After a lastditch fiscal k cliff meeting with president obama. The closed door meeting was an attempt to avoid the automatic tax headaches and spending cuts set to king at the start of the new year. With just three days to go republicans and democrats are still blaming each other. I want to thank all of you for being here to call upon the republicans not to drop the ball on the middle class. Reporter there was a new years eve style rally saying the fiscal cliff ball is in the republicans court. Its republicans who are holding hostage the middle class in america so that the wealthy dont have to pay their fair share. We need two words. President ial leadership, while not just taxing rich people. Reporter tennessee republicans Lamar Alexander and bob corker said the president has to take the lead. Corker was not optimistic about the white house meeting. Were going end one a small kick the can down the road bill that creates another fiscal cliff to deal with this fiscal cliff. Reporter todays meeting at the white house is the First Time Since midnovember that at the present time has had all four congressional leaders in the same ram at the same time. Their past fiscal cliff talks have not been productive. Adding to the urgency, 2 million unemployed americans will lose their benefits on saturday if a deal is not reached. The nations Borrowing Limit to finance is 16 trillion will be maxed out by monday. And it is unclear how lawmakers will move forward at this point, but if the senate is able to make a deal before the house returns to capitol hill sunday, house members will have about 24 hours to approve it. Live at the white house, danielle nottingham. Derek, back to you. Danielle, thank you. Derek, you might remember a few weeks ago we built, then broke out the 9news fiscal cliff soapbox, giving our passionate viewers a chance to sound off on the impending fiscal cliff. Now that the cliff is within spitting distance we thought it might be a good time to head out again with the soapbox. Earlier today thats exactly what i did with a lot of help from photojournalist chip and producer elizabeth. Reporter what do you do for a living . Im in the government. Reporter so youre an insider. Maybe an outsider. Reporter what do you make of this whole fiscal cliff mess . What should i think . It seems like a giant baby sitting gig in a way. Im really disappointed because, one, our lives are in other peoples hands, and if you raise the taxes, then how are we going to survive for 2013 and on . Im just, like i say, waiting to see what comes up, hope for the best. A lot of people dont know that we will automatically see a 2 decrease in our takehome tax. Reporter are you angry . Not so much angry. Just frustrated and confused by it all. The lack of willingness to strike a deal. Reporter what would you like lawmakers to give you regarding the fiscal cliff compromise . I want them to come together and fix this problem. Come together for a common goal. We really need a solution here. Give back to the citizens, especially the hard working ones such as myself. Coming to a compromise on spending. I think were going go over the cliff. If we dont well fall apart. What, three days left . Four days left . No, well good over the cliff, but i dont think theres going to be any longterm deal. Can you please not raise our taxes. If anything, theyll make a shortterm deal to kick the can down the road a bit. Im very concerned about it. I think they need to put their personal vendettas behind them, and once that is achieved they will be able to come together in one union. If we go over the cliff, the stocks and the market take a hit, you know. What happens then . What happens . Theres no way to sort of retroactively fix a recession. I know everyone is confident, hey, we can go over the cliff and well fix it, but what happens if the markets take a 20 nose dive . Joining me now to discuss the Immediate Tax implications if the u. S. Goes over the fiscal cliff is linda, president of taxmasters in rockville. Linda, thank you. Were all concerned about the fiscal cliff. Our minds are preoccupied. First question what will the average taxpayer see if, in fact, we go over the fiscal cliff . Everybody starting in january who makes under 110,000 will lose immediately 2 of this auto paycheck. Thats a lot. So aperson making 75,000, family of four, how much of a difference will that make do you think in their typical paycheck . It could be somewhere between 40 and 60, depending on their benefits that they get. But for a normal family it could be maybe 2,000 a year or more just because theyre going to lose the deduction for children. Is there anything people can do at this point in anticipation of the fiscal cliff to shelter themselves from a hit like that . Oh my goodness, if we just knew what was going to happen, there are a couple of things maybe. I mean, you might want to shift some income to this year, but you dont have much time to do it, unless you sold some stocks at a gain. What are some of the other concerns of your clients . I know youre hearing a it lot. We get lots of questions but a lot of it is based on misinformation. Some of the laws they are going to change wont affect everybody. For instance, the 3. 8 tax on the sale of a house. It will only affect people who have a huge gain on the sale of their house, and we have to explain that. I spoke a few weeks ago with alice, the former director of office of management and budget, and she said she did not think we would go over the fiscal cliff but she said if we did she thought its a misnomer, that fiscal cliff is not really the right term. It would be more like a fiscal gentle slope because we wouldnt feel the effects of it, most taxpayers, immediately. Do you agree or disagree . I agree a lot. The only problem, if they dont decide what theyre going to do about to patch for the alternative minimum tax we wont be able to file our tax returns, because thats an actual form that has to be printed out and we cant print that until we know what goes on it, so it could hold up peoples refunds. Could be bad news. Very bad for those getting refunds. If you have questions log on to our website, wusa9. Com, or our wusa 9 Facebook Page. Linda will help answer some of your questions coming up on 9news at 6 00. Derek. Matt, four people were taken to the hospital this morning after the driver of a stolen car smashed into a metro bus while fleeing the cops. It happened right on the d. C. Maryland Line at wheeler and southern avenue. Kristin fisher has more from the scene. Reporter what happened was, Police Spotted three people driving inside a stolen car a mile from here. Police tried to pull them over but they didnt stop, they sped off, and police chose not to pursue them because this is a very busy road. Wheeler road. A busy time of day at 9 00 a. M. But that didnt stop these suspects. They were zigging and zagging in and out of traffic, very dangerous. Then when they tried to turn here on southern avenue they spun out of control and slammed into a metro bus. A headon crash that september the metro bus driver and one passenger to the hospital with minor injuries. Two of the suspects in the stopple car were also taken to the hospital, but all three suspects were apprehended by Prince Georges County police. Im mad, im really mad and im upset. Reporter Sharon Gardner says this stolen car is the same one that was used as a getaway car for a group of men that stole her purse at a gas station an hour before the crash. All i noticed at the time, that it was a maryland plate, and thats it. Reporter how did you hear about this accident here . My husband is a d. C. Police officer, and the d. C. Officers saw me going back down south dakota avenue, after i went home, he saw me and told me they found the guy that took my pocketbook. Police are now investigating if the three people are responsible for several other robberies this morning in maryland. In oxon hill, kristin fisher, 9news. So far the three suspects have not been charged with anything but police say those charges are coming. Matt. Derek, gun enthusiasts are running into dozens of protesters. At day one of whats being called the nations gun show. Debra alfarone joins us live from chantilly with the latest chapter in the gages gun control debate. Debra. Reporter matt, protesters certainly are outnumbered by the gun enthusiasts. This place is so packed and they are so outnumbered that we had to park over here, and we got here early. But still, the protesters certainly led the way with the decibel level. I want you to now listen to a backaroundforth showdown that we got when we pulled up. Why do yall act like you kill about kids . Because he we do. You care more about cash. I dont he see you protesting no banks. They have armed guards. Why dont protest them . What does that have to do with an assault weapon . What does that have to do with a criminal being able to buy a sniper rifle . Ever heard of the Second Amendment . The Second Amendment and the Supreme Court made it abundantly clear that theres nothing inconsistent with the right to bear arms and banning assault weapons. You know what, youre an idiot. As you can see, it got a little bit heated there. Those protesters are from an Organization Called code pink. They call themselves a woman initiated grassroots peace movement. You might have seen them at the big nra press conference, the people interrupting with the big signs. They werent allowed to stand here by the expo center. This line was snaking is around, and this parking lot absolutely packed with gun enthusiasts and people that support gun rights, but they kept those protesters all the way down this way. Its hard to even show you. We cant even pan that far away. They kept them down by the entrance, and that led to a lot of different matches, but ill tell you, people were driving past, throwing out couple of comments, then they kept on driving. This is, again, the first day of this gun expo. It is going to be open today until about 8 00 p. M. As you can see, pretty busy here. Live in chantilly, Debra Alfarone, 9news. Heated indeed. Thank you debra. Faithbased demonstrators staged another rally at a gun dealership in district heights, maryland. Members of a Group Representing 25 churches say theyre devastated by the Deadly School shooting. They offered prayers for victims and called for closing of the gun store which they say has spread so much pain through their community. Coming up, officers are wounded after a suspect gets ahold of a gun and starts shooting up a police station. We had a nice, pleasant day, but big changes are on the way. A winter storm is approaching. Ill tell what you you can expect in the full forecast. Im scott broom with highway crews ramping up for some incoming snow. Coming up, the latest travel advisories for your Holiday Weekend. A live look at the white house where in about a half hour or so, we should see president obama step forth and make his first statement since coming back from vacation, regarding that fiscal cliff. As we reported, the president met with congress impressional leaders awhile ago. They spent some time but then those leaders left. They didnt say much. The speculation is still the cliff is rushing or were rushing toward it. President obama, 5 45. We await. Matt. An update on the future of a popular kayak rental business. The National Park service says it wants to bring jacks boathouse in line with facilities at other National Parks. The spokesperson says jacks boathouse has been operating on a month to month lease that has not changed since 1982, and that the lease is not tip name of the current owner. The park service sent the owner an avic shun notice last week but put those plans on hold after a public outcry. The park Service Still plans to invite bids for a new concession contract to operate a bet house in the same space. Highway officials are warning travelers to stay off the road if possible this weekend, especially tomorrow morning. Scott broom is in maryland. They are preparing for the incoming winter weather. Reporter well, its in the a particularly big storm thats coming in, but maryland highway crews, nonetheless, are expecting enough snow to coat roads with hazardous ice and snow beginning late tonight and throughout the day tomorrow around the washington area, especially north and west. They are fueling up and loading up as crews here in central maryland expect to be called in at about 2 00 a. M. To start fighting incoming snow and motorists are think about travel plans. I do have travel plans, and thats to stay home. If you havent been thinking about driving in winter weather, now is the time. At the state highway administrations command center, laura is keeping tabs on the developing forecast. Its never a good time to drive at the onset of a storm. So if you are planning on traveling this weekend keep a close eye on the winter storm on saturday, and if possible, delay travel until later in the afternoon after the storm passes or even into sunday. Were pretreating roads right now in the d. C. And baltimore metropolitan areas with the idea of being proactive, placing salt brine on the road. Reporter the snow is expected to start before dawn and continue throughout the day. There are travel advisories in just about every direction you could be moving except towards marylands eastern shore. So, be ready. In maryland, scott broom, 9news now. Be ready, thats good advice from scott broom. Now, in washington, d. C. , theres the first full deployment of salt and sand trucks, to be on the streets by 4 00 a. M. Erica, what is the latest . Thats right around when the precipitation is to be arriving so good idea to jump the gun and get those salt trucks out before the worst of it arrives. Lets take a look from our michael son cam. 38 degrees currently with a dew point of 25. Thats a critical number for us. The dew point is well below freezing, and if the remains there as the precipitation arrives we could see whats called evaporational cooling which means that the atmosphere will get cooler as a result of the falling precipitation. So we will have that snow and wintry mix approaching during the overnight hours. Most of the snow will be in the Morning Hours on saturday and snow is expected north and west of the beltway. A mix and rain south and east of the beltway. But in the beltway itself, it looks like we could get an actual accumulation of snow. More on how much to expect in a minute. The precipitation ends on saturday afternoon. Right now were still above freezing throughout the entire area. 37 in leesburg and manassas, 38 in d. C. , 41 in annapolis, 37 in culpeper, but you can see the precipitation on the way. The difference here, of course, not only that the precipitation is further it to the south, but also this is during the daytime. This is going to arrive toward us during the overnight hours, when temperatures tend to really cool down, which is why im expecting a little bit more out of this system. And nine future cast shows you exactly how much you can expect in your backyard. Only about, well, quarter to a half inch of snow for most of our northern and western suburbs by 11 00 a. M. On saturday, but, of course, more snow accumulating in the panhandle, then it will start to overspread and head off to the north and east, and you will see the bigger accumulations once again out in garrett county, the big winner with more than seven inches, but i think we will see a coating to an inch in the district. Our nine future cast is pick up on that possibility as well. Overnight tonight snow showers arriving after midnight, closer to 4 00 or 5 00 a. M. It is going to get rather chilly and essential cold enough for snow as we move into the overnight hours. A mixture of snow and rain showers throughout the morning on saturday, with temperatures in the 30s. Some of this will melt, but especially north and west of the city it is going to stick. Then in the afternoon the showers clear out and well turn partly cloudy, 35 to 40. Winds out of the north at 10 to 15. You can see in the green mostly rain but a wintry mix throughout the beltway and points south and east, then the snow all north and west of the beltway. Over the next three days after we clear out of our yellow alert day on saturday, it will be okay on sunday, though chilly and breezy with a high of 40. Monday, new years eve, looks like the best day of the week with a high of 44 and partly cloudy skies. Sevenday outlook. New years day, another chance for a snow shower or rain shower but no accumulation on new years day. No travel concerns there. But then it gets bitterly cold with temperatures in the 30s for your afternoon highs later on that week. Does not look very pleasant. I guess its good weather to head back to work for people who have been off. Well, it is january, or it will be. It will be, thats right. Coming up, for the second time this month new york city cops are on the lookout for somebody who killed somebody by shoving them in front of a moving subway train. But up next, a new york woman is arrested for an alleged charity scam following the Newtown School tragedy. The town of newtown, connecticut is saying, thanks so much, but please, no more gifts following the school tragedy. So many people are sending in their tributes, workers cant keep up with all of those packages. Instead, folks who want to offer condolences are being asked to help people in their own communities. Sandy hook Elementary Students return to class next week, but in the many time newtown is keeping them occupied with fun activities since the shootings. Officials from the town, the school districts, and nonprofit agencies have sponsored pizza parties, field trips, and toy giveaways. And the Newtown Youth Academy is opening its doors to all of the kids in town at no cost. We are now getting a look at a woman federal Authorities Say used the Connecticut School shooting to try to scam people on facebook. 37yearold noel alba was released on bond after she was charged with lying to the fbi. She allegedly posed as a relative of one of the slain children, then solicited donations for a fake funeral fund. She says she didnt do it. Derek, three officers were shot this morning inside a new Jersey Police station. Gloucester Township Police say it happened while a Domestic Violence suspect was being processed. There was a struggle and the suspect got his hands on a Police Officers gun and shot the three officers. One officer was struck just below his bulletproof vest and is now in stable condition. The other two officers suffered superficial wounds. Several other officers returned fire killing the suspect. In other news tonight the new York City PoliceDepartment ReleasedSurveillance Video of a woman wanted for killing a man by pushing him in front of an oncoming train. The video shows the woman running from the elevated platform at a station in queens last night. Eyewitnesses told police they saw the woman following the man while mumbling. Police say she got up from a bench and shoved the man onto the track. It was the second time this month someone has been pushed to their death on the new york subway system. Coming up, only on 9, the amazing story of a man who came back from the dead with a whole new outlook on life. But up next, keeping us safe over the holidays. We go along for the ride as Police Cruise area roads cracking down on drunk drivers. We are still awaiting president obama who is expected in that Briefing Room you see live before you to make a statement on the situation involving the fiscal cliff. They tell us it will be around 5 45. Of course, 9news will bring it to you live when it happens. Matt. Derek, 9 wants you to know that police will be out in force keeping you safe this Holiday Weekend w. New years just days away police are cracking down on drunken driving and urging folks to keep the party off the road. Reporter we first met Park Police Sergeant adam during the day. Like i say to everybody, its a front row seat to the greatest show on earth. Reporter but he said his best work is at night. So he invited us out friday night to bw parkway. Were stopping people that have alcohol levels that are on average a. 16, which is double the legal limit. Reporter the shift starts off slow for this trained drug recognition expert awarded for his record dui arrests. These tags are not legit, theyre fake tags. Reporter but officers never know what to expect when they pull over that next car. When you start reaching in the back seat, i dont know what youre reaching for, dude. Let me see your hands at all times. Im not a bad person. Dude, youre killing me. Youve got an ankle bracelet and everything like that. Reporter police inevitably find the drunk drivers they know are out there. To these seasoned experts, signs are obvious. Police say on a typical weekend night, one out of seven drivers leaving a local bar is a dwi. The average violator drives under the influence 80 times a year. Thats once every four to five nights. How much have you had to drink tonight . I had one drink. Just one drink . Hold your head estimate. Reporter but he can tell after the eye exam the driver is above the legal limit. He has a slurred speech, red, watery bloodshot eyes. He has nystagmus. Youre not in charge, i am. You can refuse a breathalyzer except when youre driving on a federal road and stopped by a federal officer. Bw parkway and park police meet both standards. Well give you a roadside breath test to see if youre okay. I refuse it. Turn around, put your hands behind your back. You are going to be placed under arrest for driving a vehicle under the influence of alcohol. Reporter out of 40,000 deaths on the road annually, nearly 12,000 of them are caused by drunk driving. Delia goncalves, 9news. D. C. Area police will have increased patrols this weekend into the new years. If youve had too much to drink and need a safe ride please call 1800200taxi. Fares under 30 are free. Sky 9 was over a nasty wreck this morning on Rockville Pike around 10 30 this morning. Investigators say the driver of a volkswagen crossed the median and continued driving, crashing into on coming cars. A total of six people were injured. One person was hospitalized with potentially life threatening injuries. Four others were also taken to the hospital. Traffic was rerouted while the road was shut down for the cleanup and investigation. No word on possible charges. A calm, cool 911 dispatcher. A desperate moms prayer on facebook, and the power of love and friendship. All of that came together to pull a hyattsville man back from the brink of death avenue tried to take his own life. Tonight, david dawson wants to help others considering suicide learn from what he has been through. Only on 9, Debra Alfarone spoke to dawson, his mom, and that dispatcher. Reporter they get more than a million calls here at the Prince Georges County 911 center but tonight i want to tell you about one call that ended up saving one life and impacted so many others. I just wanted her to get somebody here right away. I knew that he needed somebody right away. Reporter linda dawson needed a lifeline. One month ago her son david tried to kill himself. She called nine one one, and it was the toughest day of her life. So i took a deep breath and she started counting. One, two, three, four. And she had me count with her. One, two, three, four. And i continued the cpr the whole time. Reporter miles away, first time mom to be and Prince Georges County 911 dispatcher dyena edwards kept calm. Have somebody open the front door. One, two, three, four. Linda managed to get david breathing before ems arrived. We get to the hospital, and at the hospital he flatlined three more times. What followed was three more days of doctors with bad news. From then on, that he wasnt going to make it. And i didnt want to hear that. Linda poured her heart out to friends and family on facebook. And i asked them if they could come up and visit him, talk to him, touch him, and over 60 people came and saw him that day. Its miracle. Its definitely a miracle. Im thankful for everybody that helped, because, you know what, i wasnt going to let go of him, i wasnt going to let go of him. This is my child. Reporter david is doing fine. The 24yearold says he took meds to try and end it all after battling years of chronic testicular pain that countless procedures and operations couldnt fix. He says the outpouring of love and care showed him the value his life had. All my friends have told me after this, theyre like, youre one of the best friends ive ever had. It puts things in perspective. Not many people live to hold a book of their own eulogy. I miss you so much, i just cant wrap my head around this. It makes me feel like i have a purpose, and i believe that purpose is to prevent other people from committing suicide. Reporter from the darkness into the light, its a lesson not many learn but one david says he will he never forget. Im glad that he has a new outlook on life and that he could take that experience and change the way he is every day. Reporter dawson says he really wants to start helping out with the Suicide Prevention organization to help people who are going through things just like what he went through. If you have any ideas or any information post them to our Facebook Page and join the conversation. Debra alfarone, 9news. The tributes are pouring in today for general Norman Schwarzkopf. The commander who drove the iraqi forces out of kuwait back in 1991 and Operation Desert Storm died yesterday. Complications from pneumonia. He was 78. President obama said, and we quote, with the passing of general Norman Schwarzkopf weve lost an american original. Former president george h. W. Bush called him a good and decent man, and former secretary of state colin powell says america has lost a great patriot and a great soldier. Derek, americans are now banned from adopting russian children. Vladimir putin signed the ban into law today. Law also blocks dozens of russian children now in the process of being adopted by American Families from leaving the country. The law was passed in retaliation for a u. S. Law that calls for sanctions against russian officials deemed human rights violators. Critics say the russian law victimizes children to make a political point. There are now an estimated 740,000 orphans in russia. Coming up, man tries to rescue mans best friend and ends up needing some rescuing himself. Erica. Well, its still night and pleasant out here on the weather terrace, but, of course, a winter storm is on the way, and thats going to bring an end to the nice weather. I will tell you what you can expect and when in your full forecast. But up next, a cat rescue thats not for the faint of heart. Fortunately, this cats leap of faith has a happy ending. Dont forget, were answering your questions about the fiscal cliff at wusa9. Com. Stay with us, well be right back. A flying cat caught on camera. This is video from bogota, colombia. Look at the kitty. Just as rescuers got close to the cat on the tower, the cat, for whatever reason, said, im going to make a jump fort it. Fortunately four firemen on the ground caught that cat in a net. The rescue was complicated by a highvoltage cable. Other than some minor injuries and the fact that the fact that the cat was not particularly bright when it got up there, it was just fine. Did you see that cat . All out. In michigan weve got a scary dog tale but this add happy ending. An 11yearold hound named bark slipped into the ice in lake erie. The owner called his brother who then fell waist high into the water. They both waited in the frigid waters more than an hour for rescuers. I was talking to them, trying to keep him warm, trying to rub him and get some blood flowing through his body. Rescuers did eventually reach the man and the dog. Nobody was hurt j. After the break, thrown out of the Grocery Store. Thats an occupational hazard when youre Investigative Reporter russ ptacek and youre on the food patrol. Your food alert is up next. Get ready, we have got a confrontation caught on camera. Its Investigative Reporter russ ptacek getting thrown out of a Grocery Store, and mice leave their mark at a popular japanese market. Its time for the food alert. Reporter grab your smartphones. In a moment, how to know about these restaurant closures even before broadcast. But first, a lot of you have tweeted me ask, how due pick these restaurants . They are serious violations that couldnt be fixed while the inspector was there. So the Health Department ordered them closed. In temple hills at Fuji Mountain steakhouse on branch avenue, the kitchen gets good reviews for woks of japanese cooking. Now that i know, it may not be so g. Reporter so good that customers order and pay in advance. The Health Department found rodent droppings. Oh my gosh. And i paid. Oh my gosh. Reporter what would we find . Well show you in a moment. But first, this closure on bening road southeast at Dollar Plus Food store. Inspectors shut it down reporting unsanitary conditions including no hot water, no sanitation supervisor, and no one who could even answer basic food safety questions. Get out of the store. Are you the manager . I said get out of the store. Get out of the store. Were here to talk to you. Youve got to get permission from the other than. The owner didnt respond. Reporter the same rules that apply to restaurants that shut down this Grocery Store also apply to Liquor Stores that handle food. At chaps liquor, inspectors suspended its license for no hot water. Im from channel 9. Were here about the Health Department closure. Reporter at turntable theyre known for their jamaican style ox tail. Inspectors closed the cafe and bar citing a dirty refrigerator, food without expiration date, no food safety manager, and no hot water. They showed us the hot water, a clean kitchen, and proof of a food safety manager on duty. Thank you. Can you just show us the kitchen real quick . Reporter back at Fuji Mountain, in marlowe heights center, inspectors credited rodent droppings on bags of flour, salt, and sugar, and in the sushi area. And we looked, too, but no rough department tracks. The manager says they cammed an exterminator, cleaned up, and put in doorstoppers to seal rodents out. Reporter when you say a door attorney, you mean this thing here . Yeah, it keeps the rats away. Reporter you tightened your doors, then you patched up the ceiling. Thats right. So we tried to make sure were doing everything right. Reporter they all passed reinspection and are now back in business. Now, to know first, follow at russ ptacek on twitter. Im Investigative Reporter russ ptacek, 9news. So glad the mouse droppings were away from the sushi area. Exactly, yes. I like the way russ gets down on his hands and knee looking for the tracks. He sells out, no question. Hes dedicated. Im dedicated to making a good forecast four. And . And we have snow in the forecast. I didnt say it was the forecast you wanted. I said it was the forecast that i think well see as we head into tomorrow morning. Lets take a look outside now with the michael andson weather cam. A michael son weather cam. At Reagan National 38. The dew point 25. Thats critical because the dew point is going to be low enough to cause whats called evaporational cooling as the snow and rain showers start to fall. They will cool the atmosphere below them so we will have a little bit of an accumulation out of this. A look at weather headlines. The snow and mix is approaching, and most of the snow will fall during the Morning Hours on saturday. Snow north and west of the city. A mix with rain south and east of the city, and then in the district itself, we will get a light accumulation with a little bit of rain mixed in. The precipitation ends on saturday afternoon, and then it tushes windy and chilly. Right now its already down to the freezing mark in gaithersburg. 37 in leesburg and manassas. 38 in d. C. 37 in andrews, and 34 degrees in cumberland. So we are going to see those temperatures continue to drop during the overnight. Here come the clouds, and also you can see the rain. But this is rain during the daytime. In the southeastern united states, as it makes its way towrsd it will start to fall as snow. The snow showers arrive after midnight and as we head into the overnight hours, i think we will see around four or around 4 00 or 5 00 a. M. Is the best time for the snow to start arriving. 26 to 32 for your overnight lows with winds out of the southeast at 5 to 10 miles per hour. A mixture of snow and rain showers with temperatures in the 30s tomorrow, and then in the afternoon well see those showers clearing out of here, and it turns partly cloudy with a high between 35 and 40. So anything that falls wont stick around too long. A look at what im expecting. A trace to an inch in everything shaded in gray. One to two inches for everything shaded in white. That includes northern montgomery county, all of Loudoun County and frederick county. Two to four inches further to the north in frederick county, virginia. So a yellow alert for tomorrow because of that snow and rain mix. 40 degrees for your afternoon high. Breezy sunday, but back in the green zone, a high of 40. A really nice new years eve on tap with a high of 44. A look at your sevenday forecast. It turns very cold as we turn the calendar over to 2013 but on new years eve itself we will be fine. New years day a chance for snow or rain showers but no accumulation. All right that is all for your weather. Now time for sports. Actually, we are going to take a minute away from sports because president obama is due to come out any minute in the white house and talk live regarding that fiscal cliff. In fact, i think weve got a look at the Conference Room where he is expected to show up. We were given a few minutes ago the twominute warning, but these things are notoriously inexact, but at any minute the president will step forward. Here he comes. President obama on the fiscal cliff. Good afternoon, everybody. For the past couple of months, ive been working with leaders of both parties to try and frnlg an agreement that will grow our economy and shrink the deficit. A balanced plan that would cut spending in a responsible way but also ask the wealthiest americans to pay a little more. And above all, protect our middle class and everybody who is striving to get into the middle class. I still want to get this done. Its the right thing to do for our families, for our businesses and for our entire economy. But the hour for immediate action is here. It is now. Were now at the point where in just four days, every americans tax rates are scheduled to go up by law. Every americans paycheck will get considerably smaller. And that would be the wrong thing to do for our economy it would be bad for middle class families and it would be bad for businesses that depend on family spending. Fortunately congress can prevent it from happening if they act right now. I just add good and constructive discussion here at the white house with senate and house leadership about how to prevent this tax hike on the middle class. And im optimistic we may still be able to reach an agreement that can pass both houses in time. Senators reed and mcconnell are working on such an agreement as we speak. But, if an agreement isnt reached in time, between senator reid and senator mcconnell, then i will urge senator reid to bring it to floor a basic package for an up or down vote, one that protects the middle class from an income tax hike, extends the vital lifeline of Unemployment Insurance to 2 million americans looking for a job, and lays the groundwork for future cooperation on more Economic Growth and deficit reduction. Guys, i can hear you over there. I believe such proposal could pass both houses with bipartisan majorities as long as those leaders allow to the actually come to a vote. If members of the house or the senate want to vote no, they can. But we should let everybody vote. Thats the way this is supposed to work. If you can get a majority in the house and you can get a majority in the senate then we should be able to pass the bill. The American People are watching what we do. Obviously their patience is already thin. This is deja vu all over again. America wonders why it is that in this town for some reason you cant get stuff done in an organized timetable. Why everything always has to wait until the last minute. Well, were now at the last minute. And the American People are not going to have any patience for a politically selfinflicted wound to our economy. Not right now. The economy is growing, but sustaining that trend is going to require elected officials to do their jobs. The housing smarkt recovering, but that could be impacted if folks are seeing smaller paychecks. The Unemployment Rate is the lowest its been since 2008, but already you are seeing businesses and consumers starting to hold back because of the dysfunction that they see in washington. Economists, Business Leaders all think that were poised to grow in 2013 as long as politics in washington dont get in the way of americas progress. So weve got to get this done. I just want to repeat, we had a constructive meeting today. Senators reed and mcconnell are discussing a potential agreement where we could get a bipartisan bill out of the house and over to the senate in a timely fashion so that weve met the december 31st deadline. But given how things have been working in this town, we always have to wait and see until it actually happens. The one thing the American People should not to have wait and see is some sort of action. So if we dont see an agreement between the two leaders in the senate, i expect a bill to go on the floor, and ive asked senator reid to do this, put a bill on the floor that makes sure that taxes on middleclass families dont go up, that Unemployment Insurance is Still Available for 2 million people, and that lays the groundwork then for additional deficit reduction and Economic Growth steps that we can take in the new year. But lets not miss this deadline. Thats the bare minimum that we should be able to get done. It shouldnt be that hard since democrats and republicans both say they dont want to see taxes go up on middleclass families. I just have to repeat, outside of washington, nobody understands how it is that this seems to be a repeat pattern over and over again. Ordinary folks, they do their jobs. They meet deadlines. They sit down, and they discuss things and then things happen. If there are disagreements, they sort through the disagreements. The notion that our elected leadership cant do the same thing is mind boggling to them. And needs to stop. So im modestly optimistic that an agreement can be achieved. Nobody is going to get 100 , but lets make sure that middle class families in the American Economy and the World Economy arent adversely impacted because people cant do their jobs. Thank you very much, everybody. All right, president obama making a statement there, live from the white house. He said the hour for immediate action is here. He also said that he had a productive meeting earlier today with the senate leadership, harry reid and the republican leader mitch mcconnell. He said hes hopeful that the two of them can work out some kind of plan that can pass the house and senate in a bipartisan way. He didnt give any details on what sort of plan but if they cant work out a deal hes got a doomsday scenario. He said if they couldnt reach a deal he is going to urge senator reid to bring a basic bill to the senate for a basics up and down vote of senators. That package, mr. Obama said, would prevent taxes from going up for middleclass americans and would preserve Unemployment Insurance for those americans who need it. He also urged the lawmakers to let that package come to a vote, which has been an issue many times. We are going to take a break and be back in just a minute