shown are the images of his sons, that tells how long, how tragic and how desperate michael shannon's search really is. i'm anderson cooper. ♪ government collapse. overnight, protesters in ukraine toppled the statue of lenin. a symbol not only of the break from russia, but a reminder of an earlier revolution. what you're looking at there, people in arizona, furious over a bill that would allow some businesses not to serve gay people. but defenrs say its purpose to protect against victim nation. >> and a green rush in colorado since recreational pot sales

began six weeks ago, business has exploded, and tax revenue is exceeding expectations by tens of millions of dollars. your "new day" starts now. wow, it's early, but doesn't it feel good to wake up without an alarm. >> ah, yes. >> i take a little schal. you made it this saturday. glad you did, i'm christi paul. >> i'm victor blackwell. pleasure to have you. 6:00 here on the east coast. it's "new day saturday." we're definitely going to get to the conversation of what's happening in arizona. so many people are talking about that. this morning, we have to start with the breaking news overnight. >> right. >> the powerful images coming out of ukraine. >> even though there is now a peace deal, they're calling it fragile. because the fighting doesn't seem to be over, look at this. okay, what you're looking at

there are anti-government protesters, as you saw, they're pulling down a statue of vladimir lenin. this is in central ukraine. >> yeah, that happened all across the former soviet republic. in small towns across the region. protesters knocked down monuments to russia first so far leaders showing how much they do not want close ties with vladimir putin's russia. you can't help but think of the images of a quarter century ago. statues of lenin fell all across eastern europe, as the soviet union collapsed. that signaled a revolution at the time. the statues are coming down, a peace deal has been brokered not until there's been a week bloodshed. and dozens of people died. >> it's still a volatile situation there. protesters still in the street,

they want president viktor yanukovych to step down and early protests by may 25th -- december is when the agreement is supposed to happen let's bring in phil black. he's in ukraine. phil, what is the situation like there now? >> reporter: victor, there's still a big crowd on the square. they're calm, but they are certainly distrustful and determined. many of them are saying they're not going to leave the square, leave the streets of the capital, until they're confident that this negotiated agreement will hold. and that the government is keeping its word. some of them are saying they're going to stay a little bit longer until they know that viktor yanukovych has left power. victor. >> phil, let me ask you, we know there's a peace deal, within this peace deal, did anybody get what they really wanted? >> reporter: well, it was a compromise, christi, so is i guess the short answer is, no. the opposition got a lot of what it wanted an interim government,

constitutional changes that give powers to the president and give them to parliament. they wanted all those things, they just want them faster. so that's why there's still a sense of disappointment among many of the protesters. that's why in the parliamentary chamber you got opposition pushing for things to happen much more quickly. >> we're looking at live pictures of independence square. phil, we've been seeing the dramatic pictures of the lenin statues being torn down across the region. tell us what that means. really detail for us, why is it so symbolic? >> reporter: sure. as you mentioned ukraine used to be part of the soviet union which was found by lenin which collapsed a little over 20 years ago now. that is when ukraine became an independent state. it's a really important date and time and event for ukrainian national identity. so pulling down these statistic tuesday today is really a rejection of what these

ukrainians believe is russia's continued influence in the country. in particular, they believe russia has help ed crop up what they see is the regime. and president yanukovych's plans to bring ukraine closer to russia instead of europe. that's something that these people don't want to see. >> let me ask you, do we know where the president is right now, and, you know, what he's going to do with what's happened in the last 24/48 hours? >> well,thy is interesting, because according to the opposition and according to a u.s. state department official, viktor yanukovych has left the capital kiev for a city in the east. this is where his political heartland is, this is where his support is. but there's a sign this may not be a temporary move. we've had a cnn steam at his presidential residence on the

outskirts. and it looks like that residence has been abandoned. no sign of the president. no sign of the presidential guard. some state workers still guarding the gate. but these workers say the residence now belong to the people. and they're keeping people out, because they say, they believe, inside the residence is evidence of the president's crimes, of what they believe has been the corruption and so forth of this government. so it is really quite a powerful sign of how the power structure in this country has changed really quite dramatically, just over the last 24 hours. >> and phil, you've been there in independence square, and we have pishgts here. kind of a split image, i believe, of what it looked like before the protests began. and what it looked like in the middle of the unrest. give us a description, if you will, of how this has either escalated or kind of calmed down in a bit in just the past few days that we've seen the change over the past several weeks and

months. here we have the pictures of independence square. >> reporter: yeah, sure. the square is certainly bearing the scars of what's been taking place over the last three months. when the crowd first occupied, there were big crowds. they were really well organized. it effectively became something of a camp, perhaps even a village. it was really well run. there were medical posts and reasons and places to sleep. even a media center. incredibly well organized. but as this crisis has continued, as the security forces have challenged the people here on various times, well, a lot of damage has been done. it is now scarred by fire. the roads, the pavements have been torn up. the fountains have been effectively destroyed. it's really something of a mess. for what is in happier times a beautiful public square. it's a really important place for the ukrainian people. the people's square. it's why they're so determined to hang on to it, until 93 get what they want. and if and when they do leave,

it is going to need a lot of work to bring it back to its former splendor. >> as we can see there. our phil black in kiev. thank you, phil. people check back throughout the morning. >> phil, thank you a. meanwhile, president obama had a long telephone chat with russian president vladimir putin. they talked yesterday. the state department called the conversation, quote, constructive. both agreed on the need to restore calm there in ekev and to avoid future bloodshed. all right. in sochi, the u.s. and russia are neck and neck in the race to win the most medals at the olympics. at last check, the u.s. is clinging to a single medal lead over russia. a total of 27. canada aeg a close third, 24 there, norway and the netherlands striking distance, too, with 22 medal, each. >> with just a couple days left, everybody's wondering, okay, can we keep this lead, meaning we in the u.s. >> it is a tall order.

it's going to be tough. there are plenty of competitions yet. cnn amanda davis is covering the games in sochi. can the u.s. do it, amanda? >> reporter: it is going to go down to the wire, victor. we're here on the penultimate day there there are ten medals to be handed out. russia are getting better and better every day. after their relatively slow start. but it is the usa still leading the way. and if you look at the different ways these could fall, you would say, that you would hope, that the usa through steven holcomb and his four-man bobsled team who get under way up in the mountains today, you would hope that they would bring home the gold on the final day, sunday. and then, of course, there is the men's hockey. you would hope that they would bring home a medal, but maybe not the medal -- well, definitely not the medal that they had been hoping for.

they're up in the bronze medal match later on today. so you think, with the way it's all going to fall. maybe a couple to russia. maybe a couple to canada. but you would think it will still be the usa leading the way. >> amanda, let me ask you, we have a new olympic hero, an american skier who made history at the end of the day, right? tell us about it. >> reporter: yeah 18-year-old michaela schifrin who started skiing on her parents' driveway. she got interested because she quite liked the hot chocolate when she came off the mountain. she has become the youngest ever medalist in the olympic slalom, taking gold beating her heroes. wearing under the lights up in the mountains the stars and stripes helmet. she had a little u.s. flag painted on her neck. and put in a fantastic performance. now, even before her 19th

birthday, she's won everything there is to win. she's taken olympic gold. she's won the world championship. she's also juan the season-long world cup as well. a great moment for mikaela shiffrin and you would expect a lot more medals to come. >> a great moment for her family there, too. thank you, amanda. still to come on "new day," hundreds of people gathering in phoenix to protest. >> yeah, this is the thing, they're urging governor dan brewer not to swhan they say is. d by the house? uh-huh. yea. alright, whenever you get your stuff, run upstairs, get cleaned up for dinner. you leave the house in good shape? yea. yea, of course. ♪ [ sportscaster talking on tv ] last-second field go-- yea, sure ya did. [ male announcer ] introducing at&t digital life. personalized home security and automation.

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whether federal laws were broken at the university of mississippi. a noose and confederate emblem were found on the statue of

civil rights leader james meredith. three could face charges. on monday a female student told police that someone in a car threw alcohol on her and yelled racial slurs as they drove by. now, it's unclear whether the two incidents are related. now, arizona is facing its own claims of discrimination there this morning. state lawmakers there passed this bill that would allow businesses basically to deny stofs guy and lesbian customers based on that owner's religious beliefs. >> and arizona's lbgt community is fighting back. hundreds protest ted state capital last night. look at these pictures. miguel marquez was there. miguel, good morning. >> reporter: victor, christi, this is the scene outside of the arizona capital here, several hundred people, mostly gays and lesbians, mostly business owners gathered here in protest of sb-1062. they're chanting things like "veto, stop the hate and vote them out." very, very upset about the

legislature here and them passing this law. it now goes to the governor's desk. she has not decided whether she's going to sign it into law or veto it. it sounds like it would be transmitted to the governor on monday. that would mean she would have five days probably until friday and saturday of next week to make up her mind in order to do that. what this crowd is most concerned with the lbgt community, in the state of arizona, they say, will be singled out bir this bill, but for those who are concerned about her religious freedom. those who support this bill say it does nothing of the sort. it only allows those who believe and have deep-held religious beliefs to practice their religious freedoms freely. where this all goes is not clear. there is the possibility of lawsuits. the business community here saying that they are concerned about boycotts and lawsuits.

all of that, to come if this bill is passed. and signed into law by the governor. victor, christi. >> all right, miguel marquez. thank you so much. i'm betting the governor is going to get an earful this week as she's trying to redo that. >> absolutely. and we're going to expand this conversation to the legal elements coming throughout the morning. also coming to "new day," putting the nfl to the test, michael sam is getting ready for the nfl combine but just how will the league respond to its first openly gay prospect? step seven point two one two. verify and lock. command is locked. five seconds. three, two, one. standing by for capture. the most innovative software on the planet... dragon is captured. is connecting today's leading companies to places beyond it. siemens. answers.

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the prospects, pretty much everything, the questions, they measure them in every single way possible to make sure mike sam's 6'4", 255 pounds then they interview him and the players will immediate meet with the media. that's what everyone's waiting for. michael sam is going to meet with the media since he made that announcement that he is gay. last year, manti te'o, it was around him. that was the first time that the media got to go at him for his hoax. people are expecting that michael sam will be way bigger than manti te'o last year. >> when are we expecting to hear from him? >> sometime this afternoon. the drill players today are just meeting and tight ends and offensive linemen. sam is just going to meet with teams today. later on at some point, he's meeting with the media where i'm sure he's going to be asked tons of questions, why did he decide

do that now. and how is he going to be if not accepted into the locker room. >> andy scholes, thank you very much. oh, my goodness, can we talk about old man winter? >> do we have to? i mean, do we have to? >> well, because, we're just waiting for him to go away. >> it's like that houseguest who buys a robe. when they buy a robe, it's like, how long do you really think staying? >> you can do your own sheets then. your own laundry. from the mideast, all you folks there, all the way to the east coast i know you're getting hammered. tornadoes already, it's only february. 20 of them, more than 20, ripped through the southeast and midwest just in the last 48 hours. in michigan, take a look at what's there. multiple car accidents and icy conditions. look at that, shutting down part of an interstate there. >> let's go to minnesota, more than a foot of snow dumped on communities here. you see duluth here.

when, when jennifer gray, can we expect a break from this weather? >> i have good news for you today because this weekend is going to be extremely quiet. we actually -- most of the country will warm up. so all that severe weather has pushed well offshore. it did so yesterday. high pressure is in control now across much of the southeast. we are going to see a warmup in the deep south, southeast, over the east coast. the only folks still in the deep freeze is really the northern plains. we're seeing windchill advisories with temperatures feeling like 20, 25 degrees below zero. and in the extreme northern portions of the northern plains. of course, we are going to see a nice little warmup, though, as we go through the next couple of days. atlanta, you'll be at 67 today. d.c. at 64. new york city at 51 by tomorrow, temperatures still nice. how about 71 tomorrow for new atlanta. and temperatures are going to continue to warm in the south. however, you look to the extreme north, we'll start to see that

next push of arctic air by tuesday into wednesday of next week. and that's when we'll start to see the temperatures in the north cool down quite a bit. that will filter down to the south by the end of next week. but guy, how about a break, we have at least a good four to five days that we can enjoy a little warmer weather. even if it's temporary and abbreviated. >> yes. >> we will take it. >> jennifer gray, thank you. hey, imagine as you're waking up this morning, making your tea and your coffee, having to consider or ask is water safe? well, west virginians are still asking that, weeks after a chemical spill left hundreds of thousands of people without usable water. also, rocker ted nugent apologizes for that ugly name he's called president obama. but it might not be quite the apology we had hoped for. one phillips' colon health probiotic cap each day helps defend against these digestive issues with three types of good bacteria.

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well, guess what, it's already 6:28 in the morning on saturday. we are glad to have your company, i'm christi paul. >> i'm victor blackwell. i'm feeling that 6:28 too. it's a good thing. let's start with five things you need to know for your "new day." let's start with arizona and hundreds of protesters gathered at the state capital, pleading with governor jan brewer not to

design a bill that would discriminate against gays and lesbians. brewer said is businesses should be able to choose who they work with. that's not exactly saying that she says it needs to be law. we don't know if is she's going to sign it or not. number two, an american student is missing right now in italy. take a look at his picture, john durkin, a junior at bates college and has been studying abroad in rome. he apparently went to a bar in the city a couple days ago. two days ago with a group of friends. his sphere now in rome looking for him. >> number three, chuck hagel is now the third consecutive defense secretary to decide against a medal of honor for a marine who died fighting against fallujah in 2004. in the statement, the pentagon said investigators could not confirm based on the evidence.

number 4, ted nugent has apologized for calling president obama, quote, a subhuman mongral. nugent is say musician, as you know and a conservative activist and has made controversial comments about the president in the past. number 5, workers in detroit facing cuts from pensions, some as high as 34%. the proposed cuts are part of a plan to help detroit emerge from the largest municipal bankruptcy in history. but it still must be approved by the courts. still, over on wall street, stocks kind of ran out of steam yesterday. the dow dipped nearly 30 points by the time the closing dow ended which equated to the week's ending slightly lower. >> alison kosik joins us with the wrap-up from wall street.

>> reporter: hi, christi and victor, a pretty flat week with the stock market with the extension of the nasdaq the major averages ended the presidents' day shortened week a little changed. investors weren't sure where to go as earnings and economic reports continue to show a mixed picture. the new york stock exchange is getting ready to welcome a sweet new listing, king media entertainment. the company behind the hugely popular candy crush video games is filed for a national offering. it raked in over $2 billion last year. no word on the number of shares to be sold or the price range. facebook said wednesday it's buying whatsapp for $19 million. it send messages over broadband and doesn't rack up texting fees. the purchase price is especially impress when you consider facebook paid just $1 billion for instagram. you could soon be paying a

bit more for your morning glass of milk. dairy analysts say milk prices could go up as much as 60 cents in parch, compared to the recent 3.v average. the anticipated spike is being partially blamed on strong demand from china. christi and victor, that's a wrap of the week on wall street, back to you. >> all right, thank you very much. the people in west virginia, they're still asking this question several weeks after this massive spill, is the water safe to drink? >> the answer -- apparently, it depends on who you ask is what it comes down to. officials say it's safe. most locals don't trust it. and independent scientists are leading this answer to try to find an answer. >> cnn correspondent elizabeth cohen has more from charleston. very victor, christi, a team of independent scientists surprised some here in west virginia when they came out this week and said, you know what, we're going to go back and double-check the

science that was done before west virginians were given the permission to start drinking the water again. about ten days later, west virginians were given the okay to start drinking the tap water again. well, this independent group says, you know what, we want to go back and take a look. what is the centers for disease control was it right, was there something else that they're looking at. sounded like they're not 100% that that science was absolutely solid. so that was a surprise for some people here who are already suspicious of the quality of water here in west virginia. survey shows the vast majority of west virginians are not drinking the tap water. i ran into an interesting water fountain here. this was just this week. look at this sign, it says "do not drink the water." victor, christi, i found this water fountain of all places at the county department of health.

if they say don't drink the water here it gives pause. there's more top officials from ukraine's government, the other big story we're following in the breaking news overnight, as those officials resign, people are starting to wonder about what ukraine's president will do next. hear what our cnn crew is finding out at the presidential palace. [ male announcer ] this man has an accomplished research and analytical group at his disposal. ♪ but even more impressive is how he puts it to work for his clients. ♪ morning. morning. thanks for meeting so early. oh, it's not a big deal at all. come on in. [ male announcer ] it's how edward jones makes sense of investing. ♪ i have a cold with this annoying runny nose. [ sniffles ] i better take something. [ male announcer ] dayquil cold and flu doesn't treat all that. it doesn't? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus fights your worst cold symptoms

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which will cause me to miss the end of the game. the x1 entertainment operating system lets your watch live tv anywhere. can i watch it in butterfly valley? sure. can i watch it in glimmering lake? yep. here, too. what about the dark castle? you call that defense?! come on! [ female announcer ] watch live tv anywhere. the x1 entertainment operating system, only from xfinity. time now, 23 minutes to the top of the hour. it's a pleasure to have you this morning for "new day saturday." let's get a look at some of the news making headlines around the world this morning. christi. >> alrighty. let's go to the ukraine first, victor and the aftermath of that

political deal because this morning the opposition is demanding ukraine's president resign. and the president we know has left kiev. it's just not clear what he's going to do next. the sn crew and senior international correspondent nick paton walsh went to the presidential palace to investigate. hi, nick. >> reporter: we do know that the president of ukraine viktor yanukovych has left the capital. and we don't know if he's coming back. this is the place where he has his private residence. we're told that the state security guards who normally look after his house left some time ago. no indication if they're coming back. people beginning to ask, given so many politicians close to him are resigning what ambitions does he still have on remaining the president of all of ukraine. back to you, christi. >> wasn't go to the israeli/syria border because victims are crossing into israel and desperate for help after a town was shelled.

cnn senior national correspondent nic robertson is there. nic? >> reporter: christi, down behind me that's the front between israel and syria. we're hearing exchanges of heavy machine gunfire. one of those syrian villages, we saw it hit by 12 different artillery strikes in the space of a couple of hours. and just before that, we'd heard children playing in the village there. the israeli military now is helping treat wounded casualties coming across from syria. strategically important for them to keep the rebels friendly. strategically important for the rebels who are about 30 miles here to damascus. back to you, christi. >> good heaven, nic, thank you for letting us know. we want to go to venezuela now. we understand that demonstrations are getting under way soon. and with the main opposition leader in jail, the president is blaming someone else to blame. cnn's karl penhaul is caracus.

>> reporter: christi, anti-government demonstrations are set to begin saturday morning. socialist president nicolas maduro said the opposition protests are part of a coup attempt in toppling the government. maduro accuses the u.s. state department in helping orchestrate those demonstrations. the u.s. has repeatedly denied any involvement. now opposition leaders say they are calling for maduro to quit. but they say talk of a coup taept is simply a ploy from the government to detract from issues, spiraling crime, high sky inflation and food shortages. we want to go to vatican city. and a very special ceremony now for the very first time since becoming pope, pope francis has appoint influenced cardinals. and look who made a rare appearance. pope benedict xvi who left the

papacy a year ago. we want to go to the ceremony and go to cnn's erin mclaughlin for them. >> reporter: 16 of them are under the age of 80 meaning they'll be part of the exclusive club responsible for selecting the next pope. the group includes a group from haiti, on helping the poor marl marginal size. this is the first time that the conclave has been invited to rome. one of the most buzzed about topics, whether divorced and remarried catholics should be allows to take communion. nothing concrete has been decided so far. the meeting is meant to get people talking. back to you, christi. >> we want to go to south korea now where families divided by the korean war six decades ago were allowed to reunite. this is under a new agreement between north and south korea it

could be a sign of better things to come. cnn's paula hancocks is in seoul. good morning. >> reporter: christi, just three days of getting reacquainted, divided families have to say good-bye. sending a total of 11 hours together for the first time in 60 years, the families note they are likely never to see each other again. a second group will be reunited sunday paper real sign of improved relations between the two. christi. >> paula, thank you victor, it's wonderful to see with the tears and happiness but to see it's so temporary. >> i imagine, you're watching the clock knowing that after 11 hours this so far and it's never going to happen again. thank you. still to come, the state of colorado, it is seeing green and striking it rich on weed. the state is expected to rake in more tax money after expected from pot sales. more on how high the sales are getting -- did you hear that?

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it starts tr s tragically here. a 5-month-old baby in miami is alive thanks to its aunt and first responders are. sebastian de la cruz is in the hospital but stable condition after a situation that could be described as nightmarish. palm la rosso was stuck in her car when her nephew stopped breathing. >> these pictures were captured by a miami herald photographer who happened to be stuck in traffic. what a sensitive sweet story this is. it showed how frantic they were, too. paula screamed for help and did cpr and as strangers came to her aid. she talks to us with cnn's anderson cooper. >> i dropped down to my knees, i started doing what i thought was

right. listen i was a hot mouth -- i promise you, i did what i was supposed to do. my sister reminded me it's supposed to be 100 compressions, i probably -- i didn't did ten. >> whatever she did worked. a sweetwater police officer who stopped to help is being nominated for officer of the month. maybe he should be officer of the year. he said saving lives is his duty. >> bless his heart. look at that. i'm so grateful that it turned out the way it did. >> as it turns out, what a turn we're taking here. the legalization of marijuana is even more popular than colorado officials ever expected. >> yeah, we're not just talking about the long lines and the big sales, we talked about those. but get this, the state is

expected to get rich with a little more than $184 million in tax revenue from weed sales over the next 18 months alone. >> remember this, colorado has an aggressive tax on weed. subject to the state's 2.9% sales tax. plus an additional 10% sales tax. and a 15% excise tax for marijuana retailers. >> and you've got other states peekinging over the border saying really, all that money flowing in, hm -- >> cnn's anna cabrera has more. >> reporter: christi and victorer it's been about six weeks since recreational sales have begun that colorado to say it's going strong is an understatement. it beat expectations by tens of millions of dollars and now state leaders get to decide how to spend that money. high hopes for a colorado green

rusher being realized. business at evergreen apothecary, just a medical dispensary has more than quadrupled. more than a month after sales became legal, people are still lining up to get their hands on this stuff. at 10:00 when doors are open. this pot shop averages about 500 customers a day. the state of colorado is reaping the benefits as well. sales on recreational cannabis over 25%. marijuana dispensaries are required to turn in january tax reports on thursday. >> we paid about $190,000 in sales tax that we collected during the month of january. >> reporter: while official numbers won't be made public until march, the governor's budget office just released its own tax projections. it estimates the state will collect about $184 million in tax revenues in the first 18 months of recreational pot

sales. here's colorado's plan for spending that money. $40 million automatically goes to public school construction. that was mandated by voters. then the governor wants to spend about $85 million on youth prevention and substance abuse treatment. $12.4 million on public health. about $3 million on law enforcement and public safety. and nearly $2 million on industry oversight. >> i don't think the people who are buying the marijuana want the tax money to be used to discourage adults from buying marijuana. >> reporter: while not everyone agrees on how that money should be spent and still early, there's no denying the apparent quick boost that's come from recreational pot sales. right now, of course, colorado and washington state are the only places where recreational pot is legal. and washington is still work out how to regulate sales. we know other states from california to maine who are asking this. you've got to think, when they take a look at what colorado is

making when it comes to tax revenue, that could certainly have influence. christi, victor. >> ana cabrera, thank you so much. so this next businesswoman is not selling pot. but she's certainly making money off of it. 13-year-old girl scout told 117 boxes of cookies in just two hours. she set up the stand outside the pot shop in san francisco. >> the girl's mom said she called the green cross to come and do this. she said, come on by. her day of selling was so successful, she had to call for backup cookies after 45 minutes. >> backup thin mints bring them in. >> green cross the young scout going to be back. >> you know sales are going well when you call for the backup cookies. still to come on "new day"

from gracing the "espn sports saturday" issue and the cat daddy, you may have thought you saw it all from kate upton. huh-uh, you've never seen this before. the gravity-defined photo shoot. ♪ stay around oh you've got to stay around ♪ but what makes stouffer's mac n' cheese best of all. that moment you enjoy it at home. stouffer's. made with care for you or your family. that moment you enjoy it at home. at any minute... ...you could be a victim of fraud. most people don't even know it. fraud could mean lower credit scores... ...and higher interest rates when you apply for a credit card. it's a problem waiting to happen. check your credit score, check your credit report, at experian.com. america's number one provider of online credit reports and scores. don't take chances. go to experian.com. a man who doesn't stand still.

but jim has afib, atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat not caused by a heart valve problem. that puts jim at a greater risk of stroke. for years, jim's medicine tied him to a monthly trip to the clinic to get his blood tested. but now, with once-a-day xarelto jim's on the move. jim's doctor recommended xarelto. like warfarin, xarelto is proven effective to reduce afib-related stroke risk. but xarelto is the first and only once-a-day prescription blood thinner for patients with afib not caused by a heart valve problem that doesn't require routine blood monitoring. so jim's not tied to that monitoring routine. [ gps ] proceed to the designated route. not today. [ male announcer ] for patients currently well managed on warfarin there is limited information on how xarelto and warfarin compare in reducing the risk of stroke. xarelto is just one pill a day taken with the evening meal. plus, with no known dietary restrictions, jim can eat the healthy foods he likes. do not stop taking xarelto, rivaroxaban,

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chalky... not chalky. temporary... 24 hour. lots of tablets... one pill. you decide. prevent acid with prevacid 24hr. swimsuit issues, "sports illustrated" always goes above and beyond. >> this is what all the guys are easting breakfast are going to stop and look at the tv. this year's shoot with kate upton is truly out of this world. what does that mean? cnn's jeanne moos shows us. >> reporter: we've seen everything from toothbrushes to tortillas in zero gravity, but

gravity turns to levity when it's a "sports illustrated" swimsuit model floating by. that's kate upton. up, up and thankfully not upchucking away. caved in the "sports illustrated" crew boarded g force 1 in florida for the photo shoot. talk about manual labor, a plane climbed steeply and dives. at the top of the hump, passengers appearance weightlessness. and paid 5,000 bucks to fly up and down 15 times. now it was kate upton's turn, zero g or bust. >> twirling, i was upside down. it was one of my favorite experiences so far of my life. >> reporter: zero gravity flights have a reputation of being so-called vomet comets. but the company says 4% of their

passengers actually get sick. and kate upton was not one of them. >> kate was a dream up there. >> reporter: they noted that the fewleage is pad so when gravity returns you don't get hurt. in her teenie weenie $35 bikini from target kate was wearing less than sandra bullock in "gravity"."sports illustrated" shoot seemed to be channeling the well-known scene from "barbarella." not only did kate do a sexy striptease but it retained the modesty. last year, jimmy fallon was interviewing kate about her shoot in antarctica when he mused about a final frontier for her next shoot. >> ha, space -- [ laughter ] >> think about this. >> next year. >> there's no gravity -- >> it's incredible. [ laughter ] >> reporter: we know what jimmy and the audience were imagining.

how does the lack of gravity affect the positioning of your bosom? do thinks float? >> no, i think they don't move really. >> reporter: america's first astronaut saer ride was once asked if you need to wear a bra. once relied there's no sag in zero g. guys hoping that the beck keane will just -- >> lift off! >> reporter: jeanne moos, cnn, new york. >> is jimmy fallon going to take credit for that? >> i'm sure he will. the things we learn from jeanne moos. >> she's brilliant. >> they're not going to move. >> and she had the kahunas to ask. i thought, is she going to ask it. next hour of your "new day" starts now.

of all the shocking images that have come from ukraine this week, this one may be the most telling. the toppling of a statue of lenin, just as the government and the opposition reach a deal. a noose around a statue. racial slurs hurled at a student. these two incidents have thrown ole miss into the national spotlight and not fbi is involved. they risk their lives for their country but because of their ethnicity or their skin color, they were ignored. now, these army veterans are receiving the medal of honor for their heroic service. your "new day" continues right now. 7:00 in the east. still feels a little early, doesn't it for a weekend morning. just grab your robe and your coffee and sit back and relax. we'll get you educated on what's happening today. i'm christi paul.

>> i'm victor blackwell. we've got a lot coming up. >> yeah, we do. we're going to talk about arizona. a lot of people have opinions about. we do want to begin with live pictures from ukraine right now because they've been going through incredible yuv heaval. >> our correspondents on the ground in ukraine tell us that the streets are calm but look at what's been happening overnight. you hear the cheering there from the protesters as they yanked down the statues of the soviet union's vladimir lenin in cities all across the ukraine. they couldn't make it any clearer how much they despise closer ties with russia. these images are now. look at these. >> i know, you can't help but think of these images, too.

these would be coming up from nearly a quarter century ago from 1990. statues fell all across eastern europe as it collapsed. remember, in ukraine there say peace deal that's been brokered. but, of course, dozens of people were killed prior to that happening. >> but now we're hearing that ukraine's president has left the presidential palace in kiev. let's get the latest from cnn's phil black in kiev. phil, is there any word on where president viktor yanukovych is? behind is at the presidential palace? are there opposition supporters there at the palace? >> reporter: yeah, so, we believe the president has left kiev. the word from u.s. state department, an official there, as well as members of opposition here in kiev believe he's headed east to a city. and his political base where he's thought to have traveled

to. and a sign this may not just be a temporary move. you're right, at his presidential palace on the outskirts here, kiev, our own cnn team on the ground there has found that that residence is now in the control of opposition protest groups. so no presidential guard. there are still some state officials manning the gates but those people are now saying that residence now belong to the people of ukraine. they're not letting people run through there because they believe there's a lot of evidence there about what his president, his government has been getting up to. and they believe it's evidence that will prove the corruption that they believe this government has been responsible for. >> okay. so let's talk about this peace deal for a minute. it was brokered yesterday, we know. we know it sharply cuts the president's powers. obviously, we see from the protesters, that's not enough. they don't want it to end in 2014 at the end of this year in december. they want it to end by may with a special election. what -- besides that, what else

are they fighting for? help us understand this. >> reporter: certainly. so the opposition did very well out of this agreement in the sense they got three key demands. firstly, the formation of a national government including members of all political parties to try and return the country's ability. a change in powers removed from the president and given back to the parliament and then eventually new presidential elections. so people of ukraine can have the democratic say in terms of who will lead them and what direction that person will take the country. they've got all three things. what they want is for those things to happen as fast as possible. not later this year. that's why there are still people in the square. they're determined and distrustful that the government will follow the agreement. they want to maintain the pressure. that's what opposition politicians are doing in the parliamentary chamber today. >> all right. let's see if the calm continues there on the streets of kiev. phil black, thank you so much.

>> and president obama picked up the phone and he called russian president vladimir putin because they needed to discuss the situation, of course. >> cnn's foreign affairs correspondent alease abbott is there. good morning. how did that conversation go? >> reporter: well, officials, no surprise, victor and christi, are describing it as a constructive type of conversation. you know over the last several weeks there's been a lot of tension on ukraine. now a statement from the white house saying on ukraine, leaders exchange views on the need to quickly implement the critical agreement reached in kiev. the importance of stabilizing the economic station and undertaking necessary reforms and all the needs for all sides to refrain from further violence. if you look at the statement that kim out from the kremlin, president putin saying that the

president expressed need to take immediate measures to stabilize the situation, emphasizing the importance of working with the radical opposition which led to the confrontation in ukraine to a very dangerous point and so, christi and victor, this just shows how both sides see this problem from two different angles. obviously the u.s. are on the side of the protesters and the side of those who want to move closer to the we have. while president putin is looking at these protesters as so-called terrorists, saying that they're the ones that have started the problem. >> all right. cnn foreign affairs reporter alise labbot. let's go to the olympics. >> u.s., russia they're tied for the medal lead. >> russia's vic wild just won a model. 27 as the same as the u.s. now.

>> norway, we understand picked up three medals today. third with 25. karn as 24. the netherlands and germany round out the top six. you want to know the worst part, vic wild who competes for russia was born and raised in america. >> yeah, but he is winning the gold for russia. two at these games actually. cnn's amanda davis covering the games there in sochi. so he might be a villain in the states but vic wild is now a russian hero i'd imagine. >> reporter: yeah that man, vic wild has done it again. i thought you might have glossed over that medal table quite quickly given what happened since i spoke to you an hour ago. it is now the case that russia are now level with the usa in terms of medals but they have that one more gold. this is vic wild born and raised in america. and the u.s. snowboarding authority might well be ruing their decision to cut that

funding from the parallel slalom, because that is what helped push vic wild's into the arms of russia. that, of course, and the fact that he nell in love to now wife. ands that that has allowed him to move into 2012. standing on the top of the podium for russia as a two-time olympic gold medalist. he added the partial lal slalom gold to the giant parallel slalom gold that he won earlier in the week. and you'd think the russians will be holding a big party for that partnership when this games is over. >> let's be honest, we do have a new american hero, right, a skier who has made history? >> reporter: yeah, 18-year-old mikaela shiffrin, her mother admitted she nearly had a heart attack when her daughter was going down her second run late last night under the flood

lights. she had hey bit of a stumble. looked as if she was going to lose the gold. but she pulled it back. michaekaela shiffrin said she w channeling what she saw the night before. and 18-year-old mikaela shiffrin is the youngest ever of an olympic slalom medal. before she's reached 19, she's won everything she could possibly win. she's an olympic gold medalist, a world champion and the world cup. definitely a star has been born. would you think she will go on and win more and more golds. >> i love the video of dad. she's so excited. he can't even take the pictures. he has the camera. >> that's okay. >> amanda davis in sochi for us, thanks. you know, this story, the way it's developed over the past few days really is disheartening. on "new day" coming up in a few moments, ole miss back in the spot light after two different

racially charged incidents on campus now. >> up next, why the fbi is getting involved. and why so many people are asking if the university has a bigger problem here. with at&t's new pricing for families you get 4 lines on at&t's network... including unlimited talk... unlimited text... and 10 gigs of data to share. 10 gigs? 10 gigs. all for $160 dollars a month. you know, i think our family really needed this. it's really gonna bring us closer together. yep. yep. yep. yep. yep. [ family ] yep. [ male announcer ] introducing our best-ever family pricing. for a family of 4, that's 10 gigs of data with unlimited talk and text for 160 dollars a month. only from at&t. and better is so easy withrning you cabenefiber.o something better for yourself. fiber that's taste-free, grit-free and dissolves completely.

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13 minutes past the hour right now. we're so glad to have you with us. i want to talk about this racist defensive stunt at ole miss that has really turned into a criminal investigation this morning. >> and the fbi isle now working with university officials after a noose was placed on a statue of james meredith. he's the civil rights figure who integrated ole miss in 1962. >> the police want to know if a separate incident involving a female student and racial slurs is connected to that one. cnn's nick valencia is live in oxford, mississippi.

nick, what have you learned this morning? >> reporter: well, let's start with the james meredith statue, christi, the three alleged suspects in that, three 19-year-old freshmen enrolled also members of the significa s epsilon fraternity. at worst, they could face expulsion from a judiciary board. and couple that with an incident that happened with a senior here, an african-american student who said she was outside her apartment complex when she had alcohol thrown at her and the "n" word as well. she's showing us what happened. >> i was in my car, looking for my charger, and when i heard it, i popped my head up, that's when it all -- that's when he threw it. >> reporter: what did you hear. >> it was you black [ bleep ]

and he sped off. i think people are balancing the new ole miss with the new ole miss of what they're trying to become. >> reporter: christi and victor despite what happened to cyesha reeves said this incident did not scare her. at times, she said your voice goes unheard. she went on to highlight how good things are here at the university of mississippi and how great she thinks this university is. christi and victor. >> nick, what is the university saying about all of this? >> reporter: certainly mixed feelings, victor, she's are jogging memories of that. this has been a place that's a lightning rod historically for race-related issues. when i sat down with the chancellor yesterday he didn't dodge those questions and wasn't hiding his head in the sand.

let's take a listen to what he had to say. >> well, we do have systemic racism in our country, we have it in this state, and we have it in this university, much less so than in years past. but there's systemic racism everywhere in the world. i wish that it weren't so. >> reporter: very frank and honest conversation with chancell chancellor. he said the environment here is to have an honest conversation about that reality. also to come on "new day," this sale, $19 billion facebook paid for whatsapp. a start-up messaging service. will the app continue its red hot growth or slow once that facebook is on board. we're going to find out next.

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20 after the hour. it's "money time" on nd 234d. right now, thousands of current and retired detroit workers, they're worried about making ends meet as they face potential cuts to their pension. some as high as 34%. detroit is considering dropping health coverage for retirees and giving them a stipend to buy insurance through health care exchanges. now, the city is searching for solutions through its massive debt while it tries to emerge from bankruptcy. investors are hoping barnes & noble can turn a new page,

let's say. shares jumped higher after a takeover bid and the group offered a second option where it would spin off the e-leader note. no decision off that deal. $19 billion. that's a lot of money. that's what facebook is paying for whatsapp. >> yeah, that's that popular messaging service like a social network site. you can send videos, texts and voice messages but you don't pay the usage fee like you do to your cell phone carrier. what do you pay? $1 as a membership fee. >> this app has 50 million users and adding about 1 million universe a day. cnn analyst and host of "technique bytes" brett larson joins us from new york. >> good morning. >> good to be here. >> i wish i had a piece of whatsapp. >> even a smalls piece.

$19 billion. there are some saying facebook got a deal here. why? >> i read that earlier in the week when the deal was an announced even zuckerberg himself was saying, oh, they were really being watched and we've got a good price on this. the reality of whatsapp, as you explained a very simple messaging service that sort of goes around your wireless carrier which is really important in emerging markets and other countries where texting is expensive. here in the u.s., oftentimes, it's just thrown in with your cellular plan so that whaks whatsapp very popular. as you said, 450348 users, they're adding 1 million users every day. this is huge. and facebook is gambling and it's not a gamble where the house is going to win, but they are betting that whatsapp is going to have 1 billion users by the end of this year. and whatsapp is also on track to send 1 trillion with a "t" -- trillion messages this year.

that's how many users they have. >> my gosh. let's talk privacy concerns. this always comes out. a lot of people freaked out when facebook started featuring ads that target users. now whatsapp, do you need to worry about facebook having your phone number? >> well facebook may already have your phone number if you put it into your profile or if you signed in your cell device they often ask your phone number as a way of double-checking your privacy if you need your password or get into your account. whatsapp been very good with user relations. and they've been very good as they've grown. and we'll have so ehow those things change when they go under the fold or under the umbrella of facebook. and if they'll fall, rather, under the rules of facebook's privacy policy. >> yeah, the change is to come. and christi brought up one that i'm interested in. you mentioned apps in facebook.

whatsapp doesn't have ads for the 450 million users thus far. are they coming once facebook is in the question? >> that's the $1 million question. with that many users, sending a tralian messages, if we sent an ad to every fourth message, that's still several billion advertisements that we could sell. so far, whatsapp has been very -- no, we are a messaging platform. we're going to be simple and clean and reliable. and the uptime like the phone companies have. we'll have to see if they start adding advertising. how this is interesting, how much control the whatsapp founders and the whatsapp employees will have over whatsapp once it falls under the umbrella of facebook. and that's really going to tell what the future hold, for the millions of users of application. >> good point. >> nearly 1 million a day they're adding to their numbers. brent larson -- >> those are good numbers. >> 19 billion.

>> wow. like super bowl audience here had. >> thank you, brett. >> thanks, guys. all right. coming up -- we've got to talk about this, the hundreds of protesters who say they do not want this new legislation in arizona that critics call discriminatory against gays and lesbians. they're hoping that the governor is not going to sign this into law next week. plus, several boats engulfed in flames. now investigators are trying to figure out how this started. ♪ [ cellphone rings ] hello? [ male announcer ] over 12,000 financial advisors. good, good. good. over $700 billion dollars in assets under care. let me just put this away. [ male announcer ] how did edward jones get so big? could you teach our kids that trick? [ male announcer ] by not acting that way. ok, last quarter... [ male announcer ] it's how edward jones makes sense of investing. ♪

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up and at them, my friends. half past the hour right now. i'm christi paul. >> i'm victor blackwell. five things you need to know for your "new day." up first, after days of deadly protests, ukraine's embattled president apparently has left the capital, kiev. opposition leaders are calling for him to resign immediately. and after a peace deal has been brokered that sharply reduces the president as powers. nicolas maduro said he wants president obama to send over secretary of state john kerry for high-level talks with his foreign minister. this is coming just days after venezuela, you rememberer accused three american diplomats of trying to meet with opposition organizers and expelled them. up number three, the chinese

government and president obama met with the dalai lama yesterday and the president reiterated the support for the tibetan culture. china has accused the dalai lama of leading a separatist movement but the dalai lama said he only wants freedom. number four, pope francis and pope benedict, they were there to witness him create nine cardinals. look at these pictures, number five, propane glass and boat flares exploding as a marina fire roared out of the control for hours in washington state. right now, it's not clear how the fire started. but reports say most of the boats there are fiberglass and they turn quickly. as many as 20 boats caught fire before the fire department got things under control. there is good news here, with all of this damage, no injuries

have been reported. >> thankfully. you know, the fact that we're talking about this story showing how dire it is. that drought in california, a lot of officials saying this is the worst in history ever. according to the department of agriculture, the entire state is battling these abnormally dry temperatures and the weather. so those crippling conditions are expected hurt the nation's food supply. >> as jennifer gray explains for farmers, it's about to get worse before it gets better. >> reporter: the drought that is plaguing california, and as a result, hurting the nation's flood supply could get a whole lot worse. friday, the federal government said it will not provide any irrigation water to central valley farmers. and only 50% of contracting water to surrounding urban areas. >> our rain is way, way behind so we expected zero. and this just confirms it. >> reporter: joe del bos is the farmer who gave president obama

a tour of his central valley operation. he grows oranges, cherry, and cantaloupe. without the federal government help farmers like joe may have to leave a lot of land unproductive. >> there's going to be a lot of production and food lost and jobs lost. >> reporter: with more than 90% of drought conditions there could be a big impact on the grocery food line. in california, crops are grown more than any other place in the country. it produces half of fruits and vegetables. experts say this could raise your produce price 10% over the next few months. but mother nature could calm to the rescue. rain is in the forecast for california next week. and farmers say every drop will make a difference. >> will they capture that water? you know, and bring -- bring it to the storage, because if they don't, if they keep the pumps shot off, that water's going to

go out to the ocean. >> so it's getting worse before it gets better. hopefully, better comes soon. jennifer gray with us now. what are we looking at, the sfeerlt of this drought. >> well i've got good news and i've got bad news. i'm going to start with the bad news because it is the drought itself. and it getting worse by the day. just in the past couple of weeks it has gone up. and the conditions of the drought have gotten worse. so extreme drought, that's what we've been looking at and that's what the state has been suffering from the worst drought ever. a couple weeks ago, 61%. now 68% of the state is in extreme drought. and so this is unprecedented as we go through the next couple of weeks. this is not going to be an overnight fix, but like we just showed you, every little bit does help. we are going to have a storm system move onshore. the first storm is going to happen on thursday. so is this later in the week. then it looks like we're going to have a second storm that's going to be an even stronger push through on friday.

so, guys, these are just baby steps. if we can continue to get the pattern in place, we see the storms push onshore one after another, it could make a dent but it's not an overnight fix by many means unfortunately. >> jennifer, thank you. let's stay out west and let's go to arizona where hundreds of protesters -- i mean, this story has really what you're about to see, a huge outpouring of passion there at the state capitol. these people here pleading with governor jan brewer not to sign a controversial new bill that would allow businesses to discriminate against gays and lesbians. >> now, the governor says she does have concerns about the proposed law herself. listen in fact to what she told cnn yesterday. >> i think anybody that owns a business, you know, they can choose who they work with or who they don't work with. but i don't know that it needs to be statutory. >> she also said she did is veto a similar bill last year. but there is so much to talk

about with this. we're going to continue our discussion about the intersection of religious freedom with the equality later on this morning. 9:15 reern. keep it here. jimmy fallon, he is wrapping up his first week filling in -- not filling in -- he now has the show in jay leno's shoes. how did he do? we've got a panel to weigh in. that's coming up next. [ male announcer ] frequent heartburn? the choice is yours.

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♪

♪ threw his face in the sand i'm the emcee you say let's go and do the walk ♪ ♪ ♪ we all get paid it's so good yo! ♪ ♪ ♪ this is all you got to do wait for the beat ♪ ♪ you got to leave your number wait for the beep yeah ♪ all right. the brand-new "tonight show." that's a clip from the new "tonight show" starting jimmy fallon last night. >> one week down, fans are already giving the show rave reviews. star-studded lineup. you've got skids that have gone viral. certainly making his mark on

late night. look at this. >> i'm jimmy fallon and i'll be your host for now. [ laughter ] >> welcome to 11:30! [ bleep ] [ cheers and applause ] ♪ >> okay. so, of course, everybody is watching it, they think it's great, they're all saying how long is this going to last? we want to bring in author of the new book "game world" christopher farley. he's also author of the entertainment blog the speak easy. and kim seraphim, give us your take, kim, first? >> you're right. we'll have to see how this plays out. this is the first week. everyone is watching, everybody is paying attention. everything is so great, so

great, so great, as jimmy fallon would say. or as justin timberlake intimidates him so well. all of those viral videos, all of the skits. the way he gets stars to engage. the hash tag with jonah hill. and the. with justin timberlake. you have him rapping together for the fifth time. these go viral. and he's into this new era of doing these online things that people are going to be paying attention to. >> christopher? zblel, late-night comedy isn't very diverse. you've got a bunch of middle age dudes cracking jokes. jimmy fallon, 39, jimmy kimmeling 46, letterman, 56. craig ferguson, he's 51. to stand out, kimmel's doing something different. he's obviously a more sincere guy. he's trying to be the nice guy.

he's also trying to be the classic song and dance guy. he's a guy that can rap, sing, play guitar. he's a very physical comedian. that makes him stand out in the evolution of rap video. the other thing, he's more focused on social media. jimmy kimmel is but he's much more focused than david letterman. the evolution of hip-hop dancing he did with will smith, that got almost more than 9 million views on youtube which is more than the tnt usually gets for a show. >> this is the first time that one of my friends has ever sent me a clip with any host. i received this clip from my friend marcus who lives in south florida. it's the barbershop quartet version of r&b. watch it. we'll talk after. ♪

♪ freaky i'm about to have me some fun have me if fun ♪ >> i felt myself the whole day goi goi going dunce, dunce, dunce. >> it's big on letterman, it's big, and how is that going to redefine the show. jay leno has around 600,000 followers on twitter. jimmy fallon has 11,600,000 followers on twitter. it's a sea change. and the "tonight show" is about tuning in late. everyone is gathered around the

communicatial fire and talking about what people are making fun of. now, it's people e-mailing and texting and sending around these videos we're seeing on the show. and that's really how it goes beyond the 11:35, 12:00 time it's on to all day long. it's a sea change in the relationship between the "tonight show," time and the people who are watching it. >> hey, kim, i wonder if the network is concerned that they're going to lose some people. i know the songs they're selling. i know r. kelly's admission. but they have no idea why that's funny. is that a concern? >> sure. there might be older people who may not relate to jimmy as they did to jay leno. but there's also a familiarity. i think that's why people were sad to see jay leno go. someone they watched for decades on tv. but what you want, want the viral videos, you want the

social media and people tweeting about things. jimmy fallon has always been doing this in terms of twitter followers. he always has hash tag contests. people chiming in and sending in different hash tags. so you will lose viewers. but partly when he introduced himself to people, he wanted them to know, look, i'm a good guy. a nice guy. i'm not to be mean to anyone. of let me tell you about my wife, my kids, my parents are in the audience. that's his attempt to try to endear himself to that older audience, jay. >> we'll see what happens as he moves forward. christopher, kim, thank you so much. >> thank you so much. >> thanks, guys. coming up, they fought for their country. they defended their brothers in arms. army veterans who served bravely, but because of their skin color or their ethnicity, they were ignored for decades.

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just about ten minutes until 8:00. jewish groups around the world are outraged after the scores of anne frank diaries are destroyed in 31 libraries. the japanese government will investigate the incidents. it is impossible for the president, any president, to right any wrong. next month, president obama will do that. he will right a wrong for 24 of the country's bravest military veterans. >> he will award the medal of honor after they were passed over because of religion or race. this was the review of congress

a decade ago. cnn correspondent barbara starr has more on the brave vets. >> reporter: sergeant first class melvin morris was 19 when he was a green beret. he volunteered to go to vietnam. in 1969, under heavy fire, hit multiple times, bleeding, he rescued dead and wounded troops. the army said he showed determination possessed by few men. his ability to lead has rarely been equalled. today at 72, along with his wife, the pride and dignity and wrong will be right. morris is 1 of 24 veterans whose decades late will receive the medal of honor. the roll call for bravery for

many who served in world war ii, korea and vietnam. only morris and two other vietnam veterans are still living. in 2002, congress ordered review of jewish and hispanic veterans war records to find out who may have suffered discrimination and not been awarded the honors they deserve. potential african-american discrimination was also found. all are now being recognized. >> i had heard rumors to the fact that there were certain people who -- people thought should have received the medal of honor. >> reporter: retired marine and vietnam vet harvey barnum received his medal in 1967. his unit under fire. he moved to save others. now he has just one message for the vietnam survivors. >> i look forward to putting my

arms around them and calling them brother and say welcome home. >> reporter: two other vietnam veterans will receive the medal. radio operator santiago was under fire on may 1st, 1969. he assaulted enemy bunkers firing hand grenades and firing his m-16. he worked for the postal service for 32 years. his son roland served three tours in iraq. sergeant first class jose's battalion was under heavy fire on september 1st, 1969, it suffered 42 casualties in minutes. the unit was on the brink of panic when rodella stepped in pushing men to fight when the unit was still under fire. today, he is in frail health. of the recipients who passed

away, some fought in korea and vietnam. some fought in france in world war ii and came home to live out their lives. leonard worked in the auto industry and as a butcher. he died five days before his 72nd birthday sitting in his backyard listening to a new york yankees game on the radio. barbara starr, cnn, the pentagon. >> their bravery is just stunning when you think of what they did. we just want to say we are grateful for your service to you and your families and to everybody that served. >> and to acknowledge the wrong and stop and make it right and say we honor you and your service. it is a good thing. still to come on "new day," another amazing story. this how one family very building their home and rebuilding their lives after a home invasion that ended in a

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♪ oh, this is going to be the good life this is going to be ♪ >> often overcoming tragedy, there are tears and hugs, but in this story, there are also hammers. >> this story is such a courage and pride. we are talking about the colorado family rebuilding their lives and their home after a violent home invasion that ended with a deadly police shootout right at their front door. >> jessica ohr has the story

from cnn. >> reporter: taking back the home taken hostage by an ex-con. what is happening today at the arvada home goes past repairs. their pride, hammering and sawing away an ordeal that traumatized not only a 13-year-old held captive, but that teen's entire family. >> no one felt comfortable coming back to the home. >> he is armed and is in the back southwest bedroom. >> reporter: christopher scott's son was held hostage for hours in the home until the man was eventually killed by police on the door step. the past couple of weeks have been difficult. >> overwhelming. >> reporter: christopher says he could not do anything but hope his son would make it out alive. >> connor is out. >> the only thing that was said is he is out and okay and he is safe. tears, hugs and where is he?

i want to see him. i want to hug him. >> reporter: now it is all about picking up the pieces. >> it is working to get back to normal. >> reporter: which would be impossible. >> we are here to give back. >> reporter: without christopher's coworkers at home depot. the family wanted the doors repaired because they were busted open during the standoff, but christopher's coworkers said why not more. >> from doors to floors to ceilings. >> reporter: the home is getting a complete renovation that the family needs. >> this is a huge help for the boys when they are here. >> reporter: coworkers and friends and strangers stepping up so his boys can return to a new home free of traumatic memories. >> absolutely grateful. it is unbelievable. >> we say welcome home to them, too. congratulations. thank you for starting your morning with us. >> your "new day" continues right now.

they are shouting veto. there is anger in arizona after a controversial bill makes its way to the governor's desk and it soon may be legal for businesses to refuse services to gays and lesbians. it is called the cancelator. wait until you hear the truth about how you hear your flights are canned. it is not because of the weather. >> that is big. and just a week after the star of the tv show "snake salvation" died from a rattlesnake bite, his son takes over the pulpit with the exact same snake. and get this, he is doing it tonight. good morning to you on a saturday.

grab your coffee or o.j. or your cup of choice and sit back and relax. we have you covered. i'm christi paul. >> i'm victor blackwell. there is no reason to rush out the door. it is saturday and this is "new day." we will get to the anger about the bill in arizona. a lot of people are talking about that. >> that's a big one. >> we have to start this hour in ukraine. the situation is changing by the minute. >> we know there is no president at the presidential palace in kiev. you are looking here at some live pictures of kiev right now. our correspondents on the ground tell us that president viktor yanukovych has left the city. this is hours after the peace deal was brokered. this followed days of protests and dozens people dead. >> cnn foreign affairs reporter alise abbott joins us.

we know that president obama spoke with vladimir putin about that. >> reporter: christi and victor, president obama picked up the phone and talked to vladimir putin. there has been pressure about ukraine. now the deal is brokered and the u.s. and eu brought russia into the fold here. now everyone recognizes that the important thing now is to make sure the agreement sticks and there is no more violence. >> elise, we know this unrest in ukraine began in november and closer tie was russia instead. where do they go from here and how did all of that come about? >> reporter: well, this is interesting. you heard president obama say and the white house say over the last several weeks and months, this is not a bidding war with russia. this is not a chess board with russia. certainly, that the u.s. and

europe have been fighting for the hearts and finds of ukrainians against russia. there is a division in russia. the protesters on the streets of kiev want to move closer to the west and want to see president yanukovych go. a lot of people speak russia and feel affinity to russia. putin is hoping to capitalize on that sentiment and that is where viktor yanukovych is right now. that is where his political base is. that is where he hopes to capitalize. now there is an agreement, it looks unsure about president yanukovych's future. the u.s. and russia will need to work together to make sure ukraine so a more important footing. whether they look to russia or whether they want to see no one see a civil war breakout. >> is this really about the protesters who made it clear they have been yanking down

statues of lenin. they don't want russian influence at all. is this still about we go with vladimir putin or we move closer to the west? >> reporter: i think it started like that, victor. at this point, it is more about a state of corruption in ukraine. the moves by president yanukovych to solidify his power taking a lot of power for himself and not letting the democratic process that has been trying to unfold since the ukrainian revolution take place over the last few years. once it was about russia and the west. now it is about ukrainians want democracy in the future. they don't see yanukovych offering that. >> we will see where this goes as it continues to develop. changing by the minute. elise abbott, thank you. not far from kiev, the olympics.

the race to see who can win the most medals. it could not be closer. >> the u.s. and russia are now tied with 27 medals total. norway, canada are not far behind. here is something to chew on. two of russia's ten golds were won by this guy. >> his name is vic wild. born and bread american, but switched to russia a few years ago. cnn's amanda davies is covering the games in sochi. snowboarder from washington state winning gold for russia. why is this happening? >> reporter: well, it is one of those boy meet girl stories. fall in love. he became russian instead of american. as simple as that. vic wild fell in love with azave azave azaverina. the u.s. decided to cut the funds for his program.

would he switch to russia ahead of the winter olympics in sochi. he opted for russia. he claimed two gold medals. he followed up the victory in the parallel slalom with the victory earlier today. it would be a great story if that gold medal hadn't meant that russia are now above the usa in the medals table because they have got more gold medals. >> okay, let's call wild the one that got away. let's do that. there is an 18-year-old american that just became a new olympic hero. let's hear about her. >> reporter: yeah, mikaela shiffrin. the girl who started skiing on her parents driveway because she decided she loved hot chocolate when she was going back inside from the cold. she is the youngest ever winner of the olympic slalom event. she loves her sport so much, she

is celebrating this afternoon by going to stand back on the mountain to watch the men's race which is taking place as we speak. she is by the age of 18, won everything there is to win. olympic gold, world championship gold and season gold. she has medal ceremony later today. a great moment. one for the family album. >> all right. amanda davies in sochi. thank you, amanda. so this is the story a lot of people are buzzing about. claims of discrimination in arizona. state lawmakers passed a bill to law businesses to deny service to gay or lesbian customers based on religious beliefs. >> the lgbt community is fighting back. hundreds protested at the state capitol last night. our miguel marquez was there. miguel. >> reporter: victor, christi, this is the scene outside the arizona capitol here.

several hundred people, mostly gays and lesbians and business owners gathered here in protest of s.b. 1062. they are chanting things like veto and stop the hate and vote them out. very upset about the legislature here and them passing this law. the governor has not decided if she will sign it into law or veto it. it sounds like it will be transmitted to the governor on monday. she would have five days until friday or saturday of next week to make up her mind in order to do that. what this crowd here is most concerned with is the lgbt community. the lesbian and gay and bisexual and transgender community would be singled out by this bill for those who are concerned about their religious freedoms. those who support this bill say it does nothing of the sort. it only allows those who believe and have deep held religious

beliefs to practice religious freedoms freely. where this all goes is not clear. there is a possibility of lawsuits, the business community here saying they are concerned about boycotts and lawsuits. all of that to come if this bill is passed and signed into law by the governor. victor, christi. >> all right. miguel, thank you. wedding bells rang early in chicago after a judge ruled same-sex couples in cook county and only cook county don't have to wait until june to marry. that is when the state of illinois will allow marriages between same-sex couples. people rushed to the court house to get marriage licenses. so what would you do if you were invited to dinner at the white house? >> i'd go. >> if you are chris christie,

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♪ beautiful day >> it is a beautiful day. rise and shine to all our friends in washington, d.c. good morning. cold outside, i know in the nation's capitoacapital. we're so glad you are starting your "new day" with us here at cnn. time for the political gut check and get you the news you need coming out of washington. >> a new poll seemed to be supporting john mccain's theory if the election were held tomorrow, hillary clinton would be the next president of the united states. >> look at the poll from gallup

released on friday. she has a favorable rating of 59%. the unfavorable is 37%. the 2016 election is not too far away. new jersey governor chris christie is not going to rub elbows with president obama this weekend. he was invited to attend a dinner for the republicans association tomorrow. he is going home to celebrate his daughter's 18th birthday. >> there are people speculating that christie doesn't want to be seen with obama after chatting up after super storm sandy. now it is time for politicians say what? today, we are dissecting ted nugent's sort of apology after

he called him a sub human mongrel. >> i have failed to galvanize and product and not shame enough americans to let a chicago communist educated and communist nurtured sub human mongrel like the acorn athlete barrac barrack hussein obama to get into the top office in america. >> and he was asked about this on a conservative radio show. >> i did cross the line. i do apologize. not necessarily to the president, but on behalf of much better men than myself like the best governor in america. governor rick perry. the best attorney general in america. think if america had an attorney

general as great as greg abbott like we do here in texas. >> listeners quickly pointed out that did not seem like a sincere apology and not to president obama. when pressed by the show's host if he was directly apologizing to the president, nugent said yes. this comes after several condemned the comments. we know nugent is not a politician. let's talk about what rand paul said. nugent's derogatory description of president obama is offensive and has no place in politics. he should apologize. >> greg abbott campaigned with nugent on tuesday. listen to how he dodges this question. cnn's question. >> mr. abbott, why did you think it was a good idea to campaign with ted nugent?

>> it is funny how the reactive -- the davis campaign is to this. it shows he has driven a wedge and exposed the fraud they displayed on second amendment based issues. so ted nugent was a way to expose winnie davis. >> this is texas. finding someone who is pro guns is not that hard. why ted nugent? >> what's your question? >> kind of moved on for the follow-up. then senator ted cruz. he said after nugent's shocking comments, he is not ruling out the idea of campaigning with him. >> those sentiments i do not agree with them. you would never hear me say those nor would i. there is a reason ted nugent people have listened to him. he is fighting passionately for

second amendment rights. i will avoid engaging in hypotheticals. >> you can't be too surprised when ted nugent says some shocking. it is not the first time he did it. the racist stunt at ole miss is a federal investigation after a noose and federal flag were placed on the statue. >> now the second incident is rubbing raw nerve with students there. we will tell you what is going on. frequent heartburn? the choice is yours. chalky... not chalky. temporary... 24 hour. lots of tablets... one pill. you decide. prevent acid with prevacid 24hr.

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21 after the hour now. this morning, students at ole miss are understandably on edge after two rationals racially ch incidents there. >> the fbi is now investigating after a noose was placed on the statue of james meredith. >> now the fbi and police want to know if a separate incident involving a female student is connected. our cnn reporter nick valencia is there. nick, ole miss is a school with a history. these events don't help to get over the stigma there. what is happening now? >> reporter: right now, part of the investigation, victor, is to find out if the incidents were connected. i spoke to campus officials yesterday. they said there is no evidence to suggest they were. they are isolated incidents.

that is how they are treated now. that is causing uneasy emotions to have these events happen back-to-back. i spoke to keshia reeves. she had alcohol thrown at her and then somebody called her the "n" word. here is what she had to say. >> i never witnessed or display of hatred or racism. i only heard it. for this to happen, it impacted me. to be a black student at ole miss is very hard. sometimes your voice isn't heard, but i learned today that i can -- i feel that the administration is great and black history month, this happened during black history month. i think things are changing for the better. >> reporter: now no suspects have been named in the incidents against kiesha reeves.

in regard to the james meredith statue, three students here, fraternity members, they are being further investigated. we understand that officials are waiting on arrest warrants. we don't know when those will come out. when they do, we will be here to cover it. victor, christi. >> nick valencia, thank you so much. several wrestlers in new jersey will not compete because of a photo some say is racist. >> some are posing around a wrestling dummy. the dummy is hung from the ceiling. >> the dummy is dressed in a rival school. >> the principal said he has no comment at this point. coming up on "new day," just

days after a snake-handling pastor died from being bitten by the snake, his son is returning to the pulpit with the exact same reptile. i know you are wondering why do they use snakes in worship services. we will talk about it in a moment. first, christine romans has a preview of "your money" coming up in an hour from now. >> his, christi and victor. coming up at 9:30, my interview with jack lew. >> i don't believe it is right for people to work 40 hours and take home pay that is below the poverty line. >> can they get a minimum wage increase through? see you at 9:30 on an all new "your money." you're the number one american. >> i reckon i can handle your serve. you have a height advantage. >> i think you can, too. >> well, john isner's height

gets him that opportunity to get angles that normal players don't get. where are we in tennis in the u.s.? >> well, i think in the '70s, '80s and '90s, american tennis fans were spoiled. you have to look at the era our guys are playing in right now. roger every grand slam. rafa, djokovic and murray. i don't think american tennis is as bad as people portray it to be. we were a bit spoiled in the past. >> "open court" is sponsored by rado. honestly? i wanted a smartphone that shoots great video.

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we've been there. it is 8:29. we're glad you are with us. i'm christi paul. >> i'm victor blackwell. when there is great video, we will say peek at the screen. we do have some. let's start with the five things you need to know with your "new day." after deadly protests, ukraine's embattled president has left the nation. they are calling for him to resign immediately and they want elections by the end of may. this is happening one day after a peace deal was brokered to sharply reduce the president's powers. number two, this is the video we are talking about here. take a look. the driver of the car was pulling in the driveway when the sinkhole swallowed it. her and the car. she was trying to park it and it just started going down. she called 911. fire crews were able to get her out by lifting her out of the driver's side window. she is okay. number three. with propane gas and boat flares

exploding, here is video you want to see. a massive multi-alarm marina fire roared for hours in washington state. it is not clear how this fire started. reports say most of the boats are fiberglass and they go up in flames fast. as many as 20 boats caught fire before the fire department got it under control. we can say look at the video because no injuries were reported. number four, the city of detroit considering deep pension cuts for retired and city workers as they try to make the plan to emerge from bankruptcy. they are considering dropping health coverage for retirees. instead, they would get a stipen to buy insurance on health care exchanges. this is pretty rare. pope francis and pope benedict embracing this morning in vatican city.

two popes alive to embrace one another. the former leader of the state was there to witness 19 new cardinals from around the world. the first such appointment since he was elected pontiff last march. one week after kentucky pastor jamie coots died from a snake bite, his son will walk up to the pulpit with the same snake that killed his father. >> this is the first sermon for cody coots. believers point to the new testament. the gospel of mark, chapter 6:18. they shall take up serpants, they will drink and any deadly thing. >> they believe that it is vital to the bible.

>> we have ralph hood, professor of psychology at the university of tennessee, chattanooga. he is attending the sermon tonight. thank you for being with us. you both knew pastor coots personally. tell us about his passion for handling these snakes. let's start with you, ralph. >> well, jamie coots is part of the tradition that believes in the meaning in the gospel of mark. they believe they should take up serpents because these signs shall follow them to believe. to indicate the sincerity of their belief, they handle serpents in the belief of the gospel to mark. >> bill, you know, what do you know about -- let's listen to something jamie coots said about his interpretation of the bible prior to his death. take a listen. >> to me it is a commandment

from god when they shall take up serpents. that is the same as they shall not commit adultery. i said if i was bit by a snake, i would quit the church. >> there are critics who say snake handlers are taking this to literally. >> the response to the serpent handler it is an exact meaning. it is hard to dispute they shall take up serpents. jamie is absolutely right. he had at least eight previous bites and never sought medical aid. this last bite that was fatal, his family refused the assistance in honoring the wishes of jamie. >> bill, i wonder now that

pastor coots has died and the scripture says that they that will take up serpents and shall not hurt them. do they see death differently? >> certainly struggle with what a death means in that context. i talked this week with cody coots and andrew hamlin, another snake handling minister from tennessee. i asked them both about that. their belief is everybody has a time to die. that time is set from the time of your birth and god knows that. whether that is by heart attack, stroke, car wreck, whatever it will be or rattlesnake bite, that is what's in god's plan. they don't question that. they believe this was jamie's

time to go. it was ordained for him to go. it is not a sign of defeat. it is part of god's plan to them. >> bill, i know you have been following this. how diverse is the serpent handling community? do they feel they are being misrepresented in some way? >> some are reluctant for years. i know dr. hood has talked to the lot of people in this community. they feel like the outside world doesn't understand their belief and doesn't really want to. that they are mocked by people outside that their belief is seen and crazy and dangerous. so, a lot of them have been reluctant to talk to the outsiders and media in particular. there have been folks who like jamie and andrew hamlin and like others before them willing to try to help people understand. i know dr. hood has been to many services. other researchers. i have been to a number of services in kentucky and west virginia and down in tennessee.

there were people in the church who like jamie willing to help people understand. jamie was on the reality tv show to see the chance to spread the gospel further than any other means. he was willing to try to help people understand. i have known jamie for more than 15 years. as dr. hood said, he was very sincere. to him, that commandment was just like the ten commandments just like the bible says believers should tithe. give 10% of their income. anything that was a direct, clear command in the bible, they believe you should follow that. this is just one of them. >> ralph and bill, thank you so much for speaking with us. ralph, you are going to the service tonight. maybe you can join us in the morning and tell us how the first service went after pastor

jamie died and his son now at the pulpit. hopefully we will see you in the morning. >> it remains to be seen what his son will do. they believe in handling serpents, but not necessarily to demonstrate to the outside world that they can do it. it will be dependent upon what happens at the service tonight. that is in question. >> ralph and bill, thank you so much for helping us understand this. >> thank you so much. still to come on "new day," do you believe it is only february and we're talking about tornadoes in nine states. severe lightning storms across the u.s. we have a weekend forecast for you coming up. plus, man's best friend is even more like us than you thought. we will tell you what a new study shows about he way your dog understands you. i quit smoking. i've quit for 75 days. 15 days, but not in a row. for the first time, you can use nicorette... even if you slip up...

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42 minutes past the hour. i know this probably is not shocking news to dog lovers and owners out there. a study has found some surprising similarities between dogs and humans. it turns out those dogs know when we're sad. the dog's brain processes human voices the way our brains do. the dogs know when you are having a bad day. that is why they are always so good for us. >> yes. >> making us feel better no matter what happened when we come home. they love us. >> i hear. i never actually had a dog. >> i have two. i'll lend you one of mine for a while. >> that's all right. i'll look at the cell phone pictures. you know what dogs do? they freak out during bad

weather. you know this, right? when we talk about bad weather, wind and hail and strong winds and more than 20 tornadoes that ripped through the southeast already and the midwest. this is just within the past 48 hours. >> some of this is serious. in michigan, multiple car accidents and icy conditions shutdown parts of the interstate. a snowstorm dumped more than a foot of snow in minnesota. check out this shot of lightning. wow! striking buildings in nashville. the thunderstorms there are intense. let's bring in cnn meteorologist jennifer gray for more on the weather this weekend. you know, we're talking about how it just seems so early for all of this to happen. >> you can definitely have tornadoes in february. the weird part about it, we had the extreme severe weather and we had blizzard conditions going on at the exact same times. a winter component and severe weather component at the same time. the cool shots of the batman

building in nashville happened on thursday night. i'll show you the reports. the reports are just preliminary reports. we had 28 tornado reports. these are the ones on thursday. then as we know, it pushed offshore early yesterday. we had a couple more reports. a lot of these tornado reports could actually turn into straightline wind reports. these are just an early look at what went on over the past couple of days. all of that is gone. it has pushed well offshore. we will have high pressure and sunshine for most of the south, east coast, northeast. looking good as we go through the next couple of days. the only real story today, cold temperatures in the northern plains. windchill advisories in place with temperatures feeling like 20 and 30 degrees below zero. a far cry from how we are feeling in the south in atlanta at 67 degrees today. warming up into the 70s tomorrow. d.c., 65 tomorrow.

new york city, 51 tomorrow. so little bit of relief, guys, for the weekend. as we go into next week, we will have some colder air pushing in. chicago, minneapolis, you start to cool off again by monday, tuesday and into wednesday. then we will start to see our next push of arctic air. that will pull in by the middle part of next week. more cold air is coming, but we do have quite a while just to relax and enjoy the outdoors. especially in the south. it will be great this weekend. >> can we just live in the now before we see the arctic air come back? let's enjoy now. >> the weekend will be good. >> thank you. >> jennifer gray, thanks. you know there is nothing more frustrating than you go to the airport early. you got it. i'm on time. i'm ready to go. your flight is delayed or worse, it is canceled. >> it is not as random. >> up next, we will tell you how to beat the program airlines use to control the skies. there is a program.

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49 minutes past the hour. if you have been to the airport recently, i bet you had to deal with canceled flight or two and before you blame the weather, because you know we always do. blame it on something called the cancellator. that is the focus of the "time" magazine cover story. airlines use sophisticated

algorithms to figure out which flights get canceled. we have mark with us to tell us more. mark murphy. >> it is airlines. they fly based on computers. on the ground, logistics, point to another.s from one - cruise from one point to another. a flight based from phoenix and needs to fly from charlotte to london. when something like weather comes up or frankly, crew changes or with the new law about crew rest, they have to make adjustments and sometimes your flight gets canceled. it is a pro-active way to cancel flights. >> when i'm standing at the gate and it is the weather, weather, weather, are they lying? >> it could be the weather. it could be beautiful and sunny

in chicago, but your flight is coming from atlanta and you had a big ice storm. although it is nice in chicago, your flight is delayed because of something else that happens at another airport. that definitely happens. i think sometimes the frustration as a traveler is when i show up, my flight is on time. ten minutes before the flight leaves and the plane is not even at the gate. the airlines have tried to get better at that. you have seen the pro-active cancellations in the advance of weather. they know there will be problems. they know they will not get you off the ground. >> is there a way to beat, quote, the cancellator? >> here is what you can do. before you go and book your flight, think about booking with a travel agent. i say that because they get notices of cancellations. if you are in the air and your flight is delayed and you miss your connection, they are actively working to re-book you. go get a nonstop flight.

that is the other thing. make sure you have the highest chance of getting to that final destination. also look at airports that are not right in your back yard. you might drive an hour to get the nonstop flight. that could save you time. another thing is the counter. when the flight gets canceled, don't get behind the 100 people. grab your smartphone and tablet and re-book. take the first flight out in the morning. you have a better chance of getting on your way no matter what the conditions are if you are on the first flight out. >> all right. mark murphy, thank you so much for letting us know what is going on. that is a mess. now i feel like i am a little bit in the know. mark, have a great day. thank you. >> you, too, christi. up next, do you live in the happiest state in the nation or most miserable? there is a new list out. we will show it to you.

♪ room without a view ♪ happy alright, whenever you get your stuff, run upstairs, get cleaned up for dinner. you leave the house in good shape? yea. yea, of course. ♪ [ sportscaster talking on tv ] last-second field go-- yea, sure ya did. [ male announcer ] introducing at&t digital life. personalized home security and automation. get professionally monitored security for just $29.99 a month. with limited availability in select markets. ♪

so what do you think? do you think you live in america's happiest state? gallop ranked them all. the winner? >> north dakota. >> north dakota, people. followed by south dakota and nebraska, minnesota and montana. >> oh, look at that. west virginia, sorry about this. gallop says you are the least happy in the country. kentucky, mississippi, alabama, ohio, you are not feeling life,

either. >> ohio? that's the o-h-i-o. i don't believe it. i'm from ohio. my friends and family from ohio are happy people. >> what about north dakota? north and south, one and two? >> we need to take a trip there. congratulations to you. let's talk about the peach state in georgia. you think about the world of coke and the king center and cnn. that might come to mind. there is more to consider if you are planning a trip. travel writer tray butler traveled the cool spots in atl in this week's "travel insider." >> i'm tray butler. a travel writer and author and atlanta is my city. here we are on the atlanta beltline east side trail. atlanta has never been known for a pedestrian city, but i think that is changing rapidly. tell me about the history of the beltline. >> the atlanta beltline is four

freight rail corridors. built at the time of the city was coming into the age. unifying for us that the city has never had. >> you have a bit of everything. the jog, ride bikes and skate park. and some delicious brunch spots. let's check it out. atlanta is a town that loves a long brunch. i love this patio for soaking up the sun and doing people watching. a great place for getting a new twist on southern classics. i love benigts. so good. here is the church of the living room and ping pong emporium. one of my favorite spots in town. the walls are covered by art work by a local artist. sr. luisa. >> there are about 250 pieces in here. it is for sale.

you can do that or i will trade you for something. everything is from thrift shops and antique stores. >> it is an art bar and bar filled with art, it is not a pretentious crowd. your "must see moment." a toddler gets the surprise of her life. check this out. >> little bridget carr. she was excited to open the present for her birthday. a mini fridge a bike or barbie? pull open the flap and? >> let's see. happy birthday! >> oh, it's dad! oh, my gosh. that is the best thing ever. >> so much better than the mini fridge. >> soldier josh mccormack on

leave from his second tour in afghanistan. welcome home. thank you for your service and thank you for sharing this with us. >> it is always great when it works out the way you want and get the reaction you are hoping for. thank you for starting your morning with us. >> next hour of "new day" starts right now. rise and shine. it is saturday. hope you have the day off and it is yours for the taking. i'm christi paul. >> enjoy whatever you will. i'm victor blackwell. 6:00 on the west coast. we will take you straight to ukraine's capital of kiev. >> this is live pictures of independent square. anti-protesters are still there this morning. ukraine's president is not. apparently he left the city. >> and now opposition lawmakers are calling for him to resign immediately. let's bring in cnn's phil black

in kiev. phil, gunfire and fighting and we saw the fireworks and fires there at independent square. what is the situation like now? >> reporter: well, we have seen emotional scenes here today, victor, as the bodies of the fallen protesters have been brought to the crowd on the stage in front of the square where a prayer service where the crowd farewelled the protesters who were shot down by ukrainian security forces during the week. farewell as glory and heroes. a great deal of emotion. the mood down in the square is one of determination. it is still one of defiance and great distrust. a deal has been struck, these people say they are staying there until they are sure the ukrainian government keeps its word and the deal is in place. >> and speaking of president

yanukovych. is there any word this hour as to where he might be? >> reporter: well, the word from the protesters and word from the official at the state department is he is headed for the city close to the russian border. this is his heartland. where his supporters are. the russian leaning east of the country that president yanukovych has relied upon for support. we have not confirmed that. no sight of him. people in harkiev have not seen him. it seems he has certainly left the capital kiev. a sign it may not be a temporary departure. his residence in the outskirts of the city appear to be abandoned. they are now in control of protest groups. there are people manning the gates. those people want to keep the gates closed and people outside of the buildings. they say the residence belongs to the ukrainian people and inside is lots of evidence about what they think is his corrupt

rule of the country over the last few years. >> let's talk about the deal that was brokered. i understand in many ways, cuts the powers of the president. explain that for us. >> reporter: sure. the protesters wanted three key things. one of them was the formation of an interim government. a national unity government with all parties involved just to get the country stabilized and move it on to presidential elections further down the track. a key reform was changing the constitution to the way it used to look back in 2004 with the president did not have so much executive power, but held in check by the parliament. that is the change that he has agreed to. it is now considered a bit more balance. the president has fewer powers than he used to and the parliament and the prime minister and government will have more. the opposition got these demands. what they want is for these things to happen really quickly. that is why these people are still in the square.

that is why opposition politicians in the country's parliament are still fighting for today. >> we will see if this changes as part of the deal and where the president is. phil black, thank you so much. so, we should have a button or something i can press when you i say spoiler alert. spoiler alert. another gold medal handed out in sochi. this one hurts for the u.s. in more ways than one. it really does. >> andy scholes in the bleacher report. sometimes he brings us great news. sometimes not so much. give it to us straight. >> i wish i had the button, too, like the red light. the men's snowboard parallel giant slalom. run away from the tv and come back in 30 seconds. vic wild. the american snowboarder turned russian has won gold again. he is the first to win two snowboarding gold in winter

games. this hurts for the u.s. wild is from washington. he originally competed with the u.s., but frustrated with the lack of funding for the support, wild was granted russian citizenship after marrying a russian snowboarder. he is wearing two gold medals that should be around the neck of an american. now russia is on top of the leader board for medals. now the u.s. and russia is tied with the most medals, but russia has more gold. team usa has a chance to win a medal in the bronze medal game. it is not a medal we will be happy about. yesterday, the u.s. lost 1-0 to canada in the semifinals. this is the second straight olympics that canada ended the usa's gold medal dreams. the fallout is massive. a billboard in illinois made a wager for the two countries

saying the loser of the game had to keep justin bieber. >> no! >> guys, this billboard has since been updated. it now reads, worst bet ever with a picture of a bald eagle rocking a gold chain with the word belieber. >> nice to be so clever about it. >> i'm sure that is all over twitter. >> victor, you are a belieber. >> no, j.b. and i go back. >> he is in hot-lanta. you can hang out with him. >> we're not that tight. >> andy scholes, thank you. >> thank you, andy. you know, we are only one week from march. >> i'm ready. >> signs of spring are everywhere. you know, so much for ohio. they are saying it is awful, but rocky river. ice is breaking up along the river. the thaw scared some homeowners.

>> it did not feel much like spring in michigan. wonder why. the u.s. 127 was shutdown when as many as 40 cars were involved in accidents. police blamed the icy roads and blinding snow there. how is this for wind. look at this sign. in illinois, a gust blew over the sign and crushed a car parked below it. imagine coming out of the business and finding your car under a sign. the good news is nobody was hurt. >> hopefully they had insurance. so wedding bells rang early in chicago after a judge ruled that same-sex couples in cook county don't have to wait until june to marry. that is when the state will allow marriages between same-sex partners. people rushed to the court house to get licenses. the clerk's office stayed open two hours late to make sure everybody got what they needed. coming up, hot debate over a

law passed in arizona to refuse service to gays and lesbians. we are talking religious freedom against gay rights. and all the talk about closing the wage gap, right? now the gap store is getting involved in this. stay close. led to the one jobhing you always wanted. at university of phoenix, we believe every education- not just ours- should be built around the career that you want. imagine that.

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starts with freshly-made pasta, and 100% real cheddar cheese. but what makes stouffer's mac n' cheese best of all. that moment you enjoy it at home. stouffer's. made with care for you or your family. very soon in arizona, it could be legal for businesses to refuse service to gays on the basis of freedom of religion. the bill passed the house and senate and now goes to governor jan brewer to sign. she has not said what she will do. similar legislation brought up in kansas last week and it is now dead. it has come up in six more states. ohio, mississippi, south dakota, oklahoma. we have seen a wave of cases that pitted religious conservatives against same-sex supporters. one of them in colorado, where two years ago, a couple wanted to buy a wedding cake, but

refused service when the bakery's owner found out they were gay. the owner's attorney, nicole martin join uss us. we have her on the phone. it is good to have both of you. >> thank you. >> good morning. >> nicole, let's start with you. the judge sided with the couple in this. tell us where does this case stand now and take a few seconds to explain your legal argument. >> what is important for your viewers to understand is that my client jack phillips serves everyone in the community. he always has. he just does not serve all events or communicate all messages. everyone can agree, victor, that a wedding cake is quantitatively different than a box of brownies. it is an iconic symbol of marriage and says something. because it says something, it is protected under the first

amendment. our very first freedom. the cornerstone of everything that america holds dear. it really isn't america if the government can force you under the threat of jail and fines to speak a message that is deeply at odds with your conscious. >> robert, what is wrong with that? the country was founded on religious freedoms. what is wrong with what she said? >> this is an attempt to take the shabby doctrine of bigotry andres dress it up in religiou freedom. in the state of colorado, those are protected by the laws. this is the new attempt at jim crowe. we moved beyond that. i think it is sad that we have these situations now where people are saying, i'm not going to serve you at my business

because i don't like your lifestyle. it hasn't worked in court so far and it will not be ultimately successful. >> what about that as you heard from robert, nicole, as a way to just discriminate. what stops your client or any baker or personal who owns a bridal shop or hair salon to put a sign in front of their window if the arizona law is passed and signed into law, that just says, no service in celebration of same-sex unions. >> the law shouldn't be stopping people from posting free speech in their businesses that's protected under the first ame amendme amendment. >> you believe they should have the right to put up the sign that says no service to same-sex union? >> if it is based on the deeply held religious belief and first amendment. absolutely. >> a sign up saying we don't

serve muslims or atheists? >> i find the comparison to jim crow laws obscene. these bills expand freedom for everyone. >> let her finish, robert. go ahead, nicole. >> everyone is still free to live their lives as they choose. these bills protect that right. let me tell you why -- let me give you a glimpse you are seeing these bills. because the supreme court out of new mexico decided there was a price for your first amendment rights. because the judge in my case decided that the speech and the rainbow colored cake of the plaintiff was more valuable than mr. phillips' first amendment right. now today, our colorado legislature is poised to take away the religious exemption of

mosques and temples away under our statue in senate bill 118. that is why you are seeing the bills. because there is a great fear. >> i have to ask you a question. we are running on time. i have to get this question in. your legal question is christian. believes in the bible. he believes in leviticus 1:18. to serve that same-sex couple is contrary to the word of the bible. okay. let me go to another portion of the bible. it is not moral. it is the legal argument. james, 2:8-11. if you fulfill the royal law, you should love your neighbor as yourself. if you commit partial at, you shall sin. if you stumble on one point, he is guilty of all. not morally, but legally.

if your basis is your client believes in the words of the bible, is there not a huge legal vulnerability, it says that not only is god impartial, but compelled to serve him, but to sin. is that vulnerable? >> i don't think so. victor, i'm not a theologian. all i know, jesus loves all. i'm pretty sure that the savior of all mankind didn't come down and die on the cross for our salvation so that we could participate in the sin of others. we have the government which has a compelling interest in making sure nobody goes to that wedding reception or wedding celebration and throws stones. the government does not have a

compelling interest to make sure that we participate in that wedding or that celebration. >> let me get robert in quickly because i have gone over time. robert, let me ask you this. which protections would you be okay with? are there any protections you would support? >> houses of worship have the right to decide who they admit as members. that is secure under the constitution. when you open a business, you must meet the public an accommodation laws which means you serve the public. if you are not willing to serve the public, simple answer, don't open a business. >> nicole and robert. thank you for the conversation. we will take a break and come right back. >> thank you. 15 days, but not in a row. for the first time, you can use nicorette... even if you slip up... so you can reach your goal. [ male announcer ] now, quit on your own terms with nicorette or nicoderm cq. did you run into traffic? no, just had to stop by the house to grab a few things. you stopped by the house? uh-huh. yea.

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here's the question. would raising the minimum wage to $10 an hour help or hurt? this week, a new report helped

answer that question. >> the answer is it might do both. president obama does not seem to be relying on congress to raise wages. he is calling on businesses to do it. here is alexandra field. >> this is not just good policy. it also is good politics. >> reporter: president obama pushing the initiative raising the federal minimum wage to $10.10 and now gap. gap, the parent company of banana republican and old navy announced it will raise the minimum wage to $9 by june of this year and $10 a year later. >> still not paying me enough to be able to survive. >> reporter: louis makes $8 an hour at mcdonald's in new york city. the fast food workers and unions that support them have lobbied for a bigger pay hike.

$15. >> $15 an hour would allow me to move in to my own place and pay my own bills. >> reporter: in new jersey, delores says if her payroll costs are higher, she could be forced to shutdown her day care business. >> i really don't think i could afford it. >> reporter: when new jersey raised minimum wage to $8.25 an hour in january, riley said she felt she had to increase every employees salary. riley will pay an additional $10,000 to $15,000 in payroll this year. the president is calling for more companies to follow the gap's lead along with action from congress. >> i'm going to be seeking republicans who are able to work with us. >> reporter: this week, the congressional budget office released its minimum wage

report. one that adds fuel to both sides of the national debate. >> the cbo report hammers home that you kill a lot of jobs with the increase. the democrats reject that argument and point to a different part of the report that says nearly 1 million people are raised out of poverty. >> reporter: that debate moves forward and in washington. it is worth pointing out that 21 states have a wage of $7.25. victor and christi. >> thanks, alexandra. >> we'll be right back. so you can have a getaway from what you know. so you can be surprised by what you don't. get two times the points on travel and dining at restaurants from chase sapphire preferred. so you can taste something that wakes up your soul. chase sapphire preferred.

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time now for this week's cnn hero. >> he is getting help from the hollywood actor gerard butler. take a look. >> please join me in honoring cnn hero and broad he is a fell fellow scotsman. >> i was star struck. you are amazing. >> since then we are good friends. now here i am in liberia. >> me and magnus. >> there are so many children out of school and huge problems with malnutrition. we provide daily meals for children to come to school. >> a great partnership going on here. parents and elders. volunteers. when cnn heroes happened, we were feeding over 400,000 children. now we are well over 800,000

children every day. that's in the world. >> a lot of them didn't eat at all in a day before they came to school. now they are motivated to come to school. they can focus. education suddenly becomes a possibility. >> who would have thought when i gave magnus the cnn hero award that i would be surrounded by the most amazing kids. >> it shows what you one person can do when they show a bit of love. >> purposeful work there. every week, we will honor a new cnn hero. every day person doing extraordinary things to help other people. >> if you know someone who deserves this recognition, go to cnnheroes.com now and tell us about them. we are glad you spent time with us this morning. we are back at the top of the hour. >> 10:00 eastern. coming up right now, christine romans' interview with jack lew. president obama wants to give 65 million americans an increase. >> "your money" starts right now.

a decided arc of progress. that is what treasury secretary jack lew sees when he sees the economy. i'm christine romans. a government shutdown held the economy back last year, but this year begins with the rarest of rare washington traits. compromise. still too many americans say they are struggling in the economy. in an interview treasury secretary lew is helping those at bottom of the income ladder climb out of poverty. >> i don't believe it is right for people to work for 40 hours and take home pay below the poverty line. we have to make sure if you work full-time, you are at least at the poverty line. >> if you think you can