crabtree. bill: who is talking about you? martha: who is talking about you? that is so funny. bill: i don't have a problem what he said. imagine what they say behind the face mask? televise that. we've got to run. have a good weekend. martha: bye, everybody, have a good weekend. no i will save it for monday. "happening now" starts right now. >> today's top headlines and brand new stories you will see first. jon: the former governor of virginia, bob mcdonnell and his wife in federal court this morning facing a slew of corruption charges. we'll take you live from richmond. new message from al qaeda's leader, al-zawahiri. what he wants his followers to do in war-torn syria. the waves are up with greatest athletes taking 10 in hawaii. it is all "happening now."

jon: hawaii looks pretty good right now. it is about 12 degrees outside our windows. >> absolutely. jon: let's get to our top story. brand new fox polls showing support for obamacare dropping to new lows. good morning to you on this friday. i'm jon scott. >> i'm uma pemmaraju in for jenna lee. as approval of obamacare drops, kathleen sebelius is promoting the law as a key official resigns. after leaving with only six months on the job. the white house brought him in last summer to help and he steps down after a health care forced him to withdraw. ed henry chief correspondent from the white house. ed, good to see you. >> reporter: white house officials say there were family issues that chris jennings had to attend to in addition to the health scare. that is why he is stepping down. what is important about this, he

is somebody that brought a lot of experience to the table because he served way back in the clinton administration on health care issues as well so obviously had been through many battles on capitol hill while the clinton white house and republicans on hill. and between the obama white house an republicans on the hill. let's face it there is still big battle ahead in implementing this law. the latest fox poll out last night shows the law reaching new lows in terms of popularity on the question whether you favor or oppose it. now 36% favoring. 59% opposing. you can see that favoring is down four points from june of last year. then on the president's handling of health care, 38% approve, 59% disapprove. that is why it is still a big challenge ahead for the president implementing this law but they believe inside the white house they have a good story to tell, that they're turning the corner on the website but more importantly they're increasing enrollment numbers. so they believe they're getting

this law on its feet. >> president's state of the union speech coming up next week. how big of a role health care will play in that speech? >> reporter: it is important for a number of reasons, uma. he does have to try to make the case this law is stablizing but also, has to turn the page a bit from it, to try to focus on immigration reform and the economy and some other priorities in the second term. interesting vice president biden was out yesterday making the case for the law while speaker john boehner was on with jay leno saying this law still needs to be scaled back. take a listen. >> somehow our opposition thought this health care thing, it is not a basic human right. >> we think obamacare is bad for the country. we think we shouldn't spend more than what we bring in. we think the president's ignoring the laws. it is all a fight over tactics. it is not over what our goals are. >> reporter: bottom line, state of the union next week. the president is going to not just make the case for health

care but make the case for why he is still relevant to pushing his agenda. he is getting closer and closer to becoming a lame duck, uma. >> ed henry, thanks for the update. jon: more on the fox polls showing the low for obamacare. monica crowley, fox news contributor and basel michael, a democratic political consultant. as we're speaking, monica, health and human services secretary kathleen sebelius is telling an audience in jacksonville, florida, the website, private websites, private insurance plans for obama care registered about three million participants as of now. 800,000 in january. originally the published white house goal was 4.3 million by this point in time. does that mean they are catching up with the notion of success? >> well, if the numbers are accurate jon, then perhaps, but we still don't know how accurate these numbers are. even the white house administration can not tell you

how accurate they are, when she talks about sign-ups, does that mean who actually enrolled in obamacare by paying first month's premium? we don't really know the demographic mix. they're giving us some estimates but again they need young and healthys to sign up and they're telling us 25 to 28% of those signing up are in that age group. that is not nearly enough to uphold this thing and make it work and again how many of them have actually enrolled to the point where they're paying a first month's premium? we have yet to seen the numbers. jon: let me call up again the poll numbers ed henry was showing us from the white house regarding the president's handling of health care. only 38% say approve, 59% say they approve. as a democratic political consultant how do you fix that? >> the president derided fact people talking about the bad messaging on the bill, but the fact of the matter that messaging matters. to be honest with you i support

the bill but i'm not sure the president and democrats can get there in this 2014 election year in terms of the messaging. i'm hoping that they will. uma raised the question earlier about the state of the union address. i think that has to be the beginning of a strong rollout of better messaging on this bill. the concern however is are the president's coattails strong enough again in this election year? but i think you will see, and i hope you will see quite frankly that the state of the union speech should, should he talk significantly about this bill. that it's the beginning of a larger push, similar to what you saw when he was actually trying to get the bill passed in the first place. jon: we asked kind of a complicated set of questions, monica but i want to putnam members on the screen. asked whether voters think the obamacare law will increase or decrease something. decrease your taxes, 63% say it will increase them. your health insurance costs? 62% think it will increase.

federal deficit, 56% think the deficit will be increased as a result of obamacare. quality of life, only 36%, roughly, one in three are thinking that obamacare will improve quality of life. quality of health care, this is a really astounding to me, only 19% in our "fox news poll" think health care is going to be improved as a result of obamacare. those are, that is a heavy lift for the white house and anybody involved to try to turn around. >> yeah, and bass sill was talking about the messaging on obamacare. the white house says, look we have to get our message out. they have had four or five years to get the message out with obamacare along with leftist media and hollywood and so on, all they have been doing is messaging. it is not a public relations problem. this is not a messaging problem. this is a policy and reality problem. and the numbers you put up there, jon, really tell the

tale. this obamacare, socialized medicine was never popular, never, particularly when it was just a theoretical proposition. now that it is actual reality and people are seeing rise in taxes, rise in health care costs, their premiums, their deductibles, loss in in insurance, seeing less access to their doctors, they're saying this whole thing will cost more to the country as a whole and drive up the deficit and the debt they are now really opposing in stronger numbers that we've ever seen. now that it is reality and directly affecting people's lives you're seeing these numbers get worse for the president, worse for the law and worst for the leftover all because socialized medicine is the crown jewel of the welfare state. jon: did you dispute any of that, basil? >> i don't know i would go so far as to call it socialized medicine of the what i will say this and will concedings the fear in the long term we're getting to a system in health care, interestingly enough more nationalized and more privatized.

what i mean by that, you have a lot more government expenditure because of more people getting on medicare and medicaid especially with the expansion of medicaid in some states. that is ultimately that is not a bad thing but at the same time, you also have a lot more insurance companies now offering health care to people who didn't have it before and the concern is that the costs are going to rise on both, because of both the government intervention and because of the increased in a number of private companies that are providing health care. so i think in the long term the costs are something that we need to take a look at but i'm still, i'm still confident that a lot of the young people that will be able to, that should sign up for this bill will be able to especially with two republican members of congress are trying to fix the bill by offering tax exemptions. maybe that helps. jon: we'll see. this will be a potent political issue would seem come november.

monica, basil, thank you both. >> more problems could be on the way for our nation's health care providers. there is a new medical coding system set to go into effect this fall but some worry it could make it much more difficult for patients to see their doctors and could even push some doctors out of business. garrett tenney has details from chicago. good to see you. what is this new billing system about and why should patients be concerned about it? >> reporter: yeah, uma, the new system is icd-10. this is a set of codes used by doctors to track what ailments you have and used by insurers to determine how much they will pay for specific treatment. this new system, it is very precisely coded. it has more than 68,000 codes for very specific diagnosis. for example, if someone gets burned by flaming water skis there is a code for precisely that. this current system, icd-9, has only 14,000 codes.

many doctors like gomez who have smaller practices they are already struggling to keep up with all the changes required by the affordable care act. right now, just isn't the time to add more mandates. >> when it is so detailed and it is so complicated it is going to be time-consuming. for me, i will be spending way more time adapting to these changes as well as my staff. that means less time for my patients. >> reporter: dr. gomez says that currently she sees about 30 to 40 patients a day. when the system goes live on october 1st that will go down maybe to 10 patients a day, uma. >> going forward does this mean that this could push some doctors out of business? >> reporter: yeah, that is definitely a concern especially for smaller practices. according to a report from the american medical association, nationwide, almost 60% of physicians seeing patients do work in small or solo practices. in the long run dr. gomez and

many others believe icd-10 will help improve medical care. initially doctors have the cost of new equipment, software, training. the biggest concern though is the major billing disruptions are expected to come when it is first rolled out. many doctors, at least initially likely don't be fully paid by insurers for as much as six months. those pushing for the updated system though, they say those concerns are overexaggerated and this change is long overdue. >> icd-9 is over 30 years old and we make the statement, that you wouldn't continue to use medical equipment that's 30 years old. it's outdated. same thing happened to our code set. >> reporter: several members of congress have introduced bills aimed at preventing icd-10 from being implemented. so far those have not gained any traction. uma? >> lots of changes on the way. thank you very much. >> reporter: certainly. jon: talk about needing doctors,

the cleanup continues today of a horrifying crash on a major highway involving dozens of vehicles. what police now say caused this deadly pileup. >> this looks, on the overpass, thought it was expressway and there were eastbound coalitions. there were trucks and cars at that collided together. heck, cars behind me but i put over off the street and ran back here and seeing everybody waving, getting out of their vehicles screaming. jon: plus president obama takes aim at fox news in a recent interview. we'll tell you what the president had to say. former virginia governor bob mcdonnell and his wife in court facing political corruption charges carl cameron has the latest developments. >> reporter: jon, the governor and his wife face 14 alleged charges of bribery and corruption. he was in the courthouse in

richmond. he was in bail hearing. both couples were released on their own recognizance. an arraignment is underway. we'll have more in a moment. oh! progress-oh! [ female announcer ] with 40 delicious progresso soups at 100 calories or less, there are plenty of reasons people are saying "progress-oh!" share your progress-oh! story on progresso.com.

jon: some developing stories we are watching right now. more arctic air and clipper systems moving across much of the united states into next week causing dangerous windchills and temperatures expected to stay well below average. crews today still cleaning up deadly pileup on a major indiana highway. officials say snow and whiteout conditions are to blame for a massive crash that injured three lives -- took three lives and injured 20 people. dozens of vehicles were involved. drivers were left stuck for hours. iowa and new hampshire are set to the keep top slots on primary rules. some blame the process for

hurting mitt romney's chances in 2012. uma: former virginia governor bob mcdonnell, once a rising gop star and his wife appearing in federal court this morning for an a anment and bond hearing released on their own recognizance. they are arraigned on corruption charges accused of accepting 10 of thousand us of dollars worth of gifts from a political donor. carl cameron is at the federal courthouse in virginia. the governor admitted taking the fits. so, carl, what is the defense at this point? >> reporter: the gifts were a matter of friendship and generosity and that the government would not be able to prove as required by law that he specifically had a quid pro quo or agreed upon exchange for those gift that is would provide government services or benefit to a business owned by a name by john any williams, who was the donor who provided these gifts. the mcdonnells believe the government won't be able to do

that. much of the morning was spent in bail hearing. the bail hearing resulted in the both mcdonnells released on their own recognizance. the arraignment itself was concluded. 14 charges against the mcdonnells and they have, excuse me, a trial date has been set for july 2th. we will not be hearing from the defendants nor the prosecutors in this case. the judge, pardon me. the judge has said there is effectively a gag order on this they are not going to allow this case to be tried in the media. so the prosecutors and the defendants will not be talking about it. here's a little bit what mr. mcdonnell said when the indictments were revealed earlier this week when he argued that the federal government won't be able to make its case. watch. >> no other elected official has been successfully prosecuted for such conduct. yet federal officials in washington in their zeal to find a basis for charging maureen and me have decided to stretch the

law to its breaking point in this case. >> reporter: again we're not going to be hearing anymore from former governor mcdonnell, nor his wife or the prosecutors. the judge today said if they begin to prosecute this or defend themselves in public, he will throw them into jail. there are two of the 14 counts carry penalties up to 30 years. most of the rest would be total of 20 years. the proceedings are underway now. the trial date now set for former governor mcdonnell and his wife, july 28th. send it back to you in new york. uma: carl what do we know about offers for plea deals right now? >> reporter: sorry? uma: what do we know about offers for any kind of a plea deal? >> reporter: there are reports that earlier last year mrs. mcdonnell took some sense of responsibility and guilt for accepting a lot of these gifts for the former donor and discussed with investigators possibility of an arrangement where her husband wouldn't be charged. that apparently was rejected. at one point the justice department, they will not

comment about this formally, they offer ad plea to governor mcdonnell cops down to one charge against him and his wife would not be charged. governor mcdonnell rejected that. we're here in court. 14 pending charges now with the possibility of 20 to 30 years in prison. uma: carl cameron at the courthouse in richmond. thank you very much. jon: growing concerns over the future of syria as peace talks in switzerland seem to be breaking down. you're looking at live pictures of secretary of state john kerry. he is speaking there now. so what's next for the war-torn nation of syria? also the new developments after justin bieber's arrest in florida. >> the first case this afternoon is justin bieber. mr. bieber, you are charged with the following. dui alcohol or drugs. resisting without violence, and driving with an expired driver's license.

uma: welcome back, everybody. "happening now," new report that is justin bieber's people are very concerned about the pop star just one day after he landed in jail. harris faulkner standing by in our new york city newsroom with more details. >> justin beeber is 19 years old, an adult by legal standard and making his own decisions and those adult decision that is his public relations and management people are watching unfold in public and reportedly strongly asking him to return to los angeles for psychotherapy. the website "tmz" is reporting that bieber's marketing circle wants him to go to rehab. they have been trying to get him to do that for months and he has been refusing. now that that judge in miami has seen him, they're hoping that that judge requires him to get

help as part of whatever sentence might come down. you just saw him, look at this, he climbs up on top of the suv as he is coming out of jail yesterday. haven't seen the video. remind people of michael jackson jack is what he saying today. he believes he doesn't need help. after drag racing in miami beach, and being arrested he reportedly admitted he used alcohol and more than that and now he is facing jail if convicted of driving under the influence, driving without a license. it is unfolding and he calls the people behind him, the bee liebers. well they can belief their eyes right now he is in trouble. back to you guys. uma: would you, he tough time ahead for making poor choices. harris, thank you very much. >> sure. jon: tensions are escalated over the syrian peace talks in in geneva. secretary of state john kerry attended the first day of the meeting. of the first direct talks between the government and opposition leaders were canceled

and now syria is threatening to walk away from the table, the government. leland vittert joins us live from our jerusalem bureau. leland, what is going on? >> reporter: jon, it is not really surprising that the sass saud regime is really upset. they have taken a licking at the peace conference. even opening statements evolved into a shouting match and their foreign minister and at one point the u.n. secretary-general. the divide between syria and allies, russia and iran versus the rest of the world is probably wider and deeper than any geographic feature here on mother earth. the syrians, president assad's regime has become increasingly defiant over the past year or so as president's saud's forces gotten the upper hand on the battlefield, the united states and its allies backed away from the idea of arming the rebels and as we're seeing video coming out of syria and reports from inside syria, the rebels themselves are spending almost as much time fighting each other

as they are president assad. so assad is sitting back in a much better position than he has been in the past. now it is seen largely as assad and russia for that matter are paying lip service to the u.n. and u.s. at this peace conference in geneva and allowing the rebels to kind of disintegrate on their own. keep in mind the stated position for this peace conference from the united states, they would like president assad to leave power and like a free and fair election inside syria and syria to turn into a functioning democracy. everyone on the ground in the middle east pretty much agrees that is a very farfetched goal. after that there is no own one really at the conference with a shared common goal. some people talked about agreement on humanitarian aid, maybe local cease-fires, something to help the people of syria ease suffering, allow people to get to the hospital, allow medical aid to get in. keep in mind, jon, every sometime in the past one of these agreements has been reached, its life expectancy has been measured in hours.

so the thought of something constructive coming out of this conference in geneva is unlikely probably at best from observers here on the ground. jon: some ominous news there. leland vittert reporting from our middle east bureau. thanks, leland. uma: what the leader of al qaeda is telling his followers to do in syria. the new concerns his message is raising about the terror group's presence there. plus our media panel takes a closer look at president obama's latest comments about this network and the republican base. >> rather unseemly if you are the commander-in-chief, the leader of the free world and the most powerful man on earth who could reduce pieces of the planet to a cinder on his command, to get so whineey. uma: in the aloha state surfers from around the world flocking to some monster waves where the search could reach 50 feet and higher! we'll tell you why. ♪ wow, this hotel is amazing.

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uma: well right now there's a new message from al qaeda's leader, ayman al-zawahiri, is calling for extremists to unite war-torn syria as u.n. peace talks are underway there.

the new message raising big questions about the president's claims that the terror group's central leadership is no longer relevant. chief intelligence correspondent catherine herridge is joining us and has details from washington. catherine, what are which learning about this message? >> reporter: this is an audiotape from the al qaeda leader in pakistan. the leadership has gone to audio rather than video because video can be more revealing of their true location. in the audio message, al-zawahiri calls on al qaeda's followers in syria to put internal disputes aside and establishing a islamic state in syria and overthrowing the government there. there is no question that al qaeda successfully gain ad foothold in syria through the affiliate known as islam make state of iraq in syria or isis. with the absence of western military intervention even the state department admits that extremists in syria follow al-zawahiri's lead. >> we know elements in syria take al qaeda elements in syria, take inspiration folks like

al-zawahiri and some of the language that we hear from him. >> reporter: analysts say what they see is more moderate elements in syria joined forces with the al qaeda affiliate in large part because that affiliate has the moats equipment and has the most battlefield experience, uma. uma: catherine, what does it say though about al qaeda's leadership at this point? >> reporter: well these messages show that the al qaeda leadership in pakistan also referred to as the core, is active and wants to remain relevant. but when asked about the al-zawahiri tape and relevance at same briefing the state department tried to minimize his significance. >> only one left. i think he spends at this point probably more time worry about his own personal security than propaganda but still it is interested in putting out this kind of propaganda to remain relevant. >> reporter: just to draw a line here under it you have two assessments really coming from the podium there in the same briefing. one is that al-zawahiri is so far under a rock and worried

about his security he is not really relevant but at the same time, that he clearly sets a leader, an example for these al qaeda affiliates in syria. this is not the first time that we've seen communication between the leadership in pakistan and these affiliates on the ground not only in syria but also in libya and north africa, uma. uma: catherine herridge thank you very much. jon: well, president obama taking a shot at fox news in a recent interview. while describing his struggle to connect with conservatives. the "new yorker" just published a long and glowing profile of the president but did not include the published version the president's remarks about conservative voters and fox news. here is what he says, quoted, the issue has been the inability of my message to penetrate the republican base so that they feel persuaded that i'm not the caricature you see on fox news or rush limbaugh but i'm somebody who is interested in

solving problems and is pretty practical and that actually a lot of the things that we've put in place worked better than people might think. let's get reaction from judith miller, pulitzer-prize-winning reporter and fox news contributor and kirsten powers, columnist for fox news contributetory as well. kirsten, fox news and rush limbaugh are the only problems that lie between the president and convincing the country he is doing everything right. >> pretty awesome power, isn't it. more powerful than the president of the united states and leader of the free world. look, i think the president really does seem to believe this because this is not the first time he said something like this. he, i think needs to understand how a lot of his rhetoric actually is what makes people feel that he doesn't really, they really can't relate to them, relate to him the way he talks about a lot of conservatives is not always in a way that seems like he is trying

to bring them into the fold. look, there are some really fundamental differences in philosophy and ideology that are going to naturally make conservatives not like president obama. jon: sure. >> regardless what's happening in the media. jon: right. and compromise is the key to getting anything done in washington. judy, this is a president who, so very often it seems says it is my way or the highway. can he really blame all of that on fox news and rush limbaugh? >> well he can try, jon. i mean he has tried before. if anything this is slightly less harsh that he has been in the past because the old retro obama was busy blaming fox for everything and delegitimizing fox as a network. now he is saying well, we are just creating a caricature of him which is kind of bizarre. look i think the president's problem and kirsten is absolutely right, is the president. one, the conservatives and republicans don't like him, in

part because he is not very political. he doesn't reach out to them. he doesn't try and get to know them or listen to their points of view, and two, and here's i think what the president was trying to get to, the republicans themselves are under enormous pressure because traditional or, mainstream republicans are being challenged by the tea party conservatives. now if he is saying that fox speaks to tea party conservatives and therefore mainstream people won't deal with him that's one thing and that is not what he said. this is old theme for him. i'm kind of sorry he is going back to it. jon: let me read another part of the quote and it touches on what you you were just saying, judy. he said, as long as there is that gap between perceptions of me within the average republican primary voter and reality, it is hard for folks like john boehner to move far in my direction. i guess, kirsten, he is saying we just don't understand him. >> i think all presidents feel

misunderstood. that is not a new thing. look, i have said before, i do think a lot of problems in washington are a result of tea party republicans who are unwilling compromise. the president said also in the interview that, you know a lot of these people, they know you know, obama lost in their districts by 25 points. there is no upside to working with him. i think, you know the sort of, the extreme partisanship happening on both side certainly does make it more difficult for the president to reach across the aisle but that shouldn't prevent him from trying. i think you still have to make the effort. not enough to throw up your hand and say, well, there is nothing i can do. jon: perhaps if the administration lived up to the promises like promising to be the most transparent administration in history, they wouldn't have so many doubters. jill abramson, executive editor of "the new york times" says this. the obama administration has had seven criminal leak investigations. that is more than twice the number of any previous administration in our history. on a scale never seen before. this is the most secretive

white house that at least as a journalist i have ever dealt with. now she is with the "new york times" a paper that has traditionally liked this president pretty well. judy, final thought? >> final thought this is the consensus now within the media. you have not only him on the left and jill abramson on in the center. conservatives say he talks about transparency he is enormously secretive. even bob gates in the memoir i'm now reading complains about that in this administration. jon: nine days from today our bill o'reilly will be interviewing the president on live television ahead of the super bowl. that is going to be one to watch. >> yes. jon: judy miller, kirsten powers, thank you both. >> thank you. uma: coming up some new details on the surprising arrests in a 30-year-old cold case. a spectacular theft netting millions from an airport cargo vault, the infamous crime was featured in the movie,

goodfellas. how the police zeroed in on them 30 years later and a man they believe was a main player.

uma: well right now, new details on a story we brought you yesterday. five people arrested in connection with the 1978 heist at new york's kennedy airport where hooded gunmen made off with millions in cash and jewels. and now investigators are saying vincent asaro is one of the main players, and facing charges including murder, robbery, extortion and arson. police got a break in the case, when a witness wearing a wire said, legendary gangster, jim any gen didn't pay up. others in the heist got stuffed stiffed. others got killed. it was a key plot in the movie

goodfellows where robert de niro played burke. now there could be a sequel. >> i got a call from marti sore says see, they're doing a new script for goodfellows and the united states attorneys's office is providing him with that. uma: arthur aidala and fred tecce joining us. arthur, let me begin with you, were you surprised they were finally able to get arrests in this case and the fact that these indictments do read like a movie script? >> well it does show you how well the criminal justice system is working, particularly in the federal criminal justice system because now they're looking at crimes that are so far back, in other words, they eliminated all the crime from the 2,000s, from the '90s, from the '80s. if you read the actual document, on or about january 1st, 1968. i was born december 1st, 1967.

that is how far back they're going. what happens, when they get one guy who comes in. he started cooperating. and that begins the snowball effect. these cases are very hard to win when they're that old and all of your witnesses are questionable people. however, the government usually doesn't bring a high-profile case like this unless they're confident they will within at trial. uma: fred, i think i thought it was interesting, there are several people, a number of them, eight turned up dead connected to this robbery. >> oops. these guys were a violent crime family. i was distracted wonderingdanny devito would play me in the sequel. but we digress. arthur is right, these cases are hard to brink and part of what came across to me reading the indictment it read like a movie script. i got to tell you today's legal session is brought to you by the term statute of limitations. only five years for most crimes. 10 years for rico although bee it no statute of limitations for murder. that is a state court crime.

i'm not sure the government can win this case. a lot of time when you're a line assistant, go out there to bring an indictment. a lot of sometimes people do it to get great press. ultimately these guys are a awful, awful long way from getting a conviction. uma: you agree with that, arthur. >> i wouldn't be surprised, two years from now, year-and-a-half from now, page 38 of newspaper there is a little thing, saaro pleads guilty gets probation. >> correct. >> once the evidence is put to the test it can not withstand scrutiny of a jury. >> this case will start with a bang but go out with a whimper. uma: let people know only one person was arrested in connection with the jfk heist, a lewis warner, a lufthansa cargo agent. he was arrested a few months after the robbery and convicted of the inside man who provided

information who helped in this investigation. the facts h fact we've only had one arrest and years later, all these decades later going after these guys at this point it seems to be they have a lot to prove here. >> well they do have a lot to prove. you know, one thing you have to remember back in like 1968, when i was eight or 1978 when this took place and i was 18, they didn't have a lot of stuff we have today. obviously didn't have cell phones. didn't have the ability to digitally record conversations. they didn't really have the kind of undercover wire stuff we had today. they had it but it was kind of antiquated. so the ability to kind of infiltrate, flip, get information, get evidence and stuff like that available to law enforcement today. they didn't have the penalties today under the federal sentencing guidelines and they are watered down. >> fred? >> sorry. >> the biggest change was, they didn't have crop traitors, uma. >> absolutely. >> you didn't testify against your brother, quote unquote. until sammy "the bull" gravano did it against john gotti.

that opened the floodgates. now it is okay to cooperate. that is what led to this arrest yesterday. >> right. rico statute puts you away for life. uma: you guys are taking bets on the sequel. we'll see what happens as hollywood play this is out. >> thanks for having me. uma: guys, thank you. jon: i have bruce willis playing arthur. >> i'll steak that. i'll take that. >> what about george clooney playing me? >> i'll take willis. jon: we'll do side by side. >> no problem. jon: thanks, guys. enjoy your weekend. >> thanks. jon: republican party leaders meeting in washington today working on a plan that would bring major changes to the presidential nomination process. now what that could mean for the 2016 race. also, would you do this? surfers, riding high in hawaii seeing waves called the swell of the decade. female announcer: it's time to make room

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uma: welcome back, everybody. well some epic waves are hitting the beaches of hawaii. surfers from around the world are taking on what is being called hawaii's swell of the decade despite warnings of injury an even death. a storm surge creating dangerous waves up to 50 feet high. joining me on the phone is the ceo of ocean promotion, jody wilmot, who is organizer of big wave surfing competitions. welcome. great to have you here today. >> good morning, uma, thank you. uma: i know a lot of surfers are so excited about what's going on right now in the waters off hawaii, but it is really a dangerous situation. what are you seeing out there and talking to the folks about in terms of the safety risks? >> well definitely for experienced surfers only, uma, at this point. a couple of days ago so big no

one ventured into the ocean. a smart move. some of the experienced waive riders are hitting waves. they have inflatable risks and right your boards and leashes. for those guys it is definitely doable. uma: for the most experienced guys as you point out there are still risks to be had. these are 50-foot waves. >> definitely always risks in the ocean. these people train for it. they assume all of the risk themselves. they're pretty up for what they're about to do and they do it around the world. so i feel quite confident it's a pretty rare time we have serious injury or deaths. only one in the past 12 months i'm aware of. uma: we understand that a low pressure system is what's responsible for these huge waves. how do people find out about this to get out there so quickly? >> you know, it has been a very active winter. here in hawaii the noaa, the national weather service has

full-time surf forecaster because of amount of surrounding waters for water recreationallists. we have head as up, four or five days out on intensity and kind of size of waves we're looking at. uma: well i know that a lot of folks, serious surfers out there are enjoying these waters because it is certainly something to behold and hawaii is a great place to be right about now, particularly for living out here in the east coast where it is freezing. thank you so much for joining us. we appreciate it, and we'll check back with you as more news develops out of this. great to have you on board today, thank you. jon: now a fox news alert. and if you are a watcher of wall street the news is not good today, unless of course you're a short seller. the dow is down more than 200 points. earlier this morning down about 179 right now, this after another pretty big selloff yesterday. investors are reportedly worried about the health of some emerging markets. we will keep an eye on that.

we'll have more information to you as we get it. also we want to warn you, a dramatic car accident caught on camera. a grandmother and her grandson mode down but -- mowed down but managed to survive. we'll tell you where this happened. uma: oh, my gosh. fraud could mean lower credit scores... ...and higher interest rates when you apply for a credit card. it's a problem waiting to happen. check your credit score, check your credit report, at experian.com. america's number one provider of online credit reports and scores. don't take chances. go to experian.com. is your tv powered by coal? natural gas? nuclear? or renewables like solar... and wind? let's find out. this is where america's electricity comes from.

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jon: right now today's top headlines and brand new stories you'll see here first. uma: new signs of a possible white house run in 2016 for hillary clinton. serious new safety concerns ahead of the upcoming winter olympics, what the state department is now telling our athletes about wearing team usa gear. plus, he hay be -- may be cute and cuddly, but he's definitely not where he should be. what the humane society is saying about this bear's stroll through one quiet neighborhood. it's all "happening now." ♪ ♪ jon: well, republicans confronting some of their biggest challenges in the 2012 race as they set their sights on

winning the white house in 2016. hello to you as we hit noon on the east coast, i'm jon scott. uma: and i'm in for jenna lee today. today is the final day of the rnc winter meeting in washington, and for the gop 2016 is all about the calendar. reince priebus promising big reforms. take a listen. >> reforms are coming to our presidential nominateing process, reforms that republican voters -- not the liberal media -- in the driver's seat. [applause] the rnc isn't going to put up with the same old ways. we're going to set a new standard. uma: chief congressional correspondent mike emanuel is live from washington with more on this. mike, what specifically are the republicans looking to do? >> reporter: well, uma, they want to make sure they win in 2016, so they're clearly trying to apply lessons learned from the 2012 experience, so the rnc

is proposing reducing the number of primary debates and will block off february for iowa, new hampshire, south carolina and nevada to vote. the plan would also call for moving the convention from late august to late june or july allowing them access to money for the general election. >> we have found that our candidates between the time that they become the presumptive nominee, which is mid to late april, and the time that they can not just access the general election funds in august or september, but also the staff and talent and resources that come along with marrying with the national party was something that dragged on for far too long. >> reporter: the idea of reducing the number of debates was based on the really that mitt romney debated the rest of the republican field a lot more than he did president obama. romney was forced to take positions this those early debates with other gop candidates that made it tougher for him to win the general election. uma: mike, is there any possible downside to these proposed moves? >> reporter: well, the 2016

field is likely to to look a lot different than the republican field in 2012. some have noted it is likely a handful of candidates who will have a shot at winning the nomination. some potential candidates are names like wisconsin governor scott walker, louisiana governor bobby jindal, kentucky senator rand paul and florida senator marco rubio. these names are well known with political junkies but may not be household names for much of the country, so some have expressed concern this would make it harder for a non-establishment candidate to build momentum. uma: indeed. gearing up for 2016. mike, thank you very much. >> reporter: thank you. jon: meanwhile, a key piece of president obama's former political machine is already throwing its support behind hillary clinton. the super pac priorities usa, which spent nearly $70 million against mitt romney, now announcing it will help the former secretary of state fend off opponents if she chooses to run in 2016. the group's already hard at work seeking millions in donations for that purpose.

joining me now, the u.s. political editor for the daily mail. any surprise that they have thrown their considerable clout behind hillary clinton? >> surprise? of course not. i mean, this was going to happen all along, it was just a matter of how soon and which media outlet they would give the exclusive on. this is all part of the long-term strategy for the democrats to push hillary across the finish line before the race has even started. they really want to squeeze out -- i mean, if you think the republicans are trying to squeeze out minor candidates by moving their debate schedule a little bit, the democrats are trying to squeeze out everybody but hillary by putting all the money behind her early and sending a signal that if you get in her way, big super pacs will crush you like a bug. jon: but you say there are some potential pitfalls for her in accepting the support of this monstrous super pac. >> well, of course, it does steam roll everybody else, so you're going to have a lot of people who would like very much to see somebody other than

hillary run, and they're going to feel disaffected. but perhaps even more importantly i think the focus on money this early will make hillary clinton synonymous with dollars. we all know political candidates are more about, you know, more about money than ideas at this point in the presidential cycle, but having hillary be the tool of the 1 3r9, you know, the big money candidate is going to really annoy a lot of liberal voters who want to talk about income inequality. these people are not going to come out for somebody, anybody, who has that much money behind her early. they'll see her as an aging tool of the establishment, and i think the aging tag will stick also, by the way. she's going to have a lot of trouble going up against 40-something republicans as a late 60s democrat, most of whose inner circle had a sell-by date stamped on their head around 1999. jon: generally, when the american voters hand the torch to a new generation, they don't often give it back to the older generation. what are the challenges that she

faces? i mean, if she does become the sort of fait accompli candidate, does she have anything standing in her way? >> well, i think the biggest thing she had standing in her way as soon as she goes through her coronation at the dnc convention is her own record. first of all, a lot of people in america don't want to to continue the clinton dynasty, they're uncomfortable with it and, secondly, you have her performance as the secretary of state. that benghazi thing is going to hang around her neck like something heavy. it's not going to go away. and i think right now the smart money is on, you know, republicans are going to evaluate their candidates based on two things; how much money can they raise, and how badly can they bruise hillary clinton. those are the only two questions that matter. so there's a lot of thinking going on behind the scenes right now with opposition researchers and poll testing questions, focus groups about which messages stick to hillary clinton a most. that's the entire ball game right now. so, yeah, she's got a big problem facing her, and it's facing her in the mirror. it's hillary clinton and her record. and it's not just benghazi, it's the way she managed the state

department, it's some of the stuff that she pulled about president obama the last time around. remember, it was her campaign that started the birth they are movement. -- birther movement. jon: she's also got the front cover of the new york times magazine this weekend, pretty interesting take. they call it planet hillary, and here's the artwork. many liberals are not -- well, hillary supporters, liberals, i don't know, maybe even some conservatives, not real happy about depicting the former first lady and secretary of state as an orb out there in the universe. >> well, i think their point was, you know, supporting hillary clinton as part of her inner circle puts you on a different planet from the rest of the political world. somebody mentioned it's like hotel california, you know, you can never really leave, you're stuck in this other planet. but i think the artwork makes her look like a human emogee. it's not going to help her gather sport, it's going to look like a political dufus at this point. whether that's good or bad

depends on your political persuasion. jon: she got the support of priorities usa, and that is a pretty big locomotive. david, thank you. >> my pleasure. uma: well, income inequality is taking political center stage right now, and you can expect president obama to devote a good portion of next week's state of the union address to it as well as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle heading into this year's midterm elections. and a new study is shedding some light on this hot button issue. chief washington correspondent jim angle is joining us now with more on this. >> reporter: hello, uma. well, a recent fox news poll found only 13% of voters think the government should take action because some people make more money than others. a 62% majority is okay with disparities in income, reasoning that that's just how the economy works. now, so what is responsible for income inequality? analysts say it comes down to several individual choices. listen.

>> consistently in our research we see this connection between having two sources of income or earnings coming into a family and upward mobility. >> when a kid is born to a single mother, it's going to be harder for that kid, all other things equal, to make it in the world. >> reporter: now, because of the care and guidance two parents can provide from bringing in income to helping with homework to personal discipline, which is difficult for a single parent. another factor i, one that helps even single mothers, is education. >> our data show that single parents have an extremely difficult time getting ahead and achieving upward mobility. but for black single mothers with a college degree, 100% exceed their parents' family income. >> reporter: it's hard for breadwinners these days. there are 10.4 million unemployed and another 6 million who aren't looking but would like a job making it tough for those this the bottom rungs to

climb up. >> the thing that has traditionally pulled people out of poverty is economic growth. >> reporter: and right now there are nearly three unemployed workers for every job opening. also a huge number of households in the bottom fifth have no one in the household working. one analysis says that even living in a bad neighborhood can increase downward mobility by 52%. so how copeople view -- do people view ip equality of income? it depends, says one analyst, on one key assessment. listen. >> the answer is, it depends. it depends on whether or not they feel they have opportunities. >> reporter: equal opportunity, not equal outcomes, turns out to be the driving factor in whether people think they're getting a fair shake or not. uma? uma: very interesting findings there, jim. thank you very much. >> reporter: you bet. jon: and some simple solutions. house speaker john boehner, did you catch this? making his debut on late night tv with an appearance on "the tonight show."

jay leno asking him about everything from his famous tan to new jersey governor chris christie and the possibility of a run for the white house. listen. >> do you ever think of running for president? >> no. >> no? you want to show what you did when i asked you that question before? you want to show them what you told me? >> listen -- [laughter] i like to play golf, i like to cut my own grass. i do drink red wine, i smoke cigarettes, and i'm not giving that up to be president of the united states. jon: the speaker also saying he learned all the skills he needed for his current job growing up with 11 brothers and sisters. kind of helps you wrangle that house majority. uma: he's got his priorities there. all right, three former and current governors now in the spotlight but not in a good way. how is the media treating different controversies surrounding new jersey governor chris christie, new york's governor andrew cuomo and former virginia governor bob mcdonnell? and the fate of a brain dead

woman on life support could be decided as early today. the latest on the legal battle between her doctors and her family. and the extreme cold still gripping the northeast and the midwest. when will we finally see some normal temperatures around here? we are waiting desperately. ♪ ♪ hey kevin...still eating chalk for heartburn? yeah... try new alka seltzer fruit chews. they work fast on heartburn and taste awesome. these are good. told ya! i'm feeling better already. [ male announcer ] new alka seltzer fruits chews. enjoy the relief!

jon: some extreme weather to warn you about. rare winter storm warnings in effect for parts of texas today, even some of the warmest parts, while the midwest and east hunker down for even more's si temperatures. chief meteorologist rick reichmuth has details from the fox weather center. >> reporter: yeah, pretty crazy when you get snow down twawrdz the houston area, lake

charles, louisiana. snow and then freezing rain. you see these temperatures over the last few hours below freezing. we've had precipitation in there, so that means your bridges and roadways seeing ice on them and very, very dangerous conditions. a number of accidents today all the way down towards corpus christi. ask we're seeing snow flying in places like hattiesburg, mississippi. we're going to see over the next couple hours temps warm up back above freezing by this afternoon, so we'll see a little bit of melting and then, overall, things improve just a little bit but remaining very cold. want to show you this general pattern we are in sees no signs of breaking down, and that's this huge ridge across the west continuing the santa ana winds into southern california, so more winds and fire threat there, temperatures well above average and breaking all kinds of records. and then you go towards the east, it's the complete opposite story. waves of cold air coming in, so it's cold right now, we're going to see even colder air move in by the time we get towards next week. so if you think right now is

cold, get ready, because it's going to get even colder, jon, i hate to tell you. along with that some snow, not big problems, but these temperatures today kind of the day that's not as bad here. you'll notice saturday, you see that pink get back here. sunday, same story. temps below freezing all across the northern plains and mid atlantic. monday, take a look at that. a high in fargo of -17. tuesday back to 17 in new york, you get the story, these temps are going to remain cold for quite a while, at least until next week, and that's the super bowl, and we'll be trying to figure out if it's going to be that cold then. jon: and i don't think they can build a dome on giants stadium. >> reporter: not that quickly. jon: all right. going to be an interesting super bowl. >> reporter: you said it. uma: at this hour, a heartbreaking decision looming in texas, a judge could decide the fate of a pregnant woman who is brain dead. the hospital refusing to disconnect her life support saying a state law forbids it because she's pregnant.

her family says it should be their choice and she wouldn't want to be kept alive under these circumstances. joining us now, dr. segal who has the latest on this sad story coming to you from dallas. >> reporter: hi, uma, good to see you. today's court decision comes at a time when new and very graphic details of this urn born baby are emerging, and they come to us from a statement that has been released by the attorneys representing the munoz family. i want to show you what we're talking about. i'm quoting here: according to medical records, we have been provided, the fetus is distinctly abnormal. even at this very early stage, the lower extremities are deformed to the extent that the gender cannot be determined. it also describes possible heart problems this that statement. now, 33-year-old marlise munoz is seen with her husband and other child here has been brain dead since thanksgiving according to the family after collapsing from a blood clot in her lungs.

she is 22 weeks pregnant and hooked up to machines. her family has sued the hospital saying that she's already dead, and this is against her wishes. but doctors at jps hospital in fort worth cite a texas law that prohibits withdrawing life support from a pregnant patient. and now the man who helped write the law is weighing in saying he thinks it is being misinterpreted here. >> i think the family's wishes should be respected. i think that we're in a situation where the law does not drive the outcome that we've seen so far. especially if as may be the case the fetus has been damaged by a lack of oxygen. >> reporter: obviously, the issue certainly a heated one. protesters have gathered outside the hospital in recent weeks, some pro-life groups have said that this is the husband's attempt to kill his wife and

unborn child. others haven't been as harsh but are trying to speak for the mother. >> i really believe if she could speak, she would say i want my baby to survive if i cannot. >> reporter: court starts at 3:00 local time, 4:00 eastern. it's possible the judge could make a decision today, or it could be delayed to be continued here in texas, uma. uma: such a tough story. all right, casey, thank you so much for that update. >> reporter: yeah. jon: disturbing new action of a car accident. what happened after this woman and her grandson were mowed down while crossing the street. plus, president obama recently said he thinks marijuana is no more dangerous than alcohol. what research shows he's wrong. just ahead. ♪ ♪ hey, the new guy is loaded with protein!

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♪ ♪ uma: we are back with some terrifying video with an incredible outlook. a 5-year-old boy and his grandmother taking a walk in brazil when an out of control car ran right over them. the little boy appears to get hit twice with the car running over his head. both of them are reportedly doing okay, suffering only minor injuries. jon: new research on marijuana use showing it might have negative effects on children of

those who used the drug as marijuana, this just days after president obama says he thinks marijuana is, quote, no more dangerous than alcohol. senior national correspondent john roberts live in atlanta with that. >> reporter: good afternoon to you, jon. researchers have known for years that spoking pot canpredispose a person to behavior disorders later in life. if you smoked pot as a teenager, not only are you at risk, but so are the children you have years down the road even if they never touch marijuana. in animal experiments, when the offspring of those animals grew up, they showed compulsive behavior and a strong desire for heroin. >> exposure to marijuana has an impact during your lifetime on your brain and behavior, but now this study shows that it can even last into your offspring, into the next generation even though they've been not

themselves directly exposed to the marijuana. >> reporter: herd says the teenage brain is particularly vulnerable to the effects of smoking marijuana because it's still developing, and there's evidence those effects could be passed all the way down the line as far as your great grandchildren. now, how does all of this square with the president's recent statement that marijuana's really not much worse than just a bad habit of a vice? well, clearly there is more that we're learning every day about the dangers of marijuana even as sales of recreational pot take off in this country. john walters was the drug czar during the bush administration. >> it's a warning. it's a warning that you ought to pay attention. it's another reason not to be spreading the use of addictive substances including marijuana, and now the president of the united states is engaged in telling people, hey, it's not so bad. >> reporter: walters says the president should stick to the science and stop, quote, making things up. now, all of this is particularly troubling given the fact that after years of decline, marijuana use among teenagers has shown a sudden uptick.

jon? jon: yeah. maybe it's not surprising given the circumstances. john roberts in atlanta, thank you. uma: well, you could say the good times are back on capitol hill. lawmakers loading up on plenty of pork all on the taxpayers' dime k. a look at some of the more controversial projects from around the country. and a warning for some american athletes set to compete in sochi. why their clothing could now make them a target for terrorists. and an unwelcome guest making conditions in one southern california community simply unbearable. >> it was right up there, and people were -- we were right there at our house. people scared it, and it came and chased us. so what's better, bigger osmaller? [ all ] bigger! now let's sa a friend invites you over and ey have a really big, really fun pool. and then another friend invites you over who has a much smaller, le fun pool. whch pool would you rather go to?

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♪ ♪ uma: we have news now the growing up rest in ukraine as hundreds of anti-government protesters occupy and barricade offices of key government buildings in at least five cities at this time. the movement spreading outside the capital of kiev where demonstrations began two months ago. greg talcott is joining us live in loan bonn with the -- london with the latest on the situation in the ukraine. >> reporter: hi, uma. yeah, those protests are spreading amid new reports we are getting just in the past couple of hours that the government might be ready to make some concessions to try to deal with the unrest. but let's talk about the unrest

first. the governor, the western ukrainian city, the very important city, forced toe are sign -- forced to resign today as government buildings were taken over by activists, government offices throughout the country in various cities were also stormed. mainly in areas opposing the moscow-leaning ukraine president but not exclusively. this is turning into a national revolt. in kiev itself, the agricultural ministry building was occupied by protesters, new barricades set up out in the street, an informal truce between the authorities and the activists has sort of held in place today, but this week has been a bloody one. at least three people were killed, dozens more injured on both sides. all of this forcing the embattled president there to make some gestures towards reconciliation. he met with an official of european union today. it is reported that there will be a special session of parliament in ukraine next tuesday, and that could consider changes in government, changes in a hated new anti-protest law

and amnesty for at least some of those who have been arrested. there has been a charges of widespread abuse by police against the demonstrators. not sure whether this is going to be enough, though, to appease the angry prothe testers. remember, the trouble there started when the government spurned a european union political and trade deal in favor of a tie-up with russia, and that in the past few weeks and months has morphed into a massive protest against a government which is charged to be both corrupt and undemocratic. now, uma, washington very concerned about what is happening in this strategic country between russia and europe. vice president biden has been in contact with the ukrainian president yesterday and today in davos, switzerland, secretary of state kerry has pronounced that the u.s. would stand by the people of ukraine. that might be necessary from what we are hearing on the ground in kiev. there could be more trouble as early as this weekend. back to you. uma: greg talcott keeping close

watch on the events as they unfold in the ukraine, thank you very much. jon: well, pork is back in a big way on capitol hill of after lawmakers passed the recent trillion dollar spending bill. we are highlighting just some of their pet projects because it's all your money. and william la jeunesse is live in los angeles with a look at how your lawmakers intend to spend it. william? >> >> reporter: well, jon, there's corporate welfare like 62 million for a nearly bankrupt mining company, a $44 million slush fund for water projects and millions for canceled autism research in the pentagon budget. so much for reform. >> got to change the culture of congress to one that prioritizes limiting wasteful spending. >> reporter: remember when saving money made sense? not so in the latest federal budget. >> it's full of pork projects, ineffective government programs and handouts to corporate cronies. >> reporter: spending is up 45 billion as congress doles out even more money than many

request. the navy wanted $3 billion for a new submarine, it got four. congress gave the army 90 million to upgrade a tank that didn't need it and 50 million for the mississippi river that wasn't asked for. the oil and gas industry gushes profits, yet it received a half a billion dollar subsidy. >> we should not be paying for the r&d of these private sector companies, these private sector energy companies. they need to stand on their own merits. >> reporter: and despite a ban on earmarks, congress still brings home the bacon. washington state senator patty murray wanted $25 million to restore the puget sound, 65 million to recover pacific salmon. senator jerry moran reeled in the big fish, a $400 million bioscience lab in his state of kansas. >> everybody had their hand in the cookie jar on this one. >> reporter: job corps got $1.6 billion, though studies show it doesn't work. and when the pentagon tried to save money retiring old ships and closing bases, congress

said, no. >> even when they're told by their own people, by their own analysts that these are a waste of money and this is an inefficient use of resources, congress is more than willing time and again to throw good money of after bad. >> reporter: now, senator jerry moran insists the ag lab in kansas is not an earmark, but the result of a competitive process. he does take credit for helping win the project. now, jon, basically, congressional auditors say taxpayers could save $900 billion a year just be -- $300 billion a year by eliminating duplicative programs, but of course, that didn't happen. back to you. jon: that is an awfully sad way to go. william la jeunesse, thanks. uma: former virginia governor bob be mcconnell, new jersey's chris christie and new york's andrew cuomo each facing separate controversies. but is the media applying different standards in covering these three stories? joining us now i, howard kurtz, fox news media analyst.

thanks for joining us today. >> hi, uma. uma: let's talk about the fact there does seem to be a different standard in play in that this week, tuesday, the big story of former virginia governor indicted on federal charges, both he and his wife. at the same time, though, you don't see much coverage after the fact in the days following that report from the national media, and we're also not seeing very much made of andrew cuomo's controversial remark regarding conservative extremists, as he puts it. but there is that nonstop coverage going on on msnbc and other national newspapers about chris christie's problems with his bridge scandal. >> well, chris christie's problems with new jersey and political payback is a legitimate story, but i do have of the impression at this point running a little bit out of gas, but media trying very hard to keep it ahive. look, it's a colorful jersey scandal, and christie is a colorful guy. they're two very different stories, but let's contrast this with the remarks made by andrew cuomo. at the very least, a major gaffe

where he said that there was no place in new york for what he called extreme conservatives which he defined as being pro-gun, assault weapon, anti-gay and pro-life. now, governor later clarified to say he was talking about candidates, republican candidates, how they could succeed in new york. but what really shocked me is that almost no coverage -- until the last 24 hours -- was this story really mentioned on msnbc. and in the hometown new york times. six days went by after andrew cuomo's remarks until the times finally wrote a story that began not with governor said something pretty controversial, but republicans now have a talking point to use against andrew cuomo. uma: why do you think, though, that the new york times at this point is even reticent to be involved in the story and give it more coverage? we also have seen, though, that the cardinal right here in new york has offered his reaction, because he was very upset about some of those remarks regarding what he called extreme

conservatives who are pro-life. ask he's coming out saying you're talking about us catholics, you know, you consider them extreme people. so it is developing into a bigger controversy well beyond something that's just pointing towards, you know, a general conservative community. why are the times taking the stand, do you think? >> well, i suppose it's possible that some people at the times don't find cuomo's remarks to be a particular outrage, maybe some have a similar view. but really it's also a case of the newspaper just dropping the ball. didn't think these remarks were terrible or being overlaid because the governor wasn't -- overplayed. it became a legitimate controversy, as you point out. and to wait six days the way the times did when it's the hometown paper is hard for me to understand. now, on virginia's bob mcdonnell, this is a juicy scandal involving lavish gifts and loans going to the governor and his wife, and it got a lot of play when the indictment was handed down on tuesday, but for

months "the washington post" has been very diligent this reporting most of the details of this investigation and unfolding scandal, and i think unlike in the case of christie who's seen as a 2016 presidential contender, therefore, national media all excited about something going wrong in his administration in his state, bob mcdonnell pretty much written off as a serious player, his political career is over, so there was a surprising lack of interest on the national media's part, in my view, for what was at the very least a colorful scandal. uma: absolutely. all right, always very interesting to talk to you about these kinds of stories, particularly right now when we're seeing a different standard being applied in these three controversial cases. thank you very much, howard. great to see you. >> thanks. jon: as we approach the weekend, do you know where your calories are? updating nutritional information, how the fda wants to help you make healthier food choices for your family. and just like something out of a movie, cameras catch a couple of jewel thieves breaking in from the ceiling.

is that tom cruise behind the mask? now police are trying to track them down. >> whoa, i'm not going out there. >> this snow's cold! >> let's stay inside, right? you're not going out either. how about that? coming up today -- >> okay, who did a major democratic super pac just endorse for president? >> also the changes on obamacare, we'll have that for you when we're nice and toasty. >> let's go put on our parkas. see you then. and such. works for me. turn to the camera. ah, actually i think my eyes might ha... next! digital insurance id cards. just a tap away on the geico app. could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. everybody knows that. well, did you know that when a tree falls in the forest and no one's around, it does make a sound? ohhh...ugh. geico. little help here.

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♪ ♪ jon: get ready for a makeover for nutrition labels. the food and drug administration is planning to update the information you see on the side of packaged foods. it's been 20 years since the last update, so they say they want to make it easier for consumers to find the most important information. uma: some of those updates could include calories listed more prominently, adding sugars listed separately and how much whole wheat a product contains. dr. david samadi is professor of

urology at the lij school of medicine. great to have you. >> good to see you guys. uma: talk to me about what you think about these new standards. do you think it's going to make a difference? >> rook, i think there's a huge problem with obesity, and if you're going to think you're just going to make some of these writings a little more bolder and change the color and you're going to change the behavior of pattern, i think it's an interesting step to really change the makeover, but some of these are great concepts but not realistic. i think really our food is -- i've said it before, and i got so many e-mails about this -- our food chain system is completely contaminated. and as long as you have all these high fructose corn syrups and all sugar and the fact that, you know, we're not watching how much we're eating, you're not going to change anything. so i think this is an interesting concept. they're adding more of the calories and sugars, etc., it's already there. but realistically, how many times are you going to stop by and you're going to read and study every one of them? you're there for about half an

hour, you want to buy a lot of stuff, and you're out. jon: yeah, that's my point. the government can label as much as it wants, but unless people read this stuff and take in the information and act on it, not a lot is going to change. >> and how many people really, jon, know how much sugar you need or how many calories you need? who's going to add all these calories at the end? so i'm not sure if this is going to make a huge difference. but, you know, certainly it's a start. we're going to spend a lot of money on this. i'm not very on optimistic about this one. uma: what about the coding system they're talking about for kids in terms of being able to do the red light, yellow light, green light -- >> so this is my favorite. i think color coding is simple, it's easy, and just imagine you walk into the supermarket and one aisle is all glean which is healthy stuff, yellow is sort of healthy and red is all the bad stuff, you're going to get all your food, and by the time you get to the cash line, damage register, you have all this red stuff, it's embarrassing. nobody's going to do that, and so i think it's going to work.

this is coming from mass general. they have done such an amazing job, two-year study in their cafeteria, and after two years they find 20% lower rate of some of those red chores which is the unhealthy food, yellow went down to 30%, the soda and all these sugary drinks went down by 40%. that's amazing. and all the green colors, the healthy foods, went up by 12%. i'm a huge fan of this. simple, easy, and it's a behavioral change. and you, over time, you're going to reach out to more of those green colors which is the healthy fruits and vegetables. you buy that? [laughter] jon: well, again, i guess it might work. it is an easier system, putting those green, yellow, red stickers on there. >> let them do the reading and studying ask make it color coated. jon: call mel coloring in some studies, there's more of it than is supposed to be safe. the stuff that makes your cola brown, is that safe? >> this is a chemical, and this

is a study that's done in rats, and they're finding out that too much of this is going to increase the risk of lung cancer. amazing, right? so you have soda, you're going to end up with lung cancer. now, what they did was they looked at a hundred of these cans across the country, and about half of them had too much caramel. so it's not proven yet. it has made the companies to reduce the amount. but what happens when you drink three or four of those? you're back up to the same level. so i think we need a huge change in our behavior and certainly these companies are not helping us. it's one of the reasons why we see in this epidemic. i mean, how many times we keep saying go work out, do exercise, how much do you have to exercise to catch up with all the sugar and chemicals that they're putting in? i hope the fda is watching and do something drastic, not just changing the writing. uma: well, let's hope so. the risks are still out there. >> i see jon looking from the side. [laughter] color coating, jon, it works. jon: okay. natural is probably better.

doctor, nice to see you. uma: well, the u.s. olympic team unveiling the official uniform for this year's winter games. americans wearing this outfit definitely stand out.

jon: new reports of the state department warning american athletes competing in sochi. harris faulkner is at the breaking newsroom -- can breaking news desk, i should say, with the latest. >> reporter: well, jon, the official gear of the games can be a powerful fashion statement. i think we showed it before the commercial break. but the u.s. state department says our athletes need to wear their pride on the inside, if you will. and it's really a tough reality in russia where reportedly terrorists have said americans will not be safe anywhere. so u.s. authorities are warning our debt to haves who hang out -- our competitors that

they'll be putting their own lives at risk if they wear the official gear that identifies them. that gear is gorgeous, too, designer ralph lauren unveiled it yesterday. let's take a peek. there it is. this is what our athletes will wear at the opening ceremony, an accredited event. the uniforms feature a knit patchwork cardigan emblazoned with big stars and an american flag and the olympic rings. while many of our athletes say they've worked their entire lifetimes to get to the olympics, and they're going to go no matter what, it remains to be seen how they will dress when they're at those unprotected venges. but linkerring concerns that russia isn't doing enough to assure athletes will be safe at the games due to the potential terror threats, the crime that's breaking there and uncertain medical care. they're asking americans just to be extra vigilant when it comes to their security. back to you. jon: yeah. let's hope they are safe and secure while they were there. harris faulkner, thank you. >> reporter: or sure.

jon: in southern california police trying to track down a brown bear. it spent the better part of yesterday hanging out in a pasadena neighborhood. one couple leaving the house completely unaware it was watching them go by, and right now that bear is still on the loose. adam houseley has the details in los angeles. adam? >> reporter: yeah. there's an apb be out for the bear, jon. can we go back to that video? the couple that you just saw there, an older couple from scotland, were here visiting, and you see them walk out the front door of a house, the video we'll show again in a second, the bear's on the porch. they actually lock the door. they eventually walk to their car. the gentleman gets his wife in the car, closes the door for her. as he turns, he feels a scratch on his leg, the bear's scratching his legs. he runs back in the house. the bear would eventually get away, and the bear still hasn't been caught, we've been told, by wildlife and police officials. it is a drought situation.

bears do come down right on the edge of the angeles national forest. it happens yearly, seems to be happening a little bit more maybe this year was we are in a severe drought, and they're looking for things. of course, this is a yearling bear, they believe, which means he's recently left his mother and is probably looking for something to do, in this case had everything from hanging out this backyards to eating all sorts of foliage in the front yards, going from house to house. there were helicopter shots, you can see him leaning up against a fence be, having a grand old time although people in the neighborhood weren't too excited about it. in fact, we had a chance to hear from a young child who wasn't so happy to see a bear in person. take a listen. >> right up there, and people -- well, we were right there at our house. people scared it, and it came and chased us. >> reporter: were you scared? >> yeah. >> reporter: yeah. he was scared, and there's also a report that the bear actually sniffed the window of a news

van. the crew was safely locked inside. wasn't us, obviously. that'd have been a fun be picture to have for inthat gram or twitter. but again, they would have shot the bear with a tranquilizer, but time where it was dusk, and it takes time for it to set in. they think he went back up into the mountains, and he hasn't been seen yet. jon: a juvenile delinquent bear. >> reporter: yep. maybe bieber should take some notes. uma: awfully cute though. all right, forget bigger this winter, everything's snowier in texas, and we have the pictures to prove it, next. ♪ ♪ hey, buddy? oh, hey, flo. you want to see something cool? snapshot, from progressive. my insurance company told me not to talk to people like you.

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you have fam familiar in texas. they get snowed on a lot.

>> once in a blue moon. >> one of the last places to see snow. one mill, texas. here is gena's niece playing in the rare texas snow. >> she is awfully cute there. >> enjoy the weekend. america's news headquarters starts right now. fox news alert. support for obama care hitting record lows and a top official in the white house is now out. i am bill hemmer. >> and i am alisyn camerota. only 36 percent of the americans support obama care as the white house released numbers on enrollees that grew to 3 million. david joins us now. joishgs good to be here. >> help us to understand the 3 million enrollee number. >> i will try, a lot we don't know and number