Republicans and democrats remain far apart. And over the weekend, there was worry negotiations may actually fail. I think were going over the cliff. Its clear to me they made a political calculation. Before president obama and his team are demanding that they allow bush era tax cuts for the wealthiest 2 of americans expire. Theres no way we can govern this country with those low rates in place for future generations. Those rates have to go up. Reporter but republicans have drawn a line in the sand in raising tax rates. Instead, signaling theyre open to raising revenue by limiting the tax code. Its a major sticking point. Holding up a deal. Right now, id say were nowhere. Reporter president obama is looking for 1. 6 trillion in new tax revenue over ten years. Speaker boehner is offering half of that. Theres 600 billion. The speaker says thats not enough. Although he hasnt outlined what he thinks should be cut. If they cant avoid the fiscal cliff, it means on january 1st, every american will pay more income tax, between 2,000 to 2,200 for the average family. 500 billion in automatic spending cuts will go into effect. Half of that at the pentagon. The other half coming in transportation, food safety and research. Economists feel if washington cant strike a deal, the economy will fall back into recession and the Unemployment Rate will shoot up, rob and paula. Tahman, the clock is ticking in all of this. Where do the talks go from here this week . Well, the white house said president obama presented his plan last week and the gop leaders shot it down. Now, the ball is in the hands of the republicans. Right now, its all about the math. Republicans may have to cave on taxes but president obama may have to accept deeper spending cuts. Only 18 days left. The messy art of compromise. Tahman bradley live in washington. And rivers are rising across Northern California this morning after three powerful storms blow through in less than a week. The latest round of flooding rain drenched the area yesterday, knocking down giant trees and leaving nearly 100,000 people without power. High winds overturned tractor trailers. Abcs cecilia vega shows us what it looked like in California Wine country. Reporter this is a storm that slammed the west coast from washington all the way down to the San Francisco bay area. And this, take a look at it, one of the hardest hit regions, vineyards all over napa valley under water right now. A much dryer day is on tap across Northern California, but just after midnight, get this, a fourth storm moving in with even more heavy rain. No rest for the weary there. Also, a major storm overseas is causing a mess of Epic Proportions on some roads in russia. Early season snow all but shut down one of the main routes between moscow and st. Petersburg over the weekend. Some eyewitnesses said the traffic jam stretched nearly 125 miles, trapping some people for two days. And a developing story overnight from japan. Investigators say a rusted bolt may have led to a deadly tunnel collapse. Nine people died when concrete panels on the ceiling of the tunnel came crashing down. The missing bolt had held those panels in place. Now, theres an emergency inspection of dozens of similar tunnels all across japan. And back here in the u. S. , a town in northwestern louisiana is evacuated this morning while a massive amount of improperly stored explosive powder is removed from a munitions facility. The 800 residents of doyline, louisiana, are out of their homes. They have no idea when they will be allowed back. Police say 6 Million Pounds of powder needs to be removed. And dozens of people from southern new jersey are likely out of their homes for the rest of this week after a hazardous chemical spilled from a derailed train. Vinyl chloride released into the air and into a nearby creek. Local nearby schools are open today but local courts are not. Inspectors were studying the problem the day before the crash. A suspected serial killer has committed suicide in a jail in alaska. Israel tease was being held in the kidnapping and murder of an 18yearold anchorage coffee shop worker. Her body was found beneath a frozen lake. The fbi revealed hes also confessed to killing a couple from vermont. Four people in washington state. And also one person here in new york. An announcement is coming today from five states that class time is about to get longer for thousands of students. Its a test Program Designed to help u. S. Schools do a better job of competing against other countries. 20,000 students in colorado, connecticut, massachusetts, new york and tennessee will get at least 300 extra hours of class Time Starting next year. Im sure the kids are thrilled. And former president george h. W. Bush is still in a houston hospital this morning, being treated for a cough that he hasnt been able to shake after battling bronchitis. The 41st president is now in stable condition. Doctors had originally thought he might be released over the weekend, but say they need to be safe in continuing to monitor the former president who is now 88 years old. Its time to check the weather. Showers from portland to seattle. Snow in the cascades and northern rockies. A foggy morning from des moines, chicago, st. Louis and columbus. Showers from northern missouri to green bay. Near record highs in the midwest. Also unseasonably warm for the east coast. Well take it. 60 here in new york. 70 in atlanta. 80 in dallas. Near 70 from indianapolis and kansas city. 70s in the southeast. 50s in the pacific northwest. Not that wed know it because its 25 degrees in the studio today. Like i like it. When we come back, fasten your seat belts. Airline executives are cooking up new ways to hit you with fees. Just what we wanted to hear. Then, went what wrong. The search for answers in the murder suicide case involving nfl linebacker Jovan Belcher. And later, prepare for landing. The amazing timelapsed video that shows just how busy our skies really are. And welcome back, everyone. Theres another recall for the brandnew ford escape that affects about 73,000 2013 models with 1. 6 liter engines that could catch fire. Another 16,000 fusions, theyre also being recalled. Ford isnt sure what its going to do to fix the problem but owners can get a free loaner car while the automaker figures it out. No injuries have been reported yet. Well, get ready to get angry, folks. Airlines are looking for new fees they can collect from passengers. Theyre already make something 36 billion a year from food, drinks, baggage, better seats. And now executives have spent a threeday conference recently, brainstorming ideas, thats right, for even more fees. Airlines are looking to maximize how much they can make off the data they collect from their passengers. Are they going to charge us for air . Thats next, trust me. Well, starting today, Pope Benedict is seeking a different follower. Hes getting his own twitter account. The pope isnt a fan of computers and still writes his speeches by hand. So someone else will enter the actual tweets. His handle wont be at hope. Its already taken. And it was over 20 years ago today that the first text message was sent. A british text message sent from a mobile phone to a christmas party. It said merry christmas. Hundreds of thousands of texts are sent every second using shorthand code l. O. L. Hard to believe, 20 years. Omg. I cant believe its been that long. Its been a repeat at the movie theaters for what it always a pretty slow period. The latest twilight is number one for the Third Straight weekend. Breaking dawn 2 managed to yank in almost 17. 5 million. Right behind it it skyfall with 17 million. And lincoln was third with 13. 5 million. I can go for popcorn. When we come back, a magician gets a nasty trick played on him. His hair set on fire on stage. Also, powerful new evidence about the link between hard hits on the football field and lasting brain damage. I woke up to a feeling every little thing has meaning i woke up to a light bulb on every little thing is possible now [ female announcer ] weve added a touch of philadelphia cream cheese to our kraft natural cheese to make it creamier so whatever you make isnt just good, its amazing. Is amazing with the love that i found attention. He went to jared. [ female announcer ] jared the galleria of jewelry has thousands of loose diamonds and hundreds of settings to create your own, oneofakind ring. Oh. Please return your fiancee to her original upright position. [ female announcer ] thats why he went to jared. Pretty sweet, huh . Cute. But dont you have any apps on your phone that can make your life easier . Who do you think i am, quicken loans . At quicken loans, well provide you with myql mobile. This amazingly useful app allows you to take pictures of your mortgage documents using an iphone or android smart phone. So you can easily send them to us. One more way quicken loans is engineered to amaze. Ooh, lala the latest wave of drenching rain hit Northern California. It is tossing dozens of trees as the ground became more saturated, many of those trees came crashing down on power lines, knocking out electricity to thousands of residents in oakland, as well as other cities. And expect some residual street flooding from that latest western storm. Rain and mountain snow makings for a slick commute. And northern rockies. Wet roads from green bay to northern missouri. And morning fog can hamper drivers in the midwest. If youre flying, airport delays are possible in chicago, detroit and minneapolis. In kansas city this morning, there are a lot of heavy hearts and one big lingering question, why. People are trying to grasp, why. Why chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher shot and killed his girlfriend, the mother of his baby girl, then drove to Arrowhead Stadium and killed himself in front of his coach and general manager. And belchers uniform hung untouched in his locker. Members of the Chiefs Organization struggled for answers. Its tough. I miss him, you know. Hes a great guy. A great teammate. He was an individual that did something that he snapped, and that, i dont understand. I probably never will. No history of concussions from belcher either. His teammates and 62,000 fans observed a moment of silence for victims of domestic violence. Were going to have highlights from the game in just a moment. And new research is coming to light strengthening the link between longterm brain damage and playing football. Espn and pbs front line are working on a documentary. And they report that scientists have discovered 28 new cases of chronic brain disease in Football Players who have died, 15 of them former nfl players. One researcher says the sheer volume of cases will overwhelm anybody who wants to deny theres a problem. A family is accusing sea world of shrugging off a dolphin attack on their 8yearold daughter. Jillian thomas was feeding a dolphin in orlando last week when she broke the rules by lifting the carton into the air. The dolphin grabbed the carton, as well as the little girls hand leaving her with huge bite marks. The parents are not suing but theyre calling on sea world to make changes. There are two similar incidents back in 2006, but sea world says it has no plans to change the attraction. Well, the fbi is on the lookout from arizona to mexico hoping to track down an 11yearold leukemia patient and her parents who snuck her out of a phoenix hospital. The girl identified only as emily is seen in this Surveillance Video walking out of the hospital with her mom. She still had a catheter in her chest when they got into a minivan driven by her father. Doctors say emily could get a deadly infection and if anything happens, the parents could face criminal charges. Also this morning, a bizarre story from the dominican republic. Watch this as a tv host douses an american magician Wayne Houchin with flammable liquid. He sustained burns to his face, head and hands. Hes now recovering and doctors are optimistic that he will recover without any scars. And College Footballs bowl season kicks off a week from saturday. But the really, really big games arent until january. The biggest of them all, the bcs National Championship pairs number one notre dame and number two alabama running up the bcs lineup, wisconsin and stanford. They will tangle in the rose bowl. Bcs busting Northern Illinois from the map against Florida State in the orange bowl. Florida and louisville in the sugar bowl. And kansas state and oregon in the fiesta bowl. As for the pros, only one place to start, our nfl highlights from espn. Good morning, im Hakem Dermish with your sportscenter update. Romeo crennel and the chiefs hosting the panthers yesterday with heavy hearts. Before the game, a moment of silence for victims of domestic violence. First possession of the game, Peyton Hillis scoring from two yards out. Its the chiefs first open drive touchdown since december 26th of 2010. Second quarter, cam newton to steve smith, 23yard touchdown, nice grab. Panthers up 1410. Third quarter now, brady quinn to jonathan bolduan. And the chiefs win 2721, earning their second win of the season. Ravens hosting the steelers. Ravens could clinch a playoff spot with a win. Steelers 06 against the ravens without big ben. Third quarter, ray rice. 34yard touchdown, ravens up 2013. Fourth quarter. Charlie batch. Finding it deep. Miller, sevenyard touchdown. Game tied at 2020. Fourth quarter, three seconds left. Shaun suisham from 42 yards out. Its up and its good. Batch earning his first win as starter since week 15 of last season. And the ravens 15game home win streak is over. Thats your sportscenter update. Im Hakem Dermish. Have a great day. Coming up next, the pulse this morning. And traffic like youve never seen it before. And say cheese. Famous faces whipping out their iphones to snap the shots. To snap the shots. Your favorite magazines and catalogs look better than ever. And with scrapbooking, you can save the things you love, bring them all together, and be inspired like never before. Scrapbooking. Create yours with nook hd and even bigger with hd . Find yours at barnes noble. Can you start the day the way you want . Can orencia help . Could your i want become i can . Talk to your doctor. Orencia reduces many ra symptoms like pain, morning stiffness and progression of joint damage. Its helped new ra patients and those not helped enough by other treatments. Do not take orencia with another biologic medicine for ra due to an increased risk of serious infection. Serious side effects can occur including fatal infections. Cases of lymphoma and lung cancer have been reported. Tell your doctor if you are prone to or have any infection like an open sore or the flu or a history of copd, a chronic lung disease. Orencia may worsen your copd. [ male announcer ] now learn about a program committed to you and copay assistance that can reduce monthly orencia outofpocket drug cost to 5. If youre not satisfied after 6 months, you get that money back. Call 1800orencia. Oh, hey, everybody. Its time for the pulse. We start with a starry night in washington. President obama leading the salute of this years Kennedy Center. Among them members of led zeppelin, late night Host David Letterman and actor dustin hoffman. Motley crue gets the nations highest awards for those who influenced American Culture through the arts. Mr. Obama said all the honorees rose to the top after very humble beginnings. Congrats to it all. We just have to comment about what the first lady was wearing. Michelle obama turned to michael kors for the jewelencrusted gold lame gown. For those attempting that regal look, rob. The first lady, and this from the state Department Reception honoring those Kennedy Center honorees. Of course, that is former first lady and current secretary of state Hillary Clinton and meryl streep doing what many of us do at a party, taking a quick snap of themselves on an iphone. I wonder if they have instagram. Next, whats at least the fourth piece of valuable art that turned up at a goodwill store. Its a print called appropriately enough red nose. Bought at goodwill back in may for 12. Turns out red nose was done in 1969 by american artist alexander calder. It was 9,000 bucks. The woman who bought it said she is keeping it at least for now. And now to an awesome look at Holiday Travel like you have never seen it before. This is really cool. Check out this timelapsed video from black friday. It may look like an air raid of sorts but actually, its every plane arriving in san diego airport in just a fivehour period starting at 10 30 in the morning. A california film professor recorded 60 planes landing and then squeezed them into a 20second video. But the bridge in the sky were edited from a different time lapse. You got to realize, when youre up in a plane, just how many folks are up there with you. You just never see. Thats why the video is so cool. Now congested the friendly skies are. Well, for some of you, your local news is coming up. I wonder if they charged a fee for that video. Everyone else, well be back. The oscar red carpet rolls out a little early. The oscar red carpet rolls out a little early. People have doubts about taking aspirin for pain. But they havent experienced extra strength bayer advanced aspirin. In fact, in a recent survey, 95 of people who tried it agreed that it relieved their headache fast. Visit fastreliefchallenge. Com today for a special trial offer. But the acidic levels in some foods can cause acid erosion. The enamel starts to wear down, and you cant grow your enamel back. My dentist recommended that i use pronamel, because it helps to strengthen the enamel. And i believe its doing a good job. Next, a pair of Early Morning chp chases lands two in jail. Well show you what happened. Rain is gone but has left numerous problems, it could be days before a huge sinkhole in lafayette is repaired. Going to be a dry day mike tells us. Tomorrow night more rain could be moving in. Live doppler 7 h rain from madison to northern missouri. Showers and mountain snow in the northwest. And finally from us this morning, with the Academy Awards just three months away now, four honorary oscars were handed out this weekend in hollywood. Alist was on hand to honor four men responsible for some of the industrys biggest hits. Heres abcs cam mathison on the red carpet. Reporter theyre some of the worlds most popular movies. Blazing saddles. Beauty and the beast. Shrek. I know, i know. Reporter and the lion king. These and hundreds of other films resulted from the creativity and clout of four men honored last night by hollywood heavyweights and the academy of Motion Pictures arts and sciences at the governors award. You were recorded saying that you dont think you deserve this award . I actually think its hollywood. Reporter Jeffrey Katzenberg head of dream Works Animation received an award. Honorary awards were where given to George Stevens jr. And four years ago, he followed the president ial campaign of clinton. Id like to know what George Stephanopoulos had to work with. Well, he looked about 20 years old. We did something right. And smart as a rabbit. Reporter also honored last night hal needham. Im shocked. Reporter the stuntman who directed smashes like smoky and the bandit. And cannonball run. You need a shave, man. Very disrespectful. Reporter who knew that richard gere had grooming tips. I got in trouble from richard gere for not shaving. You can hold on, ill going to go shave. I look like this. I shaved reporter im Cameron Mathison in hollywood. Did you shave today . I did. Dont miss the Academy Awards coming up on february 24th right here on abc. Coming up on february 24th right here on abc. That is whats making news captioned by closed captioning services, inc. Good money day morning. 4 entirety thanks for joining us. What do you hear out there . I hear that we survived. Thats right dont hear much. Thanks for join us im kristen sze. Im eric thomas