Transcripts For WJLA ABC News Good Morning America 20101217

and security guard savior. the former cap who saved so many lives during that florida shooting speaks out on what he'll never forget. >> i'm not lying to you. and i can't get that out of my mind. that's the picture that i see the most. >> mike jones, hero of the week. >> isn't he great? >> he's so fantastic. we have so many great guests this morning. we have the head of wikileaks coming out, after he was released from jail. and robin in alaska. >> and mike jones. we have a lot to get to, as well. a high-alert holiday season. the government telling law enforcement to be vigilant against potential terror attacks. >> in washington, d.c., authorities are searching random bags on the subways. we'll have details ahead. >> so many concerns around the holiday season. also, robin is in alaska for her exclusive interview with sarah palin. robin? >> george and elizabeth, we came here to alaska, for a wide-ranging interview with sarah palin. she discusses her book, but we talk about so much more, like why she thinks the tax cuts should expire. we know she loves alaska. she wanted me to see it for myself. but she took me for, i can say, the ride of my life. >> we cannot wait to see that. first, the tax cut deal president obama negotiated with congressional republicans is headed to the white house for his signature. but not before the entanglement of the bill in the house until midnight last night. jon karl was there. now that it's passed, everyone who works is going to get a tax cut. and the unemployed will keep their benefits. >> reporter: that's right. and we have something that's unheard offen capitol hill. that's a truly bipartisan vote. after much debate -- >> the greedy will prevail. and the needy will fail. >> is all of the money made in america, washington's money? government's money? or is it the people's money who earned it? >> reporter: the house, just before the stroke of midnight, passed a bill extending the bush tax cuts, and adding a few more. >> on this vote, the yeas are 277. the nays are 148. the motion is adopted. >> while not perfect, this is the kind of action that most americans voted for last november. >> this bill, the president of the united states believes and i believe, will have a positive effect on the economy. >> reporter: 139 democrats voted for the bill. and 138 republicans. most republicans stood with the president. and visingly, so did the majority of house democrats. the bill will extend all of the bush tax cuts for two years. cut the payroll tax from 6.2% to 4.2%. extend unemployment benefits for 13 months. and it reduces the inheritance tax from 55% to 35%. there will be no tax on estates under $5 million. all-told, the bill increases the national debt by $850 billion. and now heads to the president's desk for his signature. and last night, there was a major development in the senate, where democrats were forced to withdraw the massive om bus spending bill. and in giving credit where give is due, john cornyn and john thune, that i questioned yesterday, about special projects they put in that bill, led the fight to defeat it, convincing other republicans to withdraw support, even though they had plenty of special projects in the bill themselves. >> all right. turning now to the new terror alert. the government warning about the potential threat of a terror strike during the holidays. pierre thomas is in washington with the details. good morning to you, pierre. >> reporter: good morning. to be clear, there's no specific intelligence indicating an attack is imminent. but with christmas one week away, law enforcement is being told, be vigilant. a new fbi/homeland security bulletin warns police, that the holiday season provides attractive opportunities for terrorists. it is imperative that law enforcement and security personnel remain alert for indicators of attack planning. the reason for the concern, the psychological impact such an attack would have, during such a symbolic time of year. and today, a sign of increasing general worry. metro officials in washington, d.c. announcing subway commuters will have their bags randomly checked, even though there's no specific threat. u.s. officials are ever mindful of last year's christmas day bombing attempt by a man who tried to blow up a special plane, with high explosives in his underwear. that attempt was one of four directed by al qaeda and the taliban in the last 15 months. the christmas plat was followed by an attempt to detonate a bomb in times square last spring. and a partial bomb plot targeting fedex and u.p.s. in october. in 2009, plans to attack the new york subway system, within days of the 9/11 anniversary, was thwarted. recently, on oregon man was arrested in a sting, after he tried to set off what he thought was a bomb, at a christmas tree lighting. >> my assessment is that the threat environment now is increasingly active. >> reporter: so, you may see more police out at holiday events. it's a delicate balancing act. there's no specifics to hold a press conference about. and authorities do not want to scare people unnecessarily. but the fact remains, we are in a high-tempo period. george? elizabeth? >> pierre, thanks very much. time to head north, now. robin has been up in alaska with sarah palin. >> that's right. sarah palin's new book, her family and a possible run for the white house 2012. robin covers it all. let's go to robin now in wasilla. >> all right, george and elizabeth, thank you. now, to our extensive and exclusive interview with sar are palin. polls show her far behind barack obama should she decide to run in 2012. but in her new book, she talks about the white house. she talks about family. and all those questions about her future. what do you want people to remember most after reading "america by heart"? >> i want people to remember that there are things that we, as individuals, who maybe are not in positions of power or with titles or positions of authority, that we can do as individuals, to allow america to remain exceptional. and how we do that is make sure we realize what the time-tested truths are, that really make the foundation of our country. >> reporter: in your book, you criticize the president. you say he's trying to fundamentally change this country. change the government. some could argue that that is your hope, too, that you want to transform. i mean, what's the difference? >> my number one criticism of president obama is that he promised to -- and he's trying to fulfill his promise, of fundamentally transforming america. we don't need a fundamental transformation. we need a renewal and a restoration of what is good about america. that strong, national defense. that's free-market principles, being allowed to be applied so that our private sector grows and prospers. >> reporter: as it stands right now, this current tax bill, are you for it? against it? the one that the president worked with gop leaders. >> this is one case where i'm really thankful that the president flip-flopped. and all of a sudden, he realized, oh, yeah. the rich, is 70% of the job creators, i guess, are considered the rich in this country. they will see an extension of the bush tax cuts. but it's still a temporary economy that we're creating. these are temporary tax cuts. so, this bill, no. i don't support it. it does increase taxes. all of a sudden, we have an estate tax again. i would rather see congress, just hold off on this. president obama, hold off on this. let the new congress be seated and let's do it right. >> reporter: you said flip-flop. it's compromise. that's part of the thing that the american public has been saying. can't you guys get together? bipartisanship. and then, he will be accused, as you have done, as saying flip-flop. how do you reach compromise if you don't -- >> i would say that it is a flip-flop in his position on taxes because he was so adamant about not letting the tax cut take place for job creators. then, one day, he was fine with it. you can term it compromise. i term it flip-flop. i was thankful that he did. but it's still not enough. >> reporter: some are thinking this can lead to job creation. they're putting more money with businesses. and that there will be a creation of more jobs. >> no. because it still allows the uncertainty there in the free market that our businesses -- i certainly, as a businesswoman, that i fear. what we need is to make sure that we know what tax rates are going to be, so we can know if we can afford to hire people. >> reporter: even if it takes more time and in the meantime people's taxes go up? >> they can retro back what they decide to do the first week in january. i think it's a lousy deal. and we can do better for the american public. >> reporter: john boehner has cried a couple of times. >> i spent my whole life chasing the american dream. >> reporter: and is there a double-standard here? he's seen as being passionate. you cry, i cry, pelosi cries, we're weak. when you see him so emotional and crying like that, and people are pretty much giving him a pass, whereas a woman would not be given a pass. >> i don't know if a woman would be given a pass, necessarily. i respect john boehner because he has worn his feelings on his sleeve on things that are so important to him. and the things that he has cried over, are things that are important to most americans. and i give him that pass, too. but, yeah. that's one of those things where a double-standard certainly is applied. i'm sure if i got up there and did a speech and i started breaking down and cried about how important it is to me that our children and our grandchildren are provided great opportunities, i'm sure that i would be mocked a little bit for that. >> reporter: and you said this, and it's true. there are things that are asked of you, that a male candidate would not have been asked. >> yeah. ridiculous things. and shots taken. and photos published. parts of stories covered that no man would ever -- but, you know, i think, robin, it makes us work that much harder and be that much tougher and more committed to the message and the miss -- and the mission at hand. >> reporter: i don't know if you heard this, but there's talk he may run for president. i don't know if you heard that. where are you in your thought process and decisionmaking? >> it's a prayerful consideration. you know, other folks can jump in. and that kind of help you get that lay of the land. but my decision won't be made for some months still. >> reporter: you read a number of publications. you told us among those, "wall street journal." a new poll out, showing that if the election were held today and you were the republican candidate, president obama was the democratic, he would win by 22 points. a lot of gop members are concerned about you having a nomination because of polls like this. but you're so passionate. and you're so competitive. when you see numbers like that, and you know that is a feeling among even the gop, how do you respond? >> well, speaking of competition, that's what competitive primaries are all about. you're out there. you're debating your ideas. and you're getting your message across. and you're talking about your record. and you're setting the record straight. and you talk about your intentions for this country. i'm all for contested primaries. so, a poll number like that, it doesn't look really pretty today. but a primary is months and months in the process. and there are, thankfully, many debates. and if i were to participate in that contested primary, i would be in it to win it. >> and coming up in our next half hour, more from sarah palin. her journey over these last two years. her love of the great outdoors. and that shot heard around the world. uh-huh, that caribou. george and elizabeth? >> can't wait to see that. >> the caribou. >> she is not going to give up too much on when that decision will be made. she says it will be many months. >> keeping her options open. but not committing to any of them. >> that's right. we have an excerpt posted of sarah palin's book at abcnews.com/gma. you can go to our website and take a look. now, new developments for a hunt for a serial killer here in new york. investigators have stepped up their search around the area where the bodies of four women were found. andrea canning is in oak beach, new york, with the very latest. good morning, andrea. >> reporter: good morning, elizabeth. police searched miles and miles of this beach and surrounding area thursday. they didn't find any new bodies. but they apparently did find some new evidence. now, they admit, they have no new suspects in this case. and they suffered at least one setback over the past 24 hours that has 1 man in this neighborhood saying police have ruined his life. >> the entire roadway's going to shut down. >> reporter: thursday, police expanded their search, looking for more bodies. closing down this ten-mile stretch of road. >> you can understand that with the terrain down there, and many of you have been out there, how difficult it is to see something. we want to expand the search. >> reporter: four, unidentified women were dumped along this barren beach some time within the past 18 months. found just 500 yards apart, likely removed from the vehicle. megan waterman may be among the victims, a prostitute who met her clients on craigslist. but thursday, police revealed, shannon gilbert, another prostitute, first believed to be one of the four victims was not a match. but they're still searching for her. police have concierverged on th community about five miles from the crime scene. police say shannon gilbert was with a client, joseph brewer. wednesday, they searched his home and towed this suv. brewer spoke to us from inside his brother's home. >> the truth will come out. >> reporter: even with the news, police are still investigating shannon gilbert's disappearance, along with the other victims. how challenging is this investigation for you? >> well, this is very challenging. as you can imagine. four, unidentified bodies, at this point. and it's critical to an investigation, that we identify the victims. you know, we're waiting for the science to be completed. >> reporter: science the medical examiner admits could take weeks. how do you go about identifying such badly decomposed bodies? >> we need to go to forensic dentistry. and that allows us to do the dna analysis. >> reporter: should people be scared? >> no. i don't want anybody to think that we have a jack the ripper running around suffolk county with blood dripping from a knife. >> reporter: and the search will continue again. this morning, they plan to shut off the same -- close down the same ten-mile stretch of road they did yesterday. they want to get as much searching they can in now, because it's supposed to snow on sunday. the conditions are ideal right now. >> andrea canning. thanks for that update. now, for other stories developing, we're going to turn to juju chang at the newsdesk. >> good morning, everyone. there is developing news overseas. the cia appears to be ramping up the secret drone attacks in pakistan. this time, in a place not usually targeted. in the last 24 hours, 4 missile strikes have hit militant compounds in a northern tribal region along the afghan border, killing 15 people. there's been at least 110 drone strikes in pakistan this year. that is twice as many as during the entire bush administration. well, congress is ordering a change to hybrid cars. why? they're too quiet. their electric motors are virtually silent at low speeds, posing a risk to blind pedestrians and people in parking lots. so, congress has passed a bill requiring them to make a certain amount of noise. car companies are already work on making artificial sounds. a dramatic rescue in miami. a man was able to climb out of his car window, underwater, as it was sinking, after divers shattered the glass in the back. the 77-year-old driver had apparently hit the gas instead of the brake while parking. and he drove into key biscayne bay. the car sank in a matter of seconds. you can call this full-contact democracy in action. members of the ukraine parliament got physical last night. they're sup yet over a corruption investigation. four men actually ended up in the hospital with concussions, a broken hand, a broken jaw. and you know, george and elizabeth, all those injured were from the opposition party. the ruling party said none of their members were hurt. >> really? >> uh-huh. >> one party fighting by itself? don't you have to have an opponent? >> fighting in the ukraine, they mean that literally. >> a smooth-running machine. >> i know. who cares about the arguments? time, now, for the weather. sam is in anaheim, california, this morning. hey, sam. >> hey, george, elizabeth. we're at disneyland's california adventure park. we're going to tell you why. it just started to sprinkle here. california will deal with days of heavy rain. but let's start with the east coast first. that's where the slippery weather was in the midsouth. and temperatures are cold today that anything that melted is refrozen again today. that means dangerous driving from louisville, to atlanta, to raleigh, to washington, d.c., certainly. on the west coast, this pattern of very heavy rain from sacramento to san francisco and all inland areas. mountain ranges in the sierras will come up to three feet of snow. more than that in the next couple of days. you can see the four to eight inch rainfall totals expected there in central and southern california. good morning to you. take a look at this beautiful shot. this is the chesapeake beach. the sun is coming up over the horizon. we have a few clouds but we are clearing. temperatures will be about freezing today but low 20 pause right now. becoming sunny and noticeably warmer than the last couple of days, in the mid-30's this afternoon. days, in the mid-30's this afternoon. and we are live in california this morning. all morning long, george, by the way, the movie "tron" comes out. we'll show you how to go through the portal and live on the grid, all morning long. >> sam, thanks very much. cnn has bid farewell to its king. larry king hosted the final episode of his talk show on the cable network last night, after a career that's spanned 50 years on the radio and tv. now, king told me he'll be going back to his first love, standup comedy. as yunji de nies reports, it was time for the king to say so long tonightly tv. >> hey. this has been one-third of my life. >> reporter: they hail the king. >> thank you for all the years. you were great. >> reporter: it was a night of surprises. >> larry king day. >> reporter: with a "saturday night live" look alike, the suspenders are staying. >> i will not stop wearing them. >> reporter: network news anchors chipped in with a pair for the road. >> on the back, we've got your back. all of us stayed up all night to stitch our names in. >> reporter: his 10-year-old's imitation had him in stitches. >> i'm too old for this. i've done this for 50 years. >> this is the premiere edition of "larry king live." >> reporter: larry king has done 50,000 interviews. enough people to fill dodgers stadium. >> you were my biggest competition. >> reporter: king's interviews were straight down the line. he rarely threw a curve ball. and from the serious, to the silly, he's done it all. after decades of celebrity encounters. >> good-bye. >> you think i got canceled? >> reporter: last night, stars paid tribute on air. ♪ the best is yet to come and babe, won't that be fine ♪ >> reporter: and party with the king in beverly hills. >> instead of good-bye, how about so long. >> reporter: for "good morning america," yunji de nies, abc news, los angeles. >> so long. >> end of an era. >> sure is. coming up, julian assange is out of jail, vowing to release another round of documents. he's going to join us live right hire. more of robin's interview with sarah palin. 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[ 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. forty years ago, he wasn't worried about retirement. he'd yet to hear of mutual funds, iras, or annuities. back then, he had something more important to do. he wasn't focused on his future but fortunately, somebody else was. at usaa we provide retirement solutions for our military, veterans and their families. from investments... to life insurance... to health care options. learn more with our free usaa retirement guide. call 877-242-usaa. >> live and in hd, this is an abc 7 news update. >> the time is 7:26 of this friday, december 70. i am scott thuman with your local news update. we will check on traffic and a moment but first, the federal government is open today. there are also numerous school closings and delays. you can see them at the top and bottom of your screen. two significant incidents on the inner loop that the belt way after georgia avenue with an accident that was moved to the side of the road. it took one hour to drive from silver spring. the other incident is on i-95 southbound before the interchange at 195. the road had been closed until a moment ago. this is a live camera and we will show you that. traffic is getting by in all lanes one vehicle is stopped in the median and one is off the road on the right side pretty fire department was on the scene but they have now cleared it. traffic is getting by. northbound traffic will be jammed as well. this is the inner loop delay. this is a beautiful shot of the chesapeake bay. at the bottom of your screen, the men are shoveling the docks. there is a little bit of ice in the marina. these guys are be litigating to clear and temperatures are in the 20's. 17 degrees in front royal but we will see smelting today locally, mid to upper 30's. there will be sunshine and a slight chance of a few snow showers sunday south and east of town. it will not warm or cool. >> will be back with another update at 7:5 welcome back to "good morning america." and we are here in wasilla, alaska. yes, the home of sarah palin. we'll have more of our exclusive interview with her. it's a real family affair. in fact, we go snowmobiling. and piper comes along. i know you guys think it's cold in new york. get out of here. baby, it's cold out here in wasilla. >> you are all bundled up. >> wow. >> can't wait to see the rest of that this morning. great to have elizabeth here. we have a lot coming up in this half hour. wikileaks founder, julian assange, is now out of jail. and says the house arrest won't stop him from leaking more secret documents. we'll talk to assange live in a minute. first, jim sciutto has the latest from london. >> reporter: julian assange emerged from the high court victorious. with the release in the hire. >> it is not dead yet. >> reporter: vowing to get back to the work of releasing some 250,000 once-secret u.s. diplomatic cables. as the judge considered the rape allegations by two women in sweden, he upheld assange's bail. but increased it to more than $370,000. and this is where he will be confined under the bail agreement. eligam hall, a ten-bedroom mention on a 650-acre estate. owned by a wealthy former journalist and friend of assange. he's living under curfew. his every movement monitored by an electronic tag. a movement assange calls orwellian. but the investigation is shifting to new charges in a new country, america. and that would be extradition to the u.s., which he says he will fight. for "good morning america," jim sciutto, abc news, suffolk, england. and wikileaks founder, julian assange, joins us live now. thank you for joining us this morning. let's begin where jim left off. the conspiracy charges here in the united states. they are on whether you encouraged sergeant manning, private manning, in my way, to give you the classified documents. did you help him in any way, shape or form? >> we are going to talk about sourcing issues in general. but there's something i can say that is very easy. i had never heard of the name bradley manning before it was published in the press. wikileaks technology, designed from the very beginning, to make sure that we never know the identities or names of people submitting us material. that is, in the end, the only way the sources can be guaranteed that they remain anonymous, as far as we are concerned. >> but your website did encourage the soliciting of classified information. that could expose you to prosecution. >> well, of course, it didn't encourage it in the way that is being suggested. i mean, does a court system encourage people to lodge documents at court? and that is a crime? of course, not. any journalist, the fact they give out their number on their card encourage solicitation of documents? of course, not. there is nothing specific that we do that encourages any specific documents to be submitted to us. and congressional research service, of the u.s. congress, just produced 30-something page report that said it thought it was very unlikely, under law, that we had engaged in any illegal activity. and if it was alleged that our activity would be illegal, then, of course, "the new york times" and all other mainstream media organizations would also suffer from that allegation. >> you are also, of course, facing those charges in sweden. i know you've denied those charges, rape charges, in sweden. you've said you're the victim of a smear campaign. my question this morning is, do you feel you were set up by those two women in sweden? >> merely a victim of a smear campaign. there are intercepted sms messages between the women and each other and their friends, that i am told represents a setup. those sms messages, the swedish prosecutor has refused to release. in fact, stated that my lawyer, who was shown the messages by the police, is gagged from speaking about them. in their representations to the courts here, three, separate court dates, the swedish government stated that it didn't need to provide a single piece of evidence to the court. in fact, didn't provide a single piece of evidence to back up its allegations. we're not just talking about evidence, in terms of physical objects. we're talking, not even a single word of the allegations themselves. >> so, do you believe you were set up? >> we have yet to receive material. not a single word of material has been provided to me or my solicitors. and in fact, it wasn't until some three weeks ago that my swedish lawyer received the first page of material in swedish. >> did you have sex with these women against their will? >> absolutely not. and that has been what i have stated and what my counsel has stated since the very beginning. it's very easy to understand, being a victim of a smear campaign, if someone alleges that you have committed a double-rape. it's not something that you need to think about. that is what i stated immediately. those charges in sweden were dropped within 24 hours of them being made. and it wasn't until a politician in sweden became involved and went to a regional prosecutor, that the investigation was raised. i still have not been charged with anything. this is an extradition warrant that is highly exotic and unusual. and it seeks singly, to have a conversation with me in sweden. >> let's get to your broader mission. as you know, the secretary of state of the united states, and many other government officials say you have been endangering the lives of diplomats and others. and you're sabotaging the peace relations between nations on which our common security depends. what's your response? >> well, netanyahu, of israel, seems to welcome this material. in fact, said leaders should say in public what they say in private. so, as far as peace negotiations with iran and the middle east are concerned, it seems to be a step forward. in fact, i would say, in general, it is a step forward that everyone be on the same page and not to be running around behind each other's backs, telling lies about each other. that is something that has been revealed by this material. and a lot of countries are looking on that favorably. but we see today that the work goes on. our british media partner, "the guardian," another cablegate story, which there has been every day now, since we began. india accused of systemic use of torture in kashmir. >> we are almost out of time. i have one, final question. >> -- coming out of our cables. >> other government officials have called you an anarchist. are they right? >> they are absolutely not right. we can look at my long-term endeavors, all the way to 1993, when i started piloting the internet industry, in australia. bringing knowledge to the people. and that's been a firm foundation for us to build credible and humane institutions. >> julian assange, thank you very much for your time this morning. >> thank you. and it is time, now, for weather. and sam champion, who is at troni tronica. >> just the action behind me should let you know there's something different going on here. the movie "tron: legacy" opens today. in this movie, you go into this virtual world. you might remember the original movie that came out in the '80s. in a computer world. living on the grid now has really changed. and it looks hot. take a look at the scene here that disneyland has created here. that's laser man. he does a live show. it's kind of an evening thing because you want the lights to come on and out. and everybody kind of enjoys the show. that's just part of it. let's get to the boards. we'll show you what's going on this morning. one or two things happening outside. we're going to start with the east coast -- no. let's start with this west coast storm. low after low will load up in california over the weekend. and there will be very heavy rain. three, six, ten inches of rain coming in here. mountain snow, as well. on 27 degrees downtown and 21 in leesburg. high temperatures today will be in the mid-30's per a slight chance of snow showers on su and we are live in disneyland's electronica, all morning long. when we come back, more of robin's exclusive interview with sarah palin.ith me) plays ) ♪ ♪ if you've had a coke in the last forty years, you've played a part in one of the largest... beverage recycling efforts in the world. ♪ ♪ how's it going in there, hon? 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[ both ] ♪ oh what a relief it is! wherever you need it! have you tried honey bunches of oats with real strawberries? wow. it's seriously strawberry. they're everywhere. it's in the bunches, on the flakes, even real strawberries in the mix. can i have some more? honey bunches of oats with real strawberries. it's delicious. back here in wasilla, alaska. and i have to tell you, the first thing i noticed when i walked into the palin home, it is all about family. and that is one thing that has not changed since a journey began, bringing sarah palin into the national spotlight. >> my friends and fellow americans, the next vice president of the united states, governor sarah palin of the great state of alaska. >> reporter: 2008, john mccain announced you are his vice president candidate. you come out. you see your family. it's in ohio. and you fast-forward. it's just been over two years. what's it been like for you personally, to go from a relative unknown, outside of your beloved alaska, to being such a major force and personality? >> first, i thought you were going to say that you would never forget the day, august 29th, 2009, because that was my 20th wedding anniversary. yeah. my own, little world. it's been quite the rollercoaster ride. but if you look at where i was then and where i am today, the people who surround me, they're the same people. my close friends. my siblings, my parents, my family. they are still here. that core network of supportive people who are there to help lift you up when you fall down and help bring you back down to earth when, you know, some people would want to put you on a pedestal. that's very, very important to me. is knowing that two years later, in that respect, nothing has changed. >> reporter: what has changed, or has anything changed, not really changed with you, governor. but come on. you've gone from virtually nowhere to being a power player. how in the world does that happen? >> let me tell you one thing that has changed. it's been tempting, once in a while, to start guarding my conversation and start hesitating a little bit, in calling it like i see it. and i've done that my entire life. but because every word that i speak is scrutinized and ultimately, in some corners of the world, it gets mocked and ridiculed and spun into something that it is not, there has been the temptation to kind of pull back a little bit. and maybe not be as candid. >> reporter: but sarah palin has not shied away from her celebrity status. her reality show on tlc is watched by about 3 million people. i know you've heard the outrage, the caribou. >> here he comes. he's coming. >> good. >> reporter: some in the lower 48, would say why did you shoot rudolph? though, it's not a reindeer. it's a caribou. aaron sorkin, a hollywood producer, call it a snuff film. there are some that see this and see the high-powered rifle, and go, really? >> i think he has some of the high-powered rifles in his movies and tv shows. i think those are aimed at human being. mine is aimed at dinner. is his name allen? >> reporter: aaron. >> i've been calling him allen. i thought his comment was appalling. he said, i can see her doing that if it were for fashion or it were for something. i'm going, for fashion? to kill an animal just for the fur? i can't believe that came out of him. certainly, he wouldn't be that hypocritical. we eat, therefore we hunt. and i am thankful i get to feed my kids organic food. >> reporter: i think it also because it was such a high-powered rifle. >> you can't bring down an animal with a beebe gun. >> reporter: you and todd have known each other since high school. got married at 24. the statistics say you're not supposed to be together. >> we have different personalities, that's for sure. we have the same core beliefs. and that has allowed us to stay together happily for 22 years now of marriage. >> reporter: after talking with his wife, todd fired up the snow machines, as they call them here. and the palins took me out behind their house, on the ice, of lake lucille. with 9-year-old, piper, taking the lead, we checked out the scenery. she doesn't take it all so seriously. there was still time for a little humor about one of her, let's say, infamous moments. here it comes. here it comes. where is russia? >> i'll tell you, it's not that far away. >> that was another first for me, getting out on a snowmobile like that. i felt better when they told me there were trucks out here earlier. it's frozen solid for some time to come. coming up in our next half hour, what could i have possibly asked sara pail on the get this response? >> oh, my goodness. that's a great -- i don't think anybody's ever asked me that before. 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["stir it up" playing] stir up a smile with hershey's syrup. coming up, the humble hero. we're going to talk to the security guard who bravely stepped into that school board shooting. first, a quick tip from wendy bouns. >> okay. are you a last-minute holiday shopper? me, too. don't worry. i have great tips for you. everyone loves a gift certificate. and now, many retailers allow you to give them via e-mail. but make sure you tell the person receiving the gift so they don't think it's junk mail. be creative. give your time such as baby gifts. what parent wouldn't love that. go to abcnews.com/gma to see all my strategies. and let's start saving. woo hoo! 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[ female announcer ] this year, hallmark has all new ways to say it. well, there's the snow you wanted. - oh, we miss you, honey. - i'll be home soon. until then, i have my wingman helping me out. tommy? - i helped dad pick it out. - it's beautiful. - behind every open heart is a story. tell yours with my open heart collection at kay jewelers, the number one jewelry store in america. there are millions of reasons to give one, but the message is always the same: keep your heart open, and love will always find its way in. - i love you. - i love you too. [ slap! ] [ slap! slap! slap! slap! ] ow, ow! [ male announcer ] your favorite foods fighting you? fight back fast with tums. calcium rich tums goes to work in seconds. nothing works faster. ♪ tum ta tum tum tums >> live and in hd, this is an abc 7 news update. >> good morning, it is 7:56 on this friday, december 17. i am scott thuman with your local update. we'll check on the morning commute in a moment but first, the federal government is open today. however, there are several school closings and delays because of the snowberry you can see at them at the top and bottom of your screen. we had a couple of big accidents this morning. this is the southbound side of 95 approaching route 100 with an earlier crash off the road and it looks like it is confined to the right shoulder but there are big delays coming out of baltimore. there is another accident on the inner loop near university boulevard. this is after maryland 193, the left half of the road is blocked. it is about one hour trip, but as debt through the silver spring area. -- from bethesda for the silver spring area. [no audio] you can see some scattered cloud cover but it is moving out. there is ice with the frozen snow on top of it. temperatures are in the 20's. 21 degrees in leesburg. it is becoming a sunny today, noticeably warmer and that will help melting. the high temperatures will be in the mid-30's. we will not warm or cool down in the next couple of days but there is a slight chance of snow for send the. >> we will be back with another update at 8:27. you can get a complete list of school closings at our website. ♪ good morning america how are you ♪ ♪ said don't you know me i'm your native son ♪ easing into the weekend. "good morning america." you know robin is in alaska, bringing us her exclusive interview with sarah palin. sarah palin talks candidly about her family in just a couple minutes. also ahead this morning, we've got the man called a hero. >> boy, was he. >> he really was. after that gunman opened fire at a florida school board meeting. what was going through his mind? he was a security guard who actually saved the school board members in those life and death moments. he'll tell us what that was like. he's here with his wife to join us live this morning. he's quite a guy. >> certainly quite a guy. colleen thinks so, too. that's his wife. and after the press conference, he said, aren't i married to the most beautiful woman in the world? >> i think so. >> he had all the women swooning here after that one. >> sure did. also this morning, dollar store showdown. top designers, katie brown and jonathan adler, have the challenge. 50 bucks. can they take $50 to a dollar store and put together a party with plenty of style? they did it. >> i can't wait to see what they came up with. also, saving the lives of millions of babies. i'm going to show you how a class project at one of america's most privileged universities is changing the face of one of the top global health issues, infant mortality. i just went to india last week, george, to see how these kids were doing with their project. and how you, you the viewer, can be part of an exciting initiative, called be the change, save a life. >> this is more than a school project. >> absolutely. they've taken their school project -- we'll tell you all about it -- and implemented it in villages. they're saving millions of babies lives. we head back to alaska, where robin is talking to sarah palin in wasilla. and palin's biggest chang, raising five children. >> reporter: five children. who is most like you? >> oh, my goodness. i don't think anybody's ever asked me that before. well, i think they all have a little bit of me in them. they're all very determined. >> reporter: that's a true mom. >> yeah. >> reporter: i know you love them. it's not a -- you love all them equally. >> absolutely, yes. >> reporter: you had a beautiful story when you were talking about how running -- and there was a corelation with your youngest son. and how it helped you. you explain what you meant by that. >> well, trig has, a loft children with down syndrome, when they feel a little out of sorts, or they're in an uncomfortable situation, they look to something that is comforting to them. their own internal gps. or their own great north star. trig's is, it's his right hand. when he is uncomfortable or scared about something, he stops and looks at his right hand. we tease him about it. yep, it's still there, son. he'll look at it. and he'll take that step forward. and he'll look at it again. make sure everything's okay. and he'll take that step forward. and he's taught me so much, as i observe what his little routine is there about staying focused, staying -- staying sure of self, via something that is comforting. for me, it's my faith. and being able to take one step forward, thanks to that great north star. >> my favorite song right now is "baby, it's cold outside," which is it, george and els betd. but we really have enjoyed our time with sarah palin and her family and the people of alaska. but it's time to skedaddle and get hot chocolate. >> hurry back, robin. >> get warm. and juju with the rest of the top stories. >> she does look cold out there. good morning, everyone. no new taxes. that is the headline from washington this morning, after congress approved president obama's compromise to extend the bush-era tax cuts for two more yearses. the bill also renews unemployment benefits while adding $850 billion to the national debt. democrats have withdrawn $1 trillion to fund the government because of outrage over pet projects, known as earmarks. there's new tension on the korean peninsula. today, the north warned the south not to go through with live-fire drills this weekend, on the island the north attacked last month. or, it says, it will launch a more intense attack. and a royal snub for the first family. a british newspaper reports president obama and the first lady will not be invited to prince william's wedding. they say will and kate are looking to invite more ordinary citizens and charity workers than heads of state or v.i.p.s. meanwhile, "people" magazine captured this picture of kate middleton, leaving the prechristmas annual lunch, franked by will and harry. looks like the lunch with the future in-laws wept well. now, diane sawyer is going to reveal her "person of the week." diane? >> good morning, juju. he's already the top solo artist of the 20th century. he's about to be our "person of the week." garth brooks, an exciting new mission cal mission. what is he doing? be sure to watch tonight on "world news." >> that's the news at 8:05. time, to get the weather with sam champion. you've gone hollywood. it's anaheim. but you're on a back lot, right? >> take a look at this. it's a little different for me. >> wow. it's very groovy. i like it. >> my lovely sirens are beside me. this is one of the costumes jeff bridges wears in the movie "tron: legacy" that opens today. we'll give you a sneak peek of the film here. when you live in the computer world, when you live on the grid, things look different. you're different. and some amazing special effects. and then, the park has created this entire nighttime world here, full of laser lights and the disc throwers. this is how you enter the portal to go to the grid. so, if you want to live in the movie, this is where you're going to be. let's get to the boards. one or two things we want to talk about. as you head outside your door, we begin with this pattern of very heavy rain in california. storm after storm after storm, loading up for three days here. and this is heavy rain that will cause some real problems, particularly for northern california. from san francisco, we believe you're going to see in the coastal ranges, up to ten inches of rain. and the snow will be measured in feet. to the middle of the country, things get a little quiet this weekend. there is an opportunity for a nor'easter to devel temperatures are below freezing still, 28 degrees at reagan national airport. 18 out in cumberland we will warmup into the mid the 30's today for a few hours this afternoon which will clear out the roadways. it will become sunny so that will help. mostly cloudy tomorrow, in the mid 30's through the entire seven-day forecast. mid 30's through the entire seven-day forecast. and we are live from disneyland this morning. george, i can get this for you. just send me your sizes. thank you, lovely siren. part of the movie is disc throwing. rebecca? back to you. >> thanks, sam. by now, you've seen the incredible video of that florida school board shooting tuesday. this morning, we're going to introduce you to the man you don't see on that tape. security officer, just off camera, that chose to step into that dangerous standoff and likely saved the lives of the entire school board. retired police officer and current school security officer, mike jones, and his wife, colleen, joined us this morning from panama city, florida. thanks for getting up this morning. >> good morning. >> no problem. i barely know where to begin. i was transfixed, mike, when i was watching your press conference yesterday. and watching what you did on tuesday. you were actually supposed to be on vacation the day this all happened. yet, it turned out to be the day that you saved lives. >> yes. i was supposed to have been on vacation all week. and i guess, fortunately now, the good lord wanted me some place. and i believe it was here. >> at what point in that instance did you know you had to step in? >> well, i had already entered the building once, and the room. and tried to draw his attention to me. and that didn't work. so, on the second time i was just about to open the door, i seen him with his back to me and squared, with both hands in front of him, on the weapon. and right in front of the superintendent, about two feet from him and fixing to shoot him. as i was just fixing to open the door, he shot. and everybody just followed behind the counter. and i thought he was dead. at point-blank range. that's when i engaged him and the battle began. >> you thought superintendent husfelt was lost. >> i did. that's the only picture i can't get out of my mind. every time i see him, i start crying. i'm glad he's not here this morning. >> and tell us about that moment, when all of a sudden, he popped back up from behind the desk. >> well, you know, we had exchanged gunfire. and it seemed like it was forever. i was crawling on the floor and we exchanged gunfire. and i got to the aisle. and i thought mr. dukes was dead because he wasn't moving. and, of course, he took his own life at that time. i don't know. it was kind of like being in a tunnel. i've been a police officer for 35 years now. and i just -- it was like being in a tunnel. i couldn't hear anything. i couldn't breathe. everything was just -- it was in a vapor lock or something. and all of a sudden, he popped up. and the school board attorney, frankly harris, popped up. and i couldn't believe it. and they came around. that's when i lost it. i just started crying. i couldn't breathe. i couldn't get my breath. i just couldn't believe he was alive. it was a miracle. there's only one answer that we're all alive this morning. and it's by the grace of god. i can promise you that. >> and we didn't see you for a day after the shooting because you did want to counsel with your pastor. what did you all talk about? >> i did. you know, i don't want to say thank you for the news media. i asked for that one day. i'll answer any questions. we've been going at this since 8:00 yesterday morning, nonstop interviews. and what he and i talked about, was i have a lot of concerns, you know? i'm known in this community as salvage santa, a little toy program i've got. and what the community might think of me. i'm santa claus. and i've just taken a man's life, what my fellow parishioners might think. you know, i just took a man's life. and the thought went through my mind, the first time i shot a man, his back was to me and he was shooting. i thought, i'm going to jail. i shot a man in a back. i was an investigator 20 years and a policeman, 35 years together. and i couldn't help it. >> you said yesterday in your press conference, instinct took over. you did what you had to do. >> i did. and you know, i just trained with military at our local military base last year on rapid response training in the school shootings. we went into the school and practiced enter rooms and the rapid response, locate, isolate and neutralize the threat. and i'll tell you, that training helped me a lot. it just kicked in. just total instinct. >> colleen, we love the moment at the press conference when mike said, i'm married to the most beautiful woman in the world. and this morning you look lovely. but what was the first thing you said to mike when you saw him? >> well, i didn't get to see him immediately. believe it or not, they had this place locked down. and it was a feat to even get in this place. he was calling me, wondering where i was at. and i said, i can't get into you. the police won't let me in. he was already on a stretcher when i got here. and they wished us away to the hospital. so, i rode in the front. he was in the back. so, i really didn't even get a chance to speak to him until we actually got to the hospital. and the only time i talked to him was on the phone, whenever he called to tell me about what had happened. and that was probably the hardest phone call i'd ever had. i had never heard my husband so beatdown, at that time. so -- >> it's good to see you both beaming this morning. >> it's all good now. >> it is all good now. you saved some lives. you are a hero, even though i know you don't believe it. thank you for joining us this morning. >> thank you. and when we come back, how you can be the change and save a life. 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[ female announcer ] you'll never look at stains the same way again. for a powerful clean against a full range of stains, use new wisk. fight stains with science. use new wisk. in a more delicious world, there would be more smoothness, more creaminess, more rich just-for-me-ness, more hershey's bliss-fulness. hershey's bliss. it's not just chocolate. it's bliss. i'd get this tightness in my chest. so i went back to my doctor again. we chose symbicort to help control my asthma symptoms all day and night. [ man ] symbicort improves my lung function, starting within 15 minutes. symbicort will not replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. it is a combination of two medicines and should not be taken more often than prescribed. symbicort contains formoterol. medicines like formoterol increase the risk of death from asthma problems, and children and adolescents may have an increased risk of being hospitalized for asthma problems. symbicort is not for people whose asthma is well controlled with a long-term asthma control medicine like inhaled corticosteroids. once your asthma is well controlled, your doctor will decide if you can stop symbicort without loss of control, and prescribe a long-term asthma control medicine. be sure to see your doctor if your asthma does not improve or gets worse. symbicort is a good choice to help control my asthma all day and night. [ inhales ] [ exhales ] ask your doctor if symbicort is a good choice for you. 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[ male announcer ] relax. pam helps you pull it off. what does it take to save a life? you might be surprised at how little. $20, a jar of fortified peanut butter or just a great idea at school. starting today, for the next year, abc news supported, in part by the bill and melinda gates foundation, will bring you stories on health problems millions of people face around the world. last week, i traveled to india, where almost 2 million children under the age of 5 die every year. a group of students from one of america's mest privileged universities has fill you'red out a way to save many of them. graduate students at stanford university were assigned a class challenge. design an incubator that could save those babies in india. one that would cost less than $200. >> one of the biggest things is simply staying warm because these babies are so tiny. they don't have enough fat to regulate their own body temperature. 4 million of these babies die every year. >> reporter: jane and her team traveled to india to see for themselves why the babies were dying. they learned that 80% of the tiny infants who need incubators only need them to keep warm. and most of them were in remote villages and in the urban slums, far from hospitals with the $20,000 machines. >> by the end of the class, we knew we were on to something good. this is the most amazing team. a ph.d. in electrical engineering, an aerospace engineer, masters in computer science, have left behind what could have been far more lucrative careers to be saving babies. >> reporter: the stanford students now live in india. they have taken years fine-tuning the design of their cheap, portable incubator into this. it looks like a sleeping bag for newborns. it can be washed in boiling water. the inside is seamless, so bacteria can't collect. hello there. and the baby inside is kept warm by a plastic sheathe containing paraffin wax. it's wax and water. it probably feels like the womb, right? >> it does. in fact, all of the babies we've put into this have fallen asleep immediately. >> reporter: the melted wax is tucked in the back and will remain at 98 degrees for 4 hours. and then, can be repeat heated. all this for less than $200. hi, munchkin. hi there. he's sound asleep. how many babies leaves do you think you can save with this? >> in the next five years, we hope to save and help over a million babies. >> most of the babies in india don't make it one month. i'm joined now by dr. richard besser. what's so striking about this story and the one you're about to tell, is how simple ideas can have profound impacts. >> it is so simple. in my case, the issue is clean water. i started my career in public health in bangladesh 20 years ago. so, going back there for be the change, was so incredibly special. i reconnected with some of my friends in the same hospital that i worked in who are still fighting in the trenches. how are you doing? my old colleague, dr. steep lubbe. >> welcome back to bangladesh. >> reporter: are you feeling better? it was doctors here that discovered the miraculous cure. now, the gold standard around the world, that brings patients back from death's door in a matter of hours. a simple solution of salt and sugar, combined with water, restores the elect lites they need to live. >> it's miraculous, if you get this into children soon enough, you save literally hundreds of thousands of lives. >> something so simple. salt, sugar and water, that can change the world. tonight, you'll see how truly easy it is for you and your family to do little things that can help spread this solution and save a life. >> we're going to tell people not only what the simple solutions are, whether will it be the electrolyte solution or this incubator. but 80% of the health problems come from dirty, contaminated water, right? >> there's a billion people that don't have access to clean water. one of the things about this show that really struck me is how easy it is for people to do little things. at the holiday season, how inspiring it can be to sit down with your family and think about that. >> right. the whole family should watch the program tonight. solving problems like that is what the year-long initiative is about. tonight, diane sawyer will anchor a special edition of "20/20," "be the change, save a life." sharing stories and tackling enormous problems and finding answers. together, we can be the change. go to our website at abcnews.com or sooif saveone.net, to find out more. time for our next finalist in our "gma" advice guru search. we've been meeting the final 20. this morning, vicki iovine is here. >> my best advice for the holidays is train like an athlete. you eat well. you get enough sleep every night. you get up at relatively the same hour every morning. and you get moving. you don't eat too much. you drink a little. never hungover. and get out and exercise because exercise gives you endorphins. and you're going to need endorphins to avoid melancholy, nostalgia, loneliness and feeling really ticked off at your mother at the christmas table. >> i never felt like that. >> these have all been great. it will be hard to pick from the final 20. >> actually, i've been pretty impressed with their advice. you can tell us what you think about our finalists and read their personal essays and see how they responded to your questions. it is all, of course, at abcnews.com/gma. and coming up, melissa rycroft challenges two top designers to design a holiday party within a budget. a real budget. $50, at a dollar store. they went through the whole store. could not spend a penny more. they have to come out with an entire party. we'll see how they did in our next half hour. and emeril is here to do some cooking. it's juju's turn to cook her favorite holiday recipe this morning. this is a fantastic soup you're going to want to have on your table. i can't wait to sample it. >> we'll get juju's soup and emeril's, too. 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(announcer) ask your doctor about pristiq. to bring you a low-price medicare prescription drug plan that has the lowest national premium in the country of only $14.80 per month. so you can focus on the things that really matter. go to walmart.com for details. that really matter. here, take the card. you go to the shops... i'll meet you at the gate. thanks. please remove all metal objects out of your pockets. with chase freedom you can get a total of 5% cash back. fun money from freedom. that's 5% cash back in quarterly categories and an unlimited 1% cash back everywhere else. and this too. does your card do this? i'm going to need a supervisor over here at gate 4. sign up for this quarter's bonus today. chase what matters. go to chase.com/freedom. >> live and in hd, this is an abc 7 news update. >> good morning to you, i am pamela brown and it is 8:27 on this friday morning. we want to let you know that the federal government is open today. we have numerous school closures and delays and those are listed on the top and bottom of your screen. it has been a tough morning on a 95 in maryland and on the beltway in montgomery county. this is 95 near route 100, southbound traffic is tied up by an earlier crash. northbound allies are from 175 to a second accident. the beltway by university boulevard. we have an accident on the inner loop after university boulevard which has been cleared out but there are big delays on the inner loop beginning back in bethesda and around to the interchanges in silver spring. it will take one hour to drive through there. we are clearing out a bit with some cloud cover. you see some thin clouds over the bay looking east. you can also see some footprints in the snow. temperatures are in the low to mid 20's. brunswick is 23 degrees. we will warm above freezing for a few hours midday and afternoon coming into the mid-30's 4 temperatures and the sunshine will help melt off the residual snow and ice from the roadways. a slight chance of snow showers on sunday. temperatures will not fluctuate much in the next seven-days. >> we will have another news update at 8:56. for continuous news coverage, tune in to tbd news on news channel 8. ♪ it's a most wonderful time of the year ♪ ♪ we go jingle belling and everyone telling ♪ ♪ you be of good cheer it's the most wonderful ♪ ♪ time of the year and if that doesn't get you in the christmas spirit, nothing will. good morning, america. >> that's great. >> i'm george stephanopoulos, here with elizabeth vargas. robin, on her way back from alaska. getting serenaded on her way back. >> that's right. and these beautiful voices are the voices of broadway kids care. these are kids starring in broadway shows. they're here for their third-consecutive year. donating coats to our warm hearts, warm coats drive. listen to them harmonize. ♪ christmases long ago it's a most wonderful time ♪ ♪ of the year >> like a pro, off peels alex. you're the star of "billy elliot." >> one of the boys. >> how long have you been involved in broadway kits care? >> i've been involved for about a year now. >> why did you decide to donate coats to our warm coats, warm hearts drive? >> i did this last year. and i love the cause that it's for. there's nothing like being cold in the wintertime. >> no kidding. >> now, i'm part of kids care. and it's such a good cause. >> how many coats are you bringing this morning? >> we brought about 40. >> that's great. thank you so much. thank you. thank you. >> thank you. >> and how much longer are you going to be in "billy elliot"? >> i'm going to be in "billy elliot" until the end of march. >> you have to see the show. it's so good. it's fantastic. happy holidays, kids. >> thanks, kids. >> so, 40, new coats. let's see what the total tally is right now. 105,534 coats. >> wow. >> that is great. we have a ways to go to beat last year's record. if you have a coat to donate to our warm coats, warm hearts drive, go to a burlington coat factory. we do want to break last year's record. >> what was last year's? >> over 200,000. >> come on. keep the coats coming. coming up in this half hour, how to make your christmas party look like a million bucks, at a discount, though. melissa rycroft challenges top designers, katie brown, and jonathan adler to a showdown at the dollar store. and they have been trash-talking already this morning, over who has the lbetter table. >> you'll get to decide. also, we have juju and emeril, with holiday soup. >> that's right. first, we check in with sam champion, for the weather, he's at electronica, the new attraction at disneyland park. are you still wearing the "tron" outfit? >> this is a different one. we have costume changes, of course. here we are, living on the grid, by the way because the movie "tron: legacy" drops today. disneyland has created a world. if you love the movie so much, you can live in it. when you're living on the grid, it's exhausting. it's tiring. you need a place to relax. in the film, there's a club called the end of the line club. and it's a beautiful space, where all the relaxation and fun kind of happens. it gets dangerous to be in that club, by the way. this is a safer environment where we are right now. i am, in case you don't know, a program and haven't seen the film yet. let's get to the boards. how about a look at the entire weekend? this is so much fun. and here's what happens. there's a possible nor'easter that kind of develops in new england. we're looking at this to maybe be from new york all the way up into boston with a hit of snow and wind and messy weather. the west coast is going to be slammed with storm after storm after storm of rain. so, california, be prepared, particularly northern and central california. but there will be showers all the way into southern california. the middle of the country is nice and mild and calm this weekend. yo we are in the 20's right now and yesterday there was snow. today, just some sunshine and a plaque -- and a chance to thaw out and for the roads to become okay, george. in case you have a doubt of how far i will go to live on the grid, take a look at my new tattoo. >> it's fierce, sam. fierce. >> thank you. thank you very much. >> okay, sam. thank you. we are counting down to christmas. just eight days to go. do you have a plan for your holiday party yet? we sent two top designers, jonathan adler, and katie brown, to a dollar store, looking for ways to decorate a holiday table on a $50 budget. this is what they came up with. look at what they did. and melissa rycroft went along for the spree. >> hey, guys. come on in. warm up. >> how are you? >> are you ready? >> so ready. it's on. >> reporter: any strategies going into this? >> i'm going to have marbles and throw them on the ground. >> and i'm going to hide everything good when i go down the aisles. >> competition. jonathan, katie, you each have $50, 30 minutes. the challenge, create a holiday table. ready? >> yes. >> reporter: go for it. >> ladies first. >> oh, thank you. ♪ >> pretty cute, right? >> christmas balls. cannot have enough. >> i have found the food section. ♪ >> reporter: how is it going? >> good except i think i have a serious spending problem. >> reporter: do we have a motif going on for the table yet? >> just sort of graphic, and poppy, and fun. >> $2. that's such a good bargain. excuse me, jonathan. what's he got? what's he got in there? >> $1.15. $2.50. >> they can double as place cards. we can also write someone's name right on here, as well as wrap that around a napkin. >> reporte wow. i'd love to be inside your brain. >> it's fun. ♪ >> reporter: all right, jonathan. time's up. >> okay. >> no matter what you do, can you make sure this only adds up to $50? >> crunch time. >> i think i'm close. i think i'm close. ten more dollars. >> ten bucks. i think i will get both of the matchboxcars. i'm going to need one of these, at least. >> okay. >> what's my grand total? >> $49.16. >> i'm in the money. i love your help. you're such a good elf. >> we're joined by katie brown, author of "katie brown celebrates." and jonathan adler. has two books out. "happy chic accessorizing." 84 cents to spare. >> right? >> tell us what you did. >> here's what i did. i discovered the food aisle. i got saltines. i got club crack ets. i got cheese-its and took what was inside and glued it to the outside. i call it my clubhouse. >> okay. >> and we have candy and had some fun with it. and we made really, simple, quick and easy gingerbread or clubhouses, if you will. >> you can pull apart the centerpieces. >> that's right. if you don't like the food, you have the centerpieces to eat. >> what about the manila folders? >> the manila folders became a couple of things. we only had $50. i had to multipurpose here. we took the manila folders and made them into cones. and tyke tinsel, that was cheap, and hot glue, made some trees. this was a fun project. we took peppermint, put it in the oven. put the pepperment inside of a cookie cutter. a star-shaped cookie cutter. put it in the oven for five minutes at 350, let it dry. and put two of them together and put the menu in the center. >> and listen to this menu. beef fillet, molten chocolate cake. >> not bad, right? >> doing it up. >> not bad for christmas. then, we had fun with napkin rings. we took the poinsettias. we wrapped the wire around the napkins. and with lollipops and hot glue, made a centerpiece. again, the manila folders. took candy canes, cut off the ends and put the name tags in the center. not bad, right? >> not bad. >> what does jonathan have? >> what a different look. completely different. >> totally different. love katie's. i decided to go for a glam grab, fun thing. >> i see that. airy onassis. >> marilyn monroe. >> i wanted it to be fun, poppy, colorful and silvery. my main event, and this was an epic undertaking. this took a village. but we created these peacocks out of tinfoil and holiday balls. everything is repurposed and lumped together. i said, let's make a peacock. >> how long did that take you? >> it was epic. my entire company came screeching to a halt. and everyone pitched in and made peacocks. here's the result. >> looks great. >> thank you. we repurpose a lot of the christmas balls. we use them as napkin rings. it's just a christmas ball with a slice cut into it. it looks very glamorous. and my favorite thing are these balls that i was going to throw under katie. i just spread them out because they add sparkle and twinkle to a table. and then, i -- i think i only spent about like 10 bucks on all the stuf you see here. and the rest, i spent on canada, which i ingested. >> you both did an amazing job. we have a whole bunch of ideas on our website, as well, that people can check out. thanks. [ steve ] i was registering my citi card for the holiday sweepstakes, when i got this toy from my colleague in japan. turns out robosan was the hottest toy of the year. [ news tv ] robosan 4000 is sold out across the country. [ steve ] i was going to sell it online and make a fortune. but then, i won a $1,000 prepaid card just because i used my citi card. so i made a decision, if citi could surprise me, why not do the same for someone else? [ male announcer ] register and use your card for a chance to win a prepaid card worth up to $10,000. what's your story? citi can help you write it. ♪ money, money, money president obama still needs to sign the new tax bill that was passed around midnight last night. but there are things you can do right now to save a bundle on this year's taxes. "gma" financial contributor and president of ariel investments, mellody hobson, joins us from chicago. in our "america's money" series, with tips about what you can do by the end of the year to lower your tax bill. mellody, good morning to you. >> good morning. >> one of the big tax breaks that are going to go away at the end of the year, are the eco-friendly home improvements you make and get a tax break as a result of doing. how can you take advantage of that in the last week and a half we have left? >> that's right. last year, the government said, we'll pay you to make your home more energy-efficient. not only will that lower your utility bill, you'll get a tax credit. many people are replacing doors and windows and adding insulation and buying water heaters. you can get a tax credit up to 30% of that cost, capped out at $1,500. everything does not qualify for this credit. you should look at energystar.gov, to check to make sure what you're doing does actually qualify. it only works for existing homes, not for new homes and not for rental properties. >> another change at the end of the year concerns the health care bill. the flexible spending accounts that so many of us contribute to, have new rules attached to them at the start of the new year. >> that's right. so, 75% of big companies offer the flexible spending accounts, which allow you to put away pretax dollars and spend it to offset health care costs that you have. but at the end of this year, you will no longer be able to buy over-the-counter drugs with your flexible spending account. that means you should go to your medicine cabinet. look at what is expiring. get the cold medicine or painkillers or anything you might need, at your drugstore, before december 31st, so use the dollars effectively. >> stock up right now. all right. at a time when so many of us are struggling to pay our bills right now, this next tip might seem a little difficult to do. but if you pay some of your bills early, you can get a tax break? >> that's right. and i'm only talking about marginally early, elizabeth. so, what i mean by that is, let's say you pay your mortgage on the 1st of every month, like so many people do. if you pay your mortgage december 31st, instead of january 1st, you can get that tax deduction on your 2010 tax bill, instead of waiting for 2011. the same for property taxes. a lot of people get their property tax bill. and they pay in january or february. and if you can pay at the end of december, that will also save you money. >> we're just talking about a couple of day there's. okay. as always, the end of the year is a great time to unload stocks if you think they've completely lost any value? >> that's right. so, the stock market is up about 10% this year. but it's still down 20% from its 2007 peak. so, a lot of people have embedded losses in their portfolios of stocks or mutual funds that are selling for less than what they paid for them. the government lets you deduct up to $3,000 if you take a loss. if you take a loss that's bigger than that, you can carry it over to future years. if you've lost faith in a company, and you plan on selling it anyway, sell it before the end of this year to get that tax loss. >> all great tips. mellody, thanks so much. happy holidays to you. the end of the year is a great time to get your tax return paperwork in order. so, be sure to save all of your holiday shopping receipts and your statements. and you can get more of mellody's tax tips at abcnews.com/"gma." coming up next, ♪ it comes along just once a year ♪ ♪ on winters wings, decembers rear, ahha humbug faces come and dear ♪ ♪ then appears at perfect christmas time. ♪ ♪ a tiny tree, christmas, tinsel, the lights ♪ ♪ the star that sings, top your tiny tree, yeah ♪ ♪ we are wrapping up our 12 days of cooking today. it's juju's turn. her family's new year's rice cake soup. i'm going to say this carefully. duk gok. >> there's no duck in it. >> okay. this is a recipe from your mom. >> absolutely. and i cook it for my kids, which is great. and they love it. it's a very family-friendly food. it's hearty, and wintry. it's not new year's day at my house without this soup. i'm going to tell people how to make it. most americans have been to asian restaurants. but it's intimidating to try to cook it at home. this is very easy. >> it's a very simple recipe. i'm impressed with these things. >> these are rice cakes. you start out by soaking them to make them -- >> like a dumpling. >> less firm. and you take the flank steak. you can do it old-school and cook up a brisket for an hour. but this is the short cut. >> or beef. >> you cut up the flank steak. and marinade it in sesame, garlic. and this is the key ingredient, the soup soy soup base. >> it's less salty. >> and less brown. you need a hot pot. and instead of braising it in the pan, i braise it in the pot itself. ooh. you can hear the searing. not only do you keep the juices in here, but it's easier cleanup. you braise it until it's nice and brown. and pour in the water. >> that's what we have here. >> exactly. this is my mother's recipe. she's a great cook. but like most great cooks, she doesn't know for measurements. so, we had to sort of -- >> what we have here, is we're cooking the beef and making this into a beef stock, with those flavors. that's the same thing we have here. >> and we bring it to a boil. 10, 15 minutes. and you drain, after soak for about an hour, you drain out the rice cakes and put them in, like that, thusly. you don't need to cook them for very long. this is the short-cut version. then -- >> it looks like this, after a half an hour? >> 10, 15 minutes. you don't want to overcook them. you want a little bit al dente. and they taste a little like gnocchi. you ribbon the garnish at the end. >> sesame, green onions, et cetera, et cetera. >> korean rice cake soup. >> it's really good. >> do you like it? >> i love the texture of the rice cake. >> it's chewy. and it's intimidating to cook asian food at home. this is an easy recipe. kids love it. my kids dive into it. they love it. i cook it year-round. but we must have it on new year's day. but you're making your mother's recipe, right? >> this is my mom's kale soup. kale with chorizo. mint, parsley. >> the mint is surprising in here. >> it's simple. and it's a great holiday soup, as well. i can't wait to taste yours. i have to tell you something. the 12 days of christmas and the 12 days of cooking that we've done, you guys have done some really great recipes. this is a fabulous recipe. >> thank you. >> also, we had so many people that e-mailed and wrote in with their holiday recipes, like the pumpkin rolls. those were very, very popular. chocolate cheesecake peppermint bars. and of course, we had the shortbread pecan logs that were chocolate-dipped. and robin's frappe. and it's been really -- >> and the artichokes. >> and the pasta dish also. >> and george's avenue mott doe. >> and the gumbo. >> all of the recipes at abcnews.com/recipes. we posted all of the holiday favorites. you can get them. another week to go. two weeks. we'll be right back. soup for breakfast here this morning here on "good morning america." >> we haven't stopped eating. >> it's really good. >> i want to say thanks to sam out in disneyland. what is he wearing now? >> i love the tattoo, sam. >> it does look fantastic. thank you, sam. monday morning, special guest here, jamie foxx, is going to join us live. >> live and in hd, this is an abc 7 news update. >> good friday morning. we want to start by telling you that the federal government is open today. there are numerous schools that are closed or opened late. they are listed at the top and bottom of your screen. on i-95 between baltimore and d.c., significant delays both ways, especially southbound. an accident southbound near 100 is gone but the accident northbound is gone, too. the beltway will be late clearing out with inner loop delay is beginning near old georgetown road and they continue through bethesda, silver spring, and entered college park. we had accidents that have been cleared out of the road for the outlook looks like it will be slow getting from college park to silver spring. 66 had an accident and delays are from roslyn heading out toward balsrton. we have a thin and deck of clouds overhead right now. there is a frozen water in the marina. we will see melting today. we are still in the 20's at the moment. 28 degrees in manassas. it is called out there but we will warm up above freezing, mid-the 30's for a few hours with sunshine. temperatures will hold steady for the next week. mid 30's for the extended forecast. a slight chance of a few snowflakes by sunday. the better chance is on the eastern shore. we will update you at noon. >> thanks for watching and we will be back at noon. "live with regis and kelly" is up next.

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