good morning. breakthrough, lawmakers set to pass a temporary payroll tax cut extension as early as this morning after house republicans bowed to intense pressure to end a nearly week-long standoff. could the fight come back to hurt the gop in the presidential race? the search for ayla. investigators put up crime scene tape around the home of a missing 20-month-old girl. are they closer to finding answers in her mysterious disappearance? this morning, her mother speaks out in a live interview. and mad dash, the christmas rush, well under way at malls, airports, and the roads. if you're among the 92 million americans heading home for the holidays, we'll tell you what you'll face, "today," friday, december 23rd, 2011.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television >> welcome to "today" on this friday morning. i'm ann curry, good morning, everybody. >> and good morning, ann. i'm natalie morales in for matt this morning. we've step outside to be right near the gorge russ rockefeller christmas tree as the countdown is in fever pitch, two days to go before christmas, this is as quiet as you're going to see it. >> this is the eve of the eve. all eyes are on the roo and we had pretty big downpours in the northeast overnight. in fact there was actually a storm in parts of georgia. it was a very powerful storm and so the question this morning is, what does mother nature have in store for us today and the rest of the holiday weekend? we're going to get the forecast

coming up straight ahead. and in these economic times i think we all need a holiday feel-good story and we've got one for you, anonymous angels picking up the layaway tabs for families in need all across the country. we'll have much more on that story as well. >> we have important information for parents tied to powdered infant formula that's now been pulled from the shelves of walmart stores nationwide, some questions have been raised, what you should know if you have it at home and we'll have advice on that. we begin with a deal reached on capitol hill, a major breaking story, to avoid a costly payroll tax hike for millions of americans. nbc's capitol hill correspondent kelly o'donnell joining us with details. >> reporter: good morning, ann. this say painful defeat for house republican who were really taken over by this, the public's frustration not wanting to see a tax hike come january 1st, the white house gaining advantage

and fellow conservatives who said, cut your losses, make a deal, and when that time came, house speaker john boehner was standing all alone. house speaker john boehner finally has a deal on the payroll tax cut but not a victory. >> we were here fighting for the right things. may not have been the politically the smartest thing in the world but i'm going to tell you what, i think our members waged a good fight. >> reporter: the outcome? working americans won't get a tax hike and the unemployment get to keep benefits for two more months. house republicans were getting pounded by the president and even some in their own party, for refusing to pass a short term extension first before working on a one-year deal. >> enough is enough. >> reporter: the president kept the pressure on all week, finally declaring victory thursday night, tweeting "thanks to all who shared $40 stories. today's victory is yours. keep making your voices heard. it makes all the difference." turning to campaign 2012, a

former president, george h.w. bush, waded back into politics to call mitt romney the best choice. >> this is much more important to me personally than even politically. he's a real hero to me and to my family and i appreciate his support. >> reporter: letting voters see more of his personal side from filling up the tank. >> $3.85 a gallon. >> reporter: and shopping with wife, ann, in new hampshire. one of romney's most valuable allies, new jersey governor chris christie curiously did not say no when asked about a pop vp spot. >> he hasn't said that to me but i don't think he wants to talk to somebody about vice president when he's not the nominee. >> reporter: newt gingrich focused on more pressing business, to make sure he's on the ballot in virginia. >> when you get to the choice massachusetts moderate or southern conservative in the

south, i think we have a pretty good chance. >> reporter: he's dampening expectations saying he'd like to come in third and the caucuses there after so many negative attacks. >> kelly, how damaging has this payroll tax controversy been to speaker boehner's leadership? >> reporter: well those questions are being asked by angry house members who still think they shouldn't have caved on this for a deal. john boehner has been caught between trying to make a deal early, trying to bridge those divides between dealing with the white house and conservatives. this has been a very tough week for him in his speakership and there are questions about whether he should even continue in that job. it's been a real challenge to his leadership. >> nbc's kelly o'donnell, kelly, thank you so much. now here's natalie. >> ann, thank you. the great holiday escape is under way this morning. if you're hitting the roads and airports you better believe you'll have plenty of company.

an estimated 92 million of you are going to be traveling in the coming days and nbc's tom costello is along i-270 in north potomac, maryland. tom, how is it looking there? >> reporter: natalie, good morning to you. all of the people in the roads behind me and above me are paying more this year for airline tickets, for food, you name it. aaa estimates 30% of the population will be traveling 50 miles or more over the holiday stretch. that could be cross-state, could be cross-country. yet again, you're in good company if you plan to be on the move over the holiday stretch. of the 92 million people traveling 50 miles per more, nearly 84 million of us are driving and only about 5.5 million leisure travelers are flying. that's a big drop of nearly 10% from last year. you can blame all the extra flying fees and a rough economy, but none of that matters to the grandspoon family headed to florida. >> you know the decision to go

is based on the fact that we have family there, so we have a free place to stay. >> reporter: or the curry family headed to north dakota. >> we just try to make it work and family is important to us so we wanted to make sure we got home for christmas. >> reporter: so how much are we paying compared to last year? the lowest round trip air fare this year is $210. that's up from about $175 from a year ago and you still have to pay for your bags. rental cars are actually about $10 cheaper this year, $40 a day on average. the lowest in five years. gasoline, though, is averaging $3.23 for regular. last years can 3.02. $126 will get you a room at a three-star hotel, about the same from a year ago and movie tickets haven't changed much, $10.60 on average. groceries are up 4% to 5% on average, making eatinging for th holidays is more expensive.

>> the typical family is living in an environment where their wages have not gone up in the past few years and yet inflation has really been ticking away. >> reporter: especially for food and gas. finally, if you do plan to drive over the holidays, the folks at the aaa hope you don't mind a friendly year-end reminder in the name of safety. >> stay away from driving while distracted. it's very important that you focus on the task at hand, which is driving. >> reporter: and, says the aaa, keep the keys way from friends or family members who may have had too much to drink this time of year. a good piece of advice there. here's an interesting factoid. the folks at gasbuddy.com tell us every year from christmas until the gas peak, in other words, how high will gas prices go in the new year, gas prices rose 93 cents on average between christmas and the end of next year. hang on to your gas caps.

natalie and ann back to you. >> thank you, tom. now we've got maria larosa in for al this morning. good morning to you. >> good morning, lald ease. i have good news. a lot of the roughest weather we saw yesterday but really, really rough weather. look at what parts of georgia looked like last night as severe storms tore through those areas. winds gusting over 60, 70 miles per hour. nearly 50 reports of severe weather across the south yesterday including one confirmed tornado in alabama, a preliminary tornado report out of homa, louisiana. the storms have moved across the southeast. the storms plowed through the south packing winds 60, 70 miles per hour have dissipated. now you're looking at snow and rain in parts of the northeast, that's the power of the storm at this point. new york up into boston you're kind of seeing a lot of rain activity wind down so that is fantastic news if you're going to be traveling today across parts of the northeast and into the weekend, as high pressure

settles in, you're looking at lake-effect snow showers in the northeast. soggy across the southeast and still looking at snowy roadways across parts of the west. ann, back to you. >> i'll take it, maria, thank you and we'll get to the rest of maria's forecast in a moment. first they say better late than never. turns out a lot of you are late, a lot of you are in fact traveling to the malls today to wrap up their last-minute christmas shopping and nbc's craig melvin is at a mall in herald square, new york. craig, what's the scene there? >> reporter: natalie, good morning to you. we've seen a few folks go into the store behind me. we expect to see a lot more later because today widely expected to be the busiest shopping day of the year, this macy's and herald square has been open 24/7 for a few days, won't close until late tomorrow evening. retailers in this down economy doing all they can to lure shoppers, even the ones that waited until the very end. >> hi, how are you?

>> reporter: ian pearson may be desperate but he's not in den l denial. >> no excuses. i have no good reason as to why i waited until the last minute. >> reporter: he has lots of company, 77% say they have not finished shopping, at the 11th hour, three things lead to these long lines, adrenalin. >> i feel more in the spirit when i do last-minute shopping. >> here you go. >> reporter: schedule. >> i work 30 hours a week and i go to college full time. >> reporter: and strategy. >> yesterday everything was 40% off. >> reporter: no matter the reason, for many the longer they wait, the more they spend. according to a new "consumer reports" survey, 40% say they'll shell out more than planned when forced to shop last-minute. >> they're so desperate to get their shopping done that they're willing to bust their budget to get what they have to do and get out. >> reporter: this year, even those who started early could be frustrated and angry. thursday best buy announced somebody who ordered online won't get their gifts in time for christmas. the electronics store ran out of

the year's popular products. >> we always do our best to forecast and figure out how many of a particular product, what the demand is going to be like but there's always things that surprise yous. >> reporter: what is surprising many is the uptick in sales. the national retail federation expects november and december sales to rise 3.8% to a record $469 billion. that would be welcome news for retailers. many are as hopeful as a last-minute customer realizing there's a price for procrastination. >> i'm trying to trade something in right now and they're pretty much out of everything. >> reporter: but some of the late still get lucky. >> this little like driving thing i'm not actually really sure what it is. >> 320 gig. >> this is the wii fit i'm getting for my mother and she's kind of an almost there worko workoutahol workoutaholic. >> reporter: what do you do next year? >> start on the 21st instead of the 22nd. >> reporter: if you still have some last-minute shopping to do

and you do not want to brave the crushing crowds that we're probably going to be seeing today, retail experts say you have another option. you can find great deals at supermarkets and drugstores. natalie? >> or i can always send craig melvin to finish the last-minute shopping that i should be doing. craig, thanks so much. >> reporter: i can grab something for you. >> thank you, craig, i appreciate it. let's get a check of the morning's other top stories. for that, tamron hall is at the news desk, in for me. good morning. >> good morning. the same rough weather affecting holiday travel is disrupting fires in other ways. high winds flamed this fire in st. elmo's square in los angeles. it took half of the city's on duty firefighters several hours to bring the fire under control. santa ana winds toppled trees and jack-knifed and overturned trucks. no reports of serious injuries.

officials in minnesota are warning it's still too early for ice fishing. thursday rescuers safely plucked more than 20 anglers from a sheet of ice that broke away from the edge of the lake the night before. the ice floe drifted a half mile into open water. former presidential candidate john edwards is asking for another delay in his criminal trial citing an undisclosed medical condition. he's accused of using funds to hide his mistress and her pregnancy in his presidential campaign. mandy drury is at the new york stock exchange. what do we have today? >> the question is whether we can extend the mini santa claus rally. as of yesterday the s&p 500 index was on the cusp of turning positive for the year. i should also say that that payroll tax cut agreement will

lessen uncertainty on wall street and the market really hates uncertainty, so that is a positive as well. happy whole days to you. >> thank you, same to you, mandy. here's a holiday tradition certainly not for the feint of heart. young men get into the spirit sharing a fru drinks and becoming bull fighters for a day. this year's festival left a half dozen amateur mat adores with scrapes, bruises and wounded pride. hopefully they won't do it again. it's 7:15, back to ann and maria. obviously there are people in this town who believe that is nod a good idea. >> last shot, he was smashed before getting into a wall. >> it is an all girls day. >> that's right, we'll get back to not a lot of testosterone but the other part in this room. good morning to you. >> good morning, ladies, good morning, everyone. we are looking at kind of a mess right now.

don't be scared if you're traveling because from new york to atlanta, things will be improving. we have interior northeast snow, that, too, will be wrapping up towards the end of the day. still looking at snow in parts of the southwest and that will be kind of it today. we've got a lot of sunshine through the mid section. still looking at gusty winds across southern california, maybe a few showers in >> good morning. happy friday. the rain has ended. clouds are still in place. we will reach a high of 52 at best. >> that's a look at the weather. ann back to you. >> maria, thank you. >> health officials are waiting

for results on powdered infant formula, pulled from nearly 3,000 walmart stores nationwide. nick boeggert is in chicago. >> reporter: avery cornet was born healthy but after a week of bacteria began an assault on his system, leading to meningitis which claimed his life days later. recalling the few precious days with his son. >> he was good. he didn't cry about. >> reporter: avery corn net's parents' hope turned to horror when their infant became violently ill. avery was rushed to the hospital but died within days. doctors determined he was incorrected with cronobactersakazaki. one source, they fed the infant formula from walmart.

all cans were removed from that lot out of an abundance of caution. while health officials are still investigating the safety of this product. pediatric infectious disease specialist alison bartlett say normally 3% of baby formula contain some form of the bacteria. >> it's important to check the specific lot of formula to make sure the rate of the bacteria isn't out of the normal and extremely high. >> enfamil's manufacturer, mea johnson said cronobacter is commonly present in the environment, adding the batch of our product used by the child's family tested negative for it when it was produced and package aed. >> when you're doing preparation, using sterile bottles, washing everything

well, having a clean working service. >> reporter: water hotter than 160 degrees will also kill the bacteria. federal labs are testing the family and water used to prepare avery's bottles. avery's grief-stricken parents can only mourn their son's short life. we should stress cronobacte cronobacter ssakizaki infections are very rare, only two worldwide in the last year. there there's an infant in illinois recovering. they are recommending you discard cans with the lot zp1k7g. >> nick bogert thank you for bringing the story to us. here's natalie. ann, thank you, good news as christmas approaches, so-called layaway angels are going around paying off accounts for total

strangers. kmart alone says anonymous benefactors have been doing it to the tune of $450,000 and the same thing is happening at other retailers. here's nbc's george lewis. >> reporter: in costa mesa, california, hospitalworker monica diaz was overcome with emotion. >> thank you so much. >> thank you. >> reporter: she found out a total stranger had paid off her $85 layaway bill, a simple act of kindness that made a world of difference. >> it does feel like an angel, i told my daughter it was an angel that paid off her gifts. >> reporter: now she'll be able to afford a ham for the family's christmas dinner. the employees at the kmart dinner say there's no shortage of layaway angels paying off customers' accounts. >> at least a good 30, 40 people at least. >> reporter: one man, david wilson, who owns 16 auto dealerships said he wanted to pay off every layaway account of $100 or less. >> so i had to do some figuring

and come to be $15,919.61. >> reporter: then the store employee started calling the 260 customers who benefited from this. >> the raw emotion, the tears just flow. they're excited. they're happy. it's like happy tears. >> reporter: the trend started in michigan when an anonymous woman paid off some layaway accounts at a kmart there. >> i thank her. it's the best gift that i ever received and it's the gift of believing in people, you know, and believing that there's good out there, because you don't always see that. >> reporter: back in costa mesa, krista sepulveda, a stay-at-home com couldn't believe the $150 balance was paid down to just one penny. >> it's happy. it's been a hard six months and it's just so nice to know that people out there care. >> reporter: those layaway angels. >> thank you.

>> reporter: whose generosity embodies the real meaning of christmas. for "today," george lewis, nbc news, los angeles. >> great, great story. still ahead a man looking for his own anonymous angels after a serious fall at work left him desperate to afford his skyrocketing medical bills. his story, but

get the technology they love, on the network they deserve.

and video chat with up to 9 of your friends with the galaxy nexus by samsung, or get the samsung stratosphere, and for a limited time, get twice the data for the same low price. verizon. just ahead, new developments in the search for a missing toddler who vanished from her own bed. >> we'll talk to her mother, after your local news. honey, check your email! [ cellphone chimes ] [ cat yodeling ] kids! [ cat yodeling ] sing, larry, sing! [ cat yodeling ] we should have got a cat. [ male announcer ] get low prices on gifts to stay connected. order your last-minute gifts at walmart-dot-com and get free same-day pickup on select items. save money. live better. walmart.

and get free same-day pickup on select items. [ cat yodeling ] honey, check your email! [ cellphone chimes ] [ cat yodeling ] kids! [ cat yodeling ]

sing, larry, sing! [ cat yodeling ] we should have got a cat. [ male announcer ] get low prices on gifts to stay connected. order your last-minute gifts at walmart-dot-com and get free same-day pickup on select items. save money. live better. walmart. >> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. the jury has upheld the actions by baltimore city school officials in a groundbreaking anti bullying a lawsuit filed by two parents. they wanted the baltimore city public schools held responsible for bullying incidents against their son and daughter. they claim their kids were

bullied and assaulted over a two-year period but that the school did nothing to protect them. the jury ultimately determined that it was not enough documentation to prove the principals were neglectful here is kim dacey and traffic pulse 11. >> things are picking up quite a bit on the roads. crashed northbound on the harrisburg expressway. ramp to the harrisburg expressway from the inner loop, that is blocked completely for that accident. and area to avoid for the time being dried crash, in a little north up there. another crash in owings mills, landscape right. lion's gate drive remains closed for that. another accident northbound 10. that is a couple of things we are looking at. 11 minutes on the outer loop, 10 minutes i-95 north between 32 and the beltway. this is the accident scene.

one of the cars involved in the accident, ramp to northbound harrisburg expressway from the inner loop of the beltway is shut down. greenspring ave, we have things moving find in both directions. report of a crash on the inner loop. ava, over to you. >> obviously, the roads are still slick. the skies are clearing out. 49 in baltimore, 52 at the inner harbor. we are not expecting this to warm to much more into the afternoon. afternoon.

♪ 7:30 now on this friday morning, the 23rd of december, 2011, just two more shopping days left until christmas. we're guessing most of these people must be in pretty good shape if they've got time to join us this morning here in rockefeller plaza, including santa, look he's ready for us. we thank them all for joining us. a little bit drizzly outside but looks like the rain has stopped and we'll be outside but inside warm and toasty, inside studio1a i'm ann curry along with natalie morales who got the memo on wearing the christmas colors. >> i know. >> matt is off.

on thursday police searched the home of ayla reynolds where she was last seen asleep in bed. we'll be talking with her mother just ahead. we'll lighten things up. a lot of families go to the movies christmas day. what is new at the box office you should see and what is in when it comes to entertaining your holiday guests? we'll clue you in and also get to the heart of christmas because they can't hear us but we have a very special surprise for some people in texas who have lost everything in a devastating wildfire. we'll have a live reveal coming up this morning and it's heartwarming to see this all the time. >> looking very much forward to that. but we begin this half hour in maine, and that search for 20-month-old ayla reynolds. her mother speaks out in a live interview in a moment but first, nbc's adidi roy has the latest. adidi, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, natalie. over the last 24 hours we've definitely seen an escalation in police activities in front of the home where little ayla was last seen. authorities are still calling

this a missing person's investigation, using sources like cadaver dogs to scour the area. neighbors leave toys on the lawn while police put up crime scene tape, reminders of 20-month-old ayla reynolds who seepingly vanished from this home last friday. investigators set up a command post where ayla lived with her father >> that home was thes last place that ayla was reported to be. we need to go through that as thoroughly as we can. >> reporter: although police continue to call this a missing person's case, state prosecutors have been called in. >> on the off chance she was a victim of crime you get one chance to get the evidence. that's what they're doing right now. >> reporter: investigators have 200 tips from the public. volunteers and local officials are following up on those needs, combing nearby areas while a frantic mother hopes for a happy ending for the holidays. >> i just want her home and hoping for maybe my christmas present, that would be it, that

she's going to come home. >> reporter: krista reynolds says she last saw her daughter a month ago. family services removed ayla from her mother when reynolds was in rehab. ayla went to live with her father, justin dipietro. last week he put her in her pj. a day before reynolds secretly went to the courts and filed for sole custody. >> i trusted him to keep her safe and now she is missing, and i don't know where she is, and i blame him right now, because he did not protect her the way that he was supposed to. >> reporter: police have not named a suspect and say ayla's mother and father are cooperating. for his part, dipietro issued a statement this week saying "i have no idea what happened to ayla or who is responsible." >> everything is open. we're not discounting anything. we're looking at every lead that

comes out. >> reporter: since ayla disappeared two vehicles, including one registered to dipietro have been processed. police indicated other unidentified individuals were at the home the night ayla went missing. thursday police also said dipietro's whereabouts were unknown. >> when we see one of the other parents absent, that raises a question for all of us but that's a question that law enforcement has to ask, and in this case, the biological father needs to answer. >> reporter: tonight ayla's mother will be holding a candlelight vigil for her daughter in portland, maine, in amdiman's square. last year it's where she and her daughter celebrated the holidays with a christmas tree lighting. >> aditi roy in waterville, maine, thank you. >> the mother, trista reynolds is with us now. i know this is a difficult time for you. thank you for being here. >> good morning. >> what are police telling you

about the investigation right now? >> nothing. >> they are not giving you any clues as to why they're searching more intently the house? >> no clues. not at all. everything i'm hearing i'm hearing from news reporters, broadcastings, yeah. i'm just like everybody else out there right now. i'm not hearing from any detective, any state police, nothing, just what i hear on the news. >> i can understand how scary the situation is for you right now. let's go back to the last contact you had with ayla's father, justin dipietro. he is cooperating with police, as you saw he released that short statement and said he has no idea what happened to ayla, but you checked in with him a week ago, when he was supposed to take ayla to a doctor's appointment to check her broken arm. what happened? >> i had reached out to him on

thursday the 15th to see if he was definitely still coming on friday, and he told me he was definitely not coming and that was the last that i had spoken with justin. >> and then ayla disappeared, as you found out. have you heard from justin since? >> i have not. >> and justin says he put ayla to bed at 8:00 p.m. that night, thursday night into friday, and he checked her bed at 8:00 a.m., time line here is very important, as you know, in a missing person's case. you have told us that justin always apparently checked in on ayla before he would go to bed. do you have any reason to believe that he did, in fact, do that? >> i don't know in this case right now. like yeah he's told me numerous times before he'd go to bed he'd check on her and i'm trying to think why would this one time you not check on her. >> there's a lot of questions.

>> so i'm not sure -- >> i was going to say there's a lot of speculation about the custody situation. ayla was put into by child protective services into custody. justin got custody of ayla in october. >> he did not get custody of ayla. >> temporary custody in october, he did not? >> no, he did not. no, he did not. >> why was she in his care? >> there's nothing stating -- because department of health and human services violated my rights, that is why she ended in justin's care. there was no court order, there was no nothing that had to do with any custody at all. none whatsoever. >> did you file for sole custody, though, the couple of days before she disappeared? >> on thursday, yes, i went to portland courthouse and i filed for parental rights and responsibilities. >> and did you have any reason to believe that justin was not being a caring parent to ayla? >> i don't think he was not a

non-caring parent. i think the way he was going about things was just wrong by lots of ways, and i mean, just you know, after a while of not hearing from her and being able to see her, a mother is going to get suspicious and i started getting very suspicious of what was going on. >> trista reynolds, our heart goes out to you and we pray you get your little girl back. >> thanks, and can i just thank everyone out there for, you know, especially the mothers, mother to mother, who is out searching for my daughter, and who has, you know, been there looking and not given up and given their prayers. >> well we thank you for saying that. thank you, trista. appreciate it. >> thank you. and now let's get a check of the weather from maria larosa, who is in for al. >> announcer: "today's weather" is brought to you by advil. make the switch to advil now. >> once again we're talking about major snow across the west. this is video out of new mexico,

another major winter storm, in some cases half a foot or more. icy spots along i-40 in new mexico closed because it's dangerous to travel. conditions will be improving today. you might remember a few days ago a few blizzards passing through the area. it will be rain in texas for your christmas eve, cold across the northeast and windy across southern california, but all should be quiet for christmas day for the most part, again the rain continuing across >> good morning. happy friday. the rain has ended. clouds are still in place. we will reach a high of 52 at best.

and it is sunday night, you know what that means, coming up, football night in america. we've got a big matchup, the bears against the green bay packers. green bay 13-1. will they make it 14-1? partly cloudy and cold at historic lambeau field, not too bad as temperatures will be into the mid-20s to near 30 degrees. kind of warm by green bay standards. natalie? >> maria, thank you. coming up next, using the internet and the kindness of strangers to make a big difference. one family's touching story, right after this. great fall. ugh, it's my sinus congestion, and it's all your fault. naturally blame the mucus. he's funny. instead of blaming me, try this, advil congestion relief. often the real problem is swelling, not mucus. advil congestion relief reduces swelling due to nasal inflammation. so i can breathe. happily ever after. another story? from him! [ mucus ] advil congestion relief.

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back now at 7:had 3, the season of giving and one family is counting on the kindens of strangers and the internet in a big day. "today" national correspondent amy robach has their story. >> good morning to you. online fund-raising sites popped up years ago offering artists and entrepreneurs a chance to raise money through individual contributions. over time people have come to use them for a whole range of causes. missoula, montana, artist, amy dodi paints to help put things in order. her latest piece a portrait of her brother, mark.

part of her creative campaign to help him raise money. >> we're at the eye of the beholder. they're doing a benefit art show of my art. i've been doing butterfly pictures so this is a chalk hill blue, these are watercolors. these are some of my christmas ornaments, the clothed ones with the ribbons. >> i'm a wildlife firefighter. i've fought fires in new mexico, arizona, montana. are a fall on the job, mark dodi thought he had a backicry. >> his friend had to drive him home, because he was in so much pain, doubled over screaming. >> the pain that i was feeling was actually the tumor in my spinal column, pushing up against my spinal cord. >> reporter: diagnosed with hodgkins lymphoma, mark faces a long path to recovery with a rising stack of hospital bills. >> i think i made $20,000 last year fighting fires and this is going to cost way more than that. >> reporter: now laid off,

mark's paying for treatment on his own. >> first it was the full body skin to see where the cancer is and those are $8,000 each. >> reporter: a close knit family, the dodies are doing what they can to help mark. he's moved in with his parents and in addition to her art contributions, amy went online. >> we don't have all of the money to pay these bills and so we're just going to do what we have to do, which is ask strangers for help. >> reporter: she put mark's cause up on indiegogo, that helps individual causes find funds. it ranges from the artistic to the intensely personal. >> it's amazing the people that you can contact and just people sharing links will spread the word to different countries all over the world. >> reporter: with at least $80,000 to raise, marc and amy are fishing for funds beyond missoula. site updates are a powerful lure. >> yes, i check it all the time. i know that marc just doesn't

have the energy to do fund-raising, plus it's a hopeful thing, you know. >> reporter: as one example of the millions of currently uninsured americans, marc doty is hoping it will be made easier through the internet. >> me and marc were closest when we were kids. he would go up to strangers and say "i love you." he would tell my mom 20 times a day "i love you." so he was just a really sweet, loving little boy. >> reporter: the little boy who loved everybody is now a man counting on the kindness of stranger, in the chilly environment of these tough economic times, marc doty and his sister are casting their hopes for warmer days. >> i hope to start work in the spring or in the summer next year, with my fire crew, and get right back at it, is my goal. >> and amy and marc are having pretty good success with their site. so far they've raised just over

$2,500, and with the kind of bills they're looking at, every little bit counts, ann. >> so wonderful. what a great story, amy robach, thank you. >> thank you. coming up next, just how does he do it? we're going to visit with santa and his christmas wonderland, but first, these messages. - 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.

[ growling ] captain, one step at a time.keep going! come on, snowy. look! did you ever see a more beautiful sight? captain! it's just a mirage. - snowy? what is it, boy? - [ barks ] what do you see? [ yipping ] [ woman announcing ] just like snowy, your dog's one of a kind. overactive imagination and all. [ barking ] long live your buddy. long live your dog. [ tintin ] snowy! purina dog chow. see the adventures of tintin, only in theaters. when sugar plums appear, temptation's all around. donuts, cakes and pies, they've got a gift for me, i wish that i could take it back,

but there is no receipt. oh jiggle bells, jiggle bells, jiggle all the way. oh how i wish i could resist, jiggling this holiday. oh joy oh natural joy! truvia®, box of bliss, zero calorie sweetness from a leaf, my sugar plum happiness. truvia®. honestly sweet. santa and his helpers are working overtime this morning to get ready for tomorrow night's big ride and nbc's michelle

kosinski managed to catch up with the big guy. >> good morning. we traveled to this magical place called santa park and santa claus village way up in the arctic circle in lapland, finland. we wanted to see how santa was handling crunch time and he shared with us a few things we didn't know about him. the deep arctic forest holds a big secret. a tiny village, tucked away. more far underground, home to a certain someone. >> santa. >> reporter: that's right, and we find mr. klaus himself still taking visitors, young -- >> how can you fly? >> reporter: -- and older. >> it's my very first time. it's wonderful. >> reporter: these three croat a

croatia. >> you're a good boy. >> reporter: now they find santa's world all abust. the elves are teaching visitors a thing or two in elf school. >> in every single window in the world there is at least one elf. >> reporter: in santa's post office they're helping him read and answer letters from all over the world. >> you need two elves to open this one. >> reporter: there's one from nicky in florida. >> this christmas just give me what you think i deserve. >> reporter: more than half a million letters this year. >> i'm so worried about my baby sister. do you have any ideas to cheer her up? >> reporter: and out in the woods, the elves have a secret control room. >> rudolph! >> reporter: this is where they make toys. but here in santa's world, it's okay to peek a little. santa! he even gave us a rare interview. everybody wants to know how do

you have time to go to everybody's house all over the world? how do you do it? >> i have a machine. i can stop the time. >> reporter: so you stop time. >> yes. >> reporter: is all of this legal that you're doing? >> i'm not so sure. but i do. >> reporter: that's amazing. >> yes. >> reporter: did anything surprise you about him? >> he talked a bit funny. >> he had a very long beard. >> merry christmas. >> reporter: santa's icy kingdom, remote lapland, also home to his reindeer, a world of wonder. very cool. >> let's go! >> reporter: where everyone sees through the eyes of a child. >> hey, michelle, you want to hop in? >> okay. this is what santa's magic is made of. let's go, santa! >> let's go! >> that is a first. >> right. santa park and santa village are a year-round operation and they

take is so seriously you can get a master's degree from lapland university in being a santa's helper. >> will we find you under the tree at christmas, you an santa's sleigh, thank you so much. still to come, coming up a lot more to get to after your local news. some stocking stuffers. what am i -- invisible? are you serious? don't get involved. everybody's bumping me! [ crying ] [ female announcer ] just go to walgreens. one simple trip to fill all those stockings. and don't forget the hershey's kisses chocolates. and we're open late to help you finish your list. happy holidays and from all of us at walgreens we wish you well. [ female announcer ] shopping simplified. with walgreens...there's a way.

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>> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. here is kim dacey and traffic pulse 11. >> bad situation on the topside of the beltway. on the inner loop from northbound harrisburg expressway, that ramp remains closed with a jackknifed tractor-trailer. further north in cockeysville, york and warren road, crashed there. lion's gate drive remains closed. in essex, route 702, we have picked up a crashed there 3295 in annapolis road, one there.

we will keep you a live look outside at the harrisburg expressway just north of the beltway. there are emergency vehicles on the scene. nobody is getting by on the ramp northbound harrisburg. live view of the beltway in the same area, the ramp is shut down. you can see very slow traffic on the inner loop from before the j.f.x. to the harrisburg expressway. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> just urging everyone to be careful out there. roads are still wet. there could be puddles you can step on with your car because of all the rain we got last night. b.w.i. with an inch of rain just overnight. skies are clearing out before our latest storm. this is basically a morning high temperature. temperatures will be dropping throughout the day. maybe some flurries towards the western mountains. that is your only chance to see

in the open up snow for this christmas holiday. we are expecting dry conditions into the weekend. 44 for the high temperature up or 40's into christmas day. or 40's into christmas day.

8:00 now on this friday morning, the 23rd of december, 2011, our crowd is up and out early and making the most of their holiday weekend, now in the heart of midtown manhattan. i'm ann curry along with natalie morales, and we're really enjoying all the great people out here this morning, including santa claus, and a lot of fine people getting ready to spend their day, their family days -- days with their family for the holiday weekend. coming up we'll give you the lowdown on what's up, what's in, what's new this holiday season and what's new in the theaters, there are a lot of great movies

coming out and also talking about the if, christmas for the duke and duchess of cambridge. >> and how the first family is celebrating, how the celebrities do their christmases as well. also we have an incredible surprise for people hit hard by a devastating wildfire in texas. volunteers in the fire department, they can't hear us, what they don't know next door we have a huge holiday surprise just waiting for them. we'll have that big reveal coming up. >> always heartwarming. also we've got the jersey boys performing in our studio, but first -- there they are now. we'll get a check of the morning's top stories. we have natalie here so we have tamron hall standing by at the news desk. good morning. >> good morning, ann and natalie. good morning, everyone. after months of partisan wrangling, house republican leaders announced last night they'll accept a two-month extension of the payroll tax cut. a voice vote is going to be taken today.

walmart and health officials are waiting tests on a batch of powdered infant formula. a missouri newborn who consumed it apparently died from a rare infecti infection. the manufacturer says the formula tested negative for bacteria before it was shipped to walmart. a terrified family from texas is grateful to be alive. the husband wife and 5-year-old daughter were going skiing this week when a blizzard buried their vehicle under four feet of snow in new mexico. two days later, with air running out, the husband was able to call his brother, who triggered a successful rescue. the little girl is okay. but her parents have pneumonia. san francisco firefighters say they were fortunate to bring this five-alarm fire under control thursday before the building collapsed, the fire injured three people and left about 60 others homeless. a strong 5.8 magnitude earthquake rattled the new zealand city of christchurch today. one person was hurt and four

rescued. there was no major damage. last february an earthquake killed more than 180 people and destroyed much of downtown christchurch. a new report reveals last august's earthquake caused extensive damage to the washington monument, cracks and chipped stone could make the 127-year-old monument vulnerable to rain. steve jobs is receiving to posthumous awards for his technological innovations in the arts and a statue of jobs has been unveiled in budapest, hungary, where he helped a local software maker become a global leader in its field. a quick roundup of what has you talking online. aisha kan, the 19-year-old kansas student missing and reportedly found safe after a week-long search that included a dedicated facebook page. adam lambert is a top google search, brushing off his arrest

in finland thursday. he blames a fist fight with his boyfriend on jet lag, booze and irrational confusion. he tweeted that "it's a lesson learned." trending on yahoo! the first winner of "the x factor" melanie amaro from sunrise, florida, earned the contest earning a $5 million recording contract, not bad at all for a 19 years old. it is 8:04, back to maria and another check of the weather. >> announcer: "today's weather" can brought to you by kay jewelers. every kiss begins with "q." >> i have the perfect story to share with all of you out of that sponsorship. here we have joel and judy, married 50 years. you have an amazing story a side from being married 50 years. tell us what you brought with you? >> we brought the original sales receipt from the plaza hotel for the first night of our wedding. >> and how much was it for? >> $27 $27.90 and $5.51.

>> for the bottle of champagne. >> that was the second bargain i got. >> any secrets you want to share of 50 years? >> compromise. >> all right, there you heard it. all right, they're living in miami right now but our pick city happens to be in florida as well, jacksonville, looking at record highs yesterday in the area. today 75 with afternoon showers. talking about a brown christmas there but white christmas basically across the rocky, thanks to our big snowstorm, lake-effect snows helping parts of the great lakes and the northeast for a white christmas. today it is rain along the mid-atlantic, clearing out in places like new york and atlanta, lots of sunshine through the central plains. snow continues across the >> good morning.os cooler temperatures today as the storm has moved off shore. 52 for the high in baltimore.

>> that's a check of the weather. natalie back to you. >> thanks so much, maria. a great crowd, giving a little air time. coming up next from the box office to food and drink, what is in and what is new this holiday season, coming up right after this. >> i can do it! - [spoken in spanish] will you marry me? - will you marry me? male announcer: before saying those words, there's one word every man should know. - leo. - leo. - leo. announcer: the leo diamond at kay jewelers, a fire, sparkle, and brilliance so intense, it is the first diamond ever certified to be visibly brighter, one more reason kay is the number one jewelry store in america. - [spoken in chinese] yes. - [spoken in spanish] yes. - yes.

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so i used my citi thank you card to pick up some accessories. a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? we talked about getting a diamond. but with all the thank you points i've been earning... ♪ ...i flew us to the rock i really had in mind. ♪ [ male announcer ] the citi thank you card. earn points you can use for travel on any airline, with no blackout dates.

just a second. just, just one second. ♪ what are you looking at? don't look up there. why are you looking up? ♪ get outta the car. get outta the car. ♪ are you ok? the... get in the car. get in the car! [ male announcer ] the epa estimated 42 mpg highway chevy cruze eco. from spending time together, to spending your lives together, chevy runs deep. ♪ what's new, pussycat, whoa, whoa, whoa ♪ back now at 8:10 with something we're call "what's new, what's up, what's in" everything you need to know to see, eat and drink this holiday weekend. >> that's right we rounded up three experts to clue you in and get us started with what's new, the highly anticipated holiday weekend box office openings. joe levy, contributing editor at

"rolling stone." good morning to you. >> good morning. >> a lot new at the box office. >> "the adventures of tin tin" and a lot of people my age want to see this. >> this is a kids movie but adults will like it. it's a cartoon, same animation as "avatar" same motion capture. if you see it, see it in 3-d, the action consequences are incredible. it's a little long but kids will still love it. >> lots of publicity on "war horse" not a kids movie? >> made from a children's book, also spielberg movie. a horse in world war i. if you can make it out of this movie without crying you're a very, very tough soul but it's not a kids picture. the war consequences are really gritty. >> another movie "mission impossible" open on tuesday. >> that's right. >> you still think it's going to win this box office weekend. >> it's got momentum coming in, it's broke records in its imass opening last weekend. this is directed by brad bird,

he directed "the incredibles" he's done cartoons, it's live action, the humor of an old bond movie, it's a lot of fun. >> "girl with the dragon tattoo" is it worth spending time on a sitter? it's definitely not for the kids. >> it's a swede irthriller. even if you read the book there's a lot of surprises. it's gritty and dark. if you like to be scared and thrilled, this is the holiday movie for you. >> or if you want to see just amazing acting and actually there are a couple of golden globe nominations. >> it's a beautiful movie. >> "we bought a zoo" i don't know onmuch about the movie exct matt damon. >> matt damon and scarlett joe hanson. he's buyinging the zoo and putting it back together and his family. if you like animals and matt damon, try it out. >> and who doesn't. thank you so much this morning, joe levy. we appreciate your time. here's natalie. what's up with some of the

holiday plans, some of the most famous people in the world. alicia quarrels of the associated press, good morning. >> good morning. >> you have inside scoop on the obamas? >> they have parties in the white house weeks up to christmas, i've had friends attended and they said there's lots of christmas trees, a little christmas tree that looks like bo. president obama was supposed to go to hawaii on the 17th. the rest of the family is there. he stayed because of the payroll taxes dealing with that and hopefully they'll get there soon. >> they're leaving d.c. from hawaii. >> yes. >> first family to the royal family, kate and william's first christmas. >> we'll be at sanderingham house, one of the queen's residences, her private residence and this is a big deal. it's kate's first christmas as a royal so they'll be hanging out with the queen and the word is that pippa will join them the next day on boxing day which is a break with tradition. we'll see if she shows up. >> boxing day?

>> yes. >> that must be a big thing there. celebrities tom cruise, katie holmes, what are they up to these holidays? >> they claim to be just like us. tom says he's going to cook for the family, hang out with suri, their daughter and his two children with nicole kidman. prior to that, they were seeing the rockettes. >> where can we find george clooney? ? in mexico with girlfriend stacy kiebler. they have a house there. ladies we have to wait on that one. >> he's already preoccupied. thank you. now here's tamron. >> last but not least bobby flay is what's in in the latest in holiday trends. >> good morning, thank you. >> let's jump in. fried chicken for the holidays >> fried chicken has become a huge trend. it's an american classic. now every cuisine that has flavor and spice, things like southwestern, this is what we do at mason grill, 16-spice

chicken. >> can you name all 16 spices? >> you want me to try? i can try. okay, there's thai fried chicken, indian spiced fried chicken and it makes perfect sense >> nice. >> fried chicken is good and a little flavor goes a long way. >> next up, using food with colors to represent the holidays. red and green. >> this goes really well with natalie and ann's outfits today, both have green and red. >> yes, it does. >> if you wanted to add white ricotta cheese you'd have the italian flag, or making the seven fishes for the night before christmas, it might be a kind of cool way to bring flavor and color and represent what you're doing. >> almost too pretty to eat. >> no, we have to eat it. >> and what will the holiday be without a nice toast of champagne and the hot trend bitters? >> this is a champagne cocktail, sugar in the bottom, cognac and champagne of course and some bitters. >> what are bitters? >> bitters are the trendiest things in terms of cocktails. as you know, every restaurant

and bar has their own cocktail list now so you utilize ingredients like a chef would, a mixologist. i tell people to think of bitters as sort of the vinegar of cocktails. >> okay. >> because they're sweet and you need a little bit of bitter to it. >> a little bit of bitter goes a long way. happy holidays. up next a holiday surprise for a deserving group and they have no idea what's about to happen. and this hot thing's the brand-new nook tablet. ♪ by barnes & noble it's their fastest, lightest tablet with all my favorite books. ♪ jane can write! and the best streaming movies. see? high score. ♪ yeah! yeah! ♪ introducing nook tablet. books, the best in entertainment, facebook, apps, magazines and more. you know, typical alarm clock.

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a complimentary maintenance plan with roadside assistance. others have tried to copy it. but in the end, there's only one...toyotathon. the biggest and best sales event of the year is going on now! are back now at 8:20 with more of our special series, "getting to the heart of christmas." this morning we head to texas where this holiday season is especially difficult for people affected by a devastating wildfire that raged near austin nearly four months ago. nbc's kerry sanders is at the fire department in the heart of the pines, kerry, good morning. >> reporter: well, good morning. the firefighters admit that this fire initially was just too much for them, but the 24 volunteer firefighters did put up a valiant fight. in the end, however, 60% of the homes here were destroyed and among the newly homeless, 14 of the volunteer firefighters

themselves. veteran firefighters say the bastrop blaze was a career fire. >> oh, my god, total devastation. >> reporter: the sort of catastrophe a firefighter may see but once in a lifetime. >> there is he aa big fire and the wind's blowing it toward us. >> it's not contained at all. >> oh, dear god. >> reporter: sparked by a downed power line, bastrop burned out of control for 45 days. two people died, remarkably not more. >> lance's house is gone, nolan's house is gone. >> reporter: 667 homes destroyed. >> ahh. >> reporter: patrick beasley is one of 24 volunteer firefighters who was battling to stop the inferno. >> door was right here. >> reporter: fighting the fire as his own home burned to the ground. >> we lost everything that we owned. we lost our house. we lost our garage, clothing,

everything that was, you could imagine that's in the house, tvs, the beds. if a firefighter can lose his house, anything's possible. >> reporter: that's exactly what happened here. >> that's exactly what happened. >> reporter: his wife, tiffany, escaped with baby michaela in one arm and the family photo album under the other. >> in the matter of probably i would say 30 minutes this house was gone. >> reporter: irreplaceable family heirlooms, reduced to cinders. >> all my grandmother's stuff that she hand made for all of us, all of the hand made quilts that michaela had, you can't put a price on them. >> oh, look, i no he what this is. >> reporter: also with the fire department domenica mcguiness, she and her children escaped the blaze. they, too, lost everything. >> my porcelain set. >> reporter: with donations sorted into boxes in their temporary home, trauma from a disaster like this is always just beneath the surface. why are you crying, honey?

>> i was thinking about all the -- >> we can't understand. take your hands off. >> i'm thinking of something that i really liked. >> reporter: 6-year-old elizabeth lost her barbie doll in the fire. in her world it's like a friend died. >> that was one of my biggest regrets, because it didn't -- that doll didn't mean as much to me. i didn't know it was special to her. you just let them cry, and you let them deal with their emotions. >> reporter: and your tears? >> you get to those eventually. you know, to be honest, there's just been no time. >> reporter: an hour from what was their home, the mcguinness family, four children, two parents, are today crammed into a friend's small cabin. >> attention fire department -- >> reporter: like more than half the volunteers, they now live too far away to respond in an emergency. >> we've lost firefighters for the short term. none of them have quit.

it's just logistically they're not able to live here right now. they are returning, but it's going to be a while before we feel like a department again. >> reporter: so we're going to get to the heart of christmas this morning, get a little cheer here. guys i want to you follow me, okay. let's go through this door here. we've teamed up with walmart, okay, come on through, guys. come on through. [ cheers and applause ] and with walmart, they're going to have an incredible christmas. are you guys looking at this tree over here? take a look at the tree. okay? so with walmart, for the mcguinness family, there's a tremendous amount of things over here, including a gift card for $2,000 for you from walmart. if you look over here and take a look at some of the presents, i know somebody wanted a grace kelly doll, oh, look at this. these are those other tears that

you haven't had, and over here, come on over here, let's bring the beasley family over, as the family takes a look here and over here, look, patrick, i know one of the things you lost in this fire here were some tools, and look at that, there's an ipad. and i think it's really amazing, because as you see their faces and you consider what they're going through here, when you go through a fire, you lose everything. i mean everything. your forks are gone, your sheets are gone, your beds are gone. just take a look at the faces here of the kids who are discovering that so much of what they lost is now at least in this christmas some of it's being returned. >> and kerry, i understand that the mcguinness family actually is getting some barbie dolls in addition to clothes. >> reporter: they are. take a look down here, guys. what is that? is there a barbie doll down there for somebody? somebody lost a barbie doll.

what is that? oh, what is that? >> yeah! that face said it all. we're so happy. >> now that is the spirit of >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. let's get a final check of the morning commute with traffic pulse 11 and kim dacey. >> very busy right now. we still have the ramp closed to northbound harrisburg expressway. that is causing a big backup to stevenson road. we also had a crash at cockeysville. we have one at greenspring with lyons mill and landscape right. another crash coming in to us on the outer loop past 95 on the northeast corner.

another one and north point and kaine road. we have crashes that just cleared trade one at inner loop and hollins ferry road. southbound 95 and 100. this is a look at greenspring ave. delays on the inner loop. delays are coming southbound because of the accident. ava, over to you. >> temperatures are dropping along the eastern shore. 51 in ocean city. they started off near 60 degrees. maybe a high of 52 at best. that is if we get it settled of sunshine to break through the day. other than that, falling temperatures into the night. colder air pushes in. seven-day forecast shows dry conditions into the weekend. good news for travelers on christmas eve. high of only up to 44. 40s on christmas day agreed we will wake up to fair grounds on

christmas morning. >> we will have another update at 8:55.

♪ we wish you a merry christmas ♪ we wish you a merry christmas ♪ we wish you a merry christmas and a happy new year ♪ 8:30 now on this friday morning, the 23rd of december, 2011. we have a tremendous crowd outside getting a jumpstart on their holiday weekend with a visit to our corner of rockefeller plaza. they brought their signs and their joy, getting all of us in

the spirit and we're excited to see all of their happy faces this morning and i'm ann curry outside here in studio 1a, outside studio1a and tamron hall and natalie morales. also coming up we're going to get into the spirit, we're going to get a performance by jersey boys. >> we love them. >> we're excited about that. what else? >> jersey girl moves here going on. as you know all month long we've been enjoying all of our celebrity guest elves helping us out with the toy drive with our donations and you all have been so generous as well, donating but have you ever wondered where those toys are going, once they leave our plaza? i know we've all wondered that. coming up we're going to show you just how much of a difference your generosity has made to kids all across the country. >> very nice. we'll have more on the former first family's life changing trip to africa. we've talked a lot about it. more details on the incredible journey. jenna bush hager is here with

details on that. >> it's an amazing story and she's here to continue our chick-a-thon this morning. all about the women on the "today" show on this eve before the eve. let's get get inside, no, let's find out from the weather from maria larosa in for al this morning. >> good morning, guys. good morning, everyone. we have some folks here from oklahoma, they made it on to tv, but where's mom? >> at the hotel. >> reporte >> she didn't want to get up with you guys? >> no. >> sorry, mom. welcome to new york. a lot of people wondering if they'll have a white christmas. let's look at the forecast right now. we have the same areas where they've had some snow, and it does look like they will get a little bit more across parts of the great lakes for the christmas eve forecast. looking good for travel from the northeast to the southeast, so that's good news there as well. christmas day it is going to be rainy and soggy across the southeast, we've got showers in the pacific northwest as well, but those areas in the rockies, maybe you're headed to some of the ski resorts, sunshine will

>> good morning. happy friday. the rain has ended. clouds are still in place. we will reach a high of 52 at best. >> and you can get your local forecast 24/7 at the weather channel or weather.com. still to come a special performance from the cast of the jersey boys coming up. up next, jenna bush hager takes us along one more time to introduce us to the amazing women she met during the

♪ and we're back at 8:35 with more on the bush family's recent trip to africa. it's a continent where women don't always have a voice. "today" contributing correspondent jenna bush haguer is here with the meaningful changes she's witnessed firsthand. good morning. >> good morning, ann. that's right, as our trip unfolded at every stop we met incredible women and girls who are literally changing the faces of their countries. we visited programs that are making sure that women have access to all they need to live the lives they deserve. ♪ ♪ we are women ♪ we are strong >> reporter: young faces of hope, filled with promise, a sisterhood of girls now empowered to create their own futures. in zambia, girls must contend with abuse, early marriage and hiv/aids but a program called glow is trying to change that. tell me what you like about the

glow program. >> the glow program is good to me because i have learned how to express our views, we have learned how to say no, so to express our rights, yes. >> reporter: so do you feel more empowered? >> yes! >> reporter: do you all feel more empowered? >> yes. >> yes. >> reporter: g.l.o.w. stands for girls leading our world and it comes from lessons about self-esteem. >> let's go. >> no! >> reporter: and skits that teach them to protect themselves. do you feel the program is helping do you that? >> yes. >> reporter: what is your slogan is? >> we're g.l.o.w. girls! >> reporter: just down the road the university teaching hospital is the only cancer hospital in zambia. we meet 14-year-old tushiba facing a bat well ovarian cancer, brave beyond her years. how are you doing, your health? >> i'm fine. i can tell myself that. >> reporter: do you appreciate

things more? >> very much. i see people on the television, people who are suffering and now like i'm suffering, this is my time to suffer and i'm just accepting it. >> reporter: her mom says this hospital is a gift. >> we are lucky this time we have this facilities. we never used to have the facilities to treat cancer in our country previously. now at least we have hope. ♪ >> reporter: there's hope, too, at the chicken bousso women and orphan's project. its name means remembrance. in zambia, widows once facing a life of poverty and isolation from the same of hiv learn to sew and bring in an income. orphans receive a free education. hello! >> hello! >> reporter: are you in school? >> yes. >> reporter: all of you? >> yes. >> reporter: do you like it? >> yes. >> reporter: emily, like so many other women here, lost her husband to aids. shunned by her neighbors and her

family, she's found a new home and a second chance. people treated you badly? >> s. they were laughing at me. >> reporter: why? >> because i'm hiv positive. >> reporter: and now do they laugh at you? >> no. >> reporter: how come? >> i don't know. >> reporter: because you have --? >> i have bousso and my husband, he's back again. >> reporter: your husband. is back again? >> yes. >> reporter: how come? >> i make the bag i sell, i get money, it's like we have man. ♪ >> reporter: a makeshift family of women fighting a long held stigma, singing a song of thanks for the chance to start over. ♪ and then it was on to the last leg of our trip. >> off to ethiopia. >> reporter: what are we going to do there? >> we're going to tour some

health inclinics. >> reporter: last day? >> last day of our trip. >> reporter: we arrive in the ancient capital of ethiopia. first stop, st. paul's hospital on the front lines in the fight against aids. these workers are determined to break the cycle of hiv. the u.s. program pepfar donates funding to their work. >> i love you. >> reporter: i love you. how does it make you feel when you see the way that people greet mom and dad? >> i mean it's unbelievably moving. i'll probably start crying now, but i think it's been so inspiring and moving to see how pepfar has moved and changed people's lives. >> there's no better way to save lives. >> reporter: at the international conference on aids in africa, world leaders meet to rid this continent of an aids death sentence. ♪ and as our journey ends, we celebrate the living, grateful for those who worked tirelessly, so songs like this of joy and

hope ring out across africa. it was an amazing trip and there really is so much hope in africa. these people that work every single day, are changing the face of this continent, and i think especially now during the holidays, it gives us all something to be thankful for. >> exactly right. i also think that as you point out, with these women and this hope, this change is happening to africa, it's a whole new look at africa. it's a revelation for a lot of people in america to see what is happening there. >> definitely. these women, these young girls at the g.l.o.w. project for example, these are girls that would have normally gotten married at 10, 11 years old and now they're 14, 15, and they want to stay in school and go to college and their dreams have just totally changed. amazing. >> as these girls are empowered, these women are empowered, all of africa will change. thank you so much, jenna bush hager, for your information this morning. >> thank you. >> happy holidays. >> you, too.

coming up next your generosity at work. we'll follow some of the gifts you contributed to our annual holiday toy drive, but first this is "today" on nbc.

♪ back at 8:45. throughout the holiday season we asked viewers to donate gifts to our annual toy drive and boy, were you generous in 2011, but where do all those gifts go? here is a look at just one of our very deserving charities. >> jim carrey, collecting toys for our toy drive, anything he can get his hands on. >> reporter: over the years, the celebrity elves. >> matt damon. >> reporter: the corporate sponsors. >> over $1 million retail value. >> $7 million again this year. >> reporter: the generous donors on the plaza. but of the hundreds of charities that receive your donations

every season, here's one you may not have seen. st. joseph's social service center helps the poor and homeless in elizabeth, new jersey. parents line up a day in advance to buy toys received from our toy drive. >> it gives the parents the opportunity to be the givers. >> reporter: the toys collected from our plaza get packed up and shipped here where they are sorted and given a very special holiday discount. nothing costs more than $3, including this hot wheels play set which retails for as much as $48. >> 12 grandkids. >> reporter: this woman paid 28 bucks for her 12 grandkids. >> $14, $15, you can go home looking like santa claus. >> reporter: it has a food

assistance and career counseling program, services for people who need it now more than ever. >> as the economy got worse we saw more people coming. >> we're going through a recession so being a single mother this really helps me out a lot. it really helps me out. >> reporter: the percentage of families living in poverty here is higher than the national average, so st. joseph sets aside free toys to give away, so that nobody can left out. >> families that can't afford it, we give them toys. we don't charge them enough because they don't have the money to get it. >> it is special because it's coming from a parent. and we are very pleased to say our 18th annual toy drive delivered nearly $35 million in gifts to 200 family charities, in all 50 states and u.s. military bases around the world. in all, we helped out roughly 4 million needy kids, amazing, so again a big thanks to all of you who contributed and our elves who worked tirelessly behind the

scenes and antoineette, mike, and kate cook. coming up next, sounds of the season from the cast of jersey boys. first this is "today" on nbc.

♪ >> announcer: the toyota concert

series on "today" brought to you by toyota. >> jersey boys opened on broadway in 2005 and won the tony for best musical and a grammy for best musical show album in 2006. now the cast is out with a special holiday album called "seasons greetings, a jersey boys christmas" and nathan sherric, jar odd spector, andy karl and quinn vandentorp thank you for being here this morning. >> thank you, good morning. >> jared, three years playing frank frankie valle, singing songs when you weren't even born. >> not even close. >> what is the takeaway for you? >> you know, it's a real unique experience. we all have dreams of being on broadway and then you get to go and be on broadway and play a real guy, a rock star, and very truly be able to go on stage and be a rock star every night and it's a unique experience and it's amazing and i think all of us just sort of do our best to

do justice to the guys and their music. >> the songs include "sherry" "big girls don't cry," "walk like a man," ogs oh what a night." do you have a favorite? >> "sherry" is a real good song, you can't beat that one. >> you have the holiday album. a couple of you are on the album. is there going to be a jersey boys vibe on the album? >> definitely a "jersey boys" vibe. bob gaudio was the producer on it. it was special to be with the guy who made the songsz legendary back then. they take the traditional classics and put a four seasons spin on them. >> the four seasons very cool also, four guys, blue collar, coming up from nothing, and before they were 30, they had sold 175 million records worldwide, invented their own sound, and wrote their own songs, and you embody their spirit on broadway, and in your performances, so i'm going to get out of the way and let you guys sing a song.

merry christmas. >> want to joinin us? >> no, i don't think you'd want that. ladies and gentlemen, jersey boys. ♪ santa claus is comin' to town ♪ santa claus is comin' to town ♪ you better watch out, you better not cry ♪ ♪ oh, baby, telling you why ♪ santa claus is coming, santa claus is coming to town ♪ ♪ he's making a list ♪ checking it twice, gonna find who's naughty or nice ♪ ♪ santa claus is coming ♪ to town ♪ he sees you when you're sleeping ♪ he knows when you're awake ♪ ♪ he nows if you've been bad or

good ♪ ♪ so be good for goodness' sake ♪ you better watch out, you better not cry ♪ ♪ ay, baby, telling you why ♪ santa claus is coming ♪ to town ♪ here comes santa claus, here comes santa claus ♪ ♪ right down santa claus lane ♪ vixen and blitzen and all his reindeer a-pullin' on the reins ♪ ♪ bells are ringing, children singing ♪ all is merry and bright ♪ ♪ ahh ♪ hang your stockings and say your prayers ♪ ♪ say your prayers ♪ because santa claus comes tonight ♪ ♪ here comes santa claus, here comes santa claus right down santa claus lane ♪ ♪ he's got some toys if you're rich or poor sew loves you rich

or poor ♪ ♪ he loves you just the same ♪ fill your heart with christmas cheer cause santa claus comes tonight ♪ ♪ cause santa claus comes tonight ♪ ♪ cause santa claus comes tonight ♪ i saw mommy kissing santa claus underneath the mistletoe last night ♪ ♪ he didn't see me creep down the stairs to have a peek ♪ ♪ she thought that i was tucked up in my bedroom fast asleep ♪ ♪ then i saw mommy kissing santa claus ♪ underneath his beard so snowy white ♪ ♪ beard so snowy white ♪ oh, what a laugh it would have

been if daddy had only seen ♪ ♪ mommy kissing santa claus ♪ mommy kissing santa claus ♪ mommy kissing santa claus last night ♪ ♪ last night ♪ santa claus, santa claus, santa claus, santa claus ♪ ♪ santa claus is comin' tonight ♪ [ cheers and applause ] >> you know what, just listening to you made us all so happy. thank you so much this morning. >> thank you. >> they're called "the jersey boys christmas" and seasons greetings you guys. we've hadden incredible year in news and a lot of highlights as well. we'll look back at some of the most memorable images now of 2011.

>> enjoy, everybody. merry christmas.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. police searched for suspects after a man and woman were shot in east baltimore. it happened near patterson park.

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>> we are seeing improving weather conditions. the rain is of short. temperatures are able to warm up much. 52 at best in baltimore city. flurries in the western mountains. mountains. dry