>> that is going to do it for us on christmas eve. i will be back with christmas. gregg, enjoy it. >> merry christmas. "happening now" begins right now with winston the wonder dog. jenna: this is what we're looking forward to today. breaking news. today's top headlines and brand new stories you see here first. jon: winston will put in an appearance. we all know santa lives there but who actually owns the north pole? several nations are staking a claim and it is now turning into a major territorial dispute. trouble in the skies. why one airline is canceling dozens of flights right before christmas. it's a holiday tradition for many families even played out in memorable scenes like movies and this one but why? family fighting at the dinner table! how can you avoid it this christmas. we have some answers and it is all "happening now."

jenna: a lot of good news you can use, john today. family fights and north pole. jon: peace on earth. jenna: peace on earth exactly. merry christmas eve to you. another new obamacare deadline today. great to see everybody. i'm jenna lee. jon: i'm jon a last minute surge on the healthcare.gov website sparking the obama administration to extend the sign-up deadline with the systems set up so anyone who got in line yesterday will be able to enroll until tonight to get coverage by january 1st. it is far from the first extension for obamacare. in fact last night's sign-up deadline was shifted back late last month due to the glitchchy rollout of healthcare.gov. with each new problem and glitch, it is turning into a what some say a pr nightmare for the house.

rebecca berg, political correspondent at the "washington examiner." rebecca, all the deadlines that come and go and get pushed back and get extended, what does that do to the credibility of the white house and overall people's belief in the viability of this program? >> jon, thanks for having me. it certainly does make the white house look weak and wobbly with their obamacare rollout and pushing back these deadlines. the practical effect of pushing back these deadlines, the white house hopes it will get more people covered and perhaps prevent a coverage gap that some people have been saying could occur. but in terms of it making them look weak it, absolutely does and it gives republicans more ammo to attack the white house on this. jon: shira, it also adds to the confusion, doesn't it? are you supposed to be covered by now? are you supposed to have insurance? what about the deadline in march? i think there are still millions of people with millions of questions. >> exactly. i do think that the complicated

factor is, complex law. it's a complex system and obviously a complex website taken a few fixes. so i think it is very hard. if you're sitting there and you're average joe citizen and trying to get enrolled in a health care plan. you tried to log on in november. it didn't work. you tried to go back. now listening on the phone, long line and you try to get through and you actually have another day, it is frustrating to say the least. i would not be surprised if a lot of people give up on the process too and decide to pay the 95-dollars fine in three months. jon: rebecca, from a political standpoint the president makes changes unilaterally into the program. the employer mandate was exempted for a year, pushed back for a year, but when congress, one of the other branches of government has suggest ad delay or a change, the white house is not willing to listen to that. what does that do to his negotiating position? >> right. it certainly weakens his

negotiating position with congress and what we're seeing this is actually frustrating democrats immensely because senate democrats are doing all they can to hold on to their majority in 2014 and they're proposing fixes to the law and trying to do this through the normal legislative process and white house goes, doesn't tell them they're going going to make these changes in advance or any sort of advance notice how to message it. then the democrats have to learn at the same time everyone else this has happened. so they're immensely frustrated. they have been meeting with the white house to try to find some better way of dealing with this law but it is something that will be very difficult for them in the election. jon: cheryl, what about the politics of that? how nervous are democrats as we knock on the door of 2014, the year that many of them are going to have to run for re-election in the senate? how nervous are they about the rollout of this law that the president is so proud of? >> i would say half a dozen of

them are nervous. republicans need to net six seats to gain control of the senate next year and there are currently seven democrat-held seats right now with elections in states that obama lost, right. especially states where the president's approval rating is very poor like arkansas, louisiana. these are really tough states for democrats to hold on to. that is why you see someone like mary landrieu, a very tenured politician going out to be very public about the fixes she wants to make to the law. she is going back home. her first television advertisement cycle was detailing her role trying to pass some of these fixes. jon: rebecca, is it going to be an election where democrats are basically running from their president? >> some will take that tack. some like shira mentioned will take the landrieu tack of trying to address this head-on. 2014 will be a war of anecdotes. republicans will tell stories of

people being hurt by the president's signature health care law and democrats will push in the other direction and move on to other legislative issues like put focus on immigration. 2014 will definitely be a decisive year in that way. jon: all right. we're glad you're here to begin watching it with us. it will be an interesting election year. rebecca berg, from the "washington examiner", shira center from "roll call." thank you both. >> thank you. >> thank you. jenna: some new details today on nsa leaker edward snowden telling "the washington post" his mission is already accomplished letting the world know about america's spy and data collection programs as he sits in russia trying to figure out where to go when his temporary visa expires. peter doocy is in washington with more. peter what is next for edward snowden? >> reporter: jenna, he doesn't give too many details where he might go next. edward snowden is crystal clear explaining he doesn't think he did anything wrong. he believes his mission has

already been accomplished because he got people talking about bulk data collection and that is why he told "the washington post", this. i'm not trying to bring down the nsa i'm working to improve the nsa. i'm still working for the nsa right now. they're the only ones who don't realize it. furthermore edward snowden says he doesn't have any kind of a deal with the russian government for the chinese. he says this, quote. if i defected at all, i defected from the government to the public. snowden also says when some of america's top elected officials try to either hide or minimize nsa collection programs, he felt like he should be the first person to provide an opportunity for public oversight. jenna: bears reminding he may not think of himself as a criminal but the government certainly does right now. peter, what does snowden want the nsa to change moving forward? in his ideal world what would it be? >> reporter: basically jenna, he wants the nsa to limit the use of their enormous power to times

it is really necessary. here is something else he told the post. i don't care whether you're the pope or usama bin laden as long as there's an individualized, articable probable cause for targeting these people as legitimate foreign intelligence. that's fine. i don't think it is imposing a ridiculous burden by asking for probable cause because you have to understand, when you have access to the tools the nsa does probable cause falls out of trees. the reporter who spoke to edward snowden describes the nsa leaker in russia having constant internet access and eating a lot of rahman noodles and chips. jenna: i thought that was interesting detail. we'll get a colorful picture what life is like for him. another big story as we enter into a brand new year. peter, thank you very much. jon: well same-sex couples are rejoicing after a federal judge in utah allowed hundreds of gay couples to continue exchanging vows on monday. the judge rejecting the state's request to set aside his own ruling last friday declaring

same-sex marriages legal in that state. the judge saying all residents had a quote, fundamental right, to get married. salt lake county issued about 325 marriage licenses by day's end. the judge overturning utah's ban on same-sex marriage friday. rejecting a request to put the marriages on hold, only the start of the legal wrangling of marriage equality in utah. alicia acuna is live in denver with the latest now. so are people still getting licenses there and getting married today? >> reporter: some are, jon, yes, because it is legal for same-sex couples to get married in the state of utah. some county clerks are refusing to issue marriage licenses until the appeal's process is sort the out. the state of utah is one of the most conservative states in the nation. republican governor gary herbert which said last friday's decision which overturned the ban on same-sex marriage has created a lot of uncertainty because the case is not over.

>> we sent out to the county commissioners around to the clerks, to the clerks saying they need to counsel with their own legal counsel he is, county attorneys. there is differences of opinion out there. i think people of goodwill out there of both sides have a different point of view on this that is legitimate and ought to be heard. >> reporter: here's one of the attorneys who represents the same-sex couples after the judge refused to issue the stay. >> not only can the same-sex marriages continue but those counties where the clerks either refuse to issue the licenses or closed their doors have now gotten a clarified ruling as to what the law in utah is and those county clerks should be starting to issue additional licenses. >> reporter: one county clerk handed out letters explaining he will wait for the appeals court before he changes policy one couple started process to file

suit against the clerk's office. he may be no contempt of court but he feels it is appropriate to wait. jon: thank you, alicia acuna in denver. jenna: this christmas' eve spacewalk is no holiday present. astronauts have a very serious mission to accomplish. can they do it in time? we're live with that story coming up. [ male announcer ] this is george. the day building a play set begins with a surprisewinge of back pain... and a choice. take up to 4 advil in a day or 2 aleve for all day relief. [ male announcer ] that's handy. ♪

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jenna: just in from outer space. for only the second time in nasa's history astronauts taking a christmas eve spacewalk. they're hard at work now, aiming to give their comrades on the international space station a fully operational cooling system for christmas. phil keating is following the story live from our miami bureau. phil, first, let's catch up with some of the issues of the week. any issues with the spacesuits now? what about that cooling pump, is

working? >> reporter: well, we still don't know whether the pump is working yet. that will be test the out in a bum test in hour or two from now. as for the spacesuits themselves, great relief 250 miles above us and down in mission control because the spacewalkers all day long have been reporting themselves bone dry unlike the past two spacewalks where water showed up inside of a spacesuit and helmet during spacewalks underlining the real risk what seems so routine. 2 1/2 hours into today's spacewalk, mike hopkins strapped to the big boom arm, grasped a spare cooling pup and akada inside the space station to the other side where rick mass track can i yo, guide it in place. >> it will continue. okay. you strap it there. >> reporter: may be rocket science and high-tech

engineering but sometimes comes down to the delicacy of the human eye guiding it in. right now they are establishing the fluid lines, electric lines to the test this backup pump later today. jenna: it is so remarkable they're doing this on christmas eve when so many of us are doing a lot less i guess. phil, what about christmas day though? i know there was a scheduled walk but then it wasn't entirely on. where are we now having to do additional spacewalks? >> reporter: these two astronauts accomplished more than was planned on saturday which shortens what needed to be done today and if all goes well in six or seven hours from now around 8:00 central time when they really fully test this backup cooling pump. that is when they know the job is done. they would have christmas off, no spacewalks. for the past two weeks the space station had only one working cooling system that reduces science research up there by about 30%. check that out, 45 years ago today in 1968 the apollo viii crew became the first to fly

around the moon and back, sending back world famous first-of-its-kind photograph of earth rising. very cool indeed. nasa reports no conflicts tonight with the big guy. >> i checked with our trajectory and ballistics officer here in mission control. we are not working any possible conjunctions or avoidance manuevers for a sleigh being pulled by reindeer and occupied by a jolly man in a beard and red suit over the next two days. the skies are all clear. >> reporter: of course at nasa there is whole lot of phds there, but there is little bit of kid in all of us. jenna: for the record looks like santa is somewhere over vietnam right now. nice to know there will be no issues with the international space station. by the way i want to mention to our viewers as well, phil, that was actually livid yo we were showing from outer space of the spacewalk. you can watch it live, huh? >> reporter: absolutely, nasa.gov and website and nasa tv

if your cable system or satellite provider has this. you can watch this. it has been fascinating. beautiful pictures all morning long. jenna: we're all busy and but something to watch that live from outer space. merry christmas to you. thank you very much. >> reporter: you as well. jon: as the astronauts work some miracles in space a family is hoping for one here on the ground. doctors have declared a teenager brain-dead after what was supposed to be routine surgery. now a judge is ordering more tests. the family desperate to keep their girl on life-support, awaiting the life-or-death decision. also a live look at the dow, up again. can you believe it? the stock market will close early today. what you can expect once the holiday rush is over. ♪ ho ho ho [ female announcer ] at 100 calories, not all food choices add up. some are giant. some not so giant. when managing your weight, bigger is always better.

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jenna: good run on wall street leading up to christmas. markets close at 1:00 p.m. today but there is still some movement happening ahead of that the so-called santa claus rally should be sending plenty of people home in good cheer but let's look what to expect when we ring in 2014 as well. jon hilsenrath, chief economics correspondent for "wall street journal" great to have you here on christmas eve. >> thanks, jenna for having me. jenna: talk about the santa claus rally, what exactly is that? >> well i mean in this case what we're seeing is investors are getting more confident about the economy as we go into 2014. we sometimes see year-end rallies like this. what is interesting, as you go into january, you sometimes also see something called the january effect. stocks can do very well in january, particularly small cap stocks. so i see a lot of reason to think that the positive gains we've seen in the last few months are going to continue into 2014. jenna: what does that tell us about the economy over all?

>> you know i think this is a case where the market is sending a signal that the economy is on stronger footing. we've seen that confirmed. just in the economic data today, we saw some signs that durable goods investment by business is picking up. home sales have held up. consumer confidence is picking up. we could see finally for the first time in this recovery 2014, a year of real recovery type growth. we had really subdued growth for at love this recovery. i think what the market is saying now we're getting to a stage where the economy is finally getting some traction. jenna: what would that look like in terms of job growth? >> well that has been the big lagging indicator. the last couple of months and i think one of the reasons why the market is doing better is because the last couple months we've seen some better job growth but that's been one of the last things to show up in this recovery. we still have very high unemployment. maybe that will kick in in 2014. 2014 as well. jenna: what you mean by a lag

indicator, we off then see other parts of the economy take off and the job growth would come? >> it tends to come late. they call the stock market a leading indicator. very often the stock market will move before we see real traction in the economy and job growth tend to come last. what happens is, companies, executives, are reluctant to take on more workers until they're really certain that this thing is real. and so they have been very cautious about hiring. they only do it until they're sure they need added workers to meet the demand that they expected. jenna: certainly been a challenging few years and that is probably an understatement, jon, when we look at it. >> right. jenna: one of the things we've seen with the data is a big push into consumer spending, consumers are looking better, spending more and that's great. last three weeks of shopping for consumers really hasn't been that good. i wonder, how big of an effect that is, how big of an impact that is when you think it is the christmas season?

we do have the health care rollout in 2014 as well, how much pressure consumers will be under? >> i would say three things about that. one, what i found is, that consumer spending data we tend to get around the holidays is very unreliable. you see these black friday numbers that come it. we usually don't have a good sense of it until several weeks after the fact, well into january. the other thing i'd say about consumer spending front we've really seen a two-teared recovery. high-end consumers have been spending money. they have got the cash. they have got the disposable income and they have been using it. people on the lower end, middle class, lower income households have been among the last to reap the benefits of this recovery. and i think that brings me to what you're saying about the health care rollout. that is definitely one of the big uncertainties for 2014. how many people are going to be affected. how many people are losing their insurance right now. it tend to be in the middle class. and is that going to hold them

back as we go into 2014? we haven't seen, you know, in the data that i looked at in the last couple months, we have seen signs that consumer spending is picking up, but, you know, that is big uncertainty, whether the health care rollout will affect people's confidence in the actual cash flow. jenna: we'll put that in a category of the unknown now. >> yeah. jenna: if you're an expert at economics does that mean you're an expert shopper, jon? are you totally done with everything for -- >> i actually had my daughter help me out the other day and, i think i'm ahead of the curve. i have a couple of things to run out for afterwards. jenna: we're done. we're done now. i think your daughter sound like a pretty good source to do shopping. >> she knows a lot more than i do about shopping, i'll tell you that. jenna: that is where your expert opinion comes in on some articles. have a merry christmas. >> absolutely. thanks, jenna. jon: let the man go do his shopping. >> i would never stand in the way of any shopping.

jon: i know. santa may live there but he doesn't own the north pole now, does he? so who does? the answer will leave you really surprised or outraged. the heartwrenching legal fight over this teenage girls. the doctors have declared her brain-dead. a live report on the family's urgent battle to get a second opinion to keep her alive. plus where the courts fall on all of this.

jenna: right now a quick look still to come of "happening now." while santa loads his sleigh, two world powers are fighting over the place he calls home. the real battle over the north pole. we'll take a closer look at that. >> >> lots of families getting together to celebrate this holiday season. we know things can turn ugly quickly. why families seem to fight at the holidays and why you can bring back the love. tough going for some holiday travelers. hundreds of passengers told they might not be getting home for christmas. why one airline had to cancel dozens of flights. jon: well, six days, that's how long the parents of a 13-year-old girl have before a court decides whether or not to extend life-support for her. doctors declared her brain-dead earlier this month following routine surgery to remove her tonsils. they say she has no chance of recovery but her parents understandably refuse to give up hope.

william la jeunesse is live in los angeles. bring us up to speed, william. we've been keeping an eye on a this case. what happens today? >> reporter: well, jon, one hour from now a superior court judge will hear testimony from two physicians regarding jihi's condition. one from children's hospital in oakland where the surgery was performed. he will say the child is legally dead. the other is paul fisher, chief of neurology of stanford university, asked by the judge to give an independent opinion. the wild charred is a family request for evaluation by a controversy asexpert who believes brain death is not actual death. the hospital oppose this is exam because it will lead to lengthy court battle. the family believes in miracles, saying that the hospital can not take her off life-support without her consent. >> she knows i'm here fighting for her. i let her know, daughter, i'm only leaving for an in. i need to leave to do something for you to keep you alive because i can not imagine my

daughter in a freezer on christmas. it is, that is heartwrenching. >> reporter: this is a closed hearing. we should learn later today what the stanford expert says if the additional evaluation is approved. jon: wow. what is the medical evidence to this point? >> reporter: so far five physicians and all medical evidence indicate that jahi is brain-dead. unlike a coma there is zero brain activity. under state law the hospital is under no legal obligation to obtain parental consent to pull the plug. the families and supporters disagree. they believe the power in prayer. the decision to end life is theirs, not the hospital staff. jahi under went ton selleck toe my and three days later she was on a ventilator and declared dead. the family wants a grand jury to investigate. >> we continue to work with the

state to find the cause of jahi's death. the main thing we want to emphasize the appreciate how difficult and painful it is for the family. we appreciate all the support for family during this difficult time. >> reporter: a judge has already banned the hospital from taking her off life-support until at least monday. allowing the family to spend christmas with their daughter. jon? jon: agonizing hours, certainly. william la jeunesse. thank you. jenna: well here's a question that seems rather fitting this time of year. who exactly owns the north pole? santa may live and work there as we all know but it also just so happens the north pole is at the center of a major territorial dispute involving a number of countries including russia and america's neighbors to the north canada. gordon chang, author of the coming collapse of china. we talk about russia along with your other foreign policy

issues. what is going on with the north pole? why are countries battling for it? >> couple things. there are a lot of mineral resources there. 25% of the world's oil reserves. 15% of natural gas. there are gold, diamonds, platinum, all sorts of minerals. the other thing, putin, leader of russia he need an adversary right now because his economy is not doing very well. a lot of unhappy russians for other reasons. what better than to sort of assert a claim for everything in the north pole and therefore say, i am russia. jenna: i own the north pole. does russia have a claim to the north pole? >> yeah, but not a very good one. what they're doing, they're saying that the ridge is actually a part of russia's continental shelf. jenna: under the water. >> right underneath the north pole. goes all the way to canada. that's a pretty weak claim. that has already been ajudicated as not being good. russia has a claim for the north pole because of the ridge so

does canada. you have these two countries locked into a disfight right now. jenna: what about canada, what are they doing about the north pole? >> they have stealth snowmobiles but the russians reactivated six old soviet bases, two airfields. this actually could get nasty because the russians are surging the area with military assets and they want to intimidate canada and other claimants to the north pole. jenna: 25% of the world's oil could be in the north pole? >> could job is this a place we should be looking at? >> we are but not seriously. it is very hard to drill there. the russians have started to take oil offshore oil platform from the arctic. it will probably be uncommercial. the thing that worries greenpeace and all the other activists it is very dangerous to drill in the arctic just as it was dangerous to drill in the gulf of mexico. much worse in the arctic. gazprom, the state company doing this has a pretty bad safety

record so this is a disaster that is going to happen. >> alluded to it earlier, who makes the call if different countries are claiming the north pole. is there police up there, this is years. canada, that is not yours, that's rush is a? how do they figure it out? >> the u.n. convention law of the seas which the four claimants are members of, united states signed it but not ratified it. there is international seabed authority provided for under the law of the sea. they are supposed to adjudicate claims. that will be very dodgy. putin will not accept ad remembers decision from them. jenna: it is interesting, taking a look at 2014 overall. we're doing segment christmas eve, talking about the north pole. it is interesting over last several weeks, russia made moves regarding the north pole. russia made moves with iran, syria, in the middle east. what exactly is the end goal here? >> basically putin sees the united states is not will to use national power to obtain

objectives. they think they can steal the march. that is what the chinese are doing with the new air defense identification zone and coming in front of one of our guided missile destroyers in a very dangerous manuever in the south china sea. both china and russia think they can push us around this is really very risky. jenna: you're saying in many places in the world we're seeing elbowing for space, whether geographicsly other otherwise superpowers asserting themselves. it is basically russia and china. the united states is trying to guaranty peace and security but not doing a very good job of it. you have ping china and putin in russia. putin is world most powerful person according to "forbes" not because russia is powerful but he is willing to do what it takes to get what he wants. we need that in washington and western europe as well. jenna: we always talk about the north pole. >> poor santa.

he doesn't know who to pay rent to. jenna: a question for a segment after another time. gordon, merry christmas. >> merry christmas. jenna: jon? >> forget the chestnuts roasting on the open fire. how about raking family over the coals during holiday dinners? our doc is in and tells us why there always seems to be so much drama this time of year. i didn't know they had movies of my family christmas. a nasty flu causing holiday drama of different sorts for hundreds of would-be travelers. we'll tell you which airline has got the bug.

>> new next hour, the holiday shopping season. what sales are like so far and what it means for retailers and you last-minute shoppers like jon scott who is next to me. we'll go in depth on that. new developments in the murder case involving the athlete known as the "blade runner." why oscar pistorius is heading back into court. a car plows into a walmart

sending shoppers for their lives but it didn't end there. wait until you see what the driver did next. jon: talk about putting a lump of coal in your travel plans, alaska airlines canceling 24 flights the past two days, affecting 270 passengers. the reason, bad weather and flu-stricken pilots and flight attendants calling in sick. an airline official calling it quote, a very unusual cold and flu season hitting the carrier's pacific northwest hub. jenna: often the holiday season isn't all sugarplum dancing. more like families raising voices at dinner table or otherwise, over opinions an politics or life choices or anything else. i'm sure we don't have to describe it. you probably lived through it a little bit. a writer in "the atlantic" magazine asked this. why is it that the same minor jobs and annoying ticks that are harmless coming from friend prompt epic screaming matches when uttered by relatives? is there something about our kin or something about the holidays

that's especially irritating? great question for charles, dr. chuck williams, trained child and ad dough less ant therapist and educational psychologist joining us now. asking questions about the holidays and what we can do to stay sane. dr. chuck, great to see you today. >> you've already got me laughing, jenna. thanks for having me on. jenna: is there something different about the holidays? why is it a lot of those emotions bubble up? >> this is such a great conversation because all of us deal with this in some way, psychology notwithstanding. you know it starts off with people singing christmas carols. and it is like the griswalds at christmas. it end with people fighting and kicking, name-calling and chicken gravy and your grandmother in corner leaning with the blue wig to the front and it is chaos and we love it. every year we do a lot to prepare ourselves to spend time with family and friends. we don't always go about it the

right way and i believe. jenna: is that the pressure, we're watching a family fight from "home alone quote on the screen. is this pressure to have a good time that can adversely affect us? >> it starts with the grand expectations from the movies like the clip you're showing or a norman rockwell painting and perfect tree with perfect star and perfect ornament and standing around the fireplace. most of us don't have perfect lives and don't come from perfect families and we have to brace with what we have. that is hard. we start with a very young age looking for what a perfect christmas looks like. there is no such thing as a perfect christmas. only memories that you create. jenna: in this article from the atlantic, the author listed a bunch of different theories why you might be more agitated at your family during the holidays. i of course am not speaking from personal experience at all. >> none much us are.

jenna: this is from sigmund freud. minor differences with people otherwise like us bug us the most. why is that? >> right, so you have, you know a brother, a sister, even your significant other and typically you can enjoy spending time with them. and that breathing heavy and that sipping the coffee very loudly and blinking back and forth, all the annoying things all of sudden rise to the top and, it becomes agitating because you add all the other stuff that is going on like the unprocessed feelings, the fight that happened five years ago. that time when your brother stole your matchbox car. all of those things come to the surface. the then the slightest stuff become as problem. we start remarking and fighting around those things. jenna: a lot of questions from our viewers. does that mean you should avoid politics all together? what do you do if your child is afraid of santa claus and that becomes an issue? we're taking your questions, dr. chuck. i know you will stand by with

us. any viewers with questions how to deal with the families on the holidays, we're expecting really great tweets. tweet us atjennafnc or @happeningnow. maybe you have something on your mind or like dr. chuck's opinion. he is here today. dr. chuck, thank you for the explanation. and we'll give some good tips how to deal next hour. so i will see you next hour. >> thank you, jenna, i'm looking forward to it. jon: more good tips coming on safety this christmas season. how common holiday items can create safety hazards. what you need to know i should say to avoid the trip to the e.r. that would wreck your christmas, huh?

s jon: all right, the doctor is in. we know trees, lights, wrapping paper are a key parts of the christmas holiday but yes they can also be dangerous. how can you avoid setting your house or someone else's on fire? let's get some safety tips now from dr. ernest patti, senior attending physician of emergency medicine at st. barnabas hospital here in new york city. >> thanks, jon. jon: i imagine you have seen your share of christmas injuries? >> he definitely have. i like to remember in five ways, the five things most commonly occurring during the holidays. burns, cuts and lacerations, electrical injuries and fires, food prep problems, and personal health and injury. jon: i imagine, we're walking people, watching people walk by outside the windows. everyone is bustling in a rush and have to get your christmas shopping done and that is part of the problem.

>> most definitely the problem. people don't eat properly. they forget to stay hydrated. they overindulge in alcohol. they get in the car and go to the mall. things like this can contribute to their own personal safety. other problems, people have to prepare a lot of food. injuries happen when you prepare food and using different utensils and appliances. you have props with christmas decorations, wrapping paper, fire, candles. people light candles at the holidays, things of that nature. jon: something like slicing a loaf of bread for instance can cause a problem if you're trying it rush through it, if you're not paying attention, or, maybe if you have a glass of wine in one hand and carving knife in the other. >> of course. if you're carving and slicing vegetables, fruits, bread, whatever, meats, you have to remember you want to have sharp knives. always good to sharpen your knife. want to have the proper tool for the job. in this case a serrated knife which is good for bread, vegetables, things like that. you have to cut it the proper way. if you were going to cut bread, you basically want to hold the

bread solid and cut away from your fingers. my fingers on this side of the bread and i'm gently cutting down. using a cutting board or hard surface. jon: a sharp knife is safer because it takes less effort to get through whatever you're cutting. >> most definitely. if you use dull blades or knives you definitely increase the chance of cutting yourself getting a laceration, requiring you to take a trip to the emergency department to see me. jon: you have to tell us about some of the more unusual patients that you've seen in the emergency room in doing research for this story. i read about one guy who put his christmas tree in the fireplace because he was going to burn the christmas tree after the season was over but he forgot that once you get the tip going, the rest of the tree goes too. that was not in the fireplace. >> definitely an inferno. christmas trees go up when they're dry. they're like tinderboxes. drapery, couch, rug, carpet, any of those items are flammable or

potentially very flammable when a tree would ignite so quickly. you need in the house fire extinguishers, in the kitchen when preparing meals you can get a oil fire or grease fire. the common way to put it out, not with water or salt and sugar quickly, and look for the fire extinguisher to give yourself time. burns are common things we get all the time. people burn themselves with the turkey fryers when they immerse a turkey in hot oil to fry it. children get near the kitchen hot oven or stove making christmas cookies. these occur daily. if they're prevented, many times that is the best treatment for it. jon: one year i took a huge wad of christmas wrapping paper torn off and threw that in the fireplace. not a great idea. >> it is definitely not. jon: it was almost like a flash bang situation. >> remember to keep the christmas tree watered properly as well. don't overload the electrical circuits because those christmas lights, if you put on too many strand can cause fire that way.

jon: dr. ernest patti from st. barnabas hospital in the bronx. merry christmas. >> merry christmas to you and happy and healthy new year to everybody. jon: stay safe out there. >> dr. patti, that bread looks good. do carbs count during the holidays or get a free pass during the holidays? >> you get a free pass. we'll cut the olive bread and share with the staff and chocolates that we brought which are dark chocolates. jenna: you heard it from the doctor, carbohydrates are totally good the next couple days. i am glad i asked. rush for the obamacare website as the latest as the healthcare.gov tries to work through the backlog before january 1st. a look at some of the biggest crime stories this year. we kept a close eye on the jody arias trial. a jury convicted her of brutally murdering her boyfriend. where the case stands now and other big cases of the year next.

jon: right now new developments on our top stories and breaking news this hour. a last minute crunch for healthcare.gov. still time to sign up, people, hours ahead of the new deadline. the latest on the extension. and last hour we discussed keeping your holiday celebrations peaceful this year. now dr. williams answers your questions about avoiding family showdowns over the christmas ham, etc. tweet us @"happening now" with those questions. we'll try and get them on the air. plus, a look at the biggest crime stories of the year including the jodi arias murder trial. what is next for her? it's all "happening now." ♪ ♪

jon: well, right now lots of americans are still trying to get signed up for obamacare in time for coverage to begin january 1st. a very merry christmas to you, i'm jon scott. jenna: hi, everybody, i'm jenna lee. the deadline was supposed to be yesterday when it got extended til tonight. but healthcare.gov tweeting that the web site got two million hits yesterday, the crush causing a backlog. they're still trying to finish up. ed henry has the latest from washington, is the administration confident this is all going to come together? >> reporter: jenna, they think so, but they're still hedging because they've seen deadlines come and go. they told congress repeatedly this testimony before october 1st that they were ready to go and they were on target and then, of course, they were not. the president acknowledged that was bungled. they are confident, though, perhaps more confident now than they were around october 1 isst because, as you say, those two million visits it's not just

that so many people are shopping, it's the fact that the web site, while slow, was not crashing like we've seen before. that suggests some more durability, though white house spokesman josh earnest told me they're still a little bit concerned that this is all going to come out right. take a listen. >> there probably will be glitches. there have been glitches before, and there probably will be moving forward. but we have put in place a team of experts who are working through the holidays to try to minimize that inconvenience. >> reporter: that's called managing expectations. they did not do a good job of that ahead of the october 1st deadline, now trying to maybe down play a little bit potential success and saying there's going to be imlichs. they also -- glitches. they also realize that two million hits on the web site is one thing, actually enrolling those people is a whole other thing, and that's going to be the key come january 1st -- january 2nd, how many folks actually get enrolled. jenna: that's an interesting point, and who those folks are as well as we've talked about the demographics.

is the administration's claim, is that enough for now to satisfy critics of the law? >> reporter: absolutely not. you've heard republicans, obviously, from the very beginning of this debate several years ago suggesting that the president has it all wrong. more importantly, perhaps, in recent weeks he's been getting more pressure from democrats like joe manchin in the senate saying this could be on the wrong track. and when you have republicans like jerry moran saying basically, look, there are big problems here, and it's going to have to be fixed, the administration is listening. take a listen. >> we need to do things to improve health care in our country. the affordable care act is not the way to do it, but for us to determine where to go from here, one would think -- particularly when they're spending taxpayer dollars -- that congress would have something to say about it. be. >> reporter: so you've got some republicans, of course, who want to repeal the law altogether, other republicans and some democrats are saying let's just come up with improvements and actually fix it. bottom line is once we get past this deadline today of sign-ups,

you'll have january 1st, january 2nd, the beginning of the new year where we'll find out who actually has insurance and whether there are glitches that prevent others from getting insurance. there'll be more hearings on capitol hill, and democrats and republicans will have the chance to actually make some potential changes to fix all of this. a lot of pressure on the president ahead of that state of the union address at the end of january. jenna: it continues to be such a big story. ed, thank you. >> reporter: good to see you. jon: meantime, opposition to the law appears to still be growing. some say it's not just coming from the right. georgia mel buoy of the daily beast tries to make the case that some americans think obamacare doesn't go far enough and writes, quote: there isn't a majority that opposes the affordable care act because it's too liberal. in fact, a good number of americans don't hi it's liberal enough. -- don't think it's liberal enough. meantime, a new cnn poll shows the number of people approving of the to health care law continues to fall. only 35% say they now approve of

obamacare compared to 62% who oppose it. jamie weinstein is senior editor for "the daily caller." it gets a little gamey, the math here, but 15% of those who oppose it might oppose it because it's not liberal enough. what do you think about that hypothesis? >> well, that's right. i think most americans see president obama as a very liberal president, but there's always been two narratives about president obama. there's a the narrative that he is a very liberal president, but there is a narrative of the hard left, that he is not liberal enough, that he's been too conservative. and one of the data points they point to is health care. they don't believe he went far enough to push for what they wanted which was a complete government takeover of the health care system, kind of medicare for all. and and according to the cnn poll, that's about 15% of america, americans. the 15% of those over 60% that oppose the president's health

care law. jon: so they want a system that would look more like the canadian system? >> right. there's diversity within that group but, yes, something like the canadian somewhere the government, you know, collects taxes and pays for all your health care costs. and that's what they want. or at least a segment of that 15%, that's what they want, a more liberal system. jon: well, the supporters, the proponents of obamacare say that, you know, once this thing gets established, once we get the ball rolling, people make a few visits to their doctor, they see how it all works, they are going to love it, and president obama and the democrats who pushed this thing into law are going to be exonerated. what do you think about that premise? >> i don't think that premise will hold up, and there are some who even say that, you know, once this doesn't work as well as the democrats said, they'll be able to push even further liberal health care law where they'll get a single-payer system. but i think at the end of the day, i don't think in the poll those who said it was too

conservative or too liberal are mainly, i think, largely nonideological. and they've been promised by the democrats a system that will work well. and if that fail, they're going to look to an alternative, and they're going to look to the party, i think, that said that it wouldn't succeed, and that would be the republicans. so i think now the onus is on the republicans to come up with an alternative. once they're forced to see that the health care they've been promised does not exist, americans are going to look to republicans. jon: paraphrasing again be, there is a limit to what republicans are going to be able to accomplish opposing obamacare in the upcoming elections because, she says, some people simply think obamacare is not liberal enough, and they want it to be more like the canadian system. >> well, i think even within those 15% who say it's not liberal enough -- and i even think with those who say it is, you know, the opposite -- i don't think, i think most people are not ideological. so i'm not sure even they know what that means when they say

it's not liberal enough. they might say, oh, i'm a liberal, i like the term liberal, but when it comes to specifics, when it comes to tear daily life, when they're losing their health insurance or having it significantly changed, they might start to think that who are the people that are saying it wouldn't work and look to what they have to say as an alternative. so i think the onus is on republicans to craft an alternative if they start seeing that their personal health care is affected by this health care -- jon: and so you think this is still going to be a big issue by the time elections roll around in november and people are going to be voting on it? >> i think it's going to even be worse in the coming, next year because even the obama administration buried deep in one report said they expect 93 million americans to either lose their health insurance or have their health insurance altered, that they wouldn't be able to keep their insurance. now, this was buried in a report. this was not what the president was saying. once americans realize they're

not going to be able to keep their health insurance plan, the one that they liked, i think that's going to cause a great catastrophe for democrats coming this fall. jon: jamie weinstein is senior editor of "the daily caller." coming to us from florida, thank you. jenna: the president touted the recent strength of the economy even vowing to hit the road promoting the recovery when he gets back from hawaii, but some lawmakers believe the economy may not be exactly firing on all cylinders just yet with some democrats pushing a plan to extend unemployment benefits. doug mckelway's traveling with the president, and he joins us live from beautiful, it looks like, honolulu. >> reporter: it not only looks i want, it really is. that unemployment benefit extension is a real caveat to some other economic indicators. another sign of real, tangible progress in the economy today when the commerce department released durable goods orders for the month of november, and they went up, durable goods, of

course, things like cars, washing machines, things that are designed to last longer than three years, orders in november jumped 3.5% after they had dropped in october. another barometer released, sales of new homes declined a tad in november. it suggests that the housing market is struggling to maintain the pace of its recovery. the housing market not sure which way it wants to turn. but there are other positive signs, the budget deal that was worked out by congressman paul ryan and senator patty murray, of course, passed by congress and not yet signed by the president, but the president says it's the kind of thing, the kind of sign of cooperation of congress that will lead to further growth down the road. here's the president. >> and if congress continues to act in the spirit of cooperation we've seen in recent weeks, i'm confident we can make much more progress together in the year to come. >> reporter: but how much is congress willing to act in the spirit of cooperation?

republicans have been reading the tea leaves. they see these poll numbers about obamacare, and i they know what that means. economyist glenn hubbard says that uncertainty with obama withcare is turning out to be a real drag on the economy. >> i think the uncertainty over health care costs, health care regulation and how the affordable care act will be implemented definitely is. it does create hiring disincentives for many small and medium-sized businesses, and that's a problem. >> reporter: in a conference call with reporters on monday, house minority leader nancy pelosi compared obamacare to medicaid, to medicare, to social security, and she said the transformative nature of this means it's going to take a long time to work out, perhaps it means it's going to take a long time for the economy to work out as well. jenna: and some may take issue with those comparisons. doug, are you sure you're not in baltimore in front of a green screen?

it really looks fake. [laughter] >> reporter: don't give it away. you know, jenna, i could jump over the railing here and take a plunge in a matter of seconds, and i may do just that. grab a my tie on the way out -- maitai as well. jenna: i think that's acceptable on christmas eve. merry christmas. thank you very much. jon: and it's early in the morning there. he's got the whole day. jenna: i mean, you hear the waves. it sort of looks like it's against a painted picture. [laughter] jon: all right. we are keeping an eye on some crime stories stories from 2013. america shaken to the core by the terror attack on the boston marathon. more on the case against the surviving suspect. also a new push to protect service animals and their owners trying to stop service animal fraud. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] this is george. the day building a play set

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jenna: well, there's a new effort to tn service animal laws that can make life a lot easier for folks with disabilities, but there are concerns about people are lying about the status of their pets, even buying fake service dog vests so they can bring those dogs to places where animals aren't normally allowed. claudia cowan has a details. >> reporter: it's hard to fault people who really love animals, but a growing trend has thousands of dog owners abusing the americans with disabilities act to stay close to their pet all the time. >> he's with me daily, every day morning, noon and night. >> reporter: michelle takes prince to as many places as she can, but with a single life she or any other owner could take their dog everywhere in. they only need to buy a service animal and claim a disability. anything from anxiety to depression counts, no proof

needed. legally, merchants can only ask two questions, is that a service animal and what task does the dog perform? the law is vague to protect the privacy of the disabled and most her chants look the other -- merchants look the other way to avoid a lawsuit. but trained service dogs know not to bark, bite or eat food in a restaurant. now those who do the training are calling for government oversight to combat the cheaters. >> you have to prove that you're capable physically to drive a car and to be qualified to be out on a highway. i think there's an analogy in that regard. >> reporter: because the trend is more than a pet peeve for people like wallace brasman who relies on casper to live independently. >> people have tried to seat me out on the patio in the rain because they are concerned that my dog isn't going to behave as an assistance dog should due to their previous experiences with these fake assistance dogs. >> reporter: corey hudson says

he is trying to work with the justice department which enforces ada laws and national restaurant association to fight this kind of dog fraud that's impacting tens of thousands of disabled americans who rely on legitimate service animals. jenna? jenna: dog fraud. who would have thought, you know? it's just too bad. claudia, a story we'll continue to watch, thank you. jon: some major developments in some of the biggest court cases of the year from jodi arias to the blade runner to the boston marathon bombing. our legal panel be weighs in on where these trials are headed in the new year. ♪ ♪

jon: right now a federal judge giving attorney general eric holder until january to decide whether he will seek the death penalty

for the suspected boston marathon bomber. dzhokhar tsarnaev still in custody after the blasts that rocked the finish line killing three people and injuring hundreds of others. the judge saying the ag's decision will set the tone for all future proceedings. joining us now to weigh in our legal panel, lis wiehl, fox news legal analyst, and doug burns, a criminal defense attorney. if you were arguing this case to the attorney general, lis, what would you say to him about whether or not he should go for the death penalty? >> well, this is an absolute death penalty case. you've got, as you mentioned, people dead, hundreds of others injured in what was really a terrorist act in april of last year in boston. if we're going to have a death penalty in this country, this case absolutely qualifies for it, and and i would say to attorney general holder make that decision at the beginning of the year so it sets everything else in progress. jon: and there was, you know, the victims here, every single victim was just an awful, awful story.

>> yes. jon: but one of the victims here a very young boy, doug. >> no. even as a defense lawyer, obviously, jon, you have to look at applicable law, and that's aggravating circumstances. as lis said, there are a number of them; multiple killings, particularly heinous, zero motive against particular people. having said that, the argument against the death penalty is more steeped in anti-death penalty itself that it's unbelievably cumbersome, unbelievably expensive, the appeals are going to go on for 20 years -- >> but, doug, if we have the death penalty in this country, tough mete it out when necessary. you were to back away as the attorney general and say i'm not going to try to go for the death penalty here, then why have it at all in this country? jon: it didn't take long to have timmy mcveigh put to death. >> no, look, i think -- maybe i came across incorrectly. but the attorney general will, and he should, declare this as a death penalty case. i was giving you the administrative and procedural

realities, though, which is that often you give the defendant more rights and on and on ad nauseam, the rates of actually putting people to death are low, but i think this is more like mcveigh, jon, and i think you're right. >> with right. we're talking about the terrorist action here. jon: and because, lis, it traumatized really the entire country, would you expect that would administer impetus to the push -- >> absolutely. i cannot imagine the attorney general not seeking the death penalty. the question then will become venue. it traumatized the whole country, but it was there in boston. could the defense say, well, we want a change in venues? gotta be someplace in massachusetts, but maybe not in boston. jon: another case that shocked the world, olympian oscar pistorius is expected to head back to court in march. he admitted he killed his girlfriend on valentine's day saying he thought she was an intruder breaking into his home. crime scene evidence, though,

may show otherwise. now he face faces murder charges as well as three firearms charges and, doug, you make the point that those other firearms charges -- although they are not necessarily related to the murder case -- could be crucial in his prosecution. why? >> well, jon, usually if he had just been charged with the shooting, we would be debating, you know, would those other events be admitted into evidence by the judge. one, he shot a pistol out of a convertible automobile, two, he fired a pistol in a restaurant. and the prosecutors were smart, because they put it in the indictment. so hand torely, it has to come into evidence. what the defense lawyers will do, however, which is somewhat interesting, is they'll try to sever those counts to be tried separately, creating the same problem i described earlier. >> but certainly in our system that would not be allowed because you have propensity to commit the same crime, prior that act. >> right. >> all of those things come in to show, you know, even though we would tell a jury we can't

exactly prove what happened on the day that he, obviously, you know, he killed this woman that it happened on purpose, but you show in that propensity evidence things that happened in the past, actually very recently to when the alleged murder happened, that that would bolster the prosecution's case immensely. jon: so you're saying, lis, that if they can prove that, yes, he fired a gun in a restaurant -- >> right. jon: -- as he's accused of doing or fired out of an open convertible, this is a guy who's a hothead with an itchy trigger finger. >> exactly. propensity and prior bad acts. that's what we call it in our system. >> and the other point, jon, quickly is a lot of times defendants open the door. they turn around and go to trial in a case like this, oh, i would never shoot a gun, and that kicks the door wide open. >> right. jon: all right. let's turn to another case. jodi arias is awaiting retrial in the penalty phase of her murder conviction. arias killed her boyfriend, travis alexander, five years

ago, viciously stabbing him dozens of times, slitting his throat, shooting him in the head. she could face the death penalty or a sentence for as little as 25 years. a judge has ruled no cameras in the courtroom. the retrial is expected to begin in late february. this so interesting and maybe strange, lis, because the same jury that convicted her of murder couldn't come to a unanimous verdict on whether she should live or die. >> or get the death penalty, right. jon: so now this new jury is convened or will be convened. they'll hear much of the same testimony all over again, and they are faced with that same decision. >> same decision. much of the same testimony but not all of it, because this is, remember, just a sentencing phase of the trial. but you're right, you've got a whole i new second jury. i actually think a proponent of having cameras in the courtroom that the judge made the right call because i think the whole media, everything around the

media -- if they don't get it in this second trial, the second face, then death penalty is off the table. it's 25 years to life and that's it. jon: would they likely be with hearing from her, doug? because, you know, a lot of people, a lot of observers, people that were in the courtroom said essentially some of those jurors felt sympathy for jodi arias, felt sorry for her, maybe fell in love with her in a weird kind of way when she was spending five days on the stand. >> well, there are a number of roller coaster ups and downs when we were covering it. she said right after the verdict, you know, i want the death penalty. that was really bizarre. >> and she backed away from that though. >> yeah, she did. she completely reversed course right after that. my view on this one is they

really should walk away and not redo it. when you try a case as a prosecutor, the case itself, the guilt or innocence and it's a deadlock, sometimes you consider walking away. i'm actually surprised, lis, that they're going for this again. >> i'm not, because they made their case at the beginning that this was a death penalty case. remember the facts of this case, they're really horrific. i don't want to go over them on christmas eve, but they're really horrific. so, you know, they want the death penalty, they've got to go for it. otherwise to back away would look weak from the point of the prosecution. >> but women don't get the death penalty, as you've pointed out. >> yeah. it's very hard for people to give the death penalty to women. jon: and, unfortunately, the taxpayers have spent several million dollars already -- >> good point. >> true. jon: -- trying to get justice in this case. it is one we will be keeping an eye on very closely. doug burns, lis wiehl, thank you both and merry christmas. jenna: hitting the road to visit the family this christmas? maybe fearing you'll find family drama instead of all the good

cheer? if your annual gatherings get stressful at times, dr. chuck is going to answer questions. we'll have your questions after the break, and he's going to answer them live on television. plus, santa claus stopping off early on wall street. the markets up again on this short trading day, adding to already-impressive gains this year. lauren simonetti is here from the fox business network to break it all down for us. ♪ ♪

jon: thousand this fox business aler. christmas coming early for wall street traders. the tow up again today almost -- the dow up begun today almost 53 points right now as the santa

claus rally is only adding to what's been a good year for investors. lauren simonetti joins us live with more on that. >> merry christmas eve, happy holidays, well, today officially starts the santa claus rally. it's the last five trading days of the year and the first two of the new year that have produced an average gain historically of 1.6% for the market. but it seems like santa has been delivering presents to investors all year. take a look at this, the dow up 24% this year, 48 record closes -- that's the most in any year since 1995. and it really looks like the good cheer is continuing today. the market closes in a half an hour for christmas. investors responding to a strong report earlier this morning on durable goods, orders for long-lasting items from toasters to televisions to trucks and cars. they rose 3.5% last month suggesting, yeah, the u.s. economy continues to improve. two caveats, though, that i want to point out. the first is some economists worry the gains aren't going to continue into 2014 as key tax

benefits for businesses are set to expire like a credit for r&d investment. and also consumers just seem unwilling to open their wallets wider. as you know, consumer spending fuels the economy. that reluctance to spend making it seem like a blue christmas for a lot of retailers out there. shoppertrack says in-store sales for the week that ended sunday fell about 3% from a year ago. maybe one reason is instead of buying new christmas presents, we're regifting the old ones. and with that, guys, it's time to fess up, have you ever regifted? bottle of wine? jenna: definitely a bottle of wine, for sure. i've totally regifted. >> we're not alone, and more than seven in ten americans say it's totally fine to regift presents. in fact, 15% say it's okay all the time no matter what to regift, and more men say it's wrong than women. that surprised me. jenna: that is interesting. >> do you know why that is, jon? jon: i want to know what are the rules on drinking half the bottle of wine before regifting

it? >> that would be tacky, but go for it. jenna: excellent choice of words, lauren. jon: you know, it was a varietal i didn't like that much. jenna: he actually probably did. [laughter] >> i've never done this, but this has happened to me, and the original card is in the box. jenna: i've had that happen as well. it is a lovely gift, but it's for somebody else. [laughter] jon: it's the not thinking that counts. lauren simonetti -- >> good to see you guys. jon: merry christmas to you. jenna: a hot topic, one that maybe comes up with your family about, you know, why is it that during the holidays when you're supposed to get along so well does it always seem like there's a family fight somehow, somewhere over the next few days? how can you get through the drama? back now to answer some of your questions is dr. chuck, dr. charles williamss, he's a psychologist at drexel university. we have some great questions, this one's from matrix. what's the best way to ease the tension?

i know for a fact my family will fight about current life statuses. matrix wants to know is there anything one person can to to try to set the tone right for the holidays? >> well, the first thing that comes to me, jenna, is box wine. [laughter] a lot of box wine can help. i think again, as i already stated, don't place too many expectations on yourself or your family members, engage in what we call selective ignoring, selective attention. so when they say things that agitate you or aggravate you like why aren't you married or why are you wearing that stupid hat or that ugly sweater, you know, you ignore it. also there's no rule that says you have to be around annoying people around the holidays even if they're your family members. go with people you know you're going to enjoy your time with. jenna: that's very interesting because i received a viewer question on twitter where a friend told this american just don't go -- this person just don't go.

if you think it's going to be a really bad holiday, then maybe don't go see your family? would you advise that? just ignore? >> of course. jenna: really? >> a family can be the worst. sometimes they're worse than strangers. they can cause us the most stress, heart ache, psychological discomfort especially around the holidays. again, the goal of the holidays is to enjoy the time with the people you want to be with. family and friends, sometimes that means that friends become family. but if your mother-in-law, if your sister-in-law, if your mother and father, your grandfather, if they are a pain to you around the holidays -- and this has been consistent -- there's no reason why you have to spend time with them. send them a card and a fruitcake. [laughter] jenna: so lola actually had a very sweet question. lola said this: my parents always fight. can i bring them together this christmas? what advice would you give lola? >> why? are you having smack adown at your home? are you like a referee for a wrestling match?

don't bring them together if they don't want to be together. the ore thing is don't try to fix things around the holidays. that's usually the worst time to do anything. focus on having fun, enjoying time with the people that matter. jenna: now, if a fight does come up over dipper, maybe you're not involved but you're witnessing this, what is the best way to diffuse the situation? >> focus on what you're watching. watch the game, watch p the griswolds, turn up your earphones on your smartphone and listening to your favorite music, but don't get involved. you don't have to always get involved this things. sometimes that's a way for us to work through our own aggression. you've got two adults who can't handle communication, let them work it out themselves. you're not working, it's the holidays. relax, chill, enjoy the game. jenna: i already feel more relaxed just hearing that. jackie says i deal with older parents during the holidays, how can we help them see we need medical help without a fight? is now a time to broach those type of topics, dr. chuck?

>> now, that's an unusual situation. i would say let's make an exception because here's what happens. you need a lot of people surrounding older folks, our parents, grandparents who are facing issues like dimension shah related to alzheimer's and cognitive decline, a major challenge facing this nation today and in the years to come as we get older. but they need support. sometimes one person can't communicate that message, so they'll have the brothers, the sisters, the aunts and the uncles and the grandkids and the nieces and nephews saying, look, we love you, we care about you, you need to enter into an assisted living facility, you these to come stay with us, or you need some kind of serious medical attention that we can support you, but you have to allow us to do it. that's a hard conversation to have because older persons want to feel independent like they're on their own. they don't want to need that medical attention. and that conversation can require the support of the entire family. jenna: that's interesting. so that's a moment, as you mentioned, that maybe it is okay to get involved if you have a

support person. preparing christmas dinner, my wife puts yellow police tape around the kitchen and tells the relatives to stay out. [laughter] i think that's a good idea. what do you think, dr. chuck? that sets the tone. >> of course. a lot of homicides around the holidays. no, i joke -- [laughter] the whole point is for you to make the holidays what you want it to be. make the holidays what you wallet it to be. focus on family, friends and fun. if you can avoid heart ache, jenna, then avoid it at all costs. jenna: good advice to sort of relax, control what you can control and watch the game, which is always a good thing to do on christmas. dr. chuck, we wish you a very merry christmas. of thank you so much, it was a blast to have you back on the show again. >> merry christmas and a happy new year, jenna. jenna: all right. thank you very much, and thank you to our viewers, as well, for some great questions. hopefully, that's helpful. it's good to take a timeout

every once in a while. well, christmas is for more than just people, especially if you're a dog lover. we want to see your pictures of your family pet getting into the holiday spirit. tweet us @happeningnow, and that's the whole reason why we have our special guest today because what started this all, right, jon? are. jon: winston. jenna: is one of photograph of john's little owner winston. jon: winston's in the house. jenna: and he'll make his first "happening now" debut in about ten minutes. jon: will he behave? jenna: he was great when i met him. great personality, cute face. jon: once the fame goes to his head, though, all bets are off. [laughter] all right, so you still have a few hours left to finish up your christmas shopping. retailers would be happy to see you. there are deals to be had because a new report shows just how tough the season might have been for some stores. not, though, as tough as this one. a cargoes flying into a walmart,

and then there was more mayhem after that. coming up, why police say this was no accident. >> hello, i'm gregg jarrett, coming up top of the hour, midnight tonight is the obamacare deadline, again. allegedly. we'll have the latest on the confusion, the anger, the frustration, the chaos that seems to be reigning. also, the story of the little girl, the routine tonsillectomy, she ends up brain dead. a judge is holding a hearing to decide what to do. we'll go live to bethlehem, thousands flocking to celebrate christmas all a ahead on "america's news headquarters."

jon: check this out, police just releasing surveillance video from a terrifying incident earlier in the year. a pan they say was intoxicated plows through the front of a california walmart.

then he backs up a little and hits the gas again. driving through several of the displays while horrified shoppers run for their lives. police say the driver then got out of his car and began to attack bystanders in the store. one person hospitalized, but fortunately, nobody killed. several people held the suspect down until police arrived. investigators say the man has a history of wild, drug-fueled crime. jenna: well, we've talked about how to deal with your family, how to keep yourself safe in the kitchen over the holidays, now we're going to talk a little bit about shopping. this may have been a tough holiday season for retailers. the numbers show last week sales were down more than 1% compared to last year. last minute shoppers could score a big win here. stores are slashing prices to make final sales before christmas. andrea is a consumer savings expert, and she's here to talk to us about how we can get the best deals. andrea, where do we start today? >> well, you are right, there's

a lot of promotions and big deals with retailers' last ditch efforts to rake in those sales, and you're looking at big savings. at sears, for instance, you can save $350 off a pair of certified diamond stud ear rings that retail for approximately $500, now you're getting it for just under $150. the popular electric scooters, and at best buy 40% off the iphone 4s with a two-year contract. if you download a free mobile coupon app, you can get extra savings on top of those discounts. i saw a coupon for 0% off after -- 30 be % off after j.crew, so there's lots of these types of mobile apps to help you save even more. jenna: there's always a little conundrum about shopping right before christmas, you get the satisfaction that you get the gifts on time, but you wonder am i going to get an even better

deal on december 26th? what do you think about that? >> right. well, i mean, obviously, shopping after the holidays, we are going to see lots of sales as retailers try to get people out shopping who are going to be returning and get them to buy more. we're also going to see a lot of people with gift cards heading to the stores, and retailers want to capture those dollars plus more with lots of sales. but today is a great day to still shop and find those deals in time for the holiday, especially popular items that might sell out today before christmas. jenna: and that's always the risk. let me just ask you quickly, do you have to go into the stores more these deals? how many of those like you mentioned from sears, for example, best buy, you have do you have to go into the stores, or can you get those deals online as well? >> you can get those deals online, and a lot of those sales are online only, and you can opt to pick them up in stores, so best buy and target, for instance, give free in-store pickup, so do sears and kmart. they also offer the free anyone anywhere which allows a friend

or family member to pick up that gift at any store across the country so if you're flying today, you can have your mother or sister pick it up for you at your destination. jenna: i love that idea. >> and don't forget to tap into your loyalty points because you can use, for instance, the shop your way points from sears and kmart, you can use those p points to help offset the cost of all those last minute deals. jenna: some really good tips. do you pay full price for anything, andrea? i'm just curious. [laughter] >> no. and sometimes i don't even stop at the sales. i'll goarkt and haggle with those store sales associates or price match to see if i can get a better deal. there's so many options to save. jenna: next time you're in new york, let me know. i'm going to have to witness some of that. i like that idea. >> i'll take you shopping. [laughter] jenna: andrea, merry christmas. thank you very much. >> thank you. jon: as if you need another -- jenna: i mean the haggling. well, it would be research. jon: of course. journalistic -- [laughter] a special group of people giving back this holiday season. the heart-warming story of

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jon: right now wall street is starting its holiday break just a few minutes from now, the dow ticking up as the year winds down. you can see up about 62 points right now. trading light because of the shortened session, but the markets are back to work again on thursday. jenna: well, as many of us celebrate christmas tomorrow, a group of very special angels will be doing some gift giving of their own. these individuals with special needs inspiring others, showing they have plenty to offer by doing something nice for those less fortunate than themselves. anita vogel has more on this story. >> reporter: hi there, jenna. they're called the holiday

angels, and they are keeping the true spirit of christmas alive and well here in southern california. the holiday angels hail from the new horizons organization to. it's a group which provides help for people with intellectual challenges like down's syndrome, asperger's and autism. about five years ago, several of them decided to form the holiday angels dedicated to helping people with even greater needs than they have during the holidays. >> they want to feel like they're making a difference, and, you know, their compassion and their sense of wanting to give back and their sense of charity is just like everybody else only more so. >> reporter: every year the holiday angels pick a different charity to help support. in the past they've done blanket and food drives for the homeless, and this year they chose to help the children's hospital of los angeles. just before christmas they collected and delivered hundreds of toys for sick children. >> i'm happy.

these kids are going to get these gifts. >> all kinds of things. lots of, lots of little toys for boys and girls. i donated some toy cars. >> it kind of warms my heart, you know, to see the smiles of the kids' faces. >> reporter: and the children's hospital distributes about 80,000 toys each year thanks to the help of groups like new horizonsing. and new horizons has been helping adults with developmental disabilities since 1954. jenna, back to you. jenna: a great story anytime of the year, but especially today. anita, thank you. >> reporter: definitely. jon: we've been asking you, our viewers, to send us some christmas cheer this year and, boy, you have cooperated. festive holiday pet pictures. we appreciate all of them. it all started with pictures of my new dog, winston, dressed up in his holiday gear. so jenna had this idea. here is winston, paying a visit -- [laughter]

live on christmas eve. sit. [laughter] sit. good boy. [laughter] ♪ ♪ [ sneezes, coughs ] i'veot a big date, but my sinuses are acting up. it's te for advil cold and sinus. [ male announcer ] truth is twon't relieve all your symptoms. new alka seltzer plus-d relieves more symptoms than any other behind the counter liquid gel. oh what a relief it is.

all right. this is my new dog winston. >> he's going to anchor the show in the next minute. >> winston was a stray who wound up in the good care of adopt a boxer rescue, an organization in the northeast. they are a 501 c three organization and they put me and winston together and he is a hoot. >> he is our unofficial mascot of happening now. >> he's becoming popular on twitter.

>> and surprising more calm than some of our guests on set. he is not phased. he came and laid down on the carpet. >> gena was coined enough to invite winston in. make it a merry christmas everybody. have a great day. fox news alert. thousands of americans may be racing to buy last- minute christmas gifts while thousands more are racing to sign up for obama care before the clock strikes midnight. i am gregg jarret in for bill hemmer. >> the administration is pushing back the deadline for coverage that starts january 1st. after a crush of last-minute visitors triggered traffic jams on the site. the administration said that healthcare.gov got 2 million hits yesterday. >> chris