travel plans, now we're going into the holiday travel season for the next holiday. we're once again talking about major systems making its way across the country. it's a case of here we go again. as holiday travelers bombard the airports and roadways this weekend, a wicked weather system could derail travel plans with snow, freezing rain and severe thunderstorms across the country. according to aaa, the wide-ranging travel plans affecting 94 million americans. from the southed toment west, the risk of severe thunderstorms include damaging winds and even isolated tornadoes. up north, freezing rain will be the problem from chicago to wichita. holiday commuters will have to watch for icing on bridges and overpasses. snow's already caused issues for air travelers this holiday season. in wisconsin this week, a plane slid off the snow slicked runways. >> we didn't know what was happening and they said the airport was shut down. >> reporter: further east, up to 10 inches of rain could dampen

holiday travel plans and once millions finally arrive to their destination, who will have a white christmas? right now it's looking like colorado and parts of the great lakes. just want to give you a quick picture of what it is we're expecting. heavy rain, icing, even threat for severe weather including tornadoes. we even have a moderate threat as we go in through saturday. we'll give you the details how all this pans out. the timing of it all. all that will be coming up in just a few minutes. >> thanks so much, indra. a night at the theater turning into a real live drama in london. it unfolded when an actor on stage shouted to the audience, watch out. seconds later, a huge chunk of the ceiling came crashing down. cnn's erin mclaughlin has the latest, live in london. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, kate, a very scary night for over 700 theatergoers here atland done's

historic apollo theater, more than 70 injured, 7 seriously. after a section of a roof collapsed, sending members of the audience and actors alike running for cover. many saying they initially thought it was part of the performance. it was certainly not your typical thursday night at london's historic apollo theater. an audience of over 700 people, families and children had assembled for a performance of "the curious incident of the dog in the night time." and then -- >> a loud bang and the ceiling came down. >> it we thought it was sound effects of the theater and then, yes, we just looked up and the whole ceiling was like slow motion. >> reporter: parts of the roof started caving in. >> a lot of dust, chandelier, wood, all that sort of stuff, landed on about five or six rows. >> reporter: panic erupted inside the auditorium. >> i was right next to the steward. we were at the back.

he looked at me and had panic. he said run, everybody get out. >> reporter: witnesses say people stayed calm and helped one another. quickly, everyone was out. injured people, bloody and in shock, were treated at the scene. some taken to the hospital, aboard a london bus. >> we don't want to go into too much detail about the why and what's happened. suffice to say there's been a collapse of heavy plaster from what appears to be the roof of the auditorium within the theater. >> reporter: british prime minister david cameron tweeted his thanks for the first responders. i'm grateful for the fast work of the emergency services and helping the injured. as for the cause of the collapse, that's still unclear. the police later saying, there is no suggestion at this stage that this was the result of a criminal act. however, at this stage, we are keeping an open mind. a spokesperson for the local council tells me this morning they believe this is an isolated

incident. overnight they checked the roof. they say this morning that it's secure. more checks under way as they try to figure out how this happened. chris? >> all right. erin mclaughlin in london, thank you. u.s. forces have been deployed. president obama has sent a small military contingent to the south sudan. deadly ethnic clashes have erupted there, leaving at least 500 dead, including three u.n. peacekeepers. for now, the troops mission is to help secure the u.s. embassy. they are equipped for combat. joining us now is cnn's elise l labott in washington. >> sudan, the u.s. was instrumental in helping it move forward to independence in 2011. now the u.s. fears it's on the brink of a civil war with violence erupting, the u.s. along with britain have pulled out their diplomats, started to evacuate their citizens. state department warning all americans to leave the country. and now, after that attack on

the u.n. base, u.s. growing even more concerned, in addition to the peacekeepers killed, thousands of civilians are seeking shelter from the fighting there. that prompted president obama to order about 45 military personnel to protect the embassy. officials are telling me this morning it's just a precautionary measure. they will be armed. we don't see them getting involved in the fighting but it does show how concerned the u.s. is about this new fragile nation. michaela? >> thank you. the senate overwhelming passing a defense bill late last night. it cracks down on sexual assaults in the military and provides protections for victims. this measure also calls for a 1% pay raise for military personnel. it's now on the president's desk awaiting his signature. the white house is now giving people who had their individual insurance policies canceled because of obamacare another option. the option to buy catastrophic coverage. the white house taking on

critics saying far fewer people than they projected lost their insurance plans and failed to get new coverage since the rollout. outrage in chicago. after a 15-year-old girl was dragged, beaten and sexually assaulted on her way to school. angry residents crowding a community meeting thursday night demanding answers. that attack happened just a half block from aa so-called safe passage route for students. officials say the girl was walking in the early hours before the patrols began. she remains hospitalized with severe head injuries. health officials in california fear they may have a tuberculosis outbreak on their hands. more than 100 students who came in close contact with one student diagnosed with active tb were tested earlier in the week. 45 of them came back positive for possible exposure. an update for a story we've been watching here on "new day." ryan o'neill can indeed keep the

andy warhol portrait of farrah fawcett. you might recall he was locked in a battle for the portrait with the university of texas at austin which claimed fawcett left it to the university in her will. the "duck dynasty" controversy is not dying down. the stars of the reality show seem to be threatening they won't return to the series without their patriarch phil robertson. he was suspended for making comments that many call home w homephobic and insensitive. >> the robertsons are backing the man they say is the head of their family. here's their official stance. they say, quote, we are disappointed that phil has been placed on hiatus for expressing his faith, which is his constitutionally protected right.

we have had a successful relationship with a & e but with a family, we can't imagine our show going forward without our patriarch at the helm. we are in discussions with a & e to determine what that mean for the future of "duck dynasty." talk about rocking the boat. just a day after a & e suspended phil robertson from his hit reality show "duck dynasty" for making anti-gay comments, a firestorm erupted. now as his critics and supporters are lining up, getting their ducks in a row, robertson's family addressed the controversy for the first time saying while some of phil's unfiltered comments to the reporter were coarse, his beliefs are grounded in the teachings of the bible. phil would never insight or encourage hate. now surfacing, a video from 2010, showing robertson in a pennsylvania pulpit preaching morality. >> women with women, men with

men, they committed indecent acts with one another and they received in themself the due penalty for their perversion. they're full of murder, envy, strife. they are arrogant god haters. >> he has the right to say what he wants to say. a & e made a decision that those views are not american views and do not represent their brand as a network and they pulled him. >> reporter: now, coming out of the woodwork are robertson supporters, even pledging their support on twitter with the #standbyphil. ted cruz and sarah palin taking a stand behind the boys from the bayou as well. palin saying on her facebook page, free speech is an endangered species. those intolerance, hating and taking on the "duck dynasty" patriarch for voicing his personal opinion are taking on

all of us. >> the left keep saying they're for tolerance except for people that disagree with them. it's stunning that miley cyrus would still be on tv and phil's the one getting kicked off. >> reporter: robertson supporters say they're fighting the good fight. critics say it's an old fight, likely to lose in a new world. >> now, a rep for a & e networks tells cnn they will not have any further comment on this matter. the show is scheduled to debut a new season on january 15th. reportedly, phil robertson will be in the initial episodes that have already been shot. >> we were talking about hot button issues. and i don't know, though, if people should be surprised this is what phil robertson feels and thinks. >> it's passionate. religion, we all know, religion is a subject and belief is a subject that's very, very passionate, homosexuality is a suggest that's passionate, whichever side you fall on it gets you heated.

i saw that yesterday. i got a lot of heat yesterday from folks who agree with phil robertson. and i didn't say whether i agreed or disagreed. i put things out there. people are very passionate about this. >> it's okay to agree and disagree. i think that's the thing people go automatically from zero to 100 and attacking -- in attacking rather than -- it is okay if you don't agree with phil robertson. >> that's why this is the greatest country in the world. >> the part that's frustrating, though, i think we all agree we are allowed to have our own opinion but i think one thing i think all americans agree on, is that hateful speech is not acceptable. opinion is okay. >> they don't think it's hate. there's a lot of people who don't think it's hate speech. >> the video was helpful, because he wasn't commenting on what's in the bible. he appeared to be preaching. >> yes. >> that's one thing that will go on people's feelings about whether or not it was appropriate or inappropriate. i have a question, though. it's going to seem off point but maybe more relevant than

anything else when we're looking at this. does a & e have a problem with them contractwise, ais there controversy going on? >> this is an easy out for a & e. >> not that the show is not doing well. even i know that. if they were fighting over money, if they are not as close kin, let's say, this may be an easier opportunity to separate. i just want -- do we know anything. >>? there have been rumblings about that. we haven't been able to confirm that. a & e is not going to speak to their contract situation. they also aren't saying -- because we asked yesterday as well. he's suspended at this point, but they're not shooting right now. what is he suspended from? >> i'm interested on what a & e's position is. he's off the show indefinitely but the episodes are still airing right now. >> i'm taking a little bit of a sidestep. >> no, it's not. i think that's relevant in the

whole discussion of this. >> seeing the context of his comments is important. knowing what the context is for a & e's relationship is important. we'll talk about this a lot more on the show today, different ways, different guests. the main reason it's an important discussion is because it is confusing. we don't have rules in this society. we don't know what's okay. >> one standard to apply. >> we do have freedom of speech. >> yes. >> we do have freedom of speech in this country. >> 14 million viewers an episode, you have a lot of reach. >> we have free speech. we have the freedom that congress can't prescribe speech. it doesn't mean you can say whatever you want, wherever you want and not face consequences. >> continue the conversation among yourselves. when we come back on "new day," did sean penn help out in a jail break? a bizarre escape plan that

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after recalling its new gum. [ male announcer ] stick it to the market before you get stuck. get the most extensive charting wherever you are with the mobile trader app from td ameritrade. welcome back. it's money time, folks. another debt ceiling fight is looming. say it ain't so, christine romans. >> it is so. circle this date on your calendar, the treasury secretary warning congress the u.s. hits that debt ceiling february 7th. that means it can't borrow any more money to finance the government. lew said we'd be able to extend

the nation's borrowing authority until late february or early march 2014. just in time for spring break, guys. another debt ceiling fight would be a big risk for stocks. 46 records and what a year it's been. the dow is up 23%. the nasdaq up 34%. the s&p 500 up a whopping 27% this year. if you want to fly your child unaccompanied on united, it's going to have to be a nonstop flight now. united says it won't fly unaccompanied kid 5 to 17 years of age on flights with connections anymore. so there you go. that's going to change. other airlines still keeping their policy in place, guys. >> christine, thank you very much. that was a lot to take in. in fact, i need a break. we'll take a break on "new day." when we come back, self-defense or second degree murder? why a judge decided a detroit man should stand trial for shooting a 19-year-old woman to death on his own door step. and super saturday is tomorrow. set to rival black friday for the biggest deals of the holiday season. what are stores offering now? we'll tell you.

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welcome back to "new day." jacob ostreicher is back in america. he's been in a bolivian prison.

apparently actor sean penn is involved here. what is this about. >> little is known. that's an understatement. we really have no idea how this guy got from a bolivian prison to here and we have very little sense of how big of a role the actor, sean penn, the actor sean penn, how big of a role he may have played in this whole escapa escapade. here's what we do know. jacob ostreicher after two years in a bolivian prison is back on u.s. soil. >> he arrived in the united states monday morning. >> reporter: and he's hanging out with sean penn. but what we don't know, how he got out. the bolivians didn't let him go. the u.s. government says they didn't help him escape. the only person talking, mr. sean penn. who told the associated press that ostreicher had been secretly extracted in a humanitarian operation to free him from the corrupt prosecution and imprisonment he was suffering in bolivia. was this some kind of

intercontinental jail break? penn would only confirm to the ap that he is with the new york businessman who he says is safe, doing well and receiving medical attention at an undisclosed location. this murky story began with ostreicher's june 2011 arrest in bolivia, suspected of laundering drug money through the rice business he managed there. >> the worst part is he's an innocent man. he didn't do anything wrong. he proved that innocence in a court of law. >> reporter: ostreicher strongly denied the accusations. >> the reason they're putting me in jail is because my associate in switzerland is wanted for trafficking. >> reporter: ostreicher spent 18 months in prisoner without ever being formally charged with a crime. sean penn championed the cause of ostreicher's freedom, traveling to bolivia last year and appealing directly to the

president for his release. >> i'm grateful the president has received this. >> reporter: ostreicher was eventually placed under house arrest inside the country. and that seems to be when he took his chance to escape. so bolivian authorities also confirm that ostreicher is no longer in their country. they know that much. the justice minister said in a news conference ostreicher took advantage of the fact that he was under house arrest to sneak across the border into peru where he took a flight to los angeles. she says the fact that he escaped demonstrates that he participated in the crimes he was accused of. that seems to be a little bit of a jump in logic but that is the official statement from the bolivian justice minister. >> i'm fascinated by this. how this all happened, sneaking over into peru. >> add sean penn to it. >> it's made for tv. let's take a look at the headlines at this hour, severe weather is ushering the start of

the christmas travel season. tornadoes could touch down in the south. severe storms and snow expected in the midwest and heavy rain will fall in the northeast. you should expect big delays if you're trying to make your holiday getaway. be sure to check the airlines before you fly, of course. the impact is being felt out west. snow made a mess near salt lake city, exploding a power line and shutting down the capital's airport for a few hours. still no official cause of the ceiling collapse during a performance last night in london's apollo theater. more than 700 people were packed into the theater when a huge chunk of the ceiling came crashing down on to the audience. seven people were seriously injured, among the dozens who were hurt. an update to the death investigation of a georgia teen that cnn has been following. the fbi said to be seizing the original hard drives from the surveillance system at lowndes high school where kendrick johnson was found dead in a rolled up gym mat earlier this year. a forensic video analyst says at least an hour of footage was

missing from cameras inside the high school gym. a pennsylvania minister defrocked after officiating his own son's gay wed. frank schaeffer was suspended in november after methodist church officials learned of the ceremony. they told him never to do it again but schaeffer refused, calling the church discriminatory. the 51-year-old appealed the decision and hopes to be reinstated. schaeffer will join us live on "new day," later in the show. this is a homecoming she will always remember. she thought she was attending a pep rally at gaffney, south carolina. when she was called up to help unwrap a gift, she got the surprise of a lifetime. that's her pops. air force major jason wood was home in time for the holidays. cameron and her little brother thought they weren't going to see him until may. but he managed to get a two-week christmas break. >> it never gets old. those home comings, those

surprises -- >> and at christmas, all the more special. >> i love it. >> he got a two-week break and he's back serving the country. the families have to serve as well. >> alongside. great story. a michigan judge rejected a self-defense claim by a detroit area man who fatally shot an unarmed woman. the 19-year-old was trying to break into his home, he says. but civil rights groups say race may have played a role in the shooting. now a jury will decide if he's guilty of second degree murder. here's susan candiotti with more. >> reporter: of aa two-deer -- two-day hearing -- >> how do you load a shot shell into the chamber? >> just like that. >> reporter: a michigan judge ruled there's enough evidence to let a jury decide whether wafer is guilty of second degree murder and manslaughter. he's pleaded not guilty. he's accused of shooting mcbride

in the face through his screen door in the middle of the night. what wafer didn't know, mcbride crashed her car several blocks away after a night of heavy drinking and smoking pot. the judge questioning whether the homeowner had to pick up a gun at all. >> he could have not answered the door. he could have called for help. it suggests to this court the defendant made a bad choice. >> those word have a sting coming from a judge who's heard the evidence in the case to say that clearly mr. wafer had made a bad choice in what he did. >> reporter: defense attorneys offered a new theory about why they say wafer feared for his life. >> we have evidence the screen frame was so violently banged that it broke. so if you're at 4:30 in the morning, by yourself hearing that at the front door, what do you think is going on in your mind. >> reporter: prosecutors were furious. >> that is ridiculous. that's ridiculous. you open up the front door

because you're so afraid of whatever it is that's out there? >> reporter: for mcbride's family, a long road ahead waiting to learn whether someone will be held responsible for their daughter's violent death. susan candiotti, cnn, new york. >> susan, thank you for that. coming up next on "new day," two astronauts about to embark on a critical space walk but will they be able to repair a broken cooling line that's causing chaos on the international space station? >> can you say epic split? wait until you see how chuck norris is trying to upstage juan claude van damme. can it be done?

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let's go around the world starting in russia where president putin pardoned the former richest man in that country after a decade behind bars. we get more from diana magnay. >> reporter: kate, russia's most famous prisoner could soon walk free. the russian president vladimir putin has just signed a decree granting him clemency. he was once russia's richest man until he was convicted of fraud and tax evasion and thrown in jail. many say it was because he crossed vladimir putin. crossing the line drawn in the sand that the nation's -- should not interfere.

> >> thank you so much. a violent standoff outside a parliament building in australia is caught on camera. pauli pauline chiou has that. >> reporter: the area in central sydney went into lockdown today. it started with a man driving a car on the sidewalk in front of the building after refusing to negotiate with riot police, officers smashed in the car windows and dragged the suspect into the street. it's believed there was flammable liquid inside that vehicle. some reports say the man threatened to set himself on fire. police investigations are continuing and the 58-year-old suspect has been arrested. kate, back to you. >> thank you. the international dispute continues over the arrest of an indian diplomat here in new york. is there a solution in sight this morning? ma we have the latest. >> reporter: both the united states and india want to find a solution to end the diplomatic

standoff between them. problem is they can't agree. the u.s. called india to express its regret over the incident, but india says that's not good enough and it wants the u.s. to drop all charges against its diplomat, devyani khobragade in new york. the u.s. says it won't do that. both sides are continuing to talk and hope they will be able to find a face-saving agreement so that they can put this incident behind them. kate, back to you. >> thank you. we want to talk about a critical maneuver for a pair of astronauts tomorrow when they perform a space walk to fix the international space station. they may have to do another one on christmas day. five months ago, another astronaut attempted a space walk but nearly drown in his helmet as water leaked in. mike is currently here on earth as a visiting professor at columbia university engineering school. here with us to explain what happened.

thanks so much for joining us bright and early. >> my pleasure. >> here on terre firma. explain how this led to a problem with the astronaut almost drowning. >> the cooling pump, they have two cooling loops. one of the loops, the pump is not working. they have to replace the whole unit. they tried to do work-arounds but nothing seemed to get them happy with what's going on. the last time we did a space walk a few months ago, an italian astronaut had a problem with his space suit. >> had a problem. >> there was water coming in around his head. there was a leak. we never had this happen before. so nasa of course is very concerned about this. and they replaced this fan pump assembly that they think created the problem. that's where the problem --

they're not sure what caused the problem with the pump but that's where the problem ended up. the suit is working fine. >> okay. >> that's one measure. the suit has been checked out. >> people might be surprised about how much water is circulating in an astronaut's space suit. >> the reason you have water inside of your space suit, you're contained in your own little space suit, almost. you need a way to cool yourself. we wear a fancy wear of underwear. it's a cooling garment and it has tubes running through it. >> christmas gift! >> this is a little expensive, probably for a christmas gift. the water circulates through that and takes the heat away from your body. that's why there's water inside of your space suit. you don't want to get a leak, which was actually inside the backpack that was entering the helmet. >> let's talk about the space walk. so many of us are fascinated with the idea of being able to do it. >> it's fantastic. >> you've done four space walks.

every one is different, you've logged 30 hours in the four space walks? >> yes. >> what is it like? what are they going to experience? >> probably given the choice, they'd rather not have the problem to begin with. >> absolutely. >> now that you have to go out anyway, this is probably for an astronaut, for anyone, i think this is the most incredible thing a person can do. because you're out there in your own space ship right there in the vacuum, space ship meaning your suit, you can look anywhere you want. you have a great view of the universe, a beautiful view of the earth. you're doing interesting work with tools in your space suit and it's an incredible experience. you have to keep yourself focused and get the job done but at the same time, you're right over the shoulder -- >> i read the article that you wrote about walking out there. you talk about knowing that you're stepping over the precipice of a cliff from which you could never come back if anything goes wrong.

it's not designed for you to move easily around. how do you deal with all these things. >> we said focus is one of the first words i said. >> do astronauts lack the fear gene. >> panic is not going to help you. what you do, you have to do one thing at a time. focus in, the most important thing right now in the world for me is to turn this bolt or move this piece of equipment over here. i'm not going to think about what's going on at home or my kids geometry test next week. i'm focusing in on what i'm going to do. the most important thing is what you're doing now. it's not so much fear but you know that it's risky. what these guys will do tomorrow and the next couple days, is very risky business. it's dangerous. they take the precautions to make sure their equipment works well. they'll work together as a team. you have your ground support team to support you. it will be a great experience but at the same time you have to keep your focus. >> you can't rush it. it's all deliberate, some of it's small, time consuming,

requires a great deal of patience. >> you go really slow. >> right. >> the model we have is to go slow, to speed up. you don't speed up. i have an uncle, joe, lopiccalo, he also worked slow but he could fix anything. one of my themes was go slow like joe lopiccalo. >> this was supposed to be part of a fix. they were going to use -- >> not that. no. >> this is our producer's snorkel. >> we're not using that thing. >> they came up with a fix to make sure the water would not effectively drown the astronaut inside the space suit. it was a fix they modified a space snorkel? >> michaela, nasa fixes the problem, they replaced this fan pump, so that the suit is fine, it's all checked out. just in case they've done two

other things. they put an absorbing pad in the back of the helmet in case water gets around the helmet. >> that makes sense. >> and the snorkel doesn't look anything like that. >> it doesn't look like this? >> no. >> that would not look cool. >> it's all about looking good in a space suit. >> for us it's hard to look good. but the snorkel there, they call it a snorkel. really what it is, it's a piece of tubing they use to normally inside of the space suit. you can't just bring anything inside a space suit. it's 100% oxygen. there could be a problem inside the space suit. there's a piece of tubing, they snipped a piece of that tube and just in case, the astronaut can lean over and get air. but that's -- >> redundancy. >> they don't expect this problem to happen again but in

case it does -- >> backup for a backup. >> last time he was here we were talking about dieing in space with gravity. >> now we're talking about surviving space. >> merry christmas, happy new year. >> see you, mike. >> thanks for having me. let's get over to indra with a check of the weather. we're heading into the holiday travel. how is it going to look. >> we had problems for thanksgiving. here we go towards the next holiday. we're still talking about another storm that will be affecting a lot of hubs. . so much to get to. we're talking about icing, places like wisconsin, going back in through missouri. much lighter, still drying out. light showers into the northeast today. it is the second system, we're really watching as we go through the weekend. first thing you need to know, look at the moisture going into the southeast. second low is making its way into that same region. heavy rain and flooding. 3 to 5 inches in the ohio valley, going back down to the mississippi valley. backside of that, more icing.

especially as it goes further north, intersects more cold air. heavy snow, especially in places like wisconsin, back in through iowa and the icing concerns into the northeast. we're seeing as much as an inch of ice, places like vermont, new hampshire and maine, we're looking for the icing concerns. that's one side of this. the other side is for a lot of you in the major hubs northeast, light rain but warm temperatures. getting close to the 70s if not into the actual 70s. with that, same system now, tornado threats, even severe thunderstorms, really expected little rock back down through waco, overnight tonight. in through tomorrow. this actually spreads. we're talking about a moderate risk in december from memphis back down to pretty much monroe and of course that's not the only story. after that, even potentially by sunday, record-breaking heat. there's so many sides to this. look at d.c., looking possibly to set the record at 71, charlotte 72. it's confusing for a lot of people. some people might see light rain and maybe warm temperatures. other people icing, other people

snow, other people tornado. you have to focus and know where you are. >> look out your window, please. >> >> because it change. kobe bryant made an unprecedented comeback or did he? kobe is down again. and we'll tell you why. also ahead, we've shown you the jean claude van damme split between two trucks. we show you another attempt at this wild stunt. who else, chuck norris. it's not what you might think. much more ahead. [ male announcer ] this is george.

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♪

and welcome back to "new day." with less than a week till christmas, retailers are going into overdrive to lure in last-minute shoppers and deal hunters in their stores. some strategies include extended shopping hours, free shipping and deep discounts. cnn's pamela brown is live in harold's square with more. what can we get, pamela. >> reporter: the amount of discounts stores are offering this season up 13%. a big reason is because of the holiday shopping season was shortened by six days. you're seeing stores like macy's right behind me ramping up sales, staying open around the clock trying to lure in those customers, trying to beat the competition. as one retailer put it, we are in it to win it. if you're one of those last-minute shoppers like me, that may actually work in your favor. the christmas crush is on. and this year it seems the shoppers have the edge.

so who's in a better position, the customer or retailer? >> the customer is in a better position this holiday seas. one of the reasons why is because of weather. weather has really had an impact on shopping. people haven't been going out because the weather has been so bad. therefore, retailers are doing everything they can to get those shoppers in to start spending money. that means even more discounts. >> reporter: deep discounts as high as 80%, meaning some stores will be losing money just to get inventory off the shelves according to retail experts. >> there were actually better deals after black friday, the week after. >> reporter: stores like jcpenney are dramatically dropping prices on certain items for supersaturday, the second busiest shopping day of the week behind black friday. walmart is offering gift certificates with certain purchases and taking the price match guarantee program to a whole new level by paying back customers the difference. if a competitor is advertising a lower price.

so this year if you're a procrastinator, you're in luck. toys "r" us and select macy's locations are staying open around the clock through christmas eve, hoping to lure in the last-minute shoppers. >> if you with a procrastinator, this might work in your favor. you might come under budget because so many discounts are happening. we're not just talking about discounts on apparel and shoes and accessories. we're talking about electronics, big tvs, stereos, headphones. >> reporter: if you'd rather not face the crush of last-minute crowds, retailers are making online shopping more convenient than ever with free shipping and quicker delivery. ebay is offering same-day delivery service and amazon is offering one-day shipping on orders placed as late as midnight on december 23rd and offering express delivery in certain cities. according to the national retail federation, 32 million people haven't even begun their holiday shopping and the average holiday

shopper has only completed half of their shopping. so bottom line here, chris and kate, expect big crowds in stores tomorrow on super saturday. again, the second busiest shopping day of the year. back to you guys. >> also big crowds and big deals. you might want to brave the crowds. that's a good thing. thanks, pamela. >> kobe bryant, he went down again. was it his achilles? is he done? so many questions swirling around the lakers star. lucky for you we have answers in the form of andy scholes with this morning's "bleacher report." what's the deal. >> this is devastating news for kobe and the lakers. he worked so hard to come back from the torn achilles injury. he was starting to look like himself. he'll have to go back to the bench with a fracture in his left knee. it happened on tuesday. they got tangled up, kobe went to the ground holding his knee. no one thought much of it at the time because kobe actually played the rest of the game, hit a big three-pointer to seal the victory. but the kneecap bothering him.

they had to have an mri and it revealed the fracture. no surgery is going to be needed, kobe will have to wait for it to heal. it will take six weeks. kobe, he's 35 years old. 35 ain't 25, as they say. we'll have to see if he can come back and get to looking like his former self like he was almost starting to do after that torn achilles. another tough, tough injury. >> he showed it that second time, you watch the knee buckle. you know it's never a good thing. they say this isn't as big a deal, this injury, not from a surgical standpoint but from the rehab. if anybody can do it, he can. what are we hearing in terms of the predictions of comeback? >> you know, some people are doubting him. kobe took to twitter yesterday to put those to bed. he tweeted broken, not beaten. as you said, if anyone can come back from this, you know it will be kobe. he came back from the torn achilles in six months, which you rarely see. he has extra incentive.

he signed a new shiny two-year $48 million extension. you can guarantee you'll see kobe back in a lakers uniform. >> this is a man with legacy on his mind. boy has he proven to people how tough he is. the achilles, never seen anything like it. >> amazing. >> speaking of legacy, mike t e tys tyson, how he will be remembered. what do we know about him? developments there. >> we recently saw the commercial of iron mike making up with evander holyfield in that foot locker commercial. he sat down with rachel nichols. >> when you look back on it now, what do you think? >> i'm sorry i bit his ear. i really am sorry. he's a good guy. really good guy. >> watch this entire interview on "unguarded with rachel nichols." they cover a lot of topics, including how to keep a pet tiger. i'd love to hear the answer to

that one. >> are you in the market. >> i'd love to have a cub for christmas. >> they grow up, andy. >> good luck with that. >> this might be the last time we talk to you, andy. thanks, andy. it could be our must see moment. but it isn't. who is stronger and meaner than jean claude van damme you ask? one name, that man, chuck norris, one-upping the muscle from brussels with a split stunt of his own. he splits between two -- wait for it. airplanes with a squad of special forces on his cowboy hat. >> lit up like a christmas tree. >> i don't need to tell you it's all cgi because you know that, created by a hungarian production house. it is still as my friend stephanie elam would say, awesome sauce. i bet chuck norris could pull this off. >> i don't like chuck norris and awesome sauce. >> thumbs up.

>> you know how you know it's fake? the split is too even. >> that's awesome and our gift for the holidays. >> he says so much by not saying a damn word. he's amazing. >> learn something from that. >> starting with small women with blonde hair. >> or large men that have the last name cuomo. >> continue. >> okay. coming up next on "new day," could the hit show "duck dynasty" be over? the show's stores are threatening to walk over the suspension of robertson, the pay tree ak of t -- patriarch of the family. and then a live report, rodman news. at farmers, we make you smarter about insurance.

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not so merry weekend. a storm stretching across the entire eastern half of the country. how bad will it be? >> panic at the theater. a roof collapses on the audience in the middle of a london performance. dozens injured, some seriously. we hear from those who got out. end of a dynasty? the entire "duck dynasty" family now threatening to quit. could the show be over or can conservative rallying around the star change a&e's mind? >> your "new day" starts right now. >> announcer: what you need to know. >> a lot of dust, chandelier, wood, that sort of stuff landed

on about five or six rows. >> announcer: what you just have to see. ♪ this is "new day" with chris cuomo, kate bolduan and michaela pereira. >> good morning. welcome back to "new day." it's friday, december 20th, 7:00 in the east. mother nature is threatening to mess up your holiday plans again. it's already snowing out west. there have been hundreds of accidents, thousands of people without electricity. in utah. tornadoes are possible in the midwest and severe storms are expected for parts of the east. so getting where you need to go this weekend could be a problem. indra petersons is tracking all of it for us at the cnn center. what do you see out there. >> problems. definitely no shortage of them. a lot of variety as well, just like the thanksgiving holiday, once again, as people are trying to get outdoors, ahead of the holiday itself, we are talking about major systems making its

way across the country. it's a good case of here we go again. as holiday travelers bombard the airports and roadways this weekend, a wicked weather system could derail travel plans with snow, freezing rain and severe thunderstorms across the country. according to aaa, the wide rave ranging storm potentially affecting the travel plans of 94 million americans. >> you don't want to go on the airplane? >> no. >> reporter: from the south to the midwest, the risk of severe thunderstorms include damaging winds and even isolated tornadoes. up north, freezing rain will be the problem from chicago to wichita. holiday commuters will have to watch for icing on bridges and overpasses. snow's already caused issues for air travelers this holiday season. in wisconsin this week, a plane slid off the snow-slicked runways. >> we didn't know what was happening. they said the airport was shut down. >> reporter: further east, up to 10 inches of rain could dampen holiday travel plans and once millions finally arrive to their destination, who will have a

white christmas? right now it's looking like colorado and parts of the great lakes. let's take a look at the map. you want the big picture and what it is we're expecting? heavy amounts of rain, flooding concerns, icing concerns and heavy amounts of snow and not to mention record-breaking heat along the east coast. we're not done there, of course, a severe weather threat including the threat of tornadoes. we'll break it down coming up in just a few minutes. chris and kate. >> indra, thank you so much. a real life drama played out at london's famed apoll low theater. part of the century old ceiling of the theater came crashing down on to the audience of more than 700 people. officials are left asking how this happened. they're clearly still investigating. erin mclaughlin is in london with more for us. erin? >> reporter: more than 70 people were injured, 7 seriously after a section of the ceiling collapsed, sending members of the audience running for cover. they may have come here to

london's apollo theater to watch a mystery but they ended up being a part of a real-life human drama. it was not your typical thursday night. an audience of over 700 people, families and children assembled for a performance of "the curious incident of the dog in the night time." and then -- >> a loud bang and the ceiling came down. >> it we thought it was sound effects of the theater and then, yes, we just looked up and the whole ceiling was like slow motion. >> reporter: parts of the roof started caving in. >> a lot of dust, chandelier, wood, all that sort of stuff, landed on about five or six rows. >> reporter: panic erupted inside the auditorium. >> i was right next to the steward. we were at the back. he looked at me and had panic on his face, he just said run, everybody get out.

>> reporter: witnesses say people stayed calm and helped one another. quickly, everyone was out. injured people, bloody and in shock, were treated at the scene. some taken to the hospital, aboard a london bus. >> we don't want to go into too much detail about the why and what's happened. suffice to say there's been a collapse of heavy plaster from what appears to be the roof of the auditorium within the theater. >> reporter: british prime minister david cameron tweeted his thanks to first responders. i'm grateful for the fast work of the emergency services and helping the injured. as for the cause of the collapse, that's still unclear. the police later saying, there is no suggestion at this stage that this was the result of a criminal act. however, at this stage, we are keeping an open mind. >> reporter: i talked to a spokesperson for the local council. she told me they believe this is an isolated incident. overnight they checked the roof. they say that's secure. more checks today as they try

and figure out what exactly happened. chris? we want to turn now to a developing story out of africa. the u.s. is sending troops to south sudan to protect our embassy and american citizens there. as the world's newest nation is on the brink of civil war. days of violence and hundreds killed in what the u.n. fears is fighting between rival factions. cnn's elise labott with more from washington. what do we understand. >> reporter: chris, the u.s. was instrumental in helping south sudan move to independence just two years ago, now you have these deadly ethnic clashes. yesterday we saw a raid on a u.n. base leaving at least two u.n. peacekeepers ed did he, tens of thousands of civilians were in that compound seeking shelter from the fighting and there are fears this is just the beginning. now, the u.s. is pulling out its diplomats from the country, starting to evacuate u.s. citizens. the state department warning all americans to leave the country. president obama has ordered 45 military personnel to the

capital juba to protect the u.s. embassy there. officials telling me this morning it's just a precautionary measure. they will be armed. i don't expect they'll get involved in the fighting but it shows the u.s. is bracing to are a potential escalation and the u.n. security council will be having an urgent meeting on this today, kate. >> thank you for that update. dennis rodman's basketball diplomacy is in full swing in pyongyang. how much diplomacy is it really? the former nba star held tryouts for a north korean team he's planning to have them face a dozen nba veterans in an exhibition game next month. he may have hit a stumbling block. anna coren is live in seoul with the latest. good morning, anna. >> reporter: hi, kate. that's absolutely right. it looks like dennis rodman may not have a full team. you talk about those former nba stars will be flying into pyongyang in two weeks time with dennis rodman when he returns from the exhibition match to

celebrate the birthday of north korean leader kim jong-un. apparently some of those players don't feel very safe. two of them refusing to sign on the dotted line, concerned about, obviously, the political upheaval in that country. just last week, kim jong-un executed his uncle. there's a power struggle going on behind the scenes. dennis rodman weighed into this debate before he flew into pyongyang saying he has no concerns, this is none of his business. he's basically there to play basketball, have some fun. and he certainly, kate, won't be raising the issue of human rights. obviously, some activists would like him to talk about kenneth bayh, the american missionary who was sentenced to 15 years hard labor for allegedly trying to overthrow the regime. but dennis rodman says he won't weigh into that, he's not going to affect his personal

friendship with kim jong-un. he's just there to play basketball and obviously his major concern at the moment is getting his team together so that they can actually play in that exhibition match against the north korean team next month. michaela? >> no matter what he does, even if he doesn't say much, he still garners a lot of attention. anna coren in seoul. thanks so much for that. the white house is giving people who had their individual insurance policies canceled because of obamacare another option in order to not fall through the cracks. the option to buy catastrophic coverage. meanwhile, state officials are reporting seeing a surge in obamacare signups. rising 30% to 40% in the last few weeks. monday is the deadline to enroll to guarantee coverage january 1st. the senate introduced a bill that revamps pay and how the military handles cases of military sexual assault and rape. the house passed the bill with

strong bipartisan support. the president is expected to sign it. new information about a possible motive in this week's deadly shooting inside a reno, nevada medical building. the gunman has been identified now as 51-year-old allen frazier. police say he left behind a suicide note indicating that he was angry about a surgical procedure he had had there in 2010. frazier shot two doctors and a patient before killing himself. it is not clear whether the doctors he shot were the ones who actually treated him. the fired air force general who oversaw nuclear missiles was repeatedly drunk and borish during a summer trip to russia. major general michael kerry was relieved of duty. he was late to meetings and slurred his speech at those meetings and was rude to delegates and hosts. the report goes on to say he went to various moscow nightclubs with two women over several nights. mariah carey coming under fire, the human rights

foundation group slamming the singer for performing last weekend in angola. they claim she had given credibility and support to the president, a man they're labeling as a corrupt tyrant and human rights violator. carey reportedly received over $1 million for her appearance there. no word yet from her camp. those are your headlines. >> that's one kind of controversy. now to another. is it the end of a dynasty? the stars of "duck dynasty" now seem to be threatening they won't return to the series without their patriarch phil robertson. he was suspended from the show, of course, for making comments many call homophobic and racially insensitive. others say he was speaking the lord's truth. the controversy only grows. nischelle turner with us. >> the robertson family is presenting a united front as we go forward. the family is backing phil, who they call the head of their

family. in a statement released late yesterday, they said we had a successful working relationship with a&e. as a family we cannot imagine the show going forward without our patriarch at the helm. we are in discussions with a&e to see what that means for the future of "duck dynasty." talk about rocking the boat. just a day after a & e suspended phil robertson from his hit reality show "duck dynasty" for making anti-gay comments, a firestorm erupted. now as his critics and supporters are lining up, getting their ducks in a row, robertson's family addressed the controversy for the first time saying, while some of phil's unfiltered comments to the reporter were coarse, his beliefs are grounded in the teachings of the bible. phil would never insight or encourage hate. now surfacing, a video from 2010, showing robertson in a pennsylvania pulpit preaching morality.

>> women with women, men with men, they committed indecent acts with one another and they received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. they're full of murder, envy, strife, hatred. they are arrogant god haters. >> he has the right to say what he wants to say. a & e made a decision that those views are not american views and do not represent their brand as a network and they pulled him. >> reporter: now, coming out of the woodwork are robertson supporters, even pledging their support on twitter with #standbyphil. ted cruz and sarah palin taking a stand behind the boys from the bayou as well. palin saying on her facebook page, free speech is an endangered species. those intolerance, hating and taking on the "duck dynasty" patriarch for voicing his

personal opinion are taking on all of us. >> the left keeps saying they're for tolerance except for people that disagree with them. it's stunning to me, after all those antics, that miley cyrus would still be on tv and phil's the one getting kicked off. >> reporter: robertson supporters say they're fighting the good fight. critics say it's an old fight, likely to lose in a new world. >> now, a rep for a & e networks tells cnn they will not have any further comment on this matter. the show's new season is set for january 15th. even though a&e says phil robertson is suspended from filming, he will be in the new episodes of the new season that reportedly have already been shot. >> the questions aren't going to stop coming. we're all still talking about it. >> thanks, nischelle turner. targeting target. how did thieves get away with

credit card information for over 40 million shoppers? we'll talk to an actual hacker. and the white house is making another last-minute change to obamacare, this as the federal exchange is still facing troubles. new reports from states saying customers have been flocking to sign up to their state exchanges. this was the hardest decision i've ever had to make. jim, i adore the pool at your hotel. anna, your hotels have wondrous waffle bars. ryan, your hotels' robes are fabulous. i have twelve of them.

twelve? shhhh, i'm worth it& what i'm trying to say is, it's so hard to pick just one of you, so i'm choosing all of you with hotels.com. a loyalty program that requires no loyalty. plus members can win a free night every day only at hotels.com it's not the "fumbling around with rotating categories" card. it's not the "getting blindsided by limits" card. it's the no-game-playing, no-earning-limit-having, deep-bomb-throwing, give-me-the-ball-and-i'll-take- it-to-the-house, cash back card. this is the quicksilver cash card from capital one. unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, everywhere, every single day. so let me ask you... what's in your wallet? a man who doesn't stand still. but jim has afib, atrial fibrillation -- an irregular heartbeat, not caused by a heart valve problem. that puts jim at a greater risk of stroke.

for years, jim's medicine tied him to a monthly trip to the clinic to get his blood tested. but now, with once-a-day xarelto®, jim's on the move. jim's doctor recommended xarelto®. like warfarin, xarelto® is proven effective to reduce afib-related stroke risk. but xarelto® is the first and only once-a-day prescription blood thinner for patients with afib not caused by a heart valve problem. that doesn't require routine blood monitoring. so jim's not tied to that monitoring routine. [ gps ] proceed to the designated route. not today. [ male announcer ] for patients currently well managed on warfarin, there is limited information on how xarelto® and warfarin compare in reducing the risk of stroke. xarelto® is just one pill a day taken with the evening meal. plus, with no known dietary restrictions, jim can eat the healthy foods he likes. do not stop taking xarelto®, rivaroxaban, without talking to the doctor who prescribes it as this may increase the risk of having a stroke. get help right away if you develop any symptoms like bleeding, unusual bruising, or tingling.

you may have a higher risk of bleeding if you take xarelto® with aspirin products, nsaids or blood thinners. talk to your doctor before taking xarelto® if you have abnormal bleeding. xarelto® can cause bleeding, which can be serious, and rarely may lead to death. you are likely to bruise more easily on xarelto® and it may take longer for bleeding to stop. tell your doctors you are taking xarelto® before any planned medical or dental procedures. before starting xarelto®, tell your doctor about any conditions such as kidney, liver, or bleeding problems. xarelto® is not for patients with artificial heart valves. jim changed his routine. ask your doctor about xarelto®. once a day xarelto® means no regular blood monitoring -- no known dietary restrictions. for more information and savings options, call 1-888-xarelto or visit goxarelto.com. welcome back to "new day." target says they were able to

identify how hackers stole information from 40 million credit and debit cards over the past couple weeks. they say the security problem is fixed and a dedicated team is working with law enforcement to try to find the hackers. what can you do to protect yourself and how did they pull it off? we talk to a former hacker to try and explain. this is fascinating and scary, kevin, i must say. the more and more you're learning that we are learning about what happened at target, how do you think they pulled it off? can you help explain this? >> well, i think there's a couple of ways, first of all i think they got malicious software into their point of sales system. how were they able to do that? it could have been an insider. the hackers could have found a security flaw within any web application that the internet has access to. or good old-fashioned social engineering. you asked me what is especially engineering? that is where a hacker can send

a file to a target employee and if they go ahead and open that attachment, that file, it exploits a security flaw and now that hacker has complete control over that user's computer. that could have been the foot in the door. but i guess what they'll do, when target does their forensic investigation they'll figure exactly how the hackers got in. >> does this speak more, do you think, poor security at target or do you think every company is vulnerable to something like this? it's scary when you think 40 million people could be impacted by this. >> i do hacking for a living. companies hire me to break into their systems and my success rate over the last decade is 100%. i'm talking -- >> really? >> large financial companies to e-commerce. yes. 100% we get in. that's probably because the hackers are ahead of the security industry. and it's really easy. imagine if i could send you a file in an e-mail, just one employee opens up a file that i

send, a pdf file, and that employee opens it, the game is over. the hacker is in. that only takes one employee to make a mistake. >> kevin, of course. that begs the question, is there any way for a company to be 100% protected? target says this problem was fixed, this one hacking incident. how do you protect against it if it's as simple as one employee opening one pdf? >> it's about people, processes and technology. companies have to harden their systems, harden their technology. they have to train their people. and actually to inoculate their staff against these social engineering attacks. one of the best ways of doing that is doing mock attacks against your employees to see who's susceptible to this type of -- who's susceptible to this type of attack and train those people specifically. >> from your experience, do you think they'll be able to find the hackers or do you think they have to fix the problem and move

on? >> it depends how sloppy the hackers were. in cases of recent time, involving large-scale credit card theft, the perpetrators were in russia or the ukraine. it really depends how far the department of justice reaches in these countries. i suspect that's where -- i think -- i'm guessing the attackers were from a foreign country. >> so clearly, companies and retailers, they've got a big challenge ahead of them to try to prevent from something like this happening again. what are your tips or customers? customers are the ones that are vulnerable here. is there any way they can protect themselves other than watching their kred card statement closely? >> that's one thing. watch your credit card statement. i'm sometimes guilty of not checking each transaction. >> we all are guilty of that, i feel like. >> people have to be more cautious and take a look. fortunately, if your credit card is stolen, you have zero liability. you can call your bank, sign an

affidavit, they'll take that charge after your credit card. however, when you use a debit card, if you don't catch that transaction within a certain period of time, you might be liable for it. one thing i would do, always use a credit card. check your credit card statement and in this particular case, the fraudsters actually stole your credit card information or consumer information actually in a brick and mortar store, not over the internet. this is even more scary where you go into a physical store and your information is stolen. unfortunately, the consumer doesn't have much control of that. the only thing a consumer can do is detect when they've been defrauded and remediate it at that point. >> handle it quickly. that seems to be the first thing you need to do. kevin mittnick, using his talents for good, which we like to highlight. ceo of mitnick security. thanks, kevin. >> thank you for having me on your show.

>> sure. chris? a surprise move from the white house before monday's deadline to enroll in obamacare for coverage in january. and could it be the end of a dynasty? the family around "duck dynasty's" patriarch rally around, saying if he's out, we're all out. for how long? 30 days? 300 days? 3,000 days? the answer is... 3,000 days. because of gasoline's high energy density, your car doesn't have to carry as much fuel compared to other energy sources. take the energy quiz. energy lives here.

welcome back to "new day." here are some of the stories making news. wicked weather is on the its way. just in time for the holiday weekend. travelers, 100 million travelers in 30 states could actually be impacted. ice storms hitting parts of the

west, tornadoes possible in the midwest this weekend. and the southwest also facing powerful storms and damaging winds. the real drama was in the audience last night as part of a ceiling collapse over the audience at a london theater. part of ceiling came crashing down. more than 700 people packed into the play house at that time. dozens injured, some of them seriously. officials are now investigating what caused that collapse. what was supposed to be a peaceful vigilant in north carolina. friends and family were rallying on the 1-month anniversary of his death in police custody. officers had to use tear gas to disperse the crowd. several people were arrested. six men charged thursday with forging court documents that let two convicted murders walk out of a florida prison. the escape set off a statewide

manhunt in september. the killers were captured weeks later. they are among those charged. authorities say the documents bore the signatures of judges and attorneys. they say more suspects could still be arrested. i have to show you this. it brings me such joy. charlie brown's search for the real meaning of christmas comes to life in an iconic dance scene. look at this. look at the girl dancing like that. and snoopy. >> am i the only one dancing? >> no. >> you're the only one their size. >> that screams christmas to me. i love that they did a flash mob version of that. >> that music always makes you happy. >> one of the songs i always wished i could play but couldn't. i fake it. snoopy, joe cool with the glasses. >> totally. >> continue. >> okay. time now for our political gut check of the morning. just days before a major deadline to enroll in obamacare,

the administration is announcing yet another change, a last-minute change to the rules this as state exchanges, the ones that have been working well, they have seen a surge in signups. cnn's chief national correspondent john king is here with the latest. a couple of different things happening. let's first talk about this latest change, john, to the rules of obamacare. this is applying to folks who had their plans canceled. now the administration is saying there's another plan you didn't have access to before. what's behind this? why do this now? >> this is, kate, why i say obamacare is in the eye of the beholder. you had the big controversy. the president said if you like your plan, you can keep your plan. if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. for millions of americans that simply was not true. it's been one of the reasons the president's approval numbers are down. plus, the website, the complication of the obamacare rollout. what the administration said those people who lost their plans can purchase the catastrophic health plan that's

offered through obamacare. a lot of democrats, angus king issued a statement saying thank you, now the people an option. the uncertainty ends, they can find a plan. the republicans are saying, wait a minute, you are breaking your own rules for obamacare. it doesn't have the benefits that he said. the debate continues here. it does give those people an option to pick a plan and pick a plan quickly. the question is will they like it when they get there? republicans are saying it's proof the program is a failure because you have to do this subpar plan essentially. >> going one step further, is there a political element to this? this is something that democrats have been asking for recently. now they can go home and say we got it done. >> exactly right. if you look at the list of senators that sent the president the letter, you have several up for re-election. once the president opened this gate, the republicans -- i'm not saying the criticism is off.

that's for the voters to decide, people to decide. the republican criticism is predictable. my big thing on this is, see if the president can turn the democrats' anxiety down. this is one step that helps him. it's not enough. there will be more questions, trust me. >> what's the deal with the numbers? the numbers are up in enrollment. we're not hearing about it. tell us about the numbers and tell us why i'm not hearing about it. >> one of the reasons you're not hearing about it is seasonally you have different state exchanges. if you're in california you're covering this, if you're in kentucky maybe you're covering this. the state officials yesterday got together and did a conference call with reporters. they say there is good news, there is momentum out there. the state of kentucky going from about 1,000 people a day to 3,000 people. california doubling from 7,000 in the ballpark of 15,000. the states are saying that as more word gets out, some of that word out, because of the controversies, let's be honest, that people do see the january deadline approaching an they are starting to sign up. are the numbers where they wanted them to be? in most places with be no. the california is probably the

biggest success story. state officials say they have seen a surge and are hoping it's like the snow ball down the hill, it will continue. >> 30 to 40% surge in just the past week for some. >> right. >> we'll see, we'll obviously see where that goes. got to get your take on the "duck dynasty" controversy. not the kind of commentary on society and how we approach social issues and people's take on that but i've been surprised by seeing politicians coming out, really rallying around phil robertson. we don't often see politicians coming to rally around reality tv show stars. >> no, but in an odd way this has become the new test in the culture wars, if you will. bobby jindal, the governor of louisiana where this family lives, he's thinking about running for president. he rush the out a statement saying where was the condemnation of miley cyrus if you're going to do this to robertson here. sarah palin chimed in. it will be a question about what's in and what's out, if you

will. if you're talking about whether it's part of your faith or personal views about h 0. mosexuality, about race. once the politicians start these conversations, the question is it can be dangerous to continue them, especially if you have people thinking of running for higher office. it could come up down the road again. >> good point. >> governor jindal and everybody else, did he say whether or not he agrees with what phil robertson says? he kind of parsed it. >> he kind of did. he said he sees things on television and magazines that outrage him. >> that's a problem with his dialect. i'm in favor of the dialogue. i think the conversation is a good one to have, but these politicians weigh in, cherry pick, first amendment. they often candice tort. don't you think they should be held to an accountability? do you agree with what he said or not? as politicians, shouldn't they have to answer? >> yes. if they want to step into the quick sand, then they have to prove they can get out of it. it's our job to ask those

questions. it's our job to say governor, come on in, be fa irto him, don't give him two minutes, give him four or five, whatever it takes. ask him the questions. if he doesn't answer them, call him on them. >> if you have aspirations for higher office, you can expect a hot button issue will be brought up again. i can see this easily coming up in a presidential debate later. >> if you want the nuclear football, there is no bad question. >> exactly. some people will attack you for asking a bad question but we all know history proves right. >> been there. >> love ya, john. see you later. coming up on "new day," more on the "duck dynasty" controversy. why is it only right wing politicians saying that "duck dynasty" stars are protected by free speech. we'll have radio host michael medved on. he talks about why he thinks the suspension is wrong and what he thinks should happen next. could a courtroom drama be

actor shia labeouf's next project? he may be facing plagiarism for a short film that he made. we'll have the latest. we're aig. and we're here. to help secure retirements and protect financial futures. to help communities recover and rebuild. for companies going from garage to global. on the ground, in the air, even into space. we repaid every dollar america lent us. and gave america back a profit. we're here to keep our promises. to help you realize a better tomorrow. from the families of aig, happy holidays.

welcome back to "new day." a methodist pastor has been defrocked by church officials in pennsylvania. why? because he officiated his own son's same-sex wedding. but the pastor is standing his ground, supporting his son and his decision to perform the vows.

pastor frank schaeffer is joining us this morning to talk more about this, about the decision and the fallout if you will. pastor frank, thank you so much for coming in. >> thanks for having me. >> of course. you well know same-sex marriage is forbidden in methodist church doctrine. how did you reach the decision to perform the vows for your son at his wedding? did you see this coming? >> actually, i did. it was back in 2007 and it was really an act of love for my son. my son had been struggling with suicidal thoughts in his teens and when he finally came out to us, we affirmed, my wife and i, there is nothing wrong with you. this is the way you were created. obviously you didn't choose this. he prayed to god to make him, quote, unquote, normal. for me to say no to him when he asked me, dad, would you do my wedding? it would have denied everything we told him in terms of affirmation and love that we gave him. so i just couldn't do that.

and i didn't want to do it. so i knew i was in trouble with my church doctrine. and i did actually tell my superiors about it, didn't hear a thing until earlier this year. so it took six years before somebody filed a complaint. >> why do you think it took so long? >> because i think many in the united methodist church, including bishops and district superintendents, are actually on the right side of the issue, that what i call the right side of the issue for the lgbt community and so, sometimes action is not taken, you know. people look the other way. >> is that true? is there a rule in your particular branch of the church as to whether or not it's okay for same-sex marriage to occur? >> actually, there are entire conferences in the united methodist church, mostly on the west coast, that actually are reconciling -- they call themselves reconciling. if a complaint like this is filed that was filed against me, they ignore it. >> it's community by community

and in your particular community is there any rule? >> no. unfortunately not. so that's why this -- my complaint actually went to a trial. >> and so you were just defrocked. >> uh-huh. >> when you said you knew you were going to be in trouble with the church. but when that happened, when that final decision came, that you were going to be defrocked, what did you feel? what did you think? what was the reaction? >> actually, i was in shock. i didn't realize it right away but my wife told me in the car, she said look at your hand. i was shaking. it hit me harder than i thought. six, seven years ago i was ready to give up my career for my son. i never thought this would ever come back after that long of a time. so i went on to ministering and i'm a pretty effective minister. and so i never thought that it would come to this, especially not to the kind of attention that this has gotten nationwide. >> so i'm curious, because you

have the people of your church in the very community, in the town you live. what has the reaction been from inside your family since the defrocking? and what is your son saying? >> well, he actually went on record to say yesterday in an interview that he feels partially responsible and that's probably true, and i feel bad for him. i always tell him, don't feel guilty about this. this has nothing to do with you. this is based on the exclusionary policies of the church. that's what causes this. you know? we just have to stop the discrimination in the church. we have to stop treating some people like they're second-class citizens or christians. >> is this an evolution in your belief, in your own thinking since your son came out? how did you feel towards same-sex marriage before knowing your son was gay? >> it's been a long evolution in my case. i at one point also believed that homosexuality is a sin as a

young man. when i went through seminary, i already started to change my views. i learned about different interpretations that some theologians had about the passages in the bible that talk about homosexuality. by the time my son came out i would describe myself as tolerant. i wasn't a supporter. i became a silent supporter for my son, once the complaint was filed, you know, i just couldn't lie. i had to tell everybody how i really thought about the issue and sure enough, it divided my local church. there's been some pain there and division, there's a lot of support but there are also a lot of people that are on the other side of the issue. it's been a painful process that really went through my church of separation, even went through from families and friendships were broken and all that. it's heartbreaking to see that. >> what do you do? law changes and law can create change in society but religion doesn't have to change.

religion has its own rules. religion does not have to recognize same-sex marriage. do you fight the fight within your own, even though you're defrocked or find a new community that is accepting of what you now believe. >> laws change in the church, too. doctrine does change. at one point in our discipline we had stipulations that supported slavery or were against ordaining women in the ministry. now we have women as pastors, even bishops. my own bishop is peggy johnson. so i would lake to stay within the methodist church if given a chance to work for change. i always tell people the example if you live in a state as a homosexual person that does not have gay marriage rights, don't move out of your state to another state where it's allowed. you don't leave your family, your job, your house, your career, your friends. you try to work for change from within. that's what i'm trying to do within my church.

>> pastor frank, it's been wonderful having you on. thank you so much for joining this discussion. thank you for all that you do. >> thanks so much. >> best of the holiday season to you. >> to you, too. merry christmas. >> merry christmas. join us and let us know what you think. tweet us with the #newday. head over to indra with a check of what's going on. there's a lot of bad news out there coming, indra. where do we see it, where might it change? >> a lot of bad timing. we're watching several storms again making their way across the country. the first one affecting many people, this is the baby storm, we have freezing rain reports, looking from michigan back through missouri. the light rain spreading into the northeast. pretty weak, it's dissipating. this is not the one we're focusing on. it's the lower one to the south. the key here is the moisture fueling into the southeast. here comes that low in the same region. it adds to all that moisture,

flooding concerns with heavy rain, 3 to 5 inches from the ohio valley back through the mississippi valley. you're looking at more freezing potential with freezing rain and snow, especially as it makes its way farther north. heavy snow especially off at the lakes, through madison and portions of iowa. and that same system makes its way into the northeast where we have icing concerns. this is really saturday night in through sunday. we're talking heavy amounts of icing. this could be another major ice storm, potentially an inch here in upstate new york, up through maine. we talk about that half an inch threshold. that's what takes the power lines down. the other side of this, record-breaking temperatures. the temperatures are expected to soar, especially on the east coast. notice the 70s, almost 30 degrees above normal. so that's going to be a concern there. again, that same system farther to the south with the warm air and moisture. you have a moderate risk in through tomorrow, memphis back through louisiana, looking at a moderate risk, that means heavy potential for tornadoes. the one thing i'm trying to pick

out, there's a lot going on, the biggest concern is going to be the moderate risk on saturday and the icing in upstate new york. those are the two you want to focus on. >> when do the locusts come? >> off that, right? >> right after that. >> you tell me. that's your forecast. >> sorry. that just tickled my funny bone. >> locke kuusts are no joking m. >> what, locusts? thanks, indra. >> sure. coming up on "new day," he apologized for lifting the idea for his short film. now actor shia labeouf could have a whole lot more to worry about. we'll be right back with the actor's possible legal trouble. ♪

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♪ ♪ i really wanna know ♪ who are you had to let that play for a second, that was a good one. shyia labeouf could be facing legal trouble. he admitted to borrowing a graphic novelist for a shot film. howard -- i can't read that properly. >> howard cantor.com. >> and failing to credit the author. the novelist is pursuing his legal options. labeouf has taken to twitter all week long. turns out though, here is the irony, the apologies may be plagiarized as well. entertainment correspondent -- >> nigella lawson. >> i was going to call you --

nischelle turner. >> i wish i could cook like her. >> she has other issues. let's talk about this, i want to show you the graphic novel in question that started this whole thing. >> this gets weirder and weirder as we go along. shia labeouf great young actor in hollywood, a promising career but also made this short film, right? in this short film, it appears as the author's publisher says that he plagiarized the author's work, so let's look at this. let's look at a side by side of the comic book and the -- >> easy as the def lepard one directional or harder? >> this is almost -- we made this special graphic. you can see the sound from shia labeouf's short film "in a box" next to the words from the author from the comic book. can we look at this?

>> -- so perfectly gets we're all aliens to each other. we never have any meaningful contact with each other because we're caught up in our little self-made realities. >> can you read the same thing word for word? the publisher said he changed the name of the main character, but he took the words word for word to the story board, used the same storyboard so he says it's almost as baffling as it is appalling, that's coming from the author's publisher. shia could be in legal trouble here. they haven't come out and said they were going to sue him but they are looking at their legal options and he came out and like you said he's been tweeting this like string of apologies, but i want to show you this real quick. one of the apologies that he said on tuesday was this, he tweeted "i sip seerl apologize for my lapse in judgment and take full responsibility for my actions which were my aenlo." that's great, right?

rewind back to 009, shepherd fairy made the iconic "hope" obama poster in 2008. he came out he borrowed that picture from the ap. here is the apology that he gave to them in 2009. "i sincerely apologize for my lapse in judgment and i take full responsibility for my actions, which were mine alone." >> this is different from the underlying charge. that is common apology speak. >> those words? >> there's a vocabulary apology. even if it was, doesn't count. >> the first is the bigger problem. >> absolutely. >> thanks, nischelle. >> you're welcome. coming up on "new day," hitting the road on the skies, well, before you enjoy your white christmas and it may be that, you may have to endure a travel nightmare. also ahead, a school bus

full of kids heading into a ditch until two teachers step up and save the day. it was caught on video and we're going to show it to you when "new day" continues. across america people are taking charge

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with or without vomiting. tell your doctor about all the medicines you take and if you have any medical conditions. taking victoza® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. the most common side effects are nausea, diarrhea, and headache. some side effects can lead to dehydration, which may cause kidney problems. if your pill isn't giving you the control you need ask your doctor about non-insulin victoza®. it's covered by most health plans. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com holiday havoc, another big storm bearing down on the

eastern half of the country. what will happen to travel and shopping where you are? the congressman stirring controversy suggesting poor children should do janitorial work to get supplemented lunches. he'll join us live. dangerous mission, astronauts aboard the international space station get ready to step out into the void, how dangerous is their space walk and how is it a makeshift snorkel may save the day? >> your "new day" continues right now. >> announcer: this is "new day" with chris cuomo, kate bolduan and michaela pereira. >> good morning, welcome back, it's friday, december 20th, 8:00 in the east. holiday travel may prove to be a nightmare for millions of people this weekend. check out what's in store for the eastern third of the country, snow, freezing rain in parts of the midwest and new england, possible tornadoes in the south. meteorologist indra petersons is here to break down what we are

looking at this weekend. you have to keep track of quite a lot. >> the way you just said all that sounds like i'm making this up but unfortunately i am not. many people are trying to head out for the holidays having several storms moving in across the country, another case of here we go again. as holiday travelers bombard the airports and roadways this weekend, a wicked weather system could derail travel plans with snow, freezing rain and severe thunderstorms across the country. according to aaa, the wide ranging storm potentially threatening the travel plans of 94 million americans. >> do you want to go on the airplane? >> no. >> reporter: from the south to the midwest, the risk of severe thunderstorms include damaging winds and isolated tornadoes. up north, freezing rain will be the problem from chicago to wichita. holiday commuters will have to watch for icing on bridges and overpasses. in wisconsin this week a plane

slid off the snow-slicked runways. >> we didn't know what was happening and they said that the airport was shut down. >> reporter: further east, up to ten inches of rain could dampen holiday travel plans and once millions finally arrive to a destination, who will have a white christmas? right now it's looking like colorado and parts of the great lakes. there's so much going on, here is kind of your cliff notes. heavy rain and flooding, some icy concerns, even heavy snow and yes the threat for severe weather and isolated tornadoes, we're going to give you the entire update on all of this coming up in a few minutes. it is not even winter yet, by the way, that starts saturday but we're getting there. >> thanks, indra. it's already playing into the situation. for instance the last-minute shopping rush is officially on. some stores are staying open around the clock from this day until christmas eve to make sure you have a great christmas and take advantage of the final rush of shoppers, many forced into last-minute moves because of the weather and general procrastinati procrastination.

cnn's pamela brown is live in new york's herald square with more. did you get my fwigift yet? >> reporter: not yet, chris, still waiting for it. i know. it is crunch time as you pointed out there, chris. the amount of discount stores are offering this season up 13%, a big reason is the weather and the fact that the holiday shopping season is six days shorter this year. you're seeing stores like macy's behind me ramp up their sales, stay open around the clock to try to lure in customers and beat the competition, and if you're waiting 'til the last minute to shop, good news, that may actually work in your favor. the christmas crush is on. and this year it seems the shoppers have the edge. so who is in a better position this holiday shopping season, the customer or retailer in. >> the customer is definitely in a better position this holiday season. one of the reasons why is because of weather. weather has really had an impact on shopping. people haven't been going out because the weather's been so

bad, therefore retailers are doing everything they can to get the shoppers in and start spending their money and that means even more discounts. >> reporter: deep discounts as high as 80%, meaning some stores will be losing money just to get inventory off the shelves, according to retail experts. >> there were actually better deals after black friday like the week after. >> reporter: stores like jcpenney are dramatically dropping prices on certain items for super saturday. the second busiest shopping day of the year behind black friday. walmart is offering gift certificates with certain purchases, and taking the price match guarantee program to a whole new level by paying back customers the difference if a competitor is advertising a lower price. so this year if you're a procrastinator you're in luck. toys "r" us and select macy's locations are staying open around the clock through christmas eve, hoping to lure in those last-minute shoppers. >> if you are a procrastinator

this might work in your favor, you might come under budget because so many discounts are happening, we're not just talking about discounts on apparel and shoes and accessories, we're talking about electronics, big tvs, stereos, headphones. >> and if you'd rather not face the crush of last-minute crowds, retailers are making online shopping more convenient than ever with free shipping and quicker delivery, ebay is offering same-day delivery service and amazon is offering one day shipping on orders placed by midnight december 23rd and offering express delivery in certain cities. and the national retail federation says the average holiday shopper has only completed half their shopping, and i had to if check for myself, chris, kate and michaela how real these deals are. >> oh, my! >> reporter: let me tell you something, they're real. >> good use of your time between live shots, well done. >> gift for me in there? >> reporter: it's part of my job. i had to go make sure everything i'm reporting is accurate,

clearly enjoying this assignm t assignment. >> well done, pamela. pamela noticeably silent on the question from chris "where's my gift?" >> she assumed it was a gift to her. she was asking what my gift is, i'm holding it down here. >> she got us lotto tickets that didn't win but still got us lotto tickets. >> but the shopping. >> your credit card. six minutes after the hour, the white house is now giving people who had their individual insurance policies canceled because of obamobamacare, anoth option to not fall through the cracks the option to buy catastrophic coverage. state officials are reporting seeing a surge in signups, rising 40% in the last few weeks. monday is the deadline to guarantee coverage january 1st. president obama decides to deploy 45 members of the military to protect the u.s.

embassy and americans in south sudan. violence erupted in the country after an apparent coup attempt sunday. so far, 500 people have been killed in the fighting. back here at home target has fixed the data security breach involving a staggering 40 million credit and debit cards, a spokesman now says there's no indication that debit card p.i.n.s were impacted. 40 million debit and credit card numbers, expiration dates and security codes are out there. the entire student body and staff of a southern california high school will be screened for tuberculosis after 45 students tested positive. 1,800 students and staff will be tested today even though the risk of transmission appears fairly low. we have to show you this, two elementary school teaches hailed for preventing what could have been a catastrophic school bus accident. you can see the bus goes out of control, making a turn, the driver falls out of his seat

when one teacher grabs the wheel, the other climbs into the driver's seat to slam on the brakes and was able to stop the b bus. you can hear the screams but fortunately no one was hurt. what a terrifying ordeal and quick thinking on those teachers' parts. >> quick thinking. those are your headlines for this hour over to you. "duck "dynasty"" phil robertson sparked a heated debate after what he said about african-americans and gay people in an interview with "gq." the "dynasty" clan is suggesting the show may not continue if phil is at the helm. what are the standards that govern a situation like this, was the right thing done or wrong thing done? joining us is michael medved, co-host of "sneak previews."

merry christmas, happy holidays. >> we've been off the air since 1996, but great to hear "sneak previews." i appreciate the credit. >> clearly an error. how do you feel about this situation, michael? what's your gut on it? >> well my gut on it is that committed media malpractice. for them to come forward with a statement that never articulated what it is exactly they were objecting to. one of the points here is that everyone's saying that phil robertson made vile remarks, hate-filled remarks. what he said was coarse, it was crude, but there was nothing here that seemed to be a red line that was crossed. if that red line was there, what was it. is it somehow a red line to say that most men instinctively are more attracted to women than men, which is what he said. is it somehow a red line to paraphrase first corinthians which is in the new testament? the point about this entire controversy is that people need

to go back and actually read the interview in "gq" and there's nothing in the interview where phil robertson was saying something hugely absurd or outraou outrageous or something that should have been a surprise to a&e or anyone else who is working with him. >> let's unpack it this way. >> okay. >> there's a little question a&e has the legal standing to do what they did so this is really about judging, not the law, but right in a social context. we agree on that. >> right. absolutely. >> where is it coming then from, michael, if it you believe nothing that was said was beyond any line. we don't know what the line is because society is totally stratified on what is decent and indecent so what is fueling the reaction? >> part of what is fueling the reaction is this is "duck "dynasty." "we're not talking about the show on pbs like i used to have. we're talking about diagnosis quick "dynasty"" and not something he said on the air.

when martin bashir was suspended at msnbc he was fired for something scripted that he said on the air that he said that was representing the network. the interviewer was trying to get embarrassing things out of phil robertson and insensitive and what's ironic to me here, chris, you and i might agree, what i said, what phil robertson said about african-americans in louisiana before civil rights was probably less more insensitive than anything that he said about homosexuality. >> i think there's a distinction, though, because i have noticed that that doesn't seem to be getting the attention that the comments about gay people did and i wondered why that is. i went back and i looked at it again and i do think you can take contextually what he was talking about in his experience growing up as either accurate or inaccurate, but certainly not designed to have any particular

message attached to it. he may have been oblivious or the people around him may have been exhibiting exactly the reaction he said but in either event he wasn't targeting a group for exclusion, whereas with homosexuals, whether he was talking about extractions from the bible or not, it seems as though he is targeting a group for prejudice that has been recognized by many in this society as deserving protection from that. fair point? >> no, i don't think so it's a fair point. he isn't targeting a group for prejudice. he is a recovering alcoholic. he talks about that and when he gives his list of sinners who are all forgiven which is part of what he talks about, yes, he includes homosexuals. he includes drunkards, he includes idoloters, slanderers, greed, he includes a range of what the bible defines as sinful behavior, and now to have someone, to have one of the most popular shows on a&e, it is the most popular show, the most successful reality show in

history suspended over someone who is paraphrasing the bible is justen you an believable mistake on the part of a&, that i think they'll come to regret and probably will walk back from. i predicted yesterday on the air that the family would do exactly what it's done, we are standing by phil and right now, you know the tv business, chris, just as well as i do, there are going to be tons of other network opportunities that are just waiting to provide a new home for "duck dynasty" if a&e really lets them go. >> again to the point and we'll see that play out. frankly i'm less interested in what happens. i don't know the move wasn't mode serrated by the business model with "duck "dynasty"" it was easier to pull this move than not, maybe if it was at a different point in the series. i'm less interested in all the machinations, more interested in what this means in our society, and my question to you is, if you are trying to create a culture, i think, that is

inclusive of gay people, right, you have all this law now about same-sex marriage. >> yes. >> when you are open in your feelings that they should not be included in the rest of society, that they are somehow less than, that perhaps -- >> he never said that. chris, chris, he never said that. you go back and you read the remarks. basically what he is saying is a standard christian approach. we are all sinners, and we have various sins, and here is what i think is -- >> standard christian or standard straight adaptations strictly from the bible? different things. >> no, the standard christian approach is from the new testament, and by the way from the old testament as well. look, i do not believe that what vladimir putin is doing -- >> standard christian would be new testament, right, in terms of just what it represents and not a lot of this kind of talk in the new testament, a lot of it is directed at the old testament. >> i'm sorry, his quote is an

accurate paraphrase from first kriptian i corinthians. >> right. >> this is what the problem is here. the problem is you and i would agree, i think everyone would agree there are certain things someone could say even in an interview that should lead to consequences if you use the "n" word, if you use the "f" word. >> targeting an actual individual, i agree. >> he didn't do that and he wasn't suspended like for what an person said to a caller "i hope you get aids and die." robertson was stating a religious and personal point of view. "duck "dynasty"" is not a show that comments about social issues. he says politically incorrect things on the show all the time. they say a woman walks quietly with a bible and knows how to

cook. some people might say that's offensive but that's why people tune in to "duck "dynasty." "these people are real, they speak from the heart. they spee they speak probably to a huge segment of america. >> he didn't say it on the show, he didn't target an individual and you don't describe any particular malice, you see it as a reflection of his beliefs that he tooing from the bible, that's your case. >> correct. by the way that's in the text of what he said. he said repeatedly, "i don't hate anybody, i don't judge anybody. it's up to god to judge all sinners." he includes himself in that category and talks candidly about his former alcoholism and shortcomings. this entire thing i think is hugely embarrassing for a&e and is only going to strengthen the popularity of "duck "dynasty"" for people who are courageous, and who say what they believe, and are what they are, and are trying to pretend to any level

of political correctness. a were awere ae would be in big trouble if they demanded they shave their beards and i don't think they'll end up demanding they change their core beliefs. >> interesting to note at this point in the debate, let's call it, it is people coming out in defense of him from the public sphere, politicians and so forth, rather than on the other side. we haven't seen that side yet. i wonder if we will. michael, thank you very much for the perspective. great to have you on here. look forward to having you when it. >> i appreciate it, chris, and thanks for the intelligent discussion. >> kate? >> thanks, chris. coming up next, dangerous repairs in space. the international space station group planning a series of urgently needed space walks. how will nasa keep the astronauts safe in what are they going to do? the sublime. you can separate runway ridiculousness... from fashion that flies off the shelves. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle...

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welcome back to "new day." a gravity-defying last resort at the international space station, tomorrow, astronauts make the first of three emergency space walks to fix a critical system but the last astronaut to attempt a space walk nearly lost his life. cnn's john zarrella has more. >> reporter: christmas will be a working holiday for the astronauts. three planned space walks, the first saturday, the last coming christmas morning. 220 miles above the earth, quite literally, high drama. astronauts rick mastracchio and mike hopkins will spend about 20

hours in space removing the 780-pound failed cooling pump and replace placing it with the air. mastracchi much of the time will be dangling from the robotic arm. nasa learned a lot from a similar incident back in 2010 that's given them confidence this time. >> i looked around the room today and said, "what are people worried about" and really there was not much to be said so i think we're ready to go out the door on saturday. >> reporter: a valve inside the pump failed over a week ago. complicating matters, nasa has to watch the crew's space suits. back in july, astronaut luka parmitano's helmet began mysteriously filling with water, scary moments as other crew members raced to get his helmet off. nasa doesn't completely understand what went wrong. this will be the first walk since. >> whole days have been spent with a lot of water chemists trying to figure this out.

we have not said it would be something complete wide. >> reporter: space agency officials don't expect the problem to repeat but they are taking no chances. water absorbing pads have been installed in space suit helmets and tubing on the station has been fashioned into snorkels. >> this is your last resort that if water is encroaching your face similar with luka the crew member can use this to breathe to receive fresh oxygen down near his mid section. >> reporter: the astronauts always seem to make a space walk look easy but the bottom line is nasa never wants them to venture outside unless there's no other choice. this is one of those times. john zarrella, cnn, miami. >> amazing they can pull it off. thanks, john. coming up on "new day," when kids are poor, many states like georgia give them free breakfasts and lunches. how about making them work for them? a georgia congressman says that's good, too. we'll test the idea, live.

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welcome back. time for the five things you need to know for your new day. number one, weather, extreme weather set to hit most of the eastern u.s. this weekend, tornadoes, snow, severe storms all possible. you should expect your holiday travel plans to be affected. an investigation is under way to what caused a ceiling to collapse during a performance last night in london's apollo theater. several people were seriously hurt among the dozens who were injured. the senate approved a

comprehensive new defense bill that raises troop pay and revampz how the military handling cases of sexual assault and rape. the president is expected to sign it into law a kansas airport worker accused of planning a suicide bombing in court today for a detention hearing. prosecutors argue he's a public danger and want him held before his trial in february. and number five, target says it has fixed the data security nightmare that affected as many as 40 million debit and credit card accounts. spokzman says now there's no indication that debit card p.i.n.s were affected. there's no such thing as a free lurching. republican congressman in jrng is under fire that say low income children should work for part of the benefits they receive for lunches. hear what the congressman said. >> -- to have the kids to

instill in them there is no such thing as a free lunch or maybe sweep the floor in the cafete a cafeteria. yes i understand that would be an administrative problem and i understand it would probably lose you money but think what we would gain as a society in getting people, getting it out of their head that there is such a thing as a free lunch. >> joining us is congressman jack kingston. thank you for joining us. i know that you feel that media outlets, liberal leaning media outlets have been misunderstanding your point. lucky for you, you're not on one this morning. tell us, what is this statement supposed to mean? >> chris, first of all, thank you for letting me be on with you. the discussion, the greater discussion, which was kicked off with a question of how many of you had a job when you were 14 or 15 years old, in which you learned something that you still applied to your day-to-day job or your life, and the discussion, the greater discussion was about the american work ethic, and how do

we pass that on to the next generation, and you know, to my credit in terms of well i did not specify clearly that this was not an indictment on anybody in a particular socioeconomic group, this would be good for all children, and as you probably know, chris, there are schools in which kids do clean the table after they eat, there's one in alexandria, virginia, in chatham county you have to have 20 hours of community service in order to graduate. >> um-hum. >> so there are a lot of good things that kids can learn from chores in school, outside of the home, in the home, and things that i think we need to get back to in america for our work ethic. >> amen, amen, i say to you, congressman. to let me ask you, should you be saying all kids, not just kids who are poor, so they need to have lunch subsidies, but all kids should do what you're suggesting, isn't that -- >> i think so, and to be a

little bit picky, i again appreciate the time, chris, i never did say poor kids. you know, this was recorded by a democrat tracker. it was a public meeting, my democrat opponent hires somebody to follow me around and record everything i say and turn things into politics, and again, it's a sad situation that in america, you just can't have an honest, open discussion anymore. in fact, the democrats already sent out a fund-raising letter about this. now, how are we going to change the status quo if we can't have discussions about sensitive issues, quasi-sensitive issues without the hyperbole we get trapped into in modern era. >> neither party was cornered the market, so that's not a fruitful discussion. let me ask you, you are saying free lunch. forget about who recorded it. let's get to what was recorded. are you saying you weren't talking about kids who get free lunches, that that wasn't mentioned at all?

>> i think i could have clarified that a lot better, because i have children, i have four children, i have raised them doing chores around the house, so i did work around the house. i'm sure you did as well. >> sure but it's the kids getting free lunches part that created a hair trigger here. it's not that kids should work. we all know that, any parent knows that you can't get kids to do anything these days, it's getting harder and harder and certainly an important value but what it seems like here because you mentioned the administrative problem and all that, is that you were talking about the kids who get the free lunches. >> well, you know, let me give my critics their due on that, but let me also say, return to it, this was a discussion about the work ethic in america and i think all kids of all socioeconomic brackets could prosper and learn a lot by having some sort of chores wherever there's an opportunity, and again, started out, the whole discussion with how many of you when you were 14 or 15

years old had jobs in which you learned something that you still apply to your day-to-day life, and again, public discussion, this wasn't anything in a back room. this wasn't a policy statement. this was a discussion, and it seems like you can't even have that in america anymore. >> i understand that, i understand what your frustration would be with that assuming that you don't believe that the kids in order to get the free lunch need to work for it. >> no, listen, those kids don't want to be there. their parents probably don't want them to be there. my experience is with most people in poverty, they want a job and as a member of congress, i've worked hard to make sure that the economy grows so thatter can get a job, and so absolutely, this is not targeted to any one group, it would be helpful for kids in any socioeconomic group to do chores and learn the work ethic, but you know those kids aren't there because of any fault of their own and i never suggested that they were, but you know, again, i mean in politics today, it's very hard to have that

discussion. >> well, look, we have a lot of important discussions to have, so that's why we had you come on here at "new day" to clarify the position and just to let you exit on the summary of this, that all kids you believe could benefit from this, you're not targeting kids who get free lumpl lunches, not targeting poor kids saying they should work off the meals it's about all kids and what you think society can benefit from, true? >> absolutely, chris, you need you to be my front man. you've done a good job summarizing but that is the way thei i feel. all kids could benefit from it. we do not want to pick on any kids in any socioeconomic class. >> congressman we appreciate you coming on to clarify. we need you in d.c. to help pull us together because we are straining to hold onto each other in america so thank you for clarifying. >> thanks a lot, chris. >> best to the holidays to you and your family. >> you, too. coming up next on "new day" the "duck "dynasty"" family is

standing by their patriarch phil robertson and now the show's future seems to be up in the air. "crossfire" comost s.e. cupp knows the family. what does she think on the scandal and this and much more. she'll weigh in. [ male announcer ] the new new york is open. open to innovation. open to ambition. open to bold ideas. that's why new york has a new plan -- dozens of tax free zones all across the state. move here, expand here, or start a new business here and pay no taxes for ten years... we're new york.

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welcome back. the "duck "dynasty"" controversy is heating up. the reality stars are saying they won't return to the series without patriarch phil robertson. he made comments many considered homophobic andinsensitive. several conservatives are coming

to his defense. let's discuss, shall we, bring in cnn "crossfire" host s.e. cupp, she knows the family well and politics well, so this situation is an extension of both, isn't it? happy holidays to you and yours. >> thanks, you too. >> what is your take on the swaition? >> listen, i know this family pretty well, better than most people. you will not find a more generous, compassionate group of people. i disagree staunchly with phil's position on gay rights. i'm a spupporter of gay rights and always disagreed with phil on this but at the same time it's a little surprising to see the kind of controversy over these statements, when this is a guy who is a devout evangelical christian who quotes scripture on his show. it's not surprising that he would hue to the biblical scriptural interpretation of this issue. >> does he even have a position or is this his faith, you know what i'm saying the distinction,

this is what i think versus this is what i believe as my faith. >> from how i know him and spending time with him he is a very literal -- >> this is what it says, this is what it is. >> he describes himself as a bible beater. >> he quotes scripture, i'm in a duck blind with him and he's quoting scripture. this is part of his life, his every day, he lives and breathes this. i'm not in a position to judge his faith, but this is what he believes in, for a were aamp e to us is spend him over this seems a little hypocritical. this is a network that has made a lot of money off of the fact that this is a christian family who espouses christian values, that's what makes them popular. suddenly when that christian message turns troersial, they want nothing to do with it. it seems bizarre. >> what do you think of the

quick reaction not only from a&e but kind of all around, is this pc gone too far when you should not be surprised when phil robertson feels this way. >> again i disagree with phil and if a afternoon amp e as a private corporation wants to disagree with phil and release a statement saying these sentiments are not shared by a&e, i get that. i know a lot of people in our business who are actually far more intolerant of christian values publicly. i have a good friend and colleague who used to work here, someone i like a lot who said once publicly on air, "if a parent teaches their kids the bible story, the creation story they should be charged with child abuse." i think that's pretty intolerant. the intolerance gets spread around. this doesn't, to me, feel all that surprising. he's a christian guy. this is what he believes. >> given what you know about him and the fact that you know and you actually have talked to him about the fact that you have a differing opinion, were you surprised when, a, you read it,

the article, and were you surprised or do you know that he saw it full face who was coming, you know what i mean? because he's firm in his beliefs. he has anticipated this. >> he wouldn't hide this. >> right. >> so this is not a case, i don't think, and i wasn't there but i don't think this was a case where someone got him comfortable and got him to say something he wouldn't say in public. these are his beliefs. he's not a shy guy about his beliefs, and it doesn't take much to get him to open up. he spreads the word. this is a mission of his. >> he's a prosthelytizer. >> i don't think there was any dwo goosing him as you say. >> whether it's on the defensive orn or not it's good to know where

he's coming from in judging the intent. >> these are good people. wuhly, his son has an adopted minority son. these are good people who are part of a community, who give charitably, you know. >> how does that square with you because you have a different opinion. does that bug you personally or do you say -- >> we disagree. >> agree to disagree. >> we disagree, that's okay. that's okay. that doesn't bother me. >> s.e., you filled in for piers morgan. >> yes. >> yes you did and interviewed glenn beck, it will be airing this evening. as part of the interview we'll run a couple sound bites. you talked about "duck "dynasty"" and more. listen to this. >> look at what we're doing, this week we are debating a "duck "dynasty"" comment and whether or not santa claus is white or black. >> are we would sensitive? are those not debates we should be having? >> is that a serious question? >> it's an attempt at a serious

question. >> you didn't even believe it as you were asking it. >> you have to work on the fake curiosity we have to learn. >> this is why people love glenn. he's funny. he says it how he means it. he's controversial. i asked him about some of the controversial things that he has said in the past and if he regrets anything, if gave a very interesting answer. we covered a lot in this hour-long interview. it was interesting. >> now one of the things obviously that beck has influence over are people's political thoughts, who matters, who doesn't, who is towing the right line. chris christie, now, out of the box if you didn't know beck you might think you must like this guy. >> no. >> he kicks the system back. but that's not the truth at all. let's get the words from him and get your take. >> libertarianism is the future, and that is everybody be cool to each other, everybody live responsibly, and live free. >> well that sounds really good, but let me ask you about the

real world. chris christie is the real world. >> no, chris christie is a fat nightma nightmare. >> there you go, glenn beck. >> does not parse words. it's interesting because glenn abstains from the political process, which makes him an honest critic but for those who work within the political process and like to make it better it's a little frustrating. i asked him, the election's tomorrow, you can vote hillary clinton or chris christie. who do you choose? his answer on that was also very interesting. >> a cup of kool-ade. >> never. >> the kool-ade mustache. >> great to see you, s.e. >> nice to meet somebody who is an established partisan who wants to make the situation better, on that alone it's great to have you. >> that's what we're doing on "crossfire" trying to mend faces. >> one debate at a time. >> watch s.e. cupp hosting

"piers morgan live" when she interviews glenn beck at 9:00 eastern. coming up on "new day," she broke barriers and now one of the boys, my interview with the nba's only female referee is up next. 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®. dave's always wanted to do when he retires -- keep working, but for himself. so as his financial advisor, i took a look at everything he has. the 401(k). insurance policies. even money he's invested elsewhere. we're building a retirement plan to help him launch a second career. dave's flight school. go dave. when people talk, great things can happen. so start a conversation with an advisor who's fully invested in you. wells fargo advisors. together we'll go far. wells fargo advisors.

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in the nba. you know what, there's something not right, let's get to the couch. i was doing my best ron burgundy impression, everyone was back then, the mustache, the suit, the whole persona. >> ron burgundy literally tried to poison me. >> i heard he literally suggested building a wall in berlin so he could deliver the news when it was knocked town. >> real poison, where do you buy poison? >> he's the most legendary news anchor in history. never gets old. she is the only working female in the nba. violet palmer has been doing this for 1 years. much more than just a symbol. palmer is among the elite refs in the league showing the way for other women and showing the fellows how it's done. i got a chance to go one on one. coloss colossal, elite athletes, the men of the nba.

look closely, all those men are answering to this woman. >> no, sir, foul first. >> reporter: violet palmer is a pioneer, simply put, violet palmer is a pioneer, the only female referee working in the nba today officiating games since 1997. i caught up with her recently at madison square garden in new york city which for her was another day at the office. being on a floor in a situation like this is very different than game night, isn't it? >> absolutely. i feel like superwoman or take that back, wonderwoman, you know how she'd be nicely dressed and beautiful, she has all her stuff on and then as soon as something happens she does the whole spin. >> reporter: you spin? >> i don't spin but mentally i'm spinning, i take it off, i put the uniform on, and it's work. it's about business. >> reporter: violet stands 5'8" among the towering players whose fate she helps decide, but she exudes a sense of confidence that's larger than life.

>> i'm good, how are you? >> reporter: and says it helps she has a thick skin. >> i know. they may say personal things. i used to wear my hair long oh your pony tail is too tight or you need glasses. i still know that being on the court when i'm doing my job is not personal. >> reporter: the comp. tn, california, native discovered her love of sport in grade school, the only girl on her little league team, she played basketball in junior high and high school earning her a full athletic scholarship to colorado polytechnic university. they won two championships. >> it comes full circle, i think guys respect hard work. >> reporter: you have to keep up with them. and you also have to get in their faces at tiles. >> absolutely. i have a young fellow come out, oh, wait, young fellow, i got a lot more years of service than

you. check yourself. >> reporter: she began officiating high school and college level games to earn extra money and as a way to stay close to her beloved sport. >> here we go. >> reporter: the nba took notice. she still remembers her first pro game. you show up in 1997-'98, the only woman on this floor. >> any negative thing you think of, they've thrown it at me. you're not going to make it. why are you here? go back to wnba, players and coach a coaches are not going to accept you, it's like wah, wah, wah. >> reporter: they did accept her and she's on the road 22 days a month. gazing down at the court she hopes more women will join her rank. you're going to 17th season. >> yes. >> reporter: you're one of the only ones in the nba. >> so far. >> reporter: why do you think it's taken them so long? >> you know, the bar is really high. the bar is high. >> reporter: the bar is high.

>> but i can honestly say we have two women right now in our training program and they are awesome. >> reporter: what do you think the secret is? >> for all women, we can do anything we want. we just have to have the opportunity to now show that we can do the job. you give me a shot, you give me a little chance to put my lyle, you know how you crack the door, i just kicked it wide open. >> very, very cool lady to talk to but she lets all of that drop when she gets on the floor. she sticks to a really, really strict fitness and diet regime. she and all the other refs watch hours upon hours of footage to stay in mental peak form. she's bad. she's form. >> by that you mean she's good. >> yes. i've been chasing that interview for many years so it was a real delight. thanks for letting me do that. >> you look forward to a day when it's not a headline for a woman doing something like this. until then she's a good person to be talking about.

>> depends on the woman also. she played the game at a high level and understands the game. >> and guys respect her for that. >> that was good. >> good insight. a young man overcame the odds and achieved a dream that many do not. good stuff, coming up. haven't seen one like it, i guarantee it. smoke? no, i'm good. ♪ [ male announcer ] every time you say no to a cigarette, you celebrate a little win. nicorette mini delivers fast craving relief in just 3 minutes.

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♪ tonight we are young we are young. every day, feel it. time for "the good stuff." 20-year-old ryan polki has down's syndrome. he doesn't let that hold him back. part of his video application to college, clemson university knows that far too many people like ryan get left out of the college experience. they've designed a program for students like him and just the other day rye yap got a letter from clemson. watch the reaction.

>> "pleased to inform you of your acceptance to the fall of 2014 beginning august 17th, 2014." >> they said yes? ? they said yes. what do you say? >> yes. >> look at his sweatshirt says "college." congratulations, ryan, a college education is the good stuff and you are going to get it. >> he is so stunned. >> of course he is, and so are so many who are going to hear the story. when you think down's syndrome you think limitations. but now you see that limits are only what you make them and ryan has proven that on a grand scale. congratulations, my man. >> way to go clemson for having a program like that. >> the good stuff, how about that for a friday. let's get you over to "the newsroom," carol costello. >> thanks so much. have a great weekend.

"newsroom" starts now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com good morning. i'm carol costello. thank you so much for joining us. we begin this morning with breaking news. a sizzling new report on the u.s. economy out. america's gdp, the gross domestic product grew at a rate of 4.1%, that is the fastest rate in two years. our chief business correspondent christine romans is here to tell us what it means. good morning. >> good morning, carol. this is stronger than the government first predicted and stronger than many economists thought, that means in july, august and september you had the strongest economic growth in more than two years, 4.1%. we have been muggling along, carol, at about 2% economic growth which is nothing to write home about, for some time now. 4% growth rate, 4.1% growth rate