thanks to paris hilton for in

. >> this is the paris hilton tax break. it's about giving billions and billions of dollars to billionaire heirs and heiresses at a time when american taxpayers can't afford it. if we, in fact, repeal or substantially cut the estate tax, this is what it means, it is breathtaking that we are even having this conversation. >> that was then senator obama back in 2006 arguing against repealing the estate tax or even substantially cutting back. senator obama pleaded with his colleagues then to stand up to that republican-led effort. >> my hope is, is that we stop this thing right here and now in the senate. and if we don't, then i'm looking forward to having a debate in november about what, in fact, we've done to the american people. >> what we have done to the american people. now, president obama says he did not want to either extend the bush income tax rates for the richest people in the country nor did he want to give them this giant multibillion dollar estate tax giveaway. what did he call it? the paris hilton tax break. he

. >>> paris hilton's one time bff finally married her rocker boyfriend joel madden in los angeles.ple who have dated for more than four years have a 2-year-old daughter, harlow winter kate and a 15-month-old son sparrow midnight. so harlow winter kate and sparrow midnight. what happened to names like john and jane or bill and veronica? >> i guess they're too boring nowadays. >> come on. >> better than apple. i won't mention whose child that is. >> harlow i like. >> veronica de la cruz. "first look." "way too early with willie geist" starts right now. >>> the senate takes a test drive in a vote today. expecting a comfortable margin of support for the plan. the question will nancy pelosi and house democrats dig in their heels and fight the president even after the stat gets behind it? >>> meanwhile, the leading house republican was on "60 minutes" talking everything from taxes to

. >>> finally, paris hilton's one-time reality tv bff nicole richie finally married her rocker boyfriend joel madden over the weekend in los angeles. the couple, who have dated for more than four years, have a 2-year-old daughter harlow winter kate and a 15-month-old son farrow midnight. >> bill did you ever go see "morning glory." >> no. i didn't. glad i didn't. review, didn't do so well. >> put that on your list of movies to see. i'm telling you. >> bottom of my list. >> okay. >>> this comes from channel 4 3 in cleveland, ohio, a group of boys and girls visited the airport for an early holiday treat. that is thanks to continental airlines. kids from a local pediatric hospital took time off from fighting what ails them to take a magical flight to the north pole. santa, mrs. claus and the elves welcomed the group to their them to filled with giant candy canes, holly and where for just one day, nothing else mattered. i'm veronica de la cruz, and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. >>> well, runners might kick off their shoes when a race ends b

. >>> finally, paris hilton's one-time reality tv bff nicole ritchie finally married her rocker boyfriend joel madden over the weekend in los angeles. the couple, who have dated for more than four years, have a 2-year-old daughter harlow winter kate and a 15-month-old son farrow midnight. is there some kind of unwritten rule that says if you're a celebrity your kids can't be named something nice and normal like matt or bill, maybe? >> actually you get to a point where like a normal name would be a story? >> i'm like a what? huh? yeah, you're probably right about that. this comes to us from wkyc channel 3 in cleveland, ohio, where a group of extra nice boys and girls visited the airport for an early holiday treat. thanks to continental airline employees kids from a local pediatric hospital got to take time off from fating what ill ails them to take a magical flight to the north pole. santa, mrs. claus and the elves welcomed the group to their home filled with giant candy canes, lights, and holly, where for just one day nothing else mattered. >>> i'm veronica de la cruz and this is "early t

paris hilton today for example tweeted me., she wants to get a free handbag, she just has to say, i like this handbag. suddenly, she gets one. >> you see what you're missing, sam? paris hilton cannot tweet you. >> well, she might be able to tweet me. i have not met her. piers has a point there. if everyone is a conversationalist. and we are too. we say hello to people and our friends and what have you. but how are you going to have a television show like piers is going to do? tune in and say, i want to watch somebody who really knows how to carry on a conversation with someone interesting, if what you're doing is carrying on conversations with people who are not that interesting really, and you're talking about things that are not important? >> you raise a good point there. when my show starts in mid-january, i very much want to use the power of twitter and facebook to get people to send in suggestions for questions. i want to see their observations after an interview. maybe even during an interview. maybe in the middle of an

you're about to see paris hilton's coming up. but the one that a lot of people are talking about, especially this morning, is joy behar's. take a look at what she did. keep in mind bill o'reilly made her storm off the set of "the view." around his house. these people chose freedom over restrictions. independence over limitations. they chose mobility. they chosehe scooter store. and this is the team of mobility experts who made it all happen. ii great news, you've been approved for payment. dr. cruz, i'm calling on behalf ofmarie stanford. and they can make it happen for you. hi, i'm doug harrison, if you're living with limited mobility, call the scooter store today. i promise, no other company will work harder to make you mobile or do more to ensure your total satisfaction. i expected they'd help me file some paperwork with medicare and my insurance. i never expected them to be so nice or work so hard to get me a power chair at no cost to me. if we qualify you and medicare denies your claim for a w scooter or power chair, i'll gi

jon: it's not just about the paris hiltons of the world. i've got an uncle that farms in nebraska, there's plenty of ground in nebraska that, you know, family farms, that are worth more than a million dollars when a person dies, and if the government gets 55 percent of that, or 35 percent of that, the family has to break up the land. >> well, the current exemption they're talking about is more like a $5 million level and if you look, it's less than one quarter of 1 percent of taxpayers, you're talking between four and 6000 taxpayers. jon: so is that a good thing? >> what it is, you have a disproportionate benefit when in fact we have massive fiscal needs in this country and if we don't do something to address our decifit we're going to crimp down growth and foreclose opportunity for people of all income classes. so if you look at the bang for the buck, the estate tax does not give us good bang for the buck, a repeal of it. jon: all right. the repeal of it, all right. curtis, if the decifit is the problem, is more taxation the answer? >> let

and you scored paris hilton's post-jail interview. sinatra, george clooney, clint eastwood, bacal.n't name them. from heather mills' leg, to ross perot's twang, you always cajole, not harass or harangue. you were moments when the guests had a cow. seinfeld wasn't canceled, larry, but i guess you know that by now. tyson ko'd without a punch and you got miss california's sash in a bunch. you get gaga for gaga. alas, it was brando who gave you some action. eight presidents joined you from nixon to obama and you brought us each moment of o.j.'s long drama. some startling shows i'll never forget, tammy faye's eyes, ted haggart's regret. your guests made us cry, made us think. wynona judd told you about a god wink. i hadn't heard that before so i looked the phrase up. it's a miracle, blessing, an overfilled cup. that's what you are, and as old blue eyes might say, the best is yet to come, larry, you did it your way. congratulations, larry. [ applause ] that's from wendy, too. >> larry: thank you all. diane, until i get them, you may wear those suspenders on the abc world news. >> i will

. >> just think, you'll have paris hilton at your house. >> just think. >> 5:27.lear threat from north korea. >>> still to come, why wikileaks has new competition in the secret spilling business. >>> next, you may see salt trucks on the roads. crews have been out all night getting ready fo ♪ ♪ ten thousand watts of xmas cheer ♪ ♪ ten thousand watts glow brhtly clear ♪ ♪ the colored lights will shine sincere, h ho, ho ♪ ♪ ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho♪ i bak it! ana knows how to cook... ...she so has acute lymphoblastic leukemia. her family turned to st. jude children's research hospital where we've increased the survival rate from 4% to 94%. can i have one more cookie? sure! great job, ana! greatob, st. jude. give thanks for the healthy kidin your life. and give to those who are not. go to stjude.org or shop wherever you see our magnifying glass. can be unsettlin but what if there were a different story? of one financial company that grew stronger through the crisis. when some lost their way, thicompany led the way. by protecting clients and turning uncertainty into conf

. >> greta: this christmas commercial from the luxury fashion line is going viral, stars like paris hiltonorizeing with dogs for years. apparently harvey nickels is get going the dog race. admit you might rather wake up with some of these dogs as a gift than an expensive hand bag. there you have the best of the rest. >> did jay leno find video evidence of the president hey, guys. printer's out of ink. just shake it. [ rattling ] [ male announcer ] need ink? staples has a low price guarantee on all the ink you need. find a lower price at another store, and we'll match it. that was easy. oh, my gosh. oh, my gosh. ♪ [ male announcer ] you know her. we know diamonds. together we'll make her holiday. that's why only zales is the diamond store. where you can get up to $1,000 off now through sunday. >> greta: flash the studio lights. it's time for last call. you never know what cameras near the white house what they're going to catch. >> white

. >> greta: this christmas commercial from the luxury fashion line is going viral, stars like paris hiltonorizeing with dogs for years. apparently harvey nickels is get going the dog race. admit you might rather wake up with some of these dogs as a gift than an expensive hand bag. there you have the best of the rest. >> did jay leno find video evidence of the president smoking a cigarette? stay tuned. just shake it. [ rattling ] [ male announcer ] need ink? staples has a low price guarantee on all the ink you need. find a lower price at another store, and we'll match it. that was easy. [ male announcer ] confused what to get? click on the robitussin relief finder. click on your symptoms. get the right relief. makes the cold aisle easy. th robussin relief finder. it's that simple. just don't feel like they used to. are you one of them? remember when you had more energy for 18 holes with your buddies? [ glass shatters ] more passion for the one you love? more fun with your family and friends? it could be a treatable condition called low testosterone, or low t. c'mon, stop living in the shado

they're comparing it to when we saw the privates of paris hilton and britney spears.o court to prevent the release of all of this so-called sexy video. she's not saying if she's confirming it or not. but keep in mind, this first marriage was short-lived. she's basically just saying, you're violating an injunction, blocking the release on the basis of the fact that this video is private and personal. you know, i have to say. she's a mother now, she's a married lady, it's sort of just like, get over it, ojani, it's over. >> it's over, be done with it. >> yeah. >> this isn't the first trouble she's had with that ex-husband. this isn't the first time they've been in court with tapes he allegedly has or does not have. a strange story there, you know what i mean? en in court with tapes he allegedly has or does not have. a strange story there, you know what i mean? if your racing thoughts keep you awake... sleep is here, on the wings of lunesta. and if you wake up often in the middle of the night... rest is here on the wings of lunesta. lunesta helps you fall asleep and stay

more recently cameron diaz, paris hilton, generations of hollywood celebrities drawn by the chateau's decadence and discretion. >> the chateau is about discretion, about privacy and it's about allowing people to be who they feel they need to be. >> reporter: andre owns the chateau marmont. >> this is a hotel with a storied history. what are some of the best stories about this place? >> we don't really discuss people's stories. they're out there but they never come from us. >> the tales are legend. johnny depp once claimed he and former girlfriend, model kate moss made love in every room. scarlet johanes and benecio del toro may or may not have had a tryst in the elevate. britney spears was barred for a time. ♪ welcome to the hotel california ♪ >> those in the band denies it the story insists that inspired "hotel california." >> you could say it's a notel motel with high thread count sheets. >> so this hotel, this is your inspiration, your muse? >> this was the starting point for the movie. >> director sophia cope la is one of the stars of "somewhere" which one top prize at the venice

tax cuts that they had before, no questions asked, to invigorate the economy, but let's say to paris hilton and bill gates and warren buffett no, you're not going to get a $100,000 tax cut each year if you make a million dollars, that's the average. we don't think that that really invigorates the economy. i would add to that as a postscript what the senator from new york raised, wouldn't it be reasonable for us also to say if we were going to give tax cuts to the wealthiest people in america, add to our deficit in the process, that shouldn't we help those who are unemployed in tennessee -- i see the two senators from tennessee -- or wyoming, i see the senator from wyoming who is here or minnesota or illinois. do you really think that it's right for us to cut off unemployment benefits for people in the midst of this holiday season? 127,000 people in the state of illinois will lose their unemployment benefits this month. merry christmas. and i know what those people receive. it's about $300 a week. i don't know that any of us could survive on that. they try. they try to keep going, and yet we

the glow of paris hilton or david hasselhoff may have long faded here, but in europe they remain as brightls offer something hopeful. >> no matter where you're from, to love. >> reporter: not pub love, but the real thing. for today, lee cowan, nbc news, los angeles. >> so that wedding is in the spring. maybe by then i'll have all the christmas songs out of my head. do you keep humming them? ♪ it's the most wonderful time >> anyway, we have got a holiday play list to sing along with. take a look. ♪ jingle bells jingle bell rock ♪ ♪ >> wonderful classic pianist. my favorite things. whitney houston does a rendition of joy to the world. ♪ it's not just -- ♪ joy to the world ♪ it's the gospel version. i mean it's a get up and clap and, you know, praise the lord in church kind of song. ♪ are you listening always ring are you glistening ♪ ♪ >> i'm jewish. i love the hanukkah song. i could sing that 50 different ways. >> i like those old school holiday songs that new age artists have recreated. like bruce springsteen when he went crazy. that one. i really enjoy the mariah car carey -- ♪ all i want

we were talking about getting a 3% tax cut for people like paris hilton. i think is kind of ridiculous. if we look back on history, in eight years of ronald reagan, we tripled the national debt. then when cheney and bush got in there, cheney made the famous statement that ronald reagan proved that deficits don't matter, and they do matter. if obama would do what reagan did and triple our national debt, i do not think we would exist as a country. i some point, this money has to be paid back. host: thank you. this is an e-mail from paul. chris is a college student in columbia, south carolina. do you go to the university of south carolina? caller: that is correct. host: what are you studying and how are you getting through school -- loans, parents, your own money? caller: i'm studying international trade and i'm paying my way as a i work. there are quite a few high school-age students [unintelligible] and the thing about the u.s. is so many of the parents have given students the idea that all they have to do is obtain a piece of paper in reference to a degree

that's why this paris hilton argument is specious. is that the right word, doctor?sachs? >> i don't think so. because one thing that has happened in this country that i don't think people fully understand is the concentration of wealth at the top of the top of the top is beyond imagining. the top 1% of wealth holders have more net worth than the bottom 90% of the population. more and more this country -- >> what's cause thad? i just made an ideological argument about wri i find it offensive that the government can take 50%. i understand the need for taxes he here. what has caused the rich to get richer and the poor to get poorer over the past 30 years? >> first of all t rich took over the political system so you have unbelievable abuses like this hedge fund deal where they get taxed at 15% where the rest of us pay taxes and you can't even change that for the very richest people in this country because it's all scam. and basically we got a scam going on in washington. both parties are accessories to it. and all that's happened is the income and the wealth at the top

or infamous cases in which the harassment involved well-known personalities such as reports of paris hilton using lindsay lohan's caller i.d. number to access voicemail. my own office experienced this when an organization used a phoner caller i.d. system to make it appear as though my congressional office was calling constituents. constituents were understandably puzzled and annoyed when bombarded by these calls. unfortunately we were not able to track down the perpetrators. in total we had 42 house republicans from 14 states were targeted in their home districts by similar harrising phone calls using call spoofing. although i believe that action alone constitutes a fraud imposing as a federal elected official's office, that's not the worst case. in several cases police and the f.b.i. have been subject to the so-called calls, when a caller uses another person's caller i.d. to phone the authorities, report a fake crime in process which draws a police and swat team response. luckily no one has been harmed in these cases but you can imagine the potential tragedies when a team of police with gu

paris hilton or david hasselhoff may have long faded but in europe, they remain as bright as ever. tough love, but the real thing. for "today," lee cowan, nbc news, los angeles. >>> as an american working in london, ashley pierson has the unique perspective on the culture of the royals. ashley, good morning to you. >> good morning. >> so why is there a great divide between the way americans feel about the royal wedding and the way the brits feel about it? is it just that the brits are more cynical as they pointed out in this piece? >> they definitely are more cynical, but there's also an element where familiarity breeds a certain amount of contempt. they're very aware of all the foibles and the problems an all the headaches that have gone on over the years, i think there's a certain concern over how much tax money goes towards this already wealthy family in terms of security and ore things. but you know, meredith, despite what they say, i think there's a reluctance to appear too excited or giddy about anything over here. and i think there is a bit of excitement underneath the surfa

. >> let's say to paris hilton and bill gates and warren buffet, no, you're not going to get hundred thousand dollar tax cut. >> reporter: not a question if, how long tax rates stay the same. >> we're not going to raise taxes on anybody. the only thing we're discussing is how long that extension will be. >> reporter: that air of confidence followed a move that has democrats angry. >> obstruct, delay, obstruct, delay. >> reporter: all 42 senate republicans vowed to block all other issues to get their way on tax cuts. >> they're not going to convince us because they won a few seats in the senate and picked up the house that was a mandate to give tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires. oh, no. >> as i was listening to him, i was reminded most of the people whose taxes he's trying to raise live in new york. they're not.in tennessee. >> reporter: real negotiations began behind the scenes. the top money men are trying to work out a deal on capitol hill just as the president's bipartisan's debt commission delivered the tough medicine it says the country needs to swallow to prevent fina

they don't spend it on watches like paris hilton. a large share of it they spent on investment which leads to productivity gains, which in turn is the best kind of growth for the economy. it is anti-keynesian. i agree. and it's sort of a visceral anti-keynesian -- people don't just wake up and say i hate the u.k. economist. what they say is it doesn't make sense to me to spend more than i can afford whether in the government or a household. >> guest: you're exactly right. most people don't know who chances. there is sort of a culture keynesianism outdated. most americans today believe if you cut government spending and that will create more jobs and spending more. they believe there will create more jobs. the reason is not because of economic theory, but they just think that the right way to run things. >> host: the average american, whether he or she is in the tea party or separate basically believes if you increase the senate to reducing taxes, you're going to get more economic growth. so if you say to the average american, which i