With odor free aspercreme. Powerful medicine relieves pain fast, with no odor. So all you notice is relief. Aspercreme. Possible tornadoes, freezing rain and some folks waking up to blizzard warnings. And the storms, they are just getting geared up. Fiscal mess. Exactly one week until we go off the cliff and new word that no one is reaching across the aisle right now. And remembering a legend. Hollywood says goodbye to the odd couples cigarchomping Oscar Madison. Im dana bash. Alina, Merry Christmas. Merry christmas, everyone. Its tuesday, deebs 25th. Starting point begins right now. And our starting point, those dreaming of a White Christmas may be paying for that this morning. Extreme weather is on the way this Christmas Day. Millions could be in store for a foot of snow or more. It could even be a rare White Christmas down south, along with a threat of tornadoes. Bonnie schneider is tracking the holiday storm and, hey, good morning. Good morning and Merry Christmas. Unusual to see a snow storm set up here in oklahoma and in arkansas, and when youre looking back at the records some of the places highlighted in pink are going to see a White Christmas and a snowfall going through christmas night. That hasnt happened in 80 years. What else is unusual. Blizzard warnings. Pop up in areas across arkansas as well as lower sections of illinois and kentucky, including paducah so this storm will really energize later on tonight, and right now though its a wintry mix of snow and freezing rain through Oklahoma City and dangerous thunderstorms with reports of peasized hail and you can see the lightning strikes popping up across dallas, texas into she haveport and all this energy sliding northeast. A lot of moisture coming up from the gulf thats just enhancing it. What does that mean for today . We dont have a tornado watch yet, but i anticipate well see one for this afternoon, especially for the areas highlighted in the brighter orange color. Good risk for a moderate risk for the risk of tornadoes, hail and possible damaging winds. Some of these winds could get up to 50 Miles Per Hour or greater. If its not enough where we have the lightning and thunder and rain we also have dense fog. Make it any more dangerous to see if there es debris blown apart. This is really tough this morning for those that are traveling. Be very careful with the fog out there and snow building in later today and tonight. A real mess for this christmas. I hope everyone can stay inside as much as possible. Lots for you to watch. You are a very busy girl on this christmas morning. All right, bonnie, thank you. And on this christmas morning, a Community Mourning another senseless shooting tragedy. This time in upstate new york where four Fire Fighters were shot, two fatally, after being lured into a snipers trap on Christmas Eve morning. This is a man who allegedly set fire to a house near rochester, new york. 62yearold william spengler, an excon who spent 17 years in prison for beating his 92yearold grandmother to death with a hammer back in 1980. Police say after torching the home he perched himself on a nearby berm with a firearm and began shooting volunteer Fire Fighters as they entered his socalled kill zone. Listen as Fire Fighters called for help from the scene. Multiple firemen down, multiple firemen shot. I am shot. The fire is on the south side of the road. Hes shooting from the north side with what i believe is an Assault Rifle or hunting rifle. Im struck in the lower back or lower leg so i need ems. Killed in the shooting, officer tomasz kaczowka, a 911 dispatcher who was just 19 years old and lieutenant michael chiapperini, a 43yearold volunteer fire fighter who was also an officer with the webster, new york, police department. You know, these people get up in the middle of the night to put out fires. They dont expect to be shot and killed so its a very difficult situation. The suspect eventually took his own life. The two wounded Fire Fighters have been identified as theodore scordino and Joseph Hofstetter listed in guarded and stable condition recovering from gunshot wounds. No word yet about a possible motive for this horrible shooting. Heres a happy thought to start your christmas morning, dana. Were just one week away for tax hikes for every american, spending cuts that could cripple your familys budget and drag the economy back in recession. President obama not looking too worried about that. He spent Christmas Eve playing a round of golf in honolulu with friends. With the house hopelessly deadlocked any chance of averting the fiscal cliff will start in the senate and theres a bit of news on that front. Our White House CorrespondentBrianna Keilar joins us live from honolulu, hawaii. So a slight bit of news. Do tell. Reporter i hesitate to even say its a slight bit of news because its sort of exactly what we would expect, to be honest. The white house is talking about Senate Democrats about what Senate Majority leader harry reid will have to cobble together when the Senate Reconvenes on the 27th and thats really the lastditch effort. Its seen as the senate trying to do something that can also pass the house, so this is exactly what you would expect. The real problem though is as of this morning, just a week out from when the fiscal cliff is expected to hit. Theres no discussions between Congressional Democrats and Congressional Republicans even on the staff level. This is what democratic and republican sources are telling me, and overall just to remind people, instead of this being heres what we expect. Instead of this being some big bill to try to deal with the longterm Fiscal Health of the country which is what the fiscal cliff was supposed to be an incentive to do, were expecting now that this is just some measure to avert the fiscal cliff which is the tax hikes, the spending cuts, each if they deal with the spending cuts and were waiting to see what the measure will look like. I know what a hardhitting White House Reporter you are. I want to know whether its apple kay, pumpkin pie or peekan pie for the president and first family on Christmas Day. Any news on the menu . Reporter no, i am still waiting to find out. Maybe well find out a little later today. You dont frequently find out until they have just released it, until the white house releases the information so well be standing by to let you know how the president spends his holiday. Nothing on his public schedule, but, you know, he normally visits with troops so were expecting he might do that today here in hawaii. That would be a wonderful way to spend Christmas Day. Brianna keilar live from honolulu, hawaii, thanks. Other stories in the news, all day and all night this christmas people in newtown, connecticut are paying tribute to sandy hocks victims. A kindl is being lit for each children and 6 adults and volunteers are being asked to take halfhour gifts to make sure candles keep burning. One mother said, quote, its all about the kids and the families and Newtown Police officers who have began through so much have received an entire gift. The whole force got the day off thanks to officers from other communities filling in for them. The popes message. Make room for god. He said the faster we could move, the more efficient or timesaying appliances become, the less time we have. He also said were so full of ourselves we dont make room for each other and he called for peace in the middle east and the end to the violence in tieria. Thousands celebrated christmas in the same place this we believe josephus was born. Hollywood is mourning the death of jack klugman this morning the versatile actor was loved by millions of tv viewers. Younger fans probably remember him as a crimefighting coroner in the hit tv show quincy. Hell probably be best remembered for his role as the sloppy Sports WriterOscar Madison in the tv sitcom the odd couple. Klugmans son said the actor died with his wife by his side on Christmas Eve no. Cause of death has been announced. Klugman was 90 years old. A full report of his life and career is ahead in the next half hour here on starting point and twotime actor charles durning. He died yesterday at his home. He was 89. Ahead on starting point, syrias government not letting up on its assault on its own people, and new concerns about a deadly mystery gas. Were live with the very latest on that. And video you want to see this morning. It could completely change space travel as we know it. Its an impressive development. That next. But first we go to break with a look at the christmas nights glowing in the negotiate in india. What a night, huh . But, um, can the test drive be over now . Head back to the dealership . [ male announcer ] its practically yours. But we still need your signature. Volkswagen sign then drive is back. And its never been easier to get a passat. Thats the power of german engineering. Get 0 down, 0 due at signing, 0 deposit, and 0 first months payment on any new volkswagen. Visit vwdealer. Com today. Time for citi price rewind. Because your daughter really wants that pink castle thing. And you really dont want to pay more than you have to. Only citi price rewind automatically searches for the lowest price. And if it finds one, you get refunded the difference. Just use your citi card and register your purchase online. Have a super sparkly day ok. [ male announcer ] now all you need is a magic carriage. Citi price rewind. Start saving at citi. Com pricerewind. I need you. I feel so alone. But youre not alone. I knew youd come. Like i could stay away. You know i cant do this without you. Youll never have to. Youre always there for me. Shh ill get you a rental car. I could also use an umbrella. Fall in love with progressives claims service. With scottrader streaming quotes, any way you want. Fully customize it for your trading process from thought to trade, on every screen. And all in real time. Which makes it just like having your own trading floor, right at your fingertips. [ rodger ] at scottrade, seven dollar trades are just the start. Try our easytouse scottrader streaming quotes. Its another reason more investors are saying. [ all ] im with scottrade. I just served my motherinlaw your chicken noodle soup but she loved it so much. I told her it was homemade. Everyone tells a little white lie now and then. But now she wants my recipe [ clears his throat ] [ softly ] shes right behind me isnt she . [ male announcer ] progresso. You gotta taste this soup. Welcome back to early start. Two vicious attacks on hungry Syrian People waiting in line for bread. This happened in the span of two days. The latest attack happened and 15 people were killed by an air assault in homs province. And now traffic video that some may find tough to watch. Hundreds of people were found dead in Hama Province. Mohammed jamjoon is following all of these developments. He is in beirut, lebanon. Mohammed. Reporter dana, it was on sunday that the attack in Hama Province happened according to opposition activists. They say there were hundreds of people in line outside a bakery, that it was the first time that a bakery had been open and a town in the last several days that had been liberated by rebelfree syrians. They say the bakery was shelled and hundreds of people were killed as a result. The amateur video posted online since then is extremely graphic. Rebelfree syrian soldiers and civilians digging bodies out of the rubble. The Syrian Government say terrorists entered that town and that they started attacking people and blamed the massacre on terrorists which is a term that they use for opposition fighters in syria, and they say that then residents of the town called for help by the syrian military. Now, this is an attack thats been widely condemned by international powers. The u. S. State department issued a state very much condemning the government of syria for whats going o. Heres some of what they had to say in that statement. Brutal attacks such as these show that this regime has no future in syria. Those that commit atrocities will be held accountable. The United States calls on all parties to assist the exaccuse of the war against the Syrian People. It was just a day later, yesterday, we heard reports of another air raid targeting another bakery in homs province. According to opposition activists dozens of people were standing in this line outside this bakery, including women and children and 15 people were killed in this attack and once again you see a lot of amateur videos posted online showing how the shock and grief initially after that attack really started turning into rage. People addressing the cameras saying why isnt the world helping us. Why arent arab leaders helping us while Bashar Al Assad is massacring their people. Religiony horrific stuff and theres fear that this will keep going on for the next days, weeks and months to come. Something that everybody around the world is worried about when it comes to syria, and theres a possibility that happened. Theres mystery gas that is reportedly coming out of there. Reporter thats right. According to a doctor we spoke with in homs province. Half a dozen people have been killed due to exposh youre to this mystery gas. He treated more than 306 them. 60 people affected by the gas this week. He said those mo w. H. O. Were close to the source suffered symptoms like paralysis and seizures and said they also responded well to atropine which is used to treatment sarin gas patients and he said its unclear at this stage what this substance may have been. Dana. Thanks very much for that update. Ahead on starting point, remembering grouchy oscar. A look back on the impressive career of the odd couples jack klugman. [ male announcer ] everyone deserves the gift of all day pain relief. This season, discover aleve. All day pain relief with just two pills. Top stories this morning. What started as a minor traffic stop in houston ended with a veteran decorated Police Officer dead. Investigators say officer jim are norman just pulled over a suspect of a Traffic Offense when he was shot. Norman apparently didnt even have time to draw his gun. A Business Owner who ran out to see what was going on what is also shot and killed. Other officers shot and wounded the 21yearold suspect. Hes expected to survive and face murder charges. And later today egypt is expected to finally officially announce the results of a vote on its new constitution which was drafted by a muslimdominated assembly. Preliminary unofficial results from the Muslim Brotherhood show 64 approve the charter. An opposition count had a similar count. An Opposition Party soaksman said they already filed several cases in administrative courts to challenge the vote. And its a rocket that hovers like a helicopter. Take a look at this video. It may blow your mind. The companys spacek launching a successful test flight of its grasshopper rocket. There you see it. It launches and hovers in the air, and and it will eventually land virtually. Take a little time and softly instead of breaking up as we normally see with rockets like that. Has the potential to change space flight as we know it and save a whole lot of money in the process. Ready for liftoff. Spacex carried cargo to the International Space station and hopes to take people there soon. And netflix users who wanted to curl up with a couch and a movie on Christmas Eve couldnt do it. They are were out of like. The service out for most of the day, possibly affecting millions across the u. S. And canada. On it twitter page they blamed Amazons Web Service for the problem. We have sad news to tell you about this christmas morning. Actor jack klugman has died. The beloved actor starred in shows like the odd couple and quincy and when is wl it was that gleam in his eye or impish smile, audiences were always drawn to him. For millions of television viewers, jack klugman will always be Sports WriterOscar Madison, cigacigarsmoking writer who played off sit the neat tony randall. The series ran for five years on abc and never ranked higher than 36th in the ratings, but reruns on local stations and or nick at night turned the sitcom into a cult classic, making it far more popular than klugmans other tv series quincy. You are about to enter the most fascinating sphere he was the wiley medical examiner for seven seasons. The show premiered in 1976 as part of nbcs mystery movie. It quickly became a weekly series. When it ended klugman made brief appearances but stayed mainly on his ranch raising horses. He also continued to Smoke Cigarettes and eventually lost a vocal cord to cancer. When it first happened, i was sure i was going to get better and i didnt want to let them know i couldnt talk because then i wouldnt get a job how are you feeling . One of his most mom rabble film roles was opposite jack lemon. He played a counsellor for alcoholics anonymous. Which is the one that gives you the hives . Alcoholism is an illness. Pretty hard to diagnose an illness until you admit you