please don't get too testy. william tapley, it has indeed been a long and winding road. thank you for the memories and you are hereby from now until the end of times first eagle of the ridiculist. >> anderson will be back tomorrow night with number seven on our ridiculist countdown. that does it for this edition of "360." thanks for watching. ridiculous. that does it for "360." "american morning" starts now. the war after the war. a bloody morning in baghdad, explosion after explosion. new fears it could all come apart now that u.s. troops are gone. countdown to the tax hike. the gop walks out on talks to keep your paycheck fatter for a little longer. both sides play hide and seek as time runs out. incendiary. >> because of people like you. >> and ron paul getting defensive about racist

newsletters written in his name from the past. questions coming up again as he rises in the polls on this "american morning." good morning. good to see you. >> you too. >> thursday, december 22nd. i'm ali velshi with christine romans. >> it could all be unraveling this morning. a wave of coordinating and deadly blasts rocking baghdad. four car bombs and nine roadside bombs went off within two hours of each other, killing at least 63 people and wounding close to 200. this a few days after the last u.s. troops left iraq. it's the worst violence to hit that country siz a political crisis erupted between iraq's sunni and shiite factions. ar wadamon is live. what's the latest on the ground

there, ar wa? >> reporter: christine, this is iraqi's worst nightmare coming true. some blasts were so powerful, they shook our building and we're not that close to any of the specific locations. these explosions, happening exactly at rush hour, between 7:00 and 9:00 a.m. one taking place close to a school as children were arriving. another one targeting very busy place in central baghdad. it was right inn't froft integrity commission. part of that building collapsed. other explosions taking place. marketplaces, busy intersections, a very difficult morning for iraqi agents. >> david petraeus made a visit to iraq. was there more to it than that? >> we spoke to the minister of

finance, a member of the vice president's ira-qia block. trying to encourage all sides to go back to the negotiating table. he has reported to have met with the speaker of the parliament and traveling north to meet with the kurds there is no political resolution, we could see more violence. many people are grateful fearful that reconciliation at this statement may be impossible. all sides so polarized at that point, christine. >> every iraqi's worst nightmare after the troop withdrawal coming true. the tax fight in the united states is turninging youi ugly. no resolution in sight, even after president obama spent an afternoon on the phone with

congressional leaders on both sides of both houses. house democrats tried to force a vote on the senate's 2-two extension of the payroll tax cut. republicans gavelled the house closed to prevent them from having a chance. annoying steny hoyer as they walked out the door. >> walking out. you're waging away, just as so many republicans have walked away from middle class taxpayers, the unemployed and very frankly as well from those who will be seeking medical assistance from their doctors, 48 million senior citizens. >> in an apparent show of their willingness to reach a deal, house speaker john boehner held a news conference from the negotiating table, basically saying the senate will have to come to him. >> we're here, we're ready to work. looking for counterparts to sit down with us so we can do what

the president bipartisan leaders in the house and senate all want and that's to extend the payroll tax cut. >> dan lothian live at the white house right now. the president makes the next move with an event later today. what's likely to happen. >> this is an event where the president will again lay out what's at stake here. the white house has been pointing out all week, that if, in fact, this expires, family members who make 50,000 or so a year as a family will see about $40 less in each paycheck and today the president again will be highlighting that and he will be accompanied by people who will be impacted, including some of those who have responded to this call by the white house to say what, in fact, they would do with $40. again this is another attempt to put pressure on house members to go ahead, bring this to a vote. this short-term extension of two months and then they can work later in the year, next year, on

a longer term, a one-year deal. that is what the president will be doing here today. it just is on top of what the president has been working on all week. >> talk about the president's holiday schedule. the rest of the first family is in hawaii where the president normally spends christmas. and there have been discussions about whether he should be there, shouldn't be there optics, what's the president's plan? >> right now, that still remains up in the air. we had expected by now the president would have been in hawaii with the first family. rest of the first family. but white house aides say the situation is still too fluid. it's unclear if the president will make the trip to hawaii. what i can tell you is he is purchasing christmas presents so perhaps that sis a hint that he plans to go out there, give it to the first daughters. yesterday, teke a few moments on a scheduled trip to alexandria, virginia, bought a wii game,

went to a pet shop, bought some toys for the first pet and picked up some pizzas, spent about $300. it appears the president is getting ready for christmas, but plans for travel to hawaii is up in the air. >> did you say he picked up pizzas? >> yes, three large pizzas. >> don't you have somebody to do that for you when you are a president? >> i'm sure he did. when he paid, he obviously pulled out his own credit card. >> sometimes you have to do it to make sure the card still works. >> i suspect we'll be talking a lot the next few days. dan lothian at the white house. at 7:30, dick durbin and john mccain will join us. durbin says boehner has lost control of the house and mccain says this battle is hurting the party and unfair to the american people. alleged hazing and bullying on the battlefield.

eight u.s. soldiers facing serious charges in connection with an apparent suicide of private danny chen. some charges including dereliction of duty, mall treatment and involuntary manslaughter. chen's family said the 19-year-old complained about harassment. racial taunts, physical abuse. he was found dead in a guard tower in afghanistan in october. it is believed he shot himself. army officials say the investigation is ongoing and more charges could be filed. >> any single case of hazing or inappropriate conduct to a fellow soldier, airman, marine, sailor, coast guard member, inappropriate. and not acceptable. zero is the right number. we treat each other with dignity and respect. that's what this uniform requires. and when we don't there, is a justice system in place to deal with it. >> chen's family said they are glad about the charges, but they

want to see convictions. their son was 19 years old. walmart pulls a batch of formula from a baby's death in missouri. enfamil newborn was pulled as a precaution, only those with the lot number zp1k7g. the baby died from a rare bacterial infection. meade-johnson nutrition says it tested negative for the bacteria before it shipped. they released a statement. we are working with the health authorities to support their efforts to identify the source or cause of this infant's infection. nine minutes past the hour. bank of america has agreed to fork over a record $335 million to settle claims that country

wide financial discriminated against minorities at the height of the housing bool. according to the justice department, country wide, acquired by bank of america back in 2008. country wide steered more than 200,000 black and hispanic borrowers into high-interest rate subprime mortgages, even though they qualified for prime loans. coming up in less than 30 minutes, we'll talk to jesse jackson sr. about that settlement. he is concerned about this practice in the mortgage industry for years, even before the bust, he was saying, look, something fishy is going on with some of these mortgage lenders, pushing people that are prime lenders into subprime loans. we'll talk about this case. >> we'll do that in a bit. right now, snow could be a factor for some as we head to christmas weekend. rob marciano is off. reynolds wolf in the extreme weather center. snow could be a factor. is it a bad thing?

it's christmas? >> it could be a bad thing if you are trying to get somewhere, but christmas day? all good stuff. in parts of new hampshire yesterday, we have the video to prove the crazy stuff. people trying to get to the store, trying to get to work. nothing doing on some of roadways. this big heavy ecoline van, sweeping sideways. this time of the year people drive with the ice or the snow, if you had to pick your poison, trust me, always easier to drive in the snow. for today, some of the big travel troubles may be along in parts of the grapevine. traveling through parts of the southwest, california, mountain passes really tough. wind gusts from 45 to 60 miles an hour. downed trees and power lines are a possibility. another possibility, heavy snow we might see. parts of colorado, fwrand junction, toward 70.

where it intersects. 25. this is a pretty good news. we have had heavy winter weather in parts of the desert southwest, tell you what. a lot of places in denver, colorado, a lot of places in colorado itself where they are desperate for snow. this will help matters. good news. we'll see that extend to the parts of the sangre de cristo mountains. keep a sharp eye on parts of the southeast. we might have a possibility of strong storms and tornadoes. may cause widespread backups. more on those backups and flight delays later this morning. back to you in new york, guys. >> we look forward to speaking to you for the rest of the morning as people get ready for christmas travel. a shocking new details in the latest autopsy report for suspected hazing victim robert champion. the florida a & m student, he suffered injuries so brutal it looked like he was the victim of a car accident. and chinese hackers

targeting american businesses and the chamber of commerce. what they are looking for, why it may cost us billions. and ron paul walks out of an interview after being asked about racial newsletters in his name that he may want to keep in the past. it's 13 minutes past the hour. maybe we should head back to the dealership first? vegas! no, this is a test drive. vegas! [ male announcer ] it's practically yours. but we still need your signature. volkswagen sign then drive is back. and it's never been easier to get a jetta. that's the power of german engineering. get zero first month's payment, zero down, zero security deposit and zero due at signing on any new volkswagen. visit vwdealer.com. easy. name some things that aren't on your list. jumper cables, camo anything, a power drill -- ooh! [ male announcer ] the only place to go for every guy on your christmas list with great deals throughout the store. walmart.

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welcome back. florida medical examiners have released a final autopsy report on the death of the florida amu university drum major robert champion. details are more shocking than the first round was. champion beaten so severely his muscles were virtually destroyed. h his body looked like it suffered a car accident, massive seizure, or torture. >> his death has been ruled a homicide, result of hazing. more than a month since the investigation started and still no one arrested or charged. so what's taking so long? cnn george howell live in atlanta, and clearly there must have been a lot of people who

were witnesses to this so why are there no arrests here? >> precisely for that reason. clear to say, a lot of moving parts to this investigation. we know, in fact, there were 30 people on the bus when robert champion was killed. we turned to people who understand large-scale investigations to get an understanding of police investigations to find out who did this. it happened on a tour bus parked outside an orlando hotel. robert champion died after a vicious beating. investigators say it was a homicide that resulted from hazing. >> you look at a bus like this and there are aisles, seats close together. the ceiling. such tight confines in here, and to have to walk from the front to the back of the bus, with people just beating the hell out of you, what must have he gone through? we turned to law enforcement

analyst mike brooks taking us to the minds of investigators trying to piece together what happened to the 26-year-old victim before someone placed call. >> is he breathing? >> we don't know if he is breathing or not. we need help asap. >> how do you determine the level of culpability? >> who were the ones delivering the serious blows? one person that delivered the most blows? other people who might not have been involved at all. >> reporter: band members who spoke to cnn say it may have been the result of a hazing ritual called crossing bus c, where the victim wauklks backwa from the back of the bus to the front being beaten repeatedly. investigators have their work cut out for them. this bus is a crime scene. what happened? where did it happen when he was

being beaten with fists, maybe with musical instruments? those are things law enforcement has to find out what happened. >> reporter: robert champion died of significant blood loss due to significant trauma. the victim of a severe beating. with so many possible witnesses on the bus -- >> i find it hard to believe that much was going on inside the bus, they were beating him so viciously inside that bus, that somebody on the outside didn't hear something, didn't see something. >> reporter: brooks says it's a complicated investigation to determine what happened in the moments leading up to champion's death. >> did anybody try to stop this, say he's had enough, knock it off? did that happen? >> only the people on that bus know. >> reporter: it has been more than a month since robert champion was killed on that bus. the florida department of law enforcement and the orlando sheriff's office are jointly investigating this case at this

point, ali, christine. no arrests have been made. >> george howell in atlanta. the faa, federal aviation administration is releasing new pilot fatigue rules. every pilot must have a ten-hour rest period before reporting for flight duty and a period of eight hours of uninterrupted sleep. this is following a plane crash in buffalo where pilot fatigue was a factor. this takes affects in two years. a time-honored navy tradition, the first kiss after a ship's return. for the first time, a same-sex couple was picked. marissa geta and her partner reunited in virginia. she won the traditional kiss during a raffle. she spent 80 days at sea.

>> the interesting part, you win the kiss in a raffle. i didn't know that. >> who knew? investigators track down missing money from mf global. where it turned up no. i already called it. [ dad ] nobody's playing anything until after we get our homework done. thank you. hello? test drive's not over yet. [ male announcer ] it's practically yours. [ louder ] hello? but we still need your signature. right now during sign then drive, it's never been easier to get the all-new passat, the 2012 motor trend car of the year, for practically just your signature. that's the power of german engineering. visit vwdealer.com. that's the power of german engineering. everyone believes in keeping their promises once a year. but we believe in helping people take steps to keep them every single day. that's why every day we help people across the country get into their first homes. prepare for a comfortable retirement and protect the people and things that matter most.

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welcome back. minding your business. u.s. stock futures higher after a quiet day yesterday. the dow and s & p 500 barely ending the day in positive territory. investors concerned that europe's banks in more trouble than originally thought. two hours from now, a fresh read on jobs. the initial jobless claims report is expected to show 380,000 unemployment claims filed for the first time last week. a good sign for the jobs market. any time that number below 400,000. the housing bust was much worse than we originally thought. the national association of realtors, the trade lobby that represents the market, they say existing home sales were 14.3% worse than it had originally reported. that's because some properties lists by the nar more than once

and in some cases, new home s z sales. housing bust worst than admitted. and $1.2 billion in customer funds are missing after the collapse of mf global. some money could be in the uk. $700 million was transferred to england in the day before the firm's collapse. investigators warn that getting the money back could be a long, drawn-out process. shares of r.i.m., the makers of black bury, closed up 10% after rumors of a takeover. reuter's reported amazon was considering a bid. but cnn money says rumors don't make since given blackberry's poor sales lately. and returning the unwanted gift is the most common post holiday tradition. this year according to the national retail federation, americans will return more than

$46 million of merchandise. and many are returning purchases to take advantage of additional markdowns. "american morning" back after the break. is fast. did you hear sam... ...got promoted to director? so 12 seconds ago. we should get him a present. thanks for the gift basket. you're welcome. you're welcome. did you see hr just sent out new... ...office rules? cause you're currently in violation of 6 of them. oh yeah, baby? ...and 7. did you guys hear that fred is leaving? so 30 seconds ago. [ noisemakers blow ] [ both ] we'll miss you! oh, facecake! there's some leftover cake. [ male announcer ] the new htc vivid. stay a step ahead with at&t 4g lte, with speeds up to 10x faster than 3g. ♪ what ? customers didn't like it. so why do banks do it ? hello ? hello ?! if your bank doesn't let you talk to a real person 24/7, you need an ally. hello ?

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these things are pretty incendiary. >> because of people like you. >> ron paul getting defensive, cutting short an interview with our own gloria boerger. what is the story behind the racistist newsletters written in his name? on this "american morning". >> good morning. welcome back. 29 minutes after the hour. time for top stories. this one just in. the defense department investigation into an air strike that killed 24 pakistani troops in november found u.s. forces acted in self-defense. it's a decision that will likely further complicate relations between washington and

islamabad. that's because pakistan's military repeatedly insisted that the air strike near the afghan border was deliberate. also topping the news, a wave of coordinated and deadly bombings in baghdad. days after the last u.s. troops left. four car bombs and nine roadside bombs went off within two hours of each other, killing 63 people and wounding close to 200. >> nine days until a tax hike. no resolution in sight this morning, even after president obama spent an afternoon on the phone with congressional leaders on both sides in both houses. bank of america, the largest bank in the country, agreed to pay a record $335 million to settle a discrimination lawsuit. >> bank of america bought countrywide. in the suit, charged countrywide financial, based in california, discriminated against minorities, not by not giving them loans, but by steering them toward high-risk, higher

interest rate subprime mortgages from 2004 to 2008. even though they qualified for less risky, lower interest rate prime loans. joining us now is the reverend jesse jackson who has talked about this for years. you spoke to cris teen about it, back in 2006 i think. we spoke about it, you said that they were doing this. now there has been a settlement. what do you think? >> the settlement does not cover the signs krichof the crime or whole community. we need to congratulate lisa madigan for her dedicated work. we need to stop redlining. they intentionally circumvented the law and target and steer by race to rob people of their homes, their money. people who lost their homes could not pay for their kids'

college education. whole cities sank on the weight of foreclosed homes because of bank's behavior. >> you said back in 2005, 2006, you were saying no us when you were watching this happen. in washington, you were saying the best economy we have ever seen. and you were saying, have you gone into some of these neighborhoods? people are losing the american dream? the black middle class is being decimated. many of these families have already been wiped out, knocked down a rung, haven't they? >> they have lost their credit rating, for example. lost their dreams, most of them, black and brown wealth was in home ownership, so people who lost their homes are driven into poverty. cities lost their tax base, which undermined public education, and the banks made so much money. they made money on the original loan, they made money on private mortgage insurance. they made money on the -- on the bailout. they made money on the

foreclosure. they never stopped making money, so the -- yes, they have given -- given how much money they have made, this is the cost of doing business. not really the tariff. we need to refocus on bank reform and on some sense real time to look at the glass-steagall act. we must restructure these banks. >> we hear from people, you hear from them too, is the situation that why we are fortifying banks a lot of people can't get homes. you must have a much higher credit rating to get a home loan. on some levels, we didn't want banks just giving loans and pushing loans on people. where is the middle ground between where we are now, where banks are overly cautious and where we were in this period we are talking about with country wide loans, where they were not only overly cautious, but putting people at risk. where should we be? >> they got bailed out without

links to lending or reinve reinvestment. there must be some plans for community restoration and reconstruction. i'm here in detroit today. 100,000 plus homes abandoned on vacant lots. some government, some deal between hud and banks to restore homes. if you begin to remove boards, put in window panes, rebuild houses, put people back to work. revive a tax base, begin to educate children, the ramifications of the bank store robbery has been devastating and to pay $300 million, fichb the size given the size of it, doesn't deal with the size of it. >> that takes money. if you have seen washington, they can't even agree on how to pay for i postage stamp these days. >> i'm not convinced of that, you know, but the government needs to pay not to restore, or

you pay for deterioration. the reconstruction stops the destruction. >> have yyou have influence in washington. your son is a congressman. congratulations, just celebrated 40 years with the rainbow/push coalition. >> thank you. i have been blessed. i went to jail in july 1960, 51 years ago. and began with reverend king 46 years ago. and you and sister romans, your new book is well worth reading. >> thank you. >> thank you, reverend. we appreciate you getting up early with us. we know you do every morning. founder of the rainbow/push coaliti coalition. he says there are bad things happening in how people are getting loans. >> he was right. and it's taken senchl years. $335 million to settle it. the game of leap frog

continues. this time ron paul leading a new poll in iowa potentially ugly things bubbling up about ron paul's past. >> hammered with questions about racist newsletters written under his name. an article criticizing president regan for signing legislation approving the creation of the federal martin luther king jr. holiday complaining "we can thank him for our annual hate whitey day." he became very bothered about this when i asked him about a couple of days ago. >> as you get closer to president of the united states, folks want to know that you don't really dislike black people and people with aids and things like that. i get what you are saying. >> why don't they -- excuse me. why don't they concentrate on every word i've ever said, every speech i have ever given. every conference i have ever gone to and maybe -- maybe that's where -- maybe my beliefs are more important than, you know, stirring this up.

>> yesterday, gloria brought it up to him, and he bailed on the subject. >> so, you read them, but you didn't do anything about it at the time? >> i never read that stuff. i never read it. i was probably aware of it ten years after it was written and it's been going on 20 years, people have pestered me about this, and cnn does every single time. >> well, it's a legitimate -- wouldn't you say -- you know, is it legitimate? a legitimate question to ask that someone went out in your name? >> when you get the answer that it's legitimate, you take the answers i get. you know what the answer is? i didn't write them, i didn't read them at the time, and i disavow them. that is the answer. >> but you made money off of it? >> if you know i made money on it, you know more about my finances than i do. >> do you know that you didn't? i mean -- >> i don't even know what are you talking about. you know, if -- it was published

for ten years, so if that was 1% of all of the newsletter, i made money off talking about gold stocks, i think you are confused. >> well, it's a -- it's legitimate. it's legitimate. these things are pretty incendiary. >> because of people like you. >> no, no, no, no. come on. some of the stuff was very incendiary and saying in 1993, the israelis were responsible for the bombing of the world trade center, that kind of stuff. so -- >> they were incendiary. >> this is a newsletter. >> it went to 7,000 or 8,000 people with his name on it very clear it was his name. i asked him, he said six or eight people might have been involved. >> somebody else writing these newsletters for him. >> i asked him if he could identify these six or eight people, he declined. these were sold, money made off of them. we get a lot of tweets.

how many times have you interviewed him? >> dozens. >> talked about the federal reserve and the deficit and the gold standard. we talk about stuff with ron paul, everything he wants to talk about. it's a legitimate question. we wouldn't get away with writing something under our name and saying we aren't responsible. >> he says it's ancient history and he doesn't agree with it. >> it's 20 areas olyears old. and he may not have been talking about it for a while. but he's in the lead in iowa according to some polls and closer you get to the presidency, more scrutiny. coming up, chinese hackers top america's top business groups in one of the top cases of digital espionage ever. what the spies are looking for. 39 minutes after the hour. [ older brother ] hey, that's the last crescent.

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welcome back. ith called digital espionage, chinese hackers breached the unline defenses the u.s. camber of commerce last year, accessing information about 3 million members and stealing thousands

of e-mails. one of the boldest infiltrations ever. cyber attacks like this cost the u.s. economy billions every year. we have senior news editor of "popular mechanics." this month's cover story about about hack attacks. did i say it right? let me talk about the most recent attack on the chamber of commerce. what is it that hackers, chinese hackers in particular, are looking for from american companies? >> this is broken, and most victims are not that easy to talk about. >> by the way, our computer systems are not impervious to chinese hackers. >> no one is. in this case, they took a lot of e-mails and information from all of the members and that can be

used from further attacks, even if the information they got from the chamber isn't immediately useful. >> what kind of hacking are we talking about here? i know i get e-mails all the time from the i.t. department that isn't my i.t. department or e-mails through social networks saying click on this, and i don't. these are all hack attacks. is this what is looks like when you talk about corporate espionage. >> a spear fish iing effort, yo get an e-mail where there are key words that you may be lulled into feeling comfortable with you click onto a website and the malware is in the system, and everyone connected to you is now infected. >> who is doing it? and the u.s./china commission report, all kinds of big government reports, talking about state-sponsored hacking, just something that is an issue for corporate security. >> one of the problems that the -- the attackers have what it appears to be from all

accounts and with the white house and other people are saying is state-sponsored coordinated attack to take our intellectual property and spy on us, and the defense is a bunch of private industries in america, so you can't get a -- the same kind of coordinated defense as the attacker. playing field is not really level. >> what do they want from us? they want intellectual property? ideas, patents? other e-mails to continue to infiltrate? what is it that they want? >> they use it in a number of bad interesting ways. sometimes to low bid on international contracts that that has occurred, to get -- to steal the research and development so they don't have to do those costs up front. they can press fast forward on military program, for example. and they won't have to do their research by themselves and they can really get a leap ahead that way. >> and you had the example of a company that was underbid by

like $1,000 or something. >> right. right. >> and later on they find out, wait a minute, they knew. they knew what we were going to bid because they have been reading our stuff. >> they know the numbers, the strategy, and they can excel that way. and it's cheating to win, but at the same time, it's -- you know -- >> the thing that really is frustrating about it, we're told how we can't compete and we have this new global world and globalization, americans have to learn to compete better and we have the higher costs of labor and stuff. and higher costs of regulation and that's outright cheating. that's just cheating. not a fair game. >> american companies are accused of doing similar things. >> everyone is cheating. >> everyone is cheating. >> but they are really good at it. >> thank you so much. senior news editor at "popular mechanics." still to come on "american morning" leaving office in washington is the first step for many to making big bucks. and he captured audiences as

sir lawrence olivier. we'll talk about what's next in his career. we're watching "american morning" with christine romans and me. stay with us. we'll be right back. jason messier redefines a celebrity junky. >> i make celebrity portraits out of their actual crash and garbage. >> he matches the trash with materials that match them. >> i used wesson bottles for the background of florence henderson. i try to reflect the person as best i can with the objects. >> reporter: it can take up to 50 hours to finish a piece. >> i try to map it out. best way to describe it is like a jigsaw puzzle. i'll try a piece, see where it will fit.

>> reporter: choosing subjects is easy. >> my favorite are people that are cartoon type people, like amy sedaris, phyllis diller. i can go more from that. >> reporter: his dream portrait? >> i would say lindsay lohan. she could send me all of her cigarette butts or something. >> reporter: up next, more portraits and possibly a coffee table book. brooke baldwin, cnn, atlanta. [ woman ] my boyfriend and i were going on vacation,

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with no blackout dates. ten minutes until the top of the hour. what you need to know to start your day. dozens dead in baghdad overnight. four car bombs and nine roadside bombs killed at least 63 people. a defense department investigation into an air strike that killed 24 pakistanis has

found u.s. forces acted in self-defense, so the agency also adds there was poor coordination between the two militaries. pakistan has repeatedly insisted that the air strike near the afghan border was deliberate. rar rar nine days until a tax hike, and republicans walking out on an effort by democrats to force a vote. they want it extended for the whole year, not just for two months. syrian rebels asking the u.n. to help "stop acts of genocide" in their country. the arab league is expected to send monitors into syria today. walmart pulling a batch of baby formula off its shelves after a 10-day-old missouri boy died from a rare bacterial infection. the makers of enfamil says it was tested and negative for the bacteria before shipped. and joe arpaio slapped with

a lawsuit from a mexican woman who says officers abused her while she was pregnant. she was kept shackled while she was in labor. arpaio faces federal accusations of discriminating against latinos. a man thought to be a victim of john wayne gacy is found alive. he says he disappeared on his own, running away from the stress of a divorce. that is the news you need to know. "american morning" back right after this.

leave look at atlanta, georgia. good morning, everybody. to you as well. welcome back to "american morning" republican presidential candidate newt gingrich, criticized for lucrative ties to freddie mac. but the former house speaker says he didn't need to lobby for the mortgage giant. he wasn't there to make a bunch of money off of them. he was paid so generously to speak. he made money on the speaking circuit. we wanted to look at the speaking circuit. they are celebrities. pulling in anywhere from a few thousands dollars to tens of thousands of dollars to give a keynote address. nude gingrich says he made $ $35,000 for each speech. former presidents make the most and bill clinton is king. i wanted to show you this. $75 million in speaking fees since leaving office in 2001. in 2008, he made more than half a million for just one speech.

in 2010, making an average of $205,000 per speech. how do we know this? his wife is required to disclose it as secretary of state. ronald reagan started all of this. he made $2 million for two speeches to a japanese country. the center for public integrity says that president george w. bush has earned $15 million for about 140 speeches here and abroad since he left the white house. that comes out to about $107,000 per speech. who pays? big corporations, universities, trade associations and o comes from the very industries the speaker once oversaw. goldman sachs paid former treasury secretary larry summers, $135,000 a speech. according to "wall street journal" analysis of leased forms. in 2005, donald trump earned $3

million for real estate seminars and mtv reality show star, just to spice it up, snooki, made $32,000 for two speeches at rutgers earlier this year. a speech agent once told us, politicians are vilified and as soon as they get out of congress, people are lining up to pay them thousands of dollars to speak. >> i was enjoying the whole report, but -- >> i lost you at snooki. they pay $35 grand for snooki -- >> she is getting paid to show up at places, that's the real money. you don't even have to write a speech. >> all former congress members get that kind of money. newt gingrich is known as a deliverier. he delivers in the speeches. up ahead next hour, the house deadlocked over extending the payroll tax cut. dick durbin and senator john mccain are here. both sides saying they have to get this done.

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new fears it could call come apart now that u.s. troops are gone. u.s. claims self-defense in a deadly air strike in afghanistan. 24 pakistani troops killed. the defense department admitting mistakes were made. walmart pulling a brand of baby formula after a baby's sudden death. caused by a rare bacteria. the latest on that investigation. these things are pretty incendiary. >> because of people like you. come on. >> and ron paul getting defensive again about racist newsletters written in his name in the past. questions coming up again as he rises in the polls on this "american morning." >> good morning, everybody. thursday, december 22nd. welcome to "american morning." good morning, ali. >> good morning. new fears it could all unravel in iraq this morning. a wave of coordinated deadly blasts rocking baghdad

overnight. four car bombs and nine roadside bombs went off within two hours of each other, killing at least 63 people and wounding over 200. the death toll rising overnight. this after the last u.s. troops left iraq. the worst violence to hit the country since a political crisis erupted between iraq sunni and shiite factions. arwa damon live in baghdad. is there something particular about this happening after the u.s. troops have left? >> caller: well, you know, ali, americans were warning there would be some sort of violence that would increase as they were leaving. especially after they were leaving so the insurgency would remind everyone they are present and active. this, coupled with the country's political crisis, ended up creating a nightmare for the iraqi population. worst-case scenario.

they took place in the morning, 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., during rush hour. 16 explosions in total according to the most recent police report. nine of them were car bombs. one of the explosions happening outside of school as children arriving. many people, ali, had been warning the u.s. that perhaps this withdrawal was premature, that the country needed their help. many politicians warning the government would unravel, despite the rosy image that the u.s. administration continued to paint. few people thought it would unravel this fast or have this devastating of an impact. >> thank you very much. also new developments this morning in the dead al tack on the afghan border. according to an investigation by the defense department, u.s. troops acted in self-defense when they attacked and killed 24 pakistani troops. the u.s. does admit mistakes were made. our barbara starr follows this

for us live from the pentagon. >> reporter: good morning, christine. the u.s. claim of self-defense is the least of it. 24 pakistani troops died as a result of the u.s. bombing of that post on november 25th. we expect a briefing here later this morning, but we know some of the results of that investigation. self-defense because they thought they were being fired on by insurgents, but the u.s. taking very strong responsibility for what happened, they are saying that there was inadequate coordination by u.s. and pakistani military officials, operating on this border region, that u.s. officials relied on inadequate and inaccurate mapping data when they asked the pakistanis were there pakistani troops where they wanted to bomb. it all resulted in a terrible misunderstanding about where the pakistani troops were when the u.s. unleashed those bombs and that air strike.

nonetheless, the u.s. has massive responsibility for this, they are the ones that enacted the bombing. the question now, of course, is -- is what happens next? pakistani u.s. relationship remains very troubled over the entire incident. >> it does. what happens now? does the president, does he apologize? personally apologize? or does it end here? >> what you just asked is the key question. in pakistan there, has been quite a bit of discussion that president obama should personally apologize to the pakistani people for all of this. but that has political overtones. here in the united states, where republicans are saying the president apologizes for america, where many people criticized the u.s. relationship with pakistan, one thing that will happen next, u.s. military will look to see whether any u.s. military officials should be held accountable for this incident that went so terribly

wrong. christine. >> barbara starr at the pentagon, thank you. walmart pulls a batch of baby formula after a baby's sudden death in missouri. they recalled enfamil newborn from stores nationwide as a precaution. but only those batches with the lot number zp 1 k 7 g. this after a 10-day-old dies from a rare bacterial infection them are also testing the state of the water that was used to make the formula. meade-johnson says it tested negative for the bacteria before it was shipped. they say, we are highly confident of the safety and quality of our products and the vigorous testing we put them through. time running out with nine days and counting before the payroll tax cut expires. no resolution in sight. take a look at what this could

cost you on a $53,000 per year salary. $83 per month. and over a year, about $1,000. the president crashed the briefing room yesterday, tuesday, and blasted republicans for their handling of the issue. >> one of the house republicans referred to what they are doing as "high stakes poker." he's right about the stakes, but this is not poker. this is not a game. this shouldn't be politics as usual. >> then he spent an afternoon on the phone with congressional leaders on both sides in both houses yesterday, looking at how republicans and democrats were acting. you wonder whether they got the message from the president to stop playing games, like hide and seek. the gop walked out on the debate on the house floor and democratic whip steny hoyer tried to introduce the two-month extension and they got angry. >> as you walk off the floor, mr. speaker, you are walking

out, walking away, as so many republicans have walked away from middle class taxpayers, the unemployed and very frankly as well from those who will be seeking medical assistance from their doctors, 48 million senior citizens. >> house speaker john boehner held a news conference from the negotiating table, basically saying the senate will have to come to him. >> we're here, we're ready to work, we're looking for our counterparts to sit down with us so that we can do what the president, bipartisan leaders in the house and senate all want. and that's toe extend the payrol tax cut. >> kate bolduan with the latest. sounds like an awful lot of politics to me, kate. >> an awful lot of politics and a lot of political theater playing out before us as well. not much work going on, to be quite honest. we'll see speaker boehner again

today, as you saw in the clip you just played. he'll hold another media event with the eight house republicans that he's appointed to this conference committee that he would like to see the house and senate go toto hash out their differences. neither side is backing down. and pressure is mounting, especially on house republicans. you have the president calling on house republicans, and speaker boehner didn't appear to budge at all. asking the president to ask harry reid to appoint negotiators to the conference committee. that is unlikely to happen before the january 2nd deadline, for two reasons, both the politics and procedure to get that going. senator reid says he will not be reopening talks for a one-year deal to extend the payroll tax cut until the house passes the two-month extension. >> we were talking to a cpa yesterday, pull his hair out

this is not the kind of stuff you can do for two months or a year. they need some clarity of how companies and taxes are going to be next year, and they don't have any clarity, quite frustrating for a lot of people. rank and file people trying to run business. at the bottom hour, dick durbin and john mccain will join us. he says the battle is hurting both parties, unfair to the american people. mitt romney and newt gingrich going head to head. they addressed a recent campaign ad from the romney camp. the ad attack s speaker gingric for his work at freddie mac. gingrich calls it dishonest. there were a lot of kitchen and heat analogies going on. both men say they can take the heat. >> speaker gingrich has had a few less than generous things to say about me over the campaign. i'm a big boy. that's the nature of the

campaign. and with regards to the heat associated with ads, you know, if you can't stand the relatively modest heat in the kitchen right now, wait until obama's hell's kitchen fills up. >> i'll tell you what. he wants to test the heat, i'll meet him anywhere in iowa next week, one-on-one, 90 minutes, no moderator. something he wants to tie up the kitchen, i'll be happy to meet him anywhere. and we'll bring "the washington toast post" who will show that his ad is filled with lies. >> the one thing about newt gingrich, he loves to debate. rick perry says he doesn't do well. newt gingrich's response to anyone is come meet me, one-on-one. that's what he puts out there. >> in the surge in the polls,

some things getting potentially ugly, bubbling up from ron paul's past. being hammered about questions by newsletters written under his name years ago. an example of one of them. an article criticizing president reagan for approving the creation of the federal martin luther king jr. holiday. the newsletter complaining "we can thank him -- ronald reagan -- for our annual hate whitey day." >> having gone through them, this isn't the worst of it. some incendiary things about people with aids, not able to eat in restaurants with other people, blacks, calling them animals. pretty incendiary stuff. >> these are newsletters went out, subscription, people paid for these. he became very bothered after our gloria boarger brought it up. >> it was published for ten

years. if that was 1% of the newsletter i made money off talking about gold stocks, i think are you confused on that. >> well, it's just a question -- it's legitimate. it's legitimate. these things are pretty incendiary. >> because of people like up. >> no, no, no, no. come on, some of the stuff was very incendiary and saying that in 1993, the israelis were responsible for the bombing of the world trade center, that kind of stuff. >> good-bye. >> he says he disavows it. what more do you want? i didn't write it i won't tell you who wrote it it was 20 years ago, i have done a lot of things since then. >> he said six or eight people were involved, if we knew who the six or eight people were, we'd find them, interview them, ask them. did you write this? did you discuss this with ron paul? it is our job to try and dig this out. i asked him very clearly, will you give us the names of the people who worked for and you wrote it? he said no. >> he says this keeps coming up,

why do you keep asking about this? there are a lot of interviews where this never came up. 20 years ago, we discussed so many aspects about beliefs, about his books, his legislation, now as the higher he gets in the polls, people are taking a broader look at history. he says he disavows it, but it keeps popping back up. still to come, a woman brutally beaten and dragged in the streets, but speaking out. an egyptian activist recovers and we'll have her story, straight ahead. and senators john mccain and dick durbin here, big names from both parties. one message, get it done. and remember this video? what fedex is saying. you're watching "american morning." 13 minutes after the hour. paperless discount. paid-in-full discount. [yawning] homeowner's discount. safe driver discount.

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welcome back. she was beaten and kicked, dragged through the streets, but they will not silence her. an egyptian activist, brutalized by military forces speaking out as she recovers in a hospital.

her story, in just a moment. first, i want to warn you that this report contains scenes that some viewers might find upsetting. but these scenes a reality of what's happening right now. >> reporter: even after the attack, and two fractures to her skull, the woman was unbound, still speaking out. they were hitting a veiled woman, she says. they removed her veil and exposed the underwear she was wearing. this is the scene she was scribing. a veiled egyptian female protester, being beaten by riot police, dragged, partially stripped of her clothing. even stomped on. cnn received this video from a human rights activist. they kept hitting her, she says,

i ran and tried to cover her body and pull her out. they started beating us. seen here in a red jacket, azza tried to help the wounded woman. security forces rush toward her, push her to the ground and then a merciless barrage. she sustained multiple blows to the head. these pictures show just some of her injuries. when we tracked her down, she wanted to speak to us. but when we arrived to the hospital for the interview, her condition had deteriorated. we are trying to get in to see her. she is in that room. we hear screams emanating from inside that room. we have not been able to so far. the doctors we've spoken to says she needs to be taken to the icu. a short time later, we're given access to her by family members, but she is in agony and cannot speak to us.

i can't take it, she says. i can't. i'm going to die. have mercy on me. >> the images of those pictures, of all of those riot police with their shields and their sticks and two women laying on the ground, i mean, it's devastating. a devastating portrayal of the military rule of the country. how is that woman doing now? >> reporter: well, christine, i'm happy no report we're hearing from her family today that she has actually improved. that she's talking a bit and eating. so we're trying to see if we can catch up with her a bit later in the day. it's good news at least that she's doing better temporarily. but it's cases like hers that have really outraged so many

women here and just a couple of days ago, a woman's march here, thousands of women came out to express solidarity with the women who have been beaten by riot police these past few days and express their anger against the military ruling council against the abuse against female protesters, the ruling military council issued a statement of regret for violation of egyptian women. that doesn't hold water with protesters. they say it's a systematic abuse that has to come to an end. >> thank you for the report and please keep us posted on her condition. thank you. 20 minutes after the hour. reynolds wolf in the extreme weather center. taking a look at travel weather. anything extreme going on? >> something very extreme possibly in parts of the southeast. georgia, alabama, louisiana, and a little bit of florida. let me show you what's what.

this area, you happen to see in the deep south. a possibility of isolated tornadoes, damaging winds, even large hail. we might even throw in a potential for flash flooding in spots too. i would expect you will have delays in atlanta, montgomery, birmingham. even spots like pensacola and mobile, you might have backups. what we have at this point, though, strong storms move mostly moving through shreveport. all of this driving to the east. the area where we have the slight risk of a tornado. the tornado watch that will be in effect until 1:00 local time. worth watching. we'll also see today, the chance of snow building once again to central and southern rockies. strong winds, possible whiteout conditions. one to two inches of snow in albuquerque and points southward. we'll have the higher elevations. snow amounts anywhere 6 to 12. and national perspective, a chance of scattered showers in

the cascades. breezy in southern california. a big bull's-eye in the southeast and mix of sun and clouds in the northeast. new york, we wrap it up with a high of 55. ali, your turn, my friend. >> i'll travel around looking for snow in the next few days. >> i understand. i'm going to go to toronto i heard there is a chance of snow on christmas eve. who knows? a little gift. even when it's not expected. >> did santiago a go to canada or the u.s. first? >> i don't know. >> i'll have to look at that. two senators from two pearce saying get the house in order. senators john mccain and dick durbin here. fedex speaking out after this disturbing video fedex delivery guy tossing a computer monitor over a fence in a box. does this guy still have a job? we'll find out. 23 minutes after the hour.

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welcome back. minding your business this morning. u.s. stock futures higher after a quiet day yesterday. dow s & p 500 barely ending the day in positive territory. europe's banks are in more trouble than originally thought. an hour from now, we'll get a fresh read on the jobs situation. the initial jobless report is expected to show 380,000 new unemployment claims filed for the first time last week. a good sign for the jobs market. any time that number is below 400,000. we'll see if that's so today. the justice department announcing a huge record settlement, that bank of america will pay $335 million to settle

claims that countrywide financial, now owned by bank of america, countrywide, the lending unit, steered minorities to subprime loans, even though they qualified for plain van yale loans. they put them into loans that turned out to be pretty dangerous and expensive for those people. this discrimination took place between 2004 and 2008 according to eric holder. authorities trying to track down the missing $1.2 billion missing after the sclaps collapf global. they have identified $700 million transferred to edngland in the days before the firm's collapse. getting the money back could be a long, drawn-out process. and there are farmers that have brokerage accounts with mf global waiting to get money back. and johnson & johnson pulling 1,200 bottles of lmotri

from store shelves. you don't have to return them, they are safe, they just might not work as well as expected. go time for ups. the biggest shipping day of the year. ups will deliver about 26 million packages today, about one per second. they contribute the increase to more people shopping online. check out cnnmoney.com. "american morning" back right after this break.

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welcome walk. back. a wave of coordinated deadly bombings in iraq. four car bombs and nine roadside bombs went off within hours of each other, killing 63 and

wounding close to 200 others. walmart pulling a batch of baby formula off store shelves after a 10-day-old baby boy from missouri died from a rare invehicles. records show that the formula tested negative for the bacteria before it shipped. investigators are checking environmental factors. eight u.s. soldiers facing charges with the apparent suicide of danny chen. hazing and bullying charges. he was found dead in a guard tower in october. believed he shot himself. the investigation is ongoing, more charges could be filed. >> all right, ali. nine days until a tax hike for working americans and house republicans walking out of an effort by democrats to force a vote extending the payroll tax for two months. they want to take care of the for a whole year. no resolution in sight this morning, even after president obama spent an afternoon on the phone with congressional leaders

on both sides, both houses. joining us now is majority senate whip dick durbin. we watch this. and the american public, is this a game of chicken? what's happening? >> this is very really. 160 million americans -- as of january 1st if the house fails to approve this bipartisan measure in the senate. and 3 million americans will be cut of from unemployment. 50,000 people will be cut off january 1st. folks out of work looking for jobs a long time. >> yesterday, an accountant. a certified public accountant talking to ali and i, a two-month extension, we can't have this kind of uncertainty. we can't know what we're doing with the payroll tax holiday in the near term. giving john boehner, credit, you can't keep "kicking the can down the road." >> is this about politics or

policy? >> it's both. what we decided in the senate. john mccain is following me. we agreed, extend this 60 days while we negotiate a long-term approach. it was a responsible, bipartisan overwhelming vote. 89-10. for those who were taking 2% out of the payroll tax it would extend it to the end of february. but what john boehner suggested is stop at this point, nine days away from this deadline. >> what is the next thing here? the other option is a conference committee maybe. that won't happen overnight that could be an option here. i'll get your thoughts on that in a second. speaker boehner had a photo op yesterday. there are republicans, appointed negotiators to a conference committee, a conference committee that deoesn't exist yet. and that empty side of the table is presumably where democrats would sit. can you envision any scenario

where democrats show up at that table there? >> what he does not understand or does not admit, in the senate, unfortunately, it takes days for us to set up a conference committee and meet. we can't do this before january 1st. even if it was our intention to do it. the point i want to get to, john boehner can spare america and 3 million unemployed americans and 160 million working americans the uncertainty of a january 1st deadline. by just extending this bipartisan measure passed in the senate until february. >> you say he has lost control of his party. >> i can't understand why someone has not stood up in the republican conference. look what happened in our watch in this last year. we threatened to shut down government twice, threatened to close down the economy, and we're denying to half of the people living in america a payroll tax cut in the midst. there ought to be one voice that stands up and says, listen, we owe an obligation to this

country go thaw goes beyond the next election. >> what is the assumption of senate democrats. the internal politics of house republicans that he says he lost control of it. >> i look at it and say all of the times we have been on the conference call. there will be outliars and disdents. let's go and fight them until the bitter end. a voice of reason will prevail. a leader will stand up and calm down. look at this at the long haul. when "the wall street journal" editorialized against john boehner and the house republican strategy, that should have been a wakeup call for those in the republican caucus. the most conservative leaders in america rejected are are what breaks the standoff? >> john boehner should acknowledge the fact that he cannot leave 3 million people without extension of unemployment benefits and 160 million people, middle income americans facing a tax increase because of republican action, we

should extend it these 60 days, do it just by calling for a vote and passing the bipartisan measure for the senate. >> can i ask you a question. you've been at this game for 20 years in the house and senate. we always say the word a new low for bipartisan award. we know that the -- approval ratings are low. have you ever seen a time when it's been like this? >> i can tell you the worst time i can recall is when speaker gingrich brought the government to a shutdown in a confrontation to president clinton. he ended up being removed to speaker not long after. what we've seen this last year, house republican leadership, is the failure for someone to step up, distinguishing the two parties. >> john boehner, has house members who are there. they made promises to their constituents and they are keeping those promises and they

are the change in washington. >> and the approval rating of congress is what? 11%? that kind of approach is not sitting well with the american people. we have bipartisan response, and the senate overwhelming bipartisan response. john bainer and house republicans rejected. >> nice to see up thank you so much. ali. >> senator durbin, like senator mccain with long traditions of bipartisanship. john mccain wants fellow republicans in the house to get their act together. he said the standoff is damaging his party and is unfair to the american people. senator john mccain joins us live now from phoenix. good to see you. before we start on this discussion, i know have you a lot to say about it. earlier this week, you were one of the dissenting voices about the -- marking the american departure from iraq. you feel we should have left troops there, active troops there. not just civilians and advisers. now after what's happened overnight, what are your thoughts? >> unfortunately, what i anticipated is taking place.

condoleezza rice said after we reached an agreement with iraqis, we always envisioned leaving a residual force there for a variety of reasons, including providing some additional stability. the president is going around, spouting how we have left a stable and democratic iraq, and, look, that's part of his campaign, he promised we would withdraw from iraq, he now has slick propaganda out saying promise is kept. the tragedy of it all is 4,474 young americans gave their lives and general keane, architect of the buildup said we won the war and now we're losing the peace. >> let's talk about what we talked about with senator durbin. the idea of no extension of the payroll tax cut versus a two-month extension versus a

one-year extension. what is your take about house republicans, republicans in general, should be doing about this? >> first of all, can i mention since senator durbin talked about the house's behavior, could i mention that the united states senate, for two years, has not passed a budget. a law requiring that. just last saturday morning, nine agencies of government, 9$900 billion, a 1,200-passenger document. 15 minutes of debate. i identified 3.5 billion worth of pork in the defense bill and we passed it after 15 minutes of debate. that's how the senate is functioning. senator durbin and senator reid in the leadership. >> let's talk about this. this is very frustrating to a lot of americans, this is a singular job. congress can be expense five it wants. it has some basic minimums to

achieve. we have seen failure on those front spefrl times. with the budget, debt ceiling, with the bipartisan supercommittee. what's wrong? >> there's a dysfunctionality and a degree of partisanship which on both sides which, unfortunately, transcends the national interest. and part of the is presidential leadership. you mentioned opening the show, that the president called various people yesterday. the four previous presidents i served under, including president clinton, would be calling them over to the white house and sitting down with them and looking them in the eye and saying, look, we need to fix this. second of all there, is a good point that the republicans in the house are making. why is it only two months? groundhog day all over again in two more months, and two more months? why not take the senate bill as passed which passed as dick durbin pointed out with 89 votes, pass the same thing in

the house, only make it a year, instead of two months. we could do that and maybe we could get onto other things that are pressing issues that face the country. look, republicans are losing this fight. we need to get back on track. no doubt about that. but i think it requires some presidential leadership, as well as a little bit of bipartisanship. >> people are being caught in the cross fire. >> frustrating. so many big, big issues need to be dealt with. the ones where we generally think, and some people don't think there should be a payroll tax extension at all. generally most people do. we can't get that done. is it fair to put as much heat as are you putting on this one. a lot of eyes pointing to house republican leadership being intransigent. >> that is legitimate to an extent. also in times like these and in past four presidents i have serbed under, they have exerted

a lot more leadership than going shopping and by the way, i also feel that in the upcoming election, which is a -- less than a year from now. no incumbent is safe, nor should they be. >> senator, let me ask you this. a slightly broader economic question. most people think this should pass and it becomes a process issue which gets frustrating for viewers and americans and they don't understand why we have to learn about the sausage being made all the time. do you think the extension of the payroll tax is a make or break in our economy right now? is it a big deal? >> it's become a bigger deal than it actually is. i think it's -- it's something we need to do, but i don't think it's a -- i don't think it has huge impact, but it has some impact. you know, $1,000 a year is a big amount of money to most americans. and i think it's very important, i worry about the drain on the

social security trust fund. i worry about the fact that we are continuing to increase the debt and the deficit. but now it's become very symbolic and i think it has to be done. >> like almost everything else that has to do with finances and money. i think there was some discussion, that while the money will come out of social security trust fund, money will come out of the general fund. it's the same math. bottomline, it's money. thank you for being with us. >> thank you very much. good to be with you. >> senator john mccain. 2008 republican presidential nominee, long-time senator and leader of his party, and, again, you can hear from dick durbin and john mccain, frustration in how partisan things are. >> the senate passed this thing. what? 89? >> 89 votes. >> they are saying the house is the issue here. i mean, i wonder from his perspective too, dick durbin says he hasn't seen it as bad as

back in the '90s when there was a showdown between then speaker of the house newt gingrich. >> while most people are putting a lot of the blame on house and senate, he said that maybe the president could do more, maybe shouldn't be shopping. >> dirk durbin says the president couldn't give a statement, because the republicans would turn it around. and decorating secrets of the country's most famous first ladies. remember this video? a delivery guy chucking a fragile box over a fence. we'll tell you what fedex is saying about it. 45 minutes after the hour. r." i was put on an aspirin, and it's part of my regimen now. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. go see your doctor now. not quite knowing what the next phase was going to be, you know, because you been, you know, this is what you had been doing.

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fedex is reacting to a video that captured one of the world's worst deliveries. we first showed you this yesterday. you can see a fedex worker tossing a package containing a computer monitor over a fence. the computer monitor did end up broken. the guy who received it was home at the time. he said the guy could have rung the bell. does the guy have a job? right now the delivery man is not working with customers. he calls himself a cyber illusionist, combining old world magic with technology. >> my name is marco tempest, i'm a cyber illusionist, which means i combine magic and science to create illusions.

it's deception, science, technology. gadgets calling myself a magician evokes a certain -- a certain image. like if we hear magician, we immediately know what that is. it's a guy who does a magic trick. a cyber illusionist, it requires a little bit of explanation. a conversation starter and that's really what my work is all about. >> and you can catch "the next list" each sunday, 2:00 p.m. eastern on cnn. like that. that next list stuff. the next list of people you will hear about people. these are not people who are already famous they are doing crazy, interesting things. i'm not sure what a cyber illusionist will achieve. this means they could solve problems you and i are thinking about. >> velshi is hooked. >> we are both wearing gray stripes today. >> i know.

we look like richie rich and his much, much younger sister. and coming up, style secrets of the white house. almost 50 past the hour. hey... there's mom! hey, let mom try. ready, go! ♪ yeah, rock on, mom! [ male announcer ] sometimes a hint is all the wrapping a gift needs. wait a minute...i... [ laughs ] [ male announcer ] the lexus december to remember sales event is here, but only for a limited time. see your lexus dealer for exclusive lease offers on the 2012 rx 350 and, as a gift from lexus, we'll make your first month's payment. 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. 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.

all right, christmas at the white house. a lavish affair and a lot of pressure for the first lady. throughout history they've been responsible for decorating the most famous house in the country, expected to bring their own style, their own personal touch. so, what does it take to decorate 1600 pennsylvania avenue. our next guest knows. she wrote "christmas with the first ladies." a look back at the white house secrets and traditions and she decorated the white house for first lady laura bush back in 2008. colleen christian burke joins me. >> merry christmas. >> tell me about the process. how long it takes and what you

have to go through to get the white house ready to be shown for christmas? >> it's almost like a military operation. the first lady will start planning as early as february or march to come up with a theme. >> a whole year before. >> she's not done with one christmas and she has to zoom into the next. they start planning the theme early and then she starts thinking about her vision and what she wants to have happen and then over the summer they start baking all the baked goods and desserts that they're going to have in december but the actual volunteers show up before thanksgiving or the end of november. that's when they start prebuilding everything that they will install for two days. >> the white lights, just really lovely. but the public couldn't enjoy it because they weren't allow under to the white house for some four years after 9/11. this is a home, but also the home of the leader for the free

world. you're designing for the nation and also designing for the family. interesting balance. >> public and private. there are those very public moments and private, tender christmas moments that are all captured by presidential photographers and that's all in the book. but the first lady really is designing for the 100,000 or so people that come to tour the white house. >> the holiday decorating tradition began really with jackie kennedy and since then every first lady has had her own theme. i think rosalynn carter was and gas lines and shortages and they used egg shells and talk to me a about how the different first ladies put their take on this. >> for instance mrs. ford wanted a visit to the white house to feel like a visit to grandma's house. nancy reagan was glitzy with gold and garland and they all thought their own stamp on it.

>> wonderful picture in the book of her on mr. t.'s lap. >> you talk about a pop culture snapshot at christmastime. so much fun. always had a celebrity santa and i think mr. t. stole the show. >> let's talk about this year's. you must watch this now with such innewsiasm. the white house this year, what do you think? >> i love mrs. obama's style and what is great about the type of themes she chooses always goes back to the real meaning of the holiday. it is shine, give and share and she also remembers our military, which could be more fitting. she encourages everyone to write letters to the military and just really honor the sacrifice being made. >> the book is called "christmas with the first ladies." so nice to see you. actually did one of these that white house. thank you so much for joining us. merry christmas to you, too. >> merry christmas. this morning's top news headlines coming up next, 56 minutes after the hour. let's go to vegas. alright, let's do it.

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baghdad hit by a wave of attacks this morning. i'm christine romans. dozens killed in bombings across the capital. tick talk to a tax hike. the clock winding down on the payroll tax cut as the house lets the issue linger another day. both sides doing more taunting than bargaining on this "american morning." good morning. >> reassigning myself here. >> good morning, thursday, december 22nd. >> unusually busy. couple days until christmas and breaking news. a wave of coordinated and deadly blasts rocking baghdad. four car bombs and nine roadside bombs went off within two hours of each other killing 63 people and wounding close to 200.

coming a few days after the last u.s. troops left iraq. new fears that this could all come apart this morning. it's the worst violence to hit the country since the political crisis erupted between iraq's sunni and shiite factions. killed 24 pakistani troops back in november. that investigation has found u.s. forces acted in self-defense. it's a decision that will no doubt further complicate relations between washington and islamabad because pakistan's military has repeated that this air strike near the afghan border was deliberate. they say they want to talk, but the talk is getting cheap and time is running out for this payroll tax cut. just nine days now until the payroll tax cut expires and nine days until the grid lock in washington takes a bite out of your paycheck. based on a 50,000 a year salary, could cost you about $83 a

month. add that up to over a year and it's about $1,000 and there are real disputes as to whether that is significant or insignificant in this economy. we just spoke to john mccain who said to a lot of americans $1,000 in a year is significant. it could be that you're buying a new washing machine or a fridge. >> he wants it to pass, but at the same time, he says he thinks we kind of made it into a bigger deal in terms of the impact on the economy. the negative on the certain economy. >> but as you have pointed out many times, when you put temporary goodies into legislation, nobody ever wants to lose them. tax cuts, it's very difficult. >> hard to have a temporary tax cut and this is proof of that. still no resolution in sight. house republicans walked out of an effort by democrats to force a vote on extending it for two months, which was passed by the senate. earlier we spoke to senators dick durbin and john mccain a democrat and republican who both say the house should get its act together. >> i think that john boehner should acknowledge the fact that

he cannot leave 3 million people without an extension of unemployment benefits and 160 million people, middle income americans facing a tax increase because of republican action. he should extend it the 60 days and he can do it by calling for a vote and passing the bipartisan measure from the senate. >> the republicans are losing this fight, we need to get back on track. there is no doubt about that. but i think it requires some presidential leadership, as well as a little bit of bipartisanship. 160 million people are being caught in the crossfire. >> both sides were able to get their shots in before they took off. not these two, we're talking about the house. we're covering all the angles. dan lothian live at the white house and kate bolduan live in washington. kate, let's start with you. any movement now to where things stand? >> i wish i had an answer other than no, ali, as we're following this slow, slow moving train this week. bottom line, neither side is

backing down at this point, but the pressure is mounting especially on house republicans and, of course, a lot of public pressure can do a lot up here in washington. but, this pressure also mounting from their own fellow republicans in the senate, which is a notable point. during a phone call with the president yesterday, speaker boehner made it clear that he wasn't budging. instead he convinced the president harry reid to negotiators to conference committee to resolve their issues. that's highly unlikely to happen ahead of this january 1st deadline of when this tax cut will expire because of the politics and procedure involved here. senate democrats and the president are standing firm that the only option they have is to pass this two-month extension to allow more time to negotiate the longer one-year deal that all of the leaders say they want and, meantime, the frustration is growing among senate republicans about how the house gop has handled this. as one top senate republican aide put it to me, the house republicans are on an island of their own.

aides suggesting that house republicans have botched the politics here and that is where a lot of the frustration is coming from. ali, christine. >> kate, thanks very much. i know you'll be on top of this if anything budges or moves. >> if that slow-moving train gets out of the station. president obama is holding an event to keep the pressure on. spent an afternoon on the phone with congressional leaders but spent some time to finish his christmas shopping while the family is away in hawaii. dan lothian live at the white house. john mccain took a shot at the president about being shopping and absent at leadership. why are you meddling in this? >> that's right. i mean, look, there's a lot of fingerpointing that has been going back and forth all week and the white house saying, really, this boils down to the ball being in the court of house republicans and time for them to act and go ahead and move forward on this short-term extension because they feel this, number one, can hurt

middle class americans. those families making $50,000 a year stand to lose according to the white house, $40 from each paycheck. so, number one, it will hurt these families, but, also, the president believing that if something isn't done to extend this, then, perhaps, it could impact the overall economy, which we know has been struggling making some small gains. they feel that something like this could certainly impact and reverse some of the gains that have been made. so, what you will see from the president today again is making the case that the impact this will have on americans. the president will have an event at the white house some time afternoon. here, again, put pressure on house republicans, but this time the president will be joined by americans who say that, you know, they'll be impacted by not having this extra $40. the white house has been on this campaign to have people write into their blog, to tweet about what they would do with that $40. one of the people who did write in will also be here at the white house. again, this is the backdrop that

the white house wants to set to show that this is not just coming from officials here at the white house in terms of the impact, but there are real americans out there who will be hurt. >> still remains that open question, though. very creative of the white house to do that. great idea to say, what would you do with this extra $80 a month or whatever it comes out to depending on how much you earn, but still unclear what the greater impact on the environment will be. >> almost like, dan, interesting. almost like gas prices going up or down. something you feel right away and you feel viserally and affects your decisions on a very low level. gas prices are up from where they were last year. thanks so much, dan lothian. walmart, meanwhile, pulling a batch of baby formula from shelves after a baby's sudden death. as a precaution but only batches with this lot number. it's zp1k7g. this is after a 10-day-old baby

died from bacterial infections. the formula's maker meade johnson nutrition released this statement. "we are highly confident in the safety and quality of our products and the rigorous testing we put them through." johnson & johnson is pulling motrin from store shelves. the company plagued by recalls say the product is safe but the pain reliever might not work as fast as you expect. thousands of nurses on strike in california fighting rising health care costs and pension cuts. demonstrations will last one day and not expected to replace patient care. four former nfl players are suing the nfl over concussions. they claim the nfl downplayed the link between concussions and brain damage. the nfl has not responded to the

lawsuit. closing arguments begin today for the wikileaks suspect bradley manning. the outcome will help determine whether army soldier manning will face court-martial. prosecutors called 20 witnesses, rather. manning's defense attorneys spent just 35 minutes questioning two witnesses. manning is accused of committing one of the biggest intelligence leaks in u.s. history, if not the biggest. a lot of people interested in this story, late yesterday. bank of america, the largest bank in the country has agreed to a settlement to pay $335 million to settle a discrimination lawsuit. now, the suit charged that countrywide financial, which was bought by bank of america in 2008, discriminated against minorities. you remember countrywide was the biggest subprime lender in the history of america. it steered people, latinos and blacks, in particular, towards high-risk subprime mortgages between 2004 and 2008 even though those buyers qualified for less risky prime loans,

which would have been at a lower interest rate. >> puts them at an economic disadvantage and costs them money simply because of their race. >> arguably worse than not giving them loans in the first place. earlier christine and i spoke to the reverend jesse jackson who was talking about this and pointing the finger for years. >> the settlement does not cover up the signs of the crime or the impact upon whole communities. they intentionally circumvent the law and target it and their homes or their money and people who lost their homes could not pay for the kids' college education. whole cities sink under the weight of foreclosed homes because of banks of behavior. >> now, according to the justice department, the money from the settlement will go to the borrowers who have been identified as being targeted for being put into subprime loans when they should have qualified. >> countrywide financial did it. the settlements.

>> bank of america is trying to be clear about that. we bought a company that did that. when you buy a company, you buy all their problems. >> bank of america is settling for the problems of countrywide. >> one thing that jesse jackson pointed out is that the damage is done. countrywide was one of the parties that got the ball rolling on this foreclosure crisis. giving people money back now, the way the justice department has to do it. >> the house is gone, the neighborhood are already -- >> houses are boarded up. winter starts with a storm and airport delays are already stacking up this morning. we'll take you to the biggest trouble spot. historically and a historical first. why some are saying this picture is now a late breaking nomination for picture of the year. we'll explain, next. and christmas has come early for actor kenneth branagh. just won a sag award nomination and he's coming here to talk to us. >> he's coming here. i didn't know he would be in

person. >> the film is very, very good. i can't wait to hear more about his portrayal. it's 11 minutes after the hour. [ indistinct talking on radio ] [ tires screech ] [ crying ] [ applause ] [ laughs ] [ tires screech ] [ male announcer ] your life will have to flash by even faster. autodrive brakes on the cadillac srx activate after rain is detected to help improve braking performance.

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is the human element. ♪ 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.

i've never seen that other than when a storm is coming in. clouds over miami. >> sunny and 81 later. this is just a winter warning -- >> i'm a week away from miampep. >> all right, welcome back. >> wake up, miami. winter is not arriving quietly. lots of holiday travel trouble on the way as another winter storm barrels through the

rockies down into new mexico, even into texas. a foot or more of snow expected in some areas. maureen mccann of affiliate kmgh joins us live from denver. what is it with you cnn people who are all fascinated by snow in the winter because we get it all the time, right, maureen? >> yeah, i think just because a lot of people on the east coast really want the snow and they've been seeing these mild temperatures. but winter arrived right on time here in denver. the solstice occurred last night at 10:30 local time. we're located out by the airport where we have a good six to seven inches on the ground with more to come. the winds coming in from the northeast, that means this is an upslope event so places in the foothills and in the eastern mount toons the east of the divide have seen it more than this six to seven inches. they've seen ten inches in boulder and about 18 inches in other parts of boulder county. we're located right along pena boulevard. for those of you familiar with

denver, the airport is about 25 miles from downtown. so, this road has to go about ten miles into the airport and it's a very slow drive for what's expected to be the biggest travel day of the year going into christmas, at least. so, that's how things are looking for those going inbound. for those coming here, at least you got some snow to enjoy. reports of 18 inches in some of the ski areas in the front range. good news for those coming in and once this moves out, nice forecast for the weekend. >> the reason we're obsessed with this because in some cases we're a little jealous. looks like a little bit of fun out there. >> rightfully so. reynolds wolf is in the extreme weather center and we have heard a little rumor, reynolds, that you have a white christmas forecast for us. did you make ali a map? by popular demand, yes. he commands and we deliver. this is what happens. i have some kind of fw news, kind of, sort of, not really,

ali. what we see here in the united states. saturday into sunday a lot of the snow in the northern rockies and parts of the four corners and parts of the northeast. to be specific for ali. looks like the snow might come to a screaming halt on christmas eve. so, christmas eve morning, then it kind of fizzles out and a nice blanket of snow. that's for you in toronto. ali, i think i heard you say spending part of the holiday in mia miami. >> that's okay with me, too. we want winter snow in toronto, not miami. thanks, my friend. >> unfortunately, in parts of the southeast a different flavor altogether. the chance of strong storms developing, guys. alabama, louisiana and back into mississippi and especially in the late afternoon strong storms possibly some tornadoes and damaging winds and large hail and some spots the low-lying areas and places with poor drainage.

the big weathermaker out west is still going to rumble and you saw the live report a moment ago the snowfall outside of denver, at least near the airport. much of this is great news for ski country because, to be honest, they could use the snow and this will certainly help matters. guys, take a look at this, nice, dry, cooler conditions for the northern plains. the storms into the northeast and in terms of the temperatures 26 in the twin cities and your delays, atlanta. severe weather into the afternoon and delays for cincinnati, memphis, houston, charlotte and denver. again, the snow, mageder lays possibly up to an hour. we have the snow for you in tampa, toronto. toronto, not so much in miami or tampa, for that matter. >> a lot of tweets now from tampa all of a sudden. what? a white christmas in tampa. here's a time honored navy tradition. the first kiss after a ship's return.

a late breaking nomination of image of the year, perhaps. for the first time on record a same-sex couple was chosen for the homecoming kiss. marissa gata and her partner reunited in virginia. she won the traditional kiss during a raffle. >> again, that's the part that gets me. i didn't know the raffle was a raffle. now that the holiday travel rush is under way, the most popular destination city for new year's eve. this would have surprised me. orlando. >> disney, of course. >> would you have guessed that? >> disney, yep. >> i would have said new york. according to the travel website, travelocity people like to party near the theme parks. disney, universal studios. number two new york city fames for the ball drop in times square. i never want to see the times square ball drop because it means that i'm working, right? >> that's true. >> i always like to tell the folks far away. because if they hear they're in

toronto, do you want to work new year's eve? >> anderson can do it. up next, check the early morning markets and the fast food burger wars. which chain is about to dethrone burger king? >> what? 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.

23 minutes after the hour. minding your business this morning. the initial jobless claim's report will be released. expected to show that 380,000 unemployment claims were filed for the first time last week. also expect agnew estimate on the third quarter gdp and later a new consumer confidence report. and the economic reports,

the markets are expected to open higher. right now the dow, nasdaq and s&p 500 futures are higher. when it comes to the burger wars, mcdonald's still number one but wendy's ready to unseat burgering king burger king down nearly ha lly 4%. the service was disrupted yesterday making it tough for customers to send and receive messages. go time for workers at u.p.s. the busiest shipping day of the year. u.p.s. will deliver 300 million packages. u.p.s. attributes the increase to more folks shopping online. returning the unwanted gifts is probably the most common

tradition. americans will return more than $46 billion worth of merchandise, that is a record and experts say many shoppers are already returning purchases to take advantage of additional markdown. today is the drawing for the biggest lottery in the world. an annual christmas tradition in spain. this year the payout is $3.3 billion with a b. it is rare for anyone to win the entire jackpot since one ticket costs $260. most folks purchase a tenth of a ticket for $26. still, hundreds of people are waiting in line to buy tickets. good luck to all of you. "american morning" is back after the break.

>> this is such tight confines in here and to have to walk to the front to the back of the bus with people just beating the hell out of you, what must he have gone through. what happened to robert champion? he died more than a month ago in an expected hazing, but, still,

no one has been charged. welcome back to "american morning." time now for your top stories. 29 minutes after the hour. a wave of coordinated and deadly bombings in baghdad. just days after the last u.s. troops left the country, police say four car bombs and nine roadside bombs went off within two hours of each other. one right outside a school. the attacks killing at least 63 people and wounding close to 200. nine days now until a tax hike and house republicans walking out of an effort by democrats to force a vote on extending the payroll tax for two months. they want a full year or no deal. there is no resolution in sight this morning, even after president obama spent an afternoon on the phone with congressional leaders on both sides in both houses. walmart recalling a batch of enfamil baby formula.

officials are testing the formula and other environmental factors. the batch tested negative for the bacteria before it was shipped. medical examiners say hazing victim robert champion was so badly beaten he looked like he had been in a car accident. the drum major at florida final autopsy was released yesterday. police investigating his death for more than a month. no arrests have been made. what's taking so long? george howell is still lilive i atlanta. an awful lot of people to question to get their accounts. >> christine, ali, good morning. fair to say, this is a complicated case with a lot of moving parts to it. we know for a fact that there were at least 30 people on the bus when robert champion was killed. so, we turned to someone who understands intricate, complex cases like this to get an understanding of the questions police are skg ing to find out d this. >> reporter: a tour bus parked outside an orlando hotel

november 19th. robert champion died after a vicious beating. investigators say it was a homicide that resulted from hazing. >> you look at a bus like this. the narrow aisles, the seats so close together. the ceiling. it's just such tight confines in here and to have to walk from the front to the back of the bus with people just beating the hell out of you. what must he have gone through? >> reporter: we turned to hln law enforcement analyst mike brooks to take us through the mind of investigators trying to piece together what happened to the 26-year-old victim before someone placed this 911 call. >> is he breathing? >> we don't know if he's breathing or not, but we need to get an ambulance asap. >> how do you determine the level of culpability? >> as a law enforcement officers, who were the ones delivering the blows, the serious blows. one person who delivered the most blows that caused his death? we don't know. were there other people that

might not have been involved at all? >> reporter: band members who spoke to cnn said it may have been the result of a hazing ritual called crossing bus c, where the victim walks backwards from the front of the bus to the back while being beaten repeatedly by fellow band members. investigate. >> investigators have their work cut out for them because they have to interview everyone, but this bus is a crime scene. what happened? where did it happen on this bus when he was being beaten with fists, maybe with musical instruments. those are things law enforcement has to find out exactly what happened. >> reporter: robert champion died of significant rapid blood loss due to blunt force trauma according to the autopsy report, the victim of a severe beating and with so many possible witnesses on the bus -- >> i find it hard to believe that that much was going on inside the bus, if they were beating him so viciously inside that bus, then somebody on the outside didn't hear something, didn't see something. >> reporter: brooks says it's a

complicated investigation to determine exactly what happened in the moments leading up to robert champion's death. >> did somebody try to stop this? did somebody say, he's had enough, knock it off. did that happen? >> only the people on the bus know. that will be the new headline in this case when police make an arrest. jointly investigating this case and now more than one month since robert champion was killed. ali, christine. >> george, thank you so much. just in the labor department says 364,000 jobless claims file for the first time last week. >> we had numbers in the 400,000 for a long time. >> the lowest number since april of 2008. anything below that 400,000 level shows you layoffs are slowing and that you have more health in the labor market. >> that's indicative of what

we've seen in the last few months. a slightly growing and all the things out there that you need to be concerned about, jobless numbers are the biggest deal. you know, jobs are the most important. we do have some other news, as well. >> the economy grew slightly slower in the third quarter than we thought. this is the third revision from the government. 1.8%. people thought it was about 2%. we know there was some kind of summer, early fall slowdown. >> europe was starting to affect us at that point. not entirely unexpected but lower than we expected. keep that in mind places like india are growing in the range of 7% and china growing above 9%. 1.8%. and europe, by the way, probably not growing at all economically. maybe zero and maybe in recession. >> most people think the u.s. economy is doing better. the third economy is a rear view mirror and this quarter is doing better. resume only gets more and more impressive after kenneth branagh is getting better

reviews. he is right here and he's about to sit down with us. do not miss this conversation. it's 35 minutes after the hour. good to see you. forty years ago, he wasn't worried about retirement. he'd yet to hear of mutual funds, iras, or annuities.

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most days by now i'm yelling at you to get up in new york. don't worry about it. it's two days before christmas. 53 degrees and nice and going to get to 55 today. sunny. nice day to walk around. call the boss and tell him you're done for the week. >> go get a movie "my week with marilyn." the new movie showcasing the late screen siren in the 1950s but more to marilyn monroe than we know. >> the movie shows a clash of acting approaches between monroe and the famous actor and director sir lawrence olivia.

>> cut! you wait. marilyn, please, tell me how i can help you. >> i don't know who else -- i don't know who she is. >> you have had all of your gift, we all are. >> she's not real. >> then simply rely on your natural talents. >> a bit of sarcasm perhaps in there. we're joined now by kenneth branagh. >> a man with natural talents and also nominated for golden globe for best supporting actor. we loved the film and must have been so interesting to play someone who is a real person trying to interact with another real person in your industry making a real film. >> it was because i direct film that i've acted in and he's directing this film that he's acting in with marilyn monroe come to england to meet with a bunch of actors and michelle williams comes and works with a bunch of british actors. we filmed where the original movie was trying to make on the

same sound stage. michelle had the same dressing room as marilyn. we did scenes in the same corridor. it did feel at the time that you were going back in time. feels like you take it back to a pocket of life in the 1950s that was quite madgedle. >> tell us about the moresty because one sympathy for marilyn monroe is quite generational. why can't you just get your stuff together. this movie seems to give her some layers and nuances and complexity. >> she comes off more sympathetic in this film. >> i think so, i think michelle williams who played her quite wonderfully in addition to presenting the screen siren, you know, you mentioned the physical transformation for michelle who is quite petite in her way and becomes this hour glass structure -- >> how do they do that? >> they went behind a closed door and came out many hours later and she looked very vuluptuous.

because she is such a terrific actre actress, vulnerable and rent to present to the world this image that is marilyn monroe and sense of isolation. she was the first supercelebrity that people liked the work that she did. >> it's one of my favorite scenes where you say, teaching marilyn monroe how to act is like teaching urdo to a badger. you say it with -- do you think that was true about marilyn monroe. >> that is a real line. >> he said that. >> he absolutely said it. >> was he right? >> i don't know that he was right, but his exasperation was at the pitch. the producers' remark like that. there was a sense that when two worlds collide, these two people. university recognized that the greatest actor in the world and she the greatest movie star in the world in this light comedy should have produced something terrific. on set, a nightmare.

>> so, here's the thing. i don't know whether you or michelle williams had a tougher part because you're an accomplished director frustrate would an actor who is not doing her job. michelle williams an accomplished actor who is playing an actor who is really struggling. >> she had had to find that way of having difficulty for the character without feeling difficult inside the role herself. >> that's an acting accomplishment. >> yeah, exactly. this film demanded of the people who were playing real people that they be precise but then play them as real people. you had to abandon all that and then play the scene as naturally as you would. >> that's just a fun thing to watch, aside from the plot. >> it's absolutely absorbing. you look at all the movies and she could do the voice and shimmying walk and tie your knees together in order to have that feeling that she was on

wheels and we had to have my eyebrows plucked and a prosthetic chin piece. >> i think your chin is fine. >> my chin is okay, but rather more sculpted. >> these are such famous people that you could run the risk and michelle williams playing a marilyn monroe. when i watched it, you were both those characters to me very, very quickly. that is a real risk. >> it is a real risk and it's thrilling to hear you say that. people responded to being taken down to this journey back in time. whether it's michelle or ken and they're the kind of, the sense, i hope, that simon curtis, wonderful director gives with great ensemble cast is basically that you, you're there and there's authenticity. in theory, we've all been in those situations and i hope we bring some reality to the back stage. >> you're up for awards. when you're making the film, do

you get a tingle saying, oh, wow, we could get some accolades for this one. >> to be truthful, you never feel that, but you do have moments as i did on day one when michelle walked on as marilyn for the first time. well, judi dench was standing next to me and grabbed me by the arm and said, oh, my gosh. i think she thinks this is going to be good. i'll take her word any time. >> a hearty congratulations. kenneth branagh in "my week with marilyn" and golden globe nominee for best supporting actor. more morning headlines ahead. and comedian will ferrell. what a morning. 45 minutes after the hour. [ female announcer ] help i need a holiday party idea. mmm... pillsbury crescent wrapped brie just unroll, wrap the brie and bake. it's so easy. now this might even impress aunt martha. pillsbury crescent wrapped brie. holiday ideas made easy.

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it's 46 minutes past the hour. good news from the job market. the labor department announcing just 364,000 jobless claims were filed for the first time last week. that is the lowest level since april 2008. though the gdp for the third quarter was revised down slightly to 1.8%. many economists expect it picked up, though in the fourth quarter. markets open in 45 minutes. the dow, nasdaq and s&p 500 futures are all in positive territory. a wave of coordinated and deadly bombing in baghdad just days after the last u.s. troops left. the attacks killing at least 63

people and wounding close to 200. nine days now until a tax hike for millions of working americans and house republicans walking out of an effort by democrats to force a vote on extending the payroll tax. house speaker boehner saying members still want it extended for the whole year, not just two months. holiday travel trouble on the way. another storm clobbering the rockies and moving down into texas. a nationwide boycott against kim kardashian is gaining momentum. an online patrician promising not to watch her reality show or buy any products endorsed by her. patrician says she has made a mockery of the american culture. that's the news you need to start your day. "american morning" back right after a break.

ten minutes ago i told you to stay in bed if you're in new york, get out. get up to 55 and it is beautiful. that is the statue of liberty and she's done shopping for christmas. you may still have some more to do. get out of bed. our special series that shines a spotlight on celebrities and the causes they support and who better to do that than cnn's own alina cho. >> you get to meet someone like will ferrell. >> it is a lot of fun. remember, he famously played george w. bush on snl and he was ron burgundy in "anchorman" and

children of all ages fell in love with him in the movie "elof." he's he's focusing on one big charity close to his heart. >> stop what you're doing and listen. canonball! >> on the big screen and small -- >> strategry. >> reporter: will ferrell has won the hearts of fans everywhere by making us laugh. >> 10:00 a.m., santa's coming to town. >> santa! >> reporter: cracking jokes comes naturally to ferrularrell he easily shows a serious side. on the set of his new movie "dog fight" we talked about cancer for college. a charity founded in 1993 by his usc fraternity brother, a

two-time cancer survivor. awards scholarship money to young cancer survivors. farrell is its unofficial good will ambassador. >> what kind of impact does it have? >> most of these families are just trying to survive something like this. >> reporter: farrell got involved early on when he was just starting his career as a new cast member on "saturday night live." >> hey, saddam. >> monica, you never call me any more. >> not knowing if i was going to be fired at any moment, i think i wrote a check for $50, my first donation. playing it very conservatively. >> reporter: not long after that, ferrell attended the annual golf tournament. something, he says, changed his life. >> when i got to meet the scholarship winners and their families, that's when the whole thing kind of really hit me. >> reporter: so ferrel got to

work donating his time and his money. >> how much did we raise? >> $300,000. >> wow. >> you do have a megaphone that a lot of people don't have. >> honestly, i think that's the only thing fame is really good for in a way. my wife and i want to talk about the fact that we got to experience a lot of amazing things and we've been to the oscars and the golden globes and all these fancy things, but that one night a year where we get to give out the scholarship checks supersedes all of that. >> such a pleasure to sit down with will ferrell. if you have not heard for cancer for college, it is a very small chair charity. what a great thing he focuses on one thing. >> he made a promise to his frat brother that he would only focus on this one charity for as long

as he could. he would focus all of his efforts and all of his time and money on cancer for college because this is where he thinks he could make the most impact and what a great idea. he is making a difference. the founder said $4.5 million is directly attributable to will ferrell. he has made an impact. tomorrow i'll sit down with one of the biggest stars on the planet, she is jennifer lopez. something that happened with her newborn daughter, emme, she found a little bump on her head and it was a big health scare and that's what inspired her to give back. we'll talk more about that tomorrow and don't miss my holiday special called "big stars, big giving." airs christmas eve at 2:00 p.m. eastern and again on sunday, christmas day, 4:00 p.m. eastern time. which viral video topped all others from youtube in 2011. not this guy. there top ten youtube videos of

the year coming up next. 54 minutes after the hour. at bank of america, we're lending and investing in communities across the country, from helping to revitalize a neighborhood in brooklyn to financing industries that are creating jobs in boston or providing funding for the expansion of a local business serving a diverse seattle community and supporting training programs for tomorrow's workforce in los angeles. because the more we can do in local neighborhoods and communities, the more we can help make opportunity possible.

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good morning, boston. as ali says, get out of bed, you're late. sunny and fair. >> does look nice in boston this morning. the formula for making a viral is still the same in 2011 you need cute babies or adorable pets and things that are so bad they're good. who better to give us a round up of the top ten videos of the year, but jeanne moos. >> reporter: the thing about youtube videos is that some you get and some seem like gibberish. for instance in this year's top ten most viewed videos, the number five spot went to a very annoying cat. the number ten spot went to a very adorable cat. a mother cat hugging its kitten

while the two of them take a nap. number nine is volkswagen the force. 8-year-old singing lady gaga's hit. she invited her to sing a duet at a concert. number seven was a dance comedy video. ♪ youtube is the place if you want people to -- ♪ look at me now". >> reporter: at least 56 million people looked at the twin talking babies who seem to understand each other perfectly. adults enjoyed adding subtitles and nominating them for best foreign language film. comedy music videos were popular. and we might as well acknowledge the number one video that got

over 180 million views -- ♪ it's friday >> reporter: that's enough acknowledgment, but the video that came in at number two that is number one in my heart. since it's my story, that's the one we're going to concentrate on. >> you know what the meat drawer is, right? >> what was in there. >> reporter: just something riveting about the talking dog being teased. >> you know the bacon that has maple flavoring. >> yeah. >> i took that out and i thought, i know who would like that. me. so i ate it. looks like he's getting his hopes up and then they're dashed, again. >> reporter: former ad agency guy andy now makes a living creating and voicing talking animals. people submit thousands of videos and he adds the dialogue. >> cheese.