. >> good evening, i'm natalie morales in for brian. just how bad is the situation in washington with only five days left before we reach the fiscal cliff? in a highly unusual move, lawmakers are being called back to work during this holiday week. but if today was any indication, it doesn't appear congressional leaders are ready to play nice, as they continue to play the blame game and point fingers at each other. meanwhile, many americans are feeling high anxiety, knowing those automatic spending cuts and tax hikes will impact every single one of us if there is still no deal by monday night. we begin our coverage with nbc's capitol hill correspondent kelly o'donnell. kelly, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, natalie. the mood here really feels like resignation, that the fiscal cliff deadline will come and go, and no agreement reached. democrats and republicans say they want progress, but there is nothing to report. but there are plenty of recriminations about which party is to blame. the president left his family in hawaii to ret

. >> good evening, i'm natalie morales in tonight for brian. and we begin with serious winter weather that is moving east. rain, snow and wind that is snarling a lot of travel plans for those trying to make it home from holiday travels. it is the same storm system that is responsible for at least three deaths and spawned record-setting tornadoes in the south over the past 24 hours. we have it all covered, and we begin with the experts who are always out in the middle of these storms. weather channel meteorologist mike seidel is just outside buffalo, new york. good evening to you, mike. >> hey, natalie. in buffalo, they're known for the snow. they average 8 feet of snowfall a season. but so far this year, they've only had 6 1/2 inches, leaving many to wonder, where's the white? that's all changing this evening. a major snowstorm has dumped over a foot of snow across parts of the midwest. indiana got hit hard. high winds adding to the misery there. >> it's a lot better with the four-wheel drive, but yeah, it's definitely a doozy out there. >> and

. >>> good evening, i'm natalie morales in tonight for brian. it is down to the wire now with about 80 hours until the fiscal cliff deadline. and on what is a holiday weekend for many, that is not the case for congressional leaders in washington. there was a sense of urgency today as the president met with house and senate leaders along with the treasury secretary and vice president a short while ago at the white house to try and forge a last-minute deal. the president says he is optimistic, but at this hour, the fiscal cliff still looms. we begin our coverage with nbc's white house correspondent, peter alexander who has been watching the developments all day. peter, good evening to you. >> reporter: natalie, good evening to you. after his first meeting with all of the top four congressional lawmakers since before thanksgiving, the president marched into the briefing room here at the white house and he said the time for immediate action is now. he called for a bipartisan agreement and said to congressional leaders, warning them the public's pati

let's get to natalie morales, who's got the latest. , savannah. two more young children will be laid to rest again here today. now with a week to go until christmas day, this tragedy really hitting, as you see, right here. the christmas tree is now just covered. it's a makeshift memorial with balloons, messages of hope, christmas trees set up here, and flowers everywhere you look, and these makeshift memorials pretty much cover all of the town here. it's so hard to think of the 20 young lives that were taken here and the six staff members of sandy hook elementary school as well. we did learn more about adam lanza, the 20-year-old shooter who took those lives. we've learned that according to school psychologists at his high school, he had been assigned a psychologist who was overseeing his treatment and care. we understand as well that he did have a disorder, he had some sort of aspergers type disorder, although mental health experts say that is not a reason for violence in this case. we know as well that his parents were divorced and th

. >>> let's get over to natalie morales with a check of today's top stories. good morning. >> good morning, savannah and willie. good morning, everyone. another winter storm is pushing east today while much of the northeast and midwest digs out from thursday's storm that left arkansas with a record snowfall and 200,000 customers without electricity. at least 16 deaths are blamed on that storm. >>> a long-time aide to former president george h.w. bush says he's likely to enter the new year in a hospital. bush, who is 88, has been in the hospital since november for bronchitis and a series of complications. he entered intensive care on sunday. >>> one of the great military giants of our time has died. general norman schwarzkopf died thursday in tampa, florida, from complications of pneumonia. he commanded operation desert storm, the first persian gulf war that forced iraq out of kuwait. president obama says we have lost an american original. >>> well, with some 90 hours to go until the fiscal cliff kicks in, president obama and top members of congress meet today

natalie morales along with willie geist. ot of you will hit the malls today with last-minute shopping. we'll tell you which stores are open and where you can find deals aat this late hour. good news is there's still time. >>> also ahead beach volleyball great kerri walsh jennings joined us after the london olympics and she revealed she was pregnant during the olympics games during her run for the third gold medal. is baby boy -- is baby number three a boy or girl. they're going to tell us moment rim. i can't wait. i'm so excited for them. they have two boys already. what do you think the odds are? i don't know. i'm thinking boy. >> you're thinking another boy? >> i don't know. she says she thinks girl. we'll see. >> we'll find out in a few minutes. we put ourselves to the test to see which of us knows the most about the holiday season with a little trivia game. i hope you're ready for that. >> i feel a challenge coming in. erica hill is at the news desk. >> 93 million americans are traveling for the holidays and many could ru

last summer, his wife, ann, told nbc's natalie morales, she urged her husband to enter the 2012 race despise his failed bid in 2008. >> i was the first one to say this time you you have to do this again. yes, it was gonna be painful. yes, it was gonna be hard. yes, we might fail. is but we had to go forward. >> reporter: a discussion of desire and defeat still lingering. ron mott, nbc news, boston. >>> we turn overseas to an awful scene in syria. dozens of people were killed, some of them children and many more hurt in an air strike while they waited to buy bread at a bakery. it appears to be one of the deadliest aerial attacks in that country's nearly two-year-long civil war. >>> and in india today there were mass protests in new dellism police used tear gas and water cannons on thousands were ho were demanding justice for a young woman who was raped and beaten by a group of men on a bus. the attack took place a week ago and it sparked dives rage across india and demands for authority doors better protect women from these types of frequent attacks. >>> tonight, the pentagon says the

natalie morales. good morning. >> good morning to you, willie and the birthday girl and everyone in the news. former president george h.w. bush is in intensive care at the houston hospital. the 88-year-old is alert and talking but in guarded condition with a stubborn fever. the 41st president has been hospitalized since late november. he was admitted for a lingering cough and bronchitis. >>> former south africa president nelson mandela has been admitted to the hospital after being hospitalized. he was treated for a lung infection and gallstones. the government said mandela will receive top level care at his home after he's fully recovered. >>> the late senator inouye's successor lands in washington aboard air force one. schatz was tapped for senator and goes against inouye's final wish for colleen han abusa take over. >>> and the supreme court justice sonya say it to otomayo a request to stop a mandated contraceptive pill. >>> and still weighing the markets down, right? >> absolutely. as you can imagi

that's where we find natalie morales. >> good morning, everyone. speaking of the former president george h.w. bush, we have an update on his health. good morning to you, janet. >> reporter: natalie, good morning. an e-mail from former president bush's chief of staff is shedding new light on his condition today. it says in part she's confident he will recover. and she says, is he sick? yes. does he plan on going anywhere soon? no. he has every intention of staying put. he would ask me to tell you to please put the harps back in the closet. she goes on to say that mr. bush will likely be in the hospital for a while due to his age and he can use our prayers. natalie, back to you. >> we are sending them. janet, thank you. >>> for the second time this month, a new york man has been pushed to his death in front of a subway train. witnesses say a mumbling woman shoved a man into the path of an oncoming train in queens on thursday evening. police said the man didn't seem to notice the woman before she pushed him. she fled the scene and police are now search

i'm al roker alongside willie geist and natalie morales.oss the country are as well. it's been so hard to come to grips with how something like this could happen. and one of the things i think we're all asking ourselves is how do we talk about this with our kids? coming up, we'll have expert advice for parents on how they and their kids can cope. >> wondering how much to share or whether to share at all. we'll get into all of that. we actually thought with such a tough few days in the country might be a good time to make a little comfort food for you. we'll make some delicious recipe that is ought to taste good in "today's" kitchen. >>> a lot of people may be making resolution to save some cash. we've got things you can do right now before the year even ends to grow that nest egg. >> first al has a check of the weather >> checking out first of all today, we have a real mess along the eastern seaboard. look for strong storms from the tennessee river valley into the southeast. snow in northern new england. out west a big storm bringing mounta

i'm natalie morales alongside willie geist and maria larosa and honey boo-boo, not so sure.ile, ahead, still making new year's eve plans? a lot of you are. and meanwhile, if you have little ones, you may want to get creative as you bring in the new year. >>> plus, as you pack for a trip, do you struggle to get the necessi necessities to fit? we will compete in a friendly challenge to see who packs the best bag. i think i have had more practice than willie does. >> you never had a friendly challenge. you're competitive. >> i reinforce friendly challenge and mia will show us the way to do it. >>> did you know you can actually get paid to shed those unwanted pounds? we'll tell you about that and hot health trends to watch in the new year. >>> maria has the weather trend. lots to talk about. >> the northeast system impacting and heavy rains. and tomorrow, more showers and thunderstorms across the south. more snow into parts of the ohio vehic valley and great lakes, not so much like this stiystem but som areas could pick up 3-6 and new york to boston and buffalo and maine. more s

. >>> meanwhile, i'm natalie morales with al roker, willie geist. >> a special event to tell you aboutst time we're showcasing our holiday window. >> creating a window for us with a "today" show theme right across the street at the nbc experience store. and we will have that big reveal tomorrow on "today." >> they're going to get rid of the candy? >> no! >> i guess so. our faces are going to go over the candy, i guess. >> you like -- >> i do. i do. they're artistic and creative during the holidays. it will be interesting to see what they do with each of our mugs. >>> before you head out to your next holiday party, how to dress like your favorite celebrity but for a whole lot less. >>> from the flu shot to your migraines, we'll answer your most pressing medical questions. >>> it is crunch time as many parents know. college applications almost due. we've got some advice on how to make your high schooler stand out. >> but first throughout the morning we've been capturing candid moments in our backstage holiday photo booth. there's natalie with amanda seyfried and the kids and folks from "

i'm willie geist along with al roker and natalie morales.ace it, some guys need a little fashion help. this morning, the folks at "gq" to give you stylish tips to dress up your guy to go to hollywood parties. >> from stylish guys to stylish women in their lives, jewelry, clothes, to beauty products. everything you need to know gifts she'll love for $100 or less. >>> as a parent, you're trying to figure out things as you go. we've got good advice from real moms on when is it okay to share bad news with your kids or maybe to say something a little more negative about them, as well. we are so overcoddling with our kids sometimes. >> there's another good one in there about disciplining other kids. if it's your house, handle that situation. >> my house, my rules. >> i'm with you on that. >> i'm with you on that too. >> your rules for weather. >> weather does rule. first of all for today, sunny skies along the east coast, but chillier than usual. we're looking at wet weather, icy conditions in the northern great lakes. expect more wet weather in t

let's go to natalie morales. good morning again to you. >> good morning.ith just a week to go until christmas, you see the christmas tree in the center of town is now growing into a makeshift memorial. it's covered in flowers, balloons, teddy bears, all in tribute, a touching tribute to the victims of the tragic shooting here at sandy hook elementary school. on monday, two of the victims were remembered by this community overcome by grief, and today, two more children will be laid to rest. hundreds gathered on monday to say goodbye to 6-year-old jack pinto. a little boy who loved sports, idolized the new york giants' victor cruz, who remembered pinto sunday. his father called the loss unimaginable. and said most of all, jack loved to play with his friends and keep up with his big brother. many of those friends attended the service. much too young to say goodbye. >> they were being comforted, and yet protected and sent a message of you're being secure now because the worst is over. >> reporter: not far away, mourners remembered 6-year-old noah pozner. the l

let's now check in with natalie morales. great to see you on this christmas eve. >> to you as well. happy christmas eve to you. coming up on this monday morning on "today," the rush is on with millions of people on the move on this christmas eve. travelers facing the threat of severe weather from coast to coast. we'll have the forecast and a live report from the nation's busiest airport. also ahead, a playbook for last-minute shoppers. where to go to find those best deals today. and then sex decades of style. we'll get a rare look inside the queen's wardrobe from her official dresser. >>> and olympic great kerri walsh jennings reveals she was pregnant during the olympics here on the "today" show and this morning she finds out if she's having a baby boy or a baby girl live when she joins us when we get started on a monday morning here on "today." angie, she already has two boys. i'm guessing either way it's going to be a merry christmas if it's a boy or girl. >> boy or girl will be a major all-star. my co-anchor said what? >> are you saying she's going to have an ultrasound on the ai

natalie morales has been reporting on this story for years. go with her now to chicago. rising from the shores of lake michigan, the skyline of chicago sparkles and soar ls. but beyond the glittering facade of glass and steel, lies a city at the crossroads of america's underground sex trade. >> relax, okay sweetie? >> okay. >> don't be nervous or anything okay? >> tonight police find this young woman selling sex in a hotel room more than 600 miles away from her home in arkansas. local authorities say it's an all too common occurrence in the windy city. >> it doesn't happen here in our own backyard. in cook county chicago, it's a transportation hub. it's a convention hub. and it's right for this type of crime. illinois state attorney anita alvarez heads up the cook county human trafficking force. a joint effort to combat the booming underground sex trade in chicago and the surrounding suburbs. >> do your parents know where you are? >>. >> i think we're really not going to get anywhere or make a dent into the crime unless we as local prosecutors do more. >> in 2011 the ill

but the experts do have advice on that part of the story, from nbc's natalie morales. >> reporter: as the nation tries to wrap its head around the violence. >> i was in the gym and heard a loud -- well, i heard like seven loud booms. and the gym teachers told us to go in the corner. >> reporter: tonight, parents will hug their children a little tighter and struggle to comfort them. but how do they explain what they themselves can't understand? >> could anything be worse? all of a sudden, this mass shooting happens in the school, as parents we need to protect our kids and here on a massive scale, kids were not protected. >> reporter: the director of the nyu department of child psychology says parents need to prepare themselves before talking to their kids. >> make sure you're calm enough. you need to make sure that you are not feeling too much grief, too much anxiety, too much anger. make sure you are steady and have the conversation and it will go okay. >> when you are ready to approach your kids, there are certain things you should remember. >> you want to be owe sepen so child feels

but the experts do have advice on that part of the story, from nbc's natalie morales. >> reporter: as the nation tries to wrap its head around the violence. >> i was in the gym and heard a loud -- well, i heard like seven loud booms. and the gym teachers told us to go in the corner. >> reporter: tonight, parents will hug their children a little tighter and struggle to comfort them. but how do they explain what they themselves can't understand? >> could anything be worse? all of a sudden, this mass shooting happens in the school, as parents we need to protect our kids and here on a massive scale, kids were not protected. >> reporter: the director of the nyu department of child psychology says parents need to prepare themselves before talking to their kids. >> make sure you're calm enough. you need to make sure that you are not feeling too much grief, too much anxiety, too much anger. make sure you're steady and have the conversation. and it will go okay. >> reporter: and when you're ready to approach your kids, there are certain things you should remember. >> you want to be open so tha

i'm savannah guthrie here with willie geist in for matt and erica hill in for natalie morales.aded housework. >> how about some guinness world records this year? remember zeus, the world's tallest dog? >> thought that was a horse. >> felix baumgartner, plunged from out er space? apparently a small car and a lot of people involved as well. >> also, why do some people really struggle with memory loss later in life while others never forget a thing? doctors are hoping to learn something from so-called super agers. >> we'll pay close attention to that one. it all goes downhill after 40 in my experience. >> wow! >> we won't know. we're not 40 yet. >> we won't ask you, erica. >> you're doing great. >> my birthday is tomorrow. so i'm going even further into the abyss. >> that is positive. strong thunderstorms across the southeast and midatlantic, tornadoes possible eastern north carolina, south carolina today. on the northern fringe it's an icy mix to heavy snow, including blizzard warnings stretching from arkansas this morning into parts of the ohio valley. eventually even an icy mix

i'm matt lauer along with savannah gurthrie, natalie morales, and al roker. >>> we're going to talk tomovie already being talked about for best picture at the oscars, already racked up a lot of awards. and we're going to talk to the director and jason clark, they're all here, we'll speak to them in a few moments. >>> remember, selma and kenny? just a terrific couple. married for 70 years, they made an internet video on the keys to keeping their marriage happy. well, they've got a new video out, their unique words of advice and wisdom coming up. >> we love them. >>> also coming up, ann curry sits down with the legendary film maker peter jackson. she gets a sneak peek at the magic behind the movie to create the hobbit and some of the other "lord of the rings" trilogy. there you go. the green screen. >> good outfit. all right, we've got a lot to get to. first, how about a check of the weather? >> i'd love to go to middle earth. i'm so jealous. for today, we'll show you we're looking at sunshine in the northeast, a little on the chilly side. l look for wet weather along the southeastern at