making news in america this morning. >> dangerous cold. leaving drivers stranded for hours. people digging out. and forcing a state of emergency in the sunshine state. america's diplomatic ace, a key player in the afghan war strategy, passes away. reaction from around the world this morning. and a broken. football's 41-year-old superman sits one out. and good morning, everyone. for many of us today, very cold tuesday morning.

it is like a one-two punch from mother nature out there today. that arctic blast is sending temperatures plummeting to record levels in the deep south this morning, after a major snowstorm strands drivers across the midwest. >> and it is not done yet. cities around the great lakes can expect to pick up an additional one to two feet of snow today. taking a look at the windchills this morning, it feels like nine below in minneapolis. one in atlanta. and feels like 33 degrees on the beach in miami. >> wow. karen travers shows us more of what feels like a nation on ice. >> reporter: winter doesn't officially arrive for one more week. but this early season storm has already made quite an impact. in northern indiana, icy conditions, high winds and six-foot snowdrifts made highways impassable. state troopers had to use snowmobiles to reach drivers who were stranded in their cars. some for more than ten hours. >> i can't go north. i can't go east. what's left?

technically you're still stuck. >> reporter: one tow truck driver was digging out vehicles for 17-straight hours. >> i ran into one lady down there and she was in tears. she could not function in the car. it was really disorr yen tating down there. >> reporter: with the storm moving out of the midwest, crews in minneapolis are working around the clock to shovel off the stadium. their goal, to get the roof and the field in shape for next week's game. the cold and bitter air reached as far south as florida, where the governor has declared a state of emergency, and citrus growers are worried about losing their crop. >> we're not ready for this. last week, we were enjoying nice weather. now to get bombarded with freeze or below temperatures. that's a concern. >> reporter: more than half of the country has felt the effects of this massive winter system. and the cold weather is not going away anytime soon. >> the cold behind it, that will be impacting mostly the eastern

one-third of the country, at least another day or two. >> reporter: so far, there have been at least 14 deaths attributed to the storm. and officials are urging people to take precautions to stay warm and stay prepared. karen travers, abc news. in south florida they're opening shelters for those who need a place to escape all that bone-chilling cold. >> accuweather's ava dinges tells us where the worst of it is this morning. hi, ava. >> good morning, rob and vinita. bitter-cold air returning to the state of florida. looking at the morning temperatures, jacksonville barely at 18 degrees. orlando and miami, just near the freezing mark. and barely getting into the 50s by the afternoon. toward the west, the big problem has been all the rain. seattle has seen four inches of rain over the last two days. they could see an additional inch today. and many of the rivers in the cascades and the olympics are already running high. that will lead to additional flooding problems. now, back to you, rob and vinita. >> ava, thanks a lot. and the flooding in the

pacific northwest has damaged dozens of homes. the water rushed in so fast there, that some people said they didn't have time to move any of their belongings to higher ground. there's about 30 landslides in the seattle area alone. and more are expected over the next few days. our weather team will have more on this big winter blast coming up later today on "good morning america." there's a new setback in the u.s. works to end the war in afghanistan. richard holbrooke, the president's representative to the region has died. the aaccomplished diplomat, known as a brilliant negotiator, passed away last night. >> he is one of the giants in foreign policy. >> the president praised him last night and called him a tough son of a gun. christiane amanpour explains what this means for the war strategy. >> reporter: holbrooke's death comes just days before the obama administration rolls outs its

review of the war in afghanistan. a war in a holbrooke was working to turn around. in part, through a so-called civilian surge. using not just american troops. but american expertise to rebuild the country. >> we're not abandoning afghanistan. nor are we going to have an open-ended troop commitment because no war can go on indefinitely. and afghanistan cannot bear the pain and costs. >> reporter: he was forever shaped by his first experience as a diplomat. in vietnam, more than 45 years ago. he went on to become the youngest-ever assistant secretary of state. and was twice appointed ambassador to germany and the united nations. he also had a successful second career on wall street. [ applause ] but his professional love was always public service. and he was grateful for the opportunity to serve his country, once again, as special envoy. >> i thank you for your confidence and offering me this

daunting assignment. and all i can do is pledge my best to undertake it. >> reporter: he suffered from heart trouble. and he died after surgery to repair his aorta, with his family beside him. he was 69. christiane amanpour, abc news, washington. the president visited with the holbrooke family last night. other leaders praising holbrooke include the vice president, who called him the most talented diplomat we've had in a generation. hillary clinton said, people have a better chance at a peaceful future because of richard's service. and senator john kerry called him a warrior for peace. again, richard holbrooke was 69 years old. the senate could give its final approval to that tax deal between president obama and republicans later today. that $858 billion measure sailed through a test vote monday with overwhelming support. it extends those bush-era tax rates, as well as some

unemployment programs. but its future in the u.s. house is anything but certain. a vote in that chamber has not even been scheduled yet. meanwhile, the president's health care overhaul has been dealt a major setback. a federal judge in virginia has ruled the law's central mandate that all americans must buy insurance is unconstitutional. but two other federal judges have upheld that part of the law in the past. the administration believes the supreme court will, too. >> i think our record's pretty good. overall, i think we'll prevail on the constitutionality question in the long run. >> the federal judges that have ruled in the administration's favor were both appointed by democrats. the judge in virginia who says the law is inconstitutional is a republican appointee. republican national committee chairman michael steele says he is running for a second term. he is the first african-american to chair the rnc. his first chair has been marked with allegations of mismanagement and notable verbal slips. steele will face six challengers

in next month's vote. the postal service is saluting the 40th president with a new forever stamp. the ronald reagan centennial stamp was unveiled at the reagan presidential library with former first lady nancy reagan looking on. it will go on sale in february, marking what would have been the former president's 100th birthday. >> started at 37 cents. you see there, 44 cents. >> times have changed. your business news is next. another company announces hundreds of layoffs that could come as soon as today. plus, on top of that, an airline's newest fee. but is this one actually worth your money? and on injury on the set of oprah's australian getaway this morning. we have the pictures of a bloody and you're free.

fewer homeowners are under water. but that is not necessarily a good thing. about 10.8 million households owe more than their homes were worth in the third quarter. that is down from 11 million the previous three months and the third-straight decline. that's because more homes have fallen into foreclosure and not because home prices have risen. yahoo! is planning another round of layoffs. its fourth big cutback in three years as it tries to right its ship. early as today, the struggling internet company will lay off as many as 700 workers. that's 5% of its workforce.

yahoo! has been losing ground to google and facebook. overseas stocks are mixed this morning. tokyo's nikkei average rose 0.2% today. hong kong's hang seng is higher. and in london, the ftse opened slightly lower. on wall street, the dow added 18 points yesterday. meanwhile, the nasdaq fell 12 points. general motors first electric car will be adriving in dealerships in days. the chevy volt left for showrooms in california, texas, washington, d.c. and new york. the volt will be rolling out across the rest of the country throughout next year. continental airlines has come up with another fee. but this one is optional. customers can lock in a fare for several days before buying a ticket. it will cost $5 to hold a reservation for three days. and 9 bucks to hold it for a week. the first posthumous album from michael jackson is released today. it's called "michael." some music insiders have

questioned some of the authenticity of the tracks. and so far, the album has gotten pretty mixed reviews. coming up next on this tuesday, hugh jackman does a real-life stunt for oprah and ends up hurt this morning. plus, the rocky ride for hundreds of american cruise ship passengers that are now thankfully on some dry land. and it is the talk of the sports world this morning. brett favre's nearly 20-year streak comes to an end. ♪ daisy, do a dollop ♪ daisydo-do a dollop our family-owned company makes daisy... with 100% natural farm-fresh cream. no artificial ingredients. no preservatives. and no added hormones. ♪ better with a dollop here ♪ fresher with a dollop there ♪ ♪ wholesome in every way ♪ daisy, do a dollop ♪ daisy, do-do a dollop

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what's in your wallet? i wonder what it could be?! lose those lines for up to a year! juvéderm® xc is the gel filler your doctor uses to instantly smooth out lines right here. temporary side effects include redness, pain, firmness, swelling, bumps, or risk of infection. ask your doctor about juvéderm® xc. talk about a nightmare commute. traffic is moving again after this 140-car pileup in southwestern china. the massive accident is being blamed on poor visibility because of that heavy fog. witnesses say it was a dangerous scene, with some cars flying in the air, landing right on top of other cars. >> wow. and now, for the road conditions back here at home. flooding on i-5, from seattle to

portland. wet on i-80, from san francisco to reno. snow-covered and icy on parts of i-15, 84 and 90 in the northern rockies. slippery with snow on i-90 from cleveland to buffalo. and slick on i-95, around new york and philly. >> if you are flying today, expect airport delays in seattle, san francisco, salt lake city, boston, new york, philadelphia and d.c. and wild weather is to blame for yet another rough ride on a luxury cruise ship. royal caribbean's "brilliance of the seas" docked in malta this morning after getting battered by 30-foot waves and winds topping 60 miles per hour. that ship was approaching the coast of egypt when the storm rocked it so violently it shattered glass, toppled furniture and injured people. all 230 passengers onboard are being offered a full refund. and a cruise ship also ran into rough seas off the coast of florida. carnival inspiration was initially set to arrive in tampa

yesterday morning. but 15-foot swells and high winds forced that ship to anchor 12 miles away, rather than navigate the choppy waters under the bridge that spans the bay. the ship was finally able to dock last night. we now know that bernard madoff will not be among the mourners at his son's funeral. a lawyer says the decision was made out of conversation consideration for the privacy of madoff's wife and surviving son. mark madoff hanged himself at his apartment. no plans have been announced. the new york jets assistant that made a trip to the dolphins is paying for it. he purposely took down the miami player on sunday. he is being suspended without pay for the rest of the season. and he's being fined $25,000. those punishments were imposed by the team. the nfl says it will not issue any further discipline. brett favre's string of consecutive starts, his so-called ironman streak, is now history. here's what favre looked like

when the streak started and today. he made 297-straight regular season starts over 19 nfl seasons. the 41-year-old favre could not overcome a shoulder injury, in order to start against the giants last night. now, there's plenty of talk about whether he's played his very last game. as for how favre's vikings did without him, here's espn news. >> good morning. i'm don bell, with your espn news update. tavares jackson got the start against the giants. the game being played at ford field. brandon jacobs for the g-men. 73-yard scamper down the sideline. finally goes out at the vikings' 14 yard line. the giants would later cap the drive with a score, go up 7-3. third quarter now, ahmad bradshaw, giants win, 21-3. "monday night football" we go. ravens taking on the houston texans. texans down 28-13. going for it on fourth and five

in the fourth quarter. take a look at the toss. matt schaub to jacoby jones. under two minutes to go in the game. fourth and one. schaub converts to jones. first and ten. later in the drive, second and goal at the 5. schaub rolling. looking for a man. he's got andre johnson. gets both feet in for the touchdown. they need the two-point conversion to tie it. schaub, so patient in the pocket, has all day. goes up top to jones. nice catch. we are tied at 28-28 and heading for overtime. in the extra session, texans, second and ten. schaub, gets some pressure and he is picked off by josh wilson. returns it for the score. and the ravens win 34-28. that is your espn news update. i'm don bell. back to you in the studio. well, it wasn't the usual

salute for a championship winning team. instead of welcoming the lakers to the white house, president obama put them to work. the team, along with the kids at washington's boys and girls club, helped put together packages for wounded soldiers. the president thanked the team for its generosity. actor hugh jackman was hurt during a taping of oprah winfrey's show in australia. jackman was sliding down a zip line from the top of the sydney opera house when he came to a crashing halt. >> he was treated for what looked to be a black eye. but the popular actor was able to appear on stage with oprah joking, that was so much fun until the end. oprah is taping two shows. that's nothing compared to what wolverine went through, right? >> that's true. up next, it's one of the early mornings in tinseltown. lots of nervous celebrities. we'll explain why. [ female announcer ] swiffer sweeper is 2 in 1.

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now, a look ahead to the stories we'll be watching on this tuesday. parts of the south will shiver in temperatures of 20 degrees below normal. even in florida, windchills are at a low 30s. cold air could ruin citrus and tomato crops. the senate could give final approval to the tax cut deal

that president obama worked out with republicans. it extends unemployment benefits, as well. its future in the house is far from certain. the president holds a strategy session with his afghanistan team today without a key member. the top envoy to the region has died. richard holbrooke passed away last night after suffering a torn aoraorta. julian assange will appear in a courtroom. in california, the liberal city of berkeley will vote on a resolution, to make the army sergeant that leaked the report to assange a hero. a new report will now more kids are smoking pot. but fewer are abusing alcohol. and hollywood's award season begins this morning with the golden globes nominations. movies like "the social network," and "127 hours" are expected to be nominated. the golden globes are awarded to the best in television and

films. it's a precourser to the academy awards. >> hosting the nominations, josh due pell, and katie holmes. for some of you, your local news is coming up next. >> for everyone else, "america this morning" continues right after this. you go to the shops... i'll meet you at the gate. thanks. please remove all metal objects out of your pockets. with chase freedom you can get a total of 5% cash back. fun money from freedom. that's 5% cash back in quarterly categories and an unlimited 1% cash back everywhere else. and this too. does your card do this? i'm going to need a supervisor over here at gate 4. sign up for this quarter's bonus today. chase what matters. go to chase.com/freedom.

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and finally from us this morning, what many are already calling a christmas miracle. it involves a north carolina mother and her newborn who both were trapped in their burning suv. >> the miracle stems from where it all happened, practically right next to a firehouse. ken leaven of our charlotte station, soc, reports. >> reporter: she came into the fire department crying. this is why kathy lambert is so thankful. she was in the driver's seat of this burning suv. her 3-week-old son, landon, was trapped in the car seat behind her, when she hit the tree. >> they were our guardian angels. >> reporter: her legs were stuck. the flames started to spread. the desperate mother said, at one point, things looked so bad she decided to reach around, grab the car seat and throw the baby from the burning suv. >> i thought, if he makes it

out, happy. >> reporter: she prepared to toss her baby out, when she heard firemen. >> i was happy to see them. >> reporter: they were nearby, all along. members of the volunteer community fire department were at a christmas party about 50 yards away. >> had that not happened, we probably wouldn't be here. >> reporter: some firemen went to the scene, leaving behind tools and trucks. one using a two-way radio to shatter the radio, to rescue lambert and her newborn. >> if there would have been two people here, they still would have had a difficult time taking care of that particular situation. >> unbelievable story there. and the luck of the fire folks being so close to the scene of the accident. just remarkable. >> a little karma there, also. apparently, a few weeks earlier, she alerted neighbors of a fire at their house and ended up saving them. >> if you don't believe in karma, that story will make you believe. coming up later on "good morning america," the results of an abc news investigation into