old unit. >> reserve unit out of hawaii, now we're going to keeper had here and keep her working. she's not ready to quit yet. >> reporter: but then right back to work, sniffing, searching, patrolling to make sure everyone stays safe. barbara starr, cnn, the pentagon. >> now that's a great co-worker. hello, everyone, i'm fredricka whitfield. people stranded in antarctica are anxiously awaiting help. now the rescue ship is also struggling in ice. a texas man has been charged with a hate crime in connection with the so-called knockout game. investigators say he punched a 79-year-old black man. the suspect's lawyer speaks out about his defense. and an about-face on "duck dynasty," the star is pack in action after a very short suspension, say some. what that could mean for the

network a & e, coming up. new video coming in on that ship stuck in the frozen water of antarctica. chris turney, the expedition leader gave an update on the crew's situation. >> it's the 28th of december, 2013. as you can see the weather's closed in. we've got some snow falling, but it's not too windy. >> four days since the ship got stuck. although a rescue vessel is within sight, it's not able to get close enough to the ship. isa soares is following the situation from london. >> reporter: so close yet so far. doesn't seem that they're very bothered, to be honest.

they seem pretty upbeat. the situation as it stands is like this. the chinese vessel, if you remember, the icebreaker could not actually break the ice, could not go any closer to the stranded vessel. it was about six nautical miles away from the stranded vessel, but the ice was so thick that it really stopped it and didn't enable it to penetrate the ice any further. we had to reverse the lane it had taken and it's now in open sea just sitting there waiting in case this stranded vessel does need help. whilst it waits and whilst the stranded vessel waits, australia is sending over a vessel, its own vessel that's expected to arrive on sunday night to really help them. and the hope is that the australian vessel, which is much bigger and much stronger than the chinese snowbreaker, will be able to break through that ice and really help those passengers on board. >> so is this within days or are we talking weeks now?

>> well, the hope is within days, but unfortunately, reports are the ice is so thick, fred, it's like two meters deep. and this australian vessel can only break through up to 1.35. so they're really just saying -- when i spoke to the australia maritime authority today, they said to me, we're going to get there and assess the situation and see how far we can take it. if we feel that we can't push it any further, the vessel itself cannot push or the weather does not permit, then we'll have to go plan b or plan c. they've gone through so many plans now, which will be the helicopter. >> all right. thanks so much. keep us posted. >> will do. >> so earlier my colleague bill weir spoke to three people on board that ship. they're rather upbeat. >> i was with greg mortimer and he said to me that,

psychologically, that as soon as the captain visibly saw us, the incentive to get to us was so much greater. we were suddenly then a real thing than just a blip on a radar. >> it's crucial for all the people who are following us. we're in a bit of a bubble here. chris and i have been using social media to share what we're doing but it's very hard to see the reaction outside. yesterday, lawrence tweeted a tiny picture of the xue long, the ship that was coming to rescue us. and within five minutes, it had been sent around the world 200 or 300 times. this is attention that we're not used to. maybe justin bieber is, but we're not. we've been doing a series of videos describing the trip. and they've gone viral, too. what do you think? >> they've been fantastic.

wonderful, satellite technology we can use today just allowing us to chat to you now. it's just superb. in the old days, we'd be stuck off the edge of a map and no one would know where we are. today we can chat to you from one end of the planet to the other. >> they're not in duress at all. they're having a good time about all this. but they're researchers, after all, so they're on an incredible expedition. the leader there, chris turney says that everyone on board is in fact doing as well as those three there. the u.s. state department says it's still trying to piece together details in libya after four americans were detained and then released late last night. the military personnel were working to strengthen security in tripoli. the white house says the president was briefed but no further comment on that. your phone and internet records are still fair game for the national security agency. a federal judge says the ns abs's spying program that includes those records is

constitutional and a critical weapon in the fight against terrorism. the program is part of the patriot act. just last week another federal judge ruled the program was likely unconstitutional. well, a lot of americans don't know how they'll put food on the table or even pay their bills after today. federal emergency unemployment benefits run out today for 1.3 million people. congress left town earlier this month for recess without including the extension in the budget deal. cnn national correspondent sunlen is following the story for us. >> reporter: this is what the last six months have been like for paul kelsey. >> i've entered over 500 want ads just on one website alone. >> reporter: at 52 he's been out of work in educational publishing, now another blow. he's one of 1.3 million americans losing unploilt benefits. on average, they've been getting $300 each week.

halasy's check wasn't nearly enough to cover the $1100 rent on his new york apartment. and now it will stop coming. >> i won't be able to buy food, i won't be able to pay my bills. >> reporter: extended unemployment benefits beyond the usual 26 weeks were started during the bush administration to help americans hit by the recession. since 2008 they've been renewed 11 times. but not this time. congress failed to pass an extension in the budget deal teeing up a nasty fight for the new year. >> it's going to be classic messy washington politics over an issue with the two parties just don't have a united view. this is one of those issues that the right flank wants to fight on. >> reporter: some republicans say it's time to end the program altogether. they argue it's too expensive. a year's extension costs $25 billion. people have gotten dependent. and they say the economy is

strong enough now without them. >> when you add it up, it encourages some people to stay unemployed too long and that makes it increasingly hard for them to get back in the work. >> reporter: force. >> reporter: democrats say benefit checks get spent right away spending that's necessary to boost the economic recovery. >> this is what these people need in order just to get by and what the economy needs in order to keep its momentum. we're removing this bare minimum safety net. beyond just being cruel is not going to be productive in terms of getting them back in the labor force or getting them a job. >> reporter: but the political blame game doesn't help paul halasy's new reality. >> it's extremely stressful. i mean, i've gotten physically sick, i haven't been able to sleep. >> reporter: sunlen with us now. 1.3 million americans losing their benefits right now, but if congress isn't able to pass anything soon, once they get back, what does this mean for

these american ps and more? >> well, unfortunately, fred, this means that the numbers are only going to grow through the course of the year without a resolution. that's because additional people will start hitting that 26-week mark. they'll lose their benefits and they'll lose the others who have already lost their benefits. the center for budget and policy priorities, they say they could be as many as 4.9 million people by the end of 2014 who could lose these benefits without a resolution. these numbers will put additional pressure on congress come the new gleer. >> the number's already big and soon to get bigger. one of the stars of "duck dyne asti" didn't stay suspended for too long. the network put the reality star on the side lines after his comments about homosexuality and race. but a & e says shooting will resume this sling. glaad responded by saying, if

dialogue with phil isn't part of next steps, then a & e has chosen profits over african-american and gay people, especially its employees and viewers. straight ahead, it's called the knockout game. but it has life-threatening consequences. now one suspect being charged with a federal hate crime. and coming up next, target is backtracking when it comes to its massive security breach. the superstore now admits thieves did steal atm. i.n. numbers. ♪ [ male announcer ] they are a glowing example of what it means to be the best. and at this special time of year, they shine even brighter. come to the winter event and get the mercedes-benz you've always wished for, now for an exceptional price.

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target customers are even more on edge after a new update that hackers did indeed steal p.i.n. data in a massive credit card breach. the retailer initially said it didn't happen. but yesterday they said p.i.n.s

were compromised. alexandra field is live with the hatest from target and the customers. >> reporter: they're admitting this is a bigger breach than initially reported initially we knew card numbers and names had been taken now we know p.i.n. numbers had been taken. target has said the data was scrambled and it will be difficult to decipher. they're reassuring customers that that information is protected. it reads, the p.i.n. information was fully encrypted at the keypad, remained encrypted within our system and remained encrypted when it was removed from our system. target says there's no reason to believe that that data is not still encrypted. we spoke to security experts who asked if that is not possible for that to be decrypted. they said the likelihood of that will depend on the specifics of the encryption system. if you're a customer who uses a debit card and are concerned about the money in your account,

you probably don't want to sit around waiting to see if the hackers can decode some of this, fred. >> we've got an expert to tell us what you do with that kind of information that you're sharing with us now from credit sesame.com. you heard alexandra explaining that the information at target is encrypted and stays encrypted within that keypad. plausible? >> plausible, but trust but verify. look, this hack was not performed by some dude breaking a window and grabbing your microwave and running down the street. these are very sophisticated hackers, extraordinarily savvy. they realize the data is encrypted. what are they doing? trying to figure out how to break the key. which puts your money in your debit card accounts at great risk bougecause they have to ma the number and the p.i.n. to get right at your information. >> while they're trying to figure out how do i sort out the numbers and get the right p.i.n.

number, what do i do as a consumer who shopped at target, used my cash card. last week you told us stay away from your cash card. use your credit card. now we know p.i.n. numbers were compromised. what do i do with this information to protect myself? >> if you are one of the folks that shopped at one of the periods called the period of exposure, black friday, and you used your debit card, make the assumption that your information is currently being unwound by hackers. if i were you, come monday morning, i'd call the bank and have them reissue the debit card. already have them reissue the credit card if you used a credit card. that way you're not essentially waiting for something to happen and you're now in a reactive position while money is being siphoned away from your checking account that needs to be there to pay rent, which is coming due in a couple of of days, groceries, car payment and that money won't be there and there's not much you can do about it

while you're waiting to get it back. >> what if you say i don't want to be inconvenienced by getting a whole new card. can i just change the p.i.n. number? is that enough? >> i have met with considerable resistance for that very reason. inconvenient to change all the auto draft from the card, so i'm just going to wait to see if it actually does happen to me. very, very dangerous. if i were you, changing the p.i.n. is fine. but remember the hacker still has half of the information, the account number. if i were you, i would go all the way to safety land and change not only the number but the p.i.n., have the card reissued, then you don't have to worry about what target's next announcement might be which is maybe something else was breached that we haven't heard about yet. >> if it happens to target, then many of us have to believe that other retailers are just as vulnerable if not more so. so while you and i last weekend talked about this as it first broke, it certainly influenced me in my shopping. i refrained from using my cash

card as a result of our conversation and instead used a credit card even though you don't really want to deal with the interest rates but you want to be most safe. at this point forward, are we saying that no matter what, using our debit cards, we're just so much more vulnerable, we need to lean toward our credit cards or what will this do and how will it influence how we buy things now? >> debit cards are great, budgetary control, no interest, no late fees, no due dates, they're great right until they get stolen, then they're terrible. because you have very limited protections and it's your money being taken versus the credit card where it's the bank's money that is being taken and you have ultimate protections. i would seriously consider converting from a debit card to a credit card. having a debit card is great, but it acts as an incentive to keep a large amount of money in your checking account where it is extremely vulnerable to hackers versus a credit card where there's not a dime of your money on that card. it's the bank's money.

all this is is you being kind of in control of these impulses to use the card and getting yourself -- >> credit card companies love this because they'll make more money off you in interest. >> and more money off you in interchange because the cap on interchange did not happen to credit cards like debit cards. the banks don't like any of this, frankly, because this is just as inconvenient for them as it is for the consumer because they're the once getting all the phone calls and reassuring callers. they're damned if you do, damned if you don't. if i want to get good sleep at night knowing my money is safe, i'm using credit over debit. >> that or cash. john, ulzheimer, thank you very much. fans of the reality show have been feeling a little ducky this morning? are you among them, john? >> i don't watch it. >> okay. >> i'm with you, i guess. >> there you go. there are millions who do.

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oh! a smarter way to shop around -- now that's progressive. call or click today. a 27-year-old could spend ten years behind bars for playing the knockout game. prosecutors say conrad barrett's vicious attack on an elderly

black man was racially motivated. the feds also claimed barrett laughed and said "knockout" as the man fell to the ground. a district court judge denied bail friday for barrett. the latest on the attack and the history of this dangerous game. >> reporter: 27-year-old conrad barrett has been charged with a hate crime for knocking out a 79-year-old african-american man. a houston judge said that the crime was vicious and barrett stalked his victim. there is strong evidence he committed this offense. it is a hate crime. according to the federal complaint barrett attacked because of the man's race and color and he made a video of the attack where he allegedly said, quote, the man is to see if i would hit a black person, would this be nationally televised? in a separate video he allegedly uses the "n" word and said that african-americans have fully experienced the blessings of evolution. the attack happened here in katy

texas. barrett's attorney claims he was bipolar but was off his meds the night of the attack. later he went to this bar and showed off the video to bystander, one of them an off-duty police officer. knockout incidents have dated as far back as 1992, but video that has gone viral. from states like illinois to washington to new york. the purpose of the so-called game is to knock unsuspecting pedestrians out cold with a single punch. the barrett case has prompted lawmakers to re-examine state versus federal hate crimes. >> state law just enhances hate crimes. in other words, your sentence is enhanced if it is proved that you committed a hate crime. however that's defined in a particular state. but under federal law hate crimes are a separate crime, which again raises some questions about the constitutionality of the equal protection clause. >> reporter: barrett's attorney

says he is sorry. he will await trial and see if he's convicted up to ten years in prison. margaret conley, cnn, new york. and the attorney for the knockout suspect spoke to our don lemon last night. don asked him how his client's actions are a result of bipolar disorder. >> your client was a functioning member of society. had the wherewithal to plan this, to pick out a victim, an elderly man who could not defend himself. and then now, since he has been caught doing it, it appears to most people that using bipolar diz order as a defense is an excuse for racist behavior. >> well, i think the bipolar disorder is a mitigation, if you will, and can be viewed as such. i don't think that there's an insanity defense in the works in this particular case. and certainly the federal

definition of insanity precludes using that particular type of defense in this case. >> seems like he planned this out, every single detail. he could have kwan and stolen a car, he could have gone and shoplifted. he could have gone and done a number of things, but he planned this out in a manner that used race as the focus. and you don't see that as a federal hate crime? >> well, what happens is that, first of all, people that are mentally ill make rational decision all the time, premeditate matters all the time. secondly, this individual did something very bizarre. after the action, he brags about it. he shows the video around to individuals saying that, hey, look what i've done. i have hit a knockout. not being aware of how severely injured the individual was that

he hit. and again, that all has to be proven. i'm sure you understand that. but i'm saying that you've got to take into consideration the supreme courts have said whether it's a hate crime or not a hate crime, that you take into consideration all in mitigation, the mental aspects of the individual that did the action in question. that's all we're saying here. >> the elderly victim told the court that he hopes barrett will not be released. he says he's afraid barrett may try to hurt him again. ducking controversy. phil robertson's comments got his suspended but now he's back on "duck dynasty." could it spike the show's rating?

i'm fredricka whitfield. number one, 74 people on an expedition ship stuck in ice off antarctica are still waiting to be rescued. it has been stuck there since monday. a chinese rescue vessel is within sight, but it, too, is stuck. the expedition leader says everyone on board, however, is doing just fine. and number two, in juba, south

sudan, 72 new peacekeepers have arrived. and another 500 are on the way. the u.n. is ramping up security to prevent more deadly violence in that country. the porters of the president and vice president have been fighting for two weeks. east african leaders have told the government and rebels to stop fighting or face harsh consequences. and number three, sometimes patience pays. watch this. ra robber walks into a florida drugstore, then demands money from the clerk, but instead of handing over the cash or calling the police or doing something else more drastic, the woman says, she needs to ask her manager if it's okay. so the robber agrees to wait while the clerk goes to get the manage manager. and lo and behold waiting until the manager comes back over, waiting until the clerk finishes with a customers. robber still waiting. then actually comes around and the manager hands over hundreds

of dollars in cash to the alleged robber. the robber gets away, but police hope someone perhaps recognizes that person in the video as the alleged robber. wow. "duck dynasty's" phil robertson will be back at work when the show resumes rating -- or shooting rather in the spring. the a & e network lifted its suspension of the reality show star for comments he made about homosexuality and race. bruce fretz with "tv guide" magazine. just when people thought they were done talking about "duck dynasty" there's yet another chapter here. a & e says, okay, suspension over, we're going to start shooting again. who's the real winner here? phil robertson, "duck dynasty" as a whole, the network? >> i'm not sure there are any winners here.

a & e didn't acquit itself very well. they tried to play it cute and issued this suspension for the show. they had quit shooting for the season. they got a big backlash against them and they caved and said you can come back on this show. this indefinite suspension lasted nine days. they'll do public service announcement los they haven't said whether the robertson family will participate in the public service announcements. there was a lot to lose for a & e and the robertsons. they managed to make it a quiet settlement buried on a friday of a holiday weekend and hopes the franchise keeps generating money for them. >> we know it was a hit show, millions of people were watching. but this seemed to have put it, i guess, heightened its awareness among the viewing audience out there. it probably has more viewers now once that season were to resume, than it did by virtue of the publicity, do you thing?

>> it could. the show was already growing by leaps and bounds, 1.8 million viewers and now 11.8 million viewers. people will be curious to watch the show. the show will still be a huge hit, still make a lot of money for a & e and the robertsons. in the end they'll all be happy. >> there have been lots of controversies this year on television. 2013. "duck dynasty" got right in there at the end of the year. but there are other things much more prominent in your view. and among them, there goes that miley cyrus again. >> yes, she's arguably the top tv moment of the year or maybe the bottom tv moment of the year depending on how you look at it. people are still talking about her appearance on the vmas. got a huge amount of publicity for herself. went on and made fun of herself live on "saturday night live."

the moment burned in all our consciousness. >> how did this come about? is this brilliant marketing, brilliant strategizing on her part? i mean, in a recent interview she said she got exactly what she wanted. everyone is talking about her. but at the same time it really could have gone the other way. these were not i guess the proudest moments for a celebrity. but turns the out for her maybe it is. >> she's following a well-worn playbook, britney spears did this, how you go from being a child star to an adult star and the answer is sex and sex always sells. it's worked for miley, redefined her. kept her in front of mind where other teen idols selena gomez are fading away a little bit. and she appears more in control of her career even than say justin bieber who seems to be all over the place right now. she's winning new fans as well as turning people off.

>> another big hit on television was the show "breaking bad". folks on the edge of their seat about the season finale. some liked it, some didn't. what was controversial about this in your view? >> what was amazing about it was how the show grew so quickly. it really was a benefit of binge viewing, people catching up online. a show that only had a couple million viewers to start closed out with 10 million viewers and the finale was critically acclaimed. certainly a lot of people who watched the show felt like they did a good job wrapping it up as opposed to "seinfeld" and "sopranos" that left a bad taste in people's mouths. it was probably the artistic high point of the year. it got publicity and made money for amc. goes down in history as one of the greatest tv shows of all time. >> wow, lots of highs and lows in 2013. something tells me that's just the prelude of what's to come in

2014. bruce fretts, thanks so much, of "tv guide" magazine. thanks for your time. and this may be one that washington will be glad to leave behind. which political stories made the top ten list? find out next in the newsroom. and this will be your premium right here. sorry to interrupt, i just want to say, i combined home and auto with state farm, saved 760 bucks. love this guy.

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and this just in to cnn, the

newsroom, u.s. secretary of state john kerry will travel to the middle east next week for peace talk. we're just getting that word from a senior state department official. kerry has been working with palestinian and israeli officials on a peace accord. meantime, speaking of secretary kerry, it's not every day you see him fist bumping with a rap artist. maybe that's why an instagram video of snoop dogg chatting with john kerry is getting so much attention. it appears to have been shot on the day of the kennedy center honors ceremony where snoop performed a tribute to jazz legend herbie hancock. kerry and snoop appear to be talking about hancock's influence on music and one of the other honorees at the kennedy center honors was shirley maclaine. we'll have an interview in fact with her tomorrow right here in the cnn newsroom. fist bumps aside, take a

dysfunctional congress, throw in a derailed presidential agenda and add the never-ending battle over obama care and what do you have? the year in politics, of course. chief political analyst candy crowley has this recap. >> reporter: it was the year of living angrily. >> sit down and shut up. >> stand up for your country or do you want to take it down? >> reporter: this place is a mess. >> i resoundingly reject that aelgts. >> reporter: white hot rhetoric, icy cold relationships. that said, 2013 started as inaugural years often do. >> so help me god. >> reporter: nicely enough. >> my fellow americans, we are made for this moment and we will seed it. >> reporter: he was a popular president with an ambitious agenda, revamping the tax code, reforming schools, better job training, a new energy policy and renewed 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 aprival rates 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 young and invincible. after five years in this office, people don't call me that any more. >> reporter: another year like this and they will call him lame duck. paul, cruz and rubio, 2016 rising. this son of immigrants pushed his reluctant party toward immigration reform. >> i wasn't going to leave it to democrats alone to figure out how to fix it. >> reporter: libertarian at heart, he tried to get clear on the administration's use of drones. >> i will speak until i can no longer speak. >> reporter: and a one-off politician from the lone star state. >> keep up the good night. >> thank you very much. >> reporter: ted cruz staged an overnight faux filibuster to

make the case against obama care filling time with a bedtime story for his kids. >> i do not like green egg and ham, i do not like them, sam i am. >> reporter: welco-- >> welcome to new jersey. >> reporter: in a moment all his own, 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 this in trenton, new jersey, maybe the folks at washington, d.c., should tune in their tvs right now and see how it's done. >> reporter: also in a league all her own, the former first lady, former senator, former 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 because of guys out for a walk one night who decided they'd go kill some americans? what difference at this point does it make? >> reporter: hillary clinton's

benghazi moments, if she runs for president, expect republicans to make it a tv ad moment. >> i now declare you spouses for life. >> reporter: number 5 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 morning, the first major rules change in 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. >> reporter: 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 3. >> further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. >> reporter: the moments that didn't happen. work left undone. mega problems unaddressed, gridlock. it's not just about traffic any more. >> the senate stands adjourned.

>> reporter: the first government shutdown in 17 years and people read that voters largely blame 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 the government down. you and that attitude are a luxury this country cannot afford. >> reporter: by year's end, republicans had a counterpoint. 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 -- >> reporter: 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 obama care policies. >> reporter: as it happens the final moments of 2013 are the tee up for the politics of 2014. shutdown versus meltdown. let the midterm elections begin. oh, and happy new year. candy crowley, cnn, washington.

and cnn's top ten of 2013, we're counting them all down with don lemon tomorrow night, 6:30 eastern time. your money with christine romans coming up at the top of the hour. christine has a look at what's ahead. >> hi there, how's this for spending your saturday smart? chief international correspondent christiane amanpour and chief political correspondent candy crowley sit down with me for a year-end brunch. and we want you to join us. that's coming up at 2:00 p.m. eastern on an all-new "your money." >> be sure to stay with us for "your money" at 2:00 eastern time. going grocery shopping in the new year might hit your wallet a bit harder. prices on many items you buy are going up. we'll tell you what will cost more in 2014. [ male announcer ] this store knows how to handle a saturday crowd. ♪ [ male announcer ] the parking lot helps by letting us know who's coming. the carts keep everyone on the right track.

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christmas came two days in a row this year for some delta customers. a computer glitch resulted in steeply discounted tickets being sold online thursday. customers snapped up super cheap tickets for several hours. this is how cheap we're talking. boston to honolulu, $68.

tallahassee to l.a., $27. new york to seattle, 25 bucks. new york to l.a., 40 bucks. oh, no fair. delta says it will honor the incorrectly priced ticket purchases! lucky. all right, it's time to start making a new budget for 2014, and some of your basic expenses, like groceries and gas are going to be changing this year. here to tell us what's going to cost you more in the new year is consumer spending analyst hitha probakar. good to see you. so, we're going to be hit with higher prices in lots of different areas. before we get to the specifics, why is this happening? >> fredricka, it's basically just a perfect storm of a combination of an aftermath of the drought we saw back in 2012 and 2013. if you remember, we had that huge drought in the summertime. now we are seeing the ripple effects of that. also, just general inflation,

and also, there's a farm bill that's supposed to be passing that is still on the fence. no one knows if it's going to pass or not. that's a subsidy that's going to basically subsidize dairy farmers and wheat farmers. i think people are anticipating that that's not going to be passed, and therefore, we're anticipating these prices to go up. >> oh, boy. so, let's talk about those groceries, then. we're talking about milk, eggs, those basics, especially because of that farm bill, they're going to be going up. what are some of the items -- what are some of the other items that you have in mind? >> exactly. well, because of the farm bill, we might see a gallon of milk go up to as high as $7 a gallon. >> what? >> yes. >> oh, boy, we're in trouble. >> we're also going to see beef prices go up. beef hit its highest point in terms of pricing this summer. and again, it was because of a lot of demand, a short supply because of that drought. there wasn't a lot of grain to feed the cattle, herds started depleting, and a lot of international demand. so, these prices are going to go up as well. we're also going to see a higher

price on wild fish. i tend to go for the wild salmon. expect to see that go up to around $8 to $10 a pound. >> whoa. >> also, another thing, it's not really in my wheelhouse, but chocolate. the price of chocolate is going to go up 28%. so, expect to pay, get this, almost $8 for 2 ounces of chocolate. >> oh, my goodness. that's incredible. so, we're all going to have to dig a lot deeper. and that all pertains to how much we drive our cars and how far we're going, because we'll see hikes at the gas pump as well? >> exactly. right now, the price of gasoline is actually a bit lower, but because of volatility, we're still at a pretty -- you know, a lot of the consumers are pretty uneasy about the economy and we still don't know what's happening overseas. there's still a lot of unrest in the middle east, especially in syria. if that continues, we might see gas prices in tandem rise as well. >> what are some of the other areas that we're going to expect

to, you know, pay more? >> right, well, i don't know if you've heard this, but come january 29th, the postal service -- excuse me, january 26th, the postal service is going to increase the price on forever stamps 3 to 4 cents per stamp. so, i'm advising everyone to get those forever stamps now. also, home prices, which isn't a bad thing necessarily, fredricka, but if you are out there in the market to buy a home, the prices on homes are going up because of, again, a shorter supply of homes out there that's going to drive up demand as well as prices. >> all right, hitha prabhakar, thanks so much. >> thanks so much. >> and i still say happy new year. >> happy new year to you, too. >> all right, thank you. coming up next, the business of being britney. the eye-popping amount the pop star is making, particularly for her vegas residency. [ male announcer ] here's a question for you:

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eye-popping, energy-packed, artful. these are just some of the reviews from last night's opening of britney spears's las vegas spectacle. the pop superstar is raking in big bucks for her two-year residency at planet hollywood. our chief business correspondent, christine romans, has more on the big business of being britney.

♪ >> reporter: britney spears is back to work. with a brand new album, "britney jean," and she's headed to vegas, not to get married this time, but to make money, a two-year planet hollywood residency, earning a reported $15 million a year, or $300,000 a show, more money for a woman who topped forbes' list of highest earning musicians last year, bringing in $58 million. she's come a long way from mouseketeer, then teen pop icon -- ♪ hit me, baby, one more time >> reporter: her first single became one of the best-selling singles ever. ♪ give me a sign >> reporter: and her first album, the best-selling debut in history, 30 million copies worldwide. ♪ oops, i did it again ♪ >> reporter: her second album sold 25 million copies, and britney was all grown up.

two more albums -- ♪ -- and a big-screen debut. that film, "crossroads," brought in more than $60 million worldwide. with success came personal struggles and a professional pause playing out in front of flashbul flashbulbs. her dad taking control of her fanses. he still controls the money today. but fans wanted more. spears gave it to them with her comeback album, "blackout." ♪ you want a piece of me >> reporter: the follow-up, "circus" with her first number one single since her "baby one more time" days. ♪ womanizer >> reporter: the circus tour earned more than $130 million worldwide. in 2011, "femme fatale" was her sixth album to reach number one. ♪ would you hold it against me >> reporter: as a judge on "the x factor" last season -- >> i want to know who let you on stage. >> reporter: -- she earned $15 million for those opinions.

and with fame came endorsements. ♪ a perfume empire with elizabeth arden, deals over the years with hasbro, toyota and pepsi. all why at just 32 she's worth more than $200 million. the business of being britney spears is -- ♪ crazy >> reporter: christine romans, cnn, new york. >> wow, that is some big business. that's good business for her. all right, coming up, you've got your gifts, right? well, some of them just might have to be returned, so you might as well shop a little if you're going to the store. who has the best deals and when should you buy, coming up. plus, here's one thing democrats and republicans can probably agree on, this congress may have been the worst ever! could those feelings spark bipartisanship in washington? we'll have a debate. and kerry washington's show has nothing on these stories. we'll count down the top ten

scandals of 2013. we'll be right back with all this great stuff and more, 2:30 eastern. i'm fred reek yahoo! whitfieric. see you then. "your money" right now. 2013 is the year the economy recovered, for some. i'm christine romans. this is "your money." the economy on track to create 2.3 million new jobs this year, the best since 2005. home prices are rising, the stock market is hitting new highs, industrial output is back to prerecession levels, and the government has sold its last shares of general motors. there are even signs of bipartisanship in washington. so, why aren't americans feeling optimistic? carly fiorina is the former ceo of hewlett-packard and today chairs good 360, a charitable organization. she ran for senate and advised john mccain during his 2008 presidential run. danny minton-betos is with "the