not in "the newsroom." it all begins right now. hello, again, everyone. i'm frederica whitfield. here are the top stories we're following in "newsroom." people hitting the roads and the sky to get home for christmas but the first true blast of winter is creating an icy, windy mess to snarl those holiday plans. under fire in south sudan. u.s. service members take a hit as they try to rescue dozens of americans trapped in an outbreak of fighting. we're live from the pentagon. and "duck dynasty" star phil robertson anti-gay comments got him fired from the show but fans are fighting back between the network and the show. can anyone win this one?

all those stories in a moment, but right now we're following today's spacewalk. two nasa astronauts are trying to fix a critical cooling system pump on the international space station. without the system, they've had to turn off some of the station's important electronics. so, the two astronauts were scheduled to spend about six hours outside the station today. but that has been extended. they're getting so much accomplished. nasa says the astronauts are getting more done than expected. they're way ahead of schedule already. and they actually could finish it all by monday. and now the fierce storm here on earth. that's hitting much of the u.s. on this first official day of winter. and it couldn't come at a worst time. more than 94 million people are expected to travel for the holidays. the forecast is a virtual treacherous weather. rain, damaging winds and possible tornadoes threatening the south. one twister already touched down in mississippi. and in the midwest, snow and ice

are turning roads into ice rinks and forcing airlines to cancel or delay flights. our nick valencia is in the frigid city of kansas city, missouri. so, just how bad is it, nick? now we added a scarf. it is getting bad. it is worsening. i'm convinced. >> frigid is the objective word. frigid is the objective word when we're talking about kansas city right now. as the morning has progressed, fred. i've had to add layers. colder than we'd like it to be here. this is a serious issue. light snowfall here sleet gathered on top of our camera case. we took crews jus outside of the airport to see how the weather was affecting travel conditions. we've seen people drive slower than normal and taking time on the slick roads and in places like iowa, it's really caused a mess there. the severe weather. take a look at this video we had to show you. slick roads causing some even police cruisers to slip and get out and loose control a little bit. sending people to the hospital.

we've seen a lot of damage in oklahoma, downed trees, freezing rain there, people waking up to colder temperatures than what they're used to. here just a few days ago in kansas city, people wearing shirts and t-shirts and grilling outside. now, it's a lot colder than they want it to be. >> oh, my, hey, if they weren't convinced about the first day of winter now, they are. it's here and it's going to be a brutal winter. just my prediction. nick, you stay bundled up. next live shot i want to see the foot wear. i want to see what's on your feet because something tells me you're layering there now, too. >> you see my eyes in the next shot. >> that's all we're going to see. nick, stay warm. not making light of it. it's a bad situation and it is likely to worsen, especially the holiday weekend and here we go, again, jennifer. folks are trying to get to grandma's, to mom's, anywhere and then you have ice and you've got wind and rain and all of it in the way. >> yep, on top of that, we have

the severe component to deal with, possible isolated tornadoes, damaging winds, as well. the ice is a big problem, though. right now especially through northern oklahoma, stretching into portions of missouri and we are seeing a little bit of a change over, though, behind it. you can see a lot of that turning into snow in central and northern oklahoma. so, that's going to continue. plan on i-35, especially and 44 to be dangerous over the next couple of hours and starting to see a change over into rain, though, where we were seeing ice just a few moments ago. the severe threat, though, is real. it's stretching anywhere from houston all the way to arklatex and northeastern louisiana and even into portions of say tennessee, memphis, you're included in this, as well. you can see two different boxes. the box on the bottom, that is a tornado watch in effect until 6:00 central time and then this box up on top is just, was just issued and that goes into effect until 8:00 central time. we have two tornado watches

we're dealing with. showers and storms will continue to fill in and they are going to be pretty dangerous as we go through the afternoon hours. moderate risk of severe weather across the arklatex into tennessee and nashville you are continued in this. the storm will track to the east. places like atlanta will wake up with some strong storms by the wee hours of tomorrow morning. through memphis as we go through the afternoon and then during the overnight hours, it does set up over on the east coast. so, this is going to cause travel troubles for today and tomorrow. it does get better, though, as we get into tomorrow afternoon. i also want to mention record-breaking temperatures. it's warm on the first day of winter on the east coast. >> yeah, oh, my goodness. all the more reason why folks need to be, you know, together indoors. stay out of the elements. >> exactly. >> all right, thanks so much, jennifer, appreciate that. let's talk more about this developing story out of africa now. a u.s. aircraft in south sudan

came under heavy gunfire this morning during a mission to evacuate american civilians there. four service members are injured. the country has been in turmoil since the president accused the former vice president there of attempting a coup last week and a lot of people have been killed in the clashes ever since. pentagon correspondent barbara starr joining me now. so, barbara, tell us more about this evacuation mission. not a rescue, but just simply trying to lift these americans out of a very difficult section of south sudan. >> that's right, fredricka. the american civilians 20 to 30 of them in this area of south sudan working for the united nations have no other way to get out to escape the violence. so, the u.s. military had gone into try to evacuate them. three u.s. v-22 aircraft were trying to land at south sudan. all three came under fire. all three of them took damage. one more severely than the

others. four service members wounded. they are now in nairobi, kenya, getting medical treatment. but the question now for the pentagon is what to do. how to get the americans out of there. because the feeling is when all three aircraft are hit that they were deliberately targeted by rebel forces and this is the violence and the terrible situation going on there now. thousands south sudanese trying to escape get to u.n. compounds get to any safe area that they can. but as we talk here now, the situation for the united states is how to get the americans out of there. defense secretary chuck hagel, general dempsey, talking to commanders and trying to come up with a new plan, we are told. >> all right, very volatile situation. thanks so much. barbara starr at the pentagon. all right, it is one of television's biggest hits. millions of people are watching. are you among them? but will some racially

insensitive and homophobic remarks by the show's star hit the show's brand. a u.s. delegation heading to the olympics in sochi along with several high-profile athletes. what message they're sending to russia. a car, ah speak to customer service, check on a claim...you know, all with the ah, tap of my geico app. oh, that's so cool. well, i would disagree with you but, ah, that would make me a liar. no dude, you're on the jumbotron! whoa. ah...yeah, pretty much walked into that one. geico anywhere anytime. just a tap away on the geico app.

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rblths when a magazine article said actor tom cruise had cut off all ties with his daughter, cruise sued for $50 million. today according to bauer publishing the lawsuit has been settled but the terms are confidential. bauer publishing along with "in touch" and "life and style" never intended to say cruise abandoned his daughter if anyone inferred that from anything they published. they made their fortune selling duck hunting products and then got a reality called

"duck dynasty" some remarks have created an uproar. nischelle turner has more on the growing controversy and how it's damaging the multi-million dollar duck dynasty brand. >> reporter: talk about rocking the boat. just after a day after a&e suspended phil robertson from "duck dynasty" from 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 has addressed the controversy for the first time. saying "while some of phil's unfiltered comments to the reporter were course, his beliefs are grounded in the teachings of the bible, phil would never incite or encourage hate." showing robertson preaching morality. >> women with women, men with

men, actions with one another and they received in themselves, they're full of envy, strife, hatred. they are -- >> he has the right to say what he likes to say and a ande made a good decision when those views are not american views and do not represent their views as a network and they pulled him. >> reporter: coming out of the wood work are robertson supporters. #standbyphil. republicans like texas senator ted cruz and former alaska governor 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 taking on the "duck dynasty" patriarch for

voicing his personal opinion are taking on all of us. >> stunning to me after all those antics that miley cyrus would be on tv and phil is the one getting kicked off. >> reporter: they're fighting the good fight. but critics say it's an old fight, likely to lose in a new worldpen. >> thanks to nischelle turner for that report. who is most hurt by all of this? the network? the stars of the show? what are the ramifications? howard bragman vice chairman and pr executive. we saw him in that kind of many voices talking about the "duck dynasty." howard, what is the impact of this on a&e network on the show, on the duck dynasty itself? who wins? who loses? >> i don't think we know the impact yet until this is

quote/unquote resolved. phil is going to be in the most of the shows that air next year. we know they're airing "duck dynasty" marathon over the holidays. it's not like he's going anywhere. if phil disappears, the show is in real danger and this is not just the biggest show on a&e but the biggest show in cable. it's huge. >> 14 million viewers. >> yeah. it's crazy. networks would be happy with those numbers. >> so, speaking of networks, that network, is it doing the right thing by suspending phil robertson because, you know, it's the politically correct thick thing to do, that's the point of view of the network. or is it more about protecting its profit margin. with other shows. >> i think, a&e is doing the right thing but i don't think they're doing it because it's the politically correct thing to do. i think they're doing it because he made some very vulgar,

insensitiv insensitive, homophobic and racist remarks. i want to be clear on that. most people think they let him go because he doesn't agree with innetwork's views on gay rights issues. you have to read the whole interview to understand. >> isn't the argument, if you're talking about reality tv show and you're talking about a show that the premise is, here are the characters and this is who they are, you know. perfections, all of that wrapped into one and people are watching them because this is quote/unquote, real tv. why does someone get penalized for being real, being who they are and presenting all of who they are whether you like it or not? >> well, a couple reasons. number one, reality tv is not always reality. a lot of it is what i call semi scripted. number two, america as a country has turned the corner fredricka.

we will not tolerate, you know, we can tolerate somebody disagreeing on gay rights, but the vulgar homophobia and the things that he said. we're not tolerating any more. and a lot of people talk about the biblical shroud he wrapped himself in and there are a lot of people that argued after the civil war that the bible said slivery was okay. if he said that today, he would be off the air. and gay rights are sort of one of the last places. >> how might this change the parameters of reality tv? all networks now reconsider or think about, you know, the boundaries of the behavior of the characters on reality tv shows. and this being an example of that or spring board of that. >> i'm not sure it will change reality tv. if they had an argument on the air, it would have been more interesting. having this argument in a

national magazine was down right offensive and the network doesn't have any control over that. and, you know, he wasn't, it's not a free speech issue, it's a contractual issue. if he hadn't broken his contract, they wouldn't have suspended him. let me make one last point. while we've been arguing, while we've been arguing about this and discussing this vigorously for two or three days a lot of people failed to notice that new mexico and yesterday utah allowed gay marriage. so, this is a battle, but the war is essentially over in my mind. once utah allows gay marriage, one of the most conservative states of the union -- >> it's an incredible milestone. >> we have changed as a country. we have really changed. >> thanks so much. love your point of view. appreciate it. all right, former basketball star dennis rodman is back on the courts, but far from the nba. rodman's on a controversial trip inside the reclusive country of north korea. what he says he won't be doing

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mursilously without notice." the message warned that north korea would strike if "the provocation against our highest dignity is to be repeated in the downtown of seoul." south korea sent back a response saying if the north provoked them, they would retaliate. even as the tension rises in the korean peninsula, former nba great dennis rodman is back in north korea. he's been there before and he calls kim jung un his friend. cnn's brian todd tells us why rodman is back for a third visit and what, if anything, the u.s. government has to say about it. >> reporter: he's had his uncle executed, purged other top officials and hasn't met with any foreign dignities, but receiving an ex-basketball nicknamed the worm. the latest strange chapter on north korea's kim jung-un

another visit from former nb star dennis rodman. >> it is bizarre. >> reporter: rodman's visit is sponsored by an irish online betting company, patty power. it was rodman's idea, a company spokesman says and he is there only to talk about organizing a basketball exhibition that rodman hopes will bring former nba stars to north korea next month. the white house, cia and state department aren't commenting. saying he's there as a private citizen. but rodman is the highest profile american to ever meet with kim jung-un. he once tweeted a call for kim to release kenneth bae, detained in north korea for more than a year. rodman insists he is not dealing with bae's case on this trip. >> they will make gestures like this to a celebrity like rodman. i've seen this over and over again. we had mohammad ali going and doing diplomacy. >> reporter: the agency will likely want to ask rodman

questions after his visit about conditions there. conditions now prompting serious questions about the kim family dynamic. why did kim jung-un have his uncle, a former mentor, executed? it was for treason, but the plot may be thicker. >> here is a guy who knows where all the bodies are buried. he knows everything about relationships in this system and at the end of the day, that may be why he was shot. >> reporter: a kind of palace intrigue consistent in this clan. >> the violence within the kim family compared and the oldest brother to the current leader kim jung-un lives and is protected by the chinese from assassination. because he has openly told secrets that critical of the regime and his family. >> reporter: there was another sibling who kim jung-un leap frogged to take power. presumably seen here. analysts say their father kim

jung-in found him to be too timid. he has rarely been seen in public. brian todd, cnn, washington. what is dennis rodman thinking, really? who could be in his head? is he practicing basketball diplomacy or being used by the north koreans? let's bring in mark lamont-hill and is a host on "huff post live" on the web. you got into his head. you interviewed dennis rodman, if that's possible at all. let's watch a clip of when you asked him about freeing detained american kenneth bae. >> i'm not this diplomat and people quit looking at me as that. i can go over there and talk to him and all i said, i said, he's my friend. he's a friend of mine. i don't care what he does. all i want to do is obama to do

one thing, call kim and try to have some type of relation. basketball related or anything other than war or, you know, anything like that. >> okay, so, he says he's no diplomat. but what he is proposing is something that diplomats would do. he's saying why not, the president of north korea and the president of the united states have a phone call, talk. i mean, is he taking himself seriously? does he feel like the north korean president is taking him seriously as it pertains to that, mark? >> no, he absolutely is taking himself quite seriously and he thinks that both north korea and the state it apartment here in the u.s. are taking him seriously. i pushed him on the kenneth bae thing, if he is your friend and you guys make talk, why not mention that he is a hostage. >> and he said? >> he said, you know what, i promise that i will ask for the release of kenneth bae. he said that. he said, i promise i will ask. i said you have to ask. he said that he would. in his mind, he has the potential to be the most powerful man in the world if he

can get hostages released but seems reluctant to jump in diplomatic waters. we've seen this happen before where celebrities get quoted for rogue governments for making the bigger nation look bad. so dennis rodman can come back and say kim jung-un is an awesome guy and a way of making obama look bad and north korea look good and dennis rodman feeling important. >> do you feel after that conversation with dennis you got a better handle to why he is really doing this. what is driving him to be a friend of kim jung un? what is motivating him to make this third trip? what's behind it or is it being paid handsomely? what is this all about? >> all three. on the one hand, dennis rodman a retired nba star with nothing but time on his hands. he's looking for something to do. it's financially lucrative. >> is he paid? >> i asked him that directly off the record and he wouldn't give me a direct answer.

i suspect he's not flying across the world for free. that's the sense i get. but a sense of basketball diplomacy here. i think he believes and i think he's right about this. basketball and sports in general can help people heal. it can help nation states come together. but you can't just have basketball. you have to release hostages and stop enriching uranium and nukeilous weapons and all those other things. the final thing here, i think kim jung un is playing to dennis rodman's ego. feel like he's important and matters and dennis rodman can't go in the white house and watch the nba finals, but certainly do it in pyongyang. they are actually friends. they actually like each other. >> quickly then, does dennis rodman feel a little bit used? does he say anything about that possibility whether he's being used, acknowledges it or is okay with it even? >> i raised that point to him and he said, no. he said marshal is my friend --

>> marshal? >> we have the same background. we like, whatever that is. >> what is the marshal thing? >> we like to talk about girls and we like talking about the old days. we just like each other and he's just my friend. >> all right. mark lamont hill. maybe we'll hear again from dennis rodman post trip since he did make the rounds after the first trip. maybe we'll get a chance to hear whether his perspective is any different or more of the same. it is fascinating no matter which way you look at it. mark, thanks so much. >> my pleasure. all right. also interesting the winter olympics just a few weeks away. the white house is extending a delegation to sochi and that is sending a direct message about russia's anti-gay laws. we'll talk about it with olympic champion greg next. going to go find it. it's out there somewhere spreading the good word about idaho potatoes and raising money for meals on wheels.

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lert. same-sex marriage is now legal in utah after a judge struck down a law banning it. couples have been giting married since the judge's ruling yesterday. voters passed a ruling in 2004 to ban same-sex marriage. three gay and lesbian couples filed a lawsuit trying to knock it down and a federal judge agreed with him saying the law was unconstitutional. earlier this week, new mexico supreme court also decided to allow same-sex marriage. the white house named the u.s. delegation for the winter

olympics this week. and it sent a clear message about russia's anti-gay laws. president obama won't be going and neither will anyone from his cabinet, but he is sending openly gay athletes, including tennis star billie jean king and brian boitano and caitlin cahow. the international olympic committee says gay athletes can't officially protest because that's against olympic rules. but christiane amanpour asked king, should they do something symbolic like kiss or come out publicly? >> well, maybe it would be appropriate, but why not? i think it's okay to say what you feel and think. but if you look back at the '68 olympics, if there is something they want -- maybe we should wave rainbow flags or something. i don't know. no reason as long as we're not

being malicious, but we can show our feelings, i think that's fine. i think it's okay. but by even being present and not boycotting sends a very positive message. >> another openly gay athlete diver, greg louganis very outspoken against the russian laws. he's joining me live from los angeles. greg, good to see you, again. >> good to see you. >> what did you think about what billie jean king said? athletes if they feel the moment, if they want to show their feelings, have some sort of display that they should and it should be encouraged, do you agree with that? >> i'm in total support of that. i mean, i was taking kind of of abeasier route because being an athlete and also being an olympic team you have the ioc looking at what you're doing and the usoc looking at what you're

doing and i was saying, you know, whether you're straight or gay, to dedicate your performance to your gay family members or coach or teammates or someone like that. that way the ioc couldn't take any sanctions against them. you know, we're pushing the ioc to really uphold their own charter in principle 6. states absolutely no discrimination. and clearly russia is in violation of that. >> so, what do you see potentially as the broader impact beyond the olympic games whether it be from symbolic gestures, whether it be simply by the presence of athletes who are gay in russia competing comfortably and winning, taking home medals, paying tribute. any of all of those things you and billy jean suggested, what is the greatest impact from all

of this? >> well, my biggest concern is what happens after the olympic games. i mean, when the world goes away, what's going to happen to a lot of these kids? my contention is there is a gay, lgbt child born in russia every day and who is protecting those children? and it's my opinion that all children need to be protected. because who's going to be, you never know who is going to be the next c. you never know. all of those children are valued and to know they are of value and, you know, with the laws that are stated now, it doesn't support that. >> and this delegation that the white house is sending to sochi billie jean king and brian bortano and what is your thought

about the message that this white house is sending by selecting at least these three? >> i think it's a wonderful gesture. i wish i had been on the list. >> i bet. >> i'm surprised you weren't on the list. >> but, you know what, one door closes and another door opens. so, you know, i think it's the right message but the thing that i think is so important that we keep an eye on this. and, you know, in talking with many of the lgbt activists from russia, you know, what they're saying is support their events. now, between the olympics and the parolympics is the open games in moscow. lgbt sanctioned event. what the lgbt actriivists are saying, come support our events.

come support our lgbt events. that's how we can be of help to them. to keep an eye on what is happening in russia. >> well, you know, greg, your message and who you are resonates well beyond any u.s. delegation to the olympics or otherwise, period. worldwide. so, you know, you are always a living example and inspiration anyway. and then we also want to congratulate you to your recent marriage. you got married in october, right, to your handsome groom there, john. yes, we got married on october 12th and it was a little touch and go there because the laws weren't supporting us at the time of our engagement. so, our plan was, okay, go up to seattle and get married and still have the wedding because we already committed to the date. but, fortunately, things turned in our favor and we were able to

get married legally in the state of california and i can't tell you, people have asked me, does it feel different? and i said, yes. because when you hear those vows and they say that you are legally married in the state of california, that just brought tears to my eyes. you know, my mother was always afraid that i would always be alone. because i didn't have, i was a second-class citizen as a gay man. so, she was afraid that i would be alone. and so i know that she's smiling down from heaven and johnny's parents are smiling down from heaven. >> that's beautiful. >> on both of us. >> congratulations to you and johnny. we're happy for you. and you're glowing. >> thank you. >> per usual. >> i am. >> greg louganis, always great to see you. >> great to see you. we'll be right back after this. it's not the "sign up for rewards each quarter" card.

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life takes energy. and no one applies more technology to produce american energy and refine it more efficiently than exxonmobil. because using energy responsibly has never been more important. energy lives here. ♪ all right. the united states is in the middle of an unprecedented drug overdose epidemic. that's according to the centers for disease control. this is pretty scary stuff. researchers say drug overdose death rates have increased five fold since 1980. by 2009 drug overdose deaths outnumbered deaths from motor vehicle crashes for the first time in the u.s. prescription drugs, especially those called opioid are

increasingly involved in overdose deaths. they now outnumber overdose deaths involving all elilissal drugs. we turn now to an an theseiologist and pain medicine specialist who is considered a leading expert on how to safely prescribe powerful pain killers, including opinoids but he and his staff are under investigation after multiple deaths at his clinic. dr. sanjay gupta has that story. >> well, fred, we talk a lot about accidental deaths from prescription drug overdoses. and today we have a stunning story of this doctor who sort of a paragone in the world medicine but someone who is facing a string of lawsuits regarding these very suspicious deaths. what exactly is going on here? we decided to find out. keep in mind as you watch this, this doctor, despite all these

lawsuits, still has the prescription pad. >> you don't want to answer any questions? >> reporter: why is this man, dr. lind webster walking away from our cameras? refusing to answer our questions. webster is considered a leader in the field of pain management. president of the american academy of pain medicine. >> over 100 million americans who are experiencing chronic pain. >> reporter: author of a scoring system used by doctors to distinguish pain killer addicts from legitimate patients. and he's the founder of this pain clinic in salt lake city. what is his reputation? >> his methods are incorporated into almost every single educational program about prescribing opioids and even accepted by the fda. >> reporter: if you start to ask around a bit, his reputation among some former patients and their families is astonishingly different. >> his reputation is he's known as dr. death. >> reporter: known as dr. death?

>> yes. >> reporter: that's how your wife's doctor was described? overdose deaths now hover over him. there are allegations of irresponsible prescribing practices. and in the case of one patient, influencing what was written as the cause of death. >> here's the interesting part -- >> reporter: roy's wife carol ann first went to the clinic in 2008. years earlier her car was broadsided. >> she did not have a seat belt fastened and went through the windshield. >> reporter: after several operations on her spine, she managed her pain with low doses of pain killers. >> she's still functioning and doing everything she needs to o do. >> yes. >> reporter: but that would change when a friend suggest she go to the life tree clinic. within a few weeks of becoming a patient -- >> carol ann was pretty much hooked. >> reporter: when you say hooked, you mean what? >> she was hooked on the pain medicine. she needed it.

>> reporter: this is what carol ann was prescribed a year before her death. a pain killer and an anxiety medication. between 100 and 120 pills a month. now, fast forward one year, she was prescribed seven different drugs. painkillers, anti-anxiety pills, antidepressants and all told about 600 pills per month. the same steep climb in medications allegedly was seen among other patients who died after getting care at life tree. like this case. described in a medical malpractice claim recently filed against webster and life tree. a 42-year-old who was prescribed about 200 pills a month when she first started at life tree. that's a little more than six pills a day. seven years later, just before she died of an overdose, she was taking 1,158 pills per month. or about 40 each day. at the bosley home, a sad spectacle filled with denial and

overdoses began unfolding. >> there were numerous times that we ended up in the emergency room for fear that she was going to die. >> reporter: bosley says he would regularly return home from work with carol ann unconscious and barely breathing. >> you took pictures of your wife essentially unconscious. >> correct. >> reporter: must have been a hard thing to do. >> very hard. >> reporter: bosley tried to show the photos to dr. webster and other staff members and he tried calling the clinic to vent his concerns. he was shut down with staff citing patient privacy or hipa. >> you weren't so much as asking for information as you wanted to provide it. >> i said i'm not asking for information. and i was given the hipa excuse and that was the end of it. >> reporter: so what does dr. webster have to say about the claims against him and his clinic? despite our best efforts, not much. he did, however, respond to lawsuits filed against him and

his clinic akclinand denied responsibility for the deaths. we called his spokesperson. we certainly want to give him an opportunity to comment and respond to some of this. >> reporter: but he declined our interview, so we decided to go straight to him. dr. webster, dr. gupta with cnn. i am wearing a microphone, i want to know if i can ask ask you a couple questions. >> i have an appointment right now. >> reporter: will you sit down and talk to us afterwards? after the appointment, will you talk to us. will you answer a couple questions for us? >> nope. >> reporter: you don't want to answer any questions? >> no. >> reporter: all right. we did get a statement, in it dr. webster says the clinic treated difficult and complicated people with pain with the highest standard of care. he went on to call the deaths a tragedy of the worst kind for patients to die not from a result of treatment, but in spite of it. >> she was doing great. she was up to walking almost

five miles a day. >> reporter: several months after starting at life tree she kipped the opiods and went to rehab. >> she had lost weight and managing her pain on tylenol. only. >> reporter: soon afterward, he said, carolann got a call. >> she said, dr. webster has requested that we come down, both of us come down and meet with him. >> reporter: to roy bosley surprise during the appointment he said webster suggested she get back on narcotic pain killers. >> and my response to him was, my wife is addicted. >> reporter: about a year after that appointment, after taking his advice, carol ann bosley overdosed again, this time it was fatal. but her story does not end there. weeks after her death, the medical examiner had ruled her death a suicide. >> i said, why did you label it

suicide? and he said, well, i called dr. webster he told me that she committed suicide. >> reporter: why do you have to call dr. webster for a diagnosis? >> reporter: the utah medical examiner's office said webster didn't have any influence over her stated cause of death, which makes what happened next even more puzzling. >> maybe five weeks later, i get a revised autopsy report. cause of death, undetermined. >> reporter: when it came back undetermined, was there an explanation? they just changed it. it has been four years since she died, her husband still wonders why his pleas for help to the staff at life tree and especially lind webster fell on deaf ears. you blame dr. webster for your wife's death? >> i do. to this day i regret that i did not go down there and find him.

i would have pinned him to the wall and i would have made him listen and then i would have warned him with his life. leave my wife now, i should point out, he did not want to talk to us, but previously acknowledged some 20 deaths at the clinic while it was open. the vast majority of them were suicides. he gave us a statement, part of which you saw in the piece. he went on to say chronic pain is a crisis and honest dialogue is not happening and we need safer therapies that should replace opioids. 600 some pills a month some of these patients are taking. we may never get full answers here, but it's an example of the toll the prescription drugs can take. >> thank you so much.

that is an extraordinary story. so many pills in such a short time. don't miss his show at 4:30. he'll talk to megapastor, joel osteen about the power of prayer as well. speaking of prayer and faith, christmas spirit is being delivered around the world in the form of a shoe box to children in need. one kentucky man is adding love to those boxes, one wooden car at a time. we have more in this impact your world seglet. >> reporter: six days a week, 73-year-old clyde heads to a workshop in his backyard to make a little magic. >> they are primarily toys with wheels. i have some cars, i have some animals. >> reporter: he's been making toys for operation christmas child for close to a decade. the program is run by samaritans

purse and gives gift filled shoe boxes to children in need around the world. >> i see the joy on their faces when they get these boxes. it catches my heart. >> reporter: wood working has always been his hobby. >> after i retired, i was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, which limited me and my physical abilities. i wanted to give of myself and i saw in a catalog where i could buy a kit to make 100 cars. >> reporter: he donated around 100,000 toys to operation christmas child. >> i have a map in my shop. i have a pen for every country i know my toys have been. if i get tired of doing this, i look at that map. that's why i'm doing it and i keep going.

so you can see like right here i can just... you know, check my policy here, add a car, ah speak to customer service, check on a claim...you know, all with the ah, tap of my geico app. oh, that's so cool. well, i would disagree with you but, ah, that would make me a liar. no dude, you're on the jumbotron! whoa. ah...yeah, pretty much walked into that one. geico anywhere anytime.

just a tap away on the geico app.

oh, attention walmart shoppers, forget the last minute bargains. shoppers in massachusetts got a surprise from a superstar. uh-oh, who is that. you don't want me singing. beyonce showed up to spread holiday cheer purchasing 750 $50 gift cards. she picked up toys for her daughter. earlier this week, retail giant target refused to sell her album because it was released online first. the new album has already sold more than 1 million copies. she says take that target. hello walmart. we'll be right back.

"your $$$$$" with christine romans is ahead. >> it's taper time. what does it mean the federal reserve is slowing down their stimulus? i'll tell you what it means for your job, health savings and car loan. plus, what would you pay to sit on a plane and not hear someone talking on the phone? it's coming up at 2:00 p.m. on

an all new "your money." stick with us to catch "your money." wait, there's more in the cnn news room. you have probably heard about the credit card hacking. what do you do if you are a victim? an expert tells us the steps to take to ease the pain and edward snowden making the headlines leaking classified information from the nsa. is he a trader or hero? james and a former nsa whistle blower going head-to-head on the issue of whether snowden should get amnesty in the united states plus, the most outrageous excuse we have heard about calling in sick. sorry, i'm busy with my other job doing secret work for the cia. one e.p.a. worker got away with it for years. that's ahead in the news room. now, stay tuned, "your