dpi giving us a lesson what the good stuff is about. lot of need going forward so we'll stick with them. >> and a lot of hope, too, which is great. thanks for sharing that smile with him as well. >> an amazing amount of perspective. that's all for it today. time for "newsroom" with john berman and christine romans. >> the ability to smile through something like this, that is strength, that is character. >> some amazing interviews with chris. thanks guys, "newsroom" starts right now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >> good morning, everybody. i'm john berman. >> and i'm christine romans. carol costello has the day off today. rare, deadly, devastating, that's how many are referring to yesterday's tornadoes. the national weather service sending out three teams today to survey the damage from the unusual, unusual late season tornado outbreak that simply

slammed the midwest. this left at least six people dead, entire neighborhoods flattened. this morning, hundreds of thousands are without power and trying to figure out how do they even begin to clean up and move on? >> 68 tornadoes reported across the region, 68. illinois one of the states that was hardest hit. these twisters, they were not small either, at least one there packed an ef4 raking with winds up to 200 miles per hour. the state's governor has declared a seven-county disaster area, plans to tour the devastation later today. >> in the town of brookport, illinois, schools closed today after a tornado tore a path of destruction through two mobile home parks. >> i hope no one's hurt. our father, two w.h.o. art in and, hall owed be thy name. >> in the lord's prayer in washington, illinois, a cnn ireporter grabbed his camera,

started praying as the tornado ripped through his neighborhood. his family's home spared but others in the hard hit city not so lucky. one survivor says he's just thankful to be alive. >> my attitude was, in the next minute and a half, we're either going to be in heaven or we're going to be in the hospital or we're going to walk out of here, and completely in the lord's hands. >> indiana also in the storm's path. the sheriff's department dash cam caught debris flying in the air. look at that. that all as the tornado was touching down. >> cnn is covering every angle of the tornado outbreak with crews across the region. >> we begin with cnn's chris cuomo in washington, illinois. you are right in the middle of the devastation but in so many ways right in the middle of the inspiration. >> reporter: oh, very well said, j.b., very well said and couldn't be more true. the thing that matches the power of the storm here is the power

of the resolve to get through it. it's a prayerful community, about 15,000 people here in washington, 150 miles or so from chicago. as you can see behind me the picture tells you everything. this isn't even the worst of what this community has dealt with. it was very quick and they're lucky there wasn't a higher injury and death toll given how little time they had to react. look at what they experienced here in washington and across the country. >> it's on the ground! >> reporter: it's like being under attack. [ siren ] >> our father, who art in heaven. >> reporter: prayers as a monster sized twister roars above. centralily this took the brunt of the fury, a string of tornadoes left several dead, dozens more injured. >> we need to take shelter ourselves. >> reporter: newscasters were abruptly rushed off air. >> we will be back when we can. >> reporter: a tornado ripped right past their studio. down south, washington county was devastated by a tornado, wind reports of

200 miles an hour spun entire blocks of homes to the foundation. >> i felt the house shaking and waited about probably a minute, and then i came back up and saw what you're seeing here. >> reporter: in a community of pekin, authorities went door to door checking on residents for fear of gas leaks. one resident described the aftermath as a war zone. >> i'm just devastated. i just feel sick. >> reporter: further south, a tornado carved a path of destruction in brookport, directly hitting two mobile home parks. >> i don't have anything. my whole -- it's gone. i don't know where it went. >> reporter: widespread funnel clouds even spotted in chicago. >> please clear the seating area calmly. >> reporter: tornado warnings forced officials to evacuate soldier field, delaying the bears game. but once the twisters passed, there was a new blast of energy, cleanup efforts, waves of people coming to each other's aid looking for survivors, searching for valuables, toppled semis pulled upright and most

importantly, spirits raised. >> we'll make it through it. we're just so grateful that the lord preserved so many lives here. >> reporter: it's a prayerful community no question about that but it's just not about their faith. they believe in each other here. there are so many people coming out to help yesterday, john and christine, they had to be turned away, the mayor told us this morning. so they're going to come back strong but the need is very great. i'm watching this building that's off camera right now, water just started shooting out one of the mains here. so they have no power, they have water problems. there's going to be need going forward right into the holidays and through them. >> you know, chris, it's interesting for those people this is a very wide storm system for those people who live there. they're not amateurs. they've lived through real dangerous weather before. one thing interesting about this storm, depending on where you were, it hit during around the church hour, a lot of people were at church, coming home, trying to get home quickly, kind of harrowing for many people. >> reporter: it was definitely

difficult. you were telling me what you heard from your own family. there is something that is etherial about one of these storms, what you hear, what you feel. they're so disruptive and fast, they literally shake you to your core folly and emotionally but again, but they were lucky to be at church, they had strong foundations there and they stayed there and they were protected and many people heeleded the sirens and everything we get now on our phones, we get these alerts and they got them and got to basements and safe rooms, but this was unusual here. it's unusual for the time of year as indra can tell you, and it was unusual for them in this community to have so many, so strong, so fast, and that's why the devastation is so complete. this is not the worst. much of this community has no trees and no standing buildings at all, so the need is going to be huge going forward, we have to remember them. john, christine? >> chris cuomo, thanks, chris, in washington, illinois. >> he said this was a huge storm with millions and millions of people in its path and parts of

indiana are still recovering from severe storms and thousands of people still without power this morning. the strength of the winds we can see him here we have video to show you right now, i think we have video to show you right now, there, cars turned over in the parking lot. look at that car in lebanon in indiana, smashed up right against the starbucks. there is widespread damage in kokomo where schools are closed today and unnecessary travel really banned. stay at home, people are saying. cnn's george howell is live in kokomo. you drove more than 150 miles from chicago to kokomo, must have been quite a sight, that long drive. >> reporter: on the road, and i apologize for the noise, you see a lot of work happening back here but on the road down here, the traffic driving in to chicago, you could see it backed up for five, six miles at one point. several backups along the way so driving was not easy for a lot of people last night. what we see today right here, we know that the state of emergency has been lifted in kokomo.

that's good news, and also the other thing, no reported serious injuries, no one died in this storm, and when you consider what came through here, whether it was a tornado or straight line winds, the damage is substantial. it is an important point of fact that no one was killed because when you look at this, it's hard to believe. it's hard to imagine how this all came down. if you look at that roof, the roof on top of the fire truck, and we're watching as even the firefighters need a little help digging out this morning. new police dash cam video captured this twister in boone county, indiana, sunday. watch as it passes dangerously close to this semitruck. the damage in indiana so extensive, more than 160,000 residents found themselves without power this morning. entire communities were destroyed, the force even toppling a car in this starbucks parking lot. patrons were temporarily trapped inside, but lucky to escape. tornado warninged were issued

across the region last night, putting wisconsin, missouri, and ohio all on edge. this time lapse shows the storm overtake the indianapolis sky line sunday afternoon. the resulting tornadoes tore across multiple towns. crews in kokomo worked in darkness. headlights from their emergency vehicles the only source of light in one of the hardest hit areas in indiana. the storm brought wind gusts powerful enough to tear the top from this home, sending it flying to the middle of the road. fire station nearby was nearly demolished, and this man searches through what used to be his living room. damage from the storm system spread to neighboring states like wisconsin. trees were uprooted and houses sustained extensive damage in allen town. you can hear and see the strength of the storm blowing fast through st. louis, and in milwaukee, thick, black clouds moved in, in just a matter of

minutes. live picture here as the work continues to dig out after this big storm system, and we also understand that the governor is on the ground, will be touring the devastation throughout the day. john, christine? >> george, amazing to see that work going on behind you right there, lifting up that roof, trying to move this roof, which is just simply collapsed. stunning images and truly amazing as you said, no one killed or hurt in that area where you are right now. george howell in kokomo thank you so much. foreign toe mayor rob ford lashing out at critics who say he has a drug problem and is unfit to hold office. i'm not an addict. why it g sgo see an addict if i an addict. i'm not an alcoholic. i'm not a drug addict. >> the mayor talking exclusively to cnn about his past drug use. his supporters and what he's telling his own children about the controversy that is now swirling around him. ♪

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all right, rob ford is in the political fight of his life, the embattled toronto mayor -- puts it mildly, embattled toronto mayor, that's what he is, refusing to step aside bess des bite crack cocaine use, caught on video threatening to kill somebody and using language in a meeting last week. >> a meeting comes as the story takes another bizarre turn tonight with the debut of the mayor's new tv show, "ford nation." >> it's humbling. i want to thank my supporters for sticking with me.

i guarantee you're going to see a change in the next few months. >> cnn's chief innovation correspondent, bill weir, my old friend, recently met up with rob ford in a twisted surrealistic experience. >> it's hard to describe. i interviewed his brother doug friday on "ac 360." i said i'd love to meet your supports understand how your ward works. he goes come on, called my bluff. 18 hours later i'm in the parking lot of this housing project in the suburbs of toronto and the mayor eventually shows up after a surreal hour. you'll see the whole thing later tonight but i found myself being ranted at by rob ford and you think he's explosive, unpredictable, you should see the live show. >> reporter: a lot of people are worried about rob ford, that

he'll never leave office, that his appetites will kill him but you know who is not worried? rob ford. >> i'm not an addict. why go see an addict if i'm not an addict. i'm not an alcoholic, i'm not a drug addict. >> reporter: in the heart of ford nation they believe him. >> people get set up, too. >> reporter: you think he might have been set up. >> yes. >> reporter: he admitted to smoking crack. >> maybe he just get fed up with everything. >> reporter: have you purchased illegal drugs in the last two years? >> reporter: sure he may be a pariah on the floor of city council and a punch-line on "saturday night live." >> whoa! that's a lotta crack! >> reporter: out in the suburban public housing project he is, no pun intended, a rock star. see, he may be a slash and burn fiscal conservative downtown but out here, they say he's the bleeding heart they call when the eviction notice comes. >> everyone keeps saying rob's a conservative. he's a huge, massive social liberal. he loves obama. >> reporter: councilor doug ford invited us here and when his little brother showed up we saw why.

almost everyone was thrilled to see him. these folks love you. but do you realize how you're perceived around the rest of the country, around the rest of the continent? >> they can make fun at me and laugh at me all they want. they don't know rob ford. these people know me, known me for -- i was born and raised here. >> reporter: why did you decide to finally admit that you had smoked crack? >> i'm not going to run around and be phony and you know, lie and i'm not going to have someone try to blackmail me and say they've got videos of this. >> reporter: you did deny it for months. >> you don't trust the "toronto star." i just had enough. i was sick and tired of the allegations and all this [ bleep ], excuse my words and that's a all it is. sorry, i shouldn't ware in front of the kids. you know what? i make mistakes. i drank too much, i smoked some crack sometimes. what can i say? i made a mistake, i'm human. >> reporter: can't you see why some would question your judgment? so lie about it, just hide? >> reporter: just that you would do it in the first place. that shows -- >> no i didn't say that. no, i didn't say that. you're absolutely wrong.

they said do you smoke crack and are you a crack addict? no, i don't smoke crack and i'm not a crack addict. have i? yes, i have. so that's what i did. i didn't lie. i don't smoke crack. i haven't smoked crack in over a year but did i? come on. >> reporter: that's semantics, mayor. come on. >> typical media, you're all cut from the same cloth. >> reporter: no. >> you can spin it every way you want. >> reporter: settle. >> settle down. these guys aren't bad. >> reporter: at this point doug tries to calm his brother, which as we've seen ain't easy. >> when you come and accuse me of being a crack addict, and saying do you smoke crack? no, i don't. have i? yes. i don't like people attacking my integrity. >> reporter: couldn't you be even more effective if you were a little healthier? in your lifestyle? >> i'm trying to lose some weight, working out. i'm not perfect. >> reporter: why not see an addiction specialist. just to make sure -- >> i'm not an addict. you guys can spin it and tell me whatever you want. these people know that i'm not. you ever got drunk before? >> reporter: of course. >> sure.

>> reporter: but i'm not running a big city in canada. >> this is the thing i don't look at myself as the mayor. i look at myself as a normal, regular person. >> it's not going to be about us. >> that's enough, so guys, i'm sorry, i'm passionate. >> reporter: one more question, this is the one that really gets it for me. i know a lot of people who would party their brains out but they're parents. i'm sure you're insulating your children from what's going on now? >> absolutely, i'm the best father around. >> reporter: there's going to come a day when they google their dad. >> absolutely and i'll explain what they're hearing. i'm straightforward with my kids. you just dismiss them, you just walk away? i don't walk away from anyone, bill, in life. all of the rich elitist people i'm sick of them. i'm sick of them. no, they're perfect. they don't do nothing. get out of here they don't do nothing. they're the biggest crooks around. >> that's why they want to get richer. >> oh, yeah, we support you don't worry, we love you. >> that's the twilight zone.

>> it was something. >> i got to say, we're not addiction experts right now, but we only see it on tv. you've now been in the room with this man. does this seem like a guy to you that is in control of his life? >> no. i wouldn't use those words. now in control of his life it depends on how you word it. he's not in control of his emotions for sure because he went from volcanic rage to sort of jocularity just moments after that talking about football, how charlie sheen wants him to come to california, so he's all over the map, but what's amazing is how much adoration, how much passionate support he enjoys in these poor neighborhoods, which is stunning for a fiscal conservative, through our american political eyes, we don't see that, but as he gets ripped to shreds downtown he goes out to the suburbs and that's where he gets his light and his oxygen from that base. they love him. they defend him. and he says he will not only fight on, but he will take down all of his political opponents downtown in the next election. >> i can't wait to see the

entire interview tonight. >> so much, i can't even tell you. >> watch the interview at "ac 360" tonight here at 8:00 eastern. we'll be right back. [ male announcer ] if you can clear a crowd but not your nasal congestion,

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welcome back everyone. today we could see something that has never happened before in the history of ever. >> that's right, after six weeks of gains on wall street, the dow could reach 16,000. the s&p also inching ever so closer to 1800 and it could be good news for you. your 401(k) account is doing better than ever. after a record run, the dow jones industrial average is where it's never been before, closing in on 16,000. wall street surged last week as fed nominee janet yellen reassured investors that she's not pulling back on the central bank's massive stimulus program

any time soon, but there are concerns this dow hot streak is about to end. >> at some point you need to get off this wave because this wave cannot last forever. no one can tell you whether it's within the next few months or years but at these levels of valuation, we think it's about time to take some money off the table and be more cautious. >> reporter: the october jobs report was surprisingly solid, 204,000 jobs added to payrolls last month, even with the government shutdown and while trader also likely whoop it up, the rest of us might keep the champagne corked. the problem? 97,000 of those jobs were for hourly workers in retail stores and hospitalily services and while home prices are still gaining, that steady rise has slowed as mortgage rates tick higher. the average 30-year loan carries a rate of 4.35%, the highest it's been in nearly two months, and may be enough to give some potential home buyers pause.

for what could be a tough holiday season, there is some good news in there, with stocks at all-time highs your 401(k) is doing better than ever. fidelity says the average account balance is at a record $84,300. so on that note, come on, dow, 16,000. >> we are so close to 16,000 and we are just moments away from the opening bell. >> still to come, capital columnist david wessel will join to us tell us how long the wild ride could last. [ female announcer ] we give you relief from your cold symptoms. you give them the giggles. tylenol cold® helps relieve your worst cold and flu symptoms. but for everything we do, we know you do so much more. tylenol cold®.

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new technology instead? ♪ imagine a company's future with the future of trading. company profile. a research tool on thinkorswim. from td ameritrade. good morning everyone. i'm john berman. >> i'm christine romans. carol costello has the day off this morning. we are watching the opening bell on wall street just rang. >> there it is! >> a milestone for the dow. >> confetti, champagne. >> 16,002. we've never seen this level on the dow jones industrial average. record setting run last week, a record setting year. these are gains that bring the

year's gains to a very substantial 22% plus on the dow jones industrial average. the nasdaq up 30% for the year. s&p 500 up 26%. john berman and i were talking about 16,000 is a nice round number. what it really illustrates to you is that you have had a fantastic year in stocks this year if you're invested. about half of america is not invested i should point out but 16,000 really is i think the period on the sentence of the year's stock market rally. >> the rich getting richer, some of the mutual funds way, way up, and 401(k)s just skyrocketing. >> richard quest is here with us right now. quest means business, watching the market rally >> yeah, 16,000. >> we agree it's psychological numbers but it's just the latest uncharted territory this market has been in. now the question is when is it over? are people taking money off the table? >> right and it would not be surprising to see a small correction. the big question of the correction is when the fed starts tapering and being the sad person that i am i was

looking at some graphs over the weekend which showed the correlation of the stock market rise with when fed has tapered or when fed easing has taken place and that's what we really need to look forward to. this bull market will pretty much continue until we get a clear sign that the fed is easing off. >> let's remind people who is going right in the economy. the fed has been putting all kinds of money into the economy. >> 85 billion a month. >> you have slowly improving, slow rebound that is happening in the recovery. you've got companies making good money without having to hire a lot of people, stocks are a measure of how well companies are doing, not necessarily main street but companies and companies have been doing well >> and you're seeing companies doing well across the board. it's not just the facebooks and the twitters that are rising the market. cvs, ge, boeing, all the good, strong, old-fashioned manufacturing stocks are also performing well and you've got $85 billion of fed money going

into the market. companies are also sitting as you know on a couple of trillion dollars. europe is just about going nowhere fast, there is growth. i wouldn't say it's the go goldilocks scenario yet. >> there are peculiar things at work. the fed is waited for signs the economy is strong and they're not sure and the market likes the uncertainty, they don't want -- >> the phrase is escape velocity. has the economy reached escape velocity and huge income inequality as well which has to be remembered. >> that's why wall street and main street are two different stories out in. i want to bring in david wessel from "the wall street journal." 16,000 a nice psychological level, david, we've never been here before, does it continue? does this red hot streak on wall

street last? >> well you know anybody who really answers that question yes or no is a fool because nobody really knows, but i think there are two things we have to watch, one is what is happening to corporate profit. there are some times that margins are being squeezed and if corporate profits don't do well, it's hard to imagine the stock market keeps up its streak and the other thing is a lot of this is about the fed. the fed is chasing people into the stock market because they're making it so unattractive for people to hold bonds or have money in the bank and we know from what happened in september, if the fed flinches a little bit, the market will probably react. >> so david the word from janet yellen last week in her big job interview before the senate banking committee was that she doesn't think the economy is strong enough to pull back that simulus that the fed is doing. how long does that last? if the getting's good, why won't the bulls just keep plowing into stocks at this point until they get a clear sign from janet

yellen and the fed that things are going to change in. >> well, they may well do that. i this i what she said was the economy is not yet healthy enough for us to pull back on this adrenalin but she didn't tell us very much whether she thinks that we're close to that and it might happen in december or january or march or whether it's a long way off. i think the other thing that she and others at the fed have been saying is we are going to find a way to taper, to pull back our bond purchases but try and reassure the markets that short term interest rates are going to be near zero for a long, long time. that's a pretty tricky message, and we know when the fed tries to get fancy and say a little of this and that, we get a lot of volatility in the market. i think it's hard to believe we'll have every day up, up, up. >> there hasn't been this meaningful correction and for those of you who covered markets and followed markets usually stocks just don't go straight up or down. there's jig-jags people trade and refresh their perspective and position. we haven't seen that big

pullback yet, have we? >> we haven't but what you're suggesting is that one of these days there will be something, and it might not be completely logical the connection, some statement by the president, some wink by the fed chairperson, something going on in europe or china and the market will wake up say my god what are we doing and all it takes is a few people to decide all at once it's gone too far, we want to get out and we'll see that correction. i think that's a possibility but the problem is you don't know does that happen before it gets to 17,000 or does it happen after it gets to 17,000? there's just no way to know. >> anybody who is telling you this he know exactly what's going to happen next year, exactly right, david, is a liar or a fool. one thing to refresh for anybody tuning in right now, 16,025 is the level on the dow jones industrial average we have never seen before. >> you're looking at history here. >> in your 1401(k) you're up ovr 20% and if not look at how you're invested. one thing is the word bubble,

i've heard people talk about it's a bubble. you look at the valuations we watch for stocks, 16 times earnings for the s&p 500, that's in line with history. does it feel like a bubble? >> i think that's a really good point. there are times when we can look at the numbers and say this is almost certainly a bubble and there are times when we can say it probably isn't. this is somewhere in between. it doesn't look to me like it is a bubble overall but there are some worrisome things. the amount of fraud or twitter or bond market that plagued us during the crisis have bonds that paid in-kind instead 1/2 cash. the metrics are not very good. the metrics suggest this is not yet a bubble but we can't be 100% sure of that. >> we never are. david wessel of "the wall street journal" thanks so much. just to reset the story 62-point opening bump on the dow jones average puts us in territory

we've never seen before. >> never been this high before, record setting for the dow. richard we look forward and there are some bumps in the path again mainly in washington, you know that whole shutdown we just had, that budget impasse? we're scheduled to do it all over again in december and january. how concerned is wall street about what's happening in washington in. >> it's concerned but only from a distance. what we saw with the debt ceiling and the budget negotiations is wall street has an extraordinary capacity for pain when it comes to washington. >> it helps when $85 billion a month is coming in from the fed. >> absolutely, and because of that pain, they believe washington and the evidence is there that they do it at the last minute. i want to take, christine, we talk about this point, you and i -- no one's ever seen it at this level but these are not normal times. >> that's right. >> this is what the important thing to bear in mind is. we're not watching a dow hitting 16,000 in normal economic

circumstances. >> because corporate earnings are fantastic. >> it's not doing it on its own. >> no, it's doing it because we are exceptional printing money accommodative policy. this is not a normal economy, it's not a normal market. it's been artificially pumped. >> some conservatives say it's a sugar high held by the fed, helping the richest americans, people who invest in stocks but it hasn't really resulted in a lot of jobs growth yet and janet yellen would like some jobs growth. >> do watch out for that correction, which may not come until the fed actually starts tapering but come it will, there's no doubt about it, when the investor has to hold up. >> look at the tapering for people who might think what are they talking about, the training wheels on the economy and the fed has training wheels on the economy. the training wheels will come off. will the bike wobble? expensive training wheels. >> they are. richard quest nice to see you. >> we'll be right back. farmer: hello, i'm an idaho potato farmer. and our giant idaho potato truck is still missing.

so my dog and i we're going to go find it. it's out there somewhere spreading the good word about idaho potatoes and raising money for meals on wheels. but we'd really like our truck back, so if you see it, let us know, would you? thanks. what? you can fill that box and pay one flat rate. i didn't know the coal thing was real. it's very real... david rivera. rivera, david. [ male announcer ] fedex one rate. simple, flat rate shipping with the reliability of fedex. [ mgood and close. fedex one rate. discover the new way to help keep teeth clean and breath fresh. new beneful healthy smile food and snacks. he'll love the crunch of the healthy smile kibbles. you'll love how they help clean. with soft, meaty centers, and teeth cleaning texture

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it's now being blamed for at least six deaths. our meteorologist indra petersons is right in the middle of one of the most hard-hit areas, the town of washington, illinois. most of us think of tornado season being the spring. this seems very unusual. how rare is an outbreak like this so late in the year? >> reporter: you literally just nailed it. typically in november we see about 50 tornadoes across the entire nation for the entire month. now we're talking about 68 tornadoes just yesterday, and to put that in perspective we had a high risk yesterday, only the second of the season and typically we see those in the spring time. we really had all these elements come together and you can see especially now that the sun is up the dinkind of damage we are looking at. you can literally see cars overturned, even semitrucks overturned. look at this google map and compare what this looked like just 24 hours ago. these aren't trailer parks. we're talking about two-story wide framed buildings that are

unrecognizable this morning. you can actually see a couple people here behind me surveying the damage, so difficult in these morning hours. you see literally nothing left on the floor. you look at the trees snapped in half, power lines down and some of the light poles are twisted on the ground, almost in circles. the fact there's a no parking sign here that's twisted around twice. truly unbelievable the kind of damage you're talking about here. this is what they're going to have to do today. the national weather service is going to come out and they are going to look at this damage. there's always confusion after a tornado with this fact. how big of a tornado was it? how strong was it? we actually don't know that until the aftermath. semitruck flipped, what wind damage would it take for this to happen. how are the buildings built, what winds would it take for that to come down and then they evaluate the strength of the tornado. that's what they're going to be doing across the entire region. i want to get back to why this happened so late in the season and the key is yes, temperatures were 20 degrees above normal in

this region but still cooler than the spring, so the question is, what allows it to be here? you're looking at strong winds coming out of the south so basically compensated for the lack of that heat and that combined with the cold front and the jet stream that came across yesterday and we had those perfect elements here for the storms that we saw yesterday and unfortunately truly devastating, the good news here, people least got the warning to get to safety in their basements in time. >> they had a warning of a few days in some cases with the warmer weather, the wind and cold front making for a lethal combination. indra petersons for us in washington, illinois, thanks so much. ahead in the next hour of "cnn newsroom," a bitter family feud erupts between dick cheney's daughters. >> and it is all playing out on facebook for the whole world to see. this is coming up, new at 10:00.

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all right. welcome back, everyone. some important medical news this morning. an online tool used to help doctors identify cholesterol problems in patients is getting a closer look. >> right. after a leading cardiologist says it overestimates risk and can mistakenly suggest millions need statin drugs. the chief of cardiovascular medicine at the cleveland kallinis says an online calculator needs re-evaluated before further implemented. elizabeth cohen has more. >> reporter: this is stunning, because last week we were told that the guidelines were being redone and more people would probably be on statins. this is what happened. two cardiologists at harvard said let go online and try the calculate around see how it

works. put in different values. wait a second. this calculator says all sorts of healthy people should be taking statins. they wrote an article which will be published tomorrow. anyone can use it. the "new york times" broke the story today. anyhow, my producer and i went online and tried it. pe but in a 60-year-old man with normal cholesterol that said he should be on statins. no history of heart disease or diabetes. no problems but it said he should be on statins. it made us go, huh? >> with a calculator or assuming more should be on statins than are? >> the doctors we talked to says this calculator is off. there's something not quite right about it. it needs to be re-evaluated. >> this is confusing enough for people. >> yes. >> what do you do? >> go to your doctor, talk about two things. one, what are my cholesterol levels and the, two, what's my general health profile? do i have diabetes? did my parents die of high blood pressure or heart disease?

do i have high blood pressure and make the statin decision that way. >> listen to your doctor as a human being as opposed to a computer? >> right. for now. think two things. cholesterol measurements and personal and family history. smoosh those two together, a medical term, by the way, smoosh those two things together and you can get an idea whether or not you want to take this. >> being an empowered patient. >> it's a not passive. tell your doctor, what did your mother and father die of? did anybody have this or that. important to know your own history. >> smoosh it all together. >> right. >> thanks, elizabeth. still to come, no unbeaten teams left in the nfl. >> peyton manning and the broncos knock off the kansas city chiefs. we'll have the highlights of this terrific game coming up in the "bleacher report."

welcome back, everyone. we are hoping to learn more this morning about an injury in the jets/colts game. told a man fell from the third level of the stadium in buffalo and landed on another fan. you can see the man slide down the railing right there before losing his balance. what was he doing there? both taken to a nearby hospital for medical problems. >> hard to watch. >> other big news in sports, pro

golfer jason day confirmed he lost eight family members in the deadly typhoon. >> and joining us with more, hey, andy. >> tragic news. jason day lost his grandmother, an uncle and six cousins in the deadly typhoon and all cousins were children. day is a native of australia but his mother is from the philippines. her family lives in one of the hardest-hit areas. the toughest part for this family is they haven't been able to communicate with anyone over there. in a statement day thanked everyone for their thoughts and prayers and asked for everyone to continue to pray for all of those affected by the tragedy. guy, check out this individual grow yesterday's nascar race. paul minard's race caught fire and one of his tires exploded in the pit. thankfully nobody hurt in the explosion. as for the race, jimmie johnson didn't win but finished ninth. good enough to claim his sixth championship in eight years.

won six races finished in the top ten 24 time and called possibly the greatest of all-time but jimi says, tap the brakes. >> i'm not going to deny or chase it away. sure, i would love to be considered that, but, you know, if you look at stats, there's still numbers out there i need to achieve. that's why i say, until i hang my helmet up it's not necessarily a fair conversation to have. >> we no longer have any undefeated teams in the nfl. the 9-0 chiefs taking on the 8-1 broncos last night. and peyton manning threw only one touchdown, but it was enough. the broncos never trails handing the chiefs their first loss of the season. 27-17 the final. meaning the 72 dolphins can celebrate one more season they are the only team to ever go undefeated. and one "hairy" play. cardinals/jaguars, andre

ellington, tackled by jason babin and he comes out with a handful of hair. don't worry. cardinals had a tweet saying they got the hair back and ellington will stitch the locks back in. should be good as new come next sunday. good as new. yikes! >> that looks like it hurt. >> a job hazard right there. you can't pull someone's hair out. that's not allowed. >> the ricky williams rule. if you have dreads and hair that long, defenders are allowed to tackle you by it. >> it is a technicality. andy schultz, thank you so much for that disturbing image from the football field. the next hour of "cnn newsroom" begins right now. good morning, everyone. i'm john berman. >> and i'm christine romans for you. carol costello is off today.

two big stories we're watching this hour. the dow just topped the 16,000 mark, first time ever. more on that. whether it can hold there in a moment. >> dipped down below 16,000 this moment trust us. was there quite a while. the deadly tornadoes. the national weather service is sending out three team to survey the damage from this rare, unusual late-season tornado outbreak that just slammed the midwest. this left at least six people dead, entire neighborhoods, as you can see right there, flattened. hundreds of thousands of people this morning without power. 68 reports of tornadoes across the region. illinois one of the state's hardest hit. an ef-4 packing estimated winds up to 200 miles per hour. the state's governor declared a seven-county disaster area. planning to tour that devastation later today. >> cnn covering every angle with several crews in the region. first, a look back how this all

unfolded. >> wow! it's on the ground. >> reporter: it's like being under attack. >> our father, who art in heaven -- >> reporter: prayers echoed through basements as a monster-sized twitter roars above. a string of tornadoes, central month. north of peoria. >> we may need to take shelter now ourselves. >> reporter: newscaster abrustly rushed off-air. >> we'll be back when we can. >> reporter: a tornado ripped right past their studio. downtown washington county devastated by a tornado. wind reports of 200 miles an hour spun entire blocks of home to the foundation. >> the house was shaking, and waited probably a minute. came back up and saw what you're seeing here. >> reporter: in a community, authorities went door to door checking on residents for fear of gas leak. one resident described the aftermath as a war zone. >> i'm just devastated. i just feel sick. >> reporter: further south a

tornado carved a path of destruction in brookport directly hitting two mobile home parks. >> i don't have anything. my whole -- it's gone. >> reporter: funnel clouds even spotted in chicago. >> please clear the seating area calmly. >> reporter: tornado warnings forced officials to evacuate soldier field. delaying the bears' game. but once the twisters passed, a new blast of energy. cleanup efforts. waves of people coming to each other's aid looking for survivors, searching for valuables. toppled semis pulled upright, and most importantly, spirits raised. >> we'll make it through it. we're just so grateful that the lord preserved so many lives here. >> the voice behind that piece, chris cuomo, right in the middle of this in washington, illinois. chris, give us a sense of what it is like there right now this morning. >> reporter: well, you can see it behind us, john and christine, but there is something new here. in the homes behind us you see

this kid? they're starting to come back to their houses now that the sun is up, and this is for the first time for many of these people, getting a chance to go through what's left of their homes as they knew them. going on behind us. obviously very sad. but also a reflection of the resilience of this community in that we spoke with the mayor this morning, and he said that immediately afterwards, as people crawled out of their safe places and basements, the community starts pouring in. so much so, listen to this. we've covered a lot of trach didip tragedies. so much help it has to be turned away. the mayor literally had to do that. listen to the mayor in the interview this morning. >> 13 years i never would have dreamed something like this would have been something i would, you know, be tasked to help. our residents are resilient. they weren't worried about what they lost. they were worried about their neighbors. we actually started turning people away. not just washington, the surrounding areas. people coming from everywhere.

doctors, nurses, emts, firemen, policemen. the surrounding community didn't even wait for a phone call of help. they just started showing up. >> reporter: you know, there luckily has been a relatively small amount of loss of life, injuries, we leave several dozen. numbers are still coming in. so many have lost their homes. yet this community,s as mayor was saying, really has profound perspective on what matters. probably didn't need this type of lesson of what matters but through their faith and belief in one another, they're coming together. as we all know, that's going to make a huge difference in hour quickly they can come back. that said, with the holidays coming, so many out of their homes we have to keep the neem our thoughts and prayers. >> something else, you see people crawling through the rubble. it's important to be careful, keep the injuries low. it's dangerous out there. pictures really tell the story. sometimes in a situation like this, you know, pictures don't

ever show how really terrifying it was on the ground there. those pictures you're showing right now, the pictures behind you, we'll know later today from the national weather service, or in a few bad, how bad, how powerful the storms were'sthe pictures are saying, chris, these were very powerful tornadoes. >> reporter: yeah, and there's no question about it. we'll wait for the official data, but we don't really need it. anecdotically, you can see what it did. that may mean something for the insurance adjustment, for record-keeping. the toll is in what's obvious. it's also cold today. 25 degrees colder than it was yesterday. for these people to face the day, it's a cold reality and cold weather as well. they have each other. that's going to mean a lot, guys. >> it is sunny there. at least not raining. hopefully they can pull something out of the wreckage of those home there's. chris cuomo, doing a great job in washington, illinois. thank you so much. about five minutes after the hour. we have been watching history

this morning unfolding before our very eyes. >> right. for the first time ever the dow passed the coveted 16,000 mark. paul, writing the story on cnn money about this milestone. it's pulled back a little. it is a milestone but a good marker for people to remind them what a great year they've had. >> this has been really amazing, the year. dow up more than 20%. they're the larggard. stocks are just really on fire. >> it's just stocks. right? or is it more? is this a sign that everything is rosy out there? >> unfortunately not. i think that what we're seeing with stocks rise to the level they are, a reflection corporate profits of pretty good and people are happy the federal reserve is still buying bonds, pumping money into the system, but the overall economy is still relatively weak. a lot of the earnings are coming from companies keeping expenses down. even if they're not laying off as many people as they used to they're not hires either.

>> people complaining all the fed stimulus benefited people who already have mon, not those out there looking for a job. something the fed nominee janet yellen has really spoken a lot about. she wants the job market to improve. that's why you have two speeds. right? you've got a stock market doing well, a job market just starting to heat up. >> exactly. the big question that a lot people, particularly critics in the fed have, even though the fed has been really trying to do everything in its power for five years to get the economy back on track, all that we're really seeing evidence of is wall street is doing well. the stock market keeps going higher and higher. maybe the fed continues to buy more bends well through next year, great news again for investors, but it may not mean necessarily a great level of job growth. >> creating 200,000 jobs or so a month. just in that range when is okay for recovery. >> right. it's middling. keep in mind. we had the financial crisis and recession, 2008. it's five years later. a lot of people are wondering,

why haven't we had that economic rebound when you look at dow 16,000, musting growing 3.5% a year. >> every source is saying, are you buying, selling, holding? trying to figure out what people are recommending normal people like us to do? and you know, i asked one of the biggest investors in the world, big bond investor. i said, look, a big, big run. should regular joe and jane, 401(k)-holding americans be selling or buying or holding here? listen to what he said. >> at some point, you need to get off this wave. because this wave cannot last forever. now, no one can tell you whether within the next few months or years. at these levels of evaluation, it's time to take some money off the table and be more cautious. >> coming in here now, is the average investor too late? >> getting closer to being too late, but i think there's a

distinction with what mohamed said. money in a random account as opposed to your 401(k), yes, be more cautious. with your 401(k) if you're not looking to retire for many, many year, definitely don't bail now. >> right. read the story on cnn.com. and the city council versus mayor rob ford. >> one lawmaker as the council prepares for yet another vote on the mayor's powers. my mantra? family first.

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all right. toronto mayor rob ford is defying critics and doubling down, really, on his refusal to leave office, despite what has just been unrelenting controversy, including his admission that he smoked crack. >> and now in a new tv show, yes, folks, he has his own tv show, debuting tonight, ford takes aim at some of his most vocal opponents. the toronto city council. >> i'll do a drug and alcohol test right now, and -- and i put a motion noor. every counselcil member do it t. i know doctors, lawyers, everybody has a good time. i'm not going to name names. that's not -- >> your name is out there. why not? >> let them vote on it and see who comes forward and who doesn't that show is called "ford nation" begins tonight in

canada. in an exclusive interview with cnn, the mayor talked about his troubles and the scrutiny he's now facing. >> i'm not an addict. you ever got drunk before, bill? >> of course. >> okay. sure. >> i'm not running the -- >> it doesn't matter. this is the thing. >> can't you see why some would question your judgment? >> so what? lie about it? just hide? no, no, no. >> don't do it in the first place. >> no, no. i didn't say that. i didn't say that. you're absolutely wrong what they said. they said, do you smoke crack and are you a crack addict? no. i don't smoke crack and i'm not a crack addict. have i? yes. i didn't lie. i haven't smoked crack in over a year, but did i? come on. typical media. you guys are the sail. all cut from the same cloth. me, if you -- you know what i mean? you can spin it any way you want, but you know what? it's -- >> this interview straight out of the twilight zone with our

bill we're cir can be seen in i entirety tonight. you're busy in the city council. holding yet another meeting, trying to strip even more powers from the mayor. what exactly, specifically, are you trying to do today? >> well what we're trying to do today is make sure that the city can continue to function. and we are going to give the staff and any non-statutory power to the deputy mayor. in effect, the deputy mayor will become the mayor of the city and act in that capacity until the 2014 election. >> so the mayor, one of the many things the mayor has said, is that everyone drinks occasionally, and he is called, that all city counselors should join him in taking the drug addiction test. is that going to happen? >> well, no. his behavior and comments speaks to why we are taking the steps we are.

it's clear the moir doesn't understand the issues he's facing. this isn't whether or not a person has a few drinks. i don't think anyone would disparage anyone who's had a drink or two. it's the mayor's inability to adhere to the laws of the rest of us. inability to see the impact this is having on the city. the public trust is so damaging and his inability to apologize in a meaningful way and take real, tangible steps to repair the harm he's done. he continues to deny and he continues to lie, and this is why the city council has to take the steps we're taking today. >> he's a person who clearly loves the camera. loves being in the spotlight. he went to the football game this weekend even after they said, please, don't come. sit in the stands. please, don't come. but by everything you're doing, all the focus that the city council continues to put on him, aren't you just keeping this story going? might it be a better strategy just to ignore him? >> well, we tried to ignore him

for three years. and ignoring him, his behavior escalated to the point we can't turn a blind eye. we need to sap y to the city we have the ability to run the city. although the mayor is a figurehead. he was elected by the majority of us. she a great mayor and the reality is mayor ford does not represent the face of the city. we are taking the steps we're taking to give the deputy mayor the powers and the responsibility and the staff to exercise the functions that the mayor no longer can. >> all right. from the toronto city council, voting today to take more powers away from rob ford. richard you being with us. still to come this morning, a rare meningitis outbreak at princeton university. now school officials deciding whether to offer an emergency vaccine. the only problem, that vaccine is not approved in the u.s. [ male announcer ] when you have sinus pressure and pain,

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nthat's why they deserve... aer anbrake dance. get 50% off new brake pads and shoes. a big health scare in the ivy league. right now princeton is facing a rare meningitis outbreak. this morning official there's are deciding whether to offer students and emergency vaccine that has only been approved overseas. >> there are seven cases now of meningitis already reported on the new jersey campus. our senior medical correspondent elizabeth cohen joins us live from new york. clearly big concerns when you have seven cases. >> reporter: sure. if i were a parent of a princeton student right now i would definitely be concerned. here's why -- meningitis can be very sneaky. it can look like any old virus or the flu and your child can go from having a fever and not

feeling well to being in a coma in a matter of hours. here are the symptoms you see. headache, fever, vomiting. who hadn't had that? it can turn on a dime. that's why they're considering at princeton letting students take a vaccine that? approved in this country. approved in europe but not here. >> what do we know about this strain? >> it's meningitis b. unusual to see a cluster, an outbreak of meningitis b. it's no worse than other strains but still, meningitis is bad no matter what. >> it concerns me. i don't remember much from college. one of the things i most destinkly remember is hygiene. i would think this would spread like wildfire? >> right. students are living close to one another, eating together, doing all sorts of things together. right? a lot of kissing and other activities going on. that's why it can spread. it's interesting. you don't have staff members getting meningitis or people

living in the area. it's just students. they think it's because they live so closely together. >> and kissing at princeton, put a moratorium, no kissing? >> they could try. >> with this vaccine, reasons to be concerned about its safety? it's not approved in the u.s.? >> it's not. it's approved in europe. the european process is similar. if this were my kid i'd want them to get the vaccine because meningitis can be and is so deadly. they say the vaccine is safe. parents and students have to make a decision. if it is made available, first, not required. just made available. you have to decide. it's a vaccine. any medicine has risks. do i want my child to have that risk to be protected from meningitis? >> elizabeth cohen, interesting story. we'll continue to follow it. still to come, a tornado outbreak tears through the midwest leaving communities looking like a war zone this

morning. >> i've seen the rain swirling and just took off running. next thing i know, stuff was flying. >> next, we'll go live to one of the hardest-hit neighborhoods. stay with us. [ female announcer ] we give you relief from your cold symptoms.

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welcome back, everyone. i'm john berman with christine romans in for carol costello this morning. >> right. this monday morning following the devastation from the tornado outbreak across the midwest. we're expecting to hear from indiana's governor shortly. 64 tornado reports coming from several states including indiana. illinois, hardest hit with six people killed and entire neighborhoods flattened. >> my attitude was, in the next minute and a half, we're either going to be in heaven or in the hospital, or we're going to walk out of here, and completely in the lord's hands. >> and he walked outta here. at least one of the twisters that hit illinois, an ef-4 packing estimated winds of 200 miles an hour. touched down in the town of new

minlde minden. cnn's brian todd is there. can you hear me? >> reporter: yes, christine, i can. >> what are you seeing on the ground. >> reporter: at the home of an elderly man who lived there with his sister frances. that home completely destroyed. an ef-4 strength storm touched down there on sunday and we were walking around the area, the property with friends and neighbors who just were talking about how upset they were about the death. they could not survive injuries. were found by a niece who came by trying to rescue them and just could not. but that home, we were just right there. it was completely leveled. there is -- you know, there is a lot of farmland's in that area. some other properties that wereship distance from the home that were not damaged nearly as badly, but for this poor family, just that ef-4 strength tornado

just hit them scare-head-on and it was complete devastation. we're headed to another place in illinois where two deaths were confirmed. the death toll where we are is pretty heavy as we move from one devastated area to another. christine? >> wow. ef-4 tornado p. up to 200 mile-per-hour winds. the safest place to be, interior bathroom. basement safest place. even in an interior bathroom, it can be difficult to survive something like that. >> reporter: absolutely. the rest of his home was completely ripped open. even if he had taken refuge in the interior room of this house or the basement, he was probably vulnerable. this tornado was this powerful. ef-4 winds between 166 and 200 miles an hour. it certainly looked like that hit this property. >> brian todd on the phone for us in new minden, illinois.

>> ef-4 tornado. to think there were dozens and dozens of tornadoes that touched down over a wide, wide area. people in indiana also recovering from these severe storms, but thousands of them will have to do all this cleanup work without electricity this morning. check this out. police dashcam video from boone county showing a well-formed twister dangerously shadowing that big rig. and the governor touring the area this morning. we are expecting to hear from him at any moment. he is stopping at kokomo, where schools are closed this morning, where we find cnn's george howe on the ground there. >> reporter: good morning, john. you can see the podium the governor is expected to speak at at any moment. we're waiting for that news conference but, he has had the opportunity to tour a lot of the damage here in kokomo and you look behind me and see what used to be the fire station. we watched as they slowly

defollowished that fire station and moved the rig from under there out from under the roof. when you consider what happened here, the strength of the winds. whether it was a tornado or very strong, straightline winds, the devastation is quite incredible, but even more incredible, the simple point and fact that no one was killed. no one was seriously injured in this storm event here in kokomo. i spoke with the mayor. mayor greg good niggoodnight, hu clean up after a storm like this? here's what he had to say. >> the biggest problem we're facing now is there are a lot of utility poles down. areas without power for, you know, days, maybe, you know -- could go a week or so. who knows. so that's -- that's the problem. you know, there's a lot of damage, but thankfully it was concentrated into a small area. so you go to other parts of the city and it was very minor damage. just tree limbs and things but the area that was hit was hit

pretty bad. >> reporter: so, guys, back to a live picture in kokomo, they left the camera shot before we got back. you saw some of the firefighters picking through what's left over from this fire station, and, in fact, there's a lot you can't see from this vantage point. over there, a mall where the roof was torn off, businesses, the windows busted out. a lot of property damage here. again, the silver lining here, the point in fact that no one was killed. no one was seriously injured here in kokomo. we're waiting to hear from the governor, and as we have that we will bring it to you live here on cnn. >> george, we can't see everything going on near you, but behind you, we can tell that place was hit hard. thanks so much for being with us, george. as george howe mentioned we are waiting for a press conference. soon as it does, we'll bring it to you. we'll be right back. dad! dad! katy perry is coming to town. can we get tickets, pleeeeease??? tickets? hmm, sure. how many? well, there's hannah, maddie, jen, sara m., sara b., sa --

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welcome back, everyone. the tragedy in the philippines hitting home for a very well-known pga tour player. >> jason day left eight family members in the typhoon. a grandmother, an uncle. six cousins. he release add statement saying my family and i are thankful for all the prayers that have come.

please pray for those who are lost. >> jason day, everyone knows him as an australian golfer. what is his connection exactly to this tragedy? >> his mother immigrated from the philippines to australia 30 years ago. so jason was born in australia. he's 27 years old, but obviously, still very strong ties there. this was his maternal grandmother, that side of the family, those cousins who died. like so many stories we're hearing from the philippines, so much tragedy involvedone aunt who did survive. swept all the way to a neighboring village, but all of her children died in this event and he has other family members who survived only by tying themselves together in an attic. very -- communication, of course, very difficult at this point as well. so there's a lot of tragedy going on here, and we're seeing with jason, he is still going to compete in the tournament he's playing in this week and his attitude seems to be to try to get through this event and then sort of deal with all of this tragedy and loss. now, this event is in australia.

so he's going to have a ton of crowd support, but, still, a very difficult situation. >> i'm sure he'll use it to try to draw attention to the tragedy going on there and maybe try to get help to the people in need. you see something so real like this in a way, it just trivializes sports or at least putses it in perspective. >> absolutely. tells you what is important to appreciate each day. these guys know, but you get an unfortunate wake-up call and reminder. jimmie johnson, closing out a couple racing legends. >> absolutely. fastest-ever title. and one nor go to catch richard petty or dale earnhardt sr. since she getting there so much faster than knows guys, the idea, we are watching racy history. the expectation is he will get seven, maybe even eight, nine or ten and become the greatest stock car racer ever. and been in contact with other ath leelts as well. now that he has six, his buddy michael jordan used to tease him michael has six rings. he'll text him and say i caught

up with you michael. i've got six, too. there's been a bit of a debate since he won this yesterday. is he an athlete? donathan mcnabb, former philadelphia quarterback came out over the weekend saying, yeah, yeah, great and all that. but are you an athlete? jimmie johnson had a lot of people come to his defense. i wanted to ask you, do you think race car drivers are athletes? >> a skill that is an athletic skill. >> that's not an answer. >> sprint to get donovan mcnabb, but i don't think mcnabb could beat him in a car race? >> it's a sport. >> if you can eat while you're doing it, it's not a sport. but you can't eat while you're driving nascar. >> exactly. >> i could eat and drive easily. so it's a sport. >> i've got to say, he's making this look so easy. for people just tuning in to nascar now, it's not supposed to be this easy. drivers are not this dominant. >> he can see the lanes. compare it to a great running back in football. he sees where the holes are.

knows how to move around the track and has a little eddie van halen in him. know s how to play his instrument, that car, better than anybody else. being able to do both of these things at the level he's able to do it. >> hey, eddie van halen is an athlete, too. >> eddie van halen can do anything. thanks for being here. terrifying video from the deadly too foyphoon that ripped through the philippines. the force of the storm surge when it hit nearly two weeks ago. able to take refuge at the top of a nearby house. pictures, terrifying. officials confirmed more than 3,900 people are dead. cnn's anderson cooper has been in the reach arened and has more on the recovery in this "american journey." >> good job, guys. >> reporter: for 72 hours after haiyan struck, the philippines sib will ings paulette and caesar barely slept. >> when i saw the pictures of

what happened, i -- i assumed the worse. >> reporter: assumed the worst, because while they were safe in san diego, the last time they heard from their brother jim, he was in tacloban. days earlier he e-mailed not to worry as he, his wife and three kids planned to ride out the storm in their two-story house. as the storm devastated the city, all communication was lost. their mammonations got the better of them. >> it was a difficult time. tried calling, texting, e-mailing, there was no response. so it was really difficult. it was a difficult time for us. just not knowing, and just thinking the worst things. >> reporter: jim was alive, but shaken. he watched from the second story of his house as the water rose quickly. >> now a river front. >> reporter: the travel agency on the ground floor, destroyed. over four days of barely any

food or water, he and his family made their way to the tacloban airport and got on a flight to manila. he eventually got toward a relative who related the good news to his desperate family back in san diego. it wasn't until wednesday night when everyone could finally breathe a sigh of relief. >> jim! >> jim? >> reporter: paulette and caesar were able to see their brother for the first time and make sure everyone was safe. >> how's the family? >> oh, the family is good. >> did you -- oh, is she awake? >> julia! >> reporter: and jim told them about how he survived the deadly storm surge that flattened tacloban. >> if we didn't have that house, we would have been, you know, flushed away. the water was like ten feet high. it was like a tsunami. >> reporter: although a face-to-face reunion might not happen for weeks, they're doing what they can to help. shipping boxes of supplies to

those who lost everything. >> his worst experience, nighttime. no light. we're trying to get a bunch of glow sticks and flashlights and gathering as many, like, mosquito nets and basic survival equipment to go there as soon as possible. >> reporter: for jim, anything helps. hail go back to tacloban determined to rebuild, refusing to give us. anderson cooper, cnn, the philippines. all right. if you would like to help survivors of this typhoon, please, please go to cnn.com/impact. i'm beth... and i'm michelle. and we own the paper cottage. it's a stationery and gifts store. anything we purchase for the paper cottage goes on our ink card. so you can manage your business expenses and access them online

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marriage become very prominent for more family. talking an the cheney's, specifically, liz and mary, daking very difficult positions on this issues. liz, a wyoming senate candidate, reiterated her opposition to same-sex marriage, while she does say schae port she suppor same-sex rights for partners. >> i don't believe we should discriminate because of sexual orientation. if people are in a same-sex situation and want health benefits or designated as a beneficiary in life insurance, no reason we shouldn't do that. i also don't support amending the constitution on this issue. i do believe it's an issue that has to be left up to the states. i do believe in the traditional did be definite of marriage. >> your sister said, for the record, i love my sister, you, but she is dead wrong on the issue of marriage, yeah. listen, i love mary very much. i love her family very much. this is just an issue in which

we disagree. >> this prompted another response from a mary, married to a woman. liz, this isn't just an issue on which we disagree. you're just wrong, and on the wrong side of history. and an interview with cnn, their father had this to say about the family dispute. we don't have that right now, but dick cheney basically said he would let his daughters speak for themselves. the question so many people are asking is, could the cheney family split on same-sex marriage be a symbol of a divide within the republican party? joining me now to discuss all this is democratic strategist robert zimmerman and cnn political commentator and columnist for "the blaze" will cane. i want to start with you, will. something put out to r.j. tapper. i love my sister and her family and have always tried to be compassionate towards them. i believe that this is the christian way to behave. now, let's leave aside the complicated family dynamics.

a lot to talk about there. will, you're a member of conservatives that supports same-sex marriage. so give me a sense of how what's happening with the cheneys is reflected in the party as a whole right now. >> i think that's almost too narrow, john. it's not just reflective what's going on inside the republican party but the whole nation. the whole nation is moving on this issue. don't forget, one less than a year ago president obama moved on. about a year ago president obama finally moved his position on it. what we've seen is the polls on the acceptance of same-sex marriage over the last 30 years moved lightning fast. so fast it's outpaced even the democratic party and the republican party has this divide as well and it will continue to go through some kind of transformation. >> a fair point. these are changes felt across a wide spectrum in both parties. rob, there is this family dynamic here. there's a report out in the "new york times" this morning, really interesting article, where mary cheney says that she's not going to see liz over the christmas holidays.

they haven't spoken since this summer. there's clearly a lot going on there. the politics, the political split, the interesting divide here, what might hurt liz in the senate race, maybe it's not policy here. maybe it's the issue of authenticity. do you think voters will want to see families stick together, no matter what? >> that's exactly the point. they're acting like the version of the "jersey shore." the reality is, liz cheney doesn't need a dr. phil to solve this problem. she needs a better campaign strategy, because the reason she's taken this very public progressive position, attacked in her senate race and ultimately liz cheney and frankly the right wing are becoming victims of their own bigotry. whether george w. bush campaigning for a constitutional amendment, against marriage equality or even today, most recently the republican leadership in the house refusing to put up for a vote the legislation, employment non-discrimination act against the gay and lesbian community. that the republican party is not keeping's with the times and, in

fact, by saying this belongs up to the states or by looking at it by polls is ignoring the basic issue. this is a civil rights issue. a human rights issue, not a political one. >> all right. will cane -- quickly, will. >> if i may. with all due respect, he just encapsulated everything wong with this debate. the problem with the cheneys is no reflective as all with the jersey shore. struggling with a family religious implementations for. and freedom implementations for others. to reduce opposition to this to simple bigotry reflects lack of knowledge in the opposition. a lack of knowledge in the arguments, the other side of this argument. >> hang on. >> liz was at mary cheney's wedding. now that she's running she's -- >> she's a bigot? >> when you stand up against the gay rights community, you bet that's bigotry. let's not sugar coat it or talk tore a need to polling to tell us how to stand up to discrimination. it's wrong and should offend

both parties. >> robert, will, this debate is continuing in that family and will continue nationwide. thank you so much for being with us today. right now, we've got to get back to the tornadoes that hit such a big part of the country now. there's a news conference going on right now. i believe we are in illinois. and that is governor pat quinn. >> -- in so doing we go to the federal emergency management agency where they do a full assessment with the records that we provide them, and our hope to get a federal disaster declaration really rides on our ability to get all information regarding damage and destruction that occurred yesterday. so we have been through this before. it is very, very important that we work together with our local mayors, with people in local government, with local law enforcement. our state has brought to each of the sites assets, whether it's the illinois department of transportation, our state

police, our communications, as well as lighting in some cases. so we want to help each other. that's really, i think, the spirit of illinois. it is important that we see ourselves as a family of 13 million people, and everyone in illinois wants to help the victims of these deadly tornadoes that created so much destruction yesterday. we want to work together to recover fully. i'm now going to ask john monken to come forward and say a few words. john, take it from there. >> thank you, governor. as the governor mentioned this is unprecedented an event essentially in the month of nofr and the impacts are so significant -- >> illinois governor pat quinn. the storm was a big one. hit a lot states. we're going to indiana hear from the governor there. >> all of those mentioned that apart from injuries that have been reported here in the state of indiana and significant property damage, that there's been no loss of life in the hoosier state.

with that said, the state of indiana, as i mentioned, will continue to work closely with local officials as damage assessment continues, and we will identify resources that are available, either through state or federal sources, to help these communities and help these families. to help them pick up the pieces and move on with their lives. thank you. >> all right. we've heard from the indiana and the illinois governors now. clearly, major, major storm recovery efforts underway here in the days and months ahead. we'll hit a quick break and bring you the latest of the tornado and the devastation, after this. ♪ [ female announcer ] just about anywhere you use sugar, you can use splenda® no calorie sweetener. splenda® lets you experience the joy of sugar without all the calories. think sugar, say splenda™

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let's check stop stories knop word why a u.s. boeing 727 crashed in russia killing all 50 peel onboard. russia has a terrible record of air safety, but those accidents involve small airlines that fly small old russian-made aircraft. what caused a silver mine accident that killed two miners. it happened 270 miles from denver. 19 people were injured and take ton a nearby hospital. authorities ruled out an explosion and mine collapse as the cause of the accident. a north carolina couple arraigned in court this morning after police found one of their foster children handcuffed to a porch with a dead chicken around his neck. police made that grim discovery friday. the couple has four adopted children. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

i've been unscared it is really unreal to do anything. >> and a supervisor with the department of children's services and the father works as an emergency room at the local hospital. both parents face child abuse charge. thank you for joining us. i'm john berman in new york. >> i'm christine romans in for carol costello today. "legal view with ashleigh banfield" starts right now. where do you go? what do you do when your home and all of your neighbors' homes, everything you own, is gone? our reporters are on the ground right now, still trying to get a handle on the scope and the scale of the midwest devastation. also this hour -- o canada, how many more can