make things better, then surely, there's nothing we can't do. ♪ for now, however, i'll settle for fixing my headache. for fixing my headache. that hurt. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com breaking news overnight. an american held prisoner on north korea on camera with a message for his family as he heads to a hard labor camp. want to know what's going on in sochi right now, before the tape delay? the latest results and new reports about security concerns. we're live. the nfl could soon have its first openly gay player. a top draft prospect explaining why he had to come out. good morning, everyone. welcome to "early start." great to see you today. i'm john berman. >> and i'm deborah feyerick in for christine romans.

it is monday, february 10th, 5:00 a.m. in the east. we begin with breaking news this morning from north korea, where we're hearing now from kenneth bae, the american missionary held there for more than a year. in a conversation with a swedish diplomat believed to have been recorded last week, bae says he has not lost hope that he will be set free. new worries about his physical condition. >> to my family, just let them know that, you know, that even though i'm here, but i still continue on with myself and i have not lost hope or i have not given up anything. >> a u.s. envoy was set to visit north korea today to discuss bae's release, but the government there rescinded the invitation. former u.s. ambassador donald greg is now on the ground. the purpose of his visit unclear. bae's family says jesse jackson has offered to go to north korea to try and bring bae home. coming up in our next half hour, we'll speak with paula hancocks

in seoul about the diplomatic fight over bae. other news overseas, in sochi today, the fears of terror are giving way to russian pride, as the olympics entered day four of competition with more medals, more bragging rights on the line. ivan watson live in sochi this morning. and ivan, you know, we spoke a lot about all the problems there in the run-up to the olympics, and there are problems. i mean, bobsledders having to break down doors. but aside from that, with the sports now in full play, the olympics seem to be sort of coming off as planned, right? >> reporter: that's right. i mean, the crowds certainly don't look very big, john, but yeah, we're in the third day of the sports, of the competitions. we're seeing the medal lists coming out. and what's remarkable is that after this controversy, after a lot of misgivings that i was hearing from russians, this seems to have evaporated with the opening ceremony. i mean, i personally witnessed how russians, you know, the moment the first bars of the

russian national anthem began, suddenly there was this explosion of pride, just like you probably have in any country. and it's funny, you walk around sochi, and it looks like the russians collectively are on happy pills. they're all, like, walking around smiling, asking you, hey, what do you think of our olympics, what do you think of our opening ceremony? there is kind of real, unfettered joy coming, especially from the russians here and from american tourists that i've met as well. there are still security concerns. yesterday i was talking to the u.s. ambassador to moscow, and he said, you know, our security people are working around the clock, not only in russia but around the world, monitoring a lot, tracking a lot of different things right now, and we will all breathe a big sigh of relief at the end of the olympics if nothing terrible happens. so, there is a backdrop to this, but for the time being, you can see it's 59 degrees out here, sunny, warm, and people do seem to be enjoying themselves.

john. >> ivan, smuggle back some of those happy fil pills for us here. we'd really appreciate it, my friend. ivan watson in sochi this morning. coming up in a few minutes, we're going to break down the highlights from sochi so far. the live, latest reports, no tape delay, in "bleacher report." we've got another major story developing this morning, extreme weather. it's happening right now for a huge part of the country, from the southeast to the northwest. there's snow, there's ice, there's rain. it's set to fall and it could keep on coming all week. >> yeah, that's right. while schools are closed this morning in portland, oregon, as that city and the entire region continued to be hammered by heavy snow and ice. another tenth of an inch of ice could fall this morning. that's going to make driving extremely tricky. officials there urging residents, just stay home. in northern california, the problem, heavy rain leading to flooding and some awfully scary landslides, like this one in sonoma county. as much as 13 inches of rain have fallen there in just the last four days. that's more than all of last year, all of 2013.

>> yeah, and this morning, more than two dozen people are recovering after their tour bus crashed in western pennsylvania. the roads were snow covered. police say the driver was going simply too fast and lost control. near philadelphia, more than 20,000 customers waking up still without power this morning amid a fresh coating of snow. they have been in the dark since an ice storm hit last wednesday. and another ice storm could be bearing down on the south right now, this coming two weeks after atlanta was frozen, literally, by a few millimeters of ice. this time, the governor's office is promising it is prepared with crews ready to go and to make sure that thousands do not get stuck on the highways if this bad weather does hit. >> we're getting ready, and trucks are coming here right now, workers are coming here right now. there is a major concern about the amount of ice that we are expecting. we certainly learned a lot from a few weeks ago. we are going to make sure that the trucks can get on the roads

to deliver salt, the sand and the brine used for pretreatment. that is critical. >> they say they're ready this time. the storm could also bring snow and ice from oklahoma all the way to north carolina. indra petersons is watching the forecast. how worried should we be about this storm? >> you know, once again, here bego. let's take a look at the alerts here into the southeast. you cannot question it, definitely, once again, atlanta and birmingham, they are in these advisory areas. so, definitely pay attention. we're going to be talking about that cold air right now again that's hanging out in the midwest. it's expected to drop down to the south, and once that happens, what are we talking about? well, it's going to intersect with that moisture along the gulf. it will be a repeat event of what we saw just a few weeks ago. now, take a look again to what we're talking about, just some moisture along the gulf here. what we're going to be looking at is the potential overnight tonight as that cold air makes its way in farther to the south for some icing tonight in through tomorrow, but there are two waves of energy. watch as we go in tomorrow night in through, again, wednesday morning. that's when we start to see some

icing potential and even some snow with this system. but here's where you really notice that second wave is strong as we go wednesday night in through thursday. we are still talking about the threat for this winter storm, and that's not where it ends. a low could develop off of this system and make its way into the northeast. quarter inch of ice, that's what we have the potential here for. the first wave could bring about an inch of snow into the atlanta area. the second one could bring 2 inches of snow. this is all, of course, speculation. we'll have to watch as it gets closer, but remember, this means big business for us by the time it gets to wednesday and thursday as it makes its way into the northeast. we'll be monitoring all of that. >> look at that, it says heavy snow coming our way. no one told me that. >> question mark, possible. >> this is like the best year for kids right now, you know? i may be in the minority, but i have to say, i'm actually happy that it's winter. >> somebody's got to be, right? >> it's got to be winter somewhere. it's been so mild. >> you may be the only one, but i'll give you that. >> i was happy for two and three snow days. now we're into four and five. >> yeah, i'm with you, john. >> there we go, in the minority. this morning in washington, a major milestone for gay

rights. with respect to federal matters, attorney general eric holder is set to formally give legally married same-sex couples the same status as other married couples. federal matters would include such things as bankruptcy, prisoner visitation and also death benefits. as it stands now, the federal government bases the benefits on whether each individual state recognizes the marriage. well, in a speech over the weekend, holder compared what's happening today to the government's role during the civil rights movement. >> just as was true during the civil rights movement of the 1960s, the stakes involved in this generation's struggle for lgbt equality could not be higher. then as now, nothing less than our country's founding commitment to the notion of equal protection under the law is at stake. and so, the justice department's role in confronting discrimination must be as aggressive today as it was in robert kennedy's time. >> well, same-sex marriage is now legal in 17 states and the district of columbia, but this

decision will apply to legally married couples in all 50 states. it is easier this morning for some foreigners to get permission to come to the united states, even if they gave support to terror groups. the obama administration announcing those who gave "limited material support to terrorists" are no longer automatically prohibited from coming here. critics say the move could put more americans at risk, but homeland security says it only gives the administration more discretion in choosing who can move to the united states. and happening today in virginia, a visit by president obama and french president francois hollande to monticello, the home of thomas jefferson. jefferson was one of this country's earliest envoys to france, and the white house says that this is a chance for the two presidents to reflect on the nations' shared values. hollande is traveling alone amid a scandal back home involving his affair with a french actress and the ensuing breakup with his longtime girlfriend, who had been the unofficial first lady

of france. >> protocol eggshells during this trip. >> he's now the first bachelor of france, correct. this morning, secretary of state john kerry's preparing for yet another important overseas trip, this time to asia. he will visit south korea, china and indonesia. this all coming at a time of increased tension throughout the region, but the secretary will not visit japan. he did meet with that nation's foreign minister in washington last week. well, let's get a check of what the markets are doing this morning. alison kosik is here. good morning, alison. they're up, they're down, they're where? >> overseas they happen to be up right now, so japan continuing to recover from its recent brutal sell-off. stocks in china, though, are lower. european stock markets, they are heading for a fourth day in a row of gains. now, early indications for the u.s. stock market, the bears still hanging out, lowi inglookr in the premarket, following a turbulent week here where the dow had both its worst and best days of the year. kind of a schizophrenic week for the markets here in the u.s. expect investors cautious ahead of testimony from new federal reserve chairman janet yellen

following some weak economic data that came out last week. yellen's going to be appearing on capitol hill tomorrow and thursday. it's going to be the first time that we get to hear from the new fed chief since she took control of the central bank last month. investors, they're going to hang on every darn word that she says. that could give a clue as to how she feels about how the economy's doing. also, you're going to see investors really watch to see if the fed may decide to slow down the taper that's been going on, and that's been part of the reason you've been seeing the markets kind of go whoo all over the place. >> that's a clinical term? that's a business school term? >> at this hour of the morning, it is. >> alison, thanks. well, one of the country's best college football players is acknowledging publicly this morning that he is gay. michael sam just graduated from the university of missouri. he's an all-american defensive back and was his team's mvp. he's on many nfl draft lists, and now he says he's felt he had to tell his story. nuance pro football teams to think of him as just another

talented athlete. >> i told my teammates this past august that i came out to my teammates, and they took it great. they rallied around me, they supported me, and i couldn't have asked for better teammates. this is something that i've known for a while. but you know, this is, to me, it's just telling them something, another person that, hey, i'm gay, and then it shouldn't be a big problem. >> well, on twitter, the nfl said it admires sam's honesty and courage and looks forward to welcoming him in 2014. the question will be whether this affects his draft pick, actually. >> you know, it's an interesting question. he's ranked right now from the third to the fifth round, which in the nfl means they think you are good enough to play in the nfl and play very well. he's been playing in the s.e.c., which if you're not a college football fan, you need to know it's basically pro football already. >> right. >> it's the best football conference. he dominated there, so there's every reason to believe he can play. it will be interesting to see what happens to him in the draft. such a strong, strong guy. listening to him talk, so much

confidence. >> absolutely, and that's a game-changer, probably, for everything that's going on. >> let's hope. >> yeah. all right, coming up for us next, crisis in syria. hundreds rescued from a war-torn city. their home now the focal point of this bloody civil war. we are live with the stunning tale of how they finally got out and what comes next. life could angie's list saves me a lot of time. after reading all the reviews i know i'm making the right choice. online or on the phone, we help you hire right the first time. with honest reviews on over 720 local services. keeping up with these two is more than a full time job, and i don't have time for unreliable companies. angie's list definitely saves me time and money. for over 18 years we've helped people take care of the things that matter most. join today. who feel like there's a brick on their face. who are so congested, it feels like the walls are closing in. ♪

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this morning, some 600 people are out of the syrian city of homs for the first time in a year. the dramatic rescue came amid shooting and mortar shells that left some of the women, children and elderly injured. the humanitarian truce seemingly violated. mohamm mohammed jamjoom is monitoring developments. we're talking about snipers and also mortar fire. what's going on there? >> yeah, this is being called an evacuation, but you look at the amateur videos posted, it really looks more like an escape.

absolutely harrowing details that we've been receiving from people on the ground in homs. a part of that city has been under siege for 600 days. they are finally able to leave, at least women and children and the elderly. the pictures, though, so dramatic. you see dozens of mothers and their babies, carrying all their belongings, running for their lives, running towards just a few u.n. vehicles that were able to enter the area yesterday. and then, even though this is progress, it seems to get worse. these people are used to being stuck between the regime and the rebels fighting, but you see videos of them wedged between these very few u.n. trucks, and they're shuffling out of the old city in that way. that for them is a humanitarian corridor. that's the only cover they have as shooting goes on and bombings go on all around them. it is really tragic. it is a humanitarian crisis. it is great that at least 700 people, we're told, have been evacuated in the last few days, but at last count, according to

the u.n., there's well over 1,000 people still stuck inside the old city. >> mohammed jamjoom for us. the second round of peace talks expected to begin this week. thank you so much. well, prosecutors and lawyers for the surviving boston bombing suspect are due in court this week for the first time since the government announced that it is seeking the death penalty in the case. 20-year-old dzhokhar tsarnaev is facing 30 counts in the attack that killed 3 people and injured more than 260 last spring. tsarnaev has pleaded not guilty. mourning today at the university of south florida after four students were killed when their car was hit by a driver going the wrong way down an interstate in tampa. the four students were fraternity brothers. the driver of the other car was also killed. and in southern california, an alleged wrong-way driver is facing charges this morning after police say she slammed her car head on into an suv, also killing six people. the driver was allegedly drunk and reportedly was going more

than 100 miles per hour. in west virginia this morning, more questions set to be asked of state officials and the water company over the chemical leak that left hundreds of thousands unable to use the water there. the house transportation committee will hold a hearing in charleston. notable, though, who will not be there, representatives from the cdc or freedom industries, the company whose tank leaked. all right, coming up for us next, a dangerous crash on the slopes of the olympics. a competitor lucky to be alive this morning. our andy scholes breaking down all the big olympic moments, the ones that have been happening overnight. no tape delay! the "bleacher report," next. >> hold your breath. support fams in getting back to the table. one day we get this incredible call from cheerios saying "what about breakfast?" together we've created the family breakfast project to help families begin their day together over breakfast. abreva can heal a cold sore in as few as 2 1/2 days when used at the first sign.

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we are now just a few days into the winter olympics in sochi, and one of the most talked about events, and one of the coolest, i have to say -- >> absolutely. >> -- so far, is the slopestyle competition. not exactly safe, though. >> not quite. well, andy scholes joins us now with more in this morning's "bleacher report." and boy, sage kotsenburg performed a move that was completely indicative of what this sport is all about. >> yeah, that's right. that move was pretty awesome. for people that don't know, slopestyle is that new snowboarding competition where competitors do tricks in the air after making insanely high jumps. now, snowboarder extraordinaire shaun white actually pulled out of the men's competition, because he says the course was too dangerous. we got to see exactly how dangerous this course was

yesterday. check snowboarder shark a pant cova crashed so hard that her helmet split wide open. she lay on the ground motionless for several moments, but she amazingly got up and completed the race. she ended up finishing fifth overall. you see there, that's her helmet that was split wide open after the crash. american jamie anderson, meanwhile, was able to navigate the difficult course crash-free. anderson is the fifth of eight children, comes from a big snowboarding family. she had won plenty of other snowboarding medals, but this gold by far is the biggest. her win completed the sweep for the united states in the slopestyle. sage kotsenburg won gold in the men's competition on saturday. american bode miller had a day to forget yesterday during the men's olympic downhill. he finished a disappointing eighth. miller was one of the favorites going into the event. he has another shot at a medal on thursday in the super combine. he's trying to become the oldest competitor to win an alpine event. all right, trending on

bleacherreport.com today is probably one of the images we're going to remember from these olympic games. american ashley wagner completed what she thought was a great performance in the team skate competition, but when her score came out, she was shocked and disappointed. and as you can see, she didn't hide it with a fake smile. wagner taking a page out of gymna gymnast mckayla maroney's book when it comes to expressions. she did help in the team competition. norway leading the way with the most gold medals. marcus smart has been suspended for three games for shoving a texas tech fan saturday night. it happened after smart went flying into the stands trying to make a play. in a statement, the fan apologized for starting the confrontation by calling smart "a piece of crap." smart has also apologized for his actions in the incident. >> this is not how this program is ran, this is not how i was

raised. you know, i let my emotions get the best of me, you know. just can't let that happen again. it's something i have to learn from, a lesson i have to learn from. >> and guys, the incident very unfortunate on both sides, both for the fan who actually started it, and marcus smart. marcus smart is a very good kid, very well spoken. i've spoken to him many times, and it's hard. where do we draw the line in this type of thing, where a fan can say something to him and marcus smart's now going to miss three games for retaliating? it's just a shame. >> it is a shame. hopefully, he can turn his season around and get oklahoma state into the tournament. andy scholes, thank you very much. breaking sports news 37 julia mancuso, the american downhill skier is in the lead in the super-g combined, going on right now. >> so fascinating. two words when you look at these athletes, no fear. unbelievable. >> also, way cooler than me. that's four words. watching snowboarding, like, i will never be as cool as these people. >> exactly, exactly. if i get downhill, i'll be

happy. breaking this morning, we're hearing from an american held prisoner in north korea, live report coming up after the break. [poof!] [beep] [clicks mouse] nice office. how you doing? good. automatic discounts the moment you sign up.

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breaking news this morning. we're hearing from the american held prisoner in north korea. we are live with what kenneth bae is saying right now. and could the nfl soon have its first openly gay player? a top draft prospect now sharing his very personal story. the south bracing for another big winter storm. snow, ice, sleet, hail. will atlanta be ready this time?

indra petersons is tracking the storm for us. >> welcome back to "early start," everyone. i'm deborah feyerick in for christine romans. >> and i'm john berman, in for me. it is 30 minutes past the hour right now. and this morning, an american held for more than a year in north korea is speaking out. kenneth bae insisting that he hasn't lost hope. a former u.s. ambassador is now on the ground in pyongyang as his family steps up its efforts to try and bring him home. paula hancocks is live in seoul. and paula, what is bae saying right now about going back to this labor camp? >> reporter: well, deborah, certainly, he's not happy about it. he's very concerned about his health. he's basically said that if he has to stay there for several months, then it means that he'll probably be back in hospital again. remember, last year he only spent three months in the labor camp and then was taken to hospital because of concerns about his health. but certainly, one thing that he'll be hoping for is that

there is help on the way and there is going to be an envoy in pyongyang trying to lobby for his release. now, there's no direct link at this point, but as you say, we do know that a u.s. ambassador is to the ground. donald greg, the former u.s. ambassador to south korea in the late '80s and the early '90s and has been lobbying for more engagement with north korea, he has landed in pyongyang. this, we're being told by kcna, the state-run media. we don't know why he's there, but the assumption certainly among south korean media is that it's to lobby for bae's release. but bae is concerned he's being sent back to this labor camp. let's listen to what he said. >> i'm very strong mentally and spiritually and trying to stay strong emotionally as well. but my main concern right now is that i cannot in my physical conditionwise have labor for eight hours a day for the next couple months will be difficult. >> yes. >> so, if they can do something right away is the best we can

do. >> reporter: now, of course, that's his concern, that he wants something done right away. he said that he's concerned about these u.s./south korean military drills which start at the end of this month. we just heard today that that's going to start on february 24th. because he said if tensions escalate on the korean peninsula, then he could be stuck for another several months. and he said if that is the case, he is convinced he will be back in hospital. so, certainly, he will be hoping that this envoy, if that is, in fact, why donald greg is in pyongyang, is there to lobby for his release. >> is there any suggestion by the north koreans that there might be some prospects for bae being released? >> reporter: what we've heard from kcna is simply that greg is on the ground and he is there with a group, according to them. they have not even mentioned the word bae, and his name has not been connected to greg's at this point, but it would be a rather significant coincidence, the fact that a u.s. ambassador does

touch down on the same day that we heard from a swedish embassy official just last week that they were hoping robert king, the u.s. ambassador, might be going on monday, today, into pyongyang. so, it would be a coincidence if it's not connected. >> all right, paula hancocks, thank you so much for us today. >> 34 minutes after the hour right now. today, many same-sex couples will gain new benefits from the federal government. attorney general eric holder is set to formally give legally married same-sex couples the same status as other married couples in federal matters, talking about bankruptcy, prisoner visitation, death benefits. as before, the federal government based those benefits on whether a state recognized these marriages. in a speech over the weekend, holder compared what's happening today to the government's role during the civil rights movement. >> just as was true during the civil rights movement of the 1960s, the stakes involved in this generation's struggle for lgbt equality could not be higher. then as now, nothing less than our country's founding

commitment to the notion of equal protection under the law is at stake. and so, the justice department's role in confronting discrimination must be as aggressive today as it was in robert kennedy's time. >> same-sex marriage is now legal in 17 states as well as the district of columbia, but this decision will apply to legally married couples in all 50 states. some immigrants may find it easier this morning to get permission to come to the u.s., even if they gave support to terror groups. the obama administration announcing those who gave "limited material support" to terrorists are no longer automatically prohibited from emigrating here. critics say the move could put more americans at risk, but homeland security says it only gives the administration more discretion in choosing who can move to the u.s. and this morning, dangerous weather is impacting millions from the southeast to the northwest. snow, ice, rain not letting up, making it difficult to drive and

get out, and even more bad weather, yeah, it's coming. >> it is a mess again. portland, oregon, getting hit again this morning after storms that left the city frozen under heavy snow and a thick coating of ice. schools there are closed this morning and driving conditions are expected to be very, very difficult. officials just urging residents to stay home. northern california is trying to dry out after flooding rain led to flooding and scary landslides. this is in sonoma county. more rain that's fallen in the last few days than all of 2013. and a tour bus crash left more than two dozen people hurt. the roads were snow covered. police say the driver was just going too fast and lost control. near philadelphia, more than 20,000 customers are waking up still without power this morning amid a fresh coating of snow. they have been in the dark since an ice storm hit last wednesday. the south is getting ready now for another possible ice storm coming less than two weeks

after atlanta was frozen by a storm that brought snow and ice to the city. this time, the governor's office is promising that, yeah, it's ready, with crews on alert to make sure that thousands do not get stuck on the highways if bad weather hits. >> we're getting ready, and trucks are coming here right now, workers are coming here right now. there is a major concern about the amount of ice that we're expecting. we certainly learned a lot from two weeks ago. make sure that the trucks can get on the roads to deliver the salt, the sand and the brine used for pretreatment. that is critical. >> okay, round two. we'll see how they do. the storm could also bring snow and ice to many places from oklahoma to north carolina. indra petersons watching the forecast. the question, indra, this time, how bad is this storm going to be in the southeast? are they ready this time? >> well, let's hope they're ready, because you see this? this means the southeast is on alert. we're talking about winter

weather advisories and winter storm watches already now in effect, extending all the way even in through wednesday evening and even some portions into thursday morning. let's talk about what is going on and why. notice the cold air again up in the upper midwest. that cold air expected to sag farther down to the south. once it does so, it intersects with the moisture around the gulf. same thing, repeat of what we saw last time. so, what do you see? you start off with some rain, where it's a little bit warmer until that cold air arrives. then you go through the overnight tonight, temperatures go down, you start to get the threat for icing. this is just one wave. there are two waves of energy making their way through, so by tomorrow night in through wednesday, really start to see that ice and snow expand. it lasts all throughout the day on wednesday and even seeing some snow in through thursday morning. that's the concern. what are they talking about? a quarter of an inch of ice is possible. also, even as much as 1 inch of snow from the first system out through atlanta. northern portions most likely, 1 to 2 inches possible on that second round. you really want to pay attention, though.

that same storm has the potential to make its way into the northeast, meaning wednesday in through thursday, guys. let's hope we are ready. possibly heavy snow for us, but it's far away. we'll keep watching it. >> thank you for that, indra. >> no problem. this morning we're hearing from a standout, all-american football player, a player that many people have on nfl draft lists. this player, michael sam, says he is gay. he just graduated from the university of missouri. he is regarded as one of the best defensive players in college football. he was his team's mvp. he led the s.e.c. in sacks and he could now soon be the first openly gay player on an nfl roster. andy scholes joins us with more. andy, this is a big moment in football. >> yeah, john, this is a pretty big deal. you know, michael sam, as you say, he's one of the best players in college football this past season. he was the s.e.c. defensive player of the year, and he is expected to be drafted in the middle rounds during may's nfl draft. now, when that happens, he will become the nfl's first openly gay player. now, there had been a lot of talk over the last few years that a current nfl player was ready to come out as gay, but it

never happened. now, sam says he wanted to do this now and tell his story before someone else did. >> i told my teammates this past august that -- i came out to my teammates, and they took it great. they rallied around me, they supported me, and i couldn't have asked for better teammates. well, i knew from a young age that i was attracted to guys. and growing up, i didn't know if it was a phase or it was just something that -- i wanted to find who i was, make sure i knew what was comfortable. so, i never really -- i didn't tell anyone growing up. this is something that i've known for a while. but you know, this is, to me, it's just telling something, telling another person that, hey, i'm gay. then it shouldn't be a big problem. >> sam says telling the world that he is gay is nothing compared to the adversity he's already faced. he is one of eight children. one of his older brothers died from a gunshot wound. an older sister died as a baby.

another older brother went missing in 1998, and two other brothers have been in and out of jail since eighth grade. both of them are currently in jail. in a statement, the nfl said, "we admire michael sam's honesty and courage. michael is a football player. any player with ability and determination can succeed in the nfl. we look forward to welcoming and supporting michael sam in 2014." and guys, as i said, this will be a pretty big deal. he would be the first openly gay athlete we see on a week-to-week base. jason collins came out, but hasn't played since then. and we have robbie rogers in the mls, but we don't see him as much as michael sam, in the most popular sport in the country on a week-to-week basis. >> you know, he talked to his own team and coaches before this college football season and he was welcomed. he was a leader on that team all year. hopefully, that's a model of what can happen in the nfl as well. andy scholes, thanks so much for being with us on the story. it's a very big milestone today in sports. >> no question. let's get a check now of what's going on in the markets this morning.

alison kosik is here. good morning, alison. >> good morning. seeing a lot of green arrows, at least overseas. japan's market with a gain. hong kong slightly lower, a jump of 2% in shanghai. markets in europe look like they're following asian markets higher. london, france and germany all off to a pretty good start for the week. two big things we'll be watching for this week. first of all, testimony from the new head of the fed, janet yellen. she's going to be on capitol hill this week. investors anxiously awaiting to hear how she thinks the u.s. economy is doing at this point. also on the watch this week, retail sales numbers for january will be coming out. the reason these are so important is because the winter weather that we've been getting, especially during the holidays, caused, of course, chaos throughout the country. they're expected to have taken their toll on how sales did over the crucial holiday shopping season. those numbers come out on thursday. so, those two things really going to be moving the markets this week. >> we will be watching. alison kosik, thanks so much. and coming up, the castaway

who says he was lost at sea for more than a year is now heading home. we'll have the latest on his condition and his trip, coming up next. for all kinds of reasons. i go to angie's list to gauge whether or not the projects will be done in a timely fashion and within budget. angie's list members can tell you which provider is the best in town. you'll find reviews on everything from home repair to healthcare. now that we're expecting, i like the fact i can go onto angie's list and look for pediatricians. the service providers that i've found on angie's list actually have blown me away. find out why more than two million members count on angie's list. angie's list -- reviews you can trust. there's nothing like being your own boss! and my customers are really liking your flat rate shipping. fedex one rate. really makes my life easier. maybe a promotion is in order. good news. i got a new title. and a raise? management couldn't make that happen.

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the castaway who says he spent 13 months lost at sea is heading home to el salvador this morning. jose salvador alvarenga boarded a flight just a few hours ago from the marshall islands, where he's been since he washed up last month. cnn's miguel marquez has more from the marshall islands. >> reporter: well, it was a final checkup and then off he goes. jose alvarenga is now on his way home to el salvador, but not before taking care of a little business that he wanted to do here, and he asked for a picture with the president of the marshall islands, and the people here were only too happy to oblige. its now most famous visitor. we're also learning some details about his first days, his first hours here otmar shan the marsh

islands. he washed up several hundred miles away from where we're standing now. he's certainly surprised, the people there wearing only tattered underwear and brandishing a knife. he finally got them to drop that knife and then fed him pancake after pancake after pancake. he ate for days, speaking spanish in a machine gun fashion while eating. they were able to communicate with him, amazingly enough, using charades and drawing pictures. there was also a norwegian anthropologist on that island who happened to speak a little italian, but maybe what helped most of all was one person's knowledge of the tv show "dora the explorer." now, despite some skepticism about his story, officials tell us that they have no reason to doubt mr. alvarenga's incredible saga, and it would come to an end hours from now. after 13 1/2 months, he is taking the short way home, by plane. miguel marquez, cnn, maduro, marshall islands. >> what a story that is.

all right, let's look at what's coming up on "new day." chris cuomo joins us. hey, chris. >> great live shot, all the way from the marshall islands. good for miguel. this will be nice some day when this isn't a story, but it is today. michael sam, the all-american defensive lineman from missouri, he's got everything you need to succeed in the nfl, but the big story is that he's revealing he's gay, and what will this impact on his announcement to go pro, what will it mean for him? what will it mean going forward, what will it mean for the league? you'll hear from him in his own words. we'll also have another personal story on the show. jason patric, you know him, a well-known actor, been in a lot of big movies over the years, but he is in the fight of his life now for his son. 4 years old. estranged from the father. a bitter custody battle with the mother. now to a new level. jason patric, guys, has become an advocate for what he says is parental alienation, an issue that seems to be spreading through the country. a lot of different families affected by it. now the new battle is that the

mother of his child is saying he cannot use a likeness of his own son to do any of the campaigning for parental alienation that he's doing, so a new wave in the legal battle. he'll be talking about it. >> we've been following this story from the beginning. excited to see developments on that. coming up, dramatic testimony in a murder trial. was a teenager killed because of loud music? that story on the other side. afghanistan, in 2009. orbiting the moon in 1971. [ male announcer ] once it's earned, usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation. because it offers a superior level of protection. and because usaa's commitment to serve current and former military members and their families is without equal. begin your legacy. get an auto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve. discover card. hey! so i'm looking at my bill, and my fico® credit score's on here. yeah, you've got our discover it card, so you get your fico® score on your monthly statements now, for free! that's nice of you!

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welcome back to "early start," everyone. it is "money time," and we are joined by alison kosik. she's here with us. good morning. >> good morning to you. european markets moderately higher this morning. most asian markets ended with sizable gains. the nikkei in japan surged by 1.5%, the shanghai by 2%, but both indexes are still in negative territory since the beginning of the year. we are seeing stock futures here for the u.s. lower following friday's big gains. now, there are a few things that are going to be weighing on investors this week. the first, reality setting in. that friday jobs report is showing weaker-than-expected hiring and may be a bigger deal than first thought. also, we'll hear from fed chairman janet yellen this week and retail sales numbers expected to show weakness in consumer spending.

a reversal and apology from the ceo of aol to his employees. aol now saying it will not change its 401(k) contribution plan from a pay period match to a once-a-year match. tim armstrong also saying that he made a mistake when he pointed out two specific, what he called distress pregnancies, as part of the reason for the company's decision to change its 401(k) plan. on thursday, he blamed obamacare and cited the pregnancies that cost $1 million each as reasons to cut its benefits plan. one of the new moms, deana fay, will be on "erin burnett out front" tonight. and mark zuckerberg is one of the biggest donors. mark zuckerberg and his wife donated almost $1 billion of facebook stock to the silicon valley community foundation. just putting this in perspective, that is 13% of all money given by the nation's top 50 donorsle last year.

translation? that's big money. >> it's nice to have. it's even nicer to give it away, when you can, absolutely. alison kosik, thanks. sne well, everybody, "new day" starts right now." i'm michael sam. i'm a football player and i'm gay. >> he's the first openly gay football player and we'll hear from him this morning. >> and here we go again. a storm, are they ready this time? >> and the government stops an american envoy from coming to help free him. >> your "new day" starts right

now. >> announcer: this is "new day" with chris cuomo, kate bolduan and michaela pereira. >> good morning, happy monday. welcome to "new day." it's 6:00 in the east. breaking overnight, is the nfl about to get its first openly gay player? michael sam made the revelation in an espn interview this weekend. sam is a first team all american as a senior this past season, a shoo-in for the nfl. what is making headlines of course is his sexuality. >> 6'2", 250 pounds, a big guy, a strong guy. you want to see real strength? it's what he's doing right now. >> i'm michael sam, i'm a football player and i'm gay. >> reporter: all american defensive end and nfl hopeful michael sam making history, revealing that he's gay in interviews wh