streeted me nice. thank you for letting me come on and tell people i'm the ambassador for the 75th anniversary. come on down. as we go on the air tonight, tension at a tipping point in the iran. at any moment we could see another uprising on the streets. what's behind this latest round. we're on the job. in the tiny middle eastern nation of yemen, a secret anti-terror meeting between that country's president and president obama's top military man station there'd. we want to start with a developing story right now. not one, but two weather systems are making a messy start to 2010 for much of our country. look at those windchills in the radar that you see right there.

an arctic blast sent the mercury plummeting in minnesota. close to a record, imagine this, in south minnesota about 3500 people were without electricity for a time this morning in that bitter cold. and the story is snow in maine, where the yearess first big storm is packing a real punch. and the sunshine state is it not immune to this brutal system either. parts of florida are under a hard freeze warning, and citrus growers are on edge tonight keeping an eye on their crops. it's a gusty night right here in new york city, where i am -- look at that as we go on the air, 12 degrees. and the windchill even colder than that. i think at last check, it was about -- minus 1, windchill here in new york city. it's definitely frigid in a big big part of our country. >> yeah, it really is. the windchill conditions making your body feel awful out there. it takes a matter of minutes to get frostbite tonight.

this is what we're expecting, the worst of this arctic blast coming in is tomorrow morning. this will be the worst, unfortunately it's going to linger through the middle of next week. we're expecting to feel like temperatures in the 30s below zero, across the upper midwest, and even all the way down to the south, we're looking at teens and 20s, that's extremely cold for places like florida. as you mentioned. now we saw this morning a number of record low as cross the dakotas and into minnesota. the coldest windchill reading was 54 below zero in granite falls, minnesota. we're starting to see 20s and 30s begin to develop across the region. i talked a minute about how dangerous that is and how long it will take you to get frostbite. i posted this on my facebook page if you're interested. we're looking at 15 to 30 minutes to receive frostbite with those brutally cold

temperatures. we have another system bringing wintery conditions to the northeast. this is bringing in some very strong winds, and this system is actually doing what we call retrogra retrograding, it's moving backward, toward the coast. that's why the winds are going to pick up in intensity throughout the night and pick up during the day tomorrow. the worst of the snow will be here along i-95 and in land, that's where we're expecting to see a good foot of snow or so. the winds are going to be strong all over the place. we've had a lot of delays at some of the airports in the northeast, a lot of holiday travelers still out there, don. boston and newark over two hours. we're expecting these delays to continue through tomorrow as the low hovers near the coast. >> we'll check back, jackie. thank you so much. a personal message today on terrorism from barack obama. he made a direct connection between the suspect in the

christmas day terror attack and an al qaeda force based in yemen. the president said the group in the arabian peninsula has attacked the u.s. before, and the u.s. he vowed is fighting back. >> as president, i've made it a priority to strengthen our partnership with the yemeni government, training their security forces, sharing intelligence and working with them to strike al qaeda terrorists. even before christmas day we had seen the results, training camps had been struck, leaders eliminated. all those involved in the attempted act of terrorism on christmas must know, you too will be held to account. the president has been briefed on the meeting that took place between the president of yemen and general petrais. the president's remarks, tieing

al qaeda forces in yemen to the christmas day attack. >> reporter: his strongest words yet, don. he had not gone there in remarks throughout this past week or so. i think that is very important to note. i think what you just mentioned about the president being briefed about general david petrais' trip to yemen, that's a clear signal the u.s. is leaving the door open to more air strikes against al qaeda targets in yemen. even before the christmas day incident in mid december, there have been reports that basically the u.s. in working with the yemeni government depending on who pulled the trigger, there were air strikes against al qaeda in yemen. this is very clear from what the president said today, and the fact that general petrais is on the ground in yemen, meeting with officials there. the u.s. is still weighing various options about personally issuing more air strikes in the days ahead. it's clear there's an intense focus right now on al qaeda in yemen. >> he will hold people

accountable for the security mistakes he calls here in the united states. explain to us what he's talking about. what he he means by that. >> he's zeroing in on this cia, personally other intelligence officials who have sort of a pre9/11 mentality. in the early part, the preliminary findings of the investigation that the president ordered he get by last thursday, we're told he's getting in terms of information. the cia knew this eventual suspect had some -- appeared to have some ties to extremists in yemen, and didn't share that with other intelligence officials. that was the kind of breakdown we saw that lead to 9-11. it fizzled out, because it didn't fully detonate. it could have been an horrific attack on the united states. the president on his first full day in the white house after the vacation will be demanding answers about what went wrong

and pointing blame, what went wrong, what are you going to fix now to prevent future attacks, that's really the point of all of this. >> yeah, and it's a good reminder there, as you are with the president, the president is vacationing, and you can see so are other folks getting on with their lives. we can hear the music with people there on vacation in hawaii. we appreciate your report. new evidence about growing concern for political instaeblgt instability in yemen and sew malia. this video shows fighters gearing up for battle. they are ready to battle in somalia and yemen. yemen is tightening security along its coast. earlier i discussed the situation in yemen with ken robinson. i asked him if he thinks the general's trip could be a precursor to wider u.s. action in yemen. >> reporter: i think it is.

because what we have right now is really good diplomacy going on, because they're trying to establish legitimacy with the government of yemen and the arab streak about these bombings are going to happen, and legitimacy is going to be half the battle. the other part of it will be private target selections that have had to do with giving sanctuary of al qaeda or threatening the survival of the state of yaem emen. and we have to avoid collateral damage in the process. we're getting a link between the christmas day terror attack and november massacre at ft. hood, texas. umar farouk abdulmutallab had direct contact with anwar al-maki. shades of the old west, probasketball players accused of

drawing guns. the offcourt action the law enforcement officials are stepping in to take care of. and american airlines popping up on the feds radar. also, your comments are wanted tonight. it's how you get on the air, twitter, facebook, my spice, ireport.com. for practically just your signature. and volkswagen even covers scheduled maintenance at no cost. it can't be that easy. [ engine revs ] [ tires screech ] [ seat humming ] [ engine revs ] [ seat humming ] [ seat humming ] [ pen scratches ] that was pretty easy. [ male announcer ] sign then drive is back. hurry in and get legendary volkswagen value for practically just your signature. ♪

two delta planes, same smokey smell in the cockpit, and same decision to turn back to boston twice today. an unidentified odor forced pilots to do an about face shortly after takeoff. the first plane was headed to new york with 34 people on board. the second was headed to ohio with 38 people. delta says its pilots were acting out of an abundance of safety. both incidents are under investigation tonight. the faa is keeping a close eye on american airlines after the carrier had three botched landings in less than two weeks. you're looking at video of the worst of the incidents when a

jet overran the runway, injuring 91 passengers. on christmas eve, an md-80 struck its wing fip while landing in texas. american airlines is said to be cooperating with the faa while conducting its own investigation. a locker room incident could cost a probasketball team much more than a game. police are investigating a reported stand-off between gilbert arenas and jabbaras crittent crittenton. the two players drew guns over a gambling debt. coach saunders discussed the distraction. >> you'd like as a coach a player who's able to totally focus on your game at hand, and when you have other things to distract off the court or whatever, those are things that you're always concerned about. but from my standpoint, and as i

told our players. we still get judged on what we do as far as on the court. for the guys that are here, doing things. >> the family of the teams late owner called the incident dangerous and zpoifrnting. an update tonight on the controversial firing of mike leech in an affidavit released by the university today, steve pincock said leach told him to lock the wide receiver in a dark place. he later told james he was sorry for placing him in an equipment shed. doctors diagnosed james with a concussion, and according to the trainer, leach wanted james to be uncomfortable. a ragged army fights in the streets of iran. one of the leaders says he'll pay the price for the cause. new year's ushers in

something new for gay couples in new hampshire. it cleared up right away. i can breathe. (announcer) so where would you rate it? 99.9. (announcer) afrin. why suffer?

the protests in iran have quieted down, but the uneasy silence on the streets has been mirrored on the internet. the rage against the regime's efforts to subdue protesters. mir hassein says he'll pay the price. >> reporter: new video into the iran desk. for nearly a week now, iranian officials have said security forces did not fire guns during the mass protest during the opposition movement last sunday. new video purportedly from the

sunday protest appears to show a gunman take aim and fire. here it is, the person shooting the video appears to be hiding behind a car. you see a gunman take aim, fire, and he's going to run away. seconds later you're going to see what appears to be dozens of protesters run after them. during the sunday protests, at least 7 people were killed. state run media says they were killed either by accident or their deaths were staged in order to spark more unrest. among the people killed. mir hossein mousavi -- mousavi's website said he was paid a visit by a key opposition figure who wanted to pay his respects for his nephew's death. the visit comes right after mousavi's statements saying he's willing to die for his movement. in the meantime, more criticism, more threats and condemnation

from iran hardliners. first off, let's show you a statement about mousavi saying he's willing to die. my blood is no different from that of any other martyr. in the meantime, more threats from the hardliners, this time ayatollah jamati blasting supporters of the opposition movement calling them enemies of god, and saying they should be executed. hundreds of people have been arrested over the past few days. many of them will be put on trial in the coming weeks. >> i think it's important that we just got this new video, i was talking to the producer and director about it. i'm going to roll it again, if you can explain what is going on. we're hearing that the protest could ramp up. take it away and explain it to us again. >> this is video that hasn't been aired on cnn.

video is coming in during the days after the protest. you see a gunman take aim, fire, he's going to run away, and moments later, you're going to see protesters run after him. in the background you see thick smoke and fire, you'll recall on sunday during the protests, you had a lot of protesters set fire to security official vehicles and motorcycles, and there you see what you saw a lot of on sunday, protesters overwhelming, chasing and taking advantage of the low numbers at times in intersections of security officers, at times overpowering them. something you hadn't seen in the past that really illustrates how aggressive, how intense these protests are becoming. >> 'we're monitoring the feeds and all the wires to see what's going on. thank you from our iran desk at our headquarters in atlanta. earlier i asked two experts what could come next. we spoke so extensively during

the initial uprising after that contested election. fear that this is going to get out of control. maybe as bad as during the initial election? >> well, don, again, these videos really underscore for you the brew taility of the iranian government, and the tremendous courage of the iranian people. back when we talked in june, there were a lot of skeptics that said, this opposition unit is soon going to fizzle out. we see six months later, how strong it's maintained its momentum and how it's happening not only in tehran, but throughout the country. the protesters really transcend age, geographic location, and socioeconomic class. >> this is one of the most important stories of our time. there's a democracy if ahmadinejad is taken out of power. do you think he will be taken out of power? you think he's a puppet, he's between the khomeini and mir

hossein mousavi, but really has no par. >> from the beginning, he has not been a player, and particularly over the last three months, he's no longer a figure. and your concentration, the word attention to this issue is absolutely extra ordinary and necessary. it's a nonviolent context in the midst of a violent context. given the demographic aspect of this movement, 50% of the population is under the age of 25. the reason it has this global resonance -- >> because they are -- >> is precisely that you have a nonviolent civil rights uprising, mostly charged by young people. >> and young educated people with the tools to go online. >> the class -- the socialist structure is really widespread, is not tehran based, is not upper middle class, is none of

that. is really spreading all over the country. >> if you need to get away, get some sunshine, warmth, day at the beach? not as pleasant as it sounds. 55 degrees. that's the temperature in miami beach right now. at 10:22 eastern time. or 10:24 as it says there. parts of florida feeling a deep breeze tonight. why it could mean trouble for the crops and the economy, of course. a lot of buzz around this guy tonight. he was thrown into the can after driving off with a coke machine. have you to see this video to believe it.

cold and florida. those are two words you don't often here in the same sentence, especially if you're talking about south florida. as we told you at the top of the hour, winter isn't skipping over the sunshine state this year. mirk berman joins us now from

miami beach. usually you'd be in short sleeves and shorts. not tonight. you guys aren't used to this cold weather down there, are you? >> reporter: yeah, right now it's 55 degrees here. we were talking to a lot of people here, they said, 55, that's beautiful. but not down here, can you see on lincoln road, it's absolutely packed. a lot of tourists here, the two big accessories tonight on south beach, sweaters and lights. saturday night lincoln road, the restaurants packed and the space heaters are out. >> did you expect to come to south florida and sit under a space heater? >> no, not really. it ought to be a little warmer. >> i think we didn't bundle them enough. we should have brought more blankets. >> reporter: the cold no laughing matter for crop growers with a freeze watch in effect for miami-dade county and broward county. they've picked as much sweet

corn as they could this saturday. they put a coat of water to keep them warm through the next several nights. >> we're getting all we can, all the corn out of the field we can, between now and wednesday morning. a more festive mood saturday night in coral gables, an appropriate year for the theme to be miami winter wonderland. >> we lucked out with clear skies and a little bit of a chill in the air. >> since i have this on, it's kind of cold. >> reporter: yes, it is cold. but megan says this sure beats iowa city. >> consider yourselves lucky, it's a little chilly in iowa. >> reporter: so for those braving the cold, many of them at least here on lincoln road coming in to get some ice cream, it's not too terrible. it is expected to dip in the 40s, and that is a big concern for crop growers as this freeze watch continues throughout the night. we are live tonight on lincoln

road, miami beach, blake fuhrman. >> we talked about the crops, and that affects the economy. tourism as well. the economy is bad, tourism depends on the economy, what is the concern on that? >> it's a big concern. i'll tell you, though, a couple people we spoke, to what's helping out is iowa is in town for the bowl game. atlanta is in town for the orange bowl game. the pittsburgh steelers travel, huge. they've brought tens of thousands of fans down here. at least this weekend because of football, you can see we're fine. this is as busy as we've seen lincoln road here in the last several weeks. the last thing we need is for the temperatures to dip into the 50s, the last reading we had 55 degrees. >> you're very lucky, all those people from up north and east, you know, they're used to the cold, so 55 is pretty warm for them. and you're a pro, because usually people would be yelling behind you on lincoln road.

i've been there many times, thank you for joining us on cnn tonight. president barack obama learnings a christmas day plot to al qaeda forces in yemen. what are the chances of a new military strike? is that a real possibility?

a failed christmas day terror attack was a stark reminder of al qaeda's ultimate goals. that's the word from a top government official who says al qaeda is planning to launch an attack on u.s. soil. u.s. officials know with absolute certainty that would-be terrorists are working to refine their methods. kurt westergaard whose drawings of the profit mohammed angered the western world attacked in his home. an axe-wielding somali man has been charged with attempted murder. efforts have been stepped up to protect westergaard. he's been moved to an undisclosed location. rescuers are pulling bodies from beneath huge mountains of mud and dirt in brazil.

the coastal city has been especially hit hard by this. rescue teams are on duty around the clock, but hope is fading for survivors. at least 60 people have been killed in the southeastern part of that country. word in a u.s. general david petrais met with yemen's president today has ramped up speculation about potential u.s. military action there. barbara starr reports the u.s. is already scouting potential new al qaeda targets. >> reporter: yemeni forces earlier this month on a raid against al qaeda just north of the capital of sanar. the military shouts, come out. it is better for you, do not be afraid. shots are fired, several suspects are finally captured. this was one of yemen's efforts to hit back at al qaeda, u.s. assistance with several recent strikes that may have killed some of these men is now openly acknowledged. >> these are yemeni armed forces.

they will, of course supported by american intelligence and by the training of the yemeni armed forces. >> what's next? the u.s. military and intelligence community are looking at everything they've got on al qaeda in yemen. strikes are expected to continue, and could involve u.s. missiles or aircraft sources. the u.s. and yemen aren't looking for targets linked to the attack on northwest flight 253. direct retaliation hasn't always worked. >> our target was terror. our mission was clear. there will be no sanctuary for terrorists. >> reporter: in 1998, after al qaeda attacked u.s. embassies in east africa, president clinton ordered cruise missile attacks against targets in afghanistan. al indicate de w al qaeda was untouched. u.s. retaliation that worked, it happened in yemen in 2002. a u.s. drone fired a missile, one of the dead was an al qaeda

operative, believed to have been behind the october 2000 attack on the navy warship cole in yemen that killed 17 sailors. even now, the u.s. is continuing to provide training, weapons and intelligence to the yemeni forces. but if president obama decides to strike back in retaliation for the botched attack on the northwest airlines flight, there will be a target list for him to approve. barbara starr, cnn, the pentagon. let's talk now about the possible military strike. gregory johnston is here with me. i'm also joined on the phone by a former u.s. ambassador to yemen. we'll get to you in a second. what should our viewers know about yemen. you say there are misconceptions that you need to clear up?

>> well, the first thing is that the al qaeda threat is not simply to u.s. interests, but very much to yemeni interests as well. the people of yemen have suffered a great deal in terms of economic well being because of al qaeda's active if is there. so that's number one, i think the second thing is that -- based on that, actions by yemeni security forces are likely to be much more effective in countering the al qaeda threat in yemen than direct action by u.s. military forces. >> as a former u.s. ambassador there, can you help our viewers explain to what it is like -- what is yemen? it seems to me, just a far away place that most people don't know about. >> reporter: well, yemen is a very rugged country. the population of about 22 million is widely dispersed.

there are areas of yemen that are remote and provide potential safe havens for al qaeda. it's difficult in challenging for the yemeni government to extend government control and services to those areas, and yet that is absolutely essential in gaining the yemeni population. >> the big question, is there a possibility of some sort of conflict? boots in the ground, military action in yemen? >> in my view, that would be a catastrophic mistake. i think one of the most important things for the u.s. to remember is that it's not going to defeat al qaeda in yemen today, tomorrow, next month or even next year. it's going to be a very long, very hard slog. there's no magic missile solution. >> why do you say that? >> al qaeda is a unit that

america defeated once in yemen. if the u.s. continues to go down the same road, it's going to get the same results. the u.s. is going to be fighting different incarnations of al qaeda in yemen every few years. >> just some of the guidance from some of our people here at cnn, some of our pentagon folks, some of the folks that were with the president saying, this is a significant development that general david petrais at this meeting he had with the president, and the discussion that he had with the president saying that this is a bit unusual and precedent setting and a much bigger deal than many people know that it is, if it is. do you agree with that? is this s is it a huge deal? >> well, david petrais last visited yemen in july of last year. i was in the country when he came. essentially he brought the message, look, the united states is giving you much more money now, and the united states wants to see a return on its money.

essentially he pressed the president to take the fight to al qaeda. >> so now? >> he's coming back with that message, only he's underlining it with harsher words and more money that the u.s. is promising. >> he wants to see action? >> he wants the yemeni government to take action against al qaeda. the problem is, by focusing so exclusively on al qaeda, the u.s. almost induces the type of results it's hoping to avoid. >> last question to mr. hall. do you agree with mr. johnston, it's probably not the case there will be boots on the ground? >> i think there are boots on the ground, i hope they are yemeni boots. the u.s. role is providing intelligence, training, equipment. that's our comparative advant e advantage. i would argue we're not just talking about a military response to this problem. we have to broaden our efforts, we have to look at the economic, political and social factors

that make yemen an attractive safe haven for al qaeda, we have to address those as well. the significant thing is that washington is taking yemen seriously, and hasn't necessarily in the past. and if we get out ahead of this, we can counter it much more effectively than being in a reactive mode. >> edmond hall, gregory johnson, thanks to both of you. he was on a mission to save a fallen comrade during a gun battle in afghanistan, and was wounded himself. hospital core man anthony amin is a cnn hero. statue of liberty? the grand canyon? it's all possible with a hoveround. tom: hi i'm tom kruse, inventor and founder of hoveround. when we say you're free to see the world, we mean it. call today and get a free hoveround information kit that includes a video and full color brochure. dennis celorie: "it's by far the best chair i've ever owned." and if you qualify, get it for little or no money. jim plunkitt: "no cost. absolutely no cost to me."

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in 2008 anthony amin and his

unit were fighting an ambush by the taliban in southern afghanistan. he rushed into fire to save a wounded marine, but was wounded himself. >> reporter: the last two weeks i noticed a big change in my abilities, what i can and can't do, as far as mobility and agility. >> reporter: after 17 months and 23 surgeries, hospital coreman third class, anthony amin hopes to run again one day. >> the morning of july 21, 2008, we set up for an ambush on the taliban. it's a very busy morning. very hectic. and as we approached the enemy our ambush was successful.

shortly thereafter, they did a counterattack. and we heard mortar fire, machine gunfire. we had air support helping us o out. >> reporter: amin received a call over the radio from his platoon sergeant to help the wounded marine. >> about 10, 15 feet from getting to him. all i remember is just hearing the loudest explosion i ever heard. it seemed like dirt pushed me off the ground about 3 to 5 feet, doing a backwards cartwheel. >> reporter: he had stepped on an improvised explosive device. and now amin and the wounded marine needed medical attention. >> as a core man, i knew i lost my left foot, and i heard my doctor. and i just remember he said, hey, hold on, hold on, we're going to get to you in a minute. we have to work on him. i remember grabbing my buddy's hand, in a sense cheering him

on. but i was also telling myself to kind of hang in there. i remember after about 2:00, 3:00 minutes my medicine was kicking in pretty hard, he let go of my hand. at that point i realized he wasn't with us any more. that was a hard moment for me. >> reporter: today amin is in therapy at the san diego naval hospital, training with joaquin cruz, who recruits for the paraolympics. >> the hardest thing coming back home for me would be knowing my life is completely changed for ever. i also am remineded i was running to save him, i think his spirit is living inside of me. it's my motivation to get through the day, knowing that i did a good deed for somebody who unfortunately is no longer with us. by my prayers go out to his

family. >> reporter: amin hopes this training will once again represent the united states. this time as a member of the u.s. paraolympic team. >> definitely a hero. do you know a hero? you can nominate him or her at cnn.com/hero. a couple exchanges vows for the third time in new hampshire. and this time it has the full backing of the law. there they are right there. we're going to meet them. who took who's last name. during the share the love event, you helped us donate almost $5 million dollars to charity. i chose meals on wheels because i believe in food for all. i chose habitat for humanity. our pets are our kids. we chose the aspca. we're sharing the love again this year. because giving back feels good. on the subaru outback, motor trend's 2010 and two hundred fifty dollars gets donated to your

some gay couples in new hampshire rang in the new year by getting married. about 15 couples braved the cold

to exchange vows outside the state house in concord. the state's new law legalizing same sex marriage went into effect at 12:01 a.m. new year's eve. i guess that would be new year's day. new hampshire joins massachusetts, vermont, connecticut, iowa in allowing gay marriage. and there they are. by skype neil and jeffrey, they join us from franconia, new hampshire. the picture is frozen, we're having a little trouble. let's show pictures from their ceremony as i talk to them. you did it right there at midnight, a civil union ceremony. it became legal two years ago, this time you decided to wait a few hours, right? why did you decide to wait a few hours? >> it was a more civilized hour. we also wanted to make sure that we did it on new year's day to take advantage of the right and

the opportunity. but we were having quite a snowstorm up here as you know, so we decided to do it during the daytime. >> here's the thing. most people would think the coasts, you know, and the states in places where people consider liberal like new york, new york city possibly d.c., california, that something like that would happen in those places, but instead it's happening there. most people wouldn't think it would happen there, what do you think, what do you make of it? >> i think new hampshire is an interesting state overall, and we live in very northern new hampshire, which is actually quite rural, and we feel fully supported, fully honored and backed by our family, friends and communities up here and i guess we just believe if it can happen here, it can happen in the united states of america. >> do you feel any differently, as before -- i'm sure you were in a committed relationship before, is this more empowering?

people say you turn 40, do you feel any different? you turn 50, do you feel any different? when you're allowed to get married, do you feel any different? >> that's a good question, because i didn't think i would feel any different, third time's the charm kind of thing, for me it was always about the civil rights, not necessarily the implied name, but i have to say that i do feel different knowing that you are married at least under the eyes of the state law here in new hampshire. it does make a difference. you walk a little more confidently and a little more proudly. >> a lot of people talk about the sanctity of marriage, i think half or more than half of people end up getting a divorce. it's the same among same sex couples, i don't think the me percentages are any different. what do you say about that? >> having the right to marry and having that legal equality comes with not only the rights but the

responsibilities and obligation, and any couple, same sex couple that marries, they have the same opportunity, but also obligation if they end their relationship, they get divorced. so i think that it's really going to be no different. and marriage is also -- >> do you -- >> is it -- is this a federal or a state thing? some people say it should be decided among the states, the federal government should not be involved in it. do you think it's a federal or a state issue? >> i think it's totally a federal issue. we need to, of course, have states rights, but until dadt is overturned -- don't ask, don't tell. >> the president made a big deal about that a couple months ago,

to gay men and women saying he was going to overturn dadt. >> i think the president has done a great job so far. there's always room to move further. there's a lot to be done, and he needs to take some action. but at least here for us personally in the state of new hampshire, we finally do have some equality. >> happy new year to you, congratulations. >> thanks, don, for the opportunity. calling all cars, be on the lookout for a speeding coke machine. eeeeeeeeeeee

swimmers in rhode island showed no fear as they sprinted

into the frigid ocean on new year's day. i could never do that. the polar bear plunge is an annual event. although members of this club take a dip every week in winter. this year's swim will help a local teen cancer patient go somewhere considerably warmer. the money raised will go toward sending her on a dream vacation to the caribbean. now, for that, i would consider doing it. if all your friends leaped into a freezing lake, would you do it too? it's part of the 20th annual ice dive. a minnesota tradition. even more hair raising or hair freezing, it was a 0 degree morning. i was thinking about a seinfeld episode with george. there are easier ways to buy a cold one than the man in tennessee who tried to chain a coke machine to his pickup

truck. the police were hot on their trail. the suspect kept trying to escape even after the chain broke and the machine was released. the local sheriff calls it the strangest crime he's ever seen. that is some weird video to look at. ahead, a last host at the tavern on the green. the iconic new york city restaurant is shut down maybe for good. i've never used afrin before. relief! oh, it's like night and day. can i keep this? (announcer) afrin. why suffer?

new year's eve may have been the last hoorah for the tavern on the green. it's gone dark. well wishers are still gathering to toast the famous central park eatery. i stopped by to see if i could get one last meal. >> what a party on new year's eve, at the world famous tavern on the green. >> let's see if we can have some lunch here. >> not happening, the american icon, just off new york's central park is no more. >> not open. the end of an era. >> americans have been in love with tavern since it opened in the 1930s, in large part thanks to hollywood. >> i know the first time i found

out, "ghostbusters". >> i had no idea. >> rick moranis running around outside before he gets eaten by the lion. >> reporter: tavern on the green and weddings go together too. just ask ruth ann warren. >> i had a beautiful dress, it was modelled after diana, princess diana, gorgeous white gone, french lace. we had the white horse and carriage here. beautiful memories, you know? >> what does it mean to you? >> it's sad for me to see this -- i didn't believe it when i heard it wouldn't be open any more. it's a landmark of new york, and i can't understand how they couldn't save it. i still think it will always be tavern on the green. >> always be tavern on the green. what a nice sentiment that is. tavern's new operator has yet to

sign a contract with the restaurant's landlord which is the city's department of parks and recreation. if it does reopen, expect a new look and maybe a new name. let's hope they work it out. tavern on the green rolls off the tongue. some of your feedback. a lot of you are talking about this jabbaris crittenton story. let's take some of your comments. bravo for pointing out that 50% of marriages end in divorce. miss williams, showdown in the locker room, are they crazy? they could have hurt someone else with their stupidity. glad you're back, don. i don't think it was in the locker room they were settling their dispute. how long will it be before there are guns in high school locker rooms. interesting stuff, appreciate