The governor of wisconsin has declared a state of emergency even before the storm hits. Six states across the midwest are under blizzard warnings. The system stretches all the way from the great lakes to colorado. The Rocky Mountain state already taking a big beating. 156mile stretch of interstate 70 had to be shut down yesterday because of the snow. It reopened late last night. This morning, 36,000 people are without power in the state of iowa. Lots of folks hoping to get a jump on the Holiday Travel rush, but they might have to turn to another plan. Meteorologist alexandria steele has been tracking all of this for us this morning in the Weather Channel center in atlanta. There are blizzard warnings in iowa and Tornado Warnings in mississippi. The top of this comma had the cold section. This is where the blizzard warnings are. Omaha to des moines, des moines to green bay is where well see the strongest winds and also a foot of snow. On the south side of this you can see where the front is. Look at these storms. Some of them have been incredibly powerful. Tornado watch in louisiana, mississippi and alabama. A watch means tornado positions, we could see them. Tornado conditions are possible through noon. Weve already had a Tornado Warning for mobile and we do have reports of minor structural damage there this morning from the last hour. Just want to show you the forecast wind gusts. Look what we could see in the next six hours. Des moines, kansas city, lincoln, 40 to 50mileperhour wind gusts. This access of the strongest winds moves into green bay, madison and chicago tonight. So chicago at about 7 00 is going to see the snow begin. Its going to change over from rain to snow at about 7 00 and then notice with this it may be tight, but look at this pressure gradient. This is where this incredibly strong winds are. This is kind of phase two of the storm. We had strong winds and snow. Now more snow, stronger winds. By thursday night theres the snow tonight in chicago moving eastward. You can see tomorrow morning right along the 95 corridor, thats where well see rain and rain only and it moves out by tomorrow afternoon. Thank you for the update. There are only 12 days to go until we hit the fiscal cliff or go over the cliff. Negotiations seem to be at a stalemate. Optimism that was in the air a little bit earlier this week has now vanished. President obama and the House Speaker john boehner seem to be butting heads and the rancor could be worse today when the speaker puts his plan b up for a vote in the house that would extend the bush era tax cuts on incomes up to a million dollars. The president has promised to veto the bill if it comes to that. Lets turn to Paul Steinhauser in washington, d. C. , this morning. It seems that everybody is digging in their heels at this point. Do you see any hope on the horizon . We have 12 days. Reporter at least publicly both the president and House Speaker john boehner are talking very tough. Behind the scenes were not sure what is happening. Yesterday the president came before cameras and talked about the fiscal cliff after making an announcement on gun control. Two hours layer, the House Speaker went in front of cameras and talked for 56 seconds before quickly taking off. Heres what both men said. Tomorrow the house will pass legislation to make permanent tax relief for nearly every american. 99. 81 of the American People. Then the president will have a decision to make. He can call on the Senate Democrats to pass that bill or he can be responsible for the largest tax increase in american history. At some point they have got to take me out of it and think about their voters. And think about whats best for the country. And if they do that, if theyre not worried about whos winning and whos losing, i think we can get this done. The big question today, soledad, does the speaker have enough support from his party to pass plan b. And if it passes, will that derail bigger talks to try to avert the fiscal cliff. Brand new numbers from a national poll, who should compromise more, which party should compromise more for bipartisan solutions. More americans say the republicans than the democrats. And who would be blamed, who would get the blame if there are no deals struck . More people would blame the republicans in congress than president obama. About one in ten would blame both sides. So what do you think the expectations are . Do you think he has the votes in the house . Reporter he says he has the votes. Well see for sure a little later today. Its not sure if all those tea pa Party Republicans or on board with plan b. John berman has a look at some of the other news this morning. The Ripple Effect of the attack on benghazi consulate hits capitol hill this morning. Two state Department Officials are expected to testify in about an hour. This has caused a staff shakeup at the state department. Theres been one resignation and three people on administrative leave. The review blamed systemic failures and leadership and management deficiencies. U. S. Ambassador to libya, Christopher Stevens and three other americans were killed in that attack. Im joined by elise labott. Whats the latest . Reporter well, the latest is this morning secretary clintons deputies will be testifying, john. Deputy secretary tom nides and william burns. Secretary clinton is still suffering from a concussion. What i think is really interesting this morning is whos going to be chairing the morning session with the Senate Foreign relations committee. Thats the chairman, john kerry, who is tapped to be the next secretary of state. Now, of course theres a lot of questions in this panel report about the leadership at the state department, but theres also a lot of criticism of congress for not supporting resources for the state department security. Lets take a listen to the fine balance that john kerry is trying to walk between trying to be tough on the state department, but also trying to show a little support. The report specifically calls on resources. Theres a need to put about 2. 5 billion a year over a number of years into efforts to strengthen our Security Status in various critical places. Reporter so, john, if its john kerry as we expect, in a couple of weeks he could be back before Congress Asking for money instead of being asked for money, as he goes for hi confirmation hearings. We could also hear from secretary clinton early next year. She said shell testify. We also could hear today a little bit more about whether other officials should be held accountable. We had the top security official, assistant secretary eric boswell and some of his deputies resign. Well see if the congress is calling for more heads to roll. Interesting to see if there is more fallout. Elise, thanks very much. In newtown, connecticut, three more children killed in the massacre will be laid to rest today along with two teachers. Final goodbyes to 6yearolds catherine hubbard, beng win wheeler. A complete report will take months because they want to sit down with each victims family and survivors. Investigators also getting a clearer picture of the days leading up to the newtown massacre. Friends of nancy lanza saying she was in New Hampshire taking a short getaway at a hotel, about a fourhour drive from newtown in the days before the attack. She felt comfortable to leave adam home alone for three days. Her soon shot and killed her the morning after she returned. Six days after the newtown tragedy president obama is declaring gun control a central issue of his second term. Hes promising his team will have sweeping proposals by next month and planned to use all the powers of his office to persuade the opposition. The vast majority of responsible lawabiding gun owners would be some of the first to say we should keep an irresponsible lawbreaking few from buying a weapon of war. Im willing to bet that they dont think that using a gun and using common sense are incompatible ideas. The president s gun control team consists of officials from the Justice Department, homeland security, health and Human Services and the department of education, again led by Vice President joe biden. So its tough to tell from these pictures, but this is a 23vehicle pileup in texas. One man died in this accident, at least ten others were injured. Near zero visibility, which you can see triggered the Chain Reaction crash which included at least one semi. Low visibility also made it tough for the rescue crews to respond. So today chances are you will see a brown truck somewhere. U. P. S. Says today is its peak shipping day. 28 million packages expected to be delivered in the u. S. Thats about 300 per second, and u. P. S. Says thats a record. Tomorrow is the deadline to make sure your gifts arrive by christmas eve. Another year, missed the deadline yet again. Thank you. If you were waiting for not a gift but the day that tim tebow would be a starting nfl quarterback, youre going to have to wait a little bit longer. For now at least. Tebow is not the answer for the struggling jets. Listen to coach rex ryan. Tim can play, you know, quarterback, do our traditional things, but to me i was just i just kind of made a decision that in my gut i feel that the best thing for our Football Team is for greg to be our quarterback now. That greg is the third stringer, greg mcelroy, who will start in place of the struggling mark sanchez. Tebow obviously not very happy. The New York Daily News is reporting he is going to ask to be traded. Not exactly a ringing endorsement or anything from rex ryan. I mean wow. Nothing. Can we just acknowledge the craziness here . Were talking about a Football Team that is 68 and is not going to go to the playoffs this year for the second Consecutive Year but the jets are the story and its because of tim tebow who is this intensely polarizing player who electrified the country as a member of the denver broncos. Do you think hes asking to be traded . I think thats definitely a possibility. I think mark sanchez, who is the other jets quarterback being passed over here, he could also be gone. Theres a lot of turmoil. Why are they not using tebow . There was this gigantic fan fare when he came in and i dont think in terms of playing he was a star, but certainly in terms of what he could bring for the team he was. Why is this not the opportunity . Theyre losing anyway. Of course. Youd think a team like the jets, which has always been into doing crazy things would not use tim tebow. Its very uncharacteristic to go with a guy like greg mcelroy who they probably see as more of a future quarterback than tim tebow. Its highly unlikely youll see tebow in a jets uniform next year i suspect. Theres a Conspiracy Theory where people are saying they wont put him in because theyre concerned hell do well. Which makes no sense to me. I think things dont look good for anybody anyway as it is. There is this theory that were they to put tebow in and he does a great job and wins the last two games of the season, people would say why wasnt he in midseason or from the beginning of the season . I dont know if thats actually true, though. This is a case of be careful what you wish for. The jets brought him in and wanted to create this energy and buzz and, boy, do they have buzz right now. They have tons of buzz and its not the kind of buzz that you want as a Football Team. The thing thats so unusual is that theyre just not even taking the car out for a drive. Theyre not even really trying it. Theyre not giving tebow the chance. Thats the strange part of the whole thing. It could end his career, theoretically . Or maybe he goes and plays somewhere else . I think like any quarterback you want an opportunity. He hasnt gotten one in new york and i think hed like to get one elsewhere. I love tim tebow. It just seems unfair. Either play him but why take him away from being a star and letting him be an opportunity. Im with you, tim, on this one. Jason, nice to have you with us this morning. Appreciate it. Still ahead on starting point House Republicans will vote on plan b today, but are they since the president says hes going to veto it anyway, is all this basically political theater as we get very close to the fiscal cliff deadline. Well talk to the republican senator from wyoming, john barrasso, straight ahead. And in business news, home values, National Home values at levels we havent seen since 2004. How much more is your home worth . Weve got the new numbers. I wont tell you how much its down from the peak but its worth more now than it was last year. Youre watching starting point. announcer when subaru owners look in the mirror, they see more than themselves. So we celebrate our yearend with the share the love event. Get a great deal on a new subaru and 250 dollars goes to your choice of five charities. By the end of this, our fifth year, our total can reach almost 25 million dollars. Its a nice reflection on us all. Now through january 2nd. Its lots of things. All waking up. Connecting to the global phenomenon we call the internet of everything. Its going to be amazing. And exciting. And maybe, most remarkably, not that far away. Were going to wake the world up. And watch, with eyes wide, as it gets to work. Cisco. Tomorrow starts here. Welcome back, everybody. Were still arguing about tim tebow this morning. But were going to turn now to also argue about something else. 12 days until the country reaches the fiscal cliff. That is roughly 280 hours. 280 hours. And then were over the cliff. Today the House Republicans will vote on Speaker Boehners plan b, which would raise taxes tax rates, rather, on people making more than 1 million if the two sides cant come to any agreement. We want to start with senator john barrasso, a republican from the state of wyoming. Its nice to have you back. Thanks for having me. Thank you. The House Republicans will vote on plan b. As we mentioned, 1 million would be the threshold. Lets say hypothetically it does in fact pass the house. Would you support it in the senate . Well, you know, 53 democrats have already voted to support that in the Senate Earlier this year so i think its wrong for the president to say hes going to veto it, soledad. Its an opportunity to make permanent the lower tax rates for 99 of americans. So i think the house, as leader boehner said, will pass it today. It ought to get a vote in the senate, an up or down vote, rather than games being played. Its too close to the end of the year. Americans the at home want to make sure their taxes dont go up. I dont think we ought to raise taxes on anyone during Economic Times like these. The president seems fixated on raising taxes, but 53 democrats are on the record in the senate supporting this proposal. Yeah, but that was like a lifetime ago. Technically if you make a million or more, your tax rate will go up and its been spun as tax cuts, but is that just wording and really its raising taxes . I mean thats what it is. Like your taxes are going to go up . Thats how its going to feel . I view it as over 99 of all americans would make permanent the lower tax rates. I would think that the president should embrace this. I know americans all across the country, certainly in my home state in wyoming, would love to have these lower tax rates made permanent for them. So i think its a responsible way to go. Speaker boehner has shown real leadership here. The president , all he has proposed so far is his old budget, which failed in the senate 970. Not even any democrats have voted for what the president has proposed. How is it not a tax increase, though . To me at the end of the day if youre paying more in taxes, thats a tax increase. Isnt this ultimately republicans are voting for a tax increase, even if its for the 1 . Some people, as you know, have signed the pledge that says that they wont increase taxes and some other things. So how is that not a tax increase . As you know, if nothing is passed, soledad, taxes go up on everyone on january 1st. The socalled bush tax cuts expire at the end of this year. So all americans are looking at their taxes going up on january 1st. And what the house and plan b is doing is saying, no, we want to permanently extend the lower rates for 99 of americans. Otherwise everybodys taxes go up and people will feel those immediately, because withholding is going to go up in their first paycheck in january. So i think the responsible thing to do is what Speaker Boehner has proposed. I think we shouldnt raise taxes on anyone. But if we can make permanent, permanent these lower tax rates for 99 of all americans, i think thats a responsible thing to do and the president ought to embrace it. Theres a poll out this week from cnn and the question is who will be more responsible if the fiscal cliff happens, which is in just about 280 hours we go over the cliff. Weve kind of turned from talking about days to talking about hours, which always scares me. You know who gets the bulk of the blame . The gop in Congress Gets the blame. They are held responsible. President obama gets 37 of the blame, the gop is 48 . For people who think its both, thats 11 . How concerned are you about the backlash from an electorate that is already saying we feel its the gop thats going to get a hefty portion of the blame here . Well, my bigger concern is for the American People. I think if we go over the cliff, i see an Economic Disaster over the cliff in terms of a second recession, unemployment rates going up. But it appears to me that the president and howard dean as well as one of the leading senators, patty murray, has said, no, lets go over the cliff becau