rise from the ashes. >> let's bring in our poppy harlow now. said people don't know what they ae getting. they are getting nicotine in these still. >> they're getting nicotine. that's the attraction, right? to not take you away from what you're addicted to. the question is nicotine by itself dangerous. the study's still out. most experts say nicotine alone is not dangerous except for in really big quantities, more than smoking a few packs today. there's a new study out from brown in the last week. what it found is that nicotine alone could cause direct harm to cells in your blood vessels including your heart. so i don't think the evidence is conclusive. >> could we look at these? this one kind of looks like a lighter, like a cigarette lighter this. one looks exactly like a cigarette. >> that's the idea. that's the idea. to give you that sensation. >> this one is sort of a -- >> this is blue. this is made by one of the tobacco companies. >> this is the handsome guy in the ad. he lights up. seat little blue thing right there. >> critics will say

poppy harlow has one positive thing to come out of the tragedy. two fathers coming together. >> reporter: it's an unlikely friendship born of tragedies. >> when did this friendship start? >> i think it started way before we even knew it. i think that god had a divine plan that he would bring our forces together and respond to something great. >> reporter: two fathers determined to stop gun violence. >> i want to see an america that goes back to the america of our childhood, where kids could open up the door and go out and play in the street and have a certain innocence to them. >> it's about the soul and fabric of our country. >> reporter: monti frank lives in newtown which embodies loss and heart break after the mass shooting at sandy hook elementary school. pastor sam sailor's tragedy was just 50 miles away, where his son was murdered. >> he deserved a better chance. and to be gunned down in broad daylight, he deserved a better chance. >> reporter: it was here in hartford, connecticut where pastor saylor's son shane was shot and killed last year

poppy harlow met with americans not feeling happy. what did you find?we have been seeing a flurry of protest demanding what they are calling a living wage. arguing they can't get by on what they are taking home an hour. they are demanding a higher wage as the stock market soars to record highs. keep this in mind, half of all americans are not invested in the market and not benefitting from the run. >> you have no money on your lunch account. not a dollar. >> at 29 years old, joanna is stuck at a job that pays $7.30 and hour. she works at a deli, 40 hours a week. $244.70 a week. what do you need to make to get by on your own? >> i would have to make at least $14, $15 to be able to live. >> reporter: do you add it up as you go? >> yeah. i have to. >> reporter: she's a single mom fighting to get by. don't be mistaken, she blames herself for not finishing high school and going to college. she tells me, there has to be more she can achieve. >> there is no moving up. i might get a raise if i'm there long enough, that's about it. >> reporter: her life mirrors

poppy harlow joins us now. ago a $20 billion private equity company said it's getting out of the gun business. it was an emotional moment where you heard a company saying that it wanted to get out of that business. bring us up-to-date. >> a company that is very private. i mean, you never hear publicly from these private equity firms. their goal is the pursuit of profits. when you hear a company come out and say they are going to sell a highly profitable business, well, something has changed, but one year later that sale hasn't been made, and we wanted to know why. >> i'm here today to try to remind them of the promise they made and that they're letting my son, jesse, down. >> neil heslan wants answers from one of new york's biggest private equity firms. one year ago his son, jesse, was murdered at sandy hook elementary. heslan says they haven't yet kept its promise. >> if it was something they weren't going to honor or stand behind, it shouldn't have been made. >> it owns freedom group, the country's largest gu

our own poppy harlow is stadding by.ike your lifeate revolves around your symptoms, ask your gastroenterologist about humira adalimumab. humira has been proven to work for adults who have tried other medications but still experience the symptoms of moderate to severe crohn's disease. in clinical studies, the majority of patients on humira saw significant symptom relief, and many achieved remission. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal events, such as infections, lymphoma, or other types of cancer, have happened. blood, liver and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure have occurred. before starting humira, your doctor should test you for tb. ask your doctor if you live in or have been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. tell your doctor if you have had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have symptoms such as fever, fatigue, cough, or sores. you should not start humira if you have an

i'm poppy harlow. >> i'm victor blackwell.reaking news overnight is going to lead to one happy family reunion at the san francisco airport today. merrill newman. 85 years old. a veteran of the korean war. he is on a plane home. suddenly north korea freed him. we have cnn's athena jones at the white house. he was in south korea today. what was his role, if any, in this release of merrill newman? >> reporter: good morning, victor. vice president biden said he played no direct role in newman's release. he did say he spoke with merrill newman on the phone, offered him a ride back to america on air force two. merrill newman decided to take the direct flight from beijing to san francisco. here is what merrill newman said when reporters caught up to him at airport in beijing. >> i'm very glad to be on my way home. i appreciative of the tolerance of dprk has given me to be on my way home. >> how do you feel now? >> i feel good. i feel good. >> what do you want to do first thing? >> go home and see my wife. >> reporter: so we know a lo

cnn's poppy harlow joins me live now with some details. this meeting, it's kind of unusual. request of the media to back off. >> absolutely. they said at the beginning of this press conference, the officials from newtown, we've never done this before. the message coming from the first select mann, the mayor, the police chief, the superintendent of schools is, please let us heal in our own way. lease let us get through this on our own at our pace on the one-year anniversary, which is saturday, december 14th. you were up there covering it, ashleigh. i was up there. it is tragic every time i go back, it is so sad. they're saying let us do it ourselves. i want you to listen to why they are asking the media to stay away. >> well, it's not personal. but we truly are hoping we have provided enough opportunity with the print media and the tv media and particularly the local media to answer questions and give the media the story that i know that the world's going to want to hear on the first anniversary. we're hoping when you leave here today at 12:00 noon or whenever you leave our c

>> poppy harlow in new york, thanks very much. horse drawn carriages are an iconic part of new york city. but if the new mayor has his way, they could become a thing of the past. can you believe that? i'll tell you about it coming up next. 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. if yand you're talking toevere rheuyour rheumatologistike me, about trying or adding a biologic. this is humira, adalimumab. this is humira working to help relieve my pain. this is humira helping me through the twists and turns. this is humira helping to protect my joints from further damage. doctors have been prescribing humira for over ten years. humira works by targeting and helping to block a s

let's bring in cnn's poppy harlow. pop poppy, we know that immediately after the newtown shootings, the white house and some members of congress started from washington-out, just to try to change the gun laws. but these families have started their own initiatives in smaller ways around the country, as well. >> reporter: you're right, victor. good morning to both of you. they certainly have. you can't categorize all of the families that lost loved ones in newtown together. they're all healing separately, but many of them are standing side by side with the president, vice president, different members of congress, fighting for tougher federal gun laws. that's not worked this year. we've not seen a tougher federal gun legislation, we haven't seen that passed. that has come to the disappointment of the president, who talked about it in his weekly address this morning, saying we haven't yet done enough to make our communities or our countries safer. but in the state of connecticut, we have seen much stricter gun laws passed.

rise from the ashes. >> poppy harlow, cnn, new york. >>> you can find panned calorie counts just aboutwhere these days. soon you'll be seeing them when you get a quick snack from the vending machine. yes, that's coming up. we're aig. and we're here. to help secure retirements and protect financial futures. to help communities recover and rebuild. for companies going from garage to global. on the ground, in the air, even into space. we repaid every dollar america lent us. and gave america back a profit. we're here to keep our promises. to help you realize a better tomorrow. from the families of aig, happy holidays. >>> i'm sure you heard the story. target admits pin data was stole in a recent massive data breach. how much danger does it pose for tart customers and what kind of warning does it send to the rest of us who count on credit cards and mobile money to buy what we need these days? clay johnson is the ceo of the department of better technology, a software company. let's talk about target. i'm sure you heard this during the holidays, as well. of is talking about what happened at t

welcome back, everyone, i'm poppy harlow. >> and i'm victor blackwell. headlines. >>> number one, a winter storm has claimed another life. wfaa reports one person was killed after driving a pickup truck off a bridge in texas. four other deaths are blamed on the storm that coated the south with ice and snow. look at these pictures. the storm is also snarling air travel. more than 4,000 cancellations. the governors of tennessee and arkansas have declared states of emergency. >>> number two, korean war veteran merrill norman will be back soon with his family in california. north korea freed him, surprisingly, last night after holding him for more than a month for quote/unquote hostile acts. newman's release came after north korean television aired what it called his apology. >>> number three now, crowds singing in tribute to nelson mandela in south africa. ten days of mourning are under way following mandela's death thursday night. he was 95 years old. mr. mandela's body is being prepared now for his lying in state. that will happen late they are week. on t

poppy harlow joins me. >> this is a phenomenon we've been seeing happening, but happening more and moree women become the main bread winner. and we met up with a few dads who are happily taking on the new responsibilities. who earns more? >> i do. [ laughter ] >> by a wide margin. all right welcome to life with the weddies and the landries. >> i'll see you tonight. >> i'm ute the door by 7:45 and on my way to work, and that's when dave takes over full time. >> tired, hungry, and a messy diaper. >> reporter: professional stay-at-home dads and the working wives. did this take mental adjustment and deriving your worth from something other than your job? >> yeah, there would be days when i'd be at the supermarket amongst all of the other moms shopping, and i'm thinking, hmm, i'm home, they're home, i should be working, but i'm with my kid. what do they think of me? >> reporter: nearly 40% of married, working women in the u.s. now out-earn their husbands, a trend that's been steadily increasing since the late 1980s. that, despite the fact that women working full time still earn a median wage

we were speaking with poppy harlow who was in newtown for several days after the tragedy. poppy, we saw a portion of the special that will air tonight on cnn. you were just about to say that everyone is grieving in their own way and some of the parents have chosen to remember their children through activism and political action. >> reporter: yeah, absolutely. everyone in their own way, that is why they are asking for the privacy today for us and not to be there with cameras. they are grieving in their own way. we have seen families come forward fighting for tougher federal gun legislation. we have seen sweeping legislation in connecticut following the tragic shooting, but not on a federal level. i have spoken with parents there. different community members who formed the newtown action alliance and fighting for change. i spoke with one of the fathers in newtown, not who lost a child, but has a child in newtown. he is on the foundation and action alliance. he says we will continue this fight. we believe there needs to be change. this morning, in the president's address, he

poppy harlow, you have seen it, i have seen it. we'll see what happens and how much is cut from the different people you have talked to. poppy harlow with the latest in detroit. >>> who is entitled to this. this is andy warhol's portrait of far ra faucet. now the actor is being sued. find out what he said in court, plus a husband and father spends 25 years behind bars for the murder of his wife. but the thing is, he didn't kill her. i will speak live with a lawyer who helped expose the evidence that ultimately set this man free, coming up next. announcer] it's simple physics... a body at rest tends to stay at rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation. plus, in clinical studies, celebrex is proven to improve daily

thank you very much, poppy harlow. >> you got it. >>> thank you for watching "your money." have a great weekend, everybody. >>> hello. welcome to the cnn nudz room. i'm martin savidge in for frederica wit fieldfield. >> i'm anna cabrera live from kol yol the community here trying to cope with another school shooting. police here trying to figure out what motivated an 18-year-old student to take a gun into arap hoe high school behind me and open fire in the hallway. toipt bre you p to date on where the investigation stands. investigators are searching the home of a shooter now identified as 18-year-old carl pearson. they're also finishing interviews with relatives and friends of that boy. the sheriff told me they're especially focused on where the gun came from. he had a shotgun when he walked into the school. also, today here at the school students are picking up their cars. they, of course, had to leave those behind yesterday along with stuff inside the classrooms. it was almost exactly 24 hours ago that arrapaghoe high school was put into lockdown after the shots range ou

it wouldn't be the new year's program without joe selenski publisher of trends journal on the line harlow job looking from toronto stickers always. does the you wonder what all over to him to worry about here well you know really they don't and the reason being is that there's so many problems in other places you look what's going on in china very interesting a trend note on christmas eve when nobody's watching concerns melt over china care squeeze financial times yesterday forty percent interest rates loan that developer took from credit china. today's financial times remember this is when nobody's paying attention it's new year's eve fears after china key debt level soars over seventy percent new york times china's says local level debt soars starring fears wall street journal china faces mounting local debt it's the same story around the world it's not only the united states has pumped in all these trillions of dollars to keep their economies going so too is china so in essence what we have are all the world currencies are in trouble so where do you go that's the issue eventually broug

cnn's poppy harlow has their story. >> how is that going?it's an unlikely friendship, born of tragedies. >> when did this friendship start? >> way before we even knew it, i think. got would bring other forces together. >> two fathers determined to stop gun violence. >> i want to see an american that goes back to the america of our xhildhood -- where kids could open up the door, go out and play in the street, and have a certain innocence to them. >> it's about the soul, the fabric of our country railroad marty lives in newtown, which embodies loss and hardbreak. pastor same sailor's tragedy was just 50 miles away where he son was murdered. >> they deserved a better chance than to be gunned down in broad daylight. he deserved a better chance. >> reporter: it was here in hartford, connecticut, where pastor's son shane was shot and killed last year. he was just 20 years old. his death received no widespread media attention, no outpouring of support from across the country. his homicide was one of thousands of gun murders that happen every year i

cnn's poppy harlow has some of their stories. >> you have no money on your lunch account. 29 years old, joanna cruz is stuck, stuck in a job that pays $7.30 an hour. she works overnights at a deli 40 hours a week. her weekly paycheck, $244.70. what do you need to make to be able to get by on your own? >> i would have to make at least $14, $15 to be able to live comfortably. >> reporter: you add it up as you go? >> yeah. >> reporter: you do. >> i have to. >> reporter: she's single mom fighting to get by. don't be mistaken, she blames herself for not finishing high school and not going to college. she tells me there has to be more she can achieve. >> there is no moving up. i might get a raise if i'm there long enough, but that's about it. >> reporter: her life mirrors her mother's. augusta cruz worked 30 years in a mattress factory and says she never made more than $9 an hour. >> it's a vicious cycle for everybody. >> reporter: her mother provides the home joanna can't afford. if it weren't for you having them here under your roof, where would she be? >> in a shelter. on the

cnn's poppy harlow talked with one woman who is struggling. going to tell you is emblematic of this fight happening on main street across americap you're increasingly seeing workers calling for $15 wages, what they call a living wage, and as we see this fight play out on main street, wall street is watching the stock market hit record highs, increasingly what we're seeing here is really a tale of two americas. >> you have no money in your lunch account? >> no. >> not a dollar. >> reporter: at 29 joanna cruz is stuck in a job that pays $7.30. she works overnight at a deli 40 hours a week. her weekly paycheck, $244.70. what do you need to make to be able to get by on your own? i would have to make at least 14, $15 to live comfortably. >> do you add it up as you go? >> yeah. i have to. >> she's a single mom fighting to get by. don't be mistaken, she blames herself for not finishing high school and not going to college. but she tells me there has to be more she can achieve. >> there is no moving up. i mean i might get a raise if i'm there long eno

poppy harlow, thank you so much for that. i do want to let you know, we have been in touch with sheriff grayson robinson here in colorado to get the latest information on this shooting this morning, and he tells us right now their investigation is focusing on where the student's gun came from, what hands it may have passed through, where specifically the student shot himself, and, of course, the motive. again, as we try to make sense of this horrible tragedy, and this is just undeniably awful situation, why? and so, those are details rehope to be able to provide for you as we continue to move through the morning. martin? >> thanks, we'll continue to check back with you. >>> let's talk about the weather, because a huge snowstorm is pushing its way from the midwest to the east right now. it's bringing heavy snow and freezing rain, and that would also mean misery to millions of people across the region that's going to be affected. folks in chicago, well, they already know this all too well today. it is hovering around freezing t

>> poppy harlow, thanks very much. >>> they spent christmas in antarctica.w year there as well. but the crew aboard a stuck cruise ship is in good spirits. they're even making funny videos to pass the time. we'll show you their production and update you on their rescue. >>> plus, a gay couple getting married on a float tomorrow during the rose parade. but not everybody's happy about it. i'll speak live with the couple who respond to critics. that's coming up. hi, i'm terry and i have diabetic nerve pain. it's hard to describe, because you have a numbness, but yet you have the pain like thousands of needles sticking in your foot. it was progressively getting worse, and at that point i knew i had to do something. once i started taking the lyrica the pain started subsiding. [ male announcer ] it's known that diabetes damages nerves. lyrica is fda approved to treat diabetic nerve pain. lyrica is not for everyone. it may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or

cnn's poppy harlow joins us from new york. don't want to have to relive the stories and everyone will grieve and everyone remembers the victims in their own way. >> reporter: that is right. this is the message they sent this week. they held the press conference on monday saying we need to heal in our own way. we are asking for this day and for the media trucks and cameras not to come. that is what the media is doing. they are going through this and then yesterday, they had to see another school shooting. as you said, victor, adding to the pain. we heard from one of the pastors in newtown. matt crebin. he said newtown is cracked. we have been through a devastating experience. he said in the midst of the cracks, that brokenness, there is light. through the actions of kindness from neighbors and family and friends. that is the beauty we are seeing in newtown and how that community is coming together. some are fighting for tougher federal gun laws. we have seen sweeping changes to state legislation in connecticut and in colorado,

poppy harlow, cnn, newport, rhode island. >> it's great to see heather in her circumstance now givenome news in moments ago, a federal judge in detroit approved that city's plan for chapter 9 bruns. this was not unexpected, folks, but you look at a city like that, these are live pictures coming from our chopper courtesy of our affiliate wdiv, and you wonder honestly, a city like detroit rule the insolvent? it calls bankruptcy a chance for a fresh start and the judge is saying okay? ing that city, that beautiful city is $18 billion in debt. the judge's order says the city must continue to negotiate with its creditors including the unions and the pension funds. and the investors. there you go. it's a go, chapter 9 for detroit. in the united states of america. who knew? when we come back, the lawsuit about these chimpanzees that everyone's talking about. are they will, in fact, like any other caged animal or do somehow chimpanzees deserve different rights and freedoms closer to those of humans? it is a fascinating study. let's look. to think about where their electricity comes from. the

here's poppy harlow. >> reporter: hey there, fredricka.cigarette market is booming, projected to reach $1.8 billion this year with users getting a nicotine fix without smoking. but what exactly is an e-cigarette, and do we really know if they're safe? remember these long-banned cigarette commercials? >> what cigarette do you smoke, doctor? >> reporter: they're back on the airwaves, kinda. >> you know what the most amazing thing about this cigarette is? ♪ it feels like the first time >> i can whip out my blue, not worry about scaring that special someone away. >> reporter: they're electronic cigarettes, and they've become nearly as controversial as the real thing. >> this is how i ended up quitting smoking. >> reporter: no question about it? >> absolutely, yeah. >> reporter: aaron david ross smoked for 10 years. we met him at henley, a new york city vapor lounge. >> i haven't had a drag of a cigarette since then, it was about two and a half years ago. >> reporter: here's how they work. liquid nicotine is heated up by a battery-charged coile

poppy harlow is in washington for us right now.vice. >> people from all over the country, brooke. they're expecting about 1,000 people to be here, and it will start in just a few minutes. as you said, after the bells toll. this is a vigil, not only to honor the victims lost in newtown a year ago on saturday, but also to honor all of the victims of gun violence. we're going to hear from survivors of gun violence, going to hear from family members who have lost ones, both in newtown and elsewhere, to gun violence. but there's a fascinating and touching back story to this. it's about the two men that are largely responsible for putting this vigil together. their names, monty frank from newtown, and pastor sam sailor from hartford, connecticut. pastor sailor lost his son to gun violence last year. and monty frank, of course, a father in newtown who grieves with that entire community. the two of them met after that tragic shooting, came together. they have been lobbying congress. they have been fighting for stronger gun regulation. and

poppy harlow joins me now. >> this was just unsealed. federal officials have charged a 27-year-old.me is conrad alvin barrett. they've charged him with a federal hate crime. they say he punched a 79-year-old african-american man back in late november right in the jaw. so hard, don, that it fractured his jaw. he had to have metal plates put in two places. he allegedly laughed knockout and then fled to his vehicle, fled the scene them charged him with one count of violating the hate crimes prevention act. the xlanlt says that he allegedly record himself committing this act but also some other videos. i want to read you a complaint. it reads on the video described by the offduty investigator, he states, the plan is to see if write to hit a black person, would this be nationally televised? the question is why? where does race fit in here and why would he say something like that? i've spoken through the day extensively with his employer. he wouldn't comment on the issue of race but he said, his client has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, that he is on medicine and he said, quote, me

i'm poppy harlow. >> i'm ana cabrera. john berman is gearing up to host "new day."new year's eve. you probably have plans this evening. 2014 is going to ring in with a deep freeze. when that ball drops in times square tonight, the eastern half of the united states will be shivering in the new year with temperatures near zero in the midwest and well below freezing in the big apple. our meteorologist jennifer gray has our new year's eve forecast. >> on this new year's eve, temperatures we are starting out cold in the northern plains. temperatures, international falls 27 degrees below zero is what it feels like this morning. 20 below zero in minneapolis and 8 below zero in chicago. these temperatures are staying in the north the next couple of days but slowly working their way to the northeast. by the time we wake up -- in new york city on thursday afternoon, temperatures will be around 32 degrees, but 17 on friday. so temperatures definitely taking a plunge. already cold. it will just get colder. the cold air that is already in place is going to definitely help with t

. >> thank you, poppy harlow. and thanks for watching. i'm out of time. but "around the world" starts next with suzanne malveaux and next with suzanne malveaux and michael holmes. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> leaders from around the world are arriving in south africa, including four u.s. presidents and more than 90 heads of state as the nation prepares to honor the life nelson mandela. >> oh, boy. falling ice in texas, of all places. crashing into parked cars. thankfully not people. severe weather continues right across the country. >>> and soccer fans turning violent in brazil, causing police to use tear gas and rubber bullets to stop the fighting. welcome to around the world". i'm suzanne malveaux. >> i'm michael holmes. thanks for your company. we'd like to welcome viewers not just here in the united states but indeed, all around the world. >>> day four of the mourning period for nelson mandela, and the world's focus on south africa unwavering. >> and that is how it is done. there is sadness mixed also with celebration. you see the dancers

cnn's poppy harlow has more. >> you know what the most amazing thing about this cigarette is?t isn't one. >> reporter: they are electronic cigarettes and they have become nearly as controversial as the real thing. >> this is how i ended up quitting smoking. >> reporter: aaron david ross smoked for ten years. we met him at henley, a new york city vapor lounge. >> i haven't had a drag of a cigarette since two and a half years ago. >> reporter: here's how they work. liquid nicotine is heated up by a battery charged coil. there is no tobacco burn. users inhale and instead of smoke, there's a steam-like vapor. they have been in the u.s. less than a decade and increasingly big tobacco companies are manufacturing them. but limited research has been done on their health impact. >> i would like the science to catch up with what we're doing here. >> reporter: but you're still willing to do it. >> i am willing to do it because i think the alternative to just smoking all day, i think this is a better alternative. >> reporter: amy fairchild of columbia university school of public health co

. >> cnn's poppy harlow is joining us live from the national cathedral here in washington.ell us about this day. >> reporter: well, it was a stunningly beautiful event, wolf. it was a very somber, somber event but it was filled with glorious music. we heard from singer carole king, the world children's choir sang as well. there were some politicians there, of course senator murphy and blumenthal of connecticut. but this was really about personal experiences, survivors of gun violence, people that had lost their loved ones to gun violence both in newtown and in other environments all across america. they said this is not just about newtown. this is about all those who have been lost to gun violence in this country, speaking out against that. we heard also many calls to washington, to congress, calling for change, calling for stronger federal gun laws. we heard a lot of that. you know, the point is, this is here, two days in washington before the one-year anniversary of that horrific shooting in newtown. one to send a message to capitol hill but also to not be in newtown. as

poppy harlow joins us with her incredible story. poppy, what happened here?ry year on april 15th, heather abbott went to the red sox game and then went on to cheer the runners in the bothen marathon, but she was one of the victims of the attack. today she is a strong survivor. she had to have part of her left leg amputated, but the progress is stunning, and you just have to see it to believe it. >> i didn't look at it at all from, you know, the moment that it happened. >> reporter: heather abbott is talking about her left leg, amputated after the boston bombing president she wanted to remember it the way it was, before. you call yourself a professional heel wearer? >> i think i did. >> reporter: and today she is again, walking on 4-inch stilettos on her prosthetic leg. nothing short of miraculous. take a close look. can you tell which one is manmade? >> i with go out in public with part of my leg exposed, nothing is staring at it, because they can't tell you. you can see where there's shaving marks where somebody would have shaved. >> reporter: the cosmetic c

pop ypy harlowe has more. >> reporter: sure, it is a video that is very disturbing, you heard about the the instance we're talking about but it gives people an idea of what happens. well, federal officials arrested a man from katy, texas, and charged him with a hate crime. his name is conrad barrett. they say in november, he approached a 79-year-old african-american man, hit him so hard in the jaw, and he fell to the ground. and barrett laughed, and said knockout, got in his car and fled. this is all according to the criminal complaint just unsealed. the law enforcement officials say the victim, a 79-year-old man, suffered two jaw fractures, was hospitalized for days and had to get metal plates inserted. so you can see how serious this is. again, this is charged as a federal hate crime. in the complaint i won't even read you some of the language, but federal officials say they saw other videos on the cell phone of barrett that used the "n" word, and had very racist things that were said. so that is why this crime is being charged as a hate crime. one of our affiliates in houston had a c

let's go back to poppy harlow for what you need to know about the dangers of skiing. >> that's good newshael schumacher overnight having a second surgery. 34 deaths in the united states from avalanches last year. and there are special avalanche advisories being issued for the holiday right now in colorado, in wyoming. a lot of skiers out west may be spending more time in the lodge than on the slopes. trails are closed at this utah resort after an avalanche temporarily buried several skiers monday morning. >> nothing to play with. it's serious stuff. and you know, just glad everybody is okay. >> they do their best to control the environment. we're mother nature and you can't always predict what's going to happen. >> they were lucky to get out, near the wyoming/idaho border, two people died in the last week when a skier and snowmobiler were buried in two separate avalanches. look at this unbelievable video, captured as brothers edwin and davis lamare were off trail skiing in colorado. >> is that an avalanche? we're in an avalanche. >> what? >> reporter: davis rushed to his brother's side.