mike and vinita? with one old world american. >> they are taking a trip back in time, going across the state in a caravan of covered wagons. about two dozen riders including children headed out on a five-day, 100-mile journey. wow, how do you shower. they travel by day and set up camp each night. >> you had to go to the showers, huh? look at them out there on the road. travel riders say it's like a hobby, and they do it to get away from the hustle abdomen bustle of everyday life. >> one of the drivers said i just do it to get away from my wife. >> that's terrible, right. we talked about that old game, the oregon trail that's been around for years and year, you play that game. do you do well with that? >> i never do, no. i like to think that these people have the add center of vacuum-sealed food on their side, too. we'll be right back. [ spongecaster ] it's the winter dishwashing championship and she's going in with no protective gear? her hands could dry out. [ female announcer ] dawn hand renewal wit

rob and vinita? >> what a mess.g california a little bit of a break. >> accuweather's amy aaronson continues our coverage this morning. good morning, amy. >> thank you, rob and vinita. things are finally looking up for the golden state. sunshine is making a return from san francisco all the way down through los angeles today. now, though flooding will still be a concern, travel conditions greatly improving across the state. where that is storm going? out into the midsection of the nation but weakening as it does so. still some light rain for the four corners and light snow to the north here. do expect some slippery travel along i-90 traveling through south dakota. as we continue eastward, snow will be winding down in new england today. still talking lake-effect snow in syracuse and rochester and erie, pennsylvania. our main concern will be gusty winds. especially in cities like boston. as for the southeast, the picture perfect travel day on deck with high pressure in control. cool and dry. my advice would be to trav

vinita, rob?ea as melting snow refreezes over night. virginia drivers had a tough time getting around as several inches of snow fell there. traffic backed up on highways. you can see there. ill-prepared drivers had to use everything from newspaper to even t-shirts to scrape all that show off their windshields. >> my sister's car is probably somewhere in all of that. >> better call her. >>> now your friday forecast. wet in california from sacramento down to san diego. heavy snow in the sierra range. rain and mountain snow in arizona, new mexico and colorado. showers in northern minnesota and michigan and rain along much of the gulf coast into southern georgia. >> 60 degrees in new orleans. and 53 in atlanta. 30s from baltimore to boston. 20s from omaha to detroit. a frigid 11 degrees in fargo. 20 in billings and 34 degrees in salt lake city. >>> well, they were channeling their inner pete townshend the other night in the hard rock hotel out in hollywood, florida. >> the who guitarist who smashed so

rob and vinita?>> president obama is expected to sign the repeal of don't ask, don't tell tomorrow. it will take several months for the policy to take effect. in the meantime, the military is figuring out how it will implement the new rules allowing gays to serve openly. >>> the first results from this year's census will be released today. and the government counted 308 million americans. that's the result of only modest population gains in the last decade. the census is also expected to show migration continues to the south and to the west. texas could gain four congressional seats, while new york and ohio could actually lose some. >>> california is bracing for another hard hit of an intense pacific storm system. heavy rain is expected from one end of the state to the other, falling on already-saturated ground. storm barriers and debris basins may not be enough to protect neighborhoods from mudslides that have already closed some roads. thousands of customers have now lost power and snow totals in t

rob and vinita. tensions are high on the border, but politicians and citizens are divided over whether these routine exercises are necessary at this point in time. south korean military having conducted these drills every month for the past 37 years. it says the live-fire drills are defensive in nature. at the center of this dispute is this maritime border. south korea recognizes a northern boundary and thousands of south koreans reside in these small islands. north korea says the border is just to the south of the islands. in fear, residents of the island, victims of last month's attack on the north, are inside underground shelters waiting and earlier they've been given gas masks just in case. naval ships and missile capabilities and fighter jets are on standby in case the conflict escalates. they hope both sides back down. they rallied outside the south korean defense ministry just before the drills. the drills have ended now the question is will north korea stick to its rhetoric vowing to destroy

vinita, rob?other night in the hard rock hotel out in hollywood, florida. >> the who guitarist who smashed so many guitars during his career would have been proud. more than 1,900 people showed up to set a new world record. >> the destruction was for a good cause. the broken parts will be donated to artists who use it in their works, and maybe the weirdest thing, it was to mark the grand opening of a parking garage. some stuff you just can't make up, huh? >> we'll be right back. >>> as we all know, politicians say a lot of things, and it doesn't matter if it is a republican or a democrat. a lot of it ends up being nothing but a big fat lie. >> and in the past year, of course, there was plenty to lie about, so which politicians laid the biggest whopper of them all? with that here's jake tapper? >> reporter: pinocchio is an adorable symbol of fibbing, but politicians are not nearly so cute when they shave the truth. the folks at politifact.com make it their mission to let us know when public officia

rob and vinita?is one thanks to the golden arches. >> jonathan kehoe is a newly minted millionaire. after winning mcdonald's annual monopoly game. it's a good story. he's unemployed and only went to mickey d.'s drive-through because his godson said he had to go. >> smart kid. kehoe's game ticket he got with his mcrib combo meal was the grand prize winner. he says he'll pay off some bills and some debt and then he wants to buy some property. smart guy, maybe boardwalk and park place would be some good investments. >> on his soda. he peeled it on his soda. right then he knew. lucky guy. >> all the luck, man. >> we'll be right back. let me tell you about a very important phone call i made. when i got my medicare card, i realized i needed an aarp... medicare supplement nsurance card, too. medicare is one of the great things about turning 65, but it doesn't cover everything. in fact, it only pays up to " 80% of your part b expenses. if you're already on or eligible for medicare call now to find out how an

vinita and rob?e wisconsin teacher who kept her cool to say the least during that harrowing classroom hostage situation is releasing a statement today. valerie burd is being credited for putting the gunman and her entire class at ease during that six-hour ordeal monday. 15-year-old samuel hengel died yesterday from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. friends and family who describe hengel as smart and well-liked are trying to figure out exactly why he snapped. >>> wikileaks founder julian assange is now a wanted man. he is now on interpol international's most wanted list in connection with a rape investigation in sweden. that could make it hard for the elusive assange to travel. here in the u.s. there are now discussions whether assange may face charges after posting thousands of secret documents. >>> a candlelight vigil in oregon last night brought together jews, christians and muslims. they gathered outside a mosque that was targeted recently by an arsonist. investigators say the fire may have been set

vinita, mike?invasion case in connecticut says his execution "will be a relief." steven hayes was formally sentenced thursday for the killings of jennifer hawke-petit and her two daughters. the sole survivor, dr. william petit, also made a statement. he fought back tears as he talked about how often he'd considered suicide since losing his family. the judge set an execution date of may 27th, 2011 but admitted there are years of appeals likely to come. >>> the founder of wikileaks is a wanted man this morning. julian assange got the world's attention by exposing secrets about war and diplomacy. now he is a high-profile fugitive and he is being pursued by police around the world. abc's jim sciutto has more. >> reporter: he's lived and worked in secrecy, but now the legal net is tightening around julian assange. a swedish court rejected his appeal against arrest on allegations of rape. as the court has pursued him, he's moved constantly. communicating with us by e-mail from changing e-mail addresses.

vinita, rob?lievable story. >>> a shoot-out at a strip mall in sacramento has left a 2-year-old boy without his mother. gunfire broke out when two armed men entered a barbershop. two other men inside were also armed and returned fire. a stray bullet struck a 30-year-old woman just as she was putting her son into their car. the boy was unharmed and police are still investigating. >>> police in las vegas say it took an armed bandit just three minutes to pull off a hollywood-style heist. surveillance cameras caught the man running out of the bellagio resort early tuesday. he got away with at least $1.5 million in casino chips. it's believed that just last week the same bandit held up another vegas casino and stole $20,000 in cash. >>> wikileaks founder julian assange is still in custody this morning even though a british judge has granted him bail. the international legal battle over sexual misconduct charges in sweden, though, is far from over. lama hasan has the latest now from london. >> reporter:

vinita and rob?>> up at lake superior college in duluth, minnesota, it didn't matter that it was arctic outside. not when inside it was time for the annual robot competition. >> engineering students are given a challenge every year. this year they had to design a robot that could move two cups of water about 20 feet. >> the team and the robot that got it done first was of course the winner. some of the robots, as you see, did a little bit better than others. and also some high schools, nearby high schools that competed in this. can you imagine being in high school and being able to design something like that? >> i barely got out of algebra. i'd break that down at the holiday party. that's all i got. >> you rock. we'll be right back with more "world news now." ♪ [ male announcer ] every day thousands of people are switching from tylenol to advil. to learn more and get your special offer, go to takeadvil.com. take action. take advil. >>> next week's holiday will be especially cheerful for two parents a

. >> good morning, rob and vinita. heavy rain still bothering much of california, with additional concerns of mudslides and even flooding. some areas have seen a foot of rain over the last couple days. that's the case of san bernadino. and that's almost as much as they get in an entire year, as far as rain goes. this storm will be ending in california overnight and heading into the plains, as we look into thursday. by christmas eve, this could be causing problems along interstate 80. and that's bad news for some holiday travelers. back to you, rob and vinita. >> ava, thanks a lot. >>> one other weather note this morning, this one from overseas. thousands of travelers are still stranded across europe, mostly because of lingering problems at london's heathrow airport. officials there say regular operations will not resume until tomorrow. all the delays and cancellations there, the result of just five inches of snow, which fell on saturday. >>> this morning, president obama signs a repeal of the military's don't ask, don'

i'm mike marusarz. >> and i'm vinita nair.al storm that froze the upper midwest, is an its way east. >> the storm has one unusual side effect, though. tickets to tonight's vikings/giants game is free. and the fans have to get to detroit too see the game somehow. clayton sandell reports from minneapolis. >> reporter: the heavy snow literally brought down the ice at the vikings stadium. the metrodome's teflon roof proved no match for 17 inches of snow, that left minneapolis socked in. no one was hurt in the collapsed. >> we have an overweighting of certain panels on the roof. caused the roof fabric to rupture. >> reporter: this is my vote for worst job of the midwest. the workers are shoveling snow on the top of the metrodome. they're doing it in zero degree weather. but the wind is blowing. and it feels like 21 below. residents are digging out. >> if you don't have to go out, stay home. >> reporter: the culprit is a mammoth storm, sprawling 1,500 miles from the plains to the great lakes. high winds and snow up to two feet have

i'm vinita nair. >> and i'm rob nelson.body. >>> we begin with that icy arctic blast that is now moving east. the brutal weather system dumped feet of snow out in the midwest and is now dropping temperatures well into a deep freeze. >> factor in the windchill and readings are near zero in many areas today. clayton sandell reports from minneapolis. >> reporter: in northwest indiana, black ice, high winds and six feet of snowdrifts change roads into parking lots. state troopers had to use snowmobiles to reach stranded drivers who were trapped in their cars in biting cold. joe worl got stuck sunday night. a tow truck got him out. >> technically i'm still stuck because i can't go back north, i can't go west, i can't go east. even though i can move, i can't go nowhere. >> reporter: it's no go for angel too. she's stuck in indiana on her way home from cincinnati. >> one of the last few that got a room and then they were setting up cots in the lobby. >> reporter: in most parts of the upper midwest it is hard to get away from punis

vinita and rob?president's announcement about tax cuts did not send stocks soaring on wall street but it did not send them plummeting either. the dow fell almost 20 points monday to close at 11,362. early overseas markets are also lower, mostly on fears about an interest rate hike in china. >>> now to the day's other big story, the weather. the blustery cold snap that has half the country bundling up gets even colder today. as florida farmers race to save their crops another foot of snow is coming down around the great lakes. more now from matt gutman. >> reporter: snow gridlocked buffalo. caused car crashes in indiana. even caught north carolina, and president obama, off guard. >> although i have to say i came down here for slightly warmer weather. what's snow doing on the ground in north carolina? come on, now. >> reporter: around the great lakes, snowfall will be measured in feet, not inches. and it's going to get worse. >> we do believe that there will be another shot of the even colder air comin

. >> reporter: good morning, vinita and rob. the president has been raising the pressure on congress at every opportunity to pass this deal, and last night the senate handed in his first major victory. the senate easily approved the test vote on the tax cut deal, a test both of the senate's ability to pass it and president obama's powers of persuasion. >> i am pleased to announce at this hour the united states senate is moving forward on a package of tax cuts that has strong bipartisan support. >> reporter: that vote paves the way for final passage in the next day or two. >> taken as a whole, the bill that the senate quill allow to proceed does some very good things for america's economy and the american people. >> reporter: the president's arguments could be working. a new abc news/"washington post" poll finds two of three americans back the deal, including a majority of democrats, independents, and three of four republicans. even more on capitol hill. >> passing this bilson the biggest tax hike in the history of the country wo

good morning, mike. >> reporter: good morning, rob and vinita.uld be divided into three sections and it will first state that there has been great progress in dismantling, disrupting and defeating al qaeda and the taliban in afghanistan and in other parts of the world. the first section deals with al qaeda. the report will state that top al qaeda leadership has been assassinated in drone strikes in pakistan and elsewhere and they've managed to take away many of the al qaeda safe sanctuaries in pakistan and other parts of the world. secondly, the report deals with pakistan. it says there is greater cooperation between the united states and pakistan but there are still problems there. a giant safe haven still exists in north waziristan province in pakistan, and that is something that will have to be dealt with in the future. and in the coming spring. thirdly, in afghanistan, the report will state that the troop surge of 30,000 troops has made a difference in the south of afghanistan, but problems remain in the north and west and in the east of afgh

. >> and i'm vinita nair. a deadly snowstorm that grounded flights and brought whiteout conditions has brought another swath through the country. >> in minneapolis, check this out, the tech dome roof broke under the weight of he have snow. >> this is the snow now dumping snow on ohio and pennsylvania. >> reporter: as residents of the upper midwest start their week digging out from all of that snow, places like indianapolis and cleveland are getting ready for their own walloping. the storm packed i powerful punch over the weekend you dumping over a foot and a half of snow. this snowstorm will go down in the history books. in minneapolis, incredible video shows the roof of the metrodome stadium collapsing. >> the last time this occurred was 1983. >> reporter: luckily nobody was hurt. lucked out in the cold, minnesota fans with game tickets. >> a really big bummer. i wish they would take to us detroit but i don't think it's going to happen. >> reporter: 29 states are getting pounded from the great lakes all the w

vinita, rob? convicted in that shocking home invasion in connecticut. steven hayes will be formally sentenced to death later today. the lone survivor of that brutal attack, dr. william petit, will be given a chance to speak directly to hayes, the man who killed his wife and two daughters. hayes will also be given a chance to speak, though his lawyer says he likely will not. >>> after two days of deadly storms the east coast is finally getting a chance to dry out today. windswept rain tore through the northeast, snapping trees, knocking out power and causing major flight delays. several twisters left parts of the southeast in shambles. steve osunsami was there. >> reporter: outside atlanta -- >> this window here just come flying in the house. >> reporter: they're frustrated, wet, and digging out from the storm system that has now killed at least four people and is tearing its way across the east. but this all happened as you were running for the door. since monday at least three tornadoes have ripp

rob and vinita?een filed against the so-called underwear bomber. umar farouk abdulmutallab is in court today to face a new count of conspiracy to commit terrorism. that's in addition to the six previous counts connected to that attempted terror attack on a delta jet in detroit last christmas. the nigerian man is accused of hiding explosives in his underwear. >>> it has been a year since president obama decided to send 30,000 more u.s. troops into the war in afghanistan. now it's time to find out how the war is going. >> that assessment will come out today when the white house releases a review of its war strategy. abc's mike boettcher has a preview from kandahar. good morning, mike. >> reporter: good morning, rob and vinita. the assessment would be divided into three sections and it will first state that there has been great progress in dismantling, disrupting and defeating al qaeda and the taliban in afghanistan and in other parts of the world. the first section deals with al qaeda. the report will

. >> reporter: rob and vinita good morning to you. president obama says the typical american family would pay $3,000 a year in taxes beginning next month, if this deal falls through. but some democrats charge that the compromise comes too early and leaves too much on the table. the bipartisan deal extending bush-era tax cuts for two more years announced by president obama is what he says, not exactly what he wants, but what the country needs. >> it's not perfect. this compromise is an essential step on the road to recovery. >> reporter: the deal means lower tax rates will remain in place for everyone even the highest earners. though the president once vowed the rich would pay more. >> we will take those tax breaks away from the wealthiest americans and put them in the pockets of hard-working americans. >> reporter: but with the stalemate now and more republicans coming for the next session of congress mr. obama backs down in exchange for republican concessions. extending long-term unemployment benefits for an additional 13 months for

rob and vinita? >> emily schmidt, thanks for that report. >>> another issue in political limbo this morning, the senate's approval of the nuclear s.t.a.r.t. treaty with russia. senate republicans blocking the treaty got a nudge from one of their own. former secretary of state colin powell met with president obama yesterday. powell has said failing to ratify the treaty could leave the u.s. in a vulnerable position. >>> and one more note from capitol hill, where republicans are vowing to get rid of symbolic resolution. you've probably seen these, when a member of congress honors a person or a sports team. yesterday on the house floor, a resolution was passed for golfer chichi rodriguez. the new measure will prevent any such bill from making it to the floor. >>> secretary of state hillary clinton arrived in kyrgystan this morning to meet with government leaders and also greet u.s. troops. she arrived from kazakhstan, where she attended an international security conference and announced a nuclear securit

rob and vinita?y has found three former new orleans police officers guilty for an ugly incident after hurricane katrina. one was convicted of manslaughter for fatally shooting an unarmed man. another was found guilty for burning the man's body. a third was convicted of writing a false report on the entire incident. the justice department is also looking into other post-katrina civil rights violations. >>> it's been two years since bernie madoff's massive financial swindle was exposed. and tomorrow is the last day the victims can file lawsuits to recoup their losses. abc's brian ross reports that practically no one associated with madoff is immune from those suits. >> reporter: among those being sued, madoff's wife ruth who once lived a life of luxury with her husband in a penthouse apartment high atop manhattan. it has now been relegated to a condo in florida. we spotted her earlier this year. even though she had dyed her once-blond hair red in an apparent effort to keep from being recognized. >> thi

good morning, john. >> reporter: good morning, rob and vinita.n the end there were lots of complaints but little opposition. with little fanfare, the tax cut compromise sailed through the senate. >> the motion is agreed to. >> reporter: everyone found something in it they disliked. >> do i feel passionate that the people who earn over $1 million don't need a tax cut? you bet i do. >> reporter: but in the end it passed with the overwhelmi inin support of both parties, 81-19. turning his powers of persuasion where they're most needed, to the house, where few democrats support it. >> we worked hard to negotiate an agreement that's a win for middle-class families and a win for our economy. >> reporter: the $858 billion plan would extend the bush tax cuts for everyone for two years. extend jobless benefits for 13 months. provide $400 billion in tax cuts and credits to boost the economy. some house democrats seem to be coming around. >> after months of partisan gridlock it's time for members of this house to listen to the american people and prevent th

good morning, jeannette. >> hi, there rob and vinita.will continue to hit the state of california. it started friday, continued into the weekend. we're still expecting to see heavy rain and snow through at least the middle of this holiday week. this is all due to a series of disturbances coming in from the pacific. so far, the l.a. area has picked up close to 3 inches of rain and the valleys of southern california through at least tuesday could pick up an additional 2 to 4 inches of rainfall. flooding and mudslides along the california coast will be a problem through at least the middle of the week. also heavy snow in the sierras. we're forecasting through monday night from 6,000 to 6,500 feet, an additional 6 to 12 inches of snow. above 8,000 feet in the sierras, we're forecasting anywhere from 3 to 5 feet of additional snowfall. meanwhile, in the northeast, the major cities -- new york city down into philadelphia and d.c. -- escaping the snowstorm. most of the snow will hit eastern areas of new england. boston may pick up a couple of i

rob and vinita?ou can imagine condolences for edwards are now pouring in. president obama released a statement saying, in her life elizabeth edwards knew tragedy and pain. many others would have turned inward. many others in the face of such adversity would have given up. >> and this from john kerry, who in 2004 of course picked john edwards as his running mate. "elizabeth edwards was an incredibly loving, giving and devoted mother and teresa and our entire family are grateful for the time we shared getting to know her in 2004." >>> well, no matter what side you were on, it is safe to say most of us would not want to be in president obama's shoes this morning. after brutal negotiations with republicans over a tax cut compromise, the president is facing the fury of democrats, many who say they won't support it. jake tapper has details. >> reporter: president obama said the reason for his compromise was simple. >> on the republican side, this is their holy grail. these tax cuts for the wealthy. >> repo

vinita and rob? was given one of those controversial pat-downs at a jackson airport. meera shankar, india's ambassador to the u.s., was subject to the extra security, apparently because she was wearing a sari. which drapes across the body. a tsa spokesman says no one is exempt from the security measures, not even a diplomat. >>> six children were injured yesterday when a car plowed into their schoolroom outside of new orleans. the 2011 infinity broke through a wall, into the private school. one of those kids, a 10-year-old, is still in critical condition. the driver was a mother dropping off her child at the school. she says she thought she'd stepped on the brake. she's now been charged with negligent injury. >>> after a two-day visit to afghanistan, defense secretary robert gates says the surge strategy is working. gates also says we can meet the goal of ending u.s. combat operations by 2014. but abc news martha raddatz talked to some of the soldiers who are working on it, who say it won't be easy.

good morning. >> good morning, vinita and mike. the worst may be over for the midwest.ll see heavy snow move into the great lakes. as the storm system lifts into canada bringing rain into maine but the bulk of the storm is lifting to the north. it's the harsh, cold winds moving in behind the storm that's going to take off the lake-effect snow. we've been tracking heavy snow bands into northern indiana overnight. now, that's starting to build into northern ohio, east of cleveland and into upstate new york. these localized areas could see one to two feet of snow, all the way into wednesday. you combine that with the gusty winds and whiteout conditions could be possible, along i-80 and portions of i-90. treacherous travel not over yet for those areas. it's all the cold air moving. and temperatures in the single digits in minnesota. when you factor in the winds, it can feel like negative numbers. all the way from minnesota to chicago. and this cold, reaching into the southeast, as well. 19 in atlanta, and 24 in jacksonville, to start off the day. back to you, vinita and mik

. >> reporter: vinita and rob, good morning to you. the tax cut deal that's headed to the senate floor creates an unusual push for votes. by and large, republicans have lined up with president obama. it's the democrats who need convincing. president obama says the tax deal debate is good. but it's time to get things done. >> the american people are watching. and they're expecting action on. our parts. >> reporter: for the white house, action means persuasion. president obama working the phones. vice president biden on capitol hill trying to convince wary house democrats to make the compromise a done deal. democrats said, while many voice support for the white house -- >> there's also numerous members who stood up and had a great deal of problems with the deal that was proposed. >> reporter: white house economic adviser, larry summers, went so far as to say if democrats defeat the deal, there's a much larger risk of a double-dip recession. >> i'm not sure it will pass in its current form. i don't know. nobody knows the answer to that. >

rob and vinita? >> all right. thanks a lot, mike. >>> the war in afghanistan is now the nation's longest ever. and this year has been the bloodiest so far. almost 500 americans have been killed. almost 4,500 wounded. >>> there are just a few more days left for congress to act on some pressing issues. so, here's where we stand on the three biggest. on the effort to extend those tax cuts, the senate overwhelmingly passed the bill yesterday. but it's fate today in the house is uncertain. as for the ban on gays in the military, the house approved the bill yesterday, and now it goes to the senate. and ratifying the important nuclear treaty with russia, the senate voted to begin debate. and it's likely to pass with a two-thirds vote. >>> a spending bill is set for saturday. to keep the government run mpg but it's filled with billions of pet projects. here's jonathan karl. >> reporter: christmastime on capitol hill. plenty of gifts for special interests and pet projects for powerful lawmakers. case in point -- >> this ap

. >> good morning, rob and vinita. bitter-cold air returning to the state of florida. looking at the morning temperatures, jacksonville barely at 18 degrees. orlando and miami, just near the freezing mark. and barely getting into the 50s by the afternoon. toward the west, the big problem has been all the rain. seattle has seen four inches of rain over the last two days. they could see an additional inch today. and many of the rivers in the cascades and the olympics are already running high. that will lead to additional flooding problems. now, back to you, rob and vinita. >> ava, thanks a lot. >>> and the flooding in the pacific northwest has damaged dozens of homes. the water rushed in so fast there, that some people said they didn't have time to move any of their belongings to higher ground. there's about 30 landslides in the seattle area alone. and more are expected over the next few days. >>> our weather team will have more on this big winter blast coming up later today on "good morning america." >>> there's a new setback in the u.s. works to end the war in afghanis

vinita and rob? >> emily schmidt, reporting this morning. >>> president obama is one of many offering their remembrances. he said, in her life, elizabeth edwards knew tragedy and pain. many others would have turned inward. many others in the face of such adversity, would have given up. later on in "good morning america," we talk to some of the people who knew the edwards family best. >>> in other news this morning, president obama is under fire this morning from his own party. congressional democrats are still fuhr use over his tax cut compromise. and the deal may not survive in the house. and a closed-door meeting at the white house last night did nothing to cool off all the hot tempers. john hendren has more. >> reporter: president obama came out swinging against republicans. >> on the republican side, this is their holy grail. these tax cuts for the wealthy. >> reporter: against democrats, who say he caved by giving republicans that tax cut for those earning over $250,000. >> this country was foun

now, back to you, rob and vinita. >> all right, ava. thanks a lot. >>> and the flooding in the pacific northwest has damaged dozens of homes. the water rushed in so fast there, that some people say they didn't have time to move any of their belongings to higher ground. there's about 30 landslides in the seattle area alone. and even more are expected over the next few days. >>> and our weather team will have more on this big winter blast coming up later today on "good morning america." >>> there's a new setback in the u.s. works to end the war in afghanistan. richard holbrooke, the president's representative to the region, has died. the accomplished diplomat, known as a brilliant negotiator, passed away in washington last night. >> he is simply one of the giants of american foreign policy. >> the president praised him at an event last night, also calling him, quote, a tough son of a gun. christiane amanpour explains what this loss means for the war strategy. >> reporter: holbrooke's death comes just days before the obama administration r

i'm vinita nair. >> i'm mike marusarz, sitting in for rob nelson. dig this morning after a monstrous snowstorm dumped heavy snow on the region. >> minnesota was one of the hardest-hit with two feet of snow. clayton sandell reports from minneapolis. >> reporter: it was a touchdown nobody wanted. the roof of the metrodome in minneapolis. taken down by 17 inches of snow that slammed the city. nobody was hurt. workers cleared away that snow, shoveling in windchills of 21 degrees below zero. giants players who were stranded in kansas city, will now play the minnesota vikings in detroit. thousands of fans in minneapolis were the vikings/giants game, were the losers. >> now, they're moving it to detroit. now, we're going home. >> reporter: christa made the trip with eight girlfriends. she is out $500. >> really big bummer. i wish they would take us to detroit. but i don't think it's going to happen. >> reporter: she is hoping to get home to sioux falls, south dakota. whiteout conditions brought visibility to near zero. high winds and heavy snow also crippl

. >> scene i'm vinita nair. today's highly-anticipated jobs report, is a glass half-full/half-empty scenario. it's supposed to show that 145,000 jobs were aided. but it would be the 19th-straight month that unemployment has topped 9%. >> still, many janalysts believ that job-seekers have hope. we talk to emily schmidt. >> reporter: we have talked to people that will soon be losing unemployment checks. today, there's high hopes for better economic news. there's ind kagtss that more businesses are hanging out the help wanted signs, than actually filling the jobs. an all-too familiar unemployment refrain. >> i'm just here, looking for somewhere to work. >> reporter: now, has a different sound, of hope. >> it's a hard time. but i feel very optimistic that things are turning around. >> reporter: a new employment report due out this morning from the labor department, may have her feeling correct. 120,000 to 150,000 jobs were added last month. >> real jobs. like restaurants and warehouse jobs and jobs that weren't ordi

rob and vinita? >> emily schmidt reporting. thanks, emily. >>> the president and top gop leaders wrapped up their white house meeting by promising to work together. one senate democrat seemed skeptical. an open microphone caught colorado's michael bennet griping that the system is broken. >> it's whole rigged. the conversation is rigged. the fact that we don't get a discussion before the break about what we're going to do in the lame duck is just rigged. this stuff's rigged. >> a spokesman later defended bennet's remarks, saying he was only telling the truth. >>> another major issue that republicans could block, efforts to repeal the military's don't ask, don't tell policy, against gays in the military. a long-awaited pentagon study about how servicemen and women feel about serving with gays and lesbians has now been released. jon karl has more on its findings. >> reporter: the clear message from the pentagon leadership, don't ask, don't tell, should be repealed. >> this can be done and should be done, without posing a serious

back to you, rob and vinita. >> all right. thanks a lot, amy. we'll have much more about the storm's aftermath later today on "good morning america." >>> overseas, now, we are following some breaking news on the korean peninsula. as south korea carries out its largest-ever set of wintertime military drills. they're taking place about 20 miles from the border with north korea. korea. hundreds of troops, along with tanks and fighter jets, are involved. drills are in response to last month's bombardment of a south korean island by the communist north. >>> tensions between north and south korea will top the agenda when the chinese president visits the white house next month. the white house has announced an official visit by hu jintao. president obama visited china last year. >>> and the president begins his hawaiian vacation today. and he's doing it on a high note. nearly all of his top legislative priorities were approved during the lame duck session of congress. lawmakers were passing bills even in the final hours. here, now, is jonathan karl. >>

now, back to you, rob and vinita. >> all right, ava. thanks a lot. >>> speaking of holiday travel, it is a disaster right now for those americans wanting to get home from across northern europe. thousands of passengers are now stranded at the major hubs, from germany all the way to britain. but nowhere are the problems greater than at london's heathrow airport. our nick watt has that story. >> reporter: the busiest international airport on earth. the busiest travel week of the year. thousands of passengers are now trapped at what they're calling hotel heathrow. they won't make it home for the holidays. >> i thought i would come home, like a present to my parents. and i was going to surprise them a little bit. >> reporter: this, london's worst snow in 25 years. the coldest december in 100 years. heathrow is not equipped to deal with it. >> i'm truly sorry for every spoiled christmas holiday, every disrupted travel plan. >> reporter: in germany, thousands of flights were canceled. in paris, one-third of all flights grounded. >> our flight

vinita? >> not to any of us. emily schmidt live in washington. thank you. >>> new clues this morning about sarah palin's possible presidential aspirations. "the daily beast" has learned the former alaskan governor is planning trips to israel and england next summer, which could beef up her foreign policy credentials. and this weekend, palin ventures to haiti, despite a new travel warning by the state department. the country is in chaos, over its disputed presidential election, the recent cholera outbreak and january's devastating earthquake. palin's visit is part of a charity mission with reverend franklin graham. >>> the federal aviation administration literally has no idea who owns one-third of the private and commercial aircraft here in the u.s. and that is something that could help terrorists and drug traffickers. an investigation has found that the faa is missing information on more than 100,000 aircraft. it also does not know if a plane is still in use. next year, the agency will start over, with a new registration system. >>> jury delibera

vinita nair is off this morning. >>> the northeast is still struggling after a knockout punch from thecan see why. snow totals range anywhere from three feet in rahway, new jersey, to two feet in brooklyn, and a foot in philadelphia. >> the storm has left thousands of travelers stuck in airports across the country. here's sharyn alfonsi. >> reporter: they're calling it the snow-nado. waist-high drifts. weird bouts of lightning. and blinding 70-mile-an-hour wind gusts. >> sometimes you can see 15 feet in front of you, sometimes 30, then sometimes nothing. >> reporter: so much snow it brought the east coast to an eerie standstill. brooklyn, new york. washington, d.c. newport news, virginia. philadelphia fought mother nature with an army of plows. durham, north carolina, with an old broom. >> everybody go to the back! >> reporter: in new york, more than 500 passengers were stuck inside subway cars. some upwards of eight hours. they could see the train platform but couldn't get the doors open. >> we're not going nowhere. not one damn train. no heat. >> reporter: negotiating city streets pr

. >>> good morning rob and vinita. here in the northeast, we will see lake-effect snow showers where the snowbelts will get dumped on through the middle of the week. those areas can pick up anywhere from 1 to 3 feet of total snowfall through wednesday evening. aside from the snow showers, look how colis, high temperatures only in the 30s in new york city. upper 20s in syracuse, and 27 in buffalo. it will be another windy day so when you factor in the winds it's going to feel colder out there. this harsh chill is reaching florida and texas. >> thanks a lot. again, for many areas, tomorrow will be even colder. sam champion is tracking this weather and the big chill we'll have an updaylight on "good morning america" later today. >>> a deal is in the works on capitol hill to extend bush-era tax cuts and restore benefits. the compromise co-end up costing americans big time. good morning, emily. >> reporter: vin neat tax good morning to you. there are trillions of dollars on the line with the tax debate that's happening righ

. >> i'm mike marusarz sitting in for vinita nair. >>> the west coast, more rain today.the last thing they need, obviously. downpours could drench the areas already saturated from last week's powerful storm. >> unbelievable. in highland, california, there's a scramble now to dig out from the last mudslide. mike von fremd is there. >> reporter: for the volunteers it's a tough task. to clear the mountain of debris without doing more damage to the homes and cars buried beneath. >> we shoveled today. we shoveled a lot of mud. >> how's your back feel? >> right now, okay. couple of hours when i get home, may be another story. >> reporter: thousands of sandbags have been stacked to protect the community. engineers estimate 50,000 cubic yards of debris plug the storm basin. it has been cleaned and tested to see if the water will flow instead of flood. a second storm is forecast. >> i think it's going to be a mess. hopefully there's no more damage, doesn't undo what we've already done. >> reporter: shell-shocked homeowners who have been evacuated say they don't know how things co