she got mixed reviews the first time. >> strong point, let's end it on that. that is our special edition of "new day" also known as new year, we want to wish you and your family a happy and safe new year. from our hearts to yours, happy new year. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com happening right now in the "cnn newsroom," former first lady barbara brush hospitalized with signs of pneumonia, spending new year's eve with her family which her bedside watching football. ♪ and a busy new year for u.s. supreme court justice sonia sotomayor, just hours before leaving the times square ball drop she gave an order blocking part of the president's health care law starting today. plus --

>> it only gets cold when you stop. >> 2014, nasty winter storms bringing snow and ice to the northeast. this is a live picture you're about to see right there from mush mush avenue, we'll have details on where this storm is heading and how it might affect holiday travelers. and playoff problems, why the green bay packers wild card game could be blacked out meaning you won't be able to watch it on tv. you're live in "cnn newsroom." good morning and happy new year. i'm fredricka whitfield. carol costello has the day off. we begin with two stories we're watching closely. first, a new health scare facing former first lady barbara bush. she awakens this morning in a houston hospital. also new this morning, as the first obama care reform kicks

in, u.s. supreme court justice sonia sotomayor steps in and exempts two charities over concerns a mandate could transform their beliefs. we get the latest from jim acosta. first up give us the latest on barbara bush. how is she doing? >> fred, the latest is that she appears to be doing fine a spokesman for former president george h.w. bush issued a statement and sent out a couple tweets about the 88 years old former first lady's condition, she was admitted to methodist hospital in houston monday for what this spokesman described as a respiratory related issue and released a statement say is in "great spirits, received visits from her husband and family" and updates will be issued when warranted. just judging by what jim mcgrath is saying, spokesman for former president george h.w. bush that

there is bush is doing okay after this health related scare. >> let's talk about the president's health care plan and the 11th hour ruling from the same justice president obama selected. what took place last night and why? >> it's fascinating. we thought all of the obama care news was out of the spotlight for 2013. justice sotomayor, the first latina on the high court down in times square for the ball drop but just before doing that she had to take care of related business to issue this basically order a brief on tuesday exempting religious affiliations, two in particular that brought one of these cases forward from providing

contraceptive care as part of the insurance coverage for employees. there are dozens of groups like this one in denver that was a part of this order that sotomayor issued yesterday and basically what it does is blocks that part of obama care for the next few days until the federal government has a chance to respond to what justice sotomayor issued. we should point out this does not threaten the entire law which got good news, as you heard 2.1 million americans signed up through federal or state insurance exchanges on top of the 3.9 million americans who signed up as part of the medicaid expansion under the affordable care act. the white house is touting that good news. it will be interesting to see what their response is from the order from justice sotomayor late last night right before the ball dropped. >> sotomayor quifg the administration until 10:00 a.m. op. friday to respond and we'll see in what fashion that

happens. jum acosta, thanks so much, happy new year. >> happy new year. >> bill de blasio took his oath of office at two minutes past midnight outside his home in brooklyn, the first democrat to be elected mayor in two decades and as required by the city, de blasio paid a $9 filing fee in cash to register his new office, his public inauguration starts in about three hours from now. it's a very cold, chilly start to the new year, looking at live pictures right now, michigan avenue in chicago, where there's snow, a little dusting and temperatures below freezing, with a high in the low 20s, a half a foot of snow is expected by the end of the day there. speaking of freezing, temperatures were so cold in minnesota a waterfall turned into ice right there, solid ice. the midwest and northeast could see the first major snowstorm of 2014 this week.

cnn meteorologist alexandra steele, what a way to ring in the new year, brr. >> this is not average arctic cold, this is extreme. in duluth the current windchill walking out the doors, 31 degrees below zero. december will go down as their eighth coldest and a place called international falls, called the ice box of the nation, second coldest kees on record so this is some arctic cold and certainly not the average variety. so all that cold air dropping south, dropping east, heading into the northeast, it will moderate some but boston will have temperatures they haven't seen in three years like other areas as well. right now the windchill in albany 16 and 3 in binghamton. the cold air is in place but this is what's interesting. high temperatures friday will be your coldest day, only 12 in boston, 16 in new york city, well below average but this is more the interesting note, how low they'll go, below freezing

on friday, 3 below. it was january of 2011 the last time boston went below freezing so incredibly cold air. the cold air is in place, moisture is coming together, we'll see two phases of moisture, accumulating snow in phases around the northeast so easier to deal with. thursday morning through the day and friday morning as well. winding up on friday afternoon and this is what we're going to end up with. boston we could see 8 to 12 inches, up to 6. 12 plus in albany, this new york state thru-way will get hammered. we'll see it in phases thursday to friday. south of new york it's rain and we saw negligible amounts and accumulation. buffalo 6 to 8 so the big cities in the northeast this nor'easter will deliver snow no question about it thursday andtry. >> thanks so much, alexandra, appreciate that. lots of bowl games today,

the text a were awere am aggies made a thrilling come back against the duke blue devils. john manziel threw for four touchdowns and ran for another leading his team to victory after falling behind 21 points at halftime, they are six bowl games on top far today, plenty of grid iron action as you enjoy the first day of 2014, andy scholes with us here, this is a very exciting day. whether it's old doesn't matter, you can be inside and towsy. >> where it's not cold, pasadena, california, where the rose bowl will be played tonight. fourth ranked mush miichigan st taking on fifth ranked stanford. stanford is looking for their second straight rose bowl win, they're the favorites in this game but i wouldn't be surprised to see michigan state coming off the big upset ohio state.

this game is at 5:00 p.m. eastern game, followed by the fiesta bowl featured central florida taking on sixth ranked baylor, teams coming off their best year in school history, they' excited playing in their first bowl game. bryce petty for the baylor bears and blake bortels for central florida. he's expected to be a top ten pick in next may's nfl draft. you have the capital one bowl at 1:00 eastern, probably your last chance to see jadeveon clowney, he's expected to go to the nfl after this game, supposed to be a top three pick and last year clowney absolutely destroyed michigan's running back on a play that's iconic in college football now, 1:00 eastern is probably your last chance to watch him play,

south carolina takes on 19th ranked wisconsin, iowa and lsu, the outback bowl and all of the action started at noon eastern, taxslayer.com gator bowl at noon eastern, nebraska taking on georgia, a great afternoon for football. i'm looking forward to it. >> the remote control is busy today. from the tichen kitchen to the couch. also this morning that annual rose bowl parade taking place in pasadena, california, not just football but the parade, too, today is the 125th edition of the parade, starts in a couple of hours. cnn ireporter lloyd brown sent in these pictures of great floats being decorated this week. the grand marshal this year is the voice of the l.a. dodgers, vin sculley. exciting stuff. from the ball drop in new york city to year-end

countdowns, celebrated icons of local culture, the beloved moon pie in mobile, alabama. and you were there. ♪ i want to be a part of it, new york, new york ♪ >> five, four, three, two, happy new year! ♪ ♪ >> three, two, one! happy new year!

>> happy new year! >> three, two, one, happy new year! >> five, four, three, two, one! ♪ >> happy new year, everyone. that's right, 2014 is going to

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checking your top stories, investigators are due to visit the site of the fiery train derailment in north dakota and residents are heading back home after fleeing that potentially dangerous smoke. data collected from on board recorders show the train carrying crude oil slammed into a car from another train that had derailed. officials are looking for derailment marks on the tracks. the leader of north korea used a new year's day speech to warn that if war broke out on the korean peninsula, the u.s. would not be safe from a deadly nuclear catastrophe. kim jong-un also made his first public comments about his uncle, whom he had had executed for trying to overthrow the government. kim said his death brought greater unity to pyongyang. and michael schumacher remains in critical and stable condition and medically induced coma. the former world champion racing driver suffered severe head injuries while skiing in france.

his mappinger says a journalist tried to sneak into schumacher's room disguised as a priest. outside the hospital fans have gathered to show their support. and for the first time ever in the u.s., people in the state of colorado can legally purchase pot beginning this morning but there are some rules attached. you must be at least 21 years old. you can't smoke in public and shops take cash only, no credit or bank cards, you can't take it to the airport or out of state. casey wian is live in denver where pot shops are expecting a huge turnout today and the flames are already burning behind you? >> reporter: yes, from flames to keep people warm some of the folks behind me have been here since 2:00 in the morning, about two dozen or so people out here waiting for when recreational sales begin in about 45 minutes. one of the people waiting, michelle wahl.

you heard on the news local lines were starting to form why did you think it was important to get out here early? >> this is history, our right to freedom. >> reporter: how do you think the new law is being implemented? are you happy with the new law in colorado? >> yes, i am. >> reporter: what about it? >> what i like about it is that like i say this is history. i mean, this is the forefront, and to be a part of husry and to, prohibition has ended. >> reporter: we can show you a shot we have on another camera inside the store where sales are beginning and you can see that the shelves are already stocked. colorado residents will be able to buy up to an ounce of marijuana if you're coming in from out of state you can buy a quarter of an ounce but you can't take it home with you. i want to show you one other thing, next door at this business we have the parents of the owner of this marijuana business and we're actual i had going to be handing out coffee and cookies to the people who are waiting in line, the only

issue that the business has had so far with law enforcement was they couldn't hand out these cookies which are not laced with marijuana inside the store because they are selling edible products, law enforcement very concerned about that so it was just kind of a funny situation where the opener of this business says i'm going to be selling a lot of pot today but my parents can't hand out cookies in the same place. back to you. >> interesting. looks like folks are lining up and happy about what they're lining up about. casey wian, keep us posted throughout the day, first day of those legal sales. the pope delivers his end of the year message as his faithful look ahead to a new year of change. erin mclaughlin is in rome. >> reporter: this morning, st. peter's square was absolutely packed for this pope's very first new year's message and once again, francis went off script. i'll have what he said after the break.

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in utah, state officials are making their case to the u.s.

supreme court and they want a decision fast, the state has filed an emergency appeal calling for the court to immediately block a federal ruling that awe loss same-sex couples to be legally married in the state. hundreds have already done so since the judge struck down the ban less than two weeks ago, supporters of gay marriage have until friday to respond to the state's appeal and it has been a year of reflection and refocus for the world's catholics as a new pope delivers a message of simplicity and fittingly it was a theme that echoed through his new year's day mass at the vatican. listen to his message of the faithful as he steers the church into a new year. >> translator: there is no more meaningful time than the beginning of the new year to hear these words of blessing, they will accompany our journey through the year opening up before us, they are words of strength, courage and hope, not based on frail human promises or a naive hope which presumes the

future will be better simply because it is the future, rather it is a hope that has its foundations precisely in god's blessings. >> cnn's erin mclaughlin is in rome. paced on what we've seen the last nine months of his dynamic leadership is it safe to assume we'll be seeing more change this year? >> reporter: i think it is, fredricka. this morning we saw tens of thousands of people stream in to st. peter's square for this pope's very first new year's message. he talked about the importance of global fraternity and acceptance of diversity and then he went off script talking about a letter a man wrote to him, the man writing of his own personal tragedy, really just one more xarm of how this pope is in contact with normal people. today is world peace day, the catholic church making that. he talked about how peace really begins within our own household so a real continuation of some of the themes we saw throughout

2013, but he has a lot on his agenda for the new year. nine months into his papacy, pope francis has transformed the roman catholic church. there were symbolic gestures and some reforms inside the vatican. 2014 promises more change. >> it's largely been a matter of style and words and gestures which electrified people and excited everybody and drawn a lot of attention and now we'll start to see concrete changes. >> reporter: many hope the first pope from latin america will bring greater diversity to the body responsible for selecting the next pope. february francis is expected to appoint at least 14 new cardinal electors, and then new saints. two popes are to be canonized on the same day in april, john the 23rd and john paul the ii, seen as more conservative.

>> there's a lot of tension amongst some catholics over the two figures. we can infer he's saying there is a continuity here, isn't really a conflict, isn't really a tension, this is part of the same tradition. >> francis will tole in the footsteps of his predecessor. in may he's expected to travel to the holy land with stops in israel, jordan, and the palestinian territories. and possibly big news in october, at the senate of bishops, expected to discuss whether it should be easier for divorced and remarried catholics to take communion. >> the pope himself said last summer this is a time of mercy. we need to be merciful to people in that situation which is what a lot of people took to mean he's considering making it easier for them to receive that sacrament. >> reporter: so pope francis has a lot going on in 2014, one of the big challenges ahead, continuing vatican reforms, fredricka. >> erin mclaughlin, thank you so

much, from rome. also starting today, boy scouts of america will allow openly gay members. the group voted to change its longstanding ban in may, the new policy went into effect this morning. the group still bans openly gay adult leaders, some church groups ended their partnerships with the scout in retaliation of the new policy but a scout spokesman says fewer than 2% of troops were dropped by their up sponsors. 2013 was full of hurdles for the president. coming up ahead looking to 2014 and whether the new year could mean smoother sailing for the white house?

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good morning again everyone. thanks for joining us. i'm fredricka whitfield in for carol costello this morning. president obama is still on vacation in hawaii and while he may be soaking up the sun now the past year had its share of storm clouds for the president's political agenda. so will 2014 be any brighter, athena jones is traveling with the president.

athena? >> reporter: almost earn agrees that 2013 was not a good year for president obama. now that 2014 is here the question is, will this year be any better. golf, basketball, trips to the beach and crowd-pleasing dinners out, a christmas vacation spent winding down after a government shutdown, surveillance scandals and a rocky healthcare.gov rollout made 2013 a year the president might like to forget. there is some good news on the health care front to end the year, 2.1 million people enrolled in the federal and state-run insurance exchanges. it's unclear how many have paid their premiums, this as obama rings in a new year with high hopes of tackling other issues on his agenda. >> i fuirmly believe 2014 can b a break-through year for america. >> reporter: from growing the economy to jobs to raising the

minimum wage. >> to have more americans with skills needed to do jobs and offer wages and benefits that let families build a little bit of financial security. >> reporter: pushing an immigration overhaul through a divided congress. >> we still have the task of finishing the fix on our broken immigration system. >> reporter: at home, a raging debate about privacy and stalled effort op. gun control. sha the war in syria and iran's nuclear program will consume the president's time. how much can get done in 2014 will depend a great deal on congress. >> it's probably too early to declare an outbreak of bipartisanship, but it's also fair to say that we're not getting down to endless grid lock. >> reporter: the first item the president wants congress to tackle this year, ex-tending unemployment benefits to more than 1 million people who lost

them. he'll lay out the rest of his 2014 agenda january 28th in his state of the union address. fred? >> thank you so much, athena jones in han lulu. today is the first day new aelt insurance plans go into effect for americans who signed up for obama care. the u.s. supreme court has temporarily said two catholic church affiliated charities do not have to provide contraceptive coverage to its employees, as the administration touts new numbers saying what athena underscored, more than 2 million people signed you the for new health coverage which below the white house's goal of 3.3 million enroll yes by the end of december. joining us is conserbive radio talk show host ben ferguson and rea, democratic strategist good to see you as well. >> happy new year. >> happy new year to both of you. is the supreme court rule a

prelude to more legal challenges to this health care law in 2014? >> let's see how the administration responds shortly before friday. i think what we will see, fred, there will ultimately be a good balance between what the affordable health care act wants to do, which is make sure that women have coverage for contraception if they want it and need it as well as not making religious organizations, religiously affiliated groups feel like they're doing something that is xweagainst th religious beliefs. maybe they get the exemption the administration gave the churches. i think you'll clearly continue to see challenges. the republican party's goal is to continue to repeal owe bamob. up to 6 million people are enrolled, counting those

eligible for medicaid, it's going to become politically entenable for republicans to continue to talk about something that millions and millions of americans are getting access to, historically starting today. >> ben, do you see the religious organizations, the legal challenges really just stops here with those relingious organizations not having to provide insurance including contraceptives or will there be other legal challenges? >> there will be other legal challenges. >> to what degree? >> you go back to the white house saying pick your battles wisely, why go to war with religious organizations, organizations and non-profits something they hold so dear to their heart they're saying we're okay with offing health care corrage and not okay with the contraceptive side to this and you should respect our religious context. i don't understand the white

house going into battle with the catholic church. they should have had respect for people of faith and said we totally understand where you're coming from. if you're going to give your people good health care coverage and play with this on that issue we'll expect the reledgious connotation but it shows the pure arrogance of this white house where they say no, we're going to do what we want to do, how we want to do it, deal with it. same way with the president said if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. he knew it was a lie. the arrogance is we'll deal with it, yes it's a lie but we'll get what we want in the end. i think this is the tip of the iceberg for the challenges. >> they didn't say that, ben. the administration came up with a negotiation of the churches and gave them that exemption. maybe that is what will happen again. there will be balance at the end of the day. >> the supreme court, sotomayor has extended a couple of days reprieve for the white house, it has to come up with a response

friday 10:00 a.m. we'll see what might happen next. the president has a lot of issues on his plate, had a lot of issues on his plate last year, much of it stalled. immigration, trying to improve the economy but one has to wonder what does this white house have to do differently than to try to get better cooperation from congress, to try to get back on track as it pertains to his agenda? >> the president is very t dynamic. i don't know why he doesn't use his people skills to his advantage on capitol hill, even with his own party. he's not had a great relationship with democrats. quite a few saying he spent more time with those on the hill, he needs to be respectful of the house and the senate and not just have demands of congress all the time. first start with your own party and if you get along with

congress better and work with them, bill clinton is a prime example, he had to deal with a tough negotiator in newt gingrich but they worked together, they had an open dialogue, they had conversations and dinners and lunches and meetings and coffee and tea. the president has not done that in his entire five yoerz. if he wants to get anything done on capitol hill, i think he has to humble himself a little bit and play ball with those in his own party. if he does that he may be successful. last year his strategy was a disaster and didn't work >> maria k do you agree he has to work with those in his own party first? >> ready for this, i actually agree with most of what ben said in terms of hoping the president does reach out more to the folks on capitol hill. he needs to work especially with republicans. we have started with that, ben, sometimes it hasn't been successful but it's a two-way

street. sometimes the president reepz out and the door has been slammed in his face. this goes both ways and what we've seen from the american people they are sick of it from both parties, that is why you see glimmers of hope of berks partisanship from the budget deal we got in at the end of last year with chairman ryan and chairman murray working together. we hope this will continue. john boehner we saw finally stood up to the extremist tea partiers of his own party because he knows they have actually the ones that have been keeping progress from happening in washington, there's a lot of issues that we can work on if republicans actually try to govern as opposed to -- >> maria, i love you, but i'm impressed you're giving the tea party this much power and credit. i don't even think the tea party had as much power as you're explaining right now. i don't think the x factor is the two parties being alone,

they're not. >> they are the. er masters for speaker boehner for a very long time. let's hope it stops. >> wow, well this is really a new year. we're seeing that, wow, some agreement between ben ferguson and maria cardona. many there will be a developing relationship between congress and the white house. happy new year, appreciate it. zappos are trying out new management, a new tactic. will it be the next big thing or just another fad that will kind of step in and step out? alison kosik has more. >> reporter: it's a system called wholeholocracy, a whole of a greater whole. it does away with the traditional here archie in a workplace and makes employees responsible for several different roles.

zappos are full steam ahead on the system and it should be fully implemented by the end of 2014. the goal is to increase accountability. instead of it being you and your colleagues answering to your boss you answer to another. one blogging sphere has done this successfully. it will be interesting to see if it makes customer service better or worse. the company is rarngd as one of the best when it comes to satisfying its shoppers. to make holocracy works it's up to zappos workers to satisfy one another. >> still to come some demanding msnbc fear one host after she mocked mitt romney's black grandson. hear what she has to say about it. i quit smoking. i've quit for 75 days. 15 days, but not in a row. for the first time, you can use nicorette... even if you slip up...

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all right, this morning, russian president vladimir putin made a surprise visit to a city hit by two terrorist attacks earlier this week, the city of volugograd canceled new year's eve celeb wragss in the wake of the two bombings that killed 30 people. today put tin visited victims in the hospital. putin vowed to "annihilate"

terrorists. it is 400 miles away from the olympics.lissa harris-perry under intense scrutiny after making comments and alec baldwin and martin ba shir resigned after making comments will. here is lisa desjardins with more. >> reporter: merry christmas, hop day holidays season a pretty normal xwreeting inside this romney family card but not so normal the national spotlight placed on one of the smallest faces. >> everybody loves a baby picture. >> reporter: this was no baby talk, melissa harris-perry and actress pea glenn walk on to

racial lines. >> of course they're on governor romney's knee is his adopted grandson who is an african-american adopted african-american child, kieran romney. the caption -- that little baby from center. my goal is that in 2040 the biggest thing of the year will be the wedding between kieran romney and northwest. can you imagine romney and kanye west as in-laws? >> the entire segment lasted a minute but that's plenty to spark a twitter explosion, just one example "leave babies alone, very wrong." who wants harris-perry fired. republicans were outraged, former senator scott brown called it wildly inappropriate, this follows other msnbc

pitfalls. >> america's resident dunce, -- >> reporter: former anchor martin ba shir suggested palin do something so foul we will not replay it, he was fired. back to the latest verbal crash and host melissa harris-perry. msnbc has not commented the host wrote without reservation or qualification i apologize to the romney family. >> i think it was important to apologi apologize. it went in a direction it didn't need to go in. >> reporter: megan lindsay does not work in politics, try the national council for adoption. >> they intended to make jokes about politics instead they made jokes that would have been about this family. >> thanks to lisa desjardins for that report. it means money and some workers pay taxes and 13 states make their hikes. it's still not enough.

what do you need to make to be able to get by on your own? >> i would have to make at least $14, $15 to be able to live. >> new in the next hour of "the newsroom" the tough reality of living on less than $20,000 a year. aflac! aflac! got 'em. ♪ yeah, he's clean, boss. now listen to me, duck. i have an associate that met with, uh, an unfortunate accident. while he's been incapacitated, somebody's been paying him cash. now, is this your doing? aflac? now, if i met with some such accident, would aflac pay me? ♪ nice. this is your stop. [ male announcer ] find out what aflac can do for you and your family... aflac? [ male announcer ] ...at aflac.com.

we're keeping a close watch

on a fire at a residential building in minneapolis. it's we do understand that things an occupied residential building. this is not a vacant one. unclear how many people are being impacted. there are lots of conflicting reports about people trying to escape and how this fire may have started. of course, when we get any more detail on that, we'll be able to bring you the details. we have -- we can say that there is at least one report of an explosion taking place before the fire erupted, before the smoke began billowing from this building. when we get any more details on that, we'll bring that to you as best we can. this is in minneapolis. all right. now, let's talk about what's taking place in another side of the world. folks who are stranded in ice at

the bottom of the world. but that didn't stop some of the passengers and crew from ringing in 2014 in style. ♪ ♪ >> boy, those are the happiest people who are stuck that i've ever seen. for now, blizzard conditions have put herself rescue efforts on hold. but according to one passenger who spoke with james tapper, as you can see, they're taking it all in tried. >> we're all very high. we're not in control of what's happening outside of our ship. we've had amazing assistance from the australian and chinese. they've been trying very, very hard to get to us. >> we're following the developments from hong kong. i guess it's very uplifting. they're looking at a half glass full. but seriously, what are the

prospects of their rescue? >> well, good news, fred. happy to report that they could be rescued or at least the operation could begin within the next 12 for 24 hours. that's what we're hearing of the icebreaker that's making its way to the stranded vessel. there are two involved in this. an australian vessel and a chinese vessel. the chinese vessel is, from what we understand, stuck in ice as well. we're talking about two to three meter deep ice that these icebreakers are having to plow through before they reached the stranded passengers. but it's hoped that the australian icebreaker when reach the chinese and be able to ram through, if you like, to open

waters. and then they're going to send a helicopter from the chinese icebreaker to the strands passengers, bring them back. and then they're going to put them on a barge to the australian icebreaker where they'll be eventually taken back to australia. good news. weather has fined up. that's what the captain reports. the bad weather has been a big obstacle for this mission. >> and so, the research has become secondary to their actual rescue. but do we know whether they got any research done during all this? >> they have been doing it since the end of november. so they have been out there conducting research for the past month before they became stranded in ice, christmas eve christmas day. that's when the distress signal went out. as you saw from the pictures, these people are in remarkable

spirits. they've in good health. they've got food, water, they've got supplies. so they are extremely fortunate. let's hope this rescue operation goes as planned over the next 24 hours or so. >> indeed. fingers are crossed. in the end, they still had a remarkable story to share with the world. and we want to update you on the breaking news situation taking place in minneapolis. a fire of a residential building, you can see the billowing smoke there, we understand it's a three-story apartment building. not the high rise in the distance, but what is just in front of it. we don't know exactly how it started. but we have eyewitness accounts that there was an explosion before the fire took place and the plumes of smoke there started. we do understand from the fire department that multiple people have been transported from the scene. of course, when we get more information, weep update you as

we can. we'll have more after this. [ sneezes, coughs ] i've got a big date, but my sinuses are acting up. it's time for advil cold and sinus. [ male announcer ] truth is that won't relieve all your symptoms. new alka seltzer plus-d relieves more symptoms than any other behind the counter liquid gel. oh what a relief it is.

new year. it's 2014. and you know what that means. on new year's day, a whole lot of college football. andy scholes with us now. >> great games on tap.

great one last night. texas a&m and duke scared off. if this is johnny football's last game, he went out with a bang. he led an epic comeback. this play that he made pretty much broke twitter. he jumps over a lineman and then runs out trouble and finds him down the sideline for a touchdown. >> he made it look easy. >> fast forward to the fourth quarter. ing they're still down three. a&m completes an amazing comeback. hopefully more games like that today. the games are going to kickoff this evening. stanford will take on michigan state at 5:00 eastern. and that's followed by florida

and baylor. you think this would be a hot ticket, there were still 11,000 tickets unsold for the game. the packers have sold out 319 straight games and nearly 100,000 people on the season ticket waiting list. now, this is your kicker, the low temperature for sunday in green bay, it's negative 15 degrees. >> i'm not sitting in the cold stands. >> but negative 15, that's extreme. >> i understand. >> i'm not doing it. >> but they're going to have to make a decision. they do want an audience. maybe it means lifting that threatened blackout. >> they can't do it. if they don't sell it out within 72 hours, that game is not going to be on tv in the green bay area. >> they'll all be reading about it then. and waiting for the highlights that you'll be able to bring us later. the next hour of "newsroom" begins right now.

hello again, everyone. happy new year. i'm fredricka whitfield in for carol costello. we begin with this just in. we've got life pictuve pictures you of the fire in minneapolis. these are live images right now. fire officials say multiple people have been taken to local hospitals with injuriesen. we don't know the extent of the injuries. tht the address of where it took place. it's not the high rise that you were seeing in the earlier picture, but a three-story building. and we know the victims have been taken to the hospitals. we'll update you as we get more information. also this hour, a new health scare for former first lady barbara bush. she a wakens this morning in a houston hospital. >> good morning.

the former first lady welcomed the new year from a hospital bed. she was admitted to methodist hospital in houston on monday where she's being treated for a respiratory related issue. a family spokesperson released a statement saying in part, she is in great spirits, has already received visits from her husband and family and is receiving fantastic care. this is a fairly recent white house photo of the former first lady. it was taken in july when president george h.w. bush was honored for his work with the points of light foundation. president bush has a form of parkinson's and often uses a wheelchair or scooter to get around. his wife has diagnosed with grave's disease, an autoimmune disorder that affects the thyroid gland. in 2010 she was hospitalized for that. in 2009 she underwent heart

surgery. and this is the fourth time she's been hospitalized in recent years. >> she always been a very popular first lady, whether in the white house or otherwise. and she did remain very active in the public. even starting up a foundation, right? >> right. and she remains very active despite the health issues that she's had. and she's known for her feisty nature. she talked about how the bushes had been in the political limelight long enough. take a listen. >> he's by far the best qualified man. but no. i really don't. it's a great country. there are a lot of great families and it autos not just four families or whatever. there are other people out there that are very qualified. we've had enough bushes. >> the former first lady definitely not afraid to speak her mind. >> and i'm sure she's still putting people in place even in the hospital. >> i'm sure she is. >> keep us posted. this morning, the first

obamacare reforms are kicking in. just last night, u.s. supreme court justice sonia sotomayor exempted to catholic based charities from the contraception mandate. let's look at this latest development from a couple of different angles. john allen and jim acosta, john, you first. what are these catholic groups specifically taking issue with and what does this reprieve really mean for them? >> good morning. well, what it means, basically, is that the white house has got 48 hours to respond. the stay is in effect only until friday then we'll see where it goes. there are about 45 faithbased groups. not just catholics, that have

claimed that these contraception mandates violate their religious freedom. and they've agreed to hear two of these appeals during its next term. but in this case, the appeal came from a group of catholic nuns here in denver. they run a nursing home for poor elderly people. and they basically said, if these mandates go ahead, either they would have to violate their religious freedom or go out of business because they're not going to be able to afford the fines that will be imposed. and this appeal is being strongly supported by the catholic bishops in the united states and other fate-based groups. and as i say, this is something that looks destined to be one of the hot potato issues that the

supreme court is going to have to deal with. >> and jim, the white house has just two days to respond. >> right. >> what's the likelihood of that to happen and in what way, what form, would the white house want to respond to this? >> we're waiting to find out. i can tell you the white house press secretary issued a statement when they first agreed to hear some of these cases that basically reaffirmed the administration support for this mandate. saying that they don't want anything to get in the way of the health choices between a doctor and woman and that applies to these groups. and we're going to have to find out what the white house reaction is. we have not heard yet. and just how the administration plans to respond and how to deal with this at the supreme court. but one thing, this does not threaten the entire law. we're not going back to that exercise when the supreme court

heard the entire law. it's still intact except when it comes to this one element. >> and then with enrollment that the white house is celebrating, 2 million people now enrolled, just shy of the 3 million mark that it wanted by the end of the december, nonetheless, many people who did enroll are saying that they're unsure at this juncture whether they are good to go to go to a doctor or hospital because they haven't received their cards yet. how is the white house dealing with that? and any of these last-minute sort of uncertainty iiz izuncer >> when they did that muscle flex, rolling out the numbers, they did put out a tip sheet for consumers. that was sort of an acknowledgment on the part of the administration that they know it could be sort of a bumpy rollout in terms of the coverage kicking in. there are millions of americans who have signed up, some of who

may not have received their card or some who have not paid yet. they said yesterday that the administration does not have a way to determine whether or not they have actually paid for their insurance. what they're urging consumers to do, they need to call their insurance companies. if they don't have the ability to call them, they don't know the phone number or whatever, there is a hot line number basically on the website healthcare.gov that can get them in touch with somebody who can direct them to that insurance company that they believe they signed up with. we're going to have to wait and see how this plays out. there could be speed bumps over the next several weeks to months. but they're saying at this point, look at all of the people who have signed up. this is a sign that it's working. >> thanks to both of you. happy new year. and now back to this breaking news situation we're following out of minneapolis. we've got new images now to show

you of the fire still raging after a reported explosion. you're seeing now the building. we're told this is a three-story apartment building and that multiple people according to fire officials have been taken to local hospitals with injuries. but we don't know the extent of the injuries nor do we know what may have caused that explosion. we know the victims have been taken to the hospitals. we'll keep you posted as we get more details. now, turning to weather and bone-chilling temperatures in the midwest, live pictures of michigan avenue. let's take another look in chicago where there's a little bit of dusting of snow on the ground. and temperatures in the high in the 20s. a half foot of snow is expected by the end of today. it's not over yet. and it's so cold in minnesota, look at this water fall. it's a big ice sculpture.

if no one was convinced that it it's winter, they need to look at those and say winter is here in a big way. >> wonder why that freezes? you can see why. it's 29 below right now, that's what it feels like with the wind chill in duluth. we call international falls the icebox of the nation, when this comes down with the second coldest december, you know this is extreme. extreme air will jump south, drop east. it's modifying. right now it feels like 11 in boston and 8 in binghamton, new york. very cold. the cold he have in almost three years in boston. friday will be the coldest day. predominantly here in the northeast, colder than average.

but what's more notable is the low temperatures at night. boston going to three below. they haven't had a low temperature below zero since january three years ago. that's setting the stage for the snowstorm that's coming in. it will be from washington south. so washington, this isn't your game. so what's going to happen is we're going to watch this snow come in in phases. thursday it will come in and again on friday. by friday afternoon it all clears out. because of that, it will accumulate slowly so it will be easier to deal with. boston kind the biggest winner. 6 to 12 inches as cities go. 4 to 8 in new york. and 12 plus in albany. we're going to see an awful lot of snow in that area. >> bundle up folks. happy new year, thank you. >> happy new year, fred. >> from the famous crystal ball drop in new york city to year-end countdowns, here is the

beloved moon pie in mobile, alabama. and you're taking a look at how all of you were ringing in 2014 coast-to-coast. ♪ >> ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. yea! ♪ ♪ >> three, two, one! happy new year from nashville.

[ cheers and applause ] >> happy new year! >> three, two, one! happy new year! >> three, two, one! happy new year! ♪ ♪ >> happy new year, everyone. that's right. 2014 is going to be our best

year yet, i can feel it. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] this is the story of the little room over the pizza place on chestnut street the modest first floor bedroom in tallinn, estonia and the southbound bus barreling down i-95. ♪ this magic moment it is the story of where every great idea begins. and of those who believed they had the power to do more. dell is honored to be part of some of the world's great stories. that began much the same way ours did. in a little dorm room -- 2713. ♪ this magic moment ♪

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you of the fire raging in the wake of a reported explosion at an apartment building in minneapolis. fire officials say multiple people have been taken to local hospitals with injuries. we don't know yet the extent of the injuries. we know they've been taken to the minnesota medical center and the county medical center. investigators are due to visit the site in the fiery train derailment. and residents heading home after fleeing the potentially dangerous smoke. it shows this train splaming into a car from another train that had derailed. they're looking for tracks from the derailment. and the state has filed an emergency appeal calling for the court to immediately block a federal ruling that allows same-sex couples to be legally

married in the state of utah. hundreds have done so since the judge struck down the band. and they have until friday to respond to the state's appeal. and new york has a must mayor. bill de blasio took his oath of office at two minutes past midnight. he's the first democrat to be elected mayor in two decades. he paid a $9 filing fee in cash to register his new office. his public inauguration starts in about two hours from now. a gun from the federal government's disastrous fast and furious. listen to what tourists heard from a nearby building. [ gunfire ]

[ gunfire ] if you'll recall, agents lost about 1400 guns they sold to gun smuglers in an attempt to arrest them. now men of them turn up at crime scenes. we're live in washington now. what's the latest? what's the response about these guns used in this shootout? >> well, a u.s. official tells me that at least one gun recovered at the scene of that shootout that you just showed has been traced back to the fast and furious investigation. now, the mexican authorities were engaged in a shootout with cartel members, which is near this resort. and they found a cache of weapons later on. now, i'm toll that at least 1-a

k-47 style rifle was traced back to this operation. mexican authorities try to recover the weapons and try to see whether the firearms came from the yates. and many of them do, fred. >> and the resort town where this occurred, it's popular with american tourists. what more can you tell us about it? >> this is a resort on the sea of cortez. it's popular with people from california and arizona. a lot of them took to twitter and facebook to post pictures. it was very scary as you can hear from the fat tooj there. there were helicopter gun ships that were being used to chase some of the cartel guys as they were trying to get away. the atf sent us a statement in relation to this. they said they have accepted the responsibility for the mistakes made in the fast and furious investigation. and at the attorney general's

direction, we have taken action to ensure that these errors will not be repeated. and firearms will likely to be continued to be recovered at future crime scenes. this is the last time that tweer going to be talking about fast furious weapons turning up at these scenes. >> what a real nightmare. thanks so much. and now an update on that fire raging in the wake of a reported explosion at an apartment building in minneapolis. fire officials say that at least 13 people have been injured, some of them critically. we're told victims have been taken to the university of minnesota medical center and the county medical center. joining us right now on the phone is robert ball. he's the operation's supervisor with the ems. how many people are hurt and what are the extent of the injuries? >> at this time, we don't have a

solid answer for you. these patients are still being evaluated at the hospital. most of the injuries so far are a combination of burns and trauma from people coming out through the windows. at this time, we're not certain whether they had fallen, jumped or pushed out due to the fire and explosion. >> is it your understanding that there was an explosion which preceded that fire? >> that is the -- what the initial reports were. a lot of this is still under investigation. once we get the fire contained. so we probably won't have answers to that for some time to come. >> so we've reported a number of 13 injured and being transported to hospitals. i understand you're telling me that you're really not sure. there could be a alarmer number of people who were injured. is it your understanding that there may be people still in that apartment building?

>> it's hard to say at this time. i'm not certain at this point where they're at on an interior search. we have transported 13 patients at this point. >> are you able to tell me anything about how they're able to contain or try and control or put out this fire and if those efforts if any way would be standing in the way of any attempted rescues? >> the last -- the last update we've had, they are still on an exterior attack. based on that, it's difficult or impossible for them, for the firefighters to get inside. but that's something that can change quickly and may change before i ever hear about it. >> we're only able to see a small portion of the front of what appears to be the three-story apartment building. would you be able to give me a better description about this property? roughly, how large or how many people might be residents?

>> unfortunately, i can't at this point. based -- i'm actually not on site yet. the images that i've seen and knowing the location there, it's -- it's a standard type building that we've seen in many of the larger cities where you have smaller retail spaces down below and then two stories of apartments up above. so as far as exactly how many residents and tenants there could be, i'm not 100% certain. it's certainly not the same as dealing with a high rise, but neither is it something as small as a single-family dwelling. >> and of course this being the new year holiday early there, we're 10:30 eastern time, you're roughly 8:30 a.m. your time? >> let's see. it should be about 9:30 our time now. >> okay.

one hour back. and there are a lot of people after enjoying a new year's eve, a lot of folks at home on this holiday morning. the expectation that a lot of people would be home in those apartments? >> you know, that's a -- that's an assumption that could be made. it's also a cold day out here, so not a lot of people trying to get out and about. >> we've been reporting below freezing temperatures there in the minneapolis area. how do these cold temperatures and some snow on the ground impact your efforts? >> you know, we deal with this all year, every year. but i can tell you that it does make the job a lot more difficult, particularly for the firefighters working in this. because, of course, the best way to put out a fire usually is water. and water and subzero temperatures make ice and all the sudden it's dangerous for

personnel working on the fire ground. instead of dealing with all the normal hazards that come with this job, you have to also be aware that falling down and getting hurt is part and parcel of your task. and something that you have to be aware of as well. also the potential for heat illness for firefighters when they're working inside the building and once you come out. again, that combination of wetness and cold temperatures, it's easy to develop issues of hypothermia in the rehab area. that's something we have to be aware of as well. and one of the reasons that we -- after we managed to take care of all of the patients on scene, we'll be maintaining staff to provide safety support for the partners in the fire service. >> terrible situation. a combination of things taking place there. robert ball, appreciate your time. all the best in your continued

efforts to assist those who are initialled and those who still may need to be rescued and all your personnel putting their own lives on the line during this situation. thank you so much. >> thank you so much. >> we'll continue to keep close watch on the situation. this apartment fire there in minneapolis. you're looking at live pictures. plumes of smoke still ongoing. much more after this. if yand you're talking toevere rheuyour rheumatologistike me, about trying or adding a biologic. this is humira, adalimumab. this is humira working to help relieve my pain. this is humira helping me through the twists and turns. this is humira helping to protect my joints from further damage.

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so it's been 30 years since the last playoff blackout in green bay. about 11,000 tickets remain for sunday's wild card game between the packers and san francisco 49ers. and if it doesn't sell out, that means no game on tv. >> now, they've actually extend the the deadline to tomorrow at 4:30 eastern since today is a holiday. this is still really surprising. they've sold out 319 straight

games in green bay. they have close to 100,000 people on the season ticket waiting list. but the kicker in this deal is the weather. the weather for sunday night in green bay, the low is negative 15 degrees. >> i'm not sitting on some cold bleacher in that kind of temperature. >> even if you live in green bay, that's really, really cold. now but the problem is, it's negative 15 degrees. if people don't go to the game, it's going to be black the out. what's going to happen? who knows. >> they can't be as die hard. they can only imagine what's taking place. >> i think they'll end up selling this thing out. i think they'll sell all of these tickets. >> more parkas and more blankets. heating pads to sit on. battery operated. >> i can't imagine a playoff

game there not being sold out and on tv. >> this might make history. we're hoping best for them. >> me too. >> but you won't be out there. >> definitely not. >> me neither. thanks so much. still to come, colorado making history this morning in a very different way as the first state in the nation to sell recreational pot. we'll take you live to denver where sales are already underway. [poof!] [beep] [clicks mouse] nice office. how you doing? good.

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adt. always there. it's a new year and first for the nation as recreational goes on sale legally in colorado. there are ground rules. you must be at least 21 or older. can't smoke it in public. no credit or bank cards. and you can't take pot to the airport or out of state. casey wian joins us live from denver. and earlier you had long lines outside. how is it going so far? >> it's very busy.

we're at evergreen where they are just jammed. you can see customers here lined up. some of them are actually smelling the product or examples of the product before they buy. they're discussing with the consultants of the different effects of the different strains that they mib purchaseding. it's going for $501/8. if you're an instate resident the most you can buy is 1 ounce. but this store is limiting sales to 1/2 ounce peres department because they're concerned about supply. you can look outside. we're going to walk out here and show you some of these people have been waiting since 2:00 in the morning. and it's snowing outside and there's a long line of perhaps 100 people down there waiting to get in and be among the very first to buy recreational pot in the state of colorado. back inside the store, we're going to talk with the owner.

one of the owners of evergreen. tim, how is it going so far? >> this has far exceeded my expectations. it's snowing, but it's going to pass through. it's just incredible. >> tell me about the work that has gone into this. this isn't something where you've been able to open the doors today and magically start selling marijuana for people? >> no. we've been in business for four years. we've services a lot of folks over the years. selling retail cannabis is not new to us. but handling crowds out the door is. >> reporter: good luck to you on the first day. that's it. it's a very busy day and it looks like business is booming so far. >> it is indeed. i will refrain from any puns. it almost left my mouth. casey wian, thank you so much. we'll talk more about this. let's go back to denver and

check in with chief counsel to coloradoan governor. we mentioned earlier some of the rules connected to the new law, like not taking pot to the airport or out of state. will the enforcement of state laws versus federal laws be a challenge? >> we've fortunately been working closely with our local u.s. attorney with the justice department and we're satisfied with the guidance that we received from them in august. and those priorities that they have are similar to what we have in the state, to make sure that people under 21 don't have access to marijuana, that we regulate what is grown, we track what is grown and make sure that the marijuana that's produced here doesn't flow out to other states. >> so what are your concerns as it pertains to driving under the influence of pot? that some people may not act responsibly even though you have

restrictions on how much can be purchased. but that doesn't necessarily mean there are restrictions on how much one can consume or the issue of ending up in the hands of teens or people who are under 21. what do you do to try to curb, address, any of those concerns? >> well, you know, impaired driving, whether alcohol or marijuana, is a challenge. it's a challenge for law enforcement. we passed a new law in colorado last year that allows law enforcement to have the tool that if the blood of the drive has five nan grahograms of thc, they're impaired. and they can introduce evidence to show that that level of thc is historic in their blood. but we will be vigilant as we

are with drivers who are drinking too much. and i think the anecdotes are if someone is drinking and driving, they're driving too fast or aggressively. if you're under the influence of marijuana, you're likely to be slow to react and driving for slowly. frankly, we have had medical marijuana in colorado for about 13 years. we're used to dealing with people who are driving and consuming marijuana. >> but do you feel with -- while you have the medical marijuana that's been available, now you have recreational. do you feel like law enforcement can keep up with the greater number of people in which to watch or behaviors in which to watch whether something is on the up and up or whether something is wrong? >> fortunately the voters of colorado approved special taxes on the retail marijuana.

there's a special sales tax and excise tax. and that will boost law enforcement with both training and personnel. >> thanks so much. all the best. happy new year. >> thanks. you too. >> still to come, they are stranded off antarctica. but they're not letting it keep them down. in fact, they seem kind of happy about it all. we'll kwif g give you the latest on the rescue efforts. g give you the latest on the rescue efforts. ive you the e rescue efforts. ...and the little room above the strip mall off roble avenue. ♪ this magic moment it is the story of where every great idea begins. and of those who believed they had the power to do more. dell is honored to be part of some of the world's great stories. that began much the same way ours did. in a little dorm room -- 2713. ♪ this magic moment

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more on this developing story out of minneapolis. at least 13 people have been hurt. some even critically. live images of how they're trying to battle this blaze. an apartment is on fire and it was preceded by an explosion according to many eyewitness reports and authorities there. the biggest challenge is the subzero temperatures there. meaning that their firefighting efforts are running into real obstacles. as well as many of the residents of that apartment who are to be rescued and are being rescued. an ems official was just joining us last hour saying it was

unclear how many people have been transported. but our reporting as indicated at least 13 people transported to local hospitals. we don't have any real specifics on the types of injuries that the people have suffered. but the explosion meant that a number of windows were blown out. and we understand that many people were injured while trying to get out of the building as well as a result of the fire. you're seeing the aerial shots there of the fighters tackling this blaze as best they can from all angles there in minneapolis. we'll keep you posted. meantime, they are stranded in ice at the bottom of the world. but that didn't stop some 74 passengers and crew aboard a russian research ship from ringing in 2014 in style. ♪ ♪ >> with a lot of song to boot. and for now, blizzard conditions have put helicopter rescue plans

on hold. we're following developments from hong kong. >> reporter: well, finally encouraging news for the 74 passengersance crew aboard the research vessel stuck in ice since christmas. we've got off the phone with the captain of the australian icebreaker that is coming to assist, and he believes that the rescue operation could begin as early as thursday morning. they're 12 nautical miles away from the vessel but only two nautical miles from the chinese icebreaker also coming to help. they're in a holding position because the ice surrounding it is so deep. but once the australian vessel arrives it's homes that the two ships together can reach open water. if that happens, a helicopter will fly to the vessel and evacuate them in groups of 12 to 14. they'll be transported by barge to the icebreaker.

and they will stop in antarctica before heading back to australia. they have ample supplies and will also be restocked. everyone on board is in remarkable spirits. they have attracted the attention of the world's media including anderson cooper who spoke to the team on new year's eve. >> you guys are really keeping up morale? >> it's hard to keep everyone going but everyone is being fantastic and just looking forward to getting home, really. >> reporter: now bad weather has been the biggest obstacle. but according to the captain who in enroute, the skies have cleared. >> thanks so much. still to come. a woman working full-time but barely makes ends meet. >> i feel like, what's the point? like what's the point of trying? i'm not going to make it anyway.

>> how the political battle over the minimum wage is affecting her emotional struggle. (typing) ♪ (typing) ♪ we are now in a position to look at the other worlds

of our solar system. ♪ our values call upon us to care about the lives of people we will never meet. ♪ we realize the importance of light when we see darkness. ♪ peace, democracy and freedom for all. ♪ age is sinking in for david beckham. ♪ for my mother. ♪ when you finally get to that point of acceptance there's nothing more beautiful. ♪ say my name. ♪

♪ today, the minimum wage will increase in 13 states. most of the increases amount to less than 15 cents per hour. new jersey, california, new york

and rode island will see even bigger bumps. more than 20 million workers made less than $20,000 last year. and people are protesting with workers saying that they're not making enough to get by. here is cnn's poppy harlow. >> reporter: well, over the past year, there have been a flurriy of protests from retail and fast food workers demanding what they call a living wage, saying they can't get by on what they're making. here is a look at what life is like for two workers who say they simply need to make more to make it on their own. >> you have no money in your lunch account? >> no. >> not a dollar? >> reporter: at 29 years old, this woman is stuck in a job that pays.30 an hour. her weekly paycheck, $244.70. what do you need to make to

be able to get by on your own? >> $14, $15 to be able to live comfortably. >> she's a single mom fighting to get by. don't be mistaken, she blames herself not not finishing high school and not going to college. but she tells me there has to be more she can achieve. >> there is no moving up. i mean, i might get a raise if i'm there long enough. but that's about it. >> reporter: her life mirrors her mother's. she worked 30 years in a factory and never made more than $9 an hour. >> it's a vicious cycle or everybody. >> reporter: if it weren't for you having them in your home under your roof, where would she be? >> in the shelter. in the street. >> reporter: years of low wage work has left her with little hope. >> i'm 29. by the time i finish school, i'll probably be like 40. and then who is going to hire a

40-year-old that just starting off with no experience? it's probably not going to happen. some days i don't want to try. >> reporter: tell me what you mean. >> i feel like what's the point? what's the point of trying, i'm not going to make it anyway. >> reporter: do you think from the outside looking in people have any idea what you go through? >> no. none. >> reporter: americans have long believed in in a fair day's pay for a fair day's work. but we can't agree on that that wage is today. president obama sports raising the wage from $7.25 for about $10 an hour. >> in general, prices go up and people by a little less and if i weres use a little less labor. weigh that against the likelihood that your employer is going to make due with somewhat

fewer workers, and might be one of them. >> in 2012 the average pay for a fast food worker was $9 an hour. for a retail worker, it was $12.17. both higher than minimum wage. still this woman is among those demanding higher pay. she's a member of our walmart. a union-backed group that does not represent walmart workers but protest for higher wages. >> it's hard. we're at a standstill right now with my family. >> reporter: they say they pay a fair wage and are unfairly criticized. >> we pay above average wages for the retail city and provide incredible opportunity. the discussion around the minimum wage is one the country needs to have. but that's not the issue. the issue isn't where you start, it's where you go to once you started. >> tiffany wants more

opportunity. but at $10.70 an hour, she says she can't afford to work full-time given the child care costs. why doesn't she look for another job? >> i like my job and being with the customers. it's pointless for me to find a job. i would rather stay and fight. >> reporter: as for joanna, her pay will go up in january when minimum wage in new jersey increaseds $8.25 an hour. she hopes her children's lives will be better. >> it's not -- i promise you it's not going to happen to my kids. i won't allow it to. >> reporter: consider this number. more than 12 million full-time working americans made less than $20,000 in 2012. and keep in mind, that is more than minimum wage. if it you adjust for inflation, today's federal minimum wage is below where it was in the late

1960s. >> thanks so much. still to come, gas prices in 2013, the lowest they've actually been in years. and now we're hearing about what you could be paying in 2014. guess what? it's good news. at uwe know you can't afford wrong turns on the road to your future. that's why we build tools like our career guidance system. it's kind of like gps, you know, for your career. it walks you through different degree possibilities and even lets you explore local job market conditions, helping you map a clear course from the job you want, back to you.

go to phoenix.edu and get started today.

here is a little something to make you feel a little better about your commute back to work after a long holiday vacation. the gas prices were down on average last year. and forecasters are saying it's a pretty good year in the new year. here is alison kosik. >> filling up was less painful in 2013 than in other recent years. on average, drivers saw the lowest prices at the pump since 2010. and prices expected to slide more this year. the national average in 2013 was a little over $3 a gallon. what will drive prices lower in 2014? the ongoing oil boom in north america and increase in refinery capacity here. this increase in production has

given the continent the lowest prices in the world for crude oil. now, gas prices did rise in the last four months of 2013. but according to aaa, greater production will mean lower prices in the new year. that should put smiles on the faces of many commuters as they head back to work in the next few days. >> thanks so much for joining us here. happy new year to you. "legal view" starts right now. >> hello, everyone. welcome to new york city. it is the morning after the night before. i know you all saw it. times square was rocking last night. and some of these people might just be waking up this morning. it's officially 2014, and it's january 1st, inas