>> erica hill, nbc news, new york. >> oh, that is so sweet. well, coming up next, britain's queen elizabeth goes 3-d for her holiday message, plus go behind the scenes to see what it takes to decorate the nation's most famous residence. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. initiated. neural speeds increasing to 4g lte. brain upgrading to a quad-core processor. predictive intelligence with google now complete. introducing droid dna by htc. it's not an upgrade to your phone. it's an upgrade to yourself. be trading if dasher and dancer for a dumbo? elephants dressed in festive gear visited a group of school children to hand out holiday gifts. students jumped to catch presents and pet the reindeer who also danced for the audience. the visit was especially heartwarming as many locals lost their homes and belongings to a flood earlier this year. >>> here is your first look at some of the other news going around now. at homes, streets and churches were dotted with tens of thousands of luminaries christmas eve burning rightly in remembrance of the m

>> erica hill, nbc news, new york. >> oh, that is so sweet. well, coming up next, britain's queen elizabeth goes 3-d for her holiday message, plus go behind the scenes to see what it takes to decorate the nation's most famous residence. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. [ male announcer ] with over 50 delicious choices of green giant vegetables it's easy to eat like a giant... ♪ and feel like a green giant. ♪ ho ho ho ♪ green giant time for citi price rewind. because your daughter really wants that pink castle thing. and you really don't want to pay more than you have to. only citi price rewind automatically searches for the lowest price. and if it finds one, you get refunded the difference. just use your citi card and register your purchase online. have a super sparkly day! ok. [ male announcer ] now all you need is a magic carriage. citi price rewind. start saving at citi.com/pricerewind. >>> in thailand, santa may be trading in dasher and dancer for a dumbo? elephants dressed in festive gear visited a group of school children to hand o

i'm lester holt. >> and i'm erica hill. there is a little bit of a break for folks this morning, but it's not going to last. millions of residents along the west coast will get hit hard later today when a new storm stretching from central california up to washington state pounds the region. already the stormy weather there in recent days has turned deadly. we'll get dylan's forecast in just a minute. >>> also ahead, the president hitting the road trying to do an end around past congress. he's pushing his proposal to stall the dispute over the fiscal cliff. will his newest campaign of taking it to the people work? we're live in washington with the latest. >>> also ahead, two words everyone seems to love. myself included. designer and discount. we'll have a look at what happens when target joins forces with high end retailer neiman marcus. it's a brand-new collection that hits stores. today it's already available online. >> target, neiman marcus, cats and dogs living to the? >> i think it can be done in harmony. >>> plus a fo

. >> and i'm erica hill. matt and savannah have the morning off. >>> we'll have the latest on secretary of state clinton's condition in a live report straight ahead. it is the last day of 2012. >> you and i are both in the same situation with young children. >>> people filing into times square in new york city. it is the world's biggest party. of course, security will be extremely tight. we'll check in on celebrations there and around the world. >> then we'll catch up with three women that had us talking in 2012, including a mom that sparked debate over this picture. and an anchor who caught flack about her weight. >>> andrea mitchell joins us with the condition of secretary of state hillary clinton. >> her spokesman called a blood clot stemming from the concussion she had sustained earlier. the administration's most high profile frequent flyer, 112 countries, nearly 1 million miles, more than 400 days of travel, now grounded under doctor's care at new york presbyterian after a spokesman says physicians disco

i'm erica hill. >> i'm cain for lester holt. just when you thought it was safe to go out, another storm is hitting the east coast. >> there won't be as bad as the storm that spun off tornadoes and dumped heavy snow across the northeast and the east this week. it could certainly impact holiday travel. we'll have the latest coming up in a moment. >>> also ahead, in the wake of the sandy hook school tragedy, a new plan from the controversial sheriff in arizona. he wants armed volunteers to patrol the schools there. we'll get into that debate. >>> then, we'll share with you a romance story 20 years in the making. it began with a simple love letter in elementary school. >>> plus, did you get the gift for the holidays that, well, just wasn't you? a record number of returns are expected this year. but did you ever wonder what happens next? we'll take you inside a warehouse where many of these items go and actually wind up getting resold at some pretty deep discounts. >> i like the sound of that, deep discount. we'll go shopping, too. >

. >>> from nbc news this is "today" with lester holt and erica hill >>> i'm erica hill. >> i'm carl quintanilla>> all eyes on washington. a number of americans wondering this morning why lawmakers have not yet been able to reach a deal to avoid the fiscal cliff. president obama spoke exclusively to nbc's david gregory. we are going to get a preview of what he has to say just ahead. >> it has been just two weeks since the tragedy of sandy hook elementary in connecticut. a teenager in california wrote a poem to express her feelings saying she understood how it could happen and it got her suspended from school. we'll get her reaction coming up >>> we'll also hear from the 29-year-old surfer that used his fists and his board to save his life when a shark kept coming at him again and again. >> scary story. >>> later on, we'll switch gears and look back at the year in pop culture, from the rise of honey boo boo to the unlikely bop lairity of that catchy tune, gang ham style. >> slightly popular, wasn't it? >>> we begin with the race in washington to fist fiscal cliff deadline including a preview of d

i'm willie geist along with erica hill and maria larosa.lk about that character, if you haven't seen the movie "django unchained" he is a reprehensible character. leonardo dicaprio said i read the script and hated him immediately and i had to play him. >>> this half hour, party season. new year's eve coming up on monday. chances are you'll have a cocktail or two perhaps. what should you drink if you're watching your weight on new year's eve? >> i'm guessing not the eggnog that we were drinking earlier. >> no. >>> standouts of 2012 when we're talking health and beauty. some of them are very affordable. >> what to do for christmas if you're a member of the royal family? how the queen and duke and duchess of cambridge spent their day. first a check of the weather from maria larosa, in for al. >> a little rough still in parts of the southeast and eventually into the midatlantic. sort of round two here with the severe weather. even the threat of tornadoes in that area in red especially, eastern south carolina, eastern north carolina during the a

more on that now from nbc's erica hill. >> reporter: this connecticut town, still largely in shock.s and sounds of friday's tragedy, overwhelming. moments in time, capturing the grief, fear, and loss. >> i say there are 20 brighter stars in the heaven. >> reporter: a town and a nation in mourning for the 26 killed, 20 of them children. but there is also appreciation for the heroes, the teachers and staff at sandy hook elementary who helped protect so many. >> we're a pretty small town. >> we yaushl don't get this kind of stuff. >> reporter: there is still much to learn about the lives cut tragically short. among the victims, the school's principal, dawn hochsprung. >> we came here for the schools, they're blue ribbon schools. this is something that just does not happen. >> reporter: a mother and stepmother to five girls, hochsprung reportedly ran toward the gunfire, along with the school psychologist. they never returned. >> how do you recover from something as horrible as this? how do you help a child have to walk into the front door of that school, you know, the next day that they

lester is on assignment alongside erica hill, jenna wolfe and dylan dreyer.every day of her 2 1/2 years on this earth in a hospital, until recently she's out now. we're going to have the story of her emotional homecoming and first christmas at home. >> looking forward to that. >>> also as we know the most wonderful time of year could come with awkward moments so we'll try to solve some of your holiday social etiquette dilemmas for you this morning. >> then children from around the world are so used to mailing their "dear santa" letters adressed to the north pole, many kids from this area are writing to santa to express this year the hardships their families are experiencing, so instead of toys, a lot of these kids are asking for basic necessities, they're asking for clothes, they're asking for good health. we're going to meet some of the elves, some of the wonderful volunteers who come in and try to make some of those wishes come true. it's a really nice story. >> little help for santa this year. >> we're talking about gifts from high tech to gifts for your p

erica hill thank you so much for being with us thanks. after the break we'll talk with a ghost of christmas past christmas present and christmas future in the big picture is a version of a christmas. divine power in action i do make the sacrifice. i am he she says we need these we are under the control of those governing us if i were at the service of a space mafia i found that they'd the magnetic field of the sun will be for us to create the super got the stuff. after the second coming and it'll be a beautiful place it will receive its paradoxical glory it will be a renewed world and it'll be a beautiful place. full of the best. little stuff this type of ammunition. is good business for us it's kind of like being a doctor you know if there's a disaster businesses. better unfortunately.

erica hill thank you so much for being with if you would think that after the break without really goes through christmas past christmas present and christmas future in the big picture is a vision of a christmas. anthony . i think. you know sometimes you see a story and it seems so for lengthly you think you understand it and then you glimpse something else and you hear or see some other part of it and realize everything you thought you knew you don't know i'm tom harvey welcome to the big picture.

erica hill is at laguardia's airport. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. up until 15, 20 minutes ago, there weren't many delays at laguardia. we're just learning there is a delay of an hour for inbound flights because of wind issues. almost 40 flights cancelled at new arc. over 350 flight cancellations so far this morning, most in the northeast, much better than the numbers yesterday where we saw more than 1600 flights cancelled because of this storm. many people are still stranded, trying to get home from their christmas holiday. the good news is american and delta we spoke with giving most of these cancellation, said in most cases they will reissue the ticket or do a change without a fee. you need to check with the airline. good news there. if you do have a flight today, the thing to do is check with the airport before you leave your house. don't forget to use your phone and you may want to hit twitter if you're looking for instant response. a lot of people feeling better about today and a lot of people strand aid cross the country and we will see a lot

. >>> we want to check in with erica hill who is in for natalie at the news desk.a powerful winter storm is making its way east today, one day after leaving a trail of destruction and death from mississippi to alabama. the storm is blamed for at least three deaths and has also forced the cancellation of hundred of flights. >>> chilling new information about the man who ambushed and killed two firefighters and wounded two others on christmas eve before taking his own live. according to investigators, remains found in spegler's home likely belonged to his missing sister who lived with him. he also left a three-page letter saying he wanted to do, quote, what he liked doing best, killing people. >>> president obama cutting his hawaiian vacation short, heading back to washington to cut a deal as the fiscal cliff looms. his wife and two daughters are staying in hawaii. >>> president george h.w. bush is in the hospital spent the holiday there with his wife and family members. >>> grew at the weakest pace since the 2008 recession. many analysts had expected much stronger n

i'm whillie geist along with natalie morales and erica hill. do is spend the day in the kitchen. we have a quick and easy christmas meal to whip up. >> sounds good. we have our favorite holiday movie, right? don't tell us just yet. coming up we'll reveal what our favorite holiday movie is as well as put our christmas knowledge to a test in a friendly competition. >> always a friendly competition, right? >> yeah. >> ann curry will introduce with a tribute it to a generation of women from world war ii who worked so hard to make this country what it is today. really inspiring story there. >>> first, let's get a check of the christmas day forecast. we have maria la rosa in for al this morning. good morning. >> good morning. definitely hiccups with holiday traveling. let's get to today and talk about the potential for severe weather in eastern texas and aalong with that showers and thunderstorms through the southeast. maybe a little bit of wet accumulation in the southeast. a lot of snow today moving into the plains, and we have the heavy snow and w

i'm willie geist with erica hill. joining us this morning, great co-host. >> i can't believe i'm on the plaza. with all these fine people coming out for new year's eve. so nice to meet you, too. >> nice to meet you, too. >> the billy to the willie and i'm coming in hot. >> i think you're going to like t we'll talk more about kit. >> learn everything there is to know about kit. also ahead, we're taking a look back at some of the best in entertainment of 2012. oh, yes, here they are. of course, all the movies. you name t we'll also look ahead to 2013, what you can expect. >> all right, guys. on the computer, those instagram, but now there's cinnagram, poke. >> i'm big on twitter. i'm getting better on the other stuff. >> i'm following my 10-year-old on this. aall the trends for 2013. >> plus we'll take a look back at the year that was, some of the best doing gangnam style. >> yes! >> lots of dancing on this show when you look back. al getting loose. man! you don't realize how much dancing there was until you see it all

i'm erica hill. >> i'm lester holt. she dropped her "g." seven swams a swimming was her answer. she said seven swans a swimmin'. >> it may be okay from you but apparently not from the judges. >> we are going to hear from renee a little bit later. in solidarity, we will drop our "g"s for the rest of the broadcast. >>> we will talk a little holiday shopping. you told us you hadn't really started yet. your focus is on tomorrow to do all your shopping. i was flipping through the papers. i have good ideas. i am in good shape. >> you are not alone >>> the great holiday getaway continues. lots of people heading out to get home for the holidays. we have a preview of what's in store on the rhodes and at the airports. >> it is going to be a rather quiet christmas we are told for will and kate, the prince and the dutchess have decided to do their own thing this year to break with the decades of royal family tradition. we will tell you how they plan to spend the holiday. >> we are going to show our skills in the kitchen from bonbons to beef wellington. we are making and sharing our favorite

erica hill is joining us live from new york. good morning. >> hey, good morning. coming up on a saturday morning on "today," we're going to have much more on that snowstorm making its way up the east coast this morning. could snarl traffic on the roads, but also in the skies for millions of travelers this holiday weekend. we'll be keeping you up to date on that. >>> also, washington lawmakers racing against time to come up with a deal to avoid going over the fiscal cliff. this morning, we are life in washington. we'll also look at what this means for you and your paychecks. some hard numbers here on what it could cost you if no deal is reached. >>> also ahead, a college student gets a restraining order against her own parents. wait until you hear what drove her to it. >>> and if you have a gift for the holidays that isn't what you were hoping for, we'll show you what happens to many of those unwanted gifts and how they're sold at deep discounts. all that, plus a look back at 25 years of weekend "today" when we get started on a saturday morning right here. have a g

i'm willie geist along with natalie morales, erica hill, and maria larosa.g to check out the gadgets and gizmos that stood out in 2012, including the swiss army knife of bartending. >> really? okay. interesting. >>> plus, everything you need to throw for the ultimate new year's eve party, including creative cocktails to homemade center pieces that go beyond simple flowers and candles. >> all right. sounds good. >>> first, erica, you have a preview of what's coming up this weekend. >> indeed, i do. we will be keeping a close eye on the fiscal cliff negotiations as that clock ticks closer to january 1st. also, "mad" magazine celebrating its 60th anniversary. how its biting humor and scathing satire have given them their staying power. >>> plus, a little visit to the barefoot conetessa's kitchen. how she entertains over the holidays and how she's spending her new year's. >> i think that's my dream, to have a dinner party at her house. have her cook. >> she's lovely. we see her here sometimes. just as lovely at her home. >> you call it a visit. it's more like a

erica hill joins us live from new york. good morning, erica. >> good morning to you.ay on "today" for the second time in a week, tragedy strikes the nfl. a 25-year-old player for the dallas cowboys killed in a car accident. now his friend and teammate is charged with manslaughter. this morning we'll have more details on that case. mtv known for wild reality shows like "jersey shore." now a u.s. senator wants to pull the plug on a new show set to air on mtv. plus an emotional homecoming, what a story here, this little girl spent her entire life in the hospital. now she's starting a new chapter 12k3 and we're there with her. the answers to the age-old holiday dilemmas like whether it's really okay to regift. we'll answer that and a few more when we get started on a sunday morning here on "today." >> thank you so much, erica. we appreciate it. >>> this time of year there's lots of holiday treats. hard to push yourself away from them. you can impress your guests with traditional treats with a little bit of a twist at your own home. news 4's liz crenshaw has the story. >>

erica hill will tell us what's coming up. >> you're making me hungry.rning on "today", david gregory previews an exclusive interview with president obama this morning as washington lawmakers try to avoid the fiscal cliff and dramatic images of a plane as it flies off the runway and breaks apart. and you'll hear from a surfer lucky to be alive after being attacked multiple times pie a -- by a shark and from honey boo boo to little league to gangnam style, a look back at the year in pop culture ahead on "today." >> our forecast today? >> we are keeping an eye on stronger winds coming in out of the northwest. temperatures hovering into 40 degrees in the afternoon. possibly an icy mix new year's eve. >> jason, thanks so much for joining us. that's all the time we have for now. nbc's "today show" is next. we'll have an update at 8:25. >> this is a wbal-tv 11 editorial with dan joerres. >> as we come to the close of another year, we think of our loved ones who are sacrificing their lives for our liberty and pursuit of happiness. we take our regularly schedule

. >> we're minutes away from nbc's sunday "today show" and erica hill with a preview. >> good morningy on "today" for the second time in a week, tragedy strikes the nfl. a 25-year-old player for the dallas cowboys killed in in a cr accident and his friend and teammate charged with manslaughter. mtv known for wild reality shows, now a u.s. senator wants the network to pull the plug on this show before it airs. we'll get into that controversy. plus, it's an emotional homecoming for one little girl. adlin has spent her entire life in the hospital. we're there as she begins a new chapter at home and is it ever ok to regift? we have that and all the other holiday dilemmas answered right here on "today". >> time now for our holiday brunch and joining us this morning, a special guest chef, hilary stawbs. good morning. we have a sweet treat. tell us what we're making. >> this is my great grandmother was a generation where she never wrote down recipes, had a certain bowl, put flour to here, sugar to here, mix it together and made everything from scratch so this is the recipe that we found to b

it's morning at abbey's lantern hill inn. and erica is showing mike her delicious secret to her french toast. >> so it takes about two minutes? >> yep. it's all in the ingredients, using really high quality ingredients. french baguettes is the secret. i made this bottle of vanilla myself. vanilla beans, chop them up and put them in vodka. >> that is good. >> erica's in luck today because we called trip adviser.com's brian and when he looked at her site, he had lots of suggestions. one of ericka's big concerns was filling her weekday vacancies. >> and trying to bring them in in the middle of the week. is it something that most properties like this sort of struggle with? >> brian recommended that erica put an ad on his site giving people a special offer like a discount if they stay more than two nights instead of just the weekend. >> the kind of offers that extend the weekend, you know, give them a reason to stay a little longer and fill the rooms. >> brian gave erica a year's worth of extra services designed to increase her traf snook y

erica hill is here with more on that part of the story. the country schools will see stepped up security this morning. safety measures at sandy hook elementary were modeled from other schools. her 5-year-old daughter, ava, who survived friday, praised the security measures at the school. >> i've been at ava's school this school year. i never felt unsafe. >> does it feel like the appropriate amount of security for you? did you always feel that way even before friday, that that was appropriate to have at the school? >> yes. >> there is no standard for school security in this country. but there is plenty of talk. >> there's not a school in the country that won't be reviewing their safety procedures this week. >> in los angeles, a promise this weekend from the city's police chief. >> every k through 5 and every middle school in los angeles gets visited at least once a day by a los angeles police officer. >> as police in tampa try to reassure worried parents and students. >> we are 100% committed to ensuring the safety of our students. >> spent

erica, thank you so much. >>> next week secretary of state hillary clinton will travel to capitol hill to testify about the attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi, libya. she'll answer questions from the senate and house foreign affairs committees. four americans, including ambassador christopher stevens, were killed in the september 11th attack. clinton will testify after a report is released. >>> there's been an escalation of the civil war in syria. the united states and nato officials say syrian forces for the first time used scud ballistic missiles against rebel forces. incendiary bombs were also deployed by the troops. they say as they become more desperate, they're using more vicious weapons. it's estimated more than half a dozen scuds were fired in northern syria. meanwhile rebel troops continue to advance on the capital damascus. >>> oregon police have identified a gunman who shot up a portland area malibu don't have a motive. they say jacob roberts apparently had no specific attack when he began tuesday afternoon. >> reporter: 10,000 people were in the mall when the shooting began. the rush of christma

erica in the weather center. she's been tracking the rain. >> just a bit of light rain through morgan hill and gilroy. let me show you on stormtracker 4. near burbank. no yellow just passing showers for gilroy. dry with extra caution on 101. nothing to relieve concern yourself with but it looks like it will continue with a drying pattern for the evening hours. here is a look of rainfall totals. really, just traces near oakland and less in livermore. and also it looks like it will be dry in the next couple of days but more wet weather. with your futurecast, coming up. >>catherine: the rain came and went pretty quickly -- but it left a real mess. more on that - ahead. but first, the 49ers clinch a playoff spot. it was an exciting game against the patriots. kron4 sports producer jason appelbaum is here to tell us about it - after the break. [ 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 i

light the tree on capitol hill will talk more about that and what they're doing to avoid the fiscal cliff. we are waiting up to what roads cloudy skies as well will check with ericaand george has an eye on your commute. update from both of them in just a minute. (male announcer): live from the bay area this is the kron 4 morning news. kron 4 news at 5:00 a.m. starts now. >> good morning the top stories we're following this wednesday that a december 5, 2004 people were injured after shooting in oakland. a live report is coming up. >> the rain back across the bay area you are looking at live view from the james lick freeway as we look at san francisco. you can see the roadway is wet. we have a triple box we can show you give you another perspective. the bay bridge on the left and the golden gate bridge on the right and the san mateo bridge on the lower right. all three shots to see what roadway spirit let us begin our coverage with weather. >> we are watching our creeks for as well. a lot of rain moving through. pretty heavy rain of the golden gate for several fiscal. >> that is right where seeing heavy rain for places like concord, to 42, interstate 680 heading in

hill the handyman man is to escape and notified police. >> we will take a briquets 4:37. --we will take a break. we are seeing light showers. more on the way. ericaill have a look at the forecast coming up in a bit. >> we're back. north korea said it has retained a american simpson who has confescitizen who has confessedo to crimes. >> pakistan have been urged to remain a college in honor of the girl was shot. the 15 year-old who became a symbol of you resistance to the caliban made the request after students broke into the school and would got a class. >> renames the college in danger than lies. >> to state employees testify before the senate and the first two hearings the deadly attack that killed four americans in benghazi. it comes after an interview released a report on the tax-writing " systematic failures of leadership and management deficiencies at the state department. >> various state hillary clinton is unable to attend the hearings following her doctor's orders to rest after a concussion. she is expected to appear next month and from the foreign affairs committee. >> an american citizen has been detained who has confessed to unspecifie