>> right now firefighters are at an apartment building in minneapolis where there has been a massive explosion. their extremely difficult rescue mission just ahead. also the defining issue of the obama presidency is being put to the test. new health insurance conch and reforms kick in today under obamacare. and there's a lot of stake after the botched rollout of the website. and today, people in colorado are buying re-creational marijuana for the first time and started lining up at 2:00 in the morning to be part of history. hello, i'm dana bash in washington. wolf blitzer is off today. we begin with that fiery explosion in minnesota. it happened this morning at a three-story apartment building in minneapolis. the force of the blast so strong, it may have thrown people out of the windows. and some people may have been trapped inside the burning

building. ted rowlands is following the story from chicago. ted, do investigators have any idea yet what caused the explosion? >> no, they don't, dana. that's what they're working on now, the fire is for the most part out. they're sifting through it, looking at what potentially could have happened and making sure there are no victims still within the debris. 13 people in all taken to local hospitals. several of them in critical condition. this fire was reported at 8:20 this morning and it was a massive explosion. the pictures really tell the tale for itself. just an amazing fire that entpeople literally out of their third story windows. it's unclear if they jumped out or actually were blown out. many of the people injured are being treated for trauma. firefighters say when they arrived they had their hands full. >> crews were able to make entry into the first floor of the structure. keep in mind when they arrived, there were flames shooting 20

feet out of the second, third floor windows. crews did make entry into the first floor of the structure. did what they could to do any primary searches of that first floor area. >> three-story building, the first floor is a grocery and a mosque. and there is no indication on the cause here, but as you might imagine, there already groups in minneapolis on the scene right now who are very sensitive making sure that this is not an intentional act and is not potentially a hate crime because there is a mosque involved here. but again, there's no indication that this was intentionally set at all. there is no cause at had point. but there is some concern. >> absolutely. and the temperature has to be playing a big role in this. it is bitterly cold in minneapolis. how is that affecting the firefighters and their efforts to contain this? >> well, it was a tough road because of that literally the

hoses were freezing at times and the firefighters had to be circled in and out, circulated in and out. brief shifts of the potential for hypothermia and frostbite. the biggest concern was the fire hoses were so difficult to handle and the water was freezing up as they were trying to douse the flames which made a very difficult job that much harder. >> absolutely. i know you'll stay on this. thank you very much. now to the severe weather threat that's affecting not just minnesota but dozens of other states this holiday week. two storms, one in the midwest and the other in the south, are on a collision course. they're expected to plow into each other over the east coast tomorrow and friday, creating a snowstorm and a major travel headache for more than 70 million people. before we get to that, we actually are going to go to new york city where bill clinton is about to do the ceremonial swear-in of the new mayor. bill deblasio. >> i congratulate public advocate james and comptroller

stringer. i thank all of the people who are here. i'm not sure we introduced one of our guests, but i want to say i'm grateful that the governor and first lady of puerto rico us what's special about new ds york. i was so honored when mayor deblasio asked me to preside over the ceremonial swearing in. as the 109th mayor of new york, he has a job that is older than our republic itself. in a city that is most famous for its commitment to remain forever young. it is no accident that somebody somewhere along the line decided that cold or not, a new

beginning should always be made in the new year. it's been a great joy for hillary and me to see the mayor's progress because he worked in my administration with governor cuomo and senator gillibrand and hud, because he managed hillary's first remarkable campaign for the u.s. senate, because he has served with such passion, and because he represents with his family the future of our city and the future of our country. i got a big kick out of watching new yorkers fall in love with bill and chirlane and chee era

and dante. you know, with all respect to the television show, they're our real modern family. i also want to thank mayor bloomberg who has committed so much of his life to this city. he leave ooze the city stronger and healthier than he found it. more people are coming here than leaving. with all of our challenges, people know somehow deep down inside there's something special about new york. so i'm grateful to both mayors, for mayor bloomberg for his years of service and for the legacy he will leave and to

mayor deblasio for his good and caring hands. i wanted not to say much except the oath, but i have to say this. i strongly endorse bill deblasio's core campaign commitment that we have to have a city of shared opportunities, shared prosperity, shared responsibilities. we are enter dependent. look around. we can't get away from each other. we have to define the terms of our dependence. and this inequality problem bedevils the entire country, and i can tell you from my work, much of the world. but it is not just a moral

outrage. it is a horrible constraint on economic growth and on giving people the security we need to tackle problems like climate change. we cannot go forward if we don't do it together. and i am very grateful that all of us in our many different backgrounds are committed to supporting our mayor, our new in government, in this great endeavor. this is a gift we could give not only to new yorkers, not only to the state, but to the country, and indeed, increasingly to the entire world. we are going to share the future. we need to share it in a positive way. and with that in mind, i would like to ask the 109th mayor of

new york to come forward and take the oath of office. cla claps. [ applause ] the mayor is taking the oath on a bible once used by president franklin roosevelt. it is all together appropriate that he should do that.

please raise your right hand, state your name and repeat after me. i bill deblasio. >> i bill deblasio. >> do solemnly swear that il support the constitution of the united states. >> that i will support the constitution of the united states. >> the constitution of the state of new york. >> the constitution of the state of new york. >> and the charter of the city of new york. >> and the charter of the city of new york. >> that i will faithfully discharge. >> and that i will faithfully discharge. >> the duties of the office of mayor of the city of fork. >> the duties of the office of the mayor of the city of new york. >> according to the best of my ability. >> according to the best of my ability. >> so help me god. >> so help me god. . [ applause ]

>> thank you. thank you, president clinton for your kind and generous words. it was an honor to serve in your administration, and we're all honored by your presence here today. and i have to note that over 20 years ago, when a conservative philosophy seemed dominant in our nation, you broke through

and told us to still believe in a place called hope. thank you, mr. president. thank you secretary secretary clinton. i was so inspired by the time i spent on your first campaign. your ground breaking commitment to nurturing our children and families manifested itself in a phrase that is now a part of our american culture. and something we believe in deeply in this city. "it takes a village." thank you, secretary. thank you, reverend fred lucas, junior, rabbi joseph patasnik, monsignor robert romano and imam aska muhammad for your beautiful

words of prayer. thank you, governor cuomo, working with you at hud, i saw how big ideas can overcome big obstacles. and it will be my honor to serve shoulder to shoulder with you again. thank you, governor. thank you, mayor bloomberg. please, let's acknowledge the incredible commitment of our mayor. [ applause ] to say the least, you led our city through some extremely difficult times. and for that, we are all grateful. your passion on issues such as environmental protection and public health has built a noble legacy. we pledge today to continue that great progress that you've made

in these critically important areas. thank you, mayor bloomberg. [ applause ] >> and thank you, mayor dinkins for starting us on the road to a safer city and for always uplifting our young people. and i must say personally, for giving me my start in new york city government. thank you. now mayor dinkins you also had the wisdom to hire a strong and beautiful young woman who walked up to me one day in city hall and changed my life forever. chirlane. you are my soul mate and my best friend. and my partner in all i do.

my love for you grows with each passing year. chiara and dante, i cannot put into words the joy and the pride you bring your mother and me every day. you're the best thing that's ever happened to us, and we love you so much. and finally, thank you to my brothers steve and don and all my family assembled here today from all around this country and from italy. you have always guided and sustained me. thank you, my fellow new yorkers, my brothers and sisters for joining chirlane, chiara, dante and me on this chilly

winter morning. and we thank you for your fortitude. [ speaking foreign language ] gracias. like it is for so many of you, my family is my rock. their wisdom, their compassion and sense of humor make each day a gift to cherish. what makes today so special isn't just my family. but our larger new york family. yes, i'm borrowing from governor cuomo, our family of new york. we see what binds all new yorkers together. and understanding the big dreams

are not a luxury reserved for the privileged few. but the animating force behind every community in every borough, the spark that ignites our inwaiving resolve to do everything possible to ensure that every girl and boy no matter what language they speak, what subway line they ride, what neighborhood they call home, that every every child has the chance to succeed. we recognize the government's first duties. our city government's first responsibilities to keep our neighborhoods safe, to keep our streets clean to ensure that those who live here and those who visit can get where they need to go in every borough. but we know that our mission

reaches deeper. we are called to put an end to economic and social inequalities that threaten to unravel the city we love. so today, we commit to a new progressive direction in new york. and that same progressive impulse has written our city's history. it's in our dna. nearly a century ago, it was al smith to waged war on unsafe working conditions and child labor. it was franklin roosevelt and francis perkins who led the charge for the basic bargain of unemployment insurance and the minimum wage. it was fiorella deguardia

whohammed a progressive income tax and battled the battles of wall street. from jacob reese to eleanor roosevelt to harry bellefonte who we are so honored to have here today. it was new yorkers who challenged the status quo, who blazed a trail of progressive reform and political action. who took on the elite, to stood up to say that social and economic justice will start here and will start now. it's that tradition that inspires the work we now begin of movement that sees the inequality crisis we face today and resolves that it will not define our future. now, i know there are those who think that what i said during the campaign was just rhetoric,

just political talk in the interests of getting elected. and there are some who think that now as we turn to governing, well, that thing will just continue pretty much the way they always have. so let me be clear. when i said i would take dead aim at the tale of two cities, i meant it. [ applause ] and we willal do it. i will honor the faith and the trust you have placed in me. and we will give life to the hope of so many in our city. we will succeed as one city. and we know this won't be easy. it will require all that we can muster, and it won't be accomplished only by me. it will be accomplished by all

of us. those of us here today and millions of everyday new yorkers in every corner of our city, you must continue to make your voices heard. you must be at the center of this debate. and our work begins now. we will expand the paid sick leave law because no one should be forced to lose a day's pay or even a week's pay simply because illness strikes. and by this time next year, fully 300,000 additional new yorkers will be protected by that law. we won't wait. we'll do it now. we will require big developers

who build more affordable housing. we will fight to stem the tide of hospital closures. and we'll expand community health centers into neighborhoods in need. so that new yorkers see our city not as the exclusive domain of the 1%, but a place where everyday people can afford to live, work and raise a family. we won't wait. we'll do it now. we will reform a broken stop and frisk policy. both to protect the dignity and rights of young men of color and to give our brave police officers the partnership they need to continue their success in driving down crime. we won't wait. we'll do it now.

and we will ask the very wealthy to pay a little more in taxes so that we can offer full day universal pre-k for every child in this city. and after school programs for every middle school child. when we say a little more, we can rightly emphasize the "little." those earning between $500,000 and $1 million a year, for instance, would see their taxes increase by an average of $973 a year. that's less than 3 bucks a day. about the cost of a small soy latte at your local starbucks. think about it. a five-year tax on the wealthiest among us with every dollar dedicated to pre-k and

after school. asking those at the top to help our kids get on the right path and stay there, that's our mission. and on that, we will not wait. we'll do it. now. now, of course, i know that our progressive vision isn't universally shared. some on the far right continue to preach the virtues trickle down economics. they believe that the way to move forward is to give more to the most fortunate. and that somehow the benefits will work their way down to everyone else. they sell their approach as the path of rugged individualism. but fiorella laguardia, he put

it best. he said, i too, admire the rugged individual but no rugged individual can survive in the midst of collective starvation. so please remember, we do not ask more of the wealthy to punish success. we do it to create more success stories. and we do it to honor a basic truth that a strong economy is dependent on a thriving school system. we do it to give every kid a chance to get their education off on the right foot. from the earliest age, which study after study has shown leads to greater economic success. healthier lives and a better chance of breaking the cycle of poverty. we do it to give peace of mind to working parents who suffer

the anxiety of not knowing whether their child is safe and supervised during those critical hours after the school day ends. but before the workday is done. and we do it because we know that we must invest in our city and the future inventors and ceos and teachers and scientists so that our generation, like every generation before us, can leave this city even stronger than we found it. our beloved city is no stranger to big struggles. and no stranger to overcoming them. new york has faced fiscal collapse and a crime epidemic, terrorist attacks and natural disasters. but now, in our time, we face a

different crisis. an inequality crisis. it's not often an the stuff of banner headlines in our daily newspapers. it's a quiet crisis. but one no less pernicious than the ones that came before. its urgency is read on the faces of our neighbors and their children as families struggle to make it against increasingly long odds. to tackle a challenge this daunting, we need a dramatic new approach rebuilding our communities from the bottom up, from the neighborhoods up. and just like before, the world will watch us as we succeed. we will remember what makes new york new york. a city that fights injustice and

inequality, not just because it honors our values. but because it strengthens our people. a city of five boroughs all created equal. black, white, latino, asian. gays, straight, old, young, rich, middle class, and poor. a city that remembers our responsibility to each other. our common cause is to leave no new yorker behind. that's the city that you and i believe in. it's the city to which my grandparents were welcomed from the hills of sovereigntily. a city in which i was born where i met the love of my life, where

chiara and dante were raised. it's a place that celebrities the very simple notion that no matter what your story is, this is your city. our strength is derived from you working together. we will make this one city. and that mission, our march towards a fairer, more just, more progressive place, our march to keep the promise of new york alive for the next generation, it begins today. thank you and god bless the people of the city of new york. clps. >> bill deblasio giving his

acceptance speech as the first democratic mayor in two decades in new york city clps with a very, very forward-leaning pretty boastful discussion about the progressive ideals that he has, promising that they weren't just political campaign slogans, but he promised to really try to change things and make new york very, very different place. we're going to talk a lot more about this and about the man who introduced him. swore him in, bill clinton and what this means for the clintons, not just bill deblasio. stale with us. we'll have a lot more of this on the other side of the break.

deblasio.

welcome back. we just witnessed the ceremonial swearing in of the 109th mayor of new york city, bill deblasio. it was quite a moment not just because bill clinton, the former president and somebody who's a close friend and confidante of the deblasio family swore him in, but because of the comment that he made in his address. very much standing by what he campaigned on determined to change the way new york is run and determined to make it a

progressive place and talked about liberal ideas in a very forward leaning way that we haven't heard in really in a long time. i want to bring in susan candiotti from new york, our political and nis john avlon also in new york and larry sabato the director of the center for politics at the university of virginia. john, you worked for the former mayor of new york, rudy guiliani and somebody who writes about independents. what is your take on comments like, for example, talking about the fact that he said when i said i would take dead aim at the tale of two cities i mean it. we do it. >> this was an unapologetically liberal speech with mayor deblasio really setting forth a strong ideological agenda for the city of new york. and dana, as you know, new york city has had 20 years of republican and independent mayors that has coincided with the city's resurgence. deblasio's vision skips over

that 20 years and tries to draw a direct connection to the policies of fdr, the great society pol policies and put himself squarely in that direction. this was a strikingly had ideological vision for the city of new york and an attempt to reignite the liberal tradition in urban america. >> it really was. just him talking about one of his big campaign promises that he says he's going to keep which is to try to raisetachs and put that money into pre-k education saying that it's $973 a year. that's less than 3 bucks a day, the cost of a small soy latte at your local starbucks. susan candiotti, you've been covering him. you live in new york. talk about the man that is bill deblasio because for people outside new york, they might be looking in and saying oh, great, it's new york city. that's other. it's not other. what happens there does tend to ripple out into the country. >> sure, everyone is going to be watching whether he is

successful at trying to establish these very progressive policies that he's talking about. he's talking about raising the taxes. he's talking about evening the economic playing field, as well. and he's made his family and the first time we have seen an interracial family certainly in the mayor's office here blowing kisses to the crowd. this is a family that he is very much involved in his campaign from the very start. president clinton even drew attention to them calling them a real day modern family. so how will he help incorporate that? i think he tried to give everyone a feeling of family, of inclusiveness as he tries to establish himself as mayor of new york city. and i think that in part is what everyone is also going to be watching. >> and throwing in the spanish there was also interesting. just as i was hearing that, i was thinking of "saturday night

live" doing that bit on bloomberg trying to speak spanish which i don't think went, as well. but larry sabato, let me turn to you sort of the national politics here and bill clinton. it was fascinating me that bill clinton, the guy who brought back democrats to the national stage by ushering in sort of the conservative democrats stood there and said very directly that he strongly endorses the progressive ideals of bill deblasio. now, that certainly could be true, but there's also something else to it which might it be hillary 2016, right? >> absolutely. look, it's a rare mayor that gets sworn in by a former president, and particularly a former president who's spouse is the leading candidate for the democratic be nomination for president in 2016 and i don't want to be overly cynical or analytical about it, but as you listened to clinton's comments it seemed to me that first of

all, he was redefining his own presidency as being quite a bit more liberal than it actually was. and second, of course, he's doing it for hillary. it's obvious he's doing it for hillary because if she has a fear, a challenge that could actually dethrone her in 2016, it may well come from the left progressive populist wing of the party, almost all of whom opposed her in 2008 against obama. she still fears that because of her vote for the iraq war and some other things. so as you listen to clinton in essence speaking for hillary, he was trying to reposition her to put as little distance as possible between the left wing of the democratic party and her candidacy. so we'll see whether it works, but it's an interesting strategy. >> it really is. john avlon, it really was fascinating. you're exactly right, larry. come on, bill clinton brought in welfare reform and you know, he was the dlc are democrat, the

democratic leadership council. he was the conservative democrat, the southern democrat. and much to the chagrin of some liberals. let's face it. but john avlon, do you think that that is enough to sort of assuage some of the concerns of some liberals out there who are going to be looking to bill deblasio as sort of the beacon of liberalism, someone who's going to bring it back and make it in vogue again? >> there's no question that's how he sees himself and his supporters see him. there is this rising elizabeth warren left weng of the democratic party that is increasingly insurgent and critical of centrist democrats. bill clinton recentered the democratic party very effective to return it to power. nationally after three consecutive elections in which they lost 40 states. so is there politics involved? sure. keep in mind, this is all in the family, folks. andrew cuomo was hud secretary under clinton.

bill deblasio ran hngt hillary clinton's campaign in 2000. these folks are all tight and in many ways there's this ascendcy of the clinton kids now to positions of power that has a fascinating aspect to this whole dynamic. >> susan, the last word. again as a new yorker he talked about a lot of things that he wants to change in new york, some of them very progressive like raising taxes for the wealthy and giving that to the underserved. but he also wants to do some things that are sort of iconic like we talked about this morning, getting rid of those horsen an buggy rides around central park. what is the general feeling about the massive change that he's trying to make there, and do you think that it's really going to come or is he going to get a lot of pushback with the city council and so forth. >> i mean, as always, i guess time will tell. we'll have to see how this all plays out but getting rid of horse carriages? seems like a minor thing but a big thing if you're visiting new york and to a lot of people who live here, too. a lot of people feel very

strongly about that on so many different levels. will he succeed, will he get the support of the majority of new yorkers? well, he certainly won with a huge majority here. he seems to have the mandate. let's see. i think everyone wants to see whether he will be able to put this into action. whether he will, in fact, be successful. >> absolutely. well, thank you all for joining us. it really is interesting to sort of take a step back and realize that there hasn't been a democratic mayor in new york city which everybody this of as a bastion of liberalism in two decades. we'll see what happens in the coming years. happy new year to all of you. now we're going to turn nationally to the web site rollout that was a mess. now obamacare faces another major test. new health insurance coverage kicks in today. we'll take a look what's at stake and why some groups get a delay in providing birth control coverage. is just torture on my hair. well you gotta use head & shoulders for men. it's all you need to reach

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the obama administration calls it a new era in health insurance, but it's also a major test of president obama's signature accomplishment. new coverage and reforms under the affordable care act kick in starting today. more than 2 million people have signed up for insurance through federal and state exchanges. supporters are focusing on the positive. >> starting my business i

purchased health insurance on my own and i was covered for a little more than emergency or basic checkups. >> in 2006, i was diagnosed with breast cancer. shortly thereafter, i lost my health care coverage. i've been waiting a long time for january 1st, 2014. >> and this is a video called obamacare day one from the political group organizing for action, which, of course, was the political group that spurred president obama's campaign to begin with. our senior white house correspondent jim acosta joins us. jim, okay, the botched website roll out, we got that. what is the administration bracing for now? >> this is a whole new rollout. it's a rollout of coverage under obamacare and it starts today for a lot of americans. . as you heard from a lot of people in the video a lot of people are exseatsed they won't be penalized for having existing conditions. the administration is touting that and had the muscle flex yesterday with respect to the

new enrollment numbers, 2.1 million americans. >> which we don't know exactly who they are. >> those are the big questions. the questions are who is paying for this coverage, have they made the payments. we might have speed bumps in the next several weeks in terms of people who go to the pharmacy and go to the doctor and find out i don't have insurance. i thought i signed up but i don't have it. who is signing up? are they the younger healthier people that the president needs to pay for the rest of the program or the older sicker american who's might weigh the program down. >> there was a legal setback, maybe just a blip late last night. explain what happened with the supreme court justice sonia so the mayor and what her ruling was. >> justice soto mayor came out with a stay that granted that

says you have to pay for contraception coverage for employees. at the same time, the white house is saying we still stand behind this. we got this from a white house official earlier this morning. it says we defer to the department of justice on litigation matters but remain confident our final rules strike the balance of providing women with free contraceptive coverage while preventing non-profit religious organizations with religious objections to contraceptive contract from having to contract, arrange pay for refer for such coverage. you take all of that legal gobbledy gook and it believing means they're standing behind this mandate. will the supreme court allow this to continue? social conservatives have been looking for a victory against obamacare. this could be it. >> this was one of the final issues that the obama administration, one of the major issues they had trouble trying to find the sweet spot on, right?

>> right. they tried to come up with an administrative approach to work around this mandate. these groups are basically saying you can come up with all the administrative work arounds you want. this violates our religious beliefs. we don't want this. there are some 2014 implications for this. a lot of red state democrats as you know up for re-election in these senate seats. catholics may not like what they're hearing when this goes to the premium court. it could have big political implications for the rest of the year. >> jim accost ta, thank you. and former first lady barbara about your is in the hospital. she was admitted on monday with a respiratory related illness at houston methodist hospital, the same place where her husband, former president george h.w. bush spent weeks battling bronchitis related illness in 2012. alina machado, the family has issued a statement, right? >> they have. a spokesperson for the family saying that the 88-year-old is

being treated at methodist hospital in houston, texas, for a respiratory related issue. she was admitted on monday and the spokesperson says she is in great spirits, has already received visits from her husband and family and is receiving fantastic care. we want to show you a fairly recent white house photo of the former first lady taken in july when her husband was honored for his work with the point of lights foundation. president bush, by the way, has a form of parkinson's and often uses a wheelchair or scooter to get around. news of her hospitalization is spreading and reaction is starting to come in. listen to ktrk's political consultant is saying about the news. >> i have known barbara bush since 1969. that is 44 years. having known her as i have, i have total confidence in her,

period, exclamation mark. >> also weighing in is number 42, former president bill clinton who treated this morning "i'll be rooting for her full recovery while she's rooting for baylor today. all of my best to her and george h.w. bush." of course, that's a reference to the fee estes bowl which will be taking place tonight. >> all about football, especially in texas. but former first lady barbara bush has had some other health issues, hasn't she? >> she has. in the late 80s diagnosed with graves disease an autoimmune >> in 2009, she underwent heart surgery. this is at least the fourth time the former first lady has been hospitalized in recent years. >> she's very tough, and we're all wishing her well on this new year's day. thank you very much for that report. >> thank you. and noort korean leader kim jong-un rang in the new year with a fiery speech that had a

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north korean leader kim jong-un delivered a new year's speech, but it definitely wasn't full of good cheer. he praised the execution of his uncle and warned that confrontations could lead to a nuclear confrontation. brian todd is covering the story. let's talk about what he said

about the paubltd of nuclear war. >> a lot of eyes on that because of the political upheaval on the front of threatening the united states, he calls the u.s. and korea war maniacs, his quote. he said the u.s. and north korea are buzzing toward nuclear war, and it would result in a catastrophe. analysts are looking at that, bruce clinger, he was a north korea guy at the cia for ten years said number one, he's blaming the u.s. for the recent tension in the peninsula, and he's also warning the united states they can hit the united states with a ballistic missile, possibly a nuclear tipped ballistic missile. that's what he believes he's saying in those remarks. >> we obviously never know what the reasoning is. it could be for domestic consumption within north korea. and he did talk about his uncle.

>> and he never mentioned him by name. not unusual for that, either. the quote was, it's kind of a memapderring quote, but he says in the seething period in the effort for building a thriving country, we took the measure of removing the factionalists lurking in the parkey. basically, the uncle was tossed out and executed for plotting against kim jong-un. he also said that purge unified north korea, but any analyst will tell you this is not the end of this. there will be more purges coming. he's moving to some of his allies, and then he'll go to other people. this is not over, a very volatile and unpredictable leader. >> he sure is. we know you'll be watching it closely. >> imagine hundreds of thousands of people watching your wedding video. how one couple made history today in california. a subaru...

...are the hands that do good things for the whole community: the environment, seniors, kids, and animals. that's why we created the share the love event. by the end of this year, the total donated by subaru could reach 35 million dollars. you get a great deal on a new subaru. we'll donate 250 dollars to a choice of charities that benefit your community. it feels good to be a helping hand.

minimum wage workers in more than a dozen states will see their paychecks increase starting today. the debate over raising the minimum wage has led to protests against fast food chains and calls for federal legislation. higher wages take effect in 13 states today. for most workers, the increases amount to less than 15 cents per

hour, but works in connecticut, new jersey, new york, and rhode island will see bigger increases. the minimum wage in those states goes to $8 or higher. the federal minimum wage is $7.25. >> today, the boy scouts of america will accept openly gay members. more than 60% of the group's national counsel voted for the change. he said no youth may be denied membership based on sexual orientation or preference alone. the group will keep the ban on adult gay leaders, though. a first in history for the rose parade. a same-sex couple exchanged vows on a rolling float with hundreds of thousands of people watching live. grooms danny and audrey said their i dos, but the move sparked controversy, as you could imagine. the organization, save california.com, called for a boycott of the parade. the tournament of roses facebook

page had hundreds of comments supporting and opposing the wedding. that's it for me. i'll be back at 5:00 p.m. eastern on "the situation room," and i'll speak with senator kirsten gillibrand, one of the democrats to watch in 2014. make sure to tune in for that, and "newsroom" continues right now with martin savidge. i'm martin savidge. thanks for joining us. happy new year to everyone. it's off to a devastating start in the city of minneapolis. an explosion and fire ripped through an apartment building this morning. authorities there not even sure that everyone has managed to make it out. flames were shooting 20 feet out of windows when the crews arrived. crews who went inside had to retreat. 13 people have been taken to the hospital. six are in critical condition. and then adding to this, the misery, is of course the extreme cold in manipulatinneapolis. the temperature is below zero, but the wind