make quilts, one for each child and then donate them? >> reporter: using the #26acts, people began sharing their kindness on social media. just nine days later, what started as an online ripple has become a massive wave, reaching from the halls of congress -- >> i think america was looking for ways to demonstrate their grief, their caring, their empathy. >> reporter: to the other side of the world. >> i just kind of thought, if this makes someone smile, then that's a pretty good thing. >> reporter: and as more and more people shared their good deeds online, they inspired others. teachers challenged their students. in rh

>> and ann curry suggested 26 acts of kindness to honor those killed in the shootings.included delivering trees or something as small as paying for somebody behind you at the coffee shop. >>> it was already exciting enough for some colorado troops -- here we go. for some colorado troops, but their homecoming was made sweeter because of random acts from strangers. >> reporter: among the crowds during this busy holiday season, and among the hustle and bustle, there was a different crowd. a special group of people. >> great, thanks. >> a group of people like jerry, they just want to take a little time out to say thanks to those that sacrifice so much. >> thank you for your service. merry christmas. >> maybe for somebody that didn't get welcomed otherwise, maybe that's making a difference. >> reporter: oh, it's making a difference. for soldier after soldier who could have been everywhere else but home for christmas. >> feels good to have people appreciate what i do. >> reporter: and folks like jerry really appreciate what they do. >> as a parent, you -- you pray a lot. >> r

and it is that pay if forward spirit after dan curry -- ann curry spoke of acts of kindness and painted for. >> and match and if everyone did to an act of kindness for those children. >> may we focus our energy on those taken from us and let their memories inspired us to do good. may we work toward bettering our communities. we would like to know how people across the baltimore area and maryland are stepping up. if you have witnessed or been the recipient of any random acts of kindness, tell us about it. head to our website -- wbaltv.com. you can tell us your story. >> a lot of people can make charitable contributions this time of year. there is one that you should consider that will not cost you a dime. >> we have the story. >> he was awarded a purple heart for his service in the military overseas. >> they donated a harbor past and they went to cv attractions around the city. they took a speedboat to were around the city. -- speedboats -- speed boat tour. >> and the best part? they stayed at the hotel for free. they took part in a program called hotels for heroes. anyone can donate the

. >> ann curry sat down with jackson and he explained why he hesitated to do this project. >> reporteryou may not recognize his face, but you can't help but know his movies. peter jackson, yes, the creative genius behind blockbusters like king kong and the "lord of the rings." now a decade after he directed and co-wrote the trilogy, comes the much-anticipated prequel, the hobbit, filmed in his native country, new zealand. we caught up with jackson just before the hobbit's world premiere. did you feel a pressure to outdo yourself? >> it's a thing that made me hesitant to do the hobbit, is that i didn't want to find myself competing with a film i'd made earlier. what i ended up doing, i think, is embracing the fact that the hobbit is a very different kind of story. it was written for children. it has a whimsy and a charm and a humor that doesn't exist really in the "lord of the rings." >> and you can watch ann's full interview with peter jackson on "rock center" with brian williams tonight at 10:00 p.m., followed by news4 at 11:00. >>> well, the show is getting started down on the mall.

they stop by the "today" show to speak with ann curry. >> how did you first make this discovery thatd mimic these words in this way? >> well, she was always really talkative and liked to howl. one time it sounded like i love you. so we said i love you back to her and she started mimicking us. >> do you think she'd talk to us this morning? >> oh, yeah, i think so. >> yeah. okay. mishka, i love you. >> i love you. >> she doesn't want to stop saying i love you. >> i love you. >> good girl. good girl. >> good job. >> but i can't help but wonder what is going on in mishka's mind when she says i love you? >> i love you. >> i'll put it very simply. what the dog is thinking when the owner is asking them to do something is "treat." i love treats. i love treats. >>> coming up -- look to the sky. it's a bird. it's a plane. it's a kayak? >> it's just crazy. that must be fake. >> it gives me so much anxiety watching it. >> it's obviously not something you see every day. ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] everyone deserves the gift of all day pain relief. this season, discover aleve. all day pain relief wit

the idea of nbc's own ann curry.et people to do 26 acts of random kindness in memory of the 20 children and six adults killed. people worldwide are taking action by donating money to teacher's funds. one woman makes hats for 26 newborns at her local hospital. we would like you to also contribute. check out our ieg facebook page and lus us know what you might do or if someone has done something special for you. >>> some four-legged friends are offering a helping paw to try to ease the pain in newtown, connecticut. ten golden retrievers arrived from chicago. they are mart of a lutheran church charities and hope they can bring some smiles to a town that's been plunged into darkness. >> a chance to bring, i think, mercy and compassion to people. and the dogs are good at -- they're unconditional love. >> maybe it's their innocence, i don't know. aren't they just as innocent as the children? maybe that's the innocence and you just want to embrace them and have a little bit of that -- >> the comfort dog program, as it's cal

and sparked by an idea from nbc's ann curry, acts of kindness all over the country and the globe for that matter. 26 acts, are you part of the movement to honor the sandy hook victims and if so, what are you doing? tweet me or find me on facebook. >>> ahead, a new war of words breaking out from the white house and house speaker john boehner on boehner's so-called plan b, the political chess game showing no signs of letting up. are we closer to a deal or farther apart with days to go before the country heads over the fiscal cliff. we'll talk with independent vermont senator bernie sanders coming up next. look who's back. again? it's embarrassing it's embarrassing! we can see you carl. we can totally see you. come on you're better than this...all that prowling around. yeah, you're the king of the jungle. have you thought about going vegan carl? hahaha!! you know folks who save hundreds of dollars by switching to geico sure are happy. how happy are they jimmy? happier than antelope with night-vision goggles. nice! get happy. get geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or m

it was the idea of nbc's own ann curry. the goal, to get people to do 26 acts of random kindness in memory of the 20 children and 6 adults killed. people worldwide are buying dinner for strangers, donating money to teachers' funds. one woman is making hats for 26 newborns at her local hospital. we want to know if you're getting in on the action at our facebook page and let us know what you might be doing. or if someone has done something for you. >>> some four-legged friends will doing their part to ease the pain in newtown, connecticut. ten gold ep retrievers arrived from chicago much the therapy dogs are part of the lutheran church charities and they hope the dogs can bring smiles to a town that's been plunged into darkness. >> it's a chance to bring mercy and compassion to people. the dogs are good at -- they're unconditional love. >> i don't know. aren't they just as innocent as the children. maybe that's the innocence. you just want to embrace them. have a little bit of that innocence in us. >> the comfort dog program

for ann curry and all of us at nbc news, thanks for watching. Ãó!!?

coming up tonight on "nbc nightly news" the random acts of kindness spreading around the world after ann curry'sa on twitter over the weekend. "nightly news" has that story and more coming up at 7:00. >>> new details tonight in the murder investigation of a young woman, 19-year-old vanessa pham. an affidavit filed in fairfax county this morning confirms that finger prints connected julio miguel blanco garcia to the killing of pham. the affidavit says blanco garcia became a suspect when his finger prints taken after a recent arrest for a separate crime matched those taken from pham's car two years ago. he was arrested last week. have an's pham was found dead in her car alongside a road in arlington. >>> the prince george's county police chief says he's not seen anything like it in the almost 30 years he's lived in the county. he is talking about the overall crime rate which dropped about 7 1/2 percent this year. head of the department since 2011. in that year there were 95 murders. this year so far there have only been 60. there has been a drop had robberies and shootings and in break-ins. he att

it was the idea of nbc's ann curry. the goal, get people to do 26 random acts of kindness in member of the 20 children and six adults killed. people worldwide are buying dinner for strangers, donating money to teacher funds. one woman is even making hats for 26 newborns at her local hospital. we want to know if you're getting in on the act with this. visit our news 4 facebook page and let us know if someone has done something for you. >>> some of the world's large he's retailers are making changes in the wake of the shootings in newtown. walmart's pulled a military-style assault rifle from its website. aits similar to the one that adam lanza used on friday. dick's sporting goods removed all guns from the stores closest to newtown out of respect for the familiesnd victims. >>> alexandria teenager will appear before a judge this morning a day after he brought a bb gun to school. he was arrested at t.c. williams high school. administrators called police when they found the gun and a jar of pellets. the boy was taken to the

jacki, you were talking about what ann curry is doing. >> one of my friends on twitter pointed this out expressway. someone else said they bought a 90-year-old, a recent widower a new microwave. one person says some kind person cleaned our porch. they were a recipient of the act of kindness. it is really nice. so much bad news the past week. it is really nice to see somebody turning this into a positive. >> stephanie: awesome. that is awesome. in the spirit of that, i'm going to give you my boxed wine tree ornament. >> i was going to give you an actual box of wine. we could hang it and finish it. >> stephanie: you are helping jacki schechner. here she is in the current news center. >> if house speaker john boehner's plan b for the fiscal cliff actually makes it to the white house that's the plan to let the bush tax cuts keep going for people who make less than a million dollars a year, the president is going to veto it. that according to white house spokesman, communications director dan pfeiffer who says it doesn't meet the test of balance. michigan governor rick snyder has vetoed a bi

ann currie may have sparked the trend when she tweeted they wanted to preform one act of kindness inhonor of the victims of the connecticut shooting victims. >> i like that story. time is running out for last minute shoppers. the stores that say they are going to stay open around the clock. >> and giants closer romo making a special visit to to thes troops. >> this morning's storm will depart for your afternoon. it won't last very long. we will take a look at what you can expect for the rest of the weekend. . >>> the storms that are passes through are hitting just as last minute shoppers trying to get everybody wrapped. the rain and wind didn't stop many from heading to outdoor malls. the cold made some sporting good items, including parkas and gloves look morin viting. one store manager who said people put off shopping didn't semen couraged -- discouraged. >> retailers hoped for stronger sales because of five weekends between the holidays so they are pulling out all the stops for the final few days of shopping. >>> that includes around the clock at some stores, macy's has a 48 hour

. >> ann curry suggested 20 acts of kindness, and something as small as paying for a customer behindee shop. head over to our facebook page or tweet us. >> it's inspiring to see the people taking it seriously. >> some man said he started holding the door for more people which is something you don't think about every day, and it does make a difference. >> very heartwarming. >>> the "today" show is next on nbc 4 at 8:00. >>> coming up on sunday morning on "today," it's the mad dash for last-minute gifts. two shopping days left until christmas, and malls and stores across the country, i think we can say with a fair amount of certainly will be packed today. we are live for you as the busy shopping day gets under way. >>> a wheel of fortune person, solves the puzzle but doesn't win because she mispronounced a word. >>> and breaking with tradition, choosing to spend christmas with her family, the middletons instead of the queen. >>> we have been cooking up a storm, or in my case trying to, and we will share some of the holiday favorites here on the show, and from the smells out of the kitc

after nbc's ann curry issued an online call for acts of kindness inspired by the sandy hook school victimsone of those children. >> reporter: using the #20acts, one woman said paid off woman's layawaybill. even from across the world, bought a helmet for a teen in indonesia driving without one. #20acts. join us in remembering the kids in connecticut. a tragedy that ended 26 lives at one school now touching so many. we heard robert parker, the father of one young victim emilie, speak to emotionally over the weekend. he released an additional statement last night, calling on everyone to use the memories of the victims to inspire us to do good and work toward bettering our communities. savannah? >> all right, andrea canning, thank you. out of such sadness, such a great idea to do something kind for somebody else. >> pay it forward. we talk about this all the time. it's sad that tragedy reminds us. >> but that this can live on and honor their memories. >> and you do have an opportunity to elevate this kind of loss. and people i think are trying to do that. that's the best thing to try to do rig

ann curry spoke about paying it forward. i'd like to find a way to make that happen all year long.uld buy one for somebody else. that would be nice. >> this is "today" on nbc. >>> still to come, the latest on the snowstorm hitting the northeast. we're putting dylan it work today. what it could mean for travel across the country. >>> plus, the impacts on your wallet as washington lawmakers can't avoid the fiscal cliff. first, these messages. new years clutter is no match for someone with big ideas. with a new project in mind, some how-to knowledge to give us an edge, and more savings down every aisle. it only takes a few twists and turns for those bright ideas to make the new year even brighter. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. start fresh and save with hdx 20 gallon totes, a special buy at just $5.88 a piece. ♪(music playing) ♪(music playing) ♪(music playing) ♪(music playing) ♪(music playing) faster than mandy can hang up on mr. monday. you hang up first. [ female announcer ] in just 60 seconds, you've got snack-defying, satisfying totino's pizza rolls.

it began with ann curry suggested her followers could perform acts of kindness.he hashtag 26 acts is now trending. that's really sweet. >> some good things have really come out of this. i'm happy to see that. thank you so much, christine. >> i have seen to many people on twitter talking about this. >>> all right. it is 18 minutes past the hour. time for your early reads, your local news making national headlines. a newtown boy asked kids to dump the violent video games. here he is, 12-year-old max with the help of his father is setting up a bin outside the newtown youth academy sports center. he's encouraging kids to dump their violent video games in there, and he's leading the way. he's calling his came painpaign "played out." he's an avid "call of duty" player and doesn't think it affected him in a negative way, but says that everything has changed. >> i think that makes a lot of people think twice. >> reflect on what you can do to make a difference. >>> in "the washington times," the u.s. on alert after the release of "zero dark thirty." the film depicts inter

alexander wallace, one of our top executives, ann curry with family. it can be done. it involves a lot of tough tradeoffs. our corporate culture ought to be more forgiving in support of. sadly, that is rarely the case. >> i was the chairman of the nrc. my son was entering high school. we made the decision not to move here to not disruptive. we left him in the school he was in. that means my husband during the week did everything. as much as i could, i went home every weekend. i did not participate in the washington social scene all the time. but we felt it was important to do the public service, but especially important we kept stability in our son's life. >> we will take another question. go ahead. >> i was wondering if being a female it changes the perspective of how people look at you. >> because you are a woman, are you perceived differently? >> i would say yes. i worked at bell labs doing theoretical physics research for a number of years. >> were there a ton of women? [laughter] >> no. the vice president of research was a nobel prize winner. he sat down to talk