it's hard. so when we've got the mom of two of our troops who is working hard out there, but is having to wear a coat inside the house, we've got a problem. and it's one that can be mixed. fixed. and kathryn is not alone. devlin smith, watching today from her home in california, wrote me about her hunt for a new job. since she was laid off 13 months ago, she sent out hundreds of resumes. she has volunteered, she has done seasonal work, she doesn't want to just be sitting around the house. she has been taking online courses to learn new skills. without unemployment insurance, though, she won't be able to pay for her car or her cell phone, which makes the job hunt that much harder.

and devlin wrote to me and said, i've wanted nothing more than to find a new full-time job, and i've dedicated every day to that mission. i'm asking you to advocate for me, and the millions like me who need our extended unemployment benefits to make ends meet. so i just want everybody to understand, this is not an abstracti abstraction. these are not statistics. these are your neighbors, your friends, your family members. it could at some point be any of us. that's why we set up a system of unemployment insurance. the notion was, everybody is making a contribution, because you don't know when the business cycle or an economic crisis might make any of us vulnerable. and this insurance helps keep food on the table, while dad is sending out resumes.

it helps mom pay the rent while she is learning new skills to earn that new job. it provides that extra bit of security so that losing your job doesn't mean the that you have to lose your house. where everything you have worked so hard to build for years. we make this promise to our if he low americans who are working hard to get back on their feet, because when times get tough, we are not a people who say you're on your own. we're people who believe that we're all in it together. and we know there but the grace of god go i. so that's the values case for this. that's the moral case for this. but there's an economic case for it, as well. independent economists have shown that extending emergency unemployment insurance actually helps the economy. actually creates new jobs.

when folks like kathryn have a little more to spend to turn up the heat in her house or buy a few extra groceries, that means more spending with businesses in her local community. which in turn may inspire that business to hire one more person. maybe cathy. that's why in the past, both parties have repeatedly put partisanship and ideology aside to offer some security for job seekers with no strings attached. it's been done, regardless of whether democrats or republicans were in the white house. it's been done regardless whether democrats or republicans controlled congress. and, by the way, it's done -- it's been done multiple times when the unemployment rate was significantly lower than it is today. and what's important to keep in mind also is that the recovery in a big country like the united

states is going to be somewhat uneven. so there's some states that have a 2.5 unemployment rate, and then there are some places that may still have a 7, 8, 9% unemployment rate. the people living in those respective states may be working equally hard to find a job. but it's going to be harder in some places than others. now, two weeks ago, congress went home for the holidays, and let this lifeline expire for 1.3 million americans. if this doesn't get fixed, it will hurt about 14 million americans over the course of this year. 5 million workers, along with 9 million of their family members. their spouses, their kids. now, i've heard the argument that says extending unemployment insurance will somehow hurt the unemployed, because it saps their motivation to get a new job.

i really want to -- i want to go at this for a second. that really sells the american people short. i meet a lot of people as president of the united states. and as a candidate for president of the united states. and as a u.s. senator. and as a state senator. i've met a lot of people. and i can't -- i can't name a time where i met an american who would rather have an unemployment check than the pride of having a job. the long-term unemployed are not

lazy. they're not lacking in motivation. they're coping with the aftermath of the worst economic crisis in generations. in some cases, they may have a skills mismatch. they may have been doing a certain job for 20 years. suddenly they lose that job. they may be an older worker. may have to get retrained. it's hard. sometimes employers will discriminate if you've been out of work for a while. they decide, well, we're not sure we want to hire you. we would rather hire somebody who is still working right now. so it's hard out there. there are a lot of our friends, a lot of our neighbors, who have lost their jobs, and they are working their tails off every single day, trying to find a new job. now, as the job market keeps getting better, more and more of

these folks will find work. but in the meantime, the insurance keeps them from falling off a cliff. it makes sure they can pay their car note to go to that interview. it makes sure they can pay their cell phone bill, so that if somebody calls back for an interview, they can answer it. and kathryn explained this. kathryn in the letter she wrote to me said that, do folks really think that cutting this benefit will make someone hire me? that's not how employers are thinking. so letting unemployment insurance expire for millions of americans is wrong. congress should make things right. i'm very appreciative they're on their way to doing just that, thanks to the bipartisan work of two senators. you had a democrat from rhode island, senator reid, and you

had a conservative republican from nevada, senator heller. and despite their political differences, they worked together on a plan to extend unemployment insurance, at least for three months temporarily, while we figure out a longer-term solution. and this morning, a bipartisan majority of senators agreed to allow this common sense provision to at least move forward in the process. now, the senate is a complicated place, so just because they agreed on this vote, all they have agreed to so far is that we're actually going to be able to have a vote on it. they haven't actually passed it. so we've got to get this across the finish line without obstruction or delay, and we need the house of representatives to be able to vote for it, as well. and that's the bottom line. voting for unemployment insurance helps people and creates jobs.

and voting against it does not. congress should pass this bipartisan plan right away, and i will sign it right away. and more than 1 million americans across the country will feel a little hope right away. and hope is contagious. you know, when kathryn has a little bit more confidence about her situation, when she finds a job, she is going to be able to help somebody down the line, maybe who is also down on their luck. when congress passes a bipartisan effort starting here, right at the beginning of the new year, who knows, we might actually get some things done this year. you know, so after all the hard work and sacrifice of the past five years, to recover and rebuild from the crisis, what i think the american people are

really looking for in 2014 is just a little bit of stability. let's just do the common sense thing, let's do what's right. we're going to have to -- we're going to have to see action, though, on the part of congress. and i'll be willing to work with them every step of the way. action to help our businesses create more of the good jobs that a growing middle class requires. action to restore economic mobility, reduce inequality. action to open more doors of opportunity for everybody who is willing to work hard and walk through those doors. you know, when i was listening to kathryn, i was just so struck by her strength and dignity, and i think people, when they bump into some tough times like kathryn, they're not looking for pity. they just want a shot.

and they just want to feel as if -- they just want to feel as if, you know what, as a part of this country, as a part of their communities, that if misfortune strikes, all of the things they have done in the past, all of the hard work they have done raising children and paying taxes and working hard, that counts for something. and that folks aren't suddenly just going to dismiss their concerns, but they're going to rally behind them. that's not too much to ask. that's who we are as americans. that's what built this country. that's what i want the to promote. so thank you very much, everybody. let's get to work, let's get this done. i appreciate it.

>> so there he is, the president, surrounded by folks who have been on unemployment, but are asking for some more unemployment, because of the emergency situation, the 7% unemployment rate nationwide. and the president welcoming the move in the senate today to at least go ahead and start the voting process. but it's by no means a done dell yet, still has a long hurdle in the senate and then goes to the house of representatives, where there is a republican majority. and there will be more hurdles there. goria borger, you listened closely, he thinks from a political perspective and i've spoken to a lot of his aides and other democrats, they think this is a winning issue for the democrats. >> sure, look, it was a winning issue for them in the 2012 campaign. this issue of the wage gap, populism. that the democratic party cares more about the middle class. i mean, that worked against mitt romney very well. mitt romney played into it. i would argue. but it worked against mitt romney very well. i think what we're seeing, though, is sort of questioning this going on in the republican party, which is, what can they

do to combat this? and you saw what happened in the senate today. there were republicans who voted to extend unemployment benefits. but this has started a whole conversation about what republicans can do to talk about equality of opportunity. because just saying you're against government intervention isn't enough, if you want to win a national election. so you see some republicans who want to be national republicans, like paul ryan in the house and marco rubio and rand paul in the senate, talking about job training, talking about economic zones, where there could be tax cuts for impoverished areas. they're talking about some ways, so that they can have a different conversation inside the republican party. right now, the advantage is clearly with the democrats on this. and i think they know it. >> here a question a lot of folks have asked me, people who support this employment --

unemployment insurance extension for at least three months. if this is so important to the country, why didn't the democrats and the president insist that it be included in that budget deal that was worked out at the end of last year to keep the government open for two years? >> i think that's a good question. and the cynics would say, here you are, you have a great political issue to bludgeon republicans with. i think there are lots of democrats who raised that same question. i would argue, though, this will probably be retroactive, so that people would get the benefits who are missing them for these couple of weeks. but i do think that it's a legitimate question to raise. why wasn't this done, if it's that important, before congress went off on recess. >> that was immediately, as soon as i saw that other budget deal that patty murray, senator patty murray, paul ryan put together. that one significant bipartisan support in the senate and house. they could have included something along an extension of the unemployment benefits, found some offsets there, as they did for some other issues.

and this would not be an issue right now. >> there may have been more objections raised by certain republicans on that. i'm sure patty murray tried to run that up the flagpole and maybe it didn't work out. but in the long term, wolf, i think what this may start, and maybe i'm being a little pollyannaish here. what it may start is another debate in the country about how you can use government in a limited way, not in a large way, but in a limited way, to help the people at the bottom of the ladder get to at least the middle rungs. >> i think what we did hear from the president in these 20 minutes that he just spoke or so, a little preview of his state of the union address, exactly three weeks from today, before a joint session of congress. and the american people. >> yeah. i think the president is going to be talking about the income gap, and the wage gap in this country that is -- that is way too -- way too large. he's going to try and talk about ways to narrow that gap, whether it's through job training, or whether it's through money for

education. and he's going to try and show the disparity between the way the two parties approach this. and right now, you would have to say public opinion is with the president on that, which is why republicans are actually looking for different ways to approach this debate. because it's not a debate that can sweep under the rug. you know, the tea party has been very popular, but they're not talking about income inequality. they're just talking about making government smaller. but what some republicans are now talking about is making smaller government effective for the people that it needs to help. and trying to get back into that debate as reformers, reforming the republican party, rather than just saying they're against everything the government can do for you. >> a lot more in our next hour. you'll be back with me, a top of next hour, 1:00 p.m. eastern, back in the situation room, 5:00 p.m. eastern, as well. thanks very much for watching our special coverage this hour, "around the world," start right after this quick break. when it comes to good nutrition...i'm no expert.

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i'm staying to you. look at these guys! look at them! >> an angry and emotional interview with dennis rodman. up next, why he is in north korea, his startling claim against imprisoned american, kenneth bay. plus, the deep freeze impacting millions of americans. in new york alone, the temperature dropped almost 50 degrees in one day. welcome to "around the world," i'm suzanne malveaux. this hour, the fiery scene and exclusive interview with dennis rodman, in its entirety. the eccentric basketball star, angrily defending his trip to north korea with a team of former nba players. they're there to play a basketball exhibition game tomorrow, organized by rodman to celebrate the birthday of the country's brutal dictator, kim jong-un, who recently ordered the execution of his own uncle, keeping an american in prison and carrying on horrific human rights abuses of his father and grandfather. yet rodman calls him a friend.

our own chris cuomo pressed rodman in answering those questions from pyongyang. >> why north korea? why? i love my friend. i love my friend. this is my friend. let me add to this. people have asked why we have come here. we're here because it's about doing great will around the world. and we're experienced at this. we have been to taiwan, to the gau shong village and love to impact families around the world. >> charles, i'm well aware of the good work you have done. the man sitting to your right, robinson, baker, but you have to understand the criticism comes because you are not in taiwan. you are in north korea. that is ruled which bia man who just killed his uncle, holding an american, kenneth bay, hostage, for reasons we don't understand. and is known as one of the bad actors on the globe at this

time. not someone to get a birthday present of nba talent. do you understand that? >> i think that in our minds, we came to do what we have been doing worldwide. which has been the same schedule. we're all americans. we're here to do goodwill. and, again, we're apologetic. we did not know that it was going to take this type of negative spin on what we were doing, because we're not politicians. we're not ambassadors. we're here to do what we have been doing most of our lives. >> charles, i get it. but it's about where you do it, as well. and, again, this is coming from somebody who is a fan and a supporter of a lot of the work that you have done. but dennis, when you bring him into this place and you call this ruler your friend, when he's executing his uncle and holding an american hostage, he is not afriend to the bay family, he is not a friend to your country. and you have to understand that, dennis. you can't pretend like you don't get why people are upset. >> it's amazing that, you know, that you are saying this right

now. you're saying ten guys here, nine guys here. they believe -- they believe what i'm doing. doug christie -- not doug christie. there were no bakers, no charles smith. everyone here. it's amazing how we thrive on negativi negativity. does anyone this guy is only 31 years old? >> dennis, he could be 31, he could be 51. he just killed his uncle and is holding an american hostage. the family is desperate for his return. they don't even know why he's being held. it's been a year, dennis. this is your friend, the guy you call your friend. come on, dennis. let's just be honest about this. because you put these guys in this situation. >> no, no, no. no, no, no. watch this. i'm going to tell you one thing around the world. >> yeah? >> around the world.

you're saying ten great individuals sitting right in front of your face, around the world. and it's going global. these guys have said certain things about their families. what they're saying about them while they're here. this is not about me. it's one thing. if i could open the door a little bit, just a little bit, just a little bit, it ain't about, like, you know, trying to crack -- trying to, you know, change will. it's about one thing. you know what? no one ever, ever, asked anyone in the world why we have olympics. and we have struggles around the world with all the countries around the world. but when the olympics are around, there's no problems. it's all about the game. people love to do one thing.

sports. >> all right. we're going to have much more of this exclusive interview. it is provocative, it is controversial, it is amazing. we're going to have more with dennis rodman. it gets even more bizarre, as well, rodman accusing the american missionary, kenneth bay, being held in north korea of wrongdoing. that is straight ahead. plus this as well. imagine being stuck on a train for hours overnight in the freezing cold. that's what happened to passengers on three amtrak trains. one writer said it was like purgatory. up next. [ coughs, sneezes ] i have a big meeting when we land, but i am so stuffed up, i can't rest. [ male announcer ] nyquil cold and flu liquid gels don't unstuff your nose. they don't? alka seltzer plus night fights your worst cold symptoms, plus has a decongestant.

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dennis rodman getting very combative. he is accusing the american missionary being held in north korea of doing something wrong. rodman is now back in pyongyang. this time he's taken a team of former nba players for this basketball exhibition game. it is to celebrate the birthday of the country's brutal dictator, kim jong-un, a man that rodman calls friend. we see rodman losing his temper during this exclusive interview with chris cuomo. but first you hear from charles smith, also defending the trip. listen. >> you say it's more complicated

than basketball. basketball is not complicated to us. and that's what we do. we're not in here for complications. and, again, we apologize for what has -- kind of the storm that has been created from our presence. >> the game has been presented as a birthday present to the ruler. i'm not here to fight with you guys. i respect what you're doing. i'm just concerned for the family of this man who is held there, and i am concerned, as many americans are, about giving a birthday present to a man who is seen as a despot who just had his uncle executed. dennis, you understand the issue. it's not about hating on american basketball players. >> yeah, but you can -- you can continue to talk about the different activities that take place here. we have activities that take place -- there's activities that take place all over the world. we are using basketball as a

bridge for cultural exchange. and that's all about communication. we're not -- again, we're not here to deal with the politics. the date of the game is the date of the game. >> dennis, let me end on this. you do have a relationship with this man. you've said it many times. we have seen it demonstrated. >> yes. >> for whatever reason. are you going to take an opportunity, if you get it, to speak up for the family of kenneth bay? and to say, let us know why this man is being held, that this is wrong, that he is sick? if you can help, dennis, will you take the opportunity? >> whoa, whoa. watch this. the one thing about politics. kenneth bay -- if you understand -- i've got it, guy. if you understand what kenneth bay did -- >> yeah? >> do you understand what he did? >> what did he do? you tell me. >> in this country? >> you tell me. >> no, you tell me! you tell me! why is he held captive. >> they haven't released any charges. >> why?

>> they haven't released any reasons. >> listen -- >> let me do this. i would love to speak on this. >> go ahead. >> you know? you've got ten guys here, ten guys here, they have left their families, left their damn families. to help this country in a sports venture. ten guys, all these guys here. does anyone understand that? >> we do. and we appreciate that. and we wish them well with cultural exchange. >> no, no, i'm just saying, i don't give a -- [ bleep ]. i don't give a rat's ass what the hell you think. i'm saying to you. look at these guys here, loom at them! >> don't use them as an excuse for the behavior you're putting on yourself. >> they came here! >> you were just basically saying that kenneth bay did something wrong. we don't know what the charges are. don't use these guys as a shield for you, dennis. >> listen. listen. listen. >> ain't no shield!

i got it. let me do this! really? really? i'm going to tell you one thing. people around the world, around the world, i'm going to do one thing. your guy behind the mic right now [ bleep ] we have guys here doing one thing. we have to go back to america. and take the abuse. do you have to take the abuse? well, we're going to take it. do you, sir, let me know. guess what i do? one day, one day, this door is going to open. because these ten guys here, all of us, christie, ben, dennis, charles. all these -- everybody here. we could just open the door just a little bit for people to come

here and do one thing. >> wow. it's just an amazing interview. you keep wanting to watch and dissect it over and over. my colleague, chris cuomo in new york here, a fascinating and provocative interview. you pushed dennis rodman in different ways. he is extremely angry when you pushed him on the kenneth bay question. do you think he understood what this was about, the controversy over bay or is it is he just parroting what he heard from the north korean regime? >> reporter: i don't know, suzanne. that's a good question. also, i'm not really sure it matters. for me, dennis rodman is only relevant in as much as for whatever weird, bizarre, unknown reason. he seems to have the ear of the ruler of north korea in a way that no other branch of the united states diplomatic corps does. and as disappointing and scary as that is, it also makes him relevant and allows him to be a window into what does matter.

and that is obviously the american kenneth bay and the concerns of his family. the human rights abuses that we all know about and cover, and you do so well. the nuclear option threats that come out of that country. that's what matters. and yes, rodman will drive the energy of the discussion, but it's good to get those issues, the attention that they deserve, even if it comes at the price of dennis going all clever lang on me there. >> you bring up a good point. the fact that we have an opportunity to talk about kim jong-un, we have an opportunity to talk about human rights abuses and kenneth bay, all of that certainly matters. you look at the players, and you mentioned this a couple times in your interview, you have a great deal of respect for who these men are and what they do. i couldn't help but thinking, looking at their expressions, the thought bubbles and clouds that would be above them during this exchange, what was going on through their minds. when you see this interview, when you play it back, when you see it, what do you make of those men? >> reporter: well, they weren't mic'ed, okay? only charles smith and dennis rodman were mic'ed.

so it's not as if they had an opportunity to speak their own piece. that wasn't the understanding of what the interview would be. i see the same looks of kind of being perplexed that you do there. and i feel for them, because make no mistake, it's not just because several are new york knicks and i'm a die-hard knicks fan. this isn't about sports. it's that i believe in the idea of cultural exchange as i'm sure you do. i've seen it work in places and i do know that charles smith does do good work and we're digging into exactly what the situation is there. but it can be as simple as that. because this game has been spun or made, legitimately or illegitimately, into a birthday present for the ruler. and once you do that, you divorce it from the significance ordinarily of just exposing people to things. and you legitimize and reward a man who many believe doesn't deserve it. so while i feel for them and i tried to distinguish charles smith and the others from dennis rodman, they made their own choices to go there. i don't know what the arrangement is there, we're looking into it.

but look, the nba commissioner, david stern, he said in his own words, there are many ways that basketball can work to help situations. this is not one of them. >> and chris, i've got to ask you this final question here. you obviously have the ear of dennis rodman, you guys get into this heated exchange. are you going to follow up. are you -- call it a beer summit, what you will, are you going to try to reach out after this game and get some sort of feedback, the down-low on his visit? >> reporter: what are you, playing me, suzanne, trying to get me into it with dennis rodman? he would kill me. do you see the size of that guy? did you see how angry he was? thank god it wasn't in person. i don't know what i would look like right now. for him to get that fired up, i don't know what it takes. as you well know, you're very seasoned at the craft of interviewing. you are not going to get upset no matter how i am toward you unless i cross a really bright line of offensiveness towards someone else or yourself. so it's easy for me to stay calm in that. because what matters to me is

not dennis rodman. it's kenneth bay's family, who is really hurt, really scared. he's in a precarious position in a country that doesn't see the united states as access. we are pushing hard as well. i'm sorry rodman is in the middle of this. it doesn't make any sense to me, suzanne. it never has. i didn't believe our producers when we first started covering the rodman story here with everybody else. i didn't believe it. at first. i thought that jimmy kimmel was spoofing us. but now that it's proven all too real, i wish that he becomes irrelevant as soon as possible. but right now he's getting attention for this story. >> i'll take it. i'm a little happy it wasn't in person. i don't know what would have happened. i'm a little old. >> he reached across -- believe me, he reached across the world. >> reporter: you may have been talking to me horizontally now. bedside. can you hear me? >> i can only imagine. chris, thank you very much. and i really do hope that you guys end up discussing this again on the back side, when he comes home. we'll see how all this goes. and, you know, maybe we'll learn

more about kim jong-un, as well. >> reporter: i think i'll pass that one off to you, suzanne. >> all right. i'll take one day. >> reporter: you're smarter than i am. >> dennis rodman, a lot of questions about this, of course. chris asking the real tough ones. has the so-called basketball diplomacy opened the door? we're going to talk to the former director of asian affairs at the white house. straight ahead. [ chainsaw whirring ] humans -- sometimes life trips us up. sometimes we trip ourselves up. and although the mistakes may seem to just keep coming at you, so do the solutions. like multi-policy discounts from liberty mutual insurance. save up to 10% just for combining your auto and home insurance. call liberty mutual insurance at... [ thump ] to speak with an insurance expert and ask about all the personalized savings available

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eccentric basketball star dennis rodman angrily defending his latest trip to north korea. he has taken a team of former nba players for what he calls basketball diplomacy. they're set to play an exhibition game tomorrow to separate the birthday of the country's brutal dictator, kim jong-un, a man who recently ordered the execution of his uncle. he is also holding american kenneth bay in prison and accused of carrying on horrific human rights abuses of his father and grandfather. georgetown university professor, victor cha, is joining us from washington. former director for asian affairs at the white house, as well. professor cha, thank you for being with us, as always. i just had an opportunity to talk to my colleague, chris, about this interview. very fascinating situation, sitting down and discussing this with him. but in some way, have we learned

more about kim jong-un because of these visits back and forth from dennis rodman. we now know the guy's age, we know he has a young daughter and even one of his negotiatesers who was promotesed by where he was sitting at a basketball game. are there benefits? >> well, suzanne, i think there are. in spite of all of the credit si sich of dennis rodman, every time he meets with the north korean leader, the more information we learn about him. the first trip is probably the only live footage we have of the north korean leader socializing outside of a staged propaganda event. so in that sense i think what he does can be helpful for those of us interested in learning more about this mysterious leadership and where it's headed. >> why is that significant? we're looking at that footage now. why is it significant to see him in this calm, relaxed manner, in a way we haven't before. >> in general, with a country

like this, so opaque, where every movement, everything is choreographied and staged, to see him interacting with people, to see his mannerisms, to catch a glimpse of what he might be saying, even if it's in korean, this can be helpful to experts, analysts, trying to study the leadership in trying to figure out how he functions. especially at this particular time, where, as you said, he's -- you know, he's executed his uncle, clearly some sort of internal leadership turmoil taking place. the more information we can get, the better. and dennis rodman is the only werner that we know of that has had contact with the north korean leader. >> i would like to play this heated exchange between dennis rodman and chris. watch this. >> if you understand what k kenneth bay did. >> what did he do, you tell me. >> no, no, you tell me! you tell me! why is he held captive? >> they haven't released any charges.

>> professor cha, do you think it's possible -- i mean, it's hard to know. but do you think it's possible that kim jong-un might see this exchange, might be watching these videos, might be dissecting this the way we have and say, you know, i'm going to do something really strange and crazy. i think i'm going to release kenneth bay. >> the new normal with north korea and this new leadership is everything is unpredictable. so, who knows. it's entirely possible that he could do something like that. and if he did, all of us would stop criticizing dennis rodman. but i mean, kudos to chris. that must not have been an easy interview to do with rodman. but anything is possible with north korea. so you can't -- you can't throw out that possibility. >> all right. professor cha, thank you so much for being with us. we'll see how all of this develops. see what comes out of this trip and basketball game. appreciate it. hardly could imagine it would amount to all of this, but it could be. thank you very much. south sudan rebels and government delegation, they have now started face-to-face peace

talks. this is for the past three weeks. there has been a burst of ethnic violence in south sudan that has killed at least a thousand people, driven 200 thousand from their homes. this all started when rebels loyal to the ousted vice president tried to stage a coup. south sudan, it is the world's youngest nation forming just three years ago after decades of war. you should like to find out how you could help the refugees in south sudan. go to cnn.com/impact. your impact, your world team, names, organizations, doctors without borders, unicef, places like that where you can go and help. and how cold is it? even the polar bear, that is right, had to spend the night inside. and a train loaded with passengers was stopped in its tracks in every state in the country. if you can believe this, had a temperature of below freezing somewhere today. we're going to have more details up next. [ bottle ] okay, listen up!

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this in the antarctic. the russian research ship stuck in the ice for two weeks, finally free. we have been following this story. the captain says the ship is now sailing toward open water. the chinese icebreaker that got stuck trying to help the russian ship has also now broken free. the team of researchers who were rescued by helicopter last week, they're on an australian ice breaker, and everybody says they're doing just fine. about 100 million people across the united states would be happy with double digit temperatures right now. but many are going to at least have to wait another day. the deep and deadly freeze blamed now for at least 15 deaths. the snow has grounded hundreds of flights, stopped trains on their tracks with hundreds of people on board. single-digit temperatures that dipped even lower with wind chill make just keeping safe and warm a priority and challenge, as well. cnn's ted rowlands is in chicago where three trains got stuck. aleah machado joining us from

the dangerous cold, right here in atlanta. i want to start with you, ted. understand that the last passengers now off the trains. but it is still bitterly cold in chicago, dangerously cold. how are people doing? >> reporter: well, suzanne, they are doing as best they can. these passengers are very happy to be in chicago. they started in california, 500-plus passengers stranded for hours in some cases up to 20 hours on a train on a track they can't get through because of the snow. a lot of them were bussed to union station here in chicago within the last hour. and auto in all, they're in pretty good spirits. they're happy to be here. >> we have been to -- his first trip to disneyland. so it was -- an adventure there and an adventure last night. but it was good. we didn't feel threatened or scared or -- anything like that. and we had -- they made a spare meal for us, an extra meal. they found food. so -- and we were warm. and that was the most important

thing. so -- and we're safely home now. >> reporter: the vast majority of passengers we talked to say this wasn't amtrak's fault. this was mother nature. they understand it. it wasn't very comfortable. one person said she couldn't feel her back side after sitting for 20-plus hours. but all in all, nobody was injured. and it was uncomfortable, but they're safe now. >> all right. that's good. and good to see you in a hat. some of those passengers there looked kind of cold, needed more to bundle up there. thanks, ted. appreciate it. i want to bring in alina machado here in atlanta. and, you know, coming into work today, it was 7 degrees. it's like no other day i've ever experienced here. how are you doing? >> reporter: it's rough out here, suzanne. i'm not going to lie. it's been -- it's bitter, frigid, and these temperatures are also down right dangerous, and that's a big reason why this church, for example, opened up its doors today, to let people who are homeless come in and seek refuge from these temperatures. we want to show you some video

from inside the church that we shot a little while ago which shows the area where about two dozen people spent the night seeking refuge from the bitter, bitter cold. this church tells us they plan to open up their doors again tonight to do the same. to help out people who don't have a place to go. schools here in atlanta were closed today. there are several other school districts throughout the south, including in states like alabama, tennessee, north carolina, that also closed today, just because of how cold it is in the south. this is unusual for this area. here in atlanta, just so you have an idea, the average temperature this time of year is in the 50s. suzanne, we are not going to be anywhere near that today. >> all right. we certainly wish them the best, if they get inside and stay inside. it is deadly cold today. thank you, alina. appreciate it. poachers have almost wiped out africa's elephant population all in the name of selling precious ivory. our own arwa damon goes inside an undercover operation to track

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poachers, they are mutilating the animals for the precious ivory tusks. they are selling the ivory, mostly to asia. our own arwa damon joined those hunting down the poachers in the congo who had just slaughtered an elephant in a national park. but they are afraid that now government authorities are not going to do much to prosecute them. >> the team isn't wasting any time. he wants to know if there is a more discrete way to get into position. it's the morning after his eco guards raided an elephant poacher's camp in the national park. they found a cell phone left behind, and they are using it. to track down suspected poachers that shot at them and escaped the day before. they are park rangers, by necessity now turned investigators. and you don't think that the authorities will actually investigate properly and go after this guy. >> no. no. they're not interested in that.

>> reporter: he says corruption is rampant in the congo. >> that comes from military. >> reporter: that's military issue? >> this one, of course. >> reporter: at times, they can't even trust themselves. this seized compass is just like those issued to the eco guards. >> you must have contact to surrender. >> reporter: we wanted to ask the government about the corruption claims. the minister responsible for forests conceded, the government needs to clean up its act. certainly, certainly, he told us. yes, it is true that there are accomplices to this illegal trading of wildlife. that is not easy. he insists, the government is committed to fighting corruption. but on this morning, the eco guard unit is on its own, and on the offensive. >> okay. >> reporter: using the captured cell phone, they set up a meeting with an infamous bush meat trader whose number was on

the phone. it's an ambush. he is cornered. then interrogated. it doesn't take him long to give up the name of the owner of the cell phone, whom the eco guards believe is one of the elephant poachers. they are just there, they live there. he's a young guy. an hour later, the eco guards pick up not one, but two men, brothers. and enter gate them back at the unit's checkpoint. the other rifle, where is it, you own which one, he demands. the 458, one brother responds. he admits they were at the camp, but claims they were just fishing. both refuse to give up the names of those who shot at the eco guards. and now the eco guards will have to look for new leads. but there have been some successes. in just the last four months, the unit arrested a trafficker ring leader, better known as pep

eto. we are driving through pepito's village now, but we have been advised not to actually get out and shoot, because tensions are incredibly high between those who want to protect the park and pepito's gang. a few days after the two brothers were detained, the unit got a new lead. and went after what they suspected was a third gang member. escaping, he ran over an eco guard station at this checkpoint. while the unit took the guard to hospital, the eco guard's camp was torched. the government has promised a response. one week later, the eco guard's remain on their own. arwa damon, cnn, republic of congo. >> and russia has launched a huge security operation around sochi today, one month from the start of the winter olympics. 30,000 police and troops will be on hand, access to the region is being limited. there will also be heavy surveillance, as well, from the air. thanks for watching "around the

world." cnn "newsroom" starts right now. have a good afternoon. stay safe and warm. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com right now, record cold crippling much of the united states, stranding trains, cancelling flights and closing schools. more than 100 million americans are bundling up and wondering if there is an end in sight. also right now, president obama's plan to extend jobless benefits squeaks through a key senate vote. how big of a victory is this for the white house, what happens next with the bill. it's by no means yet a done deal. and right now, a massive shift in americans' views on marijuana. a majority now say it should be legal. two-thirds say there's nothing morally wrong with smoking pot. hello, i'm wolf blitzer in washington. we starth