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we are less than three weeks away from a new congress, but kevin mccarthy still does not have the votes to be speaker. we'll tell you what he might have to give up to get them. >> plus brittney griner is heartbroken that paul whelan is still detained. what is the u.s. doing to try to get mr. whelan home. and this story, identical twins accused of cheating on their medical exams. they sued their school, and they won. wait until you hear their defense. we're going talk to a doctor who helped prove their case. >> i'm going bring in cnn political analyst john avlon,

and political commentator margaret hoover as well. let's begin first of all with the fact that we are in congressional terms days away from a new congress happening. and yet on the democrats' side, they certainly have the leadership in place. on the republican side, mccarthy is not a shoo-in. he is still fighting to get the numbers. i wonder what you make of the fact that he still has an uphill battle, margaret. >> i was down in washington today, had conversations with the republicans all over. and my sense is you say we're days away. but in dog years, we're years away. and the truth is we may not know until right around the time of the vote. we may not know until the day of the vote. what it demonstrates is something very different is happening in the house of representatives and is happening in the u.s. senate. republicans in the senate are very organized. they all voted to return mitch mcconnell to leadership. well, not all of them. ten didn't. but the leadership and the

organization in the senate is very fine. it's two types of republicans. there is the polite word for the trouble makers in the house of representatives, and then there is the senate. so you have two different kinds of the republican party on the hill. and the house is unquestionably chaotic, disorganized, and kevin mccarthy is fighting for his life to get that brass ring. >> it's ungovernable, let's face it. >> one of the nice words. >> yeah, that's one of the nice words. but as margaret alluded to, the uber right-wingers are basically saying he doesn't have the votes. >> yeah. >> and i think that they want to extract something from him to get the votes. for instance, margaret agreeing, wants a committee chairmanships or wants to be on committees. is he going to strike those deals? >> i think he is going have to. he only has a four-vote margin on a good day. the big day is going to be january 3rd. we already have more than four

votes against him backing andy bigs for speaker which is a non-starter for caucus, but it's a protest vote. he is the best person because he is the person that can unite the center and the far right to the extent it's possible, but he is going have to cut a lot of deals. and those deals are going to weaken his ability to control his caucus. what we saw, click paul ryan and john boehner, where they really could not control their crazy caucus is going to be on steroids for mccarthy, if he wins. >> and one of those deals with the proverbial devil seems to be the idea of saying look, there is going to be some tit for tat. and just as democrats removed some members of the republican party from committee, including one margaritajorie taylor green among others, there are thoughts if elected will do the same. but saying she is going to oppose kicking democrats off their committee assignments. and i'm wondering, of course, would that end the cycle? are there more nancy maces on

the horizon about issues like this, or is this essentially what we have to expect, the tit for tat retaliation? >> i think you have conflicting interests for mccarthy here. you have a base that wants that tit for tat, that wants the republican congress to really extract almost everything that they can to get back at democrats for what they perceive happened in the trump administration, and then you have some moderate republicans who are especially looking towards the results in november and saying that strategy didn't really work out for republicans. so you have a different incentive base for different sides of the republican party. and that's really what's driving this political conflict. i think you're right. mccarthy is still best positioned to be the person who can unite those wings, but the question is what is he going to have to give up to make that happen? and that might very well be appeasing the kind of tit for tat. >> let's listen to what nancy mace had to say. i think she is interesting. i think the fact she is saying all of this out loud and what she really stands for is

helpful. let's listen to congresswoman mace. >> for that effort. i'm going to be consistent regardless of who is in power. that's really up to voters. voters get to decide who serves them when they're in congress. not members of congress after they've gotten here. now i'll support resolutions for people who have been bigoted in their remarks, those kinds of things, but i'm not going support kicking people off of their committees. i didn't last year, and i won't be doing it again next year. >> basically, she was talking about the ilhan omars who are made by the right to be the bogeyman on the squad. she said i don't support taking them off their committees. >> yeah, first amendment. look, one of the things that you said, that was constructive thing for her to say there should be more people like him. are there going to be more people like her? there are some. and the reason she is saying what she is saying is because she is from a swing district. she is from a district in charleston, south carolina that has basically gone blue for every president -- well, every three cycles now i think it's been a blue district in south

carolina. deep red south carolina. you get reasonable republicans from swing districts. we need more nancy mace, more competitive seats. >> we need to gerrymander less. >> yes we do. >> speaking to my husband's heart. >> we have bottom line more competitive districts, less safe seats, we'd have more members of congress who cared about reaching out to win over the edge of the of six and less playing to the base. you see that in nancy mace, 100%. >> you wonder, though, in terms of yes, we agree we should jerry manned 40 at all. we should just stop with the gerrymandering as part of the thing we could possibly do. but thinking about this, there is an appetite because of what we're talking about. there is the appetite, the perception that republicans have been wronged. that republicans were targeted. that they were canceled unjustifiably. that kevin mccarthy in order to gain power is going to have to dilute it by making a number of deals that will essentially make maybe his need to talk to democrats all the more evident.

does that make the democrats more powerful in that they will likely be relied upon to bring home what the outliers do not? >> i think democrats are playing with a better hand than they expected going into this next congress. >> for sure. >> without question that is because of the small margin that republicans are going to have. and that matters because just a wide range of republicans we're talking about here. but these tensions that are kind of messing with kevin mccarthy right now, they're going to play out in washington on one piece, but this really is going to play out in the 2024 presidential campaign that is going to be where republicans kind of sort out just how big that faction is, just how small the nancy mace faction is. until we get that, we are not getting a really full accounting on that question. >> i want to resist the temptation to skate ahead to 2024. >> that's not the year it's going to happen. >> yeah, but. we've got two years of something called governing ahead of us. and we have divided government, which in recent years has been dysfunctional government. but it doesn't need to be. the american people actually would like to find ways for the

parties to work together, and there are probably a couple areas where they could. so we should be talking more about that, and they should be talking more than too. >> that is a should, but that has no evidence in this congress. >> i think -- actually, this has been an enormously productive congress, especially -- >> bipartisan margin. >> but where has it all started? it starts in the senate. so it's a matter of what happens in the house. what you're talking about is right. all the deals that kevin mccarthy is going to have to cut may ultimately undermine his ability to hold on the power. then what? so if kevin mccarthy is able to put the votes together, how long does he have it? who governs after that? and then, can they do anything with what the senate sends them? >> particularly if he agrees as part of the deal, all this motion to vacate, where they can get rid of him at a moment's notice. that's the thing they're suggesting. >> let me tell you, man, let me tell you. if that's the speakership. a bigger problem is a lack of enthusiasm among his caucus. that's signing your own self-destruct notice.

that's absolutely nonworkable, nongovernable, non-starter. >> the best thing kevin mccarthy has going for him is no one its wants the job. the job is hard for a reason, and they do not -- the person who can put together that caucus, that list is still very small. so even though he is a wounded speaker, a potential speaker going in who is going to have to make up a various tight amount of votes to get that job, what he can say is there is very few people who can get those numbers, even if they're -- >> you know who was one person today? of course speaker pelosi, who as she has spoken -- you were present at the white house -- she spoke about the idea how proud she was to have as one of her final acts as speaker of the house be in support of the marriage act. >> it was amazing because it was her first speech in the house when she came to the house of representatives was about the aids epidemic and about these issues. of course she represented san francisco. and this was the lgbtq community was a huge part of her constituency. and frankly, her political base from the beginning.

so it was a real full circumstance form her. >> that's real interesting boo bookends. what was it like, margaret? >> one of the things that has gotten too little attention about this bill today. i stood there on the south lawn of the white house. i had more members of the jesus christ of latter-day saints, the national evangelicals, the orthodox union, religious organizations across this country supported this bill because not only are they in favor of freedom to marry, they're also in favor of what the bill did, which was restate its position of protecting religious organizations ability to not have to conduct marriages they disagree with in their churches and not lose their 501-c status. that's a fabulous example of how we can reason together in a pluralistic country and have diverse religious backgrounds and people come together for a bill that was supported by republicans and democrats alike. this is such a fabulous example of progress in this country. and it was a really wonderful part to -- wonderful thing to be part of. >> it's also a way, though -- i

hate to damper it, but it's also kind of a way to think about taking some of the teeth and bite out of legislation as well. the idea of having the exemptions available, it's almost like hey, the people who are here in support and sowing it, it was safe. not truly codifying. >> but you can have that or not have the bill. >> i get the politics of it. >> didn't take the teeth out of it. everybody still gets to get married. you just say you don't have to be catholic and force somebody to get married in your catholic church. >> no. >> but they also have to in some places leave the state they want to be married in to go some place else and have it reciprocally recognized in their home state. >> and now each state recognizes marriage. >> i understand. i understand. but it is not the pure codification of a -- politically it could not be. >> that's not because of first amendment and religious organizations. frankly, this thing wouldn't have passed if you hadn't had that religious statement in it.

>> is this called compromise? >> yeah. >> progress. >> i don't think we're saying something different. >> that's what we do in a pluralistic society. >> there you go. well done, john avlon. >> thank you. brittney griner, everyone, is back home, but heartbroken that paul whelan is still detained in russia. our next guest says it's great she's free, but he calls the hostage bizarre, something that needs to come to an end. we'll discuss, next. the face of millions of germs zapped in seconds. the face of clean. the face of whoa. some are of intensity, others, joy. all are of - ahhhh. listerine. feel the whoa! with gold bond... you can age on your own terms. new retinol overnight means the smoothing benefits of retinol are now for your whole body. plus, fast-working crepe corrector diminishes wrinkled skin in just two days. gold bond. champion your skin.

it went from gabe. to gretta. to gabby. to grandma. then, gertrude found something for it. delsym. and now what's going around is 12-hour cough relief. and the giggles. and the great dane pup. and grandma's gluten-free gooseberry pie. which is actually pretty great. the family that takes delsym together, feels better together. and try new delsym no mess vapor roll-on for cough.

there is encouraging news tonight about brittney grinebri. her agent says the wnba star is upbeat, thankful and hopeful as she recuperates at an army

medical center in texas. she is now getting physical and psychological support and spending time with her wife, also eating some barbecue, and hitting the basketball court. >> brittney griner's agent tells anderson cooper tonight that brittney griner is, quote, heartbroken that paul whelan remains detained in russia. i want to bring in max boot now, he has a new column in "the washington post." he writes while it's great that griner is back home, the hostage bazaar has to close. john avlon and margaret hoover are back with us also. max, when you say the hostage bazaar has to end, you meaning prisoner swaps? >> yeah there have been so many in recent years. it's kind of ironic to see former president trump and his supporters attacking this deal when donald trump himself bragged that he was the greatest hostage negotiator in human history. >> and he made a lot of prisoner swaps. >> with the taliban, the houthis, with a lot of repugnant regimes. and this has been a trend going back many years now. the problem is that each individual case, our hearts go

out to them. we want to see these americans come home because they are being unjustly detained. the problem is when we're making all these deals, making all these concessions, including letting somebody like viktor bout, this notorious arms dealer out of prison to get somebody unjustly detained it's incentives to seize more american hostages. >> but what is the option? let brittney griner stay in a russian penal kohlfully? colony? >> we need a serious debate about whether we want to continue doing this. the state department has a list of countries where it advises americans not to travel, including russia, iran, syria, some of the obvious candidates. and maybe at some point we need to have a president who says okay, i'm going to work to get the people out who are currently in prison. but in the future, if you choose to go to russia, you are on your own. we are not going make concessions to get you home. and by the way, i might add there is still like 30 american basketball players who are still playing in russia as we speak. that is not very wise.

that is creating the potential for yet another hostage crisis down the road. >> well, i think it's fascinating about is the idea of, and some people will ask the question. they'll say -- and i remember when she was first detained, we first learned about her detention. she was a basketball player there. they would make comments about what's someone doing there? of course, we learned about her during the invasion. she had already been detained. or this person ought to not travel to this place. it's on the do not travel area. but your point is to hold on. if people are intending to do it any way, they ought not to be able to have the luxury of having the government support them and have their safe return guaranteed. what do you guys think about that? >> i respectfully disagree. i understand the point that max is making. but i think the privileges and responsibilities of american citizenship of government to its citizens don't stop simply because someone has found themselves in an unwise or dangerous place. i haven't yet seen the point

that max is making, which is if you negotiate for one hostage, that it creates an incentive to get another dozen. now on the surface, obviously trading someone who's nickname is the merchant of death for a wnba star who was improperly detained is an imbalance. but american presidents going back decades, as max points out, have made it a priority to try to get americans out of harm's way. that's the basic responsibility of the government. the fact that she was used as a pawn in the run-up to the invasion of ukraine. paul whelan is still there. he should be released. what we need to avoid is the kind of situational sthoyks we see ethics we see where republicans celebrated every made condemn this one. >> there is massive hypocrisy on the part of republicans here. there is no way around that. but i think at the end of the day there is a legitimate point that these hostage swaps do make us weaker. the problem is both parties have

done it. it's a bipartisan problem. >> margaret, what do you think? >> i am willing to give a lot of leeway to the people who are in the negotiations and who have the intelligence, who know what was being offered between brittney and paul whelan. i'm delighted that she is home. we've been following it. but i recall president trump swapped many, many thousands of taliban prisoners, which struck me as an outrage at the time in order to get americans back. but you're right there. is this precedent for american presidents doing what they can in order to get americans back. i was struck, frankly, that her statement, that she took time in her statement to update the country about how she was, but then to also make note of paul whelan who is still there in russia. and there has been a degree of criticism about him being left behind and some commentary about that. i wasn't part of the negotiating. i don't know. >> there is a lot of opportunism

obviously, because everybody wants paul whelan home. but he was captured in 2018 when donald trump was president. >> yes. >> and now trump and others are suggesting that biden did something wrong by not getting him out. well, why didn't trump get him out in the first place? >> friends, thank you very much for talking about all this. >> very interesting. we have to get to this story. identical twin sisters are accused of cheating on their medical exams. they then sued their school, and they won. and we'll tell you how they proved their case and what makes twins so special, as the mother of two. 12 hours!! not coughing? hashtag still not coughing?! mucinex dm gives you 12 hours of relief from chest congestion and any type of cough, day or night. mucinex dm. it's comeback season. when we started selling my health products online our shipping process was painfully slow. then we found shipstation. now we're shipping out orders 5 times faster and we're saving a ton. go to shipstation.com /tv and get 2 months free.

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identical twin sisters won a $1.5 million defamation case against the medical university of south carolina. kayla and kellie bingham were accused of cheating on their year-end medical exams by the school after earning extremely similar test scores. in fact, the sisters had identical answers to 296 out of the 307 questions on the exam, including getting the exact same 54 questions wrong. >> it's unbelievable. it's stunning. and how did they prove their case then to allow them to win? well, they were leaning on a theory that it's common for identical twins to perform similarly on tests. joining us now is the twins' attorney, james smith. also with us the director of the twin study center at cal state fullerton, dr. nancy segall who also testified in this case. i'm so glad that you're both here. i want to start with the research, because i think this is fascinating to think about the idea that they could have

tested so similarly over time. not just in these exams, but the s.a.t. i understand and standardized testing. the research, dr. siegle, it would surprise you if they did not have similar results. tell us why. >> that's correct. a vast number of psychological studies as well as life histories do show that identical twins perform at an amazingly similar level. even identical twins raised apart from birth. and how do we explain this? identical twins have similar dna. they come into the world with the exact set of genes. and we know from our research studies that genes predispose us towards certain people and events, the underlying way we process information, the way we perform solutions, the way that we solve problems. so it came as no surprise to me that kayla and kellie would perform so similarly on these tests. in fact, i would have been surprised had they not.

and for me, the vital error that was made in this particular case was that when the scores were submitted to a test security outfit, they claimed that the twins scored more alike than they should have given any two other pairs of people. but in fact they are identical twins. and that was a key factor not taken into consideration. we see these kinds of things all the time. and so these are real hard scientific facts that are supported by a good amount of quantitative data. >> but james, it is interesting. you can see why these t school would be suspicious, okay, because without all of that background that dr. segal just laid out, to get 296 questions out of the 307 exactly the same answer, including the 54 wrong answer, of course that arouses suspicion. and so how hard was it to make your case to the school?

>> this to me? >> yeah, sorry, james. >> no problem. it was not hard. it was never a doubt. and it has been such a privilege to represent these two courageous young ladies kellie and kayla and their desire to make sure this never happens to another set of identical twins again. i know flu the outset the truth they spoke. when you look at their life experience, you can see every time they've come together to take tests whether they're in the same room or a different locations, they performed virtually identical. and having identical s.a.t. scores. they've been within a fraction of a point throughout their academic career. so really, the facts spoke for themselves. and even before having the benefit of dr. segal's expert testimony and the myriad of tests that have been performed, had a great deal of confidence that the court would see and

understand that they performed exactly as they should. you know, this all sounded great minds think alike. and genetically identical mines are predisposed to do that. >> you're talking about a reputational harm. and i understand that these two twins, they suffered from having the accusations leveled against them. they actually did not end up pursuing a career in medicine as a result. that's incredible. tell me about it. the idea of stress, mental anguish, panic attacks they experienced, post traumatic stress disorder. tell me about the impact that's been on their lives. thinking was absolutely devastating. it was a circumstance where it should have been kept confidential. but of course in an environment like, this it was not. and even the dean who ultimately overturned the original decision made the recommendation to them that they would be better if they left the school because it had gotten so intolerable for them. they found that wherever they

turned, their story was known across the country, and they couldn't find another school to enter, despite their remarkable scores and academic history. and ultimately, they turned to the law. and as you might imagine, these two very talented young ladies went to law school very successfully, graduated with high marks, again within a fraction of a pint of each other. and within two different sections of the law school. they took a terrible experience, stood up for themselves, fought for their reputation, had it declare and vindicated in court, and now they want to make sure that the rest of the world understands that this is often -- >> i need to inject something here and follow up on something that the lawyer so appropriately said. this is not an isolated case. in my career as a psychologist and the twin researcher, i have encountered other cases like this. and i can say it not only

damages the twins' reputations, it creates havoc in a whole family. and it really derails twins who are just trying to perform to the best of their ability. i think that what is shameful about this is that here you have a fine medical school with outstanding faculty who admitted, admitted that they knew nothing about twins. and it seems to me had they done their research prior to bringing this case to the testing security outfit. >> dr. segal. >> i'm just very happy that other twins out there who may be suffering the same kind of accusation will now have a place to turn. and i think that in the past they simply did not. but with all the research behind us, we're going help these twins get through some very difficult and uncalled for situations. >> that's really interesting. dr. segal, mr. smith, thank you for sharing your story with us. it's interesting how they can

score within a point or a decimal of each other. it's sad. they won this award, but they gave up their dream. at what cost. >> and you know what? you hear people talk about this, and their initial reaction is always i wonder what they were accused of. people have this image that twins have telepathy. what is happening in these instances, right? >> is that so wrong? >> well we do that. the whole show has done that. >> fraternal journalistic twins. we wield it here. >> that's adorable. with the breaking news. it's also breaking news that there is a place few people ever want to be, it's the dreaded middle seat on an airplane. but it turns out some people love being stuck between two strangers in a tight space for hours. just who are those people? we'll tell you who, next. >> are we going to meet them? >> no. we're going talk about them. e im for christmas. it was the best gift that i ever received, because it opened up my life.

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well, we fell in love through gaming. but now the internet lags and it throws the whole thing off. when did you first discover this lag? i signed us up for t-mobile home internet. ugh! but, we found other interests. i guess we have. [both] finch! let's go! oh yeah! it's not the same. what could you do to solve the problem? we could get xfinity? that's actually super adult of you to suggest. i can't wait to squad up. i love it when you talk nerdy to me. guy, guys, guys, we're still in session. and i don't know what the heck you're talking about.

what's your least favorite seat on a plane? well, twitter is buzzing over this tweet from zack borenstein. quote, losing my mind. just offered aisle seat to the guy sitting between me and my give on a flight, and he said he'd rather stay in the middle seat between us. that's awesome. >> something else is going on there. >> maybe. >> it's pretty shocking, right? listen, our friends at "the

washington post" thought so too, especially that story. an article titled "to the people who willingly chose the middle seat, we have questions." and we also have questions too. back with us is ahead herndon, margaret hoover. who amongst us doesn't want the middle seat? nobody! >> sometimes you want the middle seat. you're traveling with small children. >> yes. >> it's better to be with your kid. >> if you know the person you're sitting next to. >> the person who breaks up the people. >> the middle seat. these are some people who tweeted. here is one. this is an awesome one. there have been times when flying during the day i like the middle seat because i'm a talker. [ laughter ] >> that's a lot of -- to want to be in the middle seat. you want to talk? absolutely not. >> that's horrible. >> that's a rejected seinfeld episode. >> wow. >> virgin is offering people inducements to take the middle seat, because they know nobody

wants it. tell me if you would take any of this. it's a lottery. five-night cruise to tasmania. >> i mean, sure. circumstances that a prize? >> yes, it's a prize. >> does it include a flight? >> platinum status upgrade. one million velocity points. >> you get there faster. i don't know. >> shot out of a cannon. free flight for two people for each month of the year. totally i would. this is a good lottery. >> that's the incentive structure we need. or virgin can innovate and get rid of the middle seat. >> whoa. >> you really want no middle seats, that's the best slogan ever. >> outside the pandemic, delta was doing no middle seats. and that was not the most important thing at the time but i did appreciate it. >> the reason to take a middle seat, if your traveling with your child, you want to keep them over here. >> do you know anything than? >> i know a lot about that. >> uh-oh.

>> listen, that's not even how it goes down usually. but -- >> no listen. tell us more about how this goes down. we only care about this snoegme. >> people who like the middle seat, that's a peculiar crew. >> i'm 5 feet tall and petite. the middle seat is not uncomfortable for me at all, and i find people walking up and down the aisle to be extremely distractsing. >> there is somebody who likes the window. >> there is another option. >> you can get a year of lounge access if you take the middle seat. i like that. >> that's a winner. >> i don't know. >> two-week stay at a luxury resort? >> i would take them all. but i like swag. and also, i realize the person who wants to be in the middle sitting between john avlon and margaret hoover. you know what? actually, i'll take my chances. i'll do this. owe tell me your story and you tell me yours.

>> shut it down. shut it down. >> you know what my pet peeve is? when i'm in the middle seat and somebody had asked for the window seat and they shut the window. >> you cannot sit in the window seat and not be willing to take on what the rest of the row wants. someone asks to open up the window, i don't care if you wanted the window closed you need to open up. >> except for the amtrak. they have the old school burlap. if you close it it's lucky touching your face. oh, i'm alone. >> the hygienic part of it. >> it's like burlap. >> we're going deep cut here, people. i think the main thing is people who proactively choose the middle seat, you may want to talk to someone. >> a lot of people. >> we'll be right back. >> talking more about this. >> do you get the joke i made? you might want to talk to someone. it's an 8 in 1 immune support formula. airborne. do more.

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it went from gabe. to gretta. to gabby. to grandma. then, gertrude found something for it. delsym. and now what's going around is 12-hour cough relief. and the giggles. and the great dane pup. and grandma's gluten-free gooseberry pie. which is actually pretty great. the family that takes delsym together, feels better together. and try new delsym no mess vapor roll-on for cough.

tomorrow will mark ten years since 20 children and 6 adults were killed in mass shooting at sandy hook elementary school. >> in a cnn special report, i revisit the parents who turned their grief that day into power. we look back at their decade-long fight to prevent other families from suffering the devastation that they felt on that awful day. >> in the one room, i could see first graders sitting down with crossed legs, and i kept looking at all the face, and i didn't see any of dylan's classmates, and i didn't see dylan. >> there is an entire class that has not come out of the school. >> reporter: nicole hockley kept scanning the crowd for her 6-year-old son. >> i remember looking, staring at each one, and not understanding why he wasn't

there. people were holding signs with classrooms, and i found someone holding ms. soto's sign, but it wasn't ms. soto. and there were just a couple of kids there, including dylan's reading partner. and i walked up and i said, "where's the rest of the class?" and i looked down at dylan's reading partner, and she just -- her eyes were wide like saucers, and she was just staring. and i thought oh, gosh, this isn't good. >> reporter: scarlett lewis was also there, searching for her 6-year-old son jessie. >> i remember being told repeatedly, if you can't find your child, go into the back room and put his name down on the list. i remember thinking i'm not going to put my child's name down on the list. i'm just going to find him.

i tried to go up to the school. they wouldn't let me. >> it was surreal. it was frightening. it was just -- it was hard to process. and at that point, the governor brought everybody into a room in the firehouse. and that's -- that's when we got the news. >> and he said that if we were still in that room, that our loved ones weren't coming back. the room erupted. it was chaos. there was wailing. there was screaming, yelling. the gentleman who was to my right was on the ground pounding the floor. >> it was just catastrophic beyond recognition. >> i know. i mean i want everyone to know and you to know this is actually a hopeful hour. i know that is devastating to go

back and remember that day. we all remember where we were on that day. but what these families have done, i spent time with these families, and i didn't leave feeling drained or depressed or exhausted. i felt -- i left feeling empowered and hopeful because they did turn their grief into action. and what they will tell you is the changes that have happened in various states in this country over the past ten years and the actual school shootings that we never report on because they've been stopped by the things that they have done. so we don't know the names of various little towns because through their actions, they've set up crisis counselors, they've set up hotlines. they know how to stop some of these once the warning signs are shot off. and they've stopped school shootings. so it's actually hopeful, but, you know, it is so intense to have them have to go back and relive that day, as we all will tomorrow. >> i mean, they treated every other child as theirs as well. every parent has benefitted now

from their advocacy. it's tireless. and i think it's so poignant and beautiful. you almost can't believe it's been ten years. it feels like time froze. but they did not freeze in their action. >> yeah. >> they kept going. >> don't miss this hour. it's very special. it's called "sandy hook: forever remembered." it begins tomorrow night at 10:00 eastern right here on cnn, and we'll be on right after that. thanks so much for watching us tonight. >> our coverage continues. ief from chest congestion and any type of cough, day or night. mucinex dm. it's comeback season.

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hello and a warm welcome to our viewers joining us in the united states and all around the

world. i'm bianca nobilo. >> i'm max foster joining you just ahead on "cnn newsroom." >> they always say you can hear a train coming. well, this have a big train that come through here. >> basically crawling across the country over the next couple of days. thousands of migrants are now coming from central and south america as well as cuba. >> a large number of migrants in this time they'll put us in a position where we'll have to say no. >> the federal reserve is widely expected to deliver another major interest rate hike today. >> the interest rate is too high. we have a lot more work to do. >> announcer: live from london, this is "cnn newsroom" with max foster and bianca nobilo. it is wednesday, december 14th, 9 a.m. here in london. 4 a.m. on the u.s. east coast. we are following a massive winter storm that's causing

major disruption and travel delays in the u.s. it is freezing much of the midwest and central states whilst deadly tornadoes are ripping across the south. >> tornado threats will continue across the southeast throughout the morning and schools in mississippi will be closed today. a child has died and his mother is still missing after a tornado touched down in louisiana. one woman says she's lucky to be alive. >> we got in the shower and by the time we got hunkered down the roof was gone. they always say you hear a train coming, well, this was a big train. we're lucky. the house can be replaced. we're alive t. would have been worse. >> millions of people are under winter weather alert. a blizzard is raging from colorado to south dakota. officials are in nebraska are calling it a one in five-year storm.