tahman bradley has the latest from connecticut. >> today will be another difficult day for residents in newtown, as the greeks didn't -- as the grief-stricken community gathers for more funerals. we also know that 6-year-old emily parker will be buried back in her home state of utah. a small step towards normalcy as the students had back-to-school all except sandy hook elementary school, which remains a crime scene. in the neighboring town of monroe volunteers continue preparing an unused middle school for sandy hook students to attend. >> we want to give the children the opportunity to see their new school and at to be as comfortable as they possibly can. >> promote investigation proceeds as a board is look through every inch of adam lanza's life. -- authoritiesthe investigation proceeds. his mother trained him to use a dangerous weapon at a time whenshe knew that he suffered from mental illness. >> it was an extremely poor decision on her part. we're talking about a psychological switzer that i think got turned on for him with access to and weapon and ready availability. >> the gun

tahman bradley joins us from washington with more on the stalemate. tahman? >> reporter: john and paula, good morning. tension is growing here in washington, after weekend talks failed to lead to a deal. if there is no breakthrough today, the country will go over the cliff. talks continue but this morning, there is still no deal. >> we'll have further announcements, perhaps, at 11:00 in the morning. i certainly hope so. >> reporter: republicans and democrats negotiated all weekend, with the hope of passing legislation to protect most people from a massive tax hike. >> our top priority has to be to make sure that taxes on middle class families do not go up that would hurt our economy badly. >> reporter: there was optimism about deal over the weekend, when the republican leader in the senate, mitch mcconnell, made an offer. that ended when harry reid said he could not present a counterproposal. in a hail mary, mcconnell phoned for help. >> i placed a call to the vice president to see if he could help jump start the negotiations on his side. i want everyone to k

>> tahman bradley reporting live from washington this morning. happy new year to you. >> same to you. >>> the president called the shooting at newtown was the worst day of his presidency. >>> a bus crash has killed nine people and injured others. the tour bus lost control on interstate 84 yesterday morning. it happens in a treacherous section of the blue mountains called dead man pass as the bus was heading back to vancouver from las vegas. the drive survived but was too badly injured to speak with police. >>> nasty weather being said to have caused dozens of accidents across the country. >> here's jim dickey. >>> these early morning temperatures this morning. 5 in burlington, 9 in portland. 18 in boston. now, we switch gears the north central portion. these are your daytime highs. only 9 today in minneapolis, 18 in omaha. that arctic haair is surging in. it will lead to light snow across the plains and ohio valley. >>> time for the rest of the new year's eve weather. snow expected, thunderstorms in much of texas. oklahoma city, little rock, memp

tahman bradley joins us from washington with more. >> reporter: sunny and john, good morning. with time running out, president obama and speaker boehner are negotiating directly. congress needs a bill soon. president obama is back on the road today, peddling his plan to avoid the so called fis kalg cliff. in washington, republicans and democrats remain far from a deal. sunday, small sign of hope. mr. obama and john boehner meet together. a source said, i would be a little enjournlged. not greatly, but a little. republicans may be ready to compromise on tax hikes for the rich. >> there's a growing group of folks looking at this and saying, we don't have a lot of cards in regards to the tax issue. >> reporter: some are open to more tax revenues. the two parties seem to be closer on entitlement, with one leading democrats saying he's open to means testing for medicare. >> i do believe there should be means testing. those of us with higher income and retirement should may more. >> reporter: if washington can't reach an agreement, every american will see a tax hike. >> there's goin

tahman bradley joins us from washington with more. >> reporter: sunny and john, good morning. with time running out, president obama and speaker boehner are negotiating directly. congress needs a bill soon. president obama is back on the road today, peddling his plan to avoid the so called fis kalg cliff. in washington, republicans and democrats remain far from a deal. sunday, small sign of hope. mr. obama and john boehner meet together. a source said, i would be a little enjournlged. not greatly, but a little. republicans may be ready to compromise on tax hikes for the rich. >> there's a growing group of folks looking at this and saying, we don't have a lot of cards in regards to the tax issue. >> reporter: some are open to more tax revenues. the two parties seem to be closer on entitlement, with one leading democrats saying he's open to means testing for medicare. >> i do believe there should be means testing. those of us with higher income and retirement should may more. >> reporter: if washington can't reach an agreement, every american will see a tax hike. >> there's goin

>> abc's tahman bradley live in washington. thanks, tahman. >>> and the administration's asia team is reported to have been so surprised by north korea's rocket launch this week, several of them were at a holiday party when it happened. a blog on the foreign policy website reports they were joking it was nice of the north koreans to delay the launch so the party wouldn't be interrupted. the state department, however, denies that they were caught off guard. >>> the governors of new york, new jersey and connecticut, are urging congress to approve a $60 billion aid package for victims of superstorm sandy before they break for the holidays. nearly seven weeks, now, after the storm, many flooded-out residents are waiting for funds to repair their homes. more than 100 ceos are also calling on lawmakers to act quickly. but republicans say the bill is loaded with many things that simply have nothing to do with the storm. >>> well, 18 days, now, and counting. and there are more signs of slow progress being made to avoid that fiscal cliff

tahman bradley joins us this morning from newtown. good morning, tahman. >> reporter: good morning, rob and paula. it is remarkable to see this community this morning. the signs of remembrance are everywhere. people are paying their respects at memorials and funerals. newtown is performing a grim task. parents are doing what they shouldn't have to. 6-year-old noah pozner was eulogized as a boy who liked animals, video games and mexican food. at his funeral, an onlooker collapsed. inside the funeral, his mother moved everyone to tears with her stories. >> i love you. and it matters that i loved you. >> reporter: another funeral, for jack pinto, also 6. >> it's sad. heavy heart. >> reporter: there's so much pain for all close to friday's shooting. connecticut governor dan malloy wiped away tears remembering the moment he told parents their children had died. now, he will attend so many funerals. >> you see little coffins and your heart has to ache. >> reporter: new information of adam lanza, paints a picture of a young man that seemed to

tahman bradley, abc7 news. >> -- any chance a deal might include retiring the country's debt? >> reporter: slim to none. republicans and president obama will be fighting about the debt next year. republicans wanting to use the debt ceiling as a bargaining tool. we might be back again seeing a fight like this next year. >> tahman bradley, thank you. >>> minimum wage workers in san francisco are getting a raise in the new year. the minimum wage is increasing from $10.24 to $10.55. in;a(j 2003 voters approved ordinance tying minimum wage to inflation in the bay area compensation has gone up every year since, except between 2009 and 2010. san francisco has the highest minimum wage in the country. >>> if you are a homeowner here in california you will get foreclosure protection from a new law. providing homeowners with a single point of contact if they want loans modified. lenders will be banned from foreclosing while evaluating a request. homeowners can sue lenders who violate the new law. >> january 1st, plastic bags will no longer be available at stores in alameda county. stores

we begin with coverage from abc's tahman bradley. >> he joins us live from newtown where the grieving will take a more private turn later today. good morning, tahman. >> reporter: sunny and rob, good morning to you. today is going to be another tough day for this heartbroken community. funerals will begin today and tomorrow. for some of the victims. and last night's prayer vigil, visited by president obama, is something that this community and the country will not soon forget. >> olivia. josephine. >> reporter: the more than 900 mourners who packed newtown high school heard an emotional president obama admit the country has failed them. >> since i have been president this is the fourth time we have come together to comfort a grieving community torn apart by mass shootings. >> reporter: he said he'll use the power of the presidency to stop tragedies like the massacre of 26 children and adults at sandy hook elementary school. >> these tragedies must end. to end them, we must change. >> reporter: outside the vigil where president obama spoke, an emotional reaction from a shattered commun

abc's tahman bradley has that part of the story. >> reporter: a senior official tells abc news, the use of chemical weapons could trigger retaliatory action from the united states. monday, president obama warned the syrian regime. >> i want to make it clear to assad and those under his command, the world is watching. the use of chemical weapons is and would be totally unacceptable. >> reporter: obama administration and military officials say they believe president assad has gotten the message. >> we have sent an unmistakable message that this would cross a red line. and those responsible would be held to account. >> reporter: the syrian regime, which has been massacring citizens for nearly two-straight years, has been careful not to confirm it has the weapons. >> even if we have them, we shall not use them against our people. >> reporter: but president assad's father used chemical weapons. and officials believe pressure on the current government is mounting. opposition is making tactical gains that could trigger a shift in the conflict. the state department believes the conflict is grow

tahman bradley, abc news. >> you heard it there, the threat not over yet. we'll check today's forecast coming up in just a moment. >>> protesters rallying against michigan's right to work legislation are expected to have their biggest demonstration yet at the state capitol today. the measure would bar unions from requiring non-union workers to pay union fees. president obama criticized the legislation, saying it's about giving workers the right to work for less money. the republican governor is backing the proposal. but democrats met with him yesterday to urge a veto. >>> protests are also expected in egypt today. the military in position near cairo's presidential palace, keeping an eye on opponents of president mohamed morsi. they, along with morsi supporters, are both staging massive marches today, ahead of saturday's vote, on a draft constitution. that referendum and morsi's power grab in the last month, set off the worst violence since last year's revolution. >>> also, breaking news this morning from south africa. we learned that former president nelson

here's abc's tahman bradley. >> reporter: fiscal cliff talks have hit a stalemate. with only 29 days to go, republicans and democrats remain far apart. and over the weekend, there was worry negotiations may actually fail. >> i think we're going over the cliff. it's clear to me they made a political calculation. before president obama and his team are demanding that they allow bush era tax cuts for the wealthiest 2% of americans expire. >> there's no way we can govern this country with those low rates in place for future generations. those rates have to go up. >> reporter: but republicans have drawn a line in the sand in raising tax rates. instead, signaling they're open to raising revenue by limiting the tax code. it's a major sticking point. holding up a deal. >> right now, i'd say we're nowhere. >> reporter: president obama is looking for $1.6 trillion in new tax revenue over ten years. speaker boehner is offering half of that. there's $600 billion. the speaker says that's not enough. although he hasn't outlined what he thinks should be cut. if they can't avoid th

abc's tahman bradley has more, now, from washington. >> reporter: police are revealing a baffling portrait of the man responsible for the chaos inside a packed portland shopping mall. the man behind the mask, police say, is 22-year-old jacob tyler roberts, who using an ar-15 semiautomatic rifle, killed 54-year-old cindy ann yuille, and 45-year-old steven forsyth. a third victim, 15-year-old kristina shevchenko was seriously wounded. >> this was a heartbreaking tragedy, by any standard. >> reporter: police are trying to figure out what triggered the brutal attack. unlike other rampages, roberts, they say, did not leave behind signals his life had gone off-course. in fact, he had no history of serious trouble. >> we do not understand the motive of this attack. >> reporter: roberts' ex-girlfriend, hannah sansburn, told abc news that roberts quit his job, sold all his belongings and said he was moving to hawaii. she still has no idea what set him off. >> this was the last thing i would ever have expected. especially from him. he was just too sweet. >> reporter: detectives say roberts made a be

tahman bradley, live in washington. thanks, tahman. >>> and a top republican may be among president obama's choice for his reshuffled cabinet. former senator chuck hagel of nebraska is said to be on the short list for secretary of defense. the president is expected to announce his nominees in the next two weeks. >>> and looking frail and also in a wheelchair, former senator bob dole made a surprise appearance last night on capitol hill, just days after being released from the hospital. dole was pushing for passage of a u.n. treaty guaranteeing equal rights for the disabled. but his efforts were in vain. republicans blocked approval of the treaty, saying it threatens national sovereignty. >>> also, a political passing announced overnight. long-time texas congressman, jack brooks has died. you can see brooks in this very famous photograph of lbj being sworn in as president aboard air force one. he is standing just behind a grief-stricken jackie kennedy. brooks died last night in beaumont, texas, after a sudden illness. he

>> tahman bradley live in washington today. thank you, tahman. >>> and as talks over the fiscal cliff drag on, a new poll finds that most americans do not think very highly of congress. one in ten americans rate the honesty and ethical standards of its members as very high or high. this puts the law making body, second-lowest on the list of 22 professions. higher only than car sales people. >> how telling is that? >> that's an indictment. >>> and another nasty storm is drenching the west coast, from northern california, into portland and seattle. this is the fourth big rainmaker to hit that area in a week. and this time, it could dump up to five inches of rain and cause even more flooding and destruction. abc's brandi hitt has the latest. >> reporter: after several days of drenching rain, downed trees, flooding and rockslides, families throughout the west are finally getting a break in the severe weather to clean up. three storms have slammed through the region in less than a week, dumping up to a foot of rain in some areas. wa

tahman bradley, abc news. >>> 6:06. back here san francisco police asking for the public's help solving the murder of a 17-year-old football player, he played offense and defense for the concord high minutemen and was a senior he was shot and killed in the bayview saturday night many students showed up wearing black yesterday, mourning his death. >>> westfield shopping center expected to open this morning after a fire. the fire broke out at a restaurant on the 4th floor after 8:30 last night. the theater was temporarily evacuated no word on a cause. >>> 6:07. traffic and weather together, next on the abc7 morning news. live look outside now, highway 87, held lights moving along just fine, no moisture on the roads this morning. in a couple of days that is going to change. mike will fill you in coming up. sue is following your traffic. >>> ranking religion. ! >>> welcome back. live doppler you see showers even thunderstorms over the ocean clear over land with our coast tilting northwest shower off the shore near ft. bragg

tahman bradley, abc7 news. >>> 5:38 now.for a buy week, then playoffs. 9ers won the nfc west division 27-13 over arizona at the stick. thanks to the vikings beating the packers, 49ers will host a playoff game january 12th. sunday, running back gore set a franchise record scoring 51st rushing touchdown, smith appeared in the game, most likely his last as a 49er. >> it was almost, you couldn't be sure if that was a tribute or something else, it felt bad but kaepernick had a great day. >> the weather is looking great heading into your new year's eve celebrations tonight.@ y÷ >>> definitely going to be nice tonight, a lot of stars maybe high cloud or two, grab the heavy coat, going to be chilly. check out temperatures running everywhere except fremont, oakland, san francisco and half moon bay. east bay shoreline, san francisco and coast mid 40s rest of us starting to see scattered frost even away from the bay shoreline on the peninsula, temperatures that you saw is what it feels look most breezes are below six miles per hour exc

tahman bradley has latest from washington. >> reporter: fiscal cliff talks have hit a stalemate only9 days to go, republicans and democrats remain far apart over the weekend there was worry negotiations might fail. >> i think we are going over the cliff, it is clear they've made a political calculation. >> reporter: president obama and his team are demanding that congress allow bush era tax cuts to expire. >> there is no responsible way we can govern this country with those low rates in place for future generations those rates have to go up. >> reporter: republicans have drawn a line in the sand on raising tax rates signaling they are open to raising revenue by reforming the tax code and limiting reductions for the wealthy. >> right now i would say we are nowhere. >> reporter: president obama asking for 1.6 trillion in new tax revenue over 10 years, boehner is offering half that. the president offering 600 billion dollars in cuts to medicare and other programs. the speaker says that is not enough. he hasn't outlined what he thinks should be cut. if they can't avoid the fiscal cliff,

tahman bradley, abc7 news. >>> if you park at a bart station while riding the trains get ready for potential hike in fees by 50 cents twice a year at high volume lots. it would cap the increases to $3 a day. currently commuters shell out a dollar. west oakland costs five. bart makes 15 million dollars a year in parking fees, an increase could mean extra five million dollars annually. >>> muni offering riders a holiday gift, free rides only good on december 28th, the 100th anniversary of the agency. transportation officials say lost revenue from that day will amount to .2%. so the financial strain they say is minimal. when muni was founded in 1912, it became the nation's first publicly owned transit system. eric, you remember? >> i do. i remember that, a nickel, me and the family used to ride that's a long story. >> sorry. >> no you're not. >> kind of funny. it is cold this morning. >> yeah grab a jacket. good observation guys a lot of fog cooler conditions especially here as we look down look how clean the air is love it this time of year when the cool clean air comes down from alaska and yo

abc's tahman bradley has that story from washington. >> reporter: the fiscal cliff is still three weeks away. but the economy may have already taken a hit. economists predict the government's monthly jobs report, due out later this morning, will show that employers added fewer than 100,000 workers in november. superstorm sandy may be part of the reason job creation slowed. but worry over the fiscal cliff may have also had an immaterial pact. some economists believe that 200,000 fewer jobs thhave been created this year, due to uncertainty about the fiscal cliff. >> it's very important we get it done now. >> reporter: republicans and democrats are talking again. but still, no breakthrough. the parties are locked in a stalemate. president obama is demanding that higher tax rates for the wealthy and a permanent extension of the debt ceiling, the government's ability to borrow money, be part of the deal. >> he's assuming unprecedented power to spend taxpayer dollars out any limit at all. >> reporter: republicans who say they're open to raising tax revenue say they will only do so in exchange