actor nomination, confirming his status of a legendary performer. >> in terms of people that have gone, i've lost a few, and i miss them dreadfully, but they're not here. on we go. >> reporter: finally in july of 2012, o'toole himself admitted that he could not go on in the acting business. he officially retired, giving the profession of "profoundly grateful" farewell. peter o'toole, an immortal on-screen. uniquely human off. >> oh, i love the parts he played. a life well lived. peter o'toole will be missed. much more ahead from the "newsroom" in just a moment. first up, he suffered several concussions on the baseball field. now we're just learning how damaging that was to the late ryan freel. he is the first mlb play er

affected by this. that story ahead. and the storm dumping up to a foot and a half of snow on millions of people. the impact of this brutal storm could be felt for day. those stories and much more. it all starts right now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com today a new study development in major baseball league news. for the first time doctors diagnosed a player with cte. it is the case of former player ryan freel. he played eight years including for the cincinnati reds last december. he took his own life and now doctors at boston university confirmed freel did have cte, the disease distorts the structure of the brain. people who suffer from that disease can become irritable,

aggressive and depressed. cnn's carol costello spoke with the family about his life and struggle. >> he was always very active, impulsive person. i didn't understand why would he be depressed when he basically had it all? >> reporter: he did have it all. a career in the major es fans loved him. it cost him dearly. ten concussions s eight years. >> i kept saying, go to a doctor. have tests done. i'm fine. i'm fine. you know -- i'm not sure that ryan thought that his problem was a concussion at all. >> reporter: three years after freel retired he took a shotgun and killed himself. he was 36 years old. >> someone has a concussion, and

it's not recognized, because people aren't paying attention to it in a sport like baseball and then thet get another concussion on top of it. that's not potentially a small problem but potentially a lethal problem. >> reporter: increasingly, concussions are sidelining some of baseball's brightest stars. this season alone 28 major leaguers suffered concussion. twins catcher, phillie's outfielder and tigers catcher among them. other players including san diego's player wonder if they'll be healthy in retirement. >> you're responsible to your family first, and if you continually play through concussion stuff and see the long-term effects of it, i just had a daughter. that makes it, puts it in perspective a little more. >> reporter: major league baseball is trying to better protect its player implementing a seven-day concussion disabled list separate from the normal 15-day disabled list to encourage more players to admit

there is a problem. >> now that we've started to identify these injuries, we're going to focus on ways of reducing it. one of the things we've done, study catcher's helmets. >> mlb is especially concerned about catchers, but also reinforced hats are a possibility for pitchers. probably next season. something the tiger's ace told me he welcomes. >> i'm in a vulnerable spot. a lot of balls that come back the me, i react later than most pitchers. so if it's something that's comfortable and something that's practical i think -- i know personally i would want to wear it. >> reporter: but other players and managers are not sold on the idea. in spite of the danger. for ryan freel's family, the risks are not worth a life. >> i asked my just about every day what could i have done to save ryan? but, you know what jie feel like i did a lot. i even the day before he took

his life, i went to his house and i remember holding him. he was in bed. i held his hand and i said, son, let's go to a counselor. he already had been taken for counseling, and he said, don't worry about it, mom. i will monday. i will start on monday. >> reporter: carol costello, cnn, atlanta. >> thank you, carol. and the family of deceased nfl player gentlemjovan belcher year ago he killed his geth friend and them himself, his body was exhumed friday for research. the family want to know if cte or something else played a role in that murder/suicide. the heisman trophy was awarded to, no surprise. florida state quarterback jameis

winston last night. he is the youngest player at 19 to preserve the heisman. prosecutors said recently they are not filing charges against winston for a rape allegation that became public last month. a lawyer for the alleged victim is asking for further investigation. and now to that huge snowstorm that has impacted much of the country. it is about 1,000 miles swath of area hit, and it's seeing anywhere from 6 to 16 inches of snow. that's kansas to maine. roads are slick, flights are cancelled and the snow plows, they are out in force. alexander field joins us live from wool byrmassachusetts. looks like snow stopped, but how bad are conditions at the moment? >> reporter: about half a foot of snow and the cleanup all day. you can see, martin, where the snow banks are piled up. the tricky part, the snow is starting to ice over makes this

clean upwork harder and heavier. >> reporter: the sights and sounds of a fierce winter storm. overnight, the large swath of snow and ice moved in to the northeast, packing a punch that has many in the region digging in for a long winter. >> we've got plenty of salt. the back roads are starting to stickalities bit. it looks like it's coming down pretty good now. they might get a little wear. especially back roads. >> i'm staying in for this, and get out of the way. >> reporter: boston's mayor tom menino, cautioning everyone this holiday season before the worst hits his city. >> be very careful coming back from the parties this evening. the roadways will be, snow on them, and just ask you, when you celebrate, celebrate responsibly. s is a snowstorm t not of major proportion. ow city should be able to handle

it. >> reporter: it's put states from kansas to maine in the bull's eye with winter storm watches and warnings across the board. airport delays caused by the storm are forcing many flights to be cancelled with a ripple effect felt coast to coast. dangerous conditions on the roads are also a major factor. at least one person was killed when a car slid off a missouri interstate, but in new england, the massachusetts d.o.t. says they're ready. >> we have almost 4,000 pieces of equipment. we have both salt spreaders and plows, and heavy, really heavy pieces of equipment as well as some specialized large snow-blowing equipment. >> reporter: and yet despite the blizzard-like conditions, not everything came to a halt. the annual army game went on at planned. the navy midshipman beat army for the 12th straight year in a row 34-7, and erin flanagan,

wish of a white wedding. the bride and groom said their i dos in the middle of the snowstorm. >> i just want tad white wedding and i wanted it to snow, and i think snow is beautiful because i'm from massachusetts. so works for me, and i got it. >> you hit the jackpot. >> yes, i did. >> reporter: this storm is finally out of here but there's another small one on its heels. we could see another two to four inches in the boston area by tuesday. so martin, winter here is just getting started. >> well, looks like you're in the middle of a holiday postcard, really. it looks beautiful. thank you very much. the national weather service, saying the damage done to homes and businesses during a violent storm last night was most likely caused by a tornado. the weather service says officials are still surveying the neighborhoods. so far it says the worst damage is consistent with an ef-1 tornado. it took only 80 seconds for

a gunman to march into arapahoe high school shooting another student and turning the gun then on himself. the latest information from police in colorado. they say that the gunman, carl pearson, walked in to the school with a shotgun, machete and molotov cocktails. will whiply with our affiliate hat more from a student who knew the shooter. >> you know, you never think it's going to be your school. he just told me they're all really scare and locked in their classrooms. >> reporter: friday's chaos -- saturday's belief. >> here, like my school? the people that i know? >> reporter: arapahoe senior, hiding in a hallway listening to a school radio. >> a student down in the athletic hall. >> i heard it was carl pearson, and i -- i broke down, because he's my friend. >> reporter: close friends for flea three years. co-captains of the speech and debate teerchlts hi, i'm carl

pearson a freshman at arapahoe high school. >> reporter: he asked a question that now seems chilling. >> what would you like your legacy to be? >> reporter: concerned about his own legacy even then, he told friends he had big future plans. plans centered around his passion for speech and debate. his coach and mentor was school librarian tracy murphy. >> he went to nationals with mr. murphy and they do not get along on this trip to nashville. carl threatened to kill mr. murphy half jokedly, and mr. murphy brought it to the administration and got suspended for him. >> reporter: he says his friend was never the same after that suspicion. >> when carl came back, he was pretty angry. felt it ruined his future and getting into college. >> reporter: looking back, there were signs of trouble. punished in the past for using strong language and could be verbally combative. >> whenever he was angry, i just want to shoot everyone up. >> reporter: redman and others

assumed he was joking. >> obviously, he wasn't kidding. >> reporter: never did he think his friend was capable of this. >> carl was a good guy and he made my days better and that's what make hurts most. he wasn't a villain. >> reporter: today's disbelief. tomorrow's determination. >> i want to see arapahoe recover from this. >> thanks to will ripley with our affiliate for that report. 17-year-old claire davis was shot, in critical condition at the hospital. actor peter o'toole from the film lawrence of arabia has died. >> why don't you take a picture? >> that film gave o'toole his big break and made him an international sensation and got him his first nomination for an academy award. he was nominated seven more times but never won. o'toole's agent says he died peacefully at the hospital yesterday and he was sick for a while. he was 81 years old. china is now a player in

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china surprise add few people in the past 48 hours. showing off its space program with a successful landing on the moon. their first try no less. china's solar powered rover is schol exploring the planet looking for valuable minerals. a robot, no humans. there are bigger plans for the future. we have a report. >> reporter: china's jade rabbit lunar recover is now exploring the moon. this vehicle detached itself from a larger lunar probe in the early hours of sunday beijing time. now, the probe itself made an historic soft, unmanned landing on the moon saturday night, beijing time, and it now puts china as the third country to

accomplish this technological feat coming after the u.s. and russia. >> it landed on the moon. >> reporter: we saw scenes of scientists from china's space agency celebrating, embracing each other, at the moment that that lunar probe made its successful landing on the moon. now, one of the missions of this lunar probe, which is partially solar powered, it's a six-wheeled vehicle weighing about 140 kilograkilograms, one missions explore a part of the moon known as the bay of rainbows. it's also tasked with looking beneath the surface of the moon using ground penetrating radar. in part, to search for possible valuable mineral deposits. now, some experts tell cnn that they think the chinese may be looking at the possibility at future prospecting and mining

missions to the moon. the chinese acknowledge that their space program is decades behind the u.s. and russia, for example, but this does seem to be a part of a much bigger strategy that also involves establishing china's own global positioning system of satellites around the earth, and also building its own manned space station. that's very significant, because if everything goes according to plan, when the international space station is decommissioned in 2020, in the subsequent decade it will be the chinese that will have the only manned space station orbiting around the earth. ivan watson, cnn, beijing. >> thanks, ivan. dennis rodman, he loves north korea so much, he's going back. what his big trip means for the u.s., coming up. next, a rich teen gets off after killing four people while driving drunk.

his lawyer says he's a victim of his own privileged upbringing. our legal team takes on this controversial case. that will be right after this. ♪ ♪ i wanna spread a little love this year ♪ ♪ i wanna spread a little love and cheer ♪ [ male announcer ] this december, remember -- true artistry is measured by a passion for bold design and advanced technology at the lexus december to remember sales event, with some of our best offers of the year on our most luxurious models. this is the pursuit of perfection. bob will retire when he's 153, which would be fine if bob were a vampire. but he's not. ♪ he's an architect with two kids and a mortgage. luckily, he found someone who gave him a fresh perspective on his portfolio. and with some planning and effort, hopefully bob can retire at a more appropriate age.

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i doubt there's anybody that has not heard about this story but i'll rehash it quickly. a wealthy texas teenager admits

to driving drunk when he plowed into and killed four people. it was a juvenile case, the judge gave him only probation. no prison time. the judge bought in to the defense's claim that ethan couch was a victim of, listen carefully, affluenza. he grew up rich and privileged with parents who never set limits. he basically didn't know right from wrong. again, that's the defense. a man whose wife and daughter was killed by ethan couch could barely control his grief when he talked to anderson cooper about losing them. >> you know, holly and shelby -- were strong in their faith, and their family and their friends, and they were givers. there are some people in life that are givers and takers, and they were truly givers. >> it is so difficult to watch. i get chokeed up. let's bring on the host of a

show and a criminal defense attorney to get legal perspective on this case. that's part of the difficulty here. there's a lot of emotions tied up in this. let me ask you, mo, what do you think of this defense? >> i couldn't believe it when i heard it. i've heard the term before used in a satirical way, as commentary to what happened to overprivileged children but never as a defense that actually works. i think the lawyer was fabulous in this case. they figured out a way to do this and make it effective, but it's just -- it's a shame on the law for allowing this kind of result based on that presentation. now, if this would have been about not sending a child to jail, i think a lot of people could have taken it differently, but this in itself i think is egregious. >> who's at fault here actually? the defense came up with a clever defense. what about the judge? >> that's part of what the defense does. trying to blame everybody else except for the defendant to try and shift blame. that's what we do. but i think that the judge was the person who actually saw this child and actually -- this was a

kid. 16-year-old kid. that judge would have had to send a 16-year-old kid to prison. i know that it resulted in the death of four people and i think that's horrible, but what he did was drink and drive. that's the crime that he did. he didn't go out and intend to murder anybody. there's no history of a pattern here. the judge found he needed treatment and felt best to treat him because he is 16. she thought he could be rehabilitated and put on court probation. >> four killed, two people severely injured. there doesn't seem to be a punishment and granted, he's 16. although in many cases we know 16-year-olds try it as an adult here. that's key here. before they went to trial? >> obviously, a juvenile case a lot of sympathy for being a child. again, that defensive affluenza sends a terrible message. it says in america, since we're already obsessed with material inch and wealth, the more money you have, you even can be --

kill four people fanned your parents have enough money, come up with a crazy defense and win. >> and if you're poor -- >> suffer from povertitis, is that a defense? parents who can't give their children sglig according to povertitis -- that would never, ever wash. we're focusing on affluenza that a child will know gow to a half million dollar facility that his parents are able to pay for while he somehow gets a little better and pays for his sentence. >> which actually, is not to treat him for his an flffluenza for his alcohol abuse? >> right. >> is this going to catch on? >> the public outcry, i don't know. the key issue, because they was treated as a juvenile. the point of juvenile justice is not punishment. >> the whole principle in this? >> it's not retribution or

punishment. rehabilitation. the entire focus of juvenile court. so the judge did her job by focusing on that. >> yeah. all right. i wish we could talk more, because there's so much more. mo ivory, ashley, thanks for coming on and talking to us. actor peter o'toole is weeg remembered as an absolute genius. his agent says the legendary actor died peacefully after a long illness. we'll look back at his career, his life and everything you saw on screen coming up next in the "newsroom." is of a better future, a confident retirement. those dreams, there's just no way we're going to let them die. ♪ like they helped millions of others. by listening. planning. working one on one. that's what ameriprise financial does. that's what they can do with you. that's how ameriprise puts more within reach. ♪

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actor peter o'toole has died at the age of 81. the iconic actor was most famous for his role in "lawrence of arabia "and "the lion in winter." releasing this statement. ireland and the world lost one of the giants of film and theater. here's a look back at o'toole's legendary career.

>> reporter: was one of the greats. simply an icon towards the end of his life continued to wow audiences with his screen pressen. born peter seamus o'toole in ireland in 1932, his adolescence spent in england with his proposal debut on the london stage in 1955. from the west end, o'toole quickly transitioned from the stage to the silver screen. his appearance in 1962's "lawrence of arabia" catapulted him to worldwide stardom and earned him his his oscar nomination. lawrence was the beginning of a spectacular string of successful films during the 1960s. including a another oscar nomen ated performance opposite katharine hepburn in "the lion in winter." >> if you oppose me i'll strike you anywhere i can. >> reporter: admittedly a heavy drinker his taste for alcohol not only threatened his career but also his life. he managed to give up the drink and mounted a comeback as a crazed director in "the stunt

man." the self-described entertainer by trade, o'toole mocked his own image as an alcoholic over the hill matinee idol in "my favorite year," a performance that earned him his seventh oscar nomination. >> ah! >> reporter: though he made have forgettable films through the '80s such as 1984 "super girl" o'toole continued to work appearing in several made-for-tv films including "joan of arc." >> i know a good deed without all of that, but this work is every bit as important as the other. >> reporter: in 2003, the academy of motion pictures arts and sciences honored the then 71-year-old actor with the oscar for lifetime achievement. initially decliningfearing it would signal the end of his career. >> i suppose fighting for love makes more sense than all the rest. >> reporter: but o'toole carried on returning to the desert sands

where his career began with a turn in 2004's sword and sandals epic "troy." his role as an out of work actor in his golden years who became obsessed with a much younger woman, in 2006's "venus" earned him yet another best actor nomination. further cementing his status as a legendary performer. >> in terms of people that have gone, i've lost a few. through the years. oh, i miss them dreadfully, but wear not here. on we go. >> reporter: finally in july of 2012, o'toole himself admitsed that he could not go on in the acting business. he officially retired, giving the profession of "profoundly grateful fair well." peter o'toole, an immortal on-screen, uniquely human off. >> and o'toole's daughter said he had been ill for some time and added that her family, his

family, are very appreciative and completely overwhelmed with the outpouring the real love and expression towards him and to us during his unhappy time. that's a quote. the world may well have said good-bye to former south african president nelson mandela today buried in the hills of his childhood village with full military honors. he was 95. he transformed south africa surviving decades in prison and then leading the fight against apartheid proving that with its defeat he could become and was president. actress alfre woodard had a friendship with nelson mandela has lasted more than two decades. she said mandela inspired her as a person and actress and described the man who pushed for change. cnn's fredricka whitfield has more on this "impact your world" segment. >> reporter: actress alfre woodard lives her life inspired by nelson mandela. a leading voice against apartheid, she co-founded what is now artist for a new south

africa in 1989. and she introduced mandela on his first trip to the united states after his release from prison. >> nelson mandela, whenny a see you walking about in this country, my joy overflows and my faith is made real enough to touch. >> i said to him, i said, madiba? have you eaten? have you slept? really, nobody has asked me that, alfre, in my entire trip. >> reporter: later, mandela saw to it woodard was added to a guest list at a dinner at the white house. >> he sees me three people away, leans over, goes, alfre, alfre, remember me? it's nelson, and i said, madiba, i don't think anybody will ever forget you, and certainly not me. >> reporter: over the years, woodard joins mandela in the fight to end the aids pandemic

in africa as an activist and friend. >> alfre, how are you? >> i'm so happy, madiba, to be walking around in your land. i am so happy. >> reporter: i think what madiba demonstrated to all of us is not what he was capable of, but what every single person is capable of. it does not matter what circumstance you're put in. it's how you respond to circumstance. >> i am just so grateful that i got to live in the time of mandela. >> great. the oceanographer who discovered wreckage of the "titanic" found evidence of the biblical story of noah's great flood might be true. details, just ahead. for over a decade

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and dramatic story, adam and eve in the garden of eden, exodus of the jews out of slavery in egypt and noah escaping the great flood. this weekend cnn's christiane

amanpour in her documentary "back to the beginning" talking to robert bowered who believes he saw evidence of noah's flood. ♪ >> reporter: believing about 12,000 years ago much of the earth was covered in ice that began to melt. the oceans began to swell, causing a series of devastating floods all over the world. >> we talk about the floods of our living history. boy, they don't compare at all to the floods of ancient time. the question is, was there a mother of all floods? ballard thinks there was and he testing a controversial theory that the biblical flood happened here. >> why the black sea? well, because the black sea appears to have had a jind flgi flood. not just a slow moving advance of rising sea level but a really

big flood and people were living there. >> reporter: the theory goes, this was once an isolated freshwater lake, but then when the mediterranean swelled -- >> at some magic moment, it broke through and flooded this place violently. >> reporter: what did noah, or the people who lived there, during what you believe to be this huge flood kwhashgs did they see? >> it probably was a bad day, and a lot of real estate, 150,000 square kilometers of land went under. >> reporter: and 400 feet below the surface, ballard believes he's found proof of that catastrophic event. >> and i love it. i love it. i love it. i love it. i love it. >> reporter: they unearthed and ancient shoreline. >> we dated it about 5,000 b.c. >> about the time the bible says noah and the great flood happened. i mean, wow. >> wow. so it nailed it.

>> wow is exactly the right word. christiane joins me now live from london, and it is really fascinating stuff to watch this, and by the way, christiane it is wonderful to see you again having shared a number of "datelines" with you. you've covered people around the world, what inspired you to want to retrace the steps of the bible? why take this on? >> likewise, good to be with you, martin. you're right. i've covered so much, religious wars particularly. that is one of the reasons why i was inspired to do this, because this whole documentary back to the beginning actually traces the common history of all three major faiths. the jews, the christians, the muslims. all the abrahamic faith which trace there religion back to abraham, the patron of everybody. what we're talking about, ballard's story, none other than

doctor robert ballard of the "titanic" fame and is absolutely sure he's on to something when it comes to this big flood. shows some of these bible stories written so many years ago, but after the fact. not written contemporaneously but after the fact, may, indeed, have quite a lot of evidence to show that some or other parts of it did actually happen, and that's so, so interesting, and we have a fantastic journey to take everybody through. it's almost like viewers can sit back at home and travel back through the millennia without moving a muscle. it is fantastic. >> what i think is really interesting in the storytelling that you use is that you describe the bible as a family saga, which it is, and you even shared its journey with your own son darius. this was also a very personal journey for you? >> do you know what? it really was very personal, because it is a family saga in the greater sense of the word. the way the patriarch, the way the stories got passed down, the way the whole old testament, you

know, unfolded. and given the fact that in my family we embrace all three of the major religions, my mother is a catholic christian. my father is a muslim. my husband is jewish, that all of these come knowing my son darius, and i wanted to take him along, not the whole journey, but parts of this journey to show him the importance of actual religious reconciliation and the commonalities we all have, because one of my other nature pieces of documentary were for cnn before this was god's warriors, which showed in modern times, actually religion has been politicized and has been used as a source of conflict, but if you go all the way back to the beginning, you can see that we all have this common thread. >> one of the things that i always find amazing kwhen i'm i the middle east and i know you noticed this, too, you are a kind of, in the same steps, if you will, of moses, of abraham, and jesus. >> yes. >> so i'm wondering, as you

retrace that, what was the most surprising thing you discovered inic maing this? >> what surprised me most was actually finding where the three religions intersect and cross and are so similar. you know, the name abraham is said in three different languages. it means the same thing. the same with moses. you know, we all share the same history, the same patriarch, and i think that is absolutely fascinating and, of course, also, the old testament is a real story of very violent history, and it's very interesting to see how all this comes to play, and how some of it is now used in modern day reality and politics, not in the best way, let's say, and i think, also, perhaps -- you know, this is unfolding and this will be airing in the aftermath of the death of nelson mandela, who really embodies the great spiritual act of forgiveness and reconciliation, and so i think that, you know are the timing of this couldn't be better. >> i agree, and it's beautifully

shot. it's wonderfully told. >> yes. >> and it's just a delight. christiane, thank you very much. happy holidays to you. nice to see you again. >> to you and to all your viewers. >> i love history. it really is a great documentary, if you want to see the documentary "back to the beginning" tonight at 9:00 eastern time, right here on cnn. dennis rodman, he was known for stunts on the basketball court, but his new moves, well, they could be his most interesting yet. what the star says his goal is with his upcoming north korea trip. next. ♪

♪ ♪ you're all alone friend, ♪ pick up the phone then. ♪ ring ring, call them up, ♪ tell them about the new trends. ♪

♪

thanks for giving me your smile. thanks for inspiring me. thanks for showing me my potential. for teaching me not to take life so seriously. thanks for loving me and being my best friend. don't forget to thank those who helped you take charge of your future and got you where you are today. the boss of your life. the chief life officer. ♪ sometimes there's stuff we just have to share. this is too rich to pass up. this christmas there are a bunch of santas who are definitely going to be on the naughty list. [ laughter ] >> oh -- >> i love the narration.

that brawl between a group of men dressed as santas broke out on the streets of new york last night, it followed something called santa-con. thousands of santas get together for a giant crawl. who would have thought this could have happened? they're encouraged to raise money for charity. the critics say it has gotten too rowdy. now there is the tape to prove it. >> basketball star dennis rodman has serious travel plans. >> mr. rodman, round trip to north korea? >> one way. >> one way? [ laughter ] whew! one way. he said, one way. [ laughter ] >> what is that? >> all right. that footlocker commercial might be poking fun, might be, but rodman really is going to north korea this week. he was there in february to meet with king jong-un, now he's going to train a basketball team that will play against former nba players for king jo ers foe

birthday. he said i'm going to be the most famous person in the world when you see american people holding hands and hoping the doors can be opened, if they can. unquote. i'm now joined by cnn political commentator will cane and "newsday" anchor. ellis, let me ask you this. you had a column today, i believe you said some things are better left to the professionals. really a great read. what's your reaction to this trip? i mean, obviously, you are not in agreement? >> well, i have so many questions. honestly, guys. the first one is whether dennis rodman is going to be able to teach kim jong-un how to shoot 13 straight three pointers from half court the same way kim's father was able to hit 13 holes in one the first time he played golf. you've got to analyze this thing as stupid theater a whole lot more than serious diplomacy, of

course. >> thises have a potential for nuclear fallout. you just had the death, execution, of jong-un's uncle here. if you're the white house, the state department, what do you look at? this must be harmful? >> how horrible can it be, martin? set the standard. i think ellis started us off there. kim jong-il, jong-un's father, said he shot 13 holes in one. this is a regime that is, if you could say an institution is certifiably crazy, this regime would be that. if you saw the press release when kim jong-un had his uncle excused he said things he was a traitor for all ages, worse than a dog. there's no rational prism through which to view the north korean regime. how should we deal with them? you can't say. you're imposing rationality standard on it. maybe seeing a crazy guy like dennis rodman over there, maybe it doesn't hurt.

maybe meeting crazy with crazy has some promise or hope to it, i don't know. >> i can laugh at it and find comical aspects to it. this is a haveregime that has t potential to do such harm and does such harm, i'm wondering, do we laugh too much? and maybe i should also ask, what harm does this do to dennis rodman? ellis, do we worry about that at all? >> well, listen. i think chances are dennis will get out all right. you make a point. they did just kill the uncle and fortunes change quickly in pyongyang. that's absolutely true. it would worry me, though, what would worry me, if the state department had taken this too seriously. having briefings, getting together with dennis after he game wack. why don't we safe he's about half as nutty as the last two rulers we've had in north korea and let him do his little stunt and let's let life move on. >> all right.

you know, like i say, there's plenty more i could talk to you about. i think it's very funny and -- i will let you have the last word. do we care when he comes back to talk to rodman at all and hear what happened? >> yeah, sure. again, you're putting it out, we could be laughing at this, but there's series -- no other americans had access to this regime for, i don't know, what, 50 years? dennis rodman is sitting down with one of the world's most dangerous, i guess, dictators and has some incite to what makes this guy tick? i think we should talk to dennis rodman. >> all right. i got to go. will, ellis, thanks for being on. talk to you, maybe, when dennis comes back, if he does. thanks. what do you do? the obamas, members of the senate and rock 'n' roll engines. what do they all have in common? that's coming up.

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there is a lot going on this

week. here is your official "heads up." >> on monday, a panel that president obama assembled to review nsa operationless hand over its final report at the white house. the team of former officials and experts is also assessing the damage. done by leaks from nsa contractor edward snowden. on tuesday, the senate is due to take up the bipartisan budget deal passed by the house last week. votes expected later in the week. also tuesday, we'll find out who's going to be inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame next year. nominees include, kiss, peter gabriel, ll cool j and cat stevens. on wednesday, former nba star dennis rodman takes another controversial trip to north korea. he will be training a team of north korean basketball players for a match against rodman's dream team of former nba players in pyongyang next month. spokesman says there are no plans to meet with the dictator but i guess the two are friends

and it could possibly happen. then on friday, president obama leaves for hawaii spending both christmas and new year's. one last thing it could be a very big day at the box office. the highly anticipated mothvie "anchor man 2" make its debut. thanks for joining us. i'm martin savidge. my colleague rosa florez takes it from here. rosa? >> martin, thank you so much. the next hour of "newsroom" begins right now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com you're in the "cnn newsroom." i'm rosa florez live in new york. thank you so much for spending some of your sunday with us. we start with some sad news tonight. the iconic actor peter o'toole is dead. >> my life when it is written will read better than it lived. >> that line may have been appropriate for king