you can complain about the cold or when life hands you snow, make a banana hammer. words to live by on the ridiculist. that does it for us. dangerous cold snap. much of the united states heading for the deep freeze. organ harvesting. the evil of isis yet even uglier. and racism at the world's biggest sport, acting lower than low. hello, everybody, i'm john vause. >> and i'm zain asher. this is cnn newsroom. are plunging across the eastern half of the united states. more than 100 million americans are facing dangerous record breaking lows. the coldest it's been in some

parts in decades. this will be a long cold night, especially for those who are biggingbig g bigging -- digging out from the snowfall. >> in alabama, roads are expected to re-freeze overnight. and in maryland cars were caked in ice after a water main break. and in massachusetts, the roof of a shopping plaza collapsed under the weight of all that heavy snow. >> the cold is so bone chilling even parts of niagara falls are frozen. this cold air is coming in right now from siberia. at least 20 states are now under windchill advisories. and derek vandam authorities are warning people to take this cold snap seriously. >> and they should. we have upwards of 100 cities across the eastern u.s. threatening to break records that have stood for decades. i want to show you this image that was just released by nasa that shows just how brutally cold it is across the eastern

half of the u.s. that's lake ontario. this is the atlantic ocean. that's massachusetts, and that is snowfall. no your television monitor is not on the fritz. this is not a fuzzy tv screen that. is snowfall. behind it i want to show you something, this is called cloud streets. this shows just how strong the wind was, pushing that system behind our cold air mass that's now settled in. let's talk about the graphics because it's been very cold. upwards of 100 u.s. cities across the eastern half of the u.s. could possibly break record low temperatures. anywhere you sew a red box across these temperatures forecast overnight chicago, atlanta, jacksonville florida, that's where we have the chances to break records. by the way, we have hard freeze warnings for the florida-georgia line. that's a big deal considering the citrus crops that have grown across that region.

look at frostbite. it takes windchill values of 30 to 40 below and five-minute exposure. and we have another storm set to impact the same areas that have the ice. nashville, tennessee to little rock arkansas winter storm watches in effect for the next available storm that will bring us a fresh sheet of ice across the area. we've had visuals of people being rescued from some of the frozen lakes and ponds across the eastern half of the u.s. this one coming out of kentucky. we had two particular people rescued from this frozen tundra here. one of their neighbors got out their boat and saved the dog. all three of them are good. >> you mentioned the south. of course many people here in the south, hundreds of thousands have been left without electricity because of the ice

on the power lines. >> and the winds have picked up as well leaving the possibility of more. >> derek, thank you for that. thank you for the update. joining me now by phone with an update in new england, the director of communications for the american red cross in massachusetts. jessica, just what is it like outside right now? and how dangerous are these conditions for anyone who is outside? >> it is very cold. we always encourage people if you're going to be out, layer up. make sure your head and hands are always covered. that helps you retain body heat. but as much as possible, if you're out shoveling or getting snow off your roof take frequent breaks and stay hydrated. because it doesn't take very long to develop hypothermia. know the symptoms if you've been outside and you're dizzy or confused we encourage people to call 911 and be safe. >> and you mentioned people on the roof trying to get the snow

off, because there's been about 80 roof collapses in the boston area alone since this snow began. so what is your biggest concern in the coming hours as the temperatures continue to fall? >> we are seeing a lot more roof collapses and we are encouraging people to recognize some of the problems the sagging, leaking severely there's cracking or creaking call 911 and get to safety because those are all indications that the roof could collapse. and from the red cross perspective, we have been responding to several other than usual this week. >> this has been such an incredibly long cold winter especially for people in boston. it must seem like it's never going to end. >> yes, that's true. it does seem that way. >> jessica, thanks forgiving us an update on boston which has probably been the hardest hit major city in the united states during this long, cold freeze. >> the hypothermia is clearly a

risk. turning now to the fight against isis. u.s. president barack obama says the u.s. is not at war with islam, but with people who have perverted the religion. >> this has been very controversial. he spoke wednesday at a washington summit on countering violent extremism. he said muslim leaders need to do more to discredit the idea that the u.s. is trying to suppress islam. >> we all know that there is no one profile of a violent extremist or terrorist. there's no way to predict who will become radicalized. around the world and here in the united states, inexcuse about acts of violence have been committed by people of faith against other people of faith, which is a betrayal of all our faiths. >> an iraqi official claims the terror group recently burned alive as many as 40 people near

the town of al baghdadi. >> and iraq's u.n. ambassador said isis is harvesting inging human organs to sell on the black market. jim sciutto has the gruesome details. >> reporter: with isis locked in battle with iraqi forces in al baghdadi eyewitness accounts from the western iraqi town claim the terror group is burning the bodies of soldiers and tribesmen killed in the fighting, to desecrate them. today, the pentagon indicated they're analyzing evidence of the incident. >> it wouldn't surprise any of us here if it turns out to be true, given the kinds of atrocities that this group continues to wage against innocent civilians. >> reporter: from iraq's ambassador to the united nations, another startling claim. that isis is harvesting human organs from its victims in ishlg and selling them on the black market in europe for profit. a dozen doctors in mosul who

refused to operate were murdered. >> translator: these are, in fact crimes of genocide committed against humanity that must be held accountable before international justice, without even mentioning the traffic of human organs. >> reporter: cnn has not been able to confirm the claims and the ambassador offered no proof. the u.n. sells cnn it is investigating and questions how the terrorist group could run harvested organs out of a war zone. if true what could be driving the terror group's increasingly extreme tactics. the u.s.-led air campaign has destroyed many of the group's lucrative oil facilities. while isis recruiting remains strong more and more attracting women and highly educated people these extreme atrocities often filmed get attention, which further fuels recruiting.

>> they've peeled people away from al qaeda, guys that were part of the bin laden network. they see that isis is the jihadi organization that has managed to do what al qaeda never could. >> reporter: the u.s. state department says it is aware of the comments of selling organs and it has no reason to doubt them base on isis' past across atrocityies atrocities. jim sciutto, cnn, washington. isis is having very little trouble attracting recruits, despite the condemnation of its brutal tactics. the recent beheadings of egyptian christians in libya seem to be attracts would-be jihadists. but the question is what is the allure? graham wood is a contributing editor for the atlantic magazine and wrote an article called "what isis really wants." take a listen. >> they believe it's a sacred

duty to terrorize their enemies. they believe if they frighten us we will be less likely to attack them and maybe in the long run, they will be spared or we'll be spared more bloodshed. it's part of their doctrine to frighten us as much as possible. >> wood says that isis claims to be defending islam from crusaders in the west. zain a u.s. military court has thrown out the 2007 conviction of david hicks, the first guantanamo bay inmate ever convicted. he pleaded guilty to providing material support to terrorists but as it turns out, that was not a crime when he was taken into custody in afghanistan in 2001. hicks proclaims his innocence, and australia's prime minister says hicks had been up to no good. >> so i'm sure now everyone is

surprised by today's acknowledgement by the government of the united states of america of my innocence. even the australian government admitted i committed no crime. it's just unfortunate that because of politics i was subjected to 5 1/2 years of physical and psychological torture, that i will now live with always. >> this was essentially a matter for an american court dealing with american law. he was up to no good on his own admission, and look i'm not in the business of apologizing for the actions that australian governments take to protect our country. not now, not ever. >> after his conviction hicks was transferred to australia, where he served nine months of a seven-year sentence. we want to go to paris now where police are investigating an incident of racism between an apparent group of chelsea football fans and a black man trying to board a train.

the group taunted him, even pushed him off the train, and all of it was caught on video. >> it's just the latest in a long string of racist incidents that have involved fans players, sometimes even coaches that shows the world's most popular sport can be anything but the beautiful game. here's cnn's alex thomas. >> reporter: it's stark reminder to the world's most popular sport about the need for vigilance in the fight against racism. men who appear to be chelsea fans push a black man off a paris metro train. they're chanting "we're racist and that's the way we like it," with a black woman standing inches away. widespread condemnation was swift. a chelsea statement said such behavior is abhorrent and has no place in football or society. we will support any criminal action against those involved in such behavior and should

evidence point to the involvement of chelsea season ticketholders or members, the club will take the strongest possible action, including banning orders. this anti-racism video featuring top players was made by uefa. officials say they're appalled but can't take action because the incident happened away from the stadium. the paris prosecutor has opened a case and is investigating. the paris incident comes a day after former italy coach was criticized for saying there were too many black players in italian youth football. the president of the world governing body fifa tweeted, stop it. i also condemn the actions of chelsea fans in paris. there is no place for racism in football. >> you go back to the racist

marks from the chairman. i could go on. in the end, what we see is a whole lot of people who have significant positions in football as leaders, who are making racist comments time and time again. that gives us a sense that football is tied up with these sort of attitudes and behaviors. >> we're never going to completely stop racism. that's the unfortunate side. i don't think the governing bodies of world football of football in general, are doing enough to crack down. and so we talk about anti-racist campaigns and kick it out of football, but i think that's just a front. i don't think that the government bodies are doing enough. if you slap people on the wrist, it will continue to happen. >> reporter: because chelsea's captain, john terry, was banned and fined in 2012 for racially abusing another player some say

this club has a particular problem. but anti-racism campaigners will argue the issue is much bigger than that. alex thomas, cnn, london. take a short break here on cnn newsroom. when we come back testimony in the american sniper murder trial. the defendant's family and friends revealed his erratic behavior before and after the killings. plus so much hurt spread across libya after this man, gadhafi, was toppled from power. just a few years later, that hope has faded into bloody chaos. a look at the failed state coming up after the break. next. ♪ expected wait time: 55 minutes. your call is important to us. thank you for your patience. waiter! vo: in the nation, we know how it feels when you aren't treated like a priority. we do things differently. we'll take care of it.

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the egyptian president -- after isis showed the beheading of 21 egyptian christians. >> libya's foreign minister is asking the u.n. to lift the arms embargo to bitter fight terrorism. egypt said more should be done to stop arms from going in there out of fear that groups like isis could get them. >> the power vacuum has been filled with militias and terror

groups. cnn's kyung lah has more now. >> reporter: the images released by isis tell a chilling story. the man driving this car is wearing a suicide vest. he drives away, then this picture. isis claims the man was one of its fighters who attack ad libbian checkpoint in benghazi. cnn cannot verify the validity of the claim, but the message is clear, isis claims it is moving further into libya. also symbolized by the mass execution of egyptian christians. a dark turn for the country, one that four years ago, jubilation as the arab spring sweeps aloss libya in 2011. rebels seeking to oust moammar gadhafi, the dictator begins a civil war with his own people.

>> colonel gadhafi needs to step down from power and leave. that is good for his country. it is good for his people. >> reporter: the rebels defeat gadhafi. he's murdered in the very streets he once controlled. cameras from around the world capture the celebration. that was then. >> i think it's safe to say that the arab spring is dead. >> reporter: so essentially we defendant and there's a shell? >> we left and that's a shell. >> reporter: a power vacuum without the dictator libya dissolved into chaos and sectarian violence. ripe breeding ground for isis. >> as in syria and iraq isis has taken advantage of harboring itself in either failed states or states on the way to failure. isis has manipulated that situation to its advantage. >> reporter: with fears, it's

strengthening not just in libya but beyond its boarders. kyung lah, cnn, los angeles. >> we're going to take a quick break. coming up, the latest on the search for malaysian airlines flight m-370. that's after the break.

it has been nearly one year sense malaysian airlines flight 370 disappeared over the indian ocean and the passenger's families still don't have any answers as to what happened. >> and that is exactly what is motivating crews to continue the search never giving up hope. that's despite the daunting size of the search area and the challenging conditions. officials are saying that they will find this plane. cnn's anna coren joins us live now from perth, australia. we know the search area has been narrowed down, but there are a lot of challenges. describe the underwater conditions search crews are dealing with right now. >> reporter: yeah zain the crews that are heading out there to the priority search zone which is about 1,000 nautical miles from where we're standing here in perth, it has been described to he as horrendous.

beneath the water, the topography is causing logistical nightmares. they have these underwater mountains and volcanos causing huge problems for the sonar equipment. and above the surface, the weather. the crew that we spoke to on board discovery, just behind me there in the distance they encountered three cyclones and waves up to 16 meters high. it really is quite incredible. but they say if that plane is in this particular search zone which is about 50,000 square kilometers 23,000 square miles, that they will find it. take a look. among the massive container ships and live export vessels at perth's harbor is a boat that's just arrived at port. this is discovery, a former

norwegian coast guard vessel that's taking part in the search. >> if there is a plane down there, we will see it. it will show up but it takes time. >> reporter: chris morris and his team have spent the past 42 days looking for mh-370 in the remote southern indian association, 1,000 nautical miles offshore. >> you see australia here. we have the whole survey area where we started. we're looking at this southern section down here. >> reporter: the boeing 777, with 239 people on board, disappeared almost a year ago. according to satellite data experts believe it's somewhere here on the ocean floor. after an initial search zone roughly half the size of the united states it's been narrowed down to a priority area of 60,000 kilometers. but the conditions are horrendous. trenches, volcanos and underwater mountains are part of the terrain.

and for the sonar equipment that's towed ten kilometers behind the ship it's a logistical nightmare. as for the conditions above the surface, search crews recently weathered three cyclones and waves up to 16 meters high. if mh-370 is in the southern indian associationend indian ocean, this is one of the ships that will help find it. they are scheduled to complete the zone by may. but what they're looking for, the debris field on the ocean field, is literally a speck on a map. >> we're looking for small features similar to something like this pixle. >> reporter: it's a slow and meticulous process. the vessels travel up and down strips of the search area referred to as mowing the lawn.

>> we can't leave a gap in there. so we've got to be 100% certain that we're covering the area. >> reporter: the new crew has just arrived and spirits are high. they're used to working in the north sea, where conditions are not nearly as harsh. >> i asked specifically to come on this job, because sit a very exciting opportunity to do something that will potentially help a lot of people. >> reporter: most of all, the suffering families whose loved ones were on board. and zain those families are just struggling. we've got several of them here in perth, and they just cannot come to terms with the fact that it is almost a year since their loved ones disappeared on board mh-370 and still no sign no clue absolutely nothing as to what happened to them. >> yeah anna just heartbreaking, especially when you consider the fact that the malaysian prime minister did say all the passengers on the flight

are presumed dead. anna coren, live for us there in perth. we appreciate it. >> it's been a year which is the hard part to comprehend. the battle for a key town in ukraine has ended. coming up why the president is now asking for international help. also ahead, looking for clues in the latest isis propaganda video. those details after the break. i have the worst cold with this runny nose. i better take something. dayquill cold and flu doesn't treat your runny nose. seriously? alka-seltzer plus cold and cough fights your worst cold symptoms plus your runny nose. oh, what a relief it is.

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thanks for staying with us. you're watching cnn newsroom live all around the world. i'm john vause. >> and i'm zain asher. isis burned alive up to 40 people during its recent attack on al baghdadi. and the u.n. is looking into allegations that isis is harvesting human organs to sell on the black market. greece is expected to ask for an extension on its loan agreement with the eurozone the current deal is set to expire at the end of the month. germany has been reluctant to

negotiate an extension without economic reforms. on the witness stand, eddie ray routh's sister said he told her he killed two people and had to take their souls before they could take his. defense attorneys argue he was insane and did not know right from wrong when he killed chris kyle and chad littlefield in 2013. we're learning that the former thai prime minister has been indicted for her role in a rice subsidy scheme. critics say it was wasted public funds in a bid to please rural voters. a march court date has been set. u.s. president barack obama said extremist groups like al qaeda and isis do not represent islam, that they are terrorists. mr. obama spoke wednesday in washington at a summit on countering violent extremism.

he says terror groups like these try to hide behind religion but he says that premise is a lie. >> the terrorists do not speak for over a billion muslims who reject their hateful ideology. they no more represent islam than any madman who kills in the name of god represents christianity or hinduism. no religion is responsible for terrorism, people are responsible for violence and terrorism. [ applause ] >> mr. obama says muslim communities are working with law enforcement in a number of u.s. cities including boston los angeles and minneapolis, to counter violent extremism. the latest american to die in isis custody was remembered in a ceremony on wednesday. friends and family gathered for kayla mueller's memorial in prescott arizona. she had been working as an aid

worker in 2013 when she was snatched by isis militants in syria. mueller's death was confirmed earlier this month. john? >> zain u.s. officials are taking a closer look at one of the latest isis propaganda videos for clues about the militant's identities. >> allah, the strong and mighty and may peace be sent as a mercy to all the world. >> this one comes from libya, as militants beheaded 21 egyptian christians. >> the speaker was giving a set speech so we can't give him credit for being off the cuff. but it was certainly north american that the best sign of that is he said rs after vowels in words like mercy and world, whereas if he were from the british sphere of influence, it would be mercy or world or something like that.

>> meantime the number one suspect on a u.s. kill list is isis leader is abu al baghdadi. one official says he undoubtedly knows the u.s. has a bounty on his head. he's not appeared in any isis video in months. this is one of the latest images taken back in 2004. the synagogue security guard killed in saturday's terror attack in copenhagen has been laid to rest. >> security was tight as hundreds gathered for the funeral at a jewish cemetery. the victim had been working as a volunteer at a bar mitzvah party when he was gunned down. >> the shooter had pledged allegiance to isis. he killed a film maker earlier in the day at a free speech forum. it was held to address last month's attack at the "charlie hebdo" magazine in paris. the mayor said that anyone

not willing to accept dutch freedom should just get out. >> ahmed talib is in washington attending the international summit on violent extremism and expanded on his views. >> you're not forced to be with us it's choice. be with us, work with us together but if you want to stand out, you threaten us you learn how to use a rifle and to come back and threaten the society, you are not part of my society. you better leave. >> he formed his views through firsthand experience. he was born into poverty in morocco and didn't move to the netherlands. ukraine is asking for u.s. peacekeepers to monitor a crumbling cease-fire. president poroshenko is calling for a firm reaction from the

world to what he describes as russia's violation of the agreements. >> 80% of the forces have withdrawn from the flashpoint town. the army and pro-russian separatists have battled for control of the transport hub for weeks. you can really see the impact of the fighting from above. let me just show you this image. this drone footage was shot by a ukrainian charity fund. for five days, it captured the devastation all around the town. you can see burned houses you can see some military vehicles there. and shell craters in the snow as well. >> the fighting was so fierce the separatists and russia wanted to solidify their gains before a cease-fire could take hold. nick paton walsh has a firsthand look. >> reporter: we're heading towards debaltseve where something has happened that has profound implyications for

european security. the ground around it changing hands fast. hours earlier, this was a ukrainian checkpoint. apcs still smoldering. bodies left behind. locals emerging unscathed. the ukrainians mostly retreating. of course it's better now we're not being shelled, says this woman. but they have no pensions. the loss of the city is not only a strategic blow to the ukrainian government because it gives the separatists the borders that they wanted it's also a massive blow for diplomacy, because this happened on the supposed fourth day of a cease-fire. he shows is us what he says is a booby trap. but it's clear, the men who fled here face a far better equipped enemy. for fighters like victor this is a moment to saver with his brother.

the point is we survived the kiev hunter he says. next to kiev then berlin victor adds. merkel can make us tea. hard to separate joking from ambition when their enemy collapsed so fast. here they left behind armor and a massive stock of artillery shells. even their better missiles. not the orderly withdrawal the president claimed. it is not hard to imagine the fear felt here when you see the destruction the men lived through. this fight for land and geopolitical clout is happening in some of europe's most desolate communities. ukrainian soldiers fled this coal mine hours earlier, having held it for five months we're told. simple lives from poor towns, dragged into a bigger game.

victor explains the mine used to give work to workers and salaries. but who knows until how long it will work again. he thinks russia will help. i asked, haven't they already? the fight is continuing but if this is called a cease-fire when will it stop? nick paton walsh, cnn, eastern ukraine. to argentina now, where tens of thousands took to the streets on wednesday for a peaceful protest, but they are demanding an independent judiciary investigate the death of state prosecutor alberto nisman. he died under mysterious last month. he accused the argentinian prime minister of covering up the investigation of a 1994 bombing. wednesday's protest was one of the biggest so far of the hernandez's administration. the u.s. justice department is threatening to sue the

ferguson missouri police department according to sources. justice officials allege the officers used a pattern of racial discrimination and will sue if the force does not make changes. the justice department is also expected to announce that it will not charge officer darren wilson for last year's shooting -- the shooting death rather of michael brown, a black man. the incident thrust ferguson into the center of a nationwide debate over police tactics and race relations, as well. in response to the justice department the police chief thomas jackson says "i have received nothing new. everything they suggested in the past has been reasonable and we have tried to comply." coming up here on cnn newsroom dramatic testimony in the american sniper murder trial as the defendant's sister reveals the conversation she had with her brother.

a popular u.s. rapper turned tv star is in a bit of legal trouble. what he's accused of stealing. that's coming up. next. ♪ expected wait time: 55 minutes. your call is important to us. thank you for your patience. waiter! vo: in the nation, we know how it feels when you aren't treated like a priority. we do things differently. we'll take care of it. vo: we put members first... join the nation. thank you. ♪ nationwide is on your side ♪

welcome back everyone. what police first described as an apparent road rain inspired killing of a mother has more

ched into a more complex situation. police say after her initial encount we are an angsry encounter, she drove around looking for the man. police say she found the driver and then followed him before eventually breaking off and heading home. >> myers was shot and killed outside her home and police are still searching for the other driver. police say myers' son returned fire during the incident but he was unable to stop the driver from getting away. incoherent talking nonsense that's how family members and friends are describing eddie ray routh, the man on trial for the murders of the american sniper chris kyle and kyle's friend. >> our ed lavandera has more from stevenville, texas, including dramatic testimony from his sister about the state of her brother'smental health. >> reporter: right after eddie

ray routh gunned down chris kyle and eddie littlefield, laura says her brother was talking about pigs sucking on his soul. she called 911 after he left. >> who did he say he had killed? >> he said he killed two guys. they were at a shooting range. he's all crazy. he's [ bleep ] psychotic. sorry for my language. >> is he on drugs? >> i don't know if he's on drugs or not, but i know he has been. >> reporter: in court, she described the scene. the person who came to my house is not the man i knew as my brother. then she turned to him and said i love you, but i hate your demons. the judge is not allowing courtroom audio to be broadcast, but prosecutors are zeroing in on her words. the drugs have been the focus since opening statements.

>> he used drugs and alcohol that morning and he knew what he was doing was wrong. >> reporter: prosecutors say that he ignored orders from his doctor to stop drinking and smoking weed. >> i just want to get the bad guys brother. >> reporter: as he descended deeper into psychological troubles he started date thing woman, who has a degree in psychology herself. she says he could be quick tempered and erratic. before the murder he held his gift and roommate at knife point in her apartment. the night before the killings she said i asked him if he was seeing stuff and he said yes. he got up and told me that they were listening to us, and when i tried to speak with him, he would take his hand and cover my mouth. that was the last night he would spend with the girlfriend he just asked to marry him. not long after, he was handcuffed in the back of a police car. ed lavandera, cnn, stevenville

texas. a man named robert van winkle has been charmed with burglary and grand theft in florida. >> you probably know him better as vanilla ice. listen. ♪ stop collaborate and listen ♪ ♪ will it ever stop yo i don't know ♪ ♪ turn off the light and i glow ♪ >> you should have just seen my co-anchor's dance moves there. >> shhhh. >> police accuse him of stealing furniture and bicycles from a home that was going through foreclosure between december and february. >> he was apparently renovating the home next door. we should note he currently has a tv show about renovating and selling homes. what a coincidence.

rapper nicky mamanamanaj after a stage member was killed. philadelphia police say the man who was killed is devon picket. reports say the incident reported as a fight outside of a bar. meanwhile, the actor from the film "into the wild" is charmed with felony aggravated assault and intoxication. police say hersh put an executive into a choke hold on sunday. the lawyer says the actor was drinking and doesn't remember a thing. he's now checked himself into rehab. >> not a great day for entertainers at all. if you remember the tv show "buffy the vampire slayer," you probably remember this

character, zander. the hollywood reporter says he was arrested this week in florida after reportedly getting drunk, trashing his hotel room falling asleep in a hotel employee's office. and refusing to pay $450 worth of damages. his rep says he's taking the incident seriously and he's focused on his health. >> that ends our block of stars behaving badly, former stars. >> vanilla ice, that surprised me. next here on cnn, it has more viewers than the super bowl and the oscars combined. >> stay with us. daughter: do you and mom still have money with that broker? dad: yeah, 20 something years now. thinking about what you want to do with your money? daughter: looking at options. what do you guys pay in fees? dad: i don't know exactly. daughter: if you're not happy do they have to pay you back? dad: it doesn't really work that way.

daughter: you sure? vo: are you asking enough questions about the way your wealth is managed? wealth management at charles schwab. doug, we have the results, but first, we have a very special guest. come on out, flo! [house band playing] you have anything to say to flo? nah, i'll just let the results do the talking. [crowd booing] well, he can do that. we show our progressive direct rate and the rates of our competitors even if progressive isn't the lowest.

it looks like progressive is not the lowest! ohhhh! when we return we'll find out whether doug is the father. wait, what? it happens once a year and has higher tv ratings that america's most popular specials combined. cctv's annual gala celebrating the lunar new year aired wednesday. >> each year nearly everybody in china gathers at home to eat traditional foods and watch that variety, which is put on by state media. and now organizers are trying to reach a global audience. cnn's david mckenzie got a sneak peek how this program gets put together and joins us from beijing. how is the lunar new year looking, david, and tell us all about this ex-travtravaganzaextravaganza?

>> reporter: you don't necessarily know about it in the rest of the world, but everyone here will be talking about it today. we're at a temple fair. thousands of people have come out here to taste the food get a sense of the year of the sheep, john and zain. they've come here to celebrate the new year at the start of the lunar calendar. many of them might have been groggy after watching the new years. the shoulin temple school is fay nous for its gravity defying school. but they may not make the cut. there is intense pressure says the coach. each rehearsal is also an inspection. up until the last minute the show isn't confirmed. the show is the annual new year

gala on state tv. at one of its time rehearsals it's a menagerie of traditional dancers and acrobats all competing for coveted spots. the school has performed before but it's hu's first time. i'm so excited this year she says. i used to watch them perform on stage. but now it's my turn. the new year's gala is an old school variety show. a five-hour marathon. heavy on some dance and communist style party patriotism. it's a cultural phenomena in china, drawing more viewers than the oscars emmys and vmas combined. and the audience numbers are staggering around 700 million people watch the gala every year and they tweet nearly 50 million times a minute on chinese social media.

and now in what seems a power push, they're taking the gala global. buying newspaper ads and primetime advertising space in the heart of times square. they've even done deals with twitter, google and youtube. all sites banned in china. but after more than three decades on air, the gala struggles to be relevant with the younger generation. last year young chinese flooded the internet with pictures of their grand parent's napping through the marathon show. for the performers though, it's very serious business. i want to perform my best so i can bring the best show to the people in china and the world, he says. they do call the gala, after all, the biggest show on earth. a huge amount of china watches

this but do they enjoy it? that's a different story potentially. a lot of people i've spoken to say they do it out of habit, and it's like background noise. so whether it can get out to the world stage, that remains to be seen. zain? >> so 700 million people watching, but as you saw, a lot of those people might do nothing. there's been this sort of debate here in the west whether this is the year of the goat or the sheep. what are those people on the ground there where you are think of the west's debate of that? >> reporter: well if you think chinese, it's irrelevant. sheep or goat is the same in chinese. i have to say, as many kind of goat rams as there cute little sheep. either way, the chinese don't necessarily want to be born in

this year. there was a whole rush on maternity hospitals to give birth before the year of the sheep, because traditionally, the sheep is known as being autistic, sympathetic, and possibly not the most leadership qualities the chinese might want. but that's more traditional. there is a sense that whether you're a sheep or a goat, maybe it's not the worst thing in the world. so certainly today is more about celebration no matter what side of the fence you sit on. zain? >> and i just find out that i was born in the year of the pig. i knew that when i was younger, but i forgot. somewhat animal do you represent, david? >> reporter: that's very auspicious the year of the pig. i'm the year of the snake, which is charming. i won't go into the other attributes but they're all very positive indeed. >> david mckenzie live for us there in beijing. thank you, david. traditionally the chinese people

give gifts, but this year there's a digital twist. read all about that at cnnmoney.com. before we go a u.s. pizza company figured out a brand new way to stuff more bacon into more americans. check this out. a pizza wrapped in more than a meter, about 3 1/2 feet of bacon. it's a diet buster but if you're a bacon and pizza lover, it is the perfect combination. >> it comes wrapped in whole strips of crispy bacon topped with pepperoni and more chewy pieces of bacon. each slice has about 450 calories and 23 grams of fat. little sewceasar's will roll it out on monday. i'm zain asher. >> i'm john vause. we'll be back with another hour right after this.

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isis savagery. the west reacts to the latest claims of atrocities. an ugly scene caught on tape highlighting the lingering issue of racism in football. still no sign of mh-370 but the search goes on. the latest this hour. we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and arld the world. i'm zain asher. >> i'm john vause. great to have you with us. this is cnn newsroom. we begin this hour with new allegations of brutality of isis and the u.s. president's plans to fight the militants.