dr. nancy snyderman. >> reporter: in 2007, having been in remission from breast cancer and working on her husband's presidential campaign, elizabeth edwards announced her cancer had returned, was advanced and malignant and she did it very publicly. >> every cancer survivor that you know personally has exactly that experience, of knowing that that pain they feel in their side, the ache they feel someplace could be the sign of something worse. this turned out to be. >> reporter: she took what for many is a private fight and made it public, testifying before congress as a patient about the need for universal health care. >> we have an obligation to, as human beings, to make certain we answer this call. >> reporter: issuing a call for more medical research. >> research is going to save the lives of men and women who get cancer after i do. i believe strongly in trials. >> reporter: believed so strongly that she volunteered for a clinical trial. doctors collected her tumors and her continued transparency was an inspiration. >> she helped people by being so transparent, by actually looking strai

dr. nancy snyderman will be here to answer your question. >> i think he just insulted you. first, natalie with the headlines. >>> london's high court ruled that wikileaks founder julian assange can be released on $300,000 bail. it rejected an appeal by prosecutors who wanted assange to remain in jail until an extradition hearing next month. assange was arrested in britain last week and is wanted in sweden on a sex crimes warrant. >>> police say the gunman who killed himself tuesday after firing shots at a florida school board meeting has circled the shooting date on his calendar some time ago. his wife says clay duke was a gentle giant, upset that she had lost her teaching job. >>> an army doctor who refused to serve in afghanistan because he doubts that president obama was born in the united states pleaded guilty wednesday at his court martial. lieutenant colonel terry lincoln now faces up to 3 1/2 years in prison or a discharge and loss of benefits. >>> new mexico governor bill richardson arrived in north korea this morning after a stop in china for a diplomatic mission t

dr. nancy snyderman has our details. >> reporter: in a ten-year look at women's health in this country, the national women's law center reports that when it comes to meeting government goals to keep woim healthy, the united states is failing. >> it's disconcerting that we have seen so little change over the last ten years. and i think we really need to pay more attention and do more in the coming decade. >> reporter: while no state is given an overall satisfactory grade, 37 states are found to be unsatisfactory, 12 considered outright failures, getting a grade of f. >> what the worst states did so wrong was not put into place policies that could actually help women get healthier. they did not do campaigns, education campaigns to help women know what they could do to get healthier. >> reporter: there has been some progress reducing deaths from heart disease, stroke, breast and lung cancer. but more women are obese and suffer from high blood pressure and diabetes. >> certain states make an effort to help their women become healthier, and it shows. >> reporter: more than 33% of women in missis

dr. nancy snyderman, nbc news, new york. >>> new figures released today show that the $700 billion bailoutned a profit of $35 billion for taxpayers mostly from the government's ongoing sale of citigroup stock. . resourceful parisians went skiing there. that looks like a lot of fun. love to be there. it is now 8:04, you're up to date right now. let's get a check of the weather with al. >>> "today's" weather is brought to you by kay jewelers, the number one jewelry store in america. >> and i don't think we have ever had this before in a sign. the only thing you love more than al is bacon. wow. who are you, lady gaga? we got these nice folks here, it's mattie's eighth birthday weekend. where are you guys from. >> north carolina. >> all right, let's see what's happening as far as your weather. pick city of the day, this happens to be panama city, florida, sunny and cool at news channel 7 and it's going to be a high of 60 degrees today. and we'll take a look at the weekend, sunshine here in the east, the rain over the mid-atlantic coast, some snow around the great lakes, rain down to the gulf c

dr. nancy snyderman will be here, talking about a topic we are all too sensitive about, sleep.pressing. >> if you've got a spouse that snores? all that and a lot more, everything you need to know about sleep. >> all right. first, bring in liam neeson. good morning. great to see you, liam. happy holidays. big opening weekend? >> it is not happy holidays it is happy christmas. >> odd good christmas or good holiday weekend at the box office, man. >> did well. >> $25 million. when you signed on to this a couple years ago, did you realize it would be this big? talk to you. >> i had a feeling. i knew the books are sort of classics. certainly the money and expertise. okay, this is very, very rich are. >> and there is a reason you have this attached to your chest, other than you like him, obviously. you are donating -- i know you are donating a lot to the toys to our toy drive, based on the narnia character. >> the smithsonian national zoo, three cubs december 22nd and name one of the cubs aslan. >> lovely. >> become an ambassador to the conservation of big cats. >> wonderful. >> we ar