president john f. kennedy following his assassination in dallas. jacquelyn kennedy was a passenger in the hearse during the ride. the cadillac hearse would ordinarily will worth about ordinarily will worth about $4,000. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com it's the top of the hour. you're in the cnn newsroom. thank you for joining us. we're going to start with this. severe weather taking aim at a large part of the united states right now. and for some places, the worst of it may come overnight. we're getting an update from jackie. you can see where the severe storms are hitting the united states. there have been a couple watches in places. even yesterday as i was in south carolina, watches all over that state. >> this is a new storm system.

it's a vigorous one. something with this much energy for nighttime tornadoes is somewhat unusual. this is a rare event. it's particularly dangerous. we call it a pds watch. a lot of that because of the storm risk we have. there's a high level of certainty to have multiple tornadoes. some could be large and stay on the ground for a long period of time. the other thing that makes this dangerous is that this is happening at night. people are going to bed. you can't see what's going on. so you could be sleeping when the storms come on through. there you can see the watch area. eastern parts of arkansas and western tennessee. northern parts of alabama and even into the boot heel of missouri. the thunderstorms are initiating just to the west of little rock. the whole line we're watching nothing rotating, but there's a severe thunderstorm warning. these storms are ripping to the northeast very quickly. 55 miles per hour.

you can't outrun these. you can't outdrive these things. you need to be where you're going to be for the rest of the the night. take a look at a live picture of memphis, tennessee. you're under this pds watch. those thunderstorms are just a couple of hours away. so memphis probably the biggest city within the watch area that we'll be dealing with. the storm has a lot of elements with it too. the prediction center issuing a moderate risk. but the slight risk extends from the gulf coast almost to the great lakes. as we get to the northern extent here, especially across western kentucky and southwestern parts of indiana and illinois, we think damaging winds will be a bigger concern starting several hours from now. on the backside of this storm, this is interesting. we have great pictures for you. very windy and dry. look at the satellite picture. do you see all this light brown haze in the area?

oklahoma city back towards lubbock. that's dust. people were eating dust today it was so strong and terrible visibility. terrible storms means terrible travel. i'll update you on twitter with the latest. >> i have been trying to get tweets out. they are having an issue with twitter as well. >> there have been some probl s problems. >> i think some are finally getting through. jacqui jeras will update us with more. thank you. >> sure. another major story we're following for you this evening. for the past year, we watched gabrielle giffords make astounding steps towards recovery. giffords is resigning from congress to focus on getting better.

>> in a video announcing her decision to step down from congress, gabrielle giffords had a simple message for her supporte supporters. >> thank you for your prayers and for giving me time to recov recover. >> giffords has more work to do on that recovery a year after being shot in the head. >> i don't remember much. >> giffords was host inging a m and greet outside a super market on january 8, 2011 when jared loughner opened fire. authorities believe he targeted the congresswoman. after undergoing months of rehabilitation, giffords was greeted by a standing ovation when she turned to the floor in august. but whether she would come back full time remained uncertain. as tucson marked the anniversary of the shooting, her chief of staff describe d her decision. >> i think it's a personal

decision about whether she feels she can do the job up to standards. >> reporter: giffords plans to finish the event the gunman interrupted. she'll also attend the president's state of the union address on tuesday. in a statement president obama said "gabbi taught us the meaning of hope in the face of incredible odds, and now even after she's come so far gabbi shows us what it means to be selfless. >> i'm getting better. every day my spirit is high. i will return and we will work together for arizona and this great country. >> technical issues here. we'll air that for you at 10:00 p.m. and update you on congresswoman gabrielle giffords.

many of her colleagues are offering their best wishes today. we'll talk with democratic national chairwoman debbi wasserman tonight at 10:00 p.m. tune in for that. joe paterno has died. next, we'll go live to the campus of penn state where fans are paying their respects. and later this hour, dan rather joins us live. he's talking politics. don't go anywhere. for a limited time, passages malibu

will be giving away free copies of the alcoholism & addiction cure. to get yours, go to ssagesmalibubook.com. fans are mourning the death of joe paterno. he died this morning of complications from lung cancer. his story career is one of the greatest in football, but it

came to a crashing end a few months ago when a former assistant coach was accused of assaulting young boys. the scandal would cost paterno his job. joe paterno dead at the age of 85. joe paterno's death has sparked an outpouring of sadness among penn state fans. many of whom are still reeling from the events of the last three months. susan candiotti has reaction from campus now. susan? >> reporter: in the shadow of joe paterno's statue, students sang their alma mater mourning the loss of a coach who meant so much to them. after 61 years of coaching, joe paterno won fans far and wide, young and old. >> joe was penn state. he made penn state. it's really a very sad, sad day for all of us. >> reporter: in the end, the

winningest coach lost his life to lung cancer. he was 85. he died as he lived, his family said in a statement. he fought hard until the end. the end came two months after he was fired as head coach in the wake of the sex abuse scandal. joe paterno was not criminally charged in the child rape case involving his former assistant jerry sandusky. but he acknowledged he could have done more to bring the allegations to light. in what turned out to be his final interview published by "the washington post" just over a week ago, he try ied to expla his thinking. >> i had never had to deal with something like that. and i didn't feel adequate. i've had a wonderful experience here at penn state. i don't want to walk away from this. >> reporter: some question whether joe paterno and the university tried to cover up the

sex abuse allegations. fans standby him. >> we're still going to love him no matter what anybody else said. it wasn't joe's fault. we're still going to joe forever and forever. >> reporter: for some, his loss could be more painful because of questions that may taint his legacy. >> susan candiotti joins us now. tell us more about the reaction to his death. b big-name people weighing in now. >> reporter: it's coming from all over the world including from former president george bush who called him an icon and personal friend and from other coaches, nick saban and others. and of course, the university president here who called paterno and great man who made us a greater university. penn state is planning a memorial to him, but they don't have the final information on that just yet, don. >> susan, i'm looking at the

picture behind you. tell our viewers what's going on behind you. >> reporter: exactly. looking over my shoulder, that is the very famous and iconic statue of joe paterno. you see his arm stretched out and you can see that people traditionally come by touching that hand. draped around his neck is a penn state scarf and an american flag. there are all kinds of candles and flowers from penn state in memory of the man that everyone called joepa. >> nice job, susan. it's very cold there in pennsylvania. snow on the ground. a lot of people dressed up in warm-weather clothing paying tribute to the late joe paterno. thanks again to susan candiotti. >> jerry sandusky is a former assistant whose arrest on child molestation charges led to paterno's down fal as coach.

this is a sad day sand says. our family would like to convey our deepest sympathy. nobody did more for the academic reputation than joe paterno. he maintained a high standard in a difficult profession. he preached toughness, hard work, and clean competition. most importantly, he had the courage to practice what he preached. nobody will be able to take away the memories of a great man. his family and all the wonderful people who were apart of his life. moving on to politics. newt gingrich takes south carolina in a big way. now mitt romney needs to bounce back in florida. it's going to be an interesting week on the campaign trail. cnn's political director tells us what he can expect. first, if you're a parent looking to send your child to a charter school, where do you begin and how do you pick the best one? here's some helpful tips from education contributor steve

perry. >> reporter: i know that a charter school is founded privately, and i want to know what is the best way to research my family's needs? >> some charter schools are run by the district. there are some schools run by teachers unions. but in the event you're asking the question how to pick the best one for you, you can't do it justice by researching it online. you need to walk the school. go during the school day and not just when they have open houses. you have to get to know the people in the academic community. listen to how they discipline the kids in the school. look at the arts program. if they have sports or don't, you have to ask the questions that are important to you. put together a list and go visit the school. if you don't visit the school. then you're not doing research.

homicide of young people in america has an impact on all of us. how can we save these young people's lives? as a police chief i have an opportunity to affect what happens in a major city. i learned early on if you want to make a difference you have to have the right education. university of phoenix opened the door. my name is james craig, i'm committed to making a difference and i am a phoenix. but think about your heart. 2% has over half the saturated fat of whole milk. want to cut back on fat and not compromise on taste? try smart balance fat free milk. it's what you'd expect from the folks at smart balance.

we have a new race for the republican presidential nomination. now it's newt gingrich's time in the spotlight. he stormed to the front of the polls last week in south carolina and made it count yesterday where it counts. that's where he made it count. mark preston is here, cnn's political director. good to see you, again. we have been hanging out in south carolina for the past week. can we talk about eligibility? suddenly, it's a hot topic. meaning who is morabe electablen

a showdown with president obama? >> newt gingrich is trying to say he's the one who has the eligibility factor. this is something he's been tagging to mitt romney. his biggest argument was that he's the person best suited to take on president obama in november. what we have heard from newt gingrich in the past 24 hours is that in fact he thinks he's the one best suited to take on president obama. as this race for the nomination continues to get nastier and nastier, they are also trying to say they are the ones who can reach out to that really important middle. the independent voters to try to beat barack obama in november. >> i listened to a lot of conservative radio in south carolina. they have been calling this mitt romney's homina moment. could he e have mishandled the tax return issue?

>> he couldn't have done any worse. the fact of the matter is his answers were very confusing. people thought that he was hiding something. i don't think the bottom line is that people would be mad at mitt romney. you don't think he would be qualified to be the nominee, but the fact that he was so cautious about saying what was in his tax returns. especially when newt gingrich said he was going to release his returns. put them on the internet and had that weapon against mitt romney. mitt romney said a few hours ago he will be releasing them this week. >> i've been asking everyone this. any chance he could just ditch the consultants and start answering questions head on? he seems so hesitant on the tax issue. i wonder if newt gingrich has done, if he had just stuck to his guts and do you think he should listen to himself instead of the people around him?

>> i think in many ways the problem with his candidacy is not his campaign. that organization is so well tuned and well oiled. the problem is him right now. he's a nice gentleman. he's not a bad person. he's been very successful in his life, but he doesn't have that connection factor. we see him trying to answer some questions. and he doesn't seem to be able to connect with the everyday person. it doesn't mean he's a bad person, but it's something he has to get over. and it's something we have seen in previous nominations. same thing with kerry. >> another cnn debate. this one just a few days before the florida primary. more fireworks in this one? >> the last one before we head into the florida primary. it will be on thursday night. why it's so important is florida is the first state who held an election that will be so diverse. you have the cuban vote down in south florida, which is very important. but it's very different than the conservative vote we'll see in

tallahassee. florida is a diverse area. that's where these candidates will be making their closing arguments. >> thank you, mark preston. she wasn't surprised what happened. talking about goldy taylor. you said he's becoming more unelectable, but he's not listening to his consultants? >> mitt romney reminds me of every other ceo i met. they always believe the smartest person in the room. so when they hire great council, they tend not to take it. >> so this isn't a case of him having whiplash. you say he's not listening? >> i say he's not listening. >> why is he growing more unelectable? >> because of stumbles just like this. if you look at the tax returns, what we suspect is he's paid

less in taxes than his secretary. we suspect that he's many in the cayman islands. people who want to avoid taxes. there will be real issues there. his father released 12 years. >> he's rich. come on. what can be the big surprise here? >> absolutely. it isn't how much money he paid. >> we have a lot more to talk about. you say we're getting close to the convention. there's going to be a big surprise? >> maybe. >> hold on. we'll talk about it after the break. d. ♪ what are you looking at? don't look up there. why are you looking up? ♪ get outta the car. get outta the car. ♪ are you ok? the... get in the car. get in the car! [ male announcer ] the epa estimated 42 mpg highway

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we're back with goldie taylor. she's here every weekend. we love having you here. newt gingrich and south carolina. mitt romney was new hampshire. rick santorum, the delayed iowa win. >> absolutely. i'm 3-0. >> are you really? >> i am. >> it appears to be anything goes here. i want to get back to this conversation about mitt romney. it's very interesting. he's a man of the streets. >> rodeo, those streets. he isn't the man of the streets. he owns the streets. >> what is wrong with being wealthy? what's wrong with achieving the american dream? most people would change their bank accounts with mitt romney. >> there's nothing wrong with taking advantage of all of opportunity this country presents us. if you wind up being wealthy as a result, good for you. what's wrong with the situation is mitt romney has failed to be

able to connect with people. he's not relatable to people who have been unemployed for 18 months. people who really do live on the streets. >> everyone says newt gingrich has so much baggage. he's never going to do. . you go talk to people and they say we love newt. i think it's because, and this is just me, he inspires people. mitt romney does not inspire people. quite honestly, he's a bland character. he would even say that himself. >> newt has a way, and a real way, of connecting with what his audience wants to hear. he's able to tap into that and fire up. he did it when he started talking about welfare recipients. and he fired up south carolina. that's something that mitt romney is just not able to do. >> but he took, as you said, the mittens off today and exchanged them for boxing gloves. is it too late? >> it's not too late. at the end of the day, we have a

lot of states left ahead of us. we have had three so far. he took off his mittens today and slapp eped newt around. he called him a failed leader. he said he had been forced to resign as speaker, which is all true. so today he's saying that ahead of florida, in essence, trying to pivot and kick newt back a bit. it's going to get tough. >> they are going to go after him. every full strength. you said there's going to be a convention surprise. a florida surprise, so to speak. >> here's the issue. jeb bush has said he's going to stay neutral. he's not going to take sides in the race. there will be no endorsement from him. but a lot of people are encouraging him to run. they are encouraging him to get into the race late. and with the name recognition, he could get in late and make a race of this. or as eric ericson has been

saying, there could be a brokered convention. if republicans get out of this process and find that they don't have a candidate who is strong enough to face the president this fall, they may try to manipulate it in their favor. >> i thought there was talk that it was going to be jeb supporting mitt romney. >> all talk. horse hockey. >> horse feathers. thank you, goldie taylor. next dan rathers will join me live. it's great to talk to him. he has a lot to say about politics and the media after the break. no problem. you want to save money on rv insurance? no problem. you want to save money on motorcycle insurance? no problem. you want to find a place to park all these things? fuggedaboud it. this is new york.

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we want to give you your headlines here. it's half past the hour. congresswoman gabrielle giffords says she's stepping down from congress this week. she posted a video on youtube announcing she's leaving her seat to focus on her recovery. she was shot in the head a year ago by a would be assassin. penn state fans are mourning the death of joe paterno. he died today from complications of lung cancer. he was the winningest coach in

the history of college football. he was fired. joe paterno was 85 years old. search teams found another body on the partly sunken cruise ship. the victim is a woman wearing a life jacket. 19 people are still missing. attention will soon turn to removing 2,400 tons of fuel from the ship. a serious environmental risk. let's talk with someone who tells it like it is. dan rather, he covered the biggest news stories for more than four decades. some of them have involresolved around presidential elections. he will be covering the florida primary. dan, good to see you. thank you for coming back. >> thank you for having me, don. >> mr. rather, three contests down. three different winners. what do you make of newt

gingrich's latest surge and win in south carolina? >> well, newt gingrich has the momentum. there's that old song from opera "hearts can inspire other hearts with their fire." and gingrich has the fire. he does inspire people. those who don't like him would say he's really caught fire. now if he can keep that momentum going in florida, then we have a real race here. one that could go deep into the spring and possibly even to the republican convention itself with someone such as jeb bush coming in at the tail end. but florida is not south carolina, as we all know. it's much more diverse. mitt romney has the advantage there. for one thing, don't forget a fairly high percentage of the votes in the florida primary have already been cast absentee.

they were cast before the south carolina race. so i'd have to say in florida, mitt romney limps in. he would be favored in florida, but not nearly as favored as if he had won south carolina. i do think it's still mitt romney's nomination to lose. but he could lose it because newt who condition orn ri when he chooses to do so. he's got a lot of momentum. >> i want to play some of that. i'm glad you talked about that. he had a strong week leading into south carolina. john king asked him to respond to the interview his ex-wife gave to abc. take a listen. >> she says you asked her, sir, to enter into an open marriage. would you like to take some time to respond to that? >> no, but i will. >> we know how that went.

he went on to castigate the media saying i can't believe you would do that. the reaction to the response from john king. rick santorum said a south carolina crowd not to fall for his rival's tactics. >> i would say to the people of south carolina, take a step back. get past the clip one-liners. the beating up of the media which is always popular among conservatives. get past the inevitability that the person with the most money wins. he didn't win iowa. >> obviously, he was taking a shot at newt gingrich. but is this significant? a candidate finally admitting to blaming the media, which is so easy to do? >> well, particularly with republican primaries, it's so-called red meat in primaries. but let's be clear. this election is not about a nomination process, nor the general election. it's not about the press and

what anybody thinks about the press. it's about the economy and specifically, jobs. and it's about how our women going to go into the general election. as citizens, we need to keep our focus on what the election is about. there's a clear difference of opinion between how the republicans approach bringing our economy back and then there are the democrats. that's what the election is all about. during the primary season, wouldn't be surprised if newt gingrich does this again and again. he's good at it. he knows how to do it. he can pull it off. in the general election, people are going to be focused on the economy and jobs is not what someone thinks about the press. >> thank you for that answer. let's move on and talk about florida. what's mitt romney need to do to gain momentum back? is there anything he can do, mr. rather? >> there's plenty he can do. number one, he needs to have two good debates. the two debates scheduled before the florida primary.

and romney has been on a losing streak at the debates as evidenced by what you saw from newt gingrich earlier. he needs to do well in the two debates. he needs to really rip into newt gingrich. i think this race in florida will be ugly enough to choke a vulture. it's going to be nasty on all sides. but romney has to damage gingrich. he has to call to the public's mind the so-called baggage that gingrich has. i think whoever wins the florida primary, they will be second because each side is going to buy up all the television time they can. romney has the lead in that. a lot of new, fresh special interest money is flooding towards gingrich. he'll have the money for his own television campaigns. but with romney, the other thing romney has to demonstrate, and florida would be an excellent place to demonstrate, is he can

relate to crowds. he can relate to voters. he's yet to demonstrate that he has that fingertip feel that gingrich has for voters that bill clinton had when he was running as a democrat. some have it, some don't. so far, romney hasn't had it. . >> the only person on the other side is president obama. he's traveling five states in three days. what should he be focusing on to compete with the momentum of the gop now? >> well, i think they have done a good job in trying to do that. i think not to concentrate on any of the republican candidates, but instead try to draw the difference between his view, which is to say to get the economy back and roaring again, you do need the government involved. as opposed to the republican view of get the government out of the way and the economy will come back on its own. this is what obama has to do. in my book, president obama is at this reading a slight

underdog because of the economy and some other sakes he's made through his first term. but things can change. they can change overnight. but i rate obama a slight underdog, particularly if the candidate for the republicans is romney. >> we love having you. please come back. thank you for joining us. >> thank you very much. survivors of the capsized shiep concordia. that report after the break. but first, it's easy to say you like to change the world, but this hero recognizes a teen who is really doing it. michael careway was in the 6th grade when he received a live-saving liver. he's using his new lease on life to help others. take a look. >> when michael was born, he was normal. he was active. he ran around. he played football. he was just like any other child. and one day, he just got sick.

>> in 2008 i was diagnosed with liver failure. >> they told me straight up if he does not get a liver transplant, he will die. >> it was halloween. the doctor came in. >> he walked in and said i hate to sound like the grim reaper but it's raining outside and it's halloween. he says i have been doing this 30 years. somebody is going to die. your son is going to get a liver. >> so this guy right here, he was 18 years old. he was killed on a motorcycle accident. his family gave something to me that i needed, which was a liver from their son. i couldn't pay them back, so i feed the homeless in honor of their son, johnny hernandez. >> it was mike's idea to feed the homeless. >> december 25th, 2008, we packed up 25 meals and drove around. ever since then, we have launched mikey's meals. every time we feed, we promote

donor awareness. >> we sign up at least 30 people to become organ donors at each e event that we have. >> it's really important to help your community. without you, there is no community. >> mikey is truly a young wonder.

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search teams found another body on the partly-sunken cruise ship concordia. a woman was wearing a life jacket. hope is starting to fade that anymore survivors will be pulled from the wreckage, but families continue to pray. they gather in the same church where survivors went to seek shelter the night of the accident. dan rivers introduces us to an italian pastor who offered a safe haven to those most in need. >> reporter: watching over the wreck of the concordia is this church. amid-so much sorrow, it has drawn in the families of the

miss i missing to pray for the safe return of their loved ones. but the priest at the center of this tragedy. the church was where hundreds of wet and cold passengers sought shelter in the chaotic hours after the accident. most still wearing their life jackets. there was barely room to stand. the church had suddenly become an emergency center with human drama playing out below the fine frescoed ceiling. father shows me a life jacket that survivors brought in. >> these are from the concordia. in the church on board. >> reporter: he says they will now form part of a permanent memorial exhibition in the church along with other precious items from the ship's chapel. there were heroing moments as well as families searched for

missing children. >> translator: he says the parents of a french boy and girl were sitting over there. they asked me if i saw them. i said i don't know. it was difficult to explain, he says. >> reporter: this none is from the philippines. she helped several children who were plucked from the ship. >> were they cold? >> yes. they were trembling. they are scared of what has happened. >> reporter: the church has strong maritime traditions. this bronze plaque of jesus in a boat is where local sailors offer safe return from sea. on friday the 13th, some passengers on the concordia didn't make it ashore. now the bells echo across the bay where they so cruelly lost their lives. the church not only played a critical role in helping those

survivors, it's begun the focus of prayers for those still missing as hopes fade of finding anyone else alive. dan rivers, cnn, italy. >> all right, dan. the chocolate you enjoy so much, it's harvested using child labor. a freedom project special coming up. and had them read it. no, sorry, i can't help you with that. i'm not authorized to access that transaction. that's not in our policy. i will transfer you now. my supervisor is currently not available. would you like to hold ? that department is currently closed. have i helped you with everything you needed ? if your bank doesn't give you knowledgeable customer service 24/7, you need an ally. ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense.

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imagine supporting child slavery and not even being aware you're doing it. you could be doing that when you eat chocolate. state department says more than 100,000 children are involved in the worst forms of child labor in africa. cnn's richard quest has a disturbing story. >> reporter: there is a dark connection between the chocolate we enjoy and the child slavery in west africa. researchers have documented disturbing signs of forced labor and trafficking. children held against their will, many never paid. ivory coast is the world's largest producer of cocoa. the u.s. state department estimates there are more than 100,000 children involved in the worst forms of child labor, on cocoa farms throughout the country. >> this is trafficking. a child being trafficked, a child being forced to work. it doesn't get worse than that.

i don't think -- it can't be just about, are there enough of them. it's a serious abuse. >> reporter: according to an industry-wide agreement, signed on september the 19th, 2001, this should not be the case. the harken-engle protocol was written to put an end to forced child labor in chocolate by 2005. that deadline had to be extended to 2008, and again to 2010. it's now been more than ten years. >> if these companies aren't willing to come forward and work with us and put some more money forward to get these kids out of the cocoa fields, i think they may face a really big backlash. >> reporter: kevin bells with free the slaves signed the protocol in 2001, along with leading companies in the cocoa market. >> i am sfoidisappointed, and t

large part, it's a resource question. it's all about while several million dollars a year are moving from the chocolate industry on to the ground in west africa, it's not enough. >> reporter: cnn has spoken to the top chocolate and cocoa companies, inviting them to be on our air. they either declined or did not respond. those that did passed us along to the international cocoa initiative. the ici was set up by the protocol to bring all parties together, to address the worst forms of child labor in the supply chain. >> the progress isn't enough, and that's why we've joined force with other partners to this new framework of action, and we have -- we really believe we have to accelerate action. we have to do more, and we have a very challenging goal that we're all supporting. >> reporter: the goal now is to reduce the worst forms of child labor within the next eight years by 70%.

however, the international labor rights forum sees flaws within the cocoa initiative. >> the idea that companies can enjoy an initiative and sit behind that initiative, i don't think answers the real question. it's not the same as getting companies to step forward and transparently say, this is what we're doing. >> reporter: richard quest, cnn, london. we need to tell you now that we are monitoring a severe weather threat across a large part of the country. right now, many of you in line for possible tornadoes. our meteorologist jacqui jeras tracking the storms popping up already. she has the very latest on this threat in two minutes. -good morning, dave. -good morning, dave.

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as i said before the break, we're watching some severe weather happening now. jacqui jeras in the cnn severe weather center. update us, jacqui. >> don, we're watching two possible tornadoes right now. this is in south central arkansas. it's within the watch area, and they're doppler radar indicated tornadoes. so these could drop out at any given time. the storms are moving very, very quickly to the north and to the east. and here you can see this whole line around little rock, into the south. they're all moving in this direction, pushing as fast as 70 miles per hour. so you can't outrun these things. they're very dangerous storms. if a tornado does drop down, it could stay on the ground for a very long period of time. and the storm prediction center has just issued an updated public statement, saying their level of confidence in this outbreak tonight is extremely

high. so we're very concerned with these nighttime thunderstorms in january here. so we'll continue to track this situation. and just to give you an idea of the other areas that are going to be at risk tonight under the tornado watch at this hour includes western parts of tennessee into northern mississippi. so we're a couple of hours away before this line begins to get to you. so make sur your noaa weather radio is on, say, if you live in memphis, say if you live in northern parts of mississippi. and this is that pds watch. if you ever hear us say that, that means it's a particularly dangerous situation and that level of confidence and that risk continues to be very high. now, we're also watching the situation a little farther on up to the north. in the boot heel of missouri, southern illinois into southwestern indiana, around evansville, you guys are under a slight risk to moderate risk of severe thunderstorms. so we think you have a greater potential of getting wind damage in this area, and you're still a couple of hours away before things really get hitting in this area. this is a very vigorous storm.

it has a lot of energy with it. and it really needs that, because, don, usually this time of year if we're going to get any kind of rotation, we get all that heating from the daytime. and with the sunshine, it's dark outside. so this is an unusual event. we've got freezing rain to the north. we've got dry, dusty, windy conditions in parts of texas. a nasty tomorrow that's not going to go up, not well into tomorrow. >> all right, jacqui, we'll be following. thank you, jacqui. we want to check your headlines now. congresswoman gabrielle giffords says she is stepping down from congress this week. giffords posted a video on youtube, announcing that she is leaving her seat to focus on her recovery. a little more than a year ago, giffords was shot in the head by a would-be assassin. she survived, but six others died that day. the winningest coach in the history of college football has died. joe paterno lost his battle with lung cancer today. paterno was fired this past season over his handling of a sex abuse scandal involving a former assistant coach. joe paterno was 85 years old. the arab league is demanding

that syria's president step aside. the league says bashar al assad should start talking with the opposition in the next two weeks, so a national unity government can be formed within two months. the league also wants more time for its monitoring mission in syria and an increase in the number of observers. there is no sign the syrian regime will accept such a deal. i need to tell you tonight at 10:00 p.m. eastern here on cnn, one of gabrielle giffords' best friends, congresswoman debbie wasserman schultz will join to talk to us about what's next for giffords as she preeps to officially leave her seat in the house. check that out at 10:00 p.m. eastern right her on cnn. in the meantime, i'm don lemon. thanks so much for joining us. make sure you join us at 10:00 p.m. for the latest top stories. i'll be right here at the cnn headquarters in atlanta. and we're going to do this next here on cnn, go into the world of one of the deadliest drug wars in the world where police are outmanned and outgunne