tching. captioning funded by cbs it's wednesday, january 3rd, 2018. this is the "cbs morning news." bone-chilling temperatures take hold over many parts of the u.s. while alaska is enjoying balmy temperatures. and behind this deep freeze, a major snowstorm is brewing. opening the lines of communication. south korea and north korea reopen the cross border hotline today. >> and forget snakes. a rat is found on a plane. >> the captain came out and said, hey, i know you're not going to believe me, but a rat

just got on the plane, and we're going to try to catch it. good morning from the studio 57 newsroom at cbs news headquarters here in new york. good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. the persistent and blanketed cold that's gripping much of the nation is blamed for 12 deaths. now there's a major snowstorm headed up the east coast to worry about, and when the storm passes, believe it or not, it's going get even colder. hena doba is here in new york. good morning, hena. >> reporter: good morning, anne-marie. the bitter cold is bringing all sorts of headaches. with forecasters predicting a second shot of arctic air, much of the nation will remain in a deep freeze for the rest of the week. three people were rescued from a car stuck in icy waters in boise, maryland, on monday.

driving on ice is not something residents here typically have to do. much of the country's entering a second week of record cold with freeze warnings as far south as florida. citrus groves are gathers ice. even places accustomed to cold, these extremes are out of the norm. >> someone's swerving across my lane of traffic, i hit the brakes, and, boom, right into the back of a semi. >> reporter: in upstate new york, a 75-car pileup left at least one person dead. scenes like this are playing out all over the country. >> we're fighting equipment freezing up. as soon as it gets wet, it froze up like a popsicle. >> reporter: for all the headaches and dangerous cold snap the cold weather is causing they're finding the fun and beauty in it. teams in louisville are playing pond hockey. >> growing up in louisville, i've never done this personally before.

came out this morning. negative 1 degrees. >> reporter: in balmy alaska, skaters were in t-shirts. temperatures tuesday were in the 40s, about twice as warm as normal. and although alaska is expected to cool down today, the high temperatures aren't really out of the ordinary. the last three years rank among the warmest years on record in the street. anne-marie. >> hena doba here in new york. thanks a lot, hena. >> chief meteorologist eric fisher of our boston station wbz has more on our big nor'easter and the snowfall potential. >> many waking up this morning to a deep freeze. we have winter storm watches and warnings extending from the east coast to the state of maine. we're watching a wintry mix. the main concern across the florida panhandle where we could be talking dangerous travel along the i-10 corridor. we have a nor'easter bringing heavy snow across new england.

we've got the heaviest toward new england where we could see a foot in the boston area. several inches of snow around new york city as well. that will be slowing down quite a bit of travel. it brings strong gusts and a big blast of cold. this is actually the coldest air mass yet across much of the east, especially into the northeast friday into saturday. so certainly talking about dangerous record cold and windchill factors that will be up to 30 degrees below zero. actual highs on friday, just 16 in philly, 15 in boston. it gets colder on saturday. >> that was chief meteorologist eric fisher of our boston station wbz. overseas now, this morning north and south korea began preliminary discussions on a just reopened cross border communications line. the two koreas have not held formal talks in more than two years. they're talking over a hotline

at the border of panmunjom, which they restored earlier today. they call that a significant development. north korean leader kim jong-un had offered to hold talks on monday. meanwhile president trump reacted to nuclear threats by kim who warned he had a nuclear button on his desk. in a tweet last night mr. trump tweeted he has a bigger and more powerful button. david martin has more. >> reporter: at first president trump didn't know what to think of kim jong-un's new year's offer. rocket man now wants to talk to south korea for first time, he tweeted. perhaps that is good news. perhaps not. we will see. but no sooner had south korea's president moon taken kim up on the offer, the u.n. ambassador nikki haley dismissed it as meaningless as long as the north continues to build nuclear weapons.

>> we won't take the talks seriously until they do something to ban nuclear weapons. we think it's a reckless regime. we don't need to smile and take a picture. >> reporter: in his new year's speech kim boasted the nuclear button is on his desk and vowed to create more mass weapons and nuclear warheads. they would appear to be preparations for another test. >> i hope that does not happen, but if it does, we must bring even more measures to bear on the north korean regime. >> reporter: indications are that neerk north koreans are prg to test their longest range missile as they celebrated in the form of a gigantic ice sculpture over new year's. when it was first tested, the real missie reached long enough to hit the u.s. if aimed in the right direction. if preparations continue, it could be launched by the end of this week.

by talking peace with south korea and threatened war with the u.s., kim jong-un is playing good cop, bad cop in what the u.s. thinks may be a wedge to drive an attempt to drive a wedge between the two allies. >> so far no reaction from palestinian officials after president trump threatened to cut off aid. in a twitter he wrote we pay the palestinians hundreds of million dollars a year and get no appreciation or respect. when the president announced the u.s. considered moving its embassy from tel aviv to jerusalem, palestinian president mahmoud abbas said mr. trump had destroyed his credibility as a mid east peace broker. there is much speculation that mitt romney will run for the vacant seat left by orrin hatch. he announced his retirement yesterday. >> every good fighter knows when to hang up the gloves. for me that time is approaching. that's why after much prayer and discussion with family and

friends, i've decided to retire at the end of this term. >> hatch is 83 years old and will have served seven terms. president trump has pressured him to stay on to keep mitt romney out. romney is a vocal critic of mr. trump. there's an zbeinvestigation into the death of sergeant mihail golin who was killed on monday. he was 34 years old and from new jersey. there are currently 14,000 u.s. troops in afghanistan. and at least 48 people were killed when a bus plunged off a cliff in north lima, peru. the bus ended up on its roof after falling more than 300 feet. there were 57 on board. some survived and have been hospitalized. it's believed the bus collided with another vehicle and the driver lost control. coming up on the "morning news" now, disaster relief.

how the government is help iing with the biggest fire in california. and former boxer mike tyson gets into the weeds. this is the "cbs morning news." gets into the weeds. this is the "cbs morning news." strong chemo can put you at risk of serious infection. neulasta helps reduce infection risk by boosting your white blood cell count, which strengthens your immune system. in a key study, neulasta reduced the risk of infection from 17% to 1%, a 94% decrease. applied the day of chemo, neulasta onpro is designed to deliver neulasta the next day. neulasta is for certain cancer patients receiving strong chemotherapy. do not take neulasta if you're allergic to neulasta or neupogen (filgrastim). ruptured spleen, sometimes fatal as well as serious lung problems, allergic reactions, kidney injuries, and capillary leak syndrome have occurred. report abdominal or shoulder tip pain, trouble breathing or allergic reactions to your doctor right away. in patients with sickle cell disorders, serious, sometimes fatal crises can occur.

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with key nutrients plus b vitamins for heart health. your one a day is showing. save up to $8 on one a day. see sunday's paper. victims of the largest fire in california history will be getting financial help from the government. president trum yesterday declared the thomas fire a major disaster, freeing up federal funds. the wildfire started on december 4th. it destroyed more than 1,000 buildings and burned 440 square miles. former boxing champ mike tyson hopes to cash in on marijuana, and new details about a colorado shooter. those are some of the headlines on the morning newsstand. the "denver post" reports the gunman who killed a colorado sheriff's deputy escaped from a v.a. hospital in 2014. a veterans affairs report says

matthew riehl escaped from a wyoming hospital where he was being helped. he opened fire on sheriff's deputies sunday, killing one and wounding four other officers. he was killed by a s.w.a.t. te the "toronto star" says joshua boyle, the canadian man who was held hostage with his family in afghanistan was arrested on multiple charges. he and his wife and three children were rescued in october. they were held hostage. the alleged crimes took place after he returned to canada. he faces 15 charges including sexual assault and forceable confinement. the formal report will not reveal the victims. former congresswoman michele bachmann is considering a run for u.s. senate. in a tv interview with evangelist jim bakker, she said she's considering running for the seat. a special election will be held. the former heavyweight champ

mike tyson broke ground on a marijuana ground and luxury resort in california. the former heavyweight champ plans to build a cannabis facility and resort in the mohave desert town of california city. it will be reportedly a smoke and stay report with glamping campsites. and san jose's california "mercury news" says it was a case of right on a plane. an alaskan airlines flight was canceled after a rat got into the cockpit. they were boarding at oakland international airport yesterday morning and that's when the rat jumped from the jet way inside the plane. the passengers were removed and the plane was taken out of service. still ahead, a surprise for

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reduce hunger, help control cravings with contrave. now you an talk to a doctor online and get free shipping at getcontravenow.com. here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. you have another chance to win the huge mega millions jackpot. there were no grand prize winners at all. the numbers were --

the mega ball number was 22. friday's mega millions jackpot will be $418 million, and then there is tonight's powerball jackpot which stands at $440 million. on the "cbs moneywatch" now, airline workers get a bonus thanks to tax reform, and the new spokesman for weight watchers. diane king hall is at the new york stock exchange with that and more. good morning, diane. >> good morning, anne-marie. well, wall street picked up in 2018 where it left off in 2017, scoring another set of record highs led by tech companies and health shares. the dow gained 104 points, the s&p 500 rose 22 points and the nasdaq jumped 103. it's the best opening day since 2013. the new tax laws are working out well for employees at southwest and american airlines. both american and southwest say they'll share the windfall with employees, handing out individual thousand dollar bonuses.

southwest also said it will exercise an option to buy more planes from boeing but is delaying buying from others. a small restaurant holding company that owns nine hooters is offering bitcoin. they'll offer bitcoins in exchange for eating at its restaurants. the crypto-currency can be used for future meals or traded with other customers. it will be valid at any restaurant it owns. the u.s. rejected the acquisition of moneygram by a chinese company. alibaba, a subsidiary wanted to buy moneygram for $1.2 billion. the deal was scuttled when they failed to address concerns over data security. >> weight watchers has a new spokesperson. recording artist d j khaled wil

document his experience and progress on his new free staale program. anne-marie? >> maybe we'll get weight watchers-inspired music out of him. still ahead, an unexpected football play. why cincinnati bengals quarterback andy dalton is getting a big boost for his charity, thanks to fans for another team. for his charity, thanks to fans for another team. but he never called me back! if your cousin's wife's sister's husband isn't a lawyer, call legalzoom and we'll connect you with an attorney. legalzoom. where life meets legal. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ the all new 2018 camry.

toyota. let's go places. actually, the biggest dinos only ate plants! mu-um dinosaurs only eat meat! and country crock is made with plants. country crock has always been made with the goodness of plants. it has real, simple ingredients... and the same country fresh taste you love. welcome to crock country. marijuana becomes legal in california. plus - cracking down on d-u-i's law enforcement agencies make hundreds of arrests during the new year's holiday. and - president trump issues a new warning to north korea over its nuclear program. the message he's sending to kim jung un. join us for kpix 5 news this morning... beginning at 4:30. good morning. it's wednesday, january 3rd.

here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. ♪ why did the chicken cross the road? apparently to get away from the cops. california highway patrol officers scrambled to rescue 19 chickens yesterday that got loose on a los angeles freeway. their cage fell off the back of a truck. the officers stopped traffic as they went on a wild chicken

chase. they rescued 17 birds. unfortunately two died. the truck driver was unaware the chicken cage dropped and didn't stop. now the team is in the playoffs for the first time since 1999 and the fans are showing how grateful they are, except it's for another team's quarterback. jeff glor explained. >> dalton steps up, dalton throws, incomplete. >> reporter: this winning touchdown pass by andy dalton of the cincinnati bengals turned him into a hometown hero -- in buffalo. as a thank-you for helping them snap their 17-year playoff drought, bills fans flooded the andy and jordan dalton foundation with donations, many of them for $17. >> i spoke with the daltons just a short time ago. how surprised are you by all that's happened? >> it's just -- it's a crazy story to think that obviously

for me playing for the bengals, winning a game, helped them get to the playoffs, and there's a whole different fan base that is donating to our foundation, and so to have the support from a completely different city and fan base that's not even associated with us and also a team that we did beat this year, too, so i think it's -- it's pretty crazy the support that we've gotten from it. >> you didn't have to mention that part as a bills fan, but, j.j., what do you make of all of this? >> i think i'm pretty emotional, thinking about what we'll be able to do with that money that's coming in. it's pretty humbling. it's hard to put into words how grateful we are. it's pretty awesome. >> andy, what is the latest update? >> just over $170,000. we have over 7,000 donors. it's unbelievable. it's going to go a long way and

we can't say thank you enough. >> that was jeff glor reporting on "cbs this morning." what happens to all of those cardboard boxes that shipped your holiday deliveries? we're going to take you to a plant where they recycle and how they are reborn. style program? i love freestyle. you can have anything you want. it's real food. it's so much easier going out to eat now. it feels great. you are living dangerously! i'm living freestyle. here's to freestyle! freestyle! the new weight watchers freestyle program has over 200 foods that are zero points. now you can count less and enjoy more. join for free and lose 10 pounds on us. hurry, offer ends january 8th. wiback like it could used to? neutrogena hydro boost water gel. with hyaluronic acid it plumps skin cells with intense hydration and locks it in. for supple, hydrated skin. hydro boost. from neutrogena i ...prilosec otc 7 years ago,my doctor recommended...

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our top stories this morning, a relentless and dangerous cold is blanketing much of the country. the arctic cold snap is blamed for at least 12 deaths nationwide. this morning a potent nor'easter is making its way up the coast with a mix of snow and ice from the south to new england, and another deep freeze follows it. and north and south korea are talking this morning over a hotline. the north restored the hotline earlier today a day after the suvgtsed to south offered to talk about corporation with the north about next month's olympics.

the two koreas have not hld formal communications in more than four years. meanwhile president trump tweeted his nuclear button was bigger and more powerful than the one kim jong-un says he has. two new studies point to the lowest number of fatal airline crashes and deaths ever. meg oliver. >> reporter: it's a good time to be a frequent flyer. >> i get on my flight and go where i'm going and don't worry about it. >> reporter: it being safety. there were no fatal commercial passenger jet accidents in 2017, according to two studies. >> aviation has learned from its mistakes and is an increasingly safe form of travel. >> reporter: the only deaths were from crashes involved cargo or turboprop planes. on new year's eve there were two small plane accidents including one in costa rica that killed 12 people. experts attribute fewer deaths and accidents to high levels of airline safety and some good fortune that say

there's no room for complacency. >> reporter: there are more commercial flights now than ever and nonfatal were up this year including cases where plains couldn't stop at the end of the runway. experts are also concerned about passengers, checking laptops and other electronics with lithium-ion batteries which could ignite an in-flight fire. >> it may be too great for the fire extinguisher capability of the baggage department. >> reporter: president trump highlighted the findings in the tweet. he said, since taking office, i have been very strict on aviation. meredith and michael scarborough travel several times a year. experts believe the trend of increased safety will continue. meg oliver, cbs news, new york. well, coming up on "cbs this morning," the latest in robotic advances. tony dokoupil shows us creations you you to a recycling

sight where boxes are reborn. and jan crawford talks to bob odenkirk and bradley whitford, two actors on the new hit movie "the post" and the secrets the government was hiding about the vietnam war. that's the "cbs morning news" for this wednesday. i'm anne-marie green. thanks for watching. have a great day. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com ♪ we're here when you're ready. sfx: tinny headphone music

sfx: feet shuffling life can change in an instant. be covered when it does... ...with a health plan through covered california. we offer free expert help choosing the best plan for you. and all of our plans include free preventive care. financial help is available, so check for yourself to see what savings you qualify for. open enrollment ends january 31st, so don't miss out. because you never know when life... ...will change. get covered today. good morning. it's wednesday, january 3rd. i'm kenny choi. a live look outside at the bay bridge as we get this wednesday morning started. hopefully, your new year's resolutions are still intact. [ laughter ]

>> it's only the third day of the new year. good morning, i'm kenny choi. >> i'm emily turner in for michelle this morning. time now 4:29. >> resolutions intact, everyone? >> well -- >> kind of. [ laughter ] >> i think i'll start tomorrow. >> i agree. >> there's always another monday. [ laughter ] >> are there changes and resolutions in the weather? we resolve to have a wet january. we desperately need it. right now, looks like rain off the coast as well as lightning strikes. but we have to wait for the rain to arrive. so it's still a few miles away. we're going to probably see it around 9 a.m. or 10 a.m. this morning. heavier rain will happen this afternoon. so coming up, i'll have your hi- def doppler in full gear and we'll track it throughout the morning. so we'll keep a close eye on the roads today