the deep freeze gets deeper. more than half of americans are feeling frozen as temperatures drop to levels not seen in decades. worries in washington as al qaeda links militants continue to gain a foothold in iraq. and bcs classic. college football's national championship game between florida state and auburn comes down to the final seconds. >> touchdown! down to the final seconds. >> touchdown! you know he went for it. captioning funded by cbs this is the "cbs morning news" for tuesday, january 7th, 2014. good morning, good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. well, this morning, tens of millions of americans are waking up to weather so cold it hurts.

a life-threatening arctic air mass called the polar vortex stretches from the dakotas to the atlantic, to florida to maine. chicago set a record yesterday at minus 60 degrees. the historic school has caused schools to close. some 30,000 homes and business are without power in indiana. and there are sub freezing windchills from coast to coast, amtrak is working to clear three of et cetera passenger trains, they got stopped by blowing and drifting snow in north-central illinois. more than 500 passengers are on board. the passengers have heat and they have food. melting snow and rock salt caused a transformer to short out here in new york.

yesterday's high in the city was 54 degrees. today's high just 10 degrees. marlie hall is here in new york with that. and good morning, marley. >> reporter: good morning, anne-marie. we haven't seen temperatures like this in 20 years, and this morning, millions of americans are coping with the brutal cold. it's so cold it embarrassed minnesota. frost is forming on people's faces. >> it's just a natural way of life four. you just live with it and put on another bundle of clothes and come on out. >> reporter: what may be a natural life in embarrassed is unnatural for the rest of us. >> very cold. >> reporter: a polar vortex is bringing cold air and biting winds from the north pole. forecasters say about 147 million americans are in a deep freeze. the cold air has been racing south and east. here in new york city, temperatures plummeted more than 40 degrees in the last 24 hours. the weather is partly to blame

for jetblue's decision monday to ground all of its planes coming into and out of new york and boston. this couple found out their flight was canceled when they showed up to the airport. >> i finally booked us a flight, and the flight is frozen five days from now. >> reporter: and in chicago, american airlines said it canceled flights because the flul is freezing. here in new york, the governor has declared a state of emergency in 14 counties, as a result of the extreme weather. anne-marie. >> marlie hall here in new york. thank you, marlie. meteorologist eric fisher of our boston station wbz. >> the breadth of the cold. so many windchill advisories, not often we've seen that on the maps. the windchill advisories go all the way down as far south as

naples, florida. subzero windchills in florida, it only takes, say, the teens and 20s for them to issue the advisories. in terms of windchills, still 30 to 40 below in places like chicago. even in atlanta, subzero windchills. got to believe a lot of folks staying inside. a lot of schools are canceled there. most of the cold across the great lake, the southeast, and into the northeast. even on wednesday, still chilly outside. we kick off the day with windchills in at zero in new york and pittsburgh. and boston. teens for wednesday as you wake up. wednesday afternoon, this is starting to depart. in terms of high temperature on tuesday, teens in nashville, 20s in atlanta. 40s for a good chunk of florida. even all the way to miami it will absolutely not be beach weather. then towards the end of the week, the polar vortex, a piece of it has broken off to the

south. well it reconsolidates itself across the poles. and the cold air goes along with it and many folks looking at more comfortable weather. the supreme court has put a hold on same-sex marriage in utah. the court did not rule on same-sex marriage in general. it holds states in effect until an appeals court on whether a ban on same-sex smarch is violates the constitution. smith couples had been allowed to marry in utah for 17 days. lawyers for same-sex couples called the ruling disappointing. and overseas, escalating violence in iraq, two years after u.s. forces withdrew, al qaeda-linked militants have taken advantage of a sectarian foothold. susan mcginnis. >> reporter: good morning, anne-marie. this is some of the heaviest fighting we've seen since the

pullout, battling the shiite-led government. now, the u.s. is sending more military aid, but this morning, it appears the militants are gaining ground. >> the surprise is the fact that al qaeda is back. and the fact that a lot of analysts thought they were dead. they were on the run. we've heard thoses before. but of the fact that they've regrouped and mobilized inside of iraq and are part of picture now. >> reporter: this latest trouble started last week when government troupes broke up a government run protest. this morning, iraqi forces have surrounded fallujah preparing to attack. iraqi prime ministe nuri al maliki is urging residents to fight the militants. yesterday, joe biden offered his support to al maliki. but the u.s. won't be sending any troops to iraq, instead,

equipping iraqis with missiles and drones. >> we're work closely to isolate the al qaeda-affiliated groups. and we have seen some early successes in ramadi. >> reporter: so far, the american-trained iraqi troops have been unable to push the militants from fallujah and ramadi, and the fighting has spilled on to the main streets of baghdad. >> you're looking at to defeat this insurgency, similar to what happened in vietnam, to take the village, to destroy the village, i'm not sure he's willing to do that. >> reporter: now, the civil war in neighboring syria has allowed al qaeda to make its move into iraq. anne-marie, about 8,000 civilians have been killed in the iraqi violence last year. >> very sad to see. susan mcginnis, thank you. we're learning more about the proposed $765 million settlement between the nfl and former players suffering from concussions and brain-related illnesses. athletes with lou gehrig's

disease will get up to $5 million. $4 million for death with brain-related trauma. and $3 million for dementia cases. the deal still must about proved by a federal judge. in arizona, researchers are looking at new ways to diagnose concussions with the help of a college football team. dr. jon lapook has that story. >> reporter: quarterback taylor kelly of the arizona state sun devils understands the mind-set of the college football players when it comes to injuries. you really can't trust the judgment of a guy who is 18 to 22, right? >> exactly. >> reporter: they want to keep playing, right? >> exactly. they don't care. they're head's a little more banged up. >> reporter: neurologist dr. javier cardenas specializes in train injuries. is he head overreluctance of athletes to admit symptoms is only one of the problems. >> right now, when we identify a

concussion it is purely subjective. we look at symptoms. do they have headaches? do they have dizziness? there is no objective information. having something objective is the holy grail of concussions. >> reporter: this season, kelly and his teammates took part in a study trying to find a better way to detect concussions. riddell the athletic equipment company supplies the team with helmets that measured all head impact during practices and games. and then after every game, the players gave samples of their blood, saliva and urine. these are now being analyzed at the transational genomics research institute in phoenix 19 as tgen. brain cells contain genetic material called micro rna. normally, tiny spheres break off and make their way into the spinal fluid then the bloodstream.

during the concussion, the brain actually bounces against the skull, and researchers believe the impact can cause changes in the micro rna. changes they hope can be detected in blood tests. these tgen scientists are comparing the impact data in his helmet to see if they match up. ke kendall van keuren-jenses is on the research list. >> reporter: we were shown data that illustrates how this technology might have helped one of the players in the study. these are the head impacts recorded in his helmet over several weeks. one hit was the equivalent of four times the punch by a heavyweight boxer. the hardest impact received by any player in the study. he continued to play and was diagnosed with a concussion ten days later. the researchers told us they should have preliminary data in a few months. and will publish their findings

several months later. dr. jon lapook, cbs news, new york. coming up on the "cbs morning news," embarrassing exit, electronics show. this is the "cbs morning news." during the consumer electronics show. this is the "cbs morning news." . when i was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis, my rheumatologist prescribed enbrel for my pain and stiffness, and to help stop joint damage. [ male announcer ] enbrel may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, nervous system and blood disorders, and allergic reactions have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. you should not start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if you have symptoms such as persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness.

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on the "cbs moneywatch," a new fed chair is confirmed. and a hollywood director trips up over a technical glitch. wendy gillette is at the new york stock exchange with that and more. good morning, wendy. >> good morning, anne-marie. janet yellen has been confirmed as the first woman to lead the federal reserve. the snafrt confirmed yellen yesterday by a vote 56-26. yellen will replace ben bernanke who is leaving after serving eight years as chairman. last month, the fed announced it will start reducing its economic stimulus plan. the senate is set to vote this morning on whether to move forward on an unemployment bill.

democrats say they're close to the 60 votes needed for the support of five republicans. the bill would restore jobless benefits for 1.3 million americans. saving an average of $256 per week. asian stocks were mixed ahead of this week's u.s. jobs report. tokyo's nikkei lost 0.5%, hong kong's hang seng gained a fraction. stocks closed lower here on wall street. the dow jones industrials fell near 45 points. the nasdaq composite lost 18 points. a french company is showing off a self-driving shuttle bus at the consumer electronics show in las vegas. it's the first driverless vehicle commercially available in the u.s. with a top speed of 12 miles an hour, the shuttle is intended for college campuses and airport parking lots. and things didn't go according to plan for movie director michael bay at the electronics show. he was brought on stage to talk about a giant new samsung tv but his teleprompter malfunctioned. >> and hollywood is a place that creates a viewer escape. and what i try to do as i

director, i try to -- the type is all off, sorry, but i'll just wing this. i try to take people on an emotional ride. and -- the curve? how does it -- how do you think it's going to impact how viewers experience your movies? excuse me. i'm sorry. i'm sorry. >> okay. >> bay walked off without talking about the tv. he later posted on his blog that he was embarrassed by the incident. anne-marie, we both know how bad it can be when teleprompters malfunction. >> it's a lot easier to tell people what to do when you're on the other side of the camera. i love the guy that he left on stage. that guy is like, okay. >> hello. >> wendy gillette at the new york stock exchange. thanks a lot, wendy. well, strait ahead, a thriller in college football's finale.

florida state and auburn go down to the wire in the national championship game. >> touchdown! alli can help you lose one more by blocking some of the fat you eat. start now at myalli.com. ♪ so i should probably get the last roll... yeah but i practiced my bassoon. [ mom ] and i listened. [ brother ] i can do this. [ imitates robot ] everyone deserves ooey, gooey, pillsbury cinnamon rolls.

make the weekend pop. here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. new york, windy today. the 13 degrees the high. miami will be sunny. chicago, sunny, but only 4 degrees. dallas, sunny, los angeles, sunny and 74. in sports, college football saved the best for last. florida state and auburn meeting in the rose bowl in pasadena in

what will be the final bcs championship game. after falling behind 21-3 in the first half, top-ranked florida state takes its first lead of the game in the fourth quarter. kermit whitfield scores on a 100-yard kick return to make it 27-24 seminoles. auburn would fight back. tre mason breaks off a 37-yard touchdown run. but with less than a minute to play, florida state looks to their heisman trophy winning quarterback. >> winston up under center -- no, throws. end zone, jump ball -- touchdown! >> jameis winston throws what would be the game winning touchdown pass with 13 seconds left to give florida state the 34-31 victory. and he does it on his 20th birthday. >> i'm just so excited for our

guys, man. it's not really about me. it's about them. all i can say now, we're champions. that's all that matters to me. my birthday, i can care less about that, man. >> it is florida state's first national title since 1999. and it was the biggest comeback in the history of the bcs championship game, which is being replaced by a four-team playoff next year. well, they take their baseball pretty seriously down under. a collision at home plate in the australia baseball league escalates into a full-scale brawl. things get out of hand when one player comes charging out of the dugout to clobber the catcher who had just gotten run over. some of the players involved are actually members of minor league teams here in the u.s. it's worth noting, major league baseball approved a ban on home plate collisions last month. when we return -- panda paparazzi. a panda cub in the national zoo takes baby steps as he gets introduced to the media. steps as he gets introduced to the media.

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kidnapper in antioch. how s managed to save a 7-year-old girl. more than half the country dealing with brutal cold th morning. the problems caused by the "polar vortex plus, investigators believe they've identified e man behind a new year's day arson at the chinese consule in san francisco. 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 sunny today. 17 the high there. atlanta will be sunny. and st. louis, sunny. sunshine in denver as well. but seattle, nothing but rain. "saturday night live" is adding diversity to its cast. the show hired sasheer zamata to its group of 16 regular players. she is the first black woman to join "snl" since maya rudolph left seven years ago. the show has faced criticism for its lack of diversity. zamata will be featured on the january 18th episode. and the national zoo's giant panda cub met the media monday. bao bao is preparing for her public debut next month. she spent the morning crawling and climbing and following her mommy, of course. the almost 5-month-old cub was met by camera crews as she pokes her head over the rocks.

the public will get a peek at the panda a week from saturday. coming up on "cbs this morning," the dangerous cold weather and the impact on travel. i'm anne-marie green. this is the "cbs morning news." ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] build anything with the new toyota tundra. toyota. let's go places. and better is so easy withrning you cabenefiber.o something better for yourself. fiber that's taste-free, grit-free and dissolves completely. so you can feel free to add it to anything. and feel better about doing it. better it with benefiber.

massive surf is battering the southwest coast of britain. 27-foot waves slammed the coast monday. families have been forced from sea-front homes and businesses. the storm is also bringing flooding to ireland and france. it's connected to the weather system that blasted the northeast here in the u.s. with snow last week. now, in hawaii, surfers are used to catching waves, but one man is capturing the beauty of the big one on camera. chip reid caught him in action. >> reporter: on the north shore of the hawaiian island of oahu, clark little used to head in on a surfboard. now, he conquers the big waves with nothing more than flippers and a camera. >> i like the power. i like the thunder. the sound, the feeling of that

wave coming over and crunching. just being over the heart of it. it's not just taking a shot. you need to know where to be. the timing has been to be right where the barrel breaks perfectly over you. >> reporter: the result is an inside look at the stunning beauty of waves. what is it like when you're out there shooting waves? >> i love it. it's exciting, i get my adrenaline pumping. you know, at the same time, it's scary. >> reporter: so it can be dangerous? >> it can be dangerous. i mean, you know, people die out here. mother nature, sometimes, it can look calm and nice, you go throughout, boom, you know, eight to ten-foot sets come and break on your head. >> reporter: do you have a couple of favorite photographs that spring to mind? >> marlin is one it's a back wash away. the sun was rising behind it and it just froze. it looks almost like a fish tail. ready? >> reporter: on the north shore beaches, he's become a celebrity. it's become a bit of a fad. there are a lot of people doing this now, right. >> it's a sport. >> reporter: it's a new sport? >> it's unbelievable.

parents are excited about it. hey, clark, my son, take a picture. he wants a picture. >> reporter: little did not plan it this way, he spent 17 years working at a botanical garden when his life took a sudden change. >> my wife brought a picture home of a wave. i told her, honey, don't buy a picture. i can go out and shoot one. i'll get a camera and i'll do it. >> reporter: he's now been shooting waves full time for seven years, always looking for that perfect shot. >> i'm very lucky, fortunate, blessed. this is a special thing. it's something that i can't believe i do for a living. >> reporter: a living that gives clark little a chance every day to strike gold. chip reid, cbs news, oahu. >> very beautiful images. coming up after your local news on "cbs this morning," the frigid weather moving east. we'll have a live report and show you the impact on travel. plus, a look at so-called click farms that boost the number of your facebook likes or twitter followers.

and new york magazine restaurant critic adam platt joins us in the studio. that's it for "cbs morning news." thanks for watching. i'm anne-marie green. have a great day. ,,,,

and i'm frank mallicoat good morning everyone, it's tuesday, january 7th. i'm michelle griego. >> hi everyone, i'm frank mallicoat. nearly 4:30 on your tuesday, outdoor a little weather and -- out the door a little weather and traffic. >> you know what? i woke up this morning and thought thank goodness it's

friday and walked around for ten minutes and i thought it was friday. oh. >> it's tuesday. yeah. >> oh well. guys got some clouds out there right now. looks like continuing to move across our skies. not much in the way of rain but we got a couple ovarian drops in the forecast and -- of rain drops in the forecast and tell you when coming up. things are looking good so far on the morning commute. the nimitz freeway and once again just the overnight road work to slow you down. all coming up in the traffic report. >> back to work. >> that's right stay tuned. thanks. it is 4:30 now. a quick thinking target security specialist praised for helping to catch a suspected kidnapper in antioch. kpix 5's joe vasquez with the woman who led police to that man. >> he was just -- being weird like his activities were not normal. >> reporter: she didn't know it at the time but rock zanana ramirez spotted a man. she wrote down his license plate as his behavior got even more bizarre after he le