disaster along the east coast. we have every angle covered. >> going it alone. president obama calling for a year of action in his state of the union address threatening to bypass congress if necessary. >> america does not standstill and neither will i. >> but did his proposals go far enough for the american people. and who is the army ranger who brought the entire chamber to their feet in a rousing standing ovation. we have the story behind a hero. your "new day" starts right now. >> good morning. welcome to "new day." it's wednesday, january 29th. 6:00 in the east. i'm chris cuomo live from capitol hill where president obama delivered his fifth state of the union address last night. but the big story this morning is the actual storm, the ice storm that is devastating the

south. >> it's pretty amazing. i'm here in new york following that major breaking news for all of you this morning. from alabama to the carolinas it's been a night of really unimaginable chaos. gridlocking city after city after city. traffic at a complete standstill. it's been a or fieing 18 hours for parents s is in atlanta. hundreds of other kids were forced to spend all day and night in their classrooms at their schools. people have been abandoning their cars on the icy atlanta roads. we're tracking to see how many many will be coming. it's hitting hard in the mid atlantic. when the waernt turns extreme, we have it covered for you. >> i venture to guess you haven't seen anything like this since you moved to atlanta. >> reporter: no.

i lived through two blizzards in baltimore just a few years ago. i've never experienced anything like this. people stuck many their cars for 10 or 12 hours. people running out of gas. one woman gave birth inside her car on i-285. and the politicians, well, they're all saying, it ain't my fault. thousands of drivers stranded on gridlocked highways paralyzing the metro area. children stuck on their school buses well past midnight. >> i was like, if i don't get home to my parents, i'm going to freak out. >> reporter: other students up able to -- unable to make it home at all. >> one of the children had a cell phone so they kept calling me and saying, we stopped again, we slipped again. >> reporter: with more than 900 accidents reported and more than 100 injuries, some desperate

commuters decided to abandon their cars and seek shelter. others turned to social media for help. nine months pregnant, haven't eaten since 10:00 a.m. yesterday. i'm starting to get cold, dehydrated and hungry. i have a friend whose truck has been hit by six cars. she has two kids in the car and trying to get two more at day care. the city in a state of emergency leaving many asking why wasn't the city more prepared. facing mounting criticism, the governor blamed a faulty weather forecast. >> i wish it was something we could wave a mamg ik wond, but that's not possible. i think all the folks here are doing their very best.

>> so the governor said he blamed it on a faulty weather forecast. i went to the cnn weather center. they predicted the storm down to the minute, indicate. that's just an excuse. other people are wondering why schools were about canceled in the morning. last week they canceled schools and yesterday, they didn't cancel schools at all. why they didn't start salting the roads before the snow started falling. once the traffic jams are there, the salt trucks can't get through the traffic jam. lots of questions to answer this morning from our politicians. we're going to be posing those questions all day today. >> as well we should especially when we know folks are still stuck in traffic jams as we speak. we all hope there was a magic wand that could get us out of this mess.

so this storm struck with devastate i devastating chaos. parts of virginia and the carolinas could be digging out of ten inches of snow or more. let's on go to a very frigid north carolina. martin? >> reporter: good morning to you. situation here in the carolinas, least north carolina a little better than they anticipated. number one, the air turned drier last night. and two, it's the timing of when the storm hit here. didn't hit until last night. that gave plenty of people to be ready. and ready is the one thing they were in north carolina. they were doing the salting in the streets on monday. even on sunday, they were planning for this. the people had been told to stock up. they knew the snow was coming.

turns out they didn't get as much snow as they feared, but everything was shut down yesterday. certainly no school today anywhere in the region. even fort brag, it is shut down except of course for any personnel that are essential to the nation's defense. right now, we're under a winter storm warning. snow's not falling currently. temperatures in the 20. not going to get above freezing at all. very unusual for here. >> the big thaw out, the great dig out, whatever you want to call it. as we mentioned, hundreds of children and teachers have been stuck inside their schools because of this storm. joining us now is an tillman, in alabama. there are about 15 students as we understand it and nine staffers still inside the school after spending the night there. thank you so much for waking up or staying up to speak with us

this morning. >> good morning. you're welcome. >> so what is the status? how are things going? >> oh, things couldn't be better considering the circumstances. they're all sleeping in the gym. they had a -- a really fun time yesterday. they saw this as an adventure. the staff is awesome. but they do what they do every day. they certainly come to school every day and put the kids first. and yesterday was no different. it just continued a little longer than we had planned. >> i would guess so. if the kids are calling this an adventure that's in large parts to you guys. how have you been keeping them busy since they've been stuck in the school since early yesterday morning? >> well, we are a k 2 school. so our oldest child here is 7.

so they have a lot of energy. so we kept them in the gym. we have a wii that we project on the large screen and they play wii games and get to burn off energy in the gym. we play movies to calm them down when they need to. we have a fully stocked lunchroom. so we have snacks and we had la san ya and salad for dinner last night. the teachers will take them into classrooms and do quieter activities with them when needed. so we just do what we doer day, we just did it around the clock. >> as i understand it, school was dismissed around 10:30 yesterday. would you say -- were folks caught off guard by this? >> no. we were totally caught offguard.

the meteorologist in our area predicted a light dusting for the birmingham area. so all the accumulation was to occur far south of us. >> uh-huh. >> so at about -- when we were dismissing at 10:30 it didn't seem to me like there would be a problem to get the kids home in plenty of time. but it happened so fast that by the time they left my school and went to the school -- the feeder school, the buses couldn't go past that school. that's how fast it happened and we're probably 5 miles apart. >> hopefully when the sun comes up, you'll be able to get those students back to their families. principal tillman, thank you so

much. >> you're welcome. >> of course. my goodness. long night for her. let's get straight to indra petersons. what should officials known about all this? >> unfortunately, the news was all there. they just talked about several inches. notice in alabama they only got 2 inches. no one knew if it was icing or snow or a sbings. the bigger story is they're just not used to these kinds of conditions this far south. yes, there's places in georgia that saw about 3 1/2 inches. it's really the combination of the icing and the snow. notice about a half on inch of icing was seen in the carolinas. that's enough to take power lines down. what happened? we knew this was here. it's the same bulls eye dome of high pressure.

that now combined that cold air with all that moisture around the gulf and that's the reason they started to see all these problems last night. that cold front moved through. it is still there today. around virginia beach, still another 5 inches of snow is still going to be possible. it will look like things are melting. don't forget that cold air is still in place. people are going to think the concern is gone, they could get trapped again today. >> a little bit of ice. any little bit -- >> all it takes. >> thank you. got a busy day ahead of us. we're obviously going to stay on top of this storm that is hitting a lot of the country. let's get back down to washington with chris. >> we are following the reaction to obama's state of the union address. terming this is political storm is a reality. he issued more challenges than proposals last night, you could argue. the president called for a year

of action, but the speech was more about how he will move forward. that's what it was really about, even more than what he wants to get door. making it clear he's prepared to sidestep a congress to get what he wants done. cnn's live in washington looking at all of it for us. >> good morning to you, chris. and president obama will continue pushing this message today. he'll go to maryland where he'll be at a costco really trying to raise awareness about something that company has done for its employees, raise the minimum wage, which is something he announced he will do last night for new federal contracts. for over an hour, more than 7,000 words, president obama telling his biggest audience of the year he's not waiting on congress to start his year of

action. >> wherever and whenever i can take steps without legislation to expand opportunity for more american families, that's what i'm going to do. >> obama wants to combat inequality using education jobs and energy that don't require congressional approval. he's raising the minimum wage for new federal contract workers and enchurgeed businesses to pay their employees more too. >> say yes. give america a raise. give them a raise. >> despite praising house speaker john boehner's life story -- >> the son of a bar keep, the speaker of the house. >> -- there wasn't much that republicans seemed to like. >> i believe that when women succeed, america succeeds. congress needs to restore the unemployment you just let expire for 1.6 million people.

>> most decisive, the president's signature legislative achievement. obama made clear he's not interested in rehashing the health care fight. >> i do not expect to convince my republican friends on the merits of this law, but i know that the american people are not interested in refighting old battles. >> taking the opposite view in the official republican response. >> republicans believe health care choices should be yours not the governments. >> she was just one republican offering her take. >> the president's lofty rhetoric ignore the fact that his administration continues to leave poor and middle class families further hyped. >> he doesn't try to work with congress. >> i didn't hear anything new from the president. >> the most powerful moment came late in the might and brought democrats and republicans to

their feet. army ranger cory recommendsburg, wounded in afghanistan. honored for his service and his resilience. >> like the army he loves, like the america he serves, sergeant first class cory remsberg never gives up and he does not quit. [ applause ] >> remsberg wounded on his tenth deployment if you can imagine that. it really was the emotional moment of the night. president obama will be in maryland today. also be in wisconsin and tennessee. four stops in a two-day road trip to sell his state of the union. >> that's the big part of the analysis. he needs the people behind him to bush through the -- push through the way he wants to get

things done. we're going to tell you more about the story behind that sergeant remsberg you just saw there. we'll give that to you later today. as well as the analysis. of course, the speech was big from president obama. what are the prospects going forward. we'll break it down for you. and this friday, one of our best will be getting answers for you. cnn anchor jake tapper sits down exclusively with president obama. it will air this friday morning on "new day" and on jake's show, "the lead" at 4:00 p.m. let's get to john berman. >> thanks so much. making news this morning, eric holder expected to get grilled today on capitol hill. they are expected to question holder on how his agency plans

to implement president obama's nsa changes. the cheating scandal involving air force nuclear weapons officers has reportedly doubled in size. they tell cnn that roughly 70 service members either cheated on proficiency exams or turned an eye to others cheating. it has grown but declined to offer other specifics. a teenager is in the hospital after being shot by police in hawaii after they say he slashed one officer and punched two others. officials say he was recognized as a run away. he alleged ran at police. he was not registered at the school. new allegations this morning against new jersey governor chris christie. the star ledger reports that christie used $6 million for

hurricane relief in a senior center in a town whose mayor endorsed him. christie administration officials insist the center will help those displaced by the storment. so you may have been one of the eagle eye viewers who tuned into the state of the union and noticed this. joe biden's -- jill biden's arm in a swing. they now said she broke her left wrist in a bad fall last week. and during last night's speech, her arm was in a cast covered by a shawl. >> it's either one. >> she's expected to keep that cast on for about six weeks. we wish her a speedy recovery. >> she makes a broken wrist look good.

>> coming up next here on "new day," we're going to talk to an emergency official in georgia about this monster storm that has really crippled cities. how did they get caught so off guard? speaking of off guard, i need john berman to explain to me what a pash mee na is. is the big message of the day how he's going to get it done? it's going to work for or against him. and did you see this video? a congressman caught on camera threatening the reporter. here comes the congressman. what did he say to him? what did he threaten him about in we have the reporter here this morning to tell you the full story. our giant idaho potao 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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welcome back to "new day." president obama came out strong in his state of the union traes calling 2014 a year of action. he sent a clear mess sanl to congress that he will move forward with or without their help. joining us noun cnn political commentator and former deputy white house press secretary for president obama, bill burton. also do founded the super pack priority action. bill, i cannot have you on this show with all these titles. >> i know. it gets old. >> you are too involved. please try to limit your actions going forward. >> what was your general take about what the president was putting out there? >> well, my first take was this

is about as confident a president as you've seen since the night of his reelection. he came in wanting to seize the optimistic high ground during the speech. i think in large part, he did that. this was a speech that was very much a laundry list. while it changed some of the atmospherics on capitol hill in the short tem, i think driving 2014 and the differences that congress have, i think it's going to be very hard to overcome. >> and may exacerbate. it wasn't about what, it was about how. he was taking a lot of shots at congress, even more than usual, i thought, last night. >> i think it was more than usual. but na pole january said, a leader is a dealer in hope. that's what he was talking about with the president last night. all of these things, the president says there is a

positive way forward, but this is a moment of action. they want a president and a congress who are going to act. i think the statement that he was making last night was one, to congress, saying if you won't act, i will. >> the immediate action, it's under 10% the personal of people think it's very likely the president can get dope what he wants to -- done what he wants to get done. you're not reaching out your hand. >> i don't know about that. i think the american people have watched how congress and washington have worked over the last couple years. they're so sick of it and cynical about what can get done in washington. but the president can do some real taken jibl things. so, yes, people are cynical about what's happening in washington, but the president's saying there's another way. >> kevin, they blame you. >> me? >> you personally.

the president's numbers are not great, but congress much lower. the republican aspect of congress even lower than that. is it on you guys to step up and show you'll work with him? >> i think that is where the president really hasn't met the public's expectations. i agree with bill in the sense that people are very cynical. they do look at congress right now and they have a very low approval rating. but that's where the president's role is unique in bringing people together. building the consensus you need on capitol hill. so the approach the president has taken i still think is going to be judged harshly by the public. so he hasn't done as much to bring people together. >> i always watch boehner's face. he's got no poker face. i do like that he was celebrated

last night. how do you break your culture of conflict. yes, i know, he republicans an extreme. king said i'm here to resist. i'm here to resist. you can't put that on the president anymore. >> i think that there is an element there where the president has in rhetoric reached out, but the practice of it, the almost need for an incestuous relationship with congress hasn't been there. why do you see gestures like you saw last night when he mentioned speaker boehner. is there going to be the day to day -- know the need for the minute to minute, hour by hour working with congress. we haven't seen it yet. >> and bill, it is not on the president that he doesn't like him, he doesn't want to work with him, he avoids it. last night, i saw him as making challenges, being strong, yes. confident, yes. but always a little dig.

how does he open the fist, reach out the hand and make this work with these people. >> i think what you saw the president do was be honest about what's happening in washington. republicans are standing in the way of the progress. and so the president has to tell the truth and it comes off confrontational or sounds like he's being critical of how republicans are being in washington, so be it. but that's the situation he was dealt. and that's the environment that he's in right now. so he's got awesome staff. he just hired a new legislative director to the white house. she's terrific. i think you're going to see the president continue to reach out. and i don't buy that he hasn't reached out. he has. it's just that the outreach has been met with intrancy intelligence and republicans scared of tea party challenges from the right that they don't feel like they can work with the president. all they are politically capable of doing is trying to stop

progress. >> kevin is giving the same face that boehner gave last night. a lot of questions going forward. we're going to take a break here now. on "new day," when we come back, listen to this, a new york congressman threatening physical harm to a reporter just hoemts after the state of the union address. all caught on tape. we're going to talk to the brave news man who stood the storm. he literally said, i'll break you in half, kate. sounds like something you'd say to me. >> we're also -- also coming up, we're going to continue the coverage on the devastating deep freeze. hundreds of people stranded. we're going to talk to an emergency management official about how they got caught off guard. and for jumps, i need something...special. so i use my citi thankyou visa card for music downloads

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welcome back to "new day." take a look at this bizarre scene. this was inside the capitol hill after the president's state of the union address. >> why -- [ bleep ]. >> it's a valid question. [ bleep ]. >> almost impossible to believe. but you were just watching new york congressman michael grimm physically threatening a local reporter who just asked about an on going federal investigation

into his campaign fund raising. michael scotto is with us right now. michael grimm going to force a whole new set of uncomfortable questions. >> nice to see you. >> i don't know what grimm was thinking. you just did a normal interview. you had to ask about the ongoing investigation. >> i was surprised by his reaction. i asked the question about the very end of an interview about the tooun address. i decided to throw in that question because we had been waiting to hear from him on allegations that had surfaced just a couple weeks ago. i really wasn't expecting much of a response. say, you know, i don't want to talk about that. and then it moved into what we saw on television. >> you can't hear it that well. you seemed to sense something in his eyes. what did you see? >> we taped his segment as live.

it was going to air as-is. he said i don't want to talk about it and walked off. and i have to turn back to the camera and explain. i think it was during that time he got really infuriated and came back to me once i had wrapped up and basically saying, i say something like that again, he was going to throw me over the balcony. >> look, you cover politics. it can get ugly. there's a lot of threats and i think thises that go on. do you believe the substance of the threat or are these just angry words? >> no, i don't believe the substance of the threat. i think he was angry by the fact that i asked that question and more angry by the fact that i explained to viewers why he was not going to answer that question. so i'm not taking it personally. i'm not frightened by it. >> you know him. you've interviewed him a lot.

you're a hard-nosed guy. but were you surprised by his lack of discretion coming back in front of the camera? >> that was surprising. i had told him we were going to air this as-is. he knew it was a live situation and he knew that the camera was rolling. so for him to come back and say that, i mean it was surprising to me. it's kind of pr 101 not to say anything like that in front of an open mic. >> his best defense would be this, did you have a deal about the interview, i won't ask about this. >> there were no preconditions. when i spoke to him before the interview began, i didn't really talk to him at all about what we were going to ask. i just said, we're going to do -- >> so he had no expectation that that wouldn't be asked? >> that was not by understanding. >> i'm sorry you had to go through that.

>> thank you. >> it will be interesting to see if the congressman follows up with a better apology. >> all right. kate, back to you. coming up next on "new day," the latest on the winter storm that's thrown money of the south into deep chaos. we're going to hear from atlanta's emergency management, how they're coping with the snow and the ice just ahead. [ dr. pyun ] patients are coming in with signs of acid erosion. healthy diets are hard on your teeth.

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welcome back to "new day." this devastating winter storm is shutting down entire states really in the deep south and mid atlantic and it's not other yet. hundreds of children unable to make it home, stranded overnight in school buses and classrooms. five deaths are now being blamed on accidents caused by the storm

in alabama. take a look at this crew car skidding out of control on the ice and into an suv. let's get to charleston, south carolina where dealing with some up usual weather down there to say the at least. >> reporter: absolutely unusual, kate. here authorities have shut down several bramgs because of icy companies thanks in large part to a storm that is still causing major problems throughout the region. a dangerous wintery mix slams the southeast bringing several states to a standstill. from fwa fwa to louisiana, an early kpod dus of commuters found themselves stuck. >> once i started sliding, i couldn't control it. >> reporter: this far-reaching storm causing havoc with stayed

wide emergencies in full effect. in alabama, at least five people died. >> this is a very dangerous situation. people need to stay at home. >> reporter: conditions were so bad in alabama that thousands of students have been stranded, forced to spend the night at school. >> i want to reassure all the participates that if you -- participa parents that they will be taken care of tonight. >> reporter: extra salt was hauled into south carolina. more crews are on standby outside and in here on the lookout for potential trouble spots on the roads. >> people are used to preparing for tropical storms. they know to board their windows and those kinds of things. >> reporter: and the problems weren't just on the roads.

thousands of flights were canceled tuesday. the hardest hit airport, atlanta's hart field jackson international airport. right now we are seeing sleet falling here in charleston. we've seen primarily rain up until this point. you can see the ice pellets bouncing off the top of this bin. you can also see over here, i want to show you ice accumulating on the signs. ice like this has caused several power outages. several hundred people without power right now in this area. they are working to restore services. >> all right. thank you very much for that. as we well know, it is incredible how this storm is crippling parts of the south this morning. some children were stuck in classrooms and gyms. let's bring in the director of emergency management in atlanta

to talk more about this. thank you very much for jumping on the phone. i know you're very busy. i want to get to how this happened in just a second, but first, what are you doing right now sm. >> first after all, we are just working with every department we have out there to try to get these kids off the roadway and that's the important thing. whether it be state, county, everyone is bringing every asset to bear. we are extremely grateful that the governor and the emergency director and the georgia national guard has come to support with all the access they can bring to bear as well as the seniors. we had 35 seniors on a bus on a trip and they were stuck on the road since 1:00 p.m. as well. during the early morning hours, we were able to get them off the

bus. it's just incredible work happening out there. >> incredible work, it seems the reality is it's not enough right now. this is what people are seeing this morning. people being stuck on their commutes 10, 11 hours, kids stuck at their schools and on buses overnight. the governor is essentially blaming it on a fauty forecast. how were you caught so off guard. >> i wouldn't say we were caught off guard. we pushed the information to not only internal but external partners to help them make informed decisions. they made a tremendous decision to let employees go at a very early hour. that was followed by the local jurisdictions and they got their employees out in a timely fashion. it did get quite hectic on the

adway, but i believe they did the right things by releasing these people as soon as possible. >> i'm going to bring in carol costello on the ground in atlanta. you heard what the governor said and you're hearing what emergency management is saying right now. >> reporter: i'm hearing what you're saying and i'm just expressing the frustration of a city. the snow started to fall at 1:00 yesterday afternoon. everybody was looking for a salt truck or a plow. i just asked nine people out here. nobody saw one. when did you begin salting the roads? >> i can tell you that the city of atlanta actually got out early in the morning to start addressing the problem spots. we had not a single problem by any of our major hospitals. both of our trauma facilities

have told us -- >> yeah, but that's by the grace of god. you had over a thousand traffic accidents. a woman had a baby inside of her car. there are school children still trapped in school buses on the highway right now 18 hours after it started snowing. a lot of people would say that's unconscionable. >> great point. i want to make sure we know what people have done to come forward. home depoet and various places have come forth to make sure people have a place they can go. >> reporter: yes, but isn't that the responsibility of our public officials? is it the responsibility of home depot to spring up and provide emergency shelter, for people who had to abandon their cars on roadways and walk to someplace

warm? >> it takes every partner to make this successful. there are a lot of resources out there being brought to bear, but there really is only a limited number of spreaders, graders and they're being used. i can assure you that the georgia department of transportation, they're trying to take care of every route that they can. we supported them by bringing police passes to help protect them. just within the city of atlanta, tremendous work for those public safety partners getting out there to do what they can. >> reporter: i just want to ask one more question, if i might. in hindsight and i know it's not your responsibility to shut down atlanta schools, but should schools have been closed before the weather started or even the night before? >> that's always a question hard

to answer after the event happened. we will work with the national weather service to make sure the partners both in atlanta public schools get the best information in a timely fashion so that they can ask their administration to make those informed decisions. we will continue to work with this so they can be successful as we move ahead. it's truly a partnership, looking at this. >> and fine tuning that plan i think is an understatement and needs to be handled in an immediate fashion. people right now are still in the middle of this and saying all the resources being brought to bear, that's not a lot of comfort to people stuck on the ground. what do you want to say to folks stuck on the cars or parents with kids stuck on buses or stuck in schools? what can you tell folks they can expect today? >> we received about a total of 51 buses that needed support. prior to this conversation, 25

of those were actually rescued. and that came from a host of different individuals that -- asked to bear to do that. there's been incredible stories about bus operators that have done great things with those children. i think they don't get enough credit for what they do to make sure that those kids are safe. they need kudos in this event as well. >> they definitely need a lot of kudos in this situation. hopefully they don't need to be in that situation again. i know you've got a busy day ahead. thank you very much. we'll let you get back to work. thank you for your time this morning. we're going to take a break. coming up next, it was the high point of president obama's state of the union address, attribute to a wounded warrior that brought everyone to their feet. his story just ahead. so ally bank really has no hidden fees on savings accounts? that's right, no hidden fees.

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just four days now until the super bowl. but for the teams, you know, getting ready to hit each other, first they have to deal with the craziness of the press. >> good morning, guys. this is the only event all year where fans actually pay to come see the media do their thing. about 7,000 fans on hand yesterday. it's cold outside. so this year they crammed us all i know side. you never know what you're going to get at super bowl media day. lots of different people there. actually olympic gold medalist

gabby douglas. people in costumes and tons and tons of media. peyton manning, he had the most guys wanting to ask him questions. marshawn lynch hid in a corner only speaking with the media about 6 minutes of the hour that was allowed. >> you kind of shy? >> no. >> you just don't want to talk really. >> i'm just about that action, boss. >> you'd rather go get it? >> that's what it is. i ain't never seen no talking win me nothing. >> i'm just about that action, boss. that was the line of the day. >> i hear that from john berman all the time. >> it's like the year of action. i'm just about the action. super bowl, state of the union. >> so close together. impressive how we combine our

big news stories together. thank you, andy. chris? >> it's a good line. less is more less is more. coming up on "new day," praise and criticism for the president's state of the union speech. we'll give you dualing perspectives. and of course the republican side from congressman steve king. they'll will here live to get it on. we'll also continue the coverage on the top story. the latest on the massive blast and the major mile up in atlanta. you're saying i can get at&t's network with a data plan and unlimited talk and text for as low as $45 a month? $45 a month. wow...no annual contract. no annual contract. no long-term agreement. no long-term agreement. really? really. ok, so what's the catch? there is no catch. ok, i'm obviously getting nowhere with you.

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chaos in the south. the region pummelled by a once in a generation winter storm. ice, snow, and severe cold trapping young children dm schools and on buses overnight. and stranding drivers in monster gridlock forcing them to abandon cars and even sleep in home depot stores. when can people get out? >> that car got hit, people stuck. >> we have everything you need to know about this nightmare storm. >> year of action. president obama promises a fight for the american people with or without congress. >> where ever and when ever i can take steps to expand opportunity for more american families, that's what i'm going to do.

>> but as he promised to tack tackle income inequality. we're finding out what viewers think. you're "new day" starts right now. >> good morning. welcome back. it is wednesday, january 29th. 7:00 in the east imt i'm chris cuomo coming to you live from capitol hill. this is where president obama delivered his state of the union address. the big story this morning is the real storm paralyzing the south, kate. >> it absolutely is. we're here for you in new york following major breaking news this morning. that widespread chaos that happened after a crippling winter storm left the deep south in very deep trouble. one of the areas of biggest concern is atlanta where snow and ice made roads virtually

impassable. see these school buses? the video was taken around 3:00 this morning when dozens of students were still stuck on buses on their way home for school. other students had to spend the night in their schools. drivers trying to navigate roads that turned into skating rinks overnight. millions in the path of the storm. we have everything you need to know this morning. let's start with carol costello in atlanta. once again, any change that you're seeing so far? >> reporter: i see a couple cars now. keep in mind, the storm -- and i do this because it was 2 inches of snow -- it started 18 hours ago. people are still stuck in traffic right now. some of them have been stuck in traffic for five or six hours. some of them have been stuck in their cars overnight.

if you ask the politicians, they'll say it's not my fault. thousands of drivers stranded on gridlocked highways. children stuck on their school buses well passed midnight. >> i was super scared. i was like if i don't get home to my participates -- parents i'm going to freak out. >> reporter: slick road conditions forced some schools to cancel bus service. >> they kept calling me and saying we stopped again, we're hitting trees. >>. >> reporter: with more than 900 accidents reported and over 100 injuries, some desperate commuters decided to abandon their cars and seek shelter. others turned to social media. nine months pregnant, haven't eaten since 10:00 a.m. yesterday. please help.

anxious residents seek help for their loved ones. i have a friend whose truck has been hit by six cars. she has two kids in the car. 911 is busy. any suggestions. the city in the state of emergency leaving many asking why wasn't the city more prepared. the governor blamed a faulty weather forecast late last night. >> i wish we could wave a magic wand, but that's not possible. we have to deal with the reality. >> reporter: i don't know what weather report he was talking about. but the cnn meteorologist including indra petersons were right on with when that snow about to start to fall. that was around noon yesterday. nobody around here saw any salt trucks preparing the streets for possible icing over. i'm sure the mayor will be asked that question all day long. and so far, he hasn't had a

great answer for the citizens of tlant. he'll be on in the 9:00 a.m. hour of news room. i'll ask him that question myself. >> people are still stuck in their cars. it makes no sense. we're going to make sense of it for them. so georgia isn't the only state seeing major problems. south carolina was also caught off guard with weather troubles leading to bridge and road shutdowns. how's it looks now? >> reporter: well, it's actually not looking too bad right now. we've seen primarily rain in this area. right now, just very light sleet. there is a thin coating of ice on certain areas. you can see it here on this trash bin. you can also see some ice on this sign. now these icy conditions are very one usual for this area. this area usually prepares for

hurricanes. so having to deal with salt trucks is a different thing. they're more used to dealing with putting up shutters, for example. really, this caused some headaches here. several bridges, as you mentioned, have been shut down. charleston access to other areas is through those bridges. downtown charleston is a ghost town and likely will stay this way through much of the day. when you look at other parts of the country, even north carolina where they've seen several inches of snow, this isn't too bad. >> thank you very much. so can you imagine being trapped in your car for hours when your commute should have only lasted a few minutes? atlanta interstates became parking lots. some drivers say a 10 minute commute took six hours and that's at the very at least. victor blackwell is following

that angle of the story for us. we're talking this is dangerous. >> reporter: kate, very dangerous. and we have an update we just got from the georgia department of transportation that just after 6:00 this morning, branss were guided to four school buses trapped on interstate 285 here. dot estimates that about 90 students were on those school buses overnight. we're still trying to confirm where those students were taken. they have confirmed those buses were not there. consider that schools were dismissed and classes were suspended at 1:30 on tuesday. we have the latest from aps that this morning they were still working to get the last few students home or on those buses from when school was dismissed yesterday. now down to just one child. so we know that the roads have been packed. they are in some areas still

packed. jackknifed tractor trailers stuck on the ice. highway emergency response vehicles are trying to drag those trucks out of the way. but, yes, there are people that have been stuck in their vehicles overnight. hundreds of students were told to shelter in place late last evening. nine area schools, several hundred students were held there. they were working close to midnight to try to get food to students, so a very desperate situation. we know that schools in this area and most districts, if not all, will be closed today. >> that's the only thing that's not a surprise, that many schools will be closed again today. so after leaving the south covered in ice, the weather is headed north where it's dumping snow now on the carolinas. snow began tuesday ahead of the commute. some areas could see a foot by

the time it's over. >> reporter: good morning, kate, it looks like i might be in new hampshire up instead of the south. first and foremost, the timing of this storm. up here, it didn't hit until much later in the day. overnight is when things really turned bad. that meant that folks were able to get home from work. they didn't have the school bus issue, and then on top of that, everybody was safe and sound at home. the other factor, drier air. by the time the storm got here, didn't have much miss chour. they had predicted 5 to 7 inches here. turns out they got about 3 inches now and it looks like we are through the worst of it. temperatures not going to get above freezing today. everything around here is closed. government offices, even ft.

brag. >> thank you very much. as we can tell now, the storm seemed to take many by surprise, both how quickly it hit and the mark that it left behind. so many people left out in the cold they literally slept in aisles at grocery stores. it's kind -- i feel like we need a better explanation of how this happened. >> right. i think the biggest thing is people don't understand wa they need to do when a snowstorm comes. you know you never want to be out during the height of the storm. in fact, the timing was right on. it decided -- they decided not to cancel the schools. now what happens? it starts snowing. people panic. we're going to let the kids out early. all the parents get off work, they're trying to pick up their kids. during the height of the storm,

everyone is on the roads. there's no way to clear those roads if everyone is out. it's only two inches. if they had waited and stuck with the original plan, potentially everything could have been cleared. the roads would have cleared, they would have been able to pick everyone up and go back home. this wasn't a long-lived storm. >> so what did the molgd show? >> two days ago, we had this exact same map up here. it was moving so far south, it intersects with the moisture off the gulf, that was just enough to bring just several inches of snow. atlanta only got 2 inches of snow. that's exactly what they got. it's spot on. >> i think bears a need for better explanation. we're going to seek it throughout the show. is it drivers in these conditions, is it fewer resources because we're talking

about the deep south. >> i think the biggest thing is just knowing when not to be out in the height of the storm. back to washington and chris. >> new this morning, president obama it hads the road taking his state of the union message directly to the people. the president rolled out his 2014 to-do list calling out congress and warning if they don't act, he will. right after, an orc poll of those who watched the speak. therefore heavily weighted democrat. that poll found, 44% reacted very positively. it's actually the lowest number in the last four years. saw san mall vau was with a focus group in des moines. what was their reaction? >> well, as you can imagine, they were quite engaged. they love their politics. this is a place that put barack

obama on the map. you've got the republican governor up for a sixth term. if it gets it, could actually make history as the longest serving governor. you also have senator tom har kin retiring. and opening to take that seat and take control of the senate. a lot of people focusing on iowa. last night, the voters laughed at the jokes of the president. but one thing was very clear here, this was supposed to be the year of action. that is what everybody wants. they want to see some action. the highest moment of the night for president obama with democratic voters came when he argued for equal pay for women. >> today, women make up about half our workforce. but they still make 77 corrects for ever -- cents for every dollar a man earns. that is wrong. it is time to do away with

workplace policies that belong on a episode of madmen. >> i think i have earned a right to get equal pay. >> the president's message even touched this republican voter who's been out of work for a wreer and a half. >> i feel like i'm being passed up by the younger generation and stuff too, i'm having a hard time figuring out what i'm going to do. >> the big low point for the president came when he caulked about obamacare. >> for decades few things exp e exposed hard working families to economic hardship more than a broken health care system. in case you haven't heard, we're in the process of fixing that. now i do not expect to convince my republican friends on the merits of this law. but let's not have another 40-something votes to repeal a law that's already helping millions of americans like amanda. >> for some voters, trusting

obama to get it right was a stretch. >> he could just be saying things to appease us. it's hard to tell. >> for independents, the key moment was when the president vowed to issue an executive order to raise the minimum wage. >> i will issue an executive order requiring federal contractors to pay their federally funded employees a fair wage of at least $10.10 an hour. if you cook our troop's meals or cook their dishes, you shouldn't have to live in poverty. >> i didn't hear anything about corporations paying for taxes. >> despite the president's setbacks, many voters still don't want him to give up on working with congress. >> america does not standstill and neither will i. wherever and whenever i can take steps to expand opportunity for more american families, that's what i'm going to do. >> i'd like to get their

even though it was the biggest round of applause the president received all night. not just the sergeant, but the idea of getting out of that war. so what is that plan going to mean going forward. it's really something that gets ignored. we'll use the sergeant's story. thanks for laying out some of those questions for us. we're going to get to more of them this morning. this friday, the questions that face the president are going to get answers from jake tapper. he's going to sit down exclusively with president obama in his first interview since the state of the union address. it will air this friday morning on "new day" and of course on jake's show at 4:00 p.m.

we'll be talking with steve king to get dualing perspectives on what feeds to happen and what will happen coming off of this speech. >> a lot of talk about there as well. >> we're going to take a quick break on "new day." dealing with the fallout from that nasty winter storm. we'll talk to a hard-hit birmingham, alabama. wow, this hotel is amazing. oh no. who are you? who are you? wrong answer. wait, daddy, this is blair, he booked this room with priceline express deals and saved a ton. yeah, i didn't have to bid i got everything i wanted. oh good i always do. oh good he seemed nice. express deals. priceline savings without the bidding. [ engine revs, tires squeal ]

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oh, hi there bill. hey! are you in town for another meeting? yup, i brought my a-team. make the most of the weekend before it's gone. this is my family. this is joe. hi joe! hi there! be a weekender and book your stay at hampton. feel the hamptonality. all right. welcome back to "new day." we are live on capitol hill. president obama fired more than a few shots across the bow of congress with the state of the union daring lawmakers to act and warning them what will

happen if they do not. let's talk to both sides. republican congressman from iowa mr. steve king and congressman debbie wasser man shults. we had you here yesterday. now, let's assume he is at the top of the food chain here. he gave his message last night. it is for you to decide whether or not to follow. is there anything that will enable you to reach across? >> it's awfully hard to find. it really was. i thought that unifying moment when he honored sergeant cory. you could feel it, the emotion in the room had to go all the way to the ceiling. that did unify us in support of the sacrifice of our warriors. then when the first lady walk in, you could also feel a warmth

for the first lady. we just disagree philosophically. >> do you agree -- forget about that. what am i asking you that for. he came forward and said i'm going to do things myself. does that make you think, well, we better work with him then? >> he's done that in the past. there are a number of places where the president has just issued an order or done a press conference or a third tier notice that changed the law. we understood he was going to do that. and of course i understand up and defend the constitution and we talked about that yesterday. if a republican presidential candidate decided to campaign for the election in 2016 and say wrr and whenever i can i'm going to use my executive authority to override congress or ignore

congress, that would be appalling to democrats. so i think we should join together and go back and take a look at the constitutional limitations of the article two of our constitution. i think it will be a big issue if he overreaches. >> putting the constitutional aside, as a tactic, though, why do you believe that this is the right way to get washington moving again? first of all, to back up for a second, i thought the speech was hopeful and resolute and clear, particularly on the president's goals as cobb congressional democrats share them on making sure that the bread and butter issues of keeping a roof over your head and that if you work hard and play by the rules, you can make it.

those are issues that should resonate with everybody and completely transcend partisan politics. what the pleasant said though is look, i've been president for five years. he's consistently outstretched his hand. i am willing to work with anyone, republican democrat and i want to sit down and find common ground, but i am not going to wait for republicans who simply want to throw obstacles in the path of progress. that's a totally reasonable approach and within the boundaries of his executive authority. he said i want to work with republicans. but if you continue to want to be obstacleobstacles, then hymno move forward. >> you're sitting next to each other, but you only talk to me. >> steve and i talk to each

overall the time. >> that's something i think need to be brought out. i think the discussion really needs to be more between the two sides here. because you represent, you know, one poll of your party very well. you are in one pole as well. how do you two look at each other and figure out how do you figure out how to work together. >> actually, although steve and i have not sat down together and tried to hammer out what we could find agreement on, it does start with trust. it does start are building a relationship. there needs to be more of that. i know that's why dan webster and i host a pie partisan dinner on a regular basis. >> you guys have to get passed the straight i'd logical differences because they're not going to change. >> there's another way this

works, too. the whole spectrum from the left and to the right and the decisions get done in the middle. there's a time we find ourselves in a friendly way pulling in opposite directions. that helps the people more likely to be the first ones in the middle to broaden that out. so i think the negotiations start in the middle and work both directions. we've seen a good number of bipartisan pieces of legislation pass in this congress. we helped the others identify how they could agree. >> is there any chance that can be built on? >> it has to be a year of action. we have to make sure we can kick this economy into a more robust recovery. there are simple common sense things we can do. making sure that we embarrass a minimum wage so that no one has to live in poverty while holding

down a john. if we ever go through another economic crisis wheel people remain in their homes. women to make sure they have a job. that they don't have to choose -- >> you share those goals. the question is can you work together to figure out how to secure those families. the face of that sergeant is the face of dedication of the fighting men and women. but it's also the face of the families who are fighting for their own out there every day. the question is can you provide? >> i think there's more polarization in the congress than debbie just described. i think if you want to see the force of nature, watch the members who stood and who didn't when each topic stood up. that's more -- >> i studied boehner's face as if it were assigns. listen, we have to leave it here right now. we're always here for you guys

to reach out. congresswoman, congressman, thank you very much for taking the opportunity. i hope you guys can be as close as you are right now. very christian. all right. we're talking about the standing ovation at the beginning of this -- jew day yoe christian ethic. we want to turn back to that now. why? it was so powerful and resonant on so many different levels. we're talking about dory recommendsburg. ten deployments to afghanistan. he was nearly killed in 2009 when a roadside bomb went off. he received the night's longest standing ovation and of course it was well-deserved. it was clocked at a minute and 44 seconds, but the impact went beyond. barbara, this was a moment worthy of pulling it back not just because of the emotion involved, but because of the

metaphor of what this man represents true? >> absolutely, chris. you know, for the families of the fallen, for those who have been wounded, the war is always with them. it was a poignant reminder for the entire country. >> my recovery has not been easy he says. nothing in life that's worth anything is easy. >> perhaps the loudest applause went not to the president but to this man, army ranger cory remsberg. >> cory and here tonight, like the army he loves, like the america he serves, cory remsberg never gives up and he does not quit. >> his story of bravery and recovery is both incredible and inspiring. remsberg led a squad in afghanistan back in 2009.

it was his tenth deployment overseas. on october 1st, they balgted off insurgents on the out skirts of canada har. on the kay back to base, they would trigger a 500-pound roadside bomb. one of his troops were killed. his head was smashed in by shrapnel. the wound still visible today. he was in a coma for three months. president obama first met remsberg in the hospital in 2009, visiting several times in his year of recovery. and his recovery is nothing short of miles an hour rack lus. >> even now, cory is still blind in one eye. still struggles on his left side. but slowly, steadily, with the support of care girs like his

dad, cory has grown stronger. day by day, he's learned to speak again and stand again and walk again. he's working toward the day when he can serve his country again. >> you know, sometimes we speak so easily of the nation's blood and treasure in these wars. but for afghanistan, it is always worth remembering some 2,000 american troops have lost their lives, 20,000 wounded. you know barbara, you've taught me a lot about this issue over the years. it was interesting to me last night. of course the sergeant se derves it, of course all the fighting men and women who suffered similar fates deserves it. very few sentences on afghanistan last night. huge pressure point going forward about whether or not

that country can be left and under what circumsnces hopefully that emotion, that dedication to the victims of that, the fighting men and women who were there, will follow through into the policy considerations, the hard choices that will have to be made going forward. >> there will be a meeting at the white house next week to talk about this very subject. the president has got to make some decisions about how many troops he might want to leave behind in afghanistan. but where this war is right now, afghan president has to make a decision whether he even wants continued u.s. help. if he does not, everyone will come home by the end of this year. >> kate? thanks chris. we're going to take a break. coming up next. more on the wild weather that has wall will you pleased the south. people forced to spend the night in places like home depot even. plus we're going to talk to the

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welcome back to "new day." breaking news this morning. look at this. getting our first live look at i-75 in cob county georgia. this is not the morning commute. this is last night's evening commute and they are still stuck. and to be honest, we've been watching this just before we came on. none of these cars are moving. you can almost guess that these cars are abandoned. a major highway and these are stuck. and almost in the top, you can

see it looks like a pileup right there. these cars aren't going anywhere fast. not what people in ga fa and definitely not emergency management officials want to be seeing as the sun comes up this morning. this is going to be a very tough day for everyone in the south. let's get back to carol costello. i don't know if you had a monitor out there, but this is a big problem today. >> reporter: how do you spell nightmare? atlanta. looking at that picture, they're probably saying to themselves, there's really not that much snow on the ground. a lot of people are wondering why it paralyzed the entire city and outlyi suburbs. let me explain. the snow began falling around

noon yesterday. so schools decided to close at the same time businesses started to close. government offices were then closed. by 1:00, everyone in the entire city was trying to get home. i was trying to leave myself at 1:00 in the afternoon yesterday. after waiting for two hours in the parking lot, i finally gave up. that's how bad traffic was. even if the salt trucks were out and about, they could not get through that heavy traffic. so that meant a lot of the roads went untreated. and then the temperature started to drop. it got cold and very dangerous to drive. hence you had backups like this for 18 hours straight. some of the people have been stuck for five or six hours. there's a state of emergency here right now and a lot of unanswered questions. >> just look at all those accidents you can see there.

we're watching the live pictures coming from our affiliate wsb. we're going to have to continue to watch this throughout the morning. those cars aren't moving at all. if they are still stuck there right now, the fact you mentioned this earlier, that that means that emergency vehicles, any kind of truck trying to get through to help, they can't get through either. >> reporter: that's right. people are abandoning their cars. help wasn't coming any time fast, so they got out of their cars and maybe got into another car with a friendly stranger. so all of that stuff is left over from last might and it's causing enormous problems this morning. >> enormous problems all throughout today. we'll get back to you in just a second. we're talking about atlanta,

georgia, that area is hard hit. also in alabama, it's been hard hit as well. and the storm has taken a tragic turn. 350 national guard troops called in. ice covered roads being blamed for five deaths so far. and ice is jamming the streets of birmingham. mayor, i know you're busy and i appreciate you jumping on the phone with us. first off, what is the latest with all the students trapped in their schools? i saw one report that nearly two dozen schools had students trapped inside yesterday. >> that is correct. the students are safe. they're warm. they're being given food and water. we're trying to communicate with the parents that the teachers are making every effort that their children are safe. like any parent, until your child is safely in your arms,

you're not satisfied. and we understand that. we want to make sure that all the children are taken care of. the description of what carol gave happened in atlanta is identical to what happened in birmingh birmingham, but there's one difference. we were not in the predictive model. if anything, we would get a light dusting. that was in total error. so by the time we saw what was happening, it was too late. all of the businesses and schools began to let out. it clogged up our interstate system which then led to a clogging of the side roads and many people became stranded. we have had to scurry to try to play catch up and all of our people working in the public works department, our public safety units within the fire and the police department, they've all been out overnight to try to

deal with the stranded motorists. >> i think maybe folks can understand when you didn't anticipate it. i don't think people are going to accept and i don't think you expect them to, we were caught off guard. you've got students stuck in schools. >> what i'm trying to say is we're trying to play catchup. >> i understand that. do you need more resources? birmingham, alabama, not a place we talk about winter weather like this. is it a shortage of resources? >> we basically have what they call sand trucks. and we have all of them out, but we do have a shortage. most of the heavy equipment has been sent south ward in anticipation of the snow. well, now they've had to reverse and send those vehicles back up here towards the birmingham area and they started arriving probably about two hours ago.

>> wow. so mayor, what can people in birmingham and the surrounding areas expect? i got to tell you, i spoke with a principal who is stuck and has been with students in her school all night and she sounded exhausted. she said they were completely caught off guard with this. what can you tell residents of birmingham that you are going right now to fix this and how much longer are they going to have to deal with this? >> the sun is just beginning to come up. and the radiant heat will help us clear up some of these roads. we'll be table to get -- able to get buses into the schools to be able to get the children out and establish pickup points for those students. for the stranded motorists, we've had the police department and state troopers get to those motorists and get to those safe hay conveniences. we're going to try to get them

back to their vehicles so we can get them out of the way and moving along the roadways and interchanges. >> well, this is far from over this morning. let you get back to it. >> thank you very much. >> of course. >> chris? >> all right. thank you very much. coming up on "new day," another important audience for the president's state of the union address. the voters. you. with this big midterm election battle coming, many voters are out there listening to the president thinking about whether or not the democrats will be the right thing for them going forward. did what you heard last night make a difference with you, with his republican opposition? we'll break it down for you. so i deserve a small business credit card with amazing rewards. with the spark cash card from capital one, i get 2% cash back on every purchase, every day. i break my back around here. finally someone's recognizing me with unlimited rewards!

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now to the coverage of the

president's state of the union address. john, the obvious question coming out of last night is whether or not the how more than the what will be effective for the president. what do you think? >> i think the use of executive action to raise tminimum wage i proof of his from us station. the republicans won't give him much of it. you see that his way used the power of the white house to shape things as much as he can. what was telling after is how quickly democrats after were rushing to criticize the president. but you had mark bag given of alaska. you had a senator not on the ballot but a race in his state of west virginia saying the president was overstepping on executive action. he's saying i want him to come

to alaska so i can tell him how wrong he is. >> when the president went into this, they felt more negatively about congress. the instant poll afterwards, was we don't know about this executive action. >> close to 70% said they thought the president's policies would move the country's forward, only 8% thought they could be enacted. they look at this town and they think it doesn't work. the question is how does it affect the twout midterm -- 2014 midterm climate. when you're a president at 43%, it's weak. it's not as weak as he was. if you look at the house, if you take out all the races locked up. one of the saddest thing in the democracy is about 50 are viewed as competitive. by the time we get to election day that will probably be 20.

>> but then you extend that truth into how the process works and it actually helps you understand why it's so hard to get anything done. >> you have almost a republican lock on the house at the moment. you have a democrat president, because of history, of the 50 competitive races. nancy pelosi would have to win 43. the republicans also have a shot, if you look at the senate, they have a net gain of six. democrats retiring in south dakota. republicans think those three are almost in the bag already. then you look at arkansas, alaska. you get those six, you're there if mitch mcconnell can hold his see. >> the president, if he cares about keeping those seats, he wouldn't be as aggressive as he

was last night. does that mean he's thinking more about me right now and not helping the team down the road? >> he wanted the president to focus mostly on this income inequality. raising the maj relatively popular. when the president -- the only defiant part of the speech was really the health care part where he said you're not going to change it, let's move on. those democrats would have preferred he said nothing. but that defiant part was proof to both parties that the president not only thinks he's passed the worst of the health care de cockle, he's going -- debacle, he's going to fight for it. p republicans will step back a little bit now and let democrats lead the charge just to show it's not just republicans.

>> harry reid also said he expected his vulnerable democrats to be nice and embrace the president. take a break here thanks to john king. coming up on "new day," i'll break you in half, i'll throw you off a ball connie. they are something that a congressman said to a reporter and it was caught on tape. you're going to hear from the reporter straight ahead. yes, this actually happened. ey k you'll need when you retire? then we gave each person a ribbon to show how many years that amount might last. i was trying to, like, pull it a little further. [ woman ] got me to 70 years old. i'm going to have to rethink this thing. it's hard to imagine how much we'll need for a retirement that could last 30 years or more. so maybe we need to approach things differently, if we want to be ready for a longer retirement. ♪

why let erectile dysfunction get in your way? talk to your doctor about viagra. ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take viagra if you take nitrates for chest pain; it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. side effects include headache, flushing, upset stomach, and abnormal vision. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. stop taking viagra and call your doctor right away if you experience a sudden decrease or loss in vision or hearing. this is the age of taking action. viagra. talk to your doctor. welcome back to "new day." royal caribbeans explorer of the seas is almost home.

set to dock in new jersey later today. federal health officials now put the number of folks stricken by that mystery stomach bug at more than 650. we are at the home port in new jersey with much more on this. elizabeth? >> reporter: yes, where it is freezing cold. they're going from the caribbean to this frigid weather. some of the passengers have been getting better and they're off and about special running around on the boat, but other ones are still feeling mighty sick. the cruise ship is due home to new jersey later today. for some passengers it couldn't be soon enough. they were advised to ut cut the voi yoj short. according to data from the cdc's

website, that's the most sick patients reported on a single cruise ship in the last 20 years. staffers sanitizing surfaces and isolating sick passengers. after visiting the infirmary, ill passengers were encouraged to stay in their cabins. >> all of us quarantined had labled cabins. and they told us, call room service every few hours and everything is comp elementary from here on in for you. >> reporter: in addition to a 50% refund on their trip and a 50% credit toward a future booking, passengers report they've received $400 to spend on board, and even free wine and rum. >> there are disgrunted people on this ship, there's no doubt about it.

most of us feel that we've been more than compensated. >> after the sp pulls into port, the cdc will continue investigating how this happened. >> reporter: now, while the passengers are on their way back home, lab samples are on their way to the centers for disease control in atlanta. they actually were supposed to be there by now, but not quite yet. they hope they arrive soon so they can answer what has been making so many people sick. >> thank you very much for that. another break. but coming up next on "new day," a teenager is lucky to be alive after falling to the ground in a sky diving accident. we're going to talk to her father and her surgeon. this is the quicksilver cash back card from capital one.

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>> i was so much scared. i was like if i don't get home tonight, i'm going to freak out. >> state troopers sent in to rescue teachers and students stranded. ice and snow cause nearly a,000 wrecks in one city alone and snarled traffic to a complete standstill and other. >> they kept calling me and saying we're hitting trees. >> thousands of businesses and schools and office governments are closed. and the danger is not over yet. we'll tell you what's next for this rare storm. don't stand still. president obama promising to tackle jobs and wages whether congress likes it or not. >> let's make this a year of action. >> but will his executive action sit well with the american people? or is he looking at another year of low approval ratings and washington gridlock. we'll break down the state of the union address. plus this -- >> let me be clear -- >> a congressman threatening a

reporter on live tv. we talk to the reporter. your "new day" continues right now. >> announcer: this is "new day" with chris cuomo, kate bolduan and michaela pereira. good morning. welcome back to "new day." it's wednesday, january 29th, 8:00 in the east. i'm chris cuomo coming to you live from capitol hill, of course, where president obama delivered his state of the union address. but the big story this morning, obviously, the ice storm that's just crippling the south. let's get to kate with that right away. kate? >> as the sun starts coming up it seems it's getting worse and worse. we're following major breaking news for punt south just completely shut down. in the mayhem in the mid-atlantic states. we're getting our first look at the chaos caused by that monstrous winter storm. this is -- i believe this is i-75 in cal be county, georgia. these are the pictures. let me take a live look right now. that's a major highway. what are you seeing there? nothing. a ghost town.

this should be -- 8:00 in the morning should be kind of the middle of morning commute in georgia. folks completely deserted on this highway. another sight we saw, pileup after pileup, cars abandoned on the same highway. different location. take a look at this video from earlier. that last evening commute still stuck this morning. it's been a horrible ordeal for hundreds of parents. until this morning, many of their children were stranded on school bus us all night long. other kids were forced to spend all day and night in their schools. the snow and ice triggering the state of emergency in virginia and the carolinas where they could see up to 10 inches of snow or more by the time this system clears out. cnn is the only place to be when extreme weather strikes. this is one of those situations. we begin our coverage in hard-hit atlanta with carol costello. the more we see the aerial image as, carol, the more i'm worried about what's going to happen

today. >> well, the mayor is urging people to stay at home. it seems like most people are kind of like agleeg would be the best idea. but what happened in atlanta overnight and also this morning is unconscionable. people are still stuck there on the highway. they've been stuck there ever since last night. and if you ask any politician, the governor, the mayor, anyone, they're pointing the finger in the other direction. >> reporter: thousands of drivers stranded on gridlocked highways paralyzing the metro area. children stuck on their school buses well past midnight. >> i was so much scared. i was like if i don't get home to my parents tonight i'm going to freak out. other students not able to make it home at all. waking up on school buses. >> one of the children had a cell phone, so they kept calling me saying we stopped again. we slipped again. we're hitting trees. >> reporter: with over 900 accidents reported and over 100

injuries some desperate commuters decided to abandon their cars and seek shelter others, some report spending over ten hours on the road turned to social media for help. nine months' pregnant haven't eaten since 10:00 a.m. yesterday. my car is out of gas, i'm starting to get cold, dehydrated and angry, please help. i have a friend whose car has been hit by six cars. she has two day cares and trying to get there. 911 is busy. leaving many asking why wasn't the city more prepared? facing mounting criticism governor nathan deal blamed a faulty weather forecast. >> it's just not possible, we have to deal with reality. i think all of the folks here are doing their very best. >> reporter: if you're wondering

why 2 inches of snow crippled a major metropolitan city. i'll tell you why. they decided to close schools and businesses and government offices all at the same time. so everybody left, creating a huge traffic jam. you just heard governor deal say, with misread the forecast. or the forecasts were wrong. so the salt crews weren't out in time. by the time the salt crews got on the road, kate, there was a traffic jam. they couldn't get through the mess to spread the salt or sand. there you have it, gridlock or 18 hours. >> they got more than a mess on their hands. you know, that carol. they said in that first line of the press release, we're prel prepared for the storm that's coming. they're going to have to answer for that. thanks, carol. hundreds of children stuck in schools overnight because of the storm forced to sleep in gymnasiums. victor blackwell is in college park following that angle of the story. do you have any good news for

parents right now? >> reporter: the good news from atlanta public schools they are now trying to work out how to get these kids back to their families. not good enough, according to the parents who are tweeting and leaving facebook messages on the aps sites. there are still hundreds of students in schools in atlanta, as young as elementary school students to high school students. they're waiting. atlanta students have now delivered or taken home the 50 students on buses overnight. but we know from a neighboring school district that up to 90 students were packed into ambulances at 6:00 al this morning and taken to a grocery store where many of them are still wait fog their parents. school in fulton county was zmiftd. classes dismissed at 1. 0045 tuesday afternoon. at 6:00 a.m., those students are being loaded on to ambulances and taken to a grocery store. the overriding question here that many people have asked is why were students allowed to go into schools and classes held at all tuesday.

i've sent several tweets and e-mails. finally i got a response on the phone from a is spokesperson from atlanta public schools. the response was, i'll have to get back to you own that. well, that's been the question for 18 hours. however, if you check the atlanta public schools twitter account, they are starting to send out messages and congratulations and pats on the back for the work they have done. but they still have not found a way to get the students back to their parents. hundreds in atlanta waiting to get home. and hundreds in neighboring districts who also decided to open schools and hold classes on a day when there was obviously advance warning that this was going to be a significant event tour the atlanta and metro area, kate. >> a lot of who deserve kudos school teachers and principals and bus drivers trying to keep them safe. let's get to indra petersons for the latest. where do things stand? this is not over indra? >> this is not where the huge

storm brought heavy snow. it's just that the south is not equipped to handle this. think about it, edge got on the road during the height of the storms so they're not able to clear the roads so now what happens? you have snow on the ground. the cars themselves are melting their snow. it gets cold, people sitting there into the evening hours, that froze. now you have the icy conditions thanks to cold air in place. yet, we still have that system, a little bit of snow still left in the forecast. the concern here, again, looking like in the atlanta area, the tim is over with. temperatures warm up as we go throughout the day. but the people are still stranded, keep in mind. or if they try to hit the roads later on tonight, that's still going to freeze just like last night when the temperatures drop. we do not want round two of this. people need to be wear of the situation. by tomorrow, it definitely gets a lot warmer. one of the things interesting i was talking to my colleagues in atlanta. they were saying the cell phone networks they were overloaded. people are looking at the phones saying the roads are green,

yellow, okay to go on the roads. they found out four hours of information. >> there's going to be a lot of lessons learned in this one. right now, it's important that folks stay off the roads. from what we see, is this not something you want to mess with. thanks, indra. we're going to keep following the developing weather news out of new york. and deep south. back to chris in washington with another big story. all right, kate, the president calling for a year action is getting a big reaction. of course, this happened at the state of the union last night. the president hitting the road the next two days with campaign-style speeches in four different states. the president called for this year of action as part of the promise to bring about change. and it was really about how. he said i'll do it with or without the help of congress. brianna keilar is live at the white house with part of the reaction this morning, brianna? >> hi, there, chris, that was bun of his big announcement as it he's increasing the minimum wage for employee working on new federal contract projects.

but he'll be continuing that push today when he goes toe maryland speaks at a costco, highlighting the fact that that's a company that's taken it upon themselves to go ahead and increase this for workers as he also presses congress to do this for all american workers. [ applause ] >> reporter: for over an hour, more than 7,000 words. president obama telling his biggest auld yens of the year he's not waiting on congress to start his year of action. >> wherever and whenever i can take steps without legislation to expand opportunity for more american families, that's what i'm going to do. >> reporter: obama wants to combat inequality using new executive orders on education, job us and energy that don't require congressional approval. he's raising the minimum wage for new federal contract workers and encouraged private sector businesses to pay their employees more too. >> say yes. give america a raise. [ applause ]

give them a raise. >> reporter: despite praising house speaker john boehner's life story -- >> the son of a barkeep, the speaker of the house. >> reporter: there wasn't much that republicans seemed to like. >> i believe when women succeed, america succeeds. congress kneeleds to restore the unemployment insurance you just let expire for 1.6 million people. [ applause ] >> reporter: most decisive, the president's signature legislative achievement. obama made clear he's not interested in rehashing the health care fight. >> i do not expect to convince my republican friends on the merits of this law. but i know that the american people are not interested in refighting old battles. >> reporter: congresswoman cathy mcmorris rodgers taking the opposite view in the official republican response. >> republicans believe health care choices should be yourself.

not the government's. >> reporter: she was just one republican offering her take. >> the president's lofty rhetoric ignored the fact that his administration continues to lead poor and middle class families further behind. >> he doesn't try to work with congress. he doesn't talk with congress. >> i didn't hear anything new nah from the president. >> reporter: the issues may have divided the house chamber but the most powerful, poignant moment came late in the night and brought democrats and republicans to their feet, army ranger cory remsburg, wounded by a roadside bomb in afghanistan, left partially paralyzed and blind in one eye. honored for his service and resilience. >> like the army he loves, and like the america he serveses sergeant first class corey ramsberg never gives up and he does not quit. >> remsburg, chris, was

jurisdiction on his tenth, his tenth deployment when he was in afghanistan. and that was by far, the most emotional point in the speech. >> and hopefully, his example of resilience and dedication filters through to all the people who are applauding him. brianna, thank you. lincoln bring in "cross fire" newt gingrich and van jones. let's start with the headlines, not from what we heard from the president in 2013, but it was how. executive honors, newt, do you believe whether or not the president can do it legally, but is this the right tactic? >> well, i think it was a foolish thing to do in the state of the union. ronald reagan had far more executive order answer that barack obama's had. but he just did them. he didn't say to the congress, i'll show you. frankly, if the president has that much authority, you have to

wonder why after five years he didn't use it. you saw last night after his grandstanding gesture on minimum wage it doesn't go into effect until 2014. the white house can't tell you how many people it will help. these things are nice p.r. gestures but everybody who is a serious leader shrugs them off. >> things, one as a tactic why does he think it's helpful? and two, is it just a legitimate limitation of what he can do himself? >> first of all, the minimum wage issue is very important. everybody is doing what they can, given that the tea partiers don't want to pass anything that 70% of them want. i saw something that did happen. the president did give republicans an opportunity to come together with them. look at something like immigration which we haven't talked about a lot. on that issue he was master full. he could have beat the heck out of republicans, you guys haven't done anything. he gave a shoutout to boehner.

he gave a shoutout of rubio. you're seeing some of the political skills he's accused of not having. if they meet him halfway, it could be a victory for the country. >> fair point of progress? >> yeah, i think the important thing for the everybody to recognize if the country does well, the presidency does well. i think the most serious thing from obama's perspective last night was the number of democrats up for re-election in the senate who attacked the speech. there was more harsh rhetoric from republicans than democrats. >> well what does that mean to you? >> well, it means to me in their states, obama's so unpopular that they rushed the to the camera to attack him. that was a calculated -- when you see six or eight senators all saying, well, i'm really disappointed in the president's speech, that means that their campaign managers are saying to them, you need to distance yourself from president obama. that, for the president is not a very good sign. >> how do you see it? >> well, i think you can

overinterpret that. there are definitely some centers that need to create some distance. that happens when a president gets close to 40, you saw that happen with bush. more importantly, this president teed up some stuff that all democrats frank, a lot of republicans should rush toward. the applause line on women. that scored off the charts. i think republicans are still vulnerable on that. the other thing that we saw, there is tremendous support with the republican party on doing something withz the minimum wa. not something that's a token gesture. i agree that's what the white house is doing so there's no reason in the world why the republicans shouldn't meet him there. but the president did put themes up that good for democrats and republicans. >> do we see lesion that passen 0 both house us? >> i think we do. but probably by the republican, stuff that creates jobs. the republican end is going to straightforward. you don't have a job, the minimum wage isn't going to help you. they may take keystone pipeline

or 15 other things. up but i do expect republicans to package a whole bunch of things with minimum wage and say we actually want you to have work. >> but they're saying that's a way to come together. i think republicans overreacted yesterday. they heard about the executive orders. oh, my god, he's going put the finger in our eye, rub our nose in, but he comes out and he's tough but also gracious. i think the republicans can notice there's an opportunity that both parties now are really for the american people. the president's in the toilet, the republicans are in the toilet. i thought last night when that guy was standing there, and you saw -- those republicans and democrats together, they didn't want to stop cheering. they just wanted to hang ton that moment. i think the country's there. i hope the people -- if they did make gestures last night, i hope the republicans sought guest turs, let's come together. >> it might have been the longest applause i'd ever seen.

>> it is 1:40. hopefully, the lawmakers see in that man's face not just the dedication of fighting men and women but american family in need now. that's a metaphor. the need is great. newt, van, thank you for the perspective. now, a lot of tough questions, you're hearing them teed up here. we need answers. this friday cnn anchor jake tapper will sit down exclusively with president obama and what will be his first interview after the state of the union address. and it will air this friday morning on "new day." on jake taes show "the lead" at 4:00 p.m. so you'll want to see that. coming up now on "new day," a congressman, just when you think it can't get any uglier down here. he threatens to break a reporter. everybody loves reporters. and throw him over a balcon and it's caught on tape. you'll hear both sides. what you will not hear is an apology. that actually happened. ♪

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welcome back to "new day." the most fiery words from last night didn't come from the president's podium. take a look at what happened after the state of the union address, when new york congressman michael grimm physically threatened a local reporter. >> let me be clear if you ever do that again, i'll throw you off the [ bleep ] -- >> why? why? this is a valid question. >> i'm telling you what -- [ bleep ] no, no, you're not man enough. i'm break you in half like a boy.

>> what would make a congressman say something like that? the journalist he said it to michael scotto from new york 1. grimm clearly livid. why? scotto asked him about a fund rai raising allegation. i asked him. and reliving the congressman's bizarre outburst. >> i was surprised by his reaction i asked that question at the very end of the interview after the state of the union address. i decided to throw in that question about the investigation because we had been waiting for hear from him on allegations that had surfaced just a couple weeks ago. i asked that question. i really wasn't expecting much of a response. i thought he'd say i don't want to talk about that. or i've done nothing wrong. something to that event. and then it kind of evolved into something he saw at television. >> you seemed to sense something in his eyes when he was looking back at you? what did you see? >> well, what happened, we taped it it was going to air as is.

i asked him that question and said i don't want to talk about it and walked off the camera. i turned back to the camera and explained why he left the interview. i think it was during that time he got infuriated and came back to me and after i wrapped up leaning over an saying if you do something like that again, he's going to throw me over the balcony. i'm a new york reporter, i've used to stuff like that. >> you covered this. there's a lot of threats that can go. do you believe the substance of the threat? no, i don't believe the substance of the threat. i'm not taking it personally. i think he was angry by the fact that i asked that question. and even more angry by the fact that i kind of explained to viewers why he was not going to answer that question. i'm not taking it personally. i'm not frightened by it. it goes with the territory. >> you know him, you've interviewed him a lot. you're a hard-nosed guy, everybody knows that.

you don't pull any punches. were you surprised by his lack of discretion, come be back? >> yeah, that was surprising he knew, we told him he were going to air this as is. he knew this was for all intents and purposes a live situation. he knew that the camera was rolling. he knew that it was going back to new york 1. for him to come back and say that, it was surprising to me. it's p.r. 101 not to say anything like that in front of an open mike. >> band good for scotto for standing in in. doing his job as a reporter. we've reached out to the congressman to give him an opportunity to explain what's going on and sate right thing. hopefully put his past him before it becomes more of a snowball effect, kate. i have to tell you, this is unusual, even if an ugly game of politics, you don't see things like this happen. >> and we all know not to let it happen on camera if you're going to let it happen at all.

the south reeling from that devastating winter storm. scores of children in school buses. we'realking to one of atlanta top school officials about what went wrong here. also ahead, we're going to talk with the father and daughter of a texas teenager who decided to skydive on her 16th birthday. she wound up suffering a 3500-foot fall. we're going talk about them how she's doing this morning. [ intercom ] drivers, to your marks. go! [ male announcer ] it's chaos out there. but the m-class sees in your blind spot...

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welcome back to "new day." they're dog a storm for the ages. bringing despair to the deep south. atlanta it is really at an

absolute standstill. take a look at these images, icy, snow covered roads causing close to 1,000 traffic accidents. look at i-75, backed up with cars from last night's commute. that's video from this morning. five deaths from auto accidents are also being blamed on the storm in alabama. take a look at this, tv news crew, not covering the story, becoming the story, after skidding out of control on the ice into an suv. and hundreds of children were stuck inside schools overnight because of the storm, forced to sleep in the school gymnasium. joining me now for the very latest is victor blackwell in college park, georgia. what's the latest? >> reporter: kate, you know, you also saw on the side of the roads, the cars that were abandoned, by people who just ran out of fuel. they sat in traffic, some for 10, 11 hours. you know, the storm started before noon. at about 1:45, government offices, private companies and

schools dismissed everyone. an those roads were packed. now, there are people asking serious questions about how serious local officials took the storm. if they were prepared. but they're also asking about why everyone was released at the same time. some of them students. again, schools released at 1:45. 15 hours later, there were still students stranded on buses on roads at 6:00 a.m. this morning. in atlanta, and around the area. ambulances had to rush to those buses to evacuate the buses, take them to a grocery store where those student are still waiting. people slept in home bepos overnight. they never made it home. the mayor of atlanta kaseem rheam will hold a news conference to answer some of the difficult questions. but right now, people are just frustrated and disappointed. and they're hoping this is cleaned up sometime this morning. kate? >> understandably so.

victor, thank you so much. let's continue asking some of these questions. joining me on the phone is the associate superintendent of atlanta public schools, steve smith. mr. smith, thanks so much for jumping on the phone with me. >> you're welcome. delighted to be here. >> first off, how many students are still stuck either in their school or on a bus this morning? >> well, first of all, just a point of clarification, kate, the reference in your earlier portion of the segment, those were not atlanta public school students. we only have one student who is currently stuck in traffic on a bus. he is safe. that student is safe. with his driver. we have several hundred students who spent the night at respective schools in the northern region of our city, as well as the western region. we had several students who we sheltered overnight. those students are all safe. they were in a very safe and secure environment.

and we're just very appreciative of the students and the staff. >> absolutely, mr. smith. and knew you'lle agree with this. one student stuck on a bus, or ten students stuck on a bus or 100 students stuck on a bus, that's too many to have that happen overnight. and also having students stuck in schools, that's not good enough, right? >> we have been very pleased working with our national guard, our state officials and local. and specifically, with the one child who we are now working to get home safely. we've had great cooperation from our authorities to get that child home safely. and we've had the opportunity -- we had emergency plans in place with regard to our sheltering overnight. of the students we had to shelter at respective school sites. we continue to work through that process. and we've checked this morning, all of the sites overnight were secure and safe. and we're checking with those students. we've got food for them.

we're serving breakfast. and checking for any needs that those students might have, as we unfold today. >> yeah, you're going have a lot of parents that will take issue you saying you're pleased with how things have been going. i'm sure you're not pleased that kids were stuck in schools and buses overnight. here's the question, though, who dropped the ball here? this shouldn't have happened. why did it happen? >> as you'll recall, the initial forecast we received was that atlanta might get a light dusting. snow. we had the preliminary reports that indicated those would be -- that the storm would primarily the snow would affect the southern portion of this region. which would have been farther south and that the snow might be a light dustinging. we were already in school yesterday when the -- we were already in session yesterday with students at classes, when

the forecast changed drastically. and it changed as we now know quite intensely. as a result, we made adjustments to start early dismissal. we did so. but, however, as we have seen now, the storm was much more intense than anyone knew. and even with our efforts of early dismissal, we still ran into the challenge of having the gridlock. i think our mayor has gone publicly and indicated that the change in the weather forecast and the fact that it did unfold the way it did. there were roughly 1 million people in the area, this region, who attempted to flee the region and get home. and that caused the immediate gridlock. so you take that piece, combined with the ice and the snow and it creates quite a challenge for all of us. >> definitely a challenge. we can understand that. many folks will say, though, we've talked to our meteorologists here.

indra petersons is here in new york, as well as atlanta. they say the forecast was really right on. it really was not a huge snow event how this happened. was it a mistalk to not release the students earlier? >> we have continuous improvement in terms of this decision-making process when there's inclement weather. we made the best decision that we could make, with regard to the information we had. there's always room for improvement. but we're just appreciative of our parents who have been understanding and patient with us. and our bus drivers have really been the heroes in this situation. they've made some real sacrifices. our staff with students as well. have made sacrifices so our principals and staff, they've worked with us and have been very cooperative. and we'll continue to have that room for improvement. >> mr. smith, real quick question, when are all the students going to get home today? >> we will get our students home

when it is safe for them to be transported home. >> when do you think that is? >> we're in contact with our communications individuals. with our local authorities and when it is safe for to us transport them home, we'll be more than happy to reunify them with their parents. >> are you sure they're going to get home today? >> we continue to work and plan. and, you know, you're asking a question that we don't know. it depends on how the conditions unfold. what the traffic patterns are. what the conditions are for travel. and we'll be guided by keeping our students safe. and that remains our priority. is to keep them safe. and we will do so and be guided by what conditions unfold. >> that should be the priority. steve smith of the atlanta public schools, i appreciate your time. >> thank you, kate. coming up next on "new day." we're going to turn to a very different story, a texas teen decides to celebrate her birthday by skydiving as she

ended up falling 3500 feet to the ground and she survived. we're going to be talking to her doctor and her father is talking to us about what happened. i'm going to have the hero on the show. a woman who wound up being invited to the state of the union as the first lady's guest. now bookkeeper by day, hero when she has to be. antoinette tuft is going to join us here to talk about her experience. stay with us. 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. go national. go like a pro.

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talk about a miracle. this morning, a texas teenager is in good condition and recovering at an oklahoma hospital after a skydiving jump went horribly wrong. mackenzie wethington plummeted 3500 feet to the ground after an accident on her very first skydiving jump to celebrate her 16th birthday. joining me is her father and her doctor dr. jeffrey bender. good morning to both of. >> you good morning, kate. >> good morning. >> joe, how is makenzie this morning? >> she's doing well, considering. >> even being able to say that seems like a miracle. >> absolutely. she is a miracle. >> and what do you attribute to how she was able to survive such a fall? >> well, i guess, i can say, as

the doctor said, her being healthy was helpful. she's a healthy young child. >> absolutely. >> and lady. >> absolutely. >> dr. bender, what kind of injuries are we talking about now? can you say she is in good condition this morning? >> that's correct. amazingly, none of her injuries actually required an operation to fix. somewhat ironically, the most minor of them, a broken tooth, may need some oral surgery later this week or next. but all of her other injuries including a ruptured liver and fractured pelvis and bones who numerous to mention will heal on their own. >> is it too much to say when she came in after such a fall, did you think -- did you think that she was going to be able to survive this? >> well, it's interesting when she first showed up, there was

barely a mark on her. it was hard to believe the story we were told. but then when we got some x-rays and the c.a.t. scan, the extent of her injuries i thought she was not going to survive this. >> being a doctor's daughter myself, i know that doctors don't like to talk about miracles very often, but why do you think she survived this? >> the system saved her. it wasn't any one individual. ems people picked her up right away. got her to a proper trauma hospital where we had invasive radiologists able to stop the bleeding and various other specialists ned. >> now, joe, you went skydiving with your daughter. this was her 16th birthday she was very excited about this you were as well. by the time she made the jump, as i understand it, you were already on the ground and you saw this whole thing happen. >> yes, i did.

>> what do you think happened? >> well, she was in trouble pretty much when she came out somewhat. she came out and i was informed by some experienced sky divers that she 4 a toggle burn. one of her toggles didn't come out when she pulled them. this caused the canopy not to unfold and she went into a twist and just spiraled all the way down. >> and you can describe at all what was going through your mind as you had to stand helplessly by and watch this happen? >> well, it was traumatic to watch because, first, i wasn't aware of who it was. it was supposed to be another person to go in front of her. that didn't go. decided that he didn't want to go out.

and, so, she went. but i was pretty sure that it was going to be her because, i guy wasn't going to go in front of her, anyway. it was pretty horrific. >> to say the very least. has she been conscious enough that you've been able to speak with her? does she remember any of this? >> yeah. i spoke with her. and she said she doesn't remember. >> and i know that right now, your focus understandably is entirely on getting your daughter better and her recovery. and making sure that she is okay. but at this point, there seems to be a little confusion on what went wrong and who might be to blame here. the parachuting company seems to think that the parachute opened correctly, or did it not?

>> have you had any conversations with them about that? >> no, i have not. >> are you going to? >> yes. absolutely. >> do you expect her to have a complete recovery now, dr. bender? >> yes. she should recover completely from all of these injuries in about six to eight weeks. >> six to eight weeks, she is going to be 100% after falling 3500 feet to the ground. joe, i don't know what to say about that, other than smile or cry or pray. >> yeah. >> perhaps both. >> me neither. >> well, i'm sure you have a lot to thank dr. bender besides you. and you're also very thankful to still have your beautiful daughter with you today. >> absolutely. >> my goodness, i look forward to the opportunity to be able to talk to her myself when she is fully recovered. an amazing story.

and a miracle. thank you so much both of you for being here and speaking to us and telling us her story. >> thank you. >> you're welcome. >> thanks so much. >> thank you for your time. >> just amazing. going to head back to washington where chris is. >> boy, you see that father holding it together. he got the worst and best news of his life, so close together. what a ride for that family. we wish them all the best. great to hear. it's looking it's going to go the right way. we're going to take a break here on "new day." another amazing story. a survival story as well. from bookkeeper to hero to first lady's guest. the woman who talked down a gunman in her georgia school, sparing countless lives. last night, she was honored with a seat at the state of the union. you remember antoinette tuff? she joins us next. this is for you.

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welcome back to "new day." you may republic antoinette tuff. he's the hero bookkeeper who stopped a possible mass shooting at her georgia school this past august. you remember, she calmly talked down a gunman to give himself up. you remember the 911 call, take a listen. >> it's going to be all right, sweetheart. i just want you to know i love you, though, jock i'm proud of you that's a good thing that you've given up and don't worry about it. we all go through something in life. you don't want that. you're going to be okay. i thought the same thing, i tried to commit suicide last year after my husband left me, look at me now, i'm still working and everything is okay. >> you did great. >> oh, god. >> she has the right name,

tough, but even more so, even more the compassion, the poise, the strength there. well deserved of the honor being a guest of first lady michelle obama at the state of the union. joining us now. what a pleasure. >> thank you. >> how are you doing? >> i'm doing great, great. can't be but great after that last night event. that was awesome. >> let me ask you about a moment last night. you're there. they celebrate the sergeant. you saw him there. he was right will leaning over where you were sitting next to the first lady. what was that like to be there that celebration? >> it was great. just to be amongst heroes it was awesome. and first lady in the box, put the icing on the cupcake. >> were you able to see -- what do you think it meant to that man, the sergeant to have people stand and recognize the sacrifice? >> it allows him to be able to feel no matter what he went through it was okay. for that moment, what he did was

an actual honor for everybody in the united states. >> now, he's in a very different situation, right. the fighting, men and women what they deal with all the time. but you had to put yourself in a position to deal with a very dangerous set of expectations as well. you know all the different things that could have happened on that morning when you did what you did. what does that mean to you? the situation, now that you've had some time? >> it just allows me that god uses all of us in different ways. it's a great point to see why you have to be prepared for your purpose. and for him, his purpose was to go out and do what he needed to do and save our country. and for me, it was to be able to save those children. i know today, no matter what you do in life, god has a purpose for everybody. >> where did it come from, the ability to look at that situation and fact that a way that is the opposite of what just about what everybody else would do, no panic, no fear, no running, no hiding? >> you know, it was about god. because on the inside i was

terrified. and i know i needed him to guide me. i know that the words that proceeded out of my mouth that day was going to be life or death not just for me and that young man michael but for all the parents and childrens and teachers in the building that day. >> how large do you think about that morning and that young man? >> every day. you know, when you go through a tragedy like that, it never leaves your mind. it's something that will be bedded in your hartford rest of your life. >> what did it do to you? you better? stronger? weaker, worse? >> better. i am. i have a better respect for god. i better relationship with him. i know today, in spite of what i've gone through that he loves me. i don't need anybody to validate me because he does. so in all reality, when no matter what it is and what goes on i can love me to death. so that's a great thing for me. >> amen to that. amen to that. you know your motivation, but it's about your action as well. you did things that leads you

worthy of being there last night. great to have you on the show and letting everybody remember how you can step up to that circumstance. >> thank you so much. i appreciate it. you have a great day. thanks for having me on the show. >> how can i not now? you made it great. >> thank you so much. >> let's end it here for us on "new day." that's the end of the show. we're going to take a quick break. of course, you want to hear more about antoinette's story? her story is going nobody a book, "prepared for a purpose." the true story. a must-read to be sure. we take a break. carol cost tello in the "newsroom." ♪ stacy's mom has got it goin' on ♪ ♪ stacy's mom has got it goin' on ♪ [ male announcer ] the beautifully practical and practically beautiful cadillac srx.

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hey, good morning to you. thank you so much for joining me, i'm carol costello. it is a nightmare outside. drivers across the south are being warned to stay off the roads for a second day. hundreds of motorists are waking up in their cars. still stranded on icy roads and highways crippled by paralyzing snow. when i say snow, paralyzing snow, i mean two inches. in the city of atlanta alone, nearly 1,000 car accidents were reported. some drivers abandoned their cars on the side of the road and are trying to walk home. a pregnant woman stuck in traffic was forced to give birth in her car. and perhaps even most astonishing, local politicians are shaking off the blame, saying, hey, we can't control the weather. >> reporter: thousands of drivers stranded on gridlocked highways paralyzing the metro area. children stuck on their school buses well past midnight. >> i was so much scaried. i was like