gazers experience a once in a lifetime lunar event. good morning. i'm lynn berry. those stories and more straight ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc. we begin this morning with old man winter. it's only a day into the new season but already winter is off to a rough start across much of the nation, including central colorado where up to eight feet of snow is in the forecast. nbc's chris clackum has more. >> reporter: in the water logged west, it's still raining and the mud still sliding. the pacific coast highway is closed around malibu, mud covers much of the road in both directions after a weekend that saw record-setting rainfall around los angeles. >> in a matter of minutes, we were slopping around in water. that's how fast it hit us. >> reporter: the worst of the storm hasn't hit yet. 5 to 10 inches of rain is expected by wednesday. residents are resorting to any means necessary to keep floodwaters out. >> we're pretty much on our own. it's gotten to the point where almost we can't get in and out anymore. >> reporter: much of the precipitation is freezing when it comes ashore, especially in the northwest, transforming a road into a skating rink in spokane. some forecasters expect the west coast storm to make its way across country by christmas day, bringing many on the east coast their first white christmas since 2002. >> it's that time of year. i mean, christmas, there should be a little snow on the ground for christmas. >> reporter: the first snow of the season fell in cape cod, but not as much as is expected to fall this weekend. chris clackum, nbc news. meanwhile, european travel is still crippled by the weather with thousands of flights being canceled. at london's heathrow airport, travelers have been warned that it might take until after christmas to clear the backlog of flights. and even longer if snow continues to fall there. those thinking the eurostar train out of pairs would be an option, they've been disappointed. it's been swamped with delays and long lines of frustrated customers. it's cold in washington, but the obama administration is turning up the heat on lawmakers in the nation's capital, trying to drum up enough votes to end a long debate over a nuclear arms deal with russia that's been held up in the senate. nbc's tracie potts joins us with those details. tracie, good morning. >> reporter: lynn, good morning. today we're expecting a key test vote in the senate on whether or not they will ratify this s.t.a.r.t. treaty that will reduce nuclear warheads by about 700 for the united states and russia. this vote would end debate and move toward a final decision. the obama administration is putting the pressure on the president, the vice president, secretary of state clinton all lobbying republicans specifically in phone calls trying to get them to ratify this treaty. joint chiefs chair admiral mike mullen sent a letter backing the treaty saying the sooner it's ratified, the better. and now it looks like some republicans will, in fact, do so. republican scott brown of massachusetts has announced that he will vote for ratification now. senator judd gregg also saying that he is leaning toward voting for it. nine republicans are needed in addition to all democrats in the senate to get this passed. the final vote could take place this week. lynn? >> tracie, thanks so much. last night much of a special episode of "the rachel maddow show" was devoted to the military's don't ask, don't tell policy, banning openly gay service members in the military. rachel asked a panel of service members who had been discharged under the ban for their reaction to the landmark vote. >> three is a charm. we had two failed votes in the senate and we got it right on the third attempt. and it's been such a roller coaster of emotions this past year. we've had some highs, we've had? lows. i started to doubt it was going to happen in the lame duck because of the calendar. we were running out of time but we did it. >> how about you, john? >> i'm excited for the tens of thousands of people who are gay in the service that they no longer have to go to work and feel like they're a criminal because they could get fired for just who they are. i mean, i spent nine years and knew the amount of pain that caused, but secondly, i felt very, very proud for those 65 senators that, it's not too often that members of the senate get to vote on something that really changes people's lives, reaffirms a certain -- the very special american right to treat everyone the same. and made me very proud. [ applause ] >> lean forward with rachel maddow this week as she broadcasts live from new york city's 96nd street y focusing on leadership in the in america. don't miss "the rachel maddow show" week nights at 9:00 eastern on msnbc, the place for politics. here's your first look at some of the other news around america today. in massachusetts, police are looking for the person or persons responsible for stealing some 1,500 gifts intended for needy children from a storage facility. police say the thief or thieves took only the more expensive items valued at more than $15,000. amazingly, just a day later, residents have banded together to donate more toys and over $30,000. one indianapolis man proves it's never too late to finish what you started. this 79-year-old graduated college this weekend 55 years after service in the army redistricted his life. determined to earn his diploma, he contacted his old school and found out he already earned enough credits to graduate. we just made it official. and in florida, one soldier returned home with a holiday surprise his girlfriend won't soon forget. the young man professed his love in a crowded airport terminal and then he popped the question. she said yes. he will deploy a few weeks after their december 26th wedding. she says she's ready and happy for her new role as an army wife. well done, my friend. well done. for a look at the national weather, we turn to nbc meteorologist bill karins with the weather channel forecast. good morning, bill. >> on sunday, are we going to get the snowstorm in new england or not? >> that's your job. that's on you, bill. everybody will be calling you up. >> they are. i'm responding to e-mails and calls. >> everyone's freaking out. you know they're trying to get on the road for the holidays and worried they're not going to make it. >> five days away, it's a very, you know, busy -- probably one of the busiest days traveling wise, everyone is going back from their christmas plans and a potential for another east coast storm. we had the potential over this past weekend and that storm was off the coast and that storm is still right here. that's the big one that was off the shore. last week at this time we thought this one would be closer to new england and affecting it even worsep. it didn't happen. the forecast progression and then we'll talk about the potential for the storm on the east coast. currently, the big weather headlines are out west and it's eventually this whole complex mess will move across the country and this is the origins of what could possibly be that storm that heads up the eastern seaboard on saturday and sunday. right now definitely this hose of moisture continues. we're going to have a lot more in the way of mudslide problems today. high elevation snows aren't as much of an issue today as yesterday. we're getting down here to some warmer air. even san diego will get some heavy rain today. our computers are projecting between another two to five inches. this is just incredible. it's going to occur today and continue until tomorrow and then it will finally end by wednesday evening. now i mentioned that big ocean storm. it is throwing back some moisture. cape cod got nailed. they did get the snowstorm up to 10 inches of snow yesterday out on the cape, where boston only got barely a trace, just a little bit of snow. today we have more snow showers that are all the way from boston now we got some in the berk shires and connecticut, snow too. be careful driving. you may get caught in a squall and the roads covered. we've had snow overnight in chicago and milwaukee and ended and now near green bay and north of grand rapids. so overall, the forecast, a lot of the big cities travel wise today, no problems from new york southward down to florida. atlanta looks good and the carolinas. middle of the country, not bad. little chilly in minneapolis after that snow yesterday. by the time we get towards tomorrow, we're going to continue to watch rather tranquil weather. not until we get to thursday that our storm moving to the middle of the country, christmas eve, a wintry mess and snowy weather kansas city, st. louis, possibly chicago. christmas day looks like the mid-atlantic could be dealing with the storm and then the question mark does it go offshore or up into new england. that's why we could have our travel nightmare right after christmas. >> big mess. all right. bill, thank you so much. keeping the net neutral, adoebby's stellar numbers and a look at the official royal wedding china. your first look at this morning's business headlines is straight ahead. a buzzer beater in indiana. sid the kid turns 21. brett favre makes his return. did it last? you're watching "first look" on msnbc. >> man: diving to 4,000 meters. >> boy: go down, down, down. down. straight. go straight. no, to the right. to the right. >> go to the right, go to the right. >> whoa! >> whoa! >> what is that? >> man: well, that's a, uh... i don't know. >> whoa. >> can we call him blinky? >> woman: expert teaching. deeper learning. together, we are the human network. cisco. welcome back to "first look." i'm lynn berry. here's some of the top stories making news this morning. according to the "new york times," top u.s. military commanders in afghanistan are pushing for more special operations ground raids into pakistan's tribal areas. the military believes special ops could capture militants and reap an intelligence windfall. until now, intelligence operations in pakistan have been mostly carried out by cia drones. the plan would likely need to be approved by president obama. u.s. executions were down 12% this year, the lowest level since capital punishment was reinstated in 1976. that's according to a report by the death penalty information center, which says part of the reason for the decline is not only because of the shortage of the drug used in lethal injections but also because executions are proving too expensive in these economic times. this is disturbing. in taiwan, a car packed with barrels of gasoline drove through the gates of a school, running over students. four children were hurt. amazingly their injuries were not life threatening. as for the driver he was also injured. his motivation is being investigated, but taiwanese media reports he may have been having family problems. and sky gazers around the world got the chance to see the first total lunar eclipse in over three years. it's the first to coincide with the northern hemisphere's mid winter solstice in almost four centuries. if you missed it, don't worry, next year there will be two total lunar eclipses. we have some pictures for you right there. here's your first look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 11,478 after shedding 13 points yesterday. the s&p inched up 3 points. the nasdaq rose 6. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei gained 154 points while in hong kong, the hang seng climbed 354. it's probably safe to say there are few companies as eager to say good-bye to 2010 as toyota. after recalling some 11 million vehicles this year, transportation safety officials say the world's largest automaker has agreed to pay $32.4 million in fines, the maximum penalty for its unprecedented safety related woes. in two separate investigations, federal regulators found toyota mishandled recalls for unintended acceleration and steering problems in several of its models. canada's toronto dominion bank is reportedly near a deal to buy the former lending arm of chrysler for more than $6 billion. the fcc appears to be close to passing the new network neutrality rules designed to keep phone and cable providers for abusing their control over internet access. however, even if the controversial proposal passes a vote in washington today, it could face an uphill battle of appeals in the months to come. american express was the dow's biggest loser on monday, falling 3.5% in the wake of an analyst downgrade, brought on by the fed's proposed cap on credit card merchant fees. boeing was another drag on the dow, despite vowing to ramp up production of its 777 aircraft. amazon, however, enjoyed a 3% boost thanks to a jump in on-line shopping this holiday season. keep an eye on adobe systems. after the bell, they exceeded earnings expectations, reporting its first ever billion dollar quarter. shares shot up in late trade. and finally, just in time for christmas, prince william and kate middleton's official royal wedding china is on sale in england. all the proceeds from the officially approved cup, plate and pillbox will go towards the royal collection trust which maintains the queen's art collection. want to make sure that stays pristine. mer reyam webster's on-line dictionary announced austererity topped its list of the top ten words of the year. but foot traffic at shopping malls this holiday season paint a different picture. nbc's kristen dahlgren has our report. >> reporter: at the nation's malls. >> it's a mad house. >> reporter: it's beginning to look a lot like christmas used it to. with sales that almost resembled the pre-recession days. on the final weekend before christmas, stores across the country were packed. >> tremendous, tremendous volume. the weather has cooperated. the parking lots are jammed. >> reporter: in minnesota the mall of america, broke records. >> biggest crowds ever since we opened which has been 18 years. >> reporter: and shoppers everywhere seem willing to open their wallets for the right price. >> buy one, get one free. and 40% off. >> retailers have done a good job this year of managing their merchandising levels and putting the prices where they need to be to keep people excited about shopping. >> reporter: the national retail federation has already raised its estimates, predicting sales up 3.3% over last year. >> what we're seeing now is really the top shopping days of the year, really are occurring right now. >> reporter: so far, clothing sales are up 9.8% from last year. jewelry, 2.6%. while books, music, hobby and sporting goods, spiked 2.3%. >> also the busiest day of the year at the u.s. post office. an estimated 800 million pieces of mail as a lot of the weekend purchases head out to homes across the country. >> reporter: with less than a week to go the holiday rush now in full swing. all the shipping and shopping, good signs that american spending may be making a comeback. kristen dahlgren, nbc news, washington. that's some good news. >> to sports where minnesota witnessed its first outdoor pro football game in 29 years last night and probably wished they hadn't. here's mario solis. hello and good morning. brett favre again surprised everyone and made the start against the bears as quickly as he returned his night over after another big hit. to minnesota where they played outdoors in subzero temperatures, while the roof of the metrodome is being repaired. favre looking good, connecting with percy harvin from 23 yards out, 7-0, vikings. it doesn't last. second quarter, favre sacked hard, driven into the frozen turf, remaining down for a couple minutes. he left the game with an apparent head injury. that was it for favre and the vikings. jay cutler finds devin hester in the end zone, bears up 17-7 at the half. the weather was cold, but hester was just warming up. takes the punt in the third quarter and returns it 64 yards for the score. it's his 14th return for his career. that's a new nfl record. bears wrap up the nfc north. with a 40-14 win. basketball, the last time the heat lost a game was three weeks ago in dallas. and now the mavericks have done it again. dirk nowitski leading the way with 46 points. jason terry hit a pair of three-pointers in the final minutes. dallas snaps the heat's win streak with a 98-96 win. to atlanta gilbert arenas with ten points in his magic debut. but just not enough. fourth quarter, josh smith to a wide open joe johnson. count it, hawks win 91-81. great finish between the pacers and hornets. indy down one, four seconds left, danny granger jumper off the mark but mike dunleavy is there to tip the rebound off the buzzer. pacers win 94-93. hockey, sidney crosby had a goal and two assists to bring his points streak. to 21 games. no one is playing better than sid the kid except maybe his line mate, evgeni malkin. he had five points against the coyotes. penguins win big, 6-1. that's your look at sports. i'm mario solis. the improbable happy ending in shania's love life. plus, does harrison ford have a plan to make sure no one else ever plays the role of indiana jones? your first look at entertainment is straight ahead. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. [ male announcer ] open up a cadillac during our season's best sales event and receive the gift of asphalt. experience the exhilarating cadillac cts with a direct injection v6. it's the one gift you can open up all year long. see your cadillac dealer for this attractive offer. backed by the peace of mind that only comes from cadillac premium care maintenance. the season's best sales event. from cadillac. welcome back to "first look." i'm lynn berry. last night on "late night with jimmy fallon" jimmy took aim at one of his favorite targets. did anyone see this last night on "sarah palin's alaska" palin and her family went whitewater rafting with a guy named mud flap. it was such an odd name, sarah palin was like, are you sure you're not one of my kids? track jacket, get away from mud. gortext, get away from mud flap. sorry. what did you say, mud flap? listen to this, while visiting a school on friday, president obama said he walks his dog bo on the white house lawn, but sometimes he has to scoop up bo's poop. they probably should find someone else to do that. if there's one thing obama is not good at, it's cleaning up a mess that's left for him. finally, singapore has a new campaign to clean up 70% of its public toilets by the year 2013. or in much grosser news singapore has admitted 30% of its public toilets will not be clean for three years. >> tonight jimmy welcomes jack black and steven dorf, "late night with jimmy fallon" week nights at 12:35, 11:35 central time on your local nbc station. time for a look at your entertainment news. if there is another indiana jones film and harrison ford has his way, fans may be in for a big surprise. showbiz spy reports ford told george lucas and steven spielberg that jones should die in the next film but not before passing on his hat to his son. comedian tracy morgan is recovering from a kidney transplant earlier this month. the 42-year-old who was diagnosed with diabetes nearly 15 years ago, is taking time off and will miss at least two "30 rock" episodes. "people" magazine reports vince vaughn and his wife kyla welcomed a baby girl this weekend. if you thought simon cowell already had a healthy ego, brace yourselves. according to england's daily mail, the former "american idol" judge turned "x factor" creator is about to get a knighthood from the queen. finally, you definitely can't make this up. a few years ago shania twain's best friend cheated with shania's husband and it broke up their marriage. now shania has confirmed she's engaged to her now ex-best friend's ex-husband. no, she didn't. know for another look at the weather, here's nbc meteorologist bill karins with the