nbc's tracie potts is live. tracie, this marks the supreme court's roe v. wade that legalized abortion. are the protests expected to be larger because of that? >> reporter: they are. the second time this week we've seen that on the national mall. it came because of the anniversary, but because of that, organizers moved this protest to friday so as not to conflict. but today, we do expect to see this pro-life march, this huge march, on the national mall. a lot of things have changed, though, in the last 40 years, especially in the last couple of years. there have been more than 150 new laws by states and local legislatures in just the past two years. 19 different states acting just last year to restrict abortion rights. it's one of the reasons why this group says it wants to speak up and try to push for the overturning of roe versus wade. but a brand-new nbc poll shows 7 out of 10 want roe versus wade to stay. we will see lawmakers at that event later today. tracie potts in washington. thanks so much for that. >>> well, we have new video of a dramatic swift

tracie potts is live in washington. tracie, will this new congress be able to get up to speed quickly? >> reporter: well, they don't really have a choice, mara, because they have so much on their plate as you mentioned including the debt ceiling and the deficit. 113th congress takes its oath this afternoon with 56 new democrats, 38 new republicans and a record number of women. the youngest, hawaii yaes kelsey gabbert, a 31-year-old iraq war vet and the first hindu ever elected. john boehner is expected to be relegislated speaker today but 17 conservatives could derail that. he's already announced the first order of business a vote friday to provide billions to victims of superstorm sandy. >> the bottom line is between friday morning and january 15th, those two votes will bring in $60 billion that's absolutely necessary for new york, new jersey and connecticut. >> reporter: also tops on their agenda, raising the debt ceiling so america can borrow more to pay its bills. republicans will imsift on cutting spending first. >>

nbc's tracie potts is in washington with more. tracie. good morning. >> reporter: are good morning, everyone. the white house said what the president will say in las vegas is similar to what we saw that group of democrats and republicans lay out here on capitol hill yesterday. but the white house plan is ready to go. a piece of legislation that if congress drags its feet, this is something they'll be able to vote on. the hallmark of that plan is what to do about the 11 million illegal immigrants already in this country. conservatives don't want to hear the "a" word and that group of democrats and republicans who brought out their plan yesterday said it won't be amnesty because it will be background checks, taxes, they'll have to learn english just to get in the back of the line to earn citizenship. but the big concern here for democrats and republicans particularly is border security going to come first. is that going to be guaranteed before more people are allowed to stay in this country legally. they're predicting some pushback but hopi

it's good to be tracie potts. you have a front row seat out there.ive us an idea of who will be sitting there behind you on the stage? >> reporter: we've got governors and senators on this side behind me. on the stage right behind president obama and his family and of course their invited guests. on the other side of the family will have the joint chiefs of staff, the u.s. supreme court, the leadership from both the house and senate side and in terms of having juice and having front row seat, if you could see this crowded media podium i'm on, i don't know that you would say i have that much pull around here. it is an absolutely fabulous view for an historic day. >> a lot of people talking about what michelle obama is going to wear. who are you wearing today? >> reporter: what am i wearing today? >> what designer? >> reporter: which designer am i wearing? probably someone you have never heard of it. i wouldn't want to blow the surprise. remember that lemongrass dress she wore four years ago, the coat and dress was very popular. we'll wait to see what

nbc's tracie potts joins us live. >> reporter: hi, mara. good morning. now on capitol hill begins the process what could be a tedious process of sorting out what is is different for the president's proposal after the speech yesterday and also with the bipartisan group of lawmakers, democrats and republicans came up with the broad principles here appear to be the same. beefing up the borders and the pass to citizenship for the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in this country. but neither plan has full details at this point. and it raises a lot of questions, for example, how long will this immigration process take? lawmakers want to make sure border security happens first. the president did not mention that. so that could make a difference in how long it actually takes to get this path to citizenship under way. the other big issue, same-sex immigrant couples would have the same rights to apply for citizenship under the president's plan, according to the white house. that is not something we expect conservatives would back. not in the senate and espe

nbc's tracie potts is in washington for us. tracie, how is the president going to get the public and congress to support this legislative agenda? >> reporter: with a very public campaign, mara. started last night with an op-ed the president published in "the connecticut post." the newspaper up there where the newtown tragedy happened. in it he said that congress needs to help and not hinder bypassing this ban on assault weapons and on magazines, but it looks like that's iffy here on capitol hill. the white house also has a campaign-style tour planned, we don't know where he'll stop, but they are hoping speeches the president does around the country will draw support. and they are launching a website with videos from victims talking about different ways they want to curb gun violence. so a lot of things being planned by the white house. at this point it looks to be shaping up to be quite a fight. >> tracie potts live in washington. thank you for that. >>> americans held hostage, last week's french intervention against rebels in m

nbc's tracie potts has details. hi. >> reporter: hi, good morning. it takes a lot to get this inauguration done in washington even though we're expecting half as many people. the kraut somewhere between 6 and 800,000. a lot of money and d.c. officials coming into the city, but hotels and restaurants not as full as we saw before. the national mall being transformed into america's stage. that staging is up. they're securing that zone. the parade route. the viewing stand at the white house is up as well. the secret service said they've got 100 workstations, nearly 100, throughout the city, with 42 different agencies involved in security. and they are promising better crowd management this time around. meantime around, the first family, you saw the new bangs with the first lady. we will likely see them over the weekend and into monday as the president takes his second oath, he take the first official one privately at the white house on sunday. mara. >> all right. tracie potts, thanks so much. >>> and now for a look at your friday weather, here's nbc mete

>> tracie potts in washington. good to see you this morning. thank you. >>> president obama and secretary of state hillary clinton were interviewered in an unusual appearance together on "60 minutes." they talked about their primary battle during the '08 campaign and their relationship during the last four years. >> we had such agreement on what needed to be done for our country. >> made for tough debates. >> it did. >> we could never figure out what we were different on. hillary mentioned, you know, part of our bond is we've been through a lot of the same stuff. and part of being through the same stuff is getting whacked around in political campaigns. >> uh-huh. uh-huh. >> being criticized in the press. you know, we've both built some pretty thick skins. by the time hillary joined the administration, i felt very confident and comfortable in all working relationship. i think what did evolve was a friendship as opposed to just professional relationship. >>> egyptians in three suez canal provinces are under a state of emergency. they'll be subjec

tracie potts is in washington for us. it's a busy week ahead. >> reporter: absolutely. as the rehearsals are under way for this new ration the senate turns its focus to these confirmation hearings. chuck hagel raising a lot of questions with democrats and republicans, no date set for those hearings yet. president obama, those confident that he will be confirmed. meantime the debt and the debt ceiling that we're about to hit again in february, the house is back in session today. they got to address that. republicans pushing for spending cuts at this time could include social security and today vice president biden sits down with cabinet members and members of congress to finalize his recommendation for gown control. we'll present them to the president tomorrow likely to include universal background checks. >> no sleep for you over the next week, right? thank you so much. tracie potts in washington, d.c. >>> former secretary of state colin powell is speaking out on nbc's "meet the press." he endorsed chuck hey goebl the new defense secretary. he said he would do a great j

tracy potts has a breakdown on what congress agreed upon and what is still on the table. >> the house stands adjourned until 10:00 a.m. tomorrow for morning hour debate. >> finally avoiding the fiscal cliff. >> at some point in the visit at some point you strike a balance. >> 2 and 56 democrats and republicans signed a bill that keep the alternative minimum tax from hitting working families, avoid the big cut in medicare payments to prevent tax hikes for 98% of americans. tax rates will go up for couples making over $450,000. democrats caved in on that. republicans want to raise the .state tax hold over 5 million >> tax relief has been achieved. now is the time from the president to work with congress to address over spending. >> and the debt ceiling. before leaving for hawaii early this morning, president obama urged congress to raise it. >> we cannot not pay bills that have already been incurred. if congress refuses to give the united states government the ability to pay the bills on time, the consequences for the entire global economy will be catastrophic. >> no word yet on when th

tracie potts thank you so much. in the face of proposed gun control reform the national rifle association is fighting back. there's a new ad. it calls the president and elitist hypocrite. here's the whole thing and take a look at it. >> are the president's kids more important than yours? then why is he skeptical of putting armed garlands in schools when his kids are subjected to armed guards at their school. mr. obama demands the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes, but he's just another elitist hypocrite when it comes to a fair share of security. protection for their kids and guns-free zones for ours. >> that's the ad. what do you think? we want to know. tweet us @earlytodaynbc. >> chuck hagel of nebraska may be getting closer to winning confirmation as defense secretary. he won the backing of two of the senate's strongest supporters of israel, senator chuck schumer are of new york and senator barbara boxer will vote to approve hagel. but senator inhofe says he and hagel have philosophical differences. >>> boeing

tracie potts joins us now. >> reporter: here's the catch. if lawmakers can't pass a budget by this spring they could end up having trouble paying their own bills. today's vote would raise the debt ceiling allowing more borrowing through spring to pay america's bills and it cuts pay for lawmakers if they can't pass a budget by tax time april 15th. >> most americans believe you don't do your job you shouldn't get paid. >> i'm tired of government governing by gimmicks. >> reporter: the senate hasn't pass ad budget in almost four years. >> the last time they pass ad budget the ipad hadn't been introduced. >> reporter: paul ryan will draft the budget with deeper cuts. that's a carrot to get conservatives to go along but some still want to see cuts first. >> will not vote to raise the debt ceiling unless significant efforts are made to fix the under lying problems. >> reporter: senate democrats hint theology pass a budget but not soon. >> approach that when we need to. >> reporter: the white house says even in short term the president will sign pi

nbc's tracie potts has details. hi. >> reporter: hi, good morning. it's a lot of work. i want to show you some animation that gives you a virtual look at what people will see and what you're seeing if you're not here televised on monday when president obama for the second time this year takes the oath of office. remember he does the first official and private one at the white house on sunday, then the big event here on monday. all of this being built up at the capitol, the president will give his speech there which analysts say should not be partisan, he should stick to the middle of the road. . from the capitol to the parade route the process of securing all that, they got 100 workstations set up so far. 42 different agencies working on this. so here's the schedule for the weekend. national dave service on saturday. see the president and vice president and wives out doing that. private swear in on sunday and big day on monday. >> all right. tracie potts, thanks so much. >>> and now for a look at your friday weather, here's nbc meteorologist bill karins. good morning. >

tracie potts, nbc news, washington. >>> on now to business and tech, a $1,000 ipad?cott mcgrew says it's no rumor. >> yes, good morning. it is real. apple this morning said it will sell an ipad with 128 gigabytes of memory, so the cell phone version of this with the network ship will run $929. so more than $1,000 with tax. the lesser expensive wi-fi only version will cost you a mere 7$99. ipads have really become the go to device for millions of people. yahoo! stock is up this morning a day after yahoo! said it made more money than expected. >>> and here's something of dubious news value. a digital artist in santa cruz has created this. this is the game for nintendo. here's mark crawly sending you on a mission to find cigars somewhere in the estate. it's a -- no actual game exists, but if it had come out in 1990, this is indeed what the game would have looked like. bill kylely writes music for modern day video games. if you're a fan, that may just be me, then this is pure gold. back to you. >> you always find the cool stuff. >>> a symbol of love in the south bay is c

tracie potts, nbc news, washington. >>> futures are down slightly ahead of big economic numbers due out today. toyota and audi want to let your car doing the driving for you. for more on that and the rest of your news before the bell, we turn to brian shactman live at cnbc world headquarters. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. futures have improved a bit. basically flat ahead of the big economic report of the day, the december jobs number. analysts expect another month of slow but steady growth but not enough to call it a turning point for the economy. forecast call for 160,000 jobs to have been created last month. unemployment expected to hold steady at 7.7%. hiring can be affected by cold weather. companies bring on temp workers for the holidays for example. we also get data today on the services sector and factory orders. the dow fell 21 points on thursday to 13,391. nasdaq lost 11 to 3100 even. >>> toyota and audi set to unveil several features for driverless cars. both automakers will show off high tech options at next week's consumer electronic show in las vegas. there is ra

tracie potts is live on capitol hill. this week marks the 40th anniversary of the roe v. wade decision that legalized abortion. are the protests expected to be larger than usual because of that? >> reporter: exactly. and that's why we're expecting so many people for the second time this week on the national mall. in fact the anniversary was the day after inauguration. so organizers moved march for life to friday. and in the last 40 years, a lot of the emotions and issues have not changed. what has changed is legislation. for the most part legislators, republicans, have enacted more than 150 laws restricting abortion. there are now 17 states that pay for abortion for low income women and of course federal funds are restricted there. wae continue for s we continue to see demonstrations on both sides. but public opinion is pretty clear. 7 out of 10 said they want roe vs. wade abortion rights to remain the law of the land. today in addition to those thousands of people from around the country who plan to attend the event on the national mall, house speaker john boehner will b

that's the way we do it. >> barack obama is just getting started. >> reporter: tracie potts, nbc news washington. >> vice president biden sworn in yesterday by supreme court justice sonia sotomayor. there was a ball sponsored by the national wildlife federation and over environmental groups. as far as the first lady, she's not announced what she'll focus on in the second term but one reporter that covers the first lady says you should not be surprised if mrs. obama talks about more of a work/life balance. the first lady expected to maintain focus of her first term fighting childhood obesity and honoring families of military service men and women. we will of course have extensive coverage of today's inauguration. both on air and online. we're streaming live video from the nation's capital at nbcbayarea.com and "today" show will start with special live coverage of that inauguration at 7:00 this morning. >>> in other news now, and new this morning, an overnight shooting killed one person and sent another to the hospital in san francisco. police say the shooting happened on naples street

tracie potts is live in washington with more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. at this point moving forward, both sides need to reconcile these plans, the president's and the ones lawmakers pitched. while the goals seem to be the same, what we're not clear on at this point are the the details. >> now is the time. >> reporter: starting today lawmakers begin to sort out differences between their immigration plan and president obama's like how long will it take for people liveing here illegal to become citizens. >> some people have been here for 20 or 30 years in limbo. >> it won't be a quick process. >> reporter: five years is enough but lawmakers want to make sure the borders are secure first. that could take longer. >> if this becomes a bidding war to see who comes up with with the easiest, quickest pathway, this is not going to go well. >> reporter: another difference the white house wants same sex immigrants to apply just like all other families. conservatives may have issues for that. some aren't sold on of the idea of allowing illegal workers to stay here at

traci potts in washington, thank you. msnbc will have wall-to-wall coverage of president obama's second inauguration on monday beginning with a special edition of "morning joe" live from washington, d.c. >>> here's your first look at this morning's scrambled dish of politics. house republicans are holding a retreat in williamsburg, virginia. the gop is focusing on a number of key areas, one of them being how to reach out to minority voters. this particular session is being held in a room named for a wealthy 18th century slave owner. probably not the best choice. >>> president obama's political organization will now become a tax exempt group to support his second-term agenda. obama for america will relaunch on sunday after he takes the official oath of office. wax statues of president obama and the first lady got an updated look, including more grey hair for the president. the wax museum in washington exhibited the statues of the first couple on top of a double decker bus on thursday. >>> ever wonder about the expenses for

nbc bay area's tracie potts has details on the issues congress will face. >> reporter: 113th congress takes its oath this afternoon with 56 new democrats, 58 new republicans and a record number of women. the youngest, hawaii, a 31-year-old iraq war vet and first hindu ever elected. john boehner is expected to be re-elected speaker. he announced the first order of business. a vote on friday to provide billions to victims of superstorm sandy. >> the bottom line is between friday morning and january 15th those two votes will bring in $60 billion that is absolutely necessary to new york, new jersey and connecticut. >> reporter: also tops on their agenda, raising the debt cerealing so america can borrow more to pay its bills. >> the president is addicted to spending. he wants to spend. he wants a new credit card after he's maxed out the last one. >> the president thinks he's not going to negotiate, he better think again. he's president of the united states. he's not emperor of the planet. >> it may take a default, another downgrade, the serious economic consequences that flow from it to jo

tracie potts in washington. tracie, thank you.dent obama and ril ri clinton were interviewed. >> we had such agreement on what needed to be done for our country. >> made for tough debates, by the way. >> it did. >> we could never figure out what we differed on. hillary mentioned part of our bond is we've been through a lot of the same stuff and part of being through the same stuff is getting whacked around in political campaigns. being criticized in the press. we've both built some pretty thick skin. by the time hillary joined the administration i felt very confident and comfortable in our working relationship. i think what did evolve was a friendship as opposed to just professional relationship. >>> egyptians in three suez canal provinces are under a state of emergency this morning and will be subject to a curfew tonight. egypt's president muhammad delivered the angry edict. he hopes to prevent them from spinning out of control. nbc's ayman mohyeldin is with us. >> reporter: a state of emergency has been declared following presid

nbc's tracie potts is live in washington with more. good morning. >> reporter: this is a big deal. it's a ban that's been in place for nearly 20 years. after first rolling back the ban on gays in the military, now coming today this new announcement about new opportunities in the military for women. the formal announcement is expected today outgoing defense secretary leon panetta will end the 19-year-old ban on women serving in combat. >> for those who have what it takes, it's a chance for them to have equal treatment. >> reporter: the move can open up 237,000 jobs. women on the front lines in close quarters for months at a time? not everyone thinks it's a good idea. >> the extended endurance that is needed, as i say, we have enough problems with sometimes with men. >> reporter: last month the aclu sued in federal court, plaintiffs argue keeping women in the background is bad military strategy. >> it creates a dangerous set of rules that make it difficult for commanders in decide best way to fight. >> reporter: supporters argue that women are already in combat. 150 have died and 1,0

tracie potts is live in washington. will this new congress be able to get up to speed quickly? >> reporter: well, they don't really have a choice. they have so much on their plate, as you mentioned, including the debt ceiling coming up very quickly and the deficit. the 113th congress takes its oath this afternoon, 56 new democrats, 38 new republicans, and a record number of women. the youngest, hawaii's tulsie gabrin and the first hindu ever elected. john boehner expected to be elected speaker but 17 conservatives could derail. that he announced the first order of business, a vote friday to provide billions to victims of superstorm sandy. >> the bottom line is that between friday morning and january 15th, two votes will bring in $60 billion is absolutely necessary for new york, new jersey, and connecticut. >> reporter: also tops on the agenda, raising the debt ceiling. republicans will insist on cutting spending first. >> the president is addicted to spending. he wants to spend. he wants a new credit card after he's maxed out the last one. >> the president thinks he's not going

nbc's tracie potts is in washington for us. how is the president going to get the public and congress to support this legislative agenda? >> reporter: you were talking about the nra getting ready for a battle. the white house has a battle plan as well. it started last night. the president put an op-ed in the connecticut local connecticut newspaper near newtown where the shooting happened putting the pressure on congress saying they need to help and not hinder this process. the white house also has a campaign style tour planned for the president to talk about his gun control measures. no word yet what the stops are but they are hoping it will drum up public support. the polls are showing the public is increasingly favoring an assault weapons ban and even universal background checks a big part of his plan. finally the white house is putting out a new website with videos from some of the victims, again all part of a big campaign to try to get more public support for these measures that he's announced. >> tracie potts live in washi

from washington, i'm tracie potts. back to you. >>> check back in with meteorologist christine loren who says it's still very cold but we have a asunny outlook forecast. >> we do. it just gets better as the days go on. always that's the case as you get closer to the weekend. but what i can tell you is i've been studying these models for the past 2 1/2 hours and everything is boding well for temperatures to be near records as we get into the weekend. now, i want you to notice these high clouds streaming in. that will be the case from time to time throughout the day today. that's going to help for a more mild start tomorrow. we'll get a little blanket in trapping in the warmth we accumulate today. already in the 40s, 50s in sunny vale, 51, 46 in san jose and 45 in gilroy. what you'll notice is your winds are mostly coming out of the east-northeast, an indication of offshore flow. that is our warming agent as we head throughout this afternoon, i nudge ed up your temperatures making for 60 in gilroy, 60 in fremont and abov

as nbc bay area's tracie potts reports from capitol hill, they already have a full plate. >> reportere 113th congress takes its oath this afternoon with 56 new democrats, 38 new republicans and a record number of women. the youngest, hawaii's tulsi gabbert. john boehner has announced the first order of business, a vote to provide billions to victims of superstorm sandy. >> the bottom line is that between friday morning and january 15th, we'll bring in $60 billion that's absolutely necessary for new jersey and connecticut. >> reporter: also tops on their agenda, raising the debt ceiling so america can borrow more to pay its bills. republicans will insist on cutting spending first. >> the president is addicted to spending. he wants to spend. he wants a new credit card after he's maxed out the last one. >> if the president thinks he's not going to negotiate, he better think again. he's president of the united states, not emperor of the president. >> reporter: the last time there was a fight over the debt ceiling, the u.s. saw its first-ever downgrade. >> it may take another downgrade. th

nbc's tracie potts has the details now from washington. what are some of the measures we're expecting the president to propose today? >> reporter: in addition to those bans which congress has to act on, we're told that the president today will act on some but not all of the 19 areas that vice president biden's task force says he can do by executive order. chief among them, universal background checks that would close what many have called a loophole where you can buy a gun at gun shows or online without a background check. the president, we're told, also expected to stiffen penalties for people who fail background checks, lie on background checks, retailers who skip doing background checks and also those who sell multiple weapons to felons. now the nra likely to oppose those. they have already said in response to new york's law that tougher laws do not reduce crime or produce safety. in addition to the laws regarding background checks, the president's also expected to talk about mental health and video games as part of this comprehensive p

he is just getting started. >> tracie potts, nbc news, washington. >> 30 degrees at the airport. the stage is set for president obama's second inauguration. >> don't forget to e-mail us your response to our water cooler question of the day. after beating andrew luck, peyton manning, and tom brady, do you think the ravens should be 4 1/2-point underdogs in the super bowl? you can share your response at wbaltv.com and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> president obama took the official oath of office in a private ceremony at the white house yesterday. >> a parade down pennsylvania avenue. the parties have already started. >> there are four and days of events to celebrate president obama's second term as president. we're at national harbor in the middle of it. it is one big party. this is one of the big tickets -- the maryland inaugural ball. it is one of six dozen different balls and galas to celebrate the 57th presidential inauguration. for many, attending a ball is an important tradition. >> we come near to of a good time. >> i followed the p

tracie potts, wbal-tv 11 news. >> more than 5000 american express employees will soon be out of a job. many customers move to do their travel planning online. they believe the company will be able to serve its customer base with a smaller staff. we have heard of cars that drive themselves but what about a driverless cars that will also pick you up. the car parks itself and picks you up. it will be about 10 years before it is ready to hit the market. new college graduates are getting paid more. jane king has the bloomberg business report. happy friday, jane. >> walmart under investigation for allegations its executives paid more than $24 million in bribes in mexico. elijah cummings and henry waxman say documents show the ceo knew about the allegations of bribery as far back as 2005. we have futures quiet. the s&p advance to wait near five-year high. ford was one of the gainers. toys "r" us still reporting gloomy sales during the christmas shopping season. there was weak demand for electronics and toys. starting salaries for the most recent college graduates is almost $44,500. that outp

tracie potts, wbal-tv 11 news. >> county police had a busy new year's morning.fficers responded to three separate calls. >> jennifer franciotti is live outside the crown plaza hotel with more details for us. >> do you think it happened just after 1:00 a.m. we know that police are still investigating but it could be a matter of too few security guards. this hotel hosted a new year's eve party. >> they did it at a hotel so you can get a room and drink and not worry about driving home. none of that. do you know what i'm saying? they did a good job of putting this together. >> about 1000 people in the atrium. >> a lot of different promoters getting together to throw a party. we are still here. we are about to enjoy the rest of our new year's. >> police responded to a call about a fight here. less than 10 minutes later, someone called paramedics about a drug overdose. an hour later, a man was stabbed. investigators are not sure if the incidents are related. some did not notice the increased police presence. >> just because the police were there doesn't mean it was fo

. >> tracie potts has a breakdown of what congress agreed to. >> good morning. a very late vote last night but runtime for millions of americans who wondered if their taxes would go what this year. >> lawmakers left capitol hill after finally avoiding the fiscal cliff. >> some point you strike a balance. >> 257 democrats and republicans voting for a bill to keep the alternative minimum tax from hitting working families and prevent tax hikes for 98% of americans. tax rates will go up for couples making more than $450,000. the estate tax threshold is over $5 million. >> tax relief has been achieved. now is a time for the president to work with congress to address the government overspending. >> and the debt ceiling. president obama urged congress to raise it. >> we cannot not pay bills that we have already incurred. the consequences for the global economy would be catastrophic. >> no word when the president will sign the new bill. it was just in time for nervous investors as markets reopen this morning. tracie potts, wbal-tv 11 news. >> police are investigating tw

tracie potts has more from the west front of the u.s. capitol where the ceremony gets underway later this morning. >> i barack hussain obama -- >> president obama takes the stage this morning having already been sworn in yesterday. >> the last one was kind of fast. we'll take some time to enjoy it. >> they are pulling up the temporary plastic. >> hundreds of thousands witnessed the second inauguration of america's first black president. >> it means a whole lot. it is something i never fathom ed. >> despite tough approval ratings, president obama still holds star power. many traveled hundreds of miles just to get a glimpse. >> he leaned forward and i saw him and it made me happy. >> the president has some advice for those standing hours in the call today. -- in the cold today. >> be sure to bundle up, although it will not be as cold as it was four years ago. >> the first latino and first openly gay inaugural poet. >> i think the sense of unity is what we want to bring across. >> perhaps no one is more excited about the fifth graders from

nbc's tracie potts is live for us on capitol hill. tracie, it was a new year's day to remember. >> it was. this came a day late but just in time for the markets reopening this morning and just in time for many americans who were very concerned about their tax rates going up. that's an area that democrats gave him. couples who make $450,000 or more are going to have higher tax rates. you heard the president alluding to a tax fight. that's a fight that the congress has to deal with. john boehner the republican house speaker was able to gather 85 votes in favor of this bill. overwhelmingly passed in the senate.not as much, most republicans voted against it in the house. but in the end, they were able to get it passed. and not mentioned as much but something that's going to impact a lot of paychecks. remember that 2% payroll tax cut we enjoyed in the past year? that's not a part of that bill. payroll taxes going up 2%. you will feel that in your check this month, bill. >> thanks, tracie. here's a recap of how it played owl just after the b

nbc's tracie potts joins us live with the details. tracie, good morning. >> reporter: richard, good morning. congresswoman giffords marking the occasion with a push for gun safety. she's going around the country saying we need to take a closer look at the laws on the books. the white house making a greater effort to strengthen them. tod today we'll see vice president biden sitting down with gun advocates on whether or not washington should get involved. tomorrow a big meeting at the white house with the nra. vice president biden out front on this one as well. but the big question will they be able to get anything done here on capitol hill? with fiscal cliff part two and the debt and debt ceiling and lots of discussion about that, budget cuts, spending cuts possibly coming up the top republican on the nature side they may not get to gun control until the spring. richard. >> a lot of political capital will be spent on those issues. thank you so much. >> more turbulence for boeing's dreamliner. a fuel leak on a 787 forced it to cancel tak

>> tracie potts live on capitol hill for us. > despite this bill, you may notice your paycheck is a little smaller this year. that's because a temporary cut in a payroll tax just expired. the social security payroll tax will jump back to 6.2% for 160 million americans. it had been 4.2%. some banks say that could cut consumer spending by as much as $100 billion this year. that's less than the 115 to $125 billion in revenue it would cost the government each year. >>> it's up to the next congress to approve federal aid for victims of hurricane sandy. new york area lawmakers are furious that house republican leaders did not decide to hold a vote before this congressional term ends tomorrow. one new york congresswoman feels betrayed by the decision. another congressman calls it "absolute disgrace." john boehner's spokesman said he's still committed to getting a bill passed this month. >>> the taliban says the planned withdrawal of american troops from afghanistan is similar to the pullout from vietnam. the militant group calls the wit

tracy potts has more on the flu frenzy in today's medical alert. >> in boston, the mayor declared a public health emergency. they have had 700 cases so far. >> that is 10 times the number of total cases we saw last year. >> they are offering free flu shots to combat what the cdc says could be one of the worst flu seasons we have seen in years. >> it was like something hit me like a truck. >> doctor visits have doubled in the last four weeks. some schools have closed. crowded emergency rooms are turning people away. this pennsylvania hospital set up a tent for the overflow. >> we can see them, and evaluate them, discharge them right from the tent. >> so far, at 18 children have died, including this 6-year-old from texas. >> she was daddy's girl. i do not know what to do. >> this north carolina hair salon is seen the impact on workers and customers. >> they are canceling appointments, rescheduling, coming in coughing. it has been bad. >> experts say the flu could cost employers $10 billion. >> it could last longer, too, because the particular strain going around this year also seems to be mo

nbc's tracie potts is live on capitol hill with more. tracie, good morning. >> extra seating, extra space, lots going on here at the capitol. good morning everyone. they're putting the final shine this weekend on washington, ready to accept and greet 600,000 to 800,000 visitors. that's less than half from four years ago but still requiring a massive undertaking. the mall is being transformed to america's stage. it's the stage where the president on monday will take the oath of office for the second time. he's doing it officially and privately at the white house on sunday. then he'll do it again on monday in addition to giving a speech that analysts say should be short on politics and long on a message that really brings people together. not so much a political speech. secret service has 100 work stations throughout the area. 42 different agencies working to keep the mall and the parade route and the white house secure. eun? >>> tracie potts live on capitol hill for us this morning. tracie, thank you. >>> it may be affordable to take a cab

>> tracie potts live on capitol hill for us this morning. preparing for billions of dollars in cuts. defense secretary leon panetta asking his department to brace for the cuts if congress fails to reach an agreement on a final spending plan. the d.o.d. will start freezing civilian hiring as well. it plans to delay a warning -- holding off on some maintenance as well. the pentagon facing nearly a half trillion dollars in cuts over a decade. >>> some of virginia's top lawmakers are making a strong push to bring the fbi headquarters to the commonwealth. mark warner and tim kaine and members of area board of supervisors gathered in arlington yesterday. they stopped short of endorsing a specific location but say a metro accessible warehouse owned by government in springfield is ideal. prince george's county is pushing to bring the site to maryland. >>> new evidence could jeopardize the conviction of the man who killed chandra levy. it could taint the -- he was convicted in 2010 of killing the 24-year-old in 2001. chandra levy's body was found a ye

traci potts, nbc news, washington. >> we'll have extensive coverage of today and tomorrow's inauguration events on air and online. go to nbcbayarea.com for live streaming video as well as photo galleries. and we will have another live report from larry gerston coming up later in this newscast. >>> happening now, tens of thousands of people are on their way, or already in half moon bay for the world's best surfers in action. we're looking live right now at a bit of a quiet start at pillar point this morning. the first heat of the maverick's invitational surf contest is set to start in just about an hour off the coast of half moon bay. there will be monster waves as organizers were hoping for. that's for the pros, though. but the same high surf conditions created trouble for amateurs at a number of beaches yesterday. the coast guard rescued several surfers who got caught in powerful rip currents at both ocean beach in san francisco and dillon beach in ma rib. thankfully, no one was hurt. the high surf is expected to continue at bay area beaches today. we could see waves up to 30 feet. >> t