pregnancy may build up a child's tolerance for them and the more women ate, up to five servings per week, the stronger the result. but don't stuff mom's stocking full of planters just yet. that's it for "the lead." i'm dana bash. merry christmas, everyone. i turn you over to brianna keilar, who is filling in for wolf blitzer in "the situation room." happening now, u.s. marines are poised to rescue americans trapped in the middle of a bloody and chaotic conflict in south sudan. we'll be speaking with the u.s. ambassador to the united nations, samantha power. a judge rules in the case of a 13-year-old girl declared brain-dead after a tonsillectomy. her family has been fighting to keep her on life support. 200 miles above the earth, space walking, american astronauts carry out a risky repair job. senator bill nelson, a former astronaut, will join us to talk about it. wolf blitzer is off. i'm brianna keilar. you're in "the situation room."

this hour, heavily armed u.s. marines are ready to move at a moment's notice to rescue americans caught up in a bloody and brutal conflict in south sudan. 150 marines have been moved from spain, and are standing by for possible action. hundreds of u.s. citizens have already been evacuated. about 15 were flown out of a besieged town by the united nations on sunday. a day earlier, the u.s. had to abort a rescue motion when aircraft came under heavy fire. south sudan is the world's newest nation, created just two years ago after decades of civil war between south and north. hundreds have died since fighting between two rival factions broke out this month. americans and other foreigners are among thousands of civilians who have sought refuge in u.n.

compounds beesieged by militias. the u.s. human rights chief is reporting waves of ethnic killings and says at least one mass grave has been found. joining me now, the u.s. ambassador to the united nations, samantha power. ambassador, thanks for being with us, especially on christmas eve. one of the things as we have seen marines have been mobilized and are standing by for any possible evacuation, standing by to provide security to the embassy, the u.s. embassy there as well, african command was talking about how these were lessons from benghazi that really prompted them to be prepared in this way. is that really the direct reason why they're taking these actions? >> well, i think it's our responsibility of course to look out for the fate of our diplomats and other personnel on the ground who are trying to do nothing more than represent the american people in bringing peace to a country that has suffered an awful lot after these last decades of war, and then here in these last days in

the wake of the rebellion. >> we're hearing now reports of mass killings. we're hearing about ethnic-based killings in south sudan. are you worried this is the start of a genocide? >> we are absolutely worried about the ethnic dimensions to the conflict. we have seen those same reports. there was a report of a mass grave discovered near a u.n. base earlier this morning. there have been tales of people being screened off of airplane flights on the basis of whether they are on the primary fault lines at least for now on this conflict. one reason we're investing so much in the diplomatic track, our special envoy is on the ground again today and has held long meetings and is reaching out to other parties again who have leverage and influence on the ground. but the reason is that we believe there absolutely has to be a political negotiation, a

political dialogue between the parties. so we're invested in that, recognizing that if there is not a political dialogue, the consequences could be devastating for members of many ethnic groups in south sudan. >> ambassador, you as a journalist covered the balkan wars. you are credited with what president obama was a senator, really sort of prompting some of his interest in darfur. you are credited with his position to get involved when it came to libya, to get involved militarily. you frequently argue on the side of a responsibility for some intervention. what do you think the u.s. needs to do here? >> well, we're doing an awful lot. again, diplomatic first and foremost because this has to have a political solution. there is no military solution. but second, we are supporting the united nations in their efforts to nearly double the size of their troop presence on the ground.

they started, it was a relatively small u.n. peacekeeping mission of about 6,500 troops. the secretary general came to us yesterday afternoon and said i need more, i need about 5500 more police, military personnel, soldiers and human rights monitors and others who can document some of the atrocities in the event there is going to be accountability down the line, which we of course and others are pushing for. so it's very important that we be responsive to the secretary general as an international community. >> you have argued at times for intervention beyond diplomatic means, when you're talking about genocide or the possibility of heading in that direction. we've heard president clinton say the greatest regret of his presidency was not getting involved in rwanda. knowing that, what kind of counsel do you give president obama and how does that shape your opinions, these two sort of disparate things that americans don't really want to get involved but this is a very big

issue that could be a great regret? >> there are a whole host of tools in the toolbox and that is what president obama has always instructed us to do in the face of moments like this one, where things are spiraling downward, we need to of course look out for the fate of our diplomats and folks, you know, who are representing the united states abroad, and then we need to open up that toolbox and see is there a way to document atrocities in a way that makes people who are committing them feel watched. is there a way when you have a u.n. peacekeeping force on the ground as we do in south sudan to reinforce that. in rwanda, you'll recall when the atrocities started there, the peacekeepers were pulled out and you had horrific scenes of peacekeepers leaving through one gate and the killers coming in through another. the diplomatic play and the investment of secretary kerry's

time, national security advisor, ambassador rice's time, special envoy being on the ground again in a difficult situation with our ambassador, these are the kinds of investments we need to make in order to do everything in our power to try to bring this violence to an end. just in to cnn, we have some new information about the u.s. marines who were mobilized from spain to africa in light of the violence that we have seen in south sudan and the fact that there are an estimated 100 u.s. citizens there. let's go ahead and bring in our pentagon correspondent, barbara starr, as well as cnn foreign affairs reporter, elise labatt. barbara, what does this mean? these u.s. marines were in africa and now some of them have been moved. >> exactly. 150 marines moved there yesterday. we heard in the last few minutes that 50 of those 150 marines now have moved into uganda. this now puts them closer to the

south sudan. the reason they have been moved, a u.s. military official tells me, with the violence growing, the military wants to have more options, troops closer, if there is a request from the state department to go in and either evacuate the embassy, pull more americans out, or provide security for the americans who are there at the embassy. this now puts 50 heavily armed marines within a relatively short flying distance of the south sudan. >> you saw the other day when the navy s.e.a.l.s had to abort their mission and leave the south sudan, they went to uganda. even though it's quite far away still, it's sort of the jumping-off point. >> it is. it's about 500 miles, but it does put you closer and it was quite extraordinary on saturday when those navy s.e.a.l.s got hurt, their aircraft shot up full of holes, the navy s.e.a.l.s sadly bleeding from their wounds and they still managed to make it back 500 miles to uganda and then go on to kenya for medical care. >> as we watch south sudan, a

lot of times when you see sectarian violence, you see ethnic killings, you start to see mass killings, the question is always are we talking about genocide, are we moving towards that. sometimes it's a hard thing to put your finger on, but we're having reports now of mass graves in south sudan. is this more serious than we thought? >> well, the numbers started initially kind of small for a crisis like this. about 500 over the last week. now you've seen these reports of mass graves and the u.n. and others fear that these are the kind of ethnic tensions that we saw in darfur. it started with a couple hundred, then it went to thousands and tens of thousands. this is one of the concerns of the international community. that's why the u.n. just voted in the last hour or so to double its peacekeeping operation from about 6700 to 12,000 to make sure that this violence doesn't spread. it started in the capital, now it's spreading and i think until the peacekeepers get on the ground, they don't know what they're dealing with. >> there is always the question

of what is the responsibility of the u.s. and the international community to be involved. i think we just heard the ambassador talk about there's not a military solution, there is a diplomatic solution. is there a diplomatic solution here? >> well, that's what the u.s. is trying to find out. you have an envoy on the ground, ambassador donald booth, who has been meeting with the president, talking with his former vice president, and forces loyal to him, trying to coax them to the table. the president was warned earlier this year if he didn't bring these groups into the fold, that he was going to have a problem. he ignored them, he sacked the vice president, sacked the government, and these militias defected with the vice president and now they have to try again to find a political solution because there is no military solution to this conflict. >> certainly the u.s. isn't happy with what the south sudanese government is doing but at the same time, this country was formed very much with a push from the u.s. to that end, there is a u.s.

embassy there and it makes you wonder when you look at these troops mobilizing, barbara, is that in a way to try to prevent benghazi? >> first and foremost, the responsibility of the u.s. military is to protect u.s. diplomats, u.s. citizens in its embassies around the world. the lesson of benghazi is if you don't have military force there and you run into trouble, tragedy is going to happen. what are you going to do. so the military is taking no chances to have another benghazi but i think it's very important to realize in south sudan, they are taking no chances to have another incident like what happened on saturday, to have three of their aircraft full of bullet holes and wounded navy s.e.a.l.s, wounded u.s. troops. if they have to go back in, they will go back in heavily armed, full bore. they do not want to see any of this happen again. >> they don't want a repeat for sure. something that struck me listening to ambassador power was that when you know her background of what an advocate of intervention she is, more so,

i mean, you could say in a way that she's maybe not an outliar but in a little way she is, certainly more so than president obama, do you think -- you didn't really hear it actually in the interview. that's what struck me. but do you think this is a source of friction that we're going to be seeing between the ambassador and the white house? >> i don't think it's a source of friction now but it's something to definitely watch. samantha power has been the kind of conscience of the obama administration and you remember, she wrote this book on the rw rwanda genocide. she was one of the loudest voices on people paying attention to the crisis in darfur. she was instrumental in getting the administration to get involved in libya. that didn't go so well. now you're seeing she's working for a president that is very reluctant now to get involved in international crisis he doesn't want to get involved in syria, clearly. she was just in the central african republic talking about, you know, atrocities and possible crimes against humanity, so i think it's going

to be really interesting to watch how firmly she's going to be pressuring the administration because yes, she's a u.s. official but she's a humanitarian at heart. >> let me add one thing very quickly. diplomatic solution, humanitarian operation, there's a lot of questions about how that will happen without u.s. military assistance. how are you going to move 12,000 new peacekeepers through africa without u.s. air lift, how are you going to help provide the supplies long-term that will be needed. this may not be over for the u.s. military. >> how do you find that balance. it is hard. thanks to both of you. up next, nsa leaker edward snowden speaks out on his massive revelations about u.s. intelligence gathering and says he's already won. and last minute shopping for health care. a surge of traffic on the obamacare exchanges as americans try to beat the deadline. [ male announcer ] this is george. the day building a play set begins with a surprise twinge of back pain...

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nsa leaker edward snowden has given his first face-to-face interview since taking refuge in russia last june. after revealing vast quantities of information about u.s. intelligence gathering, snowden tells the "washington post" quote, for me in terms of personal satisfaction, the mission's already accomplished. i already won. as soon as the journalists were able to work everything that i had been trying to do was validated. let's get more from cnn crime and justice correspondent, joe johns. what did he mean, you think, by mission accomplished? >> well, he says he's already done what he set out to do. the quote from the article in terms of personal satisfaction, he says for him the mission's already accomplished, he said he already won as soon as the journalists were able to work everything that he had been trying to do was validated.

barton gellman, the author of the article in the "washington post" talked about this earlier today on cnn. let's listen to what he had to say. >> what he means by mission accomplished is he wanted the public to know what was being done in its name and what was being done to it in terms of surveillance, and he wanted it to be possible that decisions be made outside the secret bubble that they had been made since 9/11. to that extent, because he's had a lot of -- a great deal of public attention, because many of his concerns have been validated by, for example, a federal judge, by the president's own study commission, he believes he has launched the public debate that he wanted. >> so mission accomplished, but it's pretty clear also that there's more to this mission for edward snowden. we haven't heard the last of him. >> yeah, exactly. a lot of folks said why didn't he just raise his objections inside, why wouldn't he just be

a true whistleblower and he said that he tried to do that. how did that work out? >> absolutely. starting october of last year, he said he brought his concerns about the amount of information being collected to two superiors in the nsa's technology directorate, two more in the nsa threat operation center's regional base in hawaii and to 15 other co-workers detailing the volume of data ingested by the nsa. his colleagues were often astonished, he said, to learn we're collecting more in the united states on americans than we are on russians in russia. many of them, he says, were trouble but he said several said they didn't want to know anymore. he also said he asked these people what do you think the public would do if this was on the front page, which is where it ended up. >> yeah. now we know. a lot of outrage and the president himself said it changed his mind on really striking the balance. joe johns, thank you so much. we know it turns out that almost every american is a last minute shopper. that's right, even for health

care. even ahead of today's christmas eve extension to the obamacare sign-up deadline, there has been a surge of traffic on federal and state health care exchanges, and cnn's athena jones has been following it from where the president is vacationing in hawaii. >> reporter: that's right, a lot of last minute shoppers, both the state and federal exchange, healthcare.gov, both exchanges have seen a big jump in visitors as folks scramble to sign up for coverage starting january 1st. health officials say that monday was a record day for healthcare.gov. the federal exchange had two million visitors to the site and 250,000 people calling in to the call center. now, that heavy traffic meant that some people had to wait in line, essentially an electronic line on the website to get through, or to wait a long time on the phone. today, they say today's numbers are also high, but not quite as high, so no more waiting in line. i should mention the administration says they are doing everything they can to make sure that folks are making their best effort to enroll in coverage but aren't able to keep -- to finish the process by

tonight, they are going to be able to enroll in coverage through the help of a customer representative to do so by january 1st. this is an accommodation they say they are making for folks who are making their best faith effort to sign up. now, i should say that state exchanges have also been seeing a jump. colorado was a record day of sign-ups on monday. connecticut saw twice the number of sign-ups they usually see on monday. in california, 27,000 people signed up for coverage on sunday alone, bringing the total of the last several days to 7,000. in new york, which has also extended the deadline until late tonight, 40,000 people have signed up for health care since december 16th. this all depends on where you live, of course. some states have extended this deadline even further than tonight, some until friday, others until december 31st. in washington state, folks who are having trouble have until january 15th to sign up for coverage retroactive to january 1st. people are encouraged to check with their state. of course, this is all good news, this surge in traffic is

good news for the administration, given the early problems with healthcare.gov and many of the state exchanges but the fact of the matter is they are still unlikely to reach their original target of 3.3 million enrollees by this time this year. >> that's right. there is going to be some drag. we just have to see if they can reach their goal by the end of march. athena jones in honolulu, thank you. we want to bring you some breaking news now out of oakland, california. a judge has made a crucial ruling in the case of that 13-year-old girl whose family is fighting to keep her on life support. let's go straight to dan simon outside the courthouse. dan, what can you tell us? >> reporter: we're talking about the 13-year-old, jahi. as we know, this is a teenager who went to oakland children's hospital to have her tonsils removed, then she wound up brain-dead. the family wanted to keep her on life support and they went to the court system to make sure that she could remain on life support. well, today, the judge heard

from another expert in this matter and the judge, the bottom line here, determined that she is, in fact, brain-dead. however, life support will continue for this teenager at least until december 30th. that's going to give the family some time to appeal if they want to appeal, and also of course, process this information. this is what jahi's uncle had to say a short time ago. >> as far as accepting them, i don't know if we have accepted them yet. like i said, there's still time for that miracle. christmas is tomorrow, so it would be great if she woke up tomorrow. but overall, i mean, with my faith and background, you know, eventually we will be able to accept it if the worst case scenario did come about. >> reporter: so the family obviously hoping for some kind of christmas miracle. the bottom line, though, is you had a number of experts who have come in and examined this teenager and they have all

determined that she is, in fact, brain-dead. so the question now is what does the family do. are they going to appeal. this is how the lawyer answered that question. >> so in terms of the family's rights to appeal, i think it's first important to know that that process couldn't even begin until 15 minutes ago. what this case represents legally is that parents can say no when a hospital says we're pulling the plug. >> reporter: so we know that jahi will remain on life support until december 30th. after that, it seems at least at this point that life support will be removed. again, this is such a tragic case for everyone involved. we're talking about a girl who just wanted to have her tonsils removed. obviously some terrible complications and we don't know exactly what happened in the operating room. obviously there were some terrible complications and we're left with this really unfortunate situation. >> yeah. so many answers yet to come. dan simon for us, thanks so

much. coming up, a same sex marriage surprise. same sex unions are now legal in one of the most conservative states yet. we'll show you where couples are lining up to tie the knot. and he has approval ratings any politics would envy. what's behind the soaring popularity of pope francis?

it's a deeply conservative state and maybe one of the last places that gay rights advocates expected to see same sex marriage legalizd but it has been, thanks to a federal court ruling and gay and lesbian couples, they are lining up they

are lining up for marriage licenses in utah. miguel marquez reports. >> reporter: for gay and lesbian couples in utah, those two little words mark the sound of victory. >> now pronounce you bound together in the covenant of marriage, what god has joined together let no one put asunder. >> reporter: on monday, a federal judge ruled same sex marriages are legal, denying the conservative state's emergency request to halt them, calling the ban unconstitutional. >> i never thought i would see this in my lifetime. i'm so grateful to finally have the protection of the state. >> this is it. it's go time. >> reporter: hundreds of lgbt couples now lining up at clerk's offices, weathering frigid temperatures. >> brave the cold all night long. >> reporter: and long waits to tie the knot, getting their hands on marriage licenses. >> try number four for us. >> reporter: it's a victory nine years in the making, since the

state's ban in 2004. utah now joins the nation's capital and 17 other states that have legalized same sex marriage. >> it's a huge deal. for mormons who have been spending these years fighting this battle, they have seen it happen across the country but really didn't expect to have it come to really their backyard. >> reporter: the conservative state refusing to back down. it filed an appeal in the tenth circuit court, the state's governor accusing the judge of being quote, an activist federal judge and saying he's working to determine the best course to defend traditional marriage within the borders of utah. >> it's going to be that much harder for conservatives to make the case that this can be stopped, when utah, one of the most conservative states in the country, has now legalized it. once the dominos start falling you wouldn't be able to stop it. >> you may kiss. pope francis signaled change when he said the catholic church was too focused on issues like

gay marriage. that was really just the beginning. since becoming pontiff in march, his words and actions have marked a break with the conservative papacies of john paul ii and benedict, winning him fans around the world. joe johns is here with a closer look. just how popular is he? >> very, very popular, brianna. a new cnn/orc poll shows pope francis with sky-high approval ratings that arguably make him the most well regarded religious figure among americans. he is greeted around the world like a superstar. hailed as "time's" person of the year and even though he's yet to come to the united states, pope francis has hoards of american admirers, catholic or not. a new cnn/orc poll shows 88% of american catholics approve of the way the pope is handling his role as leader of the catholic church. among all americans, the pope enjoys a 72% favorable rating, a number that would make any

american politician jealous. >> people feel he's a breath of fresh air and there's a newness in the church. >> dear brothers and sisters -- >> reporter: from his first humble words after being elected, the pope has sought to address the issue of wealth and poverty through words and his own doings, turn down the papal apartments for more modest quarters, ditching the vatican's luxury fleet, and even carried his own luggage. americans approve of this pope of the people. 65% approve of his comments on capitalism and the effects of a free market economy on the poor. 27% disapprove. he has been unafraid to confront social issues such as homosexuality. >> translator: if a person is gay and accepts the lord and has good will, who am i to judge them? >> reporter: the pope saying the church is too consumed with gay marriage, contraception and

abortion. americans polled tend to agree with his positions. only 4% feel he's too conservative. 7%, too liberal. 87% say his position on these hot button issues is about right. he's also confronted one of the most profound issues facing the catholic church, pedophile priests, forming a commission of both laypeople and clergy to address this. 61% of americans polled say pope francis is doing a good job on this issue. compare that with his predecessor, pope benedict, who garnered a 56% bad rating on this issue in 2010. from his twitter account, which has millions of followers, to reports of him personally telephoning the faithful who have written to him, pope francis has endeared himself to people all around the world, but even a superstar cannot compete with a child for the limelight. now, just to put the popularity of pope francis in perspective, we said just about 86% of american catholics say he's in

touch with the modern world. by comparison, more than half of american catholics said pope john paul ii was out of step with the times in 2003, near the end of his 26-year long papacy. >> fascinating numbers. thank you so much. coming up at the top of the hour, a special on pope francis as he celebrates his first christmas midnight mass at the vatican. we'll see parts of the service. we'll talk about his extraordinary first year as pope. that's coming up at 6:00 eastern, 3:00 pacific right here on cnn. just ahead, 200 miles above the earth, space walking american astronauts carry out a risky repair job. senator bill nelson, a former astronaut, will join us to talk about it. [ male announcer ] this store knows how to handle a saturday crowd.

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two american astronauts spent much of their christmas eve outside the international space station, carrying out emergency repairs. this was a risky seven and a half hour space walk. they replaced a vital part of the cooling system. joining me now is democratic senator bill nelson of florida. back in 1986, when he was a congressman, he actually trained as an astronaut, spent six days in space aboard the shuttle "columbia." senator nelson, you are certainly familiar with some of the work that was done today. how dangerous is a repair like this? >> i'll tell you, i was riveted to an ipad watching this realtime. each time that they would take that grappling hook on the

tether and move it to another place, you would hope that it would catch because if the two that connected them suddenly detached, they would float off in space, and so just that in itself is an extremely risky maneuver. >> that just makes you realize how scary it is and they're doing this on christmas eve, obviously. this is how they're spending their christmas eve, something that needs to be done because this system cools vital parts of the space station. but this makes us also think about the space program in general in the u.s. what do you think about the state of the space program? funding has been cut. are we looking at sort of an aging program? >> we really have it up and running now. most people think with the shutdown of the space shuttle that the program will shut down. well, you saw today, there are

exciting things going on and when you put the human in the loop so that the human is actually doing things like they did today, no robot could do all of that. and now we are building new rockets, we are building the rockets to take us to and from the space station, but we are also building the monster rocket that will take us beyond low earth orbit as we go out and explore the heavens and eventually in the time of 2030s, we'll go to mars. >> in the wake of the space shuttle program being shuttered, senator, i know there were i guess some jobs that were shed certainly in your state. what are you hearing from people in your state, from people involved in the space program, about the state of things? >> people are excited. engineers have hands-on flight

hardware. we're getting ready next year to do a test flight of the new space capsule called "orion" so they are actually assembling a space craft right there at the kennedy space center. so people's attitude has turned around and looking to the future. in the meantime, you are seeing these commercial rockets that are delivering cargo to the station. they have been tremendously successful and now they are going through and putting in all of the redundancies and escape systems so that we can fly humans safely on those rockets to the station. >> you know, part of when you look at the space program, in a way it's been about competition with other nations. it's a symbol of innovation and who is leading in science. china just had a moon landing. do you think that americans should be concerned about this?

is this a possibility that they could be surpassing us here in the not too distant future? >> well, when we're dealing with china, we better be concerned, but put this in context. remember, it's over four decades ago that we landed on the moon. and we landed with humans on the moon. china has just put an unmanned spacecraft on the moon. but you better look out for the future, and i think our mission to mars will be an international mission. now, whether or not that will include the chinese is another matter. but a lot of that has to do with the international politics that will play out over the next couple of decades. >> one final question, on a completely different subject while i have you here, senator nelson, because you are a democrat and obamacare has been a huge story lately. you've heard about this surge in

sign-ups. the obama administration isn't going to hit its mark but certainly they have seen some progress here in terms of enrollments. what do you think about whether the administration can sort of make up the losses that it's had in time for it to really make a difference in the midterm elections in 2014? >> it will. the affordable care act will be a success. you will see between now and the deadline, march 31st, you will see a lot of people sign up. you know, the computer glitches were inexcusable, but that's done. now looking to the future, people are going to see that they can get affordable health insurance and you'll see the public respond. >> senator bill nelson, thanks so much for joining us. we appreciate it. >> merry christmas.

>> you, too. merry christmas. let's get to some of our other top stories in "the situation room." an israeli man and 4-year-old palestinian girl are dead after israel and gaza traded attacks today. this all started when a sniper in gaza shot an israeli maintenance worker. israeli officials say he was repairing a border fence. in response, israeli air strikes and tanks pounded parts of gaza. hamas security forces say the attack killed a girl and wounded 11 others. a massachusetts pharmacy will pay $100 million to victims of a meningitis outbreak that it caused. this epidemic was linked to tainted steroid injections at the new england compounding center. more than 700 people in 20 states got sick. 64 of them died. the money will also be used to pay off the creditors of the now bankrupt company whose owners deny wrongdoing. almost 60 years after he committed suicide, he is receiving a royal pardon. the computer pioneer killed

himself in 1954 after he was convicted of and chemically castrated for homosexual activity. he and his inventions cracked german code, saving thousands of lives and helping end world war ii. he is often referred to as the father of modern computers. next, punk rockers and a former billionaire out of jail in russia. why is president putin suddenly easing up on his critics and why did north korea's leader execute his own uncle? we are beginning to get some answers. that's coming up. ♪ i wanna spread a little love this year ♪

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punk rockers and a former

billionaire jailed for challenging vladimir putin are suddenly out of russian prisons, and other activists may be on their way home. is it just vladimir putin trying to polish his image weeks before the olympic games? is that what's going on? >> certainly there's no question he wants to polish it before that very important olympics, but he also wants to send some messages. after almost two years in prison, punk protesters go frias part of a broad amnesty. >> they just put on another show ahead of the olympics. >> reporter: then suddenly, president putin pardons his economic and political nemesis. >> translator: i'm not the last political prisoner in russia. >> reporter: now the latest

bombshell. charges are starting to be dropped in the cases of green peace activists who protested drilling in the arctic. why now? what is vladimir putin up to? the games in sochi are just six weeks away, and putin is under fire from many in the west for russia's anti-gay law. >> i think the olympics is too much of a simple answer. he likes to keep everybody on edge and guessing. >> reporter: putin, a former kgb officer is sending multiple messages. for the punk rockers, you may just be girls, but if you protest, you can be punished. for green peace, don't even think about trying to shut down russia's oil rigs.

for cohim, you pressured me. >> anybody can anticipate that something could happen to them. it's a real effective way of keeping people in control. >> reporter: he called the last month a living hell for you. and he also said that freeing political prisoners makes those in power at least a little more humane. but he also called their detention torture unworthy of a european country in the 21st century. >> tough words. now the story is beginning to emerge as to why north korean leader kim jong un executed his own uncle. what are you learning? >> reporter: a lot of this information's been coming out in bits and drabs since the middle of december when we learned that

jang had been removed. we do know that jang had been charged with 24 crimes. there have been varying narratives. and the first narrative was that kim jong un's own uncle was maybe trying to stage some power grab. and what is really emerging now is that perhaps the real fight here was over check -- economic issues, that perhaps he was doing cheap deals with china to sell north korean coal, possibly a dispute over the sale of crabs and clams to its best market in china. we're even seeing some reports

that the dispute over business rivalries became so bad that at one point the north korean military went into a fishing farm that was being run by kim jong un's uncle and there was even a gun battle there. but the whole problem at the root of this is that it is very difficult to get confirmed sources on this. a lot is intelligence sources. we've still not got the full definitive picture it just yet. >> look for that, whether it's a power grab or an economic issue. obviously there are tensions. does this tell you that perhaps there is a bigger issue in the government there? >> reporter: i think initially what we did see when we learned of jang's execution then there was a suggestion both by u.s. officials and south korean officials that perhaps the government of kim jong un wasn't consolidated.

that maybe there was an effort to destabilizing it. the narrative that is now emerging is that perhaps the rivalry wasn't with top tier of power itself, but two political rivals. >> thank you. now coming up at the top of the hour we have a cnn special, pope francis. he's celebrating his first christmas eve mass at the vatican. we'll take a look at the pontiff bringing dramatic change to the catholic church. and why holiday cheer is in increasingly short supply in the u.s. afghanistan in 2009. on the u.s.s. saratoga in 1982. [ male announcer ] once it's earned, usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation because it offers a superior level of protection

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despite the song, christmas is not the most wonderful time of year for all americans. here's cnn's tom foreman. >> reporter: ask americans if christmas is the best or a great time of the year, in 2005, 49% would say yes, it is. at 2008 it says 43% says yes. and in 2013, 42% say yes. it's the slow recovery at work. 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 religions and atheism, 94% of people in one shape or

form say they celebrate christmas. we asked people to rank themselves, what kind of christmas fan are you? the people out there who say they are gung ho, they put up all the lights, throw all the parties if they live on your block, you know them, they're comprised of about 25% of the population. those who are ho, ho, ho, pretty keen, 32%. and then we have the people who are ho-hum, that's 23%. you'll notice that doesn't add up to 100%. we've left out one of the big group, and that's the bahumbug crowd. how many americans just don't like christmas? 16%. but like we said, all of this can change year to year. so we'll have to see how all

these numbers add up with cri s christmases yet to come. ♪ gloria ♪ a historic christmas eve in the vatican. the papal procession where pope francis celebrates his first christmas mass as leader of the catholics. welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world, and this is a cnn special, pope francis's first christmas. it is just after midnight at the vatican where the pope's first mass has just ended. over the next hour, we'll see the pope lead the mass,

including his much anticipated homily. what is pope francis' message to the world on his first christmas as pontiff. and what has made him so remarkable and in some cases controversial. let's go to edward beck and reverend david o'connell. father o'connell, can you just lay out for us what we can expect from the pope at this mass? >> well, i think just judging from his public celebrations up to the present time, i think a simpler approach will be evident in his style. the pope doesn't sing, himself, and so we won't hear him sing. i think his homilies have usually been a little bit shorter. so we'll probably have a more concise presentation in his homily tonight. >> yeah, and that's certainly, i

think, one of the messages. and we heard this yesterday from him as well, talking about simplicity and focusing, i think, as we're watch being the processional i should say. he's focused more on simplicity and less on sort of i guess the material aspects of christmas. what do you think, father beck? how do you expect this to be different than past years? >> well, one difference maybe, is with remember with pope benedict, he was infirm toward the end and couldn't walk down that aisle. he was on a platform and was pulled down. and even though pope francis just turned 77 years old and only has one lung, he is going to walk up and down that aisle and give it all the gusto that he can. what we will see is that he's a rather quiet presider, i think. i noticed in pra sill, when he was there for world youth day, there's not a lot of exyou know

rans a jess particularlation. >> sometimes this is referred to as the midnight mass, but actual lay, it is something that takes place at 9:30. i understand that the pope doesn't like to stay up late, so this is sort of him, i guess staying up late for a pretty good reason, i guess you could say, right . >> sure, it's a good reason. here in the diocese of trenton, i've changed the time of the mass too. i've moved it down to 10:00 tonight. i figured if the pope can do it, i can do it too. >> and actually, i think we may be listening, or this is the pope that we can see near this processional. talk to us a little bit, father beck, about the basilica. there are a lot of people who are watching who are not catholic. this is a pope who i think has stirred a lot of curiosity among people not just in his own faith

but all over the world. and there are people paying attention to what's going on that maybe wouldn't be. i, the number one person of the year for time magazine. tell us a little bit about their setting here, st. peter's basilica. >> well, it took over 100 years to build. so that tells you something right there. it was built in the 1600s. and it's huge. if you've ever been in there and you look up, you certainly feel the grandeure of the catholic church. it's built over st. peter, it is not the cathedral per se of the pope, but it is a very important church because of its historical significance. >> and father o'connell, tell us a little bit about what the processional mean, and then, who are these folks who are watching this? are these pilgrims? are these, i guess, there are

many people watching. it seems to be standing room only. how did they get in, i guess. is it a ticketed process, a first come, first serve process? how do they do that? >> actually, any ceremony, any papal ceremony is generally jammed. and it is ticketed. and the people, some are invited. and some apply for tickets beforehand to be part of the beautiful ceremony and this procession really represents the movement of the faithful, of the believer into a very significant and important event, and that is the celebration of the eucharist. the priest is the spiritual shepherd, the father. he represents those gifts and responsibilities as he comes with the cardinals and the bishops into st. peter's basilica to celebrate. >> you're seeing flash

photography. this is obviously, you might not actually -- i didn't expect that to happen, but you're seeing a lot of people take photos. obviously this would be a tremendous moment for many of the people who are able to see this process. father beck, this isn't the only thing that the pope has done today. he actually began his day by meeting with now pope emeritus as he's called, benedict. they greeted each other. they prayed together. that's extraordinarily unusual, isn't it? >> it is, because certainly, in our lifetime, we've never seen it where two popes are living at the same time. and of course we know that they have a good relationship. we know there's a tremendous amount of respect that pope francis has for pope emeritus benedict. and someone asked me, do you think we'll see pope benedict, maybe, at the christmas eve mass? will he possibly come celebrate? and i said i don't think so.

i don't think he would want to be there and take the focus at all, away from pope francis for this first christmas eve mass. >> and we're watching them greet each other earlier today as pope francis paid a visit. and he was welcomed. and they did pray together. when you look at this, father o'connell, the procession that's going on and the fact that a hot of people are tuning in, i know, that this was live streamed. we'll see more events new year's eve. do you think more people are paying attention than they did in past years? >> i think more people are paying attention to the pope than in previous years as the polls that are referred to earlier in the broadcast indicate, there's a fascination with pope francis that probably

didn't exist as much in the past. the fact that the two popes, as father beck indicated, is the first time in our lifetime, it's probably the first time in history, going back to earlier resignations of a pope where actually the two pope were on friendly terms and living in close proximity to each other. pope francis has a great love and admiration for pope benedict. and that was very evident in the way they greeted each other. >> okay. we're going to watch and listen as this procession comes to an end there for the beginning of the mass in vatican city. ♪ and still ahead, we'll be talking about the homily. what is the pope's new message

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♪ welcome back now to our cnn special, pope francis' first christmas. we're watching him celebrate his first mass inside st. peter's basilica. it is packed and thousands more are outside. music is a big part of this mass

with choirs filling the area with ancient hymns and melodies. ♪ >> and we're also watching the midnight mass in bethlehem, held in the church of the nativity. the church of the nativity is built over what's considered to be the birthplace of jesus. this is a service that usually draws tens of thousands of people to the town. let's listen in there. ♪ >> now pope francis has been compared to a rock star for his soaring popularity. and the reason he appeals to so many catholics and non-catholics

alike is his style, humble, personal, warm and compassion amou change that's not welcome by everyone. >> reporter: his papacy is being hail bid many as a fresh start tor a troubled catholic church. so much so time magazine named him person of the year for 2013. >> there is a kind of rock star quality to this man, a sense of a new day dawning, you know, wherever he goes. >> reporter: his demeanor, style, and words have garnered attention the world over. >> if a person is gay and accepts the lord and has goodwill, who am i to judge

them? >> people listening and looking are seeing a different atmosphere, a different attitude here. >> reporter: just months into his tenure as the 266th pontiff, is pope francis, the man who has galvanized hundreds of millions of catholics. >> i have no doubt he is the guy to get it done. >> reporter: he is calling out for sweeping changes in the church. >> the stakes have different now. he's no longer the archbishop of a major city, he's the pope of the catholic church. >> reporter: the pope amazed people around the world when he embraced a disfigured man. >> when he embraced me, i quivered. i felt a great warmth. >> reporter: and getting close to his flock is natural for pope francis. in his first international trip to brazil, he captivated

millions. and also sent shock waves around the world. >> we're back now with cnn religion commentator, reverend beck and reverend o'donnell. and john allen as well. if we can actually start with john, i have a question, actually, john will be joining us in just a moment. but let me ask you first, father beck, one of the things i think that all people strive for, people want to be accepted. and so i think when you look at that picture of him kissing and blessing that disfigured man, a man who has neurofibro mitosis. and obviously this is a man who has dealt in his life with people staring at him and judging him for something he has no control over, but to have

this moment with the pope says something to him, and it says so much, i think, to the people who are watching. is that really one of the most important things that the pope is bringing is this sense of incluesivity? >> the natural instinct is to shrink back. he moved toward him, put his face next to his. and it was so christ like. it reminded me of jesus with the lepers. extending himself to those who no one else wants to go to. we knew from the start this would be the kind of pope he would be. when he was elected, i was very struck. he said he was terror stricken when he was elected. and the cardinal from brazil leaned over and kissed him and said jorge, do not forget the poor. and at that moment he sensed what his mission would be, to

the poor, to the outcasts, to the one on the fringe, from the very conception of that papacy, this has been his mission. and he's just done it team and team again on the plane with the press conference, reaching out to gay people, saying to women, you need to have a place in this church and i'm going to expand that role of incluesivity for women. i think you're right, includesivity and reaching out to those on the fringe and saying you're part of this, we want you in this big tent. >> and father o'connell, how much would you say that pope francis has changed the church, and not only that, how much did the church need some changing? >> well, i think right from the beginning, the very choice of a name, when he chose the name francis after st. francis of assisi indicated or gave an indication of what his prism would be.

how he would look at the church. how he would look at the people of god, how he would look at the world. and i think that's just a beautiful thing. and i think father beck is very right when he says this pope has been incredibly warm and incredibly welcoming. you see it just as he moves around, the love that he has for the people that he is with or who come to him. and the look of expectation and hope and love that they return to him. it's a beautiful thing to see. >> and one of the things -- >> more than though, just style, there's more than just style here. this is the man. this is his heart. and this is what he is sharing with the world. >> you think it isn't just style. it is the substance, and i think that's something that a lot of people have been captured by in a way. it's because it seems that every time there's a moment, whether it's that he is blessing that man, you know, you see sort of another moment come along right after that. for instance, he washed the feet

of two young muslims, as well as two young women. i believe this was actually at a youth prison. how unprecedented is that, father beck? >> well, brianna, you have to remember that in many diocese, for as long as i can remember, only men were allowed to have their feet washed. and the idea was that the apostles, the first 12 apostles were men, and so the christus, the priest would wash the feet of men. that has not been uniformly true. some diocese have washed womens' feet as well. but when he went to that prison and he knelt down, and as you say, not only washed the feet of women, but of muslims. some people were horrified by it. some people really did not like

the fact that he did that. but, again, what it said to me was this man wants to include everyone. this was an act of service. his service is for the world community. that includes everybody. he's reached out even to atheists. and he has said, look, if it's according to your conscience that you do not believe, i can only support you. you have to go according to your conscience. when would we think is the last time a pope would tell an atheist, you're okay if that's what your conscience is telling you to believe. >> some of these moments and some of these thought, i think wheel they certainly touch people, bring them in, get them to listen, they might make a lot of people uncomfortable. why are some people uncomfortable with that? and why do some people think that perhaps it might be too much for the catholic church? >> well, if you want to stay

with the symbolism of the washing of the feet, it calls for 12 men, as father beck mentioned. the symbolism is that jesus washed the feet of the 12 apostles, so the church follows that tradition, but the pope certainly has the freedom to expand that beyond what the rue brick says. he is the chief rule maker of the church, in addition to being the chief teacher and shepherd in the church. some people don't like it. some people who are more strict ruber cysts or who want to stay with the tradition as it has always been, but this is clearly a pope who is trying to expand, not do away with tradition, but try to expand it. one of the things that i heard recently or read recently, when some of the cardinals were asked, what was it about the archbishop that kind of pushed him forward as their candidate?

and cardinal george of chicago said it was the fact that the archbishop had freedom, and he exuded a sense of freedom, that he was not restricted or bond to any ideology or any particular point of view. he's a faithful priest, faithful bishop and who desired with all his heart to serve it. and that came across very clearly to the cardinals who elected him and is coming across clearly to all the world, not only to catholics but everyone. ahead, the pope's christmas sermon. it's very much in line with his concern for the outcast in looking for the good in people as well as the bad. we'll hear his entire sermon next. ♪

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welcome back to cnn. we are watching the christmas eve mass at the vatican. pope francis' first christmas as pope. and i'd like to bring in besh on o'connell and father beck who have been joining me throughout this special. we're going to watch a little bit of the process of this mass, but can you explain, bishop

o'connell, what is it that we're watching here? >> the pope is blessing the congregation with the book of the gospels. and the gospels in our belief the very words of christ. so there is a great deal of reverence that is paid, the pope kissed the book. he's taking that word, and he's kissing and showing reverence, and then he's using that word, lifting that word up and blessing the people with it. that book is a very symbolic and important thing in the liturgy. >> and father beck, the people who are in the church, who are in st. peter's basilica, what are they waiting for? what is the key moment of this mass? >> well, as you can see there, brianna, they've just put that gospel book, which is a

reproduction of a 15th century book of gospels by the baby jesus. that is the prelude to the reading. and the pope will deliver the homily. so in his own words now, popen francis will give his christmas message based on the scripture and what message he wants for the world this christmas eve. so those gathered, really, if there's anything extemporaneous about this service that wouldn't be a rote prayer, it is pope francis' homily which happens after the reading of the gospel. >> and we're going to be waiting for that. he'll be speaking in its -- italian and it will be translated into english. listen in. >> translator: never ceases,

especially when we hear it proclaimed in the liturgy on christmas night. an emotional matter moves us because it states the deep reali reality, and all around us and within us as well. there is darkness and light. in this night, as the spirit of darkness enfolds the world, we take a chance anew, the event that surprises us. a light which makes us reflect ons