doug? >> doug: thank you, molly.ts of the webster new york neighborhood set ablaze christmas eve have been allowed to return back to their homes. they say exconflict william spangler set the fire as a trap to lure firefighters to their death before turning the gun on himself. four were struck with bull lels, two survived and are in stable condition. >>> somber christmas day in newtown, connecticut. volunteers took three-hour shift to ensure 26 candles stayed lit at candle light vigil. it was filled with snow covered teddy bears, flowers and toys. two tv news hosts have a little explaining to do on the topic of gun control. that's later in the grapevine. up next, is the federal government shirking duty when it comes to public input about is >> doug: state department officials are partially to blame at the benghazi consulate that left four miles per hours dead might get off easier than originally thought. "new york post" report that individuals remain on the state department payroll and will be back to work soon. they

doug? >> doug: thank you, leland vittert. in a bold move, putin says he will sign a bill banning americans from adopting russian children. thousands of russian childrens adopted to american homes more than from any other country. three-quarter of a million children in russia lack parental custody. serendipitous dui. we'll explain in grapevine. up next, the deadly storm make post holiday unbearable for many. we bring you a live update. [ "the odd couple" theme playing ] humans. even when we cross our "t"s and dot our "i"s, we still run into problems -- mainly other humans. at liberty mutual insurance, we understand. that's why our auto policies come with accident forgiveness if you qualify, where your rates won't go up due to your first accident, and new car replacement, where if you total your new car, we give you the money for a new one. call... to talk to an insurance expert about everything else that comes standard with our base auto policy. [ tires squeal ] and if you get into an accident and use one of our certified repa

doug? >> doug: thank you, molly.ts of the webster new york neighborhood set ablaze christmas eve have been allowed to return back to their homes. they say exconflict william spangler set the fire as a trap to lure firefighters to their death before turning the gun on himself. four were struck with bull lels, two survived and are in stable condition. >>> somber christmas day in newtown, connecticut. volunteers took three-hour shift to ensure 26 candles stayed lit at candle light vigil. it was filled with snow covered teddy bears, flowers and toys. two tv news hosts have a little explaining to do on the topic of gun control. that's later in the grapevine. up next, is the federal government shirking duty when it comes to public input about regulation? can't leave the table till you finish your vegetables. [ clock ticking ] [ male announcer ] there's a better way... v8 v-fusion. vegetable nutrition they need, fruit taste they love. could've had a v8. or...trkids boxes! you can stay in and like something... or you can get

doug?vid lee miller. thank you. police in newtown, connecticut, are getting a much needed and deserved break on christmas day. police officers from across the state of connecticut are volunteering to cover the town, so newtown's entire police force could have the day off. some of the officers donating the overtime pay to charities helping those affected by the shooting early this month. half a world away, pilgrims are flocking to bethlehem, lining up to see the traditio traditionn't birthplace of jesus. in a land longing for peace but used to war, the day was not without politics and threat of future violence. correspondent leland vittert has more. >> standing room only class. they announced the birth of christ. in the second inthe fa da it was easy to get in christmas mass. it was deserted. now that tourism is the life blood of the economy, it resembles an armed camp. as many guys with the ak 47 as tourists. flint and his family are in town for the christmas season. to take in the site of

walmart. ♪ ♪ >> doug: hello, everyone. i'm doug gottlieb.al four, requests the game you just saw, kansas beat ohio state in columbus. joined by seth davis from "sports illustrated." for the third consecutive time in the sec consecutive season kansas prufsz better than ohio state but this was more impressive because it was on the road with young stud ben mclemore. >> seth: kansas turning the ball over in the first half once they settled down and made it a halfcourt game, ohio state struggled and this is the story for the buckeyes moving forward trying to make aaron craft a jump shooter. that isn't working. quenton ross is nowhere to be found. lenzelle smith had a horrible game. they don't have the second option and it's putting too much pressure on the offense. >> doug: why are you negative? i have to be positive. a mea culpa a couple weeks ago i called kansas the most overrated team in the country along with illinois. you said it was ohio state. good call by you. this is the look of a 21st century program, fifth-year seniors, fourth-year sen

walmart. ♪ >> doug: hello, everyone. i'm doug gottlieb. road to the final four, requests the game you just saw, kansas beat ohio state in columbus. joined by seth davis from "sports illustrated." for the third consecutive time in the sec consecutive season kansas prufsz better than ohio state but this was more impressive because it was on the road with young stud ben mclemore. >> seth: kansas turning the ball over in the first half, once they settled down and made it a halfcourt game, ohio state struggled and this is the story for the buckeyes moving forward, trying to make aaron craft a jump shooter. that isn't working. quenton ross is nowhere to be found. lenzelle smith had a horrible game. they don't have the second option and it's putting too much pressure on the offense. >> doug: why are you negative? i have to be positive. a mea culpa a couple weeks ago i called kansas the most overrated team in the country along with illinois. you said it was ohio state. good call by you. this is the look of a 21st century program, fifth-year senior

doug? >> doug: molly henneberg. thank you. cuts are the suggest of the next story.ricans frequentenly sell unused or unneeded items when they need money. however, some complain that is a foreign concept to our government. correspondent william la jeunesse explains the push for national yard sale. >> amtrak to vacant buildings like these in california many wonder if the federal government should sell what it doesn't need. >> so instead of raising taxes that takes money out of the economy and loafers activity, we should look to sell federal assets. >> empty v.a. hospital in los angeles for $5 billion or part of the water front former military base in san francisco. both cases, politicians said no. they want to make sure they are taken care of. sometimes it gets in way of what is best for the nation. >> federal government is america biggest landlord. selling 20% of the empty or underperforming buildings would save $2 billion. you go through and clear it out. it's a matter of scale. defense refused to sell valuable public land adjacent to fast-growing city. without char

doug, back to you. >> doug: all right. white board with no numbers. thank you, bret.nside story behind romney's loss. fox all-stars will discuss the latest report. [ male announcer ] this december, remember -- you can stay in and like something... or you can get out there and actually like something. the lexus december to remember sales event is on. this is the pursuit of perfection. by the armful? by the barrelful? the carful? how about...by the bowlful? campbell's soups give you nutrition, energy, and can help you keep a healthy weight. campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do. >> doug: remarkable piece in "boston globe" yesterday that examines why mitt romney lost the 2012 election and why barack obama won it. it does it with incredible insight from people high up in the romney campaign. and very high up, i should add in the romney family. something we haven't seen before. it concludes that the cam pin, made a remarkable series of costly financial strategic and political mistakes in retrospect all but assured the candidate's defeat. bring up on the screen a couple

thank you, doug. more from doug coming up in a few minutes. >>> news4 has learned from exclusive details tonight about efforts to relocate the district's fbi headquarters downtown on pennsylvania avenue. d.c. officials have privately said they would support moving the fbi to prince george's county, if the county would allow the redskins to move back to the district. tom sherwood is here with new developments. tom, what's the story? >> doreen, d.c., maryland and virginia all want the fbi headquarters. the redskins would be a new wrinkle. the fbi headquarters downtown has a hyper security focus. it creates a dead space along pennsylvania avenue, just blocks from the capitol. now that the fbi is looking to move to a bigger and better space, regional business leaders say there's new hope the dead fbi block can be rebuilt with businesses, condos, retail and night life. >> this would be a very big shot in the arm to downtown washington, to better utilize that space. and god help us not that building. >> not

cost doug joins us.oug, we had a little drop of the lights to add a little mood to our conversation. how you doing? >> i'm doing much better and i'm very clad to be here today. >> we're so glad to have you, as well. what do you make of what happened in apple last week, and you were on a couple weeks ago and 15id you were buying the stock? >> i bought the stock from around 530 to 510, sold it on a scale starting at 565 to 585 and reshorted the stock and have since covered. apple to me is a trading sardine. not an eating or investing sardine for the next few months. i suspect it's going to be range bound between 506. there are no clear short-term positive catalysts that i can see, with the possible exception of a large special dividend, but time is closing out for that. that would encourage me to buy for investment. there were serious issues facing the company's profit growth and i respectfully disagree with john, x-man najarian view and jimmy cramer mentioned on street signs that the real reason why apple

doug? >> already, david, thanks very much. be thankful you are not in the sierra nevada. a second storm is expected to slam into northern california leaving behind heavy rain, snow and large waves along the shoreline. in fact, the sierra nevadas could see up to four feet of snow. rick? >> hi, doug. i think a lot of areas, the higher elevations will see more than that. maybe even six feet of snow. from you there, you are glad you are a skier and that's why you want to be there. they have a great start to the season. these are the temperatures, it is cold across the northern planes. show you two storms we are following. one is the precursor. it is not a major storm. this is a future radar. we will see this develop down across parts of the south. today, tonight and parts of tomorrow. then look at this, tomorrow evening christmas eve we will see 1 to 3 inches of snow across pennsylvania, new york and in toward new england. you are getting a very nice gift on tuesday morning and the roads won't

doug kammerer joins us live from outside the white house. hey, doug. >> reporter: hey, doreen. just a beautiful night out here tonight. a little on the cool side. we've got the fray playing behind me right now. you can see they're playing right now. interesting story here, they're with the president. the president ran into them and said, guys, you need to come down here and play at the national christmas tree lighting. of course, the band said, yeah, we'll look at our calendar. no problem, mr. president. we'll be there for you. we just had jason mraz just get done playing. and we show you the fray is now playing right now. and they're playing santa claus is coming to town. a little bit earlier it was actually phillip phillips. we have the video that came out earlier. the "american idol" winner from last year. and he came out a little bit earlier and was singing, too. we're seeing performer after performer. these are all very big names that are going on right now. lead singer of the fray, just asked the president if you've been good this year. i'm not sure. this is pretty good.

doug kammerer is here where what we can expect. how about it, doug?bout that change in the weather pattern going from very warm and calm to a lot colder and stormier. that's exactly what we've seen happen really over the past week. i think that trend will continue as another storm moves in. rock winds out of

>> doug. >> i i got one. thought i gave tight soit somebody else. >> you can't keep your own stinger clean. >> thought i just gave them to you guys. talking hoops, anticipated john wall would be back around thanksgiving after being diagnosed with nontraumatic stress injury to his left patella. after the latest checkup, the wizards point guard not able to practice after three months. here's john. >> at the time i had been taken off, the shots i got, the treatment i have been getting is helping me get healthy so i can play basketball this season. you don't want to miss the whole season. if you come to it you have to. i am not trying to think that far ahead. everything else around my knee is in the right order that its say p say -- supposed to be in. >> a p [ woman ] ring. ring. progresso. i just served my mother-in-law your chicken noodle soup but she loved it so much... i told her it was homemade. everyone tells a little white lie now and then. but now she wants my recipe [ clears his throat ] [ softly ] she's

doug, would you admit. since we have a democrat in the white house and also, the senate is democratically controlled. would you agree and how much is there of wasteful spending in washington? >> oh, there's a lot of wasteful spending, it's been around for before president obama was in office. and as i said before, he has, with the house republicans has already signed in law a trillion dollars in cut. and he'll do more. and i think that's encouraging and i think that shows he's willing to be plexable there, to angela's point which i agree with, a lot of what you're seeing is political theater. >> jamie: we're running out of time, doug. >> i agree. and that's true, but look, neither side wants to go over the cliff. politically it would be disastrous. >> for both sides. >> exactly, and for the president, he's the got an ambitious agenda next year, he wants to do comprehensive immigration reform. he wants to tackle the corporate tax code and doesn't want to have to be dealing with this next year, obviously, wit

the problem i have is with what doug said the republicans are in such a disarray.ake a case other than we don't want to attack rich people and they lost that in the election and have not been able to make the case that they should have made in the election this year which is on spending and the debt limit. >> go ahead. >> this is bad for the g.o.p. no matter what. and i hate to say this. but, you know, we are either not going appeal to our very conservative base or we're going to tick off people that think that we're not being hard enough. so, this is going to end up. this is going to play badly for the g.o.p. either way. obama set this up. kind of like a dog and pony show to where it's almost like this is just aimed at the republican party. >> judge jeanine: doug, is this just about spending? is it about the taxes? is it about the debt ceiling? make no mistake. do we all agree that, you know, the elimination of congressional approval and the elimination of the debt ceiling, i mean, that would be pretty much fiscal death for all of us. >> i think it would be a mist

doug, take it away, sir. >> doug: i am doug mckelway in for bret baier on "special report."g to address the nation. the question is whether the talks pushed them apart or got them closer to a deal with three days away from fiscal cliff. ed henry standing by in the briefing room. what are you hearing? >> senior white house official says the president told the republican leaders he wants up or down vote on the scaled back plan. he said that then the senate leaders jumped in and said they think they can get a bipartisan plan. the president told senators reid and mcconnell, i'm told they have a day or two to getting a deal done. otherwise we're out of time. he wants an up or down vote or the plan. at that point, john boehner was noncommittal and not say if he would bring it up for a vote. said wait until we cross the bridge. we are close to that bridge. president plan has tax cut for middle class and small spending cut to try to stop the equester that -- sequest they're is coming, perhaps but not major spending cut or entitlement reform like republicans are pushing for. they are

doug's going to el us how just how much we can expect and when. doug. >> yeah, jim. we're watching this storm actually make its way in right now. i think the pretreatment of the roadways is going to help in a big way as we make our way through the night tonight into early tomorrow morning. 38 degrees at the airport. winds out at the northeast at 3 miles an hour. no windchill to talk about. it's a fairly nice friday evening. as we make our way into saturday morning, we're going to run into a few problems. this is why. take a look at the temperatures. 38 here. below freezing well to the north and west including manassas, leesburg, and frederick. that means anything that does fall will most likely start to stick on the roadways and of course on other surfaces as well. any of the secondary roads could be problematic early tomorrow morning. that's why we do have that winter weather advisory in effect. it does not include the district, prince georges county, fairfax county and down toward the south and east including all of southern maryland, you're not in that advisory. n

. >> i'm doug hill in the weather center. will tell you what to expect .hi one group is fighting to keep -- inmas in the holiday the public eye this holiday season. a put on a live nativity scene outside the u. s. supreme court . they had the three wise men, the , and of coarse, mary and joseph in. they wanted to demonstrate that these displays are protected under the first amendment. >> not sure what to get for the holiday season? how about a starbucks gift card ? $50 goes to the card. the card is expensive. it is made out of steel instead of plastic. 5000 of the only special cards will be offered. a custody dispute. we will tell you why the fight for the little girl is far from over. doug hill will be back and tell us about the chilly days ahead. miami feels the heat after they lose to washington. a bitter custody fight is being fought over in utah. a baby girl is in the middle between a family that adopted her and a father that never knew she existed. she is the baby girl caught in a custody battle. on one side, her biolog

doug kammerer is down there in the middle of it all. doug, what's it like from your vantage point?> reporter: oh, guys, i've got to tell you, this is really a fantastic evening. the weather is really cooperating with us. once again, a little bit on the cold side. it's been very warm over the last couple of days, but just in time for the national christmas tree lighting, temperatures came down a little bit. the stage behind me, and off to the right notice the tree. the brand-new tree. over there, the white house. getting all set up. the president getting ready to make his way down here, too. they will light the tree tonight at 5:07. tune in right at that time here on nbc 4, and we'll have the latest for you. we've got fantastic guests. neil patrick harris is going to be hosting this event tonight. we've got the fray. we've got baby face, colby, and jason which the crew is excited about tonight. a great night out here. once again, i'm happy to be here. >> all right. that stage is just beautiful, isn't it, pat? >> it's gorgeous. >> it's sparking. >> it really is. >> they're going to l

doug kammerer has the forecast for us. >> things looking okay out there.rinkle, maybe a flurry, but don't expect it to impact your plans. take a look, and the cloud cover continues to make a way in. you can see a lot of what looks like rain and snow back toward the west, but most of this not reaching the ground. the atmosphere just a little too dry. as i mentioned, maybe a sprinkle or flurry. later on, i'll update the exact midnight temperatures. many of those locations all looking pretty good. i'll talk about that coming up, plus how cold will we start off 2013. >>> about a million people expected to jam to watch the crystal ball drop. right now people are already starting to gather for the annual new year's eve countdown. jay gray has been following the preparation. he has the latest. >> 3, 2, 1 -- happy new year! >> reporter: the confetti has been tested. the number in the crystal ball have been hoisted. couples have even practiced their midnight kisses. time squares has waited 364 days for this while some of the hundreds of thousands that will pack thi

>> i think doug is right. it's too early to break out the champagne, but undoubtedly, the rhetoric is softening as we get closer and closer to the christmas holidays. these people want to go home. they want to have a holiday. they know that they cannot go home to their constituents and say essentially, i couldn't get anywhere. we're going to go over the fiscal cliff together. and that's particularly true and particularly difficult for republicans because the way the polls are showing the public's anger with this process, the republicans are going to get most of that anger. and they are the same polls that in fact, the gop is listening to and watching, and boehner is very, very much aware of them. so i think that 37% may be the way things come out. >> let's talk about those polls for a minute. quinnipiac had a poll out that showed the president's job approval rating at 53%. that's not really giant or amazing, but, considering where he's been, not too long ago, that is pretty good. robert, is this the kind of co

your thoughts, doug? >> well, i' of two minds.ou: okay. >> as a supporter of gun patrol, i understand it and accept it. on the other hand, in an hour or two of the aftermath of this, you want to pull together and t with the family and your family rather than focusing on political solutions no matter how right they may be. the president this afternoon, some decent interval, after it took place, reiterating his preface for gun control. bobby rush, who defeated the president, angela, is crying for gun control in chicago where -- the murder capital of the country which has thee most stringent gun control laws of any city in the country, and that's madness. >> it is madness right now. i an, dc, in this city, proven that gun bans don't decrease crime, but increase crime. gun bans, lou, make law-abiding citizens less armed and criminals armed who don't buy by the law. the guns criminals use don't get them at gun shows; they are legal guns they use. lou: the idea that gun control is the solution, the response, and the fact chicago, the mu

thank you, doug. >>> just ahead on "news4 at 4:00," shop around the clock.are taking to woo customers during the holiday season. >> and your personal photos used for advertising. new announcement from instagram that has users outraged. ♪ >>> i'm wendy rieger. just ahead at 5:00, the debate over whether someone could have stopped the school shooter in sandy hook. we found the school that allows teachers to carry guns in the classroom. good news in prince george's county. major crime is down. county's top cop has theories about why that is happening. whether the d.c. parking meeter is red, white or blue doesn't matter where you park if you are handicapped. we are going to sort out the confusion at >>> good news if you are a procrastinator. toys "r" us will stay open 24 hours on the days leading up to the christmas. the store will be open from 6:00 a.m. on december 21 until 10:00 p.m. christmas eve. macy's is also planning to stay open 24 hours to help you out. some nordstrom's and targets will be extending their hours next week. most walmarts are already open

i'm doug kezirian with your espn "sportscenter" update.s on christmas day, including a rematch of last year's nba final. lebron james and the heat, hosting the oklahoma city thunder. fourth quarter action. dwyane wade to the rack. throws it down. defending champs up four. the one-point game inside of 30 seconds. lebron, such great vision. finds chris bosh. miami up three. other end, kevin durant, three-time nba leading scorer. misses. okc with the offensive rebound. russell westbrook misses. looks like he was fouled. no call. he's upset. and the heat win the rematch of the finals. >>> elsewhere, kobe and the lakers, hosting the knicks. kobe and carmelo put on a show and delivered on christmas like santa claus. in transition, anthony sticks the three. later, melo finished with 34. knicks would lead by nine at one point in the third quarter. but the lakers come back. closing seconds. kobe to open l.a. down one, entering the fourth. now, lakers up three. bryant, made all eight of his shots in the paint. nine-straight games scoring at least 30

i'm meteorologist doug kammerer. a look at a beaut day beautiful day today.are sitting at 50 degrees. winds out of the west-northwest at 14 miles per hour. gusts upwards of 30s. it is on the breezy side. it will continue to be rather breezy throughout the rest of the evening. it is not going to be cold. just a little chill to the air. 43 in gaithersburg. 48 in ft. belvoir. 43 in gaithersburg. that's getting chilly. 15 to 20-moil an hour wind have you wind chills in the 30s. you may need to bundle up in a pew places. especially north and west tonight. no rain to talk about. we are not going to be seeing any chances of rain important the day tonight or into the day tomorrow. our chances of rain will come on thursday. they will come late in the day on thursday and we could see a good amount of rain. at least initially. that looks good right now. maybe a quarter to a half an inch of rain. back to the west, into the mountains, winter storm watch in effect for garrett county, elkins, west virginia. they could see more than 6 inches of snow coming thursday, friday i

the story is coming up. >>> and i'm doug kammerer we're they zoo for zoo lights. speaking of the fog we have a lot of airport delays and dense fog advisory has once again been issued for the metro area. we'll show you where the fog is the thickest, and talk about how long it's have a good night. here you go. you, too. i'm going to dream about that steak. i'm going to dream about that tiramisu. what a night, huh? but, um, can the test drive be over now? head back to the dealership? [ male announcer ] it's practically yours. but we still need your signature. volkswagen sign then drive is back. and it's never been easier to get a passat. that's the power of german engineering. get $0 down, $0 due at signing, $0 deposit, and $0 first month's payment on any new volkswagen. visit vwdealer.com today. >>> we have breaking news. senator daniel inouye has died. >>> just make sure you're making a safe selection when you buy that ticket. adam has details. adam? >> jim, 'tis the season to travel. you're being told to do your home work. >> sure it seems like a good deal. a chea

we did it right out of our office with doug ireland being

doug kammerer is at the zoo for zoo lights. in a weather watcher report, and said there's starting to be a fine myth out there. he'll be live at 5:00 and 6:00. for now it's just a gloomy day to be on the out150id. 52 degrees our temperatures have barely budged in the last 24 to 36 hours. we've been stranded here for quite some time. southeasterly breeze should help scour out a bit of that fog, but on the whole don't expect a evening. still an eighth of a mile up at the inner harbor in baltimore. so foggy in spots, first thing tomorrow morning on your tuesday planner. drying out and staying breezy by tomorrow evening. for now, not a whole lot going on just yet. the radar doesn't pick up the mist and drizzle all that well. we will not have to worry about as near as a strong event. from charleston, south carolina, and another -- for severe weather across kentucky and tennessee, severe thunderstorms watch is there. most of that line will lose its punch as it comes over the mountains, but those will be the late-night/overnight chanc

joining us now is doug schoen.e got to ask you directly because you hear a lot of this off the cliff stuff. specifically what would happen? what would happen to the private sector? what would happen to the government if we go off the fiscal cliff? >> sure, well, it's anyone's guess, but i think we will see economic activity slow down, david. i think we're going to see with the certainty of tax rates raising on all of us, that people contract their economic activity and given the cbo estimate, if we go into a recession, i think it will be cataclysmic for the american economy. david: specifically with the government, i remember during the clinton years when we had that debt ceiling thing that we went off of and that the government shut down -- would we see a shutdown in certain government agencies if we go off the cliff? >> i'm not sure we're going to see a shutdown, but we will certainly see a lot less economic activity, and particularly in the military sector, i think defense procurement will ground to a halt, and

sorry, guys. >> that was just mean, doug. just plain mean.ot that close to christmas especially. [ laughter ] >>> dan hellie is out there with chris cooley. i heard chris saying something earlier about one-liners from cousins? i'm curious to hear about it. >> why don't we get right to that. the big story after throwing for 329 yards, winning on the road, the redskins now 8-6 due in part to a stellar performance by the guy you referred to as the other rookie quarterback. what is he saying out there on the field? he gets a couple big touchdown passes -- >> right away kirk is a natural leader. every time he enters the huddle, he says "team." then he calls the play. the one- -- those are not my one-liners. the first was firsthand we're trying to run the clock out. he gets off the headwet is kyle, comes into the huddle and says, guys, i want to talk to you for a couple seconds, i want to talk to you, first, protect the ball, second, stay in bounds. team. then he calls the play. my second one-liner that i loved i heard secondhand from rex grossman.

doug hill has more on the weather. this may be a visit from old for a few days. let's get you started. 82 degrees right now. the d two degrees up road at the 52 degrees up the road at washington-lee high school. temperatures falling into the 50's.nd if h still hang onto 60 degrees in fredericksburg. temperatures running colder. 21 degrees colder in cumberland. these are the wind speed at the top of the hour. 10, 12, and 15 miles per hour. winds will diminish later . temperatures will drop .uickly into the 40's tomorrow we will be in the 30's.20's and how long will the cold air stay around? warmer temperatures are coming .ack will show you that in a couple of minutes. police are looking for the driver behind a deadly hit and run. two brothers were struck this walkingwhen they were along this avenue in gaithersburg. one died at the scene and the other was taking to the hospital with injuries. he is expected to be ok. police believe it may not have viewingaccident and are it as a homicide. and man was pushed to his death on a new york subway track. the controversy o

. >>> thanks, doug. the other important story tonight, president obama met with the four congressional leaders this afternoon just a few minutes away. steve handlesman has more. >> after the meeting, he called the president was optimistic and insistent, optimistic there can be a deal that will keep most americans' taxes from going up. here's the president gist now in the white house briefing room. >> i just had a good and constructive discussion here at the white house with start and house leadership about how to prevent this tax hike on the middle class. i'm optimistic we may still be able to reach an agreement that can pass both houses in time. senators reid and mcconnell are working on such an agreement as we speak. but if an agreement isn't reached in time between senator reid and senator mcconnell, then i will urge senator reid to bring to the floor a basic package for an up-or-down vote. one that protects the middle class from an income class hike. one that extends it to 2 million americans looking

. >> doug luzader live from washington with the latest. doug? >> a deadline is hours away come midnight. it's not just the tax hikes that are scheduled to hit it's big cuts in government spending as well. 2013 could be off to a difficult start if there is no resolution. listen to this bleak assessment from capitol hill. >> the future of the country rests in the hands of 70 and 80-year-olds who have jet lag it's probably not the best thing. >> could joe biden be the fix? he appears to be taking over for democrats after a counteroffer to prevent a big tax hike is met by silence. harry reid says democrats couldn't respond. >> there is still significant difference between the two sides but negotiations continue. there's still time left to reach an agreement and we intend to continue negotiations. >> i am willing to get this done but i need a dance partner. >> so the senate will try to work on this again later today and we are talking about something small here if anything a continuation of the busheir raw tax cuts for most americans and renewal of l

>> pains me to agree with doug. i feel like that's our job. only are they not doing their job they are taking our job. >> i don't ever remember it being this bad whether it was right before the campaign but there is a sense and even if you watch this morning where the president was on meet the press even the people who were comment can afterwards he was from another complan et on high the latest we heard is mitch mcconnell has had to reach out to joe biden to try to get something done. what does that say about the president? >> the president's strategy is stay above it all blame the republicans if things don't succeed and assume if we go over the cliff the republicans will get the blame. if they get the blame you know what there is a fix. the president will be the guy who comes in on the white horse to fix things in the new year. it's a political strategy. i agree with you. i wish you were negotiating but bottom line this is all politics when it should be the good of the country. >> when doug says stay above the fray, do you think the presiden

compelling and convincing, doug and peggy. thank you so much.ause]. >> thank you, dana. >> coming up in the show. we're going to meet those from hurricane sandy having a tough time getting on their feet and first, i'll give you something i haven't done in four years, my question and answer session with the audience next. p a git in time r christmas? yeah, sure you can. great. where's your gift? uh... whew. [ male announcer ] break from the holiday stress. ship fedex express by december 22nd for christmas delivery. who have used androgel 1%, there's big news. presenting androgel 1.62%. both are used to treat men with low testosterone. androgel 1.62% is from the makers of the number one prescribed testosterone replacement therapy. it raises your testosterone levels, and... is concentrated, so you could use less gel. and with androgel 1.62%, you can save on your monthly prescription. [ male announcer ] dosing and application sites between these products differ. women and children should avoid contact with application sites. discontinue androgel and

see you, doug.er in washington. >> reporter: see you, bill. >> the fact this problem is complex can no longer be an excuse for doing nothing. the fact that we can't prevent every act of violence doesn't mean we can't steadily reduce the violence. and prevent the very worst violence. that's why i've asked the vice president to lead an effort that includes members of my cabinet and outside organizations to come up with a set of concrete proposals no later than january, proposals that i then intend to push without delay. martha: so that was yesterday. the president promising to follow up on what he talked about at the service in newtown after that shooting tragedy. there have been so many questions what we could do to prevent it from happening again. president obama says he wants concrete proposals on his desk that address gun violence and also we would imagine mental health issues as well as soon as possible. he says january is the deadline. so we'll be watching it very closely to see if the deadline

doug, i'll reach out to you first.r saying we'll have a fiscal cliff deal, but then listen to what speaker john boehner said today. >> right now i would say we're nowhere. period. we're nowhere. we have put a serious offer on the table by putting revenues to try to get this question resolved. but the white house has asked for more revenue than they have been asking for the entire time. >> so how do you treat the gop in this matter? how much leverage does the gop have? >> they have next to none. you look at the results of the election and where they are now, the white house and the president have done a masterful job of making clear what's going on here. the republicans and the house of representatives are holding 98% of american taxpayers hostage to get bush's tax cuts for the wealthiest to be permanent. that's what's going on here. the polls show people are going to blame the republicans if this happens. speaker boehner talks about a serious proposal. they are going to take away loopholes that help middle class taxpay

doug, let me start with you. fiscal cliff. or as the "l.a.said, that some people will wake up to a new year's eve hang over. will we have a hangover or a deal on new year's day? >> i do not think we will have a deal, the politics right now, it seems that republicans feel like it's better for them to cut taxes on january 1st or 2nd than to do it you now. i don't think that we will have a deal. >> colin, what type of agreements have to be made for this thing to happen, and do you think it can still happen? >> i think there's a pretty good chance of a deal being worked out because you have four deal makers and what do deal makers do when they sit at the table with the clock running out but make a deal. that is the problem, i don't think that we want a deal. i don't think that the american public wants another deal. we want solutions. a year ago we had a chance with the cut cap and balance and now we are looking at back into this fight. and let's focus on spending not taxes. that is where the problem is. >> there's disagreement over what colin ju

i feel like doug is being ignored. doug, from politico, both the republicans and the democrats are looked at as why both sides -- for many it means blaming president obama, and investigating for -- for democrats, the cliff is better than setting a rich man's cutoff in the million dollar range or -- and slashing medicare and social security to appease republicans. this is really -- i know we cause it the cliff, i look at it. it's a clean slate for both sides in 2013, and to dig in in a modern approach. >> well, if that's a republican strategy to blame the president, good luck with that. polls aren't bearing that out. they're getting most of the blame right now. as far as a clean slate, the question is how do markets react after january 1st? i think that's what a lot of members and what the leadership looks at. to joy's point, i think what republicans have demonstrated is they are experts at saying no, and they are experts to saying no to things they have supported in the past. we're talking about a combined $2 trillion

adam: doug, let me ask you this. on behalf of those of us who do 401(k)s, mutual funds, ira's, i'm concerned about earnings reports but more concerned about what happens to my 401(k). what will happen to my 401(k) if they don't get a deal? >> you will have volatility either way. opening market, there is a little euphoria opening bell. i would say a week or two later reality will set in. i think the market goes down. i you have to prepare for that and be defensive. again with corporate earnings going down, if there was, if this were happening with positive fundamental backdrop, that would be one thing but it's a negative fundamental backdrop with the fiscal cliff. markets are going out there just downwards. adam: jeffrey what he touched upon i believe we go into recession. there are sure indicators we may be headed that way. consumer confidence the number today was not very good. it was far below what economists expected. are we already there have we brought about a self-prophecy because of this fiscal cliff craziness

. >> reporter: under doug's direction cindy has lost 35 pounds over the last year. >> i could barelywalk a quarter of a mile without being out of breath. i was a heavy smoker, drinker. everything was going the wrong way. i decided i had to make a change. >> reporter: so doug got in shape, lost 57 pounds, became a personal trainerred is helping people get back on track. he takes his job seriously knowing his every word can make a deference. >> focussen how far you've come. take baby steps. >> if you have a friend you're working out with, you hold yourself accountable. >> reporter: having thatten personal trainer can turn s it into life-style change that doesn't fade away. >> if you want the latest health news or if you have a story you can like abc2's linda so's facebook fan page. >>> forget the champagne. many of you may ring in the new year with booze and energy drinks but experts say you will pay the price because you may and up drinking more than your limit pooh caffeine is also a depressant. typically, that causes someone to drink more of it, just like cof fee. once you get the h

doug mcelway is live in washington.g. >> reporter: it's all about the national labor relations board. the staff report from the house oversight committee details skoefrs incidents that strongly suggested under the obama administration the nlrb has strayed from it's core mission and has become a strong advocate for big labor and created vast uncertainty for job creators with it's arbitrary enforcement and sometimes militant advocacy for unions. it the best example is the attempt to shut down the assembly line in right-to-work south carolina. they spent billions on nonunion workers while expanding operations at the unionized washington state plant. union employees increased at washington state. a worker at the plant wrote, quote, thousands of people will be unemployed if the nlrb's complaint becomes successful. losing my job will be catastrophic to myself and workess at this facility. we are homeowners, we have families affected. boeing is one of the best employers in the area and i would like to work for them. the "kpho*