meredith? >> al, thank you. >>> and just ahead, a new twist in the murder of university of virginia lacrosse player yeardley lovement her ex-boyfriend is charged with beating her to death but now her attorneys are questioning how love actually died. we will have the latest, but first this is "today" on nbc. >>> still ahead, three things you can do if you want to retire in the next decade. >> plus, a popular weathercaster suspended after allegedly lying about being attacked by a would-be rapist, after your local news and weather. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am sarah caldwell. let's start with the morning commute with kim dacey. >> one of the water main breaks we're seeing is all cleared up. south highland street is open between bank and pratt street. there are icy conditions there. still dealing with a water main break on north avenue, blocking one lane in each direction. accident at 152 and pulaski highway. that my neck and cleare

don meredith played a huge role in it. >> his name?meredith. >> smith: his quick wit and texas charm made him the perfect foil for howard cosell. >> number 22 bobby lane. >> smith: and help him turn "monday night football" into must-see tv. >> i didn't know you cared. >> smith: dandy don meredith was an original cowboy. his freewheeling style helped turn them into one of the n.f.l.'s elite teams. twice they went to the championship game, losing both times to the green bay packers, including the 1967 ice bowl. at age 31, meredith abruptly quit, saying he'd lost his desire to compete. but in the 1970s, he became a bigger star in the broadcast booth, along with cosell and frank gifford. >> he was not a professional announcer and i think that's really what endeared him to people. i think a lot of people looked at don meredith in the booth and thought to themselves "that could be me." >> smith: always entertaining, once he knew which team would win, he would burst into song. >> ♪ turn out the lights, the party's over... ♪ >> smith: in later

if anyone ever truly earned his nickname, it was "dandy" don meredith.s high school legend, he went on to be the dallas cowboys' first big star. but he quit playing suddenly at the age of 31. and soon he landed that job that would make him even more famous. >> standby, howard. here we come, frank. >> reporter: part of the original announce team for abc's "monday night football." >> it's good to be back, i've missed you. >> i didn't know you cared. >> reporter: it was a tv revolution, football in prime time. and the men of "monday night" were treated like rock stars. with his texas charm, meredith was the perfect foil to howard cosell, often more entertaining than the game. >> it's texas cornpone, "dandy" don meredith. >> i've never said anything ugly about you, howard. >> reporter: he once said, "i don't know how badly i'd feel if i wasn't remembered at all." well, he is remembered. legions today are singing his trademark song. ♪ the party's over ♪ they say that all good things must end ♪ ♪ call it a night the party's over ♪ ♪ and tomorrow and next year

meredith, patriots playing.edith. >>> after that shoot-out at the florida school board meeting, earlier this morning we spoke to security chief mike jones and his wife. we asked mike how he feels after it happened. >> my heart took off and just wouldn't slow down for some reason. >> i can imagine why. >> being in that room right now where you exchanged gun fire with clay duke, i guess there were 14 shots fired, most of the bullet holes have been covered up at this point, there is one that is still showing. how are you feeling emotionally? >> well, this morning i'm a lot better. i think it helped a lot yesterday, i did like 25 interviews yesterday and every time i see mr. husfelt, i lose it. so i'm glad he's not here this morning. every time i see him i start crying. >> he is the superintendent and when clay duke lifted his gun that first time, he was shooting at the superintendent. that is when you entered the room. i want to take you back to that moment if i could, mike. you weren't even supposed to be at the c

meredith? >> we are joined now by three of the people who were inside that school board meeting, all of them stepped in to try to stop the gunman. beg good morning to all of you. >> good morning, meredith. >> i look at that video now several times and i find it frightening and surreal. you people lived it. how are you feeling today, besides just very grateful to be alive? >> that's number one. meredith, we are so happy to be alive. life means a lot more than it did yesterday probably and i'm so proud of mike jones, he was the truly the hero and mike jones describes a lot of credit. >> mike jones is the security guard who shot this man. >> he's not just a security guard, though, he's a retired detective from the police department. he literally saved our lives. if he hadn't have come in when he did, we wouldn't be here this morning. >> suddenly this man comes in which nobody knew, he draws that circle with the v in it, and then turns the gun towards you, what is going on in your mind, bill? >> fi

meredith? >> al, thank you. >>> and just ahead, a new twist in the murder of university of virginia lacrosse player yedley lovement her ex-boyfriend is charged with beating her to death but now her attorneys are questioning how love actually died. we will have the latest, but first this is "today" on nbc. >>> still ahead, three things you can do if you want to retire in the next decade. >> plus, a popular weathercaster suspended after allegedly lying about being attacked by a would-be rapist, after your local newsnd weather. >>> good morning. it's 7:26 on this thursday, the 16th day of december. i'm joe krebs. snow is moving into the area, toward the area. lit's get right to meteologist tom kierein. >> here's a live picture of interstate 81. this is near roanoke. it's accumulating therand still snowing. we have the snow advancing from the west to the east. it should be moving here by perhaps later this morning and this afternoon anccumulation of one to tree inchs. higher amounts to the south an

meredith? >> peter alexander in london for us this morning. peter, thank you very much for your reporting. >> i have to tell everybody that ann curry is a little under the weather this morning and she's watching. ann, we hope you feel much, much better. we have natalie standing by at the news desk and natalie has all the headlines of the morning. good morning. >> wishing ann well. good morning to you guys, and good morning everyone. >>> a hotly anticipated white house review of the war in afghanistan has just been released this morning. nbc's jim miklaszewski is at the pentagon for us. good morning, mick, and what does the report say? >> reporter:t does the report say? >> reporter: good morning, natalie. the president's review says the afghanistan strategy is pretty much on course, that in many parts of the country, taliban momentum has either been stopped or even reverse bud it also warns that any progress is still fragile and reversible. still, big concerns about receipt liability of the afgh

for much of that broadcast's heyday, meredith was the knowledgeable court jester. the folksy counterpoint to frank gifford and howard cosell. >> i didn't know you cared. >> reporter: it made for sometimes riveting television. made meredith and the troupe broadcasters rock stars and introduced a new way to market sports on television. >> they had to be entertaining when the game wasn't. >> movie attendance dropped on monday nights. restaurant attendance dropped on monday nights. it became a national phenomenon. of her >> reporter: a long-time friend deaths told nbc news he had suffered injure yis including concussions in his playing days that plagued him long after his playing days after age 31. but he didn't talk about that in his days as a commercial pitchman. he just kept rolling out the public personality that matched his private character. funny, irrereverent, an everyman kind of winner. >> his contribution was to compelling, that the fact he didn't win a super bowl didn't diminish his stature at all. >> reporter: and it didn't keep him from becoming an athlete

he goes don meredith. i go, yeah.i'm dating a guy a few years younger and don is sitting there in his cowboy hat. and he looks at me and he goes, kathie lee, i'm going to tell you something, you need to find yourself an older man. i said i do? i said how am i going to know which one. he's going to say to you, kathie lee, i'm going to take a tour of you from the top of your head to the tip of your toes with lots of intermittent stops. and i went oh, my god. i am so out of my league here. and frank is sitting next to him going, i've heard that a million times. but that was don. he was one of the funniest, funniest human beings ever. he's cody's godfather, so cody is going to take a couple of his exams early and meet us. but he was always the life of the party. always the life of the party. >> you cracked up. every time he had something to say, he seemed like he was just funny and zany and -- >> my favorite one is when some fan gave the finger to cameraman and don doesn't miss a beat. he goes, look, howard. they still th

. >> good morning, meredith. there was a talk marathon with some house democrats saying they had received phone calls from the president, urging them to get it done. and just before midnight, they did. so everyone's tax rates stay the same, unemployment benefit checks keep coming. and $858 billion gets added to the deficit. a done deal. >> on this vote, the yeas are 277, the nays are 148. the motion is adopted. >> reporter: but getting there was uglier than expected. after hours of delay, house liberals came up with their own changes to the president's tax cut compromise. that the house concur to the senate amendment to the house amendment to the senate amendment with the amendment adopted in the committee of the whole. >> reporter: that gave liberals a way to prove they fought against some tax breaks for the wealthy. >> there's nothing in this bill that's fiscal sanity! it's insanity. we fixed the debt by closing tax loopholes and now you want to give them away. shame on you. >> reporter: in another tug of war,

meredith?> he should be, john yang, thank you very much. >>> what you should buy that impossible to shop for person on your holiday lift. . >>> next up the founder of groupon, he rejected a $40 million bit for his company. rules and restrictions. oh, and limits. [ scoffs ] forget about it. but i love this card. bankamericard cash rewards credit card. 1% cash back on everything i buy. period. no limit to the amount of cash back i can get. no hoops to jump through. simple. [ male announcer ] the refreshingly simple bankamericard cash rewards credit card. apply online or at a bank of america near you. would you like me to read you a story? you can't read. [ grandma ] 'twas the night before christmas, and all through the house... whoa, that's grandma. [ grandma ] ...nothing was stirring, not kara, not maya... how does she do that? magic. [ grandma ] ...grandma loves you. [ both ] goodnight, grandma. [ female announcer ] be there to read them a story every night. read it to me again. [ female announ

don meredith, again, passes at the age of 72.e nfl, alex smith will start at quarterback sunday. smith not effective. smith healthy from a shoulder injury he susspained about a month ago. he had his chance, he will never start again for the 49ers. mike singletary says why not, let's go back to smith. nothing official from the 49ers but that's the word. this kid had to replace mike shanahan. started out winning his first 6 games and then fell in the tank. they are 3-9. he was a part of a illegal videotaping of a 49er practing, so he was fired today in midseason, 5-17 his record. andrew luck will be in new york city. he is one of the four finests for the heisman trophy. that's going to be a lot of fun watching on saturday night. jim, stanford offered him a raise, a 11-1 and as we have been saying, i don't know, maybe the best time, great quarterback, i say he takes the money. but i will be back at kron 4 tomorrow night. >> good night everybody. see you tomorrow. [ mom ] my son only wanted one toy this year. i want a robosan 4000. [

. >> and i'm meredith vieira. chilling, disturbing, surreal, just some of the words used to describe that scene of the school board meeting in florida. so frightening. >> it really is. what's so remarkable, you actually see what was happening inside that room. some people actually watched it happen live. it started as a man identified as clay duke walked to the podium. moments later, he spray painted a symbol on the wall of that room, pulled out a handgun, and eventually opened fire. and we should warn you, some of the video you're going to see this morning is disturbing. >> yeah. at one point before the shooting happened, a female school board member used her purse to try and knock the gun out of duke's hand. we're going the talk to her and two other board members who tried to diffuse the situation, straight ahead. >>> but first, let's get right to nbc's mark potter. he's in panama city, florida, with the latest. mark, what can you tell us? >> reporter: good morning, matt. the gunman was killed in the incident, w

meredith? >>> former fbi profiler, clint, good morning to you. >> good morning. >> police say they believe there are more people involved. where do they go from here, the police? >> according to some neighbors in that area, meredith, this is a man who says he was an ex-convict. he did time for firearms violations, drug violations. he's living in a $600 a month apartment. he had been evicted from it some say. this is a man who told people he was coming into $10,000 so you have to question what that source of the money would have been. in this particular case i think law enforcement is very quickly going to put this wiring diagram together. they have the potential shooter. they can attempt to match the ballistics from the gun he used to commit suicide to the murder weapon. i don't think this investigation is over at all. if in fact this is someone who was coming into money, that suggests someone was going to pay it. the question is who and why. >> he reportedly also told a neighbor that if police

[reads names] >> my name is meredith thomas, i am the executive director of the parks council. i want to commend the department for reaching this point. this portion was something they advocated to have improved because not every park will be involved. we have a nearly $2 billion capital deficit. we can't get to every part. the opportunity fund is a chance for folks to step up and say that we have a project in mind and we will make sure it happens, leveraging through storage shed and volunteerism. we believe it helps enhance the park as a whole. i was on the task force that developed the framework, and my past job was that a foundation. i can tell you that you are always going to learn things. you have seven very worthy projects that are going to make positive changes. i am also committed to helping the department improve the process for route to -- round two. if there is ever an opportunity, we are happy to help. i wanted to thank the department for their hard work had for the selection committee for taking it very seriously. we think it will result in some great improvements.

near the end of every game, meredith would turn sing, turn out the lights, the party's over.>>> if you were busy celebrating a milestone birthday, here's what you missed. [ laughter ] >> huddle! they'll play oregon for the >> there she goes. russell tips... oh, my gosh! adams touchdown! on the "hail mary"! >> okay, auburn blew out south carolina. oh, stop, it's not. they will play oregon for the national title next month. chargers runningback found out why mcclain is nicknamed the mcpain train. helmets collided. no flag. >>> the shot of the weekend nuggets mascot rocky from half court makes me really manslaughter the warriors old mass scott thunder, very him? u.s. open champ graeme mcdowell sinks the putt on the first play-off hole and took dow tiger woods. he lost after a four-stroke lead. he goes winless in 2010. >> tiger will try again in 2011 to score that elusive 15th major. >> you're turning 50? >> no, i just read a cue card here. >> oh, please. you're not in control of that, old man. >> what did you guys say? i am so much the youngest one on this set. and don't you dar

and she reached out tearfully to the family of the victim, british student meredith kercher, who wasnd stabbed and with her throat slashed in a cottage she and knox shared. in a heartfelt article in a british newspaper, kercher's father, john, lamented while his daughter was a victim of horrific violence, knox has been accorded the status of a minor celebrity. but nox told a hushed room that it doesn't do justice to meredith and her loved ones to take our lives from us. and insisted she was not the dangerous, diabolical, jealous, uncaring and violent person portrayed by the prosecution. the base of the legal appeal will be the forensic evidence was tainted, mishandled and insufficient to convict knox and raffaele sollecito. the prosecution wants the sentences increased to life, but in italy, 50% of criminal convictions are overturned or the sentences are reduce reducen appeal, tearful or otherwise. alan pizzey, cbs news, perugia. >> mitchell: in russia washington, the last several days sow contentious tax cut compromise, a mini-filibuster in the senate and an appearance by two presid

. >> a look back at the life and achievements of don meredith. >> how can you help the families >> closedtioning brought to you by mancini sleepworld. >> former nfl quarterback and original monday night football analyst don meredith has died. he played nine years mostly for the dallas cowboys making the jump to the broadcast system in 1970. he helped make abc monday night football a star thanks to his whit and folksy call. his call, turn out the lights, the night is over. he spent time as an actor and products spokesman. he died of a brain hemorrhage yesterday. he was 72. >> tonight in san francisco, several authors will take part in a fund-raiser who help free the u.c. berkeley hikers still imprisoned in iran. shane bauer and josh fattal and sarah shourd were arrested last year. she was released in september for health reasons. the oakland tribune reports their families are in need of financial help because of legal fees, travel expenses and other needs. family members lost or quit their jobs as they dedicate the themselves to fighting for the freedom of their loved ones. >> you can put

i remember seeing meredith when i was in high school. >> and those big yellow jackets on monday nighthtning fast. lightning strong. verizon 4g lte. rule the air on the most advanced 4g network in the world.

. >> reporter: good morning, meredith. it was the drama about a stuttering king george vi that earned the most nominations this morning but up against pretty stiff competition from both a swan and a fighter. >> qualifications. >> reporter: "the king's speech" already one of the critics' choices led the golden globes with seven nominations including a best drama and for its cast, including colin firth as the stuttering monarch, king george vi. >> destroyed the happiness for my family. >> reporter: just behind it with six nominations, it was a tie between the boxing drama "the fighter" with four acting nods including christian bale and mark wahlberg up against the tale of the founding of facebook "the social network" the director and cast, including jesse aisenberg, also scored big. right now? >> reporter: nicole kidman earned a nod for her role as a grieving mother in "the rabbit hole." >> he's god after all. why didn't he just make another angel? hmm? >> reporter: and natalie portman claimed a spot for best actress as a ba

. >> and i'm meredith vieira. we've made our way upstairs for a better look at the freshly lit rockefeller christmas tree. a 74-foot tall beauty. >> it really is gorgeous. they flipped the switch on that thing last night, courtesy of al and natalie. there she is in all her wet glory this morning. >> yeah, but it didn't actually rain during the ceremony, which was great. it rained before and then afterwards, but it's going to rain a lot here today. and al is actually talking about flooding later on in the northeast. we'll get his forecast, straight ahead. >> all right. one more look at the tree. also ahead, a story of both tragedy and triumph. a father and daughter set off on the sailing adventure of a lifetime, but a massive wave hit their boat, killing father and leaving the daughter adrift for 12 days before being rescued. this morning, she's here to tell us about what happened in an exclusive live interview. >>> plus, kate gosselin will be here as well, and she wants to set the record straight on a number of ru

family she expressed her remorse today at the loss of a friend, but says no justice is served to meredith and her family if the wrong people are convicted. back in her hometown seattle, knox's parents said on the "today" show they understand their daughter's fear. >> she's scared, because, you know, the justice system there has failed her so far. she was found guilty of a crime she didn't commit. she wants the truth to come out and she wants to be freed. >> reporter: many in the courtroom were struck by the passion of the 23-year-old student. >> i'm sure that when the jury retires to the deliberating room in a few weeks' time to consider this verdict, they will be thinking long and hard about what amanda said in her statement today. >> reporter: but the prosecution is also appealing. it argues the 26-year prison sentence handed down to knox is not harsh enough for what it describes as a brutal murder, and is asking for a life sentence. tonight knox was brought back to prison where she will spend her fourth christmas behind bars. keith miller, nbc news, italy. >>> up next, jimmy stewart's

monday night football broadcast team has died >> a look back at the life and achievements of don meredith how can you help the famils of the u.c. berkley hikers still in prison in iran in ♪ [ female announcer ] withable's bundle choices, there's not much to see. with at&t u-verse tv, you can record up to fo shows at once on single dvr. hey. yeah. on my way home. [ female announcer ] you can evenhoose wiress voice service. he can't do that with cable. noyou have your choice of offers. call today to get u-verse tv and inrnet plus choe home phone or wireless voice service starting at 9 a month. or choose to get $300 back via promotion cards with other qualifyinbundles. bule the services that fitour life. with u-verse tv, record and play back your shows in any room from a single dvr. call now to gethree services startingt $99 a month. or choose to get $30back via promion cards with oth qualifying bundles. ♪ for the bundle that fits your life, at&t. ♪ >> former nfl quarterback and original monday night football analyst don meredith has died. he played nine years mostly for the dallas cowboys m

i'm meredith vieira. >> and i'm matt lauer. president obama is being met with a chorus of nos coming from liberal democrats who are saying they may vote against this compromise on the bush era tax cuts. >> they are very angry, but the white house is pushing back saying failure to act could trigger an increased risk of a double dip desession. what would that mean for you and should president obama be picking fights with members of his own party? we'll have the latest straight ahead. >>> also ahead, some bad news, and no the that you need it, but bad news if you're in the market to sell your home. according to new figures, u.s. homes have lost an astonishing $1.7 trillion in value this year alone. $9 trillion overall since the peak of the market. will prices drop even further? we'll sit down and talk about that. >>> plus, if you were looking to save sop money, we have just the thing. america's cheapest families will share six ways to share a festive and frugal holiday see sons sons son. >> good morning. the house has passed the d

while meredith takes the day off.wn to next year's royal wedding. >> as prince william and kate release their official engagement photographs. >>> and a "the new york times" critic calls this balanlerina's weight into question. >> jennifer ringer, young ballerina, just walked into our studio and you say huh? she has a beautiful figure. clearly i don't get this. >>> let's begin with justice for elizabeth smart. brian david mitchell was found guilty of kidnapping the then-14-year-old back in 2002. we'll talk to ed smart in a moment. salt lake city. >> reporter: good morning, matt. elizabeth smart is calling this moment a victory and says she is proof there is life after a painful past. >> i am so thrilled to be here. i am so thrilled with the verdict. >> reporter: it was the verdict that elizabeth smart has waited more than eight years to hear. guilty. >> i'm so thrilled to stand before the people of america today and give hope to other victims who have not spoken out about their crimes -- about what's happened to them.

and outside on the plaza, i'm meredith viera along with matt lauer.made by kate middleton for her new engagement photos, she didn't wear clothes by her designers, she picked them out of her own close set. >> imagine. holidays a great time to save on books. we have a light saber. she was coming after you and i saved your life. of course i gave it right back to her. talk about giving the gift of food, the holidays fast approaching. we have some great ideas, the best part about it, you don't have to make it yourself and you don't even have to mail it, the companies do that for you. >> i still have not done my shopping. >> you got to get to it. >>> also it is a big morning in hollywood as the golden globe nominations are out, we will have complete coverage of this year's nominee. >> that woman just cut you in half with her light saber, bad news for you. let's go inside and get a check of the morning's top news stories. >>> as you have been reporting, president obama said the nation has lost a true giant of foreign policy. richard holbrooke, the u.s. speci

don meredith was 72 years old. those are some of the day's major stories.ow, back to jeff. >> brown: and we turn to the latest twist in the debate over gay marriage in california. in 2008, voters passed a ballot measure, called proposition 8, banning gay marriage, but in august of this year, a federal district judge struck down the measure, ruling that it was unconstitutional to treat same- sex couples differently. that ruling was then challenged, and today a federal appeals panel of three judges heard arguments in a session that was, most unusually, broadcast live. the first issue today: do opponents of same sex marriage have authority or standing to appeal the august ruling? governor arnold schwarzenegger and other state officials had declined to bring an appeal. charles cooper, the attorney for protect marriage, the group behind proposition 8, cited past cases that allow outside groups to bring a case. >> the california supreme court allowed these proponents to intervene in the strauss case and to defend the constitutionality under the state's constituti

i talked about it with meredith here. the idea that the president wasn't changing his mind about what he wanted, but maybe he wasn't powerful enough to get what he wanted. then we have the lame duck session where it was just like the to-do list just got things checked off every single day. >> so we're talking about legislative accomplishments and failures. let's talk about a more difficult thing to get your arms around, this hope and change message that he ran on to quote a famous former alaska governor, how is that hopey, changey stuff working out for you. how is the tone in washington different or how is it the same. >> one thing that was instructive is how they handled the don't ask, don't tell ceremony. they held it in an auditorium to accommodate all the people who wanted to be there to quite literally cheer the president while he did it and take some credit themselves for having been part of it. to see the president almost elated at that event smacking the desk and saying this is done, yes, we did, and to see them t

rnon, texas, where dandy don meredith was born. his original name was joe donald meredith.t. there he is in the booth, of course. and it was a great night of remembering him. people stood up and told the most wonderful stories. we were all -- it was like we were all reliving it again wh don right in the room just crying the memories. he truly was one of the funniest human beings god ever made. >> there was a funny story when you were pregnant? what did he say? >> i don't know if i can say this. >> is there something i don't know? why wouldn't it? >> it's a true story. when frank called him when he found out that i was pregnant the first time and there's dead silence. don, kathie's going to have a baby. dead silence. don goes, don't you worry, frank. 3 1/2 years later don calls him back, says guess what, kathie's pregnant. dang, got wrong -- we have some pictures. there is a museum there. like at the don meredith museum. that's cody and frank and me standing out front. cody was his god n. cody's there in the middle. he flew allight long from california to be there. it's darl

no justice is served to meredith and her family if the wrong people are accused.ow, what's your reaction to hearing those words from your daughter this morning? >> well, i think they're very strong words, and they're very, you know, words that are really true to what she feels and knows that she is innocent, as well as raffaele. >> i know that she, you know, had been thinking about and wanting to say some words. and she's always, you know, very, i mean, the whole court thing is very scary. but she wanted to do this. and it sounds like she did a great job. >> and amanda's lawyers have said that her time in prison so far, three years, we should mention, have taken a toll on her psychologically, as anyone can imagine. and there's certainly a lot at stake for her during this appeals process. i know that amanda's stepfather, your husband, was able to visit with her. what did she tell him? what is her state of mind? >> well, you know, i think she said it well in what she said in court, you know. she's scared. because, you know, the justice system there has failed her so

meredith, howard cosell, frank gifford, revolutionized the way we watched football really.eredith a former standout quarterback before his broadcasting days for the dallas cowboys. dandy don died yesterday with his family beside him in new mexico at the age of 72. >>> the raiders now are flying high, coming off their most impressive win in years. no kidding. jason campbell led the raiders to a dominating win over the chargers. this is in san diego yesterday. from high above take a look at it. a little bootleg here. 28-13 was the final with t. with the win the raiders are alive and well in the playoff race. next sunday the raiders are in jacksonville. >>> all right, here we go, it's official. stanford quarterback andrew luck is going to new york this weekend. andrew luck, named today one of the four heisman trophy finalists. in true stanford fashion, we love this, he had to leave practice early to concentrate on final exams. here's nbc's lauren scott from campus. >> reporter: the cardinal are taking their talents to south beach. january 3rd in the sunshine state is especiall

year, found knox and her former boyfriend, raffaele sollecito, guilty of killing knox's roommate, meredithional speech in italian. her voice cracking several times. she told the court that she was a victim of an enormous mistake. as two judges and six jurors decide on her appeal, knox is preparing to spend another christmas behind bars. >> in fact, i gave her her early christmas gift. she got a pair of socks from greece. >> reporter: and amanda knox's mother will not be with her on christmas day. but she will be able to see her daughter a day before. now, knox's family told us they have a lot of gifts for her from family and friends. and as the appeal hearings continue, there won't be a verdict until the spring. >> we did speak with amanda's parents last week. and they told us this was confident this was going to go in their way. >> tough time for that family. >>> let's check the rest of the headlines now, with the man, ron claiborne. >> the man. dan, you're the man. good morning, everyone. in the news, the senate prepares for a landmark vote on don't ask, don't tell. if a procedural vote

meredith? >> savannah guthrie, thank you so much. david axelrod, the president's senior advisor, mr. axelrod, how are you doing, sir? >> good. >> as you know, many democrats believe that that's too late. they're furious about what's happened. they say this is not a compromise this deal, it is the president caving in. how does he win back these fellow democrats that he's referred to as sanctimonious. >> i think what would be borderline immoral would be to allow millions of americans have their taxes go up on january 1 significantly. what would be borderline immoral would be to allow people who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own in this down economy, lose their lifeline, their unemployment insurance during this holiday season. those things should be foremost in our mind. what would be immoral is if we didn't do everything we can to get this economy moving again at a brisk enough pace to put everyone who needs a job back to work. that's what we're working toward. and every commit a

>> and i want her to know, wherever she is, meredith, i will make it up to you.s she get paid for that role? >> i think there's probably no payments in terms of residuares. >> you have a couple of kids, 2 and 4? >> they don't really know that i'm a movie star. they think i'm a clown. but, yeah, we'll show them my movies when the time comes. >> since you have young boys, does it influence the roles you want to do in the future? >> it does. i like to do family films more often now because of it. i want them to be able to see my movies before they're 20 years old. i did some yo gabba gabba. so they can see their dad doing fun stuff. >> what are you doing at christmas? >> i will probably have a delicious feast with the family. >> i'm just going to have a simple meal, but you have a delicious feast. >> what are your new year's resolutions? >> i'm going to drop a couple of l.b.s. >> jack black, "gulliver's travels" opens christmas day. >>> your local news and weather, but ahead a look at some more inspiring images of 2010. >>> good morning, it's 8:26. we're calling it

. >> reporter: meredith whitny is one of the most respected financial analysts on wall street and onemerican business. she made a reputation by warning that the big banks were in big trouble long before the 2-- 2008 collapse. now she's warning about a financial meltdown in state and local governments. >> it has tentacles as wide as anything i've seen. i think next to housing this is the single most important issue in the united states and certainly the largest threat to the u.s. economy. >> reporter: why aren't people paying attention? >> because they don't pay attention until they have to. >> reporter: whitny says it's time to start. >> with the the money that we twak in, that is all the money we can spend. >> reporter: california which faces a $19 billion budget deficit next year has a credit rating aapproaching junk status. it now spends more money on public employee pensions than it does on the state university system which had increased tuition by 32%. arizona is so desperate it sold off the state capitol, supreme court building and legislative chambers to a group of investors. a

expressed her remorse to the kercher family, choking back tears, she said, it does no justice to meredith and her loved ones to take our lives from us. >> it was extremely emotional and clearly it had an impact on everyone in the room including the jurors. >> knox's defense plans to attack the dna evidence used to convict her, claiming it was flawed. but the prosecution is also appealing, it argues the 26-year prison sentence handed down to knox is not harsh enough for what it called a brutal murder. and is asking for a life sentence. the strain of facing a life sentence clearly taking its toll. today, knox is back in her prison cell, preparing for her fourth christmas behind bars. the trial resumes later this week, but with the wheels of italian justice moving ever so slowly, we don't expect a verdict in this case until sometime in the spring. matt? >> keith, thank you very much. keith miller this morning. it's now 18 minutes after the hour. >>> a violent storm in the mediterranean is being blamed for the rough ride aboard a royal caribbean cruise liner. huge waves tossed the ship leavin