martha: yeah. bill: dan, happen valentine's day. martha: see you soon hon nip. right now "happening now." >> breaking news, top headlines and brand new stories you see here first. jon: chaos on a pennsylvania highway showing how the bad the winter wallop was. accidents all over the place. hundreds of drivers stuck in the snow and more on the way for some folks. one year ago today, superstar paraolympian oscar pistorius killed his girlfriend. he maintains it was all an accident. his murder trial begins this about two weeks. a live report on the way. in his state of the union speech this year the president is vowing to go around congress to pass legislation. but he was saying something very different back in 2008. the video just resurfacing. it is all "happening now."

jon: and we begin with a fox news alert. on that valentine's day. up and down the east coast from the carolinas to new england they are digging out from a monster storm. good morning to you. hope you're doing well. i'm jon scott. jenna: hope you're staying warm on this valentine's day. i'm heather childers in for jenna lee. nice to be here. the latest blast of snow and ice cold schools and businesses and brought major businesses to a stand still. jon: at least 20 deaths are blamed on the storm including a pregnant woman struck and killed by a snowplow in new york. utilities crews from as far away from canada coming to help. a lot to get to this morning. laura ink fell live in new york's central park this morning. laura? >> reporter: it may be beautiful to look at as we give you a live look at central park. we're here on the west side of the park. you can see the snow accumulation. it has created a huge headache for many people all over the

northeast, trying to navigate this mess. most of the snow has been plowed from the city streets but it is still a pain to get out. now inside the park, joggers of course are doing their thing as they always do. the sun is shining. they're enjoying it. we caught up with some tourist who is were quite happy to see the snow. >> mice change actually. i know it is cold and snowy but it's a nice change. nice to experience some winter. we've been out and we bought snow boots. >> bought snow boots in new york. >> yeah. so we've got some of the last pairs i think. >> reporter: nine 1/2 inches fell in central park yesterday bringing the year-to-date snow total to 51 inches. now that number is usually 26 inches for the entire fall to spring season. while it has been a pain in the neck and back for people to shovel out as you mentioned, some have not made it out alive. over 20 people lost their lives with the recent storm. one of more tragic stories we've

heard here in the area of a pregnant woman in brooklyn that was struck by a bobcat snowplow in a grocery store parking lot. i talked with representatives at the local hospital, they tell me the babe was saved during an emergency c-section performed under 60 seconds remains in critical condition today. we heard the driver of the bobcat in that parking lot has not been arrested. no charges are expected to be filed. we've also been hearing the reverse lights and warning beeper on the bobcat snowplow were defective. we've been hearing over and over again how dangerous the storm can be for many reasons. safety of course is top of mind for many people. that story serves as very important reminder to always being aware of surroundings and people removing snow be careful as well. back to you. jon: what a sad story. laura ingle, thank you. >> as laura mentioned roads are still dangerous in many areas. look at this. massive pileup shutting down part of the pennsylvania turnpike. no word on injuries. it happened during the height of

the morning commute. you can imagine the mess. just miles from philadelphia. we will have much more on the tricky travel and rough conditions out there coming up at the bottom of the hour. jon: well, south african olympic star oscar pistorius is speaking out one year after the shooting death of his girlfriend reeva steenkamp. his murder trial is set to begin in two weeks n south africa they're already calling it the trial of the century. greg palkot live from our london bureau. i guess, greg, oscar pistorius is speaking out? >> reporter: he is speaking out. it is first anniversary of the valentine's day killing of reeva steenkamp by paraolympian oscar pistorius. so-called "blade runner" speaking out from his web site. he said he felt sorrow for the death. and i quote. no words can adequately capture my feelings about the devastating accident that caused heartache for those that truly loved reva. accident is the operative

phrase. the legal team for pistorius claims he thought there was true -- intruder in the house. that he acted in self-defense firing four shots in the bathroom where reva was. prosecution has assembled 107 witnesses including a close friend of steenkamp. an old girlfriend of pistorius, next door neighbors. we learned they have gotten apple technicians involved to try to get access to the iphone of pistorius. all to prove this killing was an act of rage after an argument, premeditated intentional murder. there is no death penalty in south africa, jon, but he could get 25 years to life. jon: how is this trial expected to go from here, greg? >> reporter: it is a little bit different as we found out when we were at the bail hearing last year in pretoria in a south african courtroom compared to u.s. courtroom. one thing there is no jury. one judge, running things casting the verdict. in this case it's a woman with a

background in social issues. that is pleasing to a lot of women activists. they were out on the streets of pretoria. legal efforts i spoke to say she will make great efforts to be fair. with high-profile personality as oscar pistorius, double amputee, olympic athlete, huge media attention we've seen is expected again. i'm told it will be decided next several days whether there will be cameras in the courtroom. this is not usually done in south africa. that is not stopping a 24-hour television channel to be started up next couple days exclusively covering the event. we learned that the families of both pistorius and steenkamp are pretty low profile on this anniversary day. we have spoken to one person close to the steenkamp family. he said they are still traumatized but they are trusting that justice will be served. again, march third starts the trial. scheduled to last three weeks. figuring to last much, much longer than that. back to you, jon. jon: greg palkot live from london.

thank you very much, greg. in a little bit we'll be talking with our legal panel today about this unusual murder case in south africa and what lies ahead for one of the world's most famous athletes. also right now jay carney is briefing reporters from the brady press room there in the white house. he is taking, the press briefing a little bit early today. we believe it is because the president is headed off to the west coast. they are answering, he has been answering some questions about syria and russian cooperation there. we'll continue to monitor the press secretary's briefing and as events warrant we'll take you back there live. if you want to watch it catch it life on foxnews.com. >> see if they answer any questions about this we're getting some new information about how americans really feel about obamacare. new fox polling showing that most voters regret it ever passed in the first place. 55% saying they wished it never happened. 37%, they say they're happy it passed.

in another fox poll showing more than half of voters think that the health care law will ultimately be bad for the country. 41% think that it will be good for us in the end. monica crowley, fox news contributor, and author of "what the bleep just happened." of the mark hannah, former aide to john kerry and barack obama presidential campaigns. thank you both for joining us. >> hi, heather. >> monica, i start with you, to neither one of you are numbers a surprise. we have promises that were not kept. people lost their insurance, their health coverage. where do democrats and republicans take these numbers from here, monica? >> well this law has never been popular when it was being debated and rammed through on strictly democrat party-line vote. the american people did not like it. they didn't like it when it was theoretical proposition, heather. now that it is reality and directly affecting millions of people in terms of loss of coverage, loss of doctor, less

access to health care and doctors they prefer in terms of higher premiums, high deer can he 6 deductibles now that is horrible reality for so many americans you're going to see those numbers actually increase in terms of opposition to obamacare. what is so problematic when you get into numbers for the democrats, set aside the unpopularity of it. it is core constituencies they need to support this thing to make it work. what grabbed my eye, heather, was the fact that 55% of those under the age of 30, in other words, the young, healthy invincibles that they need to uphold the whole thing, they oppose obamacare. they wish it had never been passed. over a quarter of democrats now say that this ink is really not a good deal. going forward, in trying to make this thing work. i frankly think it is unworkable at this point, they're going to have a really tough sell. i think it is lost for them at this point. >> mark, i want to bring up the next poll we can take a look at. you can respond to what monica

said. in terms of whether or not your family is better off in general, only 9% said their family is better off with obamacare. 25% say it is worse off. 65% say it remains the same. will these numbers translate in the polls when it comes time for midterm elections? >> i think the numbers are consequential. i'm not surprised at all, heather, by this number. as the president said all along, if you are in a situation where, you know this will not be disruptive for people who have good health insurance. this will be disruptive and transformative for people who had bad insurance to begin with. i agree with monica that this will affect obamacare. millions of peoples lives. where i disagree how it will affect those lives. one life being affected is cameraman here in the studio with me. his name is hugh. he had prostate cancer five years ago and survived. because of obamacare's provision from venting insurance companies

discriminating against people with preexisting conditions he is able to get affordable health insurance through obamacare. there are millions of people, young people can stay on their family's plan, 3.5 million people we learned registered for obamacare. millions of seniors who have prescription drug benefits they didn't before. and, and millions of people with preexisting conditions. now who can not be discriminated against by insurance companies. absolutely millions of people are affected by this law and it will influence the poll numbers in the future. jenna: 3.5 million announced wednesday. those numbers are being called into question. we have to talk about that. i have to move on to the next poll. this is for you, monica. this is whether people consider this obamacare to be controlling or helping their lives. and 56% say that it is controlling. >> yes. exactly. now that is the whole point of this. for obama and extreme left obamacare was never about health insurance or health care. it was about what obama called in 2008 the fundamental transformation of the nation.

it is only and always about government power and control. that's why the president doesn't care very much it is being implemented in such a poor way because that really wasn't the point. when marks talk about the people, disruption, talk about the actual disruption. you have six million people already who had their policies canceled. tens of millions this year will likely get their notices with employer-based coverage. the whole thing was sold on idea we have 30 million people uninsured in the country. this will be great for them. you know what? in those numbers mark cited what we're seeing essentially a churn operation. people who got cancellations because of obamacare are now signing up through the exchanges. you will still have 30 million people uninsured. in fact -- >> that is not true. that is blatantly not true, monica. look at "gallup poll." jenna: before you respond -- >> only 11% were previously uninsured. >> people not insured they have less options in terms of growing to the considers they want to. they have less options in terms

of going to what presumed to be some of the best hospitals. >> right. >> and on that note i want to look at this final poll. this is for you, mark. who do you blame? do you blame president obama for all the problems with implementation of the health care law? 46% say they blame him a lot! 30% say some. 15%, not much. 8% not at all. mark? >> people are justifiably upset and frustrated with the botch of the rollout and they need somebody to point the finger out. who will they point the finger at? the obama administration has taken responsible about this and very serene about the fact that mistakes were made and people in the administration made those mistakes. i want to take issue what monica said about ininsure r insurance rate. gallup said uninsurance rate lower than past five years an they attribute that to the obamacare law. it is true obamacare is insuring more americans are never before.

uninsurance problems are going away slowly. not as fast as everybody would like but i think the poll numbers will change the more millions and millions of americans who have the health care law in the future. >> thank you both for joining us. monica, happy valentine's day. >> happy valentines. >> happy valentine's day. jon: there are sad developments for the family of a colorado woman who vanished in texas. police say they may have found her body. the star athlete known as the "blade runner" speaking out one year after he shot his girlfriend dead in his south african home. what oscar pistorius has to say to the world as he waits the beginning of his murder trial just two weeks from monday. good job! still runnng in the morning? yeah. getting your vegebles every day?

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jon: south african track star oscar pistorius is sending out a message much regret over the death of his girlfriend. pistorius goes on trial earlier next month for her murder. it was one year ago on valentine's day he shot his model girlfriend to death in the

bathroom of his home. pistorius maintains he thought she was an intruder. today in a statement on his website he expresses sorrow and maintains his shooting her was an accident. let's get into a preview of the trial now with heather hanson, a trial attorney. ashley merchant is a criminal defense attorney. so interesting that he originally was arrested and jailed but now, heather, he is out on bail. he can even leave the country if he chooses. what turned everything around for him in his pretrial detention? >> originally he had been not allowed to drink alcohol, not allowed to leave the country. in march that was overturned, in part, jon, in that country they used to use bail and pretrial incarceration as method of controlling the populace. so they're very, vest sensitive about these bail issues and they found that it was just unfair. he is presumed innocent. it is unfair to keep him in jail when he has not yet been proven guilty. jon: ashley, interesting some

messages on his iphone apparently still have not been seen, at least no public record of them exists. he claims that he has forgotten the pass code on his phone that opened his phone. apparently they're going to call in the experts from apple and maybe some of our criminal defense, criminal investigation agencies in this country to try to get those messages out. what -- well, go ahead. >> that's okay. it will be very interesting to see what those messages are because we know his girl friend was tweeting just the day before what do you have planned for me for valentine's day? didn't seem there were any problems in their relationship at that point and they were looking forward to spending a romantic valentine's day together. jon: heather it, would seem that, you know, if there wasn't something incriminating on his text message that is he would maybe be able to remember the password to his phone. that is pretty unusual. >> certainly a little bit suspect. the fact he says i can't remember the password because

there is some presumption there were text messages that went back and forth between the two of them. if they were arguing certainly there would be evidence on those text messages. you better believe they will have apple people to talk about what the texts says or why they're missing. jon: it is kind of a side issue, ashley, they don't need the phone to do that though. can't they get those through the phone company? >> they could definitely get them through the phone company. they could get them through her phone or either of the phone servers. all that is goes into a database accessible for whoever your carrier is, wireless phone carrier. they can get it without something in the iphone. the only thing you would need the iphone specifically if he took a recording and actually recorded something and maintained that in his iphone. they might need a password for that. jon: we talked about some of the messages he put on his web page. for an accused suspect they were fairly tateful. there was not a lot of whoa is me kind of thing.

but if you were his defense attorney would you have him put that stuff out there. >> it is different jon, because there is judge deciding this case, and there is not a jury. there is not a effect for the jury pool. he has an outstanding lawyer. this will be fun for the public to watch. that is stunning statement he made. i think it is fine within the confines what this cases. jon: there is south african cable channel will be devoted nothing else but this trial. ashley, heather, thank you very much. >> thank you, jon. heather: still to come a big change for facebook. users have dozens of options when it comes to choosing their defender. -- gender. yes, i said gender. we'll explain that coming up. how would you like to be on one of these instead of tracking around on the snow. jon, come on. that's cruel. jon: nice. heather: this is remind they're spring is coming, really? there are a barometer for the economy. we'll take you to sunny miami beach for this story.

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heather: the largest social networking site in the world giving users lots of new ways to express themselves. harris faulkner has the details from our new york city newsroom. harris? >> reporter: hey, heather. the goal is to give people more options than just male or female when it cops to identifying themselves. now you will have some 50 different terms available to users, such as an dropping news, bi gender, transsexual. a facebook executive says this about it. >> it will allow people to be able to express their genuine authenticselves on the site and want them to express their wholeselves. we want to make that available for everyone we possibly can.

>> reporter: everyone for facebook at this point would be 159 million users. the social site said 1% check the box for other in their profile at this. now they will be able to use those options they will see already in the united states. pretty quickly and the plan is to roll it out globally next. and what is driving the change? well maybe statistics like this one. one california think tank estimates about 700,000 people in the u.s. identify as transgender. a blanket term which some suggests has grown to encompass a wide variety of gender identities. members of the lgbt community say it's a significant step forward in gender equality. back to you. heather: harris faulkner joining us from the newsroom. thank you. jon? jon: take a live look at the dow on this friday, up about 63 points at the moment. one measure of our economy and one way to take its temperature, especially when it comes to recovering from a recession to measure how much consumers are spending on luxury items.

and what is more luxurious than something like this? a sweet ride on the water with your own helicopter if you want. cheryl casone has the tough job checking out fancy boats in miami beach for us, cheryl? >> have been, jon. if you have $350,000 this boat i'm on out in the bay in miami can be yours. there is a lot of question what is happening with the miami international boat show. this boat show has huge economic impact for the city of miami. 597 million for south florida alone. with all the bad weather you've been experiencing up there in new york and all over, up and down the northeast coastlines there, all those flights have been canceled let me give you a sense just miami cancellation and population an tourists not coming to miami this weekend. on tuesday 16 flights were canceled in and out of miami international. 100 flights canceled on wednesday. 126 were canceled yesterday. we're starting to get a sense things are getting back to

normal today. the boat show, big question mark. they have 45,000 people here in miami. i will have the camera guy swing around and show you all the people coming out to enjoy sunny weather here in miami. as you can see a lot more of crowds coming out today. most of these boats anywhere from 20,000 up to $10 million is going to be spent at the miami international boat show. so yes, a yacht can be yours for anywhere from 20 grand and up. here is the thing about the boat show with regard to the crowds. we're talking 200,000, jon, 200,000 hotel rooms booked just for the boat show. a lot of boat company owners talk to say cancellations are actually pretty high, jon. the question mark will be economic impact to miami be the same as last year? fox business, we're exploring it. we'll keep you up-to-date on the news channel. jon and heather back to you guys in new york. i hope you're staying warm and safe as well. jon: i do a little bit of boating on hudson but it is covered with ice.

that spot yours looks pretty darn good. thanks very much, cheryl casone. heather: i wonder if she will come back. she will probably stay and never see her here again. good grief, i'm jealous. president obama signing another major executive order as news services showing big difference between recent actions and what he said back in 2008. we'll listen to what he said then versus now and our media panel will weigh in. and travel chaos up and down the east coast after another winter storm. this massive pileup, just one of many. we'll have a live report on this friday morning commute. ♪ ♪ ♪ where you think you're gonna go ♪ ♪ when your time's all gone? male annocer ] live a full life. the new lexus ct hybrid with an epa estimated 42 mpg. the further you go, the more intesting it ge.

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♪ heather: a fox news alert for you now. a rough commute this morning for millions on the east coast in the wake of that monster storm. this was the scene along the pennsylvania turnpike outside of philadelphia. the messy road leading to accidents, massive delays as well. this crash alone involving dozens of vehicles. from boston to atlanta officials urging people to be cautious if you have to go anywhere today. be extra careful. poolly henneberg live outside our nation's capitol with more. hi, molly. >> reporter: heather, extra cautious because of ice and some parts flooding. the federal government is open today. two-hour delay. most area schools are closed. the snow, as you see we had

about a foot. it now as a layer of ice and it is packed down a bit. the sun is out. it is about 40 degrees. downtown d.c. it is wet but not slick because it is above freezing which help ad lot of people. but on the side streets, the residential areas we're told it is very snowy and icy and led to slippery commute for lot of people today. one other note, restaurants in d.c. and mid-atlantic areas and we talked to a number of them, that they are moving heaven and earth to get open to honor reservations for valentine's day. have patrons to call and get open. try toloyees in so you can go out and have dinner with your love. heather: or stay home and make dinner. >> reporter: that is possibility. heather: thanks for joining us, molly. stay warm. >> reporter: thanks. jon: burgers. heather: always good. jon: president obama signs two more executive actions this week, weeks after saying he had a pen and a phone and he would

go around congress to get things done if he needed to. well the mainstream media noting that his enthusiasm for acting alone is a big change of heart when he first took office. listen to what he said in his state of the union address earlier this year. >> what i offered tonight is a set of concrete, practical proposals to speed up growth, strengthen the middle class and build new ladders of opportunity into the middle class. some require congressional action. and i am eager to work with all of you. but america does not stand still and neither will i. so wherever and whenever i can take steps without legislation to expand opportunity for more american families that's what i'm going to do. jon: six years ago it was a very different story. here is what he said about president bush and executive action back in 2008. listen. >> the biggest problem that we're facing right now has to do with george bush trying to bring more and more power into the

executive branch and not go through congress at all. that is what i intend to reverse when i'm president of the united states of america. jon: judith miller, pulitzer prize-winning investigative reporter and author and fox news contributor. laura ashburn, fox news contributor and media analyst on media buzz every and morning on fox news. six years a change of heart, why? >> well candidate obama discovers it is useful to have executive privilege and authority when you're president obama. one man's power grab suddenly becomes another man's assertive leadership. but look, both of the, both president obama and his predecessor are nothing compared to previous presidents who used executive privilege. let's remember abraham lincoln both took away habeas corpus and emancipated slaves through proclamations or unilaterally.

so we have just, in terms of obama he has not used this authority as much as some of his supporters would like him to. jon: but it is one of those cases of, do as i say and not as i do, lauren, that source so many people on government. makes them cynical. >> well especially because this isn't the first issue where we've seen this happen. take media for example. the white house press photographers association actually filed a complaint against the white house because of its limited access and president obama promised to be the most open administration that we've seen and non-partisan groups have so far said he is the most secretive. it is the most secretive administration that we've seen. jon: yeah. judy, what about the media? are they paying attention to all of this in the way that you think they should? >> no. in general they don't, jon. i mean i think this is the kind of issue that gets paid attention to during snowstorms or recess appointments. and last year president made

four of them but just in terms of looking at the record, president clinton invoked executive authority at 364 types. president bush, 291 times. so far president obama 168 times. so even though he has three more years to go, he hasn't used this authority very much and it is the kind of issue that really the press doesn't pay very much attention to unless we're the ones who are under attack as lauren pointed out and there is a huge gap between what the president promised in terms of openness and transparency and what he delivered. on that i totally agree. jon: lauren, this government was founded because the framers of the constitution didn't want a king. when mr. obama, you know, unilaterally decide that parts of his signature health care law are not working for instance and just decides to change the rules, change the timetable, change the implementation schedule, doesn't he act more

like king than president? >> well that is what a lot of people are saying. that what he is doing is illegal and that is getting press but i would quibble a little bit with what judy said, jon, in that i think we are going to see more of this used in campaign ads. this is midterm time, right? there is nothing more powerful than video that contradicts what the president is doing now. all across swing states we are seeing right now the video of president obama saying, if you like your health care plan you can keep your health care plan. this is another example of him saying, i'm going, i'm not happy with george bush's executive power decisions and i'm going to be different. and i think that we will be see being that as we move forward. jon: all right. judy, go ahead. >> just one last word, oh, my gosh, politicians promising one thing and delivering another. come on. jon: we laugh, which is really

unfortunate. >> right. jon: because it happens way too often. judy miller, laura ashburn, thank you both. just a reminder, catch lauren, sunday on "mediabuzz, 11:00 a.m. eastern on "fox news channel." heather: lawmakers looking at new warnings for sugary drinks. a new proposed bill would make them come with labels similar to the ones you find on cigarettes or alcohol. we go back to harris faulkner in our new york city new york city newsroom with latest on this story. the hi, heather. >> reporter: heather, lawmakers want to protect our bill according to a bill introduced by one state senator in california. he wants people to know when a beverage contains 75 or more calories in every 12 ounces. the wording of the information is the attention-getter in this case. this lawmaker a drink you might buy to have a label on the front which would read, state of california safety warning. drinking beverages with added

sugars contributes to obesity, diabetes and tooth decay. now as you might imagine the soda industry does not like this particularly because some soda execs say it is misleading. senator monning says state of california has to take steps to protect consumers like tobacco and alcohol warnings. california arm of the american beverage association points out that beverage containers have calorie counts on them detailed ingredients and nutrition labels on them. as you see from this person, people still drink them. a bill was introduced in vermont last year and when i checked it is still being held in committee. heather: interesting. would that keep people from drinking it if they wanted to drink it to begin with? >> apparently not from the people in the video and i'm thirsty. heather: have a soda, harris. we talk to dr. david samadi

about whether the labels would help consumers make healthy choices. jon: a woman reported missing in texas after traveling the world. where the police found the body they believe to be that of leanne bearden. >> >> california in the grip of a record-setting drought, preparing for a visit to the president. the lack of water there is affecting people all across the country.

jon: a tragic development in a case we've been telling you a lot about. a colorado woman reported missing in texas nearly a month ago. police now believe they have found leanne bearden's body. casey stiegel live in dallas with that. >> reporter: jon, there are a couple of interesting twists here. let's bring you up to speed. the 33-year-old vanished back on january the 17th after she went on a walk not far from her in-law as home in san antonio suburb of garden ridge, texas.

leanne bearden had just returned home to the states. she had been crisscrossing the world for the last 22 months with her husband and chronicling their adventures in a blog. yesterday afternoon a man down there called police and said he found a body in a wooded area near his home. investigators believe it is that of leanne bearden but tell me they will not officially say until an autopsy is completed later today. but here's the strange part. the body was discovered less than a mile from where leanne was last seen and in the week following her disappearance countless volunteers and k-9 units were deployed to try and find her. in fact a 23-square mile search turned up nothing. the ceo of texas search-and-rescue telling a local newspaper that the body was found in a neighborhood they believed had already been searched and cleared. now, leanne's family is releasing a statement. it reads in part and i'm quoting here, although this is not the

outcome we had hoped for, we draw comfort and strength from the outpouring of prayers, actions and good wishes from all including over 20,000 facebook friend. we ask for your continued prayers and good wishes for our family. leanne was a lovely and remarkable young woman and we will all miss her greatly. police have not commented on a possible cause of death here. they're not saying if foul play was suspected, if this was a potential suicide. again everything hinging on the autopsy to be completed later today, jon. jon: very sad end to that story or so it would seem anyway. casey stiegel, live in dallas. thanks, casey. heather: still to come is there corruption at the irs? president obama said the agency is clean in his super bowl interview with fox news but most americans, they're not buying it. coming up some brand new polls showing what voters think about the irs. and on a day for roses and

romance, we look at modern relationships and how not to get lost in love. ♪

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heather: it is of course valentine's day. that means it is time for flowers, candy and romance but some people might be concerned about the state of love and relationships. dating site match.com finding an overwhelming majority of people would remarry their current spouse and they are still in love. let's bring in helen fisher.

she is a rutgers university biological anthropologist. chemistry.com chief scientific advisor, author of, "why him, why her." how to find and keep lasting love. thank you so much for joining us. >> you're welcome. >> especially on this day. >> absolutely. heather: let's start with that question because that is what everybody out there wants to know, how do you find lasting love? >> well you have to pick the right person. one thing we found in the match.com survey this particular year when i asked the question, where did you meet the last person that you went out with on a first date? 31% of them said they met that person online. and only 25% of people said they met that person through a friend. and only 6% met somebody through, at a bar or a club. so actually, this is what is happening now, online dating. heather: so it's a new way of meeting people. >> yeah. heather: when we first sat down, you told me something interest in your line of work. >> right. heather: you put people who are in love in brain scanners to

study what keeps them in love or -- >> everything. heather: okay. >> the first study was people who fallen happily, madly in love. second was people who were rejected in love. third scanning was people in love long term, people in 50ss, 60s, married an average of 21 years, we put them in the scanner to see what would happen. they say, we're still in love. we barely believed them. americans don't believe you can stay in love. we found the same activity with brain activity at this, dopamine that gives us the rush much romantic love. we're beginning to find what makes happiness. heather: what makes happiness? >> three things so far. among those people in love long term, those in love more than others scored higher on our tests of marital satisfaction showed activity in brain regions linked with empathy and controlling your emotions. >> okay.

>> another study we found among those who are in love long term, activity in the brain region linked with what we call positive illusions. the mere fact that you can overlook, if you can overlook what you don't like about this person and focus on what you do. so positive illusions. empathy and controlling your emotions seem to lead to real happiness. picking the right person. heather: so don't say a whole lot about what aggravates you about the other person and look for the positive? >> absolutely. the old song, accent eight the positive, eliminate the negative, they were right who made that song. we found that in the brain, yeah. it is totally possible, just like you said. 81%, 81% of people who are married today in america would remarry the personal they're married to and are in love. it is not true that we're just going towards sexual chaos. heather: on that note, sexual chaos, thank you very much for joining us on this valentine's day. hopeful words from you. we appreciate it. jon?

jon: one manhattan restaurant is serving up an entire valentines experience all for the bargain price of just $30,000. here's the deal. dinner for two at a private room at hot spot para mediterranean. nine-course deal full of aphrodisiacs like caviar and chocolate cake. how about being zare ren maded by harpist and strolling musicians panned for dessert. cronos. a shopping spree at tiffey and a counseling session with dr. ruth. heather: followed by that a couple of runs around the park in central park to work it all off. the military is getting closer to give you are our soldiers something they really want, pizza. researchers are working on a recipe that would not require refrigeration. that way soldiers can have it in their field rations. also known as meals ready to eat or mre's. a spokesman for the lab making

the pizza described it as the holy grail. providing soldiers with foods they really like, it can be a big morale booster. i understand that i love pizza. jon: all right. the amanda hayes trials resumes today. she is accused of murdering her husband's ex-girlfriend. coming up we'll look at the jury deliberating her fate. and some critics say house speaker john boehner folded like a house of cards clearing congress to raise the debt ceiling with no strings attached. howard kurtz gives us his analysis next. so i can reach ally bank 24/7, but there are no branches? 24/7. i'm sorry, i'm just really reluctant to try new things. really? what's wrong with trying new things? look! mommy's new vacuum! (cat screech) you feel that in your muscles? i do... drink water. it's a long story. well, not having branches let's us give you great rates and service.

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>> a fox news extreme weather alert, millions of americans digging out after a powerful winter storm sweeps through the northeast. be i'm heather childers many for jenna lee. jon: and i'm jon scott. happy valentine's day to you. there's snow on the ground now in 49 of the 50 united states,

and thousands of flights canceled across the country. the latest storm system moving out finally after pounding the northeast, but another one is already brewing. we have fox news team coverage. chief meteorologist rick reichmuth is tracking the new threat from the weather center, first, though, to steve centanni live at reagan national airport in arlington, virginia. >> reporter: hi, jon. we clouds and a snowed-in runway yesterday, now sunshine and the planes are flying. there are still a lot of delays, it's going to take time to catch up. a lot of passengers need to get rebooked and get where their going, so there is still some confusion and frustration for the passengers. but incoming flights are delayed, and -- some of them, and outgoing flights pretty much on time here at national. let's take a look at some pictures we shot earlier. passengers trying to get rebooked, continue trips that might have been interrupted by that huge snowstorm that closed the runways down for a time

yesterday. one passenger said it was chaotic and confusing at the ticket counter and kind of a nightmare, another one said, well, everything's going fine, and her plane's on time. now, for the passengers really they're trying to rebook and regroup, and the airlines are trying to reposition their airplanes. listen to this. >> they've got to get to where they're supposed to be originating from, get passengers on them, get them turned around, get them back out the door. and it's, the interconnectedness of the air travel system in this country means when one piece has troubles, it impacts all the way down the line. so it's going to take time for those ripple effects to play through. >> still a lot of cancellations that were made preemptively by the airlines yesterday so that today there are 1837 cancellations so far. yesterday, however, there were nearly 7,000. so it's a big, big improvement. this week so far 16,900 cancellations by the airlines. the ap did an analysis, they

found out this is more cancellations than we've seen in the past 25 years. 75,000 cancellations since december 1st, and, of course, we've had a bad weather winter so far. 5.5% of all the 1.35 million flights since december 1st were canceled, and so we're hitting a record. people trying to cope with it here today. things slowly getting back to normal, it's going to take some time. jon: that is a lot of economic activity squelched. steve centanni, thank you. >> reporter: yes, absolutely. heather: in this active winter season already producing near-record snowfall across the country, and it look like more is on the way. chief meteorologist rick reichmuth live from the extreme weather center with some more good news, is that true? more snow? >> reporter: yeah. but don't freak out, it's not a horrible snow this time. so that's good. nothing like what this last storm that we saw, and certainly

nothing at all going on in the south, which is the place that really got the brunt of the storm. this is the last of this storm moving out, still a little bit of snow across parts of northern new england, upstate new york. but this next storm is coming here across parking lots of the central plains -- parts of the central plains. it doesn't have that moisture source like the last storm did which developed across parts of the gulf, so a lot more moisture to deal with. this one will not have that, and it doesn't have as much time to be a huge story for us. here's your temps, and you'll notice across the northeast, 38 in new york. the sun angle is high enough now that we're seeing some pretty quick melting, but a lot of the roads are looking just fine. down towards the south, also by the way, that had the great ice storm, they're seeing a warm up whoo we're going to see -- what we're going to see throughout the afternoon is become another nor'easter, and it is going to become a strong storm eventually, but that's going to happen much closer to the canadian maritimes and parts of new england. snowfall totals at least eastern

new england, i should say, much of maine and eastern parts of massachusetts dealing with blizzard conditions tomorrow, but that's just across this eastern side. areas from philadelphia down towards d.c., the south is absolutely fine, but we'll see a little bit of snow towards d.c. this is one of of the model projections. not all that bad. new york, another couple inches, philadelphia another couple inches, boston a little more before very windy, and parts of eastern maine, that's the big bull's eye. but we're not talking about a repeat but some additional snow, nonetheless. heather: it's all relative, i suppose. >> reporter: yep, you said it. heather: thank you so much, rick, appreciate it. >> reporter: sure. jon: the weather may have been a factor in a massive pileup on the pennsylvania turnpike. take a look at this, traffic shut down this morning as emergency crews try to sort things out. harris faulkner has more live from our new york newsroom. harris? >> reporter: hospitals, jon, now have started issuing statements, those that have

received injured at this hour, and i can tell you one of those facilities is treating 16 people, a third of them, we're told, are trauma patients. this was really bad. the stents involved tractor -- accidents involved tractor-trailers and dozens of cars outside philly as you can see from the video. the series of crashes backed up traffic for miles between salem and willow grove exits. for all of you unfamiliar with the area, just know this: this is a stretch along the state's primary east/west highway, and it's rush hour. it happened about four hours ago. the road still isn't much better. they got a foot of snow, rain, the ice mix we saw up and down the east coast, weather conditions being a problem even though speed restrictions at the time had been lifted by six a.m. so people were feeling like they were free to travel on the turnpike. a lot of drivers now saying the road was still very, very slick. back to you.

jon: harris faulkner in the newsroom, thanks. >> reporter: sure. heather: president obama said in his super bowl interview with fox news that there was, quote, not even a smidgen of corruption at the internal revenue service. however, a majority of americans appear to disagree. brand new fox news poll shows that 64% of voters think the irs' targeting of conservative groups does can, indeed, suggest corruption at the agency. joining me now is elise viebeck, staff writer for "the hill." thank you for joining us, first of all. >> thank you. heather: so 64% of americans seem to believe there was a smidgen of corruption. does that surprise you? >> no, it doesn't surprise me at all. in fact, thinking about the irs' wider reputation, i'm surprised that they got the numbers that they did. of course, the irs is extremely unpopular with the public, and targeting scandal made it even more so. so i think it's likely we'll see more polling over time as details come out about this

targeting. heather: you know, given the targeting scandal that has taken place, does it surprise you that right now there's a group of democrats who are urging the irs to, in fact, step up scrutiny of tax-exempt groups, and why do you think they're doing that? >> no, it's a very interesting time right now as we enter the heat of campaign season. the irs and the targeting scandal are increasingly becoming a political football between the two parties on capitol hill, so we see republicans trying to fight additional scrutiny of social welfare groups because those are the groups that tend to support them and spend for them in elections, and republicans argue that to curb that spending would be a violation of free speech. now, democrats what they say is that these groups deserve more scrutiny because if they are social welfare groups and receiving a tax benefit from the government, their primary purpose should not be political. and so we're even seeing some vulnerable lawmakers on the democratic side come out and call for additional scrutiny because they believe that centrist voters, undecided

voters, will ultimately side with them. these are are people who don't want to see a lot of unregulated money in politics, they want to know what groups are spending on which candidates, and they desire more transparency. heather: we also took a look at whether or not congress should continue to investigate the irs. we can pull up that poll. 71% say, yes, they think that congress should continue to investigate the irs. 25% say, no. so what impact, ultimately, do you think this will have on midterm elections? you mentioned the political football. who wins the game? >> it's very hard to tell as of yet, but clearly the public has a desire to really understand what happened with this targeting scandal, and we know that republicans on capitol hill are very aggressive right now with the treasury department and the irs specifically trying to get additional documents. in fact, the agency has handed over thousands of forms, records and documents to congress. but still many voters feel like they don't have the answers, or they don't feel like they understand exactly why this

happened. i think this will be an increasingly loud drum beat for republicans. they realize this is an issue that's likely to turn out their base at a time when they're hoping to reclaim the senate, so they really have no downside here in calling attention to these numbers. heather: what about accountability? do you think by the midterm elections reach us, someone will be held accountable? >> it's difficult to say. right now the obama administration has not given us any indication about where their decision making is in terms of the personnel. i'm sure there are many voters, particularly on the right, who would like to see more heads roll as a result of scandal, and there are republicans on capitol hill who are still interested in holding hearings and interviewing other tea party groups who feel like they've continued to be targeted. so the story is certainly not over yet, and i think that, as i said, the political football aspect of it is only going to get worse as time goes on. heather: all right, elise, thank you so much. we appreciate it. >> thank you, heather. jon: there's some new information in on fugitive nsa

leaker edward snowden. a former national security agency employee resigned after admitting that he allowed snowden to use his computer to gain access to classified information. according to an fbi memo, the unidentified employee was not aware snowden would go public with the information. the employee, one of three people now under investigation in the snowden case. snowden, as you probably know, has been granted temporary asylum in russia. heather: well, one state's gun control law considered among the toughest in the country. how a delay to a crucial part of it could impact thousands of gun owners. we'll explain. and stuck between a rock and a hard place, one wannabe criminal finds out that his heist won't go off quite as he planned. and the amanda hayes murder trial resuming today after a delay because of thewet. what we can -- because of the weather. what we can expect as the defense continues to make its case. >> i didn't want say i didn't know what he was doing, i absolutely knew what he was

doing. that is correct. >> right now what he was doing. >> i'm pretty sure that they just heard me -- >> [inaudible] what doing? >> he was, he was getting rid of laura's body. 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! but we're not staying in the kitchen. just start the slow cooker, add meat and pour in campbell's slow oker sauce. by the time you get home, dinner is practically done. and absolutely delicious. everne is cooking wiew campbell's slow cooker sauces.

jon: all right, here's one for the stupid criminals file. a burglar gets busted after getting trapped inside a utah jewelry store. police arrested the would-be thief while he was still in the store. in is the surveillance video, you can see him hitting a roadblock, the shatter-proof glass cases would not open, and the thief couldn't get out of the store after the alarm tripped. here's the store's president. >> a person tried to break into one of our rental units at the building and crawl through the crawlspace. he hit this case and tried to get into it, but the shatter-proof glass wouldn't let him in. you can see where he hit. all he did was really make a

mess and get arrested. jon maybe if he'd had himself a watch, he would have been able to keep better track of the time, but the cops got there, and the thief gave up while he was still inside the store. heather: not a really good plan. jon: no. heather: not thought out very well. "happening now," new controversy surrounding new york state's tough gun control law. part of safe act passed in the wake of the newtown massacre requires anyone purchasing ammunition to pass a background check first. but the system, meant to run that, is well behind schedule. david lee miller's live in our new york newsroom with those details. >> reporter: heather, it took new york state lawmakers only one month after the sandy hook school shooting to pass the act which put in place those strict gun control measures. thousand more than one year later, authors have not been able to figure out a way to implement a key part of the law. the controversy is about ammunition. new york's law calls for the state police to create a

database for background checks on anyone buying ammo. the head of the force, who is tasked with approving the system, told lawmakers there are significant obstacles to overcome. >> to do the record checks at a point of sale has to be seamless. it can't be an inconvenience to the customer or, you know, to the buyer of the ammunition, it can't be an inconvenience to the retail seller. >> reporter: gun rights advocates worry ammo background checks pave the way for government abuse. >> if they know who's buying ammo, they know who has guns. if they know who has guns, they know where the guns are. if you can pass a bill in the middle of the night that makes so little sense as this, what else can you pass? >> reporter: supporters say the ammo registry is long overdue. >> high volumes will definitely be flagged, that's one purpose of having background checks, because it can be a red flag for gun trafficking. >> reporter: a federal court recently upheld most of new york's law but struck down a limit on the number of bullets that can be loaded in a magazine.

safe act opponents say they will fight all the way to the supreme court. >> spent $426,000 on the lawsuit so far. we'll spend a million dollars if we have to. >> reporter: a new york state police spokeswoman tells fox once the ammo background system is up and running, hay will be looking at am -- they will be looking at purchases that are consistent with criminal activity. but there is a time limit on how long this info can be kept in the database. the law says data collected cannot be stored for more than a year. heather? heather: all right. david lee miller from our new york newsroom, thank you. jon: the amanda hayes murder trial set to resume today. she is accused of killing her husband's ex-girlfriend, laura acker soften, the woman you see here. what to expect when this case goes to the jury. >> you're going to hear more about the bitter custody dispute, and on july 13, 2011, there were three adults in that apartment. one is dead, one has been tried

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jon: right now the amanda hayes murder trial resuming in a north carolina courtroom. hayes, as you probably know, is accused of murdering her husband's ex-girlfriend. she took the stand in her own defense earlier this week and right off the bat denied any role in the death of laura ackerson. take a listen. >> would you state your name, please? >> my name is amanda smith hayes. >> amanda, did you kill laura ackerson? >> no, sir, i did not. >> did you help grant kill laura ackerson? >> i absolutely did not. >> were you present when grant killed lawr rackerson? >> no, sir, i was not. >> did you know that laura had died before you got to texas? >> no, sir.

jon: today prosecutors announcing they will call hayes' sister to testify about some brand new evidence, love letters that amanda hayes supposedly sent to her husband while he was in jail. those letters all rightedly obtained from grant hayes' father. >> he said i have these letters that i've just faxed to your office which show that, you know, after the arrest, after they were both in custody that she is sending these letters to, you know, to our home asking us to tell grant hayes that she loves him, that she think abouts about him every day. jon: joining us once again our legal panel, ashley merchant, a criminal defense attorney, and heather hanson, a trial attorney. of heather, what about this new evidence? these love letters that were written, apparently, after the crime was committed when grant hayes was already in jail, now her defense, part of her defense is that, you know, she was under you are the rest during -- duress under this murder.

she claims her husband was, basically, calling the shots, forcing her to do things she didn't want to do. this is the guy she's writing love letters the after the murder? >> i think it's really, really going to hurt her defense. she's claiming she did these things -- jon: we're having a little bit of a problem with your microphone, heather, we'll get that cleaned up and get back to you in just a second. >> okay. jon: ashley, let me get your take on these letters. again, she wrote them after the murder. >> right. and i actually think it helps her defense. i think it goes right along with her current defense, because she loved him. you know, she was under his spell. and the fact that now she's in jail awaiting trial doesn't mean that she doesn't stop loving him and that she's not still under his spell. i think she clearly is, and i think she clearly still wants to please him and wants him to be happy with what she's doing. >> i -- jon: okay, go ahead, heather. >> i just have to disagree, because if that were the case, the defense would have put them

on. the fact that it's coming back as rebuttal evidence, i think it's a strong indication that the prosecution feels this is strong evidence. remember, there's nine women on this jury, and i think in general women are harder on women, so i think you're going to see this evidence have some real impact. jon: interesting. and it'll be interesting, too, to see what they think of grant's role in all this. he told wral television just before her trial started -- even though he's been convicted in the murder of his former girlfriend and the mother of his kids -- he told the television station that it was all amanda's fault. listen. >> if you look at the facts of this case, her body being found where it was found, her involving her sister, this was amanda's show. i love my wife. i took a vow to protect my wife. jon: and, apparently, be those letters to be produced are correct, she loved him too even after the murder. you think it's going to backfire

in terms of the jury, you think that the letters that she wrote are going to suggest to the jury that maybe she's not being truthful here, ashley? >> you know, i don't think it's going to suggest that she's necessarily not being truthful, i think it actually goes along with her defense, that she's under his spell and that she was completely terrified of him and was scared of him and really didn't know what was going on. he was the one, he was the puppeteer, he was one pulling all the shots, and she was just sort of going along with it. her defense is that she found out later and helped get rid of the body later. jon: there he is in the courtroom when he was on trial for murder and, again, he was convicted. but, ashley, to you again, she wasn't -- you say she was under his spell. he was many jail. she didn't need the write him those letters, did she? >> right. but just because she's in jail doesn't mean she's not still under his spell. just because they're not together doesn't mean that he

has still not been able to manipulate her and that her mind so manipulated by him that she still loves him, and she still is compelled to write these letters and to protect him at this point. jon: we are -- well, we are nearing the end of this trial, heather. i want to play back some sound from what the prosecutors said to the jury during their opening statement, manager that they'll probably -- something that they'll probably almost certainly bring back into their closing arguments. >> you're going to learn that amanda hayes is an actress, that she trained as an actress, that she performed as an actress and that she attempted to make a living as an actress. ladies and gentlemen, this isn't a case about movies, and this isn't a movie. this isn't a stage. this is a case about a murdered young mother. jon: heather, her testimony was quite compelling. i thought she did a good job in front of this jury trying to make her case that she was not involved, that she was,

basically, forced by her husband to participate to the extent that she did. but what if it's all an act? what if the jury thinks it's an act? >> you know, and as i said before, i think the women on the jury are going to be more likely to think so, especially given the fact that both her daughter and her sister have testified against her, and now these letters, you know, you can only have so many little hits to your credibility before the jury disregards everything that you say. and i think that's really what's going to happen here, and i think the prosecution will drive that home in their close. jon: ashley, let's get your take on heather's assessment that women are harder on other women. >> definitely, i completely agree. jon: when it comes to the jury. >> i completely agree. mothers particularly are harder on other mothers, and that -- those mothers are going to think this is a lady who had a newborn baby. she should have been thinking about that, should have been thinking about being a mom and not being a wife. and they're going to be a lot harder. women are harder on women, i definitely agree. jon: wow. because, you know, if i were

casting a jury in a case like this, i would want a bunch of women on the jury, because i would think they would understand that sometimes, you know, women can fall under the spell of venn galley-like, manilative men, heather? >> it really doesn't seem to be the case, jon. women tend to look for the ulterior motives in one another, they tend to think that they see that and trust their intuition. i think having nine women on this jury is going to be difficult for the defense to overcome. jon: all right. we will continue to watch this sad and fascinating case out of north carolina. thank you both. ashley merchant, heather hanson. >> thank you. >> thank you. heather: well, house speaker john boehner facing criticism after backing down on the debt ceiling. the media now portraying him as a bit of a pushover. a fair assessment or another example of the media oversimplifying matters? and the california drought intensifies as the state waits for relief. will carr live in fresno. >> reporter: hi, heather.

the president is coming to california later today to see just how bad the drought is, and coming up after break, we'll tell you exactly how big of an impact this is having on crops sold all across the country.

♪ pleasure. ♪ jon: obamacare is not quite the same law it was when it fist passed the congress -- first passed the congress. since 2010 president obama has made 29,tive changes including

delaying key parts like the employer mandate. all of it done without congressional approval. it's a far different tone than the one senator obama struck back in the 2008 when he blamed president bush for using too much executive power. chief white house correspondent ed henry life at the white house with more on this controversy. ed? >> reporter: good to see you, jon. the president today again talking about executive action. he was at a retreat in maryland with house democrats, sort of of an election year rallying cry, repeating what he said in the state of the union that he'll try to work with congress, but if republicans block him, he's going to go around them with executive action. as you noted, there's been a lot of that on health care, and it's a bit of a flip from what we saw in the 2008 campaign where then-candidate obama said this: >> the biggest problem that we're facing right now has to do with george bush trying to bring more and more power into the executive branch and not go through congress at all. [applause] and that's what i intend to reverse when i'm president of

the united states of america. >> reporter: the president talked about reversing that as a candidate. look at this poll, new fox poll this week, is this how government is supposed to work? only 23% saying, yes, 74% saying, no. i pressed jay carney about this reversal a few moments ago. he noted correctly that george w. bush issued more executive orders than this president has issued, but he went on to say it's not just about the number, it's about the substance of these executive actions. >> why the change of heart on idea of pulling back on executive action? now he seems to be full steam ahead. >> there is no question that this president has been jewish tissues in his use of -- judicious in his use of executive action, executive orders, and i think those numbers thus far have come in below what president george w. bush and president bill clinton did. the matter the president was discussing in his campaign in 2008 wasn't the number, it was the quality. >> reporter: so this may be a

case of one man's good executive order, another man's bad executive order. this is something the president said he would stop. he has gone full steam ahead on some of these executive actions, but as they note correctly, there were a lot more executive actions back in the bush days. jon: the videotape doesn't lie, does it, ed? >> reporter: that's right. he's on tape. jon: thanks very much, ed henry at the white house. >> reporter: good to see you. heather: house speaker john boehner facing criticism for what some describe as an outright surrender on the debt ceiling. he had talked about demanding conditions from the administration in exchange for passing an extension of nation's debt limit, but when boehner could not unite his party on that, well, he punted. and some say the move makes the speaker look a little bit like a bumbler, in sharp contrast to the image of former secretary of state hillary clinton. joining us now, howard kurtz, host of media buzz and a fox news media analyst. thank you for joining us. >> hi, heather. heather: so a bumbler, a

pushover or ruth he is and tough -- ruthless and tough, which is it better to be when you're talking about politics in washington? >> well, you know, that word "ruth wills" -- ruthless has a negative connotation, but if you want to get things done politically, it's not so bad because it suggests you inspire fear or at least respect in your opponents. john boehner can't catch a break here. yes, he had to reverse course because he couldn't can hold his gop caucus together, but he did end up doing what the establishment press had been urging him to do which is he allowed -- mostly with democratic votes, of course -- a one-year lift in the -- rise in the debt ceiling to go forward without ar big shutdown drama, without the threatening of default. and yet he's getting slapped around for that by some of the pundits. heather: so why not get that recognition then? only 28 votes from the gop on the debt ceiling in fair of it, so all the -- in favor of it, so all the rest of those house republicans can say, hey, i

opposed it. so kind of did them a favor. >> well, it's true that boehner maybe is a little more clever than he's gotten credit for, because he got nancy pelosi and her democratic troops to do the heavy lifting. and as you say, all but 28 republicans opposing the debt ceiling, and then they can posture about that. here's what happens is that in washington in particular, the commentators grade on style. this was another messy performance by boehner because he wanted to attach some conditions to get something out of whatever leverage his party could have against president obama on the debt ceiling. he just couldn't do it, he couldn't get the votes together. so instead he stepped aside and let the democrats have their way. the country is spared another one of those shutdown dramas, and remember that boehner or was opposed to the tea party wing last time, shutting down the government for 16 days. the republicans took a beating in the polls over that. but because this wasn't boehner's original plan and he zigzags and he didn't look ruthless, to use the word you mentioned at the top, he's been the subject of a lot of mockery

and derision both on the right which felt he should have got something on this deal and on the left which feels like he just rolls over when he has to. heather: let's talk a little bit more about the gender equation in all of this. i read the opinion piece that you wrote regarding hillary clinton and where she's call cans ruthless and then -- she's called ruthless and speaker boehner is not. so how do gender politics play into it? >> well, i can't help avoid the conclusion, heather, that when female politicians are involved -- and hillary clinton this week at least has gotten stamped with that label because of some papers from her late friend that quoted a 1992 democratic assessment saying voters viewed her, she wasn't that well known at the time, voters viewed her as ruthless whereas her hud, bill clinton, at the time was just slick. so i think when female politicians drive a hard bargain, are really tough talking, don't back down whereas a man might be praised for those qualities, the female politician might be seen as either ruthless or that word that barbara bush

once used against earlier dean ferraro rhymes with rich, you get a lot of that as well. heather: yeah, i wonder if things have changed this time around and if it's not actually intentional on the part of, you know, hillary's supporters to make her appear to be, you know, stronger and more ruthless and tougher, because it didn't work the last time around. you know, the memo that went out and said she needs to project a softer side, some humor, some informality, but she lost. >> well, in 2008 she was seen by many as kind of an ice queen, and while on the one hand as a woman she may have been more conscious about having to project strength, at the same time, you know, all politicians -- maybe females particularly, need the let their guard down to let us feel like we can relate to them, and that's going to be a challenge regardless of what labels her opponents try to stamp on her whereas joran boehner faces the op sid challenge, he's got to finish opposite challenge.

his caucus doesn't agree on much of what he and the gop want to do. heather: and then there's a fine line between ruthless and a bully. >> sometimes, you know, they have spines of steel, and if it's what you don't want, they're a bully, bad actors. heather: all right. thank you so much, howard kurtz, for joining us. we appreciate it, as always. jon: well, california is hoping for federal relief as the record-setting drought drags on. their extremely dry conditions impacting farmers, ranchers and soon will hit all of us consumers as food prices are expected to soar in the coming months. will carr is live in fresno, california, right now. will? >> reporter: hi, jon. well, the president is coming to press know later today to get a sense of the drought's impact, and over the past couple of days we've gone out with farmers and ranchers, and they tell us it's about as bad as it can get, and it could cripple their industry

which brings in $45 billion a year. it's one of the busiest winters on record at cattle market. >> about four to five times as many cattle as we normally would sell this time of year. >> as many ranchers are forced to sell off all or part of the herds they've worked for their entire lives. >> i'm about 50% or less of my normal herd. >> reporter: the worst drought in decades has left grazing lands barren and ranchers can't afford to keep buying hay. >> friends of mine have spent their whole lives creating a outstanding quality cow herd with great genetics, and they're going to lose it all. >> reporter: across the valley, farmers and growers are forced to abandon their crops as the water dries up. >> we're looking at upwards of almost 25% of our land going out of production, being fallowed which, you know, equates to about 250,000 acres. in is san joaquin valley, we're looking at 500,000 acres.

>> reporter: some are going into survival mode, just hoping to get through another year. >> we're slowly dying. it's not something that's happened overnight, but it's just the cumulative effect as these water cutbacks continue year after year. >> reporter: and the ripple effect could be devastating. the local economy and to food prices across the country. >> the consumer's going to get a shock in the next few months when they find, go to the grocery store and see that cost of something has doubled or tripled. >> reporter: later today the president is expected to announce $200 million in aid for the area. he's also expected to potentially politicize the issue by linking the drought to climate change. jon? jon: all right. will carr reporting live from fresno. will, thank you. heather: california considering a bold move to fight obesity, putting health warning labels on sugary drinks like the ones that you see on cigarettes and liquor. but would a label really help people make healthier choices? dr. samadi weighs in, up next.

bill: so you know what today is, right, on the calendar? >> it's valentine's day. what'd you get me? [laughter] bill: just in case your husband isn't on the ball with. just in case tim forgot. >> thank you. bill: you let him know that he owes me. >> we'll see how you feel about value p tine's day at the top of the hour.

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before starting humira , your doctor should test you for tb. ask your doctor if you live in or have been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. tell your doctor if you have had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, have symptoms such as fever fatigue, cough, or sores. you should not start humira if you have any kind of infection. ask your doctor if humira can work for you. this is humira at work. ♪ ♪ jon: california is weighing a proposal that could, proponents say, help fight obesity by putting health warning labels like those found on cigarettes on sew thats, fruit juices and other sugary drinks. the labels would be the first of their kind in the nation, but would consumers make healthier choices because of their presence? dr. david samadi is chair of your you areology at the, school of medicine.

>> this is something that i completely agree with, and i'll tell you why. we did this with the cigarette smoking, we start putting all these gross pictures of people dying, and it actually helped, and people are walking away from cigarette smoking. so i think putting labels to show that these sugary drinks translating to diabetes and obesity is a good step. is it going to change the way we think, teach people how to have the discipline of not trig? i'm not sure, but it's a good step. look, any of these drinks that has more than 75 calories is going to have a label to say th- jon: that's the proposal. >> $150 billion are being spent on the health costs of obesity. we have a third of america that are obese, 17% of our children are suffering from this. something's got to give. and i've said it in the past, probably is going to raise a lot of e-mails and issues with this, our food chain system is contaminated. we went from being fat is not good for you, fat is not good

for you to free fat and guess what got in? this high fructose corn syrup got in, and now we're getting this high, an addiction to sugar. and sugar is what's killing us, jon. jon: it really is addictive, the high fructose stuff? >> there's a certain part of the brain that is addicted to marijuana, cocaine and sugar, that's reward section of our brain that gets high on the sugar. and the more you eat, the more create yacht anyone you have, the more hungry you get, and you're going to go through this roller coaster sugar high and low kind of sugar, and that's where you get really hungry, you get obese, and that cycle of -- you can't think of diabetes in the isolation without obesity. these are all same disease. the rich country of this fatty to do that we're having, high sugar, and that's what we have. jon: all right. you describe it as a disease, but, i mean, isn't it autoabout a personal choice? we didn't have this kind of diabetes epidemic in this country a hundred years ago.

>> look, i'm all about self-discipline. jon: sure. >> okay? i agree we don't need government regulation, these kind of people to come in and teach us how to eat, but we're not doing it. that's the problem. you see a lot of these obese people that are reaching out for the soda. you know what? don't touch it, you know? if we had the self-discipline, we don't need really mayor bloomberg to tell us don't eat this sugary drink. now that we're not listening, there's a real 'em demick. people are -- end chemic. -- epidemic. i think it's a good warping. jon: but if it's addictive, if the sugar is really doing something to your brain, is a warning label on a can of soda going to change anybody's opinion? >> well, the next step is to really increase the cost of these, right? which is what we did with cigarettes. jon: right. >> make the tax go higher, make the cigarette more expensive. something has to give. that's not a good alternative. i don't think that should be the way to go. i hope people that are listening

to this really pay attention to what you put in your system. diabetes in this country is costing us billions. there's no health care reform that's going to take care of you unless you do it yourself. and this is just a warning. is it going to revolutionize the way we think and what we eat tomorrow? no. but it's a good step. jon: but it's about more than sugary drinks. it's lifestyle. people are too sedentary, drive too many places when they could walk. >> jon, when i lived in europe -- that's a good point. there weren't so many gymnasiums, people are not going to the gym all the time, you have a small portion of food, and it's perfectly fine. how many countries have a strawberry that's the size of a baseball? think about this. it's so big. and can the minute you have a sand wish, you look lake the nut -- look like the nutty professor, you start getting bigger and bigger. there's something in our food making our bread into plastics, this week they're banning it, why do we have this stuff there? and why do we need all this high

truck those corn syrup? our food is addictive, and we're getting into this mess. something has to give, and i hope that opens the -- jon: dr. samadi, thank you. heather: well, a nanny due in court accused of killing a 1-year-old child in her care,way details next. instead of paying too much for an ipad, i got the surface 2. first of all, it comes with office and outlook. then, with free skype calls to phones in over 60 countries, i can talk to my cousins any time. and then, i got 200 gigs of cloud storage -- free -- so i can get my photos and stuff almost anywhere. others charge for that. surface is such a great deal. i feel like i should tell somebody. hey! ♪ honestly ♪ i want to see you be brave ♪

heather: well, right now a nanny charged with murder in the death of?!u a toddler is due in a massachusetts court today. brady set to appeal at a bail hearing. harris faulkner has the latest details. >> reporter: expected to be ground shaking for this case so far, and that is because the nanny's attorneys say two medical experts have concluded the baby girl died of previous injuries. they want all the charges in the case dropped. the defense is arguing the child

suffered bone fractures three or four weeks before her death. when she was not in the care of the nanny. and at that hearing today prosecutors say they will respond directly to the defense claims regarding the baby's earlier injuries. we to know the little girl was taken to hospital with severe head injuries on her first birthday and dieded two days later. the prosecutor has been criticized for not building a strong case. in fact, in a couple -- a couple of months ago the judge dismissed assault and battery charges due to lack of evidence. either way, some legal experts are saying it's unlikely the judge will let mccarthy brady go out on bail because she's an undocumented worker from are ireland, so even if the judge grants her the right to leave jail, the immigration authorities would potentially pick her up next. mccarthy brady has been awaiting trial for a year on murder. back to you. heather: thank you so much, harris, joining us from the newsroom. >> reporter: sure. jon: remember listening as a kid

to the radio waiting to hear be your school was closed -- if your school was closed for a snow day? oh, that's so 1980s. [laughter] now a couple of cool teachers are rapping their snow announcement. ♪ no school -- ice, ice, baby. ♪ no school -- ice, ice, baby

... ... ... ... ... ...

with all of the snow and ice this winter, that means kids had plenty of team to be off school in snow days. watch in carolina. it goes viral. cool to no school with a cover of ice, ice, baby. ♪ stop and collaborate. ice is back and the roads will

glisten. ♪ win like a harpon. ♪ i don't know. turn up the heat. >> what do you think? >> i love it. better than the original. >> i really want to learn how to rap and want an olympics sweater, too. >> have a good day. america's news headquarters starts right now. fox news alert. millions of people on the east coast and down south, digging out of snow and ice and more snow is on the way. welcome to hq, i am alisyn camerota. >> and i am bill hemmer. there is two feet of snow and shaping up to be one of the snowiest winters we have seen. and massive car pile ups. and thousands of flight cancellations ahead of a busy holiday weekend and thousands of families in the south without pour in the bitter cold. we'll tell you