you are not using your life to do something better. >> he always talked about it. he was depressed about it. and he was like why am i still here. i made a fool out of myself i'm not doing anything with my life that makes me sad. >> during the course of my life i have been curious to know what makes a person feel from a situation that happened to me. i've never been able to find out or talk to anything that has been through what i've been through. >> wow. you can follow his journey to healing when "sole sour survivor" airs tonight at 6:00 p.m. ky dickens joins mar sintin

savatich. we have much more straight ahead in the news room and it all starts right now. hello again. these stories topping our news this hour. get ready, because here comes again this time snow, ice and bone chilling cold sweeping across half the country creating dangerous conditions across half of the country. >> and the governor of new york planning to change a law. >> serious questions are being raised about a girl that is now brain dead after getting a tons lectomy.

>> 35 states are about to get hit by an arctic blast so powerful that it is expected to shatter cold temperatures records across the u.s. and many states will be getting even more snow and ice. the nasty winter weather is creating travel nightmares heading home from the holidays. stranded passengers camped out on the floors of airports from across the country. two jets slid off icy taxi ways this one at jfk in new york and the other at chicago o'hare. no one was hurt in either situation. we have more on the impact of this new round of icy weather. get ready for bone chilling cold. behind the snow storm that hit large portions of the northeast.

an arctic air mass will deliver cold temperatures that we have seen in decades. by wednesday nearly half the nation, 140 million people will shiver in temperatures of zero or be low which is why the red cross is warning people to be prepared. you should have an emergency kit at home or in your car. >> people across the nation are already heeding that advice. i checked out of a different grocery store earlier they asked me if i was stocking up at the end of the world. >> some say the game against the 49ers will go down in the record books as the coldest game ever played.

it makes it very tough, but you have to figure out a way around it. >> and arctic blast threatens to plunge much of the deep south into the double digits. alaska will be warmer monday than nash vville and atlanta. >> the broken pipes keep me in business. you are going to have a lot of them in the next few days when the cold sets in. >> the temperature is going to drop and there is going to be a lot of work. >> football fans are piling in. the green bay packers taking on the san francisco 49ers. george howell is there. are they ready to sit it out in that 5 degree temperature?

>> you find people dressed like i am. you have the gloves on. you are wearing your hat and layers. that is a good thing when you deal with the temperatures that you have today. i think we may get up to 7. it could get warmer. 49,000 people coming to watch here in green bay. this is what they are used to. take a look at what people had to say about being here for this game. >> you can prepare for it but you can't really prepare for it. it is what green bay is all about. >> i don't know about the people from california. >> so the question will some of the players today will they wear short sleeved shirts?

it is still uncleave. they are not tsaying yet. i don't get it. why would you want to wear short sleeves. it is not going to help your team sit? >> yeah. >> okay. all right. all kinds of ways of talking smack on the field. all right george howell we'll check back with you. >> so it isn't just football fans you have to worry about the effects of the cold. people were venturing out today. you look toasty and warm. yeah, i didn't think about putting on a short sleeved shirt on here. we do know that the temperatures here are about to get colder. those 0 degree temperatures. those single digit temperatures what is important today is the

danger of these temperatures. you want to make sure that your how can weather this weather. >> we are not just talking about cold what are the issues that people might start to see? >> frozen pipes. this morning a lady called saying that her pipe was frozen. this is insulation that you can put around the pipe. >> do a little flanning. robert leopold suggests running water frequently and protecting pipes beforehand. >> we have these electric cables that you plug in and insulate the pipe it keeps the heat on the pipe. >> electric heaters are being scooped up in new york city they can add warmth to your house. >> give us your best tip.

>> the best thing to do is insulation. insulation is the best thing. it will safe energy and money. >> spray foams get the job done quickly. it can go around molding, pipes, to fill in space. >> and plastic for windows comes in all sizes. >> how big of a concern is this? >> the red cross has activated tens of thousands of centers across the country about how people can stay safe. >> with lows setting in, in the midwest and sub ser r0 temperat the red cross has focused in on the tips of driving. have sand on hand.

don't forget extra anti-freeze and he says skip the rock salt. >> it melts at lower temperatures and doesn't crack the sidewalk. it doesn't leave white marks all over it. >> a couple of tips to pass on. if you want to keep your eye on it. the red cross is seeing a spice in fires. if you do happen to find yourself stranded in a car. stay in it. don't set out to get help. >> stay together if there are many of you. thank you so much. >> clearly we are in for nasty weather. alexandra steel has the details. >> obviously cold air continues to be the name of the game. here it calmcomes. it is a piece of the polar

puzzle. it is the coldest air in america. we will watch it spread south and eastward. take a look at the highs today. 15 below will be the high temperature in deleuth. high in minnesota today 7 below will be the high. chicago well be low 0. as we head toward monday, 50 degrees. colder than where we should be. 15 below. we are going to shatter records here. as we head toward tuesday, 27 degrees below average atlanta north north wi georgia will be the high of 25. so how cold is it? of course you know where anchorage is. 34 is the high temperature on

maryland. we'll have a high of 16 below. chicago will be colder than anchorage on maryland with the high of 20 below. st. louis, missouri will be colder. colder with the high of 24. so you kind of get the sense of the breath and depth of this cold and records being shattered from 1909 with the high of 19 below. windchills dropping to 60 below chicago all time daily highs. break i breaking records for the consistent number of days. boston the stories are different. monday it is going to be cloudy with rain and arctic air hits b boston and the temperature drops from 15 in one day.

so the cold air is in place and we are going to feel it. thank you so much. >> and thbreaking story coming t of aspen, colorado. reports of a plane crashing. actor and comedian kevin neeler tweeted this. i think it was a private jet. we don't know whose jet this might be. single leeann rimes. so sad horrible plane crash we just saw happen at the aspen airport. very popular resort community

for skiing and residence for many ostrich and faf the rich a. two critically injured after three-alarm fire started on the 20th floor of a midtown building. fire department spokes man says it is not clear if they are trapped. and it is legal in 20 states so why is new york now joining in on the pot parade. the push to allow medical marijuana coming up. will it be different in 2014? ♪ [ male announcer ] this is the story of the little room over the pizza place at 315 chestnut street. the modest first floor bedroom in tallinn, estonia

and the dusty basement at 1406 35th street. it is the story of the old dining room table at 25th and hoffman avenue. the southbound bus barreling down i-95. ...and the second floor above the strip mall at roble and el camino. ♪ this magic moment it is the story of where every great idea begins. ♪ so different and so new where those with endless vision and an equal amount of audaciousness believed they had the power to do more. time and time again. ♪ and then, it happened at dell, we're honored to be part of some of the world's great stories. stories that began much the same way ours did. in a little dorm room -- # 2713. ♪ this magic moment ♪

congress is back in action this week after a holiday break. it meant putting things in the past. one of the first things on the agenda is the unemployment aga benefits. the senate will get right to it. that bill is co sponsored but there is not a lot of support there yet. the speaker of the house -- let's take a listen to the back

and forth. >> i'm not opposed to it i'm opposed to having it without pay ing for it. >> on tuesday, people who have been unemployed now r, they do have a full plate right now. >> for the senate to confirm janet ceyellin they have a wayso go. this is an election year, so don't hold your breath that all of this is going to be crossed off.

i will not hold my breath. medical marijuana could be a reality in new york. supporters or andrew cuomo say he will take action. the governor seems to be changing his tune a bill lilitt? >> he definitely is. they say that tens of thousands of new york patients will benefit from this. new york joins 20 other states that allow medical marijuana. look at the states in the northeast. those states have legalized medical marijuana. it would allow the use of it, so

here is how it would work. under the new measure the department of health would create guidelines. 20 hospitals would administer the drug. while this creates a lot of questions like where will this come from? advocates say this is a great step. >> this is a have good moment for new yorkers with a variety of conditions that are going to have the opportunity for the first time to benefit legally. >> now critics are not happy about this. jeffrey reynolds says the following. the pros represepect of policy is quite frankly truly frightening to us. when could see see the first

prescription? some say as early as a few weeks. >> coming up -- [ julie ] i've got to credit my mom. to help me become an olympian, she was pretty much okay with me turning her home into an ice rink. ♪ she'd just reach for the bounty select-a-size. it's the smaller, powerful sheet that acts like a big sheet. look, one select-a-size sheet of bounty is 50% more absorbent than a full size sheet of the leading ordinary brand. use less, with the small but powerful picker-upper,

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in niss nthis new year stat governors believe they can be more effective in getting things done. scott walker was with you this morning. why does he say it is time to look to governors instead of solutions. >> republican governor's association which is led by chris christie of new jersey feels that the best face that the party can put forward as it tries to find itself in this struggle with the party are governors because governors actually do stuff. in the states you kcan experim t

experiment. what they have been trying to do is say look at what republicans are doing in their states. because they think that what they are doing and what they have been able to do with varying records is show that there is an argument to be made for conservatism and something that can be made to bring people into the party which they think often washington does. >> and here is governor scott walker. >> when i look at what we did in wisconsin many of the states across the midwest, they changed the legislative bodies as well. real reform has happened because a new team came in. i think 2014 is incredible nationally. >> is he saying that governors

have real influence on governors? republicans are hurting the party's image? >> in general, these republican governors believe that people view and polls bear this out and viewing it through the prism of capitol hill tend to view them as obstructionists and not getting things down and that is why they feel governors are better front men for the republican party. does it help to have a republican governor in a state where maybe a presidential candidate make be? there is no guarantee. so they are always looking ahead to the next election and right now it is the midterms where you heard governor walker say it is

important to keep those legislatures and keep those governors in place. >> thank you very much and happy new year. >> thanks fred. >> all right, it is about to get so cold that you won't be able to tell alabama from las kaxt what they are doing to get ready in the south.

bottom of the hour now. welcome back. here are the top stories that we are following for you right now in the newsroom. so following breaking news now out of aspen, colorado. a private plane has crashed at the pitkin county airport. actor kevin nealen tweeted this: and singer leeann ri nmes also tweeting: >> we'll keep you posted. >> all right a dangerous arctic blast is targeting the midwest with heavy snow and ice and pushing temperatures well be low

receive row. the front is marching east. by tuesday nearly half the country will be march iing to nr 0 temperatures. jeff bezos developed kid ne stones and was phone out on new year's day. the company says he is feeling well and did not need surgery. president obama and his daughters are back at the white house after nearly two weeks. but mrs. obama is staying behind with friends celebrate her birthday. the first lady turns 50 later this month. >> both sides have work to do, kerry is brief iing this is his

9th trip so the region since taking office. the winter storm still causing travel problems. news 12 the bronx, has details. >> oh my gosh, are they okay? my gosh they are okay. >> drivers on the busy expressway shocked after witnessing nothing short of a fici miracle. the three people that crashed in this plane on the major deegan

expressway. the small plane was traveling back to danbury, connecticut when it's engine failed. >> i could pt believe what i was seeing. >> he saw everything he was filling potholes. >> the plane hit the ground. they came straight down and hit the tree tops. he and his co workers stra s sp into action. >> and it worked the pilot and two passengers walked out of the plane and onto solid ground. alive and relatively unharmed. >> that was m aagdalena torres from the bronx reporting. >> by tomorrow, it will be co colder in atlanta. duffy dixson looks at how people

in atlanta are preparing for the cold weather. people bun lne bundled up. take a look at this. just the top of this fountain was still flowing. the rest of it an icy mass. well into the night home improvement stores doing a brisk business. manager helping one customer after another finding space heater s stock up on fire wood and insulation. >> checking the window seals and making sure that the thermostats are set where they need to be. as long as you are at 65 or 66 you will be safe. >> you will see temperatures. 1111 ]

a three year old girl is dead after she went in for a

dental procedure and now the family is suing the den test. >> one month after visiting the d dentist she died. >> to see her go from a happy, healthy three-year-old. >> she was in a persistent veg taytive state and they felt that this is what she would want and as difficult as it was, they felt that was the right choice. >> the family's lawyer, richard fried said lilly geyer made many wrong choices. when she went in for dental work she left with permanent brain damage. >> it is her only child. this was a perfectly normal

healthy maybe unusually bright full of life child. >> he said she was getting ten different procedures. four root canals and was given four different drugs and wasn't monitored throughout the procedure. >> when we got the mri back. everything except the brain stem, which tells you to breathe. the only last bit which didn't get the oxygen. someone from the office had to run down the mall to get a pedestrian to revive her. by then it was too late. >> and that report came from affiliate kitv. >> turning to another story of a surgery gone very wrong.

jahi mcmath is on a ventilator. on friday her family and the hospital came to an agreement on moving her to a different facility. details have not been revealed. so this tragedy has turned into a complex battle. the coroner issued a death sertive kit on friday. i'm joined by attorneys good to see both of you. my gosh this is heart breaking for anyone who is learning about these cases. does it seem like this is a real mixed message here. if there is a death certificate. why would a facility agree to a transfer. >> we both have teenaged dae d

daughters and we were talking about how sad and tragic this case is. where is the public policy? is brain dead dead? or the loss of circulation? where is the bottom line? i think that is where the problem is. who has the right to say if she is dead. when the family wants to continue to have home. when the family wants to pay for the expenses of continuing to try to keep her alive i think they should be allowed to. it should be their decision to try to keep her alive. but it doesn't negate the idea that there is a court battle. >> is there confusion of the general public of interpreting what the medical public is

trying to say. >> brain dead, is dead medically speaking. there are others who weigh in on this debate and say listen, there might be other functions that are reasonable and parents should have the resuultimate sa. whether a person is medically dead and whether a person is ready to stop all life saving efforts. does this have all of the ma markings of a wrongful death suit or malpractice suit? >> absolutely. she brought her in for a routine procedure. i suspect there will be a wrongful death action. >> let's move onto another case. this one involves a man who bleed

pleaded guilty to slapping a toddler on a plane. there is more to the story than meets the eye. his attorney said that he was in serious duress flying to see his own son who was in a coma and to satisfy take him off life support and that might have sparked his reaction. six months in prison. is this reasonable explanation or is this an issue know or question of does the punishment fit the crime? >> honestly, i'm probably not the best person to ask. i find his actions to be terrible he slaps the baby and calls the baby the n word. i don't think the fact that he was personally goes through some

things reason to justify his behavior. >> i think the sentence was appropriate. when your son is dying and his son died the next day that you are completely out of your sorts. whether truthfully out of sorts or not, i don't think he would have done that in other situations. but i think he also should have to pay something. some damages to the mother for the duress that she went through with her child and i am not sure whether that was in the settlement. but i think the six months is fine. >> happy new year. good to see you guys. thank you. >> all right he didn't play in the national title game, but alabama star quarterback may have found something even better. [ 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 ♪ if you have a business idea, we have a personalized legal solution

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take a look at this one

triggered by heavy rains they think. you will see when the camera moves again. you are seeing a white pickup truck that fell inside that sinkhole. the driver said the road simply swallowed her up. after a big nfl weekend number one florida state takes on auburn. unlike the pro games weather will not be a factor. it will be 70 degrees in california. aj mccarron hoped to play in that national championship game. his season is now over but we are still talking about something he did during the season but off the field. take a look. >> i always remember him watching football through the

cracks of our fence so we could see a filglimpse of the team. we had got ten done with practice and i saw two buses starting to pull away. i saw aj and i saw that he had a type of disorder and he tried to raise his hand and it started to rain. i felt bad. >> i heard someone say hey do you need a ride? >> i had a big smile on his face and he said yeah. >> he got closer. >> i'm taking him home and he lives down the street i said i'm aj mccarron. >> i said i know who you are. >> if that wasn't a message from

above i don't know what is. >> i heard his story about how he had cerebral palsyy and how i just started ball iing crying. i couldn't handle it anymore. i called joe anunzio who was director of football. i said is there any way we can get him a job here. he called me back the next cay and said he's going to help in the equipment room. get all the stuff ready for the games and doimg laundry. he's not going to get paid. i said i don't want him to get paid. i want to be here and be around the team.

>> here's a kid, you know, who's been through all types of obstacles and still gets up and gets ready for work every day. >> every time i come here, i know that no matter how bad my day is or what i'm going to go through with my job, when i come here, it goes out the window, you know. wow, that is some story.

as for the other a.j., he is in his second year working with the team. het's just one of the best guys and one of the guys on the team. a polar blast is sweeping into the south. what they're doing to stay warm.

north alabama is bracing for snow and below normal temperatures. >> i need 30-40 minutes to keep it going. >> tawana glaze has one main concern. don't let the fire go out. ke peat can cad. p. >> v. >> we heat with wood and kindling to keep warm. >> glaze and her two sons are force today sleep in the living room next to this wood heater. >> we'll make it. we've got plen till of coffer.

a little dangerous, but i don't keep it on all of the time. i have an electric heater when i'm not using the propane. >> he says for his pashlts, it's tough. when you're on a fixed income, there's just no money to fix the property or insulate. it seems the chimney is starting to cave in the ceiling. for now, she says it's just a chance she'll have to take to keep her family there r from freezing.

how did he handle the rest of the city? my house is my responsibility to keep that walk clear. >> shoveling is a fine form of exercise. obvious contrast who got pummelled for a no-snow response three years agr. in his first test, ambulances that were stuck or couldn't get through streets back in 2010

were only delayed by a minute or so this time, according to the mayor. a lot of new yorkers gave him good reviews so far. >> from the perspective of this segway, it's pretty good. bloomberg sat in a front-row seat. >> housing developments stand in a neglected shadow of gleaming, multi-milliion dollar condos.

progressive democrats are working hard, too. >> every mayor ie eve worked for is for the snow to get out of there as quickly as possible. >> we have a very special program coming up this week only cnn. et's called soul survivors. i couldn't imagine somebody doing this on their own. i wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy. i've cried harder than any man should be able to cry. it's that constant struggle where my inner voice wants to keep going forward and the good voice says yeah, come only.

but the bad voice saz says no, stay here. have another shot. so has it gott better in the fie years? yes. do i still have day that is she has to put up with? yes. thursday night, 9:00, we begin the soul survivor. we begin another hour of the cnn news room. j deep freeze and arctic blasts are pushing temperatures to record low frs the midwest.