from the right, i'm s.e. cupp. >> and from the left, i'm howard dean. erin burnett out front starts right now. next, break news. emergency responders responding to a fiery crash. and people killed by suicide bombers in russia this weekend. are terrorists planning attacks at the olympics? and one of america's most famous tv hosts reveals she's gay. let's go out front. good evening, everyone. i'm don lemon. erin is off tonight. breaking news, two trains collide in a fiery crash in

north dakota. it happened just outside of fargo. one of the trains was carrying crude oil. as you can see in this video, it is creating huge flames and dangerous smoke. at least a dozen firefighters on the scene right now battling the flames that have shot as high as 100 feet into the air. people being warned to stay inside. we go to the sergeant from the cass county sheriff's office. what is the very latest on the scene, and when can emergency crews get the blaze under control? when might they be able to? >> caller: well, this has been a challenging deal in that the incident happened at about 2:12 this afternoon. first responders were dispatched about a mile west of castleton where two trains had collided.

indeed one was carrying crude oil, which resulted in a fire. since then there was over 104 cars on the train that was carrying the oil. they've been able to doudetach 50 of them. they were unable to doudetach a them due to the fire. firefighters were forced to let it burn off. so the last number i heard that there was approximately 10 cars engulfed in flames. they aren't able to fight it at this time. we have initiated an evacuation of a portion of the city. just to prevent, in any event the winds would change, we want to prevent any hazardous

material contamination. >> can we talk a little bit more about that hazardous material, about the crowd oil. are crews doing anything specifically to contain any of the leaking material at this hour? are they able to get close enough? >> caller: they are not able to get close enough. just in driving out here, an enormous plume of smoke, and you can see it's all the way from fargo, actually. in the direction toward castleton. so they're not able to get at this point, the safest approach is to let that oil burn off. in speaking with our representatives from burlington northern, that could take somewhere around 12 hours, give or take. >> okay. >> caller: until we can get close enough to start battling it. >> all right. thank you very much for that update. we'll be back if the situation

warrants. we're going to move on. a second top official who oversaw the obamacare debacle is stepping down. she was set to leave her position at the end of 2012, but stayed on to help with the website launch. snider's name has been at the center of the website debacle before, perhaps most notably when kathleen sebelius was pressed on capitol hill about who was responsible for the failures. >> who was in charge? who is the individual? >> michelle snider. >> michelle snider is the one responsible for this debacle. >> well, excuse me, congresswoman. michelle snider is not responsible for the debacle. hold me accountable for the debacle. >> so this news comes at

administration is touting its latest signup numbers. how big of a role did she play with the website? >> reporter: good evening. as the chief operating officer, she was in charge of supervising the whole rollout of healthcare.gov. and as you heard in that testimony from kathleen sebelius, she stated her name, but in a statement from the cms administrator, we learned that snider had, as you mentioned, planned to retire a year ago, stayed on in order to continue helping with the rollout. they talked about her long career as a public servant, 41 years as a public servant. and in that statement from staffen staff she called her a key member with a formidable work ethic and stressed the idea that she was planning to leave. she is leaving for personal

reasons. >> new obamacare enrollment numbers? what's the good news and the bad news for the administration? >> reporter: well, the good news health administration officials say is the site is working a lot better. the proof is in this big jump in enrollment numbers we're seeing. more than 1.1 million people signed up for plans between october 1 and december 24. and merely 1 million of those came in december. in this month alone. that's 975,000. now these numbers don't include new medicaid enrollees, and they also don't include numbers from the state-run marketplaces. and we do know that many of these state-run exchanges have seen a big surge in activity in recent days, and despite all this big jump in enrollment, it looks like the administration is going to fall short of its goal in enrolling 3.3 million people

by january 1. so as far as pushing people to sign up, the white house is working with outside group and supporters of the health care law to share the stories of people who are going to be covered under obamacare and to tout the benefits of the plan. >> spending the holidays in honolulu with the president, not a bad gig. two deadly suicide bombings in russia are stoking fears of a terror attack on the olympics which is just 31 days away. at least two people were killed in volgograd. an explosion hit a bus during the morning rush hour. and another blast targeted the main train station. no one has claimed responsibility for the blast, but the leader of a chechen

group has pledged violence to disrupt the olympic games. we have a counter terrorism official with us. it was said there was no need to take extra steps to secure sochi because everything necessary has already been done. do you think athletes and spectators should be concerned here? >> well, you know, the olympics are certainly a showcase for the athletes, but they also have become since munich and atlanta a showcase for people who want to show their own power. when we last spoke in boston we had one or two individuals who we believe were responsible for that. these individuals are capable of mounting operations and have in the past where they have not one or two people involved in the operation but upwards of 20

people. it is a greater possibility. and i think where we went wrong in atlanta and in munich was the mind set. one thing we can all be assured of is that president putin does not have a mind set similar to what they had in atlanta and munich. he understands the threat, and you wouldn't be surprised to see some major offensive action by the russians against these groups in advance of the olympics, because they certainly have got the pretext, if you will, to take such operations. >> the u.s. is offering its support to the russian government. it says it would welcome closer cooperation to keep everyone safe at the games, but how much can the u.s. really do in this case, especially if the russians insist that they have it under control. as you were saying, putin understands and he gets it and insists they have it under control. how much can we do? >> you know, it's really interesting right now with the russians providing temporary asylum to snowden. and yet we have some tremendous technical capabilities.

and i was pleased to see today that the state department promised full support and cooperation to help the russians. we are all in this together, really, to battle the threat of terrorism and acts such as this. so i think it's going to be one of those things that rises above other issues, and the united states is capable of providing tremendous support in the way of some of our technical capabilities, and i brielieve tt they will do that. everybody has a common stake in making these safe games. >> many people will need to go through volgograd, the site of the bombings, and it is located just above the north caucasus region. did they make a mistake by having the games in sochi in the first place? >> well, you know, i don't know

exactly what their selection criteria was, don, but certainly, after this olympics when we see -- hopeful think wi -- hopefully they will be successful. it might be something that the ioc will in the future modify their selection criteria, particularly in the area of security and not put themselves where, take australia, you have ocean barriers. makes it difficult for people get there. but here you have ground that people can cover any number of ways. and we're only talking about a couple hundred kilometers. so yes, it's going to be very dicey, because there's been conflict there for more than a decade. >> in an area that's known for violence and conflict. happy new year to you by the way. and still to come here on cnn, more than a year after the deadly assault on the u.s. consulate in benghazi, there are

new questions about what happened. was al qaeda involved or not? plus 74 people still strapped on a ship off the coast of antarctica. authorities need the weather to clear before they can reach them and time is running out. and accusations of racirace. ism .

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.

more than a year after four americans were killed in a terrorist attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi, no one has been brought to justice, and now a new investigation by the new york times raises even more questions. according to the report, there is no evidence that al qaeda or any other international terrorist groups had any role in the assault and it was fueled in

large part by a video din grating islam. congressman jason chaffetz is one critic. i want to talk to you about the new york times saying al qaeda was not involved in the assault and the state department echoing that. >> no indications that al qaeda planned what happened in benghazi. we have said as we have said at the beginning that extremists were involved. >> your reaction? >> the one thing that is bipartisan is those members of the intelligence committee coming forward and saying no, the new york times story is wrong. mike roger, the chairman of that committee, both have said that the intelligence would lead us

to believe that al qaeda was involved. >> does it lead down to the difference to what is core al qaeda and what's not? you have to raead between the lines. they say it's not the main group al qaeda but people who were affiliates thereof of al qaeda. >> it seems a difference without a difference. there was a terrorist attack. the administration, both president obama and secretary clinton, defense secretary panetta, they would have lid the world to believe that it was this angry mob gone wild, you know, a youtube video gone awry. that was never, ever the case. i look at what tray gowdy, one of my counterparts there on the oversight committee. he pointed out, there is actually a document, internal document at this state department on september 12 indicating they thought that

ansar al sharia was involved. and yet somehow the truth was the casualty when hillary clinton and barack obama and the others got their hands on it. the reality is, it was a terrorist attack, whether it's ansar al sharia or another. >> according to the officials in the investigation that were on the ground, the investigators that were on the ground and this new york times report, it did have something to do with the showing of the video. and, again, they're saying that there was not al qaeda involved. so what makes -- >> that's not true. that's not true. >> go ahead. >> well, hillary clinton's staff helped appoint the accountability review board. they had access for about 90 days to look at any documents. they came back and came to the conclusion that the video is not the main impetus for what happened there in benghazi. i went to libya 21 days or so

after the attack. the entire time i was there, nobody brought up the video, because it did not happen to be the main driver of the attack on us. and i'm sure 9/11 was just a coincidence to this mob. this video had been out for months and months and months ahead of time. i don't think that adds up. >> some of your republican colleagues, mike rogers, westmoreland have suggested that the new york times report was intended to help hillary clinton. do you think the report was politically motivated? >> i can't attest to the purity of the new york times piece. i just want the truth. you cannot take the new york times piece, lay it before the families and say this is conclusively what has happened. we still in the public, in a public setting, have never heard from somebody who was on the ground in benghazi that night. that, to me, is unacceptable.

i just want the truth. wherever that may take us. i think al qaeda was involved and there are those who have looked at the evidence and say that's true. it was not some some attack that went awry. and for hillary clinton to suggest what difference does it make? that is highly offensive and not something we are going to forget about. we want the truth so it never, ever happens again. >> thank you for joining us this evening. we appreciate it. >> thank you. happy new year. >> happy new year to you as well. still to come, several days after they were first stranded, 74 people are still trapped on a ship off the coast of antarctica. authorities hope to airlift them out when the weather clears, but time is running out. and later in the show, a very popular morning show host reveals she's gay.

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74 people remain stranded in the frozen waters off antarctica tonight and are waiting to be airlifted. the passengers and crew aboard the russian research ship sent out a message days ago. the trapped passengers will be rescued by helicopter once the bad weather clears, but time is running out. >> reporter: trapped at sea. nearly five dozen people on this research ship must now be rescued by air. this helicopter will be launched from the deck of the snow dragon, the chinese icebreaker miles away as soon as the

weather improves. the conditions now, gusty winds and poor visibility. >> the wind is quite intense, not eye dole for helicopter operations unfortunately. >> reporter: it's been nearly a week since the russian ship was stranded, locked in ice between antarctica and new zealand. three icebreakers attempted to rescue them. all three missions failed. the ice is simply too thick. >> unfortunately, they couldn't get through. it's deeply frustrating. >> reporter: in the meantime, the passengers have tried to make the best of life aboard the stranded ship. >> we're going to have some singing on the ice. >> reporter: they've celebrated birthdays. but now there's very little celebrating going on. experts who know the region say the sustained bad weather, now, in a new sense, could become deadly. >> it's extremely unpredictable. so you have no idea what can happen tomorrow. the eye dial thing would be to get them out as quickly as possible. it's the most extreme place on

earth. so it's the coldest place on earth, the windiest place on earth and the driest place on earth. >> reporter: and it's not just the temperature that has those on board worried. >> we've got about ten days worth of food. we just did a stock take. we have several weeks of dehydrated foods. >> reporter: and when this helicopter does come, 18 people from the crew will stay behind to man the ship. and in the meantime, we did hear from one person on board who says morale is getting worse and people are getting a little anxious. cnn, washington. thank you for that. still to come, countdown to legal marijuana. when the clock counts down to new year's eve, one state will be able to sell legal marijuana. some are crying racism and

d demanding an apology.

. welcome back, everyone, to the second half of out front. last week we told you about a knockout game assault where a suspect bragged about attacking a black man. some are charging him with a hate crime. they say the same has not been done to prosecute blacks in other cases. his cleenient is trying to rema

anonmuss. >> there's been a social media backlash against my client and the justice department for moving in to investigate where they were invited in. so i don't understand the backlash, but there's some real anger out there and some, you know, although it's unfortunate, we have to take it as it exists and try to protect my client as much as possible. >> attorney for the defendant meanwhile told me last week that barrett's bipolar disorder may have played a role in the incident. don't ride the rail when you're sauced. that is a message in d.c. they are sending to passengers after a series of incidents involving boozed up riders who fell onto the tracks. footage shows one man seriously injuring himself after falling backward, and another man falling into the tracks from the

escalator. unbelievable video here. hopefully people will take the message to heart when toasting to the new year. all right, light up, america, when the clock strikes midnight, colorado will become the first state in the country to allow recreational maern sells. miguel marquez is at the medicine, one of the biggest marijuana dispenries in colorado. you are green! >> reporter: i am green. >> you look like a frog there. >> reporter: thank you very much. it's not easy being green there, don. this is actually one of the grow rooms here at medicine man. these are the mother plants. they take the kcuttings off the

have some 5200 plants. and what they are busily doing now is tagging every one of these plants with these bar codes and uploading everything into a computer so every single one of those 5200 plants is accounted for by the state. this is a highly, highly regulated business here. if everything goes the way medicine man believe it is will go, they'd like to triple in the next few years the number of plants they have, 5200 to 15,000. i'm going to bring in andy williams, who is the ceo of medicine man. triple? >> sooner than a few years. >> reporter: you'll be one of the few in the state open on the 1st. what do you expect the lines to be like? >> we're going to have a line when we open. i think they're going to be sell bra tory and happy.

we expect two and a half times, a record crowd that day. >> reporter: as a medicinal marijuana several, you can make a one-time transfer, what percentage will you transfer over? >> probably 60 to 65% of the inventory. >> reporter: that's how busy you expect the recreational side to be? >> correct. >> reporter: and how many people do you expect on the first day of business? >> i'm expecting 500 to 600. but that's a guess. >> reporter: what are operations like now? i see the store in front. you guys are tagging everything. what have the last few days been like? >> burning the midnight oil. we have been working long, long hours to be compliant with all of the regulations. and we will be ready, but we will be working late tomorrow

night as well. >> reporter: no rest for the weary here in denver, but they will certainly have a celebration. >> that is a lot of weed. we're going holy cow. that is a lot of weed. >> reporter: understatement of the year. >> stating the obvious. thank you. appreciate it. serious story now. going to talk serious backlash after someone poked fun at mitt romney's family, zeroing in on his african-american grandson. >> everybody loves a baby picture. and this was one that a lot of people had emotions about this baby picture this year. this is the romney family. >> right. >> and of course, there on governor romney's knee is his adopted grandson, who is an adopted african-american child, and he captions for this one? >> one of these things is --

>> former republican senator scott brown who also happens to be a contributor wants an apology. while others are blasting the network for being racist. did they go too far? i am going to talk to you, but anna, first, were you offended by that segment? >> first of all, i'm not even sure what the threshold is any more for msnbc going too far. i did find it in bad taste. i think there's nothing funny about adoption, regardless of the color of the baby or regardless of the color of the family. at this time of year, we should be celebrating the fact that there are families all over america that open up their hearts to give love to children that need it. and i can also tell you, speaking personally, my mother is adopted. there's all sorts of self-esteem

issues that many adopted people have. it is mean. >> you're not buying into that. >> i'm not buying into this at all. here's my point. there's absolutely a line you shouldn't cross. and the line, i think, anna is you don't make fun of people's kids. >> they used the kid to mock mitt romney. >> they use everything to mock mitt romney. mocking mitt romney is a sport. they also joked about the lack of diversity in the republican party. sarah palin, people on the left make fun of sarah palin's children and grand children. it was beyond the pale. it was unacceptable. this isn't a case of this. we're making much ado -- >> listen, listen. >> what if this was on fox? what if this same segment was on

fox and they did the same thing? >> you're saying somebody on fox made fun of mitt romneromney? >> if someone on fox said one of these things is not like the other, what do you think would happen? >> jesse jackson would be protesting and tied to a tree somewhere. >> i heard what they said. >> what was the thing that they pointed out. they weren't point being out his perfect hair, his perfect clothes, his perfect teeth. they were pointing out the little black grand kid on his knee. that was the brunt of the funny jokes. >> do you think -- >> they were not talking about the scenery, his wife. they were talking about the small child on his knee. >> the point though is they weren't making fun of the kid. they were making fun of the republican party and maybe even mitt romney. some would say maybe that's an exemploytive picture. >> are you crazy?

>> anna, let him finish. >> i promise you can still disagree with me. first of all, they didn't need to point out the baby was black. it was obvious in a room full of white people the kid was black. i don't think they were making funn of the baby. if they were, i'd be right on your side. was it the best joke? no. but it wasn't appropriate. >> you now, you and i have talked about this. a lot of hosts. a lot of people on msnbc, that whole crowd, they criticize me a lot. i never respond because i never respond to colleagues' criticism. why should i? >> fair enough. >> the dog is supposed to howl at the moon. the moon doesn't howl back. >> stewart stevens said this, msnbc has become a club for the smug to go, to exchange hateful opinions and reassure others, each other it's acceptable. he has a point with that.

>> i think in general he does. i don't think melissa fairly represents. but again, i don't think, i think she has diversity and is brilliant and amazing, but i think there are pockets of msnbc which are smug and condescending. i don't think it makes for good tv. >> a bunch of people on the left who all agree with each other. saying mean, smug things about people who have a diversity and may disagree with them. >> i don't think melissa did that, but i think it's problematic on the network. >> if there was one person in the room that said hey, guys, what if it was politics. plaque black is the opposite of white.

what black people do and white people do are two different things. i don't think it's a fair comparison. >> you can't say it's okay if one group of people do it and -- >> yes, you can. that's what we always disagree. well, if white people can't do it then nobody can't do it. >> you can't have two separate standards for people. >> no. it's the same standard. it's a different context. >> how about letting me get into this discussion? >> go ahead. go ahead. >> look, all of us have friends that are part of that panel. dean was part of that panel. i e-mailed him, not a fan of that joke you told. there are some times people try to be funny on tv and it comes across not the way you intended it. it comes across in bad taste. this is one of those times. i think you have to be in absolute denial not to recognize what they were calling attention to was the fact that theres with a little black baby on mitt romney's knee.

look at the transcripts. look at the segments. that is what then opens the door for the other jokes about gop diversity. listen. >> about that's the legit issue. >> but not using the little black baby on the knee to -- >> they were using a baby in order to bring attention to dive ersity. >> you make the argument that they were using the baby to bring attention to their political diversity. >> no one should use their family members in political pictures. it should just be mitt romney and his wife and none of their kids. >> deblaz o graut his kids in. still to come, robin roberts makes an announcement. are hard. so i got the windows nokia tablet. it's, well, impressive.

it's got the brightest hd screen, super-fast 4g lte, so my son can play games and movies almost anywhere, and it's got office for school stuff. but the best part? i got the lumia 928 for my daughter for free, with the best low-light smartphone camera this side of the north pole. dad for the win. mm! mm! mm! ♪ honestly, i want to see you be brave ♪ 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.

in a surprise facebook post sunday, good morning anchor robin roberts expressed that she is gay and expressed long time gratitude for her girlfriend amber. but it has opened a broader discussion about how celebrities speak about their sexual orientation. >> as many of you know, five years ago, i beat breast cancer, and i've always been a fighter. >> reporter: this declaration a little more than a year ago introduced us to robin roberts' medical battle. >> if you look it up, i was doing the same thing.

>> reporter: on sunday, these five girl, my long time girlfriend amber, introduced us to another part of her life. a facebook post confirmed what most of her friends, family and k colleagues already knew. robin roberts is gay. news? maybe not, by many people's standards, yes. >> one of the best parts of robin roberts sharing her truth with us is that she also is a very strong person of faith. so the conversation with duck dynasty and that conversation about faith and what that faith should look like, people l r she does challenge what you think faith looks like. >> it has been a meteoric rise for robin roberts, she was a local reporter for working at

espn in 1990. and five years later she split time at "good morning america," and split time on the show. today, she is one of the most popular television anchors on television. pundits are calling it an open industry secret, the chatter growing stronger after roberts landed president obama's first interview on his stand on same-sex marriage. >> for me, personally, it is important to go ahead and affirm that i think same-sex couples should be able to get married. >> the topic of robert's sexual orientation never came up. host show ellen degeneres talked about it, saying good morning, congratulations, at robin

roberts. michelle turner, cnn, new york. >> and with me, glaad spokesperson, and radio host stephanie miller. thank you to all of you. appreciate it. you and i talked a little about this by text, robin and i are friendly, we're not friends, but very friendly. i had an e-mail exchange with her this morning, she is very nice, i invited her to come on. she thanked me for it and said i'm focusing on getting better. i'm focusing on my health now. and we had a couple of exchanges after that. very nice woman. it was sort of an open secret, right, lz, would you agree? so what took her so long? did you think she missed the window of it being a major announcement? >> well, when you're somebody like robin roberts, you don't

miss windows, you create them. so when she decided to do that was in her own due time. i don't know what took her so long, if there was a time line for somebody who was supposed to come out. there is a religious background there, her mother passed last year, maybe she was waiting for that. she just went through hell and back with cancer, and maybe coming to grips of her own, she maybe decided to live by her own standards. >> i think it is a personal journey and there is no right time to do it. i think it is amazing, it is pretty poetic how mundane she made it. using social media to thank people who stood by her in her everyday life. she is saying it is no big deal, you know what? it is not anymore. >> when she interviewed the president, stephanie and talked about gay rights, some people criticized her for not coming out publicly then, do you think

it was a fair criticism? >> no, i think that is unfair, don, as a reporter, you know, you're supposed to be subject as the president, is she really supposed to say, mr. president, what do you think about -- by the way, i'm gay. i mean, the stories are not supposed to be her. you understand how that goes. i agree with the other guests, and if we criticize everybody for their timing of the personal journey, no one will ever come out, no one will feel safe, because everybody has a different path. >> obviously, she is not the first one to come out. the first person in the news media. this is jenna wolf from nbc, let's listen to this. >> i'm actually pregnant, quite pregnant, actually. >> thank you. thank you very much. my girlfriend, stephanie gosk and i who works at nbc, are expecting a baby girl at the end of august. >> they're saying jenna wolf,

champion, and jodi foster is not a news person, but the first thing to come out usually is okay, i'm gay, my partner and i are having a baby. roberts said i want to thank my partner. it is sort of the second thing or couched in something else. why is that, omar? >> well, it is no longer the grand proclamation like it was before. 15 minutes earlier, they mentioned ellen, today it is just living your life and being who you are. what is great about this story, an under-represented person on tv, a black person on television, a wonderful role model for many people, at the top of her craft doing her thing. power to her. >> he brings up a very good point, she is a double minority, an african-american woman who happens to be gay now.

and we know there are not a lot of african-american role models in the gay community. i did a number of interviews with different reporters today and challenged them, each of them. i said name some, and they were sort of hard pressed to name. this is a big deal, especially for lgbt youth of color, wouldn't you guys agree? >> i mean, absolutely, hbo is releasing a show i think later on this year about lgbt life in san francisco. and if you do a quick google search, you will see a lot of african-american people are upset because they don't see themselves. so while it is true you're seeing a large number of lgbt people on daytime tv, and television, there is still a huge gap on seeing lgbt people of color. so i am really happy that rob t roberts is there, healthy and happy, and that is the most important thing, she is happy.

>> hey, stephanie, is it harder for a woman or man? we had this discussion today, maybe culturally it may seem easier for a woman to come out. is that true? >> you know, it inspired me to come out again, i would still like to say on cnn, i am still gay. but my point is, i think everybody is making really good points. whether you're a woman or a minority, i think it makes a big difference, don, to say not just that i'm for this but i am this. so that that 15-year-old kid who wants to kill themselves says it is my favorite news anchor or tv star or radio star or football player, i can have the life i want and be successful. >> amen, yes. >> and there are still 29 states in this country, you can still be fired for posting something similar on facebook, like what she did. >> i want you all to listen to this, a few words about coming

out and civil rights next. "stubborn love" by the lumineers did you i did. email? so what did you think of the house? did you see the school ratings? oh, you're right. hey babe, i got to go. bye daddy! have a good day at school, ok? ...but what about when my parents visit? ok. i just love this one... and it's next to a park. i love it. i love it too. here's our new house... daddy! you're not just looking for a house. you're looking for a place for your life to happen.

we have been talking a lot tonight about people coming out. do people really need to do it anymore? the answer is yes. and here is why. i know plenty of people who live double lives, they are open with some friends, not all, but closeted to their family members or co-workers, they're often afraid of being judged with a family member or parent just the simple truth of being who you are. imagine being afraid to tell the people you love the most about people you have a crush on, somebody you're dating and plan to marry. imagine that, try to keep track of people who you told and never told and make sure they're in the same place, i've been there.

coming out is a very personal decision, and while it was my personal choice to come out to family members co-workers and friends in my 20s, i didn't come out publicly to the world until just a few years ago, in my 40s. so i can't speak to robin roberts, i didn't do it sooner because i was afraid of losing my livelihood, i was afraid people like you would no longer watch me. i was afraid that people like phil robertson, would judge me, hopefully, like robin, quickly fear was replaced. and if people like robertson are worthy of keeping their platforms and even being celebrated, then people like

anderson cooper or robin roberts are also deserving of their platforms and should be celebrated, as well. that is why it is still important to come out and say very simply i'm gay, thank you for joining us tonight. "ac360" starts right now. don, thank you, good evening everybody. tonig tonight, bombings rock russia as the world prepares to head there for olympics. also on this ship, surrounded by all that ice, stuck after two rescue failed attempts, you will find probably the happiest castaways tonight, we'll hear from them on the ship. and later, we'll update you on schumacher and the terrible accident. we begin with the terror attacks that shook russia and sent shocks through the world just six weeks before the winter olympics begin in sochi, upwards of just a million people killed in just a few mo