was self defense. spl and why the postal service is getting into the banking business. >> and off the top, a new olympic terror threat just as olympic games begin. >> hope you are off to a great start. >> they are warning to be on the look out for tubes of cosmetics or toothpaste because there maybe explosives in them. how are security officials taking the threat? >> they are taking it serious.

but there is no direct current threat against the united states. this is just an alert that is going out to international airlines warning them direct flights into russia should be on the alert of toothpaste or body wash or hand lotion. it is believed that back in two airliners were brought down it is believed that was down by the so-called black widow terrorist using explosives in jars of hand creams. the ceo of the u.s. olympic committee says this organization and ready, prepared and comfortable with the precautions.

>> we work closely with the state department and they are in contact with the local authorities. and we react to situations as they arise but we have a lot of planning exercises in advance and you know the games are no different than any other games in that respect. >> and all manners of precautions are being taken. including a warning to the u.s. athletes they should not wear their uniform outside of the games. >> there is a little action happening now? >> the games are underway despite there is no opening ceremony yet. spectators were turning up for the snow board slope style event. you will remember u.s. snow bording legend sean white dropped out because he is conce

concerns about the safety of the course. some americans are disappointed. >> i came to support everyone in the united states and enjoy the games. there are others from the united states and i am rooting for them. go u.s.a! >> and you will remember we reported that the official yogert suppliers were inbound at newark because the russians are not letting it in. >> john, you seem like a figure skating guy. is that your sport some >> i love figure skating. you sound like you have a

mocking tone. i love any support america is taking part in. new information on obamacare with word there is growing pressure on health care insurers to beef up the plans and choices of doctors. this move is coming after complaints they don't haven't access to broad enough care. they want to insure plans being sold in the federally run market place submit providers before the plans are approved. nina easton is joining us now. and lin sweet. the washington chief for the chicago sun times. lynn, the president said if you like your doctor, you can keep it the doctor. is this is response to the anger

that insued once people were not able to keep their doctor? >> i think it is response -- and i am not negating what obama said that was false, but what happened was when the insurance companies mapped out their coverage maps, they didn't include enough choice and that is a problem. it is one of the growing pains your seeing in obamacare. >> nina, the result is the federal government is going to be more involved in our health care choices because these insurance companies, which up to now have been unable to put plans together as they saw fit, will have to submit everything to a federal agency. >> this has been a fallout of obamacare that you don't get to keep your coverage or doctor. there has been powerful stories about people who are chronically

ill and can't go to their own specialist now. now you are seeing attempts add more choices. at the state level, places like new hampshire where there is one insurance company taking part in obamacare and half of the state's hospital are included in the policy. >> that is a good point. the only insurance company offering obamacare insurance in new hampshire and only 10-26 hospitals are available to people in that plan. it sounds crazy. more than half of the hospitals eliminated from obamacare. how can that work? >> well, we have 50 states and

50 different obamacare plans. some of the states opted out and there is more federal interventions. in illinois, you have a handful of insurance companies participating including some of the biggest. these are different stories. and the politics of it are local. if you have big states with a lot of providers, people might not be had happy, but fewer people unhappy. it is hard to be nuance in a discussion like this, but each state experience is going to be different. >> it seems like a lot of people are not going to be happy, if for instance, if the hospital down the road is no longer available to them because of this new federally run health insurance plan that was hoisted on the country. >> and of course the white house

this week is trying to make the argument that the portability argument which is saying that obamacare enables you to keep your insurance as you move from job to job and get a job you like better. everybody agrees that portability is good. taking your insurance as a l republicans want to do and keep it on your terms. you talk about local issues, this is a case where if you broadened the individual market place which is being hurt by obamacare, we are seeing paul policies canceled. but if you had a private-run where you can take insurance across state lines that would help on the portability issue.

>> it sounds like this is a one-size fits all thing. where the federal government is going to say to the insurance companies you to have to do this and it will cost you this and you will make this amount of profit on it. >> well, it is still -- let me say it again, a lot depends on if these are state-run exchanges or not. so there is not one story line that fits everything. but i want to underscore what nina said. there are a lot of ways to improve how health insurance is sold, but once you talk about moving it over state lines, a lot of states and some conservatives and democrats will say you are taking this away from state decisions as to regulate. insurance is one of the most highly regulated industries in america. and even with a private plan

before obamacare you were not guaranteed the hospital next to you is the one you have access to. >> it just seems like in new hampshire people are not going to be happy with the choices they are being offered under obamacare. >> another interesting story from washington, d.c. is your post office a place where you would do banking if you could? we have more on this idea >> the post office is loosing $25 billion and an idea that is gaining traction is allowing the post office to offer banking service. this is being floated by senator warren. she is writing quote if they had basic bill paying, check cashing and small dollar loans it would

provide services for families and shore up some money. but the banking service says the government should stay out of it. >> you can do damage once government starts dabbling in the financial service arena because government is a political animal. and politicians, i don't care what party, are tempted to influence the decisions in one way or another. bad idea because you are playing with people's financial future. >> postal service report says the post office could make $9 billion a year offering the services. it would have to go through congress and congress is tied up in knots on any reforms to the u.s. postal service. officer down. the chilling words caught on camera after a shootout in new

mexico between a suspect with a gun and the police. witness the tense moment in this video. and the northeast is digging out but there is more snow and we will have the weather next. mardi gria melina it says here that a won's sex drive

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>> dramatic video to show you between a shootout between police and a suspect in new mexico. take a look at this: the video gives you a first-hand look at what officers are going through.

it was shot using a camera that the officer is wearing during an ambush in october. four cops were shot, all survived but the suspect did die >> maria melina is here with the weather and the freezing chunks all across the nation. >> cold temperatures across the center of the country. rockies to the mississippi river is looking at as much as 40 below average temperatures. i want to show you the models because they changed. we were thinking two storms would merge and produce

significant snow. you can see one system in the southeast moves offshore and they don't phase together. we said temperatures with well-below average and you are looking at 23 below 0 in fargo and minneapolis. we have wind chill warnings. single-digit highs in chicago and minneapolis and rapid city. dallas texas had a little snow even in northern texas. outwest, the drought is the major story. extreme to exceptional drought,

the storm system has arrived and will produce rain in the state. this is welcome news in the west. finally moisture. >> they need it. and by the way for viewers who heard the alarm, that is a fire alarm going off. if you didn't notice it is because maria melina is a pro. you were great. >> i was like i am going to keep moving. >> reporter: hopefully no fire. >> we have a power problem in the studios today. >> i had to take the stairs all the way down. >> reporter: luckily you are both so fit. workout done were the day. >> we have the latest on the dramatic case of the arizona women accused of fatally bashing her husband over the head with a

hammer while he slept. and a twist in the keystone pipeline debate. we will discuss what the developments could mean for lawmakers with vulnerable seats in the mid-term elections. keep in miystone pipeline

>> lawyers in the trial of the arizona woman accused of bludgeoning her husband with a hammer. the defendant claims it was self defense. opening statements will start today. the arraignment of a principal

accused of sexual abuse is postponed until march. she is charged with five counts of aggravated sexual assault and 47 other counts. and michael dun's case is going to start. he is accused of killing jordan davis, a teenager, over music. the debate over the keystone pipeline takes an interesting twist. k the president says he is waiting for federal agencies to weigh in on a state department report that concluded keystone pipeline

would have a negative impact on the environment. the ultimate decision to approve the keystone pipeline or not is the president. putting him in a tough spot between environmentalist who don't like it and unions who want the jobs. we have karl rove here. and former howard dean campaign manager joe tripy. karl you don't have palms behind you like joe in florida. >> it is tough, mind numbing work but someone has to do it. >> karl, you know about splits, the environmentalist and the unions, when is going to win the

heart of the president? >>hat is interesting. three democratic senators in the states through which the northern and southern pipelines pass. the former secretary of interior are coming out. bought a millionaire who is against it has written tens of thousands in campaign expenditures and he is saying his wallet is going to be closed. >> is that enough to say no? >> i don't think so. i think the president will approve it. i think a lot of the democrats think that is where this is going. clearly, i think waiting for the environmental impact to come out and say there wasn't going to be much of one, was an important step probably for the president to wait for.

so he could have a figleaf to hand out and say it will not ill pact the environment. most on the left think the president will approve it. they don't want him to, but they say it will happen. >> we have a 90-day period after the state department report for the federal agencies to weigh in. and then we are in a period where the decision can be made perhaps. but with the midterms in november, when is the politically right time? >> i think the sooner the later. whatever the fallout is going to be. and karl is right. there are three senators in the keystone pipeline pass that are for it. many of them, some of them, mary

landrew in louisiana is up for re-election. and instead of letting the senators push and make it look like it happened wouldn't be a bad point. >> with health care being what it has been, and the mid-terms looking the way they may if hilary clinton continues that way, can an approval of keystone pipeline change the outcome or the impact? what would that peen for the republicans? >> it might have an affect louisiana race, but not in other

races. this has been going on for five years. this is the second time the united states department of state as come out and said there are no adverse consequences from approving it. what have we learned in the last five years other than burlington railroad is carrying this out and i am sure some are appreciating that. but we damaged the relationship with canada. >> are you saying it the fact it has taken so long is take thing momentum out of the decision? -- taking -- >> the people in favor will say he finally did it but it took five years and he tried to find every excuse. this is the second time the state department said there is no adverse impact from approving it.

>> do you think that is true as well? just because it took so long and this has dragged on any decision isn't as much of an impact? >> not at all. look, there are going to be people that are estatic if the president approve this and maybe the five-year wait makes them more excited. there will be 20,000 jobs created. the president has approved pieces of it. i think, look, the delay has been the delay. he both agree the president is likely to approve it. and mary landry will say it took five years but i got it done. >> the state department says 40,000 jobs in the first two years. are the palm trees a neon green

in key west? is that a natural color? >> it is very natural. >> jenna and i will be there by dinner time. what are we having for dinner? >> i will get you a reservation at blue haven. >> that is going to happen. thanks. great to see you both. new developments in the showdown over iraq's nuclear weapons. there is a scary picture being painted and the u.s. is dancing in the nuclear dark. and tips about a woman who disappeared in texas and where her family thinks she might be now. details on that next.

jenna: a quick look at what is still to come this hour. subway tinkering with the sandwich recipe. what it is removing from the bread and why that ingredient is connected to yoga mats in some way. and to the economy, more than one in six men in the prime of their lives are now looking for work. what that means for the broader economic recovery. plus, big controversy, why some say the winner went way, way, way too far.

we are live with that story coming up. jon: and a report from a science board from the pentagon that paints a very scary picture of what it calls a second nuclear age. report finds our ability to detect when a rogue regime goes for a bomb is not all that good in part because the pathways are expanding. joining us now, at the "wall street journal," he analyzed the report for a piece for the journal calling it dancing in nuclear dark. we have been taking some power hits in our studio and we may be in the dark at any moment but for now we will proceed on. as gary report, scary article. you say our ability to detect when the iranians or anybody else are about to build a bomb are not good. >> you have a pentagon report that directly contradicts

something joe biden said in his debate with paul ryan. he said for sure we would have ample warning when the iranians decide to take the nuclear industrial capabilities and sprint toward a bomb. this report tells us we probably wouldn't have a clue. people know about the iraq intelligence debacle. five years earlier the cia missed when india decided to process nuclear weapons. jon: we were quite surprised, weren't we? >> we were completely surprised. with some advanced warning with north korea, but with india, this is an open society. it is not exactly close case like north korea or iran. there was no warning whatsoever. this is an example of how we imagine we have perfect intelligence, that is just not true. jon: a conclusion as we are entering a second nuclear age. a lot of nations already want it gone. >> some of them are our allies,

some of them are not so friendly. one of the pieces of news is turkey and japan signed a nuclear cooperation agreement. they believed to have the right to enriched uranium. the japanese about to build a plant that could build 2000 bombs in a year, so this is a world of maybe 20 or 30 nuclear powers. it is a scary world. jon: no initiative seen a nuclear device exploded in wartime on its soil. for them to be potentially embracing nuclear arms is quite a development. >> they don't want a bomb. they want an option. that should scare us a bit about a world in which china and japan have so much tension over the east china sea have to nuclear powers.

jon: japan is covered by defense treaty by the united states. does this suggest they are nervous about our abilities are our commitment? >> you take something like a pivot including the marines in asia. this guy single marine in northern australia. the pivot has been fictional. there's a lot of doubt amongst our allies about the strength of american security. jon: the history of nuclear proliferation is no guide to the future, you said. >> typically nuclear states develop nuclear industry. now you have the nuclear proliferators, north korea building a nuclear reactor in syria financed by the iranians. all these pathways for the countries off shoring. jon: we know the north koreans

have the technology and are desperate for cash will be happy to sell it to somebody who has the money, right? >> it is one thing to talk about the states selling to other states com, but what is to prevt north korea from soy technology to hezbollah for example? expanding further and further. we have less control. jon: what we know about the state of the iranian program? >> this is one of the programs you talk about, halting the program and expanded our inspections but they still do not allow us to inspect the military facility where we believe they have been testing the triggering devices needed to detonate an actual bomb. our intelligence is very, very uncertain. it is the history of the state. sometimes overrated the companies like iraq but we also

underrated their technologies. jon: scary stuff. thank you. jenna: subway slogan may be "eat fresh," but some are calling the food downright disgusting. we will tell you about that. and millions of americans cannot find a job still to this day. one in six men in their prime are out of work. why they're having a hard time specifically and what it means to the broader economy coming up.

jenna: gruesomely testimony in the murder trial. the woman accused of killing her husband former girlfriend, now she claims her husband threatened to kill her too. also, saying charges the investigation into the irs targeting conservative groups. we are live with the bombshell on capitol hill. in the first action figure turns the big 5-0 this year.

hasbro introduced us to g.i. joe in 1964. how it became an icon. jon: just in, something to chew on before you order your lunch. subway is removing the controversial chemical from its bread after public outcry. the companies already in in the process of removing the chemic chemical. the complete version will be finished soon. subway says usda and fda both approve the ingredient for human consumption. the chemical makes bread bake faster. when used in products like yoga mats and rubber shoes to increase elasticity. jenna: that is so gross, john. jon: it will not be in your subway sandwich and h sandwich . jenna: the number of people applying for and implement benefits dropped last week to 331,000 suggesting americans are facing fewer layoffs.

but now also getting a clear picture of just who the long-term unemployed are. more than one in six men between the ages of 25-54 don't have a job totaling 10.4 million men in the prime of their lives. and having so many men out of work is partly a symptom of the u.s. economy slow to recover from the worst recession in 75 years. senior columnist for yahoo finance joins us now. more than one in six men in the prime of their lives don't have a job. why does that matter, why is that will file important to know? >> it represents this unusual recover we have, a big pool of idle workers not really still looking for work, many of them able to work so there either sidelined by a gap in job skills, construction jobs are nowhere back to where they were. lot of big companies middle management have been shed, a lot

of these men are at a point in their careers later in their 40s and 50s where it is not easy to reinvent. the demand for the income limit want to go back to grab a job may be higher than the job market has writes now. jenna: in the 1976% of the men for without jobs. now we're at 17%, many labeled themselves is not looking for work. the government doesn't count them as unemployed, what is that mean for the numbers we actually see when it comes to the job market and how accurate they are? >> the percentage of people theoretically able to work who are working is down to 62% from 66% a few weeks ago. that makes you implement rate seem a lot happier number then it really is. so we could see significant decline in the unemployment rate even with the kind of modest job growth we have seen the last of years without it meaning we are

in a booming economy. there is a demographic story for sure. some are voluntarily or not early retired, somehow or another sidelined from the two income household, now on income and they are getting by. we don't know how much is a long-term structural change or how much i as part of the cycle. jenna: that percentage, that is when people are talking about the labor force, right? that is telling us something negative about the economy, if we think it is about retirement or that we don't think there are the jobs out there. >> it is very tough to know and only in retrospect will we know for sure. this is kind of a demographic story, this kind of job growth we're getting is going to mean there isn't really this pool of workers waiting there to be kind of drawn back into the act of economy as much as we think right now, so we're seeing interestingly shortages of workers in some pockets of the economy. we'll probably see more, but

there's not this link between people who are looking and jobs available. truck drivers, the wide minimum of the country where you have the oil and gas boom for example, and you always have these mismatches, that is why the tech industry is really hoping to loosen immigration laws. jenna: there has been a lot of anticipation. the dow up 150 points. what do you expect to see, what will that tell us this report for january, what let's tell us about the year that we should expect? >> the forecast is almost exactly the trend for the last six to 12 months. essentially they are hoping for a bounce back the currently normal rate of job growth. it will tell us it is still a slow and steady recovery. very surprisingly we were hoping tomorrow is it looks like downside based on the weather. it looks like that is probably steady as she goes for the

domestic economy. jenna: mike, thank you. great to see you, as always. jon: there are new developments to talk about in the search for missing woman who traveled the world for almost two years without an issue but mysteriously disappeared after she went on a walk only a month after returning to the u.s. the leading investigators in different directions now. we will tell you why. plus, plus size controversy over the recent "the biggest loser" champ. many saying she is too thin. we have the 411 on that coming up.

you have time to shop for car insurance today? yeah. i heard about progressive's "name your price" tool? i guess you can tell them how much you want to pay and it gives you a range of options to choose from. huh? i'm looking at it right now. oh, yeah? yeah. what's the... guest room situation? the "name your price" tool, making the world a little more progressive.

jon: jump into the fox newsroom each and every thursday the speaker of the house has a news conference. john boehner made some remarks on immigration suggesting the past experience does not build trust with the white house on enforcing the laws in this country. listen to what he had to say. >> i have made it clear for 15 months the need for the congress and the administration to work together on the issue of immigration reform. it needs to get done. i'm going to continue to talk my members about how to move forward, but the president is going to have to do his part as well. jon: republicans have long complained the white house only enforces those laws that it chooses to enforce, those it likes, that is what he seems to be alluding to with immigration laws and immigration reform in this country. continue to bring the highlights from the speaker. jenna: also happening now, churches underway at texas for women who took a walk two weeks ago and simply never returned. she is 33-year-old staying with her in-laws near san antonio with her husband for years,

joshua. the family extended their search 60 miles north to austin handing out flyers looking for answers. they are unsure whether she was kidnapped or left on her own. texas police have stopped their grounded helicopter searches after finding no evidence of foul play but they have received several tips from people who say they have cited her in austin. police are taking tips, and information to the crime stoppers and the local county there. jon: you've probably seen the reality show "the biggest loser" in which overweight contestants try to lose the most weight. through all this, around lifestyle changes. they win a cash prize and become "the biggest loser." but now, the thinnest "the

biggest loser" winner is sparking controversy for losing too much weight, some say. here with the latest, the fox 411 for us. so she wins the contest and gets a heap of criticism around it. >> the biggest loser isn't winning over a lot of viewers after shedding 155 pounds in a weight-loss competition, rachel frederickson is getting fierce backlash for looking too thin. the 5'4" 24-year-old started at 250 pounds. there you see her on the left. as a finalist left the ranch weighing 150 pounds to work on losing weight at home on her own. by the finale she had another 45 pounds down before stepping out for the big reveal which even shocked the judges. watch. [applauding] >> wow. >> she weighed in at 105 pounds,

down to a size zero shedding 60% of her body weight. penny surprise viewers to two social media tweeting she looked anorexic and unhealthy, one saying disappointed in "the biggest hope they dress she lost too much weight. the healthy, not too skinny. as for the expressions on a face face, michael replied on behalf of both of them on twitter. bob and i want to take a moment to congratulate all the contestants for the hard work adding were not couple commenting on her journal because we are not her trainers and were not given opportunity to work with her at any point. any questions about the contestants on "the biggest loser" should be directed to the show's producers. in a statement, they say we are supporting rachel and all of the biggest loser contestants who have shared their journey over the past 15 years. we remain committed to helping contestants achieve healthy weight loss and live healthier lifestyles and inspiring viewers who do the same.

nutrition experts say she is below the recommended way for her height and her body weight but nonetheless she does look incredible and she lost a lot of the weight on her own without the show's help. jon: used to be a competitive swimmer, i guess. thank you. we will be back with more.

jenna: big developments today, and breaking news this hour. jon: shocking to testimony at a congressional hearing on the irs targeting of conservative groups. saying the targeting is not over and the justice department investigation is nothing but a sham. also, are the democrats okay heading into the midterm elections, or not? we will look at two different theories on what will happen come november. plus dramatic testimony in the amanda hayes murder trial. her sister time the court hayes confessed to her. it is all "happening now." and happening now, bombshell testimony in the irs targeting

scandal. welcome to our second hour. jenna: a house committee is holding a hearing right now that they are concerned major conflict of interest in the investigation into the actions of the irs. witnesses are testifying the scandal isn't over. >> the irs scandal israel, it's not pretend, it's real. number two, the irs scandal is not just a boneheaded bunch of bureaucrats in some remote office contrary to what the president of the united states told the american people on sunday. and number three, the irs scandal is not over. it is continuing to this day and the department of justice investigation is a sham. jenna: chief congressional correspondent mike emanuel been here all morning. that is just a snippet of what has transpired so far. what more did lawmakers expect

from people who say they were targeted from the irs? >> they are hearing the lawyers representing conservative groups and also several people who founded some of these conservative groups who say they were harassed by the irs. not have any unusual interaction by the federal government until the day they applied for taxes and set is for the operation and here is one woman's personal story. >> questions about my political aspirations and demands of groups i have spoken with, the content of what i've said and everywhere i intended to speak. the answer to these questions are not of interest to the typical irs lists, but they are very interest or political machine that would put its own survival against the civil liberties of private citizens. >> the stars today are people who say they were harassed by exercising their first amendment rights. there was one attorney who said that harassment continues to this day, jenna. jenna: did lawmakers hear from

anyone from the justice department on the investigation? >> they invited the department of justice, and she is of interest because she is believed to be leading the investigation at doj into the investigation targeting. she has also given $6750 to the obama presidential campaign, and so that is why congressman jim george is wondering if she can truly be impartial. >> ladies was a vested in the present successes heading the investigation and the president could potentially be a target of that investigation and we're supposed to believe this investigation is credible? we invited her to come today. i wanted her to be sitting there with the people who were victimized by the irs. >> to be fair, the department of justice sent letters back saying is not appropriate for her to testify at this time, but because she has said some political involvement being a donor to the obama campaign, lawmakers will likely hear about if she can be objective in this investigation.

jenna: interesting questions. mike, thank you. jon: for more on what we are learning in this hearing and the announcement this week the irs plans to restore employee bonuses for 2013, a staff writer at "the hill." the present would have us believe all of this irs stuff to do about nothing. not a smidgen of corruption, he says, but the folks on capitol hill were hearing a very different story today. >> president obama's handlers kicking themselves for what he said. a poor choice of words given the ongoing investigation at the doj along with several at capitol hill. this is an increasing headache for the administration, many people thought this story was over, republicans were going to drop the issue, but it is a good one for them, it energizes their base, so we will select mightily, out of capitol hill in the coming months.

>> ordinary americans who wanted to exercise their rights to free speech, they said they were squelched by one of the most powerful agencies, the government. >> that exactly right. you can hear the fear almost in their voices, that tends to poison the well between republicans and president obama. relationships are already at an all-time low, and this isn't going to help as the administration seeks to finalize rules that actually curb the political activity allowed by the social welfare groups. right now we saw this morning congressional republicans and their leaders hope to administration will not finalize these rules because they contend it would continue the targeting by the irs and codify it, in a way. jon: up until about 2010, those 5o1c4, they too big we heard the

irs in three months or less. now all of a sudden the irs doesn't seem to be able to process, at least those that belong to conservative groups. >> that is exactly right. longer wait times and questions that seem to go beyond the scope of what a normal irs investigation of these groups would be in order to assess whether they deserve the tax benefit. again this is an ongoing headache for the obama administration, relationships are not good with capitol hill and will find it very difficult to finalize any kind of sense is reform at this point because at this point republicans have a large stake, they want to protect these groups abilities to not only speak but to spend on an election. with these kind of antidotes coming out of capitol hill committee can be sure this story is not over. jon: and the justice department official supposed to be investigating the issues

involving the irs gave $6000 to the president's election campaign. >> that's right. you would think the administration very concerned with the optics of what it is doing and who is personnel are, you would think they would have avoided appointing this woman as a gesture of respect for republicans, but that didn't happen. there is an argument to be made she is a professional and can conduct her investigative duties regardless of her political views, this is what she has trained professionally to do and she should be able to do it with neutrality, but republicans don't believe that. as this investigation proceeds regardless of the results, people will question how they came about, how they were discovered. jon: the irs ought to be able to as well. it is not doing it that way these days at least. thank you. >> thank you, jon.

jenna: problems starting to stumble for so many people across the country as they dig out from a massive snow and ice storm. frozen waterways like the illinois river are delaying barges carrying salt shipments to the midwest and northeast. salt needed to keep the roads clear of ice and shortages in many areas making travel slow and very dangerous as the temperatures dip even lower it becomes even less effective but still we need the salt up here, that is for sure. and crews working round-the-clock to resolve the outages as well. temperatures were low last night, pennsylvania is the hardest hit states including villanova university, outside philadelphia where students were told it might be better to leave campus and go home. >> when is the last time you heard about an entire campus without power? that whole area walloped by yesterday's storm.

the dorms and classrooms were left in the dark forcing a minister it is to cancel classes yesterday and last night and today and tomorrow encouraging students to go home, directing those stuck on campus to the main dining hall powered by an emergency generator serving hot food all day and all night. >> the food is limited, resources are limited. >> we are out for three days. >> they told us no school tomorrow and then they told us friday as well, they said we should leave. jon: much of the delaware valley hit by the severe blast of ice to the trees and power lines which brought some of those lines down. one of the oldest and largest utilities in america reported outage records. thousands of homes and businesses hit in the area yesterday afternoon affecting over a million people. utility brought in crews from canada and several states

including illinois and ohio to help out, but more than 400,000 customers still in their dark this morning. power companies say most should be back up friday night, some not until sunday. the weather is still freezing and there is still ice on the limbs and such. jenna: thank you. jon: and new rules parking a showdown over unions, high federal agencies giving a big boost to organized labor. the stays involved in a live report coming up. and there is never a good way to drive drunk, but it is really bad when you hit a police car. the stories and video ahead. i have the flu, i took medicine but i still have symptoms. [ sneeze ] [ male announcer ] truth is not all flu products treat all your symptoms. what? [ male announcer ] alkseltzer plus severe cold and flu speeds relief to these eight symptoms. [ breath of relief ] thanks. [ male announcer ] you're welcome. ready? go.

jon: a new push to help unions recruit members setting the stage for a knockdown fight between organized labor and business groups.

involving a row that force employers to han handover list f company e-mail addresses for all workers. live in d.c. with details on what is going on there. reporter: supporters of the proposed rules fo the national labor union force survey would streamline and expedite the process for employees voting on whether or not they want to unionize. but they would include requiring the employer to have e-mail addresses and telephone numbers to the they say they applaud the new measures adding this, "the current election process is riddled with delay and provides too many opportunities for employers to manipulate and drag out the process through costly and unnecessary litigation and deny workers vote. these rules are important step in the right direction will help improve the election process. they declared similar roles in 2011 but a federal judge struck down effort saying the board wasn't even operating with a full quarter most members at the time.

critics say what they're calling the so-called ambush rules are another payback from the administration they are vowing to fight back. g.o.p. senator who is a top republican on the senate labor committee says they are one more example of how the obama national labor relations board continues to be more of a union advocate then an umpire. this latest effort is a political power pla plant half f unions making a run around employers and forces workers to make decisions without all the facts. they will have an opportunity to weigh on the rules before they become permanent. the government will take public comments until april 7. jon: and we will see with the decision is after that. thank you. jenna: now to some dash cam video of a terrifying scene in texas. a woman driving in the wrong direction on a highway slams into a car and incredibly both the officers escaping injury. the crash leading out to an all-out chase for the driver. other police cars joining the

pursuit, the chase went on for 40 miles last 11 minutes. police eventually catching her by knocking out her tires. but not before she had a second police car. she faces charges of drunk driving. shocking new testimony in the amanda his murder trial. her husband convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend. now amanda hayes and her sister are speaking out. her sister thanh the jury something very interesting. our legal panel weighs on a not just ahead. and a milestone for g.i. joe. why today is a big day for the iconic action hero. ♪ >> g.i. joe, attack! go, go! bam, bam! terrific battle! >> when you get g.i. joe and the authentic g.i. joe equipment, you'll have-- cúp,@s#b

jenna: we have a live look at the amanda hayes murder trial that is happening right now in north carolina. there is explosive testimony to catch you up on. prosecutors say amanda hayes and her husband, grant, killed his ex-girlfriend back in 2011 after a long-running custody dispute. grant hayes, the husband, was convicted of first-degree murder last year that he is serving a life sentence. a jury will now have to decide if amanda hayes took part in the murder of the woman you are seeing on your screen there. yesterday amanda hayes' sister took the stand and this is what she told the jury. >> she told me that she needed to talk to me, it was serious. i told her give me a minute, we sit down, i don't know exactly how it happened right there, but

she told me that laura was dead and that she had done it. jenna: a criminal defense attorney. then, after that, how damaging is that to amanda's case that she didn't know anything about the murder? >> it is a powerful evidence because you look at the credibility of the person who says she confessed to that and here is her own sister. the sister doesn't seem to have a motive to lie and make up a story about her sister confessing, and we know from the sister zone, the defendant's own story she drove with her husband from north carolina to texas with the dismembered body of this victim in the car. and then they dumped it in the creek where it wasn't found four days. he put that together with this alleges confession, it is an extreme the powerful case. jenna: by the way, the creek was across the street from the sister's house. that is the sister amanda and her husband visited with the

body of the victim. the sister had something else to say on the stand yesterday. she wasn't sure what to think or believe when amanda hayes actually confessed to her, a few days later she pulls her sister aside to ask her if she is covering for her husband and this is what she describes to the jury. >> it was like the little look as if she was a little girl, she just kind of mouth it, never said a word but she nodded her has yes. jenna: does that kind of contract the alleged confession that she gave her sister? >> it does, or can. at first the confession is she is dead and i did it. is she physically responsible for the murder or is she morally responsible because she knew

would happen and did not do anything to either stop it or report it after it happened. certainly what she then not even said to her sister, but her emotions and what she would like to her sister was that she was covering. this is the question for the defense, it was a direct defense that she had to participate in the aftermath, not the actual murder, but in the cover-up in order to save herself because she was being coerced or threatened by a grant hayes who has already been convicted. >> that is what the defense wants the jury to think about, these women were all manipulated and abused by them. amanda hayes is a byproduct of that. one of the important things of this case is the medical examiner doesn't actually know how the victim died. if they don't know how she died, how can they know who actually

did it? >> normally if you don't know the cause of death, that is a problem for the prosecution, but the medical examiner can say that it was caused by a homicide, and also there is a good explanation for why the government can't tell the cause of death, the body was dismembered and days later dumped in a creek and not found until days after that. the prosecution case by we don't know the cause of death because the actions of the defendant by her own admission took that dismembered body with her husband, drove it to texas and help dump it in a creek. the cause of death will not be a factor. the issue is and how the death was caused, but whether the defendant knew about it at the time of the murder. jenna: do you agree with that? >> i agree the jury doesn't need to hear the cause of death, it is not an element of the crime especially after grant hayes was

convicted of murder. however i do think to tell the better story, the prosecutor or defense have to explain who actually killed her and in what method, and if that is the case, how she was murdered. that would explain who actually killed her. and if grant hayes actually physically caused the death of laura, it may be harder for a jury to convict amanda hayes who may not have played a part of this until after the murder had been convicted. to fill the gap in the story, they should know how she died. jenna: that is what she alleges, she did not know anything until they got down to texas. thank you both very much. >> thank you. >> thank you. jon: all right now traffic is a mess in dallas. take a look at this. maria molina told us about frigid weather sweeping down across much of the united stat united states. it is socking north texas hard,

towns like austin, dallas fort worth, santangelo, they are all experiencing snow. remember what happened in atlanta last month. it is not looking good in dallas right now. a lot of schools are closing, traffic is crawling on the roads. they are trying to dump sand, but they don't get a lot of snow and they are not having a good time right now. jenna: they have this year. >> i wanted to present you with a little gift, which represents what president obama and vice president biden and i have been saying. that is we want to reset a relationship. jon: so much that he was in russia hitting the reset button as vladimir putin welcomes the world to the olympics in sochi. is this the start of a new cold war?

and the best of times over the worst of times for democrats heading into the midterm elections. our political panel with a debate coming up. 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. ♪ [ male announcer ] bob's heart attack didn't come with a warning. today his doctor has him on a bayer aspirin regimen to help reduce the risk of another one. if you've had a heart attack, be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. afghanistan, in 2009. orbiting the moon in 1971. [ male announcer ] once it's earned, usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation.

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jenna: welcome back, everyone. the obama administration wowed to repair washington's at that timerred relationship with russia five years ago. so far it hasn't exactly

happened. security concerns at the winter olympics and the case surrounding nsa leaker edward snowden are just a few items making u.s. relations with russia very tense. our chief washington correspondent james rosen is live in d.c. with more. >> reporter: jenna, you may recall when secretary of state clinton famously presented russian foreign minister lavrov with the word for reset, clinton's aids bungled job with the russian word for overload. that is more apt met at that far for the relations in the obama era which the range of issues which the two superpowers alternately coalesce and clash are overwhelming and not con sues sieve to any period of good relations. obama administration officials will point to russian cooperation on some issues including wto, iran sanctions, syrian chemical weapons and nuclear arms accords. as the games commence in sochi, u.s. intelligence officials say the russians have recently

become somewhat more cooperative with washington in terms of joint security preparations. with the director of national intelligence james clapper telling congress this week his early oaf very tures on olympic security were quote, stiff armed bit kremlin. >> if there is a problem at the olympics despite the truly massive security cordons, the 40,000 security officers, special operations forces, 1500 square mile exclusion zone, et cetera, if there is terrorist attack or success fell attacks it will be what putin is remembered for. u.s. intelligence have said they regard potential terrorist attacks outside of the olympic village, perhaps even outside of sochi as the chief threat in the days ahead. jenna. jenna: we'll watch for it certainly. james, thank you. jon: well two very different takes on what to expect in the midterm elections. james carville, writing in "the hill," that the days ahead are not so dark for democrats. he writes, the republican party

is at an all-time low in terms of identifiers and public image and people who want to associate themselves with it. but, in the "wall street journal" karl rove writes this. five republicans outraised their democratic opponents including in all three states, montana, south dakota, west virginia, where the democratic senators are leaving and in two of the four states, alaska, arkansas, louisiana, north carolina, where democratic incumbents are trying to hold on. talk about it with angela mcglowan, a fox news political analyst. the point that james carville seemed to make, angela, was that as bad as things are for the president, his favorability ratings just about as low as they have been in six years, carville says that republican favorability ratings are even lower and therefore things are looking good for the democrats. what do you say? >> well here we go. he is a great spin master on the

actual message there, jon, but the bottom line is this, people will not vote party lines. people will vote on policy. people are going to vote on who would create a better america proves parity for their pocketbooks and clearly it is not the dem crassic party and clearly not the presidential policies. so, carville has been the one that is the rage inch cajun from the clinton days from the putting positive spin on message. but you can't spin this, jon, you can't. jon: karl rove on the flip side said seven states voted for mitt romney. all seven of them have democratic senators up for re-election. in many of those states the republican challenger is outraising the democrat in terms of fund, well, fund-raising. >> right. jon: does that suggest enthusiasm and does it suggest that in all of seven of those states the incumbent is in trouble? >> the democratic incumbent is in trouble. you have a president that is not

popular, low approval rating. and also you need money to win campaigns. and the bottom line is, republicans are outraising democrats in these states. but it is not going to be conservatives or liberals that are going to decide who will take over the house or the senate. it will be independents, jon. and independents are results-oriented. independents want solutions. it will not be the spin on the message. it will not be who actually outraises one another. it will be again, who will create a better america and more prosperous america. that is why you're seeing, jon, a lot of your democratic incumbents running away from the president. i like to say they're doing the potomac two-step. inside the beltway they have to tote the party line but all politics is local. they will actually have to satisfy the constituency. obama's policies are not satisfying the american people. jon: talking about policies, obamacare is probably the

biggest one that is on people's minds right now. again james carville says, he expects that by the end of march you will have pretty close to seven million people signed up. he says obamacare is working better than most people think it is. what do you say to that. >> you know what? liberals with the politics, if you shout something long enough or if you shout aloud enough, people will believe it. that is not today's politics because the bottom line is obamacare has been a failure. the affordable care act is not affordable and it is actually hurting the pocketbooks of the american people. also you had the cbo come out with the fact that it will cause people not to want to work and will cost a lot of job losses. so again you can spin the message any type of way that you want to but the facts are the facts here. i believe that republicans stay true to the message, if republicans stay as one and not divide the party with the tea party and establishment candidates, i believe the

republicans can take over the house and the senate. jon: you mentioned some of these democratic candidates have been trying to avoid the president but their voting records, mary landrieu and alaska's mark begich, 9% voting record with the president -- 97%. kay hagen of north carolina, 96% voting record with the president. are they going to be able i guess run away from those records if that's what they want to do. >> listen, when obama goes to a state and they can try to run away and not be in the state and be in washington, d.c. you can't run away from your voting record. it is what it is. republican candidates can utilize that with the fund-raising and commercials to get out message that you supported a failure in policies and that is why the country is where it is today. so they can run, jon, but they can't hide because the facts are there black and white. jon: james carville ended his article by suggesting that democratic candidates go negative early and often. so we can prepare for a whole lot of that perhaps in the

upcoming election season. angela mcglowan, thanks. >> thanks, jon. jenna: we'll switch topics here, jon. jon: all right. jenna: a landmark for "g.i. joe." a landmark for the good guy, right? >> yeah. jenna: he turns 50 years old today. the iconic action figure entertaining children since 1964. the head of hasbro's research and development department came up with the idea as a tribute from soldiers returning from service in the korean war. the stores hit in store shelves selling $4 each. i can't tell you what happened because "g.i. joe" is big, big, big. inducted into the national toy hall of fame in 2004. our viewers should know, jon scott always want ad "g.i. joe" but never got one. we'll work on that. jon: it probably warped my childhood because i never got a "g.i. joe." jenna: it was big for my brothers and me. i love scarlet. she was introduced later two generations into the "g.i. joe."

but an american hero. jon: we always love the redhead, right? jenna: that's right. jon: navy pilot held captive by the chinese in 2001 is now running for the u.s. senate. shane osborn joins us with a look back at that ordeal plus his plan to help get washington back on track. a growing battle over toy guns. lawmakers putting end of use of bright colors to differentiate them from real weapons. why critics say it would only make matters worse. you really love, what would you do?" ♪ [ woman ] i'd be a writer. [ man ] i'd be a baker. [ woman ] i wanna be a pie maker. [ man ] i wanna be a pilot. [ woman ] i'd be an architect. what if i told you someone could pay you and what if that person were you? ♪ when you think about it, isn't that what retirement should be, paying ourselves to do what we love? ♪

jon: last hour we played for you remarks from speaker of the house john boehner who said that in his view congress has difficulty trusting the president and that makes it difficult to get a deal done on immigration reform. jay carney the president's spokesman responded to that. take a listen. >> we remain optimistic about the prospects for comprehensive immigration reform in 2014.

we have seen significant movement among republicans on this issue. and it is heartening to see that republican leaders in congress, including speaker of the house and others, identify immigration reform as a necessary priority. jon: so the battle goes on capitol hill over immigration, over immigration reform, whether any is forthcoming. you will have to stay tuned to fox news channel to watch. jenna: navy pilot who was captured by china is now running for u.s. senate. his name is shane osborn. and his plane collided in midair with a chinese fighter jet in international airspace back in 2001. osborne was able to safely land the plane but chinese interrogated him and his crew for several days before they were released. he later returned home after a few years, became nebraska's state treasurer. he has his sights set on washington. >> barack obama, we're

$16 trillion in debt and regulations like obamacare cripple small business that is drive our nebraska economy. that's why i'm running for u.s. senate and that's why i'm asking for your help in this campaign. join team osborne, sign up with the email and follow is on facebook and twitter. join us in the call. jenna: we have the guy in the video. republican senate candidate, shane osborn. thanks for joining us, shane. >> thanks, jon. jenna: people follow story of your jet coming down, but that was before 9/11. things have changed. take us to april turn, what exactly transpired. >> just a normal reconnaissance mission. the chinese were harassing us. the hot dog got too close and nearly killed us. flipped us inverted for almost two miles and we were able to get it out after a long dive and

execute our orders for getting rid of equipment and had to land in china and take off at gunpoint t was a rough 12 days. jenna: what happened in the 12 days? >> they interrogated us round-the-clock. kept me awake for seven days. my new name was master spy. you find out what you're made of and how important your faith is. the focus is getting the crew home and getting them home safe. jenna: you stayed in the knave after that. >> i did. later year september 11th occurred. i walked into my skipper's office and said i'm extending that tour and flew initial reconnaissance missions in afghanistan. jenna: why are you choosing to become involved in politics on the national level. >> first and foremost, we have a saying in the navy, not on my watch. i'm refusing to watch our country decline. i think our best days are in front of us. i think we need more people in washington, d.c. put that over their political well-being. i actually shrunk budgets. i cut my budget 12%.

reduced staff, 20%. made the office more efficient. leadership training i read seized in the navy transferred to public office and entrepreneur, i started three businesses. >> real quick, because you certainly have worked with folks that do not have the experience, are not veterans. just curious, what skills or what stools do you think having that background provides you that makes you different than other candidates and may potentially help with some of the bipartisan things that you're hoping to achieve. >> first and foremost i collected intelligence off over country we're having problems here today. the unique thing about the military the guy on the left, judge may have said, you're either going to jail or enlisting. guy on the right made be a rhodes scholar and speak six languages and a genius. we're from different ethnic, geographical and background and we put together in high pressure situations and work together. i was leader in the treasure ear's association when there were only eight republican treasurers nationwide. i learn to work across the aisle. that is what nebraskans want.

they want somebody that is conservative but to get things done. jenna: we'll talk to you later. you're ahead in the polls locally and watch your race, shane. >> keep working hard. jenna: thank you, jon? jon: there is new controversy in california over legislation meant to keep toy guns looking like the real thing. supporters say it will prevent tragedies. critics say, bad guys, just find a way around it. claudia cowan is live in san francisco. claudia? >> reporter: and, jon, supporters of california's imitation firearms safety act say brightly-colored weapons will confuse police officers in the heat of the moment situations. but critics of this measure say the color of a gun doesn't matter whether it is real or fake. take a listen. the proposed legislation comes after a veteran officer in santa rosa, california, fatally shot 13-year-old andy lopez after spotting him walking with what turned out to be a fake, ak-style gun. >> didn't have to die!

>> reporter: amid numerous protests sheriff's deputies showed how closely his replica resemble ad real assault rifle. legislation requiring toy gunmakers to use bright colors would help prevent such tragedies. >> orange, green, yellow, whatever the color may be to give law enforcement and police officers in our communities and in our neighborhoods have to make a split-second decision within a nanosecond is this the real thing or is this a fake? >> we don't have the luxury of making a decision in a split second whether or not this is a real gun or not. it doesn't matter what color it is. >> reporter: and police point out real guns like these, come in a rainbow of colors. [gunfire] he says replica weapons are fine at game centers but not out in public. >> for god's sakes don't walk down the street. 13 years old you should know, god rest his soul but, you know, some of this has to lie in, some of the blame in my opinion would have to lie with the parents.

>> reporter: and andy lopez's parents filed a federal lawsuit claiming that the officer who shot their son used excessive force. meantime the imitation firearms safety act passed out of the california state senate and heads to the state assembly. jon? jon: claudia cowan in san francisco. thanks, claudia. jenna: well some new developments in the so-called "affluenza" case. do you remember this? the wealthy texas teen sentenced only to probation for a deadly drunk driving crash. the new ruling from a judge in this very controversial case. >> jay leno makes his way through these curtains. >> that entrance is harder than it looks. >> this is our tribute to jay leno on his last night tonight. right. what is coming up? >> we'll tell you the story of a firefighter who was handcuffed and put in a police cruiser just for doing his job. why. >> ed rollins and pat caddell go at it. should president obama campaign with democrats or stay away?

we'll have that for you. >> i hope the lights are fixed by the top of the hour. >> good luck, jay leno. >> see ya. the new guy is loaded with prote! i'll believe it when i -- [ both ] oooooh... [ female announcer ] as you get older, protein is an important rt of staying active and strong. ensureigh protein... fifty percent of your daily value of protein. low fat and five grams of sugars. [ major nutrition ] ensure. nutrin charge!

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jon: right now prisoners are appealing to their children not to follow in their footsteps. it's happening in a florida lockup where the inmates recorded video messages urging their kid to make better decisions than they did. steve harrigan live from miami with that. steve? >> reporter: jon, this is a partnership between the sheriff's office in jacksonville and an organization called, save our sons, to try to teach the children of inmates an important lesson. >> hey, daddy. >> reporter: 4-year-old iana and her brother are talking to their father but eddie wells can't hear them. >> things are bad this year and i made some mistakes.

so i couldn't be there with y'all. >> reporter: he is serving time for assault in a jacksonville, prison, and part of a new program for inmates to make video messages to their children. >> i want to be a better role model for you. >> reporter: organizers say it is an effort to break a cycle of violence. >> these men are owning their mistakes. and that is the genius of this. they're owning them and now use the mistake to be a teaching tool. >> reporter: terrell felton's father was in prison. her son is now in prison. her three grandsons check off days on the calendar until he is released. the recorded video message is the only time they see their father. >> the message was, just to let them know that he did something that put him in a bad place and for them not to ever walk in his footsteps in that bad way. >> reporter: giving guidance to children, you can't see, or respond to, is not easy. >> it hurts. when you're that close with your kid and you're not there for them and they're used to be

around, it hurt the likes, like, i can't explain it. >> reporter: florida officials say more than 30% of male inmates are back behind bars within three years of being released. something this program is trying to reduce. jon? jon: let's hope it works. steve harrigan in miami. thank you, steve. jenna: well you probably have seen the popemobile in the past, right you? know pope francis likes to do things a little differently, right? did you know he owns his own harley? well now the pope is giving up his wheels. we're going to tell you why next. ♪ across america people are taking charge

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wild. his harley davidson solid for 325,000. the harlo was a gift from willie davidson, the grandson of the company's founder. money will be donated to a charity in rome that helps to feed the homeless. >> good looking bikement >> you can say you are riding the pope's bicyclement >> whether he rode it or not it is the pope's bike. gi joe turned 50 today. think clint east wood. he will be on the real story with gretchen carlsson. along with his daughter. you can catch them on 2 o'clock p.m. eastern. >> you do cling eastwood. >> go ahead, punk.

best i can do. >> we'll have that tape forever. thank you for joining us. >> america's news headquarters starts right now. know a hearing on irs conservative groups. i am bill hemmer. >> and i am alisyn camerota. republicans outraged of an e-mail from lois lerneroused to now rules to clafrng down on the tea party group. >> the president of the united states can go on national television on a day when people watch television. and say there is not a smidgeon of corruption in the irs targeting scandal. we allow people victim used by the internal rev now