thank you. have a great weekend. i have a stunning crime story. i want to tell you all about it. that's in about 30 seconds. first i want to keep you in the loop. we are waiting for president obama to appear live there at the white house. he is expected to sign that tax cut deal. that deal that the house finally decided to pass late last night. he will be signing that into law today. we'll break down how this affects you, your paychecks and how it does indeed add to america's debt problem. we'll bring that to you live as soon as we see the president. first this. we have this chilling story. this is out of los angeles. listen to this story if you would. the police in l.a. have tried and failed for months and months to find scores of women. these women, about 160 in all. now, this is what the women have in common that makes this case so unsettling. their photographs, and here are some of them will their photos

were found in this home. in this trailer, actually, this alleged serial killer. and just yesterday police released the photos to the public in hopes of finding, locating, talking to some of these women. i want to show you now. this is the alleged serial killer. have you heard of this guy? his name is lonnie franklin jr. his nickname is the grim sleeper. i'll explain that in a moment. but franklin is accused of ten murders. since his arrest last july, police have suspected he may have committed many, many more. how many more? lapd decided to release these photos. more than 150 in all because as we said, they cannot find these women and their photos were found at franklin's house. so were the photos taken possibly off the internet? police say, no, they don't think they were. they believe they were taken by franklin himself whose suspected victims include prostitutes he allegedly lured into his home. are these women, the women in the pictures? are they prostitutes?

the authorities are not saying but here's what they are saying about these photos. >> the fact that we have gone to great lengths to show just facial photos here is indicative of what type of images we've been viewing for months on end now. these are clearly photos of women that mr. franklin had contact with and not the rest of his family. and we'll let it go at that. >> i want to bring in staff writer with the l.a. times, joel ruben. i read your piece this morning. i know you cover the police there. learning about this story, about all these pictures. i have to ask, are are the police at all suggesting they may possibly be looking at 160 murder victims here? >> we haven't heard any indication that they suspect the number are that large. they really don't know. they say very clearly that they won't be surprised if at the end of the day when they make heads

or tails of who these women are, they won't put a number to them, are actually victims of this alleged serial killer. they've already gotten a few phone calls indicating as much. >> before we talk about who police think they may be, i want to ask you. i know you had a chance to look through these pictures. what do they seem to have in common by looking at them? >> well, they definitely fit into the m.o. that police say was lonnie franklin's, what he was attracted to. >> what was that? >> predominantly almost exclusively young african-american women. he lives in a part of town that is predominantly or at the time when he was most active, as an alleged killer, was predocument thanly african-american. the age range of these photos does range from what looks like teenagers up into 30 and 40-year-old women. and the known victims of this person who police say lonnie

franklin fits right into that mold. >> and then joel, the who. are these potential victims? are they friends? are they witnesses? let's listen. this is sound from a police detective addressing that particular issue. >> this is very important. there is somebody's photo among these 180 who is a victim. >> our main concern right now is the welfare of these individuals and their identity and our best wish is that we get a phone call from each and everyone of them and that everything is okay. >> so they're hoping to get phone calls. they want happy endings with these women but could it be possible that some of these women may not want to come forward. >> yeah. as one detective on the team that has been investigating this case said to me, you know, if i'm one of those women and i open up the "l.a. times" and see my picture there, i wouldn't want to talk to me either. what they're really hoping is that at least some of the women,

if they do see themselves, will come forward and check in and say, hey, i'm okay and police say they have no intention to cause them any harm or any problems. they do want the talk to them if they're willing to talk. barring that, they hope family members will come forward or acquaintances and say i know who that person is. she lives in to peek a, kansas and last time i knew she was fine. they're trying to connect the dots on who these women are. if somebody does call and say that was my sister or that was my daughter and she was killed 15 years ago and they never solved the case, cops really do want to talk to those family members and try to see if there is any doeconnection to this alleged serial case. >> why this nickname? why grim sleeper? what does that signify? >> the grim sleeper was a nickname that was dubbed by another local paper here in l.a.

and it refers to the two distinct periods of time when franklin was allegedly active. police first connected the dots to there being a serial case in the mid '80s when they used ballistics testing on a gun to link seven bodies, seven females being killed back from '85 to '88. after '88, the trail goes cold. not until 2002 and 2003 when dna testing which wasn't available in the mid 80s links two more bodies. and then again using ballistics testing and dna testing, they link them back to the earlier set of killings. then again in 2007, another body. the most recent and last known body. so these two periods of time they dubbed him the grim sleeper for his long periods of alleged sleep. it should be noted that police don't believe that it is likely

that he was asleep. and think that it is very likely that he was active during that long period of time. >> and programs that's why they're releasing some of these photographs. because some of these women could be victims in that gap of time. i'm covering different accused serial case for a different story and i've been reading about serial killerer m.o.s. we know he is not convicted. he is just accused. but they're keeping mementos of the killings. in this characters perhaps, some of these pictures. how were they found? get into the nitty greaty details. were they found on poster board or individually? do you even know? >> yeah. they were found -- we know that they were found predominantly in a trailer that franklin had in his backyard. he had a small house in south l.a. that he lived in with his wife in the backyard. there was a trailer and a garage and several cars in various

states of disrepair. he was known as sort of the local fence where you could go and get a part for your car or a tv or a washing machine. so the backyard was very jumbled with various appliances and cars. and in the trailer, they found this trove of upwards of 1,000 still photographs and hundreds of hours of videotapes. and on those, they estimate there was about 160 individual women shown in various states of nudity and provocative poses. >> and we're only seeing just the tight shots of their faces. they're not releasing the full, obviously, the full nude shots or whatever the photos may have been. but joel rubin, i appreciate you coming on. if you're breaking any more news on the story, do me a favor and hop back on our show. >> happy to do it. now to this. first we want to go to those

live pictures? this is camp pendleton. this is -- no. this is a courtroom brawl. we'll to go pendleton in a moment. here we go. camp pendleton. we're going -- here's camp pendleton. some families very, very happy now that the marines are home. this was the 15th marine expeditionary unit. just coming home there to california. we'll get a live report from casey. they've been gone. they've been deployed for seven months. many, many of our men and women coming home. we'll share some of those moments, tearful moments, i imagine, sprinkled through our show. now for this. a courtroom brawl caught on video. the whole thing happened as the judge sentence as man convicted of murder. that's ahead. also, julian assange is threatening to release more secrets. the defiant founder of wikileaks refusing to hide hours after being released from jail. and now he has some very choice words for the u.s. oh, my gosh.

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you know this man here. he's the man behind wikileaks and guess what. he is talking to reporters today. this is one of the stories moving this hour. julian assange out of jail in the united kingdom pending extradition proceeding. he tells cnn he regards the sex allegations against him as a calculated effort to divert attention from his whistle blowing practices and he admits it's working. >> i've been accused all over the world of a double rape allegation. and the founder and most visible public face for this organization. a very successful smear campaign. 3.3 million web pages out of 4.5 million web pages mention my name. also mention the word rape. that's a serious issue and a seriously successful smear campaign. but i mean, i hope when this is over that we're going to be very heavily armored in the public

view. >> he was led out of jail on condition that he remain near london and wear a locator tag. he is wanted in sweden on sexual misconduct charges. air to ground missiles struck what are being called terrorist hideouts in northern pakistan killing at least 21 suspected militants. one of the places hit described as an extremist training center. witnesses say the missiles were launched by drones. those unarmed, unmanned aircraft. that has not been verified by the u.s. officials. the u.s. is the only known country capable of using drones to hit targets inside pakistan. and some good news for victims of the bernie madoff fraud. a lump sum of more than $7 billion. billion with a "b" dollars going pack to those people swindled by madoff. that's after the widow of jeffry picower agreed to release the money. picower was a prominent beneficiary of madoff's ponzi scheme. federal investigators say this

is the largest in u.s. history and there is still more money to recover. >> this is the most substantial step to date in the ongoing effort to make the madoff victims whole. combined with the approximately $2.6 billion already recovered to date i know what the funds my office has gathered through criminal and civil proceedings, today's settlement marks a major milestone. with close to $10 billion now recovered, we have together collected close to 50% of the principle that victims lost. >> now this. a dramatic rescue. look at it. caught on video. one guy accidentally hit drive instead of reverse in his car. crashes into business cain bay. you'll see it unfolding on video. again we're waiting and watching for you for president obama.

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all eyes on the white house this hour. let me show you a live picture of the white house there in case you haven't heard. your taxes will not, i repeat, will not be going up on the first of the year because president obama is about to sign that bill that we've been talking about for week and weeks that extends those bush tax cuts into the year 2012.

we'll be bringing you this signing live as soon as we see the president pull out that pen and that bill. we've been talking about this for quite some time. we're here to say this is a pretty major moment. a defining moment for obama's presidency. >> yeah. it is. we look back on this as an important change with both democrats and with republicans on capitol hill. some people are convinced this is a positive turn in the presidency. he worked with republicans, reached a compromise, took on his own base. many of his supporters are deeply disappointed. i would only caution that we shouldn't look at this as a template for exactly how he will govern the rest of his term. my sources make clear that the white house doesn't plan to side with republicans and fight with his own party every step of the way for the next two years. and that was always his plan, to take on his own party sometimes. side with republicans, vice versa. we've seen him finally side with the republican buzz liberals will have his support on some

issues that are important to them. >> again i want to remind he have one. we should be seeing that within a half-hour or so from now. let's talk about what happened with regard to the senate, jess chasm we were talking about this yesterday. the spending bill, a big blow last night in the senate themselves could not move that bill to fund government operations for a year. my question to you is how would this work going forward? do they do it piecemeal if at all? >> they'll punt. they pass the smaller american that you are keeps the government funded temporarily and let the next congress tackle the big spending questions. so let the next ones deal is their attitude right now. >> what else is on the docket? this lame duck congress may not be so lame here. a lot of action coming out of capitol hill in the last couple days. what else is on tap? >> as they were reporting, don't ask don't tell could be voted on. there's the dream act which is an immigration measure that could get a vote. and of course, they have to figure out the spending

resolution and how to resolve a food safety issue. so all these things, if they get voted on, and if some of them pass, this is actually pretty active lame duck session. if they don't, then it is sort of a lame, a little duck session. >> back to the spending bill that died. how important was it that the tea party movement folks, they got wind of people like mitch mcconnem mcing that bill? >> he wouldn't describe it that way. they would say this is an appropriations measure that the democrats brought to the floor but there were many, many ear marks in it by republicans, including mitch mcconnell and it was crucial. everything that the tea party got wind of it and said that they will fight republican who's bring it, who vote yes. that is the reason this failed them voted to no ear mark and to back primary challenges to these

guys if they vote yes. so the bill died. it had a few republican who's were going to support it. that support vaporized after the tea party got active. i'm sure they're celebrating. the they say they are celebrating today. >> have a wonderful weekend. i want to show you this video again. there was an elderly driver in his car waiting for help, sync as his car is going down. rescue crews, you see them bashing in that back window. they rush to the scene. we'll show you more of that. did they have enough time? plus a fight breaks out in a courtroom. two women punching, kicking, all the while, a judge is sentencing a convicted killer. into all ths tdd# 1-800-345-2550 that i didn't even understand -- i was so naive. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 i mean, i still need help. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 but not from some guy that's just going to sell me stuff. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 i need somebody who works with me, tdd# 1-800-345-2550 speaks a language i understand, tdd# 1-800-345-2550 and basically helps me make better decisions. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 maybe i'm still being naive? tdd# 1-800-345-2550 [ male announcer ] no hard sell. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 no attitude. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 no broker-speak.

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i want you to look at this frantic water rescue. this is from florida. a 77-year-old driver was pulled out of the water by paramedics. they're all rushing in. when his car crashed in biscayne bay. the man said he was parking his car, accidentally went forward when he was trying to go in reverse. the car goes in. you saw the car sinking with him trapped inside. there he is. the good news he does eventually get out. coming up next hour, we actually got one of the paramedics who helped save this man. he will join me with the details on what and how in the world this happened and how much time you really have before it is too late. that's coming up. also, thousands and thousands of servicemen and

women are on their way home. just in time for the holidays. you can imagine the scenes playing out across the country right now. we'll have reports for you all the way from the east coast to the west coast. also, north korea warns south korea about military drill near a flash point island. we'll have a live report from the pentagon.

wait until you see this video. a sentencing in a courtroom with a murder case. two women interrupted the proceedings by punching and kick each other. watch. >> laid siz and gentlemen, hey! listen, listen! ladies and gentlemen.

ladies and gentlemen. >> yowza! the two women weren't even involved in the case. they had exchanged heated words in the hallway before their dispute obviously spilled out in the middle of the courtroom. the sheriff's deputies pulled them apart and had to take them outside. the judge with you so outraged. i think we heard the judge yelling. yesterday's case was his last. he is retiring and he had some pretty tough words for the courtroom. >> any time during a hearing, if there is a statement, a remark, anything from anyone on either side, you will be removed from the courtroom. you will be arrested. >> when thing did finally settle down, that judge sent his convicted murderer to 50 years for killing two people during a robbery. an accomplice who helped him

escape was given 16 years. a third suspect due to be sentenced in january. and looking ahead to this weekend, it will certainly be one to watch. the korean peninsula very closely. north korea today issued a terse warning to cancel the military drills or else. it was just last month. north korea warns if the south holds those drills this weekend, it is saying it will be worse than this one. look at the damage. you remember the casualties. four people died in that shelling. adding to the heated dispute, south korea said if the north attacks, it will retaliate harshly. barbara starr has been following this from the pentagon. some are saying the tensions between these two countries, the worst they've seen in quite a while. are they still planning on carrying out these exercises? >> at the moment the south is planning to go ahead.

the weather is a little bad so the exercises may not happen until sunday or early monday. korean time. but the weekend here in washington is likely to be tense. all eyes on the korean peninsula. we have learned from the u.s. military official in fact just in the last few minutes, that the obama administration has established contingency communications with the koreans. the south koreans over the weekend. what does that mean? the white house, the pentagon, the state department will be in constant contact with their south korean counter parts in the government there so if something does break out, there will be instant communication. he have one will be able to talk. they'll be able to discuss courses of action. they'll be able to discuss next steps. everybody can be on the same page. why do they want this communication? because the u.s. military and the obama administration do not want things to escalate. that is the major concern. if these drills happen and

heaven forbid, things escalate out of control. listen to what the vice chairman, the null two man at the joint chiefs had to say just yesterday about this. >> what we worry about, obviously, is that if that is misunderstood or if it is taken advantage of as an opportunity, if north korea were to react to that in a negative way and fire back at those firing positions on the islands, that would start potentially a chain reaction of firing and counter firing. what you don't want to have happen out of that is for the escalation to be, for to us lose control of the escalation. that is the concern. >> lose control of the escalation. you do not hear four star u.s. generals say that very often. that's the concern on the korean peninsula this week, and that's why everybody will be watching and he have one will have in the government will have the ability to be in touch with the south koreans 24/7.

>> so they'll be able to be in touch with them 24/7. have that constant contact. what has the u.s. government said in terms of its stance? do they feel if south korea so chooses to carry out these exercises, that's perfectly legitimate? >> absolutely. and i think you're raising a really good point. the state department has repeatedly said in the last couple days, these are routine south korean exercises. they've been notified to everyone. the north koreans can't claim they don't know about it. they can't claim to misunderstand. they know that it a military exercise. the concern is the live fire part of it to some extent. this is the part that has the u.s. concerned that it could be a bit destabilizing, be seen as provocative as the north koreans. but no mistake. the south koreans have every right to exercise, look after their own self-defense. and as general cartwright noted yesterday, about 20 u.s. troops

will be on the scene for the exercises observing and keeping an eye on he go. >> finally, just 30 seconds. we're hearing from russia. the russia foreign ministry stepping in saying what? >> they, too, are voicing their concerns and objections. and that's another reason that we now know that the obama administration has set up this contingency communication with the republic of south korea over the weekend. everyone will be looking at this. russia, china, japan, nobody wants to see another incident like the one you pointed out just last month. where the north koreans fired on this island. the south koreans fired back. this is what they want to avoid. no incidents, no misunderstandings. no inadvertent escalation. he have one is looking for a nice calm weekend on the korean peninsula. >> we'll be watching along. but thank you. and now this.

>> it's the reunion. there we go. >> it's the reunion. i love these stories. i love being there and getting to cover them. an dry eye around. you have servicemen and women coming home from the holidays. lots of hugs and tears. we'll show you the emotional reunions and we'll take you live to camp pendleton where even more families, look at her. even more families are anxiously awaiting their loved one's arrival. first this. each and every week dr. sanjay gupta introduces to us someone overcoming major obstacles and going on to do amazing things. today we meet a young man dealing with a life threatening illness but he is getting a little help from a fleend very much understands his fight. >> reporter: it is 5:30 in the morning and he is arriving at the hospital for his dialysis. the 16-year-old has been fighting an up-hill battle with his kidneys since he was born. >> he needs a kidney transplant. >> yes. i lost 30 pounds so i can give him a kidney.

>> reporter: like most moms, she wants to do everything she can for her son. just paying for treatment is a real struggle. >> just do what i have to do for my son. and i've been doing it for 16 years. so i feel i'm a good mama. >> reporter: what about financially? how hard has this been on your family? >> real hard. >> reporter: this is the sort of physical, emotional and if i know hardship that, he is just 16 years old. this is what he has had to overcome. he is about to get help from a pretty unusual source. kyle over here, good morning, kyle. 14 years old. have a seat. how do you guys know each other. >> i was on this machine like he was for about three hours, monday, wednesday and friday. >> kyle cobb looks like any healthy teenager. but it wasn't always the case. in 2009, kyle's kidneys failed and it took months of dialysis

and a new kidney to save him. but kyle 97 forgot his friend. >> what made you decide that after all that you had been through, you wanted to give something back? >> i just want to help him in any way i can. it gives me a serve of joy that i'm thinking outside of myself for once. and to help him is a blessing to me. >> reporter: so far kyle has raised $3100 for him and his family with some help from the local motorcycle club. >> it helped we go that he needs. every didn't really get a christmas last year. >> no. >> reporter: he will get a christmas this year. >> reporter: he continues his bite the kyle by his side. both agreeing that a kidney would be the best gift of all. you want some fiber one honey clusters? yeah. you must really care about him. what? you gave him fiber. this tastes way too good to be fiber.

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the week before christmas, a few places are busier than normal. i'm talking about the airports on the east coast and the west coast. they're full of soldiers, sailors and marines and airmen lucky enough to be sprung from duty to be home with their families for the holidays. i want to bring in casey who is at the marine corps base in camp pendleton, california. a busy day there for a lot of military families. hang tight for me. i want to hear from cnn's reynolds wolf. he's been at hartsfield airport and reynolds tourk. >> reporter: the scene here today has been incredible. we've been seeing one group of

soldiers after another come up these escalators. they walk right past here. here's a group of them. they go right past this uso desk and through those doors. we're expecting about 2,000 today. another 2,000 tomorrow. then as we fast forward into sunday, possibly another 5,000 service people right through these doors. and when you think about it, an entire year, they have half a billion that will step along the same steps we're walking. obviously it is all decorated. the great holiday things. also here, which i love looking at this. a check-in sheet. your sign-up sheet. if you look carefully, psych the states them come from places like texas, kentucky, florida, georgia. as far away as even alaska earlier. and they're from all branches of the military. from the air force, from say the army, the marines, the navy, coast guard. and when they come in, they get the opportunity to kind of kickback, watch some tv, enjoy some game, check out the wi-fi or get a bite to eat. they got a little of everything from muffins to cookies to

hotdogs. great hotdogs. >> the best hotdogs. >> especially made for our troops will. >> there you go. especially made for every one. gives them a chance to kickback a bit. here you can see the guys enjoying video game and who wouldn't? even a chance to get away from that excitement and go to places where it is a little more quiet. say back here. we've got some office space where they can just enjoy a little bit of solitude. catch up on their e-mail. that's the latest we've got. back to you. >> reynolds, thank you. now to the west coast. i hear the screams. casy, want to go right to you. camp pendleton. talk to me about what we're about to see. >> behind me you can see alpha company. the first battalion fourth marines. they're just returning. and over here, you can see their family members waiting for their arrival. we've been seeing reunions happening all morning long. and it is just one of the most incredible experiences that you can witness.

seeing some of these marines reunite with their families. in many cases we've seen their babies for the first time. this group of marines has been deployed overseas for a little more than seven months. and during their tenure, they have provided close air support in afghanistan. they've also provided flood relief to victims in pakistan and back in september, you may remember when a group of somali pirates captured a german cargo ship, this group of marines, they are the marines that actually recaptured that commercial cargo ship from those somali pirates, rescued the civilian crew. so they provided many important operations that we often don't think about. there's been so much focus on iraq and afghanistan. the u.s. military, obviously, is deployed all over the world and you can start to hear the screams of these family members who are just anxiously awaiting the arrival. their reunions with their loved ones. >> let me jump in and ask. some people may be saying, why

aren't these kids and mothers and husbands running toward each other. explain the process. they have to hang back momentarily. >> well, the process is fairly involved. they landed, they were on ships offshore. and they came to shore in smaller boats and rode over to the camp pendleton base. in buses. and then they have to go check their gear and store their weapons. so many of them have been here for several hours. and the family members have been waiting anxiously for them to actually reunite. it is quite a long process that they have to go through. let's just listen to this. >> deal. here they go.

>> welcome home. can we talk to you for just a second? tell me your nail, your rank. >> this is my wife sarah and my

daughter. >> howl is she? >> 15 months, sir. >> so you've been away from her for how long? >> about seven months, sir. >> what has it been like? >> tough, sir. i miss them a lot. communication is not so good all the time so it is good to finally see them, sir. >> what is it like to have your husband back? >> it's amazing. so amazing. i was so excited to make sure he was back by christmas. i can't tell you how excited i was. >> that's going to be a pretty good christmas. >> yes. >> thanks for your time. thanks for your service. it just doesn't get any better than that. >> it really doesn't. just total serendipity that they were able to catch this at this precise moment. thank you so much. and please pass along our gratitude to these men and women for all of their duty. their duty overseas. what a wonderful moment to share with everyone. >> will do. will do. >> casey, thank you. now moving on. how about that? amazing.

i want to remind you, we're also waiting for more live pictures. not more of that though perhaps we will see more. we're waiting for president obama. he is expected in to sign a tax cut deal into law minutes from now after weeks and weeks of fighting back and forth between the democrats and the republicans. so who will be standing by him when he signs that bill into law? and is this really a defining moment in mr. obama's presidency? that is next. don't move. and if you think all batteries are the same, consider this: these batteries are going... to the mattel children's hospital, u.c.l.a . because here they use the most... technologically advanced equipment for the healing... and the play. and to power all those toys the people at duracell... packed up a truckload of batteries. because nothing's better than powering a smile. duracell. trusted everywhere.

actor floyd mayweather behind bars. police say they arrested him in las vegas just after midnight.

he is accused of attacking someone at his house. we're tell boxer is expected in court on monday. and i want to take to you washington state now. a pregnant teenager was tikd a metrobus during rush hour. a story we first told you about last month. now cnn has the video. i want to you look at this with me. like the punches being thrown. feet flying in the air at one point. police call this a vicious and unprovoked attack. this is a group of girls that begin arguing with this pregnant than 17-year-old and her boyfriend. then suddenly, you saw them throwing punches. it happened just seconds after they got on the bus in downtown seattle. look at them. back and forth. all around. the driver did eventually pull the bus over and we're told the pregnant teen is okay but she did need a few stitches. over the next minutes, and even days, police eventually slapped five girls in cuffs. we're told three remain in custody. the youngest suspect, 14. 14 years of age. a quick reminder, we're

watching for president obama who is expected to sign that tax cut deal into law any minute now. we're standing by. we've got the a-team standing by as well. they're going to walk me through who is there. who is not there and why this is so, so significant. 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.

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after weeks and weeks of back and forth between the democrats and the republicans and the president, we are minutes away from watching president obama step up on that podium at the white house and sign that tax cut bill into law. the senate passed it wednesday. the house working late, late last night to pass it. it's up to the president to put his signature on that. we have dana bash on capitol hill for us but also candy crowley. to dana, you first, you covered this soextensively. who might we expect to be standing alongside the president as he signs this bill into law and who may we not be seeing?

>> reporter: those questions really speak to the dynamics, political dynamics of this tax cut bill. the answer to that question is, the top senate republican mitch mcconnell will be at the signing ceremony, brooke. he is somebody who as far as his office goes and certainly from my memory has never been to the white house under president obama for any kind of signing ceremony, for any legislation. so that is significant. equally significant is who we won't see. that is any member of the democratic leadership. either in the senate or in the house. i contacted several other offices as did our house producer. we were told they have stuff to do. they're busy. >> dana, let's read between the lines there, dana bash. what kind of message is that sending here? >> reporter: exactly. it is abundantly clear democratic leaders, those who actually voted for it, don't want to be associated with this. there are going to be democrats in the room, make no mistake about it, from capitol hill, but there will be mostly democrats from the house who are more conservative who voted for this

package, but the fact of the matter is it is highly controversial. brooke, i was rereading the breakdown of the house vote that timely approved this last night. 112 democrats voted against it. now, not as many as were threatening to, because it did pass, but 112 democrats against it and 138 republicans for it. that just shows you the dynamics here. and really how unusual and unique this is when it comes to the obama presidency. >> let's remind everyone while we're sitting waiting for the president, remind everyone what this bill entails. the fact none of our taxes will be going up the first of the year. they extended two years the temporary extension of the so-called bush tax cuts. no one's tax go up come the first of the year. it will be extending the unemployment benefits for 13 months, cutting payroll tax by 2 percentage points. reinstating the estate tax to a lower level and also a grab bag of other tax cuts. there was a bone of convention with the house democrats, dana, with regard to that estate tax

and there were, you know, questions as to whether or not they would try to slip something in that bill that would at least raise the estate tax and they were not successful last night in doing that. >> reporter: that's rightin. they tried. they had to vote, and they did not ex-seed in doing that. the package did not change and that controversial estate tax provision, one of several controversial provisions as far as democrats are concerned stayed in the way the president and vice president negotiated it with mitch mcconnell who's going to be in that room today. >> dana bash, stand by. we're going to try to sneak a quick break as we wait for the president in the white house. stand by, folks. xtraordinary cr. we fill them with amazing technology. and we fill them with inspired design. and now your chevy dealer wants to fill them with as much good will as we can. come see how chevy is giving more.

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again, we are waiting, we are watching. see that podium? we're hoping to see president obama any moment now walking there, officially signing that tax cut bill into law.

it's a bill that passed the senate on wednesday, extending those so-called bush evra tax cuts then the house stayed up pretty late last night passing it as well, now it will be in the hands of the president to sign this and make this bill officially a law today. we have dana bash standing by on capitol hill. and also candy crowley for us in washington. candy, i'd like to tap into your political expertise, if i can, and just begin with the simple question, and that is, is this a victory for president obama or is it fmore bittersweet? >> well, you know, just purely politically it's a pretty good victory for him. the democrats were upset about it. they're upset about a number of things president obama has done. they're upset about losing in november. so it was a rough go, but he actually put a lot of capital behind this. he pushed hard. he stuck with it. he didn't buckle when the left of his party and that is his

base -- sounds like he's about to come in? >> we're listening. do we know what the announcement -- let's listen. ah, i'm told in my ear the program will begin shortly. so we will continue to tap dance, candy crowley. continue your thought. you said this is victory. >> yeah. it's a good political victory for the president, which, look, i think the story of next year is going to be how the left of his party deals with the president and how the president deals with the left of his party. and i think we saw the prologue to that play out over this tax cut debate. it's going to be rough, and they -- they still look around and say we have a democrat in the white house, we have to stick to these things we believe and one of them is the wealthy don't need the tax cuts. the president in order to get a compromise bow to reality of what's going to happen in january when republicans take over the house and have a bigger minority in the senate, went ahead and came up with this compromise.

it certainly made democrats j s upset. some republican s but he had th biggest battle with republicans. it's going to play out over the next year as we see the president trying to position himself against not just the political realities of the moment but about the fact the 2012 presidential race is about to begin. >> it is, indeed. candy, stand by for me. i want to go back to dana bash. my question is, if you can, explain the significance, the fact that none of those democratic leaders will be standing by the president as he signs this, yet ranking republican mitch mcconnell will be there. what do you think of that? >> reporter: it's fascinating and speaks to the dynamic of this tax cut compromise. we talked earlier about all of the offices of the democratic leadership us told us they were just busy but we know every democrat here would drop anything to go to the white house for a signing ceremony for something they believed in. this is not one of those things.

the fact of the matter is, as we mentioned earlier, this really is an illustration of something that is very new and as candy was pointing out, could be the beginning of the future or the beginning of the obama presidency working with the republican-led house come january and many, many more republican senators in the united states senate. candy was talking about the fact that president obama is -- this is sort of the first fight he's going to have with the left. boy, you saw it really did bubble over. the mistrust among some of the more liberal members of congress, the liberal wing of the president's party is unbelievable, and many of them feel that he caved way too early, the word cave was used so many times on this compromise and they're worried about what that portends for the future. >> dana, was it just the far left? there were also some moderate liberals upset with the president. >> reporter: oh, absolutely. there were. i should point out that many of those, though, brooke, did end up voting for this compromise.

when you have an 81 vote -- 81 senators voting for this it shows a lot of the democrats who we talked to early on as soon as this compromise came out who were angry and open about it, many of them came around at the end and decided what the president decided, you can't have everything, this is the best we can do. >> you talk about how this is a prologue, perhaps, foreshadowing. we talk a lot about bill clinton, presidency round two, and triangulation. is this showing perhaps the president, president obama, is willing to do that? >> there are a lot of reasons why triangulation is running up the center between the far left and the far right. probably won't work as well for president obama as it did for president clinton. principally because president clinton was a genuine centrist when he came to washington and remains so. but i think it is more about a reality and also the reason that the liberal side of the party, some of the moderates in the democratic party were upset is

they politically do have a smaller base. the president is the president of the entire country, and if he is to be re-elected, he has to be re-elected, you know, across the country. that is a much broader constituency than some of these congressmen, that all of these congressmen are playing to and any of the senators are playing to. they have different political audiences they're playing to when you look in terms of the sheer politics of it. in terms of the sheer policy of it, nobody was going to leave capitol hill and have everybody's paychecks go down january 1st. that was the reality of the policy of. >> they're saying turn off your cell phones, turn off your blacker be black b blacker be berries. we're waiting, watching for president obama to walk out from behind the blue curtain and stand in front of the curtain and sign the tax cut bill into law. we're waiting for that moment to happen. i want to go back to you, candy, you looked down the line two

years, when the so-called bush tax cuts that the temporary extension would expire. how might this moment perhaps benefit both political parties with their candidates come next election process? >> well, listen, the republicans you're already seeing it. republicans are putting out a statement sayings we held fast. this wasn't the time for us to be raising taxes on anyone and we got it so nobody's taxes were raised and you have the democrats going oh my goodness, the kdeficit. these people held out. with the lower estate tax than there should be and tax breaks for the wealthy. we have to know how they're going to play it two years from now and they both have a good case to the people they're playing to. i think the president has a good case in saying, i compromised. this is what politics is about. it's the art of the doable. >> the art of the doable. dana bash, back to you. let's just back up, remind our viewers.

i know we've been talking about this for weeks and weeks now. beyond this extension of the tax cuts for both the top 2% and middle class, lower class. what else is in this bill? >> reporter: the thing the democrats were most happy they got in this bill is an extension of unemployment benefits for 13 months without it being paid for. that is a huge republican demand for a very long time. if you're going to extend unemployment benefits, find a way to offset it elsewhere in the budget. and that did not happen. that was a huge plus. huge plus for the democrats. and one of the main reasons why many of the democrats who ended up voting for this, brooke, and said that they did, because they said they believed that they were actually told by independent economists that this was something that would help the middle class and people who really need it because of that. i want to point out we're actually looking at mitch mcconnell. there is one democratic leader, he actually is the number two democratic senator who is there. want to point that out. it is dick durbin to the right

of mitch mcconnell. one out of all the democratic leadership. here comes the vice president. >> here's the vice president. let's listen. >> thank you very much. thank you. ladies and gentlemen, this is -- i was going to say big deal, but an important deal. i can no longer say big deal. thank god my mother wasn't around. the famed 18th century british statesman edmond burke once said all government, indeed, every human benefit and enjoyment, every virtue and every prudent act is founded on compromise and barter. today we have a crystal clear example of what he meant. this package, this package is a result of leaders from both

sides coming together to act on behalf of the american people at a time they need it most. i want to begin by applauding senator mitch mcconnell and the other republican leaders who, like their democratic counterparts who are here today, were willing to take issue with some of their own party and to do what was in their view necessary in order to move the country forward. that's what the american people expect of all of us. especially these times. and that's what we've done here. it means accepting some things we don't like in order to get the job done for americans as needs to be done. we were put in office amid the deepest recession this country has seen since the great depression. we were put here to protect and rebuild the middle class. throughout the process we're working with two principles in mind. grow the economy and support working class families, and that's what we fought hard to do, and i stand here today to say, in my view, our fight has paid off. most economists, many of whom

are in this room, will tell you this plan will grow our economy in the next year, and it's going to help millions of families keep their jobs if they have one and keep their unemployment benefits if they don't. and keep their tax relief and keep their kids in school as well. all while keeping our economic recovery moving in the right direction, providing an immediate economic jolt and giving more than 150 million americans help when they need it most, in their paychecks, in their wallets. i believe it was the right thing to do. this is the example of what can happen when you have a president who knows what needs to be done and acts tenaciously to make sure it happens. the president wholeheartedly, wholeheartedly committed to serving the middle class and that's what happens when you have a president who knows in his gut that the middle class is the backbone of the american people and that a full economic recovery will only happen if we have -- if they, the middle class, have the support they need in order to succeed.

ladies and gentlemen, the president of the united states, barack obama. >> thank you, everybody. thank you. thank you so much. thank you very much. thank you, everybody. please, please have a seat. good afternoon, everybody. before i get started, i just want to acknowledge some of the extraordinary people who did extraordinary work in a very short period of time. and i'm going to start with somebody who has been a champion for the middle class, but has also been just an extraordinary partner on every important initiative in this administration. my friend, joe biden, the vice president.

i want to acknowledge and thank senator mitch mcconnell and the rest of the republican leadership in the senate. dave camp, republican over in the house for their willingness, as joe indicated, to do what was right for the country, even though it caused occasional political discomfort. i especially want to thank the folks who are here, dick durbin, max baucus, danny davis, allison schwartz, rob andrews, part of a broader team that worked very diligently both in the house and the senate on the democratic side to make this happen and we have a bunch of other members of congress who are here as well as activists and economists, business leaders, people who generally recognize that this critical juncture we have to

think about what's best to grow the economy and what's best to put people back to work. we are here with some good news for the american people this holiday season. by a wide bipartisan margin, both houses of congress have now passed a package of tax relief that will protect the middle class, that will grow our economy and will create jobs for the american people. not only do i want to thank all the leaders here today, but i want to thank mayors and governors from across the country who couldn't be here today and all who worked together to get this done. first and foremost, the legislation i'm about to sign is a substantial victory for middle class families across the country. they're the ones hit hardest by the recession we've been through. they're the ones who need relief right now. that's what is at the heart of this bill. this bipartisan effort was prompted by the fact that tax

rates for every american were poised to automatically increase on january 1st. if that had only to pass, the average middle class family would have had to pay an extra $3,000 in taxes next year. that wouldn't have just been a blow to them, it would have been a blow to our economy. just as we're climbing out of a devastating recession. i refused to let that happen. because we acted, it's not going to. in fact, not only will middle class americans avoid a tax increase, but tens of millions of americans will start the new year off right by opening their first paycheck to see that it's actually larger than the one they get right now. over the course of 2011, 155 million workers will receive tax relief from the new payroll tax cut included in this bill. about $1,000 for the average family. this is real money that's going to make a real difference in

people's lives. i would not have signed this bill if it didn't include other extensions of relief that were also set to expire, relief that's going to help families cover the bills, parents raise their children, students pay for college, and businessowners to take the reigns of the recovery and propel this economy forward. as soon as i sign this legislation, 2 million americans looking for work who lost their jobs through no fault of their own can know with certainty they won't lose emergency unemployment insurance at the end of this month. over the past few weeks, 600,000 americans have been cut off from that lifeline, but with my signature, states can move quickly to reinstate benefits. we expect almost all states will get them in time for christmas. 8 million college students who otherwise would have faced a tuition hike as soon as next semester, will instead continue to have access to a $2, 500 tax

credit to afford their studies. 12 million families with 24 million children will benefit from extensions of the earned income tax credit and the child tax credit. when combined with the payroll tax cut, 2 million american families who otherwise would have lived in poverty next year will instead be lifted out of it. and millions of entrepreneurs who have been waiting to invest in their businesses will receive new tax incentives to help them expand, buy new equipment or make upgrades, freeing up other money to hire new workers, putting more money in the pockets of families most likely to spend it, helping businesses invest and grow. that's how we're going to spark demand, spur hiring and strengthen our economy in the

new year. now, candidly speaking, there are some elements of this legislation that i don't like. there's some elements that members of my party don't like. there's some elements that republicans here, today, don't like. that's the nature of compromise. yielding on something each of us cares about to move forward on what all of us care about. and right now what all of us care about is growing the american economy and creating jobs for the american people. take it as a whole, that's what this package of tax relief is going to do. it's a good deal for the american people. this is progress, and that's what they sent us here to achieve. there will be moments, i'm certain, over the next couple of years in which the holiday spirit won't be as abundant as it is today.

moreover, we have to make some difficult choices ahead when it comes to tackling the deficit. and in some ways this was easier than some of the tougher choices we're going to have to make next year. there will be times when we won't agree. we'll have to work through those times together. the fact is i don't believe that either party has cornered the market on good ideas. i want to draw on the best thinking from both sides. so wherever we can, whenever we can, it makes sense for our country's success and our children's future to work with people in both parties who are willing to come to the table for the hard work of moving our country and our economy forward. what happened with this economic package was a good example of that. a bipartisan group made up of senators baucus and kyl and representatives van hollen and camp sat down with secretary geithner, who is here today, and

director jack lou of the office of management and budget to begin negotiations in good faith. leaders like nancy pelosi and john boehner, harry reid and mitch, other members who are here together worked to bring this bill across the finish line. and the final product proves when we can put aside the partisanship and the political gains, when we can put aside what's good for some of us in favor of what's good for all of us, we can get a lot done. we can keep doing it, keep that spirit. i'm hopeful that we just won't reinvigorate this economy and restore the american dream to all who work for it, i'm also hopeful we'll refresh the american people's faith in the capability of their leaders to govern in challenging times, belief in capacities of their institutions in this town to deliver in a rapidly changing world. and most of all, confidence that our best days as a nation are

still ahead of us. so to all of you who worked dill jeptly on this issue, thank you to those on my staff who worked night and day, senate, both staff, both parties who worked so hard, we're very grateful to all of you. with that, let me sign this bill to make sure people are seeing a bigger paycheck come january. >> and here he goes with the flick of several pens, president obama is signing this tax cut bill into law. vice president joking off the top saying this is a big deal. it's a big deal as in $858 billion. it is an important deal, he said. the president reminding everyone

that their taxes won't be going up come the first of the year. he said it's real money making a real difference in people's lives. and candy crowley, as we watch all the pieces of his name be signed. there we go. it's official. candy, one word. and i stopped counting. we heard the word compromise many, many times. the president thanking members of his own party, members of the republicans for coming together to sign this thing, to pass this thing in the best interest of american people. compromise possible in washington. >> right. second only to middle class. those were the two words that you heard the most. why? because he's speaking directly to the heart of where the democrats wanted this package to go. the big fight over whether the wealthy should get their tax cuts extended. but compromise because the lesson of this election was, you know, interpreted by many people, but what a lot of people came away thinking was was not just about government, was their

overreach, is their government overspending, did the health care plan go too far? it was regardless of how people voted about, could you all get along long enough to do something for the country? people are tired of what they see as endless arguing that gets nowhere. people spinning their wheels. so that was definitely, i think, one of the messages that both sides took away from the elections. the republicans know full well that they can't sit around and obstruct legislation because in two years people could become disinchanted with the republican house. the democrats know they can no longer try to ride roughshod some republicans felt it was over republicans, that they are now forced to work together because they're about to have a republican house. >> before i let you go, i have one more for you, candy. talk about who's in the room. it's a packed house at the white house. interestingly you mentioned mitch mcconnell is there, dick

durbin, two ranking republican and democrats respectively. also tim geithner, al sharpton in the room. are you surprised that there are not more ranking democrats who were standing up on that stage behind him? >> i think he gets a little bit to what we were talking about before. some of these democrats up on capitol hill who are not there, he did mention there were some in the crowd. we're not sure who they were exactly. those democrats, particularly on the house side, have a particular constituency in their district. it's who they represent, and many of the liberal democrats represent, guess what, liberal districts who are unhappy with this. they don't think the wealthy should have had tax cut expended. it makes sense as part of their protest, okay, they're busy or whatever their excuse was for not going. they don't want that picture up there of them behind president obama with the caption come election day, you know, congressman so-and-so supported, you know, continued tax breaks for the wealthy. i think this is just, you know,

a protest because they don't believe it should have happened. there's also, you know, some political calculation here that you can find even if they took it out of a principled stand. you don't want your picture up there with something you don't believe in that you pretty much were forced into doing with the threat of there would be no tax cut extensions at all. >> candy crowley, i appreciate you as always. giving me your political spur spe spur spective. thank you for that. now this. this investigation resulted in the largest ecstasy seizure in the country this year. >> did you hear her? the largest this year. federal customs agent, atlanta's airport of all cases, accused of moving drugs. this is a massive, massive bust. we'll show you how it plays out. also what does a queen and future princess, what could may be possibly talking about over lunch, you ask? i will tell you about the royal engagement. plus an elderly driver is stuck as his car, down it goes, sinking. rescue crews racing against the

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they call him the grim sleeper. accused serial killer whose case spans more than three decades. this case is not closed. in fact, a new shocking discovery may mean more victims. i'm brooke baldwin. the news is now. . 00,000 ecstasy pills. >> a record breaking drug bust. >> charges against 17 individuals. >> operation rude beast takes down an alleged smuggling ring. >> including a federal customs and border patrol agent. >> what?

aren't those guys supposed to keep drugs out? i just heard a really loud crash. >> an elderly driver crashes through a wall and flies into the bay. >> i see all of a sudden a car going into the water. >> rescuers splash and smash to get him out and the dramatic moments caught on video. hey! >> a courtroom brawl erupts as a judge sentences a convicted murderer. you'll see how it all played out. hello there to you. happy friday. i'm brooke baldwin. lot of news happening now. rapid fire, let's go first with this. the man behind wikileaks is talk to reporters today. here he is. julian assange out of jail in the united kingdom pending extradition proceedings. he tells cnn he regards the sex allegations against him as a calculated effort to divert all that attention away from his

organization's whistle blowing practices and get this, he says, yep, it's working. assange was let out of jail on condition he remain near london and wear a locator tag. he's wanted in sweden on sexual misconduct charges. next, good news for victims of the madoff fraud. a lump sum of $7 billion going back to the people swindled by madoff, that is after the widow of jeffrey pikower agreed to release the money, who died a year ago was a prominent ben fishery of madoff's ponzi scheme. this is the largest forfeiture in u.s. history and say there's still more madoff money to recover. next, this just in here from the war in afghanistan. joint chiefs chairman admiral mike mullen is visiting afghanistan one day after the white house released its progress report on the war. mullen says the report shows that we are, quote, on the right track, but he told reporters today kabul, some major issues

remain. >> and in the case of osama bin laden, there's a tremendous focus on and desire to either capture or kill that individual. >> mullen added there is still too much taliban influence in afghanistan. next, more christians are leaving iraq. violence in recent weeks, prompting, quote, steady exodus from iraq. they say the trend started in october when terrorists killed do dozens of people inside a church. next, john david duty, a death row inmate in hoem hope was was executed last night. are you ready for something unusual? one of the drugs in his lethal injection cocktail was a sedative commonly used by vet

na veterinarians to put animals asleep. the judge approved the veterinary drug rather than postpone his execution. the responsibility on kosovo to investigate serious charges that the kosovo liberation army including the current prime minister was years ago allegedly involved in the scheme to sell human organs on the black market. the human rights activist makes the charges say people in kosovo who know the truth must come forward, but many of them are afraid to do so. kosovo's prime minister deny, connection to the organ harvesting. next, all right, watch this with me. this is black and white surveillance video. this is the minneapolis metrodome roof caving in under the weight of snow and there she goes. the storm brought 17 inches of snow and was too much for the roof to hold. look at it caving on in. now, work to repair the roof is on hold and definitely four roof panels have given way. and there is concern that even

more of those panels, you see there, could collapse. and there is a new tear. the minnesota vikings are scheduled to play the next game outdoors. can we say brr, collectively? at the university of minnesota stadium. team also voicing concerns. the metrodome not safe to play under. next, there is no denying he is smart, perhaps too smart. 24-year-old adam wheeler pleaded guilty for lying his way into harvard. now must do ten years probation. wheeler falsified his academic records saying he was from m.i.t., but this guy even created fake letters of recommendation to get him to the prestigious cambridge college and received $50,000 in scholarships and grants which you guessed it, will be repaid. next, you know we are all about privacy this week here at cnn, and this news today coming out of ohio state university. here's the deal. the school says someone hacked into a computer server there recently. this is a server that contains

personal data belonging to just about 7,060,000 people. names, addresses, social security numbers, student, staff, past, present, happened a couple weeks ago. the school says it does not know the full extent of the damage. it is investigating and offering free credit protection. next, remember this? school board member trying to bring down a disgruntled gunman with her church. i ta purse. the infamous perch, theurse is on ebay. she's be auctioning off her church for charity. the proceeds will go to the salvage santa fund. that is a charity headed by the security guard who was credited for saving the school board when the gunman opened fire there earlier this week. next, ordinary looking train cars, right? yeah, but they are packed with a little bit of marijuana. like, 11 tons of the stuff.

smugglers who thought they were hauling it from mexico to chicago under the radar were very, very wrong. federal investigators were aware of it the whole time. they allowed the journey to trek all the way to chicago. they were waiting for it, waiting for the smugglers to offload it, swooped in and made the bust. several men are in custody. customs officials call it the biggest pot bust in chicago in the past ten years. finally, this. a mystery santa has been giving away money to complete strangers in iowa. the secret santa has been walking the streets of des moines handing out -- excuse me, $100 bills to the less fortunate and first they couldn't believe it then you see all these hugs. a lot of hugs, a lot of tears. the secret santa was inspired by another secret santa in kansas city who helped the needy there. how about that? dramatic rescue caught on video. see this car under water? there's someone in there. an elderly man in biscayne bay

stuck in his car. his car is sinking. crews have moments to try to get him out. i'll talk to one of the heroes who managed to do that, next. we fill them with extraordinary craftsmanship. we fill them with amazing technology. and we fill them with inspired design. and now your chevy dealer wants to fill them with as much good will as we can. come see how chevy is giving more. right now, get no monthly payments till spring plus 0% apr financing and fifteen hundred dollars holiday allowance on most chevy models. see how your dealer is giving at facebook.com/chevrolet.

all right. listen to this story. we have a 77-year-old man who is alive today after crashing his car into a florida bay, miami. biscayne bay. a rescue crew dove into this water, pulls this driver to safety. that driver was jose, he was parking his car when he went to move the car up a little bit and said it went crashing through a wall. and into the bay. and one of several paramedics there who helped save the driver was rory martin who you saw in the video actually swimming that 77-year-old driver to shore.

he's good enough to join me on the phone from miami. rory, nice work there. are you with me? >> thank you, yes, i am. >> i'm just curious, how many minutes passed between when this guy's car was in biscayne bay and you get the call to respond? >> probably at least four or five minutes by the time we get the call to respond. >> four, move minutes. we see a number of men in there trying to get me out. talk to me how do you do this, how do you go about getting him out? >> first we had to locate the vehicle. we could still see the vehicle as it went out the wall. it floated out about 15, 20 yards. when we pulled up to the scene we had already pulled out all our dive equipment and had it ready to go, and we just took off to the area and got ready to go in the water. >> and the driver, where was he inside of the car? and was he able to breathe? was his head at least above the

water? >> i couldn't see the driver at first until i got up on the car, and then through the rear window i could see his arm and see that there was a small air pocket and that he was upsidedown with his head into the air pocket. >> now, it's very tricky for people, thank goodness, who have not been in this driver's shoes, been in water stuck in a car, it's really difficult to get out because of the water pressure, correct? you are to literalry take one of those tools to try to smash the window. >> right. you have to get the water equalized the same amount in the car as on the outside and then once the pressures have equalized you can open the doors. you have to let it fill up or break a window. you have to be ready because the water is going to rush in and the car is going to sink. >> you have to act very, very quickly. we're seeing someone, i don't know if it's you, cracking the back windshield. here you are pulling him out. what was he saying to you, rory, in those moments while you're

carrying him to safety? was he talking? >> no, he wasn't talking at all. he looked at me and was trying to breathe and at the same tie other people were shouting there was another victim in the car, so i was turning around to see if i could find another person. when they said nobody else was in, it was time to take him to shore, because he couldn't swim. >> well, rory martin, nice job. just another day on the job for you? >> just another day. >> another day on the job. rory martin, nice, nice work, thanks to you and your team. appreciate it. they're on the phone with me from miami. there's a major development in the fight against cancer today. the government telling doctors to stop using a drug saying it has dangerous side effects. what is that? wel tell you ahead. is the u.s. using more drones to fight terror? they're lining up now. talking about our reporters. ♪

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major drone strikes, a potentially dangerous cancer drug and american troops coming home top try to play reporter roulette. i want to begin with chris lawrence in islamabad, pakistan. >> reporter: the strikes clearly show the u.s. is not only increasing the frequency of drone strikes but expanding into new areas of pakistan as well. two pakistani intelligence officials confirm these three strikes as well as one yesterday took place in the kiber area north of where most of the drone strikes have been taking place until now. the drone strikes in waziristan

has been relentless that a lot of militants were starting to fan out and escape toth other areas and the u.s. requested to expand its operations as well. t they targeted a local group trying to impose strict islamic law into the area but some had been crossing over from pakistan to fight. this brings the number of drone strikes to roughly about 106 for the year. compare that to 52 all of last year. brooke? >> chris, thank you. next on reporter roulette, dr. sanjay gupta explains why the fda wants to revoke approval for a major drug in the fight against breast cancer. sanjay? >> they're trying to answer two can questions. the fda when making this decision. one is, is this a medication that is going to improve survival and do the benefits outweigh the risks?

the answer according to the fda seems to come back no. that's who we're talking about. the risk incidentally pretty significant. heart failure, heart attacks, holes in the intestines or the stomach. there was a lot of enthusiasm, brooke, about this medication in 2008. they said, look, with so much enthusiasm they fast tracked the medication to get it available as quickly as possible, but the bargain was we need to see more studies. and now that those studies have come back they say, look, it doesn't add up. we don't think the benefits if this case outweigh the risk and don't think they improve survival overall. in europe they did arrive at a different decision saying they can keep the medication on the market if taken in conjunction with another chemo medication. in the united states it will stay on the market for other types of cancer, but for now the fda sent a strong signal. brooke, back to you. >> thank you. and finally on reporter roulette, casey wian had a great assignment today at the marine

corps base at camp pendleton in california. they're having a hero's welcome for troops, different waves of troops coming home for the holidays. what a wonderful, wonderful day. >> reporter: behind me you're seeing some of the family members being reunited with members of the marine corps, about 2,000 marines are returning today to camp pendleton. the group i'm with, 1,200 members of the first battalion fourth marine, they were in theater for seven months. they provided support in afghanistan, helped rescue cargo ship, a german cargo ship that was captured by somali pirates, provided relief to flood victims in pakistan. the 1,200 marines all of them returning safely and they're going to be home with their families for the holidays, brooke. >> we keep cutting to this couple behind you. they have not seen each other for a while. anyway, casey, what have the troops been doing over there? there they are. can't get their hands off each

other. >> reporter: well -- >> sorry. >> reporter: can you blame them? >> no, i can't. continue. >> reporter: they've been doing -- yeah. well, they've been doing a lot. like i say, there was that german cargo ship that was taken over by somali pirates and it was quite a tense situation. and this group of marines managed to board that ship, disarm those somali pirates and rescue the civilian crew without a shot fired. no casualties, no serious injuries. they accomplished incredible things during this mission, brooke. >> casey wian for us at camp pendleton. thank you. that is your reporter roulette for this friday. now this for you. a deer on ice. it's all you get. that's all i'm saying. deer on ice. you have to see this. first winter usually means a shopper stampede to a canned food aisle. a new way of farming could have you shopping for fresh fruits and vegetables even when it's bitter, bitter cold outside. we have today's "solutions." >> reporter: imagine being able

to see where your food is grown. picked and packaged without ever leaving the grocery store. green company city farm is developing a system to grow fruits and vegetables indoors like this supermarket in south korea growing its own lettuce. >> translator: it's fresher, crisper and tastes better. that's why i prefer it. >> reporter: using hydropoincs to grow the food, this can be the future of farming. >> translator: this system replaces the traditional vegetable farm and helps us prepare for the future. >> reporter: since the produce is grown on site and ready for sale within minutes it cuts down the cost and energy needed to bring produce from the farm to the consumer. the lettuce has been selling out, but with its limited stock, it's more expensive than vegetables grown on a farm. >> translator: a lot of people love the idea and with the organic food boom in korea people care more about health. >> reporter: the supermarket says seeing where the food comes

from is a major selling pioint for customers. >> translator: as the society becomes more affluent more people care about what they're eating so they want to grow their own food. >> reporter: bring the farm to the city is a new concept in seoul, but with more than half of the world's population living in cities now, this could one day be the norm. christy stout, cnn, hong kong.

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you are about to see the coolest wild animal rescue ever. or maybe it's less cool and more

cold. you got to see this. here we go. poor little bambi stranded on the frozen mississippi river. can't move. no traction. thus a last help from above. a private helicopter was called himself in, used his aircraft to blow the helpless animal to shore. there he fwoez. sliding. is he going to make it? he does eventually make it. that's the beginning of that story. the deer took off, hopefully a little wiser, say no to the ice. let's warm things up. i want to take you to miami. look carefully. that dolphin has a mini-me swimming next to her. a male baby dolphin born november 13th, clearly not at all camera shy. the little guy needs one more thing. a name. the seaquarium holding a baby name contest of course. this isn't an animal story, but i had a theme going. you know, deer, now dolphins,

now bears. 23,000 teddy bears covering the ice at this major junior league hockey rink. this is calgary, canada, the annual tradition at the home venue of the calgary hit men. fans bring stuffed animals to the game. after the first goal, well, you see what happened. the toys are all donated to more than 50 children's charities in alber alberta. los angeles police make a bold move to find more potential victims of the alleged grip sleeper serial killer. in fact, there has been so much interest in this story that new photos have been released from lapd. actually boosting their web surfers. we'll tell you that whole story, next. an aarp... medicare supplement insurance card, too. medicare is one of the great things about turning 65, but it doesn't cover everything. in fact, it only pays up to 80% of your part b expenses. if you're already on or eligible for medicare, call now to find out how an aarp...

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killer, a killer who allegedly preyed on prostitutes. police have been trying to find the women when their pictures turned up in the home of lonnie franklin. he's known as the alleged grim sleeper killer who terrorized south los angeles off and on for 25 years and since the search of his home the police have tried and failed to find these women. who are these women? i spoke about precisely that with joel stein, staff writer with the "l.a. times." first i want you to listen to police. >> this is very important. there is somebody's photo among these 180 who is a victim. >> our main concern right now is the welfare of these individuals and their identity, and our best wish is that we get a phone call from each and every one of them and that everything's okay. >> they're hoping to get phone calls. they want happy endings, with

each of these women. could it be possible some of these women may not want to come forward? >> yeah, as one detective on the team that's been investigating this case said to me, you know, if i'm one of those women and open up the "l.a. times" and see my picture there, i wouldn't want to talk to me either. what they're really hoping is at least some of the women, if they do see themselves, will come forward and just check in and say, hey, i'm okay and pleaolic say they have no intention to cause them any harm or problems. they do want to talk to them if they're willing to talk. barring that, they hope family members will come forward or acquaintances and say, yeah, i know who that person is, she lives in topeka, kansas, now and last time i knew she was doing fine. they're trying to connect the dots on who the women are. >> the police in los angeles are telling us today they've received dozens of phone calls since posting the women's photos yesterday. parents, here's a question for you.

should kids be allowed at, you guessed it, you see the pictures. hooters. the california lawsuit says, no way. we're on the case, next. if you live for performance, upgrade to castrol edge advanced synthetic oil. with eight times better wear

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international airport arrested on drug trafficking charges. the arrest led to a large scale drug seizure. $3 million worth of ecstasy. see some of it there. one of the big concerns here, the government is alleging he used his badge to bypass airport security. help me unravel this story. i want to begin with midwin, how did the fed find this guy, how did they move? >> they used undercover agents, brooke. you know typically this is something that law enforcement does when they are trying to get to the bottom of a criminal case. and so it begs the question as to whether or not this guy will raise a defense of entrapment which is something you usually see when people are targeted by undercover agents. >> so i do want to get this out there. we put out a call to this security guard, samuels. one phone has been disconnected. the other to voicemail. allegedly used his badge as a customs officer. he's the guy who's supposed to be keeping the drugs out. to get through security. is that what he did or is accused of doing?

>> that's what it looks like. that's what it looks like. talk about a betrayal of trust, brooke. this is someone we charge with covering the borders and protecting the united states borders. and points of entry as well. and so to use that badge in order to bypass security, in order to orchestrate what appears to be an intent to distribute over 700,000 ecstasy pills were confiscated, brooke. >> huge, huge bust. midwin, i want to move on to the second case. has some people talking in our newsroom. it's a story out of california, a complaint was filed by an attorney on behalf of the national organization for women or n.o.w. against the hooters restaurant chain. i guess the big question, midwin, is this. is hooters considered an adult-themed restaurant and if so, why does it have a kids' men you and should it be able to serve minors? >> i think they have always kind of gone on as though they're an adult-themed entertainment business. at least in response to some of the civil litigations they have

to deal with in light of discrimination charges. and so, yes, they do have kid menus and probably do serve to kids, but let's not forget the missing link here which is why are parenting bri inin ining br to hooters? we have to stop trying to legislate behavior. this is one of those trivial suits. while i respect the national organization of women, they made great strides for women's rights and equality, i think this case is a little bit trivial. >> i do want to be fair. we reached out to hooters. want to read the statement. "hooters girls are sexy, vivacious, element of sex appeal prevalent in our restaurants and is the essence of the hooters experience. the hooters' brand of sex appeal is wholesome and that of the all american cheerleader, not a seedy strip club." is this, midwin, a pr ploy perhaps? >> it may be a pr ploy. i mean, let's face it. the wome