>> tracie potts in washington. tracies, thanks. >>> here's a look at other stories making news early today in america -- outgoing georgia governor sunny perdue declared a state of emergency. officials asked residents to stay off the roads until tomorrow. all that as a winter blast rolled through the area dumping three inches of snow, which was three inches short of forecast. the poor weather conditions will last through tuesday. further delayed flights out of atlanta and across the country. >>> folks in mississippi aren't faring better in the northern county of granada. expected to get four to six inches of snow. significantly more than the 9/10 inch the county usually averages all winter. utilities officials here, as many as 75,000 customers could lose power across the state, and with only one snow plow in the county it could take a while to clear roads once the storm passes. >>> and in california, perfect weather for the 37th annual fungus fair. fairgoers and fungus fans got to see and learn about the hundreds of

lynn. >> tracie potts in washington. racie, thank you. >>> with haiti still reeling and now grappling with a political crisis. former dictator jean claude "baby doc" duvalier suddenly returned to the country 25 years after he was overthrown by popular uprising. duvalier accused in the brutal deaths of thousands and the theft of millions from the country arrived without warning on a flight from france where he has lived after being forced into exile. it's not immediately clear what his plans are, but his long-time companion told reporters he will stay in the country for three days. he returns as the nation struggles to resolve a deadlock in the first round of presidential elections which sparked widespread allegations of fraud. >>> across the country in hollywood, it was all glitz and glamour last night as the stars strutted down the red carpet for the golden globe awards. mark barger has all the highlights from beverly hills. >> reporter: lib, the golden globes did spread the wealth last night among the major films that w

>> tracie potts in washington. tracie, thank you. >>> the navy is launching a new probe into what it calls clearly inappropriate videos, created and shown aboard the aircraft carrier "uss enterprise" four to five years ago, but just now publicly released. the videos, which include frequent sexual references, and a number of anti-gay slurs, were apparently produced as a morale booster by or with the consent of the current commander of the ship, captain owen honors. at the time, senior navy officials were aware of the footage, but no formal disciplinary action was taken. although the "enterprise" is set to deploy in a few weeks, it is now unclear if honors will be at the helm when it sails. >>> in australia, it's being called a disaster of biblical proportions. at least three people are dead and up to 200,000 affected by massive flooding covering an area bigger than the size of texas. this morning, military planes are flying in food and other supplies to those unable to evacuate, as entire cities are cut off by the wa

nbc's tracie potts is live for us in washington with the latest. tracie, good morning. >> lynn, good morning. two of the three charter flights out of cairo to athens, greece, should have arrived by now, but at this hour we're told they have been delayed. meantime, here in washington, washington is in a bit of a tough spot trying to support our ally, promote democracy, but denounce the violence. >> reporter: response in the u.s. range from quiet vigils to loud protests. americans with family in egypt are concerned. >> my heart is broke for my country. >> reporter: this couple came home a day earlier. a tour company urged them to leave. >> reporter: are you disappointed your trip got cut short? >> not really. i wanted to get out of the place. >> reporter: today the state department begins charter flights to turkey, greece, and cypress for the 52,000 plus americans there who need a way out. in washington, president obama and others have been on the phone with world leaders urging president hasni mubarak to respond peacefully. >> long-term stability res

tracie potts is in washington for us with more on that. ie, good morning. >> reporter: lynn, good morning. the white house tells us this speech will focus on the victims and their lives. not so much a political speech. the president and first lady traveling later this afternoon to the university of arizona for that memorial service tonight. they will be accompanied by minority leader now in the house nancy pelosi. eric holder the attorney general for the united states, janet napolitano, the homeland security secretary and others. as you can imagine, it's open to the public. they're expecting a lot of people there as well as tight security. now back here on capitol hill later this morning, members of congress will get a security briefing from capitol police and from the fbi about what they do to be safer out in their districts and events like the one we saw last weekend. later today members of the house will come to the floor for the first time publicly and express their condolences and thoughts about what happened and expect to pass a resol

nbc tracie potts joins us live from washington with more on that. tracie, good morning. >> reporter: hi, lynn. good morning. jobs, invasion, all big themes tonight. he is also talking about expanding some government programs. he told military families just yesterday he wanted to expand government support. that is not what republicans here on capitol hill want to hear. they, in fact, earlier today before that speech about take a vote on that before the president's speech. democrats say they need a number. republicans had promised $100 billion in cuts this first year, but now that the fiscal year is half over, they're saying it could be less tan that. there are some signs of cooperation. at least five dozen members of congress have said they plan to sit together tonight. we also know that some of the families from the arizona shootings will be here. the intern who was a hero in that will also be a v.i.p. member at the state of the union tonight. mark kelly, gabrielle giffords' husband, declined his invitation. he wants to stay with her. the republican

tracie potts has more on that. tracie, good morning to you. >> reporter: several meetings.it's going to be a busy day for president hu jintao, starting off with a private meeting with president obama, and then sitting down with some of america's top ceos to talk about how to make it easier for americans to do business in china. the issue of trade and devaluing of china's currency is a big one. they will talk about that. also at that meeting several chinese companies who will say that it's their investment in the united states that is creating jobs here. over the course of this four-day visit, president obama also expected to talk with the chinese president about north korea and whether or not they can influence north korea to st its provocative behavior. human rights sure to come up as well. this is such a highly anticipated visit that many times square promotional videos where some pop chinese stars will be running 300 times a day while he is here. finally, i should also mention that here on capitol hill today is that much anticipated vote to repeal health care. it's expec

nbc's tracie potts joins us live with all those details. good morning to you. >> good morning, lynn. let's start with health care because the debate begins today in the house, and republicans have some real issues with the government requiring everyone to get health insurance. they also say they're not quite sure how much all this is going to cost. especially for businesses. the congressional budget office is saying if they're successful in repealing the health law, it could add $30 billion to the bottom line. lawmakers are promising today's debate will be civil following the arizona shootings. also, today there will be new legislation introduced in the house that would prevent those high capacity magazines from being sold in the united states. the type that was used in the arizona shooting. this is being sponsored by new york representative carolyn mccarthy, who, by the way, her husband was murdered by a gunman who was using one of those types of magazines. they were banned for a decade in this country. now very few states in the united st

tracie potts for us many washington.tracie, thank you. >>> nbc news will have live coverage of president obama's state of the union address tomorrow night at 9:00 eastern right hereç on your nbc statio. >>> well, the houston hospital treating congresswoman gabrielle giffords says her condition is improving daily. still, giffords remains in intensive care due to a build up of brain fluid as she recovers from a gunshot wound to the head. fluid buildup is a common problem with brain injuries. meanwhile the gunman accused in the deadly tucson shooting is expected to make his second courtroom appearance today and could enter pleas. he's been indicted on three counts of attempted murder with more charges expected. >>> now here's a look at some other stories making news early today in america. in florida, a carnival cruise ship came to the rescue of three boaters and their cat 12 miles off the coast of cuba. the boaters sent out a distress call after they were stranded. they drifted for two days before the cruise ship crew spo

nbc's tracie potts joins us from washington with more. good morning. >> reporter: lynn, signing the food and sachty law today, also a pretty full agenda. a few hours ago we left hawaii. he's onboard. we just got word he made comments about what's going on here on capitol hill. expecting the new republican majority in the house and senate, they've set a date to repeal, for a vote on whether or not to scrap that entire law on health care. that's expected to pass the house, but a lot of observers say it's probably not going to pass the senate because democrats do still have that slim majority there. the new republican leadership here also plans hearings, investigations into how the obama administration is doing business, how they're executing those laws. strategists say that could backfire with not so much debate but the american public if they're always seeing republicans complain about the president. and then as you mentioned when the president gets back, he's also got to jump on what to do about his chief of staff. we now understand that

>> tracie potts in washington.hank you so much. >> now here's a look at other stories making news early today in america -- in georgia, fire up the engine took on a whole new meaning when a driver attempting to free his car from the snow spun his wheels until his vehicle burst into flames. firefighters arrived to put out the blaze, but not before the car was destroyed. the driver escaped unharmed. >>> in tennessee, many drivers became stuck and had to be pushed or pulled from icy slick roads. about a foot of snow in the area was enough for the governor to declare a state of emergency. the weather system that has moved across much of the south has been blamed for several weather-related traffic accidents that have claimed the lives of nine people. >>> and in upstate new york, it was a fight for survival for one fearless squirrel. the critter wandered into a tiger habitat and soon desperate to scamper. the big cat forced it out of a tree, but thankfully, right before the little guy got trapped beneath the tiger's paw

tracie potts, nbc news, washington. >> let's look at what's coming up later today in the bay. for that we say good morning to laura garcia-cannon. >> good morning, scott. good morning everybody. predicting the big one. a look at technology that could help pinpoint the next big earthquake. and east bay city is looking at raising its speed limit, bob redell is live where you can start going faster. plus, if the you missed al davis we put together the best of his latest bizarre appearance coming up later today in the bay. got to love al. >> i'll look forward to that. thank you, laura. nearly 75% of women experience symptoms of menopause, many in the form of hot flashes. despite the heat can happen multiple times a day and night but there are not many treatments. erica edwards has the latest on new options for women who want to put out the fire. >> barbara like millions was looking for a way to beat the heat. >> at one point i was waking 12 times a night, tearing covers off, being uncomfortable. >> remedies didn't help her hot flashes and she chose to avoid hormone replacement the

. >>> turning to economic news, tracie potts reports the federal reserve is optimistic. new evidence prices may be going up. >> more bill at the grocery store, gas station and even the power company could go up. what those companies pay rose over 1% the largest increase in almost a year. even without food and energy, the prices went up. that will eventually and i think within about six months hit the consumer and prices begin to rise. >> the federal reserve predicts 3% to 4% growth. >> that's not going to reduce growth. >> some like the small software firm said better business will mean more jobs. >> as the business increases, we are certainly looking to hire. >> the biggest growth in their business is overseas. to get the economy moving again, the u.s. will have to reign in the massive trade deficit with china. >> we shouldn't said enough is enough. we have to bring it into balance. >> banks share predictions for 2011 and be on the look out for sales numbers to see if what you spend over the holidays made a difference. congress will focus on the economy when their work

tracie potts, today in the east bay. >> let's look at what's happening today in the bay. we say good morning to brent cannon. >> good morning to everybody. coming up, california leads the nation in a deadly statistic and involves police and car crashes. we will show you the results of a surprising new study coming up. we are watching for breaking news on stanford head coach who is rumored to be on the top of the list for both bay area teams and the denver broncos. they won the orange bowl by twet points women have highlights coming up. those stories and 2011 could be the year of the job. the good news for people looking for work, coming up in a few minutes on today in the bay. >> more good news. researchers testing an exciting diagnostic to go for cancer. scott budman shows us why it could save millions of lives. >> a major breakthrough. a blood test for cancer. >> the greatest promise is to be able to sample tumors without doing a bioppositey and invasive procedure. >> doctors came up with the test that can detect early on if a person's cancer is spreading. using a micro

then they will tackle debt and tracie potts has a preview. >>> houses will vote on whether to get rid of health care reform. >> that are will happen before the state of the union address. >> repeal health care reform. >> it's the deficit they will fight over next. we are close it a $14.3 trillion debt ceiling set by law. the government could borrow no more. the congress can raise that, but will they? >> i won't vote for debt unless we go back to 2008 spending levels. >> the new government reform thinks there is plenty to cut. >> 500 million here and there is a billion. 125 billion in medicare. >> we will have to make in the medium run a series of tough choices. the president is not afraid to do that. >> the fear is if we hit the debt ceiling, the u.s. could default on the obligation, triggering a shut down. >> we are not looking to shut the government down. >> tracie potts, today in the east bay. >> let's look ahead at what's coming up today later. we say good morning to laura. >> good morning, my friend. good morning, everyone. happy new year to you. the lights will be dimmer today.

tracie potts is in washington this morning with how the military will tell congress its plans to get the issues resolved. >> soon i'll be known as a flight nurse again instead of a lesbian flight nurse. >> reporter: don't ask don't tell is going away. president obama confirmed that tuesday. >> starting this year no american will be forbidden from serving the country they love because of who they love. >> reporter: but how long will it take. today the military tells congress gays should be able to serve openly by this summer. >> this can be done and should be done without posing a serious risk to military readiness. >> reporter: here's the plan. new rules for how troops are recruiting, trained, housed and discharged. benefits for same-sex partners and training for administrators, top commanders and the rank in file. >> a bunch of people are talking about how great it is. most of them never have served in the military. >> i think we'll realize what most people nowadays think, that it is no big deal. >> reporter: this takes effect two months after president obama and the chairman of the

tracie potts, nbc news, washington. >>> let's take a look at what's coming up later on "today in the bay." brent cannon is in the newsroom working on more stories this morning. good morning to you. >> thank you, scott. a happy monday to everybody. changes could be coming to your smart phones. we'll let you know how much more you could be playing paying. >>> did you wake up next to your pet this morning? if you do, it could make you sick. surprising new details on a study that could have you moving fido down to the floor. that's coming up in a few minutes on "today in the bay." >>> coming up in just a bit, we'll talk about -- well, giving peanuts to a child with severe peanut allergies would seem unthinkable, but doctors are doing it taking risky steps introducing small amounts of peanuts to patients. lisa carver from our nbc station in connecticut talks about curing their allergies by helping them live a normal life. >> hey, big guy, how are you doing? how have you been feeling? >> good. >> this 7-year-old sees an allergist regularly. he is no ordinary allergist heading up the new en

tracy potts is here with the latest. >> reporter: civil but firm. today house republicans will argue the new health law could stretch the nation's already thin bottom line. >> it is far too early to claim there are economic positives to this. >> reporter: the congressional budget office says getting rid of health care will add $230 billion to america's debt. republicans have the votes to repeal it in the house, but probably not in the senate. not enough to override a presidential veto. >> the president made it clear he's not going back. >> reporter: so why vote at all? >> to build support then for reform efforts following this vote and to potentially repeal in 2012. >> i think that the deeply felt feelings about the health care bill on both sides will come out in this debate. so it will be a real tels. >> reporter: a test of civility. on fox news' hannity last night sarah palin defended comments on her and the arizona shooting blood libel. the health care debate could be the ultimate test on whether lawmakers can disagree peaceably. also, lawmakers

tracie potts. >>> we want to take a look at what's coming up later today in the bay. we say good morning to brent cannon in the newsroom. >> thanks a lot. we talked about the drastic budget cuts facing the state. marla tellez will take a closer look at the impact they will have and why you may pay more in taxes. we will take a look at the latest in the hunt for a top cop in the bay area's biggest city. those stories and more in a few more minutes on today in the bay. >> the steady decline in a borings have stalled from an institute in new york. the abortion rate and the total numbers of abortion diagnosis not change this. comes after a 25% drop since 1990. experts say the use of pharmaceutical abortions has jumped enormously. >> children whose parents smoke have an increased risk of high blood pressure. they measured the blood pressure of 4,000 kindergarten boys and girls and found children with smoking parents were 20% more likely to have high blood pressure. the top number in the readings. the risk was higher if the child's mother was a smoker and taking toddlers to

as "today in the east bay's" tracie potts reports, until they are safe many americans are worrying about relatives and those traveling in egypt. >> reporter: response in the u.s. ranges from quiet vigils to loud protests. americans with family in egypt are concerned. >> my heart is abroad for my country. >> are you disappointed your trip got cut short? >> not really. i wanted to get out of the place. >> reporter: today the state department begins charter flights to turkey, greece and cyprus for the 52,000-plus americans who need a way out. in washington, president obama and others is have been on the phone with other leaders urging hosni mubarak to respond peacefully. >> we have a very clear message. long-term stability rests on responding to the legitimate needs of the egyptian people. >> reporter: it is those needs, food and jobs, that brought thousands into the streets. >> this is not a class war fair. this is a situation of 99% of the people who are fed up with the oppression that exists. >> i'm really excited. it is finally going to change that the country has been calling for who k

tracie potts, nbc news, washington. >>> let's take a look at what's coming up later in the bay. we say hello to laura. >> good morning, everyone. hopefully you had a fantastic weekend. familiar faces showing up in new places. we will look at the new men in charge of law enforcement in san francisco. we'll also show you who might take over the police force in the bay area. we will show you why one of the new year's resolutions need to be to check your credit score. you have to see what one tv broadcaster decided to wear to work over the weekend. scott? >> that i will stay tuned for. >>> women who become pregnant within a year of giving birth could put an unborn child at risk of autism. second born children here in california, the findings show such babies are three times more likely to have developmental disorders. the scientists have not proven cause and effect, but british researchers speculate a woman's body needs time to recover from pregnancy and children conceived too quickly after the first childbirth may be deprived of vital nutrients. you can find the study in the medica

nbc bay area's tracie potts is in washington with a preview of tonight's address and what republicans are hoping the president will do to start cutting back on the nation's debt. >> manic increases in veteran health care. >> reporter: president obama tells military family he's expanding military support. more programs, more money. republicans don't like it. >> reign in this wasteful government spending we have seen. >> what will we sacrifice? will we sacrifice the education of our children for these wars? >> reporter: the focus will be jobs and competition. the president will deal with the nation' $14 trillion debt. >> you'll hear the president talk about a whole host of economic things, including getting the fisal house in order. >> reporter: the house first votes on cutting this year's budget to what we spent in 2008. how much? $60 billion? $100 billion? >> the point we are making is you haven't given us the starting point number. >> reporter: paul ryan gives the official republican response tonight. michelle bacchman speaks for the tea party. >> ten weeks ago he wasn't going to mak

nbc's tracy potts is in washington with the details. >> reporter: and as gabrielle giffords recovers in arizona, her condition has been upgraded to serious. her colleagues are promising to tone down the meanness as they get back to work this week. >> violent discourse in political life, right, left or center is wrong and should be rejected. >> frankly, we'll find that's more effective from both sides, but keeping that into the future will be a tough thing. >> reporter: especially the near future. this week the house votes on whether to repeal health reform. a new associated press gfk poll finds the nation's almost evenly split, but strong opposition is down since november's election. >> it costs too much. and what we have done is expanded the coverage but haven't worked on the cost. we can work together on cutting those costs without damaging the good health care that people get. that's an area for bipartisan agreement, i think. >> reporter: despite their differences senators co burn, schumer and other republicans will stick together during the state of the union address next week. t

"today in the east bay's" tracie potts will here with what will replace it and when. >> reporter: youear it in airports -- today homeland security janet napolitano will announce the government is retiring the color-coded system to tell them how likely it is terrorists will strike. after studying it for a year, officials say it is outdated. the colors scare americans but don't really tell them what to do. >> they are going to be represented by five colors, green, blue, yellow, orange and red. >> reporter: the system was introduced after 9/11. the levels have changed 16 times hitting red only once four years ago when terrorists threaten to blow up planes arriving from great britain. it has never been lowered to blue or green. right now the threat level is yellow, elevated, where it has been stuck for four years despite the christmas underwear bomber, the attempted times square bomb and package bombs discovered on cargo planes last fall. the colors' warnings will be phased out over the next three months in favor of a new national terror advisory system that will target specific areas whe

tracie potts. >> well, now we want to take a look at what's coming up later today in the bay. for that we say good morning to laura garcia-cannon. >> good morning, scott. good morning, everyone. coming up we're going to take a look at the first executive order from governor jerry brown. he's actually disconnecting some government workers. we'll explain. >>> and you may need to change your answer to the pickup line, what's your sign? we'll tell you why. those stories, plus more on the earthquake in the south bay is coming up a little later "today in the bay." >> aren't you glad you don't have to use pickup lines any more? >> brent makes me around the house. >>> taking regular breaks during the weekday could help your heart and waistline. rchers in australia tracked the movement of 5,000 adults. each person underwent a physical exam. those who took the most breaks from sitting had smaller waist lines, lower levels of a protein which is a maurker of inflammation. standing for one minute, anything that breaks a sedentary routine, can help your heart. >>> heart failure patients may

in washington, tracie potts, "today in the east bay." >>> now, one senator who will not be there today is california's dianne feinstein. the senior senator will undergo knee replacement surgery. the 77-year-old will not be able to travel for about three weeks, but she will work from home on important issues. >>> now for a look ahead at what's coming up later in the bay, we go to the newsroom and say hello to laura garcia-cannon. >> i'm here. i didn't win the lottery. good morning, everybody. well, people living in one bay area city may have to start paying more for trash pickup. we'll tell you where, why and just how much. >>> plus the raiders are at it again. their best season in years wasn't enough to save their head coach. we have the latest on the search for a new man. >>> find out how spilled coffee led to a terror alert. those stories and more coming up later, "today in the bay." >>> this makes a certain amount of logical sense. the slower you walk, the less healthy you probably are. walking speed can predict life expectancy among older adults. researchers at the university of pi

tracie potts now continues our coverage live in washington, d.c. t's planned on the nation's capital. tracy? >> good morning, everyone. at 11:00 a.m. eastern about 1 1/2 hours from now, president obama will lead the nation in a moment of silence. those who were killed and those who are still fighting for their lives. also he ordered the flags be flown at half-staff. deciding to cutoff his trip to new york saying instead this is a time to come together as a nation in prayer or reflection. here on capitol hill, congress decided to put off business for a week. there will be no votes or legislation, including the vote scheduled on wednesday to repeal the health care law. some members may get briefings as they return. some expressed concern and not so much about the securities here, but about the security in their districts at events like the that giffords attended. they attend these types of events every day. some members saying they want beefed up security in their districts. live from capitol hill, i'm tracie potts. >> shocking story. >> good morning,

tracie potts joins us from washington with those details. tracie, good morning. >> lynn, good morning. that annual gap between what the federal government spends and what it brings in is now at the highest point ever, at $1.5 trillion. why? because the government's been trying to put more money in your wallet. remember that tax deal from december, that ran the numbers up. while you get more money, it's tougher for uncle sam to cover all these federal programs. plus we also got word from the congressional budget office that social security is now experiencing a $45 billion deficit, five years earlier than projected. it will be empty, they say, by the year 2037. part of that because of that 2% payroll tax cut we all got starting this year. it is fresh fuel for republicans who say we have got to trim the budget. >> tracie in washington, thanks so much. >>> arizona congresswoman gabrielle giffords has begun an intense regiment of rehabilitation after being removed from intensive care yesterday. she has a long recovery, doctors say she has progres

tracie potts has more on that.morning >> reporter: concerns about inflation and things going up. a couple of new indicators this morning. let's talk about retail sales first. a great holiday season, the best in four years the labor department saying that retail sales went up for the sixth month in a row in december. it is up 13% over the recession low a couple of years ago because last month people bought cars and people bought furniture. also going up, your prices. consumer prices went up according to the labor department. a lot of that having to do with gas. gasoline was the main driver the biggest jump in gas in a year and a half. taking a look at today, the outlook from the banker's association and tell us what their forecast is for 2011 and the economy and we also know that wholesale prices are up. in addition those that we saw last month, experts are saying when the people who buy the goods and services for you, when the prices go up, about six months later, you see the hit in your wallet as well. be on the l

"today in the bay's" tracie potts is live in washington with more. >> reporter: hi, scott.ood morning, everyone. the report from seattle's fred hutchinson cancer center talked to all of 1,500 women, many who had breast cancer, were talked to about their cancer and found those experiencing hot flashes would have a 50% reduced chance of breast cancer. that's a huge amount. the actual numbers are small when you consider a woman who is 50 years old and has a 2% chance of developing breast cancer. but that goes down to 1% if she's experiencing those hot flashes. that also carries across other age groups as well. why? because during menopause there are lots of hormonal changes as you are aware, aresearchers found those hormones affect the risk of breast cancer when they are elevated. it elevates the risk. with this information they believe when the hormone levels are lowered it lowers the risk as well. >> tracie potts reporting in washington. thank you, have a great weekend. >>> we have been talking about this story all morning long. chinese bloggers may have caught their governm

today in the bay's tracie potts will check in from washington, d.c. out more on what's planned for today. >> meantime, it's only a matter of time until san jose gets the new police chief and for right now we don't know who it is. we will have more on the search marla? >> chris moore has been acting police chief since rob davis retired at the end of october. davis was with the forts for 30 years. according to the mercury news, moore is a final candidate up for the position and a formal announcement could come as soon as early february. in just a matter of weeks. the point of of contention is who is up for the job? the city manager said she is not willing to name any of the candidates in order to attract the best candidate. here's what we know. city officials confirm initially more than 30 people applied, but the mercury news reports fewer than 10 remain and that includes acting chief chris moore moore has been with the department since 1982 and was promoted over the years by the former chief. later this week moore and the others will be grilled by thre

ç nbc's tracie potts joins us live with more on that. >> reporter: good morning, lynn.od morning, everyone. the focus of this message everythings invasion, encouraging american businesses to grow and children to learn. >> what comes of this moment will be determined want by whether we can sit together tonight, but whether we can work together tomorrow. >> reporter: president obama told congress that speeding up america's recovery will require government investigating in the american dream. >> we need to out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world. >> reporter: shifting oil subsidies to education. >> i'm replacing no child left behind with a law that's more flexible and focus odd what's best for our kids. >> reporter: fixing the tax code. >> simplify the system. get rid of the loopholes. level the playing field. >> reporter: on health care president obama challenged lawmakers not to start over. >> battles the last two years, let's fix what needs fix and let's move forward. >> reporter: the biggest problem? the nation's massive debt. republicans want de

today in the east bay tracie potts is live in washington with more of what the president laid out in his speech last night. >> what comes of this moment will be determined not by whether we can sit together tonight but whether we can work together tomorrow. >> reporter: president obama told congress speeding up america's recovery will require government investing in the american dream. >> we need to outinnovate, outeducate and outbuild the world. >> replace no child left behind with a law more flexible and focused on what's best for our kids. >> reporter: fixing the tax code. >> simplify the system. get rid of the loopholes. level the playing field. >> reporter: on health care president obama challenged lawmakers not to start over. >> instead of refighting the battles of the last two years let's fix what needs fixing and let's move forward. >> reporter: the biggest problem the nation's massive debt. republicans want deep budget cuts. the president proposes a five-year as he put it painful spending freeze. >> and i'm willing to eliminate whatever we can honestly afford to do without.

tracie potts is live in washington, d.c. now with whether the repeal vote stands a chance. tracie. >> reporter: well, it does in the house, probably not in the senate though. we've been talking about this, today is the day the vote scheduled likely to happen late this afternoon after several more hours of what has been a much more civil debate at least in tone between democrats and republicans about whether or not the health law as it was passed by congress will work. republicans say not only do they want to roll it back but want to replace it with something that they have not yet made public but will include, like limiting malpractice awards, patients who get large jury awards for suing doctors or hospitals, that they say is driving up the cost of health care. they also want much more restrictive language prohibiting taxpayer funding of abortion. so after this vote republicans will begin the process of writing what they call their replacement legislation for the current health law. the big question will be, can they get it to cover the 30 million uninsured americans that wi

tracy potts, nbc news, washington. >>> all right. we'll take a look at what's coming up later "today in the bay." for that we say good morning to brent cannon. >> good morning, scott. are you listening? the future of the bay area bridge is largely tied to the history of the computer. bob redell will take a unique look at where we have been and where we are going. >>> plus, rush limbaugh causes more controversy. now a bay area state senator is calling for an apology. we'll tell you what rush limbaugh had to say and what the senator's reaction was coming up later in the bay. >>> the american lung association, meanwhile, says most states failed to curb smoking and tobacco use. erin edwards is here with the latest. >> reporter: you are looking at the single most preventable cause in disease and death, although it is ultimately up to smokers to quit if they want, the new report from the american lung association finds state governments aren't doing enough to help smokers kick the habit and protect non-smokers from helping puffers exhale.

tracie potts is live in washington with more. good morning, tracy. >> good morning, everyone. couple of lawmakers, both democrats. one senator said they are working on legislation and already drafting it to outlaw these types of high capacity magazines like we saw with the shooter in arizona thigh used to be banned for a decade under the ban president clinton signed. they are not now and gun control advocates want them off the streets. there some like the minority leader and the senate who say it's not a law that will keep this from happening if a disturbed individual is bent on doing this type of harm. this will come as business resumes next week. today the house of representatives back in session and they will have an opportunity each member to talk about the tragedy and talk about security and talk about congresswoman giffords who continues to fight for her life in the hospital. laura, back to you. >> thank you very much. it is 5:45 and i'm laura garcia cannon. >> i'm brent cannon. the state's education system stans to lose more than $1 billion under governor brown's new gu

today in the bay's capitol hill reporter tracie potts is live with more reaction to the president's addressr: good morning. last night president obama talked about america's sputnik moment referring to the space program how it open add new generation of jobs. he said we can do that again today if government encourages new ideas, invests in those businesses, so they can create jobs that america needs. he also talked about replacing no child left behind, with a more flexible and focused law. but the big divide here is spending. and the debt. the president wants to expand some programs, he says he will consider cuts that we can honestly afford. as he says not at the expense of innovation or education. republicans take a more hard line view saying we cannot continue to rack up debt. we have to make very tough decisions and get this budget down and under control. so you talk about reaction. we third official gop reaction last night. budget chair paul ryan saying some of what the president said was reassuring but this after a two-year spending spree. the bottom line no more debt. we'll see if tha

tracie potts has more on the proposed legislation. good morning. >> good morning.tally drafting legislation to allow the members of congress to carry guns in washington, d.c. where it's currently banned. he said in light of the shooting in arizona, they need protection. there has been a lot of discussion about that here on capitol hill this week. the police, the fbi and secret service all sat down with members to talk about not so much how they secure themselves here, but at home. police are not suggesting it's a good idea for them to pack heat here in washington. they do think that the numbers of congress should contact local police department when is they are hosting the very open public events back home to make sure they are adequately protected. not only themselves, but the members of congress who are with them and the residents who attend these events. in addition that, they are talking about whether or not the political climate in washington contributes to that. democrats and republicans opposed on that. next week they get back to business. this week they are

tracie potts with what the u.s. is hoping too gain from this. morning. the official white house welcome wrapped up a few minutes ago. we heard both presidents speak and talk about cooperation between the two nations, the fact they are linked. president obama touched on the thorny issue of human rights saying the rights of all should be respected. president hu jintao saying the two countries need to move forward while respecting each other's differences. they go into a private meeting and meet with ceos to talk about trade and how to open up the chinese markets to american companies. at issue, china's low currency making chinese distinguishes cheap, very difficult for american companies to compete. there will be chinese companies there talking about how they invested in the united states and created jobs. human rights is an issue. president obama is forced to address while they are here. it's a difficult issue between the two countries because they have serious differences. he is also expected to ask china to wield its influence over north korea

tracie potts is live in washington, d.c., this morning with the buzz brewing over exactly what the president will say. good morning, tracie. >> reporter: laura, good morning. he gave us a sneak peek over the weekend in an online speech talk about what he may say on tuesday. the president who says he's still working on the speech will focus on making america competitive and creating jobs. republicans want to hear him talk about the deficit and the debt which is now approaching its limit if congress doesn't act. president obama says they both must be addressed in a responsible way. now, just a few hours before the president speaks republicans will bring up a vote on the budget rolling it back to 2008 levels. democrats fear that a lot of those cuts would mean jobs, thousands of jobs, many of them teeners. and president obama wants to protect education. democrats are looking for direction from president obama on how to create jobs and cut spending at the same time. by the way, we got word earlier that daniel hernandez, the intern for congresswoman gabrielle giffords who was a hero during the ari

"today in the bay's" tracie potts is live in washington with more. d morning, tracie. >> reporter: good morning, everyone. great news for women who have been dealing with these very frustrating side effects of men pause, including hot flashes. we have a study out of seattle's cancer center this morning that find the risk of breast cancer is reduced by 50% in women who have hot flashes. now, this was a study where they questioned nearly 1,500 women, most of them had breast cancer, and that was the result. the actual numbers are fairly small. when you look at the risk of breast cancer for women overall, say if you are age 50, it is about 20%. but it is only 1% if you have hot flashes. that same proportion carried out through different age groups. why is that? it has to do with a hormonal change during menopause. we have known for some time researchers have known that if hormone levels are elevated breast cancer risk is elevated. this is news that the opposite is true. good news for women, but it needs more study. so get your mammograms whether or not yo

"today in the bay's" tracie potts is live from washington, d.c., with an inside look at what's happeninghis morning. tracie? >> reporter: brent, good morning to you. america is trying to hold on to the long-time allie, but they want to let the protestors know that when the people demand change the government should listen. now, you talked about mubarak, we understand this morning his family may be in london as the violent protests continue. we have seen lot looting and all sorts of violence in the streets of cairo and in other areas of egypt as well. the u.s. government, the embassy there, is trying to get americans out. we understand that the first flight, the first plane loaded of evacuees, american citizens, has arrived in s cyprus. thousands are believed to be trapped in egypt right now. one of the complications is cell phone and internet service sblupted interrupted by the government trying to disconnect communications among the protestors, but that means a lot of americans have been unable to find out if their families are safe. the u.s. government as you said walking a bit of a ti

tracie potts is live in washington, d.c., with more on the changes. good morning, tracie.ood morning. the new system will be announced later today phased out in favor of a different way to deal with the terror threats. they have been looking at this for about a year, and the government decided this is a system they are not using anyway. they have not raised the terror alert from yellow in 4 1/2 years despite several incidents, including the cargo bombs last fall. they rolled this out after 9/11. initially it was used quite often. it only hit red once. never was it lowered to green or blue. the new national terror advisory system will give specific notices to authorities when a threat is detected in their area. it will include public announcements on tv and print and on social media like facebook and twitter. they are expecting to roll it out in april. >>> very interesting. thank you very much, tracie. 5:45. i'm laura garcia-cannon. >> i'm brent mcgrew. traffic and weather in two minutes. we are getting word that two bay area giants are working on technology together. intel

. >> tracy potts is look at how the golden state is doing when it comes to quitting smoking. >> reporter: hey, brent and laura. not really leading the way on this one, at least not in a way that a lot of other states would like to follow. the american lung association's new report gives california a "d" overall. i'll get to the details in a second, but they also look at what this nation is doing overall to help people quit smoking. the united states gets a "c." the cost of smoking in this country is $192 billion with nearly 400,000 deaths related to smoking. now, in california, that economic impact is $18 billion. that's just in california alone with more than 36,000 deaths related to smoking last year. california gets an "f" when it comes to prevention and a "d" overall, which believe it or not, was a bit better than a lot of other states the in this report. one of the big challenges for the state of colorado is prop 26, according to the lung association it would restrict city's ability to charge tobacco companies for cleanup and other initiatives. bottom line, a lot of room for improve

tracie potts is here with the latest.the best way to keep the calories down besides not eating? >> reporter: well, according to this site, not eating is not an option, but according to this study if you eat a small to moderate breakfast that will work better for you. german researchers followed 400 people for two weeks and found that those who ate a really big breakfast, a high-calorie breakfast, tended to eat other high-calorie meals, lunch and dinner all put together, not a good way to lose or maintain weight. but people who ate a small to moderate breakfast, it was a trend or habit they also tend to eat a small dinner. therefore they end up staying within their weight goal. breakfast dictates the size of your other meals as well, at least in this german study. now, here in the united states, the problem is a lot of us skip breakfast. about a quarter of us are keating eating breakfast three times a week or less. and we are sort of wolfing it down as they say eating breakfast in 15 minutes. men and young adults are more

"today in the bay's" tracie potts is live with more on what to expect to see. e room clap while the other half sits. >> reporter: not this time, laura. many of the democrats and republicans have decided to sit together. so usually what we see is the democrats on one side, the republicans on the other side of the aisle. not necessarily the case. five dozen members will sit together in a show of solidarity. we also now know who is going to be in the first lady's box. they include a santa cruz couple who say they were able to achieve the american dream through stimulus money. now about that speech, president obama is expected to focus on jobs, invasion and competition. but what republicans really want to hear is how much he is willing to cut the federal budget. they are going to have a vote on that before he takes the podium tonight. that would amount to about a 10% cut in the federal budget. democrats say they will need a hard number on exactly what republicans want to cut. so as we move into tonight, the speech and then the republican response from budget chair p

tracie potts is live in washington with more on what he's expected to say. acie, the white house has leaked enough of the speech that people feel they have already heard it. >> reporter: well, we know what the major things are going to be, jobs, invasion, making america competitive. republicans want to hear how we are going to slash $100 billion out of the federal budget. in fact, before president obama takes the podium republicans plan a vote where they are going to take a look at how much they can cut out of the federal budget. about 10%, not necessarily across the board. some areas like education could get hit more. democrats say that could cost jobs. they want a firm number from the republican leadership in the house, what do you want to cut? the political climate here, at least five dozen members of congress said they are going to sit next to someone of the opposing party. democrats and republicans not on opposite sides of the aisle as they normally are. we do know that several vips are invited, some people who were involved in the arizona shooting, othe

tracie potts is live in washington in the bureau.re is in the bureau, inside. >> reporter: let me tell you why i'm inside. because some of my coworkers got stuck. we were going to set up to show you the snow outside, but we needed the extra crew. they got stuck either at home and had to turn around or couldn't get here from where they were. i ended up coming in overnight just to make sure i would be here for you this morning. but the snow came down really, really fast. it was about six to nine inches depending on where you were. like chuck said, a lot of people abandoned their cars. that's really the problem this morning. if you are out, the roads are greating getting clear, but driving around the abandoned cars is a mess. the airports timely cleared one runway, but there's obviously a major backup going on there. the president as you may have heard got caught in traffic in his motorcade. it took him twice as long to get home. so you know when he has a bad commute you are going to have a really bad one. >> he's from chicago, he's use

now, "today in the bay's" tracie potts is live in washington, d.c., where the buzz is brewing over exactlythe president will say. tracie? >> reporter: brent, good morning. he gave us a bit of a sneak peek over the weekend in an online speech talking about what he'll address on tuesday. the president who says he's still working on that speech says he wants to focus on making america competitive and creating jobs. but what republicans here on the hill want to hear is what he'll do about the nation's deficit and the nation's debt, which is about to hit a ceiling possibly as early as late march. the president says that the debt and the deficit need to be addressed in a responsible way. now, hours before he makes that speech tomorrow, congress will vote. in fact, republicans in the house will press a vote on the budget rolling it back to what we were spending in 2008. and they say nothing, even possibly defense spending, should be immune from the cuts. democrats are concerned that the cuts will cost thousands of jobs, especially for teachers. so tomorrow they are all looking to president obama

today in the bay's tracy potts is live in washington this morning after a week of come buy ya as a resulte tucson shooting. now it is back to work. we'll see how they work together. >> reporter: yes, they are promising to be civil. this debate will certainly be the ultimate test of that as democrats and republicans are nowhere near agreement on what to do about health reform. we have a law in place, and now as you said repeal and replace, that was their montra. they are starting with the repeal portion of it with debate today. a vote set up for tomorrow. republicans have a couple issues with this. they are calling it a job-killing bill in part because it is way too hard on businesses. the chamber of commerce is concerned about the amount that businesses will have to pay to comply with some of these rules. they also say that the mandate for everyone to buy health insurance policy, that requirement is not the role of government. so debate begins today. democrats promising to fight this all the way. in fact, they are holding their own hearing today bringing out seniors and parents and small