there's some snow in southern portions of minnesota, too. it's not going to cause much of an issue. let me take a look at the big picture. this time last year, this is how much snow we had covering the u.s. everywhere in blue is where there was snow. a good chunk of the northern half of the country. 50% of our country had snow on the ground. now, let me fast forward to what we're looking at right now. areas like iowa have no snow on the ground. southern minnesota is getting a little this morning but much of new england doesn't have snow on the ground. only 23% of our country now has snow on the ground. that's because our december weather pattern has been wet with mild air to the south. what's going to change, at least fort beginning of january, is kind of a pattern switch. a big chunk of cold air is coming down. i can't promise a snowstorm but i can promise a very cold start to the new year for many of us in the eastern half of the country. that here's a look at the weather outside your window. we'll see rain showers today. look at minneapolis and also areas like indianapolis. india

southern minnesota, just like you were -- they are in a severe drought. it's still worst in most of texas and parts of new mexico, western oklahoma be southwest kansas and much worse in georgia but nonetheless it's that dry tend continues that could be a problem in to the next growing season. the jet stream as you can see we continue to kind of see the jet stream from the southwest to the northeast. that generally keep itself mild in the southeast, even milder than normal into the great lakes and the northeast. the coldest air continues to plunge out west. let's see how it goes, cut off, that has been happening several times, the models bringing a shot of cold air in to the northern plains and the great lakes toward the latter parts of next week and next weekend. it may actually warm it up a little bit out west. let's go day by day. we see another cold front across the northern plains, we aren't talking much moisture, central and southern plains, scattered rain showers, this one will be a big rain maker. that starts to come into oklahoma and kansas with g

you think maybe in mid december, we might have some snow in iowa, even in southern minnesota, nope. it's all rain. and as far as we're concerned, we have high clouds coming in tonight. it will be pretty good viewing if you want to look for the meteor showers. you have to get away from light. street lights, am by ambient lights. 42 in arlington. 44 officially at the airport, but there's some 30s showing up. college park, beltsville, laurel, all in the upper 30s. look at reston coming in at 34. and sterling is 41 and leesburg is 37. so temperatures are falling quickly, but not as quickly as they did the last couple of nights. it will become milder still. the immediator meetier shower. it's much better when the sky is dark. it's going to be peek tonight. if you're lucky, you could see 30 or 40 or 50 per hour. there will be a better show on the 3rd of january. not as cold tonight. milder tomorrow. and milder still on thursday. so for tonight, we'll say partly cloudy, not quite as cold. 26 to about 36 with light winds. in fact, downtown, you're going to remain above freezing. you get in

rain and snow showers heading for chicago, light snow southern minnesota into wisconsin, really not going any headaches out there. today's forecast, nice and simple for anyone traveling, heading into the holiday weekend. 50s as far north as new york, boston at 46, we're ending this crazy warm december on that exact trend. in dallas and florida, no problems at all. still kind of rainy in the pacific northwest. as we go through new year's eve, warm, midnight, no cold forecast out there. it's going to be strange. usually it's the coldest holiday of the year, not this year. and new year's day, that's when the first surge of arctic air will arrive. it'll be felt in the northern plains on sunday. as we head toward the new year, looks like that cold air over the eastern half of the country% it's a blast of cold air, from approximately about tuesday till about thursday, then it's gone. it's not sticking around. so i guess we can deal with that. >> it was cold here yesterday. >> that was a one-day little tease. >> all right, bill, thanks so much. happy new year, my friend. >> you too. >>> last nig

you think no one is really watching you sometimes, and i was in a small town in southern minnesota a few years ago and for older women called me aside after i gave a talk and they said you know, we too in an effort a day when you preside at 4 o'clock over the senate. they are just sitting watching to the christening in the chair and they noticed are you in some kind of trouble in the senate? it just struck me again how regular citizens are turning in and while i know right now the reputation of congress has issues for good reason i don't think that means we shut them out and in fact i see it as a part of the democracy people were able to watch this and come to their own conclusions about issues. with that i turn it over to senator blumenthal. >> thank you, senator klobuchar pittard itunes and every time that he preside as well. you have all of fans out there. [laughter] life and work deutsch as many cases as you have, ms. mahoney, you've done several, and i recognize the dangers to the justice of the supreme court sea and the possibility of grandstanding and the theatrics. but i have

i was in a small town in southern minnesota a few years ago and four older women called me aside and they said we tune in every day to see you preside at 4:00 over the senate. we notice you are not doing it anymore. are you in some kind of trouble in the senate? it just struck me how regular citizens are to remain in and while i know right now the recommendation to congress issues for good reason that does not mean we shut them out and i see it as part of the democracy that people are able to watch this and come to their own conclusions. i now turn it over to senator blumenthal. >> i tune in every time you preside as well. you have a lot of fans out there. i have not argued as many cases as you have. i recognize the dangers that the justices of the supreme court seat and the possibility of grandstanding and theatrics. i have to tell you there is no more intimidating and challenging experience to argue before the united states supreme court. bar none, i think there are constraints built into the forum and the pace and difficulty of questioning that would really preclude -- i have been

you think no one is really watching you sometimes and i was in a small town in southern minnesota a fewthe senate? and it just struck me again how regular citizens are tuning in and while i know right now the refuge nation of congress has some issues for good reason, i don't think that means we shut them out and in fact i see it as part of the democracy that people are able to watch this and come to their own conclusions about issues. so with that i turn i turn it over to senator blumenthal. >> thank you senator klobuchar. i tune in every time you preside as well so i just wanted to know. you have a lot of fans out there. i have been argued as many cases as you have ms. mahoney and mr. goldstein. i have done several and i record nice the dangers that the justices of the supreme court seed in the possibility of grandstanding and theatrics. but i have to tell you, there is no more intimidating and challenging experience than to argue before the united states supreme court and bar none, i think there are constraints built into the forum and the pace and the difficulty of questioning that w

southern portions of nebraska. that's it. eventually even minnesota will get a little bit of snow. here's the snowfall forecast the next 48 hours. nothing in the great lakes. just a little bit here in far northern minnesota. then as you notice, the snow in areas of the mountainous locations outside of tucson, the rim of arizona and northern new mexico. that's about it. this storm system is actually bringing some rain to phoenix. now over .3 of rain. also light rain now extends through areas of missouri and southern illinois. if you're anywhere from southern illinois, st. louis, kansas city back through kansas, have the umbrella with you today. it's not going to rain hard. there'll be a steady light rain through southern missouri. areas of arizona, definitely umbrella from phoenix northwards. around flagstaff, snow. notice the thunderstorms. if you're joining us here really early out in the west coast, thunderstorms just off the coast of san diego. i probably say that once a year that we have thunderstorms near san diego. that's the case. i-5 up to oceanside. could get downpours ear

southern oklahoma. rain from little rock and memphis, up to minnesota. moving later to cleveland and buffalo. snow in the colorado rockies. a wintry mix from the dakotas to the upper peninsula of michigan. afternoon showers in the pacific northwest. >> 40 in seattle. 53 in sacramento. and 58 in phoenix. a wet 51 in chicago. 64 in kansas city. 70s from dallas to miami. 67 in atlanta. 54 baltimore. and 49 here in the big apple. >>> you ever notice how some tv commercials are louder than the program you're watching? well, that's about to change. >> good news for a lot of us. >>> and abc gets some action in washington. the government makes a major decision about its gold coin program, minting millions of dollars that no one actually uses. >>> and some incredible video. a driver plows into a store, targeting someone inside. the full story, ahead on "america this morning." when i joined the national guard, i never thought i'd be saving lives. it's more than money for college. it's built my character and given me a sense of accomplishment. now i'm on a career path, and i'm the leader of my team. i p

little bit of snow activity in southern portions of minnesota, also madison to green bay. riday's forecast, the southern half of the country looks just ideal. 70s from florida all the way through the gulf, south texas, the only problem spot if you're traveling pacific northwest, new year's eve, maybe a little bit of light rain to start your morning, but by the time we ring in the new year, anyone with late evening plans, much of the country looks fantastic. and new year's day as we go into sunday, the arctic air is arriving. the first shot of cold air will head for minneapolis and that should be over the northeastern section into southeast by the time we get to the beginning of january. i'll tell you what, this has been a fantastic winter so far if you don't like cold air and snow. you're watching "morning joe," brewed by starbucks. let 's go to vegas. alright, let's do it. let's do it, let's go to vegas. vegas baby! maybe we should head back to the dealership first? vegas! no, this is a test drive. vegas! [ male announcer ] it's practically yours. but we still need your si

minnesota through colorado. good news for their ski resorts. bad news, southern california.lked about the santa ana winds. it's been record high pressure sliding out of northern canada and low pressure across the south, that helps to funnel all the air in that direction, which is important because some of that energy will eventually slide east and take this entire storm track east next week, but through the weekend an future trend through saturday, highlights all the rough weather. some rain could be reaching cleveland game time for the ravens on sunday but we stay dry through the weekend. today 52. winds 10 to 20 miles per hour. we drop back to 27 overnight. although low 30s by the bay. low to mid-50s over the next few days with dry weather. near 60 sunday. the next storm, rain, comes in late monday through tuesday. the big question now, some models really hinting strongly at rain turning to some accumulating snow so stay tuned. right now we're watching you behind the scenes. and traffic. >>> thank you very much. live shot of u.s. 29 in howard county at maryland 108, traffi

that one producing cold temperature in denver, minnesota, over towards chicago, but the southern branch of the jet stream coming out of the pacific and picking up gulf moisture as the one that will con to warm us up over the next couple of days. very warm. houston, atlanta, washington, miami, i know this interests you, doreen. i know you are excited about it. four-day forecast, 62 tomorrow. 60 on your thursday. and 53 saturday. 48 on saturday. and 53 sunday. dry friday and saturday. most of thursday will be dry. storm will come late thursday night. sunday does look like we will see a good chance of rain. there could be enough cold air on the back side to see a couple of snowflakes out there but this storm still one to watch. still very interesting. that's the one that will bring the polar jet down from canada and arctic jet and a few others. >> more about this available on the website. >> yeah. >> thank you, doug. >>> a 6-year-old boy that lives in england, his family will move into a new house next year. a house that's under construction right now. leo was concerned about whether santa

minnesota and wisconsin. looking at rain in the southern california area. snow in the southwest.e rain will end down in florida. they'll have sunny and milder conditions. cool as you get into the othhio river valley. rain in the mississippi river valley. more snow in the southwest. hard to believe. they've had more snow in arizona than they've had >> good morning. temperatures will be where we should be this time of year, near average. the average guy is 46. >> and that's your latest weather. >>> coming up next, the best beauty products of the year and they won't bust your budget, either. >>> and then what you didn't know about president kennedy from author and tv host and one of our favorites, chris matthews. after these messages. and it's all your fault. naturally blame the mucus. he's funny. instead of blaming me, try this, advil congestion relief. often the real problem is swelling, not mucus. advil congestion relief reduces swelling due to nasal inflammation. so i can breathe. happily ever after. another story? from him! [ mucus ] advil congestion relief. the right relief fo

snowing in duluth, minnesota, and the dakotas, and farther south it's snowing in southern new mexicothe texas border. along the coast, little rain from seattle down to portland. elsewhere, dry. shouldn't have any travel problems through much of the nation. here's your day planner for us here around the washington met metro area and through virginia and maryland, sunshine breaking out this morning. sunrise at 7:24. a blustery northwest wind gust to go 30 miles an hour. warmest part of the day around noontime. by 5:00 down to 50 and colder tonight. a look at the evening planner in ten minutes. danella, here's a look at our traffic. good morning. >> good morning. >>> slick roadways causing you problems on the outer loop of the beltway. chopper 4 on the outer loop of kenilworth avenue. see it in the left shoulder lane. also on the right shoulder lane. a car was veered off of the roadway in this area. as you make your trip on the outer loop at kenilworth avenue, you might see rubber necking delays, but your lanes are open. also on the outer loop of the beltway at connecticut avenue, we're

southern oklahoma. also rain from little rock, memphis. up to minnesota. moving later to cleveland and buffalo. snow in the colorado rockies in a wintry mix in the dakotas. >> 35, fargo. 40, seattle. 53, sacramento. wet, 51, chicago. 54, kansas city. stand 67, atlanta. upper 40s in new york. >> well there were some serious pda going on here in new york the past few days. all inspired by two giant mistletoe wreaths hanging from ten foot tall candy canes on a pedestrian mall. the kissing was getting hot and heavy. >> put there by findyourfacemate.com. the company dope naug donating h for children around the world with facial deformities. >> i had never seen a mistletoe ball that big. >> hope to donate $20,000 t makeout. do it for a good cause. >> just smooch. >> not bad. more "world news now" when we come back. f us want to hear we've done a good job caring for our mouths. that's why there's a rinse like crest pro-health multi-protection. it helps you get a better dental check-up. so be ready for your next dental check-up. try any crest pro-health rinse. ♪ you're the best thing that i ever had ♪

minnesota. they're getting cold air. also, they're getting snow in far southern new mexico all the way down to el paso, texas. there may be flight delays there too. up and down the western seaboard, does look like from seattle and vancouver all the way down to los angeles. pretty good weather although they're getting a little rain in seattle. there might be minor flight delays there. for your day planner for this friday, if you're traveling and getting out of town, the pavement may be drying as the morning progresses. gusty wind out of the north and west gusting to around 30 miles an hour. temperatures low to mid-50s middle of the day and dropping to 40 by midnight as we clear out. near 30 by dawn on saturday. christmas day looking better. partly sunny. afternoon highs mid-40s. cold weather all the way into next week. small chance of rain on tuesday. danella, how's traffic? >> good morning. >>> if you're traveling in d.c., you have to be careful in northwest. traveling in northwest on "g" street, your closure is at 11th street due to a blown transformer. pepco is working to repair that right now. for now your

southern missouri. typically this time of year we'd expect a big snowstorm to move across the country. there's not enough cold air available. our snow forecast only northern minnesota the next 48 hours is expecting snow out of this. the middle of the country we'll see rain, umbrella day, chicago, st. louis, kansas city, even san antonio yoe. east coast, you're dry. partly cloudy skies. not a bad day. cold start but philadelphia northwards through new england and the ohio valley, you won't have a lot -- as much sunshine today. temperatures will be warmer. chicago, that's a chilly rain for you at 41 degrees. that's kind of the theme. we'll see some rain out of this storm but not a lot of snow. >> bill, thanks so much. >>> well, coming up, stocks stagger. deceptive data and a dollar coin sells for millions. >>> plus, it seems like she's won every award possible this year. we'll tell you who beat her out for billboard artist of the year. >>> coming up, the seahawks keep their playoff hopes alive and more bad news for sidney crosby. you're watching "early today." >>> good morning and welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry. the supreme court has agreed to rule on

southern oklahoma. also rain from little rock and memphis moving up to minnesota. cleveland and buffalo. also some snow in the colorado rockies in a wintry mix in the dakotas. >> 35, fargo. 40, seattle. 53, sacramento. a wet 51 in chicago. 67 in atlanta. upper 40s in new york. >>> well, there was some serious pda going on here in new york the past few days. it was all inspired by two giant mistletoe wreaths hanging from ten foot tall candy canes on a pedestrian mall. it may be winter, but the kissing was getting hot and heavy. >> the mistletoe was put there by the web site findyourfacemate.com. the company is donating $1 for every smooch for operation smile. a charity that provides free reconstructive surgery for children around the world with facial deformities. i have never seen a mistletoe ball that big. i didn't know that's what it was. >> they hope to donate about $20,000 to charity for that. make-out, do it for a good cause. >> just smooch. >> not bad. more "world news now" when we come back. ♪ kissing my mistletoe ♪ kissing my mistletoe f us want to hear we'

southern new england. western new york, areas like syracuse and rochester, they have barely any snow on the ground at all and even areas of northern -- the plains. minnesota should be snow covered by now. so, a lot of plays typically people get around on snowmobiles they don't have the snow. doesn't look like any more is coming. temperatures this morning are warm. we're at 39 to start your morning in minneapolis. and chilly in new england and the great lakes. we'll warm it up after a brisk weekend. not a lot of storminess out there. rain in the georgia and also off the coast of florida. that's not going to cause too many issues. just light rain this morning. showers for atlanta. more steady rain will be savannah southwards down to areas of jacksonville and eventually some of that will sneak up into charleston. that's about it as far as for rainy travel. your forecast today, it's a chilly cold morning in new england. we'll warm it up. nice afternoon. a couple degrees warmer than yesterday. 46 and sunny in boston. middle of the december, you can't complain about that. and there's the showers down there in the southeast. we are going to see a lot of clouds i

southern california. and i-40 fromstaff to flagstaff albuquerque. slick on i-20 and 35 in south texas. also some freezing rain makes for a slippery ride on i-90 and 94 from minnesota to wisconsin. >>> if you're flying, airport delays are possible in phoenix los angeles and minneapolis. >>> we now turn to the latest in the penn state sex abuse scandal. claims by the assistant coach that first blew the whistle are being challenged by a family friend. >> coach mike mcqueary said he witnessed the abuse in a shower. he reportedly told a friend a different story. he claims mcqueary said he only heard what was going on in the shower but did not see anything sexual. if the report is accurate, it could hurt the case against sandusky. sandusky will be in court tomorrow. >>> one of those fired officials, legendary football coach joe paterno is now recovering after fracturing his pelvis because of a fall he took at home. a family friend says he will not need surgery. he initially injured his pelvis back in august. he's also undergoing chemotherapy and radiation for a treatable form of lung cancer. paterno will turn 85 years old next week. >>> one of the largest sports organiz

san diego, minnesota and los angeles all asking for money as well for their stadiums. they want new stadiums. l.a. wants to bring football back to southern california. there's a lot of people competing for x-number of dollars. still, the 49ers are very hopeful, especially after last night's unanimous vote. terry mcsweeney, abc7 news. >>> new action has been taken in the case of the oakland police officer who fired a bean bag during an occupy oakland protest last month. uc leaders have been called to sacramento to address accusations of police brutality during campus occupy department stray -- department stray shuns. >> reporter: we saw two incidents and police using force break up demonstrations and this morning, state lawmakers demanding an explanation. in a few hours, uc and csu officials, students and police oversight experts will testify at a joint hearing in sacramento about nonviolent protests and use of force. at uc davis video you see here made famous officers pepper sprayed a row of seated students. at uc berkeley officers hit student demonstrators with batons. university officials are expected to explain their policies and proc

southern california to new mexico. heavy snow, mountains around l.a. and rain, south texas and southeast florida. freezing drizzle from minnesota to michigan. >> 30s in the twin cities. 20s, fargo. 40s, chicago, east coast. and 64, new orleans. 30s from seattle to salt lake city. >> 'tis the season to be sure. and wherever you've might be if it is the weekend then it is santa's swarming the streets. >> this time a charity race in paris. thousands of santa wannabes, clad in well, padded suits make a mad dash. joined by a few christmas trees and packages. >> the g-rated event, attracted hundreds of families. unlike an event in new york, santacon, costumes santas on a pub crawl. a lot walking around new york. santa was feeling no pain. >> i saw ate few myself. yes. >> 'tis the season. more "world news now" coming up after the break. ♪ here comes santa claus here comes santa claus right down santa claus plain ♪ i'm just a piece of dirt stuck here in a rut. ever since that ol' broom dumped me here... oh, oh. oooh! will love ever come my way? oh my! ♪ i believe in miracles [ male announcer ] swiffer attracts dirt. swiffer sweeper's n

minnesota, and further south and west. colorado, denver, which was sleeping in the 60s today at 21. with 4 to 6 inches of snow. and that snow extends into southern portions of utah. l.a. now, with the winds, 20, 30, 40 miles an hour. right now, they're around 61 degrees. north of that area, this is where the cold air is. temporarily, we're still in this very pleasant, normal kind of air mass. no super cold air headed our way. there's a weak cold front headed north. that will cross the region with maybe a cloud or two tomorrow night. saturday, a little cooler. and by the end of the weekend, this comes close. and southwest winds, with more mild air for the entire east coast once again. and it stays dry. on the bay tomorrow, i a northwest wind at 5 to 10 knots. bay temp, stuck at around 50 degrees. tonight, clear. it will be cold. with light winds. a lot of frost in the morning. 28 degrees. maybe 33 downtown. tomorrow, lots of sunshine, really. just like today. except tomorrow evening. some of those clouds come over that weak front. a high of 54. we're talking above average once again. then it drops just a little bit on saturday and warms up again

the southern rockies and up into the northern rockies, parts of the cascades and, of course, into the sierra, nevada. back out towards the east, you have the u.p. of michigan, arrowhead of minnesotasconsin and part of the northeast. that's snow on the ground. who is going to get snow tonight and into tomorrow? well, it looks like, as we pe put this into motion, we're going to see snow. >> west texas, parts of new mexico, parts of the pacific northwest and some of the great lakes. that's it. that is complete lit it, which is unfortunately if you're hoping for a lot of the snow across the nation. you're not going to see tons of it. but if you're just start to go travel, your travel weather is going to be a-okay. we're seeing great conditions across the eastern and central great lakes. pretty nice if you're taking a flight towards san diego or l.a. the only big trouble spot we have in terms of rough weather for travelers is going to be right here in texas from abilene back over to dallas. it's a weird situation with rain on one side, sleet mixed in and heavier snowfall on parts of 20. abilene, back into midland, odessa, the snow should continue through a big part of the day. then, t

minnesota and wisconsin. we're looking at rain in the southern california area, snow in the southwest and then for tomorrow, theu get into the ohio river valley. look for rain moving into the mid mississippi river valley. more snow in the southwest. hard to believe, they've had more snow in arizona than they've had in buffalo. yikes. >> wow. really? >> absolutely. that's what's going on around the country. here is what's happening in your neck of the woods. >>> a gray and cold monday. good morning. i'm meteorologist tom kierein in storm center 4. a live view from the sky watcher camera looking toward the west. weak sun trying to shine through the overcast. we'll have the cloud thinning as the afternoon progresses. temperatures climb out of the 20s into the 30s. then the low and mid 40s by mid afternoon. clearing to night, 20s tomorrow morning. afternoon highs low >> and that's your latest weather. >>> coming up next, the best beauty products of the year and they won't bust your budget, either. >>> and then what you didn't know about president kennedy from author and tv host and one of our favorites, chris matth

minnesota and alaska and in countries like canada. that's why we call this spectacular light show the northern lights, and down in australia and new zealand, they get to watch the southernheering] >> when i was a little pteranodon, my family always celebrated the shortest day of the year, the day with the least amount of sunlight. we called it winter solstice, and the thing that i really loved to do the most was helping my brothers and sisters decorate my family's nest. we used the branches of really tall evergreen trees. they're called conifers. >> whoa! >> awk. >> wow! >> beautiful! >> amazing! >> happy winter soltice, everyone! >> ♪ la la loo are throwing a party. let the games begin! so join all the fun on pbs kids. that's right! this is gonna be great! it's "barney and friends" weekdays on pbs kids or watch anytime you want at pbskids.org. [whistle blows] >> this program was made possible by... contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you! thank you! [train whistle blows] >> we love playing games! >> like all aboard! >> you can play, too, online at pbskids.org! >> and lots of other games! >> there's so much to learn about all kinds of dinosaurs! >> go to

southern florida. we also are looking at some freezing rain making its way through the midsection of the country. we're also looking at icy conditions northern minnesotao the arrowhead there. air stagnation alert continues in the pacific northwest, and the snow continues in the southwest. and who got engaged? i can't even tell. oh, there you are! >> i got engaged, nicole. >> where's your fiance? >> he's back in dallas. >> he beat it out of town! oh, there's the ring. very nice. congratulations. >> thank you. >>s. >> good morning. it will be warmer than yes slick in the afternoon. mostly sunny is our forecast. >>> and don't forget, you can check your weather any time of the day or night. go to the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. ann? >> all right. you look adorable, by the way, in that hat, al. thank you so much. >>> coming up next, fight the bulge or boost the budget? why schools in one major city are now reconsidering their vending machine ban on junk food. that's right after this. - neil lane's jewelry designs are uniquely beautiful. one look, and it's easy to see why his rings are worn by hollywood's biggest stars. now you can have

santa ana winds tore through southern california, toppling trees and blocking highways, jackknifed and overturned trucks. no reports of serious injuries. >>> officials in minnesota are warning it's still too early for ice fishing. thursday rescuers safely plucked more than 20 anglers from a sheet of ice that broke away from the edge of the lake the night before. the ice floe drifted a half mile into open water. >>> former presidential candidate john edwards is asking for another delay in his criminal trial citing an undisclosed medical condition. he's accused of using campaign contributions to hide his mistress and her pregnancy from the public during his 2008 campaign. >>> overseas markets were slower in preday tr-tradinging. cnbc's mandy drury is at new york stock exchange. good morning, mandy. >> the question is whether we can extend the mini santa claus rally. more ed of a rebound in the u.s. economy has helped thus far. as of yesterday the s&p 500 index was on the cusp of turning positive for the year. i should also say that that payroll tax cut agreement will lessen uncertainty on wall street and the market really hates uncertainty, so that is a positive a

minnesota and wisconsin. in the west, more snow in the four corners and heavy in arizona and to new mexico, and southern californiastill have an that anna winds today and tomorrow and into monday and later next week you will be looking fine. guys? >> some artists use paint and others skull -- sculpt with leg goes. >> a corporate attorney was an attorney and now is an artist, and he had a childhood favorite and joins us, now. this is incredible. >> it took several weeks, a lot of building bricks on top of bricks. that is what i do. >> him pulling his chest open. >>guest: this is called "yellow." i let the view evening take what they want out of it. >>clayton: people are saying how does this become your full time job? how do you go from being a lawyer to a leg go artist? >>guest: i would come home after a long day at artist and i picked up legos and decided i could create sculptture out of leg go and got commissions from around the world and left the law firm behind and became an art it. >>dave: how was that conversation with your parents? you know, that law school you sent me to? >> i had been a lawyer and i was go

minnesota, u.p. of michigan and for farther south in chicago, rain. it will not last all day long. nice mild conditions will wrap things up. nice over the four corners and back over to southernatures today of 52 degrees in seattle. 74 in los angeles. 59 in memphis. 73 in miami. new york with 37 degrees. that's your forecast. now it is your turn. >> thanks so much, reynolds. >>> still to come this morning, a look at the terror inside syria. a freelance journalist sneaks into the city and shows us what the syrian government has gone to great lengths to hide. >>> when it comes to politics, will 2012 bring more of the same gridlock or not? you are watching "american morning." it is 23 minutes after the hour. brad, where we going? just a second. just, just one second. ♪ what are you looking at? don't look up there. why are you looking up? ♪ get outta the car. get outta the car. ♪ are you ok? the... get in the car. get in the car! [ male announcer ] the epa estimated 42 mpg highway chevy cruze eco. from spending time together, to spending your lives together, chevy runs deep. it's me? alright emma, i know it's not your favorite but it's time for your medicine, okay? you ready? one

southern florida. we also are looking at some freezing rain making its way through the midsection of the country. we're also looking at icy conditions northern minnesotaarrowhead there. air stagnation alert continues in the pacific northwest, and the snow continues in the southwest. and who got engaged? i can't even tell. oh, there you are! >> i got engaged, nicole. >> where's your fiance? >> he's back in dallas. >> he beat it out of town! oh, there's the ring. very nice. congratulation >>> good morning to you. 7:39 on a tuesday morning. temperatures very chilly out there. and we have some patchy fog. it's really cold out there. near records. it's very close to a record now in santa rosa, napa and hayward. 36 in oakland. you might find frost on your windshield in the city of oakland at least for the next couple of hours. 59 in redwood city. 58 in san francisco. even though it's december we typically don't get this cold this early. 59 tomorrow. >>> and don't forget, you can check your weather any time of the day or night. go to the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. ann? >> all right. you look adorable, by the way, in that hat, al. thank y

southern florida. we also are looking at some freezing rain making its way through theng at freezing rain making its way through the midsection of the country, and we're looking at icy conditions from northern minnesotastagnation alerts continue in the northwest, and who got engaged? oh, there you are. >> nicole. >> where is your fiance? >> back in dallas. >> there's the ring. very nice. that's what's going on around the country, and here's what's going on in your neck of the woods. >> good morning. clear and frosty cold on this tuesday morning. i am meteorologist, tom kierein, in storm center 4. there is a live picture from the skywatcher camera, and bouncing around and a bit of a breeze picking up. and temperatures are cold down into the low to mid-20s throughout most of the region this morning and we will climb in the low 50s later today with lots of sun. low 50s and lots of clouds > an check your weather any time of the day or night. go to the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. ann? >> all right. you look adorable, by the way, in that hat, al. thank you so much. >>> coming up next, fight the bulge or boost the budget? why schools in one major city are now reconsidering their vending