d.c. today, 54 degrees. even as far north as milwaukee, wisconsin, a mix of rain and snow showers. of course, new year's eve/new year's day forecast coming up. >>> coming up, home sales jump. verizon charges more. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. >>> she's drawing questions over her tweets. >>> a homecoming, a barn burner and a buzzer-beater. you're watching "early today." >>> good morning and welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry. here are some of your top headlines this morning. president obama remembered victims of pearl harbor thursday, laying a wreath at the "uss arizona" memorial in hawaii. the president and first lady michelle obama also dropped flower petals into the water beneath the memorial. >>> fire burned a russian nuclear submarine docked at a shipyard for repairs. authorities say there's no radiation threat because the missiles normally on board had been removed. while the fire is out, russian military says some crew members are still on board. >>> chinese officials say they've launched 19 rockets this year, putting them second behind

areas like washington, d.c. today, still pretty mild out there. we're not going to see any rain. that's all gone and done with. as far as a lot of the big airports go, dallas, atlanta, chicago, we're looking just fine for the busy travel day. i do feel bad, though, for all those ski areas and everyone else in new england, i mean, it's just -- it's miserable time. people are losing a lot of money. >> bill, thanks so much. >>> more job improvement, best buy says bah humbug, and what you probably won't find overhead this christmas. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. >>> he's back and expected to blow up his competition this weekend at the box office. >>> a dramatic finish between the colts and texans and another bowl, another win for boise state. you're watching "early today." >>> good morning and welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry and here are some of your top headlines this morning. a magnitude 5.8 earthquake shook the new zealand city of christchurch followed by several strong aftershocks. there were no reports of serious injury or major damage.

areas like washington, d.c. today, still pretty mild out there. we're not going to see any rain. that's all gone and done with. as far as a lot of the big airports go, dallas, atlanta, chicago, we're looking just fine for the busy travel day. i do feel bad, though, for all those ski areas and everyone else in new england, i mean, it's just -- it's miserable time. people are losing a lot of money. >> bill, thanks so much. >>> more job improvement, best buy says bah humbug, and what you probably won't find overhead this christmas. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. >>> he's back and expected to blow up his competition this weekend at the box office. >>> a dramatic finish between the colts and texans and another bowl, another win for boise state. you're watching "early today." >>> good morning and welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry and here are some of your top headlines this morning. a magnitude 5.8 earthquake shook the new zealand city of christchurch followed by several strong aftershocks. there were no reports of serious injury or major damage.

today's march down k street. they left on monday to come to d.c. to take part in the take back the capitol protests. >>> of woodbridge doctor accused of sex crimes is due in court today. dr. hussain faces multiple charges of sexual battery. he could make a plea deal today. >>> also this morning, still more questions than answers and still no rest after stepping outside of a silver spring high school. >> the violence started during a boys' basketball game atom northwood -- at a northwood high school last night. >> the condition of that student is still unknown. we understand that this happened outside of northwood high school. around 9:00 p.m. last night. that is when police were called to the school. we understand that a teenage girl was stabbed in the back. according to authorities, we understand there was a dispute after the basketball game which took place between northwood and john f. kennedy. other people from kennedy high school got into a dispute with the victim. the teenage victim was stabbed in the back three times. all we understand is tha

d.c. protesters today. it may be a peaceful demonstration with no impact, or it could make your afternoon or evening commute a nightmare. just plan for it, and if you can avoid these areas, then do it. tracee wilkins live this morning in northwest. >>> former prince george's county executive jack johnson has one month to report to prison for coordinating a corruption scheme. johnson entered the courthouse using a cane yesterday. his attorneys say the former prince george's county executive now has parkinson's disease, and he asked for leniency. instead the judge went with the prosecutor's recommendations and sentenced him to more than seven years in prison. prosecutors had reduced their original request for a maximum of 14 years because they say johnson has cooperated with the investigation. johnson pled guilty in may of accepting bribes of up to $1 million. he apologized in court, saying his actions have haunted him and ruined his reputation. others in the county call what he did unforgivable. >> i think h

. >>> and a federal judge in d.c. todayted requests for more thorough psychiatric evaluation of the man accused of shooting at the white house. oscar hernandez was trying to assassinate president obama even though the commander in chief was not home at the time. a previous mental evaluation found he was competent to stand trial. >>> three people are dead and two others injured after a shooting at a california office building. it happened about 1:30 local time and police believe the gunman is among the dead. right now they are not saying who that is or why that person started shooting. >>> the key witness in the penn state sex abuse scandal took the stand today. mike mcquery spoke out during a hearing investigating what university administrators knew and when they knew it. our scott broom was in the courtroom. >> mike mcquery testified he was shocked, not thinking straight and distraught after he saw former coach, jerry sandusky wap raping a boy in a locker room shower in 2002. i believed jerry was having sexual intercourse

> the end of the war brought president obama together with iraq's prime minister in washington, d.c. today. the last remaining troops will leave iraq by the end of the month. almost nine years i can't remember prime minister nuri al maliki paid respects at arlington national sell tern. many of the nearly 4,500 soldiers killed in iraq are bury the there. later, he and president obama addressed reporters. >> we think a successful democratic iraq can be a model for the entire region. >> is there any reason to trust maliki? >> no! >> former homeland security secretary tom ridge spoke at a protest demonstrating against iraq because its closest ally is now iran which ridge called a "terrorist nation." the u.s. will try to maintain ties with iraq by staging gent training with its soldiers in e coming months. >>> up next on "nightly news," ted koppel takes us into iraq to look into claims the u.s. september really leaving the country. >>> talk about a rough start to the week for your money. a big drop in the stock market just as people are in the thick of holiday shopping. nbc bay area's business

what a pleasure to drive and walk around d.c. today.e took the dogs out this afternoon for a nice long walk through our logan circle neighborhood. what a beauty of a day. and so, so quiet in downtown washington. there's a great view of the national cathedral, high on top of the hill here in northwest washington. right at the intersection of wisconsin and massachusetts avenue. not too far from our friendly studios right here in northwest. 45 degrees. that's the current temperature down at national airport. a light breeze now out of the south, averaging only 8 miles per hour. so not much of a breeze left. the winds will stay up just enough to put a little chill in the air for your evening plans. so maybe you can put that new scarf or some new gloves on that you got for christmas. 39 right now in gaithersburg. 38 in huntingtown, with maryland. 48 in ft. belvoir and dale city. manassas and warrenton into the upper 30s to around 40 degrees. and no real super cold air out there just yet. it's going to be seasonally cold overnight tonight. wak

it made it a little bit cooler. 51 in d.c. today. 40s north of there.r extended forecast as we head towards the weekend. a little chance of rain on thursday. look how warm. into the low 50s. we get colder by the time next weekend arrives. really the last big shopping weekend. we will be watching, you know, sunshine. at least there's no big storms heading that way. t the storminess today, thunderstorms possible phoenix. even san diego could get rain. eventually heads out. >>> coming up, the latest in star wars versus star trek battle. the oldest woman ever to grace the cover of "vogue." it seems like she's won every award possible this year. we're going to tell you who beat her out for billboard artist of the year. your first look at entertainment is straight ahead. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. rved. four minutes, around four bucks. campbell's chunky -- it's amazing what soup can do. for a hot dog cart. my mother said, "well, maybe we ought to buy this hot dog cart and set it up someplace." so my parents went to bank of america. they met with t

d.c. landmark. starting today, "the girl with the dragon tattoo" will begin showing at the lincoln theater on "u" street. it's the first step in the d.c. arts xwhicommission's plan to m the theater a viable business. mayor vincent gray says the company plans to donate the proceeds from the movie back to the theater. >>> getting the capitals stars to align has been a tough task this year, but last night a team effort gave the caps a dominating win. alex ovechkin started the scoring, and niklas backstrom and alexander semin with a 4-1 win to the nashville predators. this the first time the big three stars all scored goals in the same game. all the attention was on mike knuble. the assistant captain's wife and children were on hand as teammates and fans honored him for playing in his 1,000th career game. >> the other guys all chipped in and got a sea-doo. it's going to be a lot of fun in the summertime. i'm thrilled how the night went. you get a big win in the end. it turned out to be a great day. >> i think with his

the hottest trends last minute shopping seems to be on the minds of many people around washington d.c. today the average american spends about six hundred fifty bucks during the holiday season that's according to the american research group that amount is down just a smidge from last year but not much the hard ticket item this season nike's new air jordan price at one hundred eighty bucks a pop and the release of those shoes caused quite a frenzy among shoppers across the country and seattle police broke up a fight by dousing over one hundred shoppers with pepper spray the all too familiar scene similar to last month's black friday sales but as a mare millions of americans that line up for a pair of kicks there's another line growing packed with the same sense of desperation but for a hot meal people doing whatever it takes to feed their families even if it means waiting for handouts like this food line in los angeles or thousand meals were served along with a thousand toys people started getting in line since midnight. just another example of the huge income gap consuming the u.s. these day

. >>> new this morning, a warning of another protest that could create some traffic problems in d.c. today send their message of reform to lobbyists today. >> reporter: they are calling it swarm k street. that is because the plan is to descend upon k street midday and let folk know how they feel about corporate greed and the lack of jobs. there will be possible disruptions. we are expecting the protestors somewhere around 11:30 to come right downtown to the heart of k street around 16th and k is where i am right now. it is not just the occupy d.c. people. we are told this isn't their protest, in fact. there are other groups in the city that are protesting as well. some of the occupiers are joining in. yesterday, protests are marched to the capitol as part of the take back the capitol program. some of the occupy protesters did join that event as well. they were protesting the government and they eventually staged sit-in at mitch mcconnell's office and were complaining about what happened. we talked to one of the protests are yesterday. >> we are gathered here today to tell our congressional

today. oh i'm sorry no washington d.c. and here's what's coming up tonight on the big picture most members of congress fled d.c. today to start their end of year occasions there is no lack of shenanigans on capitol hill today and has polluted fact killed their own credibility for ever as my panel is just a few. you need to know this we're now just ten.

hottest fashion trends last minute shoppers seem to be on the minds of people around washington d.c. today the average american spends about six hundred forty six dollars during the holiday season that's according to the american research group that amount is down just a smidge from last year but not much this year's hot ticket item nike's new air jordans priced at one hundred eighty bucks a pop the release of the shoes caused quite a frenzy among shoppers across the nation in seattle police had to break up a fight by dousing over one hundred shoppers with pepper spray a scary scene all too familiar to last month's black friday sales but with millions of americans lining up for a pair of sneakers there's another line growing with the same sense of desperation but for a hot meal people doing whatever it takes to feed their families even if it means waiting in long lines for a handout like this with mine in los angeles four thousand meals were handed out along with a thousand toys people started standing in line since midnight last night to get their hands on anything they could. just anothe

today, the free ride is over on the intercounty connector. tolls will vary on the time of day. >> 6:31. >>> occupied d.c. leave its protest today. >> the protest is expected to draw a crowd in the thousands but it comes amid a crackdown on the living situation in the square. this is pictures from the police raid sunday. we go live to northwest. >>> the standoff lasted all day long. 31 protesters had been arrested. this is the first case of mass arrests since the base camp was established. they built a 16-foot structure to protect themselves. protesters had said they built the structure to specifications but made a temporary and easy to move. police said it appeared permanent and the dean did unsay. after protesters refused orders to leave, they were arrested. police charged 15 people and then 16 people. the occupiers build the structure saturday night and after repeated orders to leave some climbed on top of it. police brought in a swat team and a cherry picker to finish the job. it took 50 minutes to remove the form of protesters from the structure. -- it took 15 minutes to remove the balance of protest

ahead of it today, mild 63 in d.c., meanwhile, 42 in chicago. on the back end of this system want storm warnings posted and the santa ana winds are blowing again. >> all right, thanks, rob. >>> newt gingrich picking up late breaking momentum in the gop presidential race. in a new nbc marist poll gingrich surged to the top in iowa. competitors are catching up. romney support dropped from 45% to 39% and gingrich has 23%. 24% there. less than 30 days from the first gop presidential nominating contest in january. >>> all right. now that herman cain is out of the white house race, the battle is on for the remaining gop candidates like romney and gingrich. who will get cain's endorsement and where will his supporters go? here's paul steinhauser. >> i am suspending my presidential campaign. >> the ride is over for the cain train but herman cain promises he'll still make an impact. >> i will be making an endorsement in the near future. >> new front-runner gingrich was quick to compliment him. >> i think he deserves a great deal of credit. big ideas he h

the world as it is dispatches on the myth of human progress and he was also in freedom plaza in d.c. today and how does somebody that said that civil disobedience is our only hope for the future of this country so i asked him if civil disobedience is what he thinks we're seeing right now. yeah. i think people have finally woken up to the club talk or see that we live in. the fact that the only word that these corporations know is more there are no impediments to patients reconfiguring of the united states and the global economy into a form of neo feudalism they recognize that the political system is broken that the commercial press the judiciary the elected officials. are essentially wholly owned subsidiaries of the corporate state and we're seeing a reaction and it's of course for those of us who have been calling for acts of civil disobedience and physical defiance of the corporate state it's deeply heartening what about those that are part of the corporate media you could say especially we're seeing a lot of this on fox news or elected officials people that want to be elected officials

. >> very powerful day across the bay area and washington, d.c. todayith the president saying that he thinks we can really beat the aids epidemic. >> they say we in a position to turn the corner. we'll talk about that coming up in a couple of minutes. some encouraging news. >> thank you very much. ♪ okay, so who ordered the cereal that can help lower cholesterol and who ordered the yummy cereal? yummy. that's yours. lower cholesterol. lower cholesterol. i'm yummy. lower cholesterol. i got that wrong didn't i? [ male announcer ] want great taste? honey nut cheerios. want whole grain oats that can help lower cholesterol? honey nut cheerios. it's a win win. good? [ crunching, sipping ] be happy. be healthy. can i try yours?

. >>> president obama and iraqi prime minister met in washington d.c. today for final talks regarding the u.s. complete troop withdrawal from iraq by the end of the year. >> what we will be executing is a normal evasion of the relationship. we will have a strong, friend and partner in iraq. >> president obama reiterated the u.s. will not have any bases in iraq. the u.s. embassy will be beefed up to 16,000. the prime minister has high aspirations for the country's future relationships. they acknowledged acknowledged the u.s. troops who died during operation iraqi freedom. >> we are here to honor the sacrifices of all those who made this day possible. >> after their meeting they went to aural national cemetery to lay a wreath that tomb of the unknowns. tonight at 9:00, ktvu out of iraq, help on the home front. we look at the challenges faced by veterans once they returned home. 1million american troops deployed to iraq since the war began. >>> on our facebook wall we asked viewers is our work done in iraq. clark says, while many troops come home, it's disingenu

he met with the prime minister in washington, d.c. todayy visited a place that sadly symbolized the huge investment in iraq. >> reporter: arlington national cemetery. elected iraqi prime minister malaki went to pay his respects to the americans who invested the most. >> the iraqi national anthem in 2003, 4,483 americans have died in iraq. in a few days, almost all u.s. troops will be gone. >> we will honor the sacrifices for all those who made today possible and to turn the page. >> reporter: president obama opposed the war, but today sounded like george w. bush. >> we think a successful, democratic iraq can be a model for the entire region. >> translator: but the goals that we established were achieved. >> reporter: were they? critics say no. >> is there any reason to trust malaki? >> no! >> reporter: tom ridge at a protest outside the white house today. iraq's closest ally now is iran. >> the single greatest terrorist organization in the world is iran. >> thanks to the sacrifice, iran will now choose its own friend and go its own way. >>

d.c. voting rights will launch an online petition today. they hope to get one signature for every resident in d.c., which is roughly 618,000. they are also proposing a new one cent tax on bottled water that would fund a full-time lobbyist for the district. artists and occupy d.c. protester adrian parsons has been consuming only electrolyte enhanced water and vitamins for three weeks now. a few others fasted for shorter periods. >>> a federal judge has ruled that d.c. must pay more than $1 million as a result of a court case over guns in the district. in 2003 dick heller sued the city saying a ban on owning guns was unconstitutional. five years later the supreme court agreed ruling the ban violated the second amendment. the $1 million will pay for heller's lawyers fees. now d.c. residents are allowed to own guns, but there are strict registration requirements. >>> two gop candidates who failed to make virginia's primary ballot are heading to court over that decision. an attorney and tea party activist has filed the lawsuit on behalf of newt g

. >>> today d.c. officials will announce they've made major progress fighting crime. the city is on course to have its lowest homicide rate in nearly 50 years. as of this morning, there have been 108 homicides, the lowest since the early 1960s, and that is a far cry from the 1991 era where there were 479 homicides. d.c. mayor vincent gray and police chief cathy lanier say the drop in murders is from what they call community policing and a strong police presence in traditionally violent neighborhoods. >>> an online petition will be launched today in d.c. they hope to get one signature for every resident in d.c., which is 116,000. they're also proposing a new tax on bottled water that would fund a full-time lobbyist for the district. online protester adrian parsons has been consuming only electrolyte enhanced water for three weeks. >>> in 2003 dick heller sued the city, saying the ban on owning guns was unconstitutional. five years later, the supreme court agreed, ruling the ban violated the second amendment. yesterday a federal judge awarded heller's lawyers more than

d.c. camp. tracee wilkins live this morning in northwest. back to you all in the studio. >> tracee, thank you. >>> today d.c. council members will vote on a new ethics bill, but it's still unclear whether ward 5 council member harry thomas jr. will attend the meeting. federal and irs agents raids his northeast washington home on friday and seized luxury vehicles, financial records, and other items. he's currently under federal investigation for allegedly stealing more than $300,000 from a youth charity to pay for vacations and cars. sources tell news 4, if thomas does show up, the committee might not even vote on the bill and he's being urged by other council members not to attend that meeting. d.c. council chair kwame brown is working to schedule a meeting among other council members to talk about the thomas raid. there are reports that brown might remove thomas from any committee to avoid any possible conflicts during the investigation. >>> now to decision 2012. herman cain's campaign manager will make an endorsement in coming days. cain suspended his campaign saturday. he made the decision amid allegation

he was not invited to washington, d.c., today. all of that coming up. but first this -- couple stories we're looking for you. first, jerry sandusky arrested again. no charges will be filed against a former syracuse assistant basketball coach. the man they call blago learns his fate today. >>> and a debate over plan b. >>> reporter roulette. i want to begin with ted rowlands in chicago. ted, we know rod blagojevich was sentenced to 14 years. he spoke a moment ago. what do you know? >> reporter: well, yeah, 14 years in federal prison for rod blagojevich. he was hoping for three to five. the judge siding with the prosecution. blagojevich just came down from the courtroom about ten minutes ago and addressed the media very briefly. he didn't take any questions. said he was going home to be with his two daughters, explain to them where they were going from here and said he will be, quote, fighting on. so expect an appeal in this case. one thing to note, he doesn't have to report until february 16th to the bureau of prisons. so he does have this time to spend

d.c. police are on patrol here. so far today, there have been no confrontations, no incidents to report. things seem to have returned to normal here at the occupy d.c. encampment at mcpherson square one day after they condemned the makeshift wooden structure occupiers constructed to hold meetings in. 31 demonstrators were arrested when they disobeyed orders to take it down. police dismantled the structure. today, we learned occupy d.c. plans to build another one. >> we'll have another general assembly tonight and come up with proposals which we will discuss and have a consensus or we will disagree with the proposal and decide where to go from there. we need a plan for structure. the weather is becoming worse. >> reporter: occupants cleaned up mcpherson's square. >> we don't want them to think we are not cleaning up. >> reporter: nationally known singer song writer jackson brown showed up to support the movement. >> lifelong friend of mine is here. my daughter is here and her kids are here. i made up my mind to come here as soon as i could to visit them and to see shots of them making this

. >>> what's happening near washington, d.c. today to mark the end of the u.s. involvement in the iraq war and what's so special about the flag involved in today aceremony. >>> a new battle for returning war veterans who want to find a job. a bay area organization that helps vets transition to civilian life. >>> what new 911 tape from a deadly shooting reveals about the tragedy. >>> good morning. we have -- well, some pockets of fog, 20s, 30s and 40s. we'll end up with sunshine today. a little windy out towards mount diablo and in the sierra. that's it. >>> well, that he was an area of low pressure in southern california which got kicked out. it's turned into a whopper of a system. they have blizzard warnings in new mexico, colorado, moving into the texas panhandle. about 90 miles to the east roads were closed. >>> another ceremony marking the end of the war in iraq will take place today. president obama and vice president biden will welcome the troops home in maryland. today's ceremony comes after fort bragg, north carolina. the end of the u.s. involvement in ir

. >>> 20 high school students are in d.c. today to vie for $500,000 in college scholarships at a science competition. the winners of the scholarship will present their ideas to a panel of judges that will award the top honors. top individual winners and top team will walk away with $100,000. >>> here are some the stories expected to make headlines in the week ahead. tuesday is the annual capital christmas tree lighting. ceremony begins at 5:00 p.m. and 65 foot ciara white fur will be lit -- fir will be lit until the new year. house speaker john boehner will do the honor of lighting the tree on tuesday. wednesday gop presidential candidates meet in washington, d.c., for the republican jewish coalition forum. missing from the line up is congressman ron paul. the grass roots organization omitted paul from the forum saying they reject his misguided and extreme views. >>> on wednesday the u.s. marks 70th anniversary of the japanese attack on hawaii's pearl harbor. military personnel and others commemorate the event with ceremonies honor

michael grimm said, you saw the politics of demagoguery, trump policy and principle in washington, d.c. today, i think that's a sad thing for america. >> greta: if you believe that, then it appears you got politically outmaneuvered and you caved and deviates from your principles. in theory, they were eight days lift and people could have stayed in washington and pounded the pavement. but everyone knew what the deadline was, but it just -- just from -- you seem to have given up, those of you who have your position because you got outmaneuvered and you didn't have the p.r. but it seems like, you didn't fight much at the end? >> well, i think that's not a good reflection of me. i put out a press release on saturday about this two-month deal. and the president very simply, by the constitution could have call the the senate back. have you to remember, the house didn't adjourn for the year. the senate did and packed up their toys and within away. so i think when you do the final analysis of this two-month deal, the thing that a lot of americans don't understand is the pay force. our one-year plan w

this is why hundreds of protesters took to the streets in d.c. today, dozens were arrested, protesting a system that benefits the 1% at the expense of the other 99 p it's about time the gop listens. joining me is congressman barney frank, democrat from massachusetts, one of the authors of the dodd/frank bill, one of the landmark achievements that arose from the financial crisis. he's also the top democrat on the financial -- the house financial services committee. mr. chairman, thanks for joining me this evening. >> thank you, reverend. this is an important moment. i'm glad to have this opportunity to discuss it. >> why do you think the republicans continue to attack reforms that help american consumers? >> well, for some of them it's ideological blind there's. they believe the free enterprise system, which we believe in, did you which we think needs regulation to work well, is best left totally unregulated. how they can look at what disasters we have from the past years, i don't know, but they still do that. and then some of them frankly have decided

vice president joe biden speaking exclusively, excuse me, with me here in washington, d.c., today. at the end there talking about iran. the vice president was implicitly encountering some republican criticism that the obama administration should somehow be tougher with iran. among this year's republican presidential candidates, for example, even long-shot former utah governor jon huntsman, who sort of has the reputation as the cool, calm, collected guy in the republican room. even jon huntsman said he'd like to start a war with iran, a preemptive war. former vice president dick cheney said on cnn last night we should have dropped a bomb on iran last week. after one of our drones crashed there. personally, i have to say, it is striking to be in washington in this context. today having this face to face conversation with the democratic administration, this vice president, about his pride in ending the war, which you could see in the way he talked about it there. his pride and their satisfaction in finally extricating us from iraq after 8 1/2 years there. and then to have the parallel

group of demonstrators that include the unemployed, union leaders, and a local group called our d.c. >>> today the winds dying down in southern california should allow power crews to get back to work. folks in santa barbara have not had electricity since the storm blew through last week. hurricane force winds caused the damage. >> strong winds. but right now the rain is the story? >> yes. everything is wet. allow yourself extra time. >>> take lie ak ta look at the . we've got a long line of rain. scattered light showers coming through since late last evening. they're generally with us west of i-95 although they're beginning to creep a little farther to the east across virginia, west virginia, much of maryland, north and west of 95, is where it's mostly wet. south and east, it's all cloudy. a little bit of fog is beginning to form through central virginia and the shenandoah valley where temperatures are in the 50s. it's 50s from the mountains to the atlantic beaches, including the nearby suburbs as well as in downtown washington. highs reaching low to mid-60s this afternoon. so a mild day but o

the road opening today that could ease traffic for d.c., maryland, and virginia drivers. od morning. i'm joe krebs. >> and i'm angie goff, in for eun yang. welcome to "news 4 today" on this monday, december 19th, 2011. surprise, we're waking up to another cold start this morning. feels like 30 degrees out there, would you say? >> it's another frigid start. strange things happen -- it seems like only two hours ago, i said have a great weekend. what the heck happened? how it's monday again already. we're all so busy running around and the time flies. welcome back to monday. good morning. i'm meteorologist tom kierein. >>> right now at reagan national, it's a cold 29 degrees. we've got thankfully a very light breeze under a clear sky. the winter constellations are twinkling. we had had temperatures down into the low to mid-20s throughout most of the region from the mountains all the way to the atlantic beaches. it is a freezing start this morning. the only place above freeze sg annapolis at 33. a little bit of a breeze coming off the bay. we'll be cold and stay below freezing

. >>> now here in d.c. today, president obama and his family will light the national christmas tree. up next we'll take you live to the ellipse. annie yu has a preview. >>> then we are talking -- or taking, i should say, springtime indoors and we're talking about it. our garden guru derek thomas is here with more on that and some holiday gift ideas. hey, derek. we'll be right back. u paying more and more for cable and enjoying it less and less? stop paying for second best. upgrade to verizon fios and get tv, internet and phone for our best price online -- just $79.99 a month for two years with a 2 year agreement. it's an amazing holiday deal. but don't wait. it's only available for a limited time. so go to verizon.com/superoffer to sign up. act now and we'll add a special bonus -- $300 back. fios delivers the best picture quality, plus america's fastest, most consistent most reliable internet. spend the holidays saving money. switch to fios and get our best price online -- just $79.99 a month for two ye

d.v d.c., 62 today.or denver, but that's about it. >> all right, bill, thanks so much. >>> coming up, a movie star is injured surfing. a music star proves he's not dead. and a reality star is hit with a multimillion dollar lawsuit. plus he's a much publicized student off screen, but has his grad school been cooking his grades? the healing power of touch can be even more powerful. with precise from the makers of tylenol. precise pain relieving cream works quickly to activate sensory receptors. it helps block pain signals fast for relief you can feel precisely where you need it most. precise. only from the makers of tylenol. [ dog ] precise. i am my coat? solid gold. my insides? pure platinum. [ female announcer ] a healthy outside starts inside. new iams simple & natural has chicken as its number one ingredient and zero fillers. it works inside for health you can see on the outside. [ dog ] i can't be a rockstar on the outside if i'm not one on the inside. [ female announcer ] new iams naturals. you'll li

d.c. parks. >>> well, it is christmas, but the occupy movement is a little thin today in downtown d.c., but i chatted with one gentleman who traveled 100,000 miles to be here. i'll have the story coming up. >>> and then anny hong is back with a look at your forecast with this shortened workweek. >>> i would just like to wish you and my family and the u.s.a. a happy thanksgiving. allison, david, vicky, steven and all the kids, take care, you all. >>> occupy london protesters spent christmas day in their tense city as worshipers nearby the st. paul cathedral made their way to midnight mass. the real spirit in the holiday was in their community. people were getting together and moving away from the commercialization. >>> and the holiday didn't stop protesters at d.c.'s square either. we are checking in with a live look at it now. >> reporter: yes, it has been nearly 100 days since they have gotten the momentum here downtown d.c. it's been quite a news maker here, a phenomenon. quite frankly all over the globe. as you mentioned today, it's christmas. it's the holiday season. and it has been one

listen, it was a 100% total collapse on the republican side in d.c. today. over the ongoing payroll tax cut fight. it appears to basically be over now. we're going to get the latest details in just a moment about what happens next in washington. but it looks like the payroll tax cut thing will be at least temporarily extended. you will not be having an extra 40 bucks taken out of every one of your paychecks starting january 1st. that's what it looks like. but the way that this has ended, the way that this total political disaster for the republicans has come about has given us really two things in american politics. it has shown us one interesting new thing about the democratic party and the way democratic politics are working right now. and it has raised one really important question about the republican party. first on the democratic side, the critique from some parts of the left, and not just from the left but from -- even from obama supporters who say they wanted more out of this presidency, one of the critiques from that direction in the polity has been