and that's where our jeremy hubbard is tonight. hey, jeremy. good evening. >> reporter: good evening, dan. it is already bad here, and this is nothing compared to what awaits in the overnight. we're in boston common, where it is windy. the snow is already falling at a rate of one to two inches an hour, and in the overnight, the hourly snowfall totals could double. it is a real mess here. forecasters are calling this a blockbuster storm. unlike any this region has seen in years. and road crews are trying to get a leg up, but it is a futile exercise, because overnight new england will bear the brunt of this storm. up to 20 inches forecast here in and around boston. the massachusetts governor has declared a snow emergency. essentially, an edict to stay off the roads at all costs, if you can, because of the danger. again, overnight, when the whiteouts are predicted, that could be a problem. but with trains canceled and air traffic crippled, the major roads are already jammed with holiday travelers trying to get on the front edge of the assault from

" in louisville, kentucky. >> and thanks to jeremy hubbard and the dude. >>> when we come back, we'reng to turn to the closing argument. obama in afghanistan. but first, here's jimmy kimmel with what's coming up next. >> jimmy: tonight, david cedar ris is with us. we have music from nicky min imagine and our old pal ben ñ ñ? p

jeremy hubbard, abc news, new york. >> it is amazing what those phones do.an that stuff, it's amazing. >> the most amazing thing about that is when he ended up scanning for that tv he found best buy was the cheapest deal. the next cheapest was $100 more than that price you saw, $299, from an online vendor. it's counterintuitive. we think online vendor, it must be cheaper. >> not always the case, though. >>> coming up, if you're still shopping for children stay tuned for the next segment. >> that's right, our toy insider's favorite gift ideas. lots of things for the little ones and lots of wonderful things to put in stockings if they're not full yet just days before christmas. you're watching "world news now." they're not full yet just days before christmas. you're watching "world news now." "ú"ú"ú"p >>> and welcome back, everybody. of course christmas now just a few days away. if there's one thing every kid can't wait to see of course it's what santa brought them in their stocking this year. joining me with great last-minute stocking stuffer ideas, laurie sh

i'm jeremy hubbard for "nightline." >> that is one impressive animal.e king" premieres tomorrow night on the national geographic channel. thanks to jeremy hubbard for that report. >>> up next, the promise of designer clothes for free. we look at clothing swaps, the latest trend, in recession-proof we look at clothing swaps, the latest trend, in recession-proof shopping. mnmnmnmnmnmnmnmn mnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmn [ male announcer ] opportunity is a powerful force. set it in motion... and it goes out into the world like fuel for the economy. one opportunity leading to another... and another. we all have a hand in it. because opportunity can start anywhere, and go everywhere. let's keep it moving. ♪ let's keep it moving. if you live for performance, upgrade to castrol edge advanced synthetic oil. with eight times better wear protection than mobil 1. castrol edge. it's more than just oil. it's liquid engineering. yeah! i thought we'd eat at hey, you ghome. save some money. $200 bucks? that's not saving! [jacks voice] at my place i'm bringing back the

jeremy hubbard, abc news. >> it really is some compelling video.ily news has identified the woman, the good samaritan, her name is angela pierce. i think the takeaway is they don't recommend you doing something like that. getting so involved. >> that and especially the woman with the guy in florida, hitting the gun out of his hand with a pocketbo pocketbook. amazing what people are able to do in dangerous situations. more after this. >> for information on services for older adults, the eldercare locator can help! >> it's great having a friendly person deliver a healthy meal- and having meals delivered makes it possible for me to stay in my own home. >> the eldercare locator can put you in touch with local resources to help older persons find home and community based services. call 1.800.677.1116 or visit eldercare.gov today! the eldercare locator is a free public service of the u.s. administration on aging. >>> they are the quick essential nuclear family. 2.5 kids, the dog, the cat. i'm talking of course about tvs. >> hard to believe they have been

he's glenn hubbard, dean at columbia university's graduate school of business and former chairman of the council of economic advisers under president george w. bush. >> it looks like we have a tax deal for the short run. what we should hope for in 2011? that thinking about the long run is back in style. there is hope: after repeated stimulus packages to revive the economy, more serious discussion is emerging in washington about long-term structural challenges facing our nation. stagnating wages for too many americans, rising health care costs, and large federal deficits and debt that threaten our financial future-- these problems did not start with the financial crisis of 2007 to 2009, and they will not fix themselves as the economy recovers. the recent proposal from the fiscal commission to reduce deficits and debt offers a chance to restart long-run growth. by putting government programs on a sustainable footing and lowering future tax burdens, such a proposal helps the economy today as well. and tax reform that can help the economy shift away from more consumption today to more sa

jeremy hubbard, abc news. >> it really is some compelling video.daily news has identified the woman, the good samaritan, her name is angela pierce. i think the takeaway is they don't recommend you doing something like that. getting so involved. >> that and especially the woman with the guy in florida, hitting the gun out of his hand with a pocketbo pocketbook. amazing what people are able to do in dangerous situations. more after this. [croaking] let's turn over this log. yeah! both: whoa! i like the big black ones. i like the brown wiggly ones. mmm. i like the green crunchy ones myself. whoa. get out and explore nature. there are surpris everywhere. go to discovertheforest.org. [burps] anyone up for dessert? >>> they are the quick essential nuclear family. 2.5 kids, the dog, the cat. i'm talking of course about tvs. >> hard to believe they have been doing it since 21 years now. homer, marge, bart, lisa and maggie premiered on tv then. we go to the abc news as a result july 27th, 2007. >> the best thing for comedy i think is the stuff that keeps yo

jeremy hubbard, abc news, new york. >>> 6:32 right now. in news around the nation a. virginia girl who was missing for a week is waiting to be reunited with her family. she is in san francisco right now talking to investigators. she was found on friday with her more's boyfriend. a 32-year-old named jeffrey easley. police say he and 12-year-old brittany smith disappeared from virginia a week ago. the girl's mother was found dead in the home. police say in california, they are working with investigators in virginia on this case. officials say someone recognized easley and smith while they were at a safeway store on friday. >>> you probably read the newspaper in print or online burks would you subscribe to a newspaper if it was only on the ipad? media mogul rupert murdock is launching a digital newspaper called the daley costing an ipad user a few bucks a month. eye comes amid another lousy year for the newspaper industry. murdock can afford the experiment because if he fails, he loses something that is considered modest. if he succeeds it's rare piece of good news for t

here's jeremy hubbard with some of the folks still reeling from its punch. >> reporter: all across the east coast, people were digging out from a hurricane strength blizzard that brought snow, wind, water, even thunder and lightning. reeki wreaking havoc on the nation. from the carolinas to maine, the storm dumped as much as 30 inches of snow in some places and crippled the country in the midst of the holiday travel season. >> as it rolled off the coast, it kept intensifying. this morning at 9:00, the central pressure dropped to 964 milobars. the lower the pressure, the stronger the storm. that's the equivalent of a category 3 hurricane. >> reporter: you could see that winter hurricane in videos online like this one in bellmar, new jersey, a time lapse from the first flake and the following 32 inches. farther north, boston was one of the hardest areas hit, pummeled with snow, high seas and wind gusts up to 80 miles an hour nearby, leaving tens of thousands without power. 12 hours earlier, in the town of scituate, massachusetts, the ocean spilled into the town. eight feet of water accum

old data on hubbard's peak. and it went up in 1970 and then down. and you swree we are today, the actual is the -- and you see where we are today. the actual is the green squares there and we're now down to less than half the oil that we produced in 1970. and that's again from drilling more wells than all the rest of the world put together. i'm finding oil in alaska and the gulf of mex which -- mexico which we didn't expect to find. may i ask how much time we have remaining? 29 minutes remaining. thank you very much. two other interesting things on this chart. hubbard's prediction was the little yellow triangles here. the actual production from the lower 48 is the green. if you add the oil we found, remember that huge find of oil in canada and alaska? and i've been there, i've been at the beginning of that four-foot pipeline. it was just a blip. just a blip. in the downward slip of hubbard's curve. now there are those of you who would like to convince you that m.k. hubbard didn't know what he was talking about b

king hubbard did not include in his predictions. and in spite of the fact that we have now drilled more oil wells than all the rest of the world put together. not only have we peaked in oil production, but we've slid so far down the other side of hubbard's peak that we now produce just about half the oil that we produced in 1970. as a matter of fact, we have only 2% of the known reserves of oil in the world and we use 25% of the world's oil. we really know how to pump oil because with that 2% of the world's reserves of oil, we pump 8% of the world's oil. what that means, of course, is that on the average, our wells are going to run dry sooner than the average well around the world because we're pumping our oil four times faster than the average well. in the world. i have some charts here that may illuminate what we've been talking about. i've not seen the sequence of these charts, so we'll just speak to them as they come up. the first chart is what is known as the oil chart. peak oil, the growing gap. if you had but a single chart t

jeremy hubbard, abc news, new york. >> and congratulations to them.ld say that our partners over at espn2 will have full coverage on tuesday night when uconn tries to beat that record in a game against florida state. >>> and coming up next, the little machine that some say could end an epidemic, and how you can help with just 20 bucks. >>> and after that, we'll show you what happens when a secret santa drops $100 bills in a place where people really need it. "trailer insurance... ...as well as motorcycle insurance... gecko: oh...sorry, technical difficulties. boss: uh...what about this? gecko: what's this one do? gecko: um...maybe that one. ♪ dance music boss: ok, let's keep rolling. we'r on motorcycle insurance. vo: take fifteen minutes to see ow much you can save on motorcycle, rv, and camper insuance. if anything, i thought i'd get hit by a bus, but not a heart. my doctor put me on an aspirin regimen to help protect my life. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. check with your doctor because it can

jeremy hubbard, abc news, new york. >> good luck to katherine. one more note on the weather. high winds from that storm forced a showboat called "the branson bell" to run aground on a lake near branson, missouri. more than 600 passengers and crew were stranded overnight on board. the boat was able to dock at its pier this morning. >>> we have fresh insight now into the suicide of bernie madoff's oldest son. we're learning more about marc madoff's final days, what drove him to kill himself and why his youngest child, a 2-year-old, might now be held responsible for repaying the victims of bernie madoff's massive ponzi scheme. here's aaron katersky. >> reporter: though marc madoff has killed himself, it does not end the legal trouble for his family. including his two young children. his 4-year-old and 2-year-old are named in a lawsuit by the trustee trying to recover some of the billions of dollars lost by victims of bernie madoff's ponzi scheme. >> where is all this money coming from that the brothers still seem to have? children in private schools. we can't afford anymore to h

and so jeremy hubbard is back on the beat tonight, outside macy's in new york city. and jeremy, they were telling me there are still shoppers out there behind you. >> reporter: good evening, david. yeah, it is the 11th hour, but there are plenty of shoppers behind me tonight. this macy's in new york city, one of several national chains to remain crowded late into christmas eve night. other retailers sending out e-mails as late as this afternoon reminding shoppers that it's not too late to buy e-gift cards. and for stores, this buyer blitz has paid off big. with a strong finish, believe it or not, this holiday shopping season could be one for the record books. >> we're seeing the consumer really has a little bit of strength left. people are still going out and spending on discretionary things and things they don't necessarily need. >> reporter: what a differences a couple of years make. struggling since the record 2007 shopping season, this year, holiday sales shot back, more than $451 billion, and climbing. you know christmas is just a few hours away, right? still sh

glenn hubbard.nd he had some interesting takes on what should happen with tax policy going forward. tell me about it. >> sure. so glenn hubbard was the first chairman of the council of economic advisers. he helped write the tax cuts. he said, you know, i wouldn't support a permanent extension at this point. i said why not? they're yours. you should like them. he said, you can't decide what your taxes are going to look like until you decide how big government should be. he said if we're going to have a government like the one barack obama and the democrats prefer, we can't have the bush tax cuts. they don't raise enough money. if we were going to have one like george w. bush had, we also can't have the tax cuts. >> did he say that? the size that bush had with the medicare prescription drug benefit. for instance. set the costs of the wars aside for a minute. he wasn't around for a lot of that stuff. >> and so in this debate on this, you know, obviously the republican talking point is, hey, this isn't

i'm jeremy hubbard for "nightline." >> and this little piggy is probably not covered by your hmo.nks to jeremy for that report. >>> and up next, the do it yourself crafts website that did hundreds of millions in sales this year, and we go inside etsy.com. [scraping] [piano keys banging] [scraping] [horns honking] with deposits in yur engine, it can feel like something's holdin your car back. let me guess, 16. [laughing] yeeah. that' why ther's castrol gtx... with our most powerful deposit fighting ingredient ever. castrol gtx exceeds the toughest new industry standard. don't let deposits hold your car back. / get castrol gtx. it' more than just oil. / it's liquid engineering. / cb >> announcer: "nightline" continues from new york city with bill weir. >> like most modern shopping experiences, big retail websites are as impersonal as they are inefficient. but what if your tastes run more to the farmer's market or the church be czar? well, it turns out that there's an online home for you folks, too. it's called etsy. devoted to crafts of all kinds and it is a huge business. for john

it all happened at sugarloaf mountain in maine, and jeremy hubbard is there this evening. >> reporter: good evening, david. it is still very windy here tonight. investigators are trying to figure out if wind is what caused this accident. nine people were taken to the hospital. several others injured. some of them children. and as you said, skiers with cameras captured what happened next. the pictures reveal the horror for the skiers on the mountain. rebecca london was on one of the lifts that fell. >> it happened so fast. i didn't have time to be afraid. they kind of lurched back and then i didn't realize we just dropped. >> we were about six chairs up from where it fell, and my mom fell off, and she's in the hospital right now with a cracked rib. >> my daughter and i immediately went down to start helping out, get chairs off of people. most people were able to crawl out from under the chairs without a problem. >> reporter: skiers snapped photos of the injured. the slope turned into a triage center. some remained trapped in the air, the snapped wires from the lift dangling overhead. e

jeremy hubbard's in scituate, that's just south of boston, with the picture there tonight. jeremy. >> reporter: well, good evening, david. parts of this >> reporter: parts of this massachusetts town were flooded again late today by 20 to 30 foot seas whipped up by this winter storm. this clearly not the normal picture of a blizzard but these are the almost hurricane-like remnants of a storm system full of surprises. the sea came crashing down again this afternoon on the blizzard battered town of scituate, massachusetts. >> i haven't seen anything like this in a long time. blizzard on top of the water. i mean, we're used to all this being in new england and living by the ocean, but, i mean, this was pretty intense. >> reporter: 12 hours earlier here, snow and wind. then floods and fire. the ocean spilled into town eight feet deep causing an electrical blaze that spread from one home to a second. firefighters risked their lives in chest deep water to save property and people. >> nor'easters up here are almost worse than hurricanes. >> reporter: the boston area was in this bli

jeremy hubbard reports. >> reporter: the roads are impassable. the sidewalks, invisible.ports, impossible. >> i want to go home to los angeles. >> reporter: katherine is stuck at o'hare. cancellations mounting. the blizzard stranded 400 travelers in north dakota. they were trying to get to minneapolis but couldn't. >> it was crazy. completely packed like sardines. >> reporter: on the highway, it isn't any better. blizzards snarling traffic in iowa and wisconsin. and it's not just snow, but rain, too. along the east coast, in places like new york city, where there's finally a reprieve, after some places were drenched in two to four inches of rain. then, there's the fog. flights at reagan airport in washington, d.c., grounded for hours. for travelers, no relief in sight. next to get walloped by snow, indianapolis, pittsburgh and cleveland. the stretch of i-90 near buffalo where hundreds were stranded ten days ago, is about to get snowed on again. and in syracuse where they got 46 inches of snow in the last week, another 1 to 2 feet is in the forecast. back in chicago, there

. >>> first, we turn to jeremy hubbard, who is here with the latest news. filling in for you, ron. >> that's right. good morning to you. we're going to start this morning with the biggest u.s. trade deal since nafta 16 years ago. the u.s. and south korea have hammered out an agreement that could boost u.s. experts by $10 billion and create as many as 70,000 american jobs. the broad deal will make it easier for u.s. automakers to sell cars in south korea. but it still requires congressional approval. >>> bp is challenging the government estimates on how much oil spilled into the gulf of mexico from its runaway well. the oil giant says the government overstated the size of the spill by 50%. bp is trying to reduce billions of dollars of federal fines. >>> another 12 million people may soon qualify for obesity surgery. a government health panel is recommending that the stomach-shrinking lap-band procedure be permitted for use on people who are slightly less obese. >>> and a piece of hollywood history could be yours if you're willing to make an offer the owner c

so please join me in what coming glenn hubbard. [applause] >> thanks very much for that kind introduction. and thanks to a hale and hearty audience. the book "seeds of destruction" i wrote with peter was a classic of mine in graduate school. is a wonderful christmas present. so let me just promote it right here. a great stocking stuffer. when peter and i sat down to write this book, it was about a search for both ideas and common ground. peter is democrat. i am not. and what we did was try to search for ideas that were both intellectually important to the two of us, but also had a chance of happening. the first interview i gave when i worked at the treasury department in the early 1990s was to david wessel, who then was with "the wall street journal." he asked me about the timeframe for completion of the corporate tax integration study, the treasury was been doing. and i had been handed the economic stewardship of. and i said i think this interview is 1991. i said i think it will be ready when my son goes to college. "the wall stre

. >>> for a look at the morning's other top stories, over to jeremy hubbard. >> good morning. >> in the news this morning, the controversial website wikileaks is going to fight to stay online this morning. the site has been dropped by its main server in france, at least temporarily, preventing many people from accessing its trove of secret u.s. government documents. it's also lost a major source of funding. online payment service paypal cut off its account, saying the website is engaged in illegal activity. >>> russian authorities are trying to figure out what caused the engines to fail on a passenger jet on saturday, causing it to make an emergency landing. 2 people were killed and more than 80 injured when the airplane skidded off the runway. abc's lama hasan has more. >> reporter: it is a terrifying sight. a passenger plane split in three. its nose dug into the ground. its tail toppled. remarkably, almost everyone survived. but it was a close call. there were only a few meters left, before the fence, this survivor recalled. had it hit the fence, for sure, the plane would have caught

jeremy hubbard took a look. >> if anyone is going to catch moore here? >> i don't think so. >> reporter: history could be made today on the basketball court. >> what the uconn women are trying to do is a monumental achievement in sports. there's no other way to say it. >> reporter: so why haven't we heard anything about it? the university of connecticut women's basketball team hasn't lost a single game since 2008. a win today would be their 88th in a row, tying a four-decade-old record, set by the ucla men's basketball team, with an iconic group of players and with a legendary coach revered ever since. this time around, few headlines. a stunning lack of interest some say from the male-dominated sports media. >> let's not kid ourselves. the lack of coverage for the uconn women is very similar to what would be going on at a playground with a fourth grade boy pointing at a girl saying you can't play, you're just a girl. >> reporter: nearly four decades after title ix mandated equality in athletics, things still aren't equal, some analysts say. to others it'

here's jeremy hubbard. ♪ >> reporter: even at her own funeral, elizabeth edwards' words stood out theost. >> for many years my mom's been writing to her children a letter with words of wisdom for us when she passes away and we live on. i've loved you in the best ways i have known how. i will admit my shortcomings more than you know, for when i was less than i could have been, should have been. you did not get all you deserve from me. for all i said about life i want you to know that all i ever really needed was you, wherever i am, wherever you are, i have my arms wrapped around you. >> reporter: for family and lifelong friends, edwards has been a picture of courage publicly enduring her failing health, failing marriage and the death of her own son with grace. >> rest easy now beloved friend, sweet, sweet elizabeth. >> reporter: her memorial service both somber and celebratory. >> she was smart as a whip, but tried to never hold that over anyone, well, unless she was right and they were wrong. >> reporter: inside the church hundreds of mourners, some familiar faces, and john edwards wh

nutritionist jax hubbard has the answer. >> of course it's okay to splurge, but the key word is "occasionallyoo much sugar is unhealthy for you, so you want to make sure you're eating it in moderation. be aware of the amount you're eating and avoid mindless eating like eating out of habit or when you're bored or when you're watching tv. and remember to eat your treat slowly and enjoy every bite of it. it will make it that much better. >> so slow down and savor. sparingly, of course. thanks, jax. >> thanks for having me. >>> are aliens real or fiction? you tell us -- coming up! >>> all right, young america, what's your opinion? we'll find out in "speak of the week." >> it's a pretty big universe out there. do you think we're alone, or is there life on other planets? >> i totally do. totally. not necessarily in this solar system, but i mean there are like millions of galaxies and universes and everything. i mean, there has got to be life somewhere else. without a doubt. >> i think there's like micro organisms, but not like organisms that are big enough to communicate. >> i think so, just becaus

jeremy hubbard is on the holiday beat again this morning. >> reporter: do you decapitate or do you amputateart of the gingerbread man's anatomy do you gnaw off first? your choice of tasty extremities can be very revealing. >> you get an idea what their true personality is like based on the part of the gingerbread cookie they eat first. >> reporter: neurologist dr. alan hirsch did an informal, unscientific survey, funded by dunkin' donuts. of the gingerbread man-eating habits of 500 people. according to his research, turns out about 64% of us chomp off the noggin first. 20% consume the legs. 16% munch off the arms. >> go ahead, take a bite. >> reporter: what does that first bite reveal about our character? >> people who bite off the head tend to be more aggressive, achievement-oriented individuals who are natural leaders. >> i'm more of a take-charge kind of person. >> we're very similar. >> you're more of a head-biter? >> i am. >> you bite the right arm, it suggests you tend to be more skeptical and pessimistic. those who bite first the left arms are more creative and extroverts who enjoy b

. >> reporter: further down magnolia avenue, hairstylest pamela hubbard praises the workers but says she is concerned about the impact of the sewage on corte madera creek. >> well, i'm a kayaker so i'm really disappointed. >> i have so much respect for the creek and the wetlands and the, you know, the life -- the life along the creek, sort of the heartbeat of this little community. >> reporter: the plan is to hurry up and finish a section of the new pipeline already under construction to carry what's being stopped by the broken section of the old pipeline and that work is likely to carry into the new year. >> not a happy holiday there. all right, don knapp in kentfield, thanks. >>> recession? what recession? after two dreary christmases, americans have spent about $450 billion this holiday season. that's the biggest total since 2007. elaine quijano shows us now procrastinators are giving retailers and additional last- minute boost. >>> reporter: with just hours to go until christmas -- >> oh, wow! oh, my gosh. they have been very busy. you go in, lines everywhere. >> reporter: -- the

joining me now is glenn hubbard, chair of the economic counsel of advisers under george w. bush. he co-authored "seeds of destruction: why the path of economic ruins runs through washington and how to reclaim american prosperity." good to have you on the program. welcome back. >> thanks. good morning. >> what do you think the jobs numbers tell us? it seems to be that we're look at a disappointing number. certainly on friday we saw that only 39,000 new jobs were created. why is that, and what do you think it tells us about the employment situation today? >> well, i think the november employment report was indeed a surprise. most economists had expected much better payroll numbers. i think it tells us while it's likely there is still a recovery underway, it's still weak, and there are many forces hanging over businesses for hiring, forces about uncertainty, about problems in policy. those are still with us. >> and of course i'm here in london this week where we see a debt crisis throughout europe and an austerity budget and measures put in place. the country still has major debt is

jeremy hubbard has a look at the conditions in boston. >> reporter: rob, mike, good morning from a very snowy boston. it's bad now and this isn't even the worst of it. the snow's been falling at a rate of 1 to 2 inches every hour in that in the overnight hours that is expected to double, 2 to 4 inches of snow falling here in boston overnight. it's going to be a mess. forecasters are calling this a blockbuster storm. road crews are trying to get a leg up but it's a futile exercise, overnight, the northeast is going to bear the brunt of storm. again, up to 20 inches here in boston and surrounding areas. the massachusetts governor has declared a state of emergency. that's an edict, stay off the roads at all costs, especially for the danger when whiteout conditions are expected to be the worst. roads are already jammed with holiday travelers trying to dodge the full assault of the storm. they are trying to get ahead of this. again, that's an exercise in futility. overnight the issue is going to be power outages, officials are worried that with 30, 40, 50-mile-an-hour wind gusts that could c

. >> jeremy hubbard, abc news, raleigh, north carolina. >> brave daughter honoring her mother tonight. >>> across a huge part of the country, blizzard warnings are in effect as a powerful storm moves through. look at the map, parts of 28 states from south dakota all the way to new hampshire are under weather warnings and advisories. clayton is in minneapolis. >> we're dealing with near white-out conditions in minneapolis right now. the snow has been falling all day. we have about 15 inches on the ground so far. they haven't seen a storm like this in nearly 20 years. across the midwest, a snow emergency. blizzard warnings in seven states, in minneapolis, residents with shovels fought a losing battle. drivers had it even worse. >> the roads are bad. they need to plow more. it's rough. it's really rough. >> but the conditions were so bad in some states even the flows were pulled off the roads. traveling anywhere is nearly impossible. airports are shut down, and look at this, across southern minnesota, a sea of red road closures. >> this storm is different. i'm getting so many viewers who

our jolly jeremy hubbard explains. >> there it is!ristmas vacation." >> isn't it a beaut, audrey? >> she'll see it later, honey. her eyes are frozen. >> reporter: in "a christmas story," ralphie had trouble finding a flawless fir too. >> this isn't one of those trees where all the needles fall off, is it? >> no, that's in boston. >> reporter: for the real-life murphy family -- >> here's our christmas tree. >> reporter: -- it just got a little more convenient. >> ready to open it. >> reporter: this delivery doesn't go under the tree, it is the tree. >> the box came and it's like this narrow box, i thought, okay, the tree can't possibly be this beautiful tree that lays out. but it was. >> reporter: online tree sales are taking root. this year target and amazon.com are among the major retailers teaming up with tree farmers and selling real christmas trees over the internet. >> people are telling each other what's happening on facebook and youtube. and we're getting even more customers that way. >> reporter: nigel manley runs a tree farm

jeremy hubbard is in scituate, massachusetts, with the latest. jeremy?reporter: rob, mike, good morning, from scituate, massachusetts. this town bore the brunt of 20-foot seas by the seawall brought on by this winter storm. not the normal picture of a winter storm that we're used to seeing. but flooding has taken over neighborhoods in this town. again, the winds whipped the sea into the streets. dramatic pictures from monday morning as firefighters tried to battle a house fire, that started at one house. an electrical fire. that then spread to another house. they tried to rescue people here in town. they were successful. about 80 people overall along the coast had to be rescued by high waters. it's one of the problems they're dealing with here in massachusetts after the blizzard. the other thing, logan airport. they've been desperately trying to clear the runways. they're doing a great job so far. they have massive snowplows with 70-foot-long blades. they line up like an armada, as they clear off the runway there. officials say they have stayed on top of

jeremy hubbard was there. hi, jeremy. >> reporter: rob and mike, good morning.t's still windy here in maine. and investigators are trying to figure out if wind caused this accident. nine people were taken to the hospital. several others injured, some of them children. skiers with cameras captured what happened next. the pictures revealed the horror for the skiers on the mountain. rebecca london was on one of the lifts that fell. >> it happened so fast. i didn't really have time to be afraid. they kind of lurched back and then i didn't realize we just dropped. >> we were about six chairs up from where it fell. and my mom fell off. and she's in the hospital right now with a cracked rib. >> my wife, daughter and i immediately went down to start helping out, get chairs off of people. most people were able to crawl out from under the chairs without a problem. >> reporter: skiers snapped photos of the injured. the slope turned into a triage center. some remained trapped in the air, the snapped wires from the lift dangling overhead. eventually, they were all safely res

but a little 5-year-old kay lee hubbard of dixon. why, you ask? she says it is because of her daddy. >> where is he right mow? >> in afghanistan. >> does it make you sad that he is not here on christmas? >> yes. >> reporter: so she wanted to do something fun and since her father works in a hospital in afghanistan, she came up with the idea to -- >> take presents to the kids. >> reporter: at the children's hospital in oakland. >> because they might not get any presents for christmas. >> i could hardly answer her at first. i was really choked up. i am so proud of her. >> what do you think your daddy would say? >> he would like it. >> reporter: in fact, haley's mom tonya tells us, when she told her husband of their christmas plans, it was difficult for him to talk. >> it is really touching. it is lard enough to be away from home, but it really touches him how sweet she is and how much she is handling it. >> reporter: but those who know her say -- >> this is really how she is every single day. just giving and loving. >> reporter: proving she has learn

is that hubbard is in scotland, people grew up, private companies have honored their commitment to royal mail. is he going to guarantee the universal service, and can he make sure that privatization is stepped back for a moment because the whole point about trying to get private capital and management involved in the royal mail it to make the service better and to make sure it can go on doing all the things we want it to do. honorable members opposite shake your head, including the leader of the opposition. the fact is in the last parliament they're going to bring forward plans but even they realize this needs to be done. >> mary mcleod. >> with the prime minister join in paying tribute to the service and especially to my residence who died on december 12, 1892. he was serving with the rifles in 1945 actually demonstrated outstanding gallantry. >> i would certainly join audibly in paying tribute to both past and present and anyone who goes to afghanistan and sees how many workers there are not just in the kirker rivals but also in some of it such as suggested regimens as well as serving

let's get to jeremy hubbard. he's monitoring the late es sfwlp it's still blowing and snowing here in boston with no end in sight. about 12 inches on the ground. we're at boston common. we've been measuring. we have about 10 inches here. it continues to stack up. there's a spot here where the plows have piled up the snow. one report of 80-mile-an-hour wind gusts. it's causing flooding. some people had to be rescued with a front end loader. not the thing you would associate with a blizzard. another sign of how dangerous the storm is chris? >> thank you jeremy. as cow can hear and probably see, the wind is whipping here. it's keeping planes on the ground. thousands of flights canceled here. a ripple effect across the country to where you are in the west. let's get to mike von fremd at the airport in los angeles with the latest. mike? >> reporter: good morning, chris. if you're traveling in the west to the west, krns good. if you're trying to get to the northeast, or have loved ones from the northeast trying to get

jeremy hubbard was armed today with his iphone and a new app. we're curious, did it help you find the biggest deals? >> it did. we'll explain more in a minute, david. bargain shopping in the palm of your hands. a lot of people are doing it this holiday season, and what is the single biggest bargain in stores today and going forward. we picked up the phone, called around, and asked. with less than a week to shop, we reached out to some of the biggest retailers in the country like walmart, what is your very best deal? >> we offer a playstation 3 video game system for $299 plus a bonus $100 walmart gift card. >> for those shopping for children, we checked in with toys "r" us. if i'm going to toys "r" us tomorrow, what is going to be the very best deal in the store. >> a great deal is you can save $20 on the toy story 3 you command buzz lightyear. it was $79.99 and now it's going to be $59.99. >> toys "r" us will be open non-stop for 88 hours leading up to christmas. for last minute shoppers, and what about the department stores? they're offering co

her funeral services are this afternoon in raleigh, north carolina and jeremy hubbard has more. >> the tributes came in. >> two of her closest friends in the world as well as her daughter. i think it will be very emotional all around. >> her daughter kate, it's a familiar role. in the same church she eulogized her brother, the 16-year-old son who was killed in a car wreck. in just released clip, she shared how wade's tragic death helped her live with cancer. >> a lot of it, it's something we all have. some of it we learned after wade died. >> elizabeth felt that wade was an angel and that one day she would be able to see wade again. >> throughout this community there is an outpouring of reverence and respect for edwards, organizers have organized on facebook. also reports are surfacing of a dying wish come true for elizabeth. >> we know one of her dearest wishes that kate would get engaged and elizabeth would live to see her grandchildren. >> no grandchildren but her daughter did get engaged over thanksgiving, when elizabeth was hospitalized in the final stages of her breavt cancer. >>

jeremy hubbard is joining us this morning from scituate with the very latest.>> reporter: good morning from scituate, massachusetts. this town bore the brunt of 20 to 30-foot seas that whipped over the sea wall, brought on by this winter storm. certainly not the normal picture of a blizzard we're all used to seeing. this flooding has taken over neighborhoods of this town. the winds whipped the sea into the city. dramatic pictures from monday morning. firefighters actually went to try to battle a house fire that started at one house, an p electrical fire, then spread to another house. they not only tried to fight the fires, they also tried to rescue people here in town. they were successful. about 80 people overall along the coast had to be rescued by these high waters. it's just one of the problems they're dealing with here in massachusetts after the blizzard. the other thing, logan airport. they've been desperately trying to clear the runways there. they've done a great job of it so far. they have these massive snowplows with almost 70-foot-long blades and the

jeremy hubbard went to find out. >> reporter: real or fake?hristmas tree debate have families needling each other. like this guy. >> i'm a fake guy. >> i like the real thing. >> reporter: this is a house divided. >> reporter: even ralphie's folks opined about real pine in "a christmas story." >> real green, plastic trees. darn thing looks like it was made out of green pipe cleaners. >> that's not very nice. >> reporter: have you wondered which one is better for the environment? a fake tree? or the real deal? a canadian environmental firm calculated the greenhouse gas emissions and found you'd have to use a artificial tree for 20 years for it to be as green as a real one. we chop down 30 million every year. but they can be recycled. the fake ones, they often find up in the landfills. environmental impact isn't the only reason the real ones are disappearing by the truck load at this new york store. >> it's like comparing cubic zirconia to diamonds. >> you can't compare the smell of a real tree to a plastic tree. >> reporter: but for bill madden

jeremy hubbard has the latest. good morning, jeremy. >> reporter: rob, mike, good morning. windy here in maine and wind is one of the factors they're looking at as they try to figure out what caused this ski lift accident tuesday in maine. this happened at sugarloaf mountain around 10:30 in the morning on a 35-year-old ski lift. several skiers had cameras out that captured what happened right afterwards. basically a triage scene right there on the mountainside. several people being treated for their injuries. most of the injuries were minor. several people were still suspended for over an hour while they had to wait to be rescued. basically they used a pulley system to pull them down. some of the people who rescued the injured. >> it happened so fast, i didn't really have time to be afraid. it kind of lurched back and then i didn't realize we were just -- we just dropped. >> we were about six chairs up from where it fell. and my mom, she fell off and she's in the hospital right now with a cracked rib. >> my wife, daughter and i immediately went down to start helping out, ge

and jeremy hubbard has rounded up some of the best kids freakouts. >> reporter: it may be a silent nightstmas morning -- [ screaming ] >> reporter: -- plug your ears. the christmas morning freakout. it's now a youtube tradition. >> i can't believe this! >> reporter: there's the little boy convulsing over his new ipod. and the two girls that might as well just seen justin bieber, when this wrapping paper gives way to a wii. [ screams ] >> reporter: the triumphs. the tantrums, caught on tape. >> what the heck is that? >> reporter: this one's been seen 250,000 times on youtube. and we'll have a new crop to watch after saturday. this unrestrained joy sort of makes braving the stores worth it. and, parents, don't worry. that hearing loss, it's only temporary. >> merry christmas, everybody. >> reporter: for "good morning america," jeremy hubbard, abc news, new york. >> i love it. >> oh. that's so nice. over a nutcracker. >> very nice. we want to find out if anything like this happens in your house. send it to us. send us your holiday freak sxwroupts you can submit them on our website, abcnews.

we have team coverage, starting with jeremy hubbard, who is in boston again this morning for us. good morning, jeremy. >> reporter: robin, good morning. still several canceled flights here at boston logan airport this morning. getting back to normal is not going to be easy. there's a big effort to get airports along the east coast back up and running. the digging out has begun. but with below-average temperatures forecast until friday, don't expect the bulk of this snow to melt until the weekend. and it was a snowfall for the record books. in parts of new york city, over two feet of snow, coupled with 60-mile-an-hour winds. union county, new jersey, was the hardest hit in the state, with 32 inches. last night, abandoned cars still littered the road. and more than 18 inches fell in boston. overnight, new york's three, main airports began reopening. but now face rebooking passengers from nearly 7,000 canceled flights. a process that's likely to drag on until friday. at boston's logan airport, we were given rare access to the tarmac, where crews will be in cleanup mode the entire we

jeremy hubbard is in fairmont, new york. good morning to you, jeremy. >> reporter: elizabeth, good morning. we're near syracuse. i want to show you this mountain of snow. i'm standing in a 20-foot-high stack of snow in a grocery store parking lot. they've been plowing it for days. they got 46 inches last week. another 11 yesterday. it just seems like in this part of the country, the snow just keeps coming. it's blowing, blinding and unrelenting. >> the amount of snow, it just doesn't let up. >> reporter: five feet of snow, blanketing places like syracuse, just since december 1st. >> i'm cursing, saying, i hate this snow, i hate this snow. >> reporter: they're fending off a winter's worth of snow. but winter hasn't even started. >> i want to retire where i don't have to shovel. >> reporter: the danger is spread across the northeast. the great lakes, and beyond. from minneapolis, where a new rip in the metrodome roof has been discovered. to cleveland, where this lighthouse is encased in frozen lake water. just look at this bef