out a hand to this congress which so far is set up to propose him. it's a big test tonight, important to watch. >> big test tonight. we're following th ining that c. we're following the arctic temperatures hitting half of the country. it is cold, folks. for that and more, let's turn to carol costello. >> have a great day. thanks so much "newsroom" starts now. good morning. i'm carol costello. thank you for joining us. we begin in washington. tonight president barack obama will unveil his plan to fight what he says is a fundamental threat to the american dream income and enequality. the president's push comes at a krit came time in his ten or as

68% of americans say the country is worse off or in the same place when he took office. that's according to the wall street journal poll that finds aids third of americans think things are better. our senior white house correspondent brianna keeler is at the white house to tell us more. good morning brianna. >> president barack obama pushing forward in his bid to close the gap between rich and poor. he'll tell lawmakers tonight he's not waiting on them to raise the minimum wage. at least for americans working on government projects. his exec at this action will force any company signing a contract with the feds to pay workers $10.10 an hour, three $3 more than the current minimum wage. janitors and construction workers all seeing a boost in pay according to the white house. it was one vow from last year's state of the union. >> raise the federal minimum wage to $9 an hour.

>> that didn't get traction in the republican controlled house of representatives. remember the passionate call for the vote on gun laws. >> families of newtown deserve a vote. >> it failed. the push for immigration overhaul? >> now is the time to do it. >> stalled on capitol hill. now obama wants action. with the clock ticking on his second term, he's ready to tell congress to get on board or step a side. >> i'm going to act on my own if congress is deadlocked. >> executive actions rallying businesses, colleges, and local leaders to the cause and developing programs that don't require congressional approval, all part of obama's plan to bypass congress. >> he's an american citizen. it stands to reason he might be frustrated with congress since most american citizens are. >> what is not in the speech? that is also important. it turns out a lot of foreign policy is not in there despite

the fact there's a civil war raging in syria. the situation in iraq is unraveling carol. we expect president barack obama to address predominantly the situation in iran with the message to congress, no new sanctions while the new and temporary nuclear deal takes hold. >> brianna, thanks so much. want to go back to the minimum wage. the president is going to issue this executive order. hiking the minimum wage to $10.10 for federal contract workers. what does this mean exactly for the economy, for the american worker? we want to bring in christine romans to tell us. good morning christine. >> good morning carol. this is going to matter for a few hundred thousand federal workers. it's for new federal contract worker, new workers. there's going to be time for contractors to readjust their bids and readjust their processes to absorb the cost,

maybe even pass it on to the federal government. that means you the taxpayer. here are the works that will most likely be affected according to the white house. talking kitchen and laundry workers, military bases, janitors in federal buildings, construction workers. this is what the president has promised more than a year, raise the wage where he has the ability to do it. not the regulations to raise minimum wage for everyone but in the narrow slice of control he has. >> now americans favor raising the american minimum wage for allworkers. >> will this force congress to raise the minimum wage or in the opposite way? >> that's the huge debate among people who have been for and against the minimum wage. they're trying to figure out if this will help or hinder the national move legislation. will he anger house republicans who may have been willing towork

with him on this and now they want? is it pay peace meal issue where the white house says we've made progress and then it stops here and doesn't spread to laundry workers, workers in the hotel industry across the country. those are the larger numbers of these workers. it's whether this is symbolic policy but good politics for this president and how it will play out for so many workers? it will help the workers at the white house. the broader group of minimum wage workers are still struggling to get by carol. >> christine, thanks so much. stay tuned to cnn for the complete koencoverage and analy. our coverage begins 7:00 p.m. eastern tonight. for tens of millions of people, a month of brutal cold is about to get worse. oh my god. looks like the frozen tundra.

that's iowa. the arctic plunge is blasting some in the coldest areas of the year. so much for the polar vortex a couple of weeks ago. this is dangerous. school systems shutting down from minneapolis to mississippi across the mid south. it's threatening to dump snow from the gulf coast to the carolina coast. could be the biggest region years. louisiana has declared a state of emergency. with snow and ice, there could be widespread power outages. chad myers is in chilly new orleans. good morning. >> reporter: good morning carol. those power outages is why the troll y streetcars are not working. they're afraid if the power goes out, the streetcars will get stuck in place and not be able to move. there are buses driving up and down the tracks today. that's really -- this is a micro

cause of what's happening from texas to georgia on up to the carolinas. big ice going to come down here, at least half an inch of ice coating these beautiful palm trees. probably on some of these, the palms will be on the ground later as one-half inch of ice coats everything. temperatures going down to 35. that will eventually start to freeze up as we get down to 32. it's going to rain all day today. that rain will con den sate and freeze on everything bringing down tree limbs. louisiana is going to be a mess. also a mess from houston across i-10 and on up toward georgia and into atlanta. a couple of inches of snow. minneapolis, couple inches of snow sounds like a saturday. for atlanta it's a devastating two inches of snow. that will literally shut down the the i. we'll get more in the carolinas, some spots picking up 12 inches

of snow. i'm sure there are palm trees there myrtle beach, up toward the cape. we knew this had to happen at some point. the air was always cold. the east coast has been cold all year. finally moisture coming over the top of this cold air. here's our ice storm today. >> how nice. we all get to share. chad myers live in new orleans this morning. >> millions of americans are watching the temperatures dpafa and heating cost soar. 12 million households rely on propane gas to stay warm. iowa's governor has asked president barack obama to limit regulations of distribution. cold weather is straining the nation's supply of heating oil. this jump could nudge them higher. america is remembering a

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a renewed sense of hope for a family of a florida a and m football player shot to death by police. after the first grand jury decided against indicting the police officer who killed ferrell, a second grand jury has returned course returning an indictment. ferrell had been in a car crash and was shot and killed this

september while trying to get help. jean is live in new york with more on this story. good morning jean. >> good morning carol. this is unusual to go to two grand jurys. the defense says this is a violation here. the first grand jury says we'll agree and recommend an indictment but not the top charge of involuntary manslaughter. the defense tried to block it. they went to a second grand jury. that grand jury recommended voluntary manslaughter charges. the fact is this was an innocent man. he was not armed. he was trying to get help after an auto accident. his family is saying this is the first step towards justice. >> charlotte police officer randall kerrick indicted monday by a second grand jury charged with voluntary manslaughter in the shooting death of former florida a and m football player jonathan ferrell. >> i need help. >> why you at? >> there's a guy breaking in my

front door. >> it was september 14, ferrell came to this house after his car ran off the road into these woods. after climbing out of the wrecked car, investigators believe he banged on the door in an apparent plea for help. the woman inside, home alone with her infant child, called police fearing for her safety. >> he's in the front yard yelling. >> three officers responded. when ferrell approached them unarmed one of the officers tried to subdue him with a taser without success. officer kerrick fired 12 shots hitting ferrell 10 times killing him instantly. officer kerrick told investigators that the suspect assaulted him by unknown means. he had apparent minor injuries but refused treatment. charlotte police called the shooting excessive. less than 20 hours later, he was charged with felony voluntary manslaughter. the first grand jury declined to

indict kerrick on those charges last week. the number of jurors present was in question. >> what we don't know is how many precisely of this 18 showed up to actually hear the case. the prosecutor says there weren't enough. the defense says that's ridiculous. >> on monday a judge ruled the state attorney general could refile the case. prosecutors presented the same charge to a different grand jury that returned an indictment. the defense disagrees saying, quote, the true outrage of this community should be at the attorney general's complete disregard of the original findings of our first grand jury. >> the defense in this case is saying these citizens did exactly what they were supposed to do by rejecting the prosecutor's case. that argument will certainly be heard throughout the case. >> we don't know exactly how many jurors were present in the grand jury. the first grand jury.

because it is secret. according to north carolina law they have to have 12, maximum is 18. the question is will the defense file an interlocutory appeal better the case gets going to say this man should not be charged? if the case continues, carol, this will be the state of the mind of the police officer. we don't know what the defense will be. the language they've use sod far looks like a classic self-defense case. >> i was going to ask you. the police officer said the man attacked him in an unknown manner. what does that mean? >> that's a very good question. what did it mean to the police officer at the time? let's look at it for a second. this was believed to be a burglar call. a woman was hysterical inside her home. we learned this man said this man is trying to beat my door down. she was trying to find her husband's gun. when police arrived on the scene, that's the state of the mind they had. but also 12 shots.

10 went in the man merely asking for help. the jury will look at all of that to determine the state of mind of the police officer. was it reasonable under the circumstances if someone else was in his shoes? >> jean, thanks so much. still to come in the newsroom, a high stake speech for president barack obama as he looks to push ahead to a second term. he says he'll go around congress if he has to. i'll talk to one of the president's key aids next. are you ready grandma? just a second, sweetie. [ female announcer ] we eased your back pain, you turned up the fun. tylenol® provides strong pain relief while being gentle on your stomach. but for everything we do, we know you do so much more. tylenol®.

president barack obama will go in alone if congress doesn't act, he will and he has. by the time the president delivers the state of the union, he'll raise minimum wage for federal contractor workers to $10.10. this strategy may anger republicans. >> it's the idea of the president saying i want to work with congress, but i do have a pan and a phone. i can do lots of things with the executive and administrative tools that are before me. when you hear the president talk about that, what does it say to you? >> it sounds vaguely like a threat. it also has a certain amount of arrogance in the sense that one of the fundamental principles of our country are the checks and balances that it wasn't supposed to be easy to pass legislation. >> white house director of communications jennifer pamereri

joins me this morning. welcome. >> good to be here. >> slexecutive orders announced seems in your face. was that intent? >> it's clear the american people want leaders in washington to take action. their president is going to do that on issues we know they're particularly concerned about. things like creating jobs but not just creating jobs. making sure people have skills to get these jobs, things like that. this is not any kind of threat. he's the president of the whole country, not just president of congress. there's a lot he can do to advance opportunities particularly for middle class people. that's what he's going to do. he's going to work with congress and take action in areas where he can. >> let me interrupt for a second. the president says he wants to work with congress yet he's issuing an executve order. right off the bat in the executive union.

some might say this isn't the way to a good working relationship. >> he did propose minimum wage increase in last year's state of the union. it's something some states acted on. congress didn't. he's taking action today that achieves this for a small number, relatively small number of americans. using it as an example of how this could work, what this would look like. we hope that encourages congress to pass for everyone. >> i was going to ask you that. is it the president's hope this will push congress in that direction to push minimum wage for all americans? >> yes. he is saying we would like congress to take care of the rest of the job. it will help some people. we think it helps advance the debate. we talk about issues, why it's important, why it's a good deal for federal government to pay workers better. studies show you get less turnover, better work out of them. we see this as a way to advocating increased legislation

and helping people where he can. he is going to work with congress where he can. if he sees the opportunity to advance opportunity or make people's lives better with all do authority that he has, he's going to do that. he's going to work with the private sector in american businesses to do the same. >> i ask these questions because americans are pessimistic. 68% of the country is stagnant or worse since president barack obama took office, according to a poll. most use words like divided, deteriorating. what will the president say to lift people up? >> i think there are reasons to be hopeful in terms of how the economy is doing. 8 million jobs have been created since 2010, unemployment rate is down for the first time. we're producing more than we're importing, manufacturing is up. middle class families are not feeling that opportunity. he's going to discuss the issues that we know are really concerned about like education, retirement, skills, and creating

jobs. he will work with congress but also going to have for the american people, specific actions he's going to take now. we think it's that kind of progress where you're actually able to not just talk about something but do it that the american people are looking for and they'll hear from him tonight. >> communications director for the white house, thanks for being with he this morning. >> thanks carol. stay tuned to cnn for the most complete coverage and analysis. our coverage begins at 7:00 p.m. eastern tonight. (vo) you are a b s pro. seeker of the sublime. you can separate runway ridiculousness... from fashion that flies off the shelves. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle... and go. and only national is ranked highest in car rental customer satisfaction by j.d. power. (natalie) ooooh, i like your style. (vo) so do we, business pro. so do we.

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good morning. i'm carol costello. thank you for joining me. stories we're watching now in the newsroom. we're moments away. there's the opening bell. it's just ringing. it was a big day for apple yesterday actually after announcing it sold a record 51 million iphones during the holiday season. that wasn't enough to send apple stocks soaring. shares fell more than 8% in after hours trading. so was apple iphone run over? seems impossible because they beat expectations. allison? >> you know how wall street is. it shows no mercy. apple has never sold this many iphones in a quarter. sold 51 million in the latest quarter. wall street said it wanted to see more, expected 57 million.

the company says sales in the current quarter are expected lower than analysts are expecting. it wasn't bad news. almost 5 million bought macs. shares, taking a huge beating, down more than 8% now. as for the broader markets, going to be busy today. company earnings continue to pour in. dow and s&p 500 will make a comeback despite lousy orders on big ticket items falling 4% in november. momentum slowed down the end of last we're. today is the kickoff of federal reserve first policy meeting of the year and last with ben bernanke as chairman. he hands the baton to janet yellen next month. >> thanks allison. a winter storm is bringing rare snoe and ice to the deep south and causing problems for air travelers. the state of emergency in effect for new orleans. four inches could fall in

mississippi. more than 2800 airline cancellations already in place due to weather or me can dal problems. with 650 passengers and crew members sick, a royal caribbean cruise is heading home early. it's going to docking tomorrow two days earlier than scheduled. those sick have symptoms of norah virus. royal caribbean plans to give passengers a 50% refund and 50% future cruise credit. on capitol hill, news conferences rule the day. press releases control the message even more tightly. there may be something nostalgic about the house speaker sitting down with reporters and breaking bread. john boehner hosts the breakfast every year before the president's state of the union. our correspondent dana bash was there. did he say anything interesting, i hear he did? >> he said a lot of interesting

things. i want to bring you the headline it has to do with the news of the morning which the president will announce tonight with regard to executive order raising the minimum wage for new federal contractors. here's what the speaker said about that. he said the idea he's going to go it alone, i have to remind him we have a constitution. the congress writes the laws. the president's job is to execute the laws faithfully. if he tries to ignore this, he's going to run into a brick wall. carol, later in the conversation, he added this. he said we're not going to sit here and let the president trample all over us. pretty strong words there the speaker. obviously i think he understands there's little he can do when the president and the white house has decided they're going to use their executive order power in the limited way they can. he also reminded though, there are at least one or two issues regarding executive power now before the supreme court to help determine whether or not he'll be successful. the other point on the issue the

speaker brought up carol, is emphasizing the fact this is about new federal contractors. he said this is going to affect zero people right now which is -- effectively true, but for people after this executive order assigned who do fit this category of new federal workers. they could see an increase and will see an increase in pay. >> here are two things. a recent poll came out. 73% of americans think the minimum wage should be raised for all workers. an abc poll said 52% of americans are in favor of the president issuing executive orders. so what would mr. boehner have to say about those numbers? >> look, this is an issue that really does in large part divide on party lines. not all republicans are against raising the minimum wage. many are for it. some also really fundamentally believe it, when looking at

economics of it, that it will hurt businesses, particularly small businesses. they have to pay more to workers. that's a debate that's gone on forever and will continue to go on. it's interesting that the speaker didn't specifically talk in this breakfast this morning about the substance of raising the minimum wanl. he was focused on the constitutional idea of the president using his executive power and not dealing with congress. so very interesting on that. one other thing i wanted to point out is over the next couple of weeks, there's going to be a big fight once again on raising the debt ceiling making sure the country doesn't default on loans. you know that republicans particularly in the house, particularly those who are the most conservative have argued they don't want to do anything without getting concession from the white house. the speaker was once again clear he wants this to be over and done with. he doesn't want a prolonged fight.

he'll talk with members at retreat in addition to immigration reform that starts tomorrow in maryland. >> dana bash, great reporting as always. thanks so much. still to come in "newsroom." in the american dream, work hard and get rewarded. does that still ring true in today's economy? we'll take a look at that next. fedex one rate. really makes my life easier. maybe a promotion is in order. good news. i got a new title. and a raise? management couldn't make that happen. [ male announcer ] introducing fedex one rate. simple, flat rate shipping with the reliability of fedex.

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the fame of president barack obama 's state of the union will be optimism and action. that's a tough sale these days. a wall street journal poll shows 68% of americans are thinking the economy is stagnant or worse since he took office.

he's raising the minimum wage for federal contractor workers. most agree that's not enough. >> the american dream 1950s style. middle class america seemed to have it all then, a nice home, car, economic security. 60 years later the middle class is struggling. some say it's thanks in part to uncle sam. i talked to bidners two years ago. >> doing the government is broken? >> i think it's bruised. that's a good term. >> they hoped then the congress and president would learn to work together for the good of the middle class. if any of that happened, middle class america doesn't feel it. what's worse, many americans no longer feel hard work is enough. a usa today poll shows 51% of people got rich because he or she had more advantages than others. 38% said it was more because he

or she worked harder than others. >> there are a lot of countries that have folk at the top who are doing real well and a bunch of folks at bottom, but part of what set america apart was ordinary folks if they worked hard they could do well. >> when the president talks about the state of the nation tonight, much of the middle class will be listening for solutions well aware their piece of the american pie isn't getting bigger. the economic output is higher than ever, $15.8 trillion a year. corporations and record profits take the largest slice of the pie. the income gap is widening. key economists who study income equality say the richest 1% are benefitting the most from the economic recovery. from 2009 to 2012 they received 95% of gains and mc. the job market, it's still weak. from the peak in early 2008 to low in 2010, the u.s. economy

lost 8.7 million jobs. half of those in manufacturing and construction. >> so let's bring in moyra. i talked to her years ago. she's now underemployed and considers herself an exhausted citizen. john and larry directors. welcome to all of you. >> good morning carol. >> good morning. nice to see you again. your story sounds like so many others. two years ago you told me our government was to blame, it was bruised. has your opinion changed? >> not really. i think the american dream has for many of us become the american bad dream. that it's become harder and harder to put one foot in front of the other and that the poor have become more vulnerable.

working class have become more vulnerable. all it takes is one layoff, one medical crisis which we've had both of those situations. i will correct something. i was underemployed. i just recently got a new job. i consider myself fully employed and excited about it. >> awesome. i am so happy. it took you two years. it was crazy. >> my husband is still unemployed basically. he's working a part time job at the movie theater at minimum wage because the unemployment ran out. so we are struggling every single day. >> you guys are survivors. you're amazing. >> larry, what can the president say to moira and others in the middle class feel that the government is working for them and things will get better? >> first, any president is better off when he levels with the american public and says the truth.

those polls you mentioned earlier have been repeated many, many times. the president will never do it. he ought to open the state of the union address by saying the state of the union is depressed. it is. actually it's a kind of -- remember the old phrase rational exuberance? we are better than we were at t the depths of the deep depression. help people understand how they're getting better still. the president will do some of that. you have to establish credibility first. >> the president will raise the minimum wage for federal contract workers. in light of what larry said, is that a good start? >> it's a start but mistake to add the federal workers with the middle class. the dysfunction in washington is leading him to say, what can i do on my own?

if we're not going towork together, i'm not going to sit by and see the party get squeezed. he's got to do more. he's got to point out in a lot of areas there used to be bipartisan agreement. all of a suddenening detrdirectn seems to be the order of the day. that gap you talk about, under the president, that is really hurting the economy and people's pessimism in the squeezed american class. >> moira you say financial instability becomes a way of life for your family. you still value the democratic process. tell us why. >> my father taught me this is the system we've got and what we have to work with. so i'd rather work within the system than outside of it. i would make one suggestion to the president. i know he's done a really good job of putting military families and veterans back to work.

if they could do something for long term unemploy had the have been out a year and a half, two year, who run out of unemployment. we can't even get interviews when you're out that long. if there could be some sort of incentive for employers to hire people who have just given up so that they could at least trial. my husband has a 1% chance of getting an interview now because he's been out of work so long. >> larry, what do you do about that? what do you do? >> here's the fundamental problem. i think that was a good point. the fundamental problem is as john was suggesting you have a democratic president and democrat senate but republican house of representatives. the truth is the state of the union address is nothing more than a wish list. most of those wishes, the vast majority will though the be granted by congress. the president has to somehow find ways through executive orders and other executive actions to get things done with

the congress. it's never easy. the bad news for the president is, this time next year, it's probably going to be worse. there are more republicans in both houses of congress. he has to work on coming up with an alternative thousand while he at least controls one side of capitol hill. >> okay. so john, less we all jump off a bridge, give us some hope. >> give us some hope. keep hope a live. look, fundamentally while the system is polarized and both are the parties are, it's something like immigration reform in political interest as well as national interests. they're scared to death of primaries. they're thinking maybe we back immigration reform in the house after the republican primaries. that is reason for hope. there's the possibility of reason together. the problem is the governing republicans, people that want to take responsibility for governing are scared to death of

radicals on extremes. that is stemming passing the bills in congress. >> moira thank you for coming back. congratulations on your job. happy for your family. >> larry and john, thanks to you. stay tuned for the most complete coverage ask analysis of the state of the union. coverage begins at 7:00 p.m. eastern tonight. [ male announcer ] there is no substitute for experience.

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. . this morning, an elderly none learns whether she will spend the rest of her life in prison. she cut fences and broke into what was supposed to be the most secure uranium processing and storage facility in the country. joe johns is live with more on this story. >> reporter: this is a story that's shocking no matter what side of the nuclear debates

weapons you are on. sister megan rice, 84 years old, a catholic nun, her accomplices are 63 and 75. they are anti-war activists that say she did this to draw attention to what they see as the unlawful production of nuclear weapons. in july of 2012, they cut through fences and sprayed peace signs. sister rice could get a sense tense that lands her behind bars. how did they get in? the security is unbelievably tight. i have been stopped there driving around the perimeter. somehow, these three people were able to get in and inspector general investigation has said there was a level of ineptitude involved in that allowing the breach of the facility.

even beyond that, there is a question of whether sister rice should get 30 years for this. her lawyers have argued she should get leniency. she is a nuclear protester and not a terrorist. the government is arguing that these protesters should get a tough sentence because of the disruption they caused to a secure government facility. the terrorists would get more time, carol. >> joe johns reporting live from washington, thank you. with president obama delivering the state of the union, we are looking back at the 2013 state of the union promises, which were kept, broken and which stolen. the president underlined the rising cost of medical care for senior citizenses a serious worry and promised big changes to medicare. >> we will bring down costs by changing the way our government pays for medicare. our medical bills shouldn't be

based on the number of tests ordered or days spent in the hospital. they should be based on the quality of care our seniors receive. >> he unveiled several proposals. the republicans had their own idea. the two plans collided in congress. neither could overcome the opposition. this is a measure that has effectively stalled. start a tas at startup-ny.com. it says here that increases at the age of 80.

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queen latifah is getting ready to perform at a bigger audience at the super bowl this sunday. ♪ i'm gonna live until i die ♪ i'm gonna laugh until i die >> this is queen latifah

singing, "i'm gonna live until i die" on her new talk show. on sunday, at the super bowl, she will perform, "american the beautiful." >> what can queen latifah not do, carol? she started as a rapper. she sings the classics. she has a tv talk show. she is now an owe fish yant and now performing at the super bowl. she performed american the beautiful in 2010 at super bowl xliv with the colts and saints. she had this choir of kids backing her up. people were saying she brought a little church to the big game. she has also performed the star spangled banner at the nfl's opening game. yes, this is pre-game. this is still a really big deal. the pre-game show including the national anthem will be broadcast worldwide. it is a really big audience for her. the league likes her. this is going to be fun for her. she is a big football fan. on a flight from new orleans to

los angeles, her and i sat next to each other and we talked football the entire time. she is a big football fan. i have to tell you, this is really an interesting choice for them too. there was a little bit of scuttlebutt but, a little bit of talk about the fact that bruno mars was playing the halftime show. some people were con derring, why didn't they get jersey talent like springsteen or bon jovi or queen latifah. now that she is being brought in, it is an interesting choice. >> it is interesting you should say that. the super bowl will be held in new jersey and all of the literature depicts new york city. new jersey is not very happy about that. >> i just saw alexander field do an interview with the mayor of hoboken. no, it wasn't hoboken. it was the mayor of east rutherford. he said that he felt a little bit left out of all of it. they had to buy their own sign. new jersey is feeling a little

bit left out. it will be good to bring some jersey flavor to the festivities. >> the most cutting part is, new jersey is footing the bill for security and maintenance and not getting any pub out of it. >> they have been billing this as a new york super bowl. we do know that metlife is in new jersey. it would be nice to include but thinking, new york city, you know how marketing folks go. >> thanks, any nischelle. our next hour of "cnn newsroom" starts now. good morning. thank you so much for joining me. i'm carol costello. new this morning, we are learning details about stepped-up security measures for the super bowl. federal agencies, including homeland security, will be working with local police, at metlife stadium and transit stations and airports. they say everything going into that stadium, from seat cushions to food to drinks to

merchandise, all of that will be x-rayed. cnn's evan perez joins us with more on this massive security effort. good morning. >> good morning, carol. this is going to be a big undertaking. the homeland security is sending hundreds of employees up to new jersey. the fbi will have more people on the ground. they are all preparing for the eventuality. in case something goes wrong. they need to be able to deal with any situation that comes up. now, the location of the stadium, which is in new jersey, there is train lines that go nearby. newark airport right next door. there are some rivers right next door. this is calling for a lot of resources from the coast guard, the tsa says it is going to deploy visible, intermodeal prevention response units called vipe arer teams, including federal air martials, behavioral

specialist, people that will be able to check for luggage going from various train stations in new york, new jersey, penn station and grand central stations, for instance. more screenings at the airports and trains. a crackdown on sex trafficking by the nypd and fbi. ice says they will be doing a crackdown on counterfeiting. there will be a lot of resources poured into this area between today and super bowl sunday. the first sign will be tomorrow when you are seeing a lot more baggage checks at some of the major train hubs in the new york city region. >> understandable, many thanks to you. for millions of people, the month of brutal cold is about to get worse. >> doesn't that look like the frozen t frozen tundra? >> an arctic blast is plunging some areas into the year.

this new frigid cold is down right dangerous. school systems are shutting down from minneapolis to mississippi and all across the deep south. the big concern is a winter storm threatening to dump snow and ice from the gulf coast all the way to the carolina coast. it could be the biggest wallop to the region in years. louisiana has declared a state of emergency. with ice in the forecast, many states are warning widespread power outages. the weather has forced some 2800 flight cancellations and counting. cnn's ted rowlands brings you the big picture. >> reporter: millions waking up this morning to dangerous subzero temperatures in the double digits. >> it is really cold and getting colder. >> reporter: this new blast of frigid, arctic air bringing the coldest temps this winter and wreaking havoc for air travelers. more than 2000 flights canceled on tuesday from the midwest to the southeast. schools and government offices are closed again as bitter

closed air plunges windchills to 40 below in some states. >> it feels like winter has been forever. i don't know if we are in the middle of winter yet. >> chicago, preparing for a historic deep freeze, subzero temps that will struggle to rise above zero for another day to have the windy city in the lowest stretch of cold since 1983, forcing schools across the state closed for a second day. commuter trains to slow down. >> it just reduces the stress on the rails to operate a little bit slower. it is kind of a precaution. >> reporter: the brutal cold, near record-breaking territory say state officials. since october, iowa is experiencing the ninth coldest winter in over 100 years. cold creating a significant propane shortage across the midwest. >> we continue to have an exceptionally cold winter. >> reporter: wisconsin, the latest to declare energy emergency as thousands fear not being able to heat their homes. adding to the misery, blinding whiteout conditions in the

northern plains, wind gusts reaching up to 60 miles per hour blew cars right off the road in central minnesota. the howling wind calling massive snow drifts higher than this suv. the national weather service says much of the country will be shivering with temps up to 30 degrees below normal through wednesday. >> much of the country shivering as concerns remain over the growing demand and shrinking supply of propane in many states. let's bring in ted rowlands. he is live in minneapolis. it was 40 below overnight. >> reporter: with the windchill right now, it is hovering around 10 below. it is still horrible, carol. the big problem isn't the propane issue. not only here in minnesota but in many states in the midwest, there is a shortage and a huge price increase. you have people that are literally being rationed not being able to fill their tanks and people that are self-rationed because the price is doubled there.

they are literally sitting around in their homes with blankets and coats. a huge issue when you go through temperatures like we are feeling right now. >> so what are government officials doing about this, ted? >> reporter: they are opening up regulations. they are basically saying that some of the transportation guidelines and rules can be temporarily broken during these times of states of emergency, if you will. 20 plus states have those now in place to allow at least for the transport of propane when it is available to move more fluidly. >> ted rowlands, live in minneapolis, this morning, thanks, ted. we are just hours away from president obama's fifth state of the union. first up on the agenda, the wage gap in america. the president will tell lawmakers, he is not waiting on them to raise the minimum wage for federal contract workers. he will sign an executive order forcing any company signing a new contract with the federal government to pay workers at

least $10.10 an hour. that's almost $3 more than the current federal minimum wage. who will be affected and how will it impact taxpayers? let's bring in kristi romancchr romans. >> when the president signs his executive order, no one gets a pay raise until someone new is hired. imagine its laundry workers at military bases, janitors in federal buildings, construction workers in government buildings. these are the kind of jobs they are targeting. the last hour, the director of white house communications told you, carol, that they are trying to advance the conversation. many economists are saying this is a small sliver of minimum wage workers we're talking about here, new workers. the government white house giving these federal contractors time to rejigger their bids and the like. going forward, they would have to pay higher wages but it would take some time, carol. >> the white house communication

director did say they wanted to further the conversation on raising minimum wage. the house speaker, john boehner, republican, just came out and said the president seems to be overstepping his bounds. he was not happy with that executive order. >> this is interesting. this is a debate we have already had. we have had this debate over and over again, these two sides meeting at a brick wall in the middle about whether it is the right time to raise the minimum wage for everyone in the country. some are saying that the president making this move,they are trying to decide if it helps or hinders the raise the wage campaign in america, to raise the minimum wage for more americans. i think it shows that the economy is still the number one issue for this president, five years, five of these state of the unions now. presidents get too much credit and too much blame for the economy. the economy is stronger. not everyone is feeling it. tonight, that would be the focus of his remarks. >> our economy is badly

weakened. homes have been lost, jobs shut, businesses shuttered. >> reporter: in the depth of the economic crisis, the president promised action. five years later, the recovery is real for some. >> we have cleared away the rubble from the financial crisis. >> reporter: home values are soaring, a series of stock market records have boosted 401(k)s. banks have paid back government loans and are turning huge profits. sales of american cars are at a six-year high. >> the u.s. economy is healing and if you compare it to pastimes, our economy or other economies that have had this kind of fip nannancial crisis, don't look so bad. >> the fed has pumped trillions of dollars into the economy and kept interest rates near historic lows. that has helped investors and homeowners. most say the economy is still in poor shape. in the obama economy, the rich

have got richer. 95% of the income gains have gone to the top 1% of income earners. >> income in equality first and foremost is an abomination. it strains how our whole system operates. it is a drag on the economy overall while the overall economy is growing. >> reporter: jobs are coming back. the middle class jobs the u.s. lost in the recession are being replaced by low wage jobs. about 10.4 million americans still out looking for work. 38% of them out of work for 27 weeks or more. that's why the president says, it is too soon to pull back on emergency recession era programs. >> folks aren't looking for a handout. the job market is still tough and people need support. >> reporter: republicans say the president's policies aren't helping. >> instead of helping to create jobs, the president is focused on making it easier to live without one. >> reporter: economists say it is precisely this kind of squabbling in washington that has held back the recovery. >> reporter: the congressman and

president could have done a lot to make the economy better. they could have agreed on budget deals, avoided government shutdowns or threats of debt crises. for those left behind, 2014 may be the year the economy starts working for more americans. >> it may take a while longer for everyone to be included in this recovery. i think there is now a sense in the markets that the economy has turned a corner. >> that is precisely what we expect to hear from the president in tonight's state of the union. it is clear the economy has improved. what's also clear, the poll numbers don't show that americans feel like it. >> no, they don't. christine romans, many thanks. stay tune for the most complete coverage and analysis of the president's state of the union. coverage begins at 7:00 p.m. eastern. you are probably aware of the reports that the nsa is keeping track of your phone calls. guess what? they might also be learning more about you every time you play angry birds on your smartphone

or tablet. according to "the new york times," popular apps like angry birds might be feeding the government everything about you, your location, how many kids you have, even your sexual orientation. lorie segal is live with more on this. this is disturbing. >> reporter: it absolutely is a little bit disturbing. they are not just looking for your high score and i have a very high score when it comes to angry birds. this report that "the new york times" put out showed that the government is very interested in what people are doing on their smartphones. they say they are specifically focused on foreign intelligence, the kind of information they are able to get. we're talking age, location, where you've been, who your contacts are, who you have been talking to. when you open up an app, the last thing you think is that you are sharing a lot of this information. they said the smartphone was a golden nugget for this kind of information. we are learning that a little bit more and more. think about when you upload a

picture on facebook, it also has a gio tag. there is a lot of information you can get. what the papers say is that the government is completely utilizing it. carol? >> what will companies do to protect consumers, because i would assume consumers want to be protected from this kind of thing. >> absolutely. here is the tension. a lot of these companies are saying, i speak to folks in silicon valley all the time that put their hands up and say, we need more transparency. they are able to get a little more transparency. just yesterday, microsoft, google, yahoo! they all essentially over the summer had sued the government to be able to publish more information es spengsly, what kind of information is government collecting, how many requests are out there. yesterday, the decision came in and they are able to do that. i spoke to a partner in silicon valley and asked them if there was more friction between the

nsa. listen to what he said. >> i don't know if there is growing friction there. i think there has always been friction. now, it is coming to light. i think these big companies recognize they have to live in a world that has regulatory boundaries. they are doing what they are required to. in a perfect world , they wouldn't have to deal with that. this is part of the cost of doing business in an ever-increasing technology world. >> marissa myer was in davos. she said, this has hurt her business, the nsa, and hurt customer trust. it is about doing the dance and how much information is too much and how transparent can we be with also protecting our country. >> tough questions. lorie segal, thanks so much. the upcoming olympics in russia already the most expensive games ever. now, they claim it is also the most corrupt. we'll take you live to sochi next. ♪ driving rock music

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checking our top stories. with around 650 passengers and crew sick, a royal caribbean cruise is heading home early, docking two days earlier than scheduled. shows sickened have symptoms similar to norovirus, which spreads quite easily and can lead to terrible stomach problems. they plan to give passengers a 50% refund nd a 50% cruise credit. a grand jury has indicted a charlotte police officer in the shooting death of a former a&m football player. another grand jerry decided not

to indict officer randall kerik. he shot him 12 times after' call from a woman thinking he was trying to break into her home. it turns out he was seeking help after crashing his car. ♪ legendary folk singer, pete seeger has died. his career spanned more than 40 years including in moving performance of president obama ace inauguration. his grandson said he died of natural causes. best known for "turn, turn, turn," "if i had a hammer." he was 94. figure skater says he believes that athletes will be safe at the winter olympics. brian boitano is part of the official delegation. last night, he talked about

cnn's piers morgan. >> i think everybody is worried about security but i do think it is the first priority. i think the safest place will be the olympic village. the athletes' safety should be the first priority so they can focus on what they need to do. there had been talk of canceling it or something like that. i think that would be very devastating to the athletes, specially since the olympics sort of represents playing on the field of sports and putting your country's differences aside. i think the number one issue is going to be security nand i thik that athletes will be safe. >> they are talking about security in sochi this morning. senior correspondent, ivan watson is live to tell us more. good morning or good night to you. >> good morning, good night, carol. that's right. the olympic torch is still making its way through russia. for the past through days, it has been going through the turbulent caucuses, today, through that former war-torn

region of chechnya. we have had reports that the route of the heavily guarded torch had to be shrunk somewhat there. we are waiting to find out more. here in sochi, the workers are putting the final touches, working overtime trying to put the final touches on the olympics before they start about ten days from now. the security forces are clearly tightening their so-called, ring of steel around the olympic park, which is behind me here. we have seen examples of the extreme lengths the russian security forces are going to to protect the area. there is a brand new very expensive parallel highway and high-speed rail line that runs from the olympic park over my shoulder up into the caucuses mountains, more than 25 miles to the location where the alpine sports will be held. we drove along that highway which is protected every couple of hundred yards by camouflaged

soldiers hiding in bunkers and in camouflage tents. we passed several compounds where clearly thousands of soldiers and police are being temporarily biffle wagged. that's the sign of the enormous security forces that have been deployed to protect the olympic venues. >> there is also talk that these olympic games could be the most corrupt in history. what can you tell us about that? >> reporter: well, that's certainly coming from members of the russian opposition who are making those accusations, accusations that, of course, the russian government has denied. the most recent charges come from a leading opposition figure who released this very slick website today which he titled, the encyclopedia of spending, an interactive map have o the olympic venues along with so-called champions of

corruption and claims of different projects, including that new highway and high-speed rail that he claims the russian government simply embezzled money or allowed state corporations to embezzle money, charges of corruption, that he claims led to billions of dollars worth of overspending. of course, the russian government has denied that. the international olympic committee so far is standing by the russian government. by many estimates, this olympics is costing some $50 billion, more than four times more than the russians originally projected in 2007 when they won the bid to host the olympics in the first place. >> unbelievable. ivan watson reporting live. still to come in the "newsroom," hillary clinton hasn't driven a car since 1996. what about riding the subway or chowing down on a burrito from

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oh, the burning questions we want to know. hillary clinton says she hasn't driven in nearly two decades. >> the last time i drove a carmi self was 1996. i remember it very well and unfortunately, so does the secret service, which is why i haven't driven since then. >> those comments prompted the people at buzz feed to ask one of clinton's long-time aides, philip grimes, about some other every day things hillary has or has not done, like buy things online or eat at chipotle. his response was colorful. he slammed the website renaming bull feed, calling the questions inane and providing photos of

her eating at chipotle. >> my first thought is, buzzfeed is fun. where is his sense of humor? >> i thought it was very smart of buzzfeed to ask these questions. i wasn't total will i surprised by the response because this spokesman has a reputation of being combative, for being funny like this, for being provocative like this. these are request questions thay clinton will someday have to answer. >> whether she ate at chipotle. >> we have seen over the years, presidential candidates get into trouble whether they don't seem to connect to ordinary americans. the american people, we are a contradictory bunch. we want our presidents to be just like us but better than us, smarter than us, wiser than us. questions like whether they have eaton at chipotle and what the price of a gallon of milk is are

legitimate questions. right now, she isn't running for anything. so maybe it is fair to swap the questions away. people are going to want to know if she is relatable if and when she runs. >> why did those questions -- phillippe ryan has been in the political biz for a very long time. why did those questions bother him? >> the answer she gave about driving a car is getting negative attention, scrutiny. maybe he was trying to disarm further questions about how in touch she is with ordinary americans by swatting it away in a humerus way. i thoug i thought it is wa a funny e-mail to call buzzfeed bullfeed. there will be other reporters asking questions like this in the future. maybe hillary clinton will be able to poke fun of herself by saying she hasn't been allowed to drive a car, because the secret service won't let her.

maybe that will work. maybe she will be able to step aside from the questions like that. there will be a lot more in years to come. >> when candidates run for president, you saw president obama trying to ride the bull. ronald reagan rode a horse, which he did well. jimmy carter made much of the fact he was a simple peanut farmer, even though he was pretty wealthy. i guess you may be right. >> george w. bush had his famous ranch, even though he was also very well think, by going to the ranch in crawford, it presented him as an ordinary american. we've seen every president for decades now try to position themselves in a certain way, partly because of television that conveys certain things to the american people. we are seeing a potential candidate in waiting bringing up questions like that. when we see the spokesman try to

swap the questions away, it exposes a challenge that that candidate would face if and when she runs. >> brian, thanks so much for stopping it in this morning. >> president obama says he will go around congress to complete lis goals. will it lead to more gridlock? we'll talk about that. [ female announcer ] hands were made for playing. legs, for crossing. feet...splashing. better things than the joint pain and swelling of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. if you're trying to manage your ra, now may be the time to ask about xeljanz. xeljanz (tofacitinib) is a small pill, not an injection or infusion, for adults with moderate to severe ra for whom methotrexate did not work well. xeljanz can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers have happened in patients taking xeljanz. don't start xeljanz if you have any infection, unless ok with your doctor. tears in the stomach or intestines, low blood cell counts and higher liver tests and cholesterol levels

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. 2014 will be a year of action with or without congress. one of the key things in the state of the union, income inequality. he is expected to announce a plan to boost the wage for federal contractor workers. >> reporter: the president's announcement he will increase the minimum wage for employees on new federal contracts will affect probably less than 1 million americans. a sign of just how difficult it will be for him to push his agenda in the face of a divided congress. president obama pushing forward in his bid to close the gap between rich and poor. he will tell lawmakers, he is not waiting on them to raise the minimum wage, at least for americans working on government projects. his executive action will force any company to pay workers at least $10.10 an hour, almost $3 more than the current federal

minimum wage. janitors and construction workers all seeing a boost in pay according to the white house. it was just one vow from last year's state of the union. >> raise the federal minimum wage to $9 an hour. >> reporter: that didn't get tracks in the republican controlled house of representatives. remember that passionate call for new gun laws. >> the families of new town deserve a vote. >> reporter: it failed. the push for an immigration overall stalled on capitol hill. now, obama wants action. with the clock ticking on his second term, he is ready to tell congress to get on board or step aside. >> i'm also going to act on my own if congress is deadlocked. >> reporter: executive actions rallying businesses, colleges and local leaders to the cause and developing programs that don't require congressional approval. all part of obama's plan to

bypass congress. >> he is an american citizen. it stands to reason that he might be frustrated with congress. >> what's not in his speech? a whole lot on foreign policy despite the raging civil war in syria and the deteriorating situation in iraq. president obama will have a message for congress on iran, though. no new sanctions as a temporary nuclear deal takes hold. >> i want to bring in david gergen, senior political analyst. hi, david. >> hello, carol. how are you? >> i'm good. thanks for being here. in the spirit of working together, i don't know how much of the spirit of working together will be at the president's state of the union since he is going to issue this executive order right off the bat. >> well, you started off in the spirit of working together and then you laughed. i think that probably captures the spirit of a lot of americans. they are skeptical. they evhave heard a lot of thes things before. it was only a year ago that the

president got inaugurated with high hopes and aspirations. he had a lofty set of goals he set in the last state of the union and very little happened. he enters this with a lot of weight on his shoulders to make this speech work tonight. he is perilously close to becoming a lame duck. >> this was senator mitch mcconnell. he said this a short time ago, the republican minority leader. let's listen. >> this is a pivotal moment in the obama presidency. we are now entering our sixth year with president obama at the helm of our economy. this is the sixth year of his economic policies. at this point, we've seen just about everything in the president's tool box. we've had a year's long clinic on the failures of liberalism,

the government stimulus, the taxes, the regulation, the centr centralization, government control. it just hasn't worked. >> i'm just going to talk like a human being here. what has congress done that's worked? what plan do republicans have to put out there that would work? the one thing the president has going for him, the congress is less popular than he is. in immigration, it has become in the republicans self-interest to move forward on immigration legislation. if the president can convince people he is the leader on that, he will score om points. i don't think he is helpless coming into this at all. i think it's a tough environment for him. i think what americans are mostly looking for tonight is not some glittering promises. they want straight talk.

frankly, i think they would like a short speech. these speeches have sort of become over an hour long. the speeches are sort of those that try men's souls. it is an awful lot to listen to. i do think, carol, the other part of this is, you mentioned income inequality. social mobility. those are concepts that are extraordinarily important for the health of a society but when you start talking about them on television, they quite work. i think he has been well advised to go for bread and butter issues. do things he can, the federal minimum wage, to do something for the long-term employed and issues that can change people's lives. as president, what he wants to do is do things as matter but he wants to be seen as on the side of the middle class. on the side of the people who are squeezed. that's very, very important for presidential leadership. >> i'm sitting here struggling

for a question, because it is so frustrating, because we seem stuck in this malaise that won't go away. at least economically, right? >> yes and no. washington is stuck. if you go around the country, there are cities and communities that are moving forward. whether you go to a big city or a mid-size city like columbus, ohio, there is progress. people are taking action. to the degree the president can galvanize that and get outside the beltway, not with just speeches but working with people at the community level that are getting economic progress and bringing in young entrepreneurs. they are getting start-ups going and people hired. new york has a sense of vibrancy

right now. rahm emanuel is doing a fine job as mayor. i think the president would have some lefrverage by working with the mayors. cities are not waiting for washington. mayor bloomberg made ittest that washington is irrelevant when it comes to new york becoming a power. i think washington is sort of a black hole right now. >> i feel better now. thanks so much. stay tuned to cnn for the most complete coverage and analysis of the president's state of the union. coverage will begin at 7:00 p.m. eastern. i'll be back. [ male announcer ] this is the age of knowing what you're made of.

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is the super bowl still a hot ticket when the weather is frigid? there is no snow in the latest

forecast for sunday at metlife stadium in new jersey. fans scanning the secondary ticket market might have second thoughts about buying. it is surely going to be cold, dzhokhar ter. . >> probably not going to snow much, if at all. the first estimates were about $600 million would be infused into the market there. those figures have declined in the next couple of days. a lot of factors that go into it. this is not like having a super bowl in new orleans or dallas or miami. hotel bookings, not meeting expectations as well. as we talked about game prices for those tickets, definitely down froms last week. a week ago, the market going for $2700 a week ago. today, you can get the same ticket for just over $1600.

obviously, this cob the cheapest super bowl ticket since 2002. that ticket, of course, was right after 9/11 according to several online trackers. >> i'm just saying that watching the super bowl from your home, there is so much good about that. you have a big screen tv. you have your friends around, great food and a lot cheaper. >> we know that the super bowl has become more of a corporate event as opposed to the national championship game in college. you see the real true fan from that town. there still are a lot of fans out there. i know a lot of denver broncos fans that i'm talking to on facebook and the phone that would love to go to on the super bowl. $10,000 to start to get out there, that's a lot of money. >> the best place, you mentioned this before, to see the super bowl, would be las vegas. >> if people don't know, i am not doing a commercial for las vegas but that place is really fun during the super bowl week. it is definitely a hot party.

>> you can be involved in a lot of stuff surrounding the super bowl. >> you have the traditional bet, who is going to win but there are prop betts. like how long is the national anthem going to be? how many times are they going to show eli manning, one, two, three, four? some of the other funny ones, some of my favorite, will any of the red hot chili peppers go shirtless at halftime? >> my best is that flee might just wear a sock like he has in the past. >> another one. will the power go out again this year like it did last year? if it does, it is 20-1 what it pays. gator aid, which color will be poured on the winning coach. blue is going to be paying 7-1. let's hope no power goes out, a good game. it doesn't snow too hard and we can see who the best team is. >> thanks, joe. i'll be right back.

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nwas the most watchedage otelevision event ever.s so, what's next?

the upcoming winter games from sochi. where every second of nbc universal's coverage will be available on every device. on tv, online or streaming on the nbc sports live extra app. beginning february 6th, experience the winter games everywhere. welcome to what's next. comcast nbcuniversal a billionaire is now apologizing. he compared enterprises to the attack on the nazi germany. he changed his mind an apologized. >> they got in a discussion

about the idiocy of rolex watches. it is the symbol of terrible values and et cetera, et cetera. well, i think that's a little silly. this isn't a rolex. i could buy a six pack of rolexs for this but so what? >> you are a multimillionaire. >> no, i'm not a billionaire. >> i said multimillionaire. >> i have created some billionaires but i unfortunately am not one. >> you have owned fantasy yachts and underwater submersible. >> airplanes. >> it is an airplane that flies under water. do you worry at all that you are divorced from reality? are you divorced from reality? >> i don't know if anybody can answer that. truthfully, i don't think so.

>> we missed the part where he apologized. he did apologize for his remarks in comparing the alleged hatred for the rich with hatred of the jews during nazi times during germany. he says he profoundly apologizes for those remarks. we will have much more on this on cnn in the hours to come. also, still to come in the "newsroom," another high-stakes moment for president obama. we'll talk about the art of the speech next.

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the obama administration using e-mails and even vine to promote tonight's state of the union. >> tomorrow night, time to restore opportunity for all. >> it comes as the clock clicks down to what some have called a critical address and moment in the president's tenure. candy crowley has more on the art of the speech. >> reporter: the world will little note or long remember what we say here. that was not true when lincoln said it about his gettysburg

address. it is true about most state of the union speeches, which is not to say they are nothing. they are a moment on the grandest bullied bulpiled pulpi of all. in prime time. >> they are priceless in terms of being able to xhup kacommuni your agenda and message. >> reporter: they have been the product and a nightmare for speech writers. state department and pentagon types usually short change push for more word count. political operatives shake out troublesome verbiage. we are told the president, a word smith in his own right, is heavily involved in writing and editing. the key to success is knowing your audience. that is not these people, lawmakers in the house chamber. they are pretty much window dressing. stephanie cutter watched the process during the clinton and obama years. >> whoever is standing up and

clapping, that's great. whoever is sitting in their seat refusing to clap, that's great too. >> fellow americans. >> you are not talking with people in the room but with people sitting on their couches at home. >> reporter: also helpful, if not too kichy, props. president reagan once brought along 43 pounds worth of federal budget. >> he was talking about the need to shrink government and so forth. it was very vivid. >> reporter: except for historians and the occasionally curious, state of the union speeches as lincoln might say, are not long remembered. certain phrases endure, capturing a moment in time. lyndon baines johnson, january 8th, 1964. >> this administration today, here and now, declares unconditional war on poverty in america. >> reporter: richard nixon january 30th, 1974. >> one year of watergate is enough. >> reporter: bill clinton, january 23rd, 1996.

>> the era of big government is over. >> reporter: george w. bush, january 29th, 2002. >> states like this and their terrorist allies constitute an access of evil. >> reporter: they are like mile markers in the nation's history. be assured as they write and rewrite in the while house, they are wondering, betting on what words will capture the moment of january 28th, 2014. we asked former presidential candidate, rick santorum, a republican, what he thinks president obama should say. >> i made a bunch of mistakes and i am here to say we need to correct them. >> reporter: delete. candy crowley, cnn, washington. thanks so much for joining me. i'm carol costello. league"legal view" with ash banfield starts now. fo