birthday party and there you can see finally i got three kids who live in three different states, so christmas was great 'cause we were all together. >> how fun. >> now we have six seconds. after the show show, maria talks, promise. bill: get ready, a powerful winter storm moving through the midwest and bearing down on the east coast. winter watches and warnings from new york up to boston. we are talk about blizzard conditions and up to a foot of snow in some areas. indiana, ohio and illinois are getting dumped on. the rescue of 50 people stranded in the antarctic continues at this hour.

so that's the first step. the first step is getting a helicopter to land on the ice and pick everybody up. they say this has been a success so far. but the weather has been too bad for rescuers to rescue them so far. it will be a couple weeks before they get back home. patti ann: i'm patti ann browne in for martha maccallum. they are taking the tourists onboard to an australian icebreaker. they say it has been the adventure of a lifetime. bill: what's the latest from the ship? >> reporter: it does seem extraordinary that a big chunky helicopter could land not just

once, but five time in the ocean. that's how many trims it took to get those 50-plus people to their getaway vessel. they wanted to make sure it was done in an orderly way. it looks like a clear day down in antarctica. we heard from the excited explorers at daybreak before their exodus began. >> we heard that a chinese helicopter was heading over to check out our helipad behind me. we'll be gone in an hour's time. >> reporter: there have been many hopes dashed, a few rescue missions that didn't work out. icebreakers that couldn't make the cut getting through that thick ice. >> what happens for the rescues

passengers? what's next for them? >> you think rescued home but it will be two weeks before they make it back to hobart, tasmania. the researchers and tourists on board. the 22 russian crew members who are going to stay with the academic stranded ship until the ice breaks. some people are speculating they may require rescue as well. but they will be there for an indefinite period of time waiting to bring that embattled ship back to its port. patti ann: a monster winter storm pounding parts of the northeast after hitting the midwest hard with heavy snow and cancelling hundreds of flights to chicago.

dangerously cold temperatures making things even worse. garrett is live in chicago. >> reporter: you can see behind me downtown chicago with all the snowfall, you can barely see it. throughout much of the region this storm brought more than a foot of snow across areas of lake michigan, wisconsin, chicago, indiana and michigan. more than 600 flights were canceled at chicago's o'hare airport and it has made for dangerous driving conditions. more than a dozen people were injured and a driver killed outside south bend, indiana when a truck crashed into the car carrying those passengers. patti ann: how much more snow is

expected? >> reporter: this is the lake-effect snow. we are expecting up to 10 inches on top of that. up to a foot in some areas. the lake-effect snow comes as the cold winds move across lake michigan and pick up on water vapor and dump that as snow on the land along lake michigan. throughout the day it's expected to fall at more than 2 inches an hour in some areas. it's creating zero visibility and dangerous driving conditions. bill: 10 more inches. just getting rolling. folks in ohio taking it slow. dealing with 4-6 inches. driving conditions difficult as the mercury dips into the teens. >> it's pretty icy out there, so trying to go at a slow pace.

>> it's been pretty rough. we were driving up in michigan and we saw a car spin out right in front of us and hit the guardrail. patti ann: more than 70 million, that many the number of people the storm will likely effect from the midwest to the northeast. more than 70 million people affected by the storm and more than 90 million people traveled through january 1. 70% of deaths during the holiday season are reef hated to

weather. bill: if you have a picture of illinois, michigan, ohio, indiana, send us your pictures. the number of people seeking unemployment benefits dropping slightly. extending unemployment benefits high on the agenda. stuart varney, host of the varney and company. good morning you have to. the issue on the jobless number, better or not. >> that's still a very high number. 339,000 people claiming jobless benefits. that's still a high number. it's down a little from where it was a year ago or 18 months ago. the democrats will use that relatively high number for an

extension. they say it's the right things to do because people are hurting and in need to extend those unemployment benefits to over a million people that just lost those benefits. the second arm, the economy needs that spending power. they need people spending that jobless benefits check. the demy argument. the counter argument is how long do you keep paying forward. it's roughly two years, you want to extends it some more? and if you do, how do you pay for it? it will just run up the debt. economists argue if you are extend even more you extend the track. they cannot afford to take a job. if they took a job, they would lose all kinds of benefits. unemployment benefits, food stamps, you name it, they lose it. republicans and economists don't

want to see that trap extended. bill: how much longer would they extends that to? >> i have not seen the precise proposal. another 6 months. bill: would it pass in the house? >> reporter: probably not. they do extend, the republicans want somebody pay for it. where do you cut in order to extend the benefits? the administration says if you keep paying these benefits you will improve the economy. but that's an open question at this point. bill: happy new year, i'm sure you had a thrilling time. thank you, stuart. 10 minutes past. justice sonia sotomayor block a key provision of obamacare setting up a legal battle.

patti ann: a man thought to be dead for a year has just been arrested. bill: people lining up around the block to buy pot. marijuana is legal in colorado. >> i would rather use cannabis than xanax. it helps me a lot. than the research this man has at his disposal is how he puts it to work for his clients. morning. morning. thanks for meeting so early. co on in. [ male annncer ] it's how edward jones makes sense of investing.

patti ann: well wishes are pouring in from across the country for former first lady barbara bush. she remains hospitalized for a respiratory illness. >> she is in great spirits and getting great care over at methodist. we are very pleads and we are taking it one day at a time. patti ann: president obama says

michelle and i sends our best wishes for her recovery. barbara is blessed to have both a loving spirit and a family by her side. bill: supreme court justice blocking obamacare for a group of nuns in a charity group. happy new year to you, stephen. you say the injunction is not a surprise by sotomayor. did she step in based on her belief or to be careful with the law right now? >> i think it's probably more the latter. she declined to step in when hobby lobby a for-profit corporation made a similar request.

this is a sympathetic group. working for a non-profit, helping elderly nursing homes around the country. there is a precedent for this. there have been other injunctions and relief given to non-profits around the country. bill: the point for the group of catholic nuns is if you make us provide birth control not only does it violate our religious beliefs, but if we do not do it and adhere to the law we'll suffer fines that will cause us to go bankrupt. >> right. the administration remember back in the spring proposed what they called the compromise which would have allowed the non-profit groups certify they weren't actually providing this contraceptive and abortive fashion coverage but the understand companies would be doing so on their behalf. the argument you hear from those

representing this' group and others is that's not good enough. we would be signing off and facilitating the coverage of these kinds of contraceptives and abortive fashions for our employees. bill: why did the administration think it was necessary to include this contraception mandate in the healthcare bill to begin with? >> we heard from the president pretty consistently that he believes the government should be in the business of covering all of women's health, including birth control and abortive fashions. in the end abortions themselves if they had their way. this is the argument the president during the argument about the passage of the affordable care act and he made it consistently ever since. bill: on the screen weep defer to the department of justice on litigation matters but remain confident our final rules strike

a balance of providing women free contraceptive coverage while providing non-religious employers with religious objections for contraceptive coverage. you expect this to go to the supreme court, right? >> we'll hear this discussed in terms of the hobby lobby case. i think the administration has a difficult case to make that this is not a violation of the freedom of religion restoration act. bill: there is a case in oklahoma that you think will be featured prominently. does that have a better chance? >> i think the implications of the case in oklahoma are much

more far reaching because they deal with the ability of the federal government to provide subjects does -- to provide subsidies. they face an up i will battle in the language they decided to put in the law in the first place. that could have a broader impact on obamacare. it could pull the guts out of the middle of obamacare. this is a side issue that wouldn't have that effect. bill: the hobby lobby case we'll probably get a ruling in june. do any of these challenges on contraception, do they have the potential to derail obamacare? >> i think they have a potential to make it much more difficult to implement. when you have so many exemptions

it becomes an inconsistent law and makes it harder to follow. bill: thank you, and happy new year to you. we'll see you on special report, i'm guessing you will be there. >> thanks. patti ann: russian president vladimir putin vowing to take on terrorists. can the government protect athletes and spectators. is inequality in america the new catch phrase for progressives? >> this inequality problem bedevils the entire country and i can tell from you my work, much of the world.

bill: firefighters in minneapolis working to get inside a burned out apartment building after a fire rookd three-story structure on new year's day. >> there is no better calling than saving human lives. and today they saved a good deal of human lives. bill: authorities say some people may have been pushed out by the force of that blast, minneapolis. patti ann: colorado becoming the first state in america to legalize marijuana for recreational use. all eyes on colorado. what is so -- why is the nation watching this so closely? >> reporter: if they can pull this off there is a good bet

others will follow. this is an ounce of marijuana. this will cost you close to $400. yesterday 650 people lined up to be able to buy this. in colorado you have to be a resident to buy an ounce. if you are outside of colorado you can buy a quarter ounce. when we spoke to one of the first people to buy marijuana legally, it wasn't about raising money for the government. hear's what he told us. >> it's an let honor. i couldn't be happier. it's stepping stones for other states. it's a huge honor to say the least. >> reporter: they are getting ready for business at the medicine man. 650 people yesterday to buy marijuana legally. not medicinal marijuana, but

recreational use. and a third of those people they say came from out of state. patti ann: this an industry now. how big might this become? >> reporter: in colorado medical marijuana is a billion dollar industry. a respected economist from harvard university says marijuana in the united states legal and illegal is a $20 billion tri. there have been various studies about what this industry could produce taxwise. if you were to tax mayor juan pennsylvania legally the way they do in colorado, the way we do with tobacco and alcohol it will raise $8 billion in tax revenue if the 5080s were to follow colorado's lead. bill: kind of like amer dam out

there. if you live there you buy more. if you are a visitor, you buy less. a fugitive wanted for bank fraud was declared legally dead. but it turns out he's have much alive. you will not believe how police caught this man. patti ann: knee the northeast bracing for heavy snow, strong wind and vicious withs. a vicious storm heading their way. >> i was getting ready to go to my grandma's house but i think i'm going to go home now. i do a lot oresearch on angie's list before i do any projects on my home. i love my contractor, and i am so thankful to angie's list for bringing us together. find out why more than two million members count on angie's list. angie's list -- reviews you can trust.

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bill were folks in boston and the east getting ready for this storm. molly line is trying to stay warm. >> reporter: good morning to you. this is what we are dealing with already. this is the beginning of the storm. for most folks this is the first day back after the holidays. they are trying to make it into work. the snow is coming down pretty hard. we are expecting to get a couple inches by the afternoon commute. tomorrow morning already a lot of school cancellations are

being reported. here is one of the first plows we have been seeing. the department of transport case here across massachusetts, over 1,000 folks cruising these streets trying to make sure people can get to where they need to be safely. they are urning people to stay home. and to get off these road. they want to give the plows a chance to get out here and get things cleared up. bill: what about transportation from the airport? is that being affected already? >> reporter: i took a quick look at logan international. we are seeing a few delays. mass-port has urged people to check their flights. we are expecting to get information from them in the coming hours. it's already messy out on the road. it will be a lot for people to

handle at the airport as well. a possibility of 1 inches of snow, particularly along the coastal areas. we'll wait to see if that show piles up to that degree. bill: enjoy the new year, molly line in boston. she mentioned the airport. bill: los angeles, united, boston, jfk, flight cancellations. jetblue as well. it's 81 degree today in los angeles. patti ann: vladimir putin vowing to wipe out terrorists. the attacks putting russia on edge as it prepares to host athletes and leaders from around the world.

jack keane is a former vice chief of staff of the army and a fox news analyst. doku umarov, do you believe he's behind this? >> most russian security officials believe he's behind this attack. the fact of the matter is he hasn't claimed it, but it has his fingerprints all over it. as world attention is focused on the games. he wants the world attention on his cause and what he's trying to achieve. and he clearly wants to diminish and undermine the success of the games because clearly this is a state thing putin wants in terms of the prestige that the olympics always bring to a country, and umarov wants to

undermine that prestige. patti ann: his group of chechen rebels is believed to have inspired the tsarnaev brothers, they were from the caucasus. is that the strategy to hit the soft targets and not sochi itself, but a transportation hub that people will pass through to get there that's less protected? >> i don't think we know what is ultimate strategy is. but sochi is pretty much shut down. people can come in there, but everything will be examined, their bagged and luggage. everything will be examined. it will be tougher to penetrate sochi. but given the size of russian, any some of the target, it's virtually impossible to protect

against an attack like that. certainly the people in russia will be vulnerable as we move into this olympic game period that starts on the 7th of february. patti ann: back to putin in this new year's day speech the russian president vowed to consistently and completely fight against terrorists until their complete annihilation. >> he takes a brutal approach. if he can locate the terrorists he will go in there with everything he has. recall the terrorists were taking refuge in the city of g rasne. he went in and blew apart those neighborhoods block by block kills thousands of innocents people to get the terrorists

that were in the city. he killed many more people than he did terrorists. patti ann: looking ahead to the olympics a short time from now. can the safety of american athletes and spectators from all countries and world leaders be assured? >> i think wherever olympics are being held it's always a major security issue and a tremendous focus on it. based on what has happened in previous olympics. we have been able to protect the athletes and protect the participants because of the significant security focus. the russian security officials know how to protect the olympic games. i'm sure they are all over it in making certain that does happen. nonetheless there can always be a penetration. these rebels are absolutely determined. their home is just a few hundred mile from so chicago itself. patti ann: we are hearing some talk from people saying we should pull out. any chance of that happening?

>> no, at this point i don't think that's going to happen. i think it's unfair to the athletes who work so hard. like most americans we enjoy watching the olympics. their motivation and dedication and inspiration to the everybody who is watching that. and you tune in every four years and you receive events you normally don't see, and you see tremendous people in terms of what they are trying to accomplish in their lives. patti ann: general jack keane, thank you as always. bill: you are going to be all right, right? former israeli prime minister ariel sharon taking a turn for the worst. and why the clintons appearance at the swearing in of the new york city's new mayor is raising eyebrows. >> when i said i would take dead

aim at the tale of two cities, i amendments it.

patti ann: the former. of israel ariel sharon is clinging to life. he has been in a coma for nearly 8 years following a stroke at the height of his political power. his family is at his bedside. >> the problem bedevils the entire country and i can tell you from my work, much of the world. it's not just a smoarl jowfts rage. it's a more icial constraints on economic growth and giving people the security we need to tackle things like climate change. bill: all kinds of buzz words.

the clinton pushing the idea of eve quality. inequality seemed to be the buzz word. is this the new message for 2016? alan colmes, happy new year. , brad, he governed from the middle and now it's the tale of two cities. it's dickens. >> he's trying to lay blame on the inequality in this country, but it's from the policies of the government. look at the number of americans on food stamps. republicans believe it's better to give people a job and the democrats believe it's better to give people a check.

democrats complain that there is inequality by the very policies they are advancing. go with this message. you failed your own people. >> happy new year, brad. what's the republican plan for jobs or healthcare? in new york city we have had more homelessness since the great depression under the bloomberg administration who did many things right as deblasio pointed out yesterday. 52,000 new yorkers are in shelters everyight including children. in the tale of two cities the rich have gotten rich errant poor have gotten boorer. bill: there are two stories here. the one story is the clintons were there. do we agree that she is running for president, 2015? >> oh, yeah.

bill: they made a point of being there for the swearing in the night before and came back for the inauguration the next day. why did they feel it was necessary to be so prominent at both events? is this the way you shore up the base? >> i think it's about them. about them being there as the midnight and the next day. we are talking about the clintons. we are not talking about the new mayor. this is part of their strategy. when there is so much attention focused on an events why not appear. they will suck the energy out of a story that should be about the new mayor. >> it's an honor to be by a former president. >> i think the clintons will never resist the temptation of upstaging an event. more people are talking about

the clintons than the new mayor. we are talking about the clintons. bill: did you follow the new york city mayor tweet line yesterday? i thought i was reading pravda. i have lived in new york for 12 years. i walk these sidewalks every day. i see people from all over the world who made a choice to live in this great city because they want a better shot at life. but this is america's under life. why are we demonizing this yesterday. we had a chaplain who called new york city a plantation. what's going on with this language? >> you and i live in a good neighborhood. but there is a tale of two cities, bill deblasio ran on that against a bevy of more moderate candidates. there is a divisiveness and

extreme tea party that is no longer relating to mainstream america. bill deblasio has a populist message and it's resonating in new york. >> is it populace or class warfare? the on idea i heard yesterday is they will tax people who make $500,000 a year and put it into pre-k classes in new york city. >> obama ran on it himself. soak the rich. somehow the top 5% are responsible for all the woes. the top 5% pay for everybody else. in new york you will find the top earners pay for everybody else. what will they do? they will do what they have previously done. that will be a boon to places like new jersey and connecticut. they will just leave because they won't be subject to this demonization. >> we have the lowest tax rate

since the eisenhower administration. trickle down only made the rich richer. that's why there is a vanishing middle class in is lake new york, something bill deblasio with his populace policies are helping to return. bill: the to be market they have seen their investments double. a tax structure that's 50% of your gross income. >> we have lower tax rates federally since the eisenhower administration and it's not working. >> you know what the democrats answer to that is? spend more money. look at obamacare. obamacare doesn't hurt the rich. they can get the best doctors. it's hurting the middle class. unemployment, healthcare, food stamps, whether it's disability. you guys are brought a war against the middle class.

bill: does this message sell? >> bill deblasio won a primary against a bevy of moderate candidate. and we'll see his policies work. new york city is a multi-cultural and complex city. bill: if a republican candidate comes in 2016 and starts cutting back and taxes and cuts back on regulation that frees business from the binds of government so they start employing again. you made the case earlier that what republicans will argue is that you improved the economy and that's how you give people a fair shake. >> the way you improve the economy is give people a job, not a check. >> how? what's the plan? >> real simple. you guys don't understand it. we are not going to spend more

than we take in. we'll cut back on government. we'll lower taxes and create more opportunities. >> but that hasn't worked. trickle down has not worked. bill: we will get some more idea from you because it is the new year. enjoy your two cities, allen. i'll see you on the sidewalk. patti ann: a fugitive wants forward bank fraud pulled another fast one. allegedly faking his own death. now he's back from the dead and behind bars. bill: new efforts to save a california teenager declared brain dead as her family prays for a miracle. >> if the hospital would take one percent of the money they are paying their hired guards and their staff and put that money toward helping us we could have had jahi out of here before christmas.

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bill: a powerful winter storm bearing down on the midwest. winter watches and warnings. there is a lot of white stuff already on the glowntd boston. they may get 2-12-14 inches in parts of massachusetts. we are watching all that, live reports from various parts of that storm coming up. patti ann: an accused swindler wanted by the fbi might have those was in the clear after apparently faking his own death. but now this fugitive banker is back from the dead and behind

bars. what is this banger -- what is this banker accused of? >> reporter: he was the director of the montgomery bang bang -- montgomery bank in georgia. federal investigators say i embezzled $20 million. authorities say he admitted this in a rambling note he sent to family and acquaintances just before his disas persons in june of 2012. 's. in that note which every one presumes was written by mr. price, he indicates the writer indicates he planned to commit suicide by jumping off of a ferry boat somewhere off the coast of florida. indeed security cameras captured image as the that appeared to

showed the banker boarding a ferry in key west. a florida judge declared him legally dead. the fbi wasn't so convinced and continued its investigation. even offering a $20,000 award for his arrest. after an $18-month search he was arrested on a routine traffic stop in new brunswick, georgia. that's where he's scheduled to make an appearance in court. bill: the first winter storm of 2014 bearing down on the east. patti ann: as obamacare kicks in for millions of americans the troubled healthcare lay faces a number of major challenges.

>> new hour and fox news alert.

a powerful explosion in beruit killing at least two. we will have more on that later. and a blizzard barreling into the northeast and a massive storm begins winding its path across the united states. millions have been affected already. >> millions of americans are in the storm's path and heavy snow and powerful winds are not the only danger spread subzero temperatures are spreading across the united states. >> you are going to be okay

there, we will give you a little break. let's start in chicago. how are things there? >> the snow is still coming down. this is downtown chicago and you can hardly see it with the amount of snow. this has been coming since tuesday afternoon. ice plows and salt spreaders have been working non-stop since tuesday evening. it has dropped more than a foot of snow. it is 21 degree and the wind is coming off the lake and it feels more like eight degrees. we know of one accident in northern indiana where dozens of

people were injured and flight delays of more than an hour so far this morning. >> ten more inches coming our way you said last hour? >> at least that. that is a lake effect snow we have seeing when the cold winds move across the lakefront and pick up the water vapor. the snow and wind is blowing oh 8-10 more inches expected from wiscons wisconsin, ohio, and indiana as well. >> how is this thing moving?

shaping up the way you had expected? >> this is a complicated weather pattern. we have two pieces of energy. one is in the midwest and the winds behind it is blowing in the cold air over the warmer great lakes and that is what is producing the significant accumulation. but there is another police producing rain in the carolinas and georgia and we will see the wind and snowfall in the nort northeast. so indiana, ohio, and all the way up to the state of long isl

wind affect and they could see as much as 18 inches in the areas where the heavy snow fall bans are developed. ten inches in new york city and gust along the coast up to 50 miles per hour and that will produce blizzard and white out conditions. so you can see on the computer there. if people had heading back into the work, travel is going to be dangerous. temperatures -- coldest temperatures we have seen in

years. below zero acrossew enland and with the wind it will be brutally cold. >> the last major snow storm to hit to northeast was last february. 650 thousand homes and businesses had no power and it forced people to brave the bitter cold with no heat. how do you plan on weathering this storm? send me a tweet. getting folks from pennsylvania ohio, michigan, and illinois. rescue crews reaching that

stranded ship in antarctica. they got 52 of the 74 passenger to nearby ship. their ship was stuck on the ice. the operation is running smoothly. >> i am trying to avoid the situation of having them all separates on different ships >> it will take two weeks to be back home in australia or new zealand. obamacare is the law of the land and the individual mandate kicked in as of yesterday but

the health care overhaul is going through big test. how many people have paid for benefits? >> the administration says 2.1 have enrolled but it is not clear how many have written a check. they have until january 10th to pay were the benefits that started yesterday. >> let's face it. there are going to be a lot of glitches and they will get a lot of attention and i don't know that the good news is going to outweigh the bad news particularly in the next couple months certainly the next couple weeks >> the chairman is going to be watching to see if there is a

surge of people showing up at the medical facility. >> what is the administration saying as they hope for better headlines? >> they are hoping for people being able to receive treatment and specialties. kathleen sebelius predicts it will bea great year. >> it should be a good new year for a lot of people. >> preparations are underway for jahi mcmath's move to a

long-term facility. is she going to be moved there? >> the facility is in long island new york. the family wants her to be moved but the hospital has a different story. there was talk of southern california and other locations in the bay area and now this facility on long island in nrew york opened up saying they would allow her body to come there and they would take care of her. the uncle has been the spokesperson of her. >> the fact children's hospital will not perform procedures and

all allow anyone to come in and do it. so we are trying to go around and find a physician at the nearby facility to do the procedure. >> they have until thursday to move her. >> there is a legal battle and a pr battle between the family's tax reform and had hospital. how is that how now? >> you have the fam ohio saying one thing and the hospital saying another and you have a facility in new york that said they would accept her but the hospital will not let people inside do the story. and another story from hospital

is they have no specifics. this is what they had to say: >> we don't believe there is any hospital in the united states that will perform hospitals on a deceased body. and he is making demands they can produce transportation and facilities they would take the deceased person. no one stepped forward. >> so you can see we have getting two different stories. the hospital saying they have not gotten information or details and the family saying they are ready to go. today might be a big day for it to play out as potentially the new york facility is set up and she is moved there or not.

>> there are new concerns about the biggest taxes under obamacare. and why it could affect your premiums. and there is this: >> have you seen that fiery oil train derailment? new information on what federal investigation investigators found on the scene and wie why we are one step closer to putting people on mars. putting people on mars. check it out. i can't believe your mom has a mom cave! today i have new campbell's chuy spicy chicken quesadilla soup. she gives me chunky before every game. i'm very souperstitious. haha, that's a good one! haha! [ male announcer ] campbell's chunky soup. it fills you up right.

>> new developments on the oil derailment. they found a broken axle at the

scene. no one injured. but more than 15,000 evacuated from their home. >> yesterday marked the first day of coverage but also the first annual fee for health insurers. they are expected to pay $100 billion over the next decade and that cost will likely be passed on. what is the impact on families? >> almost all of the economic analysts that has been done of this tax says the cost will be passed on to families and small

businesses. this year will be about a $100 per plan. but we are talking about $500 a year over time. this is a significant tax. and the whole idea and mission of obamacare is to get more people covered with health insurance. i could not under the concept of taxing plans if you want people to be able to afford health insurance. >> the impact on businesses and those cost with passed on. but most union plans are exempt. >> yes,and people are saying why

is it the smaller businesses have to pay the taxes but the uni unions dant. and a lot of employers are looking at dropping their health plans. this tax increases incentives for businesses to drop the plans all together. >> the health insurance company has been lobbying against this. and there is a bill to appeal to. do you think it will happen? >> there is a push to get rid of the tax but the president doesn't want to get rid of the tax. he says we are going to stick with the tax. so you could see a showdown

between congress and the president. i don't think the president is going to want to relax it. >> if it does get repealed, would certain elements work without working polices, does it work? >> if they got rid of this tax they would have to fill the hole and a lot of people are not signing up for obamacare so the premiums are not going to come in at what they thought. so remember the promise this will not cost the federal treasury a dime that is looking wrong. it is looking like obamacare in addition to other problems of getting it rolled out, i think you could see a major impact on

the deficit of obamacare. >> the obamacare administration is facing pressure over the keystone pipeline. what some oil producers are doing to keep the plans rolling and a kiss connection -- a woman takes measures at a find the man she hopes is mr. right. >> i think it is romantic. >> i worked in bars for years and have never seen that.

>> great football game here. michigan state and stanford.

here is one highlight. conner cook led the spartan's comeback. fiesta bowl here with baylor bears upset by ucf. tiny little ucf from orlando florida win it 52-42. 2013 marked by debate with no movement on the discussion of the keystone pipeline. back and forth on the environmental safety made many wonder if the president can ever decide this. there have been developments related to keystone but not the

kind you would expect. explain. >> some of the companies that have been waiting were the second line to open are learning to live without it. the proposed pipeline would run from alberta, candidate to t the -- canada -- to the gulf coast states >> it is potentially going to come to the south bye-bye by a barge and it would add $2 a barrel to every barrel.

>> they ship 90% of oil via rail car. >> what is the pressure of the administration? >> the pressure to reject keystone is emitting from the democratic side. 25 democrats urged him not to approve the plan until the inspector general's probe wraps. >> you are aware we have been brewing comments and working toward the report. >> the obama administration has approved the final third of the pipeline. a they even stepped in to speed up

the process. the white house is continuing to the push to promote obamacare to young americans but enrollment and far from where it needs to be. >> and new details about another explosion in the middle east and we are live with the latest on that next. [ bottle ] okay, listen up! i'm here to get the lady of the house back on her feet. [ all gasp ] oj, veggies you're cool. mayo? corn dogs? you are so outta here! aah! 'cause i'm re-workin' the menu, keeping her healthy and you on your toes. [ female announcer ] the complete balanced nutrition beirut 24 vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, and 9 grams of protein. i see you, cupcake! uh-oh! [ bottle ] the number one doctor recommended brand. ensure®. nutrition in charge™.

>> a fox news alert.

the capital of lebanon was blasted with another bombing. it happened in beirut. >> we are getting new details. we believe it was a car bomb. it is a neighborhood that has been attacked into the past few months. 7 people are dead and 20 are injured. lebanon is no stranger to violence. violence has grown and so as the ethnic contention.

syria and lebanon mirror each other. and the violence is spilling over and there is a concern that lebanon may descend into silver war. hezbollah has jumped in and that has reprecussian in lebanon. it isn't clear if today's attack was in response to last week's violence. but there is a fear the tit for tat violence is going to increase. >> thank you. >> the white house is stepping up the push to promote

obamacare. president obama sent a tweet with a little boy next to him tweeting i signed the aca were the kids like this. he lost his mom because she couldn't afford coverage. and today millions of americans can. happy new year to you. you win. you're in california. you say you feel sorry for those defending obamacare. still? >> for the last four years they had to judge the intent and now they have the judge the reality and that is it is a disaster. it is dishonest and not talk

about the people who are worse off who can't afford the premium or can't see the doctor orthe people who are hurt by this. you would not let your kids get away with one point and take the truth. >> you have the obama administration none of us can be denied coverage from preexisting condition, none of us will get thrown off insurance because of cancer or whatnot, and you have millions on the logs.

>> what you are saying is you have reached a place of no return. >> you have people who have health insurance, but there is a difference between health insurance and health care. 70% of doctors in company have refused to see obamacare. so it is going to be impossible to access health care >> what is an obamacare patient? we are all subject to obamacare. obamacare is more than health care exchanges. all of us are subject to obamacare. i don't buy my insurance in the health care exchanges. but i will not longer be denied. >> we will find out how people are doing in time. >> we will. >> and what is your expectation?

>> i would hope for four years we have had scare mongering by people saying the world will collapse and now we will see. i will suspect people will be happy they will not be denied. >> he is saying this doesn't guarantee you the insurance >> now they are screaming not everyone is guaranteed free health care. do you want to go back to the days where people didn't have health insurance? >> there are ways to help people afford health care without hurting millions of others.

we could have connected it to the person so there was no pre-existing conditions. we could have made it tax-free in the free market. >> the beauty of all of that were the republican were in charge but didn't do that. the pre-existing conditions have been around as long as the country has been around. >> republicans run a danger of hurting themselves if they continue to run in favor of the repeal of the law. do you see tat that as a danger? >> only if they don't provide an

alternative. you have to present them with another rope. so the republicans complaining about obamacare, not good enough. but presenting something true and honest, that is the way to go >> i would love to see the house of represents pass a health control law and we can debate that. but the reality is they have not done that. >> it is new year and we will see how it works. >> happy new year. >> winter of 2014 is in full force with heavy snow, strong winds and frigid temperatures heading east. >> and the efforts in the routine efforts of the

california girl on life support. >> this isn't a game. it is like she is locked up there in the tower. they will not help her but they will utnot give us what we need to get her out. to get her out. [ cellphone rings ] hello? [ male announcer ] over 12,000 financial advisors. good, good. good over $700 billion dollars in assets under care. let me just put this away. [ male announcer ] how did edward jones get so big? could you teach kids that trick? [ male announcer ] by not acting that way. ok, st quarter... [ male announcer ] it's how edward jones makes sense of investing. ♪

>> race car driver michael shoemaker is showing signs of improvement after being in a medically induced coma after a skiing accident last sunday. the brain scans shows a small, but positive, change. >> terry shivo's family is joining the family of jahi mcmath to keep the girl on a ventilator. they are fighting to move the

girl to a treatment facility. doctors to shivo was in a persiste persistent vegetative state and the family was involved in a battle. jahi mcmath is on a ventilator and the hospital is referring to her as deceased body. >> no one is denying the family right to keep her on life support and the court said this

particular hospital isn't obligated. the family is trying to but the hospital is saying there is no other hospital that will. >> shivo's family is now involved and her organization says hospital corporations have a financial interest in discontinuing life. did you believe in that? did you believe the cases are similar? >> no, she was in a vegetative state and her heart would beat and she could breathe without assi assistance. this child is brain dead so she can not breathe on her own. if you disconnect her she would die immediately. so it is a different case.

the hospital is going to have a hard time finding someone that is going to take aspecial -- essentially -- a deceased body. and it is going to be expensive. >> the family said they found a facility on long island but the hospital is saying the family is unwilling or unable to provide a doctor that will perform the procedure or the facility to take at a dead person on ventilator. who can sort out the information? >> there has been a lot of

misinformation. the hospital is saying no facility is reaching out to them. and a breathing tube and feeding tube has to be put into her. and the question is who would perform the procedure. and the hospital want specifics about coordinated and the family is saying they are are not cooperating. >> the hospital doesn't want to keep her on a feeding tube. she is on a ventilator but the family says it doesn't matter because she is being starved to death. what are the legal rights in terms of the feeding tube? >> the judge ruled they have to

keep the ventilator going not the breathing tube. the so the hospital is following the court's order in the case. if they can not get her moved they will rye to change the orders. >> the court's order is they don't have to keep her on a feeding tube. they didn't say they can't. what recourse does the family have? >> they would have to appeal. the hospital isn't under obligation to keep life support past january 7th. but the hospital is saying this is in their view a dead person and they are not going to provide life support or a feeding tube beyond the date they have to. so they can appeal or get another hospital to take her before the need for a feeding

tube is so imminent she dies >> what are the implications were the people filling out a living will? >> well this could solve that. if she had a living will saying i don't or i do want my life prolong. most people don't have a living will. especially someone as young as this. >> thank you both for joining us. >> 12 minutes before the hour. and jenna lee is coming up on happening now. >> how is your new year going? >> outstanding. >> great to see you. unemployment and health care are

big talks. and the key to reversing dementia. and how high will your heating bill rise? as much of the country is hit with the first winter of the new year. >> you are still perfect. >> thank you, bill. keep it coming. what are you doing were the next two hours? come sit on set. >> if you could live on mars, would you? people are plying for the chance to live and die on mars.

>> this is a real life romance myste mystery that is growing. ben and courtney met in a restaurant and spoke for hours but she left before getting his number. she posted signs to try to get his number. >> i have had positive voice mails and text messages saying i hope you find him. >> well it has gone viral with the #find ben circulating.

>> is she making that up? that happened? just asking here. more than a thousand human beings are willing to live and die on mars. these people have made the first c cut. cory powell is breaking it down. the concept is what? >> nasa is making slow progress toward mars. private companies want to step in. this is a dutch man running mars one. he said i want to run a one-way trip to mars. i will create the first

martians. >> the key phrase is one way. you go to mars and die? >> you go to mars and live or you go to mars and die. >> either way no round trip -- >> you are a permanent martian. >> how crazy is this idea? >> we know how to go to mars. we don't know how to keep a person alive in deep space on a trip to mars. we have not done it. in some ways the hardest part is the time table and funding. they claim they can do it for $6 billion and get the first humans there in 2023. so they are saying in less than a decade. nasa is saying they would need 20 years and a $100 or $200

billion. >> is this practical? possible? or are they looking for publicity? >> this thing is going to be treated like a television show. watching them from space to landing and doing everything they can do on the surface of mars. they want to sell the rights and make it big event like the olympics and fund it that way. >> we have never proven we can go to mars. >> radiation is the biggest problem. they have a new rocket they want to use. >> what is the criteria for those who are applying? >> the first call was 200 people

and they are going through physical and psychological evaluation and figure out who is ready to take the trip. you have to be mentally, physically fit, and willing to die for your belief. >> the psychological one will be interesting. >> people came to the new world knowing they will not come back >> true. >> happy new year to you. >> snow, wind, cold and you name it. the next couple days could be rough. we will tell you what to tect.

bill: so we asked you about your winter plans and your pictures. scott sent this from rolling prairie, indiana. that is his backyard. night. from ohio. that is kind of cool too.

steve says i'm beating indiana snow, staying in clearwater, florida. closest thing are sand men on the beach. that is enough from you. enjoy the storm. it is coming. kudos for you sticking it out. a little tea from the boss is nice. >> thanks for that. sorry, folks. bill: got to run. "happening now" starts right now. jenna: florida is the place to be today. mother nature ushering in the new year with a dangerous winter storm for a large swath of country. watches and warnings in effect from the midwest up to new england. sub-zero temperatures and heavy snow threatening someplaces and travel plans. with whiteout conditions expected the worst is yet to come. we have all you need to know in a live report. first breaking news on today's top headlines and brand new stories you will see here first. jon: a new fight. a year after the