bill press, nationally syndicated radio host, and stephanie miller, host of the stephanie miller radiow. great to have you with us tonight. >> hi, steph. >> stephanie, i understand that mitt romney's going to be going on "fox and friends" tomorrow morning where the questions apparently get a hell of a lot easier. but how is mitt going to win the nomination if he ticks off fox news? >> yeah. those are some gotcha questions on fox news, right? i mean, you know, ed, you know a candidate's in trouble when the dnc can run a flip-flop ad, the same ad the rnc could run. anyone could run this ad on mitt romney. an eighth-grade civics class could run this ad. he has flip-flopped on every single issue. >> bill, how does he get the mojo back? >> i don't know whether he can. i mean, look, here's the{ gotcha question, right? the gotcha question is there are 11 million people here illegally in this country, so you say they need a path to citizenship. are you going to let them stay here or are you going to send them all back to mexico? that's really a tough question. that's a yes or no answer, right?

he took over the role when stephanie rawlings-blake took over in 2010. >>> you might consider taking swim or crabbing in the inner har bormt mayor stephanie rawlings-blake plans to make the harbor swimmable by 2012. the plan hopes to have solutions for issues like trash, sewage leaks and storm water runoff. >>> so what a difference a day makes. this time yesterday the rain was coming down. we saw snow into western maryland. the radar is dry. it will stay that way. as we take a look at the temperatures. temperatures are cooling down. we have the chill in the air. baltimore at 38 degrees. easton at 37 degrees. we're cooler into winchester. you're seeing the blues on the map. 34 into frederick and hagerstown around 35. this evening the temperatures will remain in the 30s. it will be mostly clear and chilly. make sure you bundle up. i'll tell you when colder air will be moving back into the picture. >>>3÷9 dash isçóno carrierringc0 >> the state comptroller has placed a loan on that company. >> bwi-thurgood marshall will get a makeover. the plan was approved. the $100 million of renovatio

see stephanie. >> let's take a look at stephanie now!ng ] [ applause ] ♪ >> whoa! [ crowd cheering ] [ applause ] ♪ >> okay, beautiful. >> what did you do? >> the thing with stephanie's hair, all of the weight was in the bottom of the hair and it made her face look wider. so we kept the layers long on the top. if she wears it curly, it's versatile. she can wear it curly and she can easily blow-dry it. >> can water damage the hair, i heard there's chlorine in the tap water hurting our hair. >> absolutely, chlorine damages the hair, we see more in i coming intothe salon with color-treated hair that's turned green. it can damage the hair a lot, actually, yeah. >> we tried out this product, it's great, it filters out 91% of the chlorine in the tap water. >> hook it on to the shower and it cleans your water while it your hair. >> good news! >> everybody in the audience is going home with an aqua, sauna! >> okay! last but not least, dr. wendy put project fear into full effect to help one woman over come her greatest fear of all. cutting her ha

>> stephanie cutter is the deputy campaign manager for the obama campaign. hello, stephanie. look, i want to first start off, i want to start off with what looks like, mark murray and i were just talking about it, you guys haven't had all that much good news coming out of congress for the obama this year. but this appears to be a fight that president obama, the obama campaign, the obama white house relishes. is that an accurate read? >> well i think good news would be actually passing a payroll tax cut. so taxes don't go up in ten days on 160 million americans. think it is accurate to say that this debate, what's happening in the house right now really does expose what's been going on all year in the debate that we've been having across the country. whether we're going to do what we need to do to strengthen middle class security, get our economy moving. and rebuild an economy that's not meant to last. or are we going to continue to play politics and bring our economy to the brink? and i think because of what the house did yesterday, rejecting the bipartisan senate bill and pa

despues de varios dias detras de la pista de stephanie schwap, una ex integrante de la pandilla ms13 quien se presume testifico en contra de los asesinos de brenda paz el 2003, la polica del condado de fairfax logro capturarla hoy por la tarde, silvana quiroz nos cuenta mas.. hoy termino la bÚsqueda de la rubia bandida, nombre que le dio la policÍa a stephanie lynn schwap la mujer de 26 aÑos que protagonizo una serie de delitos empezÓ todo a la 1 de la tarde ella entro en un banco aquÍ en el Área de mclean, paso una nota tratando de robar un banco, no copio nada salio del banco, la victima la reconociÓ y obtuvo una descripciÓn bien clara del auto que ella estaba manejando y paso eso a los oficiales los oficiales la vieron monta ndose en la 495 hacia maryland y la siguieron no la persiguieron ellos fueron despacio ellos fueron detrÁs de ella mientras que ella cruzaba a maryland schwap es acusada de robar el banco virginia commerce bank en manassas el 18 de noviembre, un automÓvil del centro comercial de tysons corner el 19 de noviembre, el 20 del mismo mes robo el banco bb&t en el Áre

corinne. >> reporter: well, like you said, mayor stephanie rawlings blake is set to take the first full oath of office here at city hall today. now as you look behind me, you can see all the preps are underway. there are lots of crews that arrived within the last half- hour to set the stage. stage is set here in the center. you can see the bleachers are up and city hall is draped with the city colors and they are flags that line the plaza. now this is the second oath of office for mayor stephanie rawlings blake as you will recall in february 2010 rawlings blake was sworn in after the then mayor sheila dixon resigned after she was convicted on corruption charges. now today, it will be a much different ceremony because this will mark the first elected termfor the mayor. elected officials dignitaries from the city and state as well as community members and citizens all are expected to be in attendance. mayor's speep for inauguration is expected -- speech for inaugust rails is expect-- inauguration is expecting to be building stronger communities. >> the theme of the speech the inaugust rat

thanks to stephanie sy for that. >>> coming up next, the latest money making scheme. and the main ingredient? well, you've probably got some laying around. to find you a great deal, even if it's not with us. [ ding ] oh, that's helpful! well, our company does that, too. actually, we invented that. it's like a sauna in here. helping you save, even if it's not with us -- now, that's progressive! call or click today. no mas pantalones! confidence, with depend in color. now available in gray. looks and fits like underwear. same great protection. depend. good morning. great day. mom, mr. and mrs. bradley got netflix! netflix? it's this cool service that lets you watch unlimited movies and tv episodes instantly. yeah, you can watch netflix on your pc or on your tv through a game console or other devices connected to the internet. whoa, that's speedy! and netflix is only eight bucks a month! pretty cool. let's tell dad. dad! we're getting netflix! dad! we're getting netflix! super... man, i got to lay off the chestnuts. [ mom ] start your free trial today. >> announcer: "nig

baltimore mayor stephanie rawlings-blake officially began her first full term today.uguration ceremony and her plans moving ahead. we'll have these stories and much more when you join usn >> the national weather service is adding another layer to its warning system so you'll know when to add layers. >> it is basically a wind chill warning without the wind. >> it was going to happen at some point. this past weekend, winter markets annual arrival with a lot of snow, and now frigid cold. but what is a few degrees below freezing? it is nothing for guys like luke, who prepared for his run this morning are around lake calhoun. >> if your dressed for it, this cannot as inviting as and when the wind is blowing. >> it is a phrase we will no doubt repeat over and over again, it is not the cold, it is the wind. today's 20 degrees felt more like eight with the wind chill. >> it feels very invigorating. >> what will be different this season is what the national weather service says when it gets really cold. forget the wind, blow away those wind chill warnings. anything 30-35 blowo

stephanie schwab stole from brang bangs, cars and threatened people's lives with a knife.eth has more. >> reporter: stephanie schwab appeared here in federal court in alexandrea this after. the lawyer told us after the hearing she's relieved to no longer be on the run. he also told us that at the time of her arrest, stephanie schwab's life, quote, was falling a part. police from baltimore to fairfax to monasses were searching for schwab. they found her when she wrecked the car at old georgetown road and the beltway. she's charred with bang robbery. it's like i -- bank robbery. she's accused of the car jacking on november 19th in the parking lot of the tyson's two shopping center. the court documents say schwab confessed to the crime. >> can you tell us about stephanie? >> reporter: schwab's month was in court and didn't have any comment. schwab's attorney didn't want to tock about the motive for the crimes. now, today, stephanie schwab waived her right to a preliminary hearing and detention hearing. that means the next stop is likely to be an indictment before a grand jury

officers said they arrested stephanie schwab after she tried to rob a bb & t bank in mclean yesterday and led police on a chase along the beltway into bethesda where she crashed on old georgetown road. schwab was already wanted to two carjackings and two bank robberies. >>> the police took down a man accused of a series of carjackings at a wheaton shopping center. henry sanders is said to have carjacked three older men in the past week. a bank surveillance camera also captured a fourth younger victim. sanders is facing charges in both montgomery and prince george's county. >>> howard university is facing a lawsuit from a group of students. sea say university officials didn't do enough after reporting inappropriate sexual contact by a school employee. stacy cohan is on campus with that story. >> reporter: good morning. here what is happened. these two students were

. >> 26-year-old stephanie schwab is suspected in two bank robberies and carjackings since november 19th and was arrested yesterday after a third bank robbery attempt. she appeared in federal court today and schwab confessed to two of the crimes. she's due back in court next tweak. >>> a maryland man strong -- week. >>> a maryland man strongly denies any involvement in the disappearance of a woman in a rube. gary giordano appeared on good morning -- aruba. gary giordano appeared on good morning today. robyn gardner is presumed dead. giordano claims she was swept away while they were snorkeling. >>> expect to pay more to ride metro. the transit agency faces a deficit of nearly $125 million next year. they say a fare increase will be needed to help close the budget gap. it's unclear how much the rates will go up, though. >>> tonight the senate failed to pass an extension of the payroll tax cut.

police arrested 26-year-old stephanie schwab on wednesday after she allegedly tried to rob a bank in mclean, virginia. officers caught her after a chase on the beltway that ended with a crash in bethesda. schwab is charged with robbing two banks and carjacking a woman at tyson's corner. she's also accused of assaulting a woman in baltimore county on thanksgiving. >>> today we should get a pretty good sense of how the economy is doing. the labor department will release its november jobs report this morning. economists believe between 125 and 150,000 new jobs were created last month. even with those gains, the unemployment rate will likely stay at 9% for the second straight month. meanwhile, taxes may take a bigger chunk out of your paycheck beginning next year. last night the senate rejected two plans to extend a payroll tax cut through the end of next year. republicans voted down president obama's plan to extend the cut and make it more generous for workers. republicans then killed a plan introduced by their own leader to renew the existing tax cut.

mayor stephanie raalings-blake had imposed a december 31st deedline for the grand prix to repay its debt. but that didn't happen.and in a statement released a shor tiie ago, the mayor says it's with great disappointment that we announce the termination of the city's agreement with

today senator ben cardin and mayor stephanie rawlings-blake were on hand. it's being led by the foundation. it gives them $4 million in con ri biewtions -- contributions. >> each library will feature new features, furniture and equipment, new reading materials, e readers, nooks from barnes & noble and a's for parents and guardians to visit the library, share time with their child, et cetera. >> southwest west charter, thomas and east baltimore schools have been chosen. they see it as a step in the right direction. >> our students cannot thrive without books. love of reading leads to a love of learning and continuing education for our children and their families. it is my sincere hope that we will be able to replicate this so that every student in baltimore will have access to the tools that he or she needs to succeed in school. >> design work is underway and construction work is expected to begin this summer. kelly swoope. >>> all right. it's a pretty good start. the ravens would not fall down on this december day. the ravens ran all over a sloppy cleveland

stephanie rawlings-blake...nd f december...to re-pay the city. 3 p((aaor) "thee rand prix brought lmost $50 million in economic impact to the city, i'm not willing to just toss ttat away, but we need o mmke sure that therre's a trong team that's eel capitalized & that has the experience to make this continue to appen." 3& several lawsuiis...have alsobeen filed byy rivate vendors...in efforts to get racing officials...to pay their bills. john rydell, fox 45 news at 5:30. 3 it.../ was.. .a... messy commute.../ for.. drivers... this mooning. thhs.../ the scene ...in.../ uuper mmrlborr in prince george's couuty.../ ááwhereáá roads ...were completely... flooded..../// áásomeáá... roads... lloked... / more like... riverr.../// ááheavyáá rains... and strong winds.../ also... knocking down trees ...in the areaa &p3 pow are the roads looking tonight? traffic edgeereport. 3 maps-fiber-back to maps- 95aa195-backkto maps 3 raveen.../ wives... / spent the day ... / as.../ santa's... elves. elves.thee../ group of women ...tto

. >>> i mayor stephanie rawlings-blake do swear. >> she start as new term with new ?as gift for your loved ones? gift cards are available but be careful of scammers. >>> if you've been outside, rain rain -- rainy and messy all day long. >>> hundreds of folks bore the rain as mayor stephanie rawlings-blake took the oath of office. >> reporter: spores say stephanie rawlings-blake hasn't backed down. she appears to be ready to step up and is encouraging citizens to do t

it wasn't just stephanie who was shot. mom jennifer had no idea either. the home jj coming surprise has become one of the most popular present this is year. it can take weeks to plan and pull off. but even santa couldn't do it better. >> i was so shocked. but it's the best christmas ever now. >> after months away from home -- the moments are just as special for the men and women in uniform. >> it's just cloud nine right now. >> more and more, ending their overseas service with a surpris surprise. >> i'm just so -- wow -- there's no other words to describe how amazing this is. >> and in the process bringing a little holiday magic into all of our lives. >> i need to take my own advice. can i get tish issue over here? >> a little misty here. the greatest christmas gift ever. >>> so nice to see. a baby managed to get past the secret service for an up close and personal visit with the president. >> yes. it's been said before, kids do the darndest thing, right? president obama picked this guy up. he decides to give him a dental check there. might need a little

stephanie abrams is here. >> new year's eve is right around the corner.cast, it is really looking phenomenal across the country, a little bit cold in the northern tier but nothing that you can't handle and as we take you into times square, look at this, partly cloudy, i don't know that you can call 36 to 40 degrees cold, right, guys? >> who writes that? >> i think it's cold. >> not for new york city. >> there you go. >> true, on new year's eve. what is your forecast >> good morning. the skies are clearing but the wind is picking up. high tempera >> are you guys the new year's resolution types? >> no, why bother. break them every year. you? >> no. >> good talk. >> i need to, i just don't bother. stephanie, thank you so much. >>> coming up next what your college student can do to improve his or her chances of finding work after graduation, coming up right after this. ou h. ♪ imagination ♪ imagination imagination ♪ ♪ helps you see the world in different ways ♪ yay! yay! ♪ this is a pony ♪ and this is a choo-choo ♪ [ male announcer ] it's movie time. and this

their suspect in custody. 9news now reporter surae chinn is in our satellite center with more on stephanie schwab's arrest. good morning, surae. >> police say it was the third attempted bank robbery that helped police nab their suspect. 26-year-old stephanie lynn schwab, sky 9 above as they arrest her yesterday afternoon. they handcuff her and haul her away to jail. that sky 9 footage from yesterday as they're putting her into the cruiser there. the 26-year-old former ms13 gang member was stopped on old georgetown road in bethesda after she led them on a chase, crashed her car and after a short foot chase, her one-week crime spree ended yesterday afternoon. wanted for two bank robberies, a carjacking at tysons two and an attempted carjacking. police say she robbed banks and stole cars in fairfax and prince william county and baltimore county. >> this particular case, we were very serious about making an arrest and making an apprehension. we worked with other detectives across the region, not just here in fairfax and tried to spread information, share information as much as we could. >> tha

stephanie, nbc news, london. >> in this afternoon's medical alert, two out of three medical students do not know how often they should wash their hands. 85 medical students were interviewed and tested on whether or not hand should be washed in seven different scenarios. only one-third knew all five times when it was necessary. a study shows that teenagers are using cell phones for less explicit content than originally thought. according to research, only 2.5% admitted to sexting. researchers also found that sexual texting only went beyond intended recipients a 10% of the time. the survey was given to 2100 kids between the ages of 10 and 17. >> once again, we are seeing temperatures above the normal market as this storm slowly approaches from the west. we have the wind coming in mostly out of the south and west, easterly, as well as the baltimore area. therefore, we will seek the warm and mild air pushing across the region, pushing the rain back into southern ohio. north and east is why it has taken time to progress east. on the back side of it, we have snow in missouri, just south of

fair fax county police say stephanie swab was arrested after she tried to rob a bank around 1:00. police say something went wrong and she drove away without any money. >> this particular case we were very serious about making arrest. >> reporter: a fair fax county police officer followed swab into -- and was arrested. police say swab, who is 26 and 5'6" robbed banks and carjacked people. one of her alleged crimes happened in the parking lot in baltimore county on thanksgiving day. >> this woman asked for a ride. and that's when our suspect pulled a knife. >> she's been called a blond bandit but police found nothing funny about the crimes. a crime spree. >> just heard an alarm going off and some lady was running out of the bank beside us. >> reporter: the investigation is ongoing and now involves the fbi, back to you. >>> thank you, kai. police say they don't know why swab was here during thank giving. >>> a fire house the busiest in the nation. downtown responds to more calls than any other in the country. according to the data last year stedmam went to an average of 60 calls per

. >> stephanie rawlings-blake is now officially the 49th mayor of baltimore. she is the second youngest person to hold the office, and the second woman elected to the city's top spot. david collins is live from city hall with more. >> good evening, lisa. the ceremony seemed to go off without a hitch. ♪ the ceremony was filled with songs, prayers, and when it came to conduct official business, the crowd under a canopy of umbrellas applauded mayor stephanie rawlings-blake, as she used her inaugural address as a call to action. she intends to entice 10,000 families to live in the city in the next decade. >> our number one goal in the next 10 years is to grow baltimore, strengthen our neighborhoods, create new jobs, and attract new people. >> the mayor does not plan to grow the city on her own. to challenge her administration, the business community, educators, and entire families to buy into growing the city, while at the same time, embracing less government. >> this is a new way of thinking for some of us. it will require a leap forward in trust. >> she will nee

nearly two years ago, mayor stephanie rawlings-blake, then city council president, took over the top job in the city after mayor sheila dixon resigned after an embezzlement conviction. this inauguration will start mayor rawlings-blake's first full term in office, the successful end of a campaign that brought the fiercest competition in the democratic primary. she will receive her oath from one of her former challengers, frank conaway, the clerk of the circuit court. 11 news caught up with the mayor for a preview of what her inauguration speech will focus on. >> the theme of the speech, the inauguration, is baltimore, a great place to grow. my administration is focusing on ways that we can make sure that baltimore is a vibrant, thriving, growing city for the future. >> the rest of the city council will also be sworn in this week. that will be on thursday at the war memorial building. kim dacey, wbal-tv 11 news. >> one of maryland's most prominent conservative state legislators is considering a possible run for congress. nancy jacobs said she is planning at mounting a run to challenge

the first is support from mayor stephanie rawlings-blake.e introduction f targeted enforcement... that's where officers go after bad guys with guns.... in hopes of getting violent repeat offenders off city streets. bealefeld says over the next 36 hours... you can expect to see thousands of officers on patrol... and that includes the commissioner. 3 16:19:29 i'm gonna work my tail off to make it happen. you know why i'm optimissic? because i have 3-thousand people out ttere backing me up. and they're going to be packing me up tonight tomoroow and the next day and then the're gonna come in january 1st and we're gonna do it all over again. again. right now the murdee steady at 196. year is holding - two doctors are facing murder charges tonight...accused of botching late term abortions in maryland. was arrested in new jersey...and doctor nicola riley was arrested in utah. elkton police say they just completed a 16 month investigation...and found late term fetuses stuffed in . brigham's elkton clinic. investigators say the doctors would bring pa

stephanie, good morning. >> we have people from missouri. what are you doing for new year's? in the plaza right here right now. happy new year. let's go forecasting and here is a look at our new year's eve forecast at midnight. we'll see nice weather for carson and all of the folks into the northeast. here is for the 1 million plus people in times square, partly cloudy, looking good. the winds will be light as well and on new year's day a little bit of snow and rain around >> good morning. a mixture of clear skies and a few clouds beginning to move in. increasing clouds is the >> this one was dressed up by her daughter and granddaughter. doesn't she look great at 70? if you want your birthday or new year's eve forecast go to weather.com 24 hours a day >> thank you, stephanie. we love that feather boa. >>> coming up, giuliana rancic, two and a half weeks after her breast cancer surgery. first this is "today" on nbc."t man: my electric bill was breaking the bank. so to save some money, i trained this team of guinea pigs to row this tiny boat. guinea pig: row...row. they generat

stephanie.he 27-year-old lives in east tennessee with her husband, two kids and a third on the way. >> i've done waitresses, retail, i taught on college campuses. i've done kind of everything, so, we had about five jobs when we started between the two of us. and now we're down to mary kay as our sole source of income. >> reporter: we first wandered into mary kay land two and a half years ago, when the recession was in its infancy? >> you have heard anybody say i'm going to cut back on my miss c mascara? no. >> reporter: the message, from ceo david holl this year, mary kay is still bucking the trend. >> people still want to buy the lipstick. they may not buy as many lipstick or as many, as much of the skin care line that's out there, but you clearly see that if you have a value product, that is just at a little bit lower price point that our sales force and their customers jump on that for sure. >> reporter: mary kay's business model is not exactly traditional. it's based on direct sales. in shor

nbc's stephanie stanton reports. >> reporter: the santa ana winds blasted through southern california with hurricane-force winds blowing down trees and power lines. first light revealed a trail of debris everywhere. >> it looked like a tornado had hit, literally. >> reporter: it was enough to blow this giant tree down onto the pushes at a pasadena gas station and send this tree crashing through a house in nearby san marino. at one point the powerful winds left some 300,000 los angeles area residents without power. los angeles international airport was also dark for about an hour. >> once we landed, we just came in the airport, not even five minutes and everything went black. >> reporter: at least 20 flights were diverted to nearby ontario airport due to dangerous crosswinds. in utah it was much the same scene, wind gusts up to 102 miles an hour were recorded. the high winds toppled ten big rigs on interstate 15. >> we were just sitting there waiting and it sounded like an explosion with my window blowing up. i guess i rock went through the window and got me here in the eye. >> reporte

i'm stephanie stanton. >>> a tree pinned an elderly woman. her son says it landed right in her happen. >> i was scared out of my mind. i didn't know what to do. had to wait for fire crew. >> they were able to rescue the woman in about an hour. there's no word wed on her condition. >>> the fine is the result of a deadly natural gas explosion that killed a man three years ago. the utilities commission determined pg and e violated safety laws including the installation of a pipe and the slow response of the phone call that reported the leak that day. the fine serves as a benchmark which analysts project could reach $800 million. >>> bart approved a new cell phone policy that would allow to jam cell service but only in a threat. the move has free speech activists upset but bart officials say it's a matter of public safety. >> we're going to be challenged by the public. we expect that. our responsibility is to protect the safety. it's still being looked at from the federal communications commission position, and what they end upcoming up with, we'

nbc's stephanie gosk is in london this morning to explain. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. well, 120 years ago american traders convinced samoans to shift the date line west so they could trade more easily with california. it took a while but they now realize that wasn't such a good idea. tomorrow will be like any other day in samoa. the sun will rise, the tides will change, the warm seabreeze will blow. normal except for one thing. tomorrow will be the day after. at the stroke of midnight this small island nation in the pacific will shift the date line east. there will be no friday, december 30th. >> this week we're going to be losing a day. we are going to move the date line so we'll be in line with new zealand and australia. >> reporter: the date line runs more or less north to south in the pacific ocean. on one side they see the first sunset of the day. on the other side they see the last. confused yet? put more simply if it's friday in samoa it's saturday in australia and new zealand making business deals with s

. >>> mayor stephanie rawlings- blake will take the oath of office in the first full term as mayor. corinne redman is live where the preps are underway for the big ceremony and this is her first full term as mayor. >> reporter: yes, she is set to report in as the first full term as mayor. look at city hall behind me it is draped up and represents are underway for the inauguration. the stage has been set and the bleachers are up and you can see the draping and there's a sign that says baltimore is a great place to grow. this is the second oath for the mayor. the first time she was sworn in, it was in january 2010 shortly after mayor dixon resigned after being found guilty of embezzlement. rawlings blake was a city council president and automatically second in line for the mayor. today she was elected and an easy victory for her during the election. and this will be her first time serving a four-year term as mayor. the mayor -- the ceremony will get underway at 11:30 a.m. this morning. they are expecting a lot of people and elected officials to come down. many people from the communit

we'll talk to stephanie cutter. and join us next tuesday as we broadcast the show live from israel for the launch of on hot tv cable network. trs all energy development comes with some risk, but proven technologies allow natural gas producers to supply affordable, cleaner energy, while protecting our environment. across america, these technologies protect air - by monitoring air quality and reducing emissions... ...protect water - through conservation and self-contained recycling systems... ... and protect land - by reducing our footprint and respecting wildlife. america's natural gas... domestic, abundant, clean energy to power our lives... that's smarter power today. >>> the surprise of many, mitt rochl any is keeping pace with the obama campaign in battle ground states that the president won last time around. 12 key states. a look at these 12 shows them split down the middle. romney nearly doubled obama's haul in florida and mitch. stephanie cutter joins us, the new deputy campaign manager of the obama campaign.

the 26-year-old stephanie schwab was in federal court in alexandrea today. the authorities say she's confessed to several crimes. matt ackland was in court this afternoon and has more now. >> reporter: it was a quick hearing in federal court where we learned that stephanie schwab is charged with one count of bang robbery and more charges could be filed in the future. she was wearing what appeared to be the same purple shirt that he had on when arrested yesterday in bethesda. she's responsible for several car jackings and bang robberies that date back to november 19th and, in fact, fairfax county police tracked her after an attempted bang robbery in mcclain yesterday. according to the court documents, she admitted to the car jacking on november 19th as well as the robbery on the 22nd and she will be in court on monday. a public defender will be issued to her when she said she could not afford one. >> a heated argument between a baltimore county teacher and a special needs student caught on tape. it comes from nciau transition school in windsor mill. the teach

first, we begin with stephanie stanton, joining us live in pasadena. >> good evening to you, jessica, here in pass deeadena there's bn emergency declared. check out this 50 to 60-year-old oak tree. the wind whipping up the tree. this is what we're seeing all over pasadena. 42 homes have been red tagged due to damage, and more wind is on the way. >> reporter: the santa ana winds blasted through southern california with hurricane force winds, blowing down trees and power lines. first light revealed a trail of debris everywhere. >> it looks like a tornado hit it literally. >> the national weather service recorded wind gusts up to 97 miles an hour in los angeles county. >> we were sitting in the living room, and all of a sudden you hear the wind howling. everything tossed in the backyard. >> it was enough to blow this giant tree down on the pumps at a pasadena gas station. and sent this tree crashing into a house in san marino. the powerful winds left some 300,000 los angeles area residents without power. los angeles international airport was also dark for about an hour. >> once we landed

>> reporter: it wasn't just stephanie who was shocked. jennifer had no idea either. >> hi, baby. >> reporter: the homecoming surprise has become one of the most popular presents this year. it can take weeks to plan and pull off, but even santa couldn't do it better. >> i was so shocked. it's the best christmas ever right now. >> reporter: of course, after months away from home, the moments are just as special for the men and women in uniform. >> it's just cloud nine right now. >> reporter: more and more ending their overseas service with a surprise. >> daddy! >> wow. no other way to describe how amazing this is. >> reporter: and in the process -- >> hi, ma. >> reporter: -- bringing a little holiday magic into all of our lives. kristen dahlgren, nbc news, los angeles. >> can't top that so we'll say that's it for "nbc nightly news" for this christmas eve. i'm lester holt reporting from new york. i'll see you tomorrow morning on "today" and then right back here tomorrow evening. merry christmas, everyone. tomorrow evening. merry christmas, e

the mayor stephanie rawlings-blake says she will protect free speech but camping out in public areas is simply not allowed. >> i certainly appreciate and respect the right to free speech but as i said numerous times the square is not a place for encampment. >> i think it was inappropriate of them to have us -- to evict us while we were in the process of negotiating for a permit to stay there. >> protesters claim they have been fighting for more jobs. many are without work and homeless. the city offered services and more than 20 people were taken to a shelter in the early hours. >>> when 144 characters are left an elementary school got a famous geflt in his room. jeremy guthrie twittered to wanted to meet a third grade class and he did. he visited students and it was a treat for all the kids. >>> no snow in maryland but in other parts of the country, well, they are the lucky ones. in arizona, flagstaff tuesday, they got a direct hit. it's the holidays and it's also the the flu season. we're going to make sure we've got you covered for flu. you're watching "good morning maryland." we'l

nbc's stephanie gosk is in moscow this morning. good morning, stephanie. >> good morning, tom. know, government officials tried to dissuade people from coming out here today. health officials warn they might get the flu. education officials made high school kids go to school. there was one official that said draft dodgers would be arrested. but this is the biggest demonstration since vladimir putin took over control of this country 12 years ago and i may be bigger than some of the demonstrations seen here since the fall of the soviet union, even back in the early '90s. the people that are out here today are mostly middle class returnans. these are employed people. they are educated. but they believe that last weekend's election, parliamentary election was flawed. they want new elections. they also accuse vladimir putin's government of widespread corruption. tom. >> stephanie gosk live for us in moscow, thank you. >>> the public is getting their first look at two sumatran tiger cubs. the newest edition to the los angeles zoo, there are fewer than 500 sumatran tigers left. visito