podcast on cnn.com/podcasting. remember, this is the place for the answers to all your medical questions. thanks for watching. happy new year. i'm elizabeth cohen. more news on cnn starts right now. this is cnn sunday morning. it's january 3rd. thanks for being here. >> thanks for starting your day with us. we'll get straight to breaking news out of yemen. three days after warning americans to be on the lookout for possible terror, the u.s. embassy shuts down and we just got word in the last 45 minutes that the british embassy has also closed. the president has already blamed and al qaeda affiliate for the attempted christmas day bombing and the u.s. military top commander just held a meeting

with yemen's president. what can be done here to stop the growing threat? >> you can say arctic blast? many of you already feeling it because nearly half of the nation is waking up with temperatures either at or plea zero. we'll is your frigid forecast. but right back to our breaking news. the u.s. embassy in yemen closed day prompted by al qaeda threat. we have also learned that the british embassy has closed, as well. do you know the nature of these threats? because now both the u.s. and the british embassies are closed. >> reporter: we don't yet know the specific nature of the threats. we know from the announcement by the u.s. embassy that there were threats directed at u.s. interests in yemen. that's no surprise considering all the tension the past couple of weeks. the british embassy as well has

now announced they'll shut down. with regards to the u.s. embassy, they're shutting down for an unspecified period of time. again, not a big surprise that the u.s. would do this. the u.s. in countries where there are threats against their interests tend to go ahead and proactively take these kinds of measures to avoid any casualties and to avoid any kind of basically strikes against them. as far as when they might open again, we don't know. they closed several times in the past few years because of threats against help. in 2008, there was an attack launched against them by al qaeda and they closed for an indefinite period of time after that, as well. as far as the embassy of the uk, they're reassessing the situation tomorrow. but because of the nature, there's so much tension in the region and the u.s. is so concerned about threats by al qaeda that it just makes sense for them to go ahead and shut down for the time being. >> well, help us understand the nature in that region because

there is essentially a lot of people will claim and many experts will say, confirm, that it it is a breeding ground for terrorists. is yemen a breeding ground for terrorists? >> reporter: more and more yemen is being described as not just a breeding ground, it's a magnet for terrorists and a real hub. you're seeing more and more militants coming to yemen. a lot of the international community seems like they weren't as aware as they should have been as to how dire the situation has become in yemen the last few years. yemen officials will tell you they've been battling al qaeda since the '90s. the u.s. only took notice after the attack on u.s. in 2000. nonetheless it's only gotten worse. in the past year, you've seen al qaeda from saudi arabia and al qaeda from yemen merge. that made the group even stronger. they were able to carry out spectacular attacks within saudi arabia within other regional neighbors. that really got the attention of the world community as to how

bad the situation had gotten. and because yemen's government is so week and so inspect and there's so much corruption, they're not seen as being able to handle this, so you're seeing the u.s. try to team up to battle al qaeda. but a lot of the analysts that i've spoken with wonder if it's not just too late. because it's gotten so bad and because al qaeda there has gotten so strong, they don't know how the u.s. and yemen and other regional neighbors will be able to effectively battle al qaeda in the coming week, months and years. >> how much u.s. involvement is taking place in yemen to try to shore up some of these borders and prevent some of the terrorism activity? >> reporter: it's very clear that the u.s. has taken a very keen interest in yemen. they're going to be providing them with much more aid, with much more intelligence. in the past few week, there's been a lot of speculation that the u.s. is helping yemen launch these air raids against al qaeda, these different locations within yemen, that they're providing air support or sending

in drones. the u.s. has not confirmed that. yemen's government plain takens that all the attacks against al qaeda are all done simply by the yemen military, but yemen's military is seen as weak. the government is seen as weak. we know the u.s. is playing an mcing role and we now know that the u.s. is trying to plan joint retaliatory strikes against al qaeda with yemen's government. so it seems more and more like the u.s. will play a greater role, they will try to get involved more. how much more and when, we don't yet know. >> all right, thank you for that. and on the heels of the british embassy closing in yemen, want to take you live to london and paula is standing by. give me the latest on the decision behind closing the embassy there. >> reporter: very much similar to the u.s. decision. i can tell you having been to both of these embassies, while they are heavily fortified, if they are under attack, sometimes what what has happened is people outside have also been hurt. obviously people want to take

precautions. also for the local staff. specifically what was mentioned was a threat from al qaeda, but having been to both, they are fairly exposed in the sense that it is not within precedent that people have tried to lob in rockets or mortars into an embassy area like that. what the u.s. and what britain wants to do now is make sure they review security procedures. it's always been pretty much an open secret that the yemeni officials could not secure the capital itself. they will want to review all security procedures in that city and make sure that they can reopen again. >> we understand that the u.s. embassy is closed indefinitely at this point. i just heard that the british embassy could possibly open in the next day or so. do you have any word on that? >> reporter: the british as well are taking a wait and see attitude. in terms of reviewing the security measure, they do not know what they'll find in place. they may ask for some road closures in the capital itself,

which will make the flow of traffic a little bit easier. that is the prime concern right now. and while obviously no one can drive right up to the embassies themselves, there are other business around them, they may ask for a check point specifically on that road before they feel comfortable enough to open them up. >> and we will be watching very cloily, as well. paula, thank you for that. the u.s. and british embassies closing in yemen are not the only developments we're following on this story this morning. less than 24 hours ago, the president vowed to hold those responsible for the failed christmas day attack accountable. and the road keeps leading back to yemen. a leading u.s. authority on that country says this is not a short term commitment. >> i think one of the ms 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, a very hard slough. there's no magic missile solution. >> reporter: the obama administration is working on its

own answers. general david petraeus made that known saturday. according to reports, the general promised yemen's president substantial support to fight al qaeda. resources are tight. yemen is the poorest nation in the arab world. yet yemen acted this week quickly to tighten security along its coast. it's also sending additional troops to known al qaeda strongholds, a region the us speblgted christmas day bomber may have visited. it is not a new fight for the u.s. and yemen, however. the two countries are in this one together. >> reporter: it is a huge problem right now what's going on with al qaeda in yemen. yemen cheerily needs help from the u.s. a lot of people have speculated that the u.s. is giving more help than they have disclosed. >> reporter: there are numerous reports that the u.s. has september in droeps and air power, but the u.s. has not corn confirmed that. another footnote, general petraeus was in yemen in july, yet that visit got a lot less coverage. this time, though, he was bringing a message directly from

the president. this message. >> the investigation mr. to the christmas day incident continues. and we're learning more about the suspect. we know that he travelled to yemen, a country grappling with crushing poverty and deadly insurgencies. it appeared he joined and affiliate of al qaeda and they trained him, equipped him with those explosives and directed him to attack that plane headed for america. >> reporter: those words the strongest yet from president obama linking al qaeda and yemen to the failed attack. the president is also calling a high level meeting on tuesday with senior i were tell against and national security officials there. there are a lot of moving parts to this picture. tuesday's meeting, general petraeus in yemen, the strong language from president obama. long standing history of al qaeda's activity in yemen dating back to the attack on the uss cole in 2000. so let's try to understand what's happening. peter bergen joins me now.

tuesday's meeting, what will be on that agenda? >> obviously the question of what went wrong with the detroit bomber getting on the plane with the explosives. but in terms of yemen, i think it's significant that david petraeus was sent. there are a lot of other people you could send, the counter terrorism adviser has been to yemen, could you send the secretary of state, but you're sending a four star why not whose area of responsibility includes yemen. i think that's a strong signal nat united states will bomb through on what president obama has said, which he's going to hold people to account. i think that is a not very subtly coded way of saying there will be retribution and it will be military retribution. and we've already seen strikes on december 17th and december 24th at al qaeda targets in yemen. but i imagine there's going to be more of those strikes and i don't think general petraeus was bringing a thank you mote to the president of yemen for your help on the war in the terror, i think he was bringing more of an ultimatum which is to say if

that plane that had blown up, 300 mostly americans would be dead. and this is coming from your territory. and if you can't control your own territory, we can help you, we're already giving aid, we can increase that aid, but we also, you know, this poses a major threat to the united states and we can do this with you or without you. and i think that's what the you been stance of the conversation was. i can't imagine that he would have said anything else given what the president said yesterday. >> saying holding those responsible accountable, but at the same, we're learning today that the president is also saying the counterterrorism chief, that the u.s. is not opening a new front in yemen against terrorism, yet at the same time, we're seeing this meeting taking place. so my question to you is this. what can the yemeni government do? we've been told that it's a weak government, the borders are easy to by pass so that terrorist activity can go in and out. what can be done to stop the

flow of not only the activity but the recruitment? >> so you haddy arabia and yemen border, it's a very long one. much of it is desert. the so you haddyes also have a big role to play here. after all, al qaeda in yemen also very narrowly missed killing the chief of their counterterrorism on august 27th. and the saudis are trying to increase the border security. yemen -- i don't blame the yemeni government. they have so many problems as richard said in his piece, this is the poorest country in the arabian peninsula. this is a country that has basically two different kinds of civil wars going on. top graphically it's very similar to iraq, a country ideally suited for guerrilla warfare. the problem is one of capacity.

it's not a question of lack of willingness. i think it is really a lack of capacity. so it's building up that capacity and the u.s. has been helping i imagine droep which is the understand will never acknowledge. it does not ak until of use of drones in pakistan and there's already been 50 drone strikes this year under president obama. so i think it's just going to help help already a lot of these things are happening, but i think they will be amped up considerably with this new threat. >> and we're also hearing that both the u.s. embassy and british embassy closed after threats by al qaeda that it will attack interests in that region. so do you think an attack is imminent, will al qaeda make good on those threats? >> they certainly are will try and they tried in the past. we mentioned on the program already that the history of al qaeda against the united states goes back to the cole. it goes back even further. al qaeda kidnapped a group of western tour it wrists in 1998 including americans, some of the western tourists died in a

rescue operation by the yemeni army. so this al qaeda after all is founded by somebody called osama bin laden whose family original mates in yemen. this this is not a new story. this is a very sold story of al qaeda's presence in yemen. it's pretty deep rooted. it's not going to be something that will be rooted out overnight. but clearly this is a whom new era and that's the message that petraeus i'm sure delivered. >> peter bergen, thank you as always. we do appreciate appreciate your ensight. and a reminute der that state of the union will have much more on the embassy shut downs and yemen and the terror probes in this country at the top of the hour. there is much more ahead, including a major milestone reached in iraq encouraging news for anyone with loved ones overseas. >> and even a mega church can feel the squeeze of a recession. we'll tell you what happened when rick warren asked his con

agree xwags for some cash. >> and is it cold enough for you? >> man, oh, man. many parts plea zero. >> much of the country. and reynold wolf has been tracking below zero windchills and knee high snowfall to boot. his forecast when we come back. . a cherry tree with chills. code orange. the late night heat wave. code orange. when the fever is high enough to be a code orange, you need children's motrin. medicine with muscle. the brand pediatricians recommend most... to bring high fever down fast... and keep it down for up to 8 hours. the 103 degree after-school surprise. code orange.

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record this early in the year? >> it feels like we've entered the ice age. i expect to look outside and see a woolly mammoth in the cave. crazy stuff and it looks like it will continue to bring that cold air continuing to march its way to the south. there's a reason why we're seeing that happen. let me get all geeky for you and show you why. an area of low pressure up in parts of the northeast. counterclockwise flow moving in this direction. so it's almost like a fly wheel. high pressure which means in a clockwise direction. the two of those working in concert means you have a lot of cold air. that's the effect this morning. that's why we're shivering so much here in the southeast. but the heart of that cold air is moving across parts of the great lakes, the western half of the great lakes and into portion respect of the midwest. 16 in duluth, des moines with 1. also sink gill did i thigle dig.

and what it will mean is it will feel like 10 to 20 degrees below zero in parts of the ohio valley and tennessee valley, basically the same thing. and in the deep south, although it has a reputation of being warm, it will feel like anywhere 10 to 20 degrees. high temperature there da in atlanta, 38. the shot outside looks pretty good. feels awfully cold. a few scattered clouds here and there and as we pan the camera a little bit farther from left to right, seeing some of the city's backdrop looks fantastic, but, yeah, it is certainly a chilly time out there. security guys outside the building all bundled up trying to stay warm. if you happen nobody boston, new york, what we'll be seeing there, certainly that cold air, but almost blizzard like conditions for upstate maine. this low will tap into that moisture. as the moisture falls throughout lower levels of the atmosphere, it it will move in a shallow level of cold air and turn into snow. that will give you blizzard like conditions, treacherous driving

conditions on 95, much less the back roads will an nightmare. keep in mind all through this area, know that you'll have some issues in places like new york, airports there, certainly d.c., travel issues, you better believe it. so be patient. it will be a rough day weather-wise. >> appreciate that warning. up next, understanding yemen. the u.s. just closed its embassy there. also, the british embassy closed. that country does remain a huge priority for our national security. >> and what you need to know about this newest terror hot spot when we come right back. ( sighs )

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priority mail flat rate shipping starts at $4.95 only from the postal service. a simpler way to ship and return. more now on this morning's top story, the u.s. has closed the embassy in yemen saying it's a response to ongoing terror threat there is. britain closing its embassy today, as well, due to security continues. al qaeda claims responsibility for the attempted bombing on the u.s. >> the british embassy closed at least for the next few days. they may be requiring at least asking for roads leading into those embassies to be blocked off. but al qaeda has practice ma threats against u.s. interests in the region, so that has prompted the closing of this. our josh levs is here to tell us more about yemen and why it's so volatile.

>> we keep hearing about taking action in yemen and that is important, but we can't understand what the u.s. and britain will try to do unless we also look at the surrounding nation which is include saudi arabia. i have found that using the simplest mapsky find offers the simplest explanation. basically you're seeing the big picture. africa all the way through here. and this is the region that connects africa to the middle east. right here in that corner is yemen. and the key here when you hear about that, yes, the u.s. will be taking action in yemen, but this group, al qaeda in the arabian peninsula, also has operational structure inside saudi arabia. anything at all will require some sort of action by the saudi government in both nations. that's one thing to look at. you also see up here all the complexities. you have iraq, iran, sear yarks the entire middle east with israel and palestinian territories in that region. now a bigger map here, this is yemen here and here's what i

want to you see. i showed you what's north of. you've got saudi arabia, all those nations. but we'll come down here south across the gulf of aden and this right here is somalia. a lot of us familiar with the piracy concerns, there's been this huge power vacuum there, a breeding ground of terror for al qaeda. and there are operatives been imagine to go work their way over here to yemen. so it's important to understand what's happening. one of our experts spoke about that on american morning. >> al qaeda appears to have merged with local conflicts and this is where the danger lies. so you not only have an al qaeda footprint, an and i will yaep one, you have al qaeda now leads the struggles in the south against the north. and also you have tens of thousands of somali refugees. so you have interaction between al qaeda members in i can't men and somalia.

>> so to summarize all that you've got serious, serious complexities in that region. you have the complexities in yemen and then saudi arabia just north of it and then on the south side, somalia and all the challenges there. all of that is the big picture for any action with respect to this group that has an operational structure inside yemen. >> and we were looking at that map, oil. that's an important economic point. because saudi arabia is the biggest supplier of oil to opec and the u.s. relationship with saudi arabia is important, as well. so you have all that. you also have oil transport throughout the region, a, as well. so all of this is really important to what fuels our economy currently. >> it goes through that very small opening right there in the gulf of aden. a tiny little area. >> a lot that travels hugh that area. this is what i made bigger over here. so anytime you hear about that,

what you have to keep in mind is that there is this economic structure. you have to keep all that in mind when you look at the u.s., britain and other nations trying to face what's happening inside yemen. yemen is a point in a huge circle there. >> very good explanation. thank you. this could be the year that we see a total overhaul of the health care system and some people coping with serious illnesses say that the help cannot come soon enough. up next, john king has one man's battle against cancer. his story and the health care about your rock accuracy. i chose the boys & girls clubs. it's an investment for the future. i chose the national wildlife federation. 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 choice of five charities.

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barack obama's presidency, john king travelled to all 50 states. yes, all of them. to tell the compelling stories of every day people living outside the corridors of power. >> so we go to the he said of july when john hooked at the health care debate through the eyes of a 23-year-old here that was facing leukemia without medical insurance. >> reporter: gregory rose is seven months in to his new life. a feeling of invincibility that comes with being 23 shattered

when even a few shrimp steps became unbearable. >> each step from my back to the ball and socket in your hip was like on on fire. grinding. i know that kind of pain i've never felt like that before. they tested my blood and my white blood cell count was over 62,000, which for a normal person is 5 to 10. >> reporter: lieu keep qua diagnosed finals week. a sho being to a young man whose plan was to pay down his student loans, then worry about health care. >> being healthy, i figure going a little ways without health insurance, it should be okay. but got caught. >> reporter: are the jps kachb ser center is part of a public hospital network that not only has given rose care including five cycles of chemotherapy, but also helped him navigate the dizzying health care bureaucracy. >> are you able to pay your bills for the most part? >> just my represent. >> reporter: first medicaid. then social security disability payments. next, a painful lesson.

in texas, the modest income from social security he's over the limit to receive medicare. no insurance, but a bag full of medications that run more than $5,000 a month. >> every day. every day. >> reporter: and the prospect if the cancer comes back of much more daunting expenses. >> the bone marrow testing alone costs like that's just the testing part of it. >> reporter: 800,000 patients pass through jps every year. fewer than 7% of them have private health insurance. >> we've got surgery in two. three. >> reporter: those here who do have coverage are likely to medicare or medicaid and when the jps ceo and chief of medicine hear the president promise to squeeze billions in savings from knows federal programs, they worry and among other things it could exacerbate

an already acute doctor shorts allege in texas. >> we have a significant problem with medicaid only 38% of our physicianses participate in medicaid programs. so if we start squeezing the payment rates down or freezing them, we're going see fewer and fewer physicians who will want to participate in those programs. >> reporter: while public hospitals like jps see the bulk of the uninsured, this doctor also sees a steady flow when baylor medical center in dallas advertises for new clinical research studies. >> they'll come to us knowing they have high blood pressure and haven't been on medicines for two years and absolutely the trial provides those medicines, so that is an option for that person. we even had a gentleman come to us one time who didn't have health insurance and i always ask them, well, why don't you have that? and he runs an insurance agency. and i went what? he said i can't afford it. >> reporter: gregory rose proudly displays a proud of his

political a leemgiance, but as he watches the debate in washington, is he more and more frustrated. >> typical washington fight. >> reporter: his first reflex is to blame republican, but rose knows democrats not only have the white house but big majorities in the house and senate. he says democrats fighting mopping themselves over how to pay for reforms should spend some time in his shoes. >> they really need to get their heads together and get their act straight. with those majorities in place, things should be happening. if they don't get it done, there's got to be a lot of people hurting because of it. >> reporter: john king, cnn, fort woft. wor worth, texas. and state of the union stops at the top of the hour. >> today's guests will talk about the lets from yemen, the christmas day terror plot, and lessons learned from 9/11. again, that's state of the union right after cnn sunday morning. so when rick warren asked the faithful to help his church through a crisis, the response was overwhelming. you'll definitely want to stick

around for the details on this one. >> it was mega, right? and calling it a reverse collection plate. we'll take you to a church that's handing out cash at the end of each service. wow, that's a low price! wow, that's a low price! how many products do we carry? 7,000. [ man ] wow, that's a low price! i'll get him a cart. [ man ] hot diggity dog! yeah. that's a low price! [ male announcer ] staples has low prices on everything you need for your office. and we mean everything. staples. that was easy.

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order now and you can get two weeks of meals free, plus, the all-new nutrisystem jumpstart kit. welcome back. yes, we do have breaks news to tell you about. the u.s. embassy is closed in yemen following threats from al qaeda. the pretty tesch embassy also closed today, as well. u.s. general david petraeus has met with the yemeni president

yesterday to discuss the situation in qua men. it is an evolving situation. >> and the way they're coordinating efforts, what we understand at least, yesterday was that the yemeni president saying their forces will be undertaking any military operations. that could change, of course. this is new video coming out of that country and as we look at this, the yes is the central government and how strongly they can enagent any sort of strategy that may have come up with with general david petraeus yesterday. >> and it's a volatile region. the borders are easily passable as the hub as many would say for terrorist activity. and a breeding ground in fact for terrorism. and so the question what can be done by the yemeni government to track down on that and u.s. government obviously hoping to assist in that in some way, but the president today saying that it's not opening a new front in yemen and n. regards in regard

we're watching it closely and will bring you the latest. let's go to something else for a britt. quitting smoking. or losing weight. spending less. you've heard those, right? all pretty good goals for the new year. >> seems like it. but there's only one new year's resolution that matters to many in the u.s. and that is getting a job. >> reporter: happy new year. more than 15 million people in the country are unemployed. many of them lost their jobs in 2009. what's ahead for 2010? elana who spoke to us last last year about her career hopes after sending out steps of resumes and searching for a job, she suddenly realized what she wanted to do in life. >> luckily out of all of this and something that really positive that has come out of it is that i've discovered that i want to become a teacher. and i would have never

discovered that out of this entire year of looking for a job, that instead of having a job basically handed to me, i've really had to fight for it and kind of discover where i belong in the world. >> reporter: as the unemployed site surf and soul search, there is some glimmer of hope. the last report in december found that new claims for unemployment benefits fell sharply. down by 22,000. that was the lowest level since july 2008. and the four week average of people who filed for benefits has been decline pog 17 weeks straight. >> we are in a very different place today than we were one year ago. we mayor f to get, but we can sy say that we are no longer facing the potential collapse of our financial system. and we've avoid the the depression many feared. our economy is growing for the first time in a year. >> reporter: next week will also provide a good snapshot of how

manufacturing and service sectors held up in december. as the economy gradually recovers from the worst recession since the great depression, going from cutting jobs to creating them is a slow adjust want. businesses are likely to be cautious, fully convinced in recovery before adding any new hires. >> would he have out of the recession everywhere. but we're not growing enough on main street to put people back to work. when the average person positioposition positions of a recession, they don't think of it like a economic does, they think am i losing my job, am i getting a raise. >> reporter: katie pilgrim, cnn. a big concern for many in this coming year. still ahead, another check of the top stories this hour, including the obama administration's move in yemen. >> this comes as the first family wraps up their vacation. we caught up with friends who knew the president when he was still barry the basketball player. she wants to make up.

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ask your doctor if cialis is right for you, so when the moment is right, you can be ready. the prayers have been answered for rick warren. his mega church has raised $2.4 million since wednesday. it's more than enough to cover the saddle back church's $900,000 deficit and is more expected to roll in? of course it is. warren made his plea for

donations online. but instead of asking for money, another church giving it away in illinois. it's turning the end of each service into a game show. but as our christine romans tells us, not everybody wants to play along. >> it all belongs to you. we thank you. it all is yours now in jesus' name. let's go. >> reporter: at the lighthouse church of all nations in suburban chicago, parishioners are lining up every week hoping to receive more than just the sunday sermon. ♪ >> reporter: church pastor dan willis also recently began giving away money. with a congregation hit hard by the economic down turn, willis finishes every service with a cash prize. giving away $1,000 every week. >> if you are in seat number --

365, you've just won $500. >> due to the economic recession, i wanted to teach the parallel between faith and finances. >> 300, 400, 500. how you feeling right about now? >> i'm happy. thank you so much. >> reporter: willis doesn't call the prize a lottery. instead, referring to it as a love gift. a chance to bless the lucky few while also helping fill his pews. he says church attendance has grown from about 1600 to 2500 in just a few weeks. >> debt is not a financial condition. debt is a spiritual condition. >> reporter: recent winners say the money couldn't come at a better time. >> i went down to red lobster and celebrated with my wife and my kids. and then after that, i paid a couple of bills off and got groceries. >> my gas tank was on e, so i drove straight to the gas station. >> could you imagine what would happen, and i get passionate about this part, if every church did something like this?

>> reporter: that's exactly request some others in the religious community are concerned. >> the whole point of the christian life is to care for others. to love others. to give. and yet this could set up a mind set where the purpose of going church is to acquire for one's self. which is what christians usually call sin. >> we love you and there's nothing you can do about it. >> reporter: still, willis scissors its eye not just the love that he hopes will continue to grow, but also the parking lot. he plans on building an additional lot to handle the hundreds more people coming to church every week. praying for a chance to win some cold hard cash. >> sweetheart, you just won $100. >> reporter: christine romans, cnn. >> i have seen it all. they're saying they've increased the number of parishioners going there. well, they're giving out cash. >> that might work. let's talk about that big chill that's on from maine to miami and other m lettered cities. >> a lot of people wondering can

we get some rehaef sometime soon? reynold wolf returns with the workweek forecast when we come right back. high cholesterol was contributing to plaque buildup in my arteries. that's why my doctor prescribed crestor. she said plaque buildup in arteries is a real reason to lower cholesterol. and that along with diet, crestor does more than lower bad cholesterol, it raises good. crestor is also proven to slow the buildup of plaque in arteries. crestor isn't for everyone, like people with liver disease, or women who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant. simple blood tests will check for liver problems. you should tell your doctor about other medicines you are taking, or if you have muscle pain or weakness. that could be a sign of serious side effects. while you've been building your life, plaque may have been building in your arteries. find out more about slowing the buildup of plaque at crestor.com. then ask your doctor if it's time for crestor. announcer: if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help.

so it is january. we should not be surprised that it is cold outside. but this cold? >> you don't expect to have 70 degrees in chicago in early january. you're right. it is to be expected. but still, just incredible shock of cold air moving through at least half the nation affecting millions of americans is something that will be uncomfortable this morning. but it's just one element of the one-two punch that we're getting today. snow and temperatures. let's start with the snow first.

that big snow maker will be caused by this area of low pressure spinning right over parts of maine. you'll have snow, strong wind. and those wind gusts will cause things to be shaky as far south as boston where we have a live tower cam for you. you see the charles river at the very bottom of the screen. you see the bridge and then right in two, a few snowflakes here and there. but farther to the south, the story is entirely different in miami where we have a mixture of sunshine and cloud, should an beautiful day there where high temperatures are expected to reach all the way up to about 63 degrees by late afternoon. however, not every else is so lucky. let's show you some of the unfortunate few. unless you're a fan of cold weather. and you should be happy in minneapolis because your high today is going up to 7. 17 in kansas city. right now in minneapolis, you've got 11 plea zero. far fargo, 19 below. nechb to green bay and one of the warmer spots, denver,

colorado with 25. a little bit warmer in cheyenne, wyoming with 28. but plenty of sunshine in parts of the four corners and back out west, looks pretty good. on monday expect that frontal boundary to come ashore. snow possible in the sierra nevada. natural plains, parts of missouri, jefferson city, might have light snow to deal with through the afternoon hours. possibly heavier snow away from some of the main roads. more coming up right here on cnn sunday. thataboy. [ male announcer ] prilosec otc. heartburn gone. power on. wait. fedex has ground shipping? oh, that's right. you just woke up from a 23-year coma. yeah, it was a long one. did i miss anything? uh, the cold war ended. [ man ] pluto's no longer a planet. culture club broke up. the berlin wall came down. wait. the club broke up?

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to iraq where u.s. forces are supposed to start draw down this year. nearly 3500 troops have died in combat there sense march 2003, but a positive sign, december was the first month since the war started without any u.s. combat deaths. diana is? n. baghdad and tell us us what will change and what will stay the same in iraq in 2010. >> reporter: iraq 2010. there are two key dates in the calendar which will fundamentally shape this country's future. march the 7th, national elections. iraqis will choose whether they want a secular "religious leadership. whether iraqi nation offers mere a myriad p tensions. then there's the time it will take to form a government. >> u6 two election, the election for the members of parliament,

the over 300 members of parliament, and then you have the what may be the more important election, which is the election of the prime minister, council of representatives and the determination of who will hold key ministry positions and so forth in government. >> reporter: the u.s. is banking on that transition to power being a smooth one because less than five months later, it will plans to have pulled some 60,000 troops out of iraq. only 50,000 will stay after august 2010, all advise and assist bringing gads. while this is going organization you also have the vote of foreign investors. thir see increasingly willing to bank just on rark oil ands cub's reconstruction. their confidence, though, depends on the political landscape and on security. and that once again depends on the elections. >> before he was president

obama, he was barry to his hawaiian friends. >> up next, those friends talk i'll cream, body surfing, some basketball, and protecting the president. we'll be right back.

the holidays is a time for catching up with friends and family. and that goes for the president, too. >> he's in hawaii. a wise destination when most of the country is shivering in a deep freeze. a senior white house correspondent is on the trip, as well, and he tracked down some

of the president's old buddies. >> reporter: in between intelligence briefings, the president has carved out time to reconnect with his home state. indulging in local dell cassies like shaved ice. >> the ice cream starts melting when the syrup makes a mess. >> reporter: turns out mr. obama used to be on the other side of the counter. a part team job in high school scooping ice cream at this baskin-robbins in honest hugh lieu. and old friends reluctantly admit the future president used to give them free stuff. >> i think the statute of limitations has passed 37. >> he gave us some. >> reporter: larry has fond memories of the classmate who he body surfed with. >> i didn't know his real name was barack, to tell you the truth. he was barry to us. so when he said barack, we kind of raised our eyebrows a little bit. okay that's cool. >> reporter: they played together on the basketball team

that won the state championship in 1979. larry was point guard. barry, the power forward. >> he was physical in. >> he was real physical. not scared to mix it up. i guess if you equate that being the president, he's not squared to make a decision 37. >> reporter: many high school acquaintances lost touch with barry, so they were blown away in 2004 by his stirring democratic congress venks speech. and election night left many in tears. >> i got more and more excited, i couldn't believe this moment that had months pd months of leading in to was actually becoming a reality. and as everybody waited for the president elect to make hess speech after being elected, it just became, again, i use the word surreal, but it was just a climate tick moment. >> reporter: they're also fersly protective of their prend, getting fired up by all the attacks from critics. >> you can take it so much and then let's go outside, throw the

gloves off and let's settle this is how i really feel. but, you know, that's not going to happen. so i think people just have to be a little bit most of patient with him. he's doing the best he can. >> reporter: larry has played basketball with mr. obama a few times in recent years. he says the president is a big trash talk, loves to needle his friends. but an example stays in the gym. basically these old friends want to say friends. they're not going to talk out of school. ed henry, cnn, honolulu. >> just keep it on the court. >> that's right. leave it right there. >> well, we pleerkt you coming in and spending some time with us. >> thank you so much. i had a great time. >> and state of the union is coming up at the top of the hour with counterterrorism chief john brennan, but first here's a quick check of this morning's headlines. both the u.s. and british governments have closed their embassieses in yemen. both countries cite security concerns. there's no word yet on when the embassies will reopen. president obama's counterterrorism adviser says