know, when the first lady or president signed it m.o. for the first lady or b.o. for the president, that means they personally sent the tweet out. that's it for me. i'll be back at 5:00 eastern on "the situation room." the "newsroom" continues right now with brooke baldwin. jim acosta, thank you so much. great to be with you on the last monday of this year. and we begin with some of the biggest stories in a flash. we call it rapid fire. roll it. here's what's happening right now, waiting for a helicopter rescue in icy antarctica. ice breakers have been trying to reach the 74 people trapped on a research ship. earlier today, an australian ship had to turn back and abandon its effort, much more on the ongoing rescue effort in a couple minutes. also today, football fans, referred to as black monday. six, count them, six nfl coaches have been fired today, and folks, check the clock with me. it's just 2:00 eastern time.

how many more could fall and who could be next? we're talking with our very own rachel nichols about that coming up. also today, the future of dre drones in america getting clearer. the government today announcing six sites across the country where drones will be tested. texas a&m and virginia tech. we're told two dozen states came up with proposals fr studying how to fit drones into our american air space. and just in, new information about the shooting at arapahoe high school in colorado from last month. the sheriff has said that today 18-year-old coral pierson opened fire on his classmates after entering through a door that should have been locked. pierson, shots rang out inside the school on december 13th, killing 17-year-old claire davis. fred plightcon joins me now with more on this from new york. you listen to the news conference, fred. what more did you hear from police about what happened that day? >> what was interesting, brooke,

because it appears there were those security lapses you were talking about. >> but the sheriff reiterated that pierson apparently planned this for a long time. for instance, he had been acquiring ammunition until the very day that all of this was going on, that he tried to hide this from the public, but the main thing was, yes, there appeared to be a security lapse. he did manage to get in through a door that should have been locked. let's listen in to what the sheriff had to say. >> we know that the doorway on the north side, that the murderer entered, is supposed to be locked. unfortunately, it rarely is because it is more convenient for people to come and go from that area and not have to be obstructed by a locked door. >> so it was people who were basically looking for an easier way to get in and out of the building every day, and therefore, that door that should have been locked was not locked on that day. one of the other things the sheriff said was that pierson managed to get in unobstructed

was the word he used. the other thing that was striking about all this was the way he apparently tried to mask what he was about to do. one of the things the sheriff also said is he basically went about his daily routine, even going to the length of going bowling by himself about an hour before he entered the school, committing those heinous ablths. the shooting in total only took about 1:20 until everything was over, but of course, by that point, he had done a lot of damage. >> awful all the way around. fred, thank you so much. now to the most high-profile symbol of world unity. now under this new veil of terrorism. i'm talking about the olympic games in sochi, russia. keep in mind this is five and a half weeks away and today, a second bombing in two days has hit this country. a suspected suicide bomber blew up this, the aftermath of the trolley bus, killing 14 people.

among the 28 hurt, a 6-month-old baby. just a day ago, a blast at a major train station left 17 dead and 35 wounded. and russian officials believe a woman set this bomb off. >> according to available information, the explosion was carried out by the female suicide bomber who saw a police officer next to her on the way to the metal detectors. she became nervous and activated the explosive device. preliminarily, the exploeshz was equivalent to ten milligrams of tnt. >> the bombings both hit volgograd, more than 600 miles from sochi. you can see here on the map, the distance roughly between, say, kansas city and denver. but now doubt, these attacks have stirred up fears of an event we haven't seen in 17 years, a bombing at the olympics. >> bothering her all the time. >> and nobody is bothering you, right? >> well -- >> frightening. in atlanta, '96, we all remember

that. no one has claimed responsibility for the bombings, though, in russia, but a prime suspect is a man who is the leader of a chechen separatist group and he threatened violence to disrupt the olympic games. let's go to the man who led the security operation back in 1996 for those atlanta olympic games. william rathburn. he joins me now. nice to have you on. let's just begin with, let's say you were the head of security. your role as an atlanta, but you're in charge of sochi. given these two recent bombings, what is your move number one to protect everyone? >> hi, brooke. well, obviously, security will be ramped up greatly, although i suspect that everything that can be done within sochi is already being done. what these bombings indicate is that the security program has to expand much beyond the city of sochi itself, and certainly much beyond the olympic sites.

>> william, how do you determine a security perimeter? because you know, we've all been to major events where let's say it's a mile out and you're going through, you know, checks and you're being screened. we know what happened in the heart of the olympic games in '96 with the bombing at the park there. i have to imagine it's difficult to screen everyone, let's say, in a major public park. how do you pull that off in a major city? >> well, the thing that frightens me is that bombing at the train station clearly, you do not have to get through a security checkpoint to have the kind of impact that i believe those terrorists are seeking to have. so if -- i'm sure they'll screen everybody through metal detectors through villages and venues at any olympic site, but that -- they could detonate a device outside, in the cue for their metal detector or in the olympic city and have an impact

because of the media and the focus on sochi at that time. >> let me understand how security works in a foreign country. let's use '96 and the games you were in charge of. whose responsibility was it to be in charge of security, i imagine a host country, but then are there other countries who bring additional layers of security for their own athletes? >> absolutely. all of the -- a lot of countries certainly including the high-risk delegations and you can probably guess who most of them are, do bring additional security. they're limited in their role during the games because of all the security measures that the host country has in place. >> mm-hmm. go ahead. >> the thing that scares me about sochi and what is happening in the bombings leading up to the games is that they're indiscriminate attacks. it's not that they're trying to attack somebody because they represent a specific country or to target a specific individual,

but rather, they're just trying to attack russian targets so that they can have as much impact on the russian government, put as much pressure on the russian government as possible. those kind of attacks are very, very difficult to prevent. >> whoever is in the line of fire, whoever the casualties are, wrong place, wrong time. william rathburn, thank you. we'll be watching in the four, five and a half weeks leading up to sochi, the security situation on the ground. thank you for joining me. right now, the pressure could not be more intense, the stakes couldn't be higher for one california family because in six hours, against their wishes, the children's hospital in oakland can remove the vent larlt keeping jahi mcmahon breathi breathing. as the hour draws near, the prayers get more intense, more urgent that somehow perhaps a miracle will happen. >> comfort the hearts of the family right now, god. >> these people were hoping jahi could be moved to another hospital, another facility. her mother has raised more than

$20,000 through this website to help her pay for this. but thus far, no one will take the teenager. her family's tragedy began on december 9th, the day she went in for a tonsillectomy and sinus tissue removal. she ended up haves a heart attack and is now brain dead. several independent doctors have determined she is deceased. however, a judge allowed the family to keep jahi on life support until 8:00 eastern time tonight. and her mother, her mother says jahi still has a shot at recovery. >> i would probably need for my child's heart to stop to show me that she was dead. her heart is still beating. so there's still life there. >> imagine a mother in the situation. dan simon is live for us outside the hospital in oakland. what are the chances, dan, the hospital grants jahi's family more time? >> it doesn't seem like that's going to happen, brooke.

this is just such a heartbreaking case for everyone involved. but barring some kind of last-minute appeal, the hospital can remove the ventilator that's been supporting jahi's buddy over the past several weeks. they can do that at fib:00 today. as we have been reporting, she has been declared brain dead by many experts. this is an irreversible condition. there's ealey nothing that could be done. one can sympathize with the family. they have been trying to transfer her to a nursing facility, but so far, the efforts have been unsuccessful. this is what the hospital spokesman had to say a short time ago. >> there were three facilities the mcmath family put forward as possibilities. two were in the state of california. one was in new york. we have no information from any of them that they would accept the body of the deceased person on a ventilator. >> so at this point, it appears

there will not be any kind of transfer. at this point, we're left with a local judge's ruling that says the ventilator can be removed at 5:00 local time. >> what about jahi, though, as we talk about how she went in for the seemingly routine procedure? i understand that the california department of health is now investigating what happened, correct? >> those are really the remaining questions here. what happened? what caused this seemingly routine procedure to go so wrong? of course, there's going to be a lot of investigations happening at this point. unfortunately, however, she is in this irreversible state, and according to all the medical experts, nothing can be done, brooke. >> dan simon for us in oakland. thank you very much. coming up, take a look at this picture. we're going to put something on the screen for you. take a good look inside the wave. you see this long thing? could it be a shark? i'll talk live with someone from shark week about the image that has everyone buzzing online. plus, a big rise in the number of states reporting bad

flu numbers. find out where it's hitting the hardest, and he could be the most unpredictable guest in the history of leaive tv. guess who i get to talk to this hour? richard simmons. we'll talk about a lot of things including this video, and we'll ask for his advice on health come 2014. does he have a resolution? we'll ask. don't miss that. i'm only in my 60's. i've got a nice long life ahead. big plans. so when i found out medicare doesn't pay all my medical expenses,

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might be best for you. there's a wide range to choose from. we love to travel -- and there's so much more to see. so we found a plan that can travel with us. anywhere in the country. [ male announcer ] join the millions of people who have already enrolled in the only medicare supplement insurance plans endorsed by aarp, an organization serving the needs of people 50 and over for generations. remember, all medicare supplement insurance plans help cover what medicare doesn't pay. and could save you in out-of-pocket medical costs. call now to request your free decision guide. and learn more about the kinds of plans that will be here for you now -- and down the road. i have a lifetime of experience. so i know how important that is.

dozens of scientists and tourists tranded on a ship, stuck. easy for me to say, stuck in the ant arct kk crossing their fingers and looking to the sky. hoping for a break in the weather and hoping for a helicopter rescue. 74 people on this expedition studying climate change. they have been trapped in sea ice, in sea ice, think about that, since december 23rd. three attempts to reach the russian ship using ice breakers have failed. bad weather forced an australian ice breaker to turn back today. one of these rescue ships was a chinese ice breaker called "snow dragon." australia maritime authority said the crew had offered to use its helicopter to evacuate 54 passengers and four crew

members. >> we wouldn't be able to fly a helicopter in these sort of conditions. it's just a way to see it's a very complex operation. especially given the conditions in the antarctic. they can change quickly. >> the lead professor on the russian ship says the crew has about ten days of food left and everyone continues so far to be in good spirits. let's get to this southern california family and this incredible photograph they took during this trip to the beach, only to fine out, look at this with me, because they may have some sharp-toothed company. you see this? june emerson said she snapped this picture of her son and his friend in the waves near manhattan beach. look closer and you see on the right side of the screen, it appears to be a pretty sizable shark that is mere feet away from the kids. yikes. june emerson said she didn't notice the object in the water until the drive home. she told her kids, hey, it's a dolphin. no big deal. but what exactly is that lurking just beneath the waves here?

let's talk to discovery charnel shark week expect jeff kerr. pleasure to have you on, sir. welcome. >> thanks, brooke. thanks for having me. >> i looked at the picture for a really long time. maybe i'm jaded and cynical, but it has photo shop written all over it. you're the expert. what do you see? >> a pretty good photo shop job if it is, but i would say that's a juvenile great white shark about 10 to 12 feet long, which is not a big surprise because manhattan has all of a sudden become the epicenter for white sharks, juvenile white sharks in southern california. >> coming in -- it seems it's pretty close. i don't exactly know where the shoreline is, but it looks shallow compared to where the kids are playing in the water. is it typical to be that close? >> it is typical. i have seen looking down, where white sharks are in among the bay, the surfers all the the

time. most of the time, people don't realize it, but now with people with gopros and everybody with a paddle board, they're getting a lot more footage of the animals in with the bathers. >> so, my shark friend, what does one do if you're paddling out to catch a wave and you see some sort of shark like this? do you -- i would be paddling the other way. >> no reason to panic, really, because the sharks, for one thing, they're there for fish. they're -- it's a puffing ground in southern california. the big female white sharks are giving birth off shore. the pups come in close to shore. they're there to feed on stingrays and other fish and small sharks. they're not after people. if they were, there would be a lot of attacks because the sharks are in and among people are the time. you realize there's hardly any attacks. >> before i let you kngo, what e the chances, jeff, this could be a dolphin? >> i would say based on the shape of the dorsal fin which is more straight, that shows me it's a great whies shark.

plus, the fact that that particular beach has become an epicenter for white shark activity, i would say it's definitely a white shark. >> you heard it here. jeff, thank yous very much. thanks for joining me. manhattan beach shark sharks. coming up, a young doctor from michigan dish appears without a trace. now investigators are looking at videos on youtube that could provide more insight into what happened to her. crucial clues. that story later. coming up next, did you hear about this pregnant nurse? she was fired from her job because she refused to get a flu shot. you'll hear her compelling reason and whether she has a case. back after this.

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that's a good thing, but it doesn't cover everything. only about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. so consider an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement insurance plans, they could save you in out-of-pocket medical costs. call today to request a free decision guide. with these types of plans, you'll be able to visit any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients... plus, there are no networks, and virtually no referrals needed.

join the millions who have already enrolled in the only medicare supplement insurance plans endorsed by aarp... and provided by unitedhealthcare insurance company, which has over 30 years of experience behind it. with all the good years ahead, look for the experience and commitment to go the distance with you. call now to request your free decision guide. let's talk about the flu. the centers for disease control say the number of states reporting widespread flu activity have jumped from four to ten in just the last week. even though the numbers are growing, though, officials describe this as a quote/unquote typical flu season compared to last year which was relatively severe. a pennsylvania nurse who says she's pregnant, she says she lost her job because she

refused to get a flu shot. dreanna breiten said she has had three miscarriages and so the 29-year-old didn't want the vaccine out of fear something might happen to her unborn child. she says her employer, lancaster's health care horizons, would not budge. the company talked to our tv affilulate, wpbi, and said her decision is unconscionable for a health care worker, but she stands by her choice. >> there are risks of getting the flu during pregnancy, i know that. as well, i did my research on that as well, but the unknowns of the flu vaccine were mote risky for me. it was more overwhelming for me to put my body through that and potentially harm my child than the risks of the flu. so that's a decision we made as a family and felt very comfortable with. >> she also said she offered to wear a face mask so she could continue working as a nurse. a practice that is used when employees are exempted for

religious standards, but that was a no go. is that a double standard? joining me, danny cevallos. this woman says she had her primary care physician, she had her ob/gyn sign on, saying this should be fine. but obviously, that didn't work. she was fired. talk to me about the grounds. did this employer have the grounds to fire her? >> yeah, employment is in elementary school. you can't just bring a note from your doctor and expect it to solve all your problems. it doesn't. americans have a hard time following this general rule, which means you can be hired or fired for almost any reason. right, wrong, unfair, unkind. and there are only exceptions for, as you discussed a minute ago, things like your religion. this illustrates it well in this case. for people who have religious objections to the flu shot, they're often given the option

of wearing a mask. it's not because of religion. it's just her preference. >> is it fair? or is fair out the window? >> fair and the law are not the same because fair is a subjective analysis. does it sound sad? yes, it sounds sad, but on the other hand, you heard the employer's position. it's unconscionable in their view for health care workers not to get the flu shot because there's a real risk to other patients. so does it make us feel good that this person loses their job? of course not. but you go back to the at-will default rule in the united states employment law, and they can hire and fire her for that reason. >> okay. >> and they're not violating any religious objection and not violating any disability laws. >> let me add this because we were curious, we looked at the cdc, and the cdc specifically says all health care professionals get vaccinated annually. it's not a law. they say it's okay, getting a flu shot while pregnant is the

best protection for pregnant wim in and their babies. as far as any potential, if this woman, and she hasn't done it yet, but if she decides to sue, i'm hearing she doesn't have a case, yes? >> probably not. it marks the difference between -- it doesn't feel fair that she loses her job, but she hasn't been discriminated -- she may have been discriminated against, but 99.9% of all discrimination is very legal. just as she could have left her job at any point for any reason, so too can her employer hire, fire, discipline, let her go, for any reason, even a reason that to us doesn't feel fair. >> okay. danny cevallos, thank you, and happy new year. i'll talk to you next year. >> happy new year. >> coming up, the next time you go to the vending machine, you'll get a little surprise. richard simmons will be at the vending machine. he'll be coming up live to talk about what's happening with vending machines and calorie

counts. plus, the new twist in a case of a missing doctor. video surfaces showing her talking to a mystery love. someone she calls baby. you will see that coming up next. stay right here with me. you're watching cnn.

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welcome back. bottom of the hour. i'm brooke baldwin. a young doctor in michigan has been missing for almost a month. she's 30-year-old talika patrick. she didn't show up for work december 6th in kalamazoo, michigan. the night before, her car was found abandoned in indiana. now there's new videos uploaded to youtube, providing crucial clues in a case that thus far has stumped investigators. ♪ you walked into my life >> investigators are examining new youtube videos of talika serenading an unidentified love interest in the search for clues for her disappearance. >> hi, baby. goodight. >> in the video she apparently ot herself, she refers to e asomeon love and baby. >> hi, love.

>> investigators wonder if this person may have information on what happened december 5th, the night talika vanished. >> the search has been intensified, but to date, no leads. >> surveillance footage from that night shows her trying to check in at the radisson hotel. authorities say this is the place where she was last seen boarding the hotel's shutting bus that took her to her car parked at the medical center where she worked in kalamazoo. the 30-year-old had just graduated from medical school and was only months into her residency at the hospital. just hours after she was captured on this surveillance camera, authorities found her car abandoned with a flat tire off interstate 95 in porter, indiana, about 100 miles from where she worked. inside, a credit card, cash, and her driver's license. her bizarre disappearance has investigators in two states stumped after searches have turned up nothing. the videos are raising more

question than answers. >> we're desperate to hear something. >> alexandra field joins me now. when you hear the desperation from the mother, what kind of help are they getting in finding their daughter? >> they're asking everyone to help them out. they tell us talika had bought plane tickets to visit them in the holidays. they have no reason to believe she took off voluntarily. and they're offering a $15,000 reward for someone who can give information leading to her discovery. >> what about the possibility of foul play? >> police say they were able to hit on a human scent coming from the car and followed it to a roadway about 30 feet from the car. at that point, dogs lost the scent and they have no evidence to spoerbt theories of foul play, but they have no evidence th she could have left voluntarily. stimping investigators. >> thank you very much.

a nativity scene outside a southern california church is raising some eyebrows instead of baby jesus, it features a bloodibloody ed sculpture of trayvon martin. >> that's the horror in gun violence that none of us want to look at it. >> it's a nativity scene unlike any other. ? stead of the baby jesus, the focus of this scene is a hooded figure dripping in blood. the artist, john zachary, says it's meant to detikt trayvon martin, the unarmed florida teen who was shot and killed. zachary wants people to think about the human cost of gun violence. >> i saw a picture on the internet of trayvon martin laying there, right after he had been shot. uncovered. just heartbroking. i thought, god, this is terrible. nobody should see that. then i started thinking about it, and i thought, everybody should see it. >> he said there's a reason he used the nativity scene.

>> i wrote a piece about it connecting it to the murder of the innocence in the time of jesus's birth when king harry proclaimed all children under the age of 2 should be killed to try to kill jesus unsuccessfully. >> it sits in front of the clairemont united methodist church, a congrugashz known for its tradition of putting up thought-p thought-p thought-provoking nativity scenes. >> a desert war scene, a single mother with a child in prison. >> the response has been mixed. on the church's facebook page, one called it godless. another said the scene was horrible. but officials say response from the local community has been largely positive. >> i believe it's drawing attention to violence and it's pretty non-christian world. >> it's meant to be thought provoking. it's not meant to be a substitution for the nativity. >> zachary says he understands

why some may be upset by the images he's created. but he believes this touches on the real meaning of christ's birth. >> in order to celebrate his teachi teachings, that we need to continue it, which is, i think, what this is kind of doing. tom waite, our affiliate in los angeles with that one today. coming up in the not to say distant future, you could see the number of calories of your favorite snack foods that we know we should not be eating that we do anyway, sometimes, at a vending machine near you. would that make you think twice before grabbing that soda? we have the numbers coming up next. after you've had one too many visits to the vending machine, are you planning to finally get fit in 2014? well, i have just the guy for you. richard simmons. what is this? oh, boy. we're dancing aurlgd and we haven't even begun the segment. i'm loving it. don't move. dry, itchy winter skin?

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[old english accent] i doth decl it took a lot of juggling to keep it all together.k. for some low-income families, having broadband internet is a faraway dream. so we created internet essentials, america's largest low-cost internet adoption program. having the internet at home means she has to go no further than the kitchen table to do her homework. now, more than one million americans have been connected at home. it makes it so much better to do homework, when you're at home. welcome to what's next. comcastnbcuniversal. machine near you, calorie counts for the snacks inside. this is part of obamacare and the push to get all of us eating healthier. i have been in new orleans the past couple of days and i know i will be paying extra attention as the restaurant there were too good to pass up. the companies who own the machines are not thrilled about this. christine romans explains why.

>> brooke, snack time will soon be calorie counting time after new fda regulations go into effect early next year as part of obamacare. the new rules allow more information for you. more than 10,000 vending machine companies nationwide who operate 20 or more machines will have to displace this, the calorie counts. similar to what you see in menus in restaurant. it wul be on vending machines now. customers will see the calories next to their snack choice. typical options include lays potato chips. 240 calories. skittles, 250. snickers 250. you'll see it right there. the fda hopes this will help consumers go for alternatives. bakes lays, 210 calories. fig newtons, 190 calories, but they have fruit. honey roasted peanuts, 160 calories, but they're high in prote protein. the program is expensive. they estimate $25.8 million initially, $24 million a year after that. complying with the law will be

expensive for small companies with few employees and already low profit margins, but they also estimate if just 0.2% of adults ate 100 fewer calories a week, it would save $24 million a year in health care costs. the question is, by seeing the numbers, will it chav your behavior? >> thank you. fewer people have tried to change our behavior more than one man, and that man is richard simmons. he has spent his life trying to make your healthier. listen, look at the calendar. there isn't a better time to do that than this week. millions of us are making resolutions for the new year. richard simmons joins me in los angeles. you're my birthday twin, right, july 12th. >> you're actually my daughter. >> that's the news we're breaking here in the segment. >> let's talk about the $25 million government -- >> hang on, richard simmons.

hang on, let me ask you about the calorie count on ventding machines and then lots of other things, but do you think -- >> you just said -- >> do you think people will not reach for them? >> i think they take the 25 million people and give it to people out of work. i think we have a very smart consumer. they know what they're eating. it's really all about self-worth and not about looking at the labels on the back. give it to the people out of work, and there's a lot of them in the united states. just, you know, people have to watch their portions. my whole philosophy has been love yourself, that's self-worth. watch your portions, and move your body. there's no easy way to do this. when somebody wants a skittle or a snicker or a bag of potato chips, they get it. it's all about self-respect. at 268 pounds, from new orleans, where you are. fried food. >> french quarter. >> they deep fry you when you die. it's all about, i have my studio for 39 years. >> congratulations on almost having 40 years there.

i was sitting in the french quarter with friends last night. we were sitting and talking about resolutions and whether we believed in them, and i'm wondering if you believe in this? oh, we have a prop. stand by for a prop. what is that? >> here is a prop. it's got your name on it. and cnn. >> will you open it? >> what it is is a little card. and you mail it to yourself. and in the card are numbers from 1 to 5. and on those five, you write the new year's resolutions. the dreams about you your self-esteem, and then you mail it to yourself. then when you get it, you show it to no one and you look at the every day. you know, i was never educated in the cardio aerobic world. i began just by saying, hey, let's sweat. and that was 70 videos and dvds ago. many people have come with stupid diets and -- >> the trentds. >> ridiculous exercise routines, and it's all about how many

calories, how many fat grams. you know -- >> but how do you get people -- you know, here's the thing. you go to the gyms in january, and they're packed with people, and slowly, it sloughs off. what's the key to, you talk about and you practice what you preach as far as balance and eating right and being healthy and working out, but how do you make it stick? >> it's consistency. and by looking in the mirror every day and giving yourself some compliments. and by being nonjudgmental and being kind to yourself and others. if we did that, it would be a better world. >> what do you say to yourself in the mirror in the morning? >> um -- i say, try to help more people. because there are more obese children and teenagers, young adults and seniors in the world right now. more than ever in the history of the united states. and when you're out of work, a dollar hamburger looks great. and when you get a divorce or lose a job, you really just

don't want to take good care of yourself, but just remember, you're one of a kind, and god could have made you a butterfly that lasts three months, but he made you a human being. i wish all of your viewers a prosperous and happy and healthy new year's. >> richard simmons, what's the biggest of all the people you have talked to in your lifetime, what's the biggest compliment someone gives you when you reach out to help them? >> that i just simply made them laugh. and that i gave them hope. because with hope, you can cope. >> i want to end on a lighter note. guys, roll it. hairdo. ♪ curly get something cute get something girly ♪ ♪ short long straight or curly >> i have had this hairdo video stuck in my head. i have watched it a few times. tell me what this is about.

>> well, i wrote 29 songs, and this year, i did a music video called hairdo about all the different hair dos of famous women and another music video with steve iokie, the number one dj in the world, and i'm going to the studio to do a third one, a rap song called "the fighter." i love music, i think music is therapy. i wrote the songs and i like to make people happy. richard simmons, you have made all of us happy for showing up for a couple minutes on the program. thank you so much. best wishes to you. happy, healthy 2014. >> coming up, not a good day for nfl coaches as the playoffs are set. many who didn't make it got the boot, fast. you'll hear which ones. plus, a fedex guy didn't go the extra feet to make his delivery. we'll tell you what happened to this package thrower. heard there's a new rinsee anne that talks about protecting, even after eating and drinking. crest pro-health has always done that. and addresses all these other areas as well.

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from the families of aig, happy holidays. explaining my moderate to severe so there i was again, chronic plaque psoriasis to another new stylist. it was a total embarrassment. and not the kind of attention i wanted. so i had a serious talk with my dermatologist about my treatment options. this time, she prescribed humira-adalimumab. humira helps to clear the surface of my skin by actually working inside my body. in clinical trials, most adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis saw 75% skin clearance. and the majority of people were clear or almost clear in just 4 months. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal events, such as infections, lymphoma, or other types of cancer have happened. blood, liver and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure have occurred. before starting humira, your doctor should test you for tb.

ask your doctor if you live in or have been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. tell your doctor if you have had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have symptoms such as fever, fatigue, cough, or sores. you should not start humira if you have any kind of infection. make the most of every moment. ask your dermatologist about humira, today. clearer skin is possible. michael schumacher is fighting for his life. he fell on a ski slope in france. his head hit a rock and suffered serious brain injuries. he's only 44. retired in 2012. he dominated formula one, and owns all of the important records. michael schumacher fighting for his life there. >> it's black monday for the nfl, black monday, regular season is over. the teams with the lousiest records are starting nuto clean house. before i show you which coaches are fired, i want this guy on my

team. la'roi reynolds, jaguars, no helmet. no problem. sprints downfield, flattens that guy. la'roi reynolds. he's a player. but these three fellows, not so much. as of today, they are not even coaches anymore. big name there on the left, mike shanahan. fired by the redskins. and now there are three more among them, leslie frasier of the lions. in all, five coaches fired thus far on black monday. one more earlier this year. rachel nichols joins me now from new york. host of "unguarded." so you have out of d.c., big disappointment in mike shanahan. >> yeah, people say in washington, d.c., if you don't have an idea of how important football is in that part of the country, that the two most important people in town are the president of the united states, and the quarterback of the washington redskins, and not necessarily in that order. that's how seriously people take their football, and it has been hard. it has been gut-crushing, because this is a town that

hadn't had a lot of good news in that department in a long time. and then last season, things finally started to feel like they were turning around. they won seven straight. they won the division. the new young quarterback, robert griffin iii energized the whole city, and then it all came crashing down this season. they lost eight straight to finish out. that's the worst finish in 50 years. back-biting injuries, shifting allegiances. and brooke, i want to give you a taste of just how dysfunctional and paranoid things are around washington right now. this morning, the organization was concerned about all the negative attention, right, that they're getting, so they blocked the media from coming into even the parking lot in this anticipation of mike shanahan getting fired. you had this clog of cars and news vans waiting outside this one-lane road to get in. the problem with this, mike shanahan, who was trying to get in to the facility to get fired, couldn't get in. so they had to clear the cars out to get mike shanahan in to be late to his meeting to get fired. so this is what's going on on

this team right now. it's a problem. >> wow. so throw shanahan in there. you have so far six coaches fired. is that it, rachel? are the rest of them safe by now? >> no, of course not, because this is the nfl. it's a tough business. i'm going to throw up on the screen here. dennis allen from the oakland raiders, still a lot of question marks about him. and also mike munchak from the titans. you won't see a photo of jason garrett. some maybe hoping he would be on the screen but owner jerry jones said he is safe despite his team blowing it again for a third consecutive year. he's safe, he'll be back next year. and on the other coast, john mara, the owner of the new york giant came out a few minutes ago and said tom coughlin is welcome back on the team next season. a lot of jiegiants fans interes in that. a light moment at the end, john mara, the owner who of course inherited the team from his

famous parents, someone asked him, is anyone's job safe in the organization, john, is your job safe. he said, you have to ask my mom. >> mom knows best. i can't believe the shanahan story there. what a photo-op that must have been. rachel nichols, thank you very much, as always. coming up next, incredible pictures of this vol cano erupting. this hasn't happened in 37 years. thousands of peep, as you can imagine, are getting out of the area. this is not the only volcano erupting right now as well. you're watching cnn. humans -- we are beautifully imperfect creatures, living in an imperfect world. that's why liberty mutual insurance has your back, offering exclusive products like optional better car replacement, where, if your car is totaled, we give you the money to buy one a model year newer. call...

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comcastnbcuniversal. thousands of people are evacuating their homes after this volcano has erupted in el salvador. here it is shooting massive ash clouds up into the sky. it started erupting sunday. alexandra steele joins me to talk about this. this hasn't happened for decades. in decades, right? >> absolutely. take a look at this. unbelievable amount. three miles into the air. let me show you, eastern el salvador, so you can see where that is. it's called the chaparestique vol cano. and the problem is where it is and the coffee plantations are getting really soiled by this. they have 23 active vol canoes.

this certainly is the biggest. also, 26 eruptions in the last 500 years. last significant eruption was in 1976. so this is 7,000 foot, three miles into the air, and of course, this coffee crop had already been reduced because of rust, brooke, on the leaves, so this kind of adds insult to injury. that's just one aspect. 3,000 people live within about a mile and a half. believe it or not, no deaths recorded. some people taken to the hospital because of respiratory issues. >> look at the roads and the people covered in stuff. thank you very much. now to this, hopefully all your holiday packages were delivered on time, and hopefully, they were delivered a little more carefully than this. thud. home security cameras catching

this fedex worker as he kind of frisbees the package on the front steps. the woman who opened the package said the box contained doll clothing, but what if it was electronics, what if it was glass. zain asher in new york. we're talking about it because we see the video and hear the think. what is fedexsaying? >> it wouldn't surprise you to hear the worker has since been fired. he does not have a job anymore. fedex said he wasn't playing by the rules. you can hear the think from about 20 feet away. what is worrying is this season u.p.s. and fedex haven't especially won the popularity contest, but the package contained doll clothes. but i don't think it matters what was in the package. i think it's a matter of principle. you don't simply throw something at someone's house like that. this is not the first time this has happened. take a look at another video we

have of a delivery worker in china. basically throwing packages onto a conveyer belt. >> ah, yes. where he's missing the conveyer belt. >> it lands on the ground, so this happens more often than we would like -- >> pay attention, do this gingerly. we mentioned packages being delivered on time. i know fedex and u.p.s. had a rough christmas week. a lot of packages not making it on time at all. what's the fallout there? >> a lot of people voicing their frustration, especially on voelsh media. we reached out to fedex and said what issues remain with holiday deliveries? said, i'm quoting here, any isolated issues have been resolved. also reached out to u.p.s., have newt heard from them. first, you had bad weather, and they didn't really anticipate the level of packages, the amount of packages that would be delivered online this holiday

season, and then you had fewer shipping days, fewer days between thanksgiving and christmas, as well, so they basically overpromised and underdelivered. should never do that, by the way. >> note to self. zain asher, thank you very much. of course. now this. here we go, we continue on, hour two. i'm brooke baldwin. thank you for joining me. we begin with some of the biggest stories, rapid fire. roll it. mysterious videos may hold a clue to finding a missing doctor. ♪ you walked into my life >> the videos uploaded to youtube show talika patrick singing. police want to know who she is talking to. the 30-year-old doctor in residency did not show up to work in a kalamazoo, michigan, hospital on december 6th. police found her car abandoned about 100 miles south. and another video shows patrick at a hotel here in kalamazoo. she spent about ten minutes talking with employees and then

she walks away. police say it's the last time she was seen. >> the future of drones in america getting clearer today. the government today announcing six sites across the country where drones will be tested. they include texas a&m and virginia tech. we're told two dozen states came up with proposals on how to fit drones into american air space. and just two more days until colorado becomes the first state to legalize retail sales of marijuana for recreational use. thus far, only about 14 businesses in the denver area have received licenses to tell pot to anyone over the age of 21. >> 30 percent of the new business is going to be from out otstate, and then we're going to have people like soccer moms coming in who would like to smoke a joint after their kid is in bed, and then a lot of people who don't have an ailment who can get a card who are now able to come in and shop legally if they want to use marijuana. >> did he just say soccer moms?

okay. long lines are expected outside pot stores starting january 1st. the city of denver said it's ready. >> two hikers triggered a major avalanche but walked udway with minor injuries. this avalanche carried them some 800 felt over the rocks and cliff into the ice. they had to reach 200 feet before they could reach rescuers yesterd yesterday. they had bumps and bruises. the worst injury for one of them, a fractured arm. the most high-profile symbol of world unity is under this new veil of terrorism. the olympic games in sochi, russia, in five and a half weeks. today, a second bombing in two days now has hit the city about 600 miles to the southwest. volgograd. a suspected suicide bomber blew up a trolley bus, killing 14 people. among the 28 hurt, a 6-month-old baby. take you back one day, blast at a major train station left 17

dead in the same city of volgograd. another 35 were wounded and russian officials believe a woman set this bomb off. >> according to available information, the explosion was carried out by the female suicide bomber who saw a police officer next to her on the way to the metal detectors. she became nervous and activated the explosive device. preliminarily, the explosion was equivalent to ten milligrams of tnt. >> mike baker joining me now, former cia covert operations officer. nice to have you on, mike. welcome. >> thank you. let's talk about the timing of the bombings. it's a month out before the olympics. do you think we don't know, but could this be maybe meant to be a distraction? possibly warning that something bigger could be lurking? >> well, i think it's probably an indication there's going to be a series of these likely, unless the russian authorities can prevent it. you know, most people are aware of or at least know something of the long-standing and awful brutal conflict that's taking plasz between the russians and

chechens, and soechi, where the olympics will be kicked off, is only about 400 miles northeast of volgograd, which used to be called stalingrad, and the importance of volgograd to sochi is in part that it's a transportation hub. so a large number of people that will be going to the olympics will likely be passing through, you know, volgograd. so yes, i think this is designed by the islamists, by the militants, by the terrorists. however you want to refer to them, to send a warning that more of this is on the way. >> so maybe a series. maybe this is two of several. let me play you some sound. i talked to the man in charge of security for the atlanta games in 1996. this is what he told me, what scares him the most about this. >> that they're indiscriminate attacks. it's not that they're trying to attack someone because they represent a specific country or to target a specific individual, but rather they're just trying

to attack russian targets so that they can have as much impact on the russian gump government, put as much pressure on the russian government as possible. those kind of attacks are very, very difficult to prevent. >> so mike, given what we have seen in volgograd, the possibility of multiple bombings to come, what is the biggest unknown here? >> well, the biggest unknown is whether putin can exert the sort of control that he typically does over this security apparatus. it will be trying to keep the games and all the visitors and athletes safe. this is not like holding the olympics in the u.s. or the uk. putin has this place under his thumb and he will bring to bear all the resources of the russian military and law enforcement, and intelligence. they have already got an extensive array of security processes in place. they'll be layering on even more than that, but you know, at the

end of the day, there's only so much that he can do, even in russia, to provide security, because he still has to allow for the movement of all those visitors, all those sponsors, all those athletes, so that the games can go on. i mean, this is a very serious situation. we have known for some time, because of the proximity to chechnya and dagestan and others that make up that region, that this could be a real problem. >> as you point out, just a couple miles from that border. this is just russia. we were talking, and i know 2016 summer games. that's brazil. you said brazil in terms of security will be a nightmare. you think more so than sochi, and if so, why? >> well, i think it will be. i think that's the sort of the thing that's looming in the distance. we're focused obviously on the winter olympics, but in part, it's because putin, again, has a environment he controls. and we know the brutality, we know the force they have brought upon terrorists and the rebels

insurgents in that part of the world in the pars. if he vows there will be security, you can count on the fact he will do everything possible to insure that's the case. >> not the same with brazil? >> no, no. because in part because of the lack of resources. they don't have the same level of resource capability. it's a much more chaotic environment in a sense. so it will be a different type of concern. and that will be outside forced as opposed to the domestic terrorism primarily that russia is trying to deal with. but if you look at the two, i'm actually more concerned about the security going into the summer olympics in brazil than i am for the winter olympics. >> okay, mike baker, let's hope it stays quiet in sochi the next couple of weeks. >> absolutely. >> thank you very much. nice to have you on. i should point out, no one has claimed responsibility for the latest bombings in russia, but a prime suspect is the

leader of this chechen separatist group. he already has a $5 million bounty on his head. that is what the u.s. state department is offering for information on where he is. back in july, umarov released a video vowing to release, quote, maximum force to disrupt the sochi olympic games. his group has claimed responsibility for three bombings. that was back in '09, 2010, and 2011. all of them at transportation sites. 74 scientists, tourists, crew members, stranded onboard this russian vessel still stuck in a sea of antarctic ice, but help could soon be on the way here. the crew of this chinese icebreaker that tried this daring rescue a few days ago will now use a helicopter to air left some people to safety. the biggest variable as you look at the pictures, the weather. maritime officials say visibility is too low to launch this helicopter. the chinese vessel called the

"snow dragon" initially tried to cut through ice as thick as six feet. used a cyclone to help the expedition's leader. he told new day that the weather is just too dicy for any kind of rescue, at least right now. >> conditions aren't just going to allow for that. you might be -- i'm sitting in a tent on the top deck of this, actually. the weather has deteriorated. yesterday, it was glorious. we had snow this morning. it's above freezing, it's raining outside, the winds are intense. not ideal for helicopter operations, unfortunately. >> they'll try again tomorrow and maybe they can get a better shot of getting through some of the ice. talk about the condition of the ship, the vessel itself. is it doing well? tell us about the conditions, the supplies you have onboard. >> yeah, the vessel is doing remarkably well. if you get a chance, if you can visit the intrepid site's youtube channel, we posted a movie this evening to show people around the ship, we have

about ten days of food. we did a stock take. we have several weeks of delicious dehydrated food afterwards. which doesn't go down too well, but we have plenty of fuel, and yeah, we're just keeping ourselves busy, doing regular briefings morning and evening. i'm just telling the guys everything we know all the time, and just being as transparent as possible. trying to avoid any uncertainty or feeling of things being held back. we're being quite honest with the team. >> the professor says despite the frustration, everyone onboard is trying to remain upbeat. tonight, in a couple hours, a hospital can remove a ventilator keeping this 13-year-old breathing even though she's brain dead. after tonsil surgery. her family is against it. can they do anything in the final hours to stop that? also, an explosive new report revealed the nsa can intercept laptops you order online and install spyware.

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right now, the pressure couldn't be more intense. the stakes couldn't be higher for this one california family, because in less than five hours, against their wishes, the children's hospital in oakland can remove the ventilator keeping their daughter, 13-year-old jahi mcmath, breathing. her mother has so far raised more than $20,000 through this website just to help pay for possibly another medical facility to take care of jahi, but so far, no place will take this young woman. jahi went in for a tonsillectomy and a sinus tissue removal on december 9th. she woke up alert, she was talking, but her family says she began to bleed and went into cardiac arrest. several independent doctors have since determined jahi is dead. however, a judge allowed the family to keep her on life support until 8:00 eastern tonight. they have put a time on this. cnn's dan simon is in oakland for us. as the clock is ticking, dan, what is the word from the

hospital? >> well, it appears that really nothing is going to happen. at least until 5:00 local time today. that's when the hospital essentially has the green light to remove the ventilator that has been supporting jahi mcmath's body during this time. as we have been reporting, she has been declared brain dead, and this is an irreversible condition. and you said this all happened after she went in for what seemed like a routine tonsil surgery. this is what the hospital spokesperson had to say. >> jahi mcmath is unfortunately deceased. no amount of prayer, no amount of hope, no amount of any type of medical procedure will bring her back. our sympathies, our deepest sympathies go to this family and friends and the community, but there's nothing we can do for this young woman now. >> one can certainly sympathize with her family, who has

essentially been praying for a miracle ever since this ordeal happened a few weeks ago. they want to have her moved to a nursing home facility that would keep her indefinitely. they reached out to three separate facilities. two in california, one in new york. apparently, no one is willing to take her, in part because it would require the hospital to perform some surgical procedures, and they have publicly said they're unwilling to do so, on what they describe as a deceased person. >> dan simon, we'll stay in close contact with you. as 5:00 pacific time draws nearer. thank you very much, in oakland for us right now. you hear these words, and i have to say they sound scary. elite computer hackers working for the government. you heard me. turn s out the national securit agency has a standby team of a-list geeks who can sneak behind firewalls and drain data from the world's most secure computer systems. ko according to one official, they get the ungettable.

brian todd joins me from washington to explain. what is this unit, these super government geeks, who are they? >> super hackers working for the government. they're called the tailored access operations or tao unit of the nsa. according to a magazine, this is an elite team of hackers trained by the nsa. very young, most in their 20s or early 30s. now on how it works, they cite internal nsa documents detailing a whole catalog of different techniques they use for remote hacking, according to the magazine. the unit can tap into the error messages many of us get from microsoft. they pop up telling us there's a bug in our computers, they access cookies, the tags that pop up showing our computer's favorite websites. it can send people to dummy facebook or linkedin websites, that look like the real thing, but once we go there, they can read our communications. this unit physically intercepts computers being shipped so they can open up the packages, plant

spyware on them, close them up again, send them along, and it infiltrates offices with plumbers who plant their own plugs with secret transmitters to send data back to the nsa, physically on to a computer. we contacted the nsa to respond to the report. in a statement, the agency said, quote, tailored access operations is a unique national asset that is on the front lineoffs enabling the nsa to defending the nation and their allies. they're centered on network exploitation in support of foreign intelligence collection. their way of saying americans inside the united states are not being targeted by this. >> if they're not being targeted by this, who is? >> one of mexico's top security agencies has been targeted to learn about drug trafficking and security operations, and also government run tell communicated firms and opec, to learn secrets on the oil trade, but of course, they go after terrorists and others, if they find a terrorist

whose computer they want to target, they can profile the computer completely using the techniques i mentioned and find out how the person is using it to gain information. >> brian todd, we'll be looking for you on "the situation room," 5:00 eastern, with a full report on this. brian, thank you very much. >> thanks, brooke. >> are you ready to ring in the new year? i hope you're celebrating indoors. well, i won't be. temperatures in some parts of the corruptry dropping faster than the crystal ball in new york. find out exactly how cold it could be depending on where you're celebrating. if you're heading to vegas to bring in the new year, you may want to check out a new show. ♪ i call the shots >> oh, yeah, move over donny and marie. pen and teller, and wayne newton. britney spears is in town. she has what's called a residency in sin city, pulling in a lot of dough. the business of britney is next.

and it feels like your lifeate revolves around your symptoms, ask your gastroenterologist about humira adalimumab. humira has been proven to work for adults who have tried other medications but still experience the symptoms of moderate to severe crohn's disease. in clinical studies, the majority of patients on humira saw significant symptom relief, and many achieved remission. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal events, such as infections, lymphoma, or other types of cancer, have happened. blood, liver and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure have occurred. before starting humira, your doctor should test you for tb. ask your doctor if you live in or have been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. tell your doctor if you have had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have symptoms such as fever, fatigue, cough, or sores. you should not start humira if you have any kind of infection. ask your gastroenterologist about humira today.

remission is possible. to help secure retirements and protect financial futures. to help communities recover and rebuild. for companies going from garage to global. on the ground, in the air, even into space. we repaid every dollar america lent us. and gave america back a profit. we're here to keep our promises. to help you realize a better tomorrow. from the families of aig, happy holidays.

♪ who knew inbritney spears now a vegas gal. at least for the next two years. the pop queen debuting her new show in sin city, which includes a 100-foot stage. this big massive street and an angel. on opening night, katy perry, miley cyrus were some of the vips in attendance. but they've got nothing on britney when it comes to a big career full of cash. christine romans explains. >> britney spears is back to work. with a brand new album, britney, 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 female mew zishzs last yoo year, bringing in $58 million. she's come a long way from mouseketeer, then teen pop icon. her first single became one of the best selling singles ever. ♪ give me a sign hit me baby >> and her album, the best selling debut in history, 30 million copies worldwide. ♪ i did itgon >> her second album sold 25 million copies. and britney was all grown up. ♪ i'm not a girl >> two morale bms. 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 flash bulbs. her dad taking control of her finances. he still controls the money today. but fans wanted more. spears gave it to them with her comeback album "blackout." the follow-up, circus, with her first number one single since her baby one more time days. the circus tour earned more than $130 million worldwide. in 2011, fem futail was her sixth to reach number one. as a judge on the "x factor" last season -- >> i want to know who let you on stage? >> she learned $15 million for those opinions and with fame came endorsements. a perfume empire with elizabeth arden. deals with candy's has bro, toyota, and pepsi.

all at just 32, she's worth more than $200 million. the business of being britney spears is -- ♪ crazy >> christine romans, cnn, new york. from that to the world of weather, potentially deadly weather moving in from canada. what we're talking about is pure and simple cold. as everyone is ready to celebrate the new year. alexandra steele, where are we talking coldest of cold? >> i have my dancing shoes on from all that britney spears. if you want to see britney spears, vegas is one of the warmest places in the country. >> let's go to vegas. >> wouldn't it be fun. to go to one of those shows, everyone going to vegas, raking in the bucks. camping out for a couple years. temperatures there are above average. one of the very few places. if you're looking for warmth, that's the place to go. why? look at this. the coldest air of the season, arctic cold air, let me move that up.

current windchills, 10 below zero in minneapolis. 18 in duluth. 20 below is what it feels like as you walk out the door. the coldest air of the season in place. temperatures really not going anywhere here in the upper midwest. straight air temperatures, look at duluth, tuesday, feels like will be 8 below. factor in the strong winds and it will feel much colder than that. this cold air is dropping south, dropping east, but moderating it as it goes. cold arctic air in place. coldest air will be on new year's day in boston and new york and washington. in the 20s and 30s. not the arctic cold we're seeing, so it's moderated. new york, if you're there, times square, temperatures in the 30s. cold in atlanta, to everyone in the country for the most part. look at chicago, in the teens. one more stop. how about denver? temperatures in the 30s, and los angeles will be pretty warm. los angeles and vegas and phoenix. >> i'll take it. new orleans? it looks warm. that's where i'll be for the cnn

new year's eve. bring on the warmth. >> i'll have a forecast for you personally next time. >> thank you. appreciate that. alexandra, thanks. now this. >> we're going to have cookies and coffee set out. >> cookies going to be laced with anything? >> absolutely not. no, no. >> in fewer than 48 hours, buying marijuana in colorado will be as easy as buying booze. you will get a preview of that. plus, you voted on the year's top ten stories. the results are in all the way from the boston bombings to the kidnappings in cleveland. there are a couple surprises to that list as we look back on 2013, picked by you. revealed. you're watching cnn. stay right here. honestly, my kids are hard to impress...

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to talk with an insurance expert about everything that comes standard with our base auto policy. and if you switch, you could save up to $423. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? come 8:00 a.m. on new year's day in the sate of colorado, anyone over the age of 21 will be able to buy marijuana. simple as it sounds. just a few retailers have been able to clear all the regulatory hurdles required for recreational marijuana sellers and they're scrambling to get ready. casey wian visits one company preparing for opening day. >> a big day for tim cullen. >> i would liken it to

graduation yurb know, it's been a tremendous amount of work to get to this point. >> he's joining a handful of business owners receiving denver's first licenses to sell marijuana for recreational use starting january 1st. >> that's information that needs to go to every customer who comes in and buys. thanks, congratulations. >> thank you. >> at cullen's medical marijuana store, employees scramble to get ready. they must navigate so many regulations, only about 14 of 200 medical businesses in denver have received one of these, a license to sell to anyone over 21. there are multiple inspections, packaging requirements, and in some cases, new construction. >> we're building an impressive showcase for the world to see this is an industry, not an underground business. >> at medicine man, all of the pot is grown on site. >> customers don't want it

leafy. they want it nice, tight, and dense. >> it's hiring 25 new employees. >> you can smoke it in small quantities. >> and installing new equipment. >> we have to tag all these with an rfid tag. it's another inventory control we have to implement. this is an air tight container, and -- >> wow. >> this is our san fernando valley cush, and the smell will hit you probably from there. there's a little bit of a sour milky smell to it. am i wrong? >> no, some people like stuff that is really stinky. >> each of these containers holds about $7500 worth of marijuana, so it's no wonder they have an armed former army ranger guarding the front door. >> i think next year, we'll have between two and two and a half times more business than this year. >> weed maps and yelp like service for marijuana dealers predicts prices will spike. >> demand is going to be high on

day one w with a potential shortage of supply, prices will go up. >> lines are expected outside pot stores january 1st. >> we're going to have cookies and offy set out. >> laced with anything? >> absolutely not. my parents volunteered to come out and hand out cookies and coffee. >> no one is expecting a marijuana mardi gras. >> it's still illegal to drive impaired, to take it out of state, to resell it to anybody, to give it to anyone under 21, or consume it publicly. >> we haven't seen a negative impact from ten years of medical marijuana and we don't expect to. >> state-wide, about $300 million of medical marijuana was sold in 2013. the industry expects the sales to more than double next year. >> and this year, think about it, 2013, think of just the stories that unfolded throughout the course of this past 12 months. you had natural disasters,

manmade tragedy. i was out on the road a lot and covered a number of them. i will never forget my interview with a limo driver who watched his car turn into an inforno. i talked to a boston marathoner who ran toward the blast on boylston street, and in oklahoma, i lost a father who lost a lot of things in the tornado but not his perspective. >> what is the one image, ricky, that when you clees your eyes, you can't stop seeing? >> just -- just everything. not just -- there's not just one image. it's a lot of different images. a lot of different images. the fire. us on the bridge screaming. them getting into the cars, not one image. it's a lot of things. >> the only thing that i could see and see to this day are her

little eyes looking up at me. that's it. all right? and me thinking, i'm thinking about my own grandson, malachi, and my malachi is the same age as this young girl, who was 6 years old, who -- the first thing you did is give me a big hug when i went home. and malachi is named in the bible as the messenger of god. >> sorry. >> don't apologize. don't apologize. >> it's been a roller coaster. the past 72 hours. walking through our house, the past couple days makes us realize what's valuable and what's replaceable. i think we can put everything in our lives in a bucket.

that's all we have to carry out. i had my wife and my kids. that's all i care about. all this other stuff is just stuff. >> just stuff. jackie sing, saying i will never forget you. so many people i have forget being out this year. we asked you to vote on the biggest stories of 2013. did those three make the list? alina machado is here with more on what a year it's been. >> quite the year, and it's surprising that not all of those stories made it on the list. just one of them did. we asked viewers for three weeks to vote on the top ten stories of 2013. and the results are in. for number ten, you chose the u.s. supreme court's decision to strike down a key part of the defense of marriage act. the 5-4 vote paved the way for same-sex couples who were legally married to receive the same federal benefits given to heterosexual couples. you may remember edith windsor, she called the ruling a victory. this is her in the red scarf outside the supreme court celebrating the decision. now, who can forget amanda

berry's chilling call for help? the cleveland house of horrors comes in at viewers' number nine. berry, gina dejesus, and michelle knight were rescued after being held in captivity if years. ariel castro, the man behind the kidnappings and tortures was sentenced to life and later killed himself inside a prison cell. his victims continue to heal. their strength and courage continue to inspire us today. >> and we'll hear a little more from what went on from one of the survivors. >> that's right, we do expect to see a book from michelle knight, the first woman who was kidnapped and the longest to be held at 11 years. prosecutors say knight and her fellow captives each kept a diary during their ordeal. now, to number eight, as chosen by you and the video says it all. these disturbing images of children in the aftermath of what appears to be a chemical weapons attack in syria. this year, the united nations confirmed the use of chemical weapons in the syrian civil war.

the conflict began in march of 2011 and has claimed the lives of more than 100,000 people. typhoon haiyan's sweep through the philippines sits at number seven. the monster storm is one of the most powerful to hit land anywhere in the world. more than 6,000 dead. nearly 1800 remain missing, and more than 27,000 injured. millions more left without a home. and we head back to the u.s. for your number six. obama care. the rollout of president obama's major initiative was plagued with criticism, following major problems with the program's website. >> and that is not over yet. that story. >> that's right. >> and how it's perkerated over the last couple months. >> that's a story we will probably be hearing more of, especially in 2014. a midterm election year. you know that's probably going to factor into what happens when people head to the polls. >> absolutely. coming up, we'll see the top

five stories you voted on. be right back. hi, i'm terry and i have diabetic nerve pain.

it's hard to describe, because you have a numbness, but yet you have the pain like thousands of needles sticking in your foot. it was progressively getting worse, and at that point i knew i had to do something. once i started taking the lyrica the pain started subsiding. [ male announcer ] it's known that diabetes damages nerves. lyrica is fda approved to treat diabetic nerve pain. lyrica is not for everyone. it may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions.

tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior. or swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, changes in eyesight including blurry vision, muscle pain with fever, tired feeling, or skin sores from diabetes. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. those who have had a drug or alcohol problem may be more likely to misuse lyrica. ask your doctor about lyrica today. it's specific treatment for diabetic nerve pain. before the break, we were looking at a list of the biggest stories of 2013, voted on by you. number one through five. next, alina machado in the studio with, let's count them down. number five. >> let's get right to the list. again, this is as cnn.com voters rank them. the federal government shutdown

sits at number five. about 800,000 federal employees furloughed. more than a million others forced to work without knowing they would get paid. the shutdown lasted for 16 days in october. the third longest shutdown in u.s. history, and standards and poors says it took $24 billion out of the u.s. economy. the high school dropout who worked his way into the most secretive computers in the u.s. intelligence as a defense contractor comes in at voter' number four. edward snowden will go doyne history as the man who spilled the details of the classified surveillance program. he leaked documents that showed the nsa was bulk collecting phone records and e-mail and internet traffic of virtually all americans. some believe snowden is a hero. others are calling him a traitor. he was born in south africa, but he belongs to the world. nelson mandela's death is the third top story of 2013, according to those who voted on cnn dom.

the world came together to mourn the 95-year-old's passing and remember his life as a symbol of the struggle against racial oppression and an inspiration to many. >> the boston marathon bombing comes in at number two, april 15th, a day we will never forget. three people killed, more than 260 wounded. after two bombs exploded near the finish line. the hunt for the bombers gripped the nation for several days. tamerlan tsarnaev was killed in a shootout with police. his 19-year-old brother dzhokhar tsarnaev was captured and is awaiting federal charges. he's pleaded not guilty. the emergence of a somewhat unconventional leader of the catholic church is your top story of 2013. pope francis became the 266th pontiff, the first latin american to take the title. his remarks on homosehomosexual his repeated acts of compassion, including his embrace of a severely disfigured man seen

here, have made headlines around the world. the 77-year-old pontiff was also named "time" magazine's person of the year. >> okay, thank you vaery much, and you can see the entire list of this year' top stories she just rolled through. go to the website, cnn.com. a chemistry teacher turned drug king pin. a struggle for power with a few dragons on the side, and of course, washington's scheming and dysfunction at its worst. what do they have in common? they're just a couple of the shows that president obama says he likes to watch when he gets a little free time. i'm talking "game of thrones" "house of cards" and "mad men." a couple shows revealed in the "new york times" today. jake tapper, i want to bring you in. nice to see you. >> good to see you. >> when i heard about all these shows, i kept thinking, how does he have the time? i mean, the man must be -- is he binge watching the shows? >> it is a mystery, especially

considering we know that he also, for his recreation, likes to spend five to six hours on the weekends out on the golf course, but the president has certainly made some time for some of the most celebrated shows. all of them from netflix or cable. the kinds of shows that critics love. breaking bad, mad men. he's talked about how peggy olson in "mad men" made him understand how his grandmother, who was an early female bank vice president, how she, her experience in the work place must have been like in the '60. game of thrones, boardwalk empire, house of cards. he's quipped about how he likes how functional washington, d.c. is in "house of cards." >> ruthlessly efficient. that's what he said, right? >> with no mention that one of the main characters committing homicide in the name of that efficiency. but you know, why quibble with details.

downton abbey. homeland, the stars of homeland have remarked at how stuns they were the president had any idea what they did for a living, but it is a show in which some of the difficult decisions one has to made in counterintelligence and counterterrorism come to light. he also said he loved the "wire." it's a very elite taste that the president has when it comes to television. he has talked about some broadcast network shows. he watched "modern family" and "parks and recreation" but generally speaking, he's a cable guy. the thing we all know, all of us who have covered him, he loves sports center on espn. >> how does the man have the time? i go back to the original question, between the golf and the sportscenter and the tv shows. you're a busy guy. are you watching all that tv? >> i have watched some of these shows. i'm not busy as president obama, i will say. >> you aren't? come on. >> i doubt he has seen every episode of every one of these

shows. >> we'll see you at the top of the hour, "the lead" with jake taper starts at the top of the hour. up next, a national morning show anchor comes out. a lot of people buzzing about this online. it's 2013. we're asking the question, is this really news? that's next. good job! still running in the morning? yeah. getting your vegetables every day? when i can. [ bop ] [ male announcer ] could've had a v8. two full servings of vegetables for only 50 delicious calories.

we still run into problems. that's why liberty mutual insurance offers accident forgiveness if you qualify, and new car replacement, standard with our auto policies. so call liberty mutual at... today. and if you switch, you could save up to $423. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? a leading network news anchor made headlines today after sharing with the public that she is gay. i'm talking about "good morning america's" robin roberts who came out on facebook on sunday. she was posting a thank you to

her family and fans and her long-time girlfriend for a wonderful 2013. and that buzz from that single facebook post spread across social media, even the first lady commented with a tweet of support. this is what michelle obama tweeted. robin roberts, i am so happy for you and amber. you continue to make us all proud. roberts joins a cadre of high profile celebrities and public figures who are coming out, but you know, in 2013, is this really news? here to discuss, eric digins from npr. nice to have you on. >> thanks for having me. >> all the buzz, eric, is this news? >> all the buzz. yes, it is news. i think judging whether or not someone coming out is news depends on their situation. some performers who people have always known or suspected or kind of rumored about being gay, that might not be as big a deal but robin roberts is the co-anchor of now the

most-watched morning television news show on the network. she's a symbol for the network in a lot of ways so for her to come out, she's been someone who has been very private about her life -- >> her health issues. >> -- other than the way the network covered her struggle with cancer. for her to have something like this to say in this way is newsworthy. >> "good morning america" number one show, family-friendly show, news, feature programming. do you think this is a sign that being gay is accepted today or is it because she is just so incredibly likeable? >> i think we're at an interesting cultural moment. number one, we can look at abc news and see they have embraced gay employees before. sam champion, when he got engaged to his partner, the former weatherman for "good morning america." abc news actually sent out a press release and photo of the couple. they also covered their wedding. so i think abc news has kind of

embraced this in a way we haven't seen other companies do. we are at an interesting cultural moment because we balance this with seeing what phil robertson said, the "duck dynasty" star. he said some comments that a lot of people thought were homophobic and he was backed by a lot of fans of that show. a & e had to reinstate him after they suspended him. so there's a sense that i think we're at a tipping point in our culture and we are trying to decide how we feel about this. i think things are tilting more towards the acceptance of gay people, but we're still not entirely there as a culture. i think what we see with "duck dynasty" and phil robertson shows that. >> i have never had the pleasure of meeting robin roberts but such a fan. eric, thank you very much. appreciate it. have you heard of this? it is called cave diving. it can be incredibly dangerous. more people are talking about it today after a tragic accident involving a father and son inside a cave called the everest of diving.

what's this about? that's next. we're aig. and we're here. to help secure retirements and protect financial futures. to help communities recover and rebuild. for companies going from garage to global. on the ground, in the air, even into space. we repaid every dollar america lent us. and gave america back a profit. we're here to keep our promises. to help you realize a better tomorrow. from the families of aig, happy holidays.

happening right now, crews in west georgia are working to save a 7-year-old girl trapped inside of a well. we are getting word that there is a firefighter currently inside. this by the way is the news chopper heading to the scene. we are told another chopper is there already getting ready to

lift them out. as far as injuries go here, no word yet. the well is not a functioning well. it is not clear how this girl got in there in the first place, but as soon as we get more updates and information, we will bring it to you here. let me turn to something that is just most unusual. have a look at this, if you would. when you see this picture, i can hear you saying brooke, i have good eyes, it's a pond. no big deal. yes and no here. because this little swimming hole, not far inland from tampa, is 300 feet deep, or to put it another way, it has caves branching off in all kinds of directions and some go way, way down. they have signs down there warning divers that top-notch training is required but not every single diver reads those signs so we have this tragedy that happened on christmas day. two divers, father and son, look at this picture, brand new scuba gear, they jumped into the pond. this is known as eagle nest sink and they never came out.

with me now from tallahassee is jeff bower, president of the national association for cave diving. jeff, welcome to you. eight deaths at eagle nest sink since 1980. can you just tell me what happens down there to these divers? >> the ones that die, you mean? die at eagle nest like the unfortunate tragedy that happened on christmas? >> any of these deaths dating back a couple decades, what happens? >> what happens to the victims? it's quite sad. there's a lot of analysis we do in the cave diving community because we don't want people to get hurt or die in caves at all. in fact, the agency that i represent, we're nonprofit, we're all volunteers, we teach cave diving and we teach, you know, people of the right age and the right mind and the right gear how to safely execute these dives. the fatalities that have happened at eagles nest and other caves in florida and mexico, which is where some of the hot spots for cave diving

all around the world, most of the time i believe the numbers are in the 80s and 90% because the person that was doing the diving was diving beyond some limit of their training. they were just going too far, too deep, too soon. >> ignoring the signs. we mentioned this particular place, you could go down or i guess one could, 300 feet. why do this? what's the lure? >> you know, it's a sport. most cave divers, there are thousands of cave dives that happen every weekend. there's probably guys right now not in eagles nest but other caves that are easier to get to, that happen every year and it's a sport. people do it, i do it not for the thrill. i've done skydiving, i tried that. it was a thrill ride, kind of scares the you know what out of you when you jump out of a plane the first time. cave diving, those that do it for i don't want to say a living because no one is really making money off cave diving, but we do it for sort of the -- it's a mission. i like the thought like diving eagles nest, it took me three

years of training to get all the right certifications to get my mind in the right place to get all the right gear, to get my wife's mindset in the right place, and just to be able to execute those dives. the dives are relatively short. you go down and in the case of eagles nest, it goes mostly left or mostly right and it opens up into a giant passage so you see rooms that you can literally put a 747 airplane in. i'm not kidding. just majestic. >> i'm sure it's quiet and beautiful, but clearly risky as we well. jeff, thank you for joining me. i appreciate it. while i still have you, 60 seconds left on this show, let's go back. these are live pictures. this is back to this well rescue happening in georgia. this is west georgia. crews are there. here you can see them on the ground huddled around presumably this well. they are working to save this 7-year-old girl who was trapped inside. we are hearing once again that a firefighter is inside as well, trying to get her out. some rescue helicopters are en

route to the scene but again, this happening, this active well rescue in west georgia. quick heads up here. i am hopping a plane to new orleans. i'll be ringing in the new year from down there with all of you. this is a fun picture of my pal last year. see you on tv 9:00 eastern tomorrow night. "the lead" starts right now. will the winter olympics be safe? after two terrorist attacks in russia. i'm jake tapper. this is "the lead." the world lead. in fewer than six weeks, many of the best athletes in the world will gather in russia which was just attacked twice in two days by terrorists targeting civilians. will american athletes and spectators be safe at the sochi games? also in world news, call it plan c. rescuers are taking another crack at reaching a ship stuck in a sea of ice. will this attempt succeed? where other attempts have failed? and the sports lead.