making news in america ts morning. >> war on terror. the threat intensifies in yemen, and starting today, extensive new security measures at foreign airports. deep freeze, an unusually cold start to january, blanketing football fields and chilling florida's grove. and the world's tallest tower opens today, monday, january 4th, 2010. and good morning, thanks for joining us for the first time in 2010. i'm jeremy hubbard. >> and i'm linsey davis in nor vinita nair. right now, president obama is on

his way back to washington for a full agenda to begin his post-holiday week. >> topping it is terrorism, and we have several reports this morning, sonia gallego in london, but viviana hurtado with new security rules. >> designed to focus on those who pose the largest threat. >> reporter: at another sign at the nation's airports, travelers were delayed sunday evening for at least two hours at the airport after a man walked the wrong way in a security exit. >> the public just has no confidence anymore in the ability of government to provide a safe environment which avelers can fly. >> reporter: there will be extra screening for passengers with passports from or who have traveled from nations that the u.s. sees suspect such as yemen.

the a additional screening also for those who fly from what the government decide are like tehran. >> i suspect they will broaden the definitions. >> reporter: but critics say these heightened security measures still won't detect the bomb materials such as sewn into the underwear of umar farouk abdulmutallab. the system failed but insists an obvious terror plot wasn't missed. >> there was no smoking gun if will you, that said that mr. abdulmutallab was going to carry out this threat. >> when president obama meets with his top officials, he'll meet with top advisers to discuss the intelligence failures. linsey and jeremy? >> thanks. >> the president will luckily discuss the growing threat from

al qaeda in yemen on this second day of embassy closures there as the u.s. promises to help fight terrorists. sonia gallego has more. >> good morning, jeremy, the recent stepup in security is intensifying as both the u.s. and british embassies in yemen remain closed for another day. >> reporter: in yemen capital the embassy closed following warnings of an al qaeda attack. >> there are indications that al qaeda is planning to carry on an attack in yemen. >> reporter: a deadly suicide bombing was a sign of a growing insurgency in the country. general david petraeus visited over the weekend, announcing that the u.s. would more than double it as well as boosting intelligence. it's another sign of how security measures have escalated since the failed christmas day

bomb plot. the main suspect, umar farouk abdulmutallab claimed to have carried out the attack. over the weekend, president obama directly accused an offshoot of al qaeda based in yemen to be responsible for the ally bomb plot his administration will also look at the fate of 90 or so yemeni detainees held in guantanamo prison on a case by case basis when the fall jot still resonates around washington. >> it's accepted that eight years or nine years, bomber richard reid used the exact same explosive that we still don't have a system in place to detect that kind of explosive. >> and building up, security seems to be at the forefront ever since al qaeda's attack ten years ago, highlighting just how deadly the organization has come to come. jeremy. >> thanks.

abc news' martha raddatz is in yemen and will be reporting on a situation there. you can see her reports on "world news" with diane sawyer and on "good morning america." and in afghanistan, four service members have been killed in two separate bombings. a british soldier also died in one of the incidents. these are the first combat-related deaths this year. many students are heading back to school from single digit windchills in the northeast, and florida's longest cold snap in a decade. and as one meteorologist said, the eastern half of the country is in the ice box. >> reporter: residents along the great lakes are used to near whiteout conditions, but not inside the football stadiums, the colts/bills game resembled a snowglobe yesterday. but snow totals meared far less than here in new england.

with vermont now buried under as much as 3 feet of snow which has fallen since saturday. the main coast is battered by blizzard conditions with destructive surf in boston harbor. >> this is the second or third time i've shoveled today. the wind keeps blowing everything back on the driveway. >> reporter: in the midwest, another 6 to 12 inches is forecast for marts of michigan and indiana, but the wind will lessen somewhat in the northeast. even usual balmy florida is anything but you a danger to citrus and zairery crops. >> it's kind of scary, too, if you could lose your whole crop, you're talking $1 million' worth of loss. >> reporter: the temperatures dropped to near freezing. >> and a cold night for a lot of people. now for the rest of this morning's weather. the freeze warnings extend into much of the gulf coast and new owners. rain in the northwest from rain in northern washington. 15 in seattle, 30s in the

northern rockies, fargo only gets to minus 3 while kansas city and minneapolis barry dig out of single digits. just 63 for miami. 37 for dallas. the first family leaves behind the tropical warmth of hawaii for the frigid temperatures of washington, d.c. they bordered air force one just a few hours ago for the overnight flight. on the last day of vacation, the president and first lady and two first daughters spent some time at the honolulu zoo. they visited the limas, the monkeys, among other exhibits. coming up, a new movie hits the $1 billion mark at the box office. plus, behind fares, a popular tv show helps to capture a fugitive. and the world's new tallest building. it is the pride of a city but is

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welcome back. federal reserve chairman ben bernanke says stronger regulation is the best way to prevent another financial crisis. in a speech on sunday, bernanke said weak regulation, no low-interest rates, was responsible for the housing bubble and financial crisis. critics argue that the fed kept rates too long after the 2001 recession, fueling reckless lending by banks. the first five trading days on wall street cou tell us about the rest of the year.

investors will be watching for what's known as the january effect, a phenomenon that tends to set the tone for the rest of the year. if the first five days of january are up, the end of the year also finish the same way. an exciting week for tech geeks. the los angeles show opens wednesday. a group of broadcasters is planning to use a gadget to push their demands to live tv for mobile devices. the group wants to offer news, sports and other content on cell phones, lab tops and other portable devices. the group hopes to offer much of thatontent for free. one of the most expensive movies ever made is also one of the most successful." avatar" surged past $1 billion in ticket sales over the weekend. the fastest to hit that mark, by the way. only one of five to reach that milestone. another "titanic." pirates of the caribbean, dead man's chest and the dark knight.

>> everyone i know who has seen "avatar" says you have to go see it. >> i think it would be interesting. >> visually stimulating. next on this monday, an accused captured. the nfl playoff picture gets clearer with a late-

welcome back to "america this morning" on this monday. we continue now with a look at the road conditions you can expect for your monday morning absolute. slippery with blowing snow around the great lakes today, especially along stretches of i-90. snow-covered highways in northern maine as well. and wet and snowy roads in the northwest. if you're flying today, expect airport delays in seattle, cincinnati, detroit, philadelphia, boston and on the

east coast, noc and d.c. a florida man suspected is now in custody. the five-week manhunt ended thanks to a motel manager who was watching "america's most wanted." >> reporter: after a month on the lam, he was arrested. he was accused of gunning down his twin sisters, elderly aunt, and cousin's 6-year-old daughter on thanksgiving. >> i'm really happy that the monster is in a cage. >> reporter: after months of pltering with paperwork, it was a few seconds on tv. the owners of the motel saw his picture flash on screen during a commercial on "america's most wanted." >> there was no doubt because we have a big screen tv in the house and it just shocked him to the core. and he said, i can't believe this, he's upstairs. >> reporter: it was the fourth time the story aired on the program with an urgent plea from

john walsh. >> few stories have made me as angry or as sad as our first case tonight. >> reporter: in 20 years, "america's most wanted" has helped to put thousands behind bars. >> have you seen jaycy lee dugard? >> reporter: it made this one personal. >> if anybody knows how we're feeling, it's up. >> paul merhige is being held without bond. the federal aviation administration is stepping up its investigation of american airlines. this follows tee landing mishaps. this includes an accident in jamaica. investigators also want to know why wing tips hit the ground during austin and char slot. >> facebook is now being blamed on a growing number of divorces.

according to london's "telegraph" divorce lawyers say the site is tempting people to cheat. a law firm now cites 1 in 5 divorces in facebook. time for sports and an end to the regular seon. here's ducis rodgers at espn news. >> good morning, i'm ducis rodgers with this espn news update. a lot of drama heading into the final week of the nfl season. the jets with the bengals. the jets clinch a play offberth with a victory. brad smith under center. option right, 32 yards for the touchdown. mark sanchez and the jets are headed to the playoffs with a 37-0 victory. they'll face cincinnati again in week onen saturday. ravens and raiders with the win. the ravens have a playoff spot. willis mcgahee up the middle.

and a 73-yard touchdown as mcgaughey takes it to the house. worth another look. mcgaughey just moves eugene out of the way. mcgaughey with three touchdowns on the day. ravens w 21-13, they'll face new england on the playoffs on sunday. chris johnson came into the titans/seahawks with his eye on the record. the sixth running back in nfl history to reach that mark. titans win 17-13. how about college basketball, florida facing nc state. florida down 2. nc state misses the free throw. florida gets the rebound. that for the win. a 75-footer. worth another one. the only bucket of the game. that's a good one. florida wins it 62-61. that will do it for this espn

news update. i'm ducis rodgers. enjoy your day. >>ones with a fear of heights might want to stay clear of dubai today. the world's tallest building opens today. >> just how tall. lara setrakian reports. >> reporter: good morning, jeremy and linsey, today is the grand unveiling of the burj dubai, the world's tallest skyscraper. standing at more than 2,600 feet, the burj dubai has over 160 floors, the world's highest elevator, and enough steel rebar to go a quarter mile around the world. >> you have to give them credit for an engineering feat. and also symbolic. >> reporter: when the tower was first conceived, the city is in different shape, marred in $150 billion of debt, unpaid bills

and millions of service providers hired during the peak years. >> it puts dubai on the map in an ironic way because real estate housing downturn is what's responsible for the current economic downcycle. >> reporter: there are have been scores of layoffs. last month, dubai teetered on the brink of default. but that won't stop today's fanfare. we've been told to expect 10,000 fireworks, a hypnotic light display. jeremy and linsey? >> stretches a half mile in the air. >> talk about having your head in the clouds. new meaning there. >> literally. up next, extensive new screening rules for anyone traveling to the u.s. and congress looks into a growing health concern among players in the nfl. thyear, be victorious...

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their flight after a security breach last night. authorities are searching for a man who caused the breach. he walked through the wrong side of the checkpoint before being screened. president obama ends his vacation today. mr. obama will be working on health care and preparing his state of the union speech. lawmakers are looking into the safety of nfl helmets today. at the university of medicine in detroit, they could push your rule restriction that's could provide more protection for concussions. and regis philbin returns to his show after recouperating from hip surgery. coming up on "good morning america," the top five tips to jump start your finances in the new year. mellodlody hobson has ways to c

your spending. that's coming up. for some of you your local news is next. for all the rest of you, "america this morning" continues after this. (jennifer garner) there's a lot of beautiful makeup out there to cover up flaws and make skin look pretty but there's one that's so clever, it makes your skin look better even after you take it off. neutrogena healthy skin liquid makeup. 98% of women saw improvement in their skin's natural texture, tone, or clarity.

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finally, ask and you sha receive. answered prayers for the leader a california mega church. >> yeah, pastor rick warren announced last week that donations have fallen short. he made an urgent plea for $900,000 and the faithful did not disappoint. here's abc's laura marquez. >> we met our goal, folks. we met our goal. >> reporter: their goal and then some. $2.4 million raised in just a few days after pastor rick warren made an unusual plea on the saddleback church website. last week, warren posted a letter saying they were on target for the year, but then last week, the bottom dropped out, what is normally received. plunging the church into the red. warren said he needed $900,000 by year's end. the donations came pouring in over the internet. small amounts, most under 100 bucks. and that's not even counting what came in the mail. warren shared from the pulpit

some of the e-mails. >> even though this has been my worst year financially, i still want to help my church. >> reporter: the tough economy taking a toll on churches across the country, even one as popular as saleback, one which has benefited from the book "the purpose driven life." >> a very tough year financially. >> reporter: but warren said 10% of his congregation is out of work. adding that such dire economic times means that more people are in need. he showed where much of the money will go. >> homeless and ministry. >> reporter: ministries that serve the poor and homeless. including 200,000 people. >> you're an incredible church. >> reporter: warren now starts the year with a surplus. >> god bless you, everybody. >> reporter: lawyer ma mar rez, los angeles. >> a lot of that $2.4 million will be recycled back into the communities who need it most.