willie, it was transcendent.e got elected, certainly culturally, politically, racially, in every way. >> we were there. there was no denying it. democrats, republicans, but now he's doing the hard work of actually governing, which has been quite a different thing for him. >> so mike, looking ahead to the next ten years, who do you think is going to be influencing us over the next decade?

i'm willie geist with erica hill. joining us this morning, great co-host. >> i can't believe i'm on the plaza. with all these fine people coming out for new year's eve. so nice to meet you, too. >> nice to meet you, too. >> the billy to the willie and i'm coming in hot. >> i think you're going to like t we'll talk more about kit. >> learn everything there is to know about kit. also ahead, we're taking a look back at some of the best in entertainment of 2012. oh, yes, here they are. of course, all the movies. you name t we'll also look ahead to 2013, what you can expect. >> all right, guys. on the computer, those instagram, but now there's cinnagram, poke. >> i'm big on twitter. i'm getting better on the other stuff. >> i'm following my 10-year-old on this. aall the trends for 2013. >> plus we'll take a look back at the year that was, some of the best doing gangnam style. >> yes! >> lots of dancing on this show when you look back. al getting loose. man! you don't realize how much dancing there was until you see it all

>> no. >> willis. >> willis.ng ] >> if it's a girl, willisandra. >> willisena. >> willisandra or something. girl, willisandra. >> or something. >>> this morning on "world news now" -- flu alert. federal health experts are warning the flu season is off to an early start and it could be a bad one. >>> already doctors are seeing a cluster of cases in five southern states. it is tuesday, december 4th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." >> is it tuesday? it is tuesday. >> we just said it. i already forgot. >> it's the sleep deprivation, >> it is. >> it's okay. >> good tuesday morning. i'm paula faris. >> i'm rob nelson. it's been ten years since we have seen a flu season start quite this early and this strong. we will get to that coming up in a moment. you were sick. i was under the weather two weeks ago. here we go. >> i think it's the building though. i don't think it has anything to do with the flu. >> all this asbestos. >>> the latest from london. while kate middleton is being treated, of cours

willie was -- no, that's at the end. i don't know if willie is excited about this body shaver.s so you can get those hard to reach places like ankle or back of your knee, which is always really, really hard. battery operated. use this wet or dry. and this razor is supposed to last up to two years. >> for one razor? >> you never see this. >> no. many fewer knicks on the ankle there. all the rage because it lasts forever and now we can do it at home? >> gel manicures can be time consuming and a little expensive. sally hansen salon came out with this insta gel strip. this is the strip plus the gel. what we get in this starter kit, this cool little mini l.e.d. lamp. >> what you need to set it. >> to cure your nails. getting the nail strips, they come in tons of different colors, and top koet as well. this is a two-step process. no dry time. no smudges, no stress at all. >> how much is this one? >> $29.99 as well. it's a really good deal. you can continue to use the system over and over again. >> this is what willie was really excited about, l.e.d. tweezers. with this you can actual

willie is off to security., what do you do when you get your liquids out for tsa? >> i keep them small so they don't take them. >> you have to take them out. >> you will be that guy that will have your stuff all hanging out at the tsa, like underwear and socks. >> natalie did nice things. she reads travel&leisure and put shoes in shoe bags. you on the other hand don't mind shoes that are dirty. >> no. why would they be dirty. just to be clear, i won, right? i'm at the airport, natalie is still at home packing. >> who said they were into competition. >> when they pull you over for a full body search, it's your problem. >> my liquids are right on top. >> first thing to pack is- >> the shoes in the bag. >> i gave you shoe bags you chose not to use. you chose to use packing for your underwear. you knew what to do. that's okay. you use the packing cube. this is where all your underwear and delicates go. >> i put stuff in here. >> that's for dirty laundry. >> then the shoes here. i like these colorful shoe bags. >> y

goodbye willie. timmy.ld have read the newspaper more carefully. i dad, may i turn on the radio? they are gonna announce the winners of the pet contest. well there is a big league ball game on son. wouldn't you rather listen to that? i wanna hear who wins the pet contest. oh, i think the baseball will be more interesting, dear. timmy there will be other circuses. it isn't just going to the circus, mom. it's more important than that. well, lassie is the very best dog in the world and i think she should win so that everybody will know she's the best. i see what you mean. melody's a nice goose... but did she ever carry willie's books to school? well, melody is a different sort of a pet, dear. i know. like jodie and his goat. jodi and his goat? the goat pulls the wagon but it never saved jodie from falling in the lake. no. no i guess not. i'pa l well, we had an amazing response to our little pet contest. i had no idea that you kids had so many and so varied a collection of pets. polly wogs and garden snakes tha

don't answer that, willie.apps are fast, cheap, and gaining popularity, but they come with some safety concerns. we'll tell you about this. >>> and millions of bats suddenly dying off in the united states. coming up, what is causing it and why it's so important to find a cure. >>> let's start this half hour with a law signed by russia's president overnight that bans adoptions by u.s. citizens. agonizing news for american couples looking to start or expand their families. nbc's michelle kosinski is here this morning with more. >> it more russian children are adopted here in america than any other country. we're talking tens of thousands of country over the last 20 years or so. as of this morning, russia has just made this illegal effective immediately in a sort of diplomatic dispute with the u.s. that seems to have very little to do with the children. they're like any proud parent. americans posting their stories of adopting russian children, showing their happiness on the internet. >> so we're leaving. >> this

willie, willie, thank you for filling in. you're always such fun. enjoyed the little bourbon?

♪ >>> willis, you know this songs, right?e's singing over there. >> they're nicknamed frankenfish. fish that are a cross between three species bred to grow faster. yummy. >> it could end up on your plate in the near future. as you might expect there is some serious opposition out there to eating dinner that's been engineered by scientists. abc's jim avila has more. >> reporter: behind padlocked gates and barbed wire fences in panama grows what could be a landmark change in what we eat. shades of jurassic park where movie scientists played with dinosaur dna. here actual scientists grow a dna altered salmon, producing the first bio-engineered meat on track for human consumption. critics call the process creepy and label it frankenfish. >> when you move the dna from a species into another species, you create a life form that you can g a pateet a pa tent for it. >> reporter: abc news is the first to see up close and actually taste this mysterious fish. fda scientists rule as safe as food from conventional atlantic salmon. this is

looking angry. >> it's okay, willis, i'm with you. >> always next season, willis. >>> first, a major cleanup in northern california after a weekend blast of wet weather. dozens of flights were cap seld at bay area airports. >> and the area's famous vineyards under water. >> reporter: it's the christmas trip turned travel nightmare for drivers on the east and west coast. in northern california, with nor snow expected to blanket the sierra mountains, cars are having trouble just staying on the road. >> the roads were pretty bad. there's definitely going to be chain control for the next two days at least going into christmas. >> reporter: with warmer temperatures in the bay area, the pounding rain has been the big hazard. near san jose, this bad accident happened after one driver going too fast skidded across five lanes, crashing into the other. believe it or not, police say no one was hurt. >> people are still drives fast. you have to watch out for them and try to slow down and anticipate the worst of what other people may do when they hit puddles or something. >> reporter: across the

ain't that right, willis? >> that's right. >> willis' baby.ominations came out yesterday. run through these quickly, most nominated -- kanye west, jay-z, frank ocean, dan aurbach, mumford and suns, and the huge hit "we are young." now in terms of album of the year nominations, el camino, the black keys, some nights by fun, i should know that, i don't, mumford and suns. channel orange, frank ocean, and blunderbuss, jack white. best new artists, alabama shakes, fun, hunter hayes, lumineers, and frank ocean. congratulations to all of the guys. grammys coming up in a few weeks. >> i recognized about two of them. >>> so angelina jolie, believe it or not, she's telling a britain news station, that she is considering retirement. listen to this quote -- i enjoyed being an actress, so grateful for the job, had great experiences, i have been able to tell stories, done things for fun. hopefully if it went away tomorrow i would be very happy to be home with my children. all six of them. but she says -- i'm going to have to give up the acting as the kids h

welcome to "the willis report." ♪ gerri: hello, everybody. i'm gerri willis.old counter offer to president obama on the fiscal clef. the new plan contains 800 billion in new taxes, half of what the president was looking for. more importantly, the gop plan keep tax rates the way they are now. we know that is a deal maker for the tie-breaker for the presidents. joining me now, the man some democrats blame for the fiscal cliff impasse, grover norquist, president of americans for tax reform. and the many and as a finger to about fixing it, michael reagan, founder of the reagan group. i want to start with the republicans plan that they put on the table. they have been accused of doing nothing and all. they come up with their own plan which includes 800 billion in revenue from closing loopholes and eliminating deductions and then 1 billion in spending cuts. it is being rejected from the get go by democrats. grover, what do you say? >> i think the republicans had a very good plan called lorraine budget. they all voted for it in the house. it saves $6 trillion over th

willie? >>> former president george h.w. bush spent his christmas in a hospital after a series of setbacks delayed his release. janet shamlian is there for us. good morning. >> reporter: willie, good morning to you. doctors had hoped to speend the former president home for the holiday. due to what they are calling a turn for the worse, they were unable to do so. he spent the holiday here with his wife, barbara, and several family members. he was initially admitted here about a month ago for what was described at the time as a persistent cough. since that time doctors say he's developed other issues, including becoming very weak and he also has a low-grade fever. they tell nbc news they're optimistic he will recover. >> they're taking it one day at a time because he is 88. so given his advanced age, given some of the setbacks that he has had, they're just taking it one day at a time. like i said, they're cautiously optimistic that they have his issues under control. we're trusting in their good word and a little prayer doesn'

willie's son wrote it. >> yes, they are. >> they did the illustrations for the book, writing for the album. proud of them? >> very much, yeah. >> the wife you've had for every 20 years is here also in the audience. was it practice, the first three? >> what? >> practice, the first three marriages? >> well, i'm not sure practice is the right word. if i was practicing, i should have learned. >> either that or an incurable romantic. >> you can say that, yeah. >> do you think you've become a better husband? >> i think age has a lot to do with that. you get older, you get wiser, i guess. >> what have you learned about marriage? >> nothing. >> you had a great line about divorce. >> yeah, the reason divorces are so expensive is they're worth it. >> and yet although you say that, you've always stayed fond of your exes. am i right? >> oh, yeah. >> i always thought that was important. >> i do think it's important, you know, especially if you have children, which we do, you know? to stay friends with your ex-wives. >>

come on, willie. football. you played football, right? >> yes. >> punt. >> right under here. >> yay, ding, ding, ding. sound effects, people. all right. it is the indentation on the bottom of the wine. what is this thing called? >> foot measurer. >> shoe/foot measurer device. >> if you read right here, it says genuine branic device. now you know. apparently it's the only one in the world that they -- it's the scale everybody uses to measure everybody's feet. >> cornered the market. >> number four. are you ready? >> yes. >> you have to demo this as well. it would help if they took the toothbrushes out. we need the toothbrushes to be opened. i want you guys to demo for me a nerdle. >> that doesn't sound attractive. >> is this involved? >> to demonstrate a nerdle? >> it is, of course -- >> obviously, it's when you brush your friend's teeth. i don't know. >> you can't even get a grape in your own mouth. is that a nerdle? >> do we need toothpaste? >> it's a little swish when you put the toothpaste on. >> you said no. >> i'm not going to give i

jenna is back with more. >> hey, willie.ust "dear santa" and some of them really show what a tough year it's been for many kids. the letters begin with a passionate "dear santa." >> i'm 11 years old and been really good this year. >> reporter: what follows are often emotional requests from model cars to miracles. >> what i really want is that you return my mom's health so she won't be sick anymore. >> reporter: each holiday season hundreds of thousands of letters are sent from across the country addressed to, well, to santa claus and for 100 years now fulfilling some of those wishes has been a tradition of the u.s. post office. >> this area is where we send the gifts out. >> reporter: keith fontana is keafe elf of "operation santa" at new york's main post office where last year some 500,000 letters to old st. nick came through. there are thousands of letters here. >> there's roughly about 700, 800 to each tray. >> and this is all letters to santa claus. each letter is open, read, catalogued and then photocopied and offered t

welcome to "the willis report." ♪ hello, everybody. i'm gerri willis.e running out for washington to get its act together to keep us from falling out the fiscal clef. president obama and the speaker sitting down at the white house today after the speaker offered his latest proposal which sources say includes tax hikes on millionaires, anchoring several conservative organizations. it turns out his concessions are not good enough for the president. the white house making it clear the only balanced plan on the table is the presidents. where do we stand? with more on this, president of the american action forum and former ceo director. welcome to this show. always great to see you. what do you make of this idea that this is not balanced enough rest? >> look, the only thing the president has put out publicly was the initial request that there be over one half trillion and higher taxes, and that would have net deficit reduction which means there was nothing in the spending side, and that is not balanced by any measure. since then, most of the talks have gone

that was beautiful, willie, what you said. and the stories that my friend barbara tells of she and husband dick leaving the life of luxury in cleveland to run muni for dad. or of the dmv when a woman behind the counter looks twice at the name of my driver's license and looks up and tells me of the day she met george on the street or worked on george's campaign. or about the time in her life in our city's life when things seemed more touchable, more human, or just tells me that she's honored to meet george moscone's son. or on the first preview of the play that my dear friend tony wrote about george and me, a play called ghost life, and the first public performance up in ashlan, oregon. halfway through the second act, at long last, george shows up and the fractured city hall backdrop begins to fill with floating lights outlining the golden gate bridge and we hear tony bennett sing his legendary recording of "i left my heart in san francisco." and then the character of george, sometimes mouthing the words, sometimes singing them

those are for military. >> take another break, willie.ic and also all the girls you've loved before. >> good. >> which could take some time, don't you think? even half the stories i've heard are true. >> how much time we got? ...so as you can see, geico's customer satisfaction is at 97%. mmmm tasty. and cut! very good. people are always asking me how we make these geico adverts. so we're taking you behind the scenes. this coffee cup, for example, is computer animated. it's not real. geico's customer satisfaction is quite real though. this computer-animated coffee tastes dreadful. geico. 15 minutes could save you 15 % or more on car insurance. someone get me a latte will ya, please? progresso. in what world do potatoes, bacon and cheese add up to 100 calories? your world. ♪ [ whispers ] real bacon... creamy cheese... 100 calories... [ chef ] ma'am [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. 100 calories... [ chef ] ma'am restore revive rejuvenate rebuild rebuild rebuild ♪ every time he drinks he thinks of her ♪ ♪ but every mor

. >> i'm willie geist in this morning for matt. we have the party music on for a reason. it's someone's birthday in this room today. happy birthday, savannah. >> thank you. i'm getting my musical request for today. a little techovibe. >> we will have the carbon daters to take us back to the day you were born. >> do you need to tweet out my age? >> i gave some hints. >> turning 30, very excited about that. >> we'll let you have that one. >> a lot of wind in the new york area. other parts of the northeast, it is a blanket of snow. >> other areas could see two feet by the time the storm is done. >>> mark zuckerberg's own sister with a post of holiday settings she said was posted just for friends and how did it end up being viewed by tens of thousands of strangers. >>> and a remarkable affaquariu with tens of thousands of sharks burst. >> i might have had a mirm lini like that recently. >>> now, we go to the christmas travelers. and mike seidel is just outside buffalo, new york this morning. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. in buffalo, they picked up 11 inch

willie, back to you. >> all right, natalie, thank you very much.or the rest of today's top stories, we want to send it back inside to tamron hall at the news desk. >> our nbc colleagues, chief foreign correspondent richard engel and his crew are safe this morning in turkey after they were kidnapped and held inside syria for five days. they were freed last night with an incredible story to tell. engel said they were taken at gunpoint following a deadly firefight while traveling with syrian rebels last week. >> they kept us blindfolded, bound. we weren't physically beaten or tortured. it was a lot of psychological torture. threats of being killed. they made us choose which one of us would be shot first. and when we refused, there were mock shootings. they pretended to shoot gazi several times. blindfolded -- and then they fire the gun up in the air, it can be very traumatic experience. >> during the ordeal, i made -- i made amends with my maker. i made good with my maker. i made good with myself. i was prepared to die. >> richard says he believes his

those are for military. >> take another break, willie.d also all the girls you've loved before. >> good. >> which could take some time, don't you think? even half the stories i've heard are true. >> how much time we got? to the best vacation spot on earth. (all) the gulf! it doesn't matter which of our great states folks visit. mississippi, alabama, louisiana or florida, they're gonna love it. shaul, your alabama hospitality is incredible. thanks, karen. love your mississippi outdoors. i vote for your florida beaches, dawn. bill, this louisiana seafood is delicious. we're having such a great year on the gulf, we've decided to put aside our rivalry. now is the perfect time to visit anyone of our states. the beaches and waters couldn't be more beautiful. take a boat ride, go fishing or just lay in the sun. we've got coastline to explore and wildlife to photograph. and there's world class dining with our world famous seafood. so for a great vacation this year, come to the gulf. its all fabulous but i give florida the edge. right after missis

i'm willie geist. >> and i'm erica hill. matt and savannah have the morning off. >>> we'll have the latest on secretary of state clinton's condition in a live report straight ahead. it is the last day of 2012. >> you and i are both in the same situation with young children. >>> people filing into times square in new york city. it is the world's biggest party. of course, security will be extremely tight. we'll check in on celebrations there and around the world. >> then we'll catch up with three women that had us talking in 2012, including a mom that sparked debate over this picture. and an anchor who caught flack about her weight. >>> andrea mitchell joins us with the condition of secretary of state hillary clinton. >> her spokesman called a blood clot stemming from the concussion she had sustained earlier. the administration's most high profile frequent flyer, 112 countries, nearly 1 million miles, more than 400 days of travel, now grounded under doctor's care at new york presbyterian after a spokesman says physicians disco

natalie morales along with willie geist.lot of you will hit the malls today with last-minute shopping. we'll tell you which stores are open and where you can find deals aat this late hour. good news is there's still time. >>> also ahead beach volleyball great kerri walsh jennings joined us after the london olympics and she revealed she was pregnant during the olympics games during her run for the third gold medal. is baby boy -- is baby number three a boy or girl. they're going to tell us moment rim. i can't wait. i'm so excited for them. they have two boys already. what do you think the odds are? i don't know. i'm thinking boy. >> you're thinking another boy? >> i don't know. she says she thinks girl. we'll see. >> we'll find out in a few minutes. we put ourselves to the test to see which of us knows the most about the holiday season with a little trivia game. i hope you're ready for that. >> i feel a challenge coming in. erica hill is at the news desk. >> 93 million americans are traveling for the holidays and many could r

>> willie, willie, you want to talk to a doctor?aking spanish ] >> the ninth floor of the miami-dade pretrial detention center is a world unto itself. as part of the psychiatric unit, these cells are reserved for inmates with serious mental problems. >> sir, you all right? >> dr. joseph poitier is the jail's chief psychiatrist. he's worked at miami-dade for the past ten years. >> jails have, in effect, become mental institutions. i would say that 20% of those who are incarcerated have a mental illness. a large part suffer from schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression, severe forms of mental illness. >> the mentally ill is a very serious problem within correctional facilities today. unfortunately, there's a growing trend. a lot of the mental state hospitals have closed down and the only options to the police agencies are to bring them to the jails. that's a problem for us because those inmates are a lot more unmanageable than the regular inmate population. >> come on, take your medication. >> while the ultimate goal of the sta

it's a true story. >> willie, we love you. >> merry christmas. >> oh, willie, god bless you.. >> we're making crepes for breakfast. right after this. ♪ got to go away ♪ baby it's cold outside so, we all set? i've got two tickets to paradise! pack your bags, we'll leave tonight. uhh, it's next month, actually... eddie continues singing: to tickets to... paradiiiiiise! no four. remember? whoooa whooaa whooo! you know ronny, folks who save hundreds of dollars by switching to geico sure are happy. and how happy are they jimmy? happier than eddie money running a travel agency. get happy. get geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. >>> now in "today's holiday kitchen," santa took care of delivering the presents last night, but what about breakfast? >> here with two quick and simple recipes that are sure to please the kids of all ages is gavin kaysen. the executive chef at cafe boulud in new york city. which is fantastic. perfect for the morning, huh? >> yeah. thanks for having me. >> with the fancy name people might think it's difficult to make. >> but you kn

interesting, though, there's your girlfriend rihanna, willis. >> i like that willis just chimes in on be her backup, willis. also here, gangnam style, went to youtube in july and is the first youtube video to hit 1 billion with a b views. and off this one song he purchased a home in l.a., cash money, $1.25 million. and now has the youtube record. we can just move on and hopefully gangnam style will go out of style in 2013. how about that? >> we're over it. >>> rolling stones' ronnie wood 65 years old just got married to this lovely lady who is 34. they just got married. congratulations. and they're going to start a family. so we could see a baby on the rolling stones tour with mick and -- >> wow. rolling stone, indeed. 64? >> 64 and 35. >> yeah, dude, he's a rock star. these how rock stars roll. can't hate him for that. >>> this is a big story. >> we want to give a congratulations to our favorite weatherman sam champion. he got married last week to his partner, ruben. we're happy for them so much. it was a small ceremony here in manhattan in his apartment. and robin roberts who is sti

[applause] where's willie? there's willie right here. there's willie. [applause] now, in case you haven't heard of him, they actually call him "pretty willie." [laughter] now, i got to say you got to be pretty tough to have a nickname like "pretty willie." [laughter] he's tough. on wednesday, willie will celebrate 60 years working at detroit diesel -- 60 years. [applause] willie started back on december 12, 1952. i was not born yet. [laughter] wasn't even close to being born. he made $1.40 an hour. the only time he spent away from this plant was when he was serving our country in the korean war. [applause] so three generations of willie's family have passed through detroit diesel. one of his daughters works here with him right now -- is that right? there she is. in all his years, willie has been late to work only once. it was back in 1977. [laughter] it's been so long he can't remember why he was late -- but we're willing to give him a pass. so willie believes in hard work. you don't keep a job for 60 years if you don't work hard. sooner or later, someo

>> taking out willis, clearly.talking trash about the giants/saints game. >> i would just like an italian sausage, please. did you see the sign? i'm hungry. >>> when we -- when we come back, he's back in "the skinny." >> coming up on "world news now." ♪ >>> willis is back. can you tell? >>> willis is back. can you tell? here we go. >> no. >> apparently, according to "the new york post," demi moore has been dumped by her 26-year-old boyfriend. whose name we just love to say. apparently vito has had enough -- he said peace out. we saw those pictures last week of her partying in miami. and apparently he's -- it was a distraction and he's a business guy, got his art galleries going on. he's like enough of this and let her go. according to radar, even her daughters are worried about her behavior. keep in mind, back in february she checked into rehab, she was back in the hospital. she's had a rough 2012, so maybe this wasn't the best time to get into a relationship. so he said, sayonara to demi moore. it's a loss here at

hello, willie. now i don't want to have to correct you again. get wilder everyday. oh, that. yesterday he saw a giant. how tall? how can you talk like that? don't you realize he's telling lies. not really lies, ruth. boys imagination has awakened that's all. imagination? ha. you know he just tells these whoppers to attract attention to himself. especially if the audience happens to be a little girl. just the same, i don't like it. you know i remember when i was about timmy's age. i told a little girl that i saw sir lancelot riding down the road on a white charger, in full armor. all little boys imagine things, dear. just a phase in timmy's life, he's growing up. well i hope you're right. i'm sure i am. i still don't like it. ♪ looks just like a haunted house. daddy says somebody moved into it two weeks ago. probably a witch. there isn't any such thing as a witch. you would have thought so if you would have been with me last night. what happened timmy? well, the clock was about to strike twelve, and i decided to get up and take a walk. whoever he

welcome to "the willis report." hey, everyone, i am tracy byrnes in for gerri willis. the only have 21 days separate in the u.s. for more than $500 billion in tax hikes. while both sides say the lines of communication are open. getting a deal to avert the fiscal cliff, president made it very clear he is holding the line on hiking taxes on the top 2% of earners. customizing a little bit with republicans. joining us, peter barnes. what exactly is he willing to compromise on? >> on the big item, the big kahuna. increasing taxes on families earning more than $250,000 per year history leaving the door open to a compromise on higher tax rates, higher rates. when anas repea asked repeatedls demanding the top rates return to the clinton administration in and the top rate was 39.6, he does not say yes, have to have that to get a deal. but he is not backing off his demands rates go up by some amount of wealthier families so the buzz is he might settle or compromise for something in between like 37%. there is speculation the president might compromise on the cut off my degree and

the willis report coming up ne next. tracy: nancy pelosi said that republicans are fiddling while the republic burns, is she starting the fires, and a day after stunning defeat in michigan, big labor said it is not over, welcome to the willis report. tracy: i'm tracy byrnes in for gerri willis, less than 3 weeks before u.s. falls off the fiscal cliff, speaker john bain ser slamming the brakes on any hopes a deal is coming soon, making it clear both sides have differences. second in command, eric cantor warning members not to make any plan for holidays, and kevin brady of texas, vice chairman of joint economic committee, thank you, are we still that far apart? >> you know we are. i started optimistic to get this done before the holidays, but, i don't feel that way, it seems to me the decision has been made, perhaps by white house to take us off this fiscal cliff. i think this is irresponsible to do it we're ready to work out a reasonable sound solution but i do not see that coming from the other side right now. tracy: is