breaking news overnight. new video that an american kidnapped from al qaeda pleading for help. waking up cold and in the dark. that doesn't sound like fun. hundreds of thousands without power days after a deadly snowstorm in the northeast. is there any relief in sight? chad myers is tracking the forecast. >> ready for war? north korea's leader vowing for violence. could this threat become reality? we are live. >> good morning and welcome to

"early start." i'm pamela brown. >> i'm miguel marquez with coal in my stocking. >> at least you got something. >> it is thursday, december 26th, 5:00 a.m. in the eastern. we begin with breaking news. american government contractor kidnapped with militants pleading to the u.s. to negotiate with his captors. he was abducted in 2011. the video made in captivity urges president obama to step up his efforts to get him released. >> it has been more than two years since i was taken prisoner by al qaeda while i was working as a consultant on u.s. government programs in pakistan. now, 72 years of age. i'm not in good health. i have a heart condition. i suffer from acute asthma and the years have taken their toll.

>> this is the third video release of him since he was kidnapped. the latest showing a dramatic change of appearance. he seems to have aged considerably. he feels abandoned and unwanted and wants the obama administration to release al qaeda militants in u.s. custody. >> a cold christmas night from michigan to maine to canada. a massive ice storm left hundreds of thousands of people in the dark. it could be days before they see the light. michigan was hardest hit. itis been more than a century since they experienced a deep freeze. the latest chapter in a string of violent winter weather. it left more than 210,000 without power. freezing cold temperatures are expected to continue. crews are helping out in michigan and it hasn't gone unnoticed. >> the more you get upset about

it and argue with somebody, it's not going to help. if you see a crew working, treat them ice, bring them coffee. it's cold out there. be nice to them. >> that's good advice there. >> yeah, yeah, yeah. don't be mean to the people in the call center. >> they are helping you. let's get the latest on the winter weather. are things going to calm down for those people? chad myers in the hot seat or the cold seat, as things may be. >> i wish i could bring good news, but when the power is out, you can't run the fur nance. when the furnace doesn't work, you want to turn on the stove. look at the morning lows. 23, 12, 11 degrees. that's the area that has been so hard hit with this lack of power. hundreds of thousands up through into toronto as well. from seven inches of snow in shelby michigan to over a foot.

snowing in the poconos. snowing in the catskills. temperatures going to be cold. it's cold down to the south, 45 new orleans as you wake up this morning. it does wake up with some sunshine. burlington gets to 33. tomorrow to 29. new york city, 40 degrees by the time i have to go home. finally, now that i'm leaving, it warms up. by saturday, almost 50 in the city. certainly 50 in d.c. and 60 in charlotte. if you are heading down to florida, it's going to be wet with showers. this is the only place i see liquid presip at all. when i was 6, i did get coal in my stocking. i was excited because now i could make a snowman. it could have eyes. >> so sweet. >> i have so much i could power a small city. there you go. >> a few cities could use that. >> they could. >> thank you so much.

the ice storm didn't do favors for u.p.s. or fedex. they cited the weather as a reason people failed to get their guaranteed by christmas eve packages. they conceived they were swamped with deliveries, which was cold comfort for those waiting for deliveries that never came. >> i was expecting my husband's big christmas gift at my office. today is the last day before christmas. i waited around hours and hours for it to show up and it never did. >> u.p.s. isn't saying how many packages didn't get there. they issued a statement saying u.p.s. understands the importance of your holiday shipments. however, the volume exceeded our capacity and some shipments were delayed. ready, set, return, the after christmas shopping frenzy is about to begin. is this the time to find the

holiday bargains? >> who is better to know that? >> it could be a great time if you bring a lot of patience and go for the zen mentality. >> no zen there. >> find the bargains. if you thought the book was closed on holiday shopping, think again. like black friday, many stores are opening their doors early today. some of the biggest retailers like walmart and kohl's are open now. the deals, they can really be good. some of the biggest bargains will be on clothing, brand name hd tvs, holiday treats and decor. the discounts will be deep this week. what you are getting are leftovers. you are getting the clearance items. retailers have not brought in fresh, spring merchandise. we will see that come in towards january as people with gift cards want the new, fresh, you know, the fresh apparel and electronic items.

you can guarantee you will see 70% to 75% off. >> we are laughing at the fresh. she said fresh how many times? >> it's got to be fresh. the post christmas sales in stores and online. amazon.com, old navy, sax fifth avenue. they are sure to have dandy offers you may not want to refuse. week after christmas sales can account for as much as 15% of what retailers make during the holiday shopping season. looking to return items? plenty of that. consumer reports had this advice. read the fine print for the exact return window and see if you can get an extension on holiday gifts. beware of restocking fees. they can be annoying, but they exist, especially on electronics products. items like video games and movies can't be returned once you open them. >> restocking fees sound like a

scam. >> i hate the restocking fees. it's only a little bit. >> thank you so much. healthcare.gov saw record traffic as thousands rushed to beat the christmas eve deadline for coverage starting january 1st. the white house says it will work with people who tried to enroll before the deadline and unable to finish the process due to technical glitches. a deadly christmas in iraq. 42 people killed. more than 80 wounded in a series of violent attacks. the deadliest, a car bomb exploding in southern baghdad killing 26. three roadside bombs followed at a busy marketplace killing 11 and wounding more than a dozen others. iraq is experiencing some of the worst violence in recent years. no love between government forces and rebels in south sudan

as the country is closer to an all-out civil war. in a christmas day address, the president condemned killings there. tens of thousands of people sought refuge at peace-keeping camps across the country. the fighting claimed thousands of lives. the leader of an al qaeda group in syria targeting united nation's workers. the head tried to kidnap u.n. workers inside syria. the information comes from iraqi intelligence officials who captured members. the u.n. worker was released in october after being held for eight months in syria. 2 dozen were briefly held earlier this year. >> egypt's interim government declaring the muslim brotherhood a terrorist organization. they are blaming the group for a bombing that killed 16 people. the egyptian cabinet ruled

anyone that is a member of that group will be punished. the muslim brotherhood claimed each is the real terror group. in turkey, violent clashes between police and protesters. demonstrators demanding the resignation. police used tear gas to dispurse the protesters. at least four people arrested. >> iran state television reporting parol limit produced a bill to encrease u ran yum. iran agreed to limit the enrichment to 5% and neutralize the existing stockpile for return of the sanctions. tensions are rising again on the korean peninsula with kim jong-un telling his military

troops to be ready for combat or war. it could breakout without prior notice. we are live in south korea. karl? >> miguel, certainly the comments sound alarming, don't they? kim jong-un made the comments christmas eve during a visit to unit 526. that's a combined unit of the army, navy and air force. he said, be ready, be on high a"early start," war could break out nianytime soon. we have heard these statements before. north korea's army is 1 million strong and 70% of that armed force is close to the dmv poised to attack anytime. with a country as unpredictable as north korea, people are certainly listening. >> any indication from the south

koreans or u.s. military that there are changes along the dmz, any sort of changes to the north korean stance along that area? >> none of the intelligence services are telling us they are seeing anything physically or by satellite imagery to suggest the north koreans are moving forces around. a lot of the force has to be set in north korea is stationed in underground bunkers so we might not see movement ahead of time anyway. they suggest during the first quarter of 2014, there could be an act from north korea. why? well, on january 8, kim jong-un turns 31. he's got to show his country he's tough enough for this job and also during the first quarter of 2014, the u.s. and south korea planned joint military maneuvers. that is something they see as a

provocation and might want to respond in some way. don't forget only this month, kim jong-un ordered the execution of his own uncle and really he has to stamp his mark on this regime. right now, experts say the latest comments may be more showmanship rather than substance. miguel? >> worrying developments. it's a country that takes it leaders some time to prove themselves. thank you very much. the first family continuing their vacation in hawaii. the president and first lady spent christmas day visiting with military service members in hawaii. they thanked them for their service to the country. the pope's first christmas as the leader of the roman catholic church delivering a message of peace for people around the world. how is it received? we are live at the vatican with

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and because usaa's commitment to serve current and former military members and their families is without equal. begin your legacy. get an auto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve. welcome back to "early start." really, an incredible rescue here. an lapd officer was at the right

time at the right place. a center divider burst into flames and was fully engulfed within seconds. >> it was a matter of seconds. another ten, 15 seconds, it would have been too much fire for anybody to just go in and just deal with that. >> wow. the driver went to the hospital complaining of neck and back pain. pretty lucky. meantime, the officer in this case suffered burns to his hand and arm. what a hero. >> incredible. a court date for paul ciancia. he'll be arraigned and likely asked to enter a plea including first degree murder charges. he's charged of storming into terminal 3 in l.a. killing a tsa agent. a refused entry into a strip club. it's unclear if the third person killed was shot by club security

or the suspect who opened fire after he was patted down and the weapon was found. two others were wounded. a man killed in a christmas morning house fire in massachusetts. authorities say crews had trouble putting the fire out because there was no hydrant system in the area. they used the backhoe and found the body. no word on how the fire started. the pennsylvania girl whose battle with leukemia who inspired the community died. she passed away with her family by her side christmas morning, seven months after her diagnosis. known as lany, her family was told she had days to live. they took that time to make some of her dreams come true. thousands gathered outside her home saturday night to sing holiday carols as you can see here. she got the chance to pet an alligator, and speak with singer, taylor swift. >> sad.

the family of a california teenager declared brain dead after a botched con sillectomy is considered being moved to a different hospital. she was considered brain dead, but the family insists she is alive and will recover. the case has drawn national attention. a legal order to continue care expires monday. we are hearing from the washington, d.c. santa shot on christmas eve handing out toys to needy children. he was hit in the back by a pellet gun. he was taken to the hospital, but he's doing okay and he says he's relieved. >> just thank god that i'm alive. i'm very grateful no one else got hit, especially the kids. >> the shooting took place in southeast washington plagued by crime. i have been where he is. it's frightening. >> poor guy.

it is not cool to shoot santa. >> not cool to shoot anyone, but santa? come on. >> could have been a very sour christmas for a professional poker player. he caught a cab and left something in the backseat. that something, 300 grand in cash. the guy's winning streak could have ended there. he was luckier that geraldo was his cabby. he turned the money in and the player got it back. >> signed a poker circuit and very, very famous worldwide poker player. >> sin city, but it's not. >> he was named driver of the year, of course. the cab company gave him $1,000 for reward money for his honesty and a steak dinner for two. nice in vegas. the player didn't want his name revealed, but he's thinking of

giving him a big reward as well. he should. >> he should. i hope it's a big one. >> more than a steak dinner. maybe lobster. >> surf and turf. he is the leader of more than a billion catholics around the world. pope francis was ready for his christmas close up, the first as pontiff. what is the reaction the morning after? good to see you. >> reporter: good morning, pamela. today is another holiday here in italy. st. stevens day. many treat it as an extension of christmas and what a christmas it was. tens of thousands of people gathered in st. peter's square to hear the pope's first christmas message to the world. i was there as well. women, men and children of all ages, atheists and people of different religions gathering to here what he had to say. not everyone spoke italian, but

they were there to see him and see history. >> amazing. it's an amazing feeling. yeah, even if i'm not catholic or religious. >> he mentioned peace many times. you could tell from the response around us. people are hopeful about him. >> reporter: now traditionally on christmas day, the pope's message is one of peace. pope francis was no different. he talked about the need for peace and conflict zones around the world. syria, iraq, south sudan, central african republic. he talked about -- he highlighted -- it's really raining here. he highlighted global problems around the world including human trafficking and he also talked about, prayed for the victims of natural disasters in colluding the typhoon in the philippines. very moving moments for the people who gathered and for

people who watched from around the world. >> what a gathering. 150,000 people. erin go take cover now. i can't believe you were able to hold it together all that time. >> when in rome. coming up here on "early start," the heat blasting the lakers in a christmas day showdown. we see lebron's epic dunk next. [ male announcer ] for every late night,

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welcome back. the nbas arguably biggest star, lebron james put on a show over the l.a. lakers. joe carter is here with the bleacher report. we want to see this epic dunk. >> i have two for you. christmas day is the one day a year the nba is front and center to the sports world. you have the best teams, the biggest stars playing all day long. fortunately, this year, we did not get the lebron, kobe match up. this highlight belongs to all lebron. that's one of two signature dunks. awesome, right? awesome dunk. i love the reaction. the second dunk is epic. watch dwyane wade. he passes it off the glass. magic johnson called it one of the greatest plays he's ever seen. since lebron arrived in miami, the heat always win on christmas

day. the streak continues. 101-95. the new cnn poll released today. it has to do with how college football fans feel about the bcs. 62% of those polled say the current bcs should be replaced. good news, change is coming next year when they institute a four-team playoff system. on the other side, 61% say the bcs got it right this year. those polled believe the two best teams are playing in the national championship game. that's florida state and auburn. speaking of the national championship game, this is cute. check out this fan's reaction when he opens his christmas gift and finds out he's going to the national championship game. >> my god! oh, my god! yeah! >> what is it? >> tickets! >> tickets to what? >> awesome. that's 11-year-old r.j. myers.

he got tickets to see his favorite team, auburn. auburn/florida state will play. bad tickets are going for $400. good tickets going for ten grand. who knows where he falls in that line. >> i wonder what caliber. >> my sense is he's pretty excited. >> he's happy to be inside. thanks. >> joe, thanks. the top headlines and everything you need to know, coming up. >> we have it covered. >> yep. ♪

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breaking news overnight. new video released. an american kidnapped by al qaeda pleas for help. waking up cold and in the dark. the death toll rising from the deadly winter storm that slammed the east coast. is there relief in sight? chad myers is tracking the latest for us. delivery day disaster. christmas gifts delayed across

the country as u.p.s. and fedex are delayed. what led to the breakdown? >> i'm miguel, coal in my stocking, marquez. >> at least you got coal. srk you have to work hard to get that. >> we are following breaking news. the release of a video featuring a kidnapped american pleading for his release. warren was taken by al qaeda militants back in 2011 working as a u.s. government contractor. in the video seen here, he urges president obama to negotiate with his captors. >> it has been more than two years since i was taken prisoner by al qaeda while i was working as a consultant on u.s. government programs in pakistan. i am now over 72 years of age.

i'm not in good health. i have a heart condition. i suffer from acute asthma. and the years have taken their toll. >> this is the third video released of him since he was kidnapped. the latest recording showing a dramatic change of appearance as you can see here. he seems to have aged considerably. he says he feels abandoned and forgotten and wants the obama administration to consider release. a massive winter ice storm. hundreds of thousands of people in the dark. it could take days for many to have power restored. officials in michigan say it's been more than a century since they received a freeze like this. the latest string that's blamed for 25 deaths, left 210,000 people without power and cold, freezing temperatures are expected to continue. utility crews are working around the clock to make sure things

are going right and people are showing their appreciation. >> the more you get upset about it, try to argue with somebody,itis not going to help. if you see a crew out here working, treat them nice. bring them correspond fee. see what you can do for them. be nice to them. >> they are out there working. >> i don't know how they are going to warm the coffee they are going bring to them. >> i know. >> let's get to the big picture. >> is there relief in sight for these people? chad myers? >> a little. i think this morning is the coldest morning of the rest of the week. 23 was the morning low on monday in detroit, then 12, then 11. this is the area of the ice. a lot of people without power. you can't turn on the furnace because the blower doesn't run. if you turn on your stove, you get the carbon monoxide issue. please don't be one of those people. here you go, snow from cat

skills to the poconos and detroit. it's cold, but not the end of the world. itis the beginning of a couple day warm up. there goes snow and a warm up. it brings more snow to maine. also a bigger problem is wind. the power crews can't get it in the bucket truck if it's 25 miles per hour or greater. another system coming through the flow. current temperatures, 33 in cincinnati. the warmest it's been in minneapolis for a long time. it warms up to a balmy 40 in minneapolis. i know they will be out there on their snowmobiles. there's 24 in minneapolis. 36 in the twin cities, 32 in chicago. for reference, i know we like to keep everything in perspective. 73 in honolulu. today, 82. >> that's not perspective, it's teasing. >> thank you so much. in the meantime, it seems like the people without power could use some of that coal you got

for christmas. >> there's plenty of it. the ice storm is partly to blame for why christmas came and went with the packages not arriving in time. delivery giants u.p.s. and fedex overloaded systems and more buying online contributed to what may be their worst christmas ever. it's comfort to customers locked out in the cold. >> i was expecting my husband's big christmas gift at my office and, you know, today is the last day before christmas. i waited around for hours and hours for it to show up. it never did. >> u.p.s. isn't saying exactly how many packages failed to make it in time for christmas, but they did issue a statement saying u.p.s. understands the importance of your holiday shipments. the volume of packages exceeded the capacity of our network proceeding christmas. some shipments were delayed. >> we need a bigger plane is

what they need to say. now to more post christmas madness. a grand new shopping frenzy begins today. >> that leads to the next question, is this when you will find the real holiday bargains? we have seen good ones. >> things are discounted more. retailers want to get the inventory out. the new stuff is coming in. if you thought the holiday shopping spree was over, it's revving up again. many stores are opening their doors early today. some of the biggest retailers like walmart and kohl's are open now. people are shopping at 5:37 eastern time now. the deals you can find are really good. look at deal news, deal news is saying some of the best bargains on clothing, brand name hd tvs, holiday treats and decor items as well. >> the discounts will definitely be deep this week. what you are getting are leftovers. you are getting the clearance

items. retailers have not brought in fresh, spring merchandise. we'll see it come in toward january as people with gift cards want the new, fresh apparel and electronic items. you can guarantee you will see 70% to 75% off. >> and the sales aren't just in stores, they are also online as well. retailers like amazon.com, old navy and sax fifth avenue are ramping up in hopes of cashing in on holiday cheer. how big is the week after christmas in terms of holiday shopping? the season, i mean? the national retail federation says it can account for 15% of what retailers make. this is still its one more push for the retailers to bring in that money. when people come in to return stuff, they are going to try to sell them more stuff. >> we need more stuff. >> more stuff.

>> thank you. all right, from the white house to you for christmas. after healthcare.gov was jammed with people enrolling to beat the christmas eve deadline, the obama administration plans to work with those who tried to sign up, but were unable to finish the process in time. more than 80 injured in a series of christmas bombings in iraq. a car bomb exploding as worshippers were filing out, killing 26 people. three roadside bombs occurred in the same place. iraq is facing the worst violence in recent years. new clashes between government forces in southern sudan despite an appeal for a christmas cease-fire. the country's president condemned ethnically motivated killings during his christmas day message. tens of thousands of people sought refuge as peace-keeping

camps. the fighting in south sudan has claimed thousands of lives. here at home, the first family still on holiday in hawaii. the president and first lady spent part of their christmas day visiting with military service members and their families at a marine corps base. the obama's thanking them for their service to the country. coming up here on "early start," the streets of turkey looking like a war zone as thousands of protesters take to the streets demanding their leader step down. we are live with the story after the break. stay with us. avo: the volkswagen "sign then drive"

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welcome back to "early start." new unrest in turkey. police using tear gas to demonstrators who took to the streets to remove the prime minister. andrew is following developments there live in istanbul. what is happening there now. is the protest still going on? >> reporter: the protests are not going on. they were there last night. the people demanding the resignation of the prime minister. there's a very major corruption scandal going on here. sons of ministers have been detained. huge amounts of cash have been discovered in safe deposit vaults. the real opposition the government is facing may be within its own camp. it's a question of whether support is crumbling for a government that ten days ago

appeared to be invincible. >> first ministers leaving, then everyone announced seven would follow. it sounds like a full-on crisis. is that what people are feeling there? do they smell the blood in the water? >> reporter: well, it's very clear the government is doing their best to contain the investigation. they reassigned the police officers and prosecutors purs pursuing the corruption charges. they basically sacrificed some of the minister who is were not implicated in the affair. since they concealed it within a larger cabinet reshuffle. the allegations may well continue. the corruption allegations are not going to go away. so, the turkish government has a fight on their hands. >> if the government falls, how big of a concern for the u.s. and the west is that? >> reporter: well, at the moment, it's not exactly clear.

i mean he has been blaming his troubles on foreign forces. the government and newspapers loyal to him are pointing their fingers at the united states and israel. anyone, really. at the moment, there is something of a crisis brewing between the two nations, the united states sort of relies on turkey as a strategic ally. they need a stable, reliable ally. a turkish government engaged in a fight for survival is not the stable ally it wants to see. there's a lot of dust that has to settle. >> he's been there a lot of years. it may be a case of him getting tired. andrew keeping an eye on it, thank you very much. lapd bomb squad officer was at the right place at the right time the other day. a driver lost control of his car

and it burst into flames, fully engulfed within seconds. >> it was a matter of seconds. another ten, 15 seconds, it would have been too much fire for anybody to go in and deal with that. >> the driver went to the hospital, complaining of neck and back pain, amazingly enough. the officer suffered burns to his hand and forearm. amazing. >> it really is. a court date today for l.a.x. shooter, paul ciancia. he will be arraigned and asked to plea to 11 felony counts including first degree murder. he stormed into terminal 3 at l.a.x. killing a tsa agent and wounding three other people. police are looking for the person who fired after being refused entry into a strip club. it's unclear if the third person shot was by the suspect or

bouncer. two others were wounded. a man was killed in a christmas morning house fire in massachusetts. authorities say crews had trouble putting the fire out because there's no hydrant system in the area. they used a backhoe to sift through the debris and found the body. no word on how the fire started. the pennsylvania girl who battled with leukemia died. she passed away with her family by her side christmas morning, seven months after her diagnosis. known as lanny, her family had been told last week she had days to live. they took that time to make some of her dreams come true. thousands of people gathered outside her home saturday night to sing christmas carols. lanny got a chance to pet an alligator via baby sitter and speak with singer taylor swift. it is the last thing santa would expect while on his appointed rounds, getting shot.

that's what happened to this man on christmas eve. he's out of the hospital now, this morning and talking about getting shot in the back with a pellet gun as he handed out toys to needy children in the nation's capitol. >> i thank god i'm alive. i'm grateful no one got hurt, including the kids. >> washington has been plagued by crime. it was all caught on camera. >> uncool to shoot santa, uncool. it could have been a more sour christmas for a professional poker player. he caught a cab but left something important in the backseat. namely, $300,000 in cash. the winning streak could have ended there. he got luckier that gerardo was his driver. he turned the money in and the player got it back. >> he signed the poker circuit

and very, very famous worldwide poker player. >> sin city, but it's not. it's angel city. >> he's been named driver of the year. the cab company gave him a $1,000 reward for his honesty and steak dinner for two. the player has not released his name, but thinking about giving him a big reward. >> as he should. this needs to happen now. this qualifies for the good stuff. chris cuomo, is he around? kate bolduan? what's coming up on new day? >> good morning. >> don't tell us what qualified -- >> come on, chris. >> someone got coal. >> there was certainly a good deed. we'll have to see if he makes it in. this morning, we are following a couple stories you want to hear. imagine being taken by al qaeda,

held in pakistan for two years. that is the fate of the man you are looking at on your screen. he is in a new video message. we have heard from him before. now, he says his health is failing and believes time is running out. a desperate plea to the president. we'll tell you about it. >> this may not be surprising, but worst congress ever, question mark. that seems to be the verdict by many americans. a new poll out today that shows how americans feel about the work being done in washington. you probably know the answer. two-thirds say it could be the worst congress of their lifetime. >> comedy gold. >> there you go. i like that. >> i got a book on how to be a good parent. it's always a nice gift to get. at the end of the book, it says what we should do with congress is actually support that they have worked together on the

budget, they seem to be talking, positive reinforcement instead of harping on how much they stink. >> we'll harp on it and then try to smile. >> i haven't read much of the book. that's all i got. >> looking forward to the rest of your political advice. >> thank you very much. coming up, could the credit card attack on target customers be worse than we thought? an alarming new report next in money time.

welcome back to "early start." it is money time. allison is here with money time. >> yes, this happens to be the best day of the year at least if you look at historical standards. back to 1945, the s&p 500 has risen almost 7% of the time. so, it looks like boxing day carries extra punch. this year, the market is knocking out skeptics. the dow is up 25%. nasdaq up 38%, s&p 500 up 29%. the santa claus rally has been good for internet stocks like facebook pushing 52 week highs. it's up 23% in december, alone. itis the comeback kid.

yahoo! having a good year. it hit a high on christmas eve. despite target's public relations team, hackers managed to steal encrypted identification numbers or p.i.n.s. the data breach is under investigation. here is the concern according to reuters. the kind of cyber criminals who stole the information for 40 million credit and debit cards may be able to crack the encrypted data. that could be one reason jpmorgan chase limited the amount of cash customers could take at atms and spend at stores. target spokeswoman molly snyder is maintaining the p.i.n. data is safe and we have no reason to believe p.i.n. data was compromised. we have not been made aware of

any such issue in communications with financial institutions to do. disturbing if this is the case. you think it happened between a three-week period, november 27 through december 15. yikes. >> it is amazing how quickly they can grab so much. >> yes. >> thank you so much. we'll be back with more. mine was earned orbiting the moon in 1971. 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 and because usaa's commitment to serve current and former military members and their families is without equal. begin your legacy. get an auto insurance quote.

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thanks very much for tuning into "early start." your "new day" starts right now. i'm therefore, appealing to you to work for my release. >> help me, please, an american kidnaped by al qaeda appears on a new video, begging the president to get him released. will the administration act? christmas blackout, hundreds of thousands are still in the dark as the death toll rises from a weekend ice storm. no show, still waiting for u.p.s. and fedex packages? you are not alone. carriers say they were overwhelmed by holiday volume. how long until the gifts come

home? your "new day" starts right now. >> announcer: this is "new day" with chris cuomo, kate bolduan and michaela pereira. >> good morning. welcome to "new day," it is thursday, december 26th, 6:00 in the east. we hope you all had a wonderful, holy day. breaking news overnight, a new video message from an american being held captive by al qaeda raising alarming concerns about his condition. warren weinstein is who you're looking at. he's been held for more than two years. he now says his health is failing and the clock is ticking. the question, will the president and secretary of state take action to bring him home? cnn's pentagon correspondent barbara starr is with us this morning to break down this video, tell us the latest. please, let's begin by resetting who is this man, how was he taken? >> reporter: warren weinstein, s,