. >>> brian boitano came out as gay and kind of thumbing his nose at the russian government.to be in the russian olympic delegation we will look closer at that. >>> j.p. morgan chase is limiting the use of debit cards for people who shopped at target during the security breach. chase customers who shopped at target between november 27 and december 15 now have debit card daily limits of $300 for purchases, $100 for cash withdrawal's. some shoppers decided to forgo the cards altogether and use cash. >> i used cash today specifically because i heard about this and i needed to buy something so i didn't want to risk using my card. >> target says computer hacking thieves stole payment card data from as many as 40 million target shoppers. the ceo says there's no indication pin numbers have been compromised but is urging shoppers to watch charges closely. >>> tomorrow is the deadline to sign up for health care coverage by the new year. there are last-minute changes from the white house. president obama says some people whose policies were canceled can qualify for a hardship exemption

. >> and why fewer cars than ever before are failing when it comes to crash safety. ,,,,,, boitano >>> a famous bay area figure skater told everyone today he is gay. >> big deal, right? well, brian webb says it's a story because of where he is about to go. >>> reporter: kids can't get enough of ice skating at the rink along embarcadero. but the sport itself is taking on a bigger meaning in the discussion on discrimination. >> good for us to stand up for that and fight for human rights like throughout sports and things that really bring the world together like sports and music. >> not necessarily see the olympics so much as a forum for social statement. >> reporter: president obama is skipping this year's olympics in sochi sending several openly gay athletes in his place. a delegation led by uc-berkeley chairwoman janet napolitano will include tennis great billie jean king, ice hockey medalist caitlin cahow and now gold medal figure skater brian boitano, who lives in the bay area. it's being seen as a way to denounce russia's anti-gay propaganda laws. >> one of the things i'm looking f

. >>> olympic figure skater brian boitano came out as being gay. boitano said being gay is only one part of who he is. >>> one direction found out they were claire davis' favorite singing group through a twitter campaign so the boys sent her a special message. >> we wanted to show you what has happened to you is terrible and we wanted to share love with you. all of our prayers are with you and your family. lots of love. hope you get well soon. >> classy. >>> new voice mails related to the british hacking scandalal reveal that he calls his wife babe. he left his brother, prince harry, a message pretending to be his girlfriend. giggle, giggle girl stuff. >> is he as cool as he appears to be? >> i think so. >>> i'm mara schiavocampo. this is "early today." we hope this is just your first stop of the day on nbc. >>> right now on "news 4 today," they've all placed their bids. now we are just hours from learning which company will get to build a casino in prince george's county. >>> frustration is growing for target shoppers trying to protect themselves

and now gold medal figure skater brian boitano, who lives in the bay area.being seen as a way to denounce russia's anti-gay laws. >> one of the things i'm looking forward to is maybe some gay and lesbian athletes bringing home the gold or silver or bronze, which i think would go a long way in rejecting the kind of attitudes that we're seeing. >> reporter: brian boitano has always kept his private life private. he is currently in italy, but sent out a statement that he is gay. he said, quote, first and foremost, i am an american athlete and proud to live in a country that encourages the diversity, openness and tolerance. i hope we can remain focused on the olympic spirit which celebrates the achievement of sports. russia laws have raised questions about what could happen there. president putin promises gay athletes will not face discrimination in sochi. >> it will be interesting. >> it will be. not the first time we've been making statements. some are saying that president obama must send another message to putin. how about edward snowden? he's sitting over t

what he had to say about bay area native brian boitano named to the olympic delegation. >>> plus -- >i'm scott budman. could silicon valley be its own state? coming up, why one well-known venture capitalist said breaking up shouldn't be that hard to do. >>> looking better. california employers added more than 44,000 jobs in november. labor department says the state's unemployment rate dropped to 8.5%. it's even lower than that in the bay area. the jobs came in fields like construction, transportation and manufacturing. as well as retail where jobs increased during the holidays traditionally. california, by the way, is one of the states that had the largest job gains this month. >>> how's this for an idea? break up california into six different states including one called silicon valley. might sound crazy but it's an idea coming from a legendary bay area venture capitalist. in a story you'll see only on nbc, business and tech reporter scott budman has the details. >> reporter: with jobs, ipos and sexy startups, silicon valley has become so successful, even the president uses it as an e

you know, the fact that we've got folks like billie jean king or brian boitano, who themselves have been world-class athletes that everybody acknowledges for their excellence, but also for their character, who also happen to be members of the lgbt community, you should take that for what it's worth, that when it comes to the olympics and athletic performance, we don't make distinctions on the basis of sexual orientation. we judge people on how they and m, both on the court off the court, on the field and off the field. and that's a value that i think is at the heart of not just america, but american sports. >> watch all of president obama's end of the year press conference today at 10:35 a.m. eastern here on c-span. now the senate intelligence committee hears testimony and questions about nominees for positions in the c.i.a. and state department. witnesses include caroline dianne krass, nominee for general counsel, who currently serves in the justice department, and daniel bennett smith, nominee to lead the state department's into rowe of intelligence and research this. uns about two hou

boitano actually lived in san francisco. he grew up in the area. and people coming to him. he decided to release this statement. he feels very strongly, this is just one of the things i'm proud of and he wants to be known for the entirety of the person he is. >> this was news today. also news potentially, super bowl sunday could be super bowl monday, could be super bowl tuesday. >> how long will your beer last in the fridge? >> i guess you're hung over at work no matter what, some people. >> not anyone here at cnn. >> no. >> this is the deal, we're talking about snow, of course. a new york super bowl. the first time in quite a long time for the modern day nfl to be holding a cold-weather super bowl. >> burr. >> so they have to have contingency plans. the organizers have said if it snows a little bit, it would be great for the game. one organizer called it romantic. >> out there, shirtless, right? fans like cold weather, crazy games. but if it dumps snow, if there are feet and feet of snow, if people can't travel on the roads, they have made conting

. >>> a statement from brian boitano, gold medalist from 1988 olympic games in figure skating, goingsochi, russia. let me read the statement right now. this is from brian. it is my desire to be defined by my achievements and contributions. while i am proud to play a public role in representing the american olympic delegation as a former olympic athlete, i've always reserved my private life for family and friends and will continue to do so. i am many things, a son, a brother, and uncle, a friend, an athlete, a cook, an author, and being gay is one part of who i am. all right. there's the statement among -- part of the statement from brian boitano, representing the united states in sochi. he will be the third openly gay member of the presidential delegation. billie jean king earlier announced part of the delegation, caitlin cahow. at least three members of the presidential delegation representing the united states in sochi, russia, at winter olympic games, are openly gay, underscoring the diversity of the delegation, precisely what the president wanted and coming amidst anti-gay laws i

boitano said being gay is just one part of who i am.now boitano has designed to discuss his sexuality. >>> outside philadelphia a crash involving several tractor-trailers has shut down traffic on part of the pennsylvania turnpike. major delays made a mess of the morning commute. there was no immediate word on injuries. >>> we're heading into the holiday home stretch, the final shopping weekend before christmas. cnbc's mandy drury is here with what's moving your money. mandy, this could be the busiest weekend of the holiday shopping season. i guess are you done? are you heading out too? >> i am so not done. i have a list as long as my arm and the weather woes have stopped a lot of people, like myself, from getting out there and doing the shopping. so the retailers are really hoping for a lot of in-store traffic this weekend, because a lot of people might also be worried about not making those shipping deadlines. after all, it hasn't been that great of a shopping season for retailers so far so they're really counting on this. "consumer re

lgtb athletes, brian boitano has come out today, another member of this delegation that is going to bewithout someone from the cabinet, white house. this is a direct rebuke, a deliberate rebuke, something that pleases your community, saying to vladimir putin you cannot get away with this without facing international criticism. >> there's no question this is the grandest of snubs to putin and russia. united states in line with a number of other states including france and germany and others. i think you'll continue to see that as other countries announce their delegation. it's unfortunate, an drachlt the olympics is something that brings the world together to support our athletes in healthy competition. but what putin's actions have done with this anti-gay law, it's inspired violence on gay people in the country. lgtb people every day are threatened by violence because of what he's done. direct action by putin. this is the world response. it says you can't be part of the civilized world if you treat a portion of your population in that way. it's outrageous. the president, this administr

. >> bay area olympic figure skating champion brian boitano came out today. announcement comes just 2 days after president named him to be part of the u.s. delegation to the sochi olympic. skater won the gold medal in 1988 of course. his addition to the delegation seen as message to russia about its treatment of gay and lesbian. he will taken the opening ceremony along with gay athlete king and cow. boitano is american athlete proud to live in a country that encourages diversity. >> same sex marriage mean time is now legal in new mexico. state highest court declared it is unconstitutional to deny marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couple. ruling states that none of the new mexico marriage statute specifically prohibit same sex marriage. state law as whole have prevented gay lesbian couple from marrying. >> new report out tonight reveals disturbing trend in school bullying involving muslim students in california. council on american islamic relation care says 1 in 5 muslim students suffer bullying because of their religion. 7 news reporter is in san jose whe

great billie jean king, ice hockey medalist caitlin cahow and now gold medal figure skater brian boitano. it's being seen as a way to denounce russia's anti-gay propaganda laws. >> one of the things i'm looking forward to is maybe some gay and lesbian athletes bringing home the gold or silver or bronze, uhm, which i think would go a long way in rejecting it the kind of attitudes that we're seeing. >> reporter: boitano has always kept his private life private. he is currently in italy but sent out a statement today that includes the announcement that he is gay. quote, first and foremost, i'm an american athlete and i am proud to live in a country that encourages diversity openness and tolerance. as an athlete, i hope we can remain focused on the olympic spirit which celebrates achievement in sport and by peoples of all nations." >> reporter: so ice skating is now part of a bigger message on diversity that is spinning around the globe. back here at the rink on embarcadero, skating is still just about having fun. russian laws have raised questions about what could happen to athletes who wea

i don't know if billy jean king and boitano has his delegation.ust thought, pretenning this is a great moment for obama or gay rights. >> isn't it better to have them than some other group? >> a lot of other people have been treated badly in russia. maybe send a journalist. >> all good points. thanks to ruth marcus and bill kristol for joining us. do you think the u.s. should boycott the olympics in russia? right now, 20% of you say yes. 80% say no. >> the debate will continue online at cnn.com/crossfire. >> join us tomorrow for another edition of "crossfire." erin burnett "outfront" starts erin burnett "outfront" starts right now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> was it really necessary to arrest and strip search an indian diplomat? plus, will president obama scale back the nsa spying program? >>> and duck dynasty under fire. was the show's star being offensive or just true to his religious beliefs? >>> good evening. i'm jake tapper in for erin wernett.

ambassador to russia, billie jean king, caitlin kao, and brian boitano.and kao was openly gay and boitano came out this week t. here to talk about the u.s. decision to compete in sochi and the message the white house is sending by who it is and who it is not sending to russia, want to bring in stewart milk, lgbt rights advocates, christina balan balantoni, will be the editor in chief of roll call very soon, and mike pesca, sports correspondent for npr. should the u.s. boycott, maybe the u.s. shouldn't boycott, in terms of making a statement then, short of boycotting, what do you make of this decision this week? >> well, i think what the president did sent an important and very valuable symbolic message. i personally continue to be frustrated that what the president is doing is mostly symbolic, mostly symbolism and that we have yet as a country to take any real diplomatic measures to send a formal diplomatic protest as far as i know of about these laws. and essentially, you know, putin is in charge in russia, like never before. these olympics are an import

janet nap p brian boitano will be attending >>> olympic gold medal shaun white has decided to competeust one, snowboarding event. he will compete in the slope style but skip the half-pipe in an effort to rest his ankle. he hurt it last weekend on the half-pipe in the dew tour. >>> we need wind. >> we have it on the way. we are seven days away from christmas. i am going to i have give you a gift. today is a spare the air day with a fire burning in big sur. we had the fire in redwood city. it did not help the situation. we have an improvement as an area of low pressure drops through the bay area. this is going to mix everything up. 47 degrees to start in san jose. it is also good to report that temperatures are not too frigid out there. you might be able to get by without cranking the heater. later today, temperatures, nice and mild. in the south bay, it looks good. temperatures in the low 60s in san francisco, same for you. north bay, mid-60s. same for the east bay. temperatures in the tri-valley will range from the upper 50s to the mid-60s. pleasanton, 66 degrees. we'll check your dri

delegation, sunnyvale figure skater buyian boitano and janet no napolitano. >> new at 6:00, no sprinklerslimited showers and maybe even more extreme measure. that's the warning from a new group formed to find solutions for our looming drought here in california. jody hernandez who talked with the group creating this drought plan. it's not just ranchers and farmers who will be feeling the pain, right? >> potentially everyone could be impacted. ranchers and farmers are already feeling the pain. fields and farm land are dry and brown, as you can see. as you mentioned, soon everyone could be faced with scale back their water usage in a major way. a of. >> bay area cattle lampblers are having a tough time keeping their cows fed. for a third straight year, dry conditions have meant not enough grass to dry on. >> what we have is just the bare ting of green in the hills. it needs rain right now to shove it pup . >> this ramper has been forced to buy hay to keep his hungry herd satisfied. a costly alternative he's not sure he can sustain. >> if we don't get for rein, we're in deep trouble. we snee

and the fact that we have got folks like billie jean king or brian boitano, world class athletes everyone acknowledges for their excellence and their character, who also happen to be members of the lgbt community -- you should take that for what it is worth. when it comes to the olympics and athletic performers, we do not make distinctions on the basis of sexual orientation. we judge people on how they perform, both on the court and off the court, on the field and off the field. and that is a value that i think is at the heart of not just america, but american sports. i am going to just roll down these last few real quickly. ari shapiro, last day at the white house. he deserves a question. >> senator max baucus was widely seen as the best hope for a large-scale deal to overhaul the tax code. what does your decision to nominate him as ambassador for china say to your hopes for a major tax overhaul? >> it says max baucus will be an outstanding ambassador to china, and i would like a swift confirmation. the expectation and hope is that if both senate democrats, or if democrats and republican

cabinet, but he is sending openly gay athletes, including tennis star billie jean king and brian boitanocaitlin cahow. the international olympic committee says gay athletes can't officially protest because that's against olympic rules. but christiane amanpour asked king, should they do something symbolic like kiss or come out publicly? >> well, maybe it would be appropriate, but why not? i think it's okay to say what you feel and think. but if you look back at the '68 olympics, if there is something they want -- maybe we should wave rainbow flags or something. i don't know. no reason as long as we're not being malicious, but we can show our feelings, i think that's fine. i think it's okay. but by even being present and not boycotting sends a very positive message. >> another openly gay athlete diver, greg louganis very outspoken against the russian laws. he's joining me live from los angeles. greg, good to see you, again. >> good to see you. >> what did you think about what billie jean king said? athletes if they feel the moment, if they want to show their feelings, have some sort of dis

boitano,s also brian who has since come out as gay. the president obviously trying to send a signal about his displeasure at russia's anti-gay stance in these olympics. the problems between us and russia go beyond the social issue. mr. putin's dealings with the president was an olive branch or was it something really embarrassing in terms of the way president obama has been positioned vis-a-vis russia in these last few months? a complex relationship. when you look at some of the other relationships that president obama really word -- really wanted to work on india as ae it counterpoint to china and some of the fallout with the nomadic -- with the diplomatic response president has some problems to work on in 2014 in terms of his relationship with allies and with major powers he wanted to improve relations with. >> what happened with syria this year? that situation went off the rails. that civil war is continuing to rage on. there has been some question on who is going to get support from the united states, whether it is going to be logi

they will be led by brian boitano and two openly gay athletes. it's a clear response.iled the group's diversity. it's a shot at putin's no member of the first or second family and a couple of gay athletes. four points is the lead over rick scott and rick scott's own poll. the survey take nen late november and obtained that the new democrat is leading the governor 49-45 among likely voters. ouch. the next number is 78. how old jerry brown would be on inauguration day 2017 if he happened to run and win the presidency. he sought the presidency three times in the past and has not said if he will run next year let alone he might be thinking about a fourth bid for the white house. his team had another chance to put an end to speculation, but they failed to do so. jerry brown, an original thorn in the side of the clintons, particularly hillary. can you imagine him doing it again. next up, 20% is how much of the big fire is containing. they are slowly getting a handle on the fire burning 800 acre and at least 14 homes in the big sur mountains that. containment hopefully grows

and with billy jean king and brian boitano and the other delegates he is sending there, hopefully they can get a message out. you never know with how they're going to treat any of the interviews with their own propaganda in russia. so hopefully they'll be able to make a difference and even just their presence there as openly gay people. i think that's a step in the right direction. >> nick, this is obviously something of a big statement to make to the russians with whom the u.s. has not enjoyed the warmest relations in the last few years. is it possible that this would make a bad situation even worse? >> i don't think so. i think the president did the right thing. he is sending two messages. president obama to president putin. message number one, the united states is going to uphold the rights of gay and lesbian athletes. i think message number two, we're just not getting along with putin right now. he is harboring edward snowden. he has been against us on syria, has blocked all the u.n. resolutions there. he has made life very difficult for ukrainians. and for those who want a democra

billy jean king and brian boitano. they are quiet about what's going on on russia's border. they have more and more influence. president victor caught between russia and the west refused to sign the free trade agreements. thousands of protesters occupied the independent square and several government buildings and the crack down and protesters on a violent assault. last second the senators traveled to the ukraine to show support for the protesters. >> we are here to tell you that the american people and the u.s. stands with the people of ukraine. in america we stand in the fact that despite the violence on this square, you have remained peaceful in support of change. >> on tuesday, ukraine chose to go east. putin announced a $15 billion loan package and a discount on natural gas prices in the middle of a bitter season that saves the country about $2 billion a year. as one piece put it, vladimir putin just bought a country, should the u.s. care. in a four-hour press conference, he called it our brotherly love and called it a good will gesture. >> president putin pulled out all

will be part of a delegation led by janet napolitano as will gold medal winning figure skater brian boitanoit is the first time in at least to years that the delegation does not have any major political leaders in it. >>> up next, edward snowden's letter to brazil and a federal judge's ruling that agrees with edward snowden. a subaru... ...are the hands that do good things for the whole community: the environment, seniors, kids, and animals. that's why we created the share the love event. by the end of this year, the total donated by subaru could reach 35 million dollars. you get a great deal on a new subaru. we'll donate 250 dollars to a choice of charities that benefit your community. it feels good to be a helping hand. >>> after a federal court judge ruled that the nsa's mass collection of phone data is likely unconstitutional, edward snowden published an open letter to the people of brazil offering his help to the brazilian senate's investigation of the nsa's, quote, suspected crimes against the brazilian citizens. edward snowden explained that he is currently unable to help and would b

gold medal figure skater brian boitano publicly announced he was gay, two days after he was named tothe u.s. delegation for the upcoming winter olympics. also named to the delegation are openly athletes billy jay king. having them represent the united states is seen as a message from the white house to russia, the host city, about its anti-gay laws. the 50-year-old san francisco resident told me last night over the phone, "i am many things, a son, a brother, an athlete, a cook, an author, and being gay is just one part of who i am." >>> all right. let's turn things over to meteorologist jeff ranieri. let's talk about the next coming days and it's safe to talk about the weekend now. we're so close. >> i know. i know. i felt like i needed it on monday to be here already. for a lot of you, yes, you're ready for it, we have an incredible forecast. especially if you're starting maybe a long weekend into friday. we're going to have a look at that coming up. let's get a look at the wind that was the top story today. it's starting to decrease. 10 to 20 miles an hour sustained inland. wind gu

and you know, the fact that we've got folks like billy jean king or brian boitano, that every acknowledges for excellence but also for their character, who also happen to be americans the lgbt community, you should take that for what it's worth, that when it comes to olympics and athletic performance, we don't make distinctions on the basis of sexual orientation, we judge people on how they perform and both on the court and off the court. on the field and off the field. that's a value that i think is the heart of not just america but american sports. i'm going to just roll down these last few real quickly. shapiro, last day of the white house, he deserves a question. >> thank you. senator max baucus was seen as a last hope for the tax code. what about the hopes for tax code -- >> it is said he's going to be an outstanding ambassador to china and i'd like a swift confirmation and my expectation and hope is that if both senate democrats or if democrats and republicans in the house and senate are serious about tax reform, it's not going to depend on one guy but all of us working together. my

and this is sort of a innocuous symbolism sending over brian boitano is not going to change a lot ofhat they should have done a long time ago is got the ioc to move the olympics to canada. it's too late for that. >> yeah. i think i wouldn't go either. would you go, carolla? >> if i were obama, i would send biden to me, that's a bigger insult than keeping them home. >> that would send a message of more disrespect than not showing up? >> i think so. [ laughter ] >> i think it's biden out of the country for a couple of days. i think the real reason obama isn't going is not as a protest against the way russia tweets the gay athletes-to-me there is no good golf in russia this time of year. no way he is going tee off. olympic games. as you heard before the segment began, i gave carolla career advice. i told carolla off camera grow a long period and get a bandanna and he should start the geese dynasty because the duck people are going to get off a&e and go somewhere else and have a fowl opening over there. now, we are making light of this. but, the whole country is in an uproar. how do you

and the fact that we've got folks like billie jean king, or brian bow tan no -- boitano who are well-northern thoughts, and also happen to be members of the lgbt community, should take that for what it's worth, that when it comes to the olympics and athletic performance, we don't make distinctions on the basis of sexual orientation. we judge people on how they perform, both on the court and off the court. on the field and off the field. and that's a value that i think is at the heart of not just america but american sports. just going to roll down these last few real quickly. ari shapiro, last day at the white house. he deserves a question. >> thank you very much, mr. president. senator max bachus was widely seen as the best hope for a change to the tax code. what was your decision to nominate him to be ambassador to china -- >> it says that max bachus will be an outstanding ambassador to china, and i'd like a swift confirmation, and my expectation and hope is that if both senate democrats -- or if democrats and republicans in the house and senate are serious about tax reform, it's not going

. >> janet napolitano and featuring brian boitano and billie jean king to represent the united states at the opening ceremonies, to represent the government. deputy secretary of state bill burns and former olympians caitlin cahow will represent the united states at the closing ceremonie ceremonies. we are proud of each and every one of them and think they will serve as great ambassadors of the united states to the olympic games. >> is there a message trying to send on gay rights in particular? >> i think that this delegation represents the diversity that is the united states. every member of that delegation is extremely accomplished, either in government service or in civic activism or, most especially, in sports. so he's very proud of the delegation and the diversity it represents, and he looks forward as every american does to the competition and to the effort that american athletes will demonstrate when they compete in sochi. >> i understand that, but would you wave off the interpretation that clearly the united states and the obama administration wants to send a message about russ

and the athlete, the figure skater brian boitano. wolf? >> jill, thank you. meanwhile is raising eyebrows once again. the retired nba star is going back to north korea tomorrow to train the country's basketball team, despite the political tension there since the execution of the leader kim jong-un's uncle. here is cnn's anna coren. >> the 52-year-old is currently in beijing and travels to pyongyang on thursday where he will spend four days training the north korean basketball team preparing for an exhibition match to celebrate the birthday of north korean leader kim jong-un next month. last week, kim had his uncle executed after he was convicted of treason. and analysts believe there are more punches to come. rodman considers kim to be a close friend and says this trip will not be political. but activists have asked him to raise the issue of human rights and the imprisonment of american missionary kenneth bae who was sentenced to 15 years jail for attempting to overthrow the regime into thank you. let's discuss both of these issues right now. our chief intern

delegation of openly gay athletes to attend the games such as billie jean king and others such as brian boitano>>> bad behavior es a sure-fire way for a celebrity to make news but a social change nonprofit called dosomething.org is giving shout-outs to celebrities guilty of generous behavior. taylor swift tops the list for 2013 after giving $100,000 to the nashville symphony and headlining a gig in london for homeless kids. the british boy band one direction came in second. beyonce and the late paul walker also made the top five. walker died after his benefit for typhoon victims. you may or may not hope justin bieber makes good on this threat to retire. he's the first singer to make more than 200 kids' wishes come true for the make-a-wish foundation. >>> 2013 is about to go down as the best year ever at the box office in the u.s. 2012 holds the record at $10.8 billion but it's looking as though this year will beat that figure by about 1%. no surprise, there were some hugely popular flicks this year. many of them, of course, sequels such as iron man 3 and the hunger games, catching fire. the hob

and the fact that we have got folks like billie jean king or brian boitano, world class athletes everyone acknowledges for their excellence and their character, who also happen to be members of the lgbt community -- you should take that for what it is worth. when it comes to the olympics and athletic performers, we do not make distinctions on the basis of sexual orientation. we judge people on how they perform, both on the court and off the court, on the field and off the field. and that is a value that i think is at the heart of not just america, but american sports. i am going to just roll down these last few real quickly. ari shapiro, last day at the white house. he deserves a question. >> senator max baucus was widely seen as the best hope for a large-scale deal to overhaul the tax code. what does your decision to nominate him as ambassador for china say to your hopes for a major tax overhaul? >> it says max baucus will be an outstanding ambassador to china, and i would like a swift confirmation. the expectation and hope is that if both senate democrats, or if democrats and republican

kingalked about billie jean and brian boitano.losing sarah to -- closing ceremonies will include eric heiden, a five-time olympic gold medalist. santa cruz, california. democratic line. caller: hello. good morning. i think it is fine to use the limbic says a social platform. we have done that before with jim thorpe. the athletes in the 60's. , as a country, by law, support gay people. i think that we should let russia now that this is not ok. host: thank you. billie jean king issued this tweet. i am honored to represent the usa in sochi and i hope these olympics will be a watershed moment for the universal acceptance of all people. " mississippi, good morning. caller: good morning. how are you doing? i disagree. i do not think that we should be pushing this moral issue around the world. it onuntries come into their own. the united states has done a lot. host: thank you for the call. politico has this related story on gay marriage. in salt lake city utah, judges surprised people and overturned the marriage ban. one court opened ear

. >> billy jean king or brian boitano who themselves have been world class athletes that everybody acknowledgesheir excellence but also for their character, who also happen to be members of the lgbt community. you should take that for what it's worth, that when it comes to the olympics and athletic performance, we don't make distinctions on the basis of sexual orientation. we judge people on how they perform. >> a clear sense of irritation that the u.s., president has with russia's anti-gay laws that clearly have come to the fo in recent nt. >> tse laws are appalling and shocng and the campaign of oppression, larger campaign of oppression around them is disturbing both in its own right but also because it is another signal of how badly wrong this are going in russia. when a society singles out a group like this, in this way, that tells you something is sick in that society. we have lots of other business with putin's russia. the pressure on ukraine to defect from their deal with the soviet union and turn into a very corrupt fashion back into the russian space, and the massive amount of stealing

going to the winter games in russia has three openly gay members. 1988 gold medal figure skater brian boitanoent he said, "being gay is just one part of who i am." billie jean king is the other openly gay member of the delegation. >>> a defrocked methodist minister is fighting his church's decision. frank shafer vile i'd church rules -- violated church rules against officiating at same sex weddings. he presided at his son's ceremony six years ago. he was ordered to decide if he would comply with methodist church's rules. >> i will not give up the fight. i am still a minister in my heart. i will continue to minister. i will continue to be a voice for the lgbt community. >> reporter: the united methodist church accepts gays and lesbians, it bans clergy from performing same-sex marriages. >> the denomination cannot change the rule until the next general conference which is 2 1/2 years from now. >>> a guy in tampa spent hours being publicly humiliating instead of charged with attacking a young woman. take a look. there he is on a street corner holding a sign. that was his punishment for beating 2

american hockey player katelin caehop will represent the united states in the closing games, and brian boitanoll as billie jean king. you know, obviously all three of the people are openly gay athletes, which people say is sending a message to anti-gay laws in russia, because this is the first time in over a decade, we're not sending a political figure -- a president, first lady, a delegation to -- >> yeah, a lot of reasons for that not to happen. >> yeah, not sending a political figure head sends a political message to them. >> yeah, it doesn't help involving the whole ed snowden affair. >> yeah. >> seeking, you know, asylum, or getting assistance in russia. so we'll talk to greg louganis, an olympian, and some thought he would been the short list of members to be on the delegation. he's a little disappointed, but he has a whole lot to say about the sochi games and what it all symbolizes. and he's going to comment on some of the most latest words from billie jean king, so he'll be joining us next hour, as well, so don't miss that. >> like the other three, openly gay athlete. and very strong o

and, you know, the fact that we've got folks like billie jean king or brian boitano, who themselves have been world-class athletes that everybody acknowledges for their excellence and also for their character, who also happen to be members of the lgbt community, you should take that for what it's worth. that when it comes to the olympics and athletic performance, we don't make distinctions on the basis of sexual orientation. we judge people on how they perform, both on the court and off the court. on the field and off the field. and that's a value that i think is at the heart of not just america but american sports. i'm going to just roll down these last few real quickly. ari shapiro. last day at the white house, he deserves a question. >> thank you very much. senator max baucus was widely seen as the best hope for a large-scale deal to overhaul the tax code. what does your decision to nominate him as ambassador to china say about your hopes for a major tax code in the second term? >> it says max baucus is going to be an outstanding ambassador to china, and i would like a swift confirmat

and, you know the fact that we've got folks like billie jean king or brian boitano who themselves have been world class athletes that everyone acknowledges for their excellence but also for their character, who also happen to be members of the lbgt community, yeah you should take that for what it's worth. that when it comes to the olympics and athletic performance, we don't make distinctions on the basis of sexual orientation. we judge people on how they perform, both on the court and off the court. on the field and off the field. that's a value that i think is at the heart of not just america but american sports. just roll down these last few real quickly. shapiro, last day of the white house, he deserves a question. >> reporter: senator max baucus was widely seen as the best to overhaul the tax code. what is you nominating him as ambassador to china say about tax code? >> it says he'll be outstanding ambassador to china. i would like a swift confirmation. my expectation and hope is that if both the senate democrats -- or if democrats and republicans in the house and senate are seriou

the names there, brian boitano, billie jean king, caitlin cahow, three openly gay athletes, what do youquite purposeful on the part of the white house to choose this kind of a delegation. first, we believe that it is a really well intentioned snub to president putin to not have a member of the cabinet, to not have the president, the vice president, the first lady, first time since the year 2000 that a member of the cabinet or a member of the first family has not been included in the u.s. delegation. so we believe that it was very purposeful and that the delegation is at the right level. we also believe that it is completely appropriate that gay athletes, gay olympians represent the united states. it really is an incredibly important message that the u.s. send gay athletes over there in order to show the inclusive nature of our democracy. >> fred sainz, thank you so much of the human rights campaign for your time today. >> thank you. merry christmas. >> you too! >>> the family of 13-year-old jahi mcmath is breathing a sigh of relief after receiving an early christmas gift yesterday. a ca