december, the weakest month for jobs growth in years. so who's getting hired? how are they doing it? tell us your story at cnnmoney #i got a job. sees back here next saturday, 9:30 a.m., brand new "your money" then. have a great weekend. hello, everyone. i'm fredricka whitfield. the top stories we're following. on top of breaking news. a minor win for baseball super star alex rodriguez, and ash drater reduced his suspension to 1 2 ga62 games. neither the player nor the league seems to be thrilled with the decision. jason carroll is following this breaking story for us from new york.

>> yes, fredricka. now a statement in the from major league baseball. they're weighing in on this basically saying, while we believe the original 211 game suspension was appropriate, we respect the decision rendered by the panel and will focus on our continuing efforts on eliminating performance enhancing substances from our game, and also, fredricka, since we last spoke, the yankees sent us a statement as well saying the new york yankees respect major league baseball's joint drug prevention and treatment program. the arbitration process as well as the decision released today by the arbitration panel. obviously, rodriguez' team, his camp, not pleased with this decision at all, but it wasn't a decision that was not unexpected for them. they've been telling me all along they knew the 211 game suspension, they didn't believe that would be thrown out, fredricka. what they were hoping for was perhaps maybe a 50-game

suspension. 65-game suspension. no admission of guilt. alex rodriguez has never failed a drug test. given a 66-game suspension, they could have lived with and moved on. they did not happen. they got a 162-game suspense, effectively puts him out for a year. no spring training. no baseball for a year. for a 38-year-old player like alex rodriguez that is not something you want to hear. you can imagine, a lot of people, a lot of play fans weighing in about this, but the players especially, and just a few days ago, fredricka, we spoke to frank thomas, former chicago white sox, just inducted into baseball's hall of fame. he weighed in on this calling it a sad day for baseball. a sad day for alex rodriguez. >> you've one of those players also known as clean, played the game clean. what are your thoughts about going on with the alex

rodriguez? >> i said for many years. things spiraled out of control in the late the 1990s. 2000 era. it's sad. alex was a great talent. i can't speak for what he's done, on a day like today i want to keep it all positive and today i hope baseball does what's right. as for him, personally i can't say anything. i basically haven't competed against him in such a long time. i know the type player he was. >> so, alex rodriguez and his team will take their fight to the federal level. again, they're going to ask a judge for a federal injunction to allow rodriguez to keep playing baseball while he keeping legally trying to fight to clear his name. as you know, during the whole arbitration, a process which started in, what, in august, once that decision was initially handed down, rodriguez was allowed to keep playing. he wants to keep playing once again while he takes his fight to the federal level. something that's interesting, fredricka, we got also from the

major league baseball's player association. this is the union basically that represents all the players. players like alex rod krieg ez. one section reez, we recognize a final and binding decision has been reached. well, i think there's no argument from anyone that a decision has been reached, but from the rodriguez camp, it is by no means final and they will continue to fight. >> so i wonder, jason, would we ever get an explanation from the arbitration panel that would explain how they see a difference between the 211-game suspension versus the 162-game suspension when we're talking, you know, about a whole year you wouldn't play bp with 211, just bailey over a whole year you wouldn't play? what would be 9 explanation, the difference? >> i think what we might end up seeing here eventually is some sort of explanation in terms of how fred horowitz, the arbitrate. baseball's chief negotiator who oversaw this entire arbitration process. i think what we will end up

seeing is some sort of explanation as to why he ended up shaving the 211-game suspension down to 162. there are a lot of different variables here. perhaps he saw some of what alex rodriguez' camp had been alleging. some of the tactics used and information they received was not on the up and up, perhaps. that's pure speculation at this point. what we're end up seeing, i think, fredricka, some mo explanation in terms of how horowitz reached his decision. >> you heard this coming from the major league baseball association, even from the yankees. i want to read or share much more of alex rodriguez' statement saying, "the number of games sadly comes as no surprise as the deck has been stacked against me from day one. i have been clear that i did not use performance enhancing substances as alleged in the notice of discipline or violate the basic agreement or the joint drug agreement in any manner,

and in order to prove it, i will take this fight to federal court. i will continue to work hard to get back on the field, and help the yankees achieve the ultimate goal of winning another championship." so i know, jason, you summarized a bit of what he was saying. we wanted to give the full content. thank you for your reporting as well. now to west virginia where 300,000 people don't have access to clean tap water. two days after a chemical used to wash coal leaked in to the water supply. more than 1,000 people have called in to a local poison center complaining of possible symptoms from that leak. those symptoms include nausea, vomiting, dizziness, headaches, rashes and sore throats. right now it's unclear if their symptoms were caused by exposure to the tainted water. meantime, huge tractor trailers loaded with bottled water have begun arriving for people who are unable to cook, bathe or drink their tab water and we've just learned that ban may stay

in place now for several days to not consume the tap water. alina machado has more. >> reporter: fredricka, this is a very difficult situation here. just about the only thing people can use their running for to flush poilts. restaurants closed, most businesses closed and uncertainly about how long this situation will linger. >> now it's utter chaos. yeah. >> i see people just grabbing every ice bag they can. >> it's about gone. >> oh, it's hard. i got to use bottled water. >> reporter: there is growing outrage and concern in west virginia where at least 300,000 people are without usable running water thanks to a chemical leak at freedom industries. >> we are very, very sorry for the disruptions. >> reporter: gary southern, the president of the chemical company, offered few details during his first press conference more than 24 hours after the leak was discovered. >> so can you give us an exact timeline as to how this all

happened. >> reporter: southern says his employees found the league thursday morning. the chemical is typically used to clean coal and can be harmful if ingested. state officials say they were alerted to the problem when residents of a county report add foul smell similar to licorice in the air. the leak was traced to one of freedom industry's 35,000 gallon storage tankses along the elk river, about a mile from the plant. >> we're doing a water test on an hourly base and the chemical level is declining, but we're just not shore exactly how long it's going to take until it's acceptable to lift the do not drink ban. >> reporter: the warning has rattled those who live in the nine counties where a state of emergency has been declared. >> it's disaster. and it's caused us -- it's caused us more problems than you can ever imagine. not only kl we not wash dishes, can't wash our hands after we go to the bathroom. you can't wash your clothes, and

you can't drink the tap water. you can't cook with the tap water. >> reporter: fema has sent several truckloads of water to the area to help, and by the way, the u.s. attorney has announced they are investigating, and that even if this was a negligent act, there could still be a criminal violation. fredricka? >> alina, thank you so much. investigators released more than 2,000 documents connected to the new jersey bridge scandal, and they indicate governor cris-it-tried to stem other officials anger and stonewall the media as a hastily crafted plan to close lanes on the george washington bridge. those closures in september cause massive traffic jams on the nation's busiest bridge and e-mails shows that christie's aides did it to punish the democratic mayor for not endorsing christie for re-election. several residents file add lawsuit, and federal and state investigations are also under way. now republican party leaders are

worried and conservatives are blasting christie. >> i think it says that he is fallible, that mistakeless happen on his watch. that people will do things that he didn't but he will be a man of action and a leader that will take things seriously, take immediate action and correct them and be forthcoming with what happened and try to get all the facts out there. >> conservatives need to run from chris christie. run from chris christie. this, again, is the quintessential example of why i'm against him. >> the point of the story is that he will, christie, he -- payback. you don't give him what he wants, he'll pay you back. >> and the white house is now backing the attorney general's decision to recognize same-sex marriages in utah. even if the state won't do the same. eric holder says those couples will enjoy the same federal benefits as any other couple nap skin coming two days after utah announced it would not recognize

those marriages while appealing the case, but the president is on holder's side. >> the president welcomes the attorney general's determination that the federal government for purposes of federal law will recognize the same-sex marriages that were lawfully performed in utah before a stay was issued. for more, i would point to you what the attorney general said, and to the department of justice. but the president welcomes that determination by the a.g. >> a federal appeals court could hear oral arguments on the case as soon as march. that ruling could affect all six states in the court's jurisdiction. former israeli prime minister ariel sharon died today after eight years in a coma. he was 85. israeli president shimon peres said he will remember his friend lovi lovingly. >> he knew no fear. he took difficult decisions and implemented them courageously.

he was admired at home and respected abroad. ariel was a great family man and considered israel as his extended family. >> israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu also expressed deep sorrow over his passing and said, "the state of israel bows its head on the passing of former prime minister ariel sharon. ariel sharon played a central role for the security of the state of israel over all its years." back in this country, no baseball for a-rod this year. but what does it mean for the yankees? will they still owe the slugger $61 million? left on his deal? weeknights are for favorites. olive garden's signature favorites now just $10. including everyone's favorite fettuccine alfredo and our classic lasagna. plus unlimited soup or salad, and warm breadsticks. signature favorites now just ten dollars,

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all right. we continue to follow breaking news. the suspension of baseball great alex rodriguez has been reduced to 162 games. an arbitrator making that decision today reducing the 211-game ban handed down by major league baseball. i want to bring in mike wise? d.c., a sports talk show host and work the with the "washington post." nice to see you again. this reduction in the suspension. what does it mean, really, because he still won't be able to play for a year and wouldn't have been able to play for a year and some change if it were 211-game suspension. so what's the difference?

what's the arbitrator trying to say here? the panel? >> essentially, all they're saying is, we didn't think his crimes against the game related to p.e.d. use were worth 211 games of his money. we're just going to give him a full major league baseball season which is as long as you could imagine. steve howell, a seven-time drug offender back in the day was, had his lifetime suspension overturned i think 119 days, but this -- 162 games and the postseason, we could be looking at the end of alex rodriguez, fredricka, as player in this game. >> he's 38 years old. the idea that he would sit out for a year or even it it were a year and change and be able to get back and be at the top of his game, in your view,s that just a long shot? >> i just don't -- it's almost like -- if there were any recent precedent, i would say it were

barry bonds. when barry bonds went through the balco trial in champiwhich eventually convicted of obstruction, not on the drug use but was to have said to failed the test back in the early 2000s. barry bonds was a pariah in baseball, and as great as he was and much as he could still hit, nobody would touch him after that, and i don't don't see alex rodriguez with the yankees. i don't see him -- maybe playing for some minor league team that wanted to sell tickets. >> mike, back to the p.e.d.s and alex rodriguez. no positive drug testing. no real proof, then, that he did, in fact, use performance-enhancing drugs, however, this panel is still saying that it does believe that he did use p.e.d.s and that's the justification for the 162-game suspension? >> i mean, i look at it as this -- there were 14 total clients

lynches to the biogenesis anti-aging clinic in miami that essentially bud selig paid to talk to and give evidence on a-rod and others. 13 of those players accepted their suspensions without going to an arbitration. a lot of people, a lot of those players think a-rod got off easy only because he was allowed to compete after he, in fact, was suspended, because he ruled. so do i think he more money than them, yes? do i think he had more to lose, yes. i also think he's guilty, and i'm not saying that you have to cheat to get the cheats now, but i am saying, they would not have -- the arbitration panel would not have given him a full major league season if they didn't have fairly concrete evidence that he was linked to this clinic. >> and despite the suspension, he's still guaranteed $61 million, which is, on his

remaining three years of that contract. right? >> that's correct. now, there are -- morality clauses that baseball and the new york yankees can void, and i'm sure if they could get out from underneath any of that money, they would seek any legal process they could to do so. >> interesting. all right. mike wise in washington. thanks so much. >> thanks, fredricka. >> good to talk to you. >> thanks. all right. the president of france threatening a magazine. why is he so upset, and how does an actress factor in to all of this? [ male announcer ] research suggests cell health plays a key role throughout our lives. one a day men's 50+ is a complete multivitamin designed for men's health concerns as we age. with 7 antioxidants to support cell health. one a day men's 50+. [poof!] [beep]

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a popular french magazine is taking heat after an article alleging the country's president was having an affair with a well known actress. the article in the french version of the magazine said president man swau hollande was secretly involved with an actress. h hollande was elected president in 2009. he condemned the articles is an invasion of privacy and reportedly considering now legal action. the directors said the piece would be taken down. parisians seem to be siding with the president. >> translator: i think it's a revolting magazine. i don't think it's interesting

at all. it's francois hollande's private life. i think life is life. it's an uninteresting issue and i think there are many more important issues in france than this one. >> translator: i think he's a person like any other and has the right to a private life like anyone else. anyway, we don't know if it's a rumor or not. i think it's quite pointless. >> translator: i find this quite low, frankly. it's not interesting. he can react the way he wants. it's his private life. hone honestly, it's completely pointless. >> the same magazine that published photo of the duchess kate last month. an hour-long high-speed chase ended in a flurry's gunfire. the driver injured and taken to the hospital. his has not been identified and his

the suspect's vehicle matched the same as a chase earlier this week. he refused to pull over. taking a surprising turn in oregon when the suspect hops out of her car and then jumps over a bridge. cops tried to pull rebecca humphrey over for a minor traffic violation. after she sped up, they realized the car was stolen. oh, my gosh. you just saw her jump over. rescue crews were able to get humphreys out of the water alive with only minor injuries. all right. so many new gadgets. so little time. which ones are getting the most attention at the consumer electronics show? farmer: hello, i'm an idaho potato farmer. and our giant idaho potato truck is still missing. so my dog and i we're going to go find it. it's out there somewhere spreading the good word about idaho potatoes and raising money for meals on wheels.

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technology must-haves. a glimpse into the future. i'm talking about 20,000 new gadgets at the consumer electronics show. brett larsen with techbiting.com got a look. the top three favorites. one of your favorites is something everyone seems to be talking about. new television. >> reporter: yes. >> when does it come out? >> reporter: the ultra high desks-tv. everybody just got hdtvs. now we need ultra hdtvs. >> what does that mean? i jump in the tv screen? go ahead. >> reporter: exactly. it kind of looks like a window to the future. literally.

the thing, what they're doing now with thighs ultra hds, giving a curve to them. some are curved, some just flat. the curved ultra hd tvs, the thinking, it makes the experience more immersive when looking at the picture. it feels like it's wrapping around you a little bit more. of course, the tv needs to be 100 inches to feel like it's wrapped around you. >> yeah. oh, boy. go ahead. >> reporter: the interesting thing, though, with the ultra hdtv is the networks haven't all quite caught up to being hd. for us to just expect them to jump ahead to ultra hd, that's still five or six years down the road, i think, at best. >> i bet they have really big price tags on them. huh? >> reporter: they do. over the holidays we saw a couple nameless brands going for under $2,500. i anticipate these to be in the $5,000 to $1,00,000 range.

>> you are kidding me. that is some couch potato that has to have that. >> reporter: an ultra high definition couch potato if you have one of those tvs. >> cool stuff. then, something else your list. >> reporter: this is cool. vie one here with me. it's called phone soap. it was a kickstarter project from two cousins, and what it, you open it up. you can see here. that's a uchlt v light. put your phone in here. the charger for it. kploez it up. four minutes later, it kills all the bacteria on the surface of your cell phone. very important. >> a germaphobe near you. >> reporter: exactly. our cell phones are totally disgusting. i don't want to get into the surface of this. only $50. first year here at the show. nice to see a good idea with humble beginnings. >> a clean, good idea. we like that. >> reporter: definitely. >> brett, thank you. appreciate it. glad you enjoyed las vegas. >> reporter: thank you for

having me. >> all right. hello again, everyone. i am fredricka whitfield. we have much more straight ahead in the "newsroom" where we're betting a restart right now. no safe tap water, but plenty of health complaints. a west virginia poison center is inundated with calls after a chemical taints the water supply. details are moments away. damage control. newly released documents shed new light on how appointees of new jersey governor chris christie shut down lanes to a busy bridge, and what they did afterwards to stem the growing outrage. and a new ruling today on the career of new york yankees' star alex rodriguez. an arbitrator decides on his punishment for allegedly violating major league doping rules. that decision, and a-rod's decision, straight ahead. no