captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning, everybody. welcome to today on a monday morning. >> good morning, everybody. >> welcome back from your travels. >> we have got from some really hot weather in haiti, to my gosh, this is what the metrodome is supposed to look like. it's inflatable roof now collapsed, matt. >> it happened on sunday morning. luckily no one was hurt, but the vikings game against the new yoryiants had to be moved to tonight in detroit. the storm also caused major travel problems closing highways across the midwest, canceling thousands of flights. the latest in a live report and al will have the forecast coming up straight ahead. also coming up ahead, critics are supposed to review a performance. but what about a performer's weight? a "the new york times" reviewer is under fire after taking a jab of the woman that portrayed the sugar plum fairy in "the nutcracker." what he said, and why he's not backing down and we'll talk to the dancer whether she joins us on an exchicagoive live interview. from the inspirational to the down right bizarre. the most popular viral videos and that ranks very high on the list. we want to begin with the deadly storm that pounded the meft and caused the minneapolis metrodome to collapse. the weather channel's mike seidel in cleveland with the latest. good morning to you. good morning, matt. another day the wind-driven lake-effect snow this following a weekend storm that was so bad it took out a major sports arena. cameras inside the metrodome showed the first signs of trouble. snow leaking through the teflon roof. but at 5:00 a.m., it was an avalanche of snow that collapsed into the unoccupied arena leaving a gaping hole in the dome and the football field covered with snow. in the light of day, the metrodome looked like a crater. officials blame the heavy snow and high winds which caused drifts on the dome ceiling leading to the collapse. >> very high winds, that with the high snow accumulation really impacted us. >> reporter: because of the roof collapse, sunday's schedule game between the minnesota vikings and the new york jets was moved to detroit. >> i don't think i've ever seen it this bad i don't think. >> from heavy snow to high winds, winter weather battered the midwest. >> there is a lot of snow on the ground. >> residents spent sunday trying to free cars and homes from the snowy mess. >> this one seems a lot more packed down i think from the wind blowing, so theñr snow is really heavy. >> reporter: the storm shut down parts of iowa and wisconsin, where officials warned some residents to stay off the roads. even major highways were closed across the region. and more than 1 ,600 flights cancelled in chicago. in the days ahead, residents will be facing bitter cold, while back at the metrodome, officials try to figure out what went wrong and when they'll be able to play football there again. you think it's cold where you are this morning? it's 30 below zero in international falls. no windchill. another freeze forecast for tomorrow morning in florida, matt. back in cleveland, the windchill 1. this happening a full eight days before the first official day of winter. >> just a tase. mike seidel in cleveland, thank you very much. meantime what can we expect today. al is tracking the storm. good morning to you are are good morning to you. this stretches from indiana all the way to new england. winds across the lake picking up the moisture and dopng it down. winter weather advisories. lake-effect, winter weather advisory, lake-effect advisories as far south as nashville. snowfall amounts, indiana, 12 to 18 inches of snow. ashtabula to syracuse, 12 to 18 inches of snow. add to that the cold air. jet stream dipping way down to the south. 15 in nashville. 9 in chicago. pittsburgh, 19. afternoon highs will only get up to the single digits in minneapolis. 31 in atlanta. windchill feels much colder. 5 in atlanta. 3 in pittsburgh. and then over the next 24 hours, look how cold it gets. orlando, 24. stretches on into wednesday with temperatures 19 and 24 in central florida. 9 degrees in chicago. we'll have the rest of the forecast in just a bit. matt. >> al, thank you very much. we'll get to your forecast in a moment. now, the debate over your taxes. not just yours, but everyone's. the controversial compromise faces its first test vote today. kelly o'donnell has details. kelly, good morning. >> good morning, matt. the vote comes this afternoon and could decide the fate of the president's compromise with republicans. extending job benefits and a whole bunch of tax credits. but some opposition from house liberals may not be enough to scuttle it. ♪ the newborn king >> while the first family enjoyed christmas cheer in washington sunday night, the president may get an early present on his tax compromise from republicans. >> we have a good cross section from left to right who are prepared to accept this. >> the house will be in order. >> reporter: and there is a real turn around from some house liberals, who say the president's compromise gives too many tax breaks to the rich. last week, they vowed to stop it. >> reporter: it is not acceptable to the house democratic caucus. it's as simple as that. >> reporter: by sunday, congressman chris van holland predicted it would pass. house liberals will try to re-work the deal to make wealthy families pay higher tax on inheritance. >> members will record their vote by electronic device. >> reporter: the white house expects compromise to pass without big changes. >> i don't think anybody wants to be responsible for taxes going up on january 1st, because we couldn't come to a resolution. >> reporter: republicans support this deal, even though it would add about $900 billion to the deficit. >> i think it's worth it. it will create jobs and help our economy. >> reporter: in a "60 minutes" profile of the next house speaker, john boehner says the president was disrespectful when he called republicans hostage takers. >> reporter: excuse me. i thought the election was over, mr. president. >> reporter: he worked as a janitor to get through school. he talked about today's kids, he got choked up. >> making sure these kids have a shot at the american dream, my god, it's important. >> reporter: there were a couple of different times that boehner actually teared up. people know that about him, he's comfortable in his own skin. after today's vote, it could take a few more days to play out before the house will pass it. it's a critical time for this package. matt. >> kelly o'donnell on capitol hill, kelly, as always, thank you very much. 8 minutes after the hour. here is ann. >> another sad development in the bernie madoff saga. the death of his oldest son has been ruled a suicide. nbc's jeff rossen in downtown man hatten with the latest on this story. good morning. >> good morning to you. the official autopsy results are in this morning. asñr suspectedful mark madoff's official cause of death is suicide by hanging. if he was trying to send a message here, he sure did it. taking his own life on the exact two-year anniversary of his father bernie çómadoff's arrest. this morning, we're getting a first look inside where it happened. with theñr fishing business and multiple mansions, mark madoff's charmed life came crashing down after the scandal and came to a shocking end saturday morning. with his 2-year-old son sleeping in the next room, madoff hanged himself with a dog leach in the living room of his luxury manhattan apartment. "the new york post" published an exclusive look inside. >> mark madoff was found hanging from a pipe in the living room of the apartment. >> reporter: sources say mark madoff was visibly depressed. days ago, he was sued yet again. this time, even his wife and young kids were named. friday afternoon, he stopped by his parking garage, gave the attendants a card and a $400 tip and said good-bye. >> i thought -- >> reporter: the "wall street journal" posted this headline friday night. hours later at 4:00 a.m., madoff sent a series of e-mails to his wife. i love you. send someone to take care of nick, their son. to his lawyer, no one wants to hear the truth. take care of my family. >> after the scandal, the madoff name became radioactive. he was a pariah. his friends had invested life savings, were bankrupt. the wife had to change the name of his children. he was facing a lifetime of misery. >> reporter: mark and his younger brother andrew turned their father in in 2008. they haven't spoken to their dad or their mother, ruth, since. bernie madoff was informed of his son's suicide before behind bars. noçó word on his creation react. >> the security level he's in, as well as he has to get approval by the u.s. attorney's office, it's going to be a challenge for him. >> reporter: mark madoff has denied any knowledge or vorchlment in his father's ponzi scheme. not everyone believes him. even bernie madoff's angriest victims are saddened by this twist. >> i am very sorry for his wife, his children, and my heart goes out to them. anybody that feels that that's the only way out, i think it's extremely sad. >> reporter: late yesterday, a madoff relative i.d.'d the body here in manhattan. and the family will start planning the funeral. none of the madoffs wouldñi go camera for this story or any other reports. but ruth madoff, who now lives in florida, is said to be heartbroken, and according to one published report, she blames bernie, her husband for all of it. >> jeff rossen, thank you for the story. let's get a check of the rest of the morning's top stories. gn natalie morales is covering for an. good morning. several suspects are arrested in connection with the deadly attack on coalition troops. six soldiers killed after a minibus was detonate to a joint nato/afghan base. 20 children and their teacher have now been safely released after a 17-year-old man wielding two saber swords took them hostage this morning at their nursery school in eastern france. elite national guardsman stormed the school and took the assailant into custody. british police raided a home north of london, believed to be linked to the suicide bombing in sweden this weekend. it's the first terror attack in stockholm's history. the suicide blast killed only the bomber, but wounded two others. 22 sailors are feared dead this morning after a south korean fishing ship suddenly sank in the antarctic would sending out a distress signal. and north korea is sending out new warnings. the great atlantic and pacific tea company, better known as the a&p has filed for bankruptcy amid rising competition. the retailer operates nearly 400 supermarkets, the food emporium, and path mark. now let's head over to wall street. trish regan is at the new york stock exchange. >> investors would certainly like to have another week of gains. on the economic front, a number of reports due out, including a measure of inflation via the consumer and the producer price index. we've also got housing numbers coming out, manufacturing numbers. retail sales, obviously, incredibly important right now, gnat natali natalie, because they are an excellent barometer of the health, or lack thereof, of the economy. one note on that front, comscore, which measures online retail sales, has seen a 12% increase in this year's numbers for the holiday sales figures versus last year. so we hope that trend continues. >> absolutely. trish regan at the new york stock ex >> you bet. sarah palin is urging americans not to forget haiti after spending the weekend touring the nation with an aid group. call it a knee-jerk reaction. new york jets conditioning coach says he made a mistake when he tripped miami dolphin's corner back. he came back later to play in the game. they are now reviewing the situation and looking at the appropriate next step. by the way, the jets lost. 10-6. miami beating them. 7:14, back over to matt, ann, and al. >> the appropriate next step is he should be fired. thank you very much. appreciate it. busy morning forop you. >> absolutely. just keeps getting better. more wicked wld for friends in the pacific northwest. they have been getting hammered with rain-snow inland, and it will keep coming inland. flood warnings and watches. snow, 1 to 3 çóinches. some areas as much as a half a foot. we're looking at lake-effect snows, and the winds will continue through the gulf coast and we'll look at that brutally cold air continuing to stream south for much of the eastern half right now you can see the golden gate bridge has mostly cloudy skies and a few rain showers north of ukiah heading our way later tonight. in the meantime, increasing clouds and highs in the 50s to low 60s and areas north of healdsberg, a chance of showers. tonight into tuesday, rain off and on and catch a break on wednesday and more rain for the second half of the week and for the weekend, the rape looks heavy at times. and that's your latest weather. matt. thank you very much. amanda knox teared up in court as her murder conviction appeal moved forward italy. and we have the latest from perugia with this. good morning, keith. >> good morning, matt. the appeal just started, and already amanda knox wasted no time in declaring her innocence to a new judge and jury. when she arrived in court on saturday surrounding by guards, she appeared pale and uncertain. prison life she admitted has broken her. she was scheduled to be a preliminary session, but knox, unexpectedly took over her own defense, declaring to the court she did not commit murder. given permission to speak to the court, knox, in fluent italian, says she is the innocent victim of an enormous mistake. her passionate appeal was broadcast on a flurry courtroom p projection. knox and her former boyfriend were convicted of the murder and violent sexual assault in 2007 of her roommate, meredith kitscher, an exchange student from england. knox expressed her remorse to the kercher family. choking back tears, she says it does no justice to meredith and her loved ones to take our lives from us. >> it was extremely emotional and clearly had an impact on everyone in the room, including the jurors. >> reporter: knox's defense plans to attack the dna evidence used to convict her, claiming it was flawed. but the prosecution is also appealing. it argues the 26-year prison sentence handed down to knox is not harsh enough for what it called a brutal murder. and is asking for a life sentence. the strain of facing a life sentence clearly taking its toll.t( today, knox is back in her prison cell, preparing for her fourth christmas behind bars. the trial resumes later this week, but with the wheels italian justice moving ever so slowly, we don't expect a verdict in this case until sometime in the spring. matt. >> keith, thank you very much. keith miller in perugia for thus morning. 18 minutes after the hour. here is ann. a violent storm in the mediterranean is blamed for a rough ride on a royal caribbean cruiseliner. passengers were tossed out of their beds and the boat left in shambles. lee cowan now with details. >> reporter: she is billed as royal caribbean's finest, but the 962-foot "brilliance of the seas" is a floating mess, after the ship steered head long into stormy seas. >> it was violent. we truly thought it was the end for us. >> reporter: forñr center phiin minutes, the ship pitched back and forth violently. furniture, christmas decorations, anything not bolted down, became a flying weapon. the cruise ship with some 1,600 americans on board left spain for a mediterranean cruise for a stop in alexandria, egypt's largest port. but severe winds and rain was battling seas all season long. >> i think he really put us in harm's way. >> carnival's cruise ship had a fire knock out power last month, "the brilliance of the seas" has full power. but they say reports of the ship almost tipping over or coming even close to that should be greatly exaggerated. >> the boat was completely si sideways, and everybody thought they were going to die. >> it may not have been as bad as the ship in antarctica, but the damage was enough to shake passengers up, and they are at least a day away from dry land. lee cowan, nbc news. and coming up, what is elizabeth smart planning to do now? we'll have details from her .erth still coming up, prince william and kate middleton release their engagement paragraphs. good monday morning and time is 7:26. here's a look at morning commute. here's a look at the east bay. >> southbound direction, an accident gist after the show ended at the 7:00 hour. this has been affecting lanes for about a half hour now. as you head towards the bridge, the overturned vehicle causing a distraction. you are jamming up towards the san mateo bridge. you can use mission boulevard with some alternate and southbound 680 through the sunol grade with an accident around highway 84 as well. >> clouding spilling across the bay area and misty skies with drizzle in a few spots with patchy fog. the rain is off on the north coast towards ukiah and into parts of the north bay. highs in the upper 50s and low 60s and rain for tomorrow. brief clearing and more rain as we wrap up the week into the weekend. time right n i7:27. more news after the break. . border brew is brewing with san francisco city leaders who may roll out a $6 daily fee. san mateo is threatening to create a $12 fee. they hope to persuade san francisco leaders to drop the plan. supervisors will vet on whether to launch the study tomorrow. more local news in a half hour. ♪ ñi 7:30 on a monday morning. that is, of course, the internet sensation known as the bed intruder song. is that the most popular viral video of the year? we'll run through the list. matt lauer, alongside with ann curry. while meredith takes the day off. and the countdown to next year's royal wedding. >> as prince william and kate release their official engagement photographs. and a "the new york times" critic calls this balanlerina's weight into question. >> jennifer ringer, young ballerina, just walked into our studio and you say huh? she has a beautiful figure. clearly i don't get this. let's begin with justice for elizabeth smart. brian david mitchell was found guilty of kidnapping the then-14-year-old back in 2002. we'll talk to ed smart in a moment. salt lake city. >> reporter: good morning, matt. elizabeth smart is calling this moment a victory and says she is proof there is life after a painful past. >> i am so thrilled to be here. i am so thrilled with the verdict. >> reporter: it was the verdict that elizabeth smart has waited more than eight years to hear. guilty. >> i'm so thrilled to stand before the people of america today and give hope to other victims who have not spoken out about their crimes -- about what's happened to them. >> reporter: the jury, made up of seven men and five women, deliberated for five hours. he will go to prison and not a mental hospital for abducting smart and holding her nine months when she was just 14 years old. hiding her most of that time in the foothills of utah. >> this is an exceptionally victorious day for us all. as mothers, women, daughters, that we can go forward and these things don't have to have to happen to us. >> there is only one hero in this story and that's elizabeth. i want to commend elizabeth for her bravery. her resilience and her courage. >> reporter: the now 23-year-old took the stand and testified about her terrifying time in captivity. she described a living hell. what it was like to be abducted at knife point, raped almost every day. >> he just made me sick inside. because i have heard many things in the court that i have not heard from her. >> reporter: at issue for the jurors, whether mitchell was mentally stable enough to understand the difference between right and wrong. the prosecution called him a master man