♪ -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com right now, edward snowden says he's won in a new interview, the admitted nsa hacker talks about his motivation and his justification for spilling national secrets. and right now, nasa astronauts are working on new jersey repairs to the international space station. we'll be finding out if those repairs are working. and right now, markets are winding down for the holidays. did santa bring another record close for the dow? hi there, i'm brianna keelner washington.

wolf blitzer is off today. and we'll start with edward snowden, declaring mission accomplished. in a new interview in the "washington post," snowden opens up on his motives. his justification, and he says as he has already won. joe johns joining me now with this. what does he mean by that, he's already won? >> it's pretty clear he's unapologetic. if anything snowden has been emboldened by all this world attention he's received. this interview is evidence of that i think. he says he won in terms of personal satisfaction when journalists were able to work on the story, everything he had been trying to do was validated. he doesn't see himself as being disloyal. he says "i am still working for the nsa right now. they are the only one who's don't realize it." he claims he's trying to help the national security agency. >> he actually says he was elected. that's the word he used, that he was elected to uncover the nsa's secrets. what does he mean by that? >> a play on words more than anything i think, but this is

where he shows he's not shy about wading into a discussion of congressional politics. the take away is that the behavior of the people who head up the congressional intelligence committees made him do what he did. senator dianne feinstein elected me when she asked softball questions apparently in committee. congressman mike rogers elected me when he kept these programs hidden. again, a play on words. >> he's in russia. he's been granted temporary asylum there. as soon as he went there, everyone wondered what are the russians getting out of this. did he talk about that? >> he's pretty clear in the fact he says the russians aren't getting too much out of it. we know he's been given asylum but it is limited. he says he's not working with the russians. here's that quote "i have no relationship with the russian government. i have not entered into any agreements with them if i defected at all, i defected from the government to the public." so a fascinating interview. the world according to edward snowden and we probably haven't

heard the last of him. >> he says he's living like an indoor cat, right. >> that he's got this sort of life inside now. >> you would certainly imagine he wouldn't want to be caught out on the streets too much. >> barton gelman interviewed snowden and then wrote that the piece for the "washington post." earlier this morning, he spoke with our carol costello about what's next for snowden and where he could end up. >> he hot saw the asylum and continues to seek asylum from a substantial number of countries. he had said from the beginning even six months ago when he was in clandestine contact with me antoine other journalists that if he had his choice, he would be in iceland. but when you're under pursuit by the united states on felony charges, it's hard to figure out how to get there from here. >> so what's next? what might we expect next from edward snowden?

>> i think he has felt strongly for a long time that he doesn't want to be the story, that his participation in the story tends to distract because he becomes the object of attack and he wants the conversation to be about the public policy questions. nevertheless, i think he does very much want to see his cause advanced and i would expect that you'll be hearing from him from time to time as he sees opportunities to participate in the conversation. >> and it was in that same article that we learned snowden rarely leaves his room. that's where he said he's like an inside cat. right now, more than 200 miles bob the earth, two astronauts are trying to wrap up emergency repairs to the international space station. they're trying to fix a broken cooling pump. you're looking at them right there. now, without this thing, they've had to turn off some of the station's important electronics. the astronauts have been out

there at this point for about six hours. >> and then follow theed by a full activation of the pump itself to complete a comprehensive checkout. >> so it sounds like things are going all right. they're waiting here for a comprehensive test of the part that they were trying to fix. alina machado has been following all of the day's space walk for us. how are the repairs going? it sounds all right alina, is that the right take? >> things are going well, brianna. we know the spare module or pump is already in position and the fluid lines are connected. and it seems like you mentioned they are starting to wrap things up and they're in the process of hooking up electrical connections and then testing the pump. astronauts rick mass crackio and michael hopkins are trying to wrap up the job they started on saturday when they removed a faulty cooling pump that's about the size of a refrigerator.

that pump contains ammonia making their job even more delicate. about an hour ago we learned they did have some issues when one of the fluid lines carrying the ammonia in the cooling system became tangled. and that line has since been released. so some good news there, but the astronauts did report sighing some ammonia flakes which did get on their space suits. a nasa spokesperson tells cnn there is no real concern, however. the astronauts will have to undergo a decontamination process anyway before heading back inside the space station. that should take care of ta residue. >> and certainly, alina, we know about the importance of things staying cool when you're around electronics. we deal with that in television because we're around so many things that are electronic. often we complain about how cold our working environment is. much bigger deal obviously if you are in space. so this is really sidelined a lot of business of the space station. what will they be doing once things get back to normal after

this repair? >> it's going to be awhile before things get back to normal. we understand that the crew is going to wrap up the space walk at some point this afternoon. and then once they're inside, they're going to continue to test this pump to make sure that it is fully functional and that it's properly installed before it's completely activated, brianna. we're going to be keeping an eye on this to make sure that everything goes well. >> certainly something when you're talking about multiple hours of a space walk on christmas eve no less. alina machado, thanks. there's been a major surge in obamacare website traffic as people are checking out their health care options because tonight at midnight is the latest deadline to get signed up for health care through the affordable care act if you wanted to be covered on january 1st. almost 2 million peopling logged on monday to check out the federal exchange at healthcare.gov. the call center logged a quarter of a million calls. it is unknown how many checked

out yesterday actually signed up for coverage. last week, president obama announced 1 million people had enrolled. coming up at the bottom of the hour, we'll take a closer look at how obamacare problems may be shaping 2014 and also how the surge in interest could impact the president's message. markets are winding down for the holidays. trading at the new york stock exchange shut down a few minutes ago. alison kosik joining me now from new york. how did we do, alison? >> it looks like it's another record close for the dow industrials. also the s&p 500. a strong manufacturing report. that helped fuel the gains and traders they were so happy they broke out into song. ♪ sunshines nellie and the clouds go drifting by ♪ ♪ weep will be happy, nellie by and by ♪

♪ ♪ down lover's lane >> this is actually a tradition every year on the floor of the new york stock exchange. it's a song called "wait till the sun hines nellie." it's been sung on the floor almost every year on christmas eve going bab back to the 30s. it's a song of hope for better times ahead. times are pretty good if you're invested in the market right now. the dow up about 24% for the year, the s&p 500 is up 28%. the nasdaq is up a whopping 37%. you know, the broad rally puts the dow on track for its best year in ten years and the s&p 500 on pace for its best year since 1997. brianna? >> yeah, and alison we get so excited when we see that up arrow. but it's i think because of what we've been through, we also worry, okay it's going up and up. is this thing going to turn around. do you think the markets can continue the gains next year? >> that really is the question. if you talk to most analysts they say the expectations is

that the trend is still to go higher, but probably not as big a pop as we've seen this year. the federal reserve is beginning to you pull back on its historic stimulus. it's about how the economy is going to do. if we keep getting evidence the recovery has taken hold, stocks could continue to rise. we need to see more growth in jobs and economic growth and the housing market, too. we really want to watch that one because today we got a report that showed new home sales slipped in november. also mortgage rates are starting to creep higher. that could wind up crimping the housing recovery. >> that's right. we're watching mortgage rates, too. alison kosik, happy holidays to you. >> same to you. the holiday shopping season has been a bit of a bust for retailers. the question here is can a last-minute christmas eve scramble help save it? i might be doing a little of that. we'll go live to a mall full of shoppers in california next.

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only a few hours left to get your last minute shopping in. and retailers are slashing prices. that's because they've actually been reporting a rough holiday season for sales. that's why we sent stephanie elam to a best buy in burbank, california. heard, stephanie, you weren't quite done with your shopping. maybe you could do a little work, get some shopping done. you seeing other folks there doing the mad dash in the last few hours? >> this is the time, brianna. it's beginning to look a lot like christmas. a little bit of a line but they are moving them out here at this best buy. they've been pushing them through. 10:00ing is when they normally opened. today they opened at 7:00 a.m. there were people standing outside. candace and elizabeth, come over here, ladies. this is candace and her mom elizabeth. what are you looking for? >> headphones. >> who are they for? >> myself. >> explain how this, would. is this your normal christmas

routine? >> it was a spur of the moment sort of thing. and i just -- i'm picky with stuff. i don't know what brand i want. i'm just looking, pricing them. >> you're pricing them or going to get them? >> pricing right now and then i'm going to see what i want to do. we'll go from there. >> elizabeth you're here with your daughters. >> yes. >> is this the normal routine where the christmas gifts are picked before christmas? >> lushlly, yeah. >> is it usually the day before christmas? >> sometimes. >> sometimes? >> i think just this year like we just came the day before. >> like spur of the moment, give us something to do. >> usually it's probably in advance like you know, way before. >> but doesn't make it a little sad on christmas day when everyone else is opening gifts and you've got your cool gift that you already wanted about you you already have it? >> i don't know. not really. >> i think the secret is, mom, you already have other stuff ready for her? >> yes, i do, of course. >> very loving. back at it, have fun.

do you think the store is going to be crazier? >> it was crazier during the week. >> are you surprised how it is right now? >> it's less. >> a lot of people are out of town, too. so -- >> yeah. that's a good part of it. >> better for us. >> it is better. this is how californians are covert with their shopping, they come in and wear the dark glasses and go on and get their gift and enjoy a beautiful day out here, brianna. >> as a californian, i can tell you that is actually true. i was surprised, stephanie. i did a little shopping myself last night. there weren't a lot of people. i thought i was going to have to contend with hoards. what about after christmas? do you think we'll see big sales? >> always. the day after christmas is a big deal. retailers have not been having the great christmas they were shopping they were hoping to have this season. it hasn't been that ramped up. part of the reason for stores is because people do a lot of shopping online. that's a huge part of it.

but also if they can get more people in there looking for deals the day after christmas, a lot of families have traditions. they go out and shop on the day after christmas. they're going to mark the prices down and get people in to do that too, brianna. >> stephanie elam in burbank, happy holidays to you. and as you heard stephanie talking about retailers there, target says that its executives have been meeting for days now. this is because that company is scrambling to contain the fallout from its massive security breach. some 40 million debit and credit card numbers were stolen from the company over a three-week period. there's been a handful of lawsuits already filed. there are reports target is being investigated, as well by the u.s. justice department. well, we wanted to know just how easy is it for hackers to use major retailers to get at your information? gary tuckman shows us. >> i can teach you within an hour how to have a limited attack against somebody, get

into their system. >> get their financial information, their banking information. >> sure, yeah. >> adam myers is the haven't of intelligence, a security technology company called crowd strike. and he's about to show us how relatively easy it is for people to hack computers of businesses so they could access your credit card information. myers says one way criminals sometimes start is by just going on google and typing in how to hack. >> what do you want to mack? do you want to hack facebook, inta gram, a twitter account. >> i want to hack a bank. because that's where the money is. >> how to hack a bank account, how to hack a bank. these are things that people are searching for. >> youtube video how to transfer your money. >> this is not any dark secret how people learn stuff like this. they can do it in ten seconds. >> sure. >> criminals can easily find malicious software online known as malaware. they often go on underground forums to buy a so-called builder software which builds

the malaware. >> open up the builder that allows me to make my malaware. >> the code often looks like gobbledeygook. when used effectively, they can hack into the computers of retailers and steal your bank information when you swipe your card at checkout. >> so basicallying this code and knowing how to do this and learning this and often learning it just from a google search can lead you to stealing being able to steal millions of dollars? >> right. >> this is called zeus and myer says there are many other types of malaware with thousands of repairiations. >> this person who set up this zeus malaware are now in a position when someone puts in the their financial information, it comes to them too? >> exactly. >> the criminals actually have a scoreboard of sorts. >> this is what the bad guy would see. >> a management it system where the bad guys keep track of victims. >> right now it says zero on this management page of the malaware. conceivably it could say ,000.

you're controlling 8,000 people in companies' computers? >> absolutely. you can do whatever you want to their computer? >> absolutely. >> if the united states had more widespread adoption of chip technology in credit cards like europe, it would cut down on criminal activity. in the meantime, the u.s. does have companies like adam myers where many crooks are nailed. crooks who aren't bright enough to avoid leaving their fingerprints on the work they do. >> it's not about how smart you need to be to do this. it's about how good you have to be to not get caught. >> gary tuchman, cnn, washington. it was one of the most talked about political speeches of the year. >> i do not like them here or there. i do not like them anywhere. i do not like green eggs and ham. i do not like them, sam i am. >> so where did ted cruz's overnight filibuster rank in the top ten political events of the year. >> we will count them down. what you wear to bed is your business. so, if you're sleeping in your contact lenses,

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it is a crucial day for a california family fighting to keep their 13-year-old on life support. in a matter of hours an independent court appointed

doctor is expected to testify behind closed doors on whether or not blood is flowing to jahi manage math's brain. on december 9th she underwent surgery to remove her tonsils and sinus tissue. soon after that, her family says her condition deteriorated and she went into cardiac arrest. doctors say she's brain dead with no chance of recovery. a judge ruled the hospital must hold off on any decision to take her off of life support till december 30th. and in texas, there is a medical case that is also raising all kinds of legal and ethical questions. a young husband and father is asking his wife be taken off of life support but as pamela brown explains under texas law that can't happen because she is 18 weeks pregnant. >> it's a crushing decision texas paramedics eric and mar lease munoz hoped they would never have to make for one another. >> we talked about it. we're both paramedics and seen things out in the field.

we both few we didn't want to be on life support. >> last month, he found his wife collapsed and unconscious on the floor inside their home. she was rushed to a hospital but it was too late. doctors suspect she suffered from a pulmonary embolism. >> reached the point where you know, you wish that your would i have wife's body would stop. >> but the hospital won't let him honor his wife's wishes and remove her ventilator. the reason? mar lis is 1 weeks pregnant and texas law specifically protects the life of a fetus and its health and safety code. >> texas has taken the approach of an expansive view of police power specifically that the state has a compelling interest in preserving the life of its unborn citizens. and that interest is it superior to even the interests of the remaining family that might be charged with raising an ill child. >> the hospital says it's just following the state laws of texas. >> we have a responsibility of making sure that we follow the

laws whether they are state or federal when it comes to providing care to patients and that's what we're doing in this case. >> munoz says he wants to grieve with his son mateo. he maintains his fight is deeply rooted in love for his life. >> i can't say say enough about her. i can't do her justice. she's a great woman. >> texas is one of several states with this law that invalidates pregnant women's do not resuscitate directives. meantime, it could be several weeks until doctors can even make a decision about the delivering the baby. pamela brown, cnn, new york. inch fighting and name causing in thefation's capital you. up next, we'll take a look at the top political moments of 2013. don't worry though. they're not all bad. >> i'm lieutenant commander dr dave hecht stationed at u.s. africa command in stuttgart,

yaerm. i want to wish my mom and dad in salt lakes, arizona, a very merry christmas and happy new year. to all you sun devil fans, go devils. go devil! i'm nathan and i quit smoking with chantix.

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and unusual dreams. i had to quit smoking to keep up with this guy. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. there's been a major surge in traffic on healthcare.gov.

almost 2 34i8on people collected outs yesterday alone, and that is a record. joining me now "time" magazine political reporter zeke miller. so the problems with -- i mean, we already saw you this trend, right, with obamacare not being popular. it taking its toll on president obama. the website didn't help, but now you've got this surge. does that really help him or is it a drop in the bucket? >> well certainly i mean the one-day delay in terms of enrollments so they extended the deadline quietly, that slight technical fix that was reported yesterday and they finally confirmed a sign that there is interest in this product. the white house has been talking about it for a while that people do want to sign up in this health insurance. at the same time, it's sort of the drip, drip, drip continues. starting from october 1st when this part of the law was implemented almost weekly and sometimes daily there's been new revelations and new changes being made on the fly. and that's sort of going to be a political sort of -- something that the white house and the administration is going to have

to deal with going forward even into 2014 if these changes continue. it's going to be hard for them to look in the rearview mirror certainly. >> it's one step in the process. but so that was 2013. i'm sure the president is just thrilled to kind of leave it behind him. he laughed off in his press conference that 2013 was his worst year. but if you look at polls it really was. he's trying to looking to 2014. he's put some priorities out there. what do you think he can accomplish and what is he going to have a lot of difficulty with? >> the hardest thing for him is getting anything through congress. certainly that's been a challenge this year, gun control, immigration reform. you know, the challenge over the budgetary issues, the shutdown. that's going to be an issue. we've seen the big staffing changes over the past couple weeks, bringing in john podesta as a senior are advisor, a former clinton chief of staff who is very knowledgeable about executive orders. that's a big area. >> and capitol hill. >> and capitol hill.

but not really. that's not where his focus will be. >> circumventing congress. >> that's the way to put it, things like climate change that they sort of put on the back burner as they tried to work with congress. now we're going into a midterm year. congress is a month or two on the debt limit before they start campaigning for their own seats. that's where things will turn. they'll start focusing on ways to work around congress getting things passed and changed despite congress, not with them. >> but the biggest thing would be for his legacy would be immigration reform. he needs congress to do that, right? i mean, can he do anything on that? >> republicans have hinted they'd be open to some smaller bits of immigration reform but the comprehensive package we saw pass through the senate is wildly acknowledged in washington to be dead at least right now. i mean, if we're having a conversation after the 2014 midterms maybe in the lame duck session depending how things turn out or in 2014 with the new

congress if the boat is shaken up a bit. it's probably unlikely. reform will be hard to get through in this congress and probably the one after that too. >> you mentioned 2014. let's talk lastly about that. that matters for president obama. he doesn't want to obviously lose the senate. you know, he maybe isn't going to but he'll face maybe a divided congress again. democrats are scared where he's at because they're attached to him. what does the landscape of washington and where president obama is, what does that mean for the 2014 midterms? there's been a bit of a whiplash going off the end of the shutdown where democrats are riding high. republican poll numbers are sort of -- were going down the tubes. and then almost immediately with the obamacare narrative, that's really the past two months, it's been democrats in trouble, democrats struggling trying to find a way to recover from this. it's probably going to equalize and end up just where we were before all this drama happened in september.

probably won't be too much change. the democrats complain, congressional democrats have been complaining the president not doing enough to help them out for 4 1/2 years, five years now. they're definitely trying to take steps to campaign for the democratic senators and congressmen. the president raising millions upon millions of dollars for them. it's a priority for him now more so than ever before. he needs congress to get things like immigration done. >> and zeke miller, thanks for coming in. >> thanks for having me on. prps. what a year it has been, especially on capitol hill where congress has spent a lot of time fighting you. you heard us talking about that, not a lot of time getting things done. personalities clashed and shown on the national stage. chief political correspondent candy crowley takes a look at the top ten moments of 2013. it was the year of living

angrily. >> sit down and shut up. >> do you stand for your country? or do you want to take it down? >> this place is a mess. >> i resoundingly reject that allegationing >> white hot rhetoric, icy cold relationships. >> i ba ram hussein obama. >> that said, 2013 started as inaugural years often do. >> so help me god. >> nicely enough. >> my fellow americans we are made for this moment and we will seize it. >> he was a popular president with an ambitious agenda, revamping the tax code, reforming schools, better job training and new energy policy and improve the voting process, immigration reform and gun control. none of it has happened. turns out, january was the kindest month. the president ends the year with an approval rating that has gone south and focused on saving the health care reform he won in the first term. >> there was a time when i was a young invincible. after five years in this office, people don't call me that anymore. >> another year like this and

they will call him lame duck. paul cruz and rubio, sons of the tea party, knivies on the block, 2016 rising. this son of cuban immigrants catapulted to star status pushing his reluctant party toward immigration reform. >> i wasn't going to leave it to democrats alone to figure out how to fix it. >> libertarian at heart, republican by party, rand paul blocked a presidential nominee trying to get clarity on the administration's use of drones >> i will speak until i can no longer speak. >> and a one off politician from the lone star state. >> thank you very much. >> ted cruz staged an overnight faux fill buster to make the case against obamacare. filling time with a bedtime story for his kids. >> i do not like green eggs and ham, i do not like them sam i am. >> welcome to new jersey. >> in a moment all his own, another of the 2016s rising, new

jersey governor chris christie wins a landslide re-election and sounds like he's opening a presidential campaign. >> i know that if we can do thissing in trenton, new jersey, maybe the folks in washington, d.c. should tune in their tvs right now. see how it's done. >> also in a legal all her own, the former first lady, former senator, form are secretary of state left washington for, hmm, something else. but not without a few choice words. >> the fact is, we had four dead americans. was it because of a protest or was it because of guys out for a walk one night who decided they would go kill americans. what difference at this point does it make? >> hillary clinton's benghazi moment. if she runs for president, expect republicans to make it a tv ad moment. >> i now declare you spouses for life. >> number five, brought to you by the u.s. supreme court. less a 2013 moment than a page in history for gay rights. under the cover of boring, senate democrats blew up the

status quo with the first major rules change in more than three decades, banning filibusters for all presidential nominees except the supreme court and sending republicans into orbit. >> let's not forget about the raw power, the raw power at play here. >> the change will essentially give any president with a senate majority the power to reshape the lean of federal courts. this 2013 moment another one for the ages. coming in at number three. >> further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. >> the moments that didn't happen. work left undone, megaproblems unaddressed -- gridlock. it's not just about traffic anymore. >> senate stands adjourned. >> the first government shutdown. 17 years and people read that voters largely blamed republicans. producing the democratic talking point of the 2014 election. republicans as obstructionists. >> if we don't have our own way, we're going to shut government down. you and that attitude are a

luxury this country cannot afford. >> by year's end, republicans had a counter point, the president's affordable care act, obamacare got off to a troubled start with the website from hell. >> if you like your health care plan. >> and his broken you can keep your insurance promise. >> when we get to january 1st, it will be clear that more americans will have lost their health insurance than will sign up under the new obamacare policies. >> reporter: as it happens, the final moments of 2013 with the tee up for the politics of 2014. shutdown versus meltdown, but the midterm elections begin. oh, and happy new year. candy crowley, cnn, washington. a shocker from new york's mayor elect revealing a family secret in his holiday message. that's next.

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family of newly elected mayor of new york bill deblasio is catching many by surprise. in it, his daughter's battle with addiction is revealed. >> i've had depression, like clinical depression for like my entire adolescence. and so that's been something that i've always dealt with. or not known how to deal with.

it made it easier like the more i drank and did drugs to share some common ground with people that i wouldn't have. >> now joining me now to talk about this is margaret connly. margaret, i mean, it's a pretty amazing video to watch. why is she now sharing her personal. story? >> brianna, new york's first daughter to be,chy rare an deblassia chose christmas eve to release a personal message talking openly and honestly about the clinical depression she's faced growing up in new york and how it made it easier for her the more she drank and did drugs. >> it's important for people to realize anybody watching this if you're suffering and if you're depressed, dealing with mental illness and that you think that it might have something to do with your drug abuse or drinking or if you're just suffering from both at the same time and you

think they're completely unrelated to one another, that can getting sober is always a positive thing. >> now, chiara goes on to say it's not easy to get sober. she had help of her therapist and a treatment center here in the city. she says it was the hardest thing she's ever done. >> i mean you can imagine and she's got this tremendous story to tell. margaret, the mayor elect and his wife have been very supportive of this public message from their teenaged daughter, haven't they in the. >> right. chiara says her parents have both been very emotionally committed to finding ways for her to get better. remember her father bill deblasio is a week away from being enaugust rated as mayor of new york. his family was a big part of had his campaign to get elected and it appears they'll continue to be a big part of the conversation. they said her courage to speak out demonstrates a wisdom and maturity far beyond her 19 years.

we are grateful every day for her commitment for those who need to know they are not alone. according to the national survey on drug use and health, over 3 million americans need treatment for a substance abuse problem. they're websites ok 2 talk to ask for help. this is a reminder this season from the deblasios that although this is a season, a time for joy, it's also the most difficult time for those battlingling depression and substance abuse. >> it sure is. sort of a gift she shared her story. margaret connly for us in new york. thank you. well, squeezing into your holiday flight? airlines are just packing them in like sardines. you know what i'm talking about. it's not very comfortable, is it? what is the cost here. we'll be taking a look here next.

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because you can't beat zero heartburn. woo hoo! [ male announcer ] prilosec otc is the number one doctor recommended frequent heartburn medicine for 8 straight years. one pill each morning. 24 hours. zero heartburn. in just a few hours, pope francis will celebrate his first christmas in his new role at the vatican, and thousands of the faithful are already gathered there in st. peter's square counting down the hours till tonight's mass. back in the u.s., a brands new cnn poll shows more than 70% of americans approve of the new pope. and among american catholics, approval is high, almost 90%. and be sure to join me for a special live coverage of the pope's first christmas mass tonight for you at 6:00 eastern only here on cnn. now with many of you heading to the airport for the holidays,

this is what you may expect on your upcoming flight. >> give me that. >> huh-uh. >> drop it. >> please? >> no. >> let me take a look. >> no. >> come here. if you don't stop screwing around back there, this is what i'm going to do with you. >> if you recline, does that happen to you, that may be the question. it is a great debate of our time. to recline or not to recline. with many airlines squeezing our knees with smaller spaces between seats, it has led to some tense moments between travelers. who better to talk about it than our resident frequent flyer anding and chore of "quest means business" richard quest. what side of the argument do you take, recline or don't? >> i'm the biggest wimp of them all. i do a little bit of both. i sort of push the button and then i justiest gingerly move back a bit.

if i don't hear a sharp intake of breath from the person behind, i push a bit more. and i go a little bit further back until finally you feel that will thump in the back and you know you've hit somebody's knee. the truth is, there are some basic number one, do not recline if any food or beverages are being served. why? it could well end up in the lap of the person behind. number two, the rule of the middle seat. the armrest on the seat belong to the person sitting in the middle. no elbows, none of that. it belongs to them. they're the poor sucker that checked in last, and they're the one that has to sit in the middle. no argument about it. number three, if you have anybody, child, elderly, or otherwise, who's at any risk of starting to boot the seat in front, stop them. that's the way you get harmonious relations on planes. >> that's right. don't kick the seat, or you're

going to end up with arnold schwarzenegger snapping you like a pencil. >> the other thing to remember, many of the new planes don't even have a recline. the new seats are supposedly thinner and they're more ergonomically designed so that you get more leg room. it's known as the pitch between here and there of the seat in front. but they don't recline. in europe, for example, the easy jets, the whiz airs, they have taken out things like bathrooms and put for seats in, but they do not recline. so you can look for that little button to your heart's content in some planes, it's not there. >> but, you know, for the planes here state side, richard, most of them still recline. there's just a few seats that don't near the exits. people are actually coming up with recline blockers to stop people from leaning back. do you think that's fair? >> i don't think -- look, if somebody does something with their seat, they can do whatever they like. but the moment -- the simple rule on any plane, and i don't

mind whether it's going to the toilet, whether it's listening to music, whether it's using the armrest. the simple rule is this. the golden rule. do nothing that could impinge or make somebody else's journey less pleasant. if we all do that, we'll all get on famously. what i cannot stand is both the people who kick the seat in front are oblivious to their children banging the seat. those teenagers with the headphones. and those people who no sooner have the wheels of the aircraft got into the air than they are like that. >> richard quest, thank you so much. the golden rule. good to live by in the air and in life. we appreciate you being with us today. >> thank you. now, still ahead, why fewer people think that christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. >> this is captain jeanette lucas stationed with the office

of security corporation in baghdad, iraq. i want to wish my wonderful mother in columbus, georgia, a very merry christmas and happy new year. i love you so much, mom. n fishig every year. we had a great spot, not easy to find, but worth it. but with copd making it hard to breathe, i thought those days might be over. so my doctor prescribed symbicort. it helps significantly improve my lung function starting within five minutes. symbicort doesn't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. with symbicort, today i'm breathing better. and that means...fish on! [ female announcer ] symbicort is for copd including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. it should not be taken more than twice a day. symbicort contains formoterol. medicines like formoterol increase the risk of death from asthma problems. symbicort may increase your risk of lung infections, osteoporosis, and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. [ man ] with copd, i thought i'd miss our family tradition. now symbicort significantly improves my lung function, starting within 5 minutes.

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normally at this time of year, you think you're going to

sew s see santa flying in the air with his reindeer. this time he took a little time to water ski on the potomac river. this is an annual tradition here in washington. santa, of course, joined by his reindeer and elves because that's how santa rolls whether he's up in the air or down on the water. and look. even the evil grinch came along on a jet ski. don't you worry because his attempt to steal christmas got him all wet. look at those reindeer. they're so funny. well, water skiing in washington in december seems a little bit cold. but it's the holiday season. jennifer gray joining us now from the weather center. we had some great weather this weekend, jennifer. but it's getting a little chillier here today. >> it is. it's starting to feel like the holidays. all i have to say is santa really doesn't need to break a leg because he's got a big job to do. out on the water today, yeah, i'm sure it was a bit chilly. temperatures have been in the 60s. now waking up in the 30s across much of the northeast.

actually seeing snow across upstate new york. we're seeing snow in pennsylvania. actually, new york and philly could see a few little snow showers as we go throughout the evening. also seeing snow in the northern plains. in fact, places like minneapolis could see anywhere from 2 to 4 inches as we go through the next 24 hours or so. so definitely waking up to a white christmas in the north, the great lakes included in that. very chilly across the northern plains. temperatures feel like 1 degrees below zero in sioux falls. rapid city, you're at 22. temperatures in the single digits across much of the north. just like you were saying, d.c. yesterday you were at 58. right now you're at 41. definitely feeling like christmas as we roll into the next 24 hours, and much of the country is going enjoy very calm conditions for christmas day. mostly sunny and staying cold in the north. >> cold in the north, of course. jennifer gray, happy holidays to you. >> same to you. we've all heard the christmas class iic "it's the mt

wonderful time of the year," but the economy doesn't have everyone thinking it's the happiest season of all. >> ask americans if christmas is a great or the best time of the year. a few years ago, this is the answer you would get. 49% would say yes, it is. jump forward to 2008, it drops down to 43%. today we're at 42%. so what's happening? is this the grinch? no, something much more basic we talk about all the time. the recession and the slow recovery at work. here's how we know. we said to people, are you going to cut back on gift giving this year because of the economy? a whopping 62% said yes, they will. what about giving to charities, helping others? 61% say they'll cut back on that because of the economy. and this is happening in a country where despite many different ridges and atheism, 94% of people in one way shape or form say they do celebrate

christmas. so what is all of this doing to what we call the ho-ho-ho factor? we ask people to rank themselves. what kind of christmas fan are you? the people out there who say they are gung-ho, put up all the lights, throw the party, comprise about 25% of the population. the people who are ho-ho-ho, not as much into it, but still pretty keen on christmas, that's the biggest group out there at 32%. then we have the people who are ho-hum. they like christmas, they're just not that crazy about it. that's 23%. you'll notice this doesn't add up to 100%. that's because we've left out one of the big groups we have to talk about any time you talk about christmas. that's the bah-humbug crowd. how many americans just don't like christmas? 16%. but like we said, all of this can change year to year. we'll have to see how all these numbers add up with christmases

yet to come. >> now, that's it for me. i'll be back at 5:00 eastern on "the situation room." "newsroom" continues right now with keira phillips. >> good afternoon. i'm keira phillips in for brooke baldwin. last minute shopping, wrapping, getting ready for a holiday feast. now it turns out quite a few americans interrupted the holiday hustle and bustle to sign up for obamacare. we've just gotten new numbers. mark preston, what's the word? >> well, you know, kyra, after a poll yesterday that showed americans are not very happy with the health care law, they have released new numbers that showed just within the past 24 hours, nearly 2 million people visited that healthcare.gov website. they also received 250,000 telephone calls. this doesn't necessarily mean these folks signed up for health insurance, but it shows there's a realization