to why he thinks it was okay. but guess what? there are four killers who are already out and there is no hope for getting them back in but we may have changes in the other ones who are set to be released. >> that is right. several bombshells in the casey anthony case as well. how she thinks she got pregnant, who killed her and why. there are reports this morning that her attorney has quit. >> quit or fired? always want to know. they both have something to say on this. new this morning as well, if you are in north carolina, our hearts go out to you. you're dealing with very ugly weather. apparently check out that funnel cloud. remarkable. look at this damage. overnight some severe storms really wreaking havoc in that area. a mobile home park apparently was completely wiped out. there are families trapped, apparent apparently. we'll get an update. there's an o.j. ban because of fungicide fears. there are shipments that are being stopped, headed in from brazil. the state attorney general in mississippi says some criminals pardoned by yot going governor haley barbour may have to go back to prison this is after a judge issued a temporary injunction that will keep the pardoned prisoners behind bars. the problem, many are already out. >> well, yes. big problem. the attorney general jim hood who is no fan, it seems, of haley barbour has asked for actually a court injunction. the judge has done so. this is all in a response to a move by haley barbour to just let these folks go. sign the pardons and off you go. 199 of them, convicted criminals from somewhat serious to extraordinarily serious. the a.g. absolutely slammed the governor saying he took the law into his own hands. on "ac 360" he compared him to the greedy and corrupt commissioner in "the dukes of hazzard." listen. >> he ran the government in the state like boss hogg. he didn't follow the law. governor barbour didn't follow it. it was clear he had to have that information. he didn't obtain it before he signed the pardons. that's cause a public safety issue. these families are afraid out here. these victims have been through a terrible amount. >> while that is fascinating, we also need to know the a.g. is elected. he's a democrat and was considering at one point running for government. there could be political animosity at play as well as the legal issues they're chewing on in that state. it doesn't matter what politics say when you come to the victims and family members. >> oh, my gosh and the folk that have to walk around with these convicted criminals, the ones that were released. >> one of the pardoned criminals -- excuse me, one of the victims of the -- let me back that up. david gatlin shot two people and martin savage spoke to one of his victims as well as a family that fears they're now sitting ducks for this guy. >> a full and unconditional pardon. >> yes. >> which means -- >> which means he has the same rights you have, the same rights i have. >> including to carry a gun? >> yes. >> do you worry about david gatlin? >> yes. >> are you afraid of david gatlin. >> i'm afraid that he will come after my family, randy's family. and like randy says, finish what he started. >> i think david gatlin was the guy who shot his wife while she was holding the baby if i'm not mistaken. >> yes, 3-month-old. she was with him, the victim who just spoke and had the baby in her arms. they were estranged and he walked into the trailer and -- >> shot her in the head. >> to the head, both of them. he survived. she did not. >> governor barbour's office is responding to all of this. approximately 90% of these individuals were no longer in custody. the pardons were intended to allow them to find gainful employment or acquire professional licenses as well as hunt and vote. because those are the rights that were restored. they get a right to vote and a right to carry arms. >> i find it fascinating that he said a right to hunt. hunting is a big second amendment issue in this country. to add that into the statement, i hope -- i'm thinking he's hoping to mitigate the effect of this because he's looking at his legacy at this point. which is going to be deeply affected by this. people in -- >> that particular crime was committed with a gun. >> it baffles you. >> it baffles you. >> our legal guru jeffrey toobin, one of my favorite people, that's him on the left. that's us on the right in case you're wondering. jeffrey will come in at 6:00 and talk to us. by the way if you are as outraged as a lot of other people are on this story, you'll want to hear what jeffrey has to say. there are fascinating loopholes in mississippi law that those folks are starting to put in play so they can maybe drawback on these 200 criminals. maybe they won get out. five minutes past the hour. every morning we give you an "early start" to your day. they will be the big story tonight. a judge in aruba may officially declare natalee holloway dead later today. and this you know is one day after joran van der sloot pleaded guilty to killing a young woman in peru. she vanished in 2005 and van der sloot was the last person seen with her. talking about natalee there. hearing is scheduled for just after 2:00 p.m. today. talk about a throwback to the jim crow days. public swimming pool, whites only? an ohio landlord apparently is asking a civil rights commission to reconsider its ruling that she discriminated against a black teenager by posting that sign at her pool. the owner is claiming that the sign is historical. but the parents of that girl are saying that landlord, it wasn't about history. they accused her daughter of making the pool cloudy because she used chemicals in her hair. a fascinating debate going on there. >> wow. all right. today is the first day same-sex couples can sign up for domestic partnerships. this is in the city of orlando. they don't offer the full benefits of a civil union or marriage but couples will have, this is important, hospital visitation rights and they're also going to be able to make health care decisions on their partners. u.s. markets closed mixed yesterday. the dow was down by 13 points, the s&p 500 and nasdaq were up just a little bit. >> that was yesterday. what about today? i always like to say what a difference a day can make. christine romans. were you in atlanta yesterday. >> we're all back now. >> we're all home. >> frequent flyer pointing yesterday. i actually missed a lot of the action in the markets yesterday. >> it was -- it was mixed action, quite frankly. today we'll be looking to an unemployment benefits number that comes out at 8:30. that will give us a read of what's happening in the jobs market. for the year mostly we're expecting the unemployment rate to stay in the 8% range. you're kind of settling into this two-speed labor market where people who just lost their jobs are having a better time finding a job and people who have been out of work for six months or longer are still in trouble. as the candidates head south, the second part of the jobs market will be important. half the people in south carolina that are out of a job have been out for six months or longer. we'll get a check of how much people spent in december. and we're watching o.j. today. >> not simpson. he's still in a nevada jail. >> that's history. this is orange juice. the fda halted all imports of orange juice. one in four glasses of orange juice in this country is imported. we must be watching out this morning, orange juice futures. they popped one of the days. they were thinking there would be a ban on imports and that would make it more expensive. watching volatility in the orange juice market. this is because of a fungicide found -- >> i thought it was only brazil. >> they are testing all countries. in some tests it leads to higher risks of liver tumors in animals. they found low levels of this, it was reported by an industry source that there were low levels in shipments. they're testing everything. if a country or company rather has three passes three random batches the fda will say you can resume your imports. they want to double check and make sure that's not coming in. when you're importing so much of your food as we do, different countries have different standards. and the fda can't check everything. i think the fda checks 1% maybe of things that come in. >> wow. do we know how long the halt will last? >> we don't know. they'll start clearing up companies as they show -- the fda says the o.j. guys that is in your refrigerator, the o.j. that i'm going to get in a little jar is safe. >> for real? >> that it is safe. don't be worried. it's safe. >> don't go anywhere. don go anywhere, miss iowa. >> look at you showing your france. >> iowa, france. >> we have your weather story. it's just for you, special delivery. >> awesome. >> all your midwestern folks -- >> is it snowing? >> do you want to see? take a look. you better call your mom. >> where is that? >> this is special stuff. >> my little sister lives right there. >> this is iowa. look at it. the mild winter is over. sideways snow. if you're not from places like where christine or i am from, you do not know the pain when it hits your face. >> it happens in chicago, too. >> yes, it's awful. brutal. >> heavy arctic air. i'm no weatherman but it is sweeping across iowa into -- >> chicago, milwaukee and detroit. >> it's like "little house on the prairie." >> laura ingles is out there, getting blown over? that's what it's like in the midwest. >> if you've seen the movie "fargo." i watched that movie and thought, oh, dear it's like being at home. i'm from winnipeg where it's completely iced over for part of the year. >> jacqui jeras is going to tell us about it. rob is out. she's in for us. >> i'm not midwestern girl by the way. >> minneapolis? >> yes, minneapolis. >> i thought it was milwaukee. >> that is brutal. >> it is today it feels like winter has been delayed forever and now it's coming in with quite a vengeance. the snow is moving sideways. the winds gusting 35 miles an hour, creating whiteout conditions at times. we're looking at a huge swath across parts of wisconsin, down through eastern iowa and parts of st. louis where the snow will be heavy at times. by snowfall standards this isn't going to be the worst storm we've ever seen. this will be the most significant storm we've seen all season. it's been a while since you've had to drive in these type of conditions. we have winter weather advisories in effect. the worst of the snowfall will be on the lead side of the lakes. we get the enhancement from the moisture. chicago, 3 to 6 and a few isolated bands. big arctic blast coming in on the backside of this system, ahead of it is very warm and mild. take a look at this video from north carolina. yesterday, north carolina in january, that's damage likely caused by a tornado. there was quite a bit of damage. multiple homes were destroyed as well as buildings and at least three people were life flighted out. very unusual to have that kind of weather in january. but that winter is sweeping it all out of there now. >> serious prayers for those folks, because while we talk about it as a weather story, this is life-ending for so many people. they lose their homes, possessions, photos and in some cases their loved ones. it's pretty serious. >> absolutely. >> jacqui, thank you. appreciate it. 12 minutes past 5:00 on the east, 12 minutes past 2:00 on the west. a mississippi judge issuing a temporary injunction to block the release of those prisoners governed by outgoing governor haley barbour. this story has been dogging us all week. the mississippi governor granted full pardons to almost 200 people, including 14 convicted murders. the state attorney general says the pardons are a, quote, slap in the face to law enforcement. serious opposition denies it is responsible for the death of a french journalist, gilles jacquier. they -- he's the first western journalist to die in the ten-month uprising in syria. nic robertson left the area just before the mortar attack. we have a new study, a warning against transferring more than two embryos for folks going through in vitro fertilization. there's saying there's a health risk not just for the mothers but the babies with be too. typically, three or month emb o embryos will be implanted. we'll talk about that in the next hour. $500,000 bonuses for solyndra executives. that's the company that's bankrupt. remember that? we'll dig into that. >> and that the government gave a bunch of money to. and a desperate search is on for a missing student. we have the early reads. we'll tell you why new year's eve plays into this story. you're watching "early start." ♪ ♪ ♪ one too many... [ male announcer ] it's time to reclaim your garage. the all-new passat. the 2012 motor trend car of the year. ♪ seek your way and go with two children and no way to support them. people told me i wasn't going to do anything. and i just decided i have more to offer than that. i put myself through nursing school, and then i decided to go get a doctorate degree. university of phoenix gave me the knowledge to make a difference in people's lives. my name is dr. kimberly horton. i manage a network of over a thousand nurses, and i am a phoenix. [ male announcer ] find your program at phoenix.edu. and mid gradeoenix. dark roast forest fresh full tank brain freeze cake donettes rolling hot dogs bag of ice anti-freeze wash and dry diesel self-serve fix a flat jumper cables 5% cashback right now, get 5% cashback at gas stations. it pays to discover. good morning, washington. that's a live picture of the capitol dome in d.c. it's 48 degrees there. later it will be nice and sunny, 59 degrees. >> i wonder if one of the cost-cutting measures would be to not light it up at night. >> it looks so beautiful. >> i know but i can imagine what it costs. >> maybe they can use l.e.d. lights. >> smart move. i had, everybody, nice to have you back. >> it is now 18 minutes past the hour. we're getting an early read on your local news making national headlines this morning. we have papers from washington, d.c. and tide water, virginia. so let's begin with the "washington times." there are big bonuses for solyndra executives. that's what company attorneys are asking for. the proposal was filed in bankruptcy court and the company lawyers request $500,000 in bonuses, only 84 employees are left in that company. and you know, solyndra went broke two years after winning $500 million in federal loan package guarantee and that was one year after president obama toured its california headquarters and hailed its prospects. >> you know that's going to be in campaign ads when the eventual republican nominee is chosen and they're going after president obama. that's going to be a big one, folks. let's get you to the tide water review. this is a bizarre story. family and friends of this young man, a virginia commonwealth senior, ian burnet, very concerned, because he's been missing two weeks. he was supposed to be coming to new york city to have fun in times square on new year's eve. but that didn't happen. and the texts and communications from him stopped coming right around december 30th. he's 5'10", 160 pounds, green eyes, curly brown dark hair, last seen wearing a long sleeved gray shirt. like i said he was supposed to come for a fun trip and they stopped hearing from him. if you know anything, call police, please. >> scary for the families, right? it is 19 minutes past the hour here. and the marine corps is distancing itself this morning from a shocking online video that appears to show some disgusting and perhaps even criminal behavior on the part of marines in a war zone. take a look at it here. it's pretty graphic. the video appears to show four men dressed in marine combat gear urinating on the dead bodies of insurgents. a pen gone official says the pictures make him sick. marine cops are now investigating and now the taliban is responding, condemning the barbaric video in a text to cnn's nick patton walsh. joining us now, retired army brigadier general mark kimmette. have we confirmed the authenticity of that video, do you know? >> i have not heard confirmation of the authenticity. i think it's still being investigated. >> this harkins back to abu ghraib, the scandal back in 2004. that was when the humiliating photos were taken of prisoners naked. and in that instance, 17 soldiers and officers were removed from daughter uty. that was between may 2004 and march 2006. how do you justify this type of behavior or explain, maybe not justify. is it stress, immaturity? what do you think is happening here. >> there's no justification for this type of activity. it's a clear violation of international conventions and our own standards of conduct within the military. i suspect this will be investigated and prosecuted if the evidence leads to individuals conducting it. >> we also understand it could perhaps be a war crime. >> well, again, all of that is covered under the uniform code of military justice. i'm not sure war crime is a technical, legal term but there are clearly provisions within the uniform code of military justice that would account for desecration of bodies on the battlefield. >> let's talk about retaliation here. because this is a big concern. we still have a lot of americans working there. and if we think back to adieu great brita -- abu ghraib and nick burke, the man that was beheaded, perhaps there were folks taking responsibility for it saying this is in retaliation for what happened at abu ghraib. are we concerned about something like that happening? >> i suspect the command on the ground is worried about that. the sad part about this, it doesn't reflect the overwhelming majority of our troops, our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines who are doing the right thing every day. photos like this, videos like this is just toxic and basically paint an impression of american and coalition efforts over there in a completely different light than the vast majority of actions that we see on a day-to-day basis. >> and what would be the punishment, perhaps, for these marines if this is factual video? >> well, this is a criminal act. so i would expect that you would see, within the uniform code of military justice, charges being brought up against these troops for dereliction of duty and a host of other articles under the uniform code of military justice. there are plenty of providings to handle whatever action the courts want to take on this. >> and i know we have history here where some other people have been investigated, some other soldiers and marines. how long do you think an investigation like this will take before we have answers? >> i was often asked that question in iraq. the answer is the investigation will take as long as necessary to get to the root cause and to get to the facts before it's brought in front of a court. >> all right. mark kimmitt, thank you so much for joining us this morning. we appreciate that. >> sure. we've had pretty good history of prosecutions under that code. and they are no joke. they're just as strong as the u.s. justice system and we've seen it happen. >> you have to wonder what they're thinking, right, to videotape that, post it? >> i have never been a soldier. that's all i can say. if you think of getting out of jury duty, you think of the duty those guys are doing for us. go and sit in a courtroom for a little bit. you can serve your country that way. there, i'm done. pias, aren't i? >> armageddon. at least one candidate is suggesting that if you live in south carolina and probably florida you're about to undergo tv armageddon. the campaign ads are flooding you. you will be drowning in yucky things that they say about each other. we'll tell you a little bit about it. you're watching "early start." the street a script and had them read it. no, sorry, i can't help you with th