spokane getting a good dump of it now. mostly a little bit of rain there in the valleys south of yakama. seattle, for you, you're okay. showers around this morning. in other areas getting hit hard with snow, mup of idaho meaning jackson hole another big fresh dump of powder. if anyone chose the new year's holiday weekend to go skiing, a lot of great conditions. as i mentioned, the cities are all above freezing. not an issue. even boise in higher elevations, that's where we get all the snow. today's forecast, showers up in the northwest. san francisco, one ever spots already cleared out, still rain to come. l.a., san diego and in phoenix. g mark.a look at your wednesday hopefully the roads won't be too bad if treated. >>> this storm moves out for a decent thursday. details and the forecast coming up. >> thanks, bill. >>> a rally, airlines have their palm out again and taking a team to court over drunken fans. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. >>> plus, she is shaking off the fact she's just branded o

those pictures out of spokane were crazy. >> putting grouper on my christmas wish list. i can't believe it's going to come true. >> stick him in a bag. >> this storm is grabbing headlines. impressive event. a once in every decade, once every 15-year-type storm that hit southern california. now spreading moisture into a snowstorm in the northern plains. it's really southern california in the mountainous areas of california that have stolen the headlines. some of the pictures out there, because we are getting new reports of mudslides now and debris slides and, of course, river flooding. this is oceana. watching this area, it picked up about six inches of rain. other areas such as los angeles picked up four inches of rain and it's still raining. the weather pattern will continue to wednesday night. the next dry day won't be until thursday. let me go and take you into the details on this. the pick moisture, it goes all the way out to hawaii. our friends in hawaii dealt with normal flooding yesterday too. this is just a hose of moisture that is now over southern california. n

she's a young woman from spoa dmain my home state. -- spokane in my home state. she wrote me a letter and told me she's a senior at eastern washington university. and her dream for years has been to join the u.s. army. she wrote to me -- and i quote -- "i believe the military is an honorable calling, one of self-sacrifice and dedication, and i would be proud to call myself a soldier." but there was a problem. rebecca told me that the very sense of honor that called her to serve her country was preventing her from acting on her dream because, she told me she's a lesbian, and she's very proud of who she is. and as long as the official policy of the united states army is to ask her to bury that pride and tell her to keep secret a large part of who she is and to ask her to live what would essentially be a lie, she simply won't be able to serve our country. rebecca told me that nothing would make her happier than to be able to graduate this coming spring and start her journey standing up for our nation. she doesn't want to feel that she should be ashamed of who she is

this is spokane, washington. drivers were trying to go up a hill. as you can see they are not quite making this. this bumper car session went on for several hours until people in the area closed the street down themselves and they waitedded for city crews to come and clear the street. >>> road conditions in the sierra were treacherous as well today. blue canyon drivers were inching along cautiously. >> reporter: the roads remaining treacherous tonight. >> it is slippery. it is slidey. very icy. >> reporter: dealing with icy surfaces and dealing with visible forcing them to make the crawl up and down many scrambling like this gu for their chains. >> i'm going to do it now before the next set of storms come in. >> reporter: this man from oak realizing he should have gotten a better set. >> trains on the truck kept slipping stuff like that. that's what i get for getting crappy chains. >> reporter: while it was snow and ice up the hill earlier down the hill made for a nasty ride as well. slushy wet runoff hitting the pavement sending a number of cars sp

. >>> and it looks like a bumper car game in spokane, washington. check this out.al cars slipping and sliding on an ice-covered road. this went on for hours until people took matters into their own hands and closed the road themselves. >>> if you still have packages to mail, get busy. today is the busiest day of the year for the u.s. postal service. get this. it will handle 800 million pieces of mail. today is the recommended deadline for sending greeting cards and holiday letters if you want them to arrive in time for christmas. some of us buy cards that say happy new year. >> happy valentine's day! >> after tomorrow it's priority or express mail. >>> new reports show people celebrate christmas regardless of religion. two surveys found that more than 9 in 10 americans celebrate the holiday even if they are atheists or nonchristian. gallup poll of 1,000 adults, only 51% say christmas is strongly religious. between 79 and 89% of people say they would give gifts, put up a tree and play holiday music. percentages drop below 50% for attending church on christmas or tel

spokane not bad at 33 and partly cloudy. >>> lynn, we'll take a close are look at the forecast, any concerns we have, still potential for nuding and snowfall total was amazing in the mountains. >> absolutely. bill, thanks so much. >>> well, wall street's new year's optimism. wikileaks next target is confirmed, and the unemployed millionaire. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus a new police investigation into allegations against lindsay lohan. >>> a record setting night for the lady huskies. the mavericks right florida and shaquille o'neal like you've never seen him before. you're watching "early today." >>> good morning, and welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry. here are some of your top headlines this morning -- a federal judge has ordered the government to pay more than $2.5 million to a suspected terrorist organization, ruling that investigators wiretapped the group without a warrant. the judge ruled in favor of a now defunct charity group in oregon. according to the associated press, the alleged terror plot that emerged in england this week was aimed a

yesterday it brought snow in the pacific northwest especially the mountains, in and around spokane.oday it's beginning to taper off a little bit. the areas that are still seeing moisture flow coming, northern california, mount shasta, significant snow, in the mountainous areas of oregon and idaho. specifically idaho is really going to get a lot of snow during the day today with more pure powder for ski resorts. you can see from boise all the way to twin falls, we have on and off snow at this current time. a forecast is calling for another 3 to 6, possibly 12 inches of snow at higher elevations. the cities down in the lower valleys will definitely see less. the forecast for today, showery and snowy throughout much of the interior west. california warming up a bit.sno. crescent city, showers, same for eugene and astoria. thursday's forecast coming right up. >> thanks, bill. >>> also coming up, more euro debt problems. wall street thinks it knows the next wikileaks target. your early business headlines are straight ahead. >>> plus, with an acting career in high gear, looking at a possi

tha that cold air holding on in spokane and a chance of some snow. >>> wednesday's forecast coming uplynn. >> also coming up, big ben crashes wall street's party. a play for barnes & noble and the giant $100 bill headache. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. >>> plus, what's in a name? for one fan of nbc's "chuck," just about everything. >>> another nfl coach is fired. miami heating up and the patriots pull out all the stops. you're watching "early today." >>> good morning, and welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry. here are some of your top headlines this morning -- the supreme court says it will decide whether the largest employment discrimination case in the nation's history can continue against walmart. more than 1 million current and former female employees are seeking billions of dollars in damages through a class action lawsuit, because they say they were paid less than men and given fewer promotions. a group of companies against class action cases, including general electric, the current other than of this network, signed a petition urging the cou

up to five inches in the forecast for spokane. the fast-moving weather system is expected to produce more snow from northern arizona to minnesota. kurt gregory, nbc news. >>> taking a break from his hawaii vacation and with congress on theirs, president obama filled six administration posts. the recess appointments, which include four new u.s. ambassadors, allows them to serve without confirmation by the senate where they had been held up and their prospects would grow even dimmer once republicans gain strength next month. the most controversial pick is james coal cole for the number two spot at the justice department. cole, a close friend of eric holder, has drawn scrutiny from republicans for his views on terrorism and close ties to insurance giant aig. >>> cording according to the associated press, federal authorities are launches an investigation to determine whether failed delaware senate christine o'donnell broke campaign financing rules. at issue is whether the tea party favorite who famously confessed to dabbling in witchc

. >> reporter: in the northwest, snow and ice led to a series of pileups in spokane, washington. in the colorado rockies, a white christmas in vail and aspen, if you can get there. a similar mess in california's sierra nevada. >> i'm chris warren with the weather channel in truckee, california. after a stormy weekend, more than a foot and a half of snow for some of the ski resorts and for residents, it's time to clean up. >> reporter: cleaning up, but according to forecasters, the worst is still to come. the forecast calls for 3 to 8 inches of rain in this area by wednesday. flash flood advisories are in effect across this region. a real washout all across california. brian? >> miguel starting us off from flintridge, california. miguel, thanks. >>> then there's the situation in europe where the holiday plans of thousands of people have been ruined. canceled because of a crippling situation there. canceled flights, canceled trains, lots of frustrated travelers. many of them families. our own stephanie gosk is at london's paralyzed heathrow airport tonight. and stephanie, a british

. >>> and it looked like a bumper car game in spokane, washington. several cars slipping and sliding on an ice covered road. this went on for hours until people took matters into their own hands and closed the roads themselves. >> b.a.r.t trains running behind much of the day. what prompted the system to shut down mid-afternoon. >>> get those packages and envelopes sealed and ready to ship. the u.s. mail says time is running out to get them to their destinations on time. ,,,, join the jaguar platinum celebration ! come celebrate exciting cars that are stunning to look at, exhilarating to drive and worry free to own. celebrate this holiday season with the gift of platinum. jaguar platinum coverage: five years or 50,000 miles of complimentary scheduled maintenance, and no cost replacement of wear and tear items. visit your bay area jaguar dealer during the platinum celebration for a $599 lease offer on the 2011 xf. started in the transbay tube. a train operator smelled smoke and >>> delays still being sorted out hours after a train operator smelled smo

if you don't like being insulted avoid spokane, washington. >>> an electronic crosswalk in downtown spokane. but crews say they have to clear the streets first. until then stay classy, spokane. >>> i'm ali velshi with you for the next hour. >>> life on other planets. we're about to know more. nasa has an announcement that's got the universe abuzz. >>> in q and a, with the world drowning in a flood of leaked documents, is exposing corporate secrets good or bad for business and for all of you? >>> the search for answers to the education crisis. we just mind find a few today with bright minds gathered right here in atlanta. >>> if you believe we're not alone in the universe, that somewhere, some kind of living thing must exist outside of our own tiny planet today is your day. any second now nasa will make an announcement about search for extraterrestial life. we think we'll hear about microbes. remember this it's every chemical element known to mankind. i'll show this to you. mark will help me. this is the periodic table of the elements. everything that's made. every kind of life we know has t

. >> reporter: in spokane, washington, icy streets caused a multicar pileup and howling winds with near seattle sent a tree crashing through the roof of this house. >> the roar of the wind was horrible. we were covering our ears. it was awe. >> reporter: and when the gusts snapped nine power poles a burst transformer caused this house to go up in flames. firefighters could only watch it burn as the road was blocked. >> i just saw all potter poles all the way down the road just sandwich to the road. >> reporter: the series of rainstorms is being caused by a large plum of subtropical moisture stretching all the way from asia, mixing with a low pressure system that is slamming it into the pas civic coast. >> we have a long trail of moisture that extends well out into the central pacific and that's exactly what we are seeing right now. until we get a change in the weather pattern this moisture is going to keep coming in from the west and southwest. >> reporter: in water-logged los angeles a two-storey fig tree toppled over when the ground gave way and flash flood watches are now in effect f

. >>> icy roads turned a hill in spokane into a demolition derby. car slid down that slippery hill and smashed into one another for several hours. the pileup finally ended with concerned residents simply shut down the street. no one, thankfully, was seriously injured but there was, as can you imagine, plenty of damage. >> wow, watching in slow motion for those folks out there. >>> now, for a look at how the roads are shaping up this morning. wet and flooded on i-5 from seattle to san diego. snow and ice on i-80 from sacramento to salt lake tee. ice on i-40 from florida to chicago. >>> if you're flying expect airport delays in seattle, san francisco, l.a., vegas, salt lake city, minneapolis, chicago, boston and new york. >>> we are following some breaking news from britain this morning where a dozen men have been arrested on terrorism charges. police say the suspects were plotting significant attacks on targets within britain. the arrests came in a series of early-morning raids in three cities. we will have much more on this developing story on "good

and on i-90, from spokane to helena.west. >> and if you're flying today, you can expect some airport delays in seattle, san francisco, salt lake city and detroit. >>> it could have been the big break that hollywood has been hoping for. >> late last night, police were closing in on a person of interest in the murder of a top studio publicist. but moments later, that person is dead, committing suicide. the murder mystery of celebrity publicist ronni chasen took another deadly turn late wednesday, as police approached a man with possible ties to the case. >> we attempted to talk to the suspect. when they did, the suspect produced a handgun. and there was a self-inflicted gunshot wound. >> reporter: the man police call a person of interest, killed himself in the lobby of an apartment house in a busy part of hollywood. detectives wanted to talk to him about the execution-style slaying of ronni chasen, the publicist shot to death in the front seat of her mercedes in the middle of beverly hills. chasen's murder continues to be

and in spokane, washington, the treacherous ice caused a chain reaction pileup that never seemed to end. meteorologists say these huge rain totals are because of a weather system just south of hawaii. >> the pineapple express is something that takes warm subtropical moisture and it really streams it into the area, sometimes lasting for days. this is very similar. >> reporter: engineers are fighting mother nature by building large storm basins to funnel the floodwater. this is one of many enlarged debris basins. and this is really the front line of defense. excavation crews are trying to remove as much mud as possible, but there's a chance they could be overwhelmed. la canada streets are protected by concrete barriers if the mud starts flowing again like it did in february, when it washed away homes and cars. >> anyone's going to want to stay and protect their homes and their neighborhood. and that's just what people do. it's your home. >> reporter: torrential rains are predicted all week for what is supposed to be sunny california. the system is so powerful, it may reach all the way to

>> reporter: in spokane, washington, icy streets caused a multi-car pile-up, and howling winds near seattle sent a tree crashing through a house. >> the roar of the wind was horrible. we were covering our ears. it was awful. >> reporter: when the gust snapped nine power poles, a burst transformer caused this house to go up in flames. firefighters could only watch it burn as the road was blocked. >> i just saw all the power poles all the way down the road sandwiched to the road. >> reporter: the series of rain storms caused by a large plume of subtropical moisture stretching all the way from asia mixing with a low pressure system slamming it into the pacific coast. >> we have a long trail of moisture extending well into the central pacific. that's exactly what we are seeing right now. until we bet a change in the weather pattern, this moisture will keep coming in from the west and southwest. >> reporter: in water-logged los angeles, a two-story fig tree toppled over when the ground gave way and flash flood watches are now in effect for areas burned by recent wildfires. the massive station fi

. >> reporter: in spokane snow and ice led to a series of pileups, residents shut down their own roads. back in southern california up to 12 feet of snow could blanket ski resorts, but in the foothills la quinata rain and mud keep many awake tonight. nbc news, los angeles. >> for more on what to expect from this relentless weather system we turn to chris warren who joins us from truckee, california west of lake tahoe. >> reporter: it will go op and on for the west coast, but if you live on the east coast pay attention to what's happening on the west coast because some of this energy from this steady stream of moisture from the west will be heading east. as it it does it will bring snow to the rockies and eventually we could see accumulating snow throughout parts of the northern plains, could see several inches there. as we get into monday night into tuesday, chicago could see four inches and into cincinnati we could see a few inches of snow as well. we are also here at the weather channel watching a potential storm lester for next weekend for the northeast. so this is far from over. >>

college majors on demolition derby this nobly used road turn into a slip and slide for drivers in spokane washington. >> he ran into the truck, and you had them, the four by four hit the tape. >> nobody was seriously hurt. strong winds 7 mi. an hour down trees and power lines in seattle. 100,000 people lost power at the height of the storm. in california flash flooding turn road and to reverse. drivers were stranded in streets. >> where coming down the street thinking we could make it. it just stopped. it's flooded. >> homeowners concerned about mud slides. a tree situated in and stable earth called on this whole the ground is moving so much of the houses of my sled. that might be said to have 10 minutes to get out. >> they said the situation will get worse as more rain moves and higher elevation could get tin feet of snow that's good for snow boarders and skiers. >> it's powdery so you get stuck a lot. >> 6:41 a.m. president barack obama expected to clear the way for gays to serve openly in this military. the new lot does not go into effect immediately because after the president signs i

stay tough, spokane. thank you for today's random moment.er one. >>> he is enemy number one to cleveland cavalier fans. lebron james back in town tonight. for the first time since he ditched the team for the miami heat. the move, as you know, infuriated cavs fans. >> he's never been booed in cleveland and never really been booed hardly anywhere or any place in his whole life, so again, i think he understands the business side of this and he understands that there's some animosity toward him. >> the heckling, you know, is part of the game. when we go on the road we get it. obviously, you know, this is going to be a little bit worse. i get that also. but once we get talking about harming people and their family and their wellbeing, i think that's kind of taking it a little too far. >> authorities have tightened security for tonight's cleveland/miami game. >>> the 2018 world cup goes to -- >> so the 2018 fifa world cup, 2018 fifa world cup, ladies and gentlemen, will be organized in russia. >> they then revealed the host for 2022. >> the winner

spokane, about 29.9 inches of snow. the most november snow ever in spokane, washington.ike it will continue, as well.me more of the weather in the next half hour. george? >> thanks, sam. >>> sit back for a study in true grit. it came from fresno, california. the state championship was on the line for a 16-year-old runner, her team, and her legendary coach. what happened there that saturday afternoon was her gift to him. >> and they are away. >> reporter: holland reynolds is a running star. has been since the third grade. wracking up hundreds of miles, scores of medals. but her championship race last saturday was unlike any other. the race of her life. it also may be the last for her coach, jim tracy. >> he's the greatest cross-country coach in california. >> reporter: coach tracy is also gravely ill. in june, he was diagnosed with a.l.s., lou gehrig's disease. a condition that's sucking the strength out of his once-fit muscles. for now, he can still stand on the sidelines, cheering on holland and her teammates. and that's just where he was on the extraordinary race on sa

icy roads in spokane, washington, tripped up a lot of drivers there.ay accidents. >>> at least 28 people including 13 children were killed by an oil pipeline explosion in mexico. the blast happened yesterday about 55 mimes east of mexico city. more than 30 homes were destroyed. officials say the explosion was caused by thieves trying to steal crude oil from the pipeline. >>> gas price, on the rise this holiday season. the lundberg survey says the price of leg lar gasoline averages $2.99. up almost 8 cents in the last two weeks, and it's 39 cents higher than the price last year at this time. >>> if you're headed to the post office today, get ready for some long lines. postal officials say it is the busiest day of the year for them. they expect to handle 800 million pieces of mail. if you do -- do you have until tomorrow to get your cards or packages in for christmas delive delivery. get there today or tomorrow. >>> the weather oits, see what it's like as you head to the post office. john elliott joins us live. hey, john. >> oh! thank you, betty. good mo

sign in spokane, washington gives more than the countdown. >>> later in sports the bulls have their fullent of players as they return home to take on the magic. i have fallen in love with making bird houses. caw caw! [ director ]what is that? that's a horrible crow. here are some things that i'll make as little portals. honestly, i'd love to do this for the rest of my life so i've got to take care of my heart. for me, cheerios is a good place to start. [ male announcer ] got something you'll love to keep doing? take care of your heart. you can start with cheerios. the natural whole grain oats can help lower cholesterol. brrrbb... makes you feel ageless. [ male announcer ] it's time. love your heart so you can do what you love. cheerios. [ bob ] squak. thank you for calling usa primyou have problem? is peggy. peggy? ok, i've been waiting for fifteen minutes for someone to pick up. you're tenacious like bull. i like. please hold. no, no, no...pe- (phones ringing) so pretty. want better customer service? switch to discover ranked #1 in customer loyalty. it pays to discover. ♪ yes! ♪ look, t

. >> reporter: margaret witt of spokane was major margaret witt, a former air force flight nurse discharged after 18 years when the military learned she was a lesbian. she wants to serve again, but her dream may be delayed. >> but it is going to take some time. it's not going to happen overnight. >> reporter: that's because the law will only give the pentagon the power to end the ban if conditions are met. mirs, military leaders must certify that ending don't ask, don't tell won't adversely affect the military. then there is a 60-day waiting period. all this expected to take months. but margaret witt is willing to wait for her chance to serve again. >> people just shouldn't be treated as second class citizens especially when they want to serve you and serve the country. >> reporter: as i mentioned, it could be months. some suggest it may even take a year to actually lift this policy and the restrictions that come with it. the president very happy. he said that no longer will the nation be denied this service of thousands of patriotic americans who have been denied service just because they

this is in spokane they could not make it. they would slide back down the hill slamming into one another. people in neighborhoods say there were up to eight cars piled up at the bottom of the hill. thankfully nobody was seriously hurt. >> the snow had impact on football minnesota vikings have to go back to school to play monday night football. they will face the university of minneapolis. this is them clearing's know if your sitting this snow coming through down through the metrodome. declining thursday tried to get it into shape. the game between the vikings and the bear. snow caused the dollar to collapse last weekend and repairs are not complete >> they expect 20 degrees and more for the game. still ahead the classic art of chinese dance. >> the former lead dancer this performer when we come back. a sampling of the performance the shows once again being featured at the war memorial opera house. >> joining us this morning previously a lead dancer of the performing arts and now she is teaching chinese dance. the second campus

stretch from daughter summit to just west of spokane and where four to 8 in. of fresh snow was expected. by 9:00 the signs were turned off and the controls were lifted. folks headed for town hall for christmas are advised to pack those chains because the weather is fickle and the controls can be reimposed at any time. folks not carry chains will be turned away at the checkpoint. along interstate 80 in this year rob rob kron 4 news. >> our internet reporter kimberly has a look at the current conditions in the sierra. >> or would it take a look at the live cameras that caltrans has on the roads. let's take a look it's very important what a difference in our mix. 5:00 not snowing right here you can see camera a little cloudy looks like a little snow was coming down. we also have a look at cameras was shot earlier round to 40 5:00 p.m. this disease down 80 the road is clear you can see but very, very wet and slippery. let's take a second is a video highway 89 at squaw valley. snow piled up on this side of the roads very clear, letting all the traffic come through.

we have got another system coming onshore, bringing a real mess from san francisco up into spokane and seattle. rain right along the coast, and in the mountains, we're talking anywhere from six to 12 inches of snow before it's all over. >> good morning, everyone. in baltimore, a windy and cold start for us. wind chill between at 0 and 10 degrees. wins because close to 40 this afterns >> and that's your latest weather.>> and that's your late weather. >>> and just ahead, why bernie madoff says he will not attend his son's funeral and why madoff's heart broken wife is so angry at him. we'll have the details, b3q chicken in need of cheering up? add french's to your marinade. it's a surprising way to add a little fun to your food and a whole lot of happy to your family. for recipes and valuable coupons, go to frenchs.com to add a little happy to almost any meal. french's. happy starts here. experts from a leading consumer publication recently tested automatic dishwashing detergents. they rated finish quantum number one, beating the competition ! try finish quantum for amazing clean and shin

but let's see start with spokane. the message is more than just stop.is was a way to blur out a prank, but the city says snow got into the sign and covered everything but the palm, thumb and middle finger. so it was kind of telling people go to something else. >>> in iowa hill, california, the old mining town finally has land line phone service. just one working phone at a store. the town doesn't have electricity t either. maybe they'll do that in a couple hundred years. >>> and williams town, kentucky is getting a noah's ark theme park including a giant replica of the arc, petting zoo. maybe they'll get two of them. get it. the town is being look for the jobs the park should create about 900 much thof them. it's about 40 miles from the creation museum. >> the heat is on. >> i want to change that music. tony harris is a bad mother -- >> shut your mouth. a lot of people will be talking. that last story was about flooding conditions, right? >> yeah. >> a flood of emotions tonight in cleveland, ohio. how about that little segue? >> i'm just looking for som

about 33 in spokane. that's all good news. in florida, temperatures are on the rise >> okay.s not such a secret that santa hangs out at macy's for awhile before the holiday. 250,000 kids like these see him every year. how can you make a difference and give kids a good christmas? we're going to talk about that with santa when we come back in the next half hour. elizabeth? >> so important. great. thanks, sam. >>> a brand-new report is out this morning looking at an issue that's so important to many parents. how popular television shows are sexualizing young girls. and how those messages can have an negative impact on your child later in life. and the study uncovered a troubling trend. ♪ >> reporter: a teenage girl dances seductively through her classroom. >> is there any way i can dance my way out of this ticket? >> reporter: another performs a mock striptease for a police officer. and these teens share a very passionate kiss in a dark room. it might seem like network cable, but these are all from prime five tv. images that the parent council believes sexualize in the media. >>

out towards spokane and the hi,,,, >> it's 7:14 and that's your latest look at the weather.o you. >> thanks so much. >>> lebron james is bracing for a cold and nasty reception tonight when he and the miami heat visit cleveland. this is his first home coming since ditching the cavaliers and moving to south floridaÑi as a free agent. cbs news correspondent don teague is in cleveland and has the story. don, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, harry. i can tell you it's bitter cold here in cleveland, as well. so it was a chilly reception(2d that james received when he arrived here about 3:30 this morning. lebron james played seven seasons with the cavs and in that time league mvp twice, all-star six times so when he left here for the warmth of the miami, hometown hero to public enemy number one. his decision last july to leave cleveland for miami -- >> i'm going to take my talents to south beach and join the miami heat. >> reporter: announced live on national television crushed the hopes of a city that crowned him king. >> beloved nationally to hated nationally. >> reporter

in spokane, washington, the treacherous ice caused a chain-reaction pileup that never seemed to end.ge rain totals are because of a weather system just south of hawaii. >> the pineapple express is something that takes warm, subtropical moisture and streams it into the area, sometimes lasting for days. >> reporter: engineers are fighting mother nature by building large storm basins to funnel the floodwater. this is one of many enlarged debris basins. and this is really the front lane of defense. excavation crews are trying to remove as much mud as possible. but there's a chance they could become overwhelmed. la canada, california, streets are protected with concrete barriers in case the mud starts flowing again like it did in february, when it washed away homes and cars. torrential rains are predicted all week for what is supposed to be sunny california. the system is so powerful, it may reach all the way to the east coast, bringing a white christmas. mike von fremd, abc news, la canada, california. >>> no surprise, minnesota can count on a white christmas this year. following last we

about 33 in spokane. >>> cloudy skies overhead right now. move into charlottesville. it will book -- it will be at least 11:00 before it gets to the immediate metro area. we will have often on snow showers in between rush hours with high temperatures only in the upper 20's. it will be only one-2 inches locally. okay. so, maybe it's not such a secret in a santa hangs out at macy's for a while before the holiday. 250,000 kids like these see him every year. how can you make a difference and give kids a good christmas? we're going to talk about that with santa when we come back in the next half hour. elizabeth? >> so important. great. thanks, sam. >>> a brand-new report is out this morning looking at an issue that's so important to many parents. how popular television shows are sexualizing young girls. and how those messages can have an negative impact on your child later in life. and the study uncovered a troubling trend. ♪ >> reporter: a teenage girl dances seductively through her classroom. >> is there any way i can dance my way out of this t

the pacific northwest, there you can see the temperatures in the 40s, 36 degrees in spokane. >>> good otherwise, dry. >>> the roker family enjoying a good holiday to the. that's the news and weather. let's head back to lester. >> peter, thanks very much. gadgets and gizmos continue to be the hottest holiday gifts this year. receiving them is one thing. getting them to work can be another. here to help is mark mccluskey from wired magazine. good morning. merry christmas. >> merry christmas, lester. how are you? >> i'm great. people like to get technological gifts. sometimes that initial setup is difficult. we're going to start off with, we've got an ipad and an -- >> ipod touch. >> same principle, right? >> the first thing you're going to need to do out of the box is get it connected to your computer using itunes. so they'll be on the screen sort of a thing that says hey, plug me in. >> they'll come with a cable. >> plug it in. and that's where you do, you register the device and do sort of the initial syncing and setu and then you're ready to start. >> make sure you have a computer t

. >> if you're cruising along one spokane street, you can keep your finger to yourself.ht will flash it for you. city officials insist this bronx salute is not the work of a hacker or prankster, more likely they say it's a hunk of compacted snow obscuring all the digits but that glorious middle finger. >> i wish we could give you the bronx salute as we head to break but we just can't. we'll be right back. t. we'll be right back. bronx sha lawsuit as we head to break but we just can't. we'll be right back. 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 asleep, so you can wake up feeling rested. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving or engaging in other activities while asleep, without remembering it the next day, have been reported. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations or confusion. in depressed patients,

airport in spokane, washington, as the ray daves airport traffic control tower. the presiding officer: without objection, the senate will proceed to the measure. mr. wyden: i ask unanimous consent that the bill be read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate, and any statements related to the bill be placed in the record at the appropriate place as if read. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. wyden: mr. leader, i ask unanimous consent the commerce committee be discharged from further consideration of s. 841 and the senate proceed to its immediate consideration. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: s. 841, a bill to direct the secretary of transportation to study and establish a motor vehicle safety standard and so forth and for other purposes. the presiding officer: without objection, the committee is discharged and will proceed to the measure. mr. wyden: mr. leader, you know that a kerry substitute amendment which is at the desk be agreed to, the bill as amended b