2014 in "new york times" square. hundreds of thousands brave the bitter cold to usher in the new year. former first lady barbara bush is being treated for a respiratory problem at a houston hospital. >> and part of president obama' control is delayed by a supreme court justice. captioning funded by cbs delay this is the "cbs morning news" for wednesday, january 1st, 2014. good morning. good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. well, americans from coast to coast are welcoming the new year with a bang. atlanta celebrated with a light show and fireworks at the peach

drop. in boston revelers watched the pyrotechnics over the harbor. a crowd estimated at 1 million people packed into times square. wendy gillette was among them. ♪ start spreading the news >> reporter: fireworks, confetti, and cheers filled the air over times square as new york city rang in new year's day 2014. amid tight security revelers started gathering on sidewalks tuesday morning. they came from all over the world to stand in the sail spot for hours in the cold. hosana silvez is one of ten students from chicago. she said she's been looking forward to new year's eve in new york ever since she landed in the u.s. >> we heard about the ball drop and i was like, oh, we have to go there now. so we're here now. >> reporter: it's a long ways

from her usual new year's eve on the beach. >> in the water with friends and the beach. it's ice cold. >> reporter: you said you can't feel your fingers? >> no, i can't. i just can't. >> reporter: it's estimated 1 million people stood here to watch the ball drop in time square. the cold is temporary but the memories will last forever. marlene bender and her family is here from southern california. why do you want to do this? >> once in a lifetime. i'm doing it for my granddaughter. >> i convinced them all. >> reporter: would they do it again? probably not, but they'll have just under a year to think about it. wendy gillette for cbs news, new york. well, former first lady barbara bush is hospitalized in houston this morning. the 88-year-old is being treated for respiratory related issues after being admitted monday. as tiffany craig of our houston affiliate khou reports, it is the latest in a series of health concerns. >> reporter: the former first

lady was admitted to houston hospital yesterday showing signs of pneumonia, but we're told she's in good spirits. according to the bush family spokesperson she's not only receiving excellent care, she's been visited by her family including her 88-year-old husband, george h.w. bush. the 88-year-old is said to be dealing with respiratory issues now, but the wife of president 41 has been in and out of the hospital for years. in 2010 she had some type of mystery illness and was brought to the state hospital. she also had open heart surgery here, and in 1989 was diagnosed with a thyroid condition known as graves disease. this time we're told it's pneumonia. no word on when she'll be getting out. reporting live from the houston medical center, i'm tiffany craig. now back to you. with the start of the new year, president obama's health care law goes into effect but part of the affordable health care act is in limbo after being blocked by the supreme court on tuesday.

susan mcginnis is in washington. susan, good morning. >> good morning, anne-marie. one of the justices delayed the health care law for some religious organizations. it's the part that requires them to offer birth control as part of their health care plan, and it would have taken effect just as 2014 arrives. supreme court justice sonia sotomayor had a busy new year's eve. she blocked part of the health care law and then welcomed in the times square ball for 2014. justice sotomayor delayed the requirement that religious organizations offer birth control as part of their health insurance plans or face penalties. the request for the stay came from a catholic group, the little sisters of the poor, home for the aged in denver, which said it goes against their catholic beliefs. religious groups fought against offering contraceptives since it was first proposed as part of

the affordlablffordable health . they offered a compromise saying they would not have to pay for it. >> the insurance company, not the hospital or charity would be reaching out to offer the contraceptive care. >> reporter: but lawyers for the little sisters says the change still requires the nuns to find an insurer who will find contraceptive coverage, which that are opposed to. the administration has until friday morning to respond to sotomayor's order. and the supreme court has also agreed to decide whether businesses can use religious objections to avoid covering birth control for your their employees. anne-marie? >> susan mcginnis in washington. thank you, susan. health coverage begins today for americans who signed up under the affordable care act. the obama administration said more than 2.1 million people enrolled in private health care plans under obama care. the administration had hoped for 3.3 million enrollees by the point.

2014 begins with cold and snow for much of the northern u.s. in chicago several inches are on the ground, and another round of snowfall is expected later today. highs will barely reach zero in minneapolis. the winter storm that's bringing snowfall to the midwest will stretch into the northeast for the next several days. some places in new england could get a foot of snow. philadelphia and baltimore will drop into the single digits friday night. utah is taking its fight against same-sex marriage to the highest court. more than 900 couples have gotten married in the state since the judge struck down the ban two weeks ago. on tuesday utah asked the supreme court to suspend the unions. same-sex couples have until friday to file legal briefs in response. a california hospital won't allow a girl declared brain dead to be fitted with a breathing tube by an outside hospital. the family of jahi mcmath wants

her transferred to another facility. she's legally dead and won't come back. authorities in the russian city of volgograd canceled new year's eve events in the wake of twin suicide bombings. the city is on edge after the attacks that killed 34 people, and as holly williams reports, so are some athletes preparing for the olympics in russia just 37 days from now. >> reporter: russian police rounded up dozens of people during a security crackdown in volgograd, the city rocked by two suicide bombs. in a new year's address to the nation, russian president vladimir putin said the attacks were inhuman and vowed to annihilate the culprits. no group has claimed responsibility for the bombs, but many in russia suspect islamic militants from chechnya and dagestan.

the bombings were some 400 miles from where the olympics will be held in february and for some u.s. athletes, they're a frightening reminder that the games are a target for terrorists. snowboarder seth wescott says he might not attend the opening ceremonies and this speed indicator is also worried about it. i don't know if i necessarily trust russian securities. but the russians don't want national embarrassment either. i use some of that thought to relieve some of my worry. in july a chechen leader called for more attacks and called for them to use maximum force to disrupt the games. the russian government spent $50 billion preparing for sochi and has promised it will be the safest olympics in history, but they're being held in a region plagued by violence and that promise may be put to the test. russian officials say they'll bring in unprecedented security measures.

in sochi including identity checks for spectators, a ban on cars, and aerial surveillance using drones. holly williams, cbs new, london. bad weather in antarctica is expected to break today, possibly clearing the way for a helicopter rescue of 74 people stranded aboard a russian ship. the ship has been trapped in ice since christmas eve. some of the passengers got off the ship yesterday and stomped on the ice. they were trying to make the surface flat enough for a chopper to land from a chinese ship. well, coming up on the "morning news," a record rally. stocks soar on wall street to historic highs. we'll look at the winners and losers. this is the "cbs morning news." winners and losers. this is the "cbs morning news."

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and these little angels build in strength. and that little angel says, "weeeeeeeee!" 60% more sheets than charmin. everything you want and the value you love. angel soft. federal investigators are trying to determine the cause of monday's fiery derailment of a mile-long freight train in casselton, north dakota.

west of fargo. 18 oil tank cars explode and burned for 24 hours. there were no injuries. the town's 2,400 residents who evacua evacuateed have returned home. 2013 was a very good year for stock owners. the dow jones was up 72 points closing at 16,576. that's the 52nd record high for the year. in 2013 the dow was up 26.5%, the biggest gain in 18 years. as don dahler reports, that brought on new year's eve celebrations on wall street. ♪ >> reporter: singing "wait till the sun shines, nelly," is a tradition at the new york stock exchange. it was a way to lift traders' spirits after the depression, but spirits were already heightened after a remarkable run-up that recovered losses

from the recession and then some. jonathan corpina has worked the trading floor for 17 years. so if you were able to keep your money during the dark period, you're doing well now. >> absolutely. >> reporter: the 500 biggest companies in america saw their collective stock market rise 25%, the biggest in history. if you own netflix, your shares soared 296%. best buy saw a 237% increase. even newcomer to the party, twitter, was up 144%. low interest rates pushed investors into stocks, and corporations saw earnings grow as the economy gained traction. >> consumer confidence, spending, retail, housing numbers, all grouped together, these numbers have all moved in the right direction. >> reporter: those numbers mean retires are breeding a sigh of relief. he met with his adviser.

his portfolio ended up ahead 17%. >> maybe i'll be able to live a couple extra years because of it, you know. >> don dahler, cbs news, new york. well, the news was mixed for the nation's housing market. the standard & poor's case-shiller index shows home prices rose 13% in october from the previous year. that's the fastest pace in almost eight years, but the survey also shows the price gains for homes in most cities slowed from september to october. straight ahead, your wednesday morning weather. and in sports, texas a.m. completes a big-time comeback to grab the chick-fil-a bowl. ts, texas a.m. completes a big-time comeback to grab the chick-fil-a bowl. when used at the first sign. as 2s without it, the virus spreads from cell to cell. unlike other treatments, abreva penetrates deep to block the virus, to protect healthy cells so cold sores heal fast. as fast as 2 1/2 days when used at the first sign.

♪ learn more at abreva.com. don't tough it out. knock it out! fast. [ female announcer ] only with abreva. hey, jan. i love the tundra i got last year. i'm here to get the new one. the new redesign is pretty tough. tundra's the toughest truck i've ever had. my son's getting my old one. sweet. am i getting the boat, too? [ laughs ] [ male announcer ] right now during toyotathon, get 0% apr financing on the new redesigned 2014 tundra. for more great deals, visit toyota.com. toyotathon is on! ♪ toyota. let's go places. but add some sauce, pepperoni and cheese and fold up the crescent dough and presto, tuesday night just became crescent pizza pocket-tastic pillsbury crescents. make dinner pop.

here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. new york, partly sunny, with a high of 32. mostly cloudy with showers in miami. cloudy in chicago. you can expect light snow there. sunshine in dallas and los angeles. and time now for a check of the national forecast. a winter storm will bring snow from the plains to northern ohio. some places could get as much as a foot with temperatures near zero. that same storm system will bring snow from virginia to new england starting tonight. rain and showers will stretch from the gulf coast to the carolinas. much of the west will be dry with temperatures in the 30s and 40s from the northwest to the central rockies. in sports now, texas a&m

vets duke in a high-scoring game at the chick-fil-a bowl. they cut through the aggies early and the blue devils led at the half, 38-17. then johnny manziel took over. manziel threw for four touchdowns and ran for another with just over three minutes left. tony hurd returned an interception for 55 yards giving the ages their first lead of the day. another interception closed door on duke. texas a&m beat duke, 52-48. at the sun bowl, ucla quarterback brett hundley threw two touchdown passes and ran for two more as bruins beat virginia tech, 42-12. it's reported that penn state coach bill o'brien has reached an agreement to coach the houston texans. o'brien replaced joe paterno less than two years ago. previously o'brien was an assistant coach to the new england patriots.

and in the nba, the portland trail blazers rally to beat oklahoma city. kevin durant had 37 points for the thunder, but portland made up a 13-point halftime deficit. lamarcus aldridge poured 25 points as the blazers beat the thunder, 98-94. when we return, another look at this morning's top stories, and a promising new treatment for alzheimer's patients. how a simple vitamin could mean big benefits. simple vitamin could mean big benefits. cannot take a sic. [ coughs ] [ male announcer ] so when he catches a cold, he's got to power through it. ♪ vicks dayquil. powerful non-drowsy 6 symptom cold and flu relief. winter olympian ted ligety can't take a sick day tomorrow. [ coughs ] [ male announcer ] so he can't let a cold keep him up tonight. vicks nyquil. powerful nighttime 6 symptom cold and flu relief. ♪ [ ding! ]

losing your chex mix too easily? time to deploy the boring-potato chip decoy bag. then no one will want to steal the deliciousness. [ male announcer ] with a variety of tastes and textures, only chex mix is a bag of interesting. [ male announcer ] with a variety of tastes and textures, and these little angels build in strength. and that little angel says, "weeeeeeeee!" 60% more sheets than charmin. everything you want and the value you love. angel soft. middle of the street. comin at 4- 30... the latest on the investiga. a reprieve for religious organizations -- a supreme court justice handed down a last-minute delay of obama's birth control mandate. and... don't tell anyone you're going to the big game in green bay. why bragging can end up making tickets worthless. join us for kpix 5 news this morning... beginning at 4:3

,,,, here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. washington, d.c., will be partly sunny today, 46 the high. also partly sunny in atlanta. st. louis becoming cloudy. easterly daylight snow in denver and morning fog in seattle. here is another look at this morning's top stories. 2014 started with fireworks in cities around the country. hundreds of thousands watched a display over boston harbor. as many as 1 million people

celebrated in new york's time square. and former first lady barbara bush is hospitalized in houston this morning. the 88-year-old was admitted monday for a respiratory-related issue. new research suggests that vitamin e might slow the progression of mild to moderate alzheimer's disease. it's the first time that any treatment has been shown to alter the disease at that stage. elaine quijano has more. >> reporter: ed first realized his memory was failing during a round of golf. >> reporter: what did you notice? >> i was playing with somebody and i couldn't remember his name and i played with this guy for 15 years. >> reporter: his wife patricia said he had already been forgetting his keys, wallet, and cell phone. >> i just sensed that there was something wrong, but at the time i thought we could fix it. >> reporter: after a battery of

tests, doctors diagnosed the 69-year-old with alzheimer's in june of 2012. the new study looked at weather vitamin e could benefit patients like him who suffer from mild to moderate alzheimer's. those who took it saw a delay up to six months in the progression of alzheimer's when it came to performing everyday tasks. this doctor co-authored the study. >> it was seen on the outcomes of functional abilities, activities of daily living so individuals who had mild disease had benefits in things like cooking, planning their day, traveling, those types of activities. >> reporter: since the exact cause of alzheimer's is still being debated, researchers aren't sure exactly how the vitamin helps. they believe it protects brain cells from alzheimer's damage. patients taking vitamin e required less time with caregivers. there were no serious side effects reported.

since the medication is ineffective, scientists say it could be a cost-effective treatment. elaine quijano, cbs news, new york. this is the "cbs morning news." i'm anne-marie green. so what can i get you? we'll take something tasty and healthy. ♪ must be the honey! ♪ there's a party going on in your cereal bowl ♪ ♪ o's can help lower cholesterol ♪

♪ oh why does it taste so great? ♪ ♪ hey! must be the honey!

a special group is using the a special group is using the power of music to lift the human spirit and heal. as chip reid reports, members have a common path. ♪ >> reporter: every monday night these friends in st. louis pick up their guitars and play in an auditorium, in hallways, even a bowling alley. >> for me it's like an emotional saying. it can just calm me down. >> reporter: kender lewis has been coming here for two years. i went from being suicidal to loving life again. it's done a lot of good things for me. >> reporter: if you wonder what

strumming a guitar has done for turning lived aurngsd these men and women are war veterans and most have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. for lewis it was so severe she is now medically retired. >> the medication i was taking, i hardly ever have to use it anymore. >> reporter: and you attribute it to this program? >> oh, yes. by far. i always tell people there's much more that we're doing here than playing guitar. >> reporter: joe served two tours in iraq where he found and cleared roadside bombs. >> i went from being in charge of things and doing something that i felt was of the utmost importance to roofing. there was something missing. it took me a while to realize the thing that was missing was making a difference. >> reporter: now he's making a difference again. he's a volunteer teacher for six-stringed heroes at the st. louis v.a. hospital. so far more than 200 veterans have come through this

eight-week program. most had never picked up a guitar before coming here. >> reporter: you would like to become an instructor yourself? >> yeah, absolutely. >> reporter: conrad ferris served in iraq and afghanistan. >> i have traumatic brain injury, a very severe spinal cord injury. i'm classified disabled 100% from head to toe. >> reporter: and playing the guitar helps you deal with it. >> i challenge anyone to pick it up and learn two songs and tell me it doesn't do something positive for you. >> music lets you speak in ways words can't. maybe that's what's helping people out here. >> reporter: through music and friendship, these veterans of war are finding peace. chip reid, cbs news, st. louis. well, coming up after your local news on "cbs this morning," some of the best moments of 2013. charlie rose sits down with u2

front man bono, plus norah o'donnell has rare conversation with the dalai lama. and we'll have a roundtable discussion on president obama's second term so far. that's the "cbs morning news" for this wednesday. thanks for watching. i'm anne-marie green. have a happy new year. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

your realtime captioner is mrs. linda m. macdonald good morning, everyone. it is wednesday, january 1. i'm michelle griego. >> hi, everyone. i'm frank mallicoat. happy new year! we're going to take a show of hands how many people got more than four hours' sleep last night. [ laughter ]

>> okay. but -- [ laughter ] >> i'm feeling great! how about you guys? happy new year. >> wonderful. >> yeah. >> you know what? looks like we are going to have a nice start to the new year. you like the sunshine and the mild weather, it will continue today. in fact, these temperatures going to be warming up a little bit. we'll have more on that coming up. >> and we're taking a look at the 580 this morning on your morning commute in from the east bay heading westbound on 580. there is a serious accident right over park avenue. we'll keep you updated on that, plus a new accident off the 680 this morning. >> okay. all right, roberta, thank you. it is 4:30. and we begin with a young girl who is dead now after being hit by an suv here in san francisco. it happened at polk and ellis street in the tenderloin at 8:00 last night. the girl was walking with her brother and their mother. they were crossing the street when an stuff making a right hand -- an suv making a right- hand turn hit the three of them. the driver stayed on the scene. they don't think drugs or alcohol are involved. but the driver is g