>> this is the end of the segment. good-bye to both of you. >> eagles! >> with that, the next hour of the cnn news room begins right now. you are in the cnn news room, i'm martin savidge, very glad to be with you. this is one of those weekends where the weather becomes the news. before you say hey, it's january, it's supposed to be cold, hold on. this is like none we have seen in a long time. that deep freezing is going to affect nearly half of the nation. it is exceptionally cold and even cold weather veterans say in the polar bear states that haven't seen conditions as brutal as this in many years. in parts of minnesota, famous for the tough winters, the temperature will not get above 20 below in the coming days. the windchill, that's 65 degrees

below zero. chicago, more lake-effect snow and plunging temperatures. sunday night into monday, it shoots temperatures to 15 below zero with plenty of the famous wind chicago is known for. in the normally mild deep south, atlanta, where the giant peach dropped, the next few days will be colder than, get this, anchorage, alaska. it could be dangerous for anyone outside without adequate protection. frostbite can kick in in just 15 minutes. dr. sanjay gupta has advice on how to protect yourself in extreme cold. >> as you expect, most people would say try to stay indoors as much as possible. the fans going to the games don't want to hear that. get inside to a heated area just to warm up. that helps. some of the basics apply here.

i'll preface by saying the materials we have to keep warm are much better than they had during the ice bowl in 1967, gor tex clothing, for example, can make a difference. dressing in layers makes a difference. i'll add this tip, do it loosely. don't put them on tightly. let warm air get trapped between the various layers of clothing. wear a hat, you lose 20% of your body heat through your head. cover exposed skin to prevent frostbite, fingers, toes, i throw ches in there as well. they turn red. if someone says the areas are starting to turn white, you are running the risk of frostbite. hypothermia is the other big concern. a couple tidbits, eating a big meal ahead of time can help. it causes something known as thermogenesis. that can be helpful.

drinking alcohol can have the opposite effect. it dilates blood vessels. 15 minutes outside in the conditions we are talking ability, 30 degrees below zero, 15 minutes and you can develop frostbite. be sure if you are doing this, you get inside as much as you can and keep the areas covered up. back to you. >> you are so right. i spent a lot of time covering those areas. that cold will affect you in ways you have not been feeling it before. january is typically cold, but not like this. cnn meteorologist alexandra steele explain what is is behind the frigid temperatures. >> martin, it is cold. about the coldest in two decades. what this is is a piece of the polar vortex, which is the coldest air in the northern hemisphere. that's what's coming our way. the forecast windchills for tomorrow. you can see, this is noon.

of course the game, if you are going to be out there, 14 below is what it's going to feel like. the key number, that old 1967 game. five is what it's going to feel like in green bay. flint, detroit, you can see how cold it gets. duluth feeling like 53 below zero. this is historic cold. minneapolis on monday, 18 below. the record 14. dating from 1909. this is historic on so many fronts. not only the windchill dropping to 60 below, perhaps. in chicago, all-time coldest daily high. in cincinnati and detroit, potentially the coldest subzero stretch we have ever seen. take a look at these numbers. chicago a high temperature, these aren't windchills, 15 below dropping to 20 below. monday and tuesday is the heart of this arctic cold. look what happens in new york. 50 degrees on monday with rain. see moisture is moving in.

it's going to be quite a snowstorm for the midwest, chicago, detroit, indianapolis. but, for the northeast, it's not going to be a snowstorm. it's going to be rain. the moisture comes before the cold air gets there. the timing is being missed. the rain and warm air, cold air, 14 in new york. dramatic temperature drop and similar to nashville as well. martin? >> thanks very much. a few major airports get shut down and it sends the whole travel system into chaos. 3,000 flights canceled yesterday. nothing arrived or took off from new york, boston or chicago for several hours. that means long lines, bag logs and frustrated passengers going nowhere. as of a couple hours ago, 1100 commercial flights have been canceled today, within, into and out of the united states. okay. cnn viewers have been sending us amazing photos of their nor'easter and the blizzard and the cold.

what's happening in their very own neighborhoods. jennifer is digging through them all. she's found real gems including some close to her heart. >> absolutely. people love to post on social media what they are doing and seeing at that time. this is like any other time. >> shared experience. >> we love the i-reports coming in. take a look at this one from pennsylvania. alice sent this one in of her balcony. she calls it a winter wonderland. icicles coming off. she took the picture from inside because her balcony door was frozen shut. you can run into that with these cold temperatures. great picture there. if you want to get exercise, go out cross country skiing before it's too cold. this is an ocean city beach, new jersey. thanks for sending in that photo. the waves are crashing there, but there is a man out there cross country skiing, getting

exercise in. good to see that. >> beautiful, that imagery there. >> isn't it gorgeous? probably tomorrow will be colder there tomorrow. in glenhead, new york, look at milo. it's a golden doodle. looks like he likes it. kind of getting his nose wet in the snow there. very sweet. i can't get enough of borris. check out this next photo that was sent in from chicago. she caught him midair chasing schools. i love the red booties. you have to keep his paws warm, right? >> sure. >> borris is a rescue mix and very cute there hanging out in the air. >> looks like superman. >> absolutely. this next one, closer to home. my dad took a picture in our neighborhood, found a snow man with a sign that gos hand in hand with the weather right now. take a look at that.

yeah! no school on monday. governor dayton closed schools in minnesota because temperatures are below zero in the double digits. it's a fun way to put it. parents and kids will have a snow day. >> it shows how it will affect you. >> i love seeing my neighborhood on there. >> tell your dad thanks, keep them coming. to a more serious subject, "fast and furious" actor paul walker died minutes after a car crash. we'll tell you what doctors found. just ahead, they have been looking into your data, but what if the nsa got o supercomputer? we are hearing reports they could be close. that also, just ahead.

he inspired so many musicians, phil everily died at a california hospital. ♪ wake up little suzy, wake up ♪ >> that's phil there on the left and his brother don. they recorded more than 35 hits including that one, "bye bye love" kathy's clown. phil was 74 years old. high speeds played a huge role in paul walker's films. now an autopsy confirmed triple digit speeds played a part in his death. we have the final moments of walker and his friend who drove the car they both died in.

>> reporter: millions of fans of paul walker's movie series were shocked when a real-life car crash killed the actor. the coroner's autopsy report shows his death was gruesome and swift. he was a passenger in an ultrahigh performance car drichb by his friend. the autopsy states the driver was driving a red porsche at an unsafe speed, 100 plus-mile-per-hour. >> when they passed us, there were no other cars around them. >> reporter: the driver lost control, spun, struck a sidewalk, tree and light post. video shows the moment of impact and a full minute later, the car bursting into flames. >> there's nothing, we tried. we went through five extinguishers. >> reporter: concerned they may have been alive that entire time, not supported by the autopsy.

both bodies were found in a stance like a boxer. only his lower back, buttocks and feet were uncharred. only a scant amount of soot was found in his throat, indicating he wasn't breathing for long. the body of his friend was in more gruesome season. >> in hollywood, they never get hurt. in reality, we have to be concerned. we have to be concerned, this could happen to any of us. we have to follow the rules, follow the speed. we can't be too fast or furious. >> reporter: the autopsy confirms the ruling on the cause of death, an accident. walker lives on on film. a seventh installment of the franchise, which was partially shot at the time of his death is scheduled to be released next year. cnn los angeles. still to come, taking the nsa to task for collecting cell phone records of americans.

senator rand paul thinks a massive class action lawsuit is one way to get the nsa to stop.

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have happened. blood, liver and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure have occurred. before starting humira , your doctor should test you for tb. ask your doctor if you live in or have been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. tell your doctor if you have had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have symptoms such as fever, fatigue, cough, or sores. you should not start humira if you have any kind of infection. ask your doctor if humira can work for you. this is humira at work. we want to say a welcome home to former first lady, barbara bush because that's where she is after spending six days in the hospital. the doctors released her from the houston methodist hospital today. they have been treating the 88-year-old for pneumonia.

she thanked the doctors and nurses for making sure she got the best treatment to get back to george and the dogs as quickly as possible. >> we rely on encription. it's a dirty word for the nsa. a supercomputer could break even the strongest security codes. >> reporter: the scrambled codes that protection the most sensitive information online shield the most crucial data that gompb governments possess. now the nsa is reportedly developing a quantum computer that will be able to break any encryption. >> it will be easier for nsa to break the codes that foreign governments use and foreign criminal groups use.

>> they will be able to break codes we use to protect bank accounts, e-mails, medical records. a privacy advocate says that may lead to a world with no secrets where it's pointless trying to protect anything. >> we don't know what the capabilities are, the steps taken to undermine the encryption when we go to purchase a book or download music. >> reporter: the computer programmers revealed in documents by nsa leaker, edward snowden and reported by "the washington post." how would it work? when a regular computer tries to solve a problem, it has to go through each possible solution one by one by one until it arrives at the right answer. what makes this special is it tries every possibility, arriving at the correct answer quicker. according to the documents, the computer is developed at this lab in college park, maryland.

how close is nsa to finishing the computer? it could be five years to a decade or more. contacted by cnn, the nsa wouldn't comment on the project. >> thanks. rand paul announced a class action lawsuit. he says the goal so to uphold the fourth amendment right of searches and seizures. the data collection is so widespread, nearly everyone in the country could be affected. >> we have several hundred thousand people who want to be part of this suit to say to the government and the nsa, no, you can't have our records without our permission or warrant to a specific individual. it's kind of an unusual class action suit in the sense that we think everybody in america who has a cell phone would be eligible for this class action suit. >> the nsa denies its actions violate the privacy of u.s. citizens.

the u.s. marines are postponing a mandatory requirement for recruits to do pull-ups. more than half the woman who tried to do three pull-ups failed. chris lawrence has more. >> reporter: military training can be excruciating at the highest levels. at the bare minimum, a marine has to be able to do three pull ups. >> i want to be sure every marine is maxing out the pull ups on pfds. >> more than half the female recruits couldn't do it. the marines are pushing back the day when it becomes mandatory. >> if you have a failure rate of 55% and 99% of the men are succeeding, obviously, this is not going to work. >> reporter: men have to do three pull ups minimum to pass the fitness test. it takes 20 to earn a perfect score. women had to meet the same minimum, but only need eight to

score perfect because so few passed, the marines will let them choose to hang on the bar for 15 seconds and pass without doing any pull ups. >> wide grip works best for you. >> reporter: they admit pull ups are better than the flexed arm hang elicits little muscle strength for military tasks such as pulling yourself over obstacles and other equipment. she is a former marine corps officer who commanded troops in afghanistan. >> could you do three pull ups? >> at one point, i could do fife. the first one took the longest to get to. >> reporter: women have to learn how to do a pull up. >> experiment with different techniques. you figure out what other exercises to do. >> critics say the push over pull ups is part of a bigger problem, pressure from the white house to make the military

gender neutral. >> something is wrong here. it's not the women's fault. it's the policy that the marines are pursuing. >> reporter: still, some women are clearly ready. 13 passed the gruelling 60 day infantry training course. this postponement is a set back for the plan to move thousands of women into combat roles by 2016. the marines couldn't pose the standard next year, but there's no guarantee. chris lawrence, cnn, washington. >> thank you, chris. the rise of al qaeda in iraq is prompting a finger pointing response from two senators against president obama. hear their case on the other side of the break. [ male announcer ] legalzoom has helped start over 1 million businesses.

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more than two years ago, actually, just over that, the final u.s. troops left iraq. i remember because i was riding in the last convoy as we left kuwait. now, analysts say the violence is at a turning point. militants related to al qaeda are holding down territory against the iraqi government, which is united states backs. the islamic state of iraq have taken control of parts of fa lucia. that's triggered a harsh, i told you so, from two senators.

they blame president obama for the new violence that has killed 90 people in the last two days. we turn to cnns reporter. what, specifically, did they say? >> you are right. this does amount to an, i told you so, to the administration. they say the violence this week is as tragic as predictable. they blame the administration for not listening to their warnings three years ago. they say, quote, the administration is not escape their share of the blame when president obama withdrew all forces in 2011. military leaders and commanders on the ground, we predicted the vacuum would be filled by enemies and a threat to u.s. national security interests. the administration dismissed this sort of criticism before. let's listen to what the state

department spokesperson said friday. >> we condemned the violence in the strongest terms. let's be clear who is responsible for the violence, the terrorists behind it. that's why we are partnering with the iraqi government closely to fight the threat because at the end of the day, we can help them fight it and help them build their own capability to do so themselves. ultimately, that's the best way forward for iraq. i don't think we need to relitigate policy decisions that were made however many months ago. >> congress is back to work here on monld. martin, i suspect we'll hear more from this, especially the republicans and as the violence continues. >> thanks very much. you are going to hear more now. our next guest with iraq, syria and lebanon burning, why is john kerry talking with palestinians. we'll talk about that next. then, later, more on the winter

storm and the coldest, snowiest, iciest football game ever.

secretary of state, john kerry says progress has been made in making peace in the middle east. today, kerry met for the second time with palestinian leader and flew back to egypt for a meeting with benjamin netanyahu in as many days.

>> it has to be laid down in a way which the parties have confidence and they know the road ahead is real. >> the diplomacy is set up to end the conflict between israel and palestine. it will address issues like security. now, we are going to dive into the two stories we have been talking ability. kerry's progress in the middle east and the bloody upswing of violence in iraq. john kerry's focus is in the wrong place in israel and the west bank. critics can't understand why kerry isn't concentrating on a turning point in iraq. al qaeda linked roots are taking control of parts of the city of flew shah. i have two guests with me.

thanks for being with us. explain, first of all, what is wrong with the secretary of state trying to move forward with the peace process in israel? >> there's nothing wrong with it per se. there's something wrong with the secretary of state who left the war in syria raging and advocated that fight. the fight for syria spills into western iraq and about to engulf lebanon, it's odd that he heads for the tenth time this year to israel and palestine. there's no urgency there. there's really no room for settlement. israelis are now concerned with iran, not the palestinians. they are not ready for a settlement. there's a peculiar concentration. >> while we broaden what is happening in the region now and what's happening in iraq today, for example, remind us just how

serious this is. is it just a resumption of the fighting we saw before or something new? >> well, it is, in parts, something of a resumption and something new where you see the al qaeda linked groups going back and becoming strong in iraq again. if you look back to iraq in 2003, 2004 and 2005, al qaeda and iraq owned parts of it. in some cases all of it. the groups are seeping back in. all of that has to do with the conflict in syria. that conflict is what allowed the group to become strong again. they have taken a lot of territory north of the country and seems as though they are shuttling back and forth against the border. the border really doesn't exist. it's easy for the groups to move around. it's the sunni heartland and they are gaining strength in that part of iraq again. one thing that is not good but a

glimmer of hope, if you will, is the sunni tribes in the area want to work together with the iraqi government to try to come to terms with al qaeda and iraq. one of the things everybody can agree with is while the sunni tribes don't trust the government in baghdad, they don't want to live under the rule of al qaeda. they have seen that before. >> they have been down that road. this is, of course, what we didn't want to see, the regionalization of the war in syria. what do you think john kerry should be doing now? >> i think this illusion, he said, he himself, that secretary kerry said he goes to the region one more time. he goes to israeli palestinians negotiations one more time. let's face it, his time is not unlimited. he can't simply say well, we are going to focus on israel/palestine while we lead the fight in syria. the arab world is invested in the issue of syria.

the fight has become a sunni shiite war in the region. i think my colleague has explained very well the leaky borders between syria and western iraq. then we also don't treat iraq well. we are now on the side of malachi who antagonized them and treats them like a concords nation. we must focus on iran, iraq, syria and lebanon. >> what do you make of, is it right by lindsey graham and john kerry to blame president obama? >> no. i think the violence in iraq -- i'll let you go first, if you want. >> no, go ahead, please. >> i think it's unfair to blame it on president obama. the things happening in iraq right now are things that have, their essence in all the policies from the past couple of years. starting with the invasion of

iraq and how that was handled. the fact that all these militias were able to come up afterward and the fact the u.s. left while it was a patch work. it's not like the fires in iraq were put out. the u.s. put additional troops out to quench the violence. he does treat the sunni's as though they are -- they don't work well enough to come to terms with it. there's not a political consensus. it's not there. the political class has not done much for reconciliation. this is a problem made by the iraqis. it's beginnings at least in part by the way the occupation was handled in 2004, 2005, 2006. this is something the iraqis are going to have to handle themselves. the u.s. does need to show more of an interest in the syrian conflict and also work more closely with countries like russia to try to get that and

come to terms with it, find a political solution. any solution that would stop the bloodshed there. that's the reason. >> do you think the senator is correct? >> yes. i should own up to my own bias here. john mccain is one of my heroes. john mccain has cared about syria and iraq when so many politicians and so many leaders in washington were ready to look the other way. we quit iraq in 2011 the wrong way. we quit iraq, we declared it a great success. we declared a great success when he was repressing the sunni's. now he comes to us and he wants missiles, we have given him. he wants drones and he will not use them in the war on terror. they are instruments of choice in his war against the sunnis and kurds. >> you make it sound like he will stay in power because of

the weaponry from the u.s. >> i have known this man. it's an interesting thing. like all of a sudden, you see the unmaking, the emergence of a dictator. right now, he has something good going for him. he is now running for third term as prime minister. the rules in iraq recolluded that. he shredded those rules. now he's running for third term as the prime minister. as the candidate of supreme leader. >> we appreciate your insight. we appreciate your reporting from dangerous places. thank you you both. >> thank you. a citizen held in pakistan feels abandoned. in a video he is asking the u.s. government to help him come home. what does his family say? hear what they told anderson

cooper, just ahead. just by talking to a helmet. it grabbed the patient's record before we even picked him up. it found out the doctor we needed was at st. anne's. wiggle your toes. [ driver ] and it got his okay on treatment from miles away. it even pulled strings with the stoplights. my ambulance talks with smoke alarms and pilots and stadiums. but, of course, it's a good listener too. [ female announcer ] today cisco is connecting the internet of everything. so everything works like never before.

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the family of an american kidnapped by al qaeda keep hoping he will get his freedom.

he was captured in 2011 in pakistan. a recent video released shows him looking frail and asking the u.s. government to bring him home. >> therefore, appealing to you, on a humanitarian basis, if nothing else, and asking that you take the necessary actions to expedite my release and my return to my family and to my country. >> our anderson cooper spoke to his family on how they are holding up as they wait for his return. >> first of all, i'm so sorry for what you are going through. how are you holding up and how do you deal with it day-to-day? >> i find if i'm busy, i can at least function. i try to find a place to go, a friend to be with. if all else fails, i visit my grandchildren. >> in the video, seeing your

husband, i mean this was the first time in how long you had seen him? >> over a year. >> how did he look to you? what do you see when you look at him? >> he looked pale. he looked sick. he looked troubled. he just looked like he was in distress. it was terrible to see him that way. >> in the video, he says that he feels like he's been forgotten. for you and for all of you, that must be -- it's not true and for him to not know that has to be heart breaking. >> i think he said that i'm not sure he meant that. i think that words were put in his mouth. >> to see the video, is it -- i mean it's horrific in one sense. is it comforting in another to see a visual of him? >> it was so nice to hear his voice again. there's something comforting about that and seeing his face,

knowing he's a live is amazing, too. it's an amazing feeling. >> what happens in this situation? people try to imagine what you are going through. is there anything for you to actually do? >> not really. we ask if anything is being done. we are told everything possible is being done and that's what we have to settle for. >> what do you want people to know about your dad? >> he's an amazing man who dedicated his life to, you know, helping other people and doing everything he can to help family and friends. you know, just he's an amazing person who doesn't deserve this to happen to him. he deserves to be home with his family, you know, to be able to enjoy life and not be missing everything and, you know, not allowed to do things that he wants to do. he needs to come home.

>> also, just what an incredible father and husband and grandfather he is. i mean, even though he was across the world from us, we all spoke to him every day, sometimes more than once a day. he was always connected. he was online or calling us using skype or vonnage. just being with us. >> i understand your grand kids learned how to use it at 2 years old or something? >> he was in my office at two. we left him sitting there. in reality, he hit the button. he wanted to talk to grandpa and he knew how to do it. >> you had to explain this to your kids. how do you explain it? >> how do you explain it? it's not something you want to have to tell a child. we sat her down and basically, you know, used the most child appropriate way to explain the situation to her. she asked very smart questions.

she's, you know, she's dealing with it. it's been really hard on her. >> this is, obviously a broadcast seen internationally. if he could hear this or somebody involved holding him could hear this, what do you want him to know? what is your message? >> if he's listening, we want him to know we love him. we want him to know we miss him terribly. we think about him almost every moment of every single day. we would do anything in our power to get him home. he shouldn't lose heart. he shouldn't lose faith. he should just worry about taking care of himself, trying to stay healthy, trying to stay strong and know that we are fighting for him. >> i hope this helps. i hope he gets this message and the people holding him get the message as well. >> thank you for having us.

we truly appreciate it. >> that was anderson cooper talking to the family. coming up, the sugar bowl comes to a bitter end for an alabama fan. we are not talking about the lopsided score, either. clay. mom? come in here. come in where? welcome to my mom cave. wow. sit down. you need some campbell's chunky soup before today's big game, new chunky cheeseburger. mmm. i love cheeseburgers. i know you do. when did you get this place? when i negotiated your new contract, it was part of the deal. cool. [ male announcer ] campbell's chunky soup. it fills you up right. [ male announcer ] campbell's chunky soup. life could be hectic. as a working mom of two young boys angie's list saves me a lot of time. after reading all the reviews i know i'm making the right choice. online or on the phone, we help you hire right the first time. with honest reviews on over 720 local services. keeping up with these two is more than a full time job,

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australia is getting the ice breaking might of the u.s. coast

guard to help the stranded ships in the antarctic. this is now become a four nation operation, australia leading the effort and now got the u.s. ice breaker named "the polar star" to join the mission. the two ships stuck are a russian research ship and a chinese ice breaker. 52 passengers were flown off earlier in the week with 22 crew members remained on board. tomorrow's nfl playoff between the packers and 49ers could go down as the coldest game in history. might, anyway. temperatures in green bay are to nose dive to minus two degrees. i talked with terrence moore and he covered 3 of 6 of the coldest games in history including a 1982 game where the windchill was 59 degrees below zero. >> when you talk lambeau field, they are talking minus three by

kick off, at the end, minus ten. that's bad. people think it gives the packers the advantage. you know what their record is when the temperature is 6 degrees below and lower? 3-4. it's cold for everybody. >> the temperature is the great equalizer here. the fans have the option. they don't have to go, they can stay home. the players can't. >> right. >> what do they do? how do they stay warm and is it a danger? >> you have the stories back then in the old days, minnesota when they played outdoors, grant, the coach of the minnesota vikings put the heater on his side of the sidelines and the visiting team fended for themselves. you have these tricks. there's not a good way to do this. you have games that take place and we can talk about it. i covered the 1982 freezer bowl in cincinnati afc championship between the chargers and the

bangals. the actual temperature was minus nine. i bring that up because the offensive lineman came out in short sleeved shirts to try to intimidate the chargers. it worked. >> with athletes, i worry, your muscles tighten up, do you see greater injuries? >> there's no question about that. people talk about the '67 ice bowl between the packers and cowboys when it was minus 13 below zero. i can't believe i know all the numbers for coldness. dan reese played in the game. he was a fay nous nfl coach in later years. he still has a scar above his lip where he bit through his lip during that frigid day and just still hasn't healed problemerly after all the years. there's repercussions playing in those temperatures. >> absolutely, there are. by the way, oklahoma's stunning upset at the sugar bowl didn't

go down too well with one die hard alabama fan. the woman had been pulled away from a group of rowdy oklahoma fans. it looked like it was over. one of them said something unkind. that set her off. she circled back and dove head first. she landed a few kicks before security escorted her out of the stadium. "the new york times" is reporting andrew cuomo is said to announce an executive order this week allowing limited use of marijuana for those with serious illnesses. governor cuomo recently changed his position on medical marijuana days after the use became legal in california sending thousands of people there flocking to buy the drug. joining me on the telephone is sue craig. sue, walk us through this kind of executive order that is said to be announced. >> reporter: it's interesting because he's not going through

the legislature in new york, which is has done several times. he found a provision in new york law that allows him to do it on a limited level to see how it goes. it's interesting and will be up and running late next year, early into the next year. there's a lot of things they have to iron out. it's on its way. >> it seems to be, obviously, an about face here. what is behind the decision, do you think? >> i think he's had a progression of views on this. it's interesting why he came out now. i think his concerns before were rooted in the legal aspects, former attorney general. he's been worried about how to police it and control it. i think over time, there's been a lot of lobbying and groups that want this. i think he's seeing over time there can be benefits if it's done in a very limited way to be sure on this it's going to be done in a limited way. only 20 hospitals in the state

will be chosen to distribute it. the diseases that can be used for, the patients can use it for are going to be very limited. it's cancer and glaucoma. anything past that has to be approved by the department of health. it's very limited. we are not doing what colorado does. it's a very limited look at this, then let's see how it goes. >> do you think colorado has influenced, following another state? >> reporter: it's interesting, the common denominator is marijuana. this is a very limited use. i think there's a move in terms of he's known to be a liberal governor on various issues, gay marriage is another one. i think this is up his alley in terms of issues he would move on in terms of social issues. >> thank you. she is from albany breaking the

story of medical marijuana and governor cuomo in new york. it's already legal, pot i'm talking about, in colorado. i mentioned that. it means you can go into a store and legally buy marijuana in that state or grow your own at home and give it away. it doesn't mean you get a free ride if you are caught with too much in your system. miguel marquez reports on the ups and downs from the mile high city. >> reporter: out of the closet and into a new era of legal recreational marijuana. the smoke-out is on. weed, a powerful draw coming from across the country to partake. you were able to walk into a store and buy marijuana today. what did that feel like? >> it is overjoying, like, to not have to hide it and be able to use what makes me feel better. >> reporter: i take it you guys are excited about this. >> wooo! >> reporter: one of the largest

dispensaries, driving snow, wind or cold didn't deter the faithful. the line, in the hundreds, all day long. what does today feel like? >> um, freedom. >> reporter: with new freedom comes new responsibility. signs are everywhere, the dos and don'ts of pot, illegal for under 21 to light up. public health officials fear abuse. at greatest risk, kids. >> over half the admissions for addiction in this state, in kids under 15 and teenagers for marijuana. >> reporter: drivers can get busted. the legal limit, five nan grams of thc in your blood. i don't smoke, but if i had pun puff, does it put me over the limit? >> yes. >> reporter: one puff? >> yes. >> reporter: for how long? >> it's unknown. by two hours it will probably be gone.

>> thp dissipates relatively fast even in habitual users. >> if they fail a roadside test, we take them to a dui room and do a series of tests that take up to two hours to complete. >> reporter: it is possible to be pulled over high and hours late get a pass on the blood test. for now, pot o fish ya that toes settling in for the long ride. cnn, denver. it is the top of the hour. you are in the cnn news room. i'm martin savidge, great to be with you. 2014, not even four days old and the new year means one major thing to millions of americans, unbelievable cold, nor'easters and dangerous weather. in minnesota, the school buses

will stay where they are on monday. all over the state, no school because it's been canceled by the governor as being too cold. philadelphia, single digit temperatures and ice are on the way as the cold wave moouts eastwards from the midwest. the nine inches of snow that fell yesterday froze solid overnight. we'll see what real football fans are made of tomorrow afternoon at lambeau field in green bay, wisconsin. they will play in the open air stadium where the forecast is calling for temperatures that will feel around 20 below zero. it could go down in the books as the coldest profootball game ever played. margaret is in boston where the bottom is already starting to fall out of the temperatures this evening. >> reporter: right now, it's 20 degrees warmer than it was this morning. it was two degrees and overnight, near record low temperatures. people are out now. we are standing in a church parking lot, a mass at 4:00. people coming in and