i'm kristen sze. >> i'm eric thomas.opping our news, this morning san jose is poised to become the largest city in california to ban disposable plastic bags. not only that, the ordinance being voted on could go even further. terry mcsweeney is live at a safeway with details. terry, i can see eventually the lawyers are going to get involved in this. >> yeah. the lawyers are going to be making a whole lot more than a bag fee on this. we're talking about banning plastic bags and slapping a fee on paper bags up to 25 cents per bag. the whole idea behind this is to get people to use their bags again and again and again. this ordinance would go into effect on january 1st, 2012. it would ban single-use carry out plastic bags and prohibit the free distribution of paper bags. it's had a full environmental review. the san jose city attorney feels very confident this is going to withstand any lawsuits but they are coming. stores could offer paper but they have to be made of 40% recycled material and stores would have to charge at l

i'm kristen sze. >> i'm eric thomas. an oakland man is hospitalized in critical condition with severe burns from an explosion and fire at his home last night. fire investigators want to know exactly what caused it. terry mcsweeney is live near the scene. any clues? >> an entire duplex worth of clues or what remains of a duplex worth of clues. what is left of this house after that explosion and only the first part of this investigation into what brought this duplex down has taken place. take a look of pictures at this building. you get an idea how devastating this was. a gas explosion 8:00. the building's owner, leon spencer, had been renovating the house, working on it. but some say they were smelling gas out here three days ago. whatever caused the blast, it was a big, loud explosion. >> i felt the rumble first and then i seen like the explosion. you could see it and feel the heat from inside the house. >> when crews arrived on scene the fire was actually out. so we did have a partial collapse of the building. the secon

kristen? >> megan, thanks a lot. 5:30.s weekend's storm has left its mark okay the bay area with downed trees causing destruction ranging from downed trees to damaged properties to minor flooding. terry mcsweeney is live in san anselmo with a look at some of the problems. terry? >> one very big problem came down on the spotless cleaners yesterday evening and did some damage. you can see what is left out here after they remove much of this huge eucalyptus tree that came down 5:00 yesterday evening on top of the roof, smashed the windows. more work to do out here. crews expected very shortly to come out and take down some more branches that are threatening other businesses and homes in the area. but take a look at some other damage we've got in felton. a 3 foot thick birch tree came down this morning, snapped a power pole and landed on the garage. it left live wires on the ground from the area down there on redwood drive and oak drive closed. other problems, in fremont it's not a problem because the storm is good news for mi

kristen. >> it's 5:02.an jose poised to become the largest city in california to ban disposable plastic bags. not only that, the ordinance could go even further. abc 7's degrees is live at safeway with details. terry? >> it could go further. this vote today could have people paying for any paper bags they get from retailers. the whole point here is to get people to use reusable bags. the ordinance will go into effect on january 1st of 2012, just over a year from now. it would ban single-use carry out bags and eliminate free distribution of paper bags by retailers. this a full environmental review. some think it has better legal legs to stand on than other ordinances of that been tied up in court in the bay area. stores could still offer paper bags but they would have to be made of 40% recycled material. charge 10 cents per bag in 2012 and 25 cents per bag in 2013. no paper fee for people on welfare or food stamps. restaurants could still give out replying bags for carry out food. those opposed say first of

. >> i'm kristen sze with jenelle wang. topping our list of stories, two dangerous pit bulls that ferociously attacked a woman getting in her car last night are on the loose in san jose. police are warning everyone to watch out. terry mcsweeney is live in east san jose at the scene. terry? >> yeah. two gray pitbulls attacked a woman out here on white sand drive about 6:20 last night and if not for the help of a good samaritan, this bad story could have been far worse. take a look at the pictures of the street where it happened. police are saying that a 42-year-old woman was just getting into her car about 6:30 last night when two gray pit bulls came after her and attacked. she was screaming as they bit her and ripped her up. a neighborhood heard those screams and came out. that neighbor threw rocks at the pit bulls and sent them scurrying down white sand towards aborn. the regional medical center is where the woman was taken. i was talking to san jose police this morning and they were saying that the woman was seriously inj

david rohde held captive by the taliban for seven months while here at home, his wife, photo editor, kristen mulvihill, waged a stealthy struggle for his freedom. an incredible look inside a shared ordeal. >>> and an inspiring tale of hope in the most intractable of wars. >> i know that she wouldn't have wanted us to lose our humanity and act in an uncivilized way. >> "nightline's" terry moran has the story of an israeli and a palestinian who share deep loss and also share the will to bridge the gap. >>> hello again. in this season of giving, some of those who've given the most fighting for their country have come upon hard times returning to the home of the brave for thousands of military vets has meant returning to no home at all and many of them, many of those who fought america's wars in iraq and afghanistan are finding their transition to civilian life overwhelming, sometimes complicated by posttraumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, unemployment and difficulty adjusting to ordinary life after the extreme environment of combat. thousands of veterans have been left homeless. abc's bo

kristen? >> it's 6:44. wikileaks is reveals a diplomatic cable showing for at least a week a facility housing radioactive material in yemen was completely unprotected. that cable dated january 9th cites an unnamed yemeni official expressing concern about the only guard, a camera that's been broken for months. yemen as a particularly active branch of al-queda. the material was moved to syria. refusing to handle donations for wikileaks. the bank joins mastercard and pay pal in severing business relationships with the whistle-blowing organization. wikileaks founding julian assange remains free on bail in england as he fights rape allegations in sweden. the so-called lame duck session of congress has a very busy week ahead. they'll vote on several key bills, including a nuclear treaty with russia. mike reports. >> the lame duck congress is staring at a full plate this week and several menu items aren't sitting well for senate republicans. a rare sunday session served up more disagreements on a new nuclear treat

>> yes, kristen.t is during these long breaks like the recent thanksgiving holiday that the oakland unified school basically switches on its energy-saving policy. while it is a well-intentioned one, it backfired turning into a learning distraction. it's one of 25 schools that's been cold for more than a week. this unintended consequence is a result of trying to save energy and money by turning off during the thanksgiving break. even though the policy is suspended, it's taking time to turn the heat back on because of mechanical issues. here at kaiser it is the whole school. student teachers and other staff have tried to stay warm using space heaters and dressing in layers but the chilly conditions have turned into a distraction. >> they're more concerned about i'm cold than actually learning about fourth grade social studies. >> how hard is it to sit there and try to learn while you're freezing. >> it's very hard and it's not comfortable at all. >> it seems the energy and money it would save is turning

eric, kristen. >> frances, thanks a lot. it's 4:40. >> thieves hit a popular bay area holiday display. the neighbors say they can't take away the experience of christmas. a flight to hawaii using our points from chase sapphire. last minute... on christmas. and sitting next to us, chevy chase. and we really hit it off. we play golf, and then the luau. he's like da vinci with ice. and after, we help hang christmas decorations. wait, wait, wait. you flew last minute... on christmas... with points from chase sapphire? yeah. amazing. believe it. with points from chase sapphire, you can book airline tickets with no blackout dates or restrictions. you can see - hello! - ha! why don't you try a home cooked meal... with yummy hamburger helper? oh! tada! fantastically tasty, huh? ummm, it's good. what would you guys like? hamburger helper. what?! one pound... one pan... one tasty meal! with not having enough food. that's why i've teamed up with feeding america and hamburger helper®. when you buy hamburger helper® you can help feeding

kristen? >> megan, thanks a lot. 6:53.ill decide next week whether to permanently bar caltran contracting with a european firm for replacement of doyle drive in san francisco. they issued a temporary restraining order against the plan. the professional engineers in california government believe the arrangement is a bad deal. caltrain believes the 30-year contract will save the state money. the legislative analysts recommended signing the deal earlier this week. placebos do work. what's surprising is that's true even when patients know they're taking placebos. harvard medical school researchers interviewed 80 suffering from irritable bowel syndrome. those with the fake medicine had a much higher relief of symptoms. doctors may prescribe more placebo without misleading patients into thinking they are taking the real thing. not exactly a placebo but chocolate may help with persistent cough. an ingredient in chocolate and cocoa helps people with a cough that lasts more than two weeks. a drug containing the ingredient can hit t

i'm kristen sze. >> i'm eric thomas. students wear black to school to honor a man imposing but just as gentle. he was murdered a couple blocks from school yesterday. jenelle wang is live in new washing with more on the story. >> eric, so far police have not made any arrests in the murder of 17-year-old justice afa who was a senior here. this morning a memorial at the bus stop, flowers, candles and a football have been placed there. the 17-year-old was waiting at the bulls stop when he was stopped to death just after 3:30 yesterday afternoon. he had just gotten out of school. no word on arrests or motive but friends say the 17-year-old was targeted because he intervened and broke up a fight last week. >> justice is my bfg, my big friendly giant. never saw him mad at all. always smiling, always said what's up. an occasional hug here and there. helped me through like little problems. >> he was a senior and a member of the football team. police say two people wearing dark clothes and hoodies were seen run

eric, kristen. >> frances, thanks a lot.s 5:54 now. >> your christmas lights may put your family at risk of lead poisoning. >> good morning. consumers be warned to wash their hands after they decorate their christmas tree. why? the vinyl coatings on those strings of lights have unacceptbly high levels of lead. in fact, it may be particularly dangerous to children. 54% of holiday lights tested in the u.s. came up with unacceptbly high lead levels including lights sold by home depot and martha stewart living labels. wal-mart plans to stop paying the extra dollar an hour it currently gives to those working since. the change affects those hired after january 1st. brand new bicycles to ikea workers nationwide. at the new york stock exchange, i'm jane king with the bloomberg business report. >> well, it's 5:55 now. today we're learning about a leaked government document that has nothing to do with wikileaks. last month we told you about an alert from the f.b.i. sacramento office about a popular barbie doll that contained a hidden

kristen, jenelle. >> megan, thanks a lot.20. >> a congressman takes on the grateful dead collection at u.c. berkeley. he's missing the point. >> shattered in points. girl power! the armed forces serving our nation in iraq. >>> good morning, it is 5:22 on this wednesday. wanted to say thursday to be closer to christmas but nope. rain, some showers. this is san francisco, embarcadero, a little wet. scattered showers mike says throughout the morning commute. watch out for that. when will we dry off? he's going to have that as well in just a minute. >> more news now. a federal judge in san francisco has ordered the government to pay more than $2.5 million in damages and attorney fees to what was a suspected terrorist organization. the judge said investigators under the bush administration's so-called terrorist surveillance program wired tapped phones without a warrant on the now defunk islamic foundation. the judge awarded $20,000 each to two of the foundation's main members. >> tomko burn is going after the grateful dead. u.c. s

. >> i'm kristen sze. developing news in oakland.rews rescued a person this morning trapped under an amtrak train near jack london square. terry mcsweeney is live at the scene with the latest. >> i'm here at embarcadero and broadway, the entrance to jack london square where something along the lines of the miracle on 34th street, a man in the wheelchair crossing the street, a train coming down the tracks hits him and he survived, lives to tell about it. pictures we have from the scene, it happened about 3:45 this morning. a union pacific train coming down the tracks here on the embarcadero at broadway. hits a man rolling across in his wheelchair. it took 30 to 45 minutes according to oakland police to find the hydraulics to jack up that 130 ton train engine but they did get it up just a few inches. that was just enough to get this man who had been in a wheelchair, get him out from underneath the cow catcher. he was not trapped by the wheels of the train. he was upped the cow catcher. according to oakland police he was conscious and t

times to talk with kristen.on valley index down a slight bit as well. wells fargo watching and settle a lawsuit called a pick and pay loans. the loans actually made by wachovia and world savings bank which wells now owns. all this according to boarders. so thousands of homeowners could get the opportunity to modify loans as part of the settlement. the sue claim it violated truth and lending laws by failing to disclose that the balance on a pick and pay loan actually increases over time because they don't have to pay all the interest. best buy shares still down here today. they had a massive drop yesterday. consumers apparently getting real good deals from discounters like amazon on electronics. i-pads and other tablet p. c.'s and other sellers of those as well. some are willing to spend more on their pets. there is no obligation to give to your fewer furry friends. giving is pure joy. giving to people there's really baggage associated with it. yes, pet earrings. selling matching collars and earrings for you and

i'm kristen sze. manhunt on for three gunman after a shooting in south san francisco that left two people dead and four injured. it happen on 8th lane, an avenue in south city. that area is plagued by gang activity but police won't say if the shooting is gang-related. one of the victims is in critical condition and three others are being treated for non-life-threatening injuries. investigators are not released the victims' names or a motive. they say the suspects may be driving a brown chevy impala similar to this one with a tinted windows. neighbors say they're very concerned. >> one, it's scary, you know. i got kids. i got four kids. >> it's -- this particular part of town, very, very hard. it's right before christmas. >> anyone with information can call the south san francisco police or an anonymous tip line. >> the sewage district has called in the f.b.i. to investigate either environmental terrorism or extreme negligence. after the discovery of construction debris in a brand new sewage line. as a

kristen makes up for that. kristen tweets a lot. you wanna know how we communicate? hey, mike, whales the forecast like? >> hey, eric, good to see you! >> looking at sfo. good morning. look how damp. that's the mist hangin' in the air, fog, and even a little light -- i'll say drizzle from time to time. we have the best chance of rain up in the north bay. that's why i have live doppler 7 hd to now. you can see just about anywhere up there light rain now all the way over to ronin park, petaluma and novato. so 101, 39, 29, 37, any of those areas it is going to be tough this morning. as we look to the upstream area which will be just off the shore there, you can see more rain is going to move in and mainly hang in the north bay for the morning commute. all of us will be moist because the air is just so humid this morning and so mild. i mean, look at these low to mid-50s for our inland temperatures and mid to upper 50s around the bay and into the coast. around the bay temperatures mid-50s also. highlights rainy this morning, especially in the north bay. scattered showers

. >> i'm kristen sze. >> i'm eric thomas. thanks for joining us. she'll get me later.t should be quite a sight this morning when caltran begins move a huge chunk of the eastern span but caltrain and the chp would rather you didn't watch. terry mcsweeney is live on treasure island. terry? >> hundreds of tons of steel are being to be lifted in place by this giant crane and caltrain and chp are saying if you could not be distracted by it that would be good for road safety. not going to be easy. what you can do is now take a look at the steel we're talking about as it's lying on a barge. take a look now. unless you have a tv in your car. hope you don't have that. it's going up this morning during the morning commute and when it's all said and done, all the steel is in place. it will be done at christmas eve. 4 million pounds of steel will be in place. we're going to have a third of four segments to create that massive bridge tower. but as early as this morning it could mean your eyes are going to be distracted. they want you to keep your eyes in front of you. >> there coul

kristen fisher has a look outside your door there. glad to see your hat on. >> reporter: i know. different day, different hat right? so far, i have been pretty

kristen? >> megan, thanks a lot. 4:55.co police say they arrested the leader of a pick pocketing ring targeting muni riders. arrested the 30-year-old at his home in the city yesterday. they say he and possibly one other person struck at least 12 times mostly on the 30 gary line. he allegedly boarded crowded buses and stole credit and gift cards. muni surveillance cameras helped nab him. they're urging transit riders to be extra aware of their surroundings during this busy holiday season. >> hillsborough police are trying to identify the victims of a robbery room. they identified a woman and her boyfriend for a string of home break-ins. they tracked down a car stolen while the family was at a funeral. the vehicle was at a home packed with pay huge cache of stolen goods. police are still counting the victims. >> oh, gosh. we've uncovered 173 as a result of our initially investigation. a final number is anybody's guess. >> you can see pictures of the stolen property on our website, abc7news.com. >> all right. how about a stor

. >> i'm kristen sze. oakland police are searching for a 4th suspect after a high-speed chase that ended with the police killing one of the suspects, arresting two others and finding an .1847 in their car. the police will hold a conference later today. here's allen wong. >> police say the suspect's vehicle smashed into a fence. four young men bailed out. a pursuing patrol car in the top portion of the screen also crashed into the same fence. >> two of our officers was following one of the people inside the vehicle. that person did have a handgun, and he was shot. he was pronounced dead on the scene. >> i was told by phone calls that it was my son, and the police won't deny or confirm it. >> okay tav va edwards told us she identified her son at the coroner's office. the 19-year-old. this all started when police spotted four men in a vehicle matching a description to one connected to a shooting last week in oakland. they spotted them at sycamore and chased them down i-580 where it all ended at 33rd street an

eric, kristen. >> frances, thank you very much.t's 4:40. >> a remarkable story here, a hiker is rescued after spending six days in the santa cruz mountains. >> i kept thinking i'm going to hear my name. >> just ahead what she did to survive the frightening ordeal. >> and a coast guard hero is a flight to hawaii using our points from chase sapphire. last minute... on christmas. and sitting next to us, chevy chase. and we really hit it off. we play golf, and then the luau. he's like da vinci with ice. and after, we help hang christmas decorations. wait, wait, wait. you flew last minute... on christmas... with points from chase sapphire? yeah. amazing. believe it. with points from chase sapphire, you can book airline tickets with no blackout dates or restrictions. you don't love me anymore do you billy? what? i didn't buy this cereal to sweet talk your taste buds it's for my heart health. so i can't have any? if you can deprive me of what can help lower my cholesterol... and live with yourself. right. mmm, i worry about your mother. c

kristen? >> megan, we'll check back with you on this developing story in san mateo for folks westbound 92 getting off the san mateo bridge, trying to get on northbound 101. that is where the problem is. a major public safety warning after two pit bulls viciously attacked and seriously injured a woman. terry mcsweeney joins us live from the san jose neighborhood where this happened. terry? >> talking to some neighbors out here. they were not even aware of the attack. they are stunned by it. nobody has seen anything approaching a roaming pitbull, not one and certainly not the two that attacked the woman last night sending her to the hospital with what is described as serious major injuries. take a look at video of the area in evergreen area, white sand drive. the attack happened 6:30 last night. a woman getting into her car attacked by two gray pit bulls and mauled. a neighbor threw rocks at the dogs and scared them away. dennis mcshea was out walking his dog molly this morning. he's never seen

i'm kristen sze. the f.b.i. part of the investigation of a massive sewer spill in marin county, one the district expects may be environmental terrorism or extreme negligence by a contractor and it's causing extreme worries for residents. terry mcsweeney is live in kentfield with the latest. terry? >> i'm here on college avenue maybe a quarter mile from the college of marin. you've got a generator down there and it is pumping up the clogged drainage down college avenue because right now the sewage pipe is clogged. 850,000 gallons of raw sewage came out of here last week, and the possibility is environmental terrorism as a cause. take a look at some of the things that happened out here. you're going to see some of the agree found. officials say there is another explanation though. ironically, that construction crews who were working on a project to prevent sewage overflow actually ended up clogging the sewer. now -- >> this looks like construction debris from the sewage project. in all likelihood, it probably is.

. >> kristen, newark police have no suspects and no motive in this murder.eantime families and friends have gathered here at the intersection of cedar boulevard and birch street where the 17-year-old was murdered in broad daylight. they have been here all morning creating a memorial to remember and honor him placing candles and pictures. he was one of six children in the family, three brothers and three sisters. the 17 year old was a senior at the high school and was described as gentle giant. police say he was stabbed to death just after 3:30 yesterday while waiting for the bus after school. friends and family are still processing the whole thing. an autopsy is being performed this morning. >> it's hard. we haven't got to see him yet so it's hard to believe. we have to go to the coroner's, you know. it's just hard to believe that he's gone. >> he was loving, he was kind. when you needed him to be here, he would be here and if you didn't, he would still be here. >> he was targeted because he intervened and broke up a fight last week. police are looking into

eric, kristen. >> thanks a lot. it's 4:4 is. >> some of the bay area best selling authors join forces to raise awareness and money for two hikers still be held in iran. sapphire preferred are worth 25% more on travel. we're like forget florida, we're going on a safari. so we're on the serengeti, and seth finds a really big bone. we're talking huge. they dig it up, put it in the natural history museum and we get to name it. raus. sethasauraus. really. your points from chase sapphire preferred are worth 25% more on travel? means better vacations. that's incredible. believe it...with chase sapphire preferred your points are worth 25% more on travel when booked through ultimate rewards. - hello! - ha! why don't you try a home cooked meal... with yummy hamburger helper? oh! tada! fantastically tasty, huh? ummm, it's good. what would you guys like? hamburger helper. what?! one pound... one pan... one tasty meal! with not having enough food. that's why i've teamed up with feeding america and hamburger helper®. when you buy

>> kristen welker, thanks. >>> when our broadcast continues in just a moment on a thursday night, why a rock star who died 40 years ago got his day in court just today. >>> and later, some kids introduced to the world in a documentary about education are feeling a bit like movie stars themselves right about now. >>> jim morrison died almost 40 years ago, but he remains a rock legend. the front man for the doors. he was famous for his music and his lifestyle. he got sideways with the law more than once, including his 1969 arrest in miami on charges of indecent exposure and public intoxication. but tonight, that part of this legend has been forgiven. our report from nbc's mark potter. ♪ >> reporter: with a song that would become a classic, jim morrison and the doors exploded onto the music scene in the mid 1960s. ♪ come on, baby, light my fire >> reporter: they sold millions of albums around the world but also found trouble with the law. >> i want to see some action out there. >> reporter: as dramatized in the movie "the doors" a drunken morrison shouted obscenities during a 1969 concer

. >> kristen, newark police have no suspects and no motive in this murder. meantime famils and friends have gathered here at th intersection of cedar boulevard and birch street where the 17-year-old was murded in broad daylight. they have been here all morning creating a memorial to remember and honor him placing candl and pictures. he was one of six children in the family, three brothers a three sists. the 17 year old was a senior at the high school and was described as gele giant. police say he was stabbed to death just after 3:30 yesterday while waiting for the bus after school. friends and family are still processing the whole thing. an autopsy is being performed this morning. >> it's hard. we haven't got to see him yet so it's hard to believe. we have to go to the coroner's, you know. it's just hard to believe that he's gone. >> he was loving, he wa kind. when you needed him to be here, he would be here and if you didn't, he would still be here. >> he was targeted because he interven and broke up a fig last week. police are looking into that and other i

nbc's kristen welker is in tahoe city with our report tonight. >> reporter: good evening, lester. this powerful winter storm surge is on, bringing blizzard-like to some areas and arctic, frigid air to others. but it has brought tragedy here to lake tahoe where a missing snowboarder has been found dead, a casualty of this forbidding weather. for two days, search teams combed the lake tahoe wilderness in nearly whiteout conditions, looking for 25-year-old chante willis. she was last seen snowboarding with friends on tuesday. this morning, a crushing discovery. her body found in a tree well. her family inconsolable. >> chante is our life. she's our life. >> reporter: rescue crews say the blinding snow made finding her nearly impossible. >> the weather did not cooperate with us at all. it was our -- it fought us every step of the way. >> reporter: the storm continued wreaking havoc as it headed east. arizona becoming the new ground zero as the arctic air and steady snow closed 180 miles of i-40. plows were out early near flagstaff working to clear the roads. brandon sergeant slept in

we'll begin our coverage in highland, california, with nbc's kristen welker. good evening. >> reporter: good evening, lester. residents are still cleaning up and digging out after that last storm system. this community, like other parts of the west, spent the day bracing for the worst. heavy rain pounded southern california's already saturated streets, this after a week of wet weather that caused mudslides, so damaging about 100 residents had to be evacuated in the highland area. some homes completely destroyed. >> never seen it do anything like this before. >> reporter: maria ledford worries this latest system could cause the huge hill next to her house to collapse. >> i'm afraid. everyone here is keeping their fingers crossed and their toes. hoping that we won't get too much more rain. >> reporter: crews shored up homes like the ledfords, placing 150,000 sandbags throughout the area. and they cleaned out the debris from storm basins. some parts are expected to get as much as three inches of rain. >> the biggest concern right now is keeping the debris basins

kristen welker, nbc news, compton, california. >> by the way, you can read more about voices of destinycan hear more of that good gospel music on our new "making a difference" website. you'll see a link that takes you right there on the website of this broadcast, nightly.msnbc.com. >>> for us, for now, that's our broadcast for a monday. thank you very much for being with us as we start off a new week. i'm brian williams. we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com . >>> six months after the shocking killing of a community leader, police say they have their man. good evening. i'm tom sinkovitz. >> i'm jessica aguirre. an arrest in the murder that stunned the community. david lewis was gunned down at the hills dale shopping center in san mateo in june. tonight they say they know who pulled the trigger. jean elle is at headquar

back to you. >>> thank you kristen. glad to see you are warm out there. the district wants people to be warm when temperatures drop. that includes people who do not have a place to call home. if you see someone who needs a warm place to stay call 800-535-7252. transportation and emergency shelters, blankets, gloves, jackets, all available for the people who need them this winner. >>> stay with wusa 9 and wusa 9.com when winter weather hits. we give you the weather first. on our website, go to the weather tab at the top of the page. >>> president obama finally has the results he wants. >> after several hours the house passed the bill extending the bush era tax cuts. the final vote 277-148. it led to the vote which had been delayed for awhile by a small group of liberal democrats. the tax cuts set to expire at the end of december will now stay in place for two more years. long-term unemployment benefits were also extended for 13 more months. >> this is a bill that is necessary to prevent our economy from getting worse. this is not a bill that is going to tu

with flag facts, i'm kristen. >>> cookies, candy and soda are just the tip of the iceberg when it comessweet treats. we know we should cut back on sugary foods, but is it okay to splurge occasionally? nutritionist jax hubbard has the answer. >> of course it's okay to splurge, but the key word is "occasionally." too 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 univers

i'm kristen sze. >> i'm eric thomas. this morning democrats are doing all they can do get "don't ask, don't tell" repeeled before the end of the year. yesterday they passed a billna would end the scan on openly gay service members. >> the motion is adopted. >> and it passed handily, 250 to 175 votes. house speaker nancy pelosi celebrated after the vote. >> it is a happy day fighting for description nation and have the power to do so. >> we've been disappointed before. >> dick manning isn't going to pop the champagne yet. the vietnam veteran was discharged from the air force after a fellow airman outed him. >> i'm an 11 year veteran but i can't collect veterans benefits. i can't go to the veterans hospital. i'm disqualified. >> he'd like nothing more than to see "don't ask, don't tell" repealed but don't want to get too excited since it has to get through the senate and he realizes this will be the last chance for a while. >> what is not clear to me, amy, is what is -- what the impact of gays in the military will be on th

nbc's kristen welker reports. >> reporter: the hernandez family never imagined they would spend christmasike this. instead of opening up presents, they are cleaning up the mountains of mud that swallowed their homes after this week's storm. >> we have lost so much. my kids' graduation pictures, their diplomas. this is our house, and now we have none of it. >> reporter: as we first saw on thursday, a river of mud and water surged into their highland house without warning. they barely made it out alive. the sight of their damaged property was almost too much to take. >> i can't look inside. i didn't want to look inside. >> reporter: nearly 100 highland residents still can't go home and dozens of communities are in recovery mode after the historic storm pounded southern california and the west coast for nearly a week. the relentless rain turned streets into muddy rivers, shut down beaches and destroyed homes. now residents are bracing for another storm system that is expected to hit tonight. >> this is what we're going to do christmas. we're going to shore up this house and hope for the best

>> kristen welker in salt lake for us tonight. thanks. >>> now we head overseas to the big story there. anybody who saw the look of abject horror on the face of prince charles' wife, camilla, will not be surprised to learn there's fallout tonight over the attack on their rolls-royce as they rolled through london. british police say they will investigate how it is thousands of furious demonstrators got so close to the next king of england and his wife. stephanie gosk is live tonight in london. hey, stephanie, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. a major criminal investigation has been launched into what is being called the worst security failure in this country in a decade. just moments before the attack, the royal couple were doing what they normally do. waving and smiling, windows open. until a violent group of protestors who, moments before smashed shop windows, surrounded the vintage rolls-royce. >> off with their heads! >> reporter: when the crowd turned, photographer matt dunham was there. dunham captured what has

kristen dahlgren, nbc news, washington. >>> another little tidbit for you. online spending has also seen good gains this year. the one area we're not seeing increased sales is electronics. there have been so many parts for things like plasma tvs that revenue is just about flat in that area from last year. >>> many of the purchases we've been talking about went to the post office today. today is the busiest mailing day of the year with 17 million letters and packages passing through processing centers in san jose and oakland. nationwide, postal workers will process 800 million pieces of mail. and there is no rest for the weary. wednesday letter carriers will be at their busiest with deliveries, some of them volunteering to work christmas because they know how anticipated those little packages can be. >> they're happy to be working on christmas day and some even show up in santa gear. >> if you're hoping for delivery by christmas, today is the suggested deadline for first-class mail. tomorrow the last day will be to ship priority, wednesday for express shippin

i'm kristen sze.e're catching a break in steady rain but the series of storms hitting the bay area is not done. we saw some spectacular lightning last night, check it out. the return of powerful winds and heavy rain. mike, what's happening now. >> most neighborhoods, start off on live doppler 7 hd into the bay and south bay a few radar returns around san ramon, dublin, crow canyon between san ramon and castro valley and diablo range. the best returns out of the north bay and these are going to continue to head to the east. more investing through the afternoon hours. may not have the lightning like last night but we could have brief heavy downpours, maybe a third of an inch with these scattered showers today. see if it's going to mess up your commute. >> good morning. we have been following an accident at caesar chavez. the good news is chp has been able to clear everything to the shoulder so it shouldn't slow you down too much. let's check out a live look at the north bay where mike says if you have w

except for kristen, who has some interesting facts about our state flags. ♪ >> reporter: hawaii is as of islands stretching more than 1,500 miles. for centuries, each island had its own government ruled by a local chief. then in 1810, with little resistance, one king established himself as ruler of all the islands. king kamehameha. >> he was the one that united all of the hawaiian islands. without written language, without a common language, he was actually able to combine all those islands into one territory. >> reporter: years earlier, kamehameha had befriended british explorers under the command of captain cook. that friendship had an important influence on the design of the hawaiian flag. kamehameha incorporated the british flag in the upper left-hand corner, or canton, of the hawaiian flag. he also included eight red, white, and blue stripes. they represent hawaii's eight major islands. in 1894, americans with powerful interests in hawaii's sugar and pineapple industries overturned the monarchy. they declared hawaii a republic. following the attacks on pearl harbor in 1941, publ

. >> i'm not kristen sze. i'm jenelle wang. thanks for being with us. >> thank you for being in for kristen this morning. i'm eric thomas. crews will do mopup this morning following a rain storm that came down hard and fast last night. it created a sudden buildup of water on 880 south near the broadway exit in oakland. drivers had to slow down quickly to get through the huge puddles in the middle of the freeway. there was minor flooding in front of the oakland museum. city crews had to clear a storm drain that had backed up and san mateo county branchless crashed through power lines. that stopped electricity to a few dozen homes for part of the day. mike is here with a look what to expect for today. >> live doppler 7 hd. good morning. south of 580 and the san mateo bridge, still health radar returns but still brief bouts of light to moderate rain over the next hour or so. the north bay, a radar return. that may just be the radar bouncing off some of the clouds there. but drizzle and light rain is still possible over the next co

i'm kristen sze. i'm eric thomas. topping the news, parents may be a little jittery as they bring their kids to a san leandro elementary school. a man tried to lure a young girl into his car at the school. jenelle wang is live in delray elementary in san lorenzo with more. >> the school district notified parents of this incident by automated phone call last night. right now the alameda county sheriff's department has not released a suspect or vehicle description yet. authorities say a man tried to lure a young girl into his car around 2:45 yesterday afternoon just outsidel ray elementary school. the girl told school officials the man drove up to her and told her to get in. she fortunately did not and immediately went and told school officials. this is one of several frightening incidents involving young children in the east bay this month. last friday nearby san leandro police arrested a 28-year-old man for attacking an eight-year-old girl shopping with her family inside a wal-mart store. as you may remember earlier t

kristen welker has the latest on the cleanup. >> reporter: on the night before christmas, a massive cleanup is under way in laguna beach, after the record-setting storm wednesday wiped out the beach and left 20 homes and nearly 50 businesses saturated in mud and debris. >> that's what took us the longest. >> reporter: today, officials declared the mess a state of emergency, as dozens took refuge in local hotels, which in the spirit of the season, are not charging flood victims. >> it didn't feel like christmas, so we didn't think about the holiday season at all. it was just about helping people. >> it looked a lot nicer before. >> reporter: carter pike is being hailed a hero of the storm. the 20-year-old rescued his neighbors who were trapped in rising waters. all while watching his car, his prized possession, get swallowed up by the flood. >> if one of those kids had been hurt, it's something i could never live with. >> reporter: usually a hub of holiday shopping, the downtown area is now a reminder of how much damage was done. store owners working feverishly to reopen. >> i think in my me

eric, kristen. >> megan, thanks a lot. we'll keep checking back with you this morning. >> the plan to put a community sapphire preferred are worth 25% more on travel. we're like forget florida, we're going on a safari. so we're on the serengeti, and seth finds a really big bone. we're talking huge. they dig it up, put it in the natural history museum and we get to name it. raus. sethasauraus. really. your points from chase sapphire preferred are worth 25% more on travel? means better vacations. that's incredible. believe it...with chase sapphire preferred your points are worth 25% more on travel when booked through ultimate rewards. you don't love me anymore do you billy? what? i didn't buy this cereal to sweet talk your taste buds it's for my heart health. so i can't have any? if you can deprive me of what can help lower my cholesterol... and live with yourself. right. mmm, i worry about your mother. cry herself to sleep every night over my arteries, but have yourself a bowl. good speech dad. [ whimper ] [ male announcer

kristen. >> megan, thanks a lot. 6:19. in the past year americans spent more than $3 billion on coffee. probably $2 billion for those of us working mornings. you need a good coffee maker. "consumer reports" just tested more than 50 and 7 on your side's michael finney shows the results. >> for many of us grabbing a cup of coffee is part of our daily routine. it can add up. "consumer reports" had 50 coffee makers to see which one can give you a delicious cup of coffee at home. they cost anywhere from $20 all the way up to $265. >> even the most expensive coffee maker is going to save you money instead of buying your coffee every day. >> first testers looked at brew. >> you want the coffee maker to get the water hot enough so that it's going to extract the most flavors from your coffee. >> all the coffee makers rated at least good but that might not cut it for some. >> good brewing performance is fine if you're not that fussy about your coffee. but if you're a coffee connoisseur, you want to stick with a machine that rated ex

kristen, jenelle. >> megan, thanks so much.now 5:20. >> golf superstar tiger woods loses another endorsement. that's next. sabathia pitches in to help homeless women in his hometown. >> merry christmas eve. >> a bit of a lump of coal for tiger woods. gillette ending its endorsement with woods. used woods with other top athletes as gillette champions marketing campaign. gillette is phasing out the program and won't renew the contract with woods. the company stopped using him after details of his extramartial affairs became public last year. >> a power line fell on top of it for no apparent reason. firefighters couldn't put out the blaze on virginia drive because the wires were hot. pg&e says 37 customers are without power. a short time later a garbage truck brought down a low wire on bay point. the accident ripped out an electrical meter. c. c. sabathia and his wife are spending christmas back home in vallejo pitching in to help the city where they grew up. their pitch-in foundation, they're renovating a shelter for homeless wom

. >> i'm kristen sze. thanks for joining us. for the first time hearing from the construction company whose equipment allegedly clogged sewer pipes causing two spills in marin county. also learning one of the spills is a lot worse than anyone imagined. terry mcsweeney is live in greenbray with the latest. terry? >> how about 2 million gallons of raw sewage spilled out here on wednesday morning. we have seen crews coming out of the construction area behind me trying to get the job done before that storm moves in on christmas day. take a look at the work they're doing out here. they've been trying to deal with it since the break of that pipe on wednesday morning. this is the second spill we're talking about here. more than 2 million gallons of raw sewage in the creek and the marshlands here near marin catholic high school. caused by a break in the pipe made out of material popular in the '70s. now everyone nationwide is finding out it doesn't last. it's being replaced as it is here. the first sewage overflow, that was 850,000 gall

kristen welker, nbc news, los angeles. >>> more news tonight rerding the biggest ponzi scheme in u.s. history. the one involving rnie madoff whose victims lost billions. tonight, they all learned they are getting a big chunk of it back. the estate of one man, one of the biggest investors who was swindled by bernie madoff, has agreed to turn over $7.2 billion to the victim's fund this investor died back in 2009. his widow says the settlement with the victim's trust fund honors what her husband would have wanted. >>> there's a lot of news about the weather to report tonight as we head into the weekend. first, be happy we're not living in denmark. they're dealing with part of a storm across europe that's paralyzed traffic, not justn the ground, about 800 flights have beenanceled across the continent. just a mess there. in this country, something to worry about on both coasts. a monster storm in the western part of the country and the those awful rumors of a churning nor'easter coming here t the east, which is why we need weather channel meteorologist chris warren from headquarters in atl