a judge speaks out abtd four people trying to get on the virginia ballot. what's next for them. a mother fed up with her son's run-ins with the law forces him to wear this sign. did she go too far? we give you a chance to weigh in this morning. we start with former mississippi governor, barbour, defending his decision to pardon 200 people. among the myrrherered set to release from prison. a judge put a halt on prison releases. the legislature is considering changing the constitution to take pardon powers away from the governor. what is barbour saying now? in his first public comments since issuing the pardons. listen. >> the power of gubernatorial to pardon felons is rooted in the christian idea of giving second chances. i'm not saying i'll be perfect that nobody who received clemency will ever do nothing wrong. i'm not in fallible and nobody else is. i am very comfortable and totally at peace with these pardons, including those at the mansion. >> you heard him mention the mansion at the end. he's talking ability prison trustees who worked at the governor's mansion. four convicted murders who worked there were pardons including one who was convicted of killing his wife in 2001. >> everybody deserves a second chance in life. >> you think people should be angry at governor barbour? >> no, sir. >> judge mike smith previded over the murder case. we asked him about the pardon. >> i was disappointed that he was pardoned. >> is there more to that or is that as much as we are going to say? >> i hope that the attorney general will be successful in having the pardon overturned. >> here is more of what barbour had to say about letting those convicted murderers go free. >> i have absolute confidence, so much confidence that i let my grandchildren play with these fine men. i let them ride their tricycles in the drive way with them watching out for them. i have no question in my mind they are not a threat to society. but, you know, people like you can say what if, what if, what if until the moon goes down. >> barbour says he granted cl clemency to 250 people. 189 of them finished their sentences. they were out of prison. 13 of the remaining 26 have chronic medical conditions. they were let go so the state would not have to pay for their expensive medical care. four of the republican presidential candidates lost their bid to get on the ballot in virginia. a judge ruled they waited too long to file claims to get their names add the to the supertuesday primary. virginia can choose mitt romney or ron paul. virginia is six weeks away. south carolina is the next contest one week from today. where do the candidates stand? here is paul. >> good morning. one week to go until the south carolina presidential primary. >> we are going to win in south carolina. >> south carolina can completely change this group. >> a new survey suggests romney and gingrich are battling for the top spot with ron paul in third place. expect more polls and different numbers over the next week. one thing is for sure. winning helps. romney is two for two. almost lapping the field tuesday in the new hampshire primary. the back-to-back primaries propelled him back to the top spot in the national poll. far ahead of the other republican candidates. following a jam packed weekend, the candidates tee off in a presidential debate monday in myrtle beach. thursday, they face-off in charleston. deb? >> you can see the debate live here on cnn thursday night, 8:00 eastern. as paul said, the republican presidential candidates are all over south carolina this weekend. the action starts with rick santorum's faith, family and freedom town hall in greenville. romney, gingrich, perry and huntsman have several events today. ron paul is not on the ground in south carolina but the campaign is hoping to launch a fund raising effort this weekend. this month's trial of former presidential candidate john edwards has been put on hold until late march. a judge revealed he has a serious heart problem. he's going to have surgery next month. he's accused of conspiracy and violating campaign contribution laws during his 2008 presidential bid. he denies the charges. nine years france and austria lost their aaa status like the united states did last summer. as for italy, the downgrade to bbb puts them close to the level of junk bonds. it could make it harder to borrow money to fix their financial problems. we'll see the effects of this when the markets open at the beginning of the week. at least three people were killed when an italian cruise sh ship. 4,000 people were on board. some of the passengers fell into freezing waters. the ship hit a sandbar off italy's western coast. following the progress of a fuel tanker and ice breaker making their way through the frozen north to nome, alaska. it is the first ever attempt to supply fuel to a western alaska town through an icy sea. they were getting close to running out of fuel after bad weather canceled a delivery there last fall. meteorologist alexandra steele is in for reynolds wolf. it's a little cold out there. not what i was expecting. >> did you see the flurries yesterday in atlanta? finally, it's winter in chicago, clevela cleveland, buffalo and new york city. a few reasons why it's happening. i'll talk about why it's happening, how low it's going to go. how late is it? a full forecast in a few moments. >> thanks. changing the meal in your kids happy meal. some mcdonald's are getting rid of the toy for something better. we'll tell you what that is, coming up next. also, it's a scene that you think of from an action movie. what you are looking at there is a real iran yan navy boat going toward a military ship. what happened, coming up next. well, check out this cool time lapse video taken from an i-reporter. west mosley from byron, illinois shot this from his kitchen window. this was the first accumulating snowfall of the season. this time lapse contained 2900 individual photos taken over a ten-hour period. it's been a mild winter for most of the country. winter finally arrived in the midwest. not the kind of thing you want to see there, that truck. we are keeping an eye on all this. we got a break for the most part this winter, i think. >> absolutely. places like chicago usually december 9 see their first two-inch snowfall. haven't seen it at all. finally, 4.6 inches of snow yesterday. temperatures have been mild. records across the board day in and day out. we are ready for winter, right? >> we need to break out the new sleds. >> right. i'll show you what's cooking. here is the radar picture. what's cool is this is lake-effect snow, lake ontario and lake erie. lake erie is the shallowest of the great lakes. really, the only one to freeze. has not frozen yet. normally water temperature 33 degrees. 40 degree water temperatures. if the water is frozen, there's ice. that means it's not open. it won't allow for lake-effect snow. the differential coming over the warm water that is open is allowing the lake-effect snow. there we go. lake-effect snow coming in. you can see where we're getting it now. we are also going to see snow farther east. here is the big picture in terms of where the snow is falling. it's moving this way. the fetch from west to east, dropping. actually, a lot of areas in the plateau. the ski resorts in western new york. they are getting it and boy do they need it. lake ontario picking up one to three. rochester, syracuse, buffalo picking up a few inches. temperature wise, definitely feeling like winter. it's been so warm. breaking records week in and week out. not so now. 22. these are the temperatures currently. 27 in province, 28 in new york. west, chicago at 15. minneapolis at six. part and parcel to the cold air, we have strong winds blowing as well. it may feel like these numbers. it's going to feel colder with the winds kicking in 20 to 30 miles per hour. lake-effect is a major scenario. winds in the midwest and northeast. yesterday, very windy in new york city. trouble around queens blowing over structures because of the strong winds. gusting 20 to 30, sustained between ten and 20. new york, boston, philadelphia, cleveland all seeing troubles at the airports due to the strong gusty winds. >> i left and hour early yesterday because i knew the winds would be bad. >> look at you. a seasoned traveler. >> we'll check in with you in a bit. forget the plastic toys, you know the ones your kids really, really want? how about a book with your happy meal? it's what's happening in the united kingdom. mcdonald's is expected to give away 9 million books when you buy a burger and fries. it's by the same guy who did "war horse." a president is giving knives to rapists and murderers. they say it's a good thing. more on that in a minute. also, take a look at that. iranian boats go kang rousely close to u.s. ships. the details in 60 seconds. see you in a minute. the way i always made it for you. one more thing.... those pj's you like, i bought you five new pairs. love you. did you see the hockey game last night? 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[ding] [fans whirring] announcer: chill raw and prepared foods promptly. one in 6 americans will get sick from food poisoning this year. check your steps at foodsafety.gov. ♪ taking a look there of new york city. sun still waiting to come on up there. cold day. it is 17 minutes past the hour this saturday morning. welcome back. this morning, the department of defense released a video that shows iranian boats speeding straight to u.s. military and coast guard ships on two events the same day. the close encounters took place last friday one in the strait of hormuz. you have to look closely. what you are looking at are iranian navy speedboats. an official tells cnn they suddenly spun close to "uss new orleans" without any response. a coast guard ship was also harassed near kuwait city. the iranians appeared to be holding ak-47 rifles. this comes as iran threatens to close the strait of hormuz, the only outlet from the persian gulf. >> they were not looking for a shooting match. they were going to break off but cause heart-stopping action before they did that. the iranians gained intelligence by getting so close to u.s. navy ships. they were able to gauge the u.s. military response as they came at those ships. that gives them valuable information if the next time it's not just a cat and mouse game. >> word of the aggressive encounters comes as the united states conducted two rescues of iranians at sea. time for the morning passport. you have seen the show "iron chef," one of my favorite shows. the series you see here, chefs pitted against each other in a cooking showdown. it's inspired the largest person in the philippines to let their inmates, convicted murderers dubbed iron bar chef. nadia bilchik joins me. this sounds bizarre, dangerous. the inmates take this seriously. >> they do. it's part of a broader rehabilitation program. what they have done in the prison, they did it last week. the first ever iron bar chef. they had six teams of three inmates each. they gave them 60 minutes. in 60 minutes, they had to come up with a gourmet dish. some of them came up with marinara roast beef, some came up with squash kro kets. they proved it was a great team building effort and boosted moral. >> what about the people watching. there are men watching. they are under pressure. they had real judges. how was this received? >> it was received so well. people got into the spurt of it. they enjoyed the delicious food. they wanted the judges, who is an executive sheff at an all seasons resort in australia, he was surprised by the caliber of the food. some of the inmates had jobs in kitchens before going to prison. that was something he mentioned. this particular prison has 17,000 inmates. 12,000 under maximum security. they have embarked on efforts like gardening, cooking, hand crafts, playing tennis in order to rehabilitate the inmates. this is one thing that's proved so helpful and therapeutic for the inmates. >> once they have a direction, once they get the things they need to go out and succeed, their chances of going back into prison are less. >> this is a skill. this is a life skill. who knows, maybe we are looking at the next reality series, iron bar chef inmates. we are all intrigued by catching people cut and chop. >> it's rivet iing. you want to know what they are coming up with. you want to taste it and you can't. thank you so much. we appreciate it. we are going check back with you later in the show. thank you. as a mom doles out tough love for her son. listen. >> i decided he broke the law. a few hours of community service. i decided we were going to wear a sign. you looking for attention? you're going to get attention. he's wearing a sign that says i lie, i steal, i deal drugs. is this too tough? it's powerful relief that works at the site of pain and lasts up to 12 hours. salonpas. can you enjoy vegetables with sauce and still reach your weight loss goals? you can with green giant frozen vegetables. over twenty delicious varieties have sixty calories or less per serving and are now weight watchers-endorsed. try green giant frozen vegetables with sauce. i'm going to own my own restaurant. i want to be a volunteer firefighter. when i grow up, i want to write a novel. i want to go on a road trip. when i grow up, i'm going to go there. i want to fix up old houses. 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[ female announcer ] discover what's next in your life. get this free travel bag when you join at aarp.org/jointoday. get this free travel bag when you join life with crohn's disease is a daily game of "what ifs." what if my stomach pain and cramps end our night before it even starts? what if i eat the wrong thing? what if... what if i can't make it through dinner and a movie? what if i suddenly have to go? what if... but what if the most important question is the one you're not asking? what if the underlying cause of your crohn's symptoms is damaging inflammation? for help getting the answers you need visit knowcrohns.com/tv and use the interactive discussion guide to speak with your gastroenterologist. let's take a look at what's happening across country. we are going to start in illinois. speeders better learn to slow down in johnson city, illinois. this week, police started handing out more tickets along the interstate that cuts through town. the reason? to close a budget hole. >> we are looking to slow people down and help us out in the process. >> reporter: it costs $35,000 to run the police department. the city plans to get half that from speeders. now, take a look at this from rio vista, california. a gas pipeline ruptured causing these flames. that fire is shooting up 100 feet. fire crews were able to put it out quickly. no one was injured. in plainville, pennsylvania. something to make you smile. this marine corporal waited to surprise fellow soldiers coming home to families. >> i'm anxious to see the guys i was with during the patrol. it will be the first time i have seen them since the accident. >> he lost both legs from an ied blast in afghanistan. he was told it would take months and months to stand. look at this. he's standing to greet his comrades one by one. >> it's fast how he recovered. i didn't anticipate this. an indiana mother is fed up with her son and the court system. she says authorities haven't punished him enough to change his behavior. she's making him wear a sign in public. the sign says i lie. i steal. i sell drugs. i don't follow the law. our cnn affiliate says not everyone approves. >> the sign hanging around his neck is because he constantly chooses to break the law. >> reporter: the list of her 14-year-old son's crimes is growing. the punishments aren't tough enough to get him to stop. she's showing him tough love. >> he broke the law. a few hours of community service. i decided we were going to wear a sign. you looking for attention, we going to get you attention. he did probation. they talk about the fees you have to pay. nobody is trying to help me fix my son. >> it states he doesn't follow the law. drivers passing by didn't think his mom was either and called the police. she's completely within her rights to make him stand on the streets. it's unconventional, but not illegal. >> it's not to be a joke or anything funny. he has to stand out here two hours. they got their way of parenting and i got mine. i want to save my son. >> what do you think? did the mom go too far? would you do the same thing? i'm on twitter at deb feyerickcnn. share your thoughts. i'm going to read some of them on the air. >> moving up to the white house, it's the goal of the republican presidential candidates. what are they hoping to leave behind? we'll check out the old addresses. the queen of talk. oprah win free and obama re-election campaign. she doesn't exactly endorse the president. you'll hear from the queen herself. can spark romance anytime. and when it does, men with erectile dysfunction can be more confident in their ability to be ready with cialis for daily use. cialis for daily use is a clinically proven low-dose tablet you take every day so you can be ready anytime the moment's right, even if it's not every day. 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[ female announcer ] people who choose more whole grain tend to weigh less than those who don't... multigrain cheerios has five whole grains and 110 lightly sweetened calories per serving... more grains. less you! multigrain cheerios. it is 6:30. welcome back. i'm deb feyerick. thanks for starting your day with us. let's check the top stories. joran van der sloot is sentenced 28 years for killing a woman. the court ordered him to pay $75,000 to stephany flores' family. he's a prime suspect in the disappearance of natalee holloway in aruba. she's never been found. ford is recalling 450,000 suv and minivans. if you drive a ford escape 2001 and 2002, they are also part of the recall. ford needs to fix defect that is can cause fires or loss of power. former penn state football coach joe paterno has been hospitalized. he's suffering from a treatable form of lung cancer. his 46 year career at penn state ended after the jerry sandusky child sex abuse scandal. will mitt romney keep his winning streak alive in south carolina or will negative ads slow his momentum? his record of cutting jobs as ceo of bing capital. >> a story of greed, playing the system for a quick buck. a g