>> from america's news headquarters, i'm heather childers. it's down to the wire for a fiscal cliff deal. senate leaders from both sides of the aisle vowing to scramble days before a new year's deadline to reach a plan or watch the economy go off a cliff. president obama says he's optimistic that they'll come to an agreement that will avoid across the board tax hikes and deep spending cuts. and here we go again, more snow headed to the the northeast, where a major winter storm already dumped several inches on inland areas. snarling roads, canceling hundreds of holiday flights. two powerful systems expect today come up the east coast by today, from south carolina to new york already issues severe weather warnings. i'm heather childers, now back to bulls and bears and for your latest weather headlines, log on to foxnews.com. you're watching the most powerful name in news. >> canceled, that's what thousands of ticked off holiday travelers are seeing on airport monitors this week. and while the nasty weather is to be blamed, toby says we should b

. >> live from america's news headquarters, i'm heather childers, help is one step closer for the victims of super storm sandy. the senate providing a bill for aid for the states hit by the disaster and the bill has to pass through the house of representatives. storm sandy blamed for 120 deaths and battered north carolina to main and new york, new jersey and connecticut hit the hardest and parents, famous for bright lights could be in the dark at night. france's president wants to extinguish the trademark glow during overnight hours in order to save money and energy. and many tourists are unset. according to the reports, the lights go after between 1 a.m. and 7 a.m. i'm heather childers, now back to cavuto on business and for the latest on foxnews.com. >> in your facebook. starting next tuesday, employers in illinois cannot ask workers for passwords to social media sites like facebook and twitter, it's supposed to protect the privacy of workers. todd, you're the not sure about this one, why not? >> you have to look out for the company. every employee out there, they are an ambassadors of

i am heather childers. >> i am heather nauert. >> it is tuesday december the 13th. thank you for watching "fox & friends first". this is the top five making news at this hour. john mcafee return to go the united states. the anti virus software founder in miami after he was deported from guatemala. >> i am not worried at all. there's nothing they could do to send me back. they have no he had evidence. >> he fled to guatemala seeking asylum but he was arrested and taken to a detention center. >> one week from today hillary clinton will testify on the attack in benghazi that left ambassador chris stevens and three other americans dead. she will go before the house and senate foreign affairs committee. the obama administration has been under fire for the handling of the september 11th attack on our consulate. >>> a major figure in the botched fast and furious scandal. he bought weapons found at the scene of border agent brian perry's murder. >>> i am sure mr. avila is remorseful but that shouldn't discount the severe consequences of his actions and those of the 19 codef

i am patti ann browne. >> i am heather childers. is a second day of good-byes in newtown today as two more young victims of the sandy hook tragedy are laid to rest. >> one is for 6-year-old james mattioli called jay. he loved recess and math. they called him their numbers guy. jessica rekos who loved everything about horses and playing with her little brother. >> students at other newtown schools will head back to class for the first time as they learn more about what led to the shooting. peter dosy jo peter doocy joins us live. >> last night moving trucks complete with their own police he is courts were taking furniture out of the sandy hook elementary school. they were driving down past the firehouse which is where students were lucky enough to get out. including some 26 christmas trees to the fallen students. they were taking that furniture to nearby chalk hills middle school an unoccupied school building in monroe. it is unoccupied because of low enrollment. that is the building where sandy hook students will go back to class wh

. >> i am heather childers. it is friday december 28th. thank you for watching "fox & friends first". >> time now for your 5@5:00. the top five stories making news at this hour. the nation is mourning the loss of an american hero. norman schwarzkopf has died. he had complications from pneumonia. he commanded the u.s. coalition that drove sadam hussein's forces out of kuwait during operation storm. he approved a statement even those in intensive care. he said general norm schwarzkopf epitomized the country that has seen this great nation through our most trying international crises. more than that he was a good and decent man and a dear friend. schwarzkopf received numerous honors for serving vietnam including three silver stars. he was 78 years old. >> and a real leader certainly. the bush family is confident george h.w. bush will soon be out of intensive care. he has an elevated fever right now he is in the icu so doctors can treat him more easily. we are also being told bush senior's condition is not dire. his chief of staff gene becker

. >> i am heather childers. it is monday december 17th. thank you for watching "fox & friends first". >> a trying day for newtown connecticut for the whole country as funerals wiare being held for the victims of the horrific school shooting. >> president obama offered comfort and support for the have you beening tim's families. >> president obama came to newtown last night. he was trying to comfort the families of those who have children who went to sandy hook elementary school. he went to the classrooms before his natural address and principal dawn hochsprung's daughter that had a caption my mom would be so proud to see president obama holding her granddaughter but not as proud as i am of her. 6-year-old emilie parker's family posted pictures as well. some of them very some der others with her young sibling are full of smilesment after the meetings in the classroom the president told new town that the nation's heart was broken for their loss. >> as a community you have inspired us, newtown. in the face of indescribable center lines, in th

i am heather childers. >> i am heather nauert. it is now half past the hour.s time for the top 5@5:30. we are getting to listen in on the chilling 911 call that was made moments after dallas cowboy player crashed his car killing his teammates. listen to this. >> is anybody injured? >> i don't know. it just happened. there's a car upside down and there was smoke every where. >> there's a car in the middle of the road on fire upside down. >> we have it. we are on the way, okay? >> this is a look at the scene of this saturday's accident. it was obtained by tmz. josh brent had a blood alcohol level over the limit when he killed his teammate in the dwi accident. >> are troops in afghanistan to blame for the recent string of insider attacks? a new draft of the army craft says the culture has led to deadly attacks by the afghan forces. u.s. troops should not speak out against the taliban or defend women's rights. the book be a's mess sj is n not -- message is not sitting well with the general. 63 people died in insider attacks this year alone. >> the epa is now tryin

it -- i am heather childers. it is december 19th. thank you for watching "fox & friends first". >> another day of mourning in newtown. four funerals will be held today. they will say good-bye to daniel bar dan, 6-year-old charlotte bacon and victoria soto. she shielded her students and saved their lives. what may have caused the gunman to snap. pref individu good morning, peter. >> nancy lanza was reportedly at her wit's end with her son adam and was having such a hard time raising the 20-year-old by herself that she was in the process of getting conservator ship over him. that's kierdling to someo -- ac to someone who knows the family of the shooting andl of the vic. this man told foxnews.com quote from what i have been told adam was aware of her petitioning the court and plans to have him committed. adam was upset about this. he thought she just wanted to send him away. from what i understand he was really, really angry. i think this could have been it, what set him off. the community is immersed in funeral services and vigils. las

. >> i am heather childers. today is tuesday december 4th. thank you for watching "fox & friends first". >> it is time for the top 5 @5. an exclusive report in the new york post says belcher was playing the field before murdering sandra perkins and killing himself. he had dinner and drinks with another woman and spent the night at her apartment. belcher went to into a rage because she went to oo concert and left his baby at home. romeo personnel said he was shocked and showed no major issues. a campus police report shows belcher had a history of vief lens and once punched out a window about a girl. >> syria started to move it's xh chemical weapons. >> world is watching. the use of chemical weapons is and would be totally unacceptable. if you make the tragic mistake of using twheepz upons there will be consequences and you will be held accountable. >> the warning hours after secretary of state hillary clinton said using the weapons would cross a red line and the u.s. would take action. syrian jets continue to pound opposition fighters. assad s

i am heather childers. >> i am fatly ann brown. today is wednesday december 5th. thank you for watching "fox & friends first". >> time for the 5@5:00. a queens new york man pleaded guilty to terror charges for plotting to blow up synagogues in new york city. he was raised in 2011 while trying to buy weapons from an under cover cop. he wanted to set off grenades in the biggest synagogue to send a message of intimidation to a jewish community. >> the country's top intelligence officer will be in the hot seat on capitol hill. he will testify behind closed doors on the benghazi terror attacks. they are left with many questions about who changed the cia talking point which originally represents al qaeda. the revised talking points were used by susan rice who blamed the terror attack on an anti islam video. >> we will see who president obama will nominate for his cabinet. national security nominees are expected to be nominated first. hagel could get the nod for defense secretary. who will replace hillary clinton as secretary of state? lawmakers outraged over reports it

. >> i'm heather childers in for jamie colby. 11th he hour scramble after a crucial meeting on friday, between president obama and the leaders of the house and senate and urged lawmakers to urge them to do whatever it takes to cut a deal. >> i'm modestly optimistic that an agreement can be achieved. nobody is going to get 100% of what they want, but let's make sure that middle class families and the american economy and the world economy aren't adversely impacted because people can't do their jobs. >> chief congressional correspondent mike emanuel is live in washington with the latest, mike. >> heather discussions are underway and i'm told we should not expect any news or announcements before senators are briefed tomorrow afternoon. after a meeting with the president late friday, the senate majority leader sounded cautiously optimistic. >> we have one meeting in the white house that was very constructive and we hope it will bear fruit and that's what we hope to learn. i think that the next 24 hours will be very instructive as to

i'm heather childers in for jamie colby. without a deal the countdown to 2013 also a countdown to smaller pay checks for nearly all americans as the fiscal cliff tax hikes are set to take a bigger bite and the military facing serious cutbacks along with other federal programs that millions of americans count on. >> ed henry live at the white house with the latest on the negotiations. ed, we are really getting down to the wire. what did the president say this morning and will that make a difference? >> good morning, eric. part of what he was doing was putting the onus on republicans. this s his first sunday mornig appearance since 2009. on meet the press. now, pushing a deal on the fiscal cliff. as you noted on capitol hill is where all of the action is right now. the president when he bought the leaders here on friday said they have to try to work something out over the next couple of days and said on "meet the press" his position was either there is a deal or he wants the senate to bring up h his version of this short-term

i'm heather childers. brand-new hour, a hard day inside america's news headquarters. >> gregg: and i'm gregg jarrett. we're glad you're with us. the nation mourning the loss of so many young lives, 20 of the 26 people massacred at sandy hook elementary school, some as young as six. in a news conference wrapping a short while ago, the chief state medical examiner saying that many of the victims were killed by multiple close range gun shots. >> heather: shear a new picture of the shooter, adam lanza. police saying the 20-year-old forced his way into the school and contrary to earlier reports, lanza did have an assault rifle on him as he carried out the murderous rampage. >> gregg: all of this as the tiny and close-knit community of newtown, connecticut is just reeling from this tragedy. earlier today, the state chief medical examiner described what he called the worst incident he has ever seen. >> i've been at this for a third of a century and it's -- my sensibilities may not be the average man. but this pro

and back to huckabee, i will heather childers with the latest on the school shootings in newtown, connecticutck with a special live edition of huckabee. we'll show you grace mcdonald. gracey's family issued a statement. we are overwhelmed with the outletpowering and love and support for so many people. our grace was the love and light of our family. words cannot adequately express our sense of loss. darryl scott's daughter rachel was one of the 13 victims of the bine boin victims in april 20th, 1999. >> darryl, i appreciate you being here. it causes you to relive painful moments 13 years ago. i want to begin bying what that moment was like when you realized that rachel, your daughter was one of the victims in the columbine shooting? i think the first thing that happens, you experience such a shock and there is it a certain amount of disbelief. i kept expecting her to walk through the door and expecting to see her and it took a while for it to hit dead center that she was gone. that happens a lot with parents who don't expect to lose your child. you never expect it to happen. it was a nightmar

. >> i am heather childers. it is december 27th. welcome to "fox friends first." >> george h.w. bush's condition has worsened. marianne rafferty has more. >> the fever has gone up in the last few days. the 88-year-old former president was admitted sunday and is in guarded condition. the 41st president of the united states was first admitted to the hospital november 23rd for a bronchitis related cough. there was hope he would be home for christmas but he soon develop add series of set backs. >> he had a few low energy days and things snowballed from there. at the wrong time because of his weakened condition because of the fight of bronchitis 88 years old it adds up to a tough situation right now. >> george w. bush has visited his father twice. so has jeb bush. he spent the christmas day in the hospital. things are not going well but doctors remain cautiously optimistic. >> he's in a bad way, but the doctors believe that there is a path for him to recover from this and if we can get him to rally a little bit it's good but we are not there yet. >> he has been placed on a liquids on

. >> heather: i'm heather childers forks days a powerful storm system has been moving across the country but it is being felt in the northeast now. on top of that a new storm hitting the west coast making for dangerous traveling conditions. airports all across the country leaving passengers stranded. >> you are basically living at this airport yewh i am. >> you like our airport. >> i can't say i like it very much right now. >> so we're stuck here. >> they told us they can't fly us out of here until monday which is two days after our cruise ship leaves. >> heather: maria molina is fox extreme weather center with details. >>> good to see you. we're looking at more messy weather but the good news the storm system that was producing blizzard conditions in the midwest and great lakes is finally starting to wind down. it does have strong winds and most of that will wind down through sunday but still lingering snow. it is ts falling indicate heavily around the albany area and you could see one to three inches of snowfall out here. please be careful on the roadways. snow showers and flurries cou

i'm heather childers. to another hour of america's headquarters. >> gregg: i'm gregg gregg jarrett. president obama is promoting his so-called balanced approach. republican leaders say the president's plan leaves the budget talks at a stand still. >> we've got some agreements about the high end tax cuts. republicans don't want to raise taxes on folks like me. i think i can pay a little bit more. >> they want to have this extra spending that's actually greater than the amount they're willing to cut. i mean, it was not a serious proposal. so right now we're almost nowhere. >> gregg: steve centanni has more. >> the two sides taking verbal pot shots, but not really coming to any kind of agreement adds the clock continues ticking. the president hit the road yesterday using a campaign style appearance in pennsylvania to appeal directly to the american people. at a toy factory, he pushed for immediate action to extend the bush era tax cuts for everybody except the more wealthy americans. >> right now congress can

i am heather childers. >> i am patti ann browne. it is monday december 31st new year's ooe. thank you for watching "fox & friends first". >> we are watching two big story tosser you. with hours left in 2012 lawmakers do not appear close to reaching a deal to avoid the fiscal cliff we may be going ov going over. >> secretary of state hillary clinton in the hospital right now doctors discovered a blood clot. you can forget about days we are down to hours for law americas to reach a deal. >> 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 de

i'm heather childers in for martha maccallum. gregg: i'm gregg jarrett in for bill hemmer. wo in the republican senate saying there could potentially be a bill ready for the floor. heather: there could be. mike emanuel live on capitol hill to see if this is happening or not. mike? >> reporter: very having trelments -- interesting developments, gregg and heather. jon kyl, who told our john brandt, our senate producer there are signs of progress and he is hopeful something will be able to come to the floor. moments ago we had senator mitch mcconnell, the to be senate republican walk in. he had spoken to the vice president last night after midnight. spoke to him again this morning at 6:30 in the morning. by those measures it certainly seems like there is a good pace, if you will, to discussions between the two key figures to the negotiations at this critical stage. bottom line, talks are ongoing. a lot of official channels have been pretty quiet about signs of progress but senator kyl in a candid moment he does hear there is progress. and they are hopeful, hopeful, we will get

heather: i'm heather childers, we are in for megyn kelly. now, the firefighters shot while responding to a fire in weber the, new york. the police chief says two of them were killed at the scene. the other two are being treated at a hospital. gregg: our david lee miller is following this story live from our new york studios. >> reporter: here's the timeline of what happened this morning. it was about 5:35 when they received a call there was a house fire. firemen from the west webster fire department, four in total. the first two of those firemen were shot dead at the scene, two others were seriously hurt. later an off-duty police officer from the nearby town of greece, new york, drove by. the gunfire hit his car. he was apparently injured by the shrapnel. now, as for the shooter, authorities say that he apparently was killed by a gunshot, there was some type after a shootout. police arrived, their fired at the shooter. not clear to what extent, if any, he fired back at the police officers, but we do know that he is now dead. not clear if it

. >> i'm heather childers. welcome to a brand-new edition of america's news headquarters. there is still no concrete plan on the table. instead, lawmakers have given themselves by 3:00 p.m. today to come up with a compromise agreement that will have enough support to survive both a vote in both houses of congress. chief white house correspondent ed henry is live with more. >> good morning. interesting because the president, in his first sunday show, tv appearance since 2009, when he was pushing health care reform and went on "meet the press" to pound a message over and over, that in his estimation, the onus is on republicans over the next 24 to 48 hour, basically saying, if they don't put together that bipartisan deal in the senate that you just mentioned, they should have a vote in the house and in the senate on the president's stop-gap measure to extend unemployment benefits and extend tax cuts, only for those making $250,000 or less. the president suggesting, playing the blame game, saying, if the republicans don't hold a vote on his plan, they will be at fault, take a

. >> heather: i'm heather childers. topping the news this hour, new york police say they now have a suspect in custody in the death of a man who was shoved in front of a speeding subway train. what police say she told them about the incident, including an apparent motive. will she be charged with a hate crime? details ahead. >> kelly: plus, a wounded warrior walking again inside an amazing new medical body suit. you got to see this, that would make ironman proud. >> heather: and 'tis the season to pop some corks and celebrate the new year. "consumer reports" is here with the best tasting sparkling wines that won't leave you starting out 2013 already in debt. >> kelly: good to see you. >> heather: good to see you. >> kelly: first, we begin with the latest developments in an 11th hour scramble to prevent serious tax hikes and spending cuts that would potentially send the u.s. into another recession. we don't want to see that a. right now senate leaders are trying to assemble a last minute tax deal that they hope can pass

. >> heather: i'm heather childers and welcome to a brand-new hour. >> gregg: i'm gregg jarrett.ould there be a compromise on the horizon to keep the country from falling off the so-called fiscal cliff. who has the most, should gridlock prevail. >> heather: daring rescue mission in afghanistan to save an american citizen. we have the incredible story. >> gregg: a court appearance for an n.f.l. star accused of driving intoxicated and killing a teammate. we're live in texas. >> heather: we begin with the countdown to a potential economic disaster. the edge of the fiscal cliff looming larger as the clock ticks toward the deadline on january 1st. negotiators are trying to hammer out a deal over tax hikes and spending cuts searching for common ground. amid all the back and forth there are signing of a compromise. steve centanni is live in washington. are the two sides any closer together? >> reporter: there are two important signs today. speaker, house speaker john boehner met with president obama at the. we don't know how long they met or exactly what they talked about, but the white

. >> heather: i'm had heather childers. welcome to a brand-new hour.he suspect has been identified as this man, mohammad jamal amad he was in the process of trying to launch a new affiliated of al-qaeda in egypt, but the focus so his links to the brool attack that killed four americans including our ambassador to libya, christopher stevens. molly henneberg is live in washington. >> molly: he is is a leader in the terror world. he is ambitious. he is very dangerous and now egyptian authorities aided u.s. intelligence have him. they have been tracking for months according to the "wall street journal" and interested in him intensified as some of the followers participated in the attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi. he was captured within the past week but we don't have many details had in how he was detained. they have not been able to interrogated him yet. he is a former egyptian jihad member. he was released from an egyptian prison in march of 2011. he is now leader of the jamal network and setting up training camps in libya and egypt with financia

. >> heather: i'm heather childers. topping the news a nasty winter storm slamming the pacific northwest. latest where it is going next from the fox news extreme weather center. >> gregg: millions of americans hitting the rails and skies this weekend. we'll go to one of the busiest airports in the country. >> heather: one father's fight to bring the word christmas into his son's school. >> gregg: we begin with so-called fiscal cliff, major concerns for the u.s. economy are not keeping lawmakers from heading home for the holidays. but with lawmakers from both parties still at odds over how to avoid that inevitable cliff, tax hikes, spending cuts associated with it, some of them are taking to the sunday talk shows to make their respective cases with just nine days until every american taxpayer feels the pinch. steve centanni, steve is there still any chance some sort of a comprehensive agreement can be reached? >> reporter: it's looking less and less likely. two sides in the did the debate had their say on sunday talk sho

. >> welcome to a brand-new hour of america news headquarters as rick said, i'm heather childers. >> gregg: i'm gregg jarrett. we'll follow the movements of president as he visits to family members as well as his remarks before the congregation. >> in the preparation and investigation into this tragedy is actually gaining speed. authorities say the gunman shot his mother, not once but multiple times in the head before then going to the elementary school and committing his further atrocities. mike tobin joins us live. the latest developments in this case. give us a rundown. >> reporter: it offered a lot of clarity about the weapons that were used in this attack. paul vance, public information for the state police saying there were four weapons involved. primary weapon was bushmaster ar-15 assault rifle coupled with high capacity magazines. that was the primary weapon used to carry through the attack. also, a couple of side arms. .9 millimeter and glock ten millimeter. one of those were used by the gunman to kill himself and we know that he killed himself as first responders were movin

. >> and i'm heather childers we're in for megyn kelly delaying holiday travelers trying to make their way home. gregg: some of the worst weather has been in pennsylvania. that's where we find our own anna kooiman who is live in clarks summit. hi, anna. >> reporter: good afternoon to both of you and to everyone at home. it led up here in clarks summit, pennsylvania. aside from a few flurries blowing around from the wind. it is coming down in parts of new york state and across the new england states. new york's governor andrew cuomo, has opened up an emergency operations center and he also warned power companies to really be on their toes especially following all the criticism that happened for their slow response from superstorm sandy and getting power turned back on for those residents who were in the dark and the cold for a couple of weeks. our plans changed a little bit last night. we decided to spend the night in clarks summit because the road conditions deteriorated and we didn't want to go farther north. the borough president told me their snow totals were down last year and they

i will be back here tomorrow with heather childers, 4:00 to 6:00. here in a couple hours with heather. patti ann: we'll cover the fiscal cliff. the negotiations continuing. the debt ceiling we have it all for you. i will back

kathy wright and heather childers will be taking over top of the hour. >> arthel: they'll let us workrrow at 4 eastern. thanks to alex huntser for the text. >> gregg: we'll see you tomorrow. have a great evening. ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] everyone deserves the gift of all day pain relief. this season, discover aleve. all day pain relief with just two pills.

well kohl to "happening now," i'm heather childers in for jenna lee -- jon: and i'm jon scott. al-qaeda'saining a fresh foothold in libya, and the consequences could be deadly. heather: al-qaeda moving in to fill the political vacuum, hooking up with militants involved in the deadly terrorist attack in benghazi. catherine herridge is life in washington with the latest. >> reporter: al-qaeda has strengthened their bases in libya and the in the broader region of north africa to the extent that the administration is investigating whether it has the authority to target the drone strategy in the tribal areas of pakistan as well as yemen. after the terrorist attack in benghazi on the consulate, analysts say al-qaeda has sought to capitalize to use its so-called victory to raise money and also recruit. there is evidence that the growth of the al-qaeda affiliate in libya is part of a broader campaign by senior leadership in pakistan to establish a global presence through its affiliates and that the decision to send al-qaeda operatives to libya was made and executed as long ago as 2011. now analys

i'm heather childers in for martha maccallum. gregg: isn't that pretty?'m gregg jarrett in for bill. that scene showing us there is a little hope out in the world though it is hard to find in washington these days. president obama spending holidays in beautiful hawaii where reports now surfaced where he is looking to strike a smaller fiscal deal that would extend tax cuts for the middle class but not tackling any spending cuts. chief white house correspondent ed henry is live in honolulu with more. ed, for the first time, people like joe lieberman are saying i really think we'll go over the cliff. what do you hear? >> reporter: it's a real possibility, you're right. we're a week out. people on both sides have been talking this thing to death. it might need a christmas miracle at this point to avoid going off the cliff. the president scaled back plan basically would extend unemmoment benefits for two million people who will lose them a week after christmas if there is no deal. he also wants to extend tax cuts for 98% of americans. you heard him talk about

and welcome to a brand new hour of "america live," i'm heather childers.nd i'm gregg jarrett, megyn is off today. senate lawmakers also cutting short their holiday break. the real sticking point is in all of this has been the president's proposed tax hike. both sides suggesting a cooling-off period was necessary before getting back to business, but the word from both democrats and republicans today, nothing has changed. chief white house correspondent ed henry is in beautiful honolulu. aloha, ed. [laughter] >> reporter: aloha. [laughter] well, it's interesting pause you say the sticking point -- because you say the sticking point is taxes going up, which is true, but the other big one will be spending cuts because the latest offer, we've been through plan a which was that $4 trillion debt deal, plan b which fell apart on speaker john boehner last week, now we're basically on plan c which president obama says would be dealing with short-term issues like two million people who are losingen employment benefits in a week, dealing with the tax issue as you say.

. >> heather: i'm health they are childers. >> i'm gres gregg jarrett. >> gridlock in washington continues. the white house not backing down one bit. republican leaders say though are nowhere near on negotiations to avoid the fiscal cliff. >> and protest in tahrir square as anger continues to grow against egyptian president mohammed morsi. we'll have a live report. >> new information on what may have caused a freight train carrying dangerous chemicals to derail in new jersey. >> heather: the clock is winding down to a potential economic disaster. there has been a lot of talk apparently nothing to show for it. democrats and republicans blaming each other nor the standoff with your tax bill riding on the out come. unless an agreement is reached by the end of the month, bush-era tax cuts will expire triggering a rise in taxes by an average of 5%. that means a middle-class family will pay $2,000 more in taxes and married couples would be hurt because of marriage penalty. it doesn't include the budget consequences. $55 billion would be cut from the pentagon and another $55 billion slashed from