Iraqi troops optimistic they can drive isis out and soon. Lets talk. Live in the cnn newsroom. Good morning and Merry Christmas. Im Carol Costello live from Columbus Circle in manhattan. Can you believe how warm it is along thes coast . There is not much happening out here, i know. But the weather is so bizarre we decided to take the first part of our blog outside. People cant believe its 66 because weve already broken the record in new york city. In central park, 66 degrees. That is a 25 Degrees Higher than average. Temperatures like this have not been seen in 33 years. The citys last record of 64 snet 1982. There was actually Beach Volleyball in central park creditor. Its skaters in shorts at rockefeller center. And instead of jingle bells there were ice cream trucks. I think its amazing weather to spend and walk around. I love it. I was able to wear a nice dress. Not be cold. Able to actually enjoy the city. Im all for it. Im loving it. Everyone should have a hot holiday. Oh in all fifty cities across 19 states could make history. Ho ho hot. I wont show you the santa for much longer because i dont want to spoil your christmas. And sauna clause. Some people think the apocalypse is coming. I was standing in that exact spot 11 months ago with a snow storm bearing down on new york city and ice in my face. So be careful what you ask for. It goes downhill quickly after you make fun of mother nature. It is warm. Weve already broken the record at 66. It will be warm all across thes coast. Still a chance of Severe Weather along the gulf coast. But i think everyone will notice today that it is warm skup down thes coast. Theres been more snow in las vegas this year than in new york because new york has zero and it snowed in las vegas last night. Not a lot but if you are in vegas and you look out, what is it doing snowing here . I thought i had a nice warm vacation. I went to the wrong coast. I dont expect as much Severe Weather today as weve had. But certainly chance of severe wind damage. Otherwise enjoy your time outside. El nino. And were above normal, i get this. But in december, january and february when you are above normal and normal is 10, then all of a sudden above normal should be 20 and that could be a big snow storm. So el nino isnt going to ruin all of winter, just the beginning. And on Christmas Day too. Thanks chad. We have to talk about the Severe Weather happening across the country because its been severe down south, as in tornados. Nick valencia is covering for us. Reporter good morning. The warm weather in new york not so much the case in the south. Kind of a miserable start for some here. 14 People Killed across three states and the damage were seeing looks more like something you would see during the spring. This christmas scenes of devastation in parts of the south and midwest. Heavy rain causing wide spread flooding in georgia and tornados tearing across several states. Loud roar, getting louder and louder and i said we need to get in the house now. It sounded literally like a Freight Train sounding of the horn. It was coming. All that is left of the mckays home is the porch. They ran and hit in this truck. Nothing left of my house. But debris. And i had my grandson in my arm. Under my arm. And everybody got in, except for my sisterinlaw and im yelling at her to come on. And she got in and as soon as she did i shut the door. The tornado knocked it his house off the foundation but he and the others survived by taking cover in the storm shelter. Youll never know how important it is to seek shelter immediately however you can because as the lifesaver. Two of those killed in tennessee were husband and wife. According to the Storm Prediction Center, at least 14 tornados hit tennessee on wednesday but a single twister did most of the damage. Three individuals were in this house at the time and they were able to walk away. I went and bought toys were kids because i also have a little girl and for them not to have christmas and toys and stuff there is it is not a holiday. So sad. Among the victims the youngest is seven. A strange twist in an already bizarre story. The taliban denying claims made by the kremlin that the two are working together in sharing intelligence in the fight against isis. Reporter just today the taliban releasing a statement saying it has not asked the kremlin for help in fighting isis. They have not reached out and they do not deny the claims earlier this week that they are intelligence sharing. Ill tell you about what happened earlier this week. The Russian Foreign ministry saying they had reached out to ask them to share information in the fight against isis. The taliban also concerned about isis. And the taliban saying they deknee this. We do not need any help they said. Now the ties obviously in terms of Russias Vladimir Putin he is incredibly interested in fighting isis especially because of the interest in fighting insurgence in the north caucu s caucusus. Were not sure if this is just a propaganda move by the taliban or by the russians but we do know that if this is the case, if it is true that it would be it might be a case of russia making the enemy of his enemy his friend. Live from london. Thank you. It is Christmas Day but the normally festive mood in bethlehem is tense. Security concerns have scared away many of the western tourist whose normally flock there this time of year. Manger square is crowded but there are far fewer than usual. One factor keeping tourists away is the almost daily attacks by israelis. Live in jerusalem to tell us more. Reporter and it is those attacks that have led to the state department issuing a travel warning to the region. Thats why vendors and tour guides weve spoken with saying americans as well as europeans have really not come to the region. Manger square yesterday although did have a very festive atmosphere. Was certainly lacking tourists. Many were locals and by the time of Midnight Mass the square had largely emptied out. As said that as because of whats going on here. Clashes and violence between protesters and israeli soldiers. Thats become a near daily reality ever since the beginning of october and it doesnt seem like that will end. There was a sense in manger square that they were trying to hang on to that festivity that on Christmas Eve all of that could be put aside even if just for one evening to make sure that it really was a Merry Christmas. Still throughout the west bank mr. Communities have held off or scaled back on celebrating. At the same time more than 130 palestinians have been killed. Israeli Authorities Say some 70 or 80 have been killed kyrieing out attacks. That sufrl the reality of christmas here right now in the holy land. Still to come, reports of a u. S. Plan to deport thousands of families living here in this country illegally. Now candidates from both sides of the aisle are sounding off. Thousands of people came out today to run the race for retirement. So we asked them. Are you completely prepared for retirement . Okay, mostly prepared . Could you save 1 more of your income . It doesnt sound like much, but saving an additional 1 now, could make a big difference over time. Im going to be even better about saving. You can do it, it helps in the long run. Prudential bring your challenges how else do you think he gets around so fast . Take the reins this holiday and get the mercedesbenz youve always wanted during the winter event. Hurry, offers end january 4th just about anywhere you can use splenda®. No calorie sweetener. Splenda® lets you experience. The joy of sugar. Without all the calories. Think sugar, say splenda® at odds with the character of our nation, turning our backs on that essential element of who we are as a nation. Those were the reactions of Martin Omalley and Bernie Sanders after the Washington Post plans the u. S. Plans a mass deportation of thousands of undocumented Central American migrants. The plan, which the dhs reportedly has not given final approval, would be nationwide and could begin as early as next month, applying to families fleeing violence in Central America kmo who came here for safety specifically adults and children who have already been removed from the United States by an immigration judge. They would be detained where they could be found and immediately deported. Among the candidates on the democratic side, donald trump has a different reaction. Because of the pressure put on by me, it is about time. Joining me now, welcome both of you and Merry Christmas. Josh, a judge has ordered these undocumented immigrants to leave the country. So why the controversy . This is a complicated issue because the department of Homeland Security and jay johnson have been trying to figure for over a year to deal with the specific problem. Hes trying to correct the p percepti perception. Donald trump taking credit for this is kind of like the rooster taking credit for the sunrise. This was well in the works. The problem is for people in the community, they really havent thought through the politics of this. So the Obama Administration has the luxury of sort of not worrying about it because they are not coming up for election but for all the candidate, especially Hillary Clinton this is a tricky thing to navigate. It is. Shes been sort of on the fence. I mean shes sort of criticized it but not. She said, well i have to look into it. Well shes got a problem. Shes got a problem. And ellis, just jump into that. What is the big problem with that . Because i said a judge has ordered these people leave the country. They have had a hearing. Yeah but it is a little perplexing from the administrations point of view. Up until now the principle had been there are 11 or 12 million illegals in the country and you cant get rid of all of them so the focus is really on the criminals and bad people. Why at this point you focus on moms and their children, the politics are a little strange and the humanity is a little strange. I this hink the Democratic Candidates are right to jump on this. Is it really strange . Zwlauz it is not really that unusual. The Obama Administration has been trying to prioritize in a world of limits resourced. And now there is a good argument to be made that this increased flow from honduras and el salvador where violence is high and flow is increasing is something that should be addressed. The problem for someone like Hillary Clinton is they cant win. If she supports the obama policy she doesnt really get anything from the right. On the other hand if she support if she doesnt support it then she opens herself up to more criticism. So in the end shes probably got to side with her other competitors in the primary. Shes got to take the side of her base. But there really is no political win for her here. But again that is not something that the people who are in charge of this policy are really considering. I dont think there is a political win for anybody else. Because most of these people who are going to be deported, are sitting in Detention Centers in the southwestern United States in texas, right. Exactly. And thats what jay johnson and when ive talked to him about this. He said actually the more humane thing to do is to stop them from coming at all. Because once they get here they have a life that is very uncertain. They can be in limbo for a very long time. They can face very harsh consequences. So if he can send the message back that hey it is not a free ride. That might be the best thing for them. There is one last piece worth considering. Four years ago the republicans did this great soul searching and said do you know what . We need to not be so harsh on these issues. We need a more human face. The more republicans are in the corner of seeming to be harsh on this and the more the dems are seeming to be open and human and suppressing the priorities josh has alluded to i think the politics do balance in hillarys favor in the long run. I would just say that the demographics are on hillarys side but in the 2016 election there are going to be a lot of people who are going to want tougher policies. Thanks both of you. At 20 minutes past, a feud leads to a deadly shootout at a North Carolina mall. A man went to the mall yesterday and when he ran into someone he didnt like he started arguing and shot at him multiple times. Witnesses say the gunmen turned his weapon on an off duty responding officer and that officer shot and killed him. No one else was hurt. And authorities released the video of Laquan Mcdonald a year after his death showing an officer shooting the teenager 15 times in just 16 seconds. And iron man actor robert downy, jr. Is off the naughty list receiving a Christmas Eve pardon from california governor jerry brown. He spent time in prison after a 1996 drug conviction. He says downey has paid his debt to society. And a pope message part of which for syria to end the suffering there. And john al p has more about what the pope said. Good morning. Reporter pope francis did delivered the traditional christmas message to rome and the world. The popes traditionally use this platform to issue a kind of 360 degree review of the Global Situation and that is very much what pope francis did today. The strong note was a global call for peace. The war in syria. He talked about libya, the democratic republic of congo. Ukraine. Also called for a breakthrough in the peace talks in colombia trying to end the longest running civil war. And as europe grapples with the most significant refugee crisis its faced since the Second World War the pope also issued a strong note of solidarity for passion and calling on host nations to be generous in receiving and swegting them. The pope also in the context of a year in which terrorism has been one of the major themes around the world denounced what we called brutal acts of terror. He tipped off a series of other social ills that kind of occupy his heart. He talked about child soldier, unemployment, trafficking in human persons. And in the context of a speeshl jubilee year of mercy he also issued a strong plea for prisoners, visiting prisoners has opinion one of the hallmarks of his papacy. Essentially what you saw today was a pontiff who very much aspires to be a peace pope. Using the visibility afforded by one of the holiest days on the christian calendar to try to raise his voice around the world in defense of peace and Human Dignity and that was very much the story from rome here Christmas Day 2015. John allen. Thank you. Still to come, use terroristing to help fight terror . Russia says it will share intel with the taliban but the taliban say hey that is not true. T thin whats that . Snapshot from progressive. Plug it in, and you can save on Car Insurance based on your good driving. You sell to me . No, its free. You want to try . I try this if you try. Not this. Okay. Da heres a lieat well,thy advice. Live well, and take of what makes you, you. Right down to your skin with aveeno® aveeno® daily moisturizing lotion with the goodness of active naturals® oat and 5 vital nutrients for healthier looking skin in just one day. Healthy skin equals beautiful skin. And for shower softness, add the body wash, too aveeno® naturally beautiful results® good morning. Im Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me. New questions swirling around russias alleged working relationship with the taliban. The taliban now says its had no contact with russia. What should we make of this . Lets brick in counterterrorism analyst phil mud. Why would the taliban issue a press release saying we havent talked to russia . Zblet untangle this. First, especially starting last summer with the announcement that the long time leader of the taliban has died. There ease been a lot of fact l factualism in the taliban. So you have to talk about faction. And the second is the russians didnt say they had a relationship with the taliban. They say they had a channel of communications which in my world suggests they might have contacts for passing intelligence but not an overall relationship. So when you put those two together, the fact they may have only a channel through a few people. I dont think necessarily this statement from the taliban is incorrect. I might be a faction they are not talking too. Lets say russia is exchanging intelligence with some faction in the taliban. How worried should u. S. Officials be . I wouldnt be worried about this. To my mind it makes perfect sense. There are a couple things going on by russia. I think the russians are saying we dont necessarily want to support the taliban. But if they have information about isis extending into the northern afghanistan, which borders some of the soviet states, i think the russians would say we dont want those isis guys going into central asia. We want to partner with the taliban at some level to prevent that from happening. So it makes perfect sense to protect some of your partners. From an American Perspective the taliban just skilled six americans, in afghanistan. Sure. But the russians arent saying they want to support the taliban against the americans that results in a murder of american citizens or a fight against american e isaying is there is an old soviet state. We want to protect them and anybody who has information that might protect those states, not about the taliban, not about american positions not. T about helping the tali