good morning. robin is off. great to have elizabeth here. let's get right to the breaking news this morning. late-breaking news. with christmas coming, there's been so much concern about terror attacks here in the united states and europe. and we learned some kind of bomb has exploded at the swiss embassy in rome.ome kind of bomb >> it detonated when a worker opened that package. one person was seriously injured. miguel marquez is following the latest for us from london. good morning, miguel. >> reporter: good morning. this was a package bomb that was opened in the swiss embassy in rome, in the northern part of the city. as the package was opened, it injured the hands of that employee. why the embassy would be targeted is not clear. things have been tense in rome and across italy, because of government cuts, especially where students are involved. but it wouldn't explain why they would target the swiss embassy. there was a bomb or a bomb without a detonator on a train on tuesday. but across europe, like the u.s., as you said, there is concern about terror-like attacks. either mumbai-style attacks or suicide attacks. there was a failed attack in stockholm, sweden, on the 11th, where a suicide bomber entered a square and only blew up himself and injured two people. this is likely to raise even greater concerns as we head into the christmas days and into the new year. back to you guys. >> that's right, miguel. a lot more investigating to be done. we've had arrests in britain. 12 men arrested. and attorney general eric holder telling pierre thomas that the threat here is very real. we're going to turn to the aftermath of the wild weather in the west. our correspondents are around in the hardest-hit areas. mike von fremd leads us off from highland, california. mike? >> reporter: good morning, george. if i hit a soft spot here, i'm sure i'll never be the same. look how this mud has hardened and trapped this car. the mud is three to four feet high in some places. and as you can see, it's just about everywhere. the poor people of highland, california, have the biggest mess imaginable. these cars are going nowhere fast. the mud came up so quickly when the creeks overflowed, that everything here has come to a halt. homeowners cannot even get in and out of their doors. it's a catastrophe. >> i've had a river in my living room. all through the downstairs. i've got nothing left. nothing. >> reporter: it's incredible that no one was hurt. but today, everyone is furious. right know, prisoners on work release are cleaning what they can. but officials promise to bring in the cavalry to try to clean up this town. >> we will move on to fixing it up, cleaning it up, getting everything assessed, seeing what the damage is. and seeing how we're going to help these people. >> reporter: for now, highland is impossible, unhealthy and a miserable place to live. in laguna beach, it was a wall of water, splashing through downtown, followed by mountains of mud. the affluent city already has bulldozers cleaning up ocean avenue. >> we performed 60 rescues and evacuated 30-plus homes. >> reporter: there was a dramatic rescue along hotel circle in san diego. where guests, including a pregnant woman, were trapped by high water and terrified by hearing electrical lines snapping. firefighters and lifeguards using rafts took the shivering guests to the hospital. youtube fans took to the internet to show their frustration to millions. in san diego, qualcomm stadium, this driver had to stand on his roof. and police could only watch as the water was rising. in loma linda, this driver tried to ooze out of his car. it was the ultimate challenge. in so many places across so much of california, there is just so much mud. at least the rain has stopped. but just looking at this mud, it's hard to even begin to think where to start to clean up. but officials say at least the exterior of this community should be shoveled out in a few weeks. george? >> okay. and it's spreading east. >> the weather woes are moving inland to the deserts of arizona. and neal karlinsky is at beaver dam, with the latest on the flooding there. >> reporter: elizabeth, good morning. if you can believe it, this is a brand-new home. the owners were just moving in. now, you can see the river straight through the garage. this is normally just a creek that runs through here. but it's rushing now. and you can see how it's wiped this home right off its foundation. it's damaged several others. and today, people around here are just hoping to finally catch a break. you'd never guess from the pictures, but this is the desert southwest. torrential rains swept through nevada and arizona, flooding typically dry communities. >> my first time in a flood. i didn't know what to do. we got out the sandbags and called a bunch of people. >> reporter: pushing cars through neighborhoods. this bulldozer was sent in to rescue a car. but was swept away instead. >> it's sad. it's going to cause a lot of problems. >> reporter: 300 homes in mt. charleston, nevada, have been without power for 48 hours. and residents face the prospect of christmas by candlelight. in northwest arizona, floodwaters ripped through a retirement community. washing away six homes and threatening to destroy more. >> i'm ready to get out of here, right now. you know? there's no sense in staying and risking our lives for that. our lives are more important than our house. >> reporter: people here say they suffered a similar flood five years ago. but this is worse. >> it's sad for this community. this community had just kind of rebuilt from the another 05 flood. and now, to get hit again later. >> reporter: residents have been stacking hundreds of sandbags, frantically trying to save their homes. while the red cross stands ready in case more are forced to leave. >> we're absolutely ready for it. we're expecting upwards of 100 people at this facility, possibly more. if we need additional space, we can open another shelter right away. >> reporter: the bad news is, of course, it's raining right now. the good news is, the water level is now going down, way down. it used to be up over here, just several hours ago. a lot of this is mountain runoff from utah, where they are getting pounded with snow. in fact, george, avalanche warnings have gone up there. >> that's serious. neal karlinsky, thank you very much. president obama is even farther west. he's landed in hawaii for his christmas break with family and friends. and he left washington with a smile on his face. higher poll numbers and he ended the ban on gays serving openly in the military and secured a nuclear arms treaty with russia. yunji de nies reports that the president silenced his critics. >> reporter: the president had the marathon session in washington. he's ready to start his vacation. he's a little delayed. and his trip here won't be without a few speed bumps. president obama arrived in the middle of the night, eager to start his hawaiian vacation, after a surprisingly productive end to the year. >> if there's any lesson to draw from the past two weeks, it's that we're not doomed to endless gridlock. >> reporter: fresh off the repeal of don't ask, don't tell and the 9/11 responders bill, president obama is starting to see a turnaround in support. 56% of americans approve of mr. obama's handling of the lame duck session. >> sim not naive. i know there will be tough fights in the months ahead. >> reporter: for now, the president will battle the elements during his vacation. yes, the family will be staying at a luxurious, multimillion-dollar compound. but kailua beach is brown. heavy rain caused overflow. signs warn swimmers to stay out. plus, the murky waters tend to attract sharks. >> it said sewage on the sign. that was enough for me. >> you come all the way to hawaii. you want to go swimming at the beautiful beaches. you get here and find out you can't. >> i'm not going to go into the brown water. >> reporter: all is not lost. at the obama's favorite shaved ice fan, they're already making snow-bamas. >> excited and nervous at the same time. >> reporter: while the forecast calls for rain, the highs will be in the upper 70s. >> it's still better than washington, d.c. >> reporter: at least that's what the locals think. and the president so far has no public events scheduled. we're expecting him to play a little golf and hit the beaches when the water does clear up. the white house does remind us, as always, this is a working vacation. >> always. yunji, thanks very much. let's bring in cokie roberts from washington. even with the brown water in hawaii, the president has to feel pretty pleased, coming out of the lame duck session. >> boy, should he. it was incredible. of course, the s.t.a.r.t. agreement being the most victory for him and one would argue, for the country. but the big tax agreement, don't ask, don't tell, and the 9/11 responders, thanks to jon stewart, as their chief lobbyist, getting the health bill through. the disappointment, he said, was the d.r.e.a.m. act, the piece of legislation for immigrant children, who come to this country, not by their own volition. but allowing them to go to school and pass citizenship. that failed, which bodes badly for immigration, in general, because that was considered the easy one. >> it was considered the easy one. the president was passionate talking about it yesterday, saying don't count me out. i'm a persistent man. but let's look at the pattern that was developed over the lame duck. you did, in the end, have the measures passed with overwhelming votes. the s.t.a.r.t. treaty, the tax cuts, by overwhelming votes. you look at some of the others. the president having to pick and choose and create different coalitions for each piece of legislation. >> of course, that is the way you get it done, george. as you well know. and that was sort of the puzzling thing, up until this lame duck, with this president. was that he wasn't putting together those kinds of coalitions. now, he had a big democratic majority. and he could just go with that. but that wasn't working for him, as we saw in the elections. and so, now, he's in a position of where most presidents are. no permanent friends. no permanent enemies. you put together a coalition on each issue. the big question going forward is whether republicans will continue to cooperate, when they have bigger majority in the senate. or bigger minority in the senate and a majority in the house. you see some republicans today saying, well, this isn't great. you know, now, the president has all these victories. and he's not so weakened anymore. and they don't like that. >> and one of the big failures of the lame duck session, they couldn't get a big budget through for all of next year. that's where most of the fights are going to be next year. and it's a lot easier, i would suspect, to get republicans and democrats to agree on tax cuts than on spending cuts. >> when you're giving something away, it's easy to come together. when you're doing something hard, it's a much harder time. and that spending bill is going to be attached to the always-difficult time of year when they have to raise the ceiling on the national debt. and nobody likes voting for that. so, there's going to be big bumps in the road ahead. you know, george, i really think that voter response is going to tell the next congress a lot because if people start to say, hey. we like this cooperation that we've seen over the last couple of weeks, then it becomes harder to just be obstructionist. and right now, congress is at its lowest level ever in public opinion. so, they've got that cut out for them. >> you're right. as yunji reported, the voters giving the president the highest marks. 56% approved. see you're already dressed for christmas. merry christmas. turning from president obama to former president bush. a developing story as police and secret service agents converged on former president bush's house last night, after a man drove his sports car into the front yard. bush and the former first lady were at home at the time. and monica diaz, from our affiliate, wfaa, is in dallas. good morning, monika. >> reporter: good morning, elizabeth. investigators questioned that man. but he was later released. the incident happened on daria drive, north of dallas. the man's car was damaged and was toted from the scene later. the man drove on to the former president's lawn. george w. bush and his wife, laura, were at home at the time of the incident. they were not injured. and their home was not damaged. family released a statement through a spokesperson. the president and mrs. bush are okay. they appreciate the work of the united states secret service and the dallas police department in responding to this incident. now, back out live here, you see the gates here. these gates were installed last year, to keep people from driving through the neighborhood and passing by the former president's home. the man involved in this incident was visiting a friend. we're live in dallas, monika diaz. back to you. >> thanks, monika. we're going to go to the travel wars between the airline industry and online ticket sellers. shares in orbitz fell 6% after american airlines said its fares will no longer be available on that site. if american is trying to cut out the middleman, what does this mean for the average traveler? bianna golodryga joins us with more. you're shaking your head. >> reporter: not necessarily good news for travelers. 2010 saw the airline industry flying high in profits. some $7 billion in profits in the first nine months alone. no surprise for customers who have seen their airfares soar 13% since last year. now, at least one major airline has found another way to save even more money. and it could come at the expense of, you guessed it, you at home. ask most passengers traveling this holiday season, and they'll tell you, airlines seem to be nickel and diming them every way they can. with fees for baggage, in-flight meals, even earphones. >> $110 for the third bag. >> reporter: and now, another blow for travelers who turn to discount travel websites for lower fares. american airlines has announced its pulling itself off of orbitz.com. and delta airlines will no longer be selling tickets through three other websites. cheapo.com. are they trying to avoid the fees they pay to the discounted sites? or are they trying to hide discounted fares from consumers? >> american wants to use their own distribution system. they don't want to go through what's basically a middleman. >> reporter: how does this affect our ability to compare ticket prices? we decided to check fares for an arbitrary date, from new york to los angeles. we go to orbitz.com, where you don't see american airlines prices anymore. what's interesting is when we check with american airlines' website, we find a much cheaper deal, starting at $149, almost half the price of orbitz. the passengers is who really loses here. and ultimately, what will happen if other airlines follow suit? >> it will make it more difficult for the consumer to figure out who is charging what? and who has the overall best price? and where should they be booking their ticket? >> reporter: so far, priceline and travelocity still carry american airlines fares. we called some of the other major airlines. they didn't respond as to whether they would be following american airlines' suit. they will be following close attention to see if it saves them money. >> they will see what happens. bianna golodryga, not so great news this morning. flying back with a great ticket this morning, a great airfare, we welcome home sam champion from chicago, vegas, l.a. you've been everywhere. >> frequent flyers. >> how many frequent flyer miles did you wrack up? >> the company bought them. i didn't have to pay. let's get to the boards. we'll show you what's going on. the horrible pictures out of the california mudslides. the good news, it's dry today. after some cases, 20 inches of rain. you go to about 67 on saturday. san diego is at 65. phoenix at 72. vegas, about 62 degrees. that moisture is moving into the middle of the country. that will mean snow for some places. talk about the northeast, where there's a light hit of snow around the area of low pressure. so, the snow, we think, will happen in the dakotas. probably into iowa. we think into missouri a little bit here. and this could spread east and be the first white christmas in 100 years in atlanta. we'll talk about that throughout the morning. and all of america's weather in the next half hour. george? >> thank you, sam. fans of the new york jets call them gang green. but this season of embarrassment have many of them seeing red. from the charges that a sideline reporter was sexually harassed. to the sideline trip that cost an assistant coach's job. the jets have been a study in offfield damage control. now, the head coach is on the spot for a sexy video he shot with his wife that's gone viral. >> reporter: the new york jets have been sacked by yet another scandal. and for coach rex ryan, the latest one hits home. >> excuse me, ma'am. >> reporter: it's an apparent serious of foot fetish videos, uncovered by the website deadspin.com. featuring a woman bearing a striking resemblance to ryan's wife. in one video, a woman sticks her toes out of a car window, wearing gang green colors, no less. a man behind the camera sounds like rex himself. and the two are having an intimate chat about her feet. >> really beautiful feet. >> thank you. >> reporter: in a press conference wednesday, ryan, well, tip-toed around the issue. >> this is a personal matter. my wife's beautiful. she's been married for 23 years. and she's awesome. >> reporter: it's another embarrassment in a season that's already had plenty. from accusations of sexual harassment by mexican reporter, ines sainz. >> it's very common to dress like this. >> reporter: to brett favre's racy voicemails, sent to sideline reporter, jen sterger. >> to sal alosi tripping a dolphin player. >> what credibility does rex ryan have going forward, if, in fact, he was involved in something as weird and bizarre some of the players were doing earlier in the season. >> reporter: one thing's for sure, rex is the first to brag how his model wife is one hot momma. >> i never realized how similar i am to tom brady. he's married to a supermodel. hello. i'm also married to a supermodel. >> reporter: for "good morning america," rob nelson, abc news, new york. >> not bad. he's proud of his wife. >> i like the guy. exactly. that's nice. >> be careful of videotapes. coming up, new questions about this teen who took her life after alleged bullying. now, could the student's charges be dropped? a family member speaks out. . sleep is here, on the wings of lunesta. and if you wake up often in the middle of the night... rest is here, on the wings of lunesta. 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petsmart. it's that time of year. time for campbell's green bean casserole. you'll find the recipe at campbellskitchen.com. campbell's.® it's amazing what soup can ..™ to stay fit, you might also want to try lifting one of these. a unique sea salt added to over 40 campbell's condensed soups. helps us reduce sodium, but not flavor. so do a few lifts. campbell's.® it's amazing what soup can do.™ now, maryland most powerful doppler radar and the forecast certified most accurate by weatherate. and good morning. it's 7:26. the biggest impact this morning is the winds. gusting to 20 miles per hour in many spots and pushing 35 in a few. so windy morning is take down more clouds and snow. light band of snow from pretty boy across parkton and north of hunt valley. it's about that wind. we will push 45 miles per hour for some as we will hold the temperatures back a little bit. 37 degrees a fair amount of clouds mixed with few breaks of sun especially south of baltimore. the christmas store outlook. dry tonight through tomorrow. 35, 35 christmas day, and mostly dry. light snow builds in and still watching an impact from the coastal storm sunday and monday. >> reporter: we have lighter than normal volume around the beltway this morning. you're going to find minor delays at some of the usual slow places locking good on west side 695 at liberty roadch traffic moves at a good pace. we have debris in the roadway southbound route 1 in elk ridge also a crash in columbia route 32 eastbound. that's at sander road and downed wires up in towson. baltimore avenue at pennsylvania avenue expect drains blocked there. here's megan with your morning news update. >> thanks. it's #:27. self-proclaimed super heros took to the streets of hamden of the trademark rights to the word hon saying word is part of the culture in baltimore and shouldn't be trade marked to anyone. they wanted to speak to the owner and she said from the beginning the trademark was not about taking anything away from the people of baltimore but protecting business and branding. and a flash mob phenomenon comes to the area again. take a look at this. columbia mall, a big crowd out there. so if you were there last night, perhaps you were dancing rocking around christmas tree. now back to "good morning, america" and we will have another update in a bit. what is that? >> this one's been seen 250,000 times on youtube. >> i feel for the kid. it's christmas morning and you got a bunch of books. where are the toys? >> there's somebody that's excited. >> these are the youtube videos you've been waiting for. a sign of christmas cheer gone viral on christmas morning. that's from last year. hope he recovered. >> what did he just open? i need to buy that for my boys. >> i think it was an ipod. >> oh. those are great. >> i get it. i totally get it. >> the books. >> they're counting every, single gift under the tree. >> so are my boys. and now that my youngest is 4, we have to keep the number even. they're cognizant of, wait a minute. to keep the number even. why does sam have ten presents and i have six? good morning, america. i'm elizabeth vargas. robin roberts is enjoying the day off this morning. something else to shout about? or is it? we look at the upswing in the housing market numbers and what they mean for homeowners, especially if you're trying to sell. can you get a better price? or if you're trying to buy, will you pay more? if you missed any part of this year, you're going to catch up on all of it. we'll have a look back on 2010. our favorite "gma" moments. sorry about that, juju. >> what did you do to juju? >> she just got a little bit wet. >> what a roundup. that looks fantastic. lots of great moments from the year on "gma." we're going to show them all to you in our next half hour. we begin this half hour with the story of a 15-year-old massachusetts girl, who killed herself after an alleged campaign of relentless bullying. this family has settled their case against the school district they say failed to protect their daughter. this january will be the first anniversary of phoebe prince's death. the story made international headlines when prosecutors charged six students with bullying her and leading her to commit suicide. now, the family fears the charges could be dropped. we'll hear from her family in a moment. first, andrea canning has the very latest on this story. >> reporter: it's been nearly a year, since phoebe prince, a 15-year-old high school freshman, hanged herself in her family's home. an alleged victim of bullying from her classmates. >> a lot of people would taunt and tease her. call her names. >> reporter: while school administrators were allegedly told by bullying from students, as well as phoebe's mother, the family and the d.a. accused them of taking no action. phoebe's parents filed a suit against the public schools. that their action had created an intimidating, hostile, humiliating and sexually offensive educational environment. they've now withdrawn that suit and reached an undisclosed settlement with the school district. in a new documentary called "the trials of phoebe prince," airing on irish television, her father, jeremy, is speaking out about the tragedy that took his little girl. >> the last time i was seen phoebe, was getting a great big hug. daddy, i love you. next to seeing her in a coffin. >> reporter: authorities have charged six students with offenses related to bullying prince. they are expected to face trial early next year. in ireland's "evening herald," phoebe's father said, there is something wrong at the school. >> that has been my focus from the start. and believe me, it's bloody hard. >> reporter: for "good morning america," andrea canning, abc news. one way phoebe's family is trying to cope with her loss is by speaking out against bullying. and her aunt, eileen moore, joins us. good morning. it's good to have you here. and i know this is your first christmas without your niece. how is your family coping with this first holiday? >> we're coping the way any family copes when they've been affected by tragedy. you do the best you can, as many other people in this country are trying to do in their own personal lives also. >> your niece's death 11 months ago, really put the issue of bullying right back on the front pages and in the public debate about a school's responsibility to stop bullying. do you any anything has changed since phoebe's death? >> maybe, yes, towards bullying. but the awareness on suicide and the suicide prevention is where the awareness needs to go. our children are in desperate pain. the rate of suicide has increased. it's the second or third leading cause of death among our teens. and we're not listening. or we're not hearing their pain. we need to start an active conversation. >> eileen, i was struck in our setup piece, about something phoebe's dad said. if he would to go to the court and argue for leniency for the kids charged in her case, if only the kids would apologize to him. do you feel the same way? >> i do feel that the school has let these kids take full responsibility for their actions. there's many facets. it should all be looked at. >> in the overall sense, do you have any doubt that there will be justice for phoebe? >> i think the truest justice for phoebe is to speak out on her behalf against the despair and the pain that our children are holding inside. and to make it better. as i said before, for another child. we need to do better. >> all right. eileen moore. >> that would be for phoebe. >> that would be for phoebe. thank you so much, eileen moore, for being with us to talk about this very important topic of teen suicide and teen bullying. many families grappling with it. and we appreciate your comments this morning. happy holidays to you. >> thank you, elizabeth. >> you can find out more information on suicide prevention, on our website, abcnews.com/gma. for other stories developing right now, let's check in with juju chang at the newsdesk. >> good morning, everyone. we begin with escalating drama on the korean peninsula. this morning, the north says it's ready to launch a war in response to tension of its military drills. south korea fired artillery in its largest military exercises of the year. back in this country, five firefighters remained hospitalized overnight after wednesday's building collapse that killed two of their own. the men were searching for possible squatters in the abandoned building when the roof caved in. those still in the hospital were expected to be okay. the online retail industry is feeling the holiday cheer. figures out this morning show sales online are up 23% this week, compared to the same time last year. and with one survey showing one in every five of us hasn't even started shopping until this week, many retailers are hoping to cash in, offering free shipping on orders placed today. you know who you are. and now, my favorite story of the day, about the gift of giving from a 9-year-old in kansas. abbigail taylor found $68 outside her church. after it went unclaimed, she turned it in. she was told to keep it. she went toy shopping. there she is. but not for herself. for children at a local hospital. it was such a good idea, others matched her donations. and eventually $900 worth of toys were donated. bravo to abbigail. that's the news. >> what a great girl. >> fantastic christmas story. >> i know. i'm going to tell the kids about it when i get home. >> that's great. thank you so much, juju. >> my pleasure. check in with sam champion now. >> i have to say, that warmed even my cold heart, you know? >> what are you? a scrooge? >> kind of. good morning, elizabeth, george, juju. good morning, everyone. we start with no one knows las vegas better than ktnv. our friends were giving us everything, all the information we needed about the flooding situation, the rain there. now, this morning, they show us the flooding going on in mesquite, nevada. it didn't take much rain. it's the runoff from the mountains in the desert area that creates the problem here. the good news, is storm does pull away. the bad news, it pulls into the middle of the country. a little layer of ice, as well. we believe from southern illinois all the way back to the middle of missouri and into kansas, there will be a layer of ice. north of that, there will be some snow. and as the system steps into the southeast, there may be the following day snow in places like atlanta. here's how much snow we believe will fall. missouri and st. louis, it's going to be a good, solid hit of snow. and all of that weather was brought to you by walmart. elizabeth? >> thanks so much, sam. coming up next, some hopeful news for the housing market. what the new numbers mean for homeowners. medicare prescription drug plan called the humana walmart-preferred prescription plan. it's a new plan that covers both brand and generic prescriptions and has the lowest-priced national premium 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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. take action. take advil. go to takeadvil.com. seven years ago, i had this idea. to make baby food the way moms would. happybaby strives to make the best organic baby food. in a business like ours, personal connections are so important. we use our american express open gold card to further those connections. last year we took dozens of trips using membership rewards points to meet with the farmers that grow our sweet potatoes and merchants that sell our product. we've gone from being in 5 stores to 7,500. booming is using points to make connections that grow your business. we have got some good news in the housing market this morning, according to new numbers released by the national association of realtors. housing sales went up about 5.6% in november. and value, housing values overall of 2010 so far, have gone up 0.4%. that's not a lot. but it is going in the right direction. a lot. we want to look, now, with the help of zillow.com, how this is breaking down all around the country. starting with good news. up in new york, you have in utica, 5% increase over the last year. pittsburgh, pennsylvania, another increase. just about 1.1%. you have some good news in the northeast, so far for this year. not so good out in california. seeing how the rains have hit san diego. and they've also had a 3.3% drop in their housing values over the last year, even though there was a tax credit that would help home buyers, state and federal. when that expired, it kind of took the steam out of the market there. and a real big drop here in atlanta, georgia. we've had a drop of over 7% in the atlanta metro area over the last year. one of the things you're seeing, some of the places that got the most out of the housing boom, are going to get hit hardest right now. we want to talk about all this right now with farnoosh tarabi. let's talk about the encouraging news again. it doesn't mean we're out of the woods. but what's behind the good news we've been sea ieing? >> talking to the folks at the national association of realtors, the ones that conducted the research. they say that now is one of the most affordable times to buy a home. in november, you had record-low interest rates. and income hell ares of americans, a perfect storm to go out and buy homes. and home prices and home sale activity has gone up three of the last four months. that's a good, positive trend. unknown if this is going to maintain in the new year. >> it explains why you're seeing home sales go up at greater rate on home values. part of the reason sales are going up is because prices are so low. >> exactly. and the reason sales are down is because of foreclosure activity. foreclosures tend to bring down the price of every home in the neighborhood. at last check, they were selling at about a 15% discount, to homes that were similar homes but in good standing. >> they provide opportunities for someone who is ready to buy. but they bring down the entire market. >> exactly. >> what's it going to take to breakthrough and get a new boom in the housing market? >> two things. i think we're going to need to see more job creation. people need the incomes to qualify for the mortgages and feel good and secure. >> that's most important. >> most important. and the forecast right now for 2011 for unemployment is around 9.4% to 9.9%. not until 2012, will we see numbers go down to 8.6%. and banks need to be more aggressive to get the inventory off the market, to see price relief for everybody that wants to get their home off the market. >> thank you very much. we're hoping for some more progress in 2011. >> hopefully. >> thank you very much. when we come back, wait until you see these christmas until you see these christmas videos from last year. in my chest. i'd get s 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. [ male announcer ] if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. - 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. ["stir it up" playing] stir up a smile with hershey's syrup. our family-owned company makes daisy... with 100% natural farm-fresh cream. no artificial ingredients. no preservatives. and no added hormones. ♪ daisy, do-do a dollop so, are you braced for how your kids are going to react to those presents under the tree? do you have your video camera ready? a loft people did last year. and jeremy hubbard has rounded up some of the best kids freakouts. hubbard has rounded >> reporter: it may be a silent night. but christmas morning -- [ screaming ] >> reporter: -- plug your ears. the christmas morning freakout. it's now a youtube tradition. >> i can't believe this! >> reporter: there's the little boy convulsing over his new ipod. and the two girls that might as well just seen justin bieber, when this wrapping paper gives way to a wii. [ screams ] >> reporter: the triumphs. the tantrums, caught on tape. >> what the heck is that? >> reporter: this one's been seen 250,000 times on youtube. and we'll have a new crop to watch after saturday. this unrestrained joy sort of makes braving the stores worth it. and, parents, don't worry. that hearing loss, it's only temporary. >> merry christmas, everybody. >> reporter: for "good morning america," jeremy hubbard, abc news, new york. >> i love it. >> oh. that's so nice. over a nutcracker. >> very nice. we want to find out if anything like this happens in your house. send it to us. send us your holiday freak sxwroupts you can submit them on our website, abcnews.com. >> we'll watch them next year. actually next week. >> on monday or tuesday. we want to see the best. we want to see your kids go crazy, if they go crazy if you want to send the tantrums, that's okay. >> and they're right. we stood in the crowded toy stores to get that reaction. coming up, the way we were. all year long. the highlights of a year of "good morning america." >> take a look at my new tattoo. this is a little different for me. are you doing? what is that? what is this? guy: it's a special paste i invented to replace socks. we're dipping our feet in it. wife: why? guy: because we can't find socks that shape to our feet. we're sick of it! son: sick of it! wife: that's really stupid. guy: that's the future. announcer: hanes makes better-fitting socks the whole family will love. guaranteed, or your money back. ♪ [ gasps ] this is for you. thanks. ♪ cool. ♪ [ chuckles ] whoa! ♪ [ chuckles ] i love this part. yeah. me, too. [ lucy gasps ] [ female announcer ] this year, hallmark has all new ways to say it. - the craving for chocolate... - oooh. - is all grown up. - oooh. - jared presents beautiful natural levian chocolate diamonds and chocolate south sea pearls. levian is the only company on earth to make jewelry with chocolate diamonds. levian: the leading family in jewelry, from ancient royalty to today's red carpet. you will only find these styles at jared. levian chocolate diamonds: they're anything but vanilla. that's why he went to jared. you soak up some rays in the morning, grab a cool drink around noon, and sleep soundly at night... knowing no one looking to freeze or concentrate you... will ever set foot in this paradise. simply orange. honestly simple. ( chirping ) honestly simple. gotta get that bacon! smokey bacon, crispy bacon, tasty bacon! where is it? where is the bacon? tv newscaster: bacon popular, story at 11. dog: yummy. crunchy. bacon. bacon. bacon. there, in that bag! mom: who wants a beggin' strip!? dog: me! i'd get it myself but i don't have thumbs! yum, yum, yum... it's beggin'! hm... i love you! i love bacon! i love you! i love bacon! i love you! beggin' strips! there's no time like beggin' time! share the fun at beggintime.com . now maryland's most powerful to lar radar and forecast certified most accurate by weatherate. two things you will notice when you step outsides. clouds are dom inapt and this wind is dominant. 29 in reisterstown. and the wind have been gusting as high as 36 miles per hour west northwesterly direction. meaning more north in many spots and that wind has taken down a lot of clouds across the region. we will fight those off by midday and the afternoon. that's why i pulled back on the two degree guaranteed on low end at 37. wind could reach 45 miles per hour. it's because of a storm that's off the new england shorelines. you can see the snow working backwards. we are watching the recommend inept of the california system work through the desert southwest. that rides along the southland and it will be a big storm on the east coast. friday into deep south, christmas could be white in huntsville, alabama, atlanta georgia, southern appalachians. and we will be watching the storm sunday, monday time frame. and there will be someone that gets absolutely clobbered here. winds will be steady over 50 miles per hour along the coast. beach erosion and there could be higher gusts than that because of the deep low pressure. how much snow did we get in we are on the backside of the system. it's little too early to call but i want you to plan for the storm and mainly the end of the weekend so sunday into monday's time frame. kim. >> reporter: justin, people are gearing up for the holiday break. we are looking at lighter than normal volume all around the area. make for a very good morning rush looking live in anne arundel county route 50 at 97 traffic is good in all directions. we don't have that many incidents. we are work one crash in columbia. 3 # eastbound, and debris in elk ridge southbound washington at amberton drive. towson the downed power lines are cause problems. baltimore at pens vain avenue yeah, bge crews are on the scene. [ male announcer ] the face of hunger in this country is all around us. 1 in 6 americans live in hunger. at bank of america, we've created the gift for opportunity fund to support feeding america and the boys & girls clubs' efforts to provide hunger-relief. and we invite our customers, associates and communities to help. every dollar you contribute this season can be matched, dollar for dollar. together we can make twice the difference to help support those in need. ♪ whoa, whoa! [ car alarm blaring ] we got this. holiday decorating runs on dunkin', with our delicious gingerbread lattes, gingerbread donuts and gingerbread muffins. hurry in. when the holidays go, they go. warm yourself up this holiday season with a gingerbread latte from dunkin' donuts. ♪ ♪ love and joy come to you and a merry christmas, too ♪ the brooklyn tabernacle choir. six. ti -time grammy winners. they're with us all day. we'll hear a lot more from them in the rest of this hour. we say good morning, america. i'm george stephanopoulos. robin is off this morning. great to have elizabeth here. >> it's great to be here. what a treat to hear them sing. they're a fantastic group. we're going to hear them throughout the next hour of the show. coming up, a year that was. we say good-bye to 2010, with a look at the biggest news, the strangest stories, and the most fun that we had here on "good morning america." there's robin boogying. wow. ♪ >> cha-cha. >> the famous dip. >> our all-star team of producers have been working on it. not sure what they came up with. >> i'd be anxious if i were you. also, you're going to bring up a story on lifespring. >> it's an american organization. they're raising money in the united states for hospitals in india, which has the highest rate of infan mortality in if world. and for just a simple sum of $80, $80, you can pay for a -- one woman's prenatal care, delivery and postnatal counseling. it's an easy way. covers everything. >> what a great tradition for christmas. >> for people to make a difference, to save a mother's life and a baby's life. first, let's go to the top stories of the morning with juju chang. >> good morning, everyone. we're going to begin with the massive, muddy mess left behind from nearly a week of rain in california. although sun is expected today. the mudslide threat could remain for weeks because the ground is so saturated. at least 20 homes have been destroyed. meantime, a college bowl game is expected to be played in san diego today, even though the stadium was flooded wednesday. further east, in nevada, raging floodwaters swept away a bulldozer which had been trying to push a car to safety. sam will have more on today's forecast in a minute. president obama has arrived in hawaii this morning, for his ten-day holiday vacation. fresh off key victories in congress. he secured a nuclear arms treaty with russia and ended the ban on gays in the military. the president says those post-election accomplishments prove the government is not doomed to end with gridlock. emergency sirens rang out in rome this morning, after a package exploded at the swiss embassy. the embassy staffer was seriously injured. it comes two days after a false alarm bomb scare on rome's subway and amid ongoing concern about terrorist activity during the holiday season. and we have fresh, new details on that attack on prince charles and camilla in london this morning. an internal british report says royal drivers were told by police to avoid the area where protesters were marching, but apparently ignored the warning. camilla was jabbed in the ribs and the royal limo was vandalized. a new twist in the drama surrounding lindsay lohan. the former staffer at betty ford who claims low hand attacked her, says she doesn't want to press charges against lohan. but is prepared to sue the clinic for wrongful termination. they said she was fired for refusing to cover up the scuffle with lohan. >> it was miss lohan who called the police. my client would never have reported the incident. but when the police arrived, there was an injured person, ms. holland, my client. >> holland sprained her wrist in the incident. as for lohan, no breathalyzer was taken. but sources say she was getting her air done and drinking nonalcoholic shirley temples that night. a rhode island man is causing quite a scare in his neighborhood. you can see why. that's not him hanging off the house. it's a dummy. he said he was tired of stringing the lights and decided to play a prank on his neighbors, instead. it's so convincing, people are running out to help the poor guy. you would think that would lead to a traffic accident. >> good morning. we are -- i was talking to the folks. and i am sorry. everybody say hi to juju. >> hi, everyone. >> from downstairs. we were watching up. who is watching this morning? >> my student fifth graders at fairmont elementary. hi, mom. >> let's talk about one or two things out of the doors. we'll start with new haven. this storm has been spinning snow from the cape to connecticut. this may be the last burst before it gets out of the way. with it comes cool, gusty air all the way to the deep south. by the way, there's going to be snowshowers in the atlanta area. if it sticks on grassy surfaces and you get accumulation, maybe your first white christmas in 100 years in that area. we're hoping for you. if there's a day to get some snow in, that would be a good day. looking across the country, after we talk so much about atlanta, you can see there studio is so full, this crowd is kind of all the way on the end. i feel like they should get on tv. george? >> thank you, sam. get up here. it's been a terrific year. >> it has been. >> i want to thank all of you and the whole team here, for giving me such a great welcome, in my first full year as co-anchor. as it draws to a close, we're going to look back at the fun moments, and the interviews and robin's year in dance. here it is, the highlights of 2010. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> good morning. it's thursday, january 21st. >> thursday. >> june 8th. >> october -- >> december 8th. >> breaking news this morning, a major earthquake devastates the impoverished nation of haiti. >> i have to tell you, everywhere you look. everywhere you look, such destruction. such devastation. >> search and rescue crews continued working late into the night in this neighborhood. it's very much a frantic race against time. >> the senate amendment is adopted. >> the biggest piece of legislation of more than a generation, passes the house. >> a massive government takeover of the health care system in america. >> we're actually standing on the volcano. >> more than 20 countries are affected. and the volcano is still active. six minutes of freefall yesterday. the market wiped away $500 billion in wealth. >> it may have been a technical glitch. >> breaking news out of louisiana. >> that oil rig is massive. more than 100 workers were on it when it went up in flames. >> leaking 200,000 gallons a day. >> that slick is roughly the size of the island nation of jamaica. this is what bp does not want you to see. >> this has got to be one of the most horrible things i've seen underwater. >> what has bp told you? >> not much. >> republicans won't take control of the house. >> i've spent my whole life, chasing the american dream. >> prince william and kate middleton are going to be married. >> we're hearing this morning, the couple became engaged when vacationing last month in kenya. >> the trapped miners emerged from their two-month ordeal. 2,300 feet underground. the first time miners trapped so long, have survived. [ chanting ] >> what is it going to take to lock down your vote? >> there's a lot of people waking up this morning that don't like this bill. >> when is the help going to get here? what are you going to do? >> tom vilsack announced he will review his decision to seek the resignation of shirley sherrod. >> you said earlier, that the administration wasn't hearing the truth. if he called you right now, what would you say to him? you were wrong about shirley sherrod. >> you call it flip-flop. he says it's compromise. >> it is a flip-flop. >> are you going to veto. >> how come you don't want to say veto? >> there's a whole bunch of other ways to spend money. >> what stings is high unemployment rates. what stings is knowing american families are struggling. >> when i get on a plane, i have to tell you, if i see people in muslim garb, i get worried. >> should you have gone another step and said, they're irrational. >> i'm not a witch. >> any regrets in doing the ad? >> yeah. yeah. >> everybody is talking about this. ultimate take this job and shove it moment. >> were you drinking on the job that day? >> yes. >> i think jon stewart's a bigot. >> what happened on that radio show? >> it's tough. i screwed up, george. >> "american idol" winner fantasia is recovering after being hospitalized from overdosing on aspirin and sleeping pills. >> what was the breaking point for you? >> i wanted to be away from the noise. >> did she have any idea any of this was going on? >> you know, i lied. and lied my way out of it. >> you know what's going on in cleveland right now. >> it was tough. it was definitely tough. i know the fans and the people in ohio wouldn't be able to understand it. >> we believe there are to be a malignant tumor of star-whackers in hollywood. >> who are the star-whackers? >> it's the mafia. it's organized crime. >> a lot of people are saying she's addicted to fame. she's addicted to plastic surgery. how do you respond? >> if i were addicted, i would have ten plastic surgeries in a month. >> you did have ten plastic surgeries. >> democrats, though, did overtake control -- where are you going? >> i'm going over here. >> is george stephanopoulos now on every show on abc? >> society of new york. >> whoa. >> magma. magma. i couldn't resist. i've never seen the studio so full of people that aren't supposed to be here. dr. richard besser, he has no segment. but he's here. sam comes over from the weather station. what's going on here? >> take a look at my new tattoo. this is a little different for me. >> george, i never, ever get to see you at home. i love you. >> i'll see you guys later. >> wake up at 6:00 a.m., he's there. go to bed at midnight. he's still there. >> hey robin roberts, guess where i am. i'm in your dressing room. and it's fun in here. >> why is everybody hanging out in my dressing room? get out of there. >> four. three. two. one. >> yeah, baby. >> that works. >> someone made something up. >> go home, george. >> good morning, america. ♪ tonight's going to be a good night ♪ >> you remember "the newlywed game." >> which one takes longer to get ready on set? >> you spelled my name wrong. ♪ here we go here we go ♪ ♪ we got to rock easy come ♪ ♪ easy go now we on top ♪ ♪ fill the shot body rock ♪ ♪ rock it ♪ don't stop up and down ♪ ♪ all around the clock ♪ i've got a feeling >> david hasselhofhasselhoff. >> do you go like this? >> i was swaying. >> i'm going to reach the you a dance step, mr. george. >> robin's been trying that for months. it's not taking. >> did you -- i just saw george try and do a little bit -- >> i can do it. >> how many -- what is the date today? >> 10% raise for the holidays. and -- bonus this year. what are you doing? >> irish guys can't dance. >> i sympathize. greek guys go along with that. >> one, two, three. >> looking good there. >> i don't know about that. ♪ i love you, love you, love you like you want me to ♪ >> why is war being dealt with, not as a last resort. >> senator robert byrd, the longest serving legislator in the history of the united states, has died. >> i have to speak, and speak loudly. >> i'm julia sugarbaker. >> that sassy, southern charm. >> what are you doing, arnold? >> nothing. >> the actor that was once named the greatest child star of all-time. >> i want to spend the remainder of my days living. whatever inscription that is. >> the legendary lena horne died at the age of 92. ♪ bird's got to fly >> i don't believe we've been introduced. my name is blanch devereaux. >> john murtha, one of the most influential members of congress has died. >> i'm getting choked up here. i miss him already. >> he was a tireless advocate for veterans. >> oh, man. >> i am serious. and don't call me shirley. >> the poulters had just adopted little maya esther in port-au-prince. we set out in search of the little girl. maya esther has survived. >> you found her? >> we found esther. >> when he was 3, he had surgery to remove the leg that wasn't growing properly. do you think there's anything that you can't do? >> i can't skip very well. but i can skip a different way. >> the palins took me out on the ice of lake lucille. where's russia? >> i tell you -- >> where is russia? >> it's not that far away. >> we go in search of the manatee. i can't see her until she's directly underneath me. oh, my gosh. she's so beautiful. >> he's one of baseball's biggest celebrities. >> alex rodriguez. >> i can't concentrate. you're too handsome. this is crazy. so, how did i do? do i have a future? >> uh, no. >> i love a good poker game. but i'm about to play with the world's best. >> george has two queens in the hole. on the turn. >> oh, no. >> sorry, george. >> that's all she wrote for george stephanopoulos. >> i want to get my license one day. i really do. >> i think you should. as much as you enjoy it, you should. >> what did you want us to see in particular? >> i wanted you to see everybody that we work with. that's -- i mean, to me, the team is everything. ♪ >> that is everything. and what a team it look to put this all together. want to give a special shoutout to our producers. they dug through hours and hours of footage. and a whole team of graphic artists and editors. thank you so much. what a year. you see these things. and you remember you've forgotten. >> it feels like five years' worth of news and moments just in the last 12 moments. do you have a favorite? i'm curious. >> there's a lot of big political stories. but the chilean miners got to me. remember that moment, that day, when they all got out? it was such a hopeful, good news story. i love that story this year. >> watching the images, it plays the trick on your memory, where it feels like it was so long ago. and yet, it feels like it was yesterday, all at once. >> i'll never forget the gulf coverage and the people that we met. and the way it changed the way i feel about things. >> and going underwater and exposing for the first time what was really going on. >> it looked so bad back then. but the latest reports are the gulf is going to come back. >> they feel really positive about it. but again, you take a year out of people's lives and the damage that leaves. >> and for me, it was haiti. the images of those children and the suffering. and the complete devastation. and reading about the cholera and everything, as it continues. >> how about little maya esther? >> doing so well in iowa. that's the good news about it. >> there are some good news stories wedged into those big, big colossal sort of events that happened. >> and we want to find out what you think about all the moments of 2010. go to abcnews.com/gma to cast your vote for the top political meltdown, celebrity scandals, tech gadgets and more. it will be great. coming up, $80 can save a woman and a child's life.♪ ♪ a blender for aunt sue ♪ head phones for uncle wayne ♪ pillow pets and hot wheels for my sister's kids in maine ♪ ♪ oh, walgreens has perfect gifts ♪ ♪ for all those on your list ♪ like a walgreens gift card ♪ for your daughter's teacher miss gilchrest ♪ [ female announcer ] find all your last minute gifts at walgreens like a sony ipod clock radio, axe bath set... hershey's chocolates and more. and we're open late. stay jolly with walgreens. 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[ male announcer ] ...at the winter event going on now. and stay connected with three years of mbrace service complimentary. and stay connected took some foolish risks as a teenager. but i was still taking a foolish risk with my cholesterol. anyone with high cholesterol may be at increased risk of heart attack. diet and exercise weren't enough for me. i stopped kidding myself. i've been eating healthier, exercising more... and now i'm also taking lipitor. if you've been kidding yourself about high cholesterol...stop. along with diet, lipitor has been shown to lower bad cholesterol 39% to 60%. lipitor is fda approved to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients who have heart disease or risk factors for heart disease. [ female announcer ] lipitor is not for everyone, including people with liver problems and women who are nursing, prnant or may become pregnant. you need simple blood tests to check for liver problems. tell your doctor if you are taking other medications or if you have any muscle pain or weakness. this may be a sign of a rare but serious side effect. let's go, boy, go! whoo-whee! if you have high cholesterol, you may be at increased risk of heart attack and stroke. don't kid yourself. talk to your doctor about your risk and about lipitor. a lot coming up in the rest of this hour. we're continuing our countdown to christmas. we have recipes for people that can't take gluten. gluten-free desserts. >> they actually taste really good. >> we'll make them in our next half hour. also, how do you avoid holiday stress? well, here's a tip from our latest finalist. it's j.c. ellis of germantown, tennessee, with tips on how to avoid holiday stress. >> if i would offer one piece of advice to manage stress during the holidays, if there's one person or individual who is causing stress in your life, talk to the person now. let them know what they're doing that's getting on your nerves. they may stop. problem solved. stress reduced. if that doesn't work, at the family gathering, give yourself permission to avoid them. they zig, you zag. >> i take a couple of times like that. >> timeout. leaving the table now. >> you can tell us what you think about our finalists. read their personal essays. see how they responded to your questions. at abcnews.com/gma. coming up, we have a real treat in the studio. ringing in the holidays with the world-famous brooklyn tabernacle choir. this is a choir 300 members strong. boy, are they fantastic. 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[ male announcer ] it's amazing what you can do with a pen. sign then drive is back. for a limited time get any 2011 volkswagen for practically just your signature. good morning 8:27. whoa were tracking a ban of light snow in baltimore county that dried up. and we are actually watching a band of cloud that seems to erode away. you have sun right now but there's reinforcing shots from the north and watch what's coming down from new jersey new york and new england, a push of the new england storm that's advancing farther south and west and most of the computer models have projected so we may get a return of clouds and that's the other reason why they are increasing winds 32 officially at bwi and wind feels like the low 20s or occasionally the teens. and we will go for 37 at best. low end of our two degree guaranteed high with a winds gusting to 45 miles per hour. national picture there's the bill culprit out of california, it rises the southern track and develops a colossal event on the east coast how does this storm in new england impact the track of that storm, right now a track through christmas day maybe some snow in atlanta georgia and our south. but otherwise we expect mainly an event here for sunday and monday time frame. and the closest pass through maryland is monday morning. we will look at winds 50 or 60 miles per hour along the coast. so that's the outlook we are dry and maybe some flurries christmas night and it's sunny and monday for the storm. kim. >> reporter: justin it's been a super easy ride on the roadways. we have lighter than normal volume all around the entire baltimore metro and as we look at 95 at 195, no major problem and traffic is moving well. northbound 795 out owings mills and we have those falling power cables up in towson baltimore avenue at pennsylvania that could be blocking lanes but bge crews are on the scene. now back to new york. ♪ he has come come tell the world he's come ♪ ♪ jesus has come come ♪ ♪ tell the world he's come ♪ ♪ jesus has come [ cheers and applause ] "come tell the world" from the brooklyn tabernacle choir. you guys are so fantastic. thanks for coming here for christmas. we have a lot more coming up the next half hour. i'm george stephanopoulos, alongside elizabeth vargas. robin is starting her christmas early. >> i know. but she's missing this great choir. imagine this half hour, living with the high probability that your baby might die. in some parts of the world, there's such high rates of infant mortality. this morning, we go to india, to show you what an american organization is doing to help save the lives of mothers and babies. you can find out what you can do. to donate or change a life. just $80, can make a difference. >> that's amazing. it takes relatively so little. your $80 would save the mother and child. bring them all the way through. >> all nine months. also, the cake mix doctor. say that three times fast. >> cake mix doctor. >> cake mix doctor is here today. if you have to cut wheat out of your diet, it doesn't mean you have to give up on the great holiday desserts. that's coming up, too. now, we check in with sam champion, with some real champions. >> i know. i suddenly feel completely -- >> you've gone from a -- >> badly dressed. >> they're chaps. >> george, i'm going to get us a pair of these. the toughest guys on the planet with the biggest hearts. i have to tell you. it's j.b. mooney and shane proctor here, from professional bull rider. they are champions. these are the real good guys. j.b., welcome. shane, thanks for showing up and doing the coat drive, as well. i want to show tape of each one of you. j.b., let's show you tape of riding. and go through the laundry list of things that have happened to you. every rib in your body has been broken at some point. >> all of them on my right side. i lacerated my liver. i lapsed a lung. tore an mcl on my knee. >> are we having fun yet? you love it, right? >> yeah. >> shane, there's a magic circle or cloud around you. we show you riding, injuries, not so much. not so bad. >> not too bad. i've had the same ones. i've broke my jaw, my ribs. >> those are the not so bad injuries, right? >> yeah. you can keep completing with them. >> knowing what you know about this -- i know it's in your hearts, where you come from. but would you have your kids do it, knowing everything you've been through? is it something you'd say go for it? >> if that's what they want to do, more power to them. if they don't, it doesn't bother me. >> my kids can do whatever. i know how it is with my parents. they hate seeing me ride. but they love watching me do it. >> i know it's a big joy for you guys. what's a big joy for us, is that you guys have put together the biggest drive i think we've seen so far. 300 coats have come from you, the association. make sure i get it right. toss one or two of them in this morning because it's the professional bull riders incorporated, who -- 300 coats. that's unbelievable. that will help kick us off. give me a little bit, either one of you or both of you, to encourage people to get to the coat drive. what would you tell them? >> anytime you can give back to people and help out, i think it's always good. >> i agree with you. gentlemen, good luck to you. the professional bull riders invitational is at madison square garden here in new york city, january 7th through the 9th. i'm going to be there. hopefully, i'm a good luck charge and nothing bad happens. >> we'll have chaps waiting for you. >> we have to get a pair for george, too. i'm not the only one that wears them on the show. go to our website at abcnews.com. help us out. we're in the last days of our coat drive. let's get to the boards quickly. we'll start with who gets snow today. this snow system spreads into the southeast a bit on sunday. we'll be talking about that all weekend long. it's drier in southern california and the southwest. that's very good news. all that weather was brought to you by volkswagen. and kick in a hat. i like the chaps. but maybe a hat.t. >> we'll work on that. >> elizabeth? >> i don't know. you should get a shirt, too. go for it. >> the shirts are nice, too. >> all right. thank you so much, sam. this morning, we're going to take you back to india, as part of the change a life, abc's ongoing initiative to cover global health issues. i was in india recently to do a story on how many young mothers and babies are dieing in childbirth. and an american organization that is doing all it can to make a change. in this poor neighborhood on the outskirts of hydrabat, india. dr. debbie is on a mission. hello. she's talking to young mothers about the health of their babies and their own health during pregnancy. you gave birth here? entire families live in these one-room homes, often including the in-laws. all of you live here? >> yeah. >> reporter: all in here? from home to home, dr. rahma is coaxing mothers to see a doctor and choose to give birth in a hospital. the second baby you gave to birth to at home, died during childbirth? >> it was a difficult birth. >> reporter: nearly 2 million babies die in india every year. most in their first month of life. and most to mothers who are too poor to pay for medical care. the hospitals are often crowded. and often charge bribes for care that is marginal, at best. from mother to mother, the stories are similar. neither survived? a child lost while delivering at home. dr. rahma tells them they have a better choice. they can come to a new maternity hospital, built just for them. >> that would provide quality services, at a price of women making anywhere from $2 to $5 a day can afford. the accumen fund is building what they believe is an answer. they are building new, low-cost maternity hospitals called life spring. nine of them are bringing top, medical care to low-income families. a woman who comes to life spring will get prenatal care here and regular postbirth counseling. and she can deliver her child for just $80. $80. how many children do you have? it would seem to be an easy sell for dr. rahma's outreach work in the poor neighborhoods. but in this culture, it isn't the mothers that need convincing. it's the mothers-in-law. it is they who decide where a woman will deliver her baby. and how much money, if any, will be spent. the mother-in-law decides everything? >> they look to her decision. whatever she says, they have to obey. >> reporter: these are women who already delivered their babies? in fact, just go to the delivery wards. there are their mothers with the newborns. and next to them are their mothers-in-law. how many visits does it take to convince them to come to life spring? >> maybe two visits. >> reporter: two visits at least? >> they need to see the other woman who had a baby at life spring. what is their experience at life spring. >> reporter: right. i can't help but notice all the pink. why pink? every effort is made to make the hospital cheery. the walls and the curtains are fuchsia. each, new mother gets her own private space for her, her baby and her mother-in-law. congratulations. the plan is to raise enough money to build 150 life spring hospitals across india, saving the lives of tens of thousands of mothers and their new babies. how many children? >> two. >> reporter: two. >> the world is going to be a better place if we all have access to those services that we need, that give us the dignity to control our lives. that's the world i want to live in. so, everything we do is focused on trying to build that world. >> what a fascinating and so hopeful -- i was -- so remarkable that the mothers-in-law have all the power. where are all the men? >> they come and visit. but really, even though men sort of call the shots in that society, in many, many ways culturally, when it's things like this, the mothers and mothers-in-law. >> doesn't the mother play a role, as well. the mother of the mother? >> a young woman will give birth at her mother's house. and the mother will often pay for it. but it's the mother-in-law who decides if she's going to give birth at home or a hospital. if she gets medication. how many babies she's going to have. it's the mother-in-law who makes all of the decisions because she's the mother of the husband. >> you have to reach that generation. one more time repeat it. $80, can cover someone throughout birth. >> it's a great donation. a little goes a very long way in india. the simplest of medical procedures can save so many lives. >> okay. we should say that this be the change, save a life is from the bill and melinda gates foundation. and so far, look at that. $406,507 raised. >> just in the last week. when we come back, the cake mix doctor. >> you did it. >> okay. it's that time of year. time for campbell's green bean casserole. you'll find the recipe at campbellskitchen.com. campbell's.® it's amazing what soup can ..™ to stay fit, you might also want to try lifting one of these. a unique sea salt added to over 40 campbell's condensed soups. helps us reduce sodium, but not flavor. so do a few lifts. campbell's.® it's amazing what soup can do.™ ♪ in this morning's "america's recipes" we're talking about gluten. free cooking. 33 million americans have gluten sensitivity, which means they have to cut wheat flour out of their diets. it can be rough during a season full of cakes and cookies. that's why we've brought in anne byrn. she's author of "the cake mix doctor bakes gluten-free." great to have you here. >> great to be here. >> these recipes bubbled up from your fans, right? >> yeah. through the years, people have loved my recipes. one problem, maybe in a family there might be someone who has celiak and can't have gluten. and someone asked me to write a cookbook that is fluten-free. >> we have chocolate pound cake. >> we're going to start with a yellow gluten-free cake mix. i start with the yellow, gluten-free mix. going to add half a packet of chocolate pudding mix. >> and it's rice flour? >> it is. the gluten-free mixes are based on rice flour. they're very easy to digest. so, this is melted butter with chocolate. >> very nice. that makes it nice and smooth. >> yeah. the benefits of starting with a gluten-free mix and then doctoring it up, as i do, is that it's a lot less expensive just to buy the mix off the shelf. and also, these mixes are natural. i mean, there's no artificial ingredients, colorings, flavorings in them. >> and i have friends who bake so their kids do not feel left out. >> exactly. >> at a holiday party, you can have them. >> i baked gluten-free for six months, working on this book. and i'll tell you, the recipes are fantastic. you can make one cake that would feed everybody. >> this is after the pudding mix is all mixed up. >> the chocolate and the pudding mix. this is a chocolate and peppermint cake. those are andes candies, from are gluten-free. >> when you bake it, they probably melt. >> and the batter goes into a cocoa-dusted pan. bakes about 45 minutes at 350. >> and look how nice it fans out. >> you can use any bundt pan. and this is an easy confectioner's sugar, milk and vanilla extract. >> there's mints inside. and you crush up gluten-free on the outside? >> yep. >> what makes the mints gluten-free? >> they don't have wheat flour in there. you check the ingredients. >> that's so beautiful. i can't wait to dig into that. let's look at the gingerbread cookies. and also honey buns, right? >> it's a coffee cake, perfect for the holidays. it starts with a yellow, gluten-free cake mix. isn't that good? >> it's fantastic. so soft and buttery. >> it's moist and tender. the add-ins make the mixes taste better. you need the book to know how to doctor it up. the coffee cake. and the gingerbread boys and girls. and the gluten-free mixes make fabulous cookies because of the rice. >> you said kraisins or raisins. i feel compelled. >> great flavors and all gluten-free. >> anne byrn, cake mix doctor, tlaung so much. you can try all of our recipes that you've seen here and throughout the holidays at abcnews.com. stay with us. we'll be right back. coming up next, it's christmas caroling with the brook lib tabernacle choir. come on back. whoa, whoa! [ car alarm blaring ] we got this. holiday decorating runs on dunkin', with our delicious gingerbread lattes, gingerbread donuts and gingerbread muffins. hurry in. when the holidays go, they go. warm yourself up this holiday season with a gingerbread latte from dunkin' donuts. but my allergies put me in a fog. so now, i'm claritin clear! claritin works great on all my allergies like dust, mold, pollen, or pets without making me drowsy, cause i want to be alert around this big guy. live claritin clear. indoors and out. ♪ [ male announcer ] we touch a lot of things throughout the day. so it's nice that clorox disinfecting products help kill the germs that can live on surfaces for up to 48 hours. ♪ feels sweet when i can touch you ♪ all morning, we have been listening to the beautiful voices of the brooklyn tabernacle choir. they've won so many awards, including six grammys. and you're about to see why. here singing, "it's christmas once again," from their cd, "a brooklyn tabernacle christmas." ♪ sleigh bells in the snow and trees with lights aglow ♪ ♪ a sound of carols in the air ♪ everyone just knows it comes only once a year ♪ ♪ it's christmas once again time to be with friends ♪ ♪ and everyone that we hold dear ♪ ♪ we keep the families close the ones we love the most ♪ ♪ and smile knowing they are near ♪ ♪ it's christmas once again this year ♪ ♪ ooh, ooh ooh, ooh ♪ ♪ it's christmas once again time to be with friends ♪ ♪ and everyone that we hold dear ♪ ♪ we keep our families close the ones we love the most ♪ ♪ and smile knowing they are near ♪ ♪ it's christmas once again this year ♪ ♪ ooh, ooh [ applause ] úcú;ckca/ ding dong ding, dong ♪ hark how the bells, sweet silver bells, all seem to say, ♪ ♪ throw care away, christmas is here, bringing good cheer, ♪ ♪ to young and old, meek and the bold, ding dong ding, dong, ♪ ♪ that is their song, with joyful ring, all caroling, ♪ ♪ one seems to hear, words of good cheer, from everywhere, ♪ ♪ filling the air, oh how they pound, raising the sound, ♪ ♪ o'er hill and dale, telling their tale, gaily they ring, ♪ ♪ while people sing, songs of good cheer, christmas is here, ♪ ♪ merry, merry, merry, merry christmas, ♪ 1 in 6 americans live in hunger. at bank of america, we've created the gift for opportunity fund to support feeding america and the boys & girls clubs' efforts to provide hunger-relief. and we invite our customers, associates and communities to help. every dollar you contribute this season can be matched, dollar for dollar. together we can make twice the difference to help support those in need. ♪ we just cannot get enough of the brooklyn tabernacle choir. >> fantastic. they will sing us off this morning with "worship the king." have a great thursday, everyone. and now, the brooklyn tabernacle choir. ♪ ♪ oh, oh ♪ they came to see the babe in the manger ♪ ♪ the one the angel promised would be ♪ ♪ they came to see the face of the savior ♪ ♪ from afar to worship the king ♪ ♪ ♪ yeah now, maryland most powerful doppler radar and forecast certified most accurate by weatherate. ed holiday may have start and we will detail what we expect for the weekend. we have broken up the clouds and have sun in towson. west towson elementary school with 25-mile-per-hour winds. we do expect the winds to pick up and that will limit some of the progress on the thermometer. despite morning sun, 29 bel air and hereford freeding towards sparrows point. we are watching the snow wrap backwards across new england and looks like the cloud line coming through south jersey may come back through maryland so we may lose the clouds and we will fight them off throughout the day with the gusty wind. holding the two degree guaranteed high of 37. issue today despite how much sun or clouds will be the wind gusting to 45 miles per hour. detailed outhook of what we expect from now for the rest of the christmas weekend storm coming up on "good mong, maryland" at nine. right now a final check on traffic with kim brown. >> reporter: you will probably find more traffic at the area malls than right now on the roadways. we have had a pretty -- from they light in terms of events on the mork rush. 95 at 195 traffic is moving nicely in both directions many no problems toward the beltway. southbound good towards 495. checking the maps, we have reports of an overturned vehicle in baltimore city at eastern avenue and north point road. also a disabled vehicle northbound at 795 near owens mills boulevard exit blobbing the left shoulder and towson fallen power lines at washington avenue and pennsylvania avenue this morning. and bge crews are on the scene make repairs and they could cause minor days as you head through the intersection. stay with us, because "good morning, maryland" is up next at nine.