plus, brian williams follows up the broadcast where he fought a fire alarm while delivering the news with a cameo on last night's daily show. we'll show you that clip later in the show. >>> first, let's get to the news, live at 5:30 a.m. at 30 rock in new york city. a little bit of optimism this morning on wall street coming off the dow's seventh largest gain of all time. on wednesday. markets surging, wiping out last week's slump, the dow helpth 490 points, capping a 7% gain over the last three days. wednesday's session was the best showing in more than two years. investors are boosted by joint effort between the federal reserve and other central banks around the world to offer emergency loans to lower the cost of borrowing. still, there's some concern the joy may be short-lived as large parts of the european debt crisis of course remain unsettled. reporting in this morning's "wall street journal" said the fed was pushed into action by executives on wall street over concerns that europe's problems will spread to banks here in the united states. an early look in your markets as we ge

you know. [ laughter ] it's my routine and i'm watching the nbc nightly news with brian williams. even between bites of gee metrickicly per sis bites of lsh let's call it hammish. i see this. >> this is nbc nightly news about brian williams. >> good evening perhaps it's because of its names. for all the bankruptcies we've covered in this grim u.s. economy [ siren ] you'll forgive us we have a fire alarm announcement going on in the studio. [ laughter ] >> jon: no, i will not forgive you. i do not tune in to the number one national newscast to have my current events interrupted with technical high jinx. williams? you will deliver concise summaries of the day's events in a slick digestible yet blandly produced package, much like lunchables. [ laughter ] and you will do it every day of every year forever. welcome to hell, williams. by the way, back in new jersey, weren't you a volunteer fireman? fire alarm goes off in your studio and your example to the kids is stay on prompter? [ laughter ] hey, kids when faced with a fire stop, drop and be hand some. no! i'm sure they straightened

we do not make as much money as brian williams. that is not bad for the consumer. you have to think, what do people want to have it? >> that what the technology is doing, i have been saying this for 10 years. the visual image is replacing the written word as the basic unit of communication. because technology enables us to see everything as it is happening, to see the coverage of the jfk, who wants to read about it? the impact to see it and hear it. the written word was a way of explaining things to a reader. if you can show them and tell them through visual imagery, it is more powerful. the printed word has had a good run. it started with a gutenberg and that is run through steve jobs. now it is being replaced by something new which will be more visual and suitable for the new technology we have. >> you are you needing not -- uniting all of them. what i take exception to, the rise of e-mail, more people around the world type than any time in human history. my kids learn to type when they were eight years old. they have written more than i probably ever wrote at th

i'm brian williams. we want to leave you tonight with two better than average sized christmas trees. first of all, the national tree just across the way from the white house, which was lit up tonight.

and chelsea clinton makes her big debut with brian williams. how 'd that go?ind out next on news watch. so we earned a holiday trip to the big apple twice as fast! nner! [ garth ] we get double miles every time we use our card. and since double miles add up fast, we can bring the whole gang! it's hard to beat double miles! i want a mace, a sword, a... oww! [ male announcer ] get the nture card from capital one and earn double miles on every purchase, every day. go to capitaloneom. i wonder what it could be?! what's in your wallet? it's good. honey, i love you... oh my gosh, oh my gosh.. look at these big pieces of potato. ♪ what's that? big piece of potato. [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. >> last week nbc announced a tv station it owns and operates will work with nonprofit news organizations to beef up content and cut costs. and one of those is pro publica, the brainchild of herbert and marion sanders and pumped millions into the project and heavy supporters of the democratic party and its candidates and they've founded a number of lib

i'm lester holt in for brian williams. i'm lester holt in for brian williams.od night, everyone. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

i'm brian williams. lester holt will be here with you this weekend. of course, hope to see you right back here on monday night. in the meantime, have a good weekend. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

tonight, be sure to watch brian williams with nbc nightly news. >>> and, finally, here's a look at what's coming up later this morning on the "today" show. nbc weighs in on the republican presidential rate as mitt romney and newt gingerich went on the attack at the latest gop debate. >>> and actress car let johansson talks about her new film "we bought a zoo." >>> now keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports and more. i'm veronica de la cruz. thanks for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. the day today on your nbc station. have a terrific monday. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

. >>> ted cop el makes his debut on "rock solid" with brian williams. he rode with soldiers as they up vaded iraq. he goes back where troops are in the final weeks of withdrawal. welcome. >> nice to be on my hometown station. how are you, wendy? >> i'm good. i'm good, ted. we have been hearing full withdrawal, complete withdrawal for months now. are we out of the iraq as of new year's eve? >> we are out militarily. we are far from being out of iraq. there will a few hundred dollar u.s. troops that help them train. we have the largest embassy that the united states owns anywhere in the world in baghdad. they have staffs of about 16,000 to 17,000 people. you tell me, are we out? >> doesn't sound like it. sounds like we are going to spend a lot of money, still, in iraq. >> we are going to spend an awful lot of money, you are exactly right. the people working there now, i'll give you one example. the supervisor on the construction team building the new consulate, his big salary is $200,000. multiply it by a factor of 2.4 for operating in iraq under very dan

and chelsea clinton makes her big debut with brian williams. 'd >> last week nbc announced a tv station it owns and operates will work with nonprofit news organizations to beef up content and cut costs. and one of those is pro publica, the brainchild of herbert and marion sanders and pumped millions into the project and heavy supporters of the democratic party and its candidates and they've founded a number of liberal enterprises. the sandlers are members of george soros', a group that wants to push to the left. and some say hit pieces given to cash strapped media organizations at no cost. ellen, i'm going to start with you. do you see a problem there. >> first of all, i think it's so dishonest to say pro publica is going with the soros, it's an alliance meets twice a year and just like the monday meeting is here and the tuesday meeting is in washington d.c., that's ridiculous. number two, what i think is really it go is that this very disingenuous, because, how many people-- yes, they are he' taking content from pro publicament how many people

that at virginia tech and we will have a live report from the campus on nbc nightly news with brian williams, immediately following this newscast. >> and anne arundel county schoolteacher is behind bars. jeffrey sears jr. was accused of having sexual relations with 3 glen burnie high school students, both on and off campus. lowell melser has been following the student -- following this story. >> there is a lot of shock out here at glen burnie high school and this evening. sears was an english teacher and was coach of the jv boys' basketball coach. he had been teaching for about five years. a fellow coach went to the principal and told her that he thought sears was having some sort of sexual relationship with one of his students. >> i think that number teachers should not be in high schools. . have always thought that' it is appalling. >> parents and guardians of students at glen burnie high school and react to the arrest of 29-year-old jeffrey robert sears, an english teacher and coach of the boys' basketball team there. >> i could not believe it. i have a daughter that is on cheerleading, a

. >> nightly news with brian williams is next.

>>pam: how brian williams newscast was interrupted live on air ahead. honey...? [ mom ] yes. honey, i can't find my internet cord. oh, i'll borrow hailey's. you're downloading movies. fast! from here? where is her cord?! we switched to at&t high speed internet and got wireless access. no more cords. wireless, okay, honestly, can i just get a cord, please? dad, the cord's invisible. [ female announcer ] call at&t today to get high speed internet for just $14.95 a month for 12 months with a 1-year price guarantee. it's the fastest internet for the price. oooh. videos online? here? how much is that? nothing. at&t high speed internet at home includes access here. our invisible cord is really long, dad. oooh. [ female announcer ] get access to the entire national at&t wi-fi hot spot network for no extra charge. so call today to get high speed internet for just $14.95 a month for 12 months with a 1-year price guarantee. aren't you glad we switched to at&t? yes...but i want my own invisible cord. you already have one. oh. ♪ >>pam: friends and members of the community are gathering i

. >> no one forgets-- >> without brian williams, no. >> what did you just say? >> and highlights of the factor from the past 15 years. >> and if i told you, if it was across the border might have to make a citizen arrest. >> no. >> it's wrapped up into one package for you. >> i just finished reading "killing lincoln" and you gave me a copy at the office the other day. >> you wouldn't buy it. >> and the factors's best right now. >> caution, you're about to enter the no spin zone. the factor begins, right. ♪ >> hi, i'm bill o'reilly and thank you for watching us this christmas night. hope you're having a great time and this is a special edition of the factor, we begin with a look at giving. and this season of charity. and why that is so much more preferable to the redistribution of wealth. and laura i think graham recently weighed in on the subject. what do you personally, you personally owe poor americans? >> well, my christian views impel me and compel me to contribute and that means the things that i do, i don't think it's appropriate for me to talk about it, b

nbc nightly news with brian williams is up next. we will see you back here at 11. [caption

. >>> be sure to watch brian williams on "nbc nightly news." and later this morning on "today." new details on the christmas morning fire that killed three children and their grandparents in a story in connecticut. >>> and hot travel destinations. keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports, and much more. thank you so much for watching "early today," your first stop of the day, today, on your nbc station. have a terrific wednesday.

and tonight be sure to watch brian williams with "nbc nightly news." finally, here's a look at what's coming up later this morning on the "today" show. republican presidential candidate michele bachmann speaks out against her gop opponents and the current deadlock in congress. and musical legend tony bennett is live in concert with a special holiday performance. keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports and more. i'm lynn berry. thanks for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. have a good one.

you can see the full interview with brian williams tomorrow night at 10:00. >>> sports sunday is nextrriors tip off their season a week from tonight. laurence scott has their return to the court and their community. that and much, much more, coming up. sports sunday is next. >>> i'm suzanne shaw. it's no surprise that california's chronically mismanaged budget has triggered a new round of cuts and new calls to tax the rich. caught up in this frenzy to find more money, governor brown's proposal has been mislabeled a millionaire's tax. let's be accurate. the governor's initiative would hike taxes on income starting at 250,000, and it would raise sales taxes for everyone. between now and november, a variety of revenue-raising plans will compete for your vote, including new oil and tobacco taxes. nbc bay area will help you cut dlu t through the rhetoric. but if we decide to give more money to sacramento, we must demand that reforms are built in, that budgets are truly balanced and transparent so we stop this relentless charade of overspending. what's your opinion? write to nbcbayarea.com.

"nbc nightly news with brian williams" is next.

tonight be sure to watch brian williams with "nbc nightly news." >>> here's a look at what's coming up later on the "today" show. "time" magazine reveals its choice for 2011 person of the year. and olympic gold medal figure skater brian boy boynton notice performs on rockefeller skating rink. >>> keep it on your local channel for news, weather, sports and more. i'm lynn berry. thanks for watching today just your first stop of date today on your nbc station. have a good one.

television >>> from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. >>> good evening. brian is off tonight. i'm lester holt. there is some real political drama building tonight ahead of next tuesday's republican caucus in iowa. a brand-new poll of likely caucus-goers has just reshuffled the gop deck showing mitt romney with a late surge, now moving out front with 25%. previous front-runner ron paul is hanging close at 22%. rick santorum showing his own late momentum has now overtaken former house speaker newt gingrich to run third. tonight gingrich is telling nbc news number four may be good enough. his conversation with chuck todd is coming up, but we begin with peter alexander in clinton, iowa where the candidates are picking up the pace racing the clock and each other. peter. >> reporter: lester, good evening to you. while this new poll shows just how volatile the gop field still is, ron paul has steadily remained at or near the top through the course of this political campaign, and again today he was the target of nearly every other candidate loo

tonight be sure to watch brian williams with "nbc nightly news." finally, here's a look at what's coming up later this morning on the "today" show. in a "today" exclusive, the mother of missing toddler ayla reynolds speaks out about her daughter's disappearance from their home in maine. and the cast from the hit broadway show "jersey boys" stops by to perform some holiday tunes. now keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports and more. i'm lynn berry. thanks for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. have a wonderful holiday. i love teaming with the best that's why i'm here, at st. jude children's research hospital. our research has changed the way the world treats brain tumors, leukemia and sickle cell. we help kids all across america. now, these kids have hope... and a sense of humor. where did you get this color? it's natural. give thanks for the healthy kids in your life and give to those who are not. go to st. jude.org or shop wherever you see our magnifying glass.

and tonight be sure to watch brian williams with nbc "nightly news." >>> and, finally, here's a look at what's coming up later this morning on the "today" show. actress rooney mara talks about her role in one of the most anticipated films of the year, "the girl with the dragon tattoo." and shaggy performs live with a jamaican twist on a holiday classic. >>> now keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports and more. i'm lynn berry. thanks for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. have a good one. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

money you can still be bright and sunny ♪ ♪ sing polly wolly doodle all the day ♪ ♪ hah >> jon: brian williams continued his live beoblg while a fire alarm sounded moments in the nightly news. as the alarm continued, he reassured viewers he has no in danger before reading on. >> this grim u.s. economy, this one gets your attention, you'll forgive us, we have a fire alarm announcement going on in the studio. staying in the air, perhaps not something special anymore. again we have an announcement going on here in the studio. we should advise our viewers there is no danger to us. we would love -- we thought the speakers were turned off but it looks like we have a routine alarm one floor below the studio. all is well. as we continue to deal with the fire alarm, we press on with tonight's broadcast. we are still dealing with the fire alarm problem with new york. we'll go down to andrea mitchell to continue things here. >> unflappable, he trained as a volunteer firefighter. that is wrap for news watch.

brian williams takes over with more on "nightly news." see you at 6:00. ♪ secondhand smoke affects everyone's health. it's not just irritating. it can cause heart disease and even death. speak up about secondhand smoke. your health and the health of your family depend on it.

and tonight be sure to watch brian williams with "nbc nightly news." >>> here's a look at what's coming up later this morning on the "today" show. a florida marine shares his tale of survival after dodging bullets in a hometown robbery. tv host juliana rancic and her husband update her progress on the fight against breast cancer. keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather sports and more. i'm lynn berry. thanks for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. have a good one.

her full report airs tonight with brian williams at 10:00 p.m.ight here on wbal. >> your 11 insta-weather + forecast with meteorologist tony pann. >> turning out to be a pretty nice day today and with temperatures close to 50. we will take a look at the numbers from this afternoon. the average high is only 44, above the market. 53 downtown, up 43 at the airport, and temperatures will drop off into the 30's overnight tonight. a chance for sprinkles in the forecast tonight, but most of that has dissipated. most of that is now gone. i will keep a 20% chance for now, would you have outdoor plants, most likely do not even need an umbrella. clouds shipping in our direction. the big action has been out in the plains. a huge born in the southwest producing very heavy snow in the mountains of new mexico, colorado, and denver will pick up five or 6 inches tonight. if you're traveling to that part of the country, flying out tonight or tomorrow morning, there could be a lot of flight delays. near blizzard conditions in the higher elevations of new mexico and

. >>> tonight be sure to watch brian williams with "nbc nightly news." >>> and finally, here's a look at what's coming up later this morning on the "today" show. more than two years after michael jackson's death, "today" takes you inside his final home for a preview of the upcoming auction of his furniture. and michelle pfeiffer and zac efron talk about their new star-studded movie "new year's eve," and keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports and more. i'm lynn berry. thanks for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day, today on your nbc station. have a good one.

tonight be sure to watch brian william with "nbc nightly news." >>> here's a look at what's coming up later this morning on the "today" show. former new mexico governor and u.s. diplomat bill richardson talks about what's ahead for north korea after the death of kim jong-il. and bill clinton and "the office" star mindy share their favorite books from the past year. >>> keep it on this channel for local news, sports and weather. i'm lynn berry. thanks for watching. have a good one. [ man ] it's big. responds in a moment's notice. supports in times of need. same with aladdin. aladdin became the biggest in bail by treating people right. no one has lower prices, is faster or more professional than aladdin. that's why more people turn to aladdin than anyone. aladdin bail bonds. bigger because we're better.

and tonight be sure to watch brian williams with "nbc nightly news." >>> finally, here's a look at what's coming up later this morning on the "today" show. natalie morales has the latest on the recovery of lauren scruggs, the texas model who was struck by an airline propeller. and actor christopher plumber talks about his new film "the girl with the dragon tattoo." >>> keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather sports and more. i'm lynn berry. thanks for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. have a good one.

tonight be sure to watch brian williams with "nbc nightly news." >>> finally, here's a look at what's coming up later on the "today" show. the details of a missing florida mom, michelle parker, who vanished last month following the airing of her episode on "the people's court." >>> and evan lysacek takes a spin on the famous rockefeller ice rink. >>> keep it here for your latest news, weather, sports and more. i'm lynn berry. thanks for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. have a good one. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

you can see the full interview with brian williams on "rock center" this monday night at 10:00. dr. yderman will have more on brian stowe's recovery and more on violence among fans in professional sports. great to see he is doing so well, come so far. >>> rob, we were talking earlier about what a dry spell we are in. and we'll remain in for a while. what's your computer telling you? >> everything in the long-range forecast doesn't show change. without rain or winds picking up, we are having unusually high numbers spare the air days for december. another one tonight, into tomorrow. daytime temperatures nice. mid 60s around sunnyvale to morgan hill, look at numbers drop off. fairfield and especially concord, very chilly, clammy, cold breeze out of the east during the day. that has backed off a little bit. it did act like a fog machine, pumping in fog from the central valley, keeping temperatures down and follow the line in blue, and you can see the cooler air is trying to spill into napa county, solano and contra kosta counties. the fog back to the west. patchy fog tonight. chilly star

tonight be sure to watch brian williams with "nbc nightly news." >>> finally, here's a look at what's coming up this morning on the "today" show. former "survivor" producer facing murder charges for the death of his wife, the victim's sister speaks out live in the studio. >>> you'll get to meet that 1-month-old polar bear who opened his eyes for the very first time, something you definitely don't want to miss. >>> keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports and much more. i'm veronica de la cruz. thank you for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. have a terrific tuesday. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

and tonight be sure to watch brian williams with nbc "nightly news." >>> and, finally, here's a lookat's coming up later this morning on the "today" show. in a "today" exclusive, hear from an 11-year-old boy who has been caught in the middle of an international custody battle since he was 4. >>> and meet the youngest person ever to climb seven of the world's tallest peaks. >>> now keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports and more. i'm veronica de la cruz. thank you so much for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. have a terrific monday. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

tonight be sure to watch brian williams with nbc nightly news. finally, a look at what's coming up later this morning on the "today" show. nbc's natalie morales goes inside the new cuba with a look at how the less isolated nation is changing. and daniel craig talks about going beyond bond in his new film "the girl with the dragon tattoo". >>> keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports and more. i'm lynn berry. thanks for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. have a good one. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com