. >> i'm danielle nottingham in washington. coming up, president obama consults a group of the nation's governors on the "fiscal cliff." >> and well wishes are pouring in for will and kate as brits make bets on whether it will be a boy, girl, twins or triplets. >>> hi, i'm meteorologist lawrence karnow live at the whole foods market in cupertino. if you have been looking for a way to help people for the holidays, we have a great idea for you plus we'll talk about that rain coming back all that in just a few minutes. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, typhoon in the philippines. 33 villagers wer >>> at least 74 people are dead or missing following a powerful typhoon in the philippines. >> 33 villagers all swept way after a massive wave hit their emergency shelter there. the storm brought in 160-mile- per-hour winds ashore toppling trees and causing widespread power outages. >>> syrian violence is deadly for schoolchildren. state media reports 29 students and a teacher were killed when a mortar slammed into their school outside damascus. the repor

. >> i'm danielle nottingham in washington.he president and lawmakers reach out to the business world to help sell their plans to avoid a fiscal crisis. >> plus a royal prank has buckingham palace livid and the queen's private hospital saying, sorry about that. >> and will watching others lose weight inspire to you get fit? probably not. when we come back. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, left the "fiscal cliff" tals all but frozen. so far - no een >>> tensions over tax hikes and spending cuts have left the "fiscal cliff" talks all but frozen. so far no face-to-face meetings have been scheduled between the democrats and republicans. cbs reporter danielle nottingham with the president's push now to sell his plan to american businesses. >> reporter: president obama asked business leaders this morning to support his plan to prevent a fiscal crisis. >> let's allow higher rights to go up for the top 2%, that includes all of you, yes, but not in any way that's going to affect your spending, your lifestyles. >> reporter: if no deal is reached between

on capitol hill, danielle nottingham, cbs 5. back to you. >> thank you. >>> instagram says it now has the right to sell your photos. it's in its first big policy shift since facebook bought the photo sharing site. instagram claims the right to sell users' photos without payment or notification. and there's no way to opt out unless you close your account. the policy takes effect january 16. >>> well, the sun is out but the temperature is falling. it's 5 to 10 degrees cooler today than yesterday at this time. and elizabeth has the latest on this big chill. >> that's right. it's going to be colder still overnight tonight. yeah, bundle up if you are heading outdoors. it is cold outside. hi-def doppler kind of taking a break. we are seeing a few lingering showers. you can see it out there. mainly staying offshore. but we are still keeping about a 20% chance of showers just along the coast. the rest of the bay area look at this blue skies everywhere you go. it is going to get colder still tonight. and then the wet weather is making a

danielle nottingham reports for wjz on president obama's latest counter offer to prevent year end taxdle class americans. >> house speaker john boehner met with fellow republicans this morning to discuss president obama's fiscal cliff proposal. the speaker also began work on a so-called plan b to prevent a tax increase in case he does not reach a deal with the white house before january 1st. >> our plan b would protect american taxpayers who make a million dollars or less. >> the president initially insisted on letting tax cuts expire for households making $250,000 or more, but the new white house counter proposal raises that threshold to $400,000, and for the first time the president is willing to accept some reduction in future cost of living benefit increases for social security recipients. >> in addition to his negotiations with the president, boehner has another challenge, convincing gop conservatives to accept any increases in income taxes. many republicans believe tax increases will hurt small businesses. pedro alfonso owns a company that installs voice and da that network. he'

danielle nottingham has more from the white house. >> reporter: members of congress arrived at the capital to work on new year's eve to try to avoid massive tax increases and spending cuts from taking effect in just hours. >> there are a number of issues on which the two sides are still apart. but negotiations are continuing as i speak. >> reporter: sources say both sides are starting to pro mize on which families will keep bush era tax cuts. the president wand families making more than $250,000 to start paying more. democrats are reportedly negotiating to raise that limit. >> let's get this thing done. tonight when the ball drops, let's make sure we haven't also dropped the ball. >> i'm sorry that we are here, on new year's eve, and that we haven't solved this problem long ago. >> reporter: most of the negotiations have been happening behind closed doors. but lawmakers called on the white house. >> senate minority leader mitchell's fish market mcconnell began talking directly with joe biden. >> it seems like the president is handcuffing harry reid from bringing a bill to the floor now. th

danielle nottingham has more. >> reporter: lawmakers are getting an earful about why they need to avoid the so- called fiscal cliff. >> you've got to nail this down. uncertainty is killing us. >> reporter: top economists came to capitol hill thursday to talk about the impact of tax increases and government spending cuts on the middle class. president obama and house speaker john baner -- john boehner spoke wednesday but publicly are holding firm on their positions. it's made clear the country could go over the cliff if congress fails to come to a agreement. the standoff and the country's skyrocketing debt concerned ryan ryan, so much so that he's the guy in the suit dancing gangnam style with former senator alan simpson. the can kicks back is working to get young people back to fixing the debt crisis. >> we're using humor to hook them in and get them to learn about this issue and understand how it affects their lives. >> reporter: the grass roots campaign wants to sign up more than two million people to put pressure on both sides. danielle nottingham, cbs news, washington. >>> 9news now

daniel nottingham. >> reporter: wall street not inpressed by the the events in washington. the nasdaq and dow jones closed down. >>> going over that fiscal cliff will certainly impact your finances in several ways, some bad and some surprising. a series of temporary tax cuts for businesses will expire along with other credits and deductions. your grocery costs could go up. federal long term jobless benefits would expire for millions, but the price of gasoline could go down because of declining demand. >>> another tax you will see go up is the estate tax. >> reporter: jeff page owns 120- acre vineyard in napa valley. but when his great grandfather came here, this was cattle country. >> before the turn of the century they came in and farmed orchard fruit and cattle. >> reporter: but much of the land he grew up on is gone. >> had land in the hills over there? >> yeah. >> had to sell it all. >> yeah. >> for state tacks. >> question. >> reporter: his for died in 1972 when state taxes were 77%. >> it was a big tax bill. half a million dollars, we sold off 150-acres. >> now jeff a

danielle nottingham, cbs news, washington. >>> my own mom at christmas dinner told me do not raise my taxes. >> after a few words of advice at home the bay area's newly elected congressman is about to get a crash course in washington politics. how the young lawmaker thinks he can help what many consider a broken system. ======b r e a k >> on tap for the next 24 hours more rain and i guess some big waves, too right, liz? >> we have a high surf advisory in effect for tomorrow. in the meantime we've got cold temperatures, overcast skies, a live look over the pleasanton area. we have wet weather heading our way. we'll show you coming up. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, the fiscal cliff. the dow is _ _ this marks the longt losing >>> stocks once again heading lower for a fifth day on those concerns about the fiscal cliff. the dow is down 106 plus points marking the longest losing streak in three months. >>> former bay area city councilman is about to learn firsthand how washington works or doesn't work. he is newly elected congressman heading on to the capitol hill quagmire. cbs5 reporter juliette goodri

danielle nottingham, cbs news, washington. >>> teetering on the fiscal cliff is given wall street a case of vertigo. the markets plummeted early, but the dow regained most of its 150-point lost. >>> a former bay area city councilman is about to learn first hand how washington works or doesn't. he's a newly elected congressman and heading into the capitol hill quagmire. juliette goodrich talked to stallwell about his plan to fix our fiscal ills. >> let's face it. you're the freshman walking in. >> reporter: 31-year-old newly elected eric swalwell says if the 112th congress can't figure out the fiscal cliff, he's ready to bring some small town solutions to capitol hill. >> so you really think you can take the city of dublin politics to washington and it's gonna work? >> at the end of the day, it's about personal relationships, trust, working together for the people who elected you. >> reporter: swalwell was a dublin city councilman and said he had to work with republicans in other words to pass the city budget. he says it's the same kind of compromise strategy in washington. >> i'm confide

danielle nottingham reports the change in mood follows a face- to-face meeting between president obama and house speaker john boehner. >> reporter: president obama headed to detroit this morning to seek support from auto workers for his plan to raise taxes on the wealthiest americans. the president's latest campaign style appearance follows a weekend white house meeting with house speaker john boehner. sources tell cbs news both sides remain hopeful but little progress was made. if they can't reach an agreement to avoid the fiscal cliff, taxes for all americans will go up and across the board spending cuts will kick in on january 1. economists say that combination could plunge the country back into a recession. there are signs some republicans are now willing to compromise on taxes if they can secure cuts to social security, medicare and medicaid. >> the rate increase on the top 2% that the president is talking about and all of a sudden the shift goes back to entitlements. >> reporter: one proposal under discussion, raising the eligibility age for medicare is not going well for some de

here's danielle nottingham with where both sides stand on this friday. >> 2, 1. >> reporter: before the first family lit the national christmas tree, president obama said the mandatory spending cuts and tax hikes that could kick in 25 days from now are threatening to ruin the holidays for millions of americans. >> the american people are counting on this getting solved. >> reporter: the two parties are leaving negotiations to the two main power brokers, president obama and house speaker john boehner. >> if the president doesn't agree with our proposal, he has an obligation to families and small businesses to offer a plan of his own. a plan that can pass both chambers of the congress. >> reporter: with the clock ticking toward the fiscal cliff deadline, government workers have joined the push but they want to make sure they're not cut out of the deal. >> federal employees that i represent have offered up $103 billion to the federal deficit. >> reporter: jd cox of the american federation of government employees say they can't afford anymore cuts and going over the fiscal cliff will impact

danielle nottingham, cbs news, washington. >>> let's look now at the markets. stocks fell sharply by 55 and change. the drop is attributed to consumer confidence falling to the lowest level since august. >>> the storm that moved across the country pushing northeast through new england after plowing through 30 states dumping snow, sleet and spawning dozens of tornadoes. edward lawrence has the latest. >> reporter: the northeast is dig out from a giant storm that dumped more than a foot of snow in some places. >> it's the heaviest snow i can remember. it's shutting the machine down every time of you give it a little push. the ice just clogs it up. >> reporter: the storm started in california last weekend and crossed the country creating blizzards in the midwest and south. several people died in traffic accidents. and the roads remain dangerous for holiday travelers heading home. in arkansas, this man needed a tow after sliding into a ditch. >> going about 55 or 60 and i hit like a chunk of ice or something. >> reporter: the weather caused thousands of flight canc

cbs reporter danielle nottingham on what both sides are saying about the looming deadline. >> reporter: congressional leaders met with president obama at the white house, trying to avoid the automatic tax hikes and spending cuts set to kick in january 1. the president reminded lawmakers there's not much time left. >> we're now at the point where, in just four days, every american's tax rates are scheduled to go up by law. >> reporter: senators harry reid and mitch mcconnell returned to the senate floor, pledging to work through the weekend. >> we are engaged in discussions, the majority leader and myself and the white house, in hopes that we can come forward as early as sunday and have a recommendation. >> we're gonna do the best we can for the caucuses we have and the country that's waiting for us to make a decision. >> reporter: democratic and republican leaders have agreed to extend jobless benefits and some tax increases. but the income threshold is not yet clear. the president and senate leaders are expressing optimism that they'll get the job done. but the president has a backup

in washington, danielle nottingham, cbs 5. >>> cell phones on the streets. the plan the give california's homeless their own phone and the reason supporters claim the program will help create jobs. >>> plus. >> we're so sorry this has happened. >> . >>> it was a radio prank with a tragic end. the radio djs apologize. >>> it is a different kind of plan, one for your bank account. the step to take for a financial diet and how much money you could actual slave. ,,,,,, cell phones for low income californians. >>> we have food stamps and housing assistance and soon free cell phones for low income people. >> the new program, who qualifies and why some see it as a way up. grace. >> reporter: allen, this is already available in 36 other states. homeless advocates are calling this a game changer. they say that not only will this help employers or housing agencies get in touch with the homeless, but in the best case scenario it can even set some of them on a path of independence. who is paying the tab? we found out most likely, you are. about a third of americans don'

danielle nottingham with that. >> reporter: house speaker john boehner is rolling out a backup plan to prevent a tax hike on january 1st, in case he does not reach a fiscal cliff deal with the president. >> our plan b would protect american taxpayers who make $1 million or less. >> reporter: still looking for a way to avoid the cliff's automatic tax hikes and sweeping spending cuts, the white house quickly rejected baner's proposal. >> you would lose hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue and most of that money or a significant portion of it would go to millionaires. >> reporter: despite all the talk of a backup plan, the day began inside the capital with real optimism that a fiscal cliff compromise with the white house is getting closer. both sides are making concessions. the presidential initially insisted on letting tax cuts expire for households making $250,000 or more. but his new proposal raises that threshold to $400,000. >> as the president has demonstrated an obvious willingness to compromise. >> you're getting closer. you're certainly not -- maybe at the 20 yard line, but

danielle nottingham on the efforts. >> reporter: top congressional leaders are expected to meet with president obama at the white house friday. this would be the group's first face to face meeting since november 16th and a last minute chance to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff. if no deal is reached taxes will go up for nearly every american and harsh spending cuts will kick in on january 1st. senators reconvened on thursday with tension spilling over on to the floor. >> speaker boehner is unwilling to negotiate. there's nothing happening. >> the phone never rang and so now here we are five days from the new year and we might finally start talking. >> reporter: senate majority lyddite harry reid skewered house speaker john boehner, charging he's more interested in his leadership position than in bipartisan legislation. >> the speaker's number one goal is to get elected speaker on january 3rd. >> reporter: the two sides are at odds over tax cuts and spending. republicans say it's up to the democraticly controlled stat and white house to reach an agreement. >> republicans aren't about

cbs 5 reporter danielle nottingham explains why. >> reporter: president obama headed to detroit this morning to seek support from auto workers for his plan to raise taxes on the wealthiest americans. the the president's latest campaign-style appearance follows a weekend white house style meeting with house speaker john boehner. both sides remain hopeful but little progress was made. if the president and speaker boehner can't reach an agreement to avoid the fiscal cliff, taxes for all americans will go up, and across the board spending cuts will kick in on january 1st. economists say that combination would plunge the country back into a recession. >> reporter: there are signs some republicans will willing to compromise on taxes if they can secure cut to social security, medicare and medicaid. >> give the president the 2% increase that he is talking about, the rate increase on the top 2%, and all of a sudden the shift goes back to entitlement. >> reporter: one proposal under discussion, raising the eligibility age for medicare is not going over well with democrats and advocates for sen

danielle nottingham, cbs 5. >>> lawyers for the world's top two smartphone makers are back in san jose in a courtroom this afternoon. that would be apple and samsung in the middle of a $1 billion patent fight. samsung wants the court to overturn an earlier verdict that determined the stole apple's iphone and ipad designs and apple wants more money. >> they want to add another half billion dollars of damages on that and more importantly they want to ban several older models of samsung devices from being sold in the u.s. including the key galaxy s2 which still sells very well. >> the case is ultimately expected to land before the u.s. federal circuit court of appeals in washington, d.c. >>> meantime afternoonle's ceoism cook announced a chaim. tim cook says they will be investing over $100 million to build and assemble some apple products here in the united states. no word on where in the u.s. those apple products though will be produced. >>> had a couple of holes in the skill drilled and they pass the wires in. >> up next, a surprising new treatment for alzheimer's. a device doctors say

cbs reporter danielle nottingham is in washington and danielle, how's it looking? >> reporter: well, elizabeth, there was not a lot of optimism on capitol hill today. both senate leaders admitting that congress is facing a hard deadline while at the same time, blaming each other for not having a deal in place by now. president obama cut short his holiday vacation and returned to the white house to work on a deal to avoid the "fiscal cliff." before flying home from hawaii, the president called congressional leaders nancy pelosi, john boehner, mitch mcconnell and harry reid to reach agreements before tax hikes and spending cuts kick in january 1. >> we have been asking the president and the democrats to work with us on a bipartisan agreement for months. >> i don't know time wise how it can happen now. >> reporter: the senate majority leader wants house republicans to return from their vacations to approve a democratic senate plan that extends tax cuts for families making less than $250,000 a year. >> that's the only option that is viable escape route. >> reporter: bu

danielle nottingham in washington. thank you so much. >>> lawmakers hav agreed though, on a dramatic spike in milk prices. without a deal to extend the bill milk prices could have doubled next month. they have extended the bill for a year. house leaders have not agreed to puttet it up for a vote but that could happen as early as today. >>> president obama says gun control will be one of his top priorities during the beginning of his second term. he recalled the deadly shooting in newtown, connecticut. >> the question should become are we actually shook up enough by what happened here that it does not become another one of these routine episodes where it gets a lot of attention for a couple of weeks and then it drifts away. it certainly won't feel like that to me. this is something that -- you know that was the worst day of my presidency. >> 20 first graders and six staff members were killed at the sandy hook elementary school in newtown. the president said he was skeptical about an nra proposal to put an armed guard in

cbs reporter danielle nottingham on what both sides are now saying about that looming deadline. >>reporter: top congressional leaders met with president obama at the white house, trying to avoid the automatic tax hikes and spending cuts set to kick in january 1st. the president called the meeting constructive, but reminded lawmakers there's not much time left. >> we're now at the point where in just four days every americans' tax rates are scheduled to go up by law. >>reporter: senators harry reid and mitch mcconnell returned to the senate floor, pledging to work through the weekend. >> we are engaged in discussions, the majority leader and myself and the white house, in the hopes that we can come forward as early as sunday and have a recommendation. >> we're going to do the best we can for the congresses we have and for the country that's waiting for us to make a decision. >>reporter: democratic and republican leaders have agreed to extend jobless benefits and some tax increases, but the income threshold is not yet clear. the president and senate leaders are expressing optimism

danielle nottingham reports now from washington. >> reporter: washington is driving toward the "fiscal cliff" and with just 29 days left, negotiations are at a stalemate. >> right now i would say we're nowhere. >> reporter: taxes continue to be the line in the sand between democrats and republicans. >> there is no path to an agreement that does not involve republicans acknowledging that rates have to go up for the wealthiest. >> reporter: gop lawmakers don't want higher rates and say the obama administration's proposed cuts to entitlements don't go far enough. >> i think we're going over the cliff. it's pretty clear to me they have made a political calculation. this offer doesn't remotely deal with entitlement reform in a way to save medicare and medicaid and social security from bankruptcy. >> reporter: if a deal is not reached, taxes go up and spending will be clashed. defense contractors are sending the message to lawmakers those cuts would damage the military industry and weaken national security. the ceo of task, a company that develops aviation systems and software for intelligen

cbs reporter danielle nottingham tells us six deaths are blamed on this powerful system. >> reporter: the clean-up is beginning in the gulf states after a series of tornadoes hit on christmas day. >> whoa! it's right here, it's right here! >> reporter: in mobile, alabama, twisters ripped roofs off homes and toppled trees in texas. in all, more than 100,000 are without power across most of the south. >> i was screaming and hollering, i mean, i was just scared to death. >> reporter: the national weather service recorded at least 34 tornadoes from texas to alabama. the same storm system is bringing snow to the midwest from oklahoma to pennsylvania. blizzard warnings are out from arkansas to maine. in indianapolis, white-out conditions are making driving treacherous. some areas saw more than a foot of the white stuff. the storm caused the cancellation of more than 500 flights on christmas. hundreds more are expected today. for victor cav layer row his flight back home to los angeles will have to wait. >> it got canceled so we got stuck for the day and we're not going to leave until 6:00 t

danielle nottingham has more. >> reporter: president obama is meeting today at the white house with top congressional democrats harry reid and nancy pelosi and leading republicans mitch mcconnell and john boehner. it's the president's first meeting with congressional leaders since november 16th. the closed door discussions are an attempt to reach a last- minute agreement to avoid automatic spending cuts and tax increases due to kick in on january 1st. >> probably the worst case scenario will come out of this maybe today and -- meeting today and that is we will kick the can down the road. >> reporter: senator bob corker told "cbs this morning" he predicts the meeting will bring only a temporary solution. >> this afternoon's meeting feels much to me like optics to make it look like we're doing something but let me just say one more time. this is a total dereliction of duty at every level. >> reporter: going over the cliff would affect 88% of u.s. taxpayers whose taxes would go up on average $3,500 a year. many americans are frustrated the showdown has gone down to the last-minute. >> they

danielle nottingham, cbs news washington. >>> a car can't be registered at the dmv. turning buyers and sellers into big losers. >>> when it comes to early december weather, does it get any better than this? if you're a fan of sunshine, we will talk about the prospect of sunshine over weekend and take a look at the state's snow pack. >>> it was 71 years ago but feels like yesterday for one bay area veteran. how he survived the attack on pearl harbor. >> those bullets will kill you. i had to dive off the ship to keep from being killed. ,,,,,, without their cars or their money. cbs5 consumerwatch >>> an auto dealership has vanished leaving dozens of customers without their cars or their money. cbs 5's consumer watch reporter julie watts on the does he recall ship that unexpectedly closed up shop under the cover of darkness. >> the business is gone along with the cars. >> a to truck came in and took the cars. >> also missing, their money. >> sunnyva le motor coarse has disappeared leave -- cars has disappeared. >> it is theft. >> todd parsons is out $28,000. he says they

danielle nottingham reports. >> reporter: snow blanketed parts of the midwest and northeast. falling and blowing so hard it was difficult for road crews to keep up. as much as 2 feet of snow could fall in some areas. driving was treacherous. this car overturned in frederick, maryland. some trying to get home after christmas encountered dangerous near whiteout conditions. >> all of a sudden, we hit indiana, and we ran into this crazy snowstorm. >> reporter: well over a thousand flights have been canceled across the country and many others delayed including here at raggal international airport. >> i thought we were going to die. >> reporter:residents of mobile, alabama, heard what they thought sound like a freight train and a storm system touched down. >> we hopped into the center of our house, threw our bike helmets on and held on. it took about 15 seconds. it sounded like a jet engine. >> reporter: the twister collapsed roofs of homes, tore apart buildings like this day care center, and shattered car windows. the cleanup will be extensive. 130 homes or businesses were damaged

danielle nottingham, cbs news, the white house. >>> there's still much more to come. president obama has picked his new secretary of state. >> a semi is nearly swallowed up in a massive sinkhole in northern california. >> lawmakers head home for the holidays without a deal to avoid the "fiscal cliff." >> and there's good and bad news for california jobs. unemployment is down, but find out which big company is taking hundreds of jobs out of state. [ female announcer ] here's to a whole world of happier holidays. time to enchant, delight and amaze. safeway will help you gather everyone round. a smoked, shank half ham is only 99 cents a pound. get breyer's ice cream for $2.88 and dessert will surely shine. make it a grand finale with starbucks just $6.99. turns out this season less is really so much more. so make your holiday merrier than ever before. chevron plans to move those spots to houston over the nt two years.. but the company does plan to keep i corporate headquarters in san ramon. th some 800 bay area jobs may move out of town. chevron plans to move 800 jobs to

danielle nottingham, cbs news, capitol hill. >>> it was one week ago this morning that gunman adam lanza shot his way into a connecticut elementary school and opened fire. connecticut's governor has declared today an official day of mourning. a moment of silence will be observed at the white house. but the national rifle association is speaking out. it's holding its first news conference since the massacre this morning. marlie hall is in newtown with more. marlie, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, terrell. well, today marks the fifth day of mourning services in newtown and a full week since the tragedy at sandy hook elementary school, and today the country will stop to remember. at 9:30 this morning, people here in newtown will stop what they're doing and observe a moment of silence to mark the one-week point since a shooter killed 26 people at sandy hook elementary school. but then the church bells will ring again, signifying another funeral for another child. pablo carmona attended the funeral of his friend and fellow boy scout benjamin wheeler. >> i don't really know why

on capitol hill, danielle nottingham, anita, back to you. >> danielle, thank you. >>> senate majority leader harry reid says boehner's plan b. has no chance of getting passed in the senate. >>> we made it easy for you to track the latest developments on the fiscal cliff or lack thereof and the ways it could affect you and your family. log on to our website. wusa9.com, there's a banner right on top of the home page. >>> all right, i know there are those to have you out there who are going to love this story. the lawyer for an exotic dancer in maryland is suing her former employer the showcase strip club in beltsville. that dancer named ivy reid claims she was fired because she rejected the repeated sexual advances of the female club owner and her boyfriend. she had worked there for five years before she was let go earlier this morning. she also claims she worked for hours she wasn't paid for and she says she was fined for calling in sick and coming in late. and there you go. >> wow. files a lawsuit. >> nobody wants to comment on that story for reasons that are obvious. >> exactly. [ la

danielle nottingham, cbs news, washington. >>> secretary of state hillary clinton canceled a trip to north africa in the middle east because of a stomach virus. the focus of the trip is the crisis in syria. and the obama administration has granted one group affiliated with the rebels a terrorist organization that has alleged ties to al qaeda. any assets in the u.s. are frozen, and americans are barred from doing business with it. >>> the body of the navy s.e.a.l. killed during a mission to rescue an american doctor from the taliban is on its way home. the family of dr. dilip joseph released a statement praising the s.e.a.l.'s hero im. he was part of seal team six, the unit that killed osama bin laden. it remain unclear if he was on that mission. david martin reports. >> reporter: the pentagon identified the navy s.e.a.l. killed as 28-year-old petty officer first class nicolas checque. part of a high-risk operation to rescue american dilip joseph before his taliban captors got him across the border into pakistan where u.s. forces cannot go. joseph, a medical adviser to the private aid

. >> cbs reporter danielle nottingham joins us live from d.c. where the house is set to reconvene in just about an hour. good morning. >>> reporter: vice president joe biden is in on the negotiations. mitch mcconnell asked him to help out after talks stalled. with hours to go it's hard to tell if lawmakers will be able to agree to a watered down deal. lawmakers left the capital sunday night without a deal in place. but leaders from both parties expressed their willingness to continue working. >> there's still significant difference between the two sides but negotiations continue. >> he want everyone to know i'm willing to get it done but i need a dance partner. >> reporter: some progress was made sunday when republicans dropped a proposal to slow social security growth but the main sticking point between democrats and republicans continues to be over the threshold of tax increases. president obama campaigned on raising taxes on income over $250,000. while many congressional republicans have pushed back against any tax increases. president obama

live on capitol hill, danielle nottingham, back to you. >> time is counting down, danielle. so what happens if lawmakers don't major the deadline? >> reporter: if they don't, we see $500 billion in tax increases and that will affect almost every american's tax rates. we'll also see unemployment benefits expire for millions and also, those automatic spending cuts, those will affect the defense department, other federal agencies. so there are some immediate effects here, michelle. >> we're looking at some live pictures now of the house floor. tell me, what will the president do if the senate cannot come up with an agreement? >> reporter: well, the president says if senators reid and mcconnell can't bring him an agreement, that he is going to ask senator reid to bring up his own plan it extend the bush- era tax cuts for the middle class and also to save the unemployment benefits. he is going to bring it up for an up-or-down vote. he says if republicans don't want it they should say no, but the public should know. >> we'll have to see what happens. danielle nottingham live in wa

cbs reporter daniel nottingham on the christmas rain, snow and tornado. >> reporter: a christmas morningront promising to bring snow. some parts of upstate new york and pennsylvania could see one to two feet of snow. in the southeast, the largest tornado threat ever seen on christmas day brought on by the winter storm coming from the west, mix-of-mixing with the warm waters of the gulf of mexico. >> severe thunderstorm warnings are ongoing. what's that causing is the potential for a widespread severe weather outbreak. >> reporter: the national weather service says that parts of arkansas could get up to 10 inches of snow, causing whiteout conditions. in missouri, liquid salt trucks are already preparing roads for the approaching storm. >> those roads are slick. if you don't have to get out, please don't get out. >> reporter: all the severe weather is complicating travel plans as millions are set to return home. there have already been 5000 cancellations this week but more expected in the next couple of days. >> it's just sad. you have to be happy, right? >> reporter: this storm is part of

danielle nottingham, cbs news washington. >> it was quite a year. we've going to -- we're going to have more reviews in the last hour. at 8:45 we will take a look at the international news stories of 2012. that is going to be on the cb channel 44, cable 12. >>> for the moment let's look ahead. mcathy labs expects hacking to mobile devices to expand. they might that stuff. the company is especially concerned about so-called ransom ware. it's a type of virus that locks up a phone or tablet and threatens to keep it that way until a ransom is paid. other concerns for mobile customers include trojan horse programs to buy apps without user permission and the hacking of digital wallets. a decline in attacks by hackers because their technical sophistication has grown. >> that's quite the target. >>> it's a murder that even a big city like new york everybody is in shock. >> the arrest of a man pushed to his death at a subway station. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,, a man in front of a subway >>> a woman in new york has been charged with murder as a hate crime for pushing a m

in washington, danielle nottingham, wjz eyewitness news. >> now, former senator simpson said in knowinterview this morning, that the deal must include new revenue and spending cuts. >>> time for a quick look at some of the stories you'll find in the baltimore sun. get information on do it yourself spaces for artists around baltimore. >>> the significance behind patches some of the navy players will be wearing saturday in their game against army. >>> and how the ravens plan to slow down rookie quarterback standout robert griffin iii in the beltway battle. for these stories and more, remember to look for the forecast, in wjz's first warning weather team. >>> kate middleton is out of the hospital, where doctors had been treating her for severe morning sickness. monica villamizar reports with the latest from london. >> reporter: the duchess of cambridge smiled, as she made her first public appearance since the royal family announced she is pregnant. she and her husband, prince william, left the london hospital, where kate spent three nights for severe morning sickness. if the duchess was

in washington, danielle nottingham, wjz eyewitness news. >> a new cbs news poll shows only about half of all americans believe a deal will be made before the end of the year. >>> police are investigating the thefts of two iphones at the towson town center mall. in both cases police say teens snatched the phones from the hands of victims while they were using them. the suspects then ran into the parking garages. police say people should be aware of their surroundings at all times. z. >>> gas prices are at the lowest level in a year. refineries are back online following superstorm sandy and stockpiles are at an eight- month high. the u.s. is also boosting domestic oil production. in fact, 83% of energy being consumed is from the u.s. here's a look at the prices here in maryland according to aaa right now. we are paying an average of $3.27 a gallon for regular. that's down from $3.41 this time last month. however, we are a nickel higher than this time last year. >>> a quick look at some of the stories you will find in tomorrow's edition of "the baltimore sun." more on governor o'malley's

danielle nottingham, cbs news washington. >>> the former head of the international monetary fund and the maid who accuse him -- accused him of sexual assault has settled her lawsuit. it stems from a 2011 encounter. he denied he attack the woman but resigned. terms of the settlement are confidential. she still faces prostitution related charges in france. >>> tonight, the music world is mourning the death of a superstar. the body of grammy nominated singer jenni rivera was found in the wreckage of a crash near mix co. rivera and six others died -- mexico. the 43-year-old was headed back to central mexico with her interage. cbs 5 reporter len ramirez has more. >> you could hear the music blaring out as people played the music to remember the life that was lost. >> powering through her recent balleds of heart break it seemed her life was reaching a high point. for her many fans on both sides of the mexican american border it made news of her plane crash and sudden death all the more difficult to take. >> really very sad. i don't think nobody can believe what happened. so, so sad. >> riv

cbs reporter danielle nottingham is at reagan national airport. danielle. >> reporter: liz, airlines are still trying to catch up at this hour. today is considered one of the busiest days to fly during the holiday season. and airports all the way from texas to new york have struggled to move travelers along today. mobile, alabama is still cleaning up a day after storm ripped roofs from homes and shattered car windows. the porch at this home was destroyed. 34 tornadoes hit the southeast, the most ever in the u.s. on christmas day. years of drought in texas made the dry trees vulnerable to high winds. in arkansas, more than a foot of snow made for a rare day of sledding. more than 200,000 people have no power in the south. as the storm heads east, heavy rain is flooding parts of south carolina, blowing snow causing white-out conditions in indiana and ohio. and blizzard warnings are posted as far north as maine. this storm is wrecking travel plans. more than 900 flights have been canceled across the u.s., with more expected in the next couple of days.

live at the white house, danielle nottingham. derek, back to you. >> danielle, thank you. >>> derek, you might remember a few weeks ago we built, then broke out the 9news fiscal cliff soapbox, giving our passionate viewers a chance to sound off on the impending fiscal cliff. now that the cliff is within spitting distance we thought it might be a good time to head out again with the soapbox. earlier today that's exactly what i did with a lot of help from photojournalist chip and producer elizabeth. >> reporter: what do you do for a living? >> i'm in the government. >> reporter: so you're an insider. >> maybe an outsider. >> reporter: what do you make of this whole fiscal cliff mess? >> what should i think? it seems like a giant baby- sitting gig in a way. >> i'm really disappointed because, one, our lives are in other people's hands, and if you raise the taxes, then how are we going to survive for 2013 and on? >> i'm just, like i say, waiting to see what comes up, hope for the best. >> a lot of people don't know that we will automa

danielle nottingham reports for wjz with more on president obama's latest counteroffer to prevent year end tax hikes for middle class americans. >> house speaker john boehner met with fellow republicans this morning to discuss president obama's fiscal cliff proposal. the speaker also began work on a so-called plan b to prevent a tax increase in case he does not reach a deal with the white house before january 1. >> our plan b would protect american taxpayers who make a $1 million or less. >> the white house quickly rejected boehner's back-up proposal. >> the plan that's been put out there achieves nothing. you would lose hundreds of billions of dollars of revenue. >> reporter: the president initially insisted on lets tax cuts expire for household making $250,000 or more. but the now white house count he proposal raises that threshold to $400,000. and for the first time the president is willing to accept some reduction in future cost of living benefit increases for social security recipients. in addition to his negotiations with the president, boehner has another challenge. convincing g

danielle nottingham has the latest on negotiations from capitol hill. >> reporter: house members left the capitol in the middle of the fiscal fight. they're not due back until next week. but house speaker john boehner is staying behind, ready to sit down with the president. >> we can't sit here and negotiate with ourselves. >> reporter: president obama is rejecting the republican proposal because it does not raise taxes on households making more than $250,000 a year. the gop is offering to close tax loopholes and limit deductions instead. >> now, the revenues were put in. going to come from, guess who? the rich. . >> reporter: health republicans say if bush era tax cuts aren't extended for everyone, it will hurt the economy. and they invited small business owners here to capitol hill to make their point. >> reporter: max olsen opened an insurance company this year and is concerned he won't be able to add employees. >> you add their payroll, plus an extra tax amount. then i might not be able to hire them because of it. >> reporter: president obama pressed his case tuesday with ceos of

as cbs reporter danielle nottingham says progress is slow. president obama cut short his holiday vacation and returned to the white house to work on a deal to avoid the "fiscal cliff." before flying home from hawaii, the president called congressional leaders nancy pelosi, john boehner, mitch mcconnell and harry reid to reach agreements before tax hikes and spending cuts kick in january 1. >> we have been asking the president and the democrats to work with us on a bipartisan agreement for months. >> i don't know time wise how it can happen now. >> reporter: the senate majority leader wants house republicans to return from their vacations to approve a democratic senate plan that extends tax cuts for families making less than $250,000 a year. >> that's the only option that is viable escape route. >> reporter: but republican leaders say it's up to democrats who control the senate and white house to avert the "fiscal cliff." >> republicans aren't about to write a blank check for anything senate democrats put forward just because we find ourselves

danielle nottingham reports for wjz. it comes as president obama meets with a family who would be impacted if the country goes over the fiscal cliff. >> reporter: lawmakers are getting an earful about why they need to avoid the so- called fiscal cliff. >> you gotta nail this down. uncertainty is killing us. >> reporter: top comiftds -- economists came to capitol hill thursday to talk about the impact of tax increases ask government spending cuts on the middle class. >> a couple thousand dollars means a couple months rent for this family. >> reporter: the white house has made clear, the country could go or the cliff -- over the cliff, if republicans refuse to raise taxes on the top 2% of american earners. >> for them to be burdened, unnecessarily, because democrats and republicans aren't coming together to solve this problem, gives you a sense of the costs involved in very personal terms. >> reporter: republican leaders say they will close loopholes and eliminate tax breaks to raise money but insist that bush-era tax cuts

but as danielle nottingham reports, president obama is continuing his push to sell to the american public. >> reporter: house members left the capitol in the middle of the fiscal fight. they're not due back until next week. but house speaker john boehner is staying behind, ready to sit down with the president. >> we can't sit here and negotiate with ourselves. >> reporter: president obama is rejecting the republican propoise -- proposal because it does not raise taxes on households making more than $250,000 a year. the gop is offering to close tax loopholes and limit deductions instead. >> the revenues we're putting on the table are going to come from, guess who? the rich. >> reporter: republicans say if bush-era tax cuts are not extended for everyone, it will hurt the economy. and they invited small business owners here to capitol hill to make their point. >> max olson opened an shrpses company this year. and is concerned he won't be able to add hmmees-- employees. >> you add their payroll and extra tax amount. and i may not be able to hire them because of it. >> reporter: i'm here to te

in washington, danielle nottingham, wjz eyewitness news. >> well, the official fiscal cliff deadline is december 31st. many on capitol hill say an agreement is needed buyer the before the end of this week. so that congress has time to vote. >>> president obama has not been sworn in for his second term yet. but the buzz in political circles has already turned to 2016. a new york times article says hillary clinton has almost limitless possibilities after she leaves her post as secretary of state. democrats across the board want her to run despite her admitted reluctance. a gallup poll shows 66% of people had a favorable opinion of clinton. >>> nelson mandela, hospitalized. what if anything, is wrong? >>> and it's unseasonably warm outside. but we have not seen any sunshine today. bob is updating your first warning forecast coming up. [ female announcer ] what would you call an ordinary breakfast pastry that's been wrapped in a flaky crust stuffed with a gooey center toasted up all golden brown then given a delicious design? a toaster strudel. pillsbury toaster strudel. so delicious...s

danielle nottingham cbs 5. >>> president obama has a warning for syria's government.ter your people with chemical weapons and you will face serious consequences. >> the word is watching. the use of chemical weapons is and would be totally unacceptable. and if you make the tragic mistake of using these weapons, there will be consequences and you will be held accountable. >> u.s. intelligence suggests the assad regime may be planning sarin gas attacks against rebel forces. the lethal nerve agent is 500 times deadlier than cyanide. the syrian foreign ministry denies the reports. >>> a highway tunnel that collapsed and killed nine people in japan over the weekend reportedly passed safety checks just a few months ago. several cars were crushed when a section of concrete longer than a football field came crashing down sunday in the tunnel west of tokyo. inspectors believe loose bolts may be to blame. japan has now ordered emergency inspections of highway tunnels across the country. >>> two mexican nationals have been charge with killing a u.s. coast guards man. they have be

danielle nottingham, cbs news, washington. >> if you want to track the developments in all the conversations and negotiations, we've made it easy for you to keep track of the fiscal cliff. log onto www.wusa9.com and click on fiscal cliff. >>> it is a tax originally designed to make sure that the wealthy folks pay at least some tax, but the middle class could feel even more pain if we go off that fiscal cliff because the alternative minimum tax which was passed in 1969 to catch a small number of families that pay no taxes, if we go over the cliff, it could impact one in five taxpayers. >> the average amount they say for each family is 3,500 per year. that would be 300 a month, but that's a lot of money. what are you going to give up? >> if the budget deal is not done, the amt tax could apply to individuals making just $34,000 a year and joint filers earning $45,000 in 2013. that's another 28 million households and a lot of deduction goes away as well. >>> turns out you can't say whatever you want on the internet. a judge ordered a fairfax county woman to take down parts of her nasty review of