afternoon on a popular street on that coastal city. officials say it could have been much worse. but the rain and cold temperatures kept most visitors away. police believe the gunman used an automatic weapon and fired more than 15 rounds. megan robertson, senior producer with the "huffington post," describes what she saw. >> i was in a store, five stores up from the shooting. we heard multiple rounds of gunshots. peel pulled over their cars -- people pulled over their cars -- something i had never seen before -- usually in the united states. leapt out. one man with a handgun chose to pursue the individual who did this. it was a lot of israelis and people in tel aviv running toward the scene as other people got away from it. it was confusing when it happened. >> let's go live to jerusalem.

our iafternon lee is following story. police have been combing tel aviv looking for this gunman on the run. apart from seeing him on video, do they have any new or additional leads? >> reporter: we were talking to police this morning. they don't have anything. there has been a gag order put in place on the latest developments. so the police are not talking about where this investigation is going right now. yesterday, when talking to the police, they were looking very closely at surveillance video. israel is a country that has a lot of that all over the place. they're watching it. we have two videos that were released -- that were released to the media that we've been looking at. there are other videos that the police will be going over, looking at which direction they believe the suspect went, where they will be able to find him. now, local israeli media is describing this man as an

israeli arab from the northern part of the country. th he's had a brush with the law in the past, been imprisoned. police are still not saying who they believe this person is or whether they have captured him or not. still really, they're not even calling this a terrorist or criminal act yet. so there's still a lot of questions to remain while the massive manhunt continues. >> with so much unknown at this point, ian, in the aftermath of what happened, are people being told to stay away in an abundance of caution, that it could be something bigger, or are people being told to carry on as normal? >> reporter: you know, that's really the interesting thing. and really, from the getgo, this has been a bizarre case, talking to people here. it doesn't fit a lot of incidents in the past, whether it be criminal or terrorist attack.

right after the attack took place, the police beefed up security at since going tos, as it is shabot, and people are going to pray. they're telling people in teleavolunteer to be more -- tel tetel aviv to be more cautious. that means the -- the police are tightlipped as this investigation. >> ian lee live in jerusalem. thank you very much for your reporting there. we will stay in touch:now on to northwestern india. that is where soldiers and police are trying to secure an air force base under attack in punjab state near the border with pakistan. four attackers were killed there as well as a civilian and two security personnel. no group at this point has

claimed responsibility. this attack comes a week after india and pakistan pledged to improve diplomatic relations. the video you see is the first time in almost 12 years that the indian prime minister visited pakistan. the two countries have long been at odds over control of territories in -- that are north of india. 47 people in saudi arabia convicteded of plotting and committing acts of terror targeting civilians have been executed. according to the interior ministry, the executions were carried out in 12 locations. four convicts were beheaded. 's not clear how the others died. they believed in extremist ideology and were members of terror groups. they were convicted of plotting and carrying out attacks against civilians including on the u.s. consulate in 2004. in afghanistan, the capital of kabul is dealing with the aftermath of a suicide attack. at least one person was killed. a 12-year-old boy.

this attack hit a restaurant that's popular with french ex-pats. the taliban have claimed responsibility saying the restaurant was owned by "the invaders." one suspect was arrested. the attack comes as afghanistan tries to jump-start peace talks. in iraq, government forces say they're working to free roughly 1,000 families trapped in eastern ramadi and to seek the remaining militants there. the iraqi government says it drove isis out of the heart of ramadi on monday. ramadi fell to the terror group in may, and iraqi forces have been fighting to reclaim the key city for more than a week now. let's go live to baghdad. we have a report from 120 kilometers east of ramadi. nema, good to have you with us. let's talk about the situation there. isis still holding on to parts of the outskirts of the city. reportedly even staging an attack on a nearby base. what more can you tell us?

>> reporter: the iraqi army calls this part of the ongoing security clear-up operation. they say they're working to purge isis fighters from the areas in which they have the remaining presence. but there is definitely a sense of the fighting within the security purge is intensifying. yesterday evening, a complex attack on the 10th division base on the outskirts of the city. only 35 kilometers from the central government district in which the iraqi army raised the iraqi flag less than a week ago. the situation, we understand from local government officials, was multiple car bombs. at least ten car bombs coming toward us, that 10th division base. they say it was repulsed, that there are limited injuries. it gives a sense of the fierce fighting in the areas where isis still has a presence. the concern has been here with ongoing bad weather that that is hampering the ability of the

coalition to maintain the intensity of the attack that we've seen in support of iraqi government operations on the ground there and that isis could possibly be exploiting those windows in which they can't get in. >> let's talk about the efforts to rescue them, i saw your touching report that goes to the heart of it about what people have experienced and how they managed to survive. what can you tell us about what you've seen and heard? >> reporter: this was extraordinarily heartbreaking, george. of course, having been within the city for so long, having lived under isis control since may this year, there is always going to be a sense of the difficulties, of the desolation within that city. but to hear that people are being used as human shields, the government is extracting families. there's a concern that hundred more still remain inside that

eastern district. they're being used by isis to slow that cleanup operaton, that they are being moved there. one woman, 70 years old, told us how her neighbors had to carry her out in her wheelchair. that was the only way she escaped. all these family in these areas talk it fathers and brothers taken away at sword-point by isis for daring to say that they didn't want their families to be moved into the area of advance. this t's heartbreaking -- it's heartbreaking, especially when you hear of the desolation of their homes and schools. it doesn't sound like there's going to be much to return home to even after this clearup operation is finally brought to a close, george. >> many of the residents of the tent city women and children, where many of the men from those families are being questioned. you know, to ensure that there

are no ties or associations with isis, though these family, men, women, and children, thankful to be safe now and out of isis' control. reporting live, thank you very much for your reporting. fears over terror attacks on new year's eve began to fizzle after the stroke of midnight and the ball dropped in new york's time square. we've learn authorities have claimed to have stopped one man who plotted an attack in new york state. we have the details. >> reporter: a home-grown terror plot to attack people celebrating the new year thwarted by the feds. 25-year-old emmanuel luntman charged with plotting to attack a bar and restaurant while revelers partied overnight in rochester, new york. >> i was nervous. some establishments downtown, it's scary. then i sat back and thought, you

know, we have very good security staff. there's great police presence on the east avenue. and you know, they're trying to put the fear into us. we're not going to let it happen. >> reporter: talking to an fbi informant, lutchman talked about using a pressure cooker bomb. he told the informant, "i will take a life. i don't have a problem with that." the feds say that on tuesday, he went to an area walmart with the informant to stock up for the attack, buying black ski masks, zip ties, knives, a machete, duct tape, ammonia, and latex gloves. the complaint said he planned to release a video after the attack. >> there's also a new normal when it comes to terrorism. >> reporter: new york governor cuomoey talking about the -- cuomo talking about the suspect's alleged radicalization. >> he served nightmare attica, went out -- served time in

attica, went out, and went on the internet. he became the proponent of one of the terrorist isil groups and pledged allegiance to the isil group and had a specific plan to assassinate people. >> reporter: but his neighbors say that's not the man they knew. >> he's a street kid. he's not a hard-core terrorist. you know, he jumped on a bandwagon being stupid. >> reporter: if convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison and a quarter million-dollar fine. prosecutor to re forrest sanchez, cnn, new york. a massive fire at a luxury hotel in dubai is under investigation. a source with knowledge of that investigation told cnn the blaze started when curtains caught fire on the 20th floor. meanwhile, witnesses to the fire are still reflecting on what they saw. >> we were really shocked because it was burning right up the building all the way.

and we came to see if the fireworks were going to be going, and the lights were turned off. so we went back to the flat. we were scared. there were explosions, and we didn't know what was happening. >> the civil authorities seemed to get here in good time. i was amazed at the pace of the fire, went up the left-hand side of the building. >> still smoke behind him there, you saw. we know at least 16 people were injured in that incident. you're watching "cnn newsroom." and still to come, authorities in the u.s. state of illinois, they're on edge as the death toll and the floodwaters keep rising there. we'll have the latest for you. plus, the u.s. president, barack obama, reveals his controversial new year's resolution taking on the gun lobby in the united states. stay with us.

welcome back to "cnn newsroom," i'm george howell. the beginning of 2016 isn't bringing much relief to the u.k. in terms of weather. more rain is on the way for parts of the country already dealing with unprecedented flooding and the threat of ice and snow that could hamper

cleanup efforts there. in some areas, what would normally be a month's worth of rain fell in just one day. the u.k.'s environment agency says more than 7,000 homes have been flooded in the last week. in the united states, the death toll is rising from severe flooding in the midwest. in the state of illinois, nine people have been killed, while in missouri at least 15 people lost their lives. people in the southernmost tip of illinois are watching the levees closely as authorities go door to door asking people to evacuate. one levee has already been breached. 12 counties have been declared disaster areas with the governor calling in the national guard. flooding is a big concern. let's go to our meteorologist, karen maginnis, for an update on the situation. when the levees become over-topped, the water is spilling over them, there is a little bit of reinforcement underneath them. but once they become overtopped, that constant flow of water kind

of erodes what had earthen material is there, and eventually the levee will breach. that is if it continues to be over-topped. that's what we're looking at across sections of southern illinois, extending down toward new orleans where there are different levees in place that have been put in place to prevent just exactly what we're anticipating over the next couple weeks. yes, i do mean weeks. already, 16 states where the rivers are at or above flood stage, and the rivers downstream from central section of missouri, we're looking at those rising over the next several weeks. all the way down to new orleans. right now, 281 rivers at or above flood stage. most extending from iowa and illinois down toward texas into louisiana. the florida panhandle and into the carolinas. now, we've heard about the fatalities already across the midwest. once those flooding rains began

around december 26th to the 28 go ahead, there were about 1,500, 1,-600 millimeters reported, and already we have reports of as much as two dozen fatalities associated with flooding. and the majority of those, about two-thirds of them, are from people who have driven their vehicles to the flooded waters. while across the united kingdom, back-to-back storm systems, you could add up another 25 to 100 millimeters. we've seen a succession of storms across the region. the primary areas that will be hit in the next 48 hours from glasgow toward liverpool through edinborough and into wales. and george, gale-force winds, could see winds gust to around 80 kilometers per hour. back to you. >> bad situation in the u.k. and in the midwest, i remember from my time in the chicago bureau, that typically ready, they expect the flooding this time of year. usually from snow melt. >> right -- >> not from rain. >> right.

it's a spring event. to see it in winter is very unusual. >> it is. thank you very much. this coming week will be a notable week for the u.s. president, barack obama. preparing now to bypass congress in order to enact sweeping gun reforms. on monday, mr. obama will meet with his attorney general to discuss available options. sources at the white house say his plans will increase background checks on people purchasing guns. cnn's jim acosta has this report. >> reporter: for president obama, the final surround about to begin. [ applause ] >> in 2016, i'm going to leave it out all on the field. >> reporter: a first in the president's eighth and last year in office, mr. obama's long-promised response to mass shootings in the u.s. sources familiar with the plan say it will be a package of executive actions on gun control. expected before the january 12th, state of the union, and aimed at the gun show loophole which allows some firearms sellers to avoid conducting

background checks on their customers. >> all across america, survivors of gun violence and those who lost a child or a parent or a spouse to gun violence, are forced to mark such awful anniversaries every single day. yet, congress still hasn't done anything to prevent what happened to them from happening to other families. >> reporter: the president will review the slate of pending changes with loretta lynch monday. the white house says it will be in line with polls that show broad support for tightening background checks. >> change is always going to take all of us. the gun lobby is well organized and loud in its defense of easily accessible guns for anyone. the rest of have us to be as passionad and well oregon -- passionate and well organized of our defense of our kids. that's the work of citizenship, to stand up and fight for the change we seek. >> reporter: vowing to fight the

loop, the nra says the president is doing what he always does when he doesn't get his way -- defying the will of the people and using executive action. another proposal coming, the president will ask congress to shut down the terror detention center at guantanamo, a facility mr. obama may close on his own if lawmakers balk at the white house plan. >> it will be an uphill battle. >> reporter: the president also hopes to travel to cuba and perhaps a dozen other countries in what's shaping up to be a global farewell tour. but the president's agenda could be up-end by setbacks on the war on isis. a foreign policy crisis that could complicate white house plans to have the president campaign heavily with the 2016 democratic nominee, a prospect that may well put him and hillary clinton on the trail together again. >> i think we will have a strong democratic nominee. i think that democratic nominee will win. i think i have a democratic successor. >> reporter: first the president will lay out plans for his final year in office at the

fast-approaching state of the union address, less than two week away. white house officials say don't expect a long laundry list of proposal in part because the president is almost out of time. jim acosta, cnn, traveling with the president in honolulu. now the race for the white house. it is official -- 2016, we are now in an election year here in the u.s. and we're already seeing some candidates switch up their strategies to attract more voters, and others seemingly have new campaigns in the new year. mary maloney explains. >> reporter: at the rose bowl parade, skywriters weren't focused on football -- instead set sights on front-runner donald trump. the mention -- america is great, donald trump is disgusteding. he hasn't been quiet saying jeb bush is low in the polls because of his big dollar hit ads on me. they irritate trump.

>> it bothers me when i see a guy spending $60 million on ads against me, a lot of it. >> reporter: trump vowing to start spending $2 million a week to ensure victory. >> we're going to to spend money because i don't want to take chances. >> reporter: bush canceled ad buys, moved staff to early voting states, and insisted trump will fail. >> we're living in a reality tv political environment where he says outrageous things. i think the emotion of the here and now will subside. >> reporter: ben carson overhauled his staff, using three top aides. he says his campaign is gaining energy. on the other side of the political aisle, hillary clinton will bring her not-so-secret weapon, bill clinton, on the campaign trail. she may not change much in the new year. friday, her campaign announced it raised $112 million for the primaries since officially jumping into the race in april. both republicans and democratic candidates will hit the trail monday, marking a new phase in the new year. i'm mary maloney reporting.

now let's take a quick look at the upcoming iowa caucuses. voters from across the state gather on february 1st. the process is different from a primary as party members meet in homes, churches, and schools to discuss the candidates and then make their choice. this is important since iowa is the first state to weigh in during a campaign. the results could have a big impact on the nomination race. barack obama won iowa in 2008 and then went on to secure his party's nomination. iowa did not help rain santorum or mike huckabee. puerto rico is going to default on some of its debt again. puerto rico owes $1 billion to creditors due on january 4th, according to the governor. the territory's government will pay all but $37 million of that. the governor says that money was never guaranteed, and creditors

should know this. this will be the second default in the island's history, the first was in early august. you're watching "cnn newsroom." here is a loaded question for -- how many of the big stories of 2015 do you remember? we'll take a look back at the top ten global headlines as this broadcast continues around the world this hour.

welcome back. are you watching "cnn newsroom." it's good to have you with us. i'm george howell. the headlines we're following in saudi arabia -- 47 people

convicted of plotting and committing terror attacks targeting civilians have been convicted. the primary shiite cleric is among the dead. the men executed believed in ideologies idea -- in terrorist ideology. in friday, gunman killed at least two people in a pub. more than 15 rounds were shot from an automatic weapon. investigators don't know if this was a terror attack. indian forces are fighting off a militant attack on an air base near the border with pakistan. at least four militants were killed, and a civilian and two guards are dead. this attack comes as india and pakistan try to revive political talks. the terror group, al shabaab, warn americans about racism and

discrimination. features messages from the al qaeda leader killed back in 2011. it highlights u.s. presidential candidate donald trump and his call for a temporary ban on muslims entering the united states. the year of 2015, terror attacks dominated the headlines. there were other powerful stories to tell including cuba and the u.s. being back on speaking terms, and a major earthquake in nepal. cnn's anderson cooper has the 2015's top ten moments from around the world. >> reporter: top ten starts with a shocking prison escape inside the mexican jail cell of joaquin "el chapo" dues gguzman. he walked into a shower and did this -- >> reporter: difficult to breathe. this is the bike that el chapo used to run out of prison. >> reporter: he remains at large.

the question lingers, who weheld him escape. cuba and america back on speaking terms. the americans boarding planes bound for havana, the end to difficult diplomatic relations. >> raising stars and stripes over an embassy in havana. >> an earthquake has hit -- >> reporter: number eight, a massive quake shifted kathmandu ten feet in 30 seconds, triggering an avalanche on mt. everest. days of aftershocks followed, more than 8,000 died. very few stories were more divisive than number seven -- >> relations between the united states and iran poised to enter a new era -- >> reporter: the historic agreement to stop iran from developing nuclear weapons. some hailing it as a major victory for diplomacy -- >> there's a reason why 99% of the world thinks this is a good deal. it's because it's a good deal. >> reporter: others calling it a

deal with the devil. >> this doesn't make peace for likely, it makes war more likely. >> reporter: powerful words from the leader of israel. even more powerful, this moment on the floor of the united nations -- >> nothing -- >> reporter: 44 seconds of uncomfortable silence, signifying what he says is the deafening silence toward iran from the west. at number six, the bloody war rages in syria and iraq. sprawling mess in a dangerous proxy war. the u.s.-led coalition air strikes pound isis targets in syria. russia says it's bombing isis target, as well. >> the russians are not attacking isis. they are conducting strikes in the areas where there are anti-regime militias. the strikes will bolster bashar al assad. >> reporter: turkey protecting its borders. >> turkey shooting down a warplane. >> a russian warplane crashed in the mountains of syria near the turkish border. >> the russians are

understandably furious. >> president putin calling it the incident a "stab in the back." >> reporter: this year the world watched the biggest escalation of the military campaign against isis to date. >> i will not put american boots on the ground in syria. the u.s. stepping up its presence on the ground. >> president obama putting combat boots on the ground in iraq and syria, the first time sending special forces in to syria to fight isis. ♪ [ cheers ] >> reporter: rounding out the top five, a rock star welcome for pope francis as he toured the united states and cuba. the masses before millions. >> this man is employing extraordinarily well on the new york stage. >> i want to listen in a little bit. the crowds are so excited. >> reporter: off-the-cuff moments and tiny glimpse into the life of the catholic leader so many have come to love. >> god bless -- >> reporter: he went to a war zone in the central african republic, part of the pontiff's historic visit to africa.

number four, a city under siege. >> a manhunt is underway for the gunman that perpetrated this heinous attack on "charlie hebdo" -- >> the editor is among the dead, as well as one of the cartoonist who was responsible for the very famous muhammad cartoon that got the newspaper in trouble in 2011. >> reporter: two islamic terrorists, brothers, forced their way into the offices of the satirical magazine "charlie hebdo" opening fire and killing 12. >> walked in, and it was obviously a disturbing scene to see bodies on the floor. some people were crying out for help. >> reporter: chaos spilling into the streets. muslim police officer executed on camera. a police car tries to flee as the manhunt intensifies. al qaeda in the arabian peninsula claims responsibility. shoppers at a jewish grocery store held hostage not by brothers but a man working in concert with them. after three intense days, 17 people dead, two terrorists killed. three, a germanwings commercial

airline crashes killing everyone on board. the co-pilot now considered a culprit. andrea lubitz locks the captain out of the cockpit and steers the a-320 into the ground. a chilling revolution as prosecutors hear the horror unfold on the black box voice recorder. >> the screams over the last instance -- i remind you that death was instantious. >> reporter: lube itch obliterating everyone on board. >> changed the setting from cruising altitude, 38,000 feet, to just 100 feet. the premeditated plan condemning everyone on board. >> reporter: senseless killing sparking a question that struck fear around the world -- can you trust the person piloting your plane? and number two, two million syrians run for their lives. the refugee crisis on a scale not seen since world war ii. >> reporter: running for their lives, refugees crossing the

border by the thousands. >> reporter: bashar al assad drops barrel bombs on his own people, and isis terrorists carve a bloody path through the country. terrified syrians flee. >> they fired more teargas, so people are panicking. >> reporter: at borders across europe, men, women, and children pushed back. tens of thousands more with nothing but the clothes on their back, desperately cram into boats destined for unknown shores. some would never make it. >> still disturb disturbing. a 2-year-old found facedown on a turkish beach. drowned at sea while crossing with his family. >> reporter: the picture of a toddler's lifeless body seen across the globe. becoming a symbolic image of the human suffering. still in many countries, fear of the unknown prevails. >> reporter: breaking news for you out of paris, france -- >> reporter: number one, isis terrorizes the world, spreading

brutality beyond the borders of iraq and syria. an explosion outside a soccer stadium in paris, the first of three suicide bombers to detonate outside the stadium marksing the start of a sears of terror attacks the likes of which paris has h never seen. >> the whole time he said, "don't run, just stay." those words saved my life. the people who ran were shot. >> reporter: people flee for their lives. a pregnant woman so terrified she rangs from the side of a building to escape the gunfire. at several restaurants, innocent diners are slayed as terrorist unload round after round. >> translator: we are at war. a war against terrorism. >> reporter: the unimaginable slaughter of 130 people in paris happening just 24 hours after this. in beirut, lebanon, a pair of suicide bombs with blasts so powerful, once the smoke clears, 43 are left dead. isis' ability to incite terror and fear across the world made clear when they did the

unimaginable. >> new intelligence suggested the plane was most likely brought down by a bomb. >> isis is holding the photo up as proof that it downed metrojet 9268. >> isis says they detonated it in midair. as you know, 224 people were killed. >> reporter: then an attack on u.s. soil. >> disturbed husband and wife drop off their little baby, drive to a holiday party, and kill 14 people. >> reporter: the pair radicalized and at least partly inspired by isis to carry out the deadliest terror attack in the united states since 9/11 leaving many to wonder and wary where isis could strike next. [ siren ] >> your top ten stories of 2015. you're watching "cnn newsroom." ahead, a look at how actress mira sorvino is helping women fight modern-day slavery. the story is quite incredible. stay with us.

this week, cnn is profiling anti-slavery heroes, partnering with the cnn freedom project. today we focus on actress mira sorvino. here's to eli and floor. two of our very own who are now going to be advising our president of this country. [ applause ] >> it's a model. they're like anywhere in the country take a caste and say replicate this, this is best practices. but you have to have somebody at the heart and have to have the survivors being the lifeblood of it, otherwise it won't work. the anti-trafficking, anti-modern day slavery work i do is enormously fulfilling and has become a complete passion of mine. this is something that i think the average person never thinks about. there's upward of 30 million people living as slaves right

now in every country. >> she is in it for the long haul and tries to learn as much as she can about an issue in order to be a more effective advocate. >> i'm so proud of you. >> human trafficking exists, but also that there is hope and help nowadays. >> the current statistics are that only one in 100 slaves will be rescued. and to think that each one of them is a floor who is an incredibly beautiful soul. the united nations office on drugs and crime asked if i would become their goodwill ambassador on human trafficking, and it was an enormous honor. i was sworn in in 2009. >> she's contributed in so many ways. first and foremost, i think she has demonstrated to survivors that even someone who lives a really good life and is a celebrity, is on television,

that she's still interested in their individual experiences. >> we have to eradicate this. it cannot exist under our watch, and it. does we all are a party to it by no nonaction. we need people brief enough to stand up against these forces. we need people to step up and be heroes, because it's really this monument youal fight. we have no resources but have the heart. >> to learn more, go to cnn.com/freedom. there you can see how people around the world making a difference in the fight against modern-day slavery along with gripping stories of hope and courage. that's cnn.com/freedom. in china, workers are trying to rescue 17 miners trapped inside a mine, and they've hit a roadblock felt during a drilling expedition, a well collapsed and flooded part of the mine. the result narrowed the living

space of four of the men who are trapped. one rescue expert says the collapse shows just how difficult that operation is given that rescuers are dealing with unstable conditions. the mine collapsed on christmas leaving one person dead. government ministers in delhi, india, carpooled to work on new year's day. this is part of new driving restrictions there. the temporary measures are aimed at reducing pollution. only private vehicles are allowed on the road every other day. extra officers were sent out on friday to make sure that odd-numbered vehicle license plates were on the streets. delhi adds roughly 1,400 cars to the road every day. singer natalie cole whas passed away. she was often mentioned with greats aretha franklin. tributes when we come back. good thing geico offers affordable renters insurance.

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♪ this will be one of many hits by natalie cole who passed away on monday. she sang many hit including "everlasting love." she made it known that her life was at times very troubled as she battled substance abuse. jeremy roth has her story. ♪ ♪ unforgettable in every way ♪ >> reporter: she was the daughter of a singing legend who found her own musical success. as the child of nat king cole and orchestra singer maria hawkins ellington, natalie cole was exposed to a rich performing tradition from an early age. her 1991 version of her father's standard "unforgettable," a combination of their voices, helped win six grammys in 1992. cole was open about a year's long struggle with drug abuse. she was diagnosed intuated with hepatitis c and not went on a

public -- and went on a public search for a kidney transplant. she was on "ling live" in 2005. >> they treat it like a virus from drug use. >> reporter: a nurse was so moved by the struggle that when her niece died, she arranged for cole to receive her kidney. meanwhile, her family says in her absence, they're left with "heavy hearts but add that she died how she lived -- with dignity, strength, and honor." natalie cole was 65 years old. >> that was jeremy roth reporting for us. reaction to natalie cole's death has been swift. comedian arsenio hall wrote, "in college i named by bass guitar natalie. as a young standup comic, i opened for natalie cole. she was all that in all ways. rest in peace." civil rights leader jesse jackson wrote, "natalie cole, sister, beloved and of spans and

sound. may her soul rest in peace, inseparable." talk show host and legal analyst starr jones wrote, "no one is ever ready for the heaviness to your heart when you lose someone you love. the angels have my sister natalie cole now." actress marlee matlin wrote, "i'm saddened by the news of the passing of my friend, natalie cole. lovely songbird and great actress, too. she is now singing in heaven." and singer india ary wrote, "rest in peace, natalie cole. i really loved her. she was always so kind and fun and encouraging. i can't believe she's gone." now to the u.s. state of california. that is where two parents in the city of san diego are celebrating some of the rarest twins you will ever find. these are twins born in different years. our affiliate kswv has more on last year's and this year's newest surprises.

smile for the camera. >> reporter: harvey charleston gillman, the new year's baby at sharp mary birch hospital. >> he was born at 12:35. the nurses are excited to have a new year's baby. >> reporter: harvey wasn't supposed to be here for another week. it was yesterday when mom knew the time was now. >> i was sitting at the table and eating yoeg urtd. >> reporter: and how do you know when it's time? well, there's an app for that. >> we looked down like, that's five minutes apart. and he was like -- >> it's go time. >> reporter: meantime at kisor zion, two babies ended last year and began the new year. twin babes, little jalyn was born a minute to movie at 2015. her little brother louis -- >> a new year's baby -- >> reporter: three minutes later in 2016. proud papa luis says they weren't expected for another month, but they were excited

when they found out the possibility. >> we were watching the clock. >> reporter: they had plans to ring in the new year up in l.a. >> i was prepared to go up north when w my family. >> reporter: now they're not only celebrating the new year but the last one, too. >> pretty much the best of both worlds. two birthday parties back to back. >> reporter: speaking of parties, the gillmans had to cancel two. for both families, there is no celebration -- >> oh -- >> reporter: -- sweeter than this. >> a good party. best new year's party. >> truly congratulations to them. that was sharon chen from kswb reporting. it's wraps this hour of "cnn newsroom." i'm george howell at the cnn center in atlanta. i'll be back with more news from around the world. ♪ this will be an ever lasting love ♪ ♪ this will be the one i've waited for

this will be ♪ ♪ the first time anyone

a deadly siege targeting india's military. attackers storm an air base, a civilian and two security guards among the died. tracking down a killer. israeli police search every corner of teleavolunteer looking for a gunman who killed two and injured many more on a bustling city street. ♪ unforgettable in every day the word say it all. natalie cole, a timeless voice. we pay tribute to this legendary singer. from cnn works in atlanta, welcome. to our viewers here in the united states and around the

world, i'm george howell. "cnn newsroom" starts right now. good day. in india, security forces are fighting off a militant attack at an air force base base near the pakistani border. four attackers have been killed as well as a civilian and two security personnel. a militant is holed up in a building at this point, and no group has yet claimed responsibility. this attack comes about a week after india's prime minister met with his pakistani counterpart to launch peace talks. it was the first time an indian prime minister visited pakistan in more than a decade. there are fears this attack could undermine the diplomatic process. joining me on the line from new delhi is retired brigadier gramit conwell, adjunct fellow at the center for strategic and

international studies. brigadier, it is good to have you here to give us context on what's happening. at this point, we understand that no one has claimed spobld can you explain how this situation could play into the talks last week between efforts to revive relations between pakistan and india. >> it looks like business as usual for the center that is pakistan. the proxy war goes on. it does not appear the pakistan army and isi are on board with the initiative by mr. modi that began a short while ago. >> this locationed in the border of pakistan. can you explains the strategic significance of the base. >> the air force base divide india and punjab from kashmir.

quite obviously, they've come to the international boundary just north a couple of days ago. and they began yesterday by hijacking the car of police. this morning, they stepped over the outer boundary wall of the air force base and got inside the base. fortunately, they were prevented from doing major damage with the mission 21s and attack helicopters were part. >> i want to talk more about these effort to revive relations. other prime ministers of india have had -- made effort to revive relations with pakistan. but could you just give us an understanding of why when people see what happened here, why that will affect what we saw last week which was a positive move

forward. >> prime minister modi staked his political future on these talks by stomping over, as some said -- by stepping over, as some said, the trip to new delhi a week ago. widely speculated by analysts, there's been another terrorist site on india soil. every time india extends its hand of friendship, something goes wrong on the other side. it leads me to the conclusion that the proxy war is on and the army and isi do not appear to be on board -- on board the two friendships they're trying to forge. >> thank you very much for your insight on what's happening there. >> thank you. >> thank you. let's turn now to saudi

arabia. a prominent shiite clerk is among 47 people executed. saudi officials say the executed men believed an extremist ideology and were members of terror groups. they were convicted of plotting and carrying out attacks against civilians including on the u.s. consulate in jeda in 2004. reports say lebanon's supreme islamic shiite counsel and the houthi movement are among those who quickly condemned the executions there. a massive manhunt in tel aviv for a man who killed seven outside a pub. it happened on a popular street in the coastal city. it's believed he used an automatic weapon and fired more than 15 rounds. the israel police foreign press spokesman spoke to cnn earlier and described how they are

trying to catch him. >> as far as we're concerned, we're not taking any chances. as far as we know, the man is still armed. as far as we know, he's hiding in the tel aviv area. we've set up roadblocks to prevent him from leaving or the possibility of him leaving the area into another area across the country. security over the last 24 to 48 hours for the new year's celebrations which went through and passed quietly without any incidents whatsoever. but unfortunately, after this attack, there were no warnings. we're continuing to work as we're speaking in the area. live to ian lee. police combing the area for the gunman. we know he's been seen in surveillance video. are there any new leads here? >> reporter: yes, he's been seen in surveillance video. that's what the police have been

using to determine, george, which way he went, although they are searching all over tel aviv for him, going house to house, street by street looking for the suspect consider dangerous. they aren't saying anything new. a gag order has been put in place that prohibit journalists from reporting new details of the investigation. these have been put in place in the past sometimes to prevent the person who is on the run from alerting any -- learning any of the movements of police. there's still a massive manhunt underway. people are encouraged to go about their daily bit more cau. >> there are always concerns this could be connected to

terrorism. officials telling people to go on about their work. >> reporter: that's right. right now, the police have yet to say whether this is a criminal case or terrorism case. a spokesman said that they're leaning toward it being a terrorism case, although they're not sure yet. but right, they're telling people in the tel aviv area to go about their daily lives. last night, beginning of the sabbath, they had extra security at the synagogues for people who are praying. there's also people, this is the weekend going out to restaurants, going to bars and enjoying night life. and so yesterday, we heard from witnesses saying that the bad weather has kept people away. weather hasn't improved. people scared to go about while this man is on the loose. the police still saying, you

know, it's fine. you can go out. just be a little bit more cautious. keep alert. >> and ian, officials even pointing out that the weather you're talking about, the cold temperatures, may -- could have -- fact that people stayed away, that there weren't as many people out, the situation could have been worse. ian lee live in jerusalem. thank you so much for your reporting there. we move to iraq and the fight for ramadi. government forces there, they say they are working to free roughly 1,000 people trapped in the eastern part of the city. we're also trying to find -- also i should say finding any remaining manipulatants. the iraqi -- militants. the iraqi government drove isis out of the heart of ramadi monday, declaring it liberated. ramadi fell to the terror group in may, and iraqi forces have been fighting to reclaim that key city for more than a week. we'll go live to baghdad. nema has the latest. good to have you with us. the fighting there continues.

isis still holding out in the outskirts of the city, reportedly staging the attack on a nearby base. what more can you tell us about the situation? >> reporter: this is characterized as ongoing, they say the areas in which isis has a presence that's intensifying. yesterday evening, a complex attack on the outskirts of ramadi, hitting the 10th division headquarters. multiple suicide car bombs. they were pushed back with what iraqi government officials are saying was limited exposure. it is this reality that isis are still fighting in a city that the iraqi government has liberated. it gives a sense of how difficult it is with street-by-street fighting. this is what we've heard repeatedly from iraqi forces. this is not conventional

warfare. it is complicated by that reality of these narrow avenues in which the fighting is continuing, and isis proving -- helped, we're hearing, by the weather preventing a lot of that ongoing air cover, the intense air strikes which have been so crucial in this fight. not just for ramadi but other areas in iraq. the weather hampering the ongoing cover. and seeing isis trying to push the advantage. >> as these efforts continue to rescue people from the militants' control, we're hearing some harrowing stories about what they experienced, what they saw and how they managed to survive it all. what all have you heard, what all have you seen? >> reporter: we traveled to the refugee camp about half an hour from ramadi where a lot of those families that are being extracted by the iraqi counterterror forces are being brought back to. it was heartbreaking. they did so much. they're dealing with the reality

that that city, their homes, are not deslated. what the air strikes and ground offenses didn't destroy was blown up by isis. a 70-year-old woman in a wheelchair said if her neighbors hadn't physically helped carry her out of areas where the fighting was going on, she doesn't think she would have survived. another lady spoke about her husband being threatened at swordpoint by isis when he tried to stop them from taking his city to the east of the city where the human shield are moved. isis moving so many remaining civilians, using them to block the ongoing offensive coming in from the east. to slow the ongoing offensive. the husband survived that. they are waiting to be rescued from the eastern districts. he's amid the many young men and husbands and fathers who the iraqi government feels has to go through this process of questioning. it is heartbreaking. i don't think there's any other

word for it. >> you talked about the situation in that tent city. a situation with mostly women and children. as you explained many of the men questioned. what is the sense that you got from people now that they've been rescued from the militants' control? the sense of them reclaiming control of their own lives? >> this is the way this which ramadi is set up as a blueprint for what could happen in these other territories that they're hoping to retain from isis, whether it's mosul or fallujah, using the so-called sunni tribe to hold the territory. and therefore, giving a lot of families a sense of security, a sense that they have a buy-in to the securing of their country, to the holding of their homes. and that's a hope that the iraqi government has in ramadi, that using the local population, using the local tribal forces would give the families a sense

of confidence that would allow them eventually to feel that they are able to return to their homes. >> our senior international correspondent live for us in baghdad. thank you so much for your reporting and context on what's happening there. you're watching "cnn newsroom." still ahead, authorities in the u.s. state of illinois, they are on edge as the death toll and floodwaters continue to rise. the latest for you. plus the u.s. president barack obama, he is expected to announce new executive action on the issue of gun control. we'll tell you about his plan when we come back.

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bad news for parts of the united kingdom. more rain on the way for an area already dealing with unprecedented flooding. warnings remain in place across the country. and the threat of ice and snow could hamper cleanup efforts. in some areas, what would normally be a month's worth of rain fell in just one day. the u.k.'s environment agency says more than 7,000 homes have been flooded in the last week. flooding also the story in the united states where the death toll is rising from severe flooding in the midwest. nine people have been killed in illinois and missouri. at least 15 people lost their lives. people in the southernmost tip of illinois are watching the levees closely as authorities go door to door asking people to evacuate. one levee has been breached.

12 counties have been declared disaster areas with the governor calling in the national guard. flooding, the big story in the u.s. and u.k. let's turn to our meteorologist, karen maginnis, following the situation. >> reporter: yes, right now we have about nine million people who are under some sort of flood advisory, watch, or warning. there are 16 states where the rivers are at or above -- well above flood stage that include areas such as louisiana, extending toward the carolinas and into the lower great lakes. it is the mighty mississippi, the big muddy that is going to see the problems not just in st. louis where they're not going to see any more rainfall. but they see the fallout from all of the rain that fell between december 26th and the 28th. about tone 12 inches in some cases. and the meramac river which was well out of its banks and establish the new record high for that particular river. now we're looking at downstream,

all the way into louisiana where we expect in the next several weeks that all of that rainfall that has accumulated across the basins flows toward the south. it is these basebasins, the s z mississippi, missouri, arkansas, have that have been hit. you see the mississippi river at st. louis, it was not a record-setting event, that would still be back in 1993, nonetheless, top three events. and now we're watching cape girardeau which will crest at approximately 50 feet over the next day or say. right now looking at it well over the flood levels. and the people here who have lost everything in the devastating floods, the temperatures are exceptionally cold. only around the low 30s. and across the united kingdom,

back-to-back storm systems once again pounding the area. we'll expect gale-force winds as well from the highlands of scotland across north central sections of the u.k. back to you. >> thank you. the new year's eve fireworks are barely over, but the fireworks for the 2016 u.s. presidential campaign, they are well underway. some of the candidates took a break over the holiday, but others like donald trump, they kept up the political attacks on social media. cnn has a look at what's ahead for these presidential hopefuls as the race get serious. we're going to have a great time next year. it's going to be an amazing year. we'll make america great again. and we'll do everything in our power to make sure that happens. >> reporter: donald trump has been off the campaign trail for

the last few days, but he's still going after his rivals on twitter. " i would feel bad for jeb bush other than he took out millions of n ads for me." bush changed things up, canceling ad buys in iowa and south carolina and moving dozens of staffers to key early states to try to cut into trump-mentum. >> he's not a serious candidate. he has a broad appeal, but it may not be as deep as people imagine. we're going to put together a ground game in iowa and new hampshire and in south carolina that i think will be second to none. that's how we'll win. we're going to do well. i'm excited about it. >> reporter: trump leads in national polls, but his lead in iowa is more disputed. with the iowa caucuses less than a month away, ted cruz is gaining on the billionaire. ♪ the republican senator is up with an ad selling his conservative credentials, and

starts a six-day iowa bus tour on monday. to blunt cruz's raise to the top -- rise to the top, donald trump will be making big ads -- >> in iowa, new hampshire, south carolina, and they'll be substantial, well done. i've seen the first two or three. we're proud of them. we'll be talking about a lot of things including the border, including trade. >> reporter: ben carson rang in the new year with a new cast of advisers after three top aides resigned on new year's eve. the struggling contender promised to reinvigorate his campaign ahead of iowa's february 1st caucuses. democrats are also getting back on the campaign trail. bernie sanders is in massachusetts today, and over the next two days, new hampshire gets a double dose of clinton. on sunday, hillary clinton makes several stops in the granite state. monday, former president bill

clinton makes his first solo appearance of the campaign on his wife's behalf. cnn, washington. the current u.s. president, barack obama, is set to announce new executive action to expand gun control. -- o monday, mr. obama will meet with his attorney general to discuss available options. sources at the white house say his plans will increase background checks on people purchasing guns. on, obama's announcement is expected in the coming days for the state of the union address that is set for january 12th. earlier, my colleagues, john mann, spoke to robert spitzer. he's a professor at the state university in new york at courtland. he asked how effective the president's executive action might be. listen -- s>> the chief question is whethr it can help in keeping guns on out of the hands of people than shouldn't have them in the first place. if there's no break, it's impossible to tell if someone is a felon or is judged mentally

incompetent or has characteristics that most agree should cause a person not to have a gun. that it affects that transfer activiti, it would be useful. >> useful or not, it's going to be introduced by executive order which is to say it's the president's signature that will make it law, and would be another president's prerogative to repeal it. how likely is that this will not last longer than the president has in snofs. >> it depends -- in office? >> it depends on who succeeds the president. even when presidents of a different political party take office after an election, most of the previous orders of the previous president tend to stay in place. it's not the chase presidents tend to go whole hog and overturn most of the executives orders of their predecessors regardless of political party. however, if the country elects a republican president, there will be considerable pressure on that president to alter or amend or repeal these executive orders, at least pertaining to firearms and other things, too.

>> the president's opponents aren't just criticizing the result but the process which once again is unilateral. it's his pen, his executive order. how hard has the president tried to get measures like this through congress? he said he wanted to use all the powers of the presidency to try to enact gun reform. why hasn't he been more successful? will. >> there's two parts to that story. part one is obama's first term when the gun issue was pushed to the side. even pro-gun control organizations gave him a failing grade for his activities on the gun issue. after his election in 2012, within a month came the terrible shooting at sandy hook elementary school. petit president obama decided he was going to act on the gun issue and brought all of his powers to bear to bring it to congress and get enacted stronger gun measures in the spring of 2014. votes were held on the floor of

the senate where it failed and republicans did not take them up. i think he's given the much higher priority in the second term in terms of trying to get things through congress and, of course, not succeeding, but also to bring his rhetorical ability to bear, to try and engage at some bully pulpit banging, so to speak. some agenda setting, and also to act through executive orders and other executive, unilateral actions, several of which he did in 2013. >> that was robert spitzer speaking earlier with cnn's john mann. you're watching "cnn newsroom." still to come, the russian president, vladimir putin, calling nato a threat to his country. and now mr. putin is putting it in writing. the story ahead live from atlanta. broadcasting around the globe this hour. you're watching cnn worldwide.

a warm welcome back to our viewers in the united states and around the world. you're watching "cnn newsroom." good to have you with us. i'm george howell. the headlines we're following for you this hour -- police in tel aviv are searching for a gunman who opened fire outside of a club on friday killing at least two people there. more than 15 rounds were shot from an automatic weapon. investigators don't yet know if this was a terrorist attack. in saudi arabia, the interior minister says 47 people convicted of plotting and committing attacks and acts of terror have been executed. among the dead is a shiite cleric. the executed man believed in extremist ideology, and they

were members of terror groups. indian security forces in an ongoing operation against militants at an air base in punjab state near india's border with pakistan. so far, four militants, two gaurksds and a civilian -- guard, and a civilian have been killed. at least one militant is said to be holed up in a nearby building. in the united states, the midwest, people are still facing evacuation orders from devastating floods. in the southernmost tip of the state of illinois, people are watching levees closely as one has already been breached. no more rain is expected in the area until next week. the terror group al shabaab has released a new recruitment video. warns muslims in america about raisism and discrimination. the video features messages from radical cleric anwar awlacki and

healthy donald trump and his temporary boon muslims entering the united states. vladimir putin says that nato has become a threat to his country. mr. putin signed an executive word thursday formalizing russia's stance on that alliance. cnn senior international correspondent matthew chance has the latest. >> reporter: this isn't necessarily a changing strategy. it's making formal what russian officials have really been spinning out for years, that nato and the expansion of the military alliance seem very much here as a threat to russia's national security. they've been altering the expansion for several years. it was the prospect of ukraine being absorbed into the alliance that was one of the reasons that russia annexed crimea in 2014, an important naval base on the black sea. the new national security paper, updated every six years by law, says that russia's independence

and foreign policy trade called a counteraction on the part of the united states and its allies. the paper is only the latest in a series of russian statements put moscow and nato at loggerheads. in 2013, russia updated -- 2014, russia updated its military doctrine, preparations to defend russia with its weapons. at the time russian defense officials said that the alliance was getting closer to borders and presented a threat. it's still believed that that's still true here in russia. month that use chance, cnn, moscow. when it comes to russia's influence and actions, all were major talking points in 2015, especially when it comes to syria. that is likely to continue. several of our cnn senior international correspondents sat

down to look at what they think 2016 will bring. >> reporter: we're seeing the collapse of arab states basically. one after another and god knows which country may be next. >> yeah. i hope i'm wrong, but i think it's going to get worse. i really don't want to be right about this. [ screams ] >> possibly ones that had unintended consequences. i think we'll see many problems in afghanistan and isis, attractive brands with poor and angry young men there. and i think it will be a problem. i think the west have slightly got their heads around libya.

>> i think it will get worse in the sense of what you're talking about. it is going to change, but it's still going to be there. and that fear that they're able to create and generate is going to be there. and let's not forget the aside regime and -- assad regime and what they're doing to the population. how these those at the actions and that people feel abandoned by the west that failed to come and save them -- >> people don't understand this -- >> dying at the hands of assad drove so many. how many activists that we know are dead, fled, or become radicals? >> or disappeared. >> let's not forget that you have a mind-boggling number of foreign militaries flying and backing different pracys with completely -- proxies with completely contradictory that strateg strategic goals. >> there's a consensus forming around the need move. >> i also think everyone has a different idea about how to bring down isis. the russians think that --

>> they're supporting the assad regime. >> isis is a nice lightning rod for what is a huge conflagration in the region. there's a need for the region to take ownership of the problem a and fix it themselves. even if isis is defeated, that doesn't fix the problem of the saudis and iranians being octogenarians. >> that's what it comes down to, right? ultimately saudi arabia and iran need to be locked in a room together. at the same time, while we're theefl there will be some consensus -- hopeful that there will be some consensus, you have an isis presence in yemen. we're ignoring the reality -- >> i believe it's possible that we're seeing a seismic, tectonic shift within the middle east, and over the next few decades you're going to see a lot of these borders rewritten. they were officially designated borders anyway. >> the way governments were set up and boundaries were drawn was unsustainable. they were never going to last. it didn't have to be this

violent. >> with the ebola crisis last year, with the syrian crisis on the shores. i think europe essentially knows it is existential to get its house in order this year. >> i don't think we are mature enough to actually make the right decisions. i'm sorry, i've sadly lost a lot of faith in humanity. >> you say that, but i know that each one of us has a story from the field where we have been completely overe overwhelmed by -- overwhelmed by the generosity of people in the worst situations. that's what i hold on to. >> they cover the stories in the field but also see so many things and can bring us remarkable context. you're watching "cnn newsroom." and still ahead, pretty remarkable details about a man who escaped a hotel fire in dubai on new year's eve. we'll have the story for you

next.

it has been nearly two days since a massive fire broke out at a luxury hotel in dubai. investigators are still trying to figure out exactly how it might have started. at least 16 people were injured in the new year's eve incident when the flames spread that day. this photographer was trapped on a balcony on the 48th store. cnn has the remarkable story. my locations -- >> reporter: new year's eve is one night dennis malary will never forget. the 37-year-old photographer was on assignment to take pictures

of dubai's fireworks display at the world's tallest building. at 9:30 p.m., his vantage point inside the nearby hotel went up in flames. and malary trapped, scared, and alone, had to fight to make it out alive. >> i'm on the side of the building. i go there inside to try to go exit, i'm not going to die because of the fire, because of the smoke. >> reporter: he was stuck on a balcony on the 48th floor, great for photos, but smoke quickly filled the building. and escape wasn't an option. the filipino ex-pat first panicked, then sent desperate pleas for help to friends and family on facebook. >> i need help! his already posted that i'm here at 48th floor. help. >> reporter: he also kept filming to stay calm, especially

when things looked the worst. >> weeper at the 48th floor -- we were at the 48th floor, fire happening now. i can hear them -- i saw some debris falling down from the building. >> reporter: after almost two hours, he came one a last-ditch plan. he'd rappel down the building on a window washer's cable even though it wasn't quite long enough to make it. >> i prayed if this is my last -- my last chance, then so be it. >> reporter: as he started going over the edge, firefighters found him and saved his life. >> you have to pull my belt. i have a belt. >> reporter: after walking down all 48 floors, he was treated for smoke inhalation. he left his friends know he was safe, posting this picture. then he continued with work, capturing dubai's fireworks meters from the building that nearly killed him.

john jensen, cnn, dubai. >> wow. what a remarkable story. on to china now. workers are trying to rescue 17 miners trapped inside a mine and may have hit a roadblock. reports say during a drilling expedition, a well collapsed and flooded part of the mine, now narrowing the living space of the four men trapped inside. one rescue expert says the collapse shows just how difficult this operation is given that the rescuers are dealing with unstable conditions. the mine collapsed on christmas leaving one person dead. the new year brings with it the start of a new era in china. couples there will now be allowed to have two children as beijing ends its controversial one-child policy. until now, families faced fines and often heartache if they tried to have more than one baby. cnn explains how the one-child policy came into place and why it's now being scrapped.

>> reporter: the one-child policy has been in place for the last 30 years. it started in the late 1970s when china was grappling with major population density as well as a backward underdeveloped economy. in twitt2013 was relaxed when c announced that certain couples, in which one member is an only child, would be allowed to have more than one child. now there's a policy, one couple, two children. the new population control policy for china. how it was enforced? the one-child policy has been enforced through propaganda, fines, and also through force. couples have been fined thousands of dollars for having an extra child, and there have been many heartbreaking and horrific reports of forced abortions and sterilizations. it was the blind activist who made headlines ten years ago for exposing the forced family planning campaigns in china. why is it ending?

why is china scrapping the one-child policy? because of the economy. china's demographics have changed. has become an aging population. that means a graying work force. what china is trying to achieve is to have a younger, more revitalized and productive work force. and how big a deal is it that it's finally ending? china watchers have been expecting this for a while. without a doubt, this is major change for the country. many questions remain about the end of the policy. one we can aol urban couples choose to have two children? the cost of living is high in chinese cities like beijing, shanghai, and many couples may choose to opt out of having a second child. another key question -- will it finally end the gender imbalance in china? china's a country where men outnumber women by some 34 million. >> reporting for us. natalie cole, the singer with the magical voice, has passed away. we look back at her legacy and the challenges that she publicly

and bravely face. ♪ jay knows how to keep nice shorts, dad...g. this is what the pros wear. uhhh... that's why he starts his day with those two scoops in heart healthy kellogg's raisin bran. ready to eat my dust? too bad i already filled up on raisins. kellogg's raisin bran. deliciously heart healthy.

♪ this will be an everlasting love this will be the one i've waited for ♪ ♪ this will be one of the greats has passed on. fans mourning the death of singer natalie cole. she won nine grammys, the first two for that hit you hear, "this will be an everlasting love." her voice was beautiful. she made it known that her life was at times for valuabled as she bravely battled substance abuse. jeremy ross has her story. ♪ unforgettable in every way ♪ >> reporter: she was the daughter of a singing legend who found her own musical success. as a child of nat king cole and orchestra singer maria hawkins ellington, natalie cole was exposed to a rich performing tradition from a young age. her 1991 version of her late father's standard "unforgettable," a virtual duet alongside his voice, helped sell millions of copies and win six grammys in 1992. cole was open about a year's

long struggle with drug abuse. she was diagnosed in 2008 with hepatitis c and went on a public search for a kidney transplant. here's cole on cnn's "larry king live" in 2009. >> it's lake a virus -- like a virus, you know. they treat it very aggressively. and -- but i've had it forever, and i had it from drug use. >> reporter: a nurse at the hospital where cole was treated was so moved by the star's struggle that when her niece suddenly died, she arranged for cole to receive her kidney. meanwhile, her family says in her absence, they're now left with "heavy hearts" but add that she died how she lived -- with dignity, strength, and honor. natalie cole was 65 years old. reaction to natalie cole's death has been swift. comedian arsenio hall wrote, "in college i named my bass guitar natalie. as a young standup comic, i opened for natalie cole. she was all that in all ways, rest in peace." jesse jackson wrote the following quote, "natalie cole,

sister beloved and of substance and sound. may her soul rest in peace. inseparable." talk show host and legal analyst star jones wrote the following -- "no one is ever ready for the heaviness to your heart when you lose someone you love. the angels have my sister, natalie cole, now." actress marlee matlin wrote, "i'm saddened by the news of the passing of my friend, natalie cole. lovely songbird and great actress, too. she is now singing in heaven." and singer india arie wrote, "rest in peace, natalie cole. i really loved her. she was always so kind and fun and encouraging. i can't believe she's gone." in the u.s. state of georgia, some amateur astronomers have turned their hobby now into a way of life. like-minded star gazers live on a plot of timberland is illuminated -- land that is illuminated in red so they can always see the twinkle in the

night sky. some stay part time while a couple of others have retired there. ♪ >> reporter: before we came to the astronomy village, i lived in a five-bedroom house in maryland, sidewalks and pristine lawns. down here at deerlick astronomy village, i'm 11-years-old and just have to be home in time for dinner -- whatever time that is. we have come to a really remote location location. not quite halfway between atlanta and augusta. it minimizes the light pollution. when the sun goes down at the village here, you might take the roof off your observatory. it's a roll-off roof. i'm a visual observer, so i'll bring the telescope out and position it so that when it does get dark to do my observing.

>> this is a community where people have bought property and put houses on or observatories on to get away from the light pollution. the light pollution is severe and makes the sky gray. you can't see things like the milky way. no white light is allowed. the community is red lights only. it preserves the integrity of the observing experience. i've been planetary imaging for 15 years. people like me and others here will take shots of jupiter, mars, saturn, and submit the images. the amateur community is important. we're the pabackbone of images that get submitted. makes you feel excited and relevant about contributing to science. and it's a wonderful, wonderful hobby. ♪ >> very cool. u.s. hockey went back to its roots this weekend for the annual winter classic. the boston bruins faced off against the montreal canadiens

with a crowd of 65,000 on hand. the classic was played outdoors. a change of pace from the modern-day stadium. players even wore throwback jerseys. the canadiens defeated the bruins 5-1. miss colombia says she had to grieve for what happened after miss universe. the host, steve harvey, accidentally named her the winner. aria dna gutierrez said she was humiliated when he announced that miss philippines had won moments after the crown was placed on her head. she thinks it could have been handled better. looking on the bright side, she says, job offers are pouring in for her in the united states. that wraps this hour of "cnn newsroom." i'm george howell at the cnn center in atlanta. thank you for joining us. for our viewers in the united states, "new day" is next. for other viewers around the world, "amanpour" starts in a moment. thank you for watching cnn, the world's japanese leader.

-- world's news leader.

. >> a deadly and brazen attack, right now, israeli police are searching for the shooter who killed two people and wounded several others in tel aviv plus, the danger level quickly rising in parts of the mid-west this morning, officials in illinois warning a second levy could be breached as the mississippi river overtops its banks out with the old, in with the new, and for several positions here, the new spaces occupied on the presidential campaign for dr. ben carson. three top staff quit. we are one month from the iowa caucuses. will the new campaign manager will