much of the midwest and, boy, i don't think it's going to melt until christmas. >> yeah, absolutely. well, you know, at least it's better than 95 degrees. i'm joe johns, i'm in for john roberts this morning. and we all know kiran chetry who has been very busy over the past few days and weeks. >> you all know how it goes this time of year. let's get caught up on what's happened overnight. the wild, almost winter storm that brought the midwest to a halt is not over yet. many stranded at the airport and stuck in their homes this morning. and dangerously cold temperatures closing in right behind it. >> yeah, and all the snow, too much for the metro dome's teflon roof in minnesota. it deflated and collapsed under the pressure of one of the biggest snowfalls in minneapolis history. and all of it was caught on tape. from the inside, some of the teflon tearing and you can see the snow is coming right in. sent the giants and vikings

scrambling to find a place to play. that's moved to detroit. and we're going to have amazing video from inside the dome just ahead. and president obama's tax cut compromise. a large chunk of your 2011 take home pay on the line today. the obama administration predicts passage. but house democrats promise a fight sayinging the president rolled over for republicans. we're live at the white house ahead of today's key senate vote. up first, though, the extreme weather, snow, bitter cold, turning lives upside down this morning. it's still snowing in many places across the midwest, around the great lakes, round two on its way. and it is dangerously cold, as well. there's no telling how many people are stuck on the roads, at the airports, and in some cases in their own homes. and it may not get better for days. and this morning, the metro dome in minneapolis is an outdoor stadium. it's an inflatable roof, flat as a pancake, caved in under 17 inches of snow. the amazing collapse all caught on tape from inside an avalanche

of snow pouring on to the field. the minnesota vikings will now play that home game tonight in detroit against the giants. >> we'll go live to the twin cities in a moment, but first we're going to check in with rob marciano to find out more about this system and how much more snow they could be looking at. >> yeah, quite a storm. you think about 17 inches in minneapolis. that's a place that should get a lot of snow. the fact of the matter is that part of the country to get over a foot of snow is definitely a major, major event. it's not the first major event of the season. and this storm, at least for the midwest will go down in the record books. this storm that deflated the metro dome and stranded the giants was the fifth greatest snowstorm of all time in the twin cities. saturday was the snowiest on record with just over 17 inches of the white stuff. and as the storm moved east, bone-chilling 50-mile-an-hour winds moved in.

>> that's a bus, it's stuck in the snow. can't get out. >> reporter: creating whiteout conditions that made travel so dangerous that plows were even pulled off the roads. >> that's the best way to get around, cross-country skis. >> reporter: and at o'hare, a depressing departure board, especially for the guy who packed deep dish pizzas as christmas gifts. >> may end up in a snow drift tonight to keep them cold. >> reporter: in all, some 1,400 flights canceled and countless nerves fraz led in chicago. the only person the snow couldn't slow down, tom brady. >> brady and branch again for 59. >> as the patriots rolled over the bears at the snowy field. >> in the rain at the meadow lands, and it's still warming up for rain across the northeast. this is not a northeast storm. but typically once the fronts come through, you'll change over to snow. most of the moisture across the northeast is headed to eastern

new england and not a ton of snow behind this even when you see things change over, which they will this afternoon. but the moisture for the most part will be gone. accumulations in the northeast i believe will be minimal with this. but look at this, snow's getting all the way down to parts of the south. atlanta, quite a bit of flurries yesterday and up through nashville, seeing some snow, birmingham, alabama, seeing snow, and it will remain cold enough for snow across the deep south today, but we don't expect any sort of accumulation. with do expect to see accumulation here. from chicago back to cleveland, this area could see 1 to 2 feet of snow in the favored areas. now that we're starting to see the cold air roll in and getting into the typical lake effect snow showers and some of the snow is going to be obviously heavy at times. not only for today, but tonight and tomorrow and ongoing. far as what we're looking at for temperatures, it's 43 right now in new york. you're not even below freezing. it's much, much colder down to the south, out to the west, as well. and again, the snows are going

to be held to upstate new york, maybe through pennsylvania and the great lakes. it feels like 1 right now in nashville. give you an idea of how cold, how bitterly cold it is. and that is driving all the way down to the florida panhandle. highs today will be at 43 in new york and then temperatures will begin to drop 37 degrees in d.c. the big story really, guys, continues to be the threat for travel. try to get to cleveland yesterday, couldn't do it, new york metros, philly, d.c., detroit, charlotte, atlanta, and cleveland are going to be under the gun today for major travel headaches. back to you guys in new york. >> you got lucky, joe, because you flew in from washington, d.c. >> it was raining like crazy, but we were able to get out. you, of course, weren't even able to fly. so you end up in the studio instead of the cold. >> it's not so bad. >> you poor thing. you could have been stuck out in cleveland snow, but instead you're in warm atlanta. at least inside, not outside.

well, the pictures tell the story, as well, the massive storm dropping tons of snow on the roof of the metro dome in minneapolis. >> it was too much weight for the old teflon panels to take. our chris welch live inside the metro dome this morning. what's the situation like? >> reporter: well, as you alluded to, it started with this brutal, brutal weather. 17 inches of snow piled up on top of the metrodome roof. i don't know if you can see well behind me, but there's a flapping piece of teflon fabric. three panels on the roof of the metrodome, caved in and you can see there's ice, there's snow, what was melted snow on the roof has dripped down on to the field, covered it with water which is now frozen over because it's just about just as cold in here as it is outside. now, i talked to the facilities director here last night. he gave me a little bit of context with this. he says this is more of a

spectacle. the media likes to show these pictures. obviously those are amazing pictures. he says, though, it's actually worse than it -- excuse me, it's not worse, it's better than what it looks like. we don't have to worry for too long, he says. >> actually, i think -- i'll say it looks worse than what it is. in some respects because as the repair as i understand will basically be to unclamp the old fabric and clamp new fabric in its place and blow the roof back up. >> reporter: now, in the meantime, the game that was supposed to take place between the minnesota vikings and the new york giants has been moved to detroit for tonight. so if you want to see that game. if you had a ticket, if you were in minneapolis, you've got to make your way to detroit. >> you basically have to travel 500 miles. they say they're going to get you some, what? prime seating at the 50-yard line? but there are a lot of people who simply can't get there. either it's too much money to

fly or they're not going to drive. >> it's a very long drive. drive south past chicago and back up again if you want to drive. expensive flights. but they're telling people if you do make it, you can get preferred seating on the 50-yard line. not a bad deal, but is that enough to make it? i suppose if you ask the hard core fans, they would say yes, absolutely. on the other end of the spectrum, if you can't, there's going to be a lot of people who can't. they're going to be giving away free tickets to this game, as well. >> thanks. well, take a look at one of our i-reporters. busy boy pro posting this video from st. paul where you can see cars completely buried in the snow. the only way to get around, a pair of cross-country skis. road conditions are improving as plows begin to catch up and the snow starts to slow down. we'd love to air your i-report. serious weather problems too out west where the rain just won't let up.

flooding and mud slides forcing evacuations in portions of western washington state. record levels with more than 3 inches of rain in seattle in a 24-hour period. meteorologists say more rain is expected today. the white house says it'll pass, but some members of congress are saying maybe not. the first vote hours away, but will house democrats ultimately derail the deal? and fedex about to get slammed. today could be their busiest day of all time. we'll take you to the georgia headquarters to find out why. and what could be a real life da vinci code. the hidden symbols discovered in the mona lisa's eyes. nine minutes past the hour. ♪

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expected in the senate. >> yeah, it was a rough week, of course, for the white house last week. this could be a sign, though, that momentum is swinging in their favor. ed henry's live at the white house this morning. first of all, we had that surprise appearance in the white house briefing room on friday. i'm interested in your reaction when former president clinton came in there to eloquently sell the deal. >> well, kiran it didn't seem like he wanted to leave. he was leaning into the podium, grabbing on to it. laughing, calling on reporters he remembers -- who are still here who also covered his administration. there were some political risks for president obama in bringing out a closer, if you will. but the insiders say it shows this president is secure in bringing in someone like bill clinton who is still very popular with democrats. and as you say, it looks like for the first time they have some momentum that's going to be a procedural vote in the senate later today, expected to clear the super majority of 60 votes to move this debate forward. a final passage likely later

this week in the senate. and that will really push this forward and put pressure on house democrats to come onboard. and david axelrod was cnn's state of the union with candy crowley saying what he said last week. this is not a perfect deal, but given the time pressures to get this done by the end of the year, it's the best deal the white house could get possible. and they're hoping the house democrats will jump onboard, as well. take a listen. >> we handled it the best as we could given the time we had. i'm not looking for style points, what i'm looking for is progress of the american people. i'm looking at what is going to be devastating for the american people and the economy. and that's what we should be focused on. >> and the most important thing to take away from all of this is the fact that house democrats say, look, we're not completely happy. but we'll debate this, get this to the floor. hope to make it better, make changes to the estate tax provisions, and just a few days ago the house democrats were

saying we're not going to bring it to the floor at all. now they're saying it's likely to come up, they hope to change it. that's a good sign for this president that it's going to move forward kiran and joe. >> and ed, tax cuts are part of it as we all know. the president is also trying to get the start treaty done, don't ask, don't tell, and time in the lame duck is simply running out. what are the chances any of this stuff is going to get done? >> it's really a mixed bag, joe. because as you know having covered congress for a long time, the members of congress are smelling that jet fuel to get home. they're supposed to get home on friday. it's likely that'll slide a little bit into the weekend, maybe into the early part of next week, but start treaty's looking better for this president than it did a week ago. bringing up and overturning don't ask, don't tell, it's a high hurdle. seems like it's going to be difficult to get that done. funding the government through the holidays as well as this tax cut deal. there's a lot to get done in a few days. and i've got an interest in this

because i'm going to hawaii with the president. we need to know when we're getting on a plane. we don't know yet. >> you're smelling that jet fuel too, aren't you, buddy? >> important thing, you have to go to hawaii. ed henry for us this morning. thanks. forget mona lisa's smile. it's something in her eyes. a new discovery hidden in da vinci's masterpiece. and a florida church sets a nativity world record.

i'm explaining morning talkers to joe. because things change. >> it's a beautiful thing, right? i have no problem with that. >> 19 minutes past the hour. and these are the stories that have us talking in this newsroom this hour. is it the real life da vinci code? it's not visible to the naked eye in dark print of her pupils too small to see. in the right eye the letters "l"

and "v," can be seen, in the left side the symbols are harder to make out. >> we'll just have to see. the guy basically where wro his initials. that's kind of sort of like graffiti, okay. >> but it's so much more than that. it's the mystery surrounding this painting continues. >> he's no da vinci, but he's a master of oragami. we sped up a video to watch him turn a buck into a butterfly. for some reason i thought this was illegal to take money and turn it into things. >> it is? >> it's not. >> why is he wearing a helmet? is it dangerous? >> the president just pardoned some guy for melting down pennies, and i guess pennies and dollars are different. >> that's a precious butterfly. no shortage of the christmas spirit. members of the oasis church set a world record for the number

november nativity scenes on display at one time. ranging from if anythifigurines the new york jets losing and pretty embarrassing fashion to the dolphins yesterday. and this did not make it any better at all. look at that. take a close look. that's jets strength and condition coach who sticks out his knee and trips miami's nolan carroll. he apologized saying his actions were inexcusable. didn't say whether it was intentional or not. >> well, he apologized, so it was intentional, right? >> you can really get hurt getting tripped like that. >> he's out for the season. we'll get you chills when

you hear putin singing. take a listen. ♪ >> i don't remember him being -- i'm confused. >> he's sort of a renaissance man. he should've gone up in the da vinci section there. >> there's sharon stone loving it. she was enjoying it. he played the piano, sang in front of the star-studded crowd in st. petersburg, russia, it was a fundraiser. >> he's a pilot, black belt, now he's a pianist. >> rock on. and he is the heisman trophy winner for now, but the chances he'll have to give that trophy back. the lingering cloud over the player. the holiday rush is on for fedex. we're live at their headquarters

where it's shaping up to be a wild day of shipping. we'll be right back. we asked people all over america where the best potatoes come from. the best potatoes? idaho. idaho! idaho. and how do you know you're getting idaho potatoes? well...uh... uhm... heh.. (sighs) not all potatoes come from idaho. so if you want the best, you have to do one important thing. always look for the grown in idaho seal. i knew that. i knew that. look for the grown in idaho seal. ♪ ♪

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this morning, one man stands alone as college football's best player with a heisman trophy to prove it. >> the winner is cam newton. >> awkward. well, the trophy comes amid controversy for cam newton. max kellerman joins us now.

his dad's been asked not to be there. he's under investigation with a pay to play with mississippi state. supposedly demanding some $200,000. >> $180,000. >> or some $200,000. yes. and it marred his big night. he was undisputably college's biggest player. >> yes, he was. and that's the rule. the most outstanding player in the nation. that was clearly cam newton, he deserved the award and got it. >> the question to me is whether people are sort of imputing the alleged sins of the father on the son. is that what's happening here? is this kid getting a bunch of bad publicity because his dad tried to pull a fast one? >> it's interesting, right? philosophically if a guy's a minor or very close to it -- if he's under 18, you'd think any kind of behavior on the part of his family with recruiters would have to be the responsibility of the parents. in this case, whether they're running interference and the father is taking the fall or

whether, in fact, it really was the father and cam newton hadn't -- bears no responsibility, the fact is that's what the investigation has found thus far. it's an ongoing investigation. and if they're able to separate from cam from his father in that way, the father is a buffer, legitimately or not, then why shouldn't he get the award? >> this happened to reggie bush, he had to give his trophy back because of similar allegations. his family took money from people who wanted to represent him. what are the chances this will happen to cam newton? >> i was talking to a heisman voter last night. he was saying so far, so good. if they wanted to do it they'd already done it. but the ncaa when they go to court they always win. this is not compulsory, this is voluntary. you can join or not join and the courts uphold their decisions. and it's everything by committee. it's not like you can point to one guy and say, hey, that guy

is calling the shots. if nothing else comes to light and this is all there is, i think there's a good chance he keeps it. if further things come out. they don't even really need technically a great reason. the ncaa can say we don't like the way this smells and take it away. >> we were looking at the video of the tripping incident in the jets/dolphins game, which is really pretty extraordinary, is it not? a strength and conditioning coach on the field for one team apparently intentionally trips a player running down the sideline. what do you make of this? >> well, on the one hand, it's -- it's easy to judge from where we're sitting, but the level of competition -- think of just how you feel as a fan watching the game, and when something bad is about to happen to your team, you feel like sticking out your leg and tripping them. if you're on the sideline employed by the team, you can see where you might get carried away. on the other hand, they have to show better self-control on the -- you know, as a member of

the organization. because at those speeds, you aren't just running like you and me, folks, these guys are zooming down the field. it's all fun and games. >> was there any punishment? >> not so far. i got up very early this morning to do this. >> to be continued, right? the other night their division rivals, arch enemies, cowboys pulled out a win. michael vick's on fire. >> the touchdown return, a friend of mine, a boxes writer tweeted and i re-tweeted it last night or this morning before i came here. in my opinion, it shouldn't be -- unsportsman like conduct, it should be fantastic celebration or something to that effect. fantastic showmanship. shawn jackson scores a touchdown, if you guys haven't seen this. he holds out the football and falls backwards into the end

zone as he's looking at the defender who is in no position to stop him. and he's penalized 15 yards on kickoff. >> i was struck by that very first play from scrimmage with the long pass, the very beginning, i should have been in bed. >> michael vick is playing as, you know, other than tom brady who has kind of stolen his thunder recently, michael vick, how do you play better than michael vick is playing right now? >> he's got to be killing the redskins. >> not their year. you got it. all right. max kellerman. >> thanks so much. it's 29 minutes after the hour. time for this morning's top stories. heavy snow, high winds, bone-chilling cold, a blizzard that collapsed the minneapolis metrodome and canceled flights across the midwest is on the move this morning. forecasters warn that windchills in some areas could dip to below 30 below. and places like cleveland could get another foot of snow on top of what is already on the ground. >> in fact, the snow is so

heavy, it caused the roof at the minneapolis metrodome to cave in. that forced the game between the vikings and giants to be played in detroit tonight. officials hope to have the roof repaired in time for the vikings' next home game. sarah palin visited earthquake-ravaged haiti this weekend. she toured a shelter and cholera treatment center. palin urged americans not to forget haiti and declined to take questions from reporters. well, it's shaping up to be absolutely positively the busiest day ever at fedex. the company says it expects to handle close to 16 million packages today. that's what happens with all the online shopping. >> absolutely. e-commerce. seems a lot of us are taking advantage of the free shipping offers. david mattingly in marietta, georgia. what's it like there this morning, david? >> good morning, joe. well, like you were saying, 32

million packages today for fedex. that's just one shipping company alone. that is double what they would normally see on a typical day. that is because so many people were wrapping their packages over the weekend and shipping them out. but it also tells us a lot about shopping habits around the country right now. what we're seeing is a lot of people are going online to do their shopping this year. three to four out of all of those packages out of every ten packages is coming from internet sales and catalog sales. so that's a big change from what we saw just a couple of years ago. and shipping is up not just at fedex, but also at u.p.s., the u.s. postal service, as well. they're all looking at this being a very big shipping time this week. today the busiest day of the busiest week. there are no vacations here at fedex today. everyone called in, no one allowed to stay at home today no matter what kind of weather we might be having. here you see the very back end of the process. all of these packages came in

overnight. so now they're being sorted here at a shipping area just outside of atlanta. these are going to be going to areas north of atlanta. so you see this point, it's all going to go into the truck and then it comes off the truck right to your house. and you know what? i've been looking at hundreds of packages going past me this morning, not one of them is for me. >> it's not too late. maybe your family knew you were doing this so they're going through u.p.s. so they don't ruin the surprise for you. on the websites, a lot of them say still time, there's still time to have it get there by christmas. but do you know how likely it is they will arrive on time? >> well, everyone is saying if you want to make sure they get there but christmas, you want them being shipped by ground by friday of this week. after that, you may have to rely on the airborne services, those are a lot more expensive.

so if you want to make sure you save some money, you want to get it in this week by friday at the latest to make sure it gets there on time. and another important thing, kiran, you've got to make sure that you've packed things correctly. a couple of things to remember, you want to have a very good, solid rigid box. you don't want one that's been used before and is all dented up. you want that new box to make sure whatever you put in there stays together. you also want to make sure it's all wrapped and put together properly so nothing's moving around. so, for instance, if you pack the box and hear something like this, that means it's probably not going to get there in one piece. so do yourself a favor, be smart at the beginning so it gets there in one piece. >> david mattingly for us. >> good advice. >> yeah, poor fedex -- >> i'm going to be in the store shopping, i'm probably not going to have the time to -- >> you're going to wait until the last possible second. >> like i do always. >> david, thanks.

well, trying to make their mark in the middle. a new movement trying to cut out extremes in washington. is it a pipe dream? or can it really happen? and one of the actress nicole kidman's most important roles, working to end violence against women. join the jaguar platinum celebration ! come celebrate exciting cars that are stunning to look at, exhilarating to drive and worry free to own. celebrate this holiday season with the gift of platinum. jaguar platinum coverage: five years or 50,000 miles of complimentary scheduled maintenance, and no cost replacement of wear and tear items. visit your jaguar dealer during the platinum celebration for a $599 lease offer on the 2011 xf.

28 minutes past the hour right now. welcome back. well, the middle isn't a popular place to be in washington right now. in fact, it can be a liability at times. but there's a new group promising to look for ways to move the country forward instead of to the right or the left. and joining us now two members of the organization known as no labels. you guys are now being labeled. >> that's right. >> welcome, by the way. what inspired you to start no labels? what is it about? >> you know, we travel around the country a lot and stay out of washington as much as possible. and when we do, we see millions

and millions of americans who look at washington and can't believe what they see or hear, it's so hyperpartisan and they don't feel like it reflects them. and we know from talking to people and research that literally a majority of america don't feel represented anymore. we're trying to create a voice and microphone for people in the vast middle of america who want a more civil dialogue in washington. >> kiki, one thing that seems to exacerbate the problem is the primary. you've seen many centrists as well as others who are now packing up their boxes and getting ready to leave because they lost reelection. it seems like a tough place to be in the middle, especially in this election season. >> well, elections are tough. but here's what we do know. we know that there are millions of americans who aren't participating in primaries. we have millions of independents that some come to engage in the general election, but not in the primaries. and so there are some states with open primaries. and this is where this really becomes a grass roots movement. because this is about things

happening at home, on the ground, thousands of people across america, where will they participate? where will their voice be heard? and while mark and i are sitting with you here today, there are 1,100 americans coming to be with us today across the country because there are reforms they'd like to see in the process. >> is one of those pushes to allow open primaries? >> i think the folks coming in today will go to work on issues like that. what's going to help in their communities? >> that's the subject for one of the panels. and that's one of the things we're looking at. how did our country become so hyper-partisan. we're looking at redistricting, all kinds of election reforms. >> i want to ask you right now, despite what's going on in washington. how divided everybody is. how would this philosophy fit in? because the president's getting it from the right and left for this "compromise" that many feel is not. >> that's a great no-labels approach. that's what happens when you try to build consensus, not everybody's happy. but that's what leadership's all about. bringing people together, making

tough choices, and i think the president's done the right thing on this issue. >> it is rare -- it is rare that a solution comes without some political cost. and we need our leaders to be willing to pay that cost. because i think they'll find in the end, it's not such a cost. because there are millions of americans who are willing to stand behind him and say, you did the right thing, you didn't walk away from the table. you didn't leave us stuck in a stalemate. you came up with a solution and now we can move forward. >> this is the kind of issue where no labels can say this is what we want to see more of. >> when i said we were doing this story, there were some who, you know, have long time watchers of washington say the reason that people get crazy with centrists is because they can't make up their mind and people want things to get done. what about that argument that perhaps you can be at the ideological center but don't accomplish much? >> i disagree with that tremendously. it is when you move away from the extremes that you can have a conversation and find common ground. even mr. boehner spoke on "60

minut minutes" last night about finding common ground. >> consensus. >> and here's the bottom line, this isn't about five or six people in a state capital or the nation's capital. this is about americans across the country being able to come together. when you're by yourself and you think there's nobody else who thinks like you do, you'll sit by yourself. but when you start to connect with other people, that's when you make things happen. that's when people who are living in the middle will move this country forward. >> speaking of coming together, it was quite a surreal photo op on friday when the current president brought the former president clinton into the briefing room to answer questions about this compromise. let's listen to a little snippet. >> i'm going to let them speak briefly, and then i've got to go over and do some -- one more christmas party. >> first of all, i feel awkward being here and now you're going to leave me all by myself? >> here's what i'll say -- i've been keeping the first lady

waiting for about half an hour, so i'm going to take off. >> i don't want to micromanage. please go. >> you're in good hands. and gibbs will call last question. >> help me, thank you. go ahead. >> so at first he said i'm feeling awkward left by myself. but then he talked for the next 33 minutes, answered questions, and a lot of people are saying this is what the president should have been saying, explaining why the compromise is important. what did you think about that? >> we all know what a great communicator bill clinton is. and he's a great advocator for solutions and not getting stuck in the hyperpartisan politics. good for president obama that he felt comfortable calling on president clinton to step out in the way he did and good for president clinton for recognizing that he remains a leader to help our country move forward. >> no labels approach coming together even with former presidents in your party. >> it's great to watch clinton at work. >> great to see both of you this morning. good luck with your endeavor. >> thanks so much.

>> appreciate it. thanks for having me. still to come this morning, after the clean-up, a major storm in the midwest creating headaches. rob will have this morning's travel forecast right after the break.

♪ a few thousand santas coming to town. check this out. it's a christmas tradition that gives new meaning to eat, drink, and be merry. >> and always makes us feel old because you will not catch us at this thing. >> no, of course not. -- >> speak for yourself. >> no, come on. thousands get decked out in their best santa attire. >> and bar hop. how about we put that one in. >> in fact, michelle, she works

for "american morning." >> is that her? >> the santas not only took over new york city, but also los angeles, washington, d.c., and philadelphia. she's still got a job. i'm just kidding. >> of course she does. and in these tough economic times, she recycled her halloween costume. she was a chicken for halloween and put a santa hat on it and a scarf and she used it for -- >> if it works. >> yeah. plenty of holiday spirit in downtown toronto and lots of skin, as well. this is the opposite. athletes in their lycra running the annual santa speedo run. the two-mile jog is a fundraiser for children's hospital. actually, everybody looks in pretty good shape. >> that's the front of the line. >> the back of the line doesn't look too bad either.

runners embral raised $140,000 starting the event six years ago. it's 47 minutes after the hour. let's get a quick check of this morning's weather headlines. rob marciano. >> come on, rob. >> extreme weather center. rob, where's your thong? >> come on, joe. it's on, of course. >> i was going to say where's your chicken costume? we all know where your thong is. >> exactly. it's not red, though, just so you know. but yeah, i think i saw plenty of chicken guys and gals running around in barely anything in the cold. let's kind of transfer out of that -- transition i should say -- you want a white christmas, right? a lot of people do, and after that, they don't want snow. the northeast, well, mostly rain with this. looking ahead down the road maybe this weekend into the beginning of next week, the atmosphere may set up to the point where it may be more white than it is blue and greens here. all right.

what do we do as far as snowfall totals in some of the areas back across the midwest? well, believe it or not these are records. detroit, 6 inches, the midwest away from the snow belt doesn't do a whole lot of snow. so when you talk about 17 inches in minneapolis, that's a huge deal. so that one's going to go down at least as honorable mention in the record books. here it is of the cold air driving down to the south. plenty of snow driving down to the south, as well. flurries flying last night and this morning in atlanta. that'll get the kids going crazy for sure. nashville, substantial stuff, up through knoxville, as well. and not a whole lot of moisture. but biggest amounts of moisture are fed by the great lakes, huron, erie, michigan, seeing a little bit of snow. and winter storm warnings up for cleveland right now. winds gusting at 40 miles an hour. and if it's snowing, you could see 1 to 2 feet of snow in that area.

it's not cold right now in new york. current temperature's 43 degrees. but the cold air will come in, but the snow will pretty much stay out towards the west and the great lakes. that's where the heaviest amounts of snow are concerned. what does it feel like? if you're wearing a thong right now and nothing else, feels like 6 degrees in atlanta. you enter in the windchill factor, minus 10 in chicago. so -- it's a lot more comfortable in new york right now than it is in atlanta to be running around central park. >> that's right. but for other people running in right now, we're talking about flip-flops, what did you think? >> exactly. >> thanks so much. well, the weather is hardly cooperating for the busiest shipping day of the year. coming up, one of the men in charge, talk about the pressure of getting 16 million packages out there on time for christmas. how fedex is feeling the effects of all those free shipping deals. also, if what you want for christmas is a job, how to get it. getting the right holiday party may be the key.

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we're highlighting celebrities truly giving back. and today we've got actress nicole kidman trying to improve the lives of women across the globe. >> alina cho is here to explain that as part of our series "big stars, big giving." >> without question, nicole kidman is hollywood royalty, an academy award winning actress and also a tabloid figure, by the way. her work as a u.n. good will ambassador is what she says keeps her grounded. why did she get involved? her mother. >> a lot of my life, i've been trying to please my mother. and i suppose i still felt like i'd won an oscar, i've done this. my mom was still like -- and this is probably the thing she most responds to in my life. >> so that thing nicole kidman is talking about is her work as a good will ambassador for

unicef, the united nations arm that fights for gender equality. and to end violence against women. >> take action, say no. >> a role she's held for nearly five years. >> we need women in this organization. they're working for nothing, you know. and they're so committed. >> ironically, it was a movie role, "the interpreter" that first threw kidman to the united nations. what she didn't know was that soon arts in part would imitate life. her work has taken her to congress, fighting for women's rights. she's also traveled to places like kosovo, and just this year, earthquake-ravaged haiti. >> it breaks my heart. i'm a terrible person because -- sometimes for this because i can become so e emotionally involved and actually in kosovo i had to be taken aside and told this is

going to be a very emotional path for the rest of your life. you're going to see in here things you should never see in here, but they exist. these girls were raped. a lot of their faces were completely battered and destroyed and their bodies and they had nowhere to go. when you see it and hear it, i think it changes you forever. it certainly changed me forever. >> by a nose, nicole kidman. >> you are an aacadecademy-awar winning actress, you have a beautiful family. some people might ask, how does this woman nicole kidman relate? >> relate? i don't know how you say whether you relate. but i certainly feel. and it brings me to my knees and i feel it. it's my beauty and it's an honor

to be able to do the work. >> it brings you to your knees. that's a strong thing. >> from behind the scenes photos or if you want to get involved, go to cnn.com/amfix. and for more on how you can make a difference, go to cnn.com/impact, all of the interviews from big stars big giving will live on impact your world, our partner in this this week. she said a lot of people talk about commitment because of something that maybe happened in their lives. but a lot of times you can burn out or that may fade when you're talking about your work with a charity. she said i made sure to tell them, i'm in it for the long haul. i'll be there as long as they'll have me. and of course i said, i think they'll have you. well, you know, she says, you never know. the truth is she's really committed. you can see it in her eyes and hear it in her voice. and she's doing great, great work.

>> bringing attention to this cause that might otherwise just might be ignored. >> 3 out of 4 women around the world suffer from violence at some point in their lives. so it is staggering. and when she talks about it, people listen. >> who are you profiling tomorrow? >> halle berry. not only a beautiful woman, but extremely committed to the center which is a center for domestic violence victims in los angeles. and she has a personal connection, as well. her mother was a victim of domestic violence. and it is one of the big reasons why she's involved. you'll hear that moving interview if i might say tomorrow. >> really looking forward to this. >> you're making the round with all the oscar-winning women. >> i'm trying. >> nothing wrong that. and don't miss alina's one-hour special big stars, big giving airs christmas eve at 7:00 p.m. eastern and on christmas day at 8:00 p.m. eastern. >> look forward to that. well, top stories coming your way after a quick break. (announcer) energy security.

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good morning, i'm joe johns in for john roberts. >> good to have you with us this morning. >> very excited to be here. >> you actually made it flying in last night, which isn't the case for that lot of those flying. >> out in the midwest, there's nothing but snow all over the place. >> they're digging out and will be for a long time. let's get you caught up on what happened overnight. the wild, almost winter storm that brought the midwest to a halt not over yet. a lot of people still stranded at the airport, stuck in their homes this morning, and dangerously cold temperatures closing in right behind it. >> all the snow, too much for the minneapolis metrodome's teflon roof. it deflated and collapsed under the pressure of one of the biggest snowfalls of minneapolis history. sent the giants and vikings scrambling to find the place to play. more on the amazing video coming

up ahead. and sarah palin urging americans not to forget haiti. the former vice presidential candidate getting a firsthand view of earthquake-ravaged haiti over the weekend. she toured a shelter during her trip. up first, extreme weather. snow and bitter cold turning lives upside down this morning. still snowing around the great lakes. round two is on the way and getting dangerously cold. no telling how many people are stuck on the roads at the airport and in their own homes. and it may not get any better for days. also this morning, in minneapolis, the metrodome, it's an outdoor stadium with an inflatable roof. well, that's flat as a pancake. it caved in under the 17 inches of snow. and the amazing collapse was caught on tape from the inside. there you see that avalanche of snow pouring on to the field. the minnesota vikings are forced to play their home game tonight

in detroit against the giants. and we're live in the twin cities in a moment. chris welch is there. first we're checking in with rob. you were supposed to be in cleveland and you didn't make it out of atlanta? >> no, and it's not because the weather was so horrifying in cleveland last night, it is now. just the ripple effect of all the planes trying to get to different places and coming from this storm. because it was so big. this storm is so big. you live in the northeast, you're thinking, not that big of a deal, i've got mostly rain. but for folks in the midwest, upper midwest, it's encompassing a lot of real estate. affecting tens of millions of people. and for these folks, this one's going down in the record books. >> reporter: the storm that deflated the metrodome and stranded the new york giants at the airport in k.c. was the fifth greatest snowstorm of all time in the twin cities. saturday was the snowiest day on record as 17 inches of the white stuff. bone-chilling 50-mile-an-hour winds moved in. >> that's a bus.

it's stuck in the snow and can't get out. >> reporter: creating whiteout conditions that made travel so dangerous that plows were even pulled off the roads. >> that's the best way to get around, cross-country skis. >> reporter: and at o'hare, a depressing departure board. >> chicago pizza may end up in the snow drift tonight just to keep them cold. >> in all, some 1,400 flights canceled. and countless nerves frazzled in chicago. the only person the snow couldn't slow down, tom brady. as the patriots rolled over the bears at the snowy field. >> nothing like watching the game from the comfort of your own living room when it's a snow bowl. jets didn't do so well, and they were in rain. all the warm air is east of i-95, and that's where it is now. but we're starting to see colder air filter in to the bigger cities, including new york and boston. but by the time it does that, most of the moisture is going to

be gone. here it is in cleveland, up through buffalo. right now it's blowing 20 miles an hour. absolutely miserable, and we expect to see the snowfall totals rack up here quickly. and maybe dwarf what these folks saw last week. and that includes cleveland, erie, p.a., buffalo, and syracuse. could see 1 to 2 feet of snow, especially some of the higher terrain north and east of cleveland, ohio. as far as the numbers go, the other big story, the temperature. what it feels like out there when you couple in the windchill. right now it feels like 4 degrees in memphis, 5 degrees in atlanta. actual air temperatures in atlanta will likely not get above the freezing mark. you're talking about tens of millions of people affected by this storm in some way, shape, or form. at least for the southeast, 20 to 25-degree temperatures below average. so this is going to eclipse what happened last week, as well. and as far as the northeast is

concerned, i think it's not over this week as far as your winter weather. so hold tight. guys, back up to you. >> i know, we're still sitting here looking at these pictures saying, it's going to hit us. just a matter of time. >> that's for sure. thanks, rob. the pictures tell the story. the massive storm dropping tons of snow on the inflatable roof on the metrodome in minneapolis. >> it was simply too much weight for the panels to take. chris welsh is inside with more on what the situation's like. hi, chris. >> reporter: hi, joe, kiran, this record-breaking blizzard may have moved out of the twin cities. but didn't do so well leaving its mark. one of those testiflon flaps is just hanging there. you know, this saturday storm kind of wreaked havoc basically on the city. shut down the city saturday. yesterday, residents waking up to the news that the metrodome collapsed. they're moving the game that was

supposed to happen here to detroit. that'll be tonight. they're giving fans free tickets to go if they didn't have any. and those who did have tickets will be able to go and get preferential seating. i talked to the facility directors of the metrodome last night. he said while these pictures are incredible to look at, it's actually more of a spectacle than it is a hassle to fix. he says it shouldn't be that big of a deal. >> actually, i think -- i'll say it looks worse than what it is. in some respects because the repair as i understand it will be basically to unclamp the old fabric and clamp new fabric in its place and blow the roof back up. >> so now i think the big question will be how many fans will make the track to detroit for the game tonight? and how many detroit residents will want to go and see the new york giants or the minnesota vikings play on their home turf? >> all right. chris welsh for us this morning.

thanks so much. we'll have to see. the premiere seating, 50-yard line if they do make the trek, but it's a long way to go. >> a long way to go and you've got to spend a lot of money on a plane and it might not get there. >> our cnn i-reporters are all over there. rock star posted this picture. this is eden prairie, minnesota. shows a huge snow drift at his back door. fortunately, the front door was easier to navigate. if you'd like to contribute to our i-report, go to cnn.com, click on the i-report tab. flooding and mud slides led some people to evacuate their homes in parts of western washington state. 6:00 some rivers crested after record levels after more than 3 inches of rain fell on seattle over a 24-hour period. meteorologists say the worst of the flood danger is over, but more rain is expected today. also today, the tax cut deal that president obama cut with republicans could clear its first hurdle. a test vote is expected in the

senate. after a rough week for the white house last week, this could be a sign that momentum is swinging in their favor. ed henry's live at the white house this morning. and ed, this may have all started after a surprise appearance in the white house briefing room on friday. >> that's right, joe. former president bill clinton. they had a scheduled meeting, we knew about that late on friday afternoon, but we didn't expect the two presidents to walk out together into the briefing room upstairs above me and start talking about former president bill clinton's endorsement of the controversial tax deal. but also, president obama said he had to go to a holiday party, had the first lady waiting. he left bill clinton alone in the briefing room. he was in there for about half an hour or so. and it might have been a little politically risky for the president to show he needed bill clinton to bail him out a little bit here. but white house aides say there's no one better than bill clinton to come in and help sell this. and now the momentum seems to be swinging a bit for the

democrats. clearly this vote in the senate later today, this procedural hurdle looks like it's going to be cleared. that will give it some momentum. and then all eyes turn to what house democrats will do. and david axelrod told candy crowley yesterday, while this is not a perfect deal, it needs to move forward. >> we handled it as best as we could given the time frame that we had. and i'm not looking for style points here. what i'm looking for is progress for the american people. what i'm looking for is what would be devastating for the american people and our economy. and that's what we should be focused on. >> and pay attention to what house democrats are saying now in public. they're saying, look, this is not a perfect deal, they want to make changes such as the estate tax provision, which they think are too favorable to what republicans wanted. but they're at least saying let's bring this to the house floor. sharp departure from last week. momentum clearly seems to be

going the president's way. he's likely to get this through both chambers now. >> it always seems they're coming down to the wire. the tax cut deal a big part of it. they have to get moving on the start treaty and possibly the don't ask, don't tell legislation. >> and it looks very difficult to get don't ask, don't tell back up. what it means is another vote in the house to kick it over to the senate. a lot of house democrats telling me they don't think they're going to have time to do it and also it's controversial for some of their more conservative democratic members. they don't want to vote a second time. start treaty looks a little better for the president, looks like they have the 67 votes they need to get a treaty through the senate. problem is, republicans balking at bringing it up at all. and then, of course, this tax cut fight, a lot to get done in a short amount of time. democrats trying to recess the lame duck by friday. that seems unlikely. the president was planning to leave saturday for hawaii, still going to go, but probably won't

leave until nec wext week. >> thanks so much for that. >> thank you. bloomberg reignited speculation last week with a speech criticizing congress and president obama for their handling of the economy, but when pressed, bloomberg says no to 2012. >> well, i'm not going to run for president. i've got a great job. i'm going to finish out my 1,100 days left to go. and i'll leave the politics to the experts. >> no way, no how? >> no way, no how. >> bloomberg says the staff should probably stop dropping hints about a possible presidential bid. >> yeah, that would help. >> michael steele and his plans for the future. steele has scheduled a private conference call and he could reveal whether or not he'll seek a second term. steele has remain mum in recent weeks as a slew of potential candidates line up to replace him. sarah palin visiting

haitians this weekend. a look at her whirlwind visit. also, it's almost the end of the year. let the list begin. which one did former senate candidate from delaware, christine o'donnell talk? plus, a picture's worth a thousand words. what are william and kate trying to say in their just released royal engagement photos? it's 12 minutes after the hour. ♪ oh, my gosh. oh, my gosh. ♪ [ male announcer ] you know her. we know diamonds. together we'll make her holiday.

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former vice presidential candidate sarah palin says the destruction in haiti is worse than she expected. the former governor of alaska spent some time in the earthquake-ravaged nation over the weekend. gary tuchman is in port-au-prince this morning. good morning, gary. what do haitians think of sarah palin's visit? >> reporter: well, joe, it's funny, we were talking to people a few days ago, most had never heard of sarah palin before. but haitian radio talked a lot about her visit. and most of the people were very happy she was coming. because they know when a well-known american comes, their plight gets more attention. there's still more than 1 million homeless people in the streets, spent the night in the

rain last night. there's a cholera epidemic raging, violence in the streets after a presidential election many say was fraudulent. and amidst all that, sarah palin came. franklin the ceo of a program call eed samaritans first. they did a lot of good work, they built more than 10,000 shelters for homeless people since the earthquake. but it was unusual. when v.i.p.s come to haiti over the last 11 months, sometimes they do things without the news media for more natural visits, but always get all the media together for at least one of their events to give attention to the plight. sarah palin made the decision to not allow any of us to be with her the entire time, except for her employer, fox news. so we actually, joe, never saw her while she was here with a single haitian. >> so where did you get the pictures? we are seeing some of the pictures of sarah looking like

she's either tending to a sick child or at least listening to and talking to some of the people there. >> reporter: right, kiran. well, those pictures actually come from the charity of samaritans first. they took nice pictures, but they weren't our pictures. we did get a chance to see her at a news conference. we're still not exactly why. we were told we could ask questions at her news conference. but we got to the news conference and franklin graham said sarah palin will not be taking any questions. and she said to us, i don't want to get political and therefore i'm not taking any questions and then proceeded to make a statement. >> i thank the media for keeping a spotlight on this country and on the conditions that the people are living in, that they are trying to survive amidst. and to be here and see firsthand the conditions and what it takes for the people who are living

here in such adverse conditions, what it takes to just -- just to survive their daily lives. >> she said all the right things, but really didn't say any specifics. we wanted to find out about her visit, so we tried to ask her a question about the specifics. >> thank you. you're doing god's work. thank you. >> thank you. >> can we ask you a question? >> much harsher than i expected the conditions are, much rougher. >> now, certainly we should emphasize it's her prerogative to do what she wants, but this was a very controlled visit. we should tell you it wasn't just us that wasn't allowed to be with her. it was all the media including the "associated press," and local haitian journalists. kiran, joe? >> interesting. all right, gary tuchman you did get her to answer one of your questions about how she viewed the conditions. thanks so much. >> persistence pays off. >> exactly.

well, she didn't say much to the mainstream media, but christine o'donnell left her mark on 2010 with one memorable quote. it's the quote of the year according to one new list. could it be a real life da vinci code? the hidden symbol discovered in the mona lisa's eyes. join the jaguar platinum celebration ! come celebrate exciting cars that are stunning to look at, exhilarating to drive and worry free to own. celebrate this holiday season with the gift of platinum. jaguar platinum coverage: five years or 50,000 miles of complimentary scheduled maintenance, and no cost replacement of wear and tear items. visit your jaguar dealer during the platinum celebration for a $599 lease offer on the 2011 xf.

♪ 22 minutes after the hour right now. she was the most talked about candidate of the year even though she didn't win, of the midterms, at least. >> who is that? >> christine o'donnell. she has the quote of the year. remember this one? >> i'm not a witch, i'm nothing you've heard. i'm you. >> "i'm not a witch," that was number one. she tied with former bp head tony hayward who said "i'd like my life back." "if you touch my junk, i'm going to have you arrested," that was

number three. "don't retreat, reload," that was a sarah palin tweet. and number five, you remember this one, "chi, chi, chi, lele, le." tiny letters and numbers hidden in the dark print of her pupils too small for the naked eye to see. in the right eye, the letters "l" and "v," which could be the artist's initials. the left eye, harder to make out. >> it's a sign. well, he's no da vinci, but a master of origami. this artist works with one dollar bills. he turned the buck into a butterfly. i think as long as this doesn't involve tearing, it's fine. >> looks like a jockey hat. >> i thought it was a helmet. >> nice butterfly, cool. no shortage of christmas spirit in south florida.

members of the oasis church in penn brooke pine set a new record for the number of nativity scenes. they add 2,115 scenes ranging from figurines to shoe box creations. the new york jets losing in embarrassing fashion to the dolphins yesterday. and this didn't make it any better. take a look. that is the jets conditioning coach who sticks out his knee and trips nolan carroll who was running up the sideline. he apologized saying his conduct was inexcusable, but he didn't say if it was intentional, which obviously goes without saying. we're live at fedex facility where they say this could be the busiest day ever. >> yeah, handling 16 million packages, wow. >> pretty amazing. >> everyone all hands on deck is what they're saying. plus, how adorable is this?

the engagement pictures of william and kate. why they're like photos never before released in the royals' history. >> they look adorable. >> adorable. have an old 401k?

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request a prospectus or summary prospectus with investment objectives, risks, fees, expenses and other information to read and consider carefully before investing. t. rowe price. invest with confidence. 28 minutes past the hour right now. a look at our top stories. heavy snows, high winds, and bone-chilling cold. the blizzard actually was so intense it collapsed minneapolis' metrodome, canceled flights across the midwest, and it's on the move. 1,400 flights canceled

yesterday. causing delays as far away as los angeles. hackers hit gawker. the website telling millions of users to change their passwords after a security breach. including sites like the gadget blog gismodo. and richard holbrook recovering after surgery to fix a torn aorta. his condition has been upgraded this morning, he's in critical, but stable condition at george washington university hospital. he's currently serving as president obama's special envoy to afghanistan and pakistan. free shipping offers are leading to quite a boom at some of the biggest shipping companies this weekend. fedex plans to handle close to 16 million packages. the senior station manager at a fedex facility in georgia. good morning, chuck. he joins us live to talk about the holiday rush. this is a lot more packages than

last year. the first question for you really is why the increase? what do you attribute it to? >> well, a lot of these people are moving more to e-commerce and ordering stuff online, cyber monday was very big and it's continued on. that and ordering from catalogs and those sort of things is really what's driving the increase. >> you're keeping up. i would assume that you have to bring in extra people and those are just temporary workers, correct? >> well, actually, this time of year we cancel vacations. and so all of our regular cover drivers are available to run the extra routes we put on. so like today we're going to run about 130 routes out of here, that's about 30% more than normal. and we'll launch about 65 pick-up routes. >> do you guys have much of an idea what kinds of things people are ship sng do you know if you're shipping small electronics or clothes or whatever? and if so, can you give us some idea of the kinds of things you're shipping the most of, if you know?

>> well, yeah. we have lots of things such as cell phones, flat panel televisions, blu-ray players, food products such as memphis barbecue, candies, and all sorts of things. anything you can think of that you can see in a catalog, it'll come fedex. >> i'm also hearing that you're shipping a lot of christmas trees overseas, perhaps to the troops? >> that's true. we're shipping out 15,000 real christmas trees to the servicemen and women across some of the united states, their families, some overseas to afghanistan, and other places. these are donated trees that fedex does all the shipping and delivery of. >> another question just for people who might be confused or want to know, is there a deadline date particularly for fedex ground where you need to have things out there if you want to be guaranteed delivery before, say, the 20th of december?

>> yeah. if you want to ship something fedex ground, it'll have to be shipped by the 17th, which i think this is this coming friday. with fedex express, you can ship anything up until the 23rd with delivery on the 24th as priority service. >> you probably see a lot of things being shipped through there. what's the craziest thing you've ever seen shipped? >> well, you know, we see all sorts of things. and, you know, one of the craziest things -- we get these boxes of crickets that have -- >> crickets? >> it has a mesh cover on the box. yeah, live crickets going to the pet store for food for animals. so it's a little unnerving and that's one of the craziest things we see. >> yeah, that's pretty amazing. and well, you're certainly not going to be able to sleep inside a fedex shop like that anyway. so you'd hear them one way or the other. chuck, thank you so much, and we'll be watching to see how things go. all right. >> poor guy.

so this is the time of year where everybody likes to take off and enjoy themselves and all their vacations are canceled. >> exactly. >> well -- >> you've got to work. >> packages to grandma. president obama joined pop stars for some christmas carolling and it was washington style. the first family watched mariah carey and others sing at the 29th annual christmas in washington concert last night. other performers ranged from italian tenner to teenage nickelodeon star -- icarly. who could've gotten invited? >> let's move on. >> joe johns was there, ladies and gentlemen. >> ellen degeneres hosted the event joking she was only there because oprah was in australia. >> probably that little true. >> yeah. it was pretty funny too. the concert will air friday night on tnth. >> you took the kids.

>> and my daughter sat on my knee and squirmed like crazy for the first half. then my son sat on my knee and squirmed like crazy for the second half. >> they're the ones that introduced you last year it was justin bieber. >> yes, and this year it was icarly, and very psyched to see her. my daughter wanted to rush the stage. prince william and kate middleton have released their official engagement photos. they say it's a little more touchy and feel ly than you're used to seeing from the royal family. is it an image makeover? [ wind howling ] [ technician ] are you busy?

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37 minutes past the hour right now. the royal wedding is still more than five months away. we're getting a glimpse of prince william and kate middleton's engagement photos. two photos, one formal, one not

so formal. our next guest is here to give us the scoop on the photos and on the plans for the upcoming nuptials. thanks so much for being here. let's take a look at the first one. this is the informal one that people are buzzing about. they look very affectionate physically, which is a bit of a departure in what you've seen in some of the royal engagement photos. and they seem relaxed, seem happy. what did you think when you saw this one? >> this is an extraordinary departure for a royal engagement photo. when you look at phillip and the queen all those years ago, they're standing very stiffly and charles and diana. charles had his back to diana as she put her arms around him. >> he had his arms crossed. >> that's right. so the sort of mutual admiration, the overall sense of romance we get from this image is really just so beautiful. >> tell us about the photographer who shot all of these -- famous photographer with a history with the royal family. >> that's right. he had a long relationship with diana. he shot some of the most iconic

images of diana, which also did a lot to sort of soften her image. prince william has worked with her a number of times. it's no surprise he chose mario to shoot such important images of him and kate. >> it was amazing, actually, because you see the engagement photo of diana and prince charles and see the same exact ring then on kate middleton's hand. you know sadly how the first marriage ended and you really have high hopes that this couple -- that things will be different for them. >> absolutely. absolutely. and all the signs do point to that. when you think back to charles and diana. they met and married within less than a year. whereas william and kate have taken things slowly. it's been eight years and they've waited until they're absolutely ready to be thrown in the spotlight this way. i think they're very prepared for what's ahead. >> i want to ask you -- they also say this is the first time an informal portrait has been released by the royal family. a contrast to the formal ones released in times past. and some say this is proof that william is sort of driving how

this is going to turn out, not the monarchy. doing what they want to do as a couple not being led by all the pressures of the monarchy. >> that's right. traditionally it's the queen's private office who arranges the whole royal wedding. so what we're seeing here is perhaps william having more of a hand in how things are done. we know that he and kate did choose the images that were going to be released for the engagement. and he's definitely trying to soften the image. he's winning some arguments, may not win others. we know he wanted to have a public lottery of 100 tickets for westminster abbey and security says that might not happen, unfortunately. >> you bring up the security issue and we saw that on display last week, the student protesters, literally attacking prince charles and camilla's car, throwing paint on it, shattering a window. brought up a lot of questions. wait a minute, how could there be that much of a breach in security that they could get that close? what is the buzz about that in

london? >> well, it's been a huge breach of security. everybody's talking about it. and of course, the riots and the protests in london have been a huge for the royal family thinking about the wedding planning. and, you know, there are worries that protesters may try to sabotage the wedding day. so royal security has been up and scotland yard in the uk is on full alert to try and ensure the wedding goes absolutely smoothly. it's going to be a huge event and london wants it to run efficiently. >> it's going to be viewed by millions upon millions. >> yes. >> it's a huge undertaking. >> it is, it is. but, you know, british security will be doing its utmost to ensure the event runs smoothly. that we can be sure of. >> well, the engagement photos are certainly beautiful and we wish the couple the very best. thanks so much. >> thank you. >> joe? kiran, if you thought last week's temperatures were cold, wait until this week's second round of arctic air.

rob marciano's coming up next with all the weather news.

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it doesn't look too bad.

that's chicago right now. cloudy, 12 degrees. later today, windy going to go all the way up to 15 degrees. >> a scorcher. >> i know, you know. and the funny thing, the football game yesterday everybody was so looking forward to it. the snow bowl between the patriots and the bears. everybody said it was bears weather, turned out to be patriots' weather. >> it was surreal to see them playing out in the snow. >> amazing. >> yeah, too much fun, and they never cancel a pro football game. >> even if they have to move it 550 miles away like they're doing with the metrodome in minneapolis. >> that's a little absurd, but you've got to do what you've got to do. >> i love how jose joe says it doesn't look too bad out there. >> i guess this weekend's event is one other reason football should be played outside not in a dome. that's mother nature trying to tell us something. >> mother nature got in.

>> took 17 inches of snow, but she got into the metrodome, that's for sure. the northeast didn't get a whole lot of snow. and you guys are lucky that you have that and it's still raining right now. things are going to change a little bit. here are numbers as far as the temperatures. 50 degrees in boston right now. can you believe that? meanwhile, temperatures in the teens and single numbers across the south. so the cold front about to move through, it's 18 degrees in cleveland, and the winds are blowing over 40 miles an hour in some spots there. a little bit farther to the south, we're looking at snowfall, actually, got all the way down to tennessee, down into parts of georgia, and, of course, it's getting into say cleveland, buffalo. these are areas they got a tremendous amount of snow last week, and this may supercede that. lake effect snows can crank up for days on end. this is the beginning we'll see for a couple of days. we've got snow warnings out for

potentially, i think, 1 to 2 feet of snow in this area. especially in the favored location. slightly higher terrain just off the lake. what do we see in other spots? now, you get away from the snow belt near the great lakes. and you get a foot of snow in marquette. that'll set a record. detroit, 6.3 inches, that'll set a record, did yesterday. lansing, michigan, indianapolis, and bowling green, kentucky also setting a record as far as snowfall goes. and there's the snow driving down to the south. temperatures today in atlanta, i don't think they're going to get out of the teens. as a matter of fact, let's check in on what current temperature is right now. i don't think it'll get above freezing. right now it's 21 degrees. with the windchill, it's feeling more like single numbers. how do you like those ice cream cones? with the exception of seattle where they're getting a tremendous amount of rain, they've got flooding issues along the pacific northwest. it doesn't get to the i-95

corridor. by the time the cold air comes through, you're going to be out of it. the feels like temperature or the winds, you count the windchill, feels like 4 degrees in atlanta, 4 degrees in memphis, and feels like minus 23 both inside and outside of the metrodome because you've got the cold air. if you are traveling today, there'll be issues again. over hour delays expected at new york metros, philadelphia, d.c., detroit, charlotte, and atlanta because of wind. cleveland, snow and wind. boston, you'll see low clouds. seattle and san francisco will see some issues also. but i think the big thing is going to be temperatures. you just look at that. minus 11, kind of like watching the football game yesterday in chicago from the comfort of your living room. there's something comforting about that. you like to watch it. you don't want to be a part of it, necessarily. >> it's not technically winter yet. this is not fair. >> is this a sign of things to come? or is this just -- we just had

an early event? or is it going to be like this the rest of the year? >> kind of like last year, we'll probably get a reversal. it may be extreme by the time we get to january. >> reversal? >> that's what people are hoping for. typically you get a strong block like this, you get a reversal and we'll see temperatures warm up quite dramatically. it'll probably happen at least for a week or two probably in january. >> bring on the reversal. >> we're trying. we're trying. >> all right. thanks, rob. >> all right, guys. the latest chapter in the "chronicles of narnia" series. took in $24.5 million. a huge drop from the last installment, which took in $55 million during the opening week. the johnny depp/angelina jolie romantic thriller "the tourist" opened in second place with $17 million. the top stories in a few minutes, including, will it be another reggie bush situation?

cam newton wins the heisman trophy by a landslide. but will he keep it? and the "american morning" original series, "big stars, big giving." also, it's being called the craze of the year. the next pac-man, why are millions of people buying the app angry birds? those stories and much more at the top of the hour. ♪ [ ted ] for years, i was just a brewer. until one of the guys brought in some fresh bread that he'd made from our pale ale. and from that first bite, i knew my business would never be the same. [ male announcer ] when businesses see an opportunity to grow, the hartford is there. protecting their property and helping them plan their employees' retirement. ♪ beer or bread? [ male announcer ] see how the hartford helps businesses at achievewhatsahead.com.

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"smart is the new rich" why job seekers can't afford to take a break during the holidays. >> get right in there. >> ellen reeves wants you to get a job for christmas. >> people might think that december is not a great time to look for a job. the reality is if you're job hunting all you need is one job. >> no question. with more than 15 million americans out of work, competition is fierce. >> people aren't hiring at the end of the year. january more likely. february when employers are confident enough. >> in terms of career openings, it's broad based all throughout the economy, all sectors have openings. the challenge becomes because the number of people looking for a job relative to openings >> that number is 4.4 job seekers for every available opening. sounds daunting but it's the best it's been in two years. >> don't bring family or friends to an interview. >> reeves wants you to beat out three people to be the one. >> if you can get yourself

invited to someone's office party as a plus one, fabulous especially if it's a company or organization you want to get inside. have a party, have a pot luck, it doesn't have to be expensive. but you've got to be out connecting with people. >> according to consumer reports americans will spend on average 15 hours at holiday gatherings this year. petter post says it doesn't have to be gauche to network for a job at the parties. >> tact, honesty, you show restraint at the same time you're honest about your situation. and all of a sudden it's amazing how people will open up and listen. and offer to help you. >> bottom line, there are plenty of opportunities to network for a job this season. just do it tactfully or don't do it at all. christine romans, cnn, new york. >> top stories coming your way after the break. >> including the latest on the snow out there everywhere.

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-- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >> good morning. i'm joe johns in for john roberts. it's monday, december 13. lucky 13. >> glad you're with us. i want to get you caught up on what's going on. the wild almost winter storm because hey, it's not even officially winter yet but it feels like it across the midwest. heavy snow brought down the bubble over the minneapolis metrodome over the weekend. we have amazing video of that.

and meantime, it was not fun if you were trying to get some place, a lot of airports, people stranded there, flights canceled. some stuck in their homes. dangerously cold temperatures closing in. >> he's college football's best player of 2010. cam newton has the heisman trophy to prove it. an eligibility investigation haunts the auburn star. does the investigation taint the trophy? like reggie bush will newton one day have to give it back? >> cyber monday. those deals could cost you in the long run. why many retailers are charging restocking fees when you send back an item. one lawmaker is calling on washington to crack down on the return policies. we're "minding your business." >> first up, extreme weather, snow and bitter cold turning lives upside down. >> no telling how many are stuck still on the roads and at the airport, some 1400 flights were canceled at o'hare in chicago alone. rob marciano is in the weather center. you were grounded trying to get

to cleveland to report on what was going on. you couldn't get out of atlanta. >> it's so frustrating. it's not always what's going on where you're coming from but at a hub like atlanta or chicago, or even cleveland for that matter, it can be what's going on in other parts of the country. the storm so massive affecting tens of millions of people and people trying to travel by car or plane having certainly issues. here it is on the satellite picture. it's monster storm, the actual low itself is up toward quebec. that was good news for the folks in the east coast because they stay in the warm side of this thing. all of this cold air is really driving in behind that. so, that is going to be certainly one of the factors as we go on through the next day or two. it's not so much how much snow will pile up. it will pile up in spots but the scold going to be the larger issue. right now with the wind chill itit itty it feels like 20 below in minneapolis. it feel like 3 right now outside in atlanta.

so, give you an idea how chilly that is. talk about travel delays. this is what we expect. the winds are going to be blowing in new york city, boston and philadelphia. those cities including d.c. i think we'll see persistent delays, especially in the afternoon, over an hour in spots. detroit and charlotte, cleveland, getting the brunt of the snow now. as lake effect is beginning to crank in here and the snows have gotten not only across parts of the great lakes where it will pile up one or two feet in spots over the next few days but it's getting all the way to the south. the kids go crazy in atlanta when the snow flies. we got a few. even some schools closed in parts of georgia. so that's a colder blast than what we saw last week. back to you in new york. >> of course the kids go crazy. they have nothing to worry about. it's just exciting. >> and they don't have to go to school. >> who doesn't love a snow day. >> i still do and i'm in my early 20s. thank you, rob. the pictures tell the story, the massive snow dropping tons of

snow on the inflatable roof of the metrodome. >> it was too much weight for the teflon panels to take. our chris welch is live inside the metrodome. what's it looking like now? >> reporter: well, it's still cold, i can tell you that. you know, you can see it behind me. that one of the teflon panels is just flopping in the wind, hanging around, making some ominous noises, you can hear some thundering once in a while. then you have the sheets of ice on the ground. you saw that incredible video, some melted snow falling down dripping all over the field. they say the field will be undamaged from this. once it cleans up, i guess thawed out things will go back to normal. one thing that the facilities director told me is that what this looks like, what we're seeing is actually a lot worse than what it really is. >> actually, i think i'll say it looks worse than what it is.

in some respects because the repair as i understand it will be basically to unclamp the old fabric and clamp new fabric in its place and blow the roof back up. >> reporter: forgive me i set that up wrong. it looks better -- it looks -- it is better than what it appears. i can't get this right this morning. so, you know, if fans wanted to see a football game it's not going to happen here. they have to head to detroit. if you want to make that, i looked that up. it's about a 12-hour drive in normal driving conditions so i imagine on a day like today we want to give ourselves extra time. it will be interesting to see how many fans make it there. and another thing to note, the repair crews that will give the estimate on how long this will take to fix will be arriving today. we hope to hear more later today. maybe even tomorrow morning as to when this might be back up and running. >> chris welch in minneapolis, thanks so much for that. more extreme weather in the pacific northwest. it's not snow, it's rain that

has rail travel at a standstill. >> if you look at the pictures, landslides forcing amtrak to cancel all train service between seattle and portland until tomorrow. patrick is live for us in seattle, looks like quite a mess. things getting better? >> reporter: good morning. they are. they are starting to see, there is less rain and they are starting to see some of the river levels that peaked and flooded some homes, subside. as if seattle didn't get enough rain, a very, very wet weekend. several hundred people having to spend the night last night in area shelters. a handful of people having to be rescued by hover craft. it will be several days probably before they will be able to get back in their homes. calculate some of that damage to the flooded homes but this incredible storm affecting people far beyond this region as you mentioned, amtrak canceling all service to the seattle area, so if you trying to travel from

l.a. to vancouver, good luck with that. they will probably have to bus you around seattle. it will be closed for another day, it's not just rain but terrific landslides that covered up tracks, took out some homes but no injuries reported so far. and the best news of all is there's real concern that some weakened dams that deteriorated over the years could have been affected. the army corps of engineers saying the dams have not been affected so far by this heavy rainfall. >> patrick, fingers crossed that they get a break in the weather. thanks so much. >> new this morning a large chunk of your 2011 take-home pay on the line. the senate is scheduled to take a test vote on president obama's tax cut compromise. the obama administration is predicting passage. house democrats say a fight involving the president with the republicans is going to happen. 60 votes are needed for the senate to start debate today.

>> sarah palin says conditions in haiti are worse than she expected. she paid a visit to the earthquake-ravaged country this weekend. the former governor of alaska toured a shelter and a cholera treatment center. she urged americans not to forget haiti. she declined the take questions from reporters. >> martina navratilova is out of the hospital after receiving treatment for altitude sickness, the legend got sick 18 failed attempt to climb mount kilimanjaro. she was climbing to raise money for charity. she took the challenge less than two months after undergoing radiation treatments for breast cancer. >> well, the new york jets losing an embarrassing game against the dolphins. this didn't make it better. take a look. jets coach sticks out his knee and trips nolan carroll. you see him go down. he later apologized saying his conduct was inexcusable and

unsportsmanlike. >> who is the best football player in the nation? auburn quarterback cam newton has run away with the heisman trophy this year but will he get to keep it in light of the recent play for pay scandal. in 1968, as whaling continued worldwide,

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>> nine minutes past the hour. a developing story this morning. the head of scotland yard is promising to find out how the royals ended up in the middle of a riot last week in london. police have released 14 images of people that they want to identify after prince charles' car came under attack in the violent student protests, the gang smashed a window and threw paint at the car while reportedly shouting "off with their heads." it made for scary moments. >> a tragic twist in the bernie madoff saga. his oldest son mark hanged himself in his new york city apartment saturday. the death was rule add suicide. it comes two years to the day after his father was arrested for running a ponzi scheme. sources close to mark madoff say he h he had grown stressed. >> mayor bloomberg helps launch a new political organization called no labels but don't take this as a hint he is plotting for a white house run.

he ignited speculation with a speech criticizing congress and president obama for their handling of the economy. but when pressed on "meet the press" bloomberg said no to 2012. >> not going to run for president. i've got a great job, i'm going to finish out my 1100 and whatever days it is left to go and i'll leave the politics to the experts. >> no way no how? >> bloomberg said his staff should probably stop dropping hints about a presidential run. >> after all of these years it is larry king's final week in the 9:00 p.m. slot here at cnn. the week is stacked with awesome guests and fellow talk show host will help kick it off. conan o'brien. here is a peek. >> do you ever keep in touch with any of the -- no? >> no. i don't think i'll hear from them. i'm not going to -- there's nothing for either of us to talk b. i haven't talked to anybody,

you know. i'm friendly with john stewart and steven colbert. they were really nice enough to come and help me when i did the tour, they came on stage in radio city and they were absolutely hilarious, braurt the house down. and we did a big skit together. so i think that -- but the other guys i don't -- i don't have that much of a relationship with them. >> don't miss larry with coco at 9:00 eastern. the beginning of the end of "larry king live" here on cnn. >> you make it sound so final. he's going to be doing specials throughout the year. >> that's true. >> the beginning of the end. >> hey. they put it in the prompter, i read it. >> we love joe. so candid especially on no sleep. this morning cam newton stands alone as college football's best

play earthquake got the heisman trophy prove it. with the trophy comes controversy amid lingering questions about auburn's star's eligibility. >> max kellerman joins us. let's talk about this cam newton situation. there's still an investigation involving his father, allegations that there was some attempt to try to get him to go to mississippi state for $180,000 or some such. where does that stand? >> the investigation is ongoing, his father has been linked to it. so far that's an effective buffer between the eligibility status and cam newton. and whether it's legitimate or whether philosophically you can even say that there's such a thing as a buffer because ostensibly usually the guy is a minor. so how responsible can that player be to begin with if the parents are the ones who are technically still responsible when he's a minor.

in this case it seemed to successfully thus far insulate cam newton from the -- from losing his amateur status. >> he was -- there was disappointment because his dad couldn't be at the trophy presentation because of these allegations, because of the investigation. his mom was there. cam newton as a player is just amazing. he is 6'6", he's an incredible quarterback. he was what, several hundred if not 1,000 votes ahead of the number two guy. what is it about him and what do you think about his future? >> the thing is he passed for about a billion yards and ran for another trillion. i mean he was so clearly the most -- you know, they are supposed to vote on the most outstanding college football player. it was him hands down. should have been unanimous. voters who left him off entirely as a protest, okay. they were others had him second or third which is absurd because he was clearly the best.

and whether or not he gets to keep it ultimately decides on what the ncaa wants to do. there is no real one person there now who calls the shots in these situations. it's done by committee and the ncaa can be kind of capricious if that's the way it shakes down and they think he's too skanldsleized we want to take it back, they have been taken to court before and their defense is this is a voluntary organization and that's held up so far. they can kind of do what they want at the moment. it seems as though the father buffer is working and if nothing further comes out, my guess is he gets to keep it. >> do you think the relationship between the ncaa and the athletes, needs to be changed in situations like this? >> you mean in terms of their ability to generate some kind of income for themselves? >> exactly. >> i mean, the short answer is yes. the longer answer is, for the most part these programs don't make money, they lose money. because of title 9, et cetera,

all of the athletes need to be athleted equally and the programs need to be treated equally even though a select few usually college football programs, men's football programs are the ones taking in the lion's share of the money. is it fair that certain player get compensated for it because these programs make money while other players don't because they play a sport that is less popular, you know, maybe yes. but that's not the way it works right now. >> what about his prospects, a lot of people say he will be a one and done and headed to the pros. >> he is certainly it looks as though he is ready to take the next step. it's not -- doesn't look as though he's going to learn much more on this level. and on the other hand we've seen dominant big physical college quarterbacks who have taken a while to learn on the nfl level and some who never panned out. >> they are on the way to the bcs. >> they are indeed. and in my view, they should

really wait till after the championship game to take this vote anyway. but should auburn win, then there will be absolutely no legitimate football argument why he wouldn't be the heisman trophy winner. >> max kellerman, thanks so much. >> the mystery in moan a lisa's eyes, tiny painted letters discovered in the eyes of the mona lisa sparking a real life da vinci code thriller. >> as 2010 winds down we have a winner. i bet you can think of what that is too. three. two. one. ♪ don't cha wish your work phone was hot like me?... ♪ the droid pro by motorola knows you need business on the go. with its powerful 1 gigahertz processor... ♪ da da da don't cha... ♪ its globetrotting wi-fi hotspotting swagger...

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♪ >> 19 minutes after the hour. talkers. now, is it a real life da vinci code. tiny letters and numbers hidden in the dark paint of her pupils too small to see. in the right eye the letters l, and v, which could be the artist initials and the left eye the symbols are a little harder to make out. >> oprah's bringing her talk show to the sydney opera house which has been renamed the oprah house. 300 guests to sydney as part of her ultimate australian adventure. the trip is costing the government there $5 million. the director of tourism says it's a great investment. >> maybe opera can go and walk

about. russian prime minister vladamir putin has a soft side, playing the piano and sang in front of a star-studded crowd in st st. petersburg, russia, a fundraiser for children's cancer research. ♪ >> not so much. >> well, sharon stone seemed to like it. there is a shot of her clapping. there she is. snapping along with vad a here putin. >> the public is getting to know the more emotional side of john boehner. he was on "60 minutes" last night and he teared up when he was asked why he cried during that speech on election night. take a look. >> on election night, what made you sad? what got to you that night? >> talking trying to talk about

the fact that i've been chasing the american dream my whole career. there's some things that are very difficult to talk about. family, kids, i can't go to a school any more. i used to go to a lot of schools. i used to see these little kids running around. can't talk about it. >> why? >> making sure that these kids have a shot at the american dream like i did. it's important. >> well. >> so funny. i'm from ohio, i covered him for years. i didn't know until recently that he tears up like that. >> actually she asked his wife, too. is he always like this? she said no, not always. >> i'm not saying it's a bad thing. i didn't know. i didn't know that he was like that. oh, well. >> some people express

themselves. no shame in crying. >> absolutely. she was the most talked about candidate of the year, even though she did not win. now christine o'donnell has the quote of the year according to yale's book of quotations. >> i'm not a witch. i'm nothing you've heard. i'm you. >> the piano music puts it over the top for me. she was actually tied with former bp head tony hayward who said i'd like my life back, in the middle of the gulf oil spill. if you touch my junk i'm going to have you arrested from an airline passenger to the tsa. don't retreat, reload. who said that. sarah palin. it was a sweet. number four. and five, the chant from the chilean mine rescue. >> if you touch my junk wasn't last year, don't tase me, bro. >> i don't remember that. >> don't tase me bro?

the campus, john kerry was speaking. had to drag him out. if you plan on returning gifts it may cost you additional 25%. stephanie investigates the so called restocking fee and perhaps moves in washington to eliminate it. >> restocking. that's what elves do. ooh, a brainteaser. how can expedia now save me even more on my hotel? well, hotels know they can't fill every room every day. like this one. and this one. and oops, my bad. so, they give expedia ginormous discounts with these: unpublished rates. which means i get an even more rockin' hotel, for less. my brain didn't even break a sweat. where you book matters. expedia.

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that's not a lot ♪ >> i didn't know that was pussy cat dolls. >> it's not supposed to be. stephanie elam's "minding your business" this morning. she joins us now. >> not that we're music critiquing or anything like that at all. >> talking about restocking fees. >> which is not old school. it's a new school thing coming around but something that is sneaky. a lot of people don't know this is happening. let's say you buy a gift from a top retailer, and then the person you give the gift to not so much and take it back. you could get hit with a fee. it's basically saying this is just to help us examine it and put it back on the shelf. that's the idea of restocking fee. look at some of the top ones out there. we took a gander at three. people go to these stores a lot. the top one is going to be apple. there should be an apple there. that would be 10% that you see. >> you can't see it because it's

white on white. >> there you go. i see the apple. target, 15%. and compusa, 25% of the purchase price. that's huge that you're talking about. well, senator chuck schumer has looked at this saying you know what, we need the ft droorks crack down, that people should know about these. he's not saying they have to go away but making it clear. so they want to do something about that so people are a little more protected and they know first-hand if i'm going to go ahead and buy something like this, i may get hit with this fee so be more sure what you buy. >> it's not just electronics, it's everything? >> it could be a lot of things. >> socks, how much -- >> what's the restocking fee. if they are in the package and you didn't open it why should you get hit with the fee. that's what some are concerned about. it should be a little bit clearer about what things can be hit with these fees and what shouldn't be and knowing that in advance so that you're thinking

about returning something. if you go out and buy your mac book, if you take it back there is a 10% checking of that computer. >> and the real question, is there actually some elf making sure that everything is in place. >> true. >> even still. >> should that be passed on to the consumer or is that -- >> just part of the cost of doing business? they want more transparency. think about that as you finish your holiday shopping, get on it. time's a ticking. >> do it. >> don't wait until the day before. you'll be fine. >> he'll by sam salami and hand it out. >> good idea. >> everybody needs beef jerky. >> bottled water. >> top stories, heavy snow, a blizzard that collapsed the minneapolis metrodome, canceled flights and it's on the move. here is what it looks like. forecasters warn that wind chills in some areas could dip to below -- to 30 below, like

cleveland could get another foot of snow on top of what's already on the ground. >> hackers hit gawkers. telling users to change pass words. the network includes dead spin.com and the gadget block, gawkers says the attack could be revenge for something on one of the sites. >> richard holbrooke recovering after surgery to fix a torn aorta. he is still in critical but now stable condition. he is serving asment obama's special envoy to afghanistan and pakistan. >> the tax cut deal president obama cut with republicans could clear its first hurd well the test vote expected in the senate. but the real challenge will be in the house where many democrats think the president caved to the gop. ed henry is back live with us at the white house. >> ed, all of this started with that surprise appearance in the white house briefing room you had one current and one former president trying to sell the deal. >> reporter: that's right.

former president bill clinton came out on friday. we knew he was meeting in the oval office with the president but not that they were going to walk into the briefing room. aipds say it was spontaneous, came together, and while there may be political risk for president obama to be bringing in a former president making it look like maybe he needs to be bailed out aides say look, they is bringing in a former president who is good at selling these things, still popular with democrats, that's who this president, the current president needs to sell on it now. as you say, it looks like it's going to clear the senate procedural vote later today. and then pass in full later this week. that will put more momentum out there to get house democrats to face this head on. david axelrod was on yesterday and said look, this is not perfect but it needs to move forward. >> we handled it as best as we could given the time frame that we had. and i'm not looking for style points here.

what i'm looking for is progress for the american people. what i'm looking for is to forestall what would be devastating for the american people and our economy. and that's what we should be focused on. >> reporter: a few days ago house democrats saying look, we don't want this to come to the house floor, they were trying to block it altogether. now they want to make changes, maybe to the estate tax revisions which they think are too favorable to republicans but bottom line is house democrats saying they are willing to consider it at least. that's what rank and file house democrats are saying. that's a big improvement for this president and suggests that he's finally getting momentum to pass this. joe, kiran. >> a few other things on the plate. tax cuts, "don't ask, don't tell" for example. give us some idea of what among the big ticket items still out there after tax cuts are going to happen? the s.t.a.r.t. treaty? >> reporter: seems like little. you know joe, the members of congress smell jet fuel here before the holidays, they want

to get home, be with families so there is a pressure. democratic leaders want to end this lame duck session by friday. that may be extended by a couple of days but bottom line it's not enough time to get much done. they may get s.t.a.r.t. treaty, the president now believes in private he has the 67 votes to get flute the senate. but republicans may not let them consider it. we'll see whether it gets to the floor. "don't ask, don't tell" is going to be very hard to overturn. they may need a continuing resolution to keep the government open flew the holidays as well as the tax cuts so seems thement's only going to get a couple of those things, not all of that, joe and kiran. i'm supposed to go to hawaii with him for the holidays, better than where i am now. it's chilly. we're waiting to find out when he's going to leave. >> it's 6 degrees in atlanta. >> it's worse down south. >> colder than iceland they tell us. >> hawaii will be nice. >> oh, yeah. >> it's pop culture phenomenon. angry birds, the most downloaded cell phone game of the year.

it's not just kids playing it. why it's so hard to stop playing. and how it might change the way you view your smart phone. ♪ [ male announcer ] you know her. we know diamonds. together we'll make her holiday. that's why only zales is the diamond store. where you can get up to $1,000 off now through sunday.

♪ >> it's been called the craze of the year. we're getting addicted to it now. the next pac-man, a game for your smart phone it's called angry birds. >> or your ipad. it's downloaded 50 million time this is year. it's become a pop phenomenon and made to the "saturday night live" this weekend. let's take a listen. good job. >> the birds and the popular angry birds will no longer be angry. what are you playing? good natured birds, how is it? it stinks. >> the senior editor at the new york e thanks for being with us. good to see you. you show us how the game works. use your sling shot with the birds to attack the nasty pigs. that have stolen bird eggs. >> during the swine flu

epidemic. >> why are people obsessed? >> every game has a challenge how hard or easy you make it. you make it easy enough to succeed. hard enough so it's fun to succeed and challenging so you get serotonin rewards when you pass a level. it's kind of brilliant. they have the right balance. >> the idea, though, i mean, as far as the attraction goes, is that it's simple enough to just sort of what, stop and then go. >> you saw us in the commercial break. it was easy to get into it. but it's hard enough you can play for hours. it has these sort of funny characters that are interesting and cute. >> we haven't seen the pigs yet. >> the pigs are the ones under the structure. the boulders fall. >> this is the little pig right here. >> what they have done, they have taken advantage of the fact we have these powerful devices. you used toen 0 be able to play games on your play station or atari and you would have to sit at home. now you can play it when you're on the subway on the bus or in the check-out line. >> we've had this.

you could play bubble breaker. >> this is a lot like tetrus with funny animals. it spurs the mathematical reasoning part of your brain and seems like you are exercising your mind even while you're playing this frivolous fun thing. >> is this a phenomenon, though, or some flash in the pan one game -- >> it's a profound phenomenon. a few years ago it was dominated by big players. they are still doing that, still making lots of money. what we're also seeing or smaller players developing games for mobile devices like your ipad or android or also games for facebook. those are often targeted at women, at older people, it's not just big shoot 'em ups for 18-year-old boys which is how the industry used to work. this is big wither than hollywood and is changing in important ways. >> you talk about how in the last two years this mobile gaming industry has turned to this multi-billion-dollar, i mean 50 million down loads.

is it 5.99 on the ipad. >> about two bucks on average. >> but they say that the mobile app revenue by 2010 should hit $1 billion in the u.s. and $3.3 billion globally. >> there are -- there is lots of money to be made and there are lots of people entering this. one of the other interesting things is so there are lots of great games like this that exist. how do you become angry bird. it's not necessarily better than the 50 other games. it takes a lot of luck and good timing. >> do you know or have an idea what the next angry birds is? >> the game i was playing is a hit, cut the rope. you cut the rope and try to make bubbles swing up and things fall down. >> i've seen that. are you a farm bill fa nat snik >> i'm not. but cityville came out last week, a million downloads. you try to become mayor. i started playing it last night. it's harder to get into.

this one you see things explode and rocks fall. there you have u-haul trucks pull up. >> more like the sims that didn't catch on. >> like a violent version. >> the other question, you heard about smurfs, this was free to download but you use real money. they say would you like to purchase building materials and then kids were on their parents' itune accounts, 67 bucks. i didn't realize it was real money. >> i have a 2-year-old. he's going to brumt me. this is what happens with angry birds, they are developing improving it so you can spend money on to the advance to get special tools that will help you knock down the structures. >> nintendo ds 2 has gotten out of control at my house. every time, and that is something where you actually had to go to the store and buy the cartridge. >> it's going to change more. it's going to sound silly but people are going to build games

into everything. like put a chip in your tooth brush and advance by how he brushes his teeths. that's going to happen. as computer power is more powerful as we get more used to these. some ways it's good. some ways not so good. >> thanks. >> if you thought last week's temperatures were cold, arctic air on the way is paralyzing travel. we're going to check in with rob marciano in the extreme weather center. breathe in, breathe out. as volatile as markets have been lately, having the security of a strong financial partner certainly lets you breathe easier. for more than 140 years, pacific life has helped millions of americans build a secure financial future wouldn't it be nice to take a deep breath and relax? ask a financial professional about pacific life. the power to help you succeed.

♪

>> that ceiling is holding thank goodness. >> a football stadium with a roof. >> the roof of ford field in detroit, michigan. it's where they are moving the game that was supposed to be of course at the metrodome in minnesota, minneapolis. but that collapsed because of all of the snow that ty úsgot. 17 inches, brought it down. so, tonight it will be the vikings and the giants and they will play at 7:20 tonight. it's the hometown fans can get there they have to travel some 550 miles to make it over there. >> my guess is a lot of people who were going to be there are going to be watching it on television. >> getting a refund. >> rob marciano now, we're going to talk a little more about that weather which is kind of crazy all over the east and all the way out to the mississippi, isn't it. >> it is. i've got a picture of atlanta, you know, we have a dome here. georgia dome. but i don't think 17 inches of snow is likely down here and the roof is a little more sturdy.

we've had a tornado roll across and it did okay. it's chilly across the south as it is in a lot of spots. the snow continues to pile up. we've got winter storm warnings south of lake michigan, south of huron and lake erie and ontario. we could see one to two feet of snow on top of what we've seen in these areas. remember last week, these spots really saw a tremendous amount. so, this could do more damage than what we saw last week. as far as where the snow is now, cleveland getting it with 40-mile-an-hour winds throughout the morning so it's blowing sideways there, a miserable start. in buffalo starting to see the lake-effect snow. look at all of the snow or any snow across the south is a big deal but it's getting far enough south to where the kids are excited in georgia. some schools are closed in georgia. right now temperature reading is 21 degrees and still a few flurries in spots. but the main threat, what's going on across the northeast

not a lot of snow. new york up to boston you are very, very warm, it is warmer there than it is across the south. check out these temperatures. this is what it feels like when you factor in the wind. it feels like minus 10 in chicago, minus 20 in minneapolis, 3 degrees it feels like in atlanta, georgia. so daytime highs not to get above the freezing mark in atlanta. 41 degrees expected in new york city. so we're definitely flip-flopping. if you are traveling today, looking at hour-plus delays in new york, philly and d.c. because of the wind a. cold wind that comes in behind the front. most of the snow, the moisture, once the cold front comes through the i-95 corridor, most of the moisture is going to be gone. so i don't think you'll see much in the way of snow accumulation. detroit, charlotte, atlanta, going to see an hour-plus delay. cleveland a tough spot. i think today is similar. boston and seattle and san francisco looking at some action as well. seattle saw some flooding rains

across western washington. another weak front is going to come through, this not as much moisture as the last one but going to be wet north of san francisco all the way up toward seattle. if you want really nice weather, head to the desert southwest, temperatures in phoenix, palm springs, in the 70s and 80s. perfect. back to you in new york. >> at least you're talking about that because we hear that it's so cold in atlanta that -- >> don't mess it up. it's so cold, it's colder in atlanta than it is in iceland right now according to some vicious e-mails. >> do you buy that? >> i retweeted it so i've got to buy that, yeah. makes complete sense, actually. >> atlanta is hotlanta so that doesn't make sense to us. >> yeah, but iceland, there are green spots. actually quite a nice country. and can be lovely this time of year. >> case in point. >> thanks, rob. >> howling winds and blizzard conditions no big deal for tom

brady and the new england patriots. they stormed the bears in chicago, 36-7. brady throwing for 369 yards, two touchdowns in driving snow. this is a win that clinched a playoff spot for the patriots. temperature was 26 degrees with 30-mile-an-hour winds. >> they are used to playing in bad weather in new england. >> she has an oscar, has a country star husband and nicole kidman wants to please her mom as well so that's why she decided to do some giving. how she's giving back and how she got approval from her mother that she was looking for, next.

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angry birds taking over the control room. >> they are still here. this week and every week we're highlighting celebrities who are truly giving back. today we've got actress nicole kidman working to improve lives of women all over the globe. >> our lena cho is here. last year we had fun or you had fun with ben stiller. >> and martha stewart and richard branson. we have an incredible lineup. good morning. without question nicole kidman is royalty, an academy award winning actress, one of the most famous women in the world. she has a voice and she's using it. her work as a good will ambassador says keeps her grounded.

it was her mother who inspired her to act. >> a lot of my life i've been trying to please my mother. and i suppose i still felt like i won an oscar, i'd done this, my mom would still not like, okay i feel like you really -- and this is probably the thing that she most responds to in my life. >> so that thing nicole kidman is talking about is her work as a good will ambassador for the united nations arm that fights for gender equality and to end violence against women. >> take action. say no. >> a role she's held for nearly five years. >> these women in this organization, they are working for nothing, you know. and they are so committed. >> ironically, it was a movie role the interpreter that threw kidman to the united nations. what she didn't know was that

soon art, in part, would imitate life. her work has taken her to congress, fighting for women's rights, she's also travelled to places like kosovo and this year earthquake-ravaged haiti. >> it breaks my heart. i'm a terrible person because sometimes for this because i can become so emotionally involved and actually in kosovo i had to be taken aside and told this is going to be a very emotional path for the rest of your life. you're going to see and hear things you should never see and hear but they exist. these girls were raped, a lot of their faces were completely battered and destroyed. and their bodies. and they had nowhere to go. when you see it, see it and hear it, i think it changes you forever. it certainly changed me forever.

>> by a nose, nicole kidman. >> you are an academy award winning actress, married to a music star, you have a beautiful family. some people might ask, how does this woman nicole kidman relate? >> relate? i don't know how you say whether you relate, but i certainly feel. and it brings me to my knees. i feel, i mean, it's my duty and it's an honor to be able to do the work. >> it brings you to your knees. that's a strong statement. >> yeah, but i mean it. >> thank you. >> she does. you can see it in her face. for photos or if you want to get involved go to cnn.com,/amfix. all of the interviews from big stars big giving will live on impact our world our partner in this project this year and hopefully every year.

we're thrilled to have a real big presence on the web. the interesting thing when i asked nicole kidman about relating she said one thing that really helps her relate to women, interestingly, is her divorce from tom cruise. she said you know, when you believe that -- what you believe in and love is ripped out from you and you believe you'll never recover, somehow that, i can relate and i can relate to other women in that way. the other interesting thing is that she really is committed to this project. she says she will be with the un as long as they have her. i said i'm sure they will have you as long as you want to be there. she says sometimes people get burned out in these things. i'm not going to get burned out. i'm committed. >> tomorrow? >> halle berry, another award winning actress and a beautiful woman inside and out. she's really committed to the gener center for domestic violence victims in los angeles. she walks the walk and talks the talk.

she is there, shows up unannounced by herself. she has really personal project she's working on which she'll tell me b. she got involved really because of her family background. her mother was a victim of domestic violence, she saw it happen throughout her childhood. it really colored her adult life if you will. and she gave a really moving interview and that will be tomorrow. >> we look forward to it. good stuff. thanks so much. don't miss the one-hour special, big stars, big giving airing christmas eve 7:00 p.m. eastern and christmas day 8:00 p.m. eastern. we'll be right back.

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