Thats it for us. Thanks for watching. Early start begins right now. Bracing for the big one. Two winter storms about to merge into a monster blizzard for parts of the northeast. American spy secrets exposed . Iran claims it has hacked into a captured u. S. Drone. We have a live report. And, john t is high drama on capitol hit. President obamas big pick for cia director up for con fir make in a few hours. But will members of his own party derail it . I dont know. Lots of drama. Good morning. Welcome to early start. Im zoraida sambolinment. Im john berman. Its thursday, february 7th. 5 00 a. M. In the east. Lets get started. Up first, brace yourselves, bundle up, buy a shovel. This will be a big one. At this moment a blaizzard watc is in effects for new england. A storm is headed that way and could be historihistoric. It could drop two feet of snow in some places and it all starts tomorrow. You told us this was coming yesterday, you were on top of this one. Were trying. Boston could rival its worst blizzard from 2003 which had 27 1 2 inches. All of this talks about two storm systems coming together. The first one here, notice in the south, all instability, a tornado warming out there for plaquemines parish. This is moving off to the east. We will watch this produce heavy showers even through atlanta. A low will form, become a rain and wind event as it moves across or north on the northern seaboard. The other storm system, now watch as these two merge together. Again, once they merge, its all about the positioning, not only of the low itself but where the freezing line is all these factors will determine how much snow we will have in each area. Lets talk about what were expecting. A blizzard warning, we know that, out towards boston, rhode island and connecticut. Its not the only story. Were talking about winter storm warnings and weather advisories. Want to talk about the focus areas. We fknow what were focused wit. One to two feet. You guys in new york are on that freezing line. Depending on that position, we could see it vary, sleet turning into snow, perhaps all snow. Hang in there, get yourself. Thats a lot of deep purple over a wide, wide area. All of new england, yes. Thank you very much. Another developing story this morning, u. S. Secrets exposed . Iran is claiming it has decoded and now released footage from a downed u. S. Drone. A man identified as a member of irans military narrated the footage as it was broadcast on Iranian State media. He claims it was a drone iran downed in 2011. Cnn cannot independently verify the authenticity of this video. We reached out to the pentagon for comment but have not heard back yet. Nick robertson is following developments in london. Is this the same drone that the United States said was returned to the United States . It looks like the same one. The iranians say it was flying 140 miles into their airspace off their northeastern corner, close to the border with afghanistan. The iranians are saying this aircraft was flying from the Kandahar Airfield base inside afghanistan, and some of the footage, and i looked at it, some of it could be Kandahar Air Base but theres no guarantee this video came from the aircraft in question here. Did they get this video from somewhere els . Its not clear. Theres no way to verify at the moment what the iranians are saying. The spokesman that the iranians are putting forward says that the aircraft was sent to california several times in 2010 for repair and used for operations inside pakistan. Translator this aircraft has had many flights in countries around iran, operations that have taken place in pakistan. This aircraft provided guidance. Again, no indications that we have that they have the real video from this drone. They may do, but we cant know that for sure at the moment. Potentially this could be a fake. We have not substantiated any of these claims. But if it is not a fake what does it say about the strength and sophistication of the Iranian Intelligence system. If you were a spy agency from another country and you wanted to get inside a u. S. Military base and got footage of it, that would be a coup. If the iranians got some footage from inside Kandahar Airfield base showing things that the United States and allies rather the iranians not see, that would be a coup. We have to be clear here. What the iranians say they have done is decoded the video on board the aircraft. Thats entirely different from watching a live stream of video as Drone Operators do, as combat troops in the field can do. These are two vastly different things. It may show the iranians have some advantage here, but certainly doesnt show they hacked into the allimportant being able to watch downstream live video as it happens. Thats really the unanswered question. Nic robertson. New developments this morning about a secret u. S. Memo authorizing the killing of americans overseas. President obama will release classified documents outlining the legal justification for drone strikes that kill u. S. Terror suspects abroad. Until yesterday the white house refused to acknowledge these documents existed. And news of the disclosure coming just as john brennan, the president s nominee to be cia director is set for his Senate Confirmation hearing. Brennan was the architect of the drone policy. As Barbara Starr tells us, its just one of the obstacles he faces. Mr. John brennan. Reporter when president obamas pick for cia director heads to capitol hill today for his confirmation hearing, its some in the president s own party that are threatening to hold up John Brennans nomination. Oregon Democrat Senate other ron wyden telling reporters he would pull out all the stops to get answers about the legality of targeting americans involved with al qaeda overseas. In written answers to committee questions, brennan didnt address killing americans, but insisted all targeting is made on a case by case basis. Senator wyden was trying to find out that basic information. And has been denied that. So you know, the most basic questions about a program that john brennan has been the architect of and the orchestrator of for four years, the most basic details of it have been withheld. Reporter its just one controversy brennan faces at his confirmation hearing. Theres his role in administration leaks about covert operations, like the cyberattack on Irans Nuclear program, and the use of a mole to infiltrate al qaeda in yemen. Senators want to know his knowledge of harsh interrogat n interrogations when he was at the cia during the george w. Bush years. Brennan said he was aware of the program but wasnt involved in it he promised these techniques would not be used again by the cia if i were the director. Well, he says he had opposed enhanced interrogations or torture but there are statements that clearly he made several years ago where he supported it. Id like to see those that issue resolved. Reporter outrage over the Interrogation Program scuttled brennans chances to lead the cia in obamas first term. But now he says hes ready for the political heat. Though i consider myself neither a republican or democrat, i very much look forward to working closely with those on both sides of the aisle. Reporter as president obamas top counterterroism adviser, brennan continues to be seen as all powerful. I think for sure john is regarded in terms of the Intelligence Community, even where he is now, as a first among equals. Reporter if hes confirmed as director of the cia, john brennan will have a new boss. He will report to james clapper, the director of national intelligence. If theres covert action, some of the cias most esecret activities, brennan will still have the authority to walk right into the oval office. Barbara starr, cnn, the pentagon. Defense secretary leon panetta gets fired up in his final days on the job, warning we are on the brink of the most serious readiness crisis faced by the Armed Services in more than a decade unless Congress Takes action to stop across the board military budget cuts from taking effect on march 1st. This is not a game. This is reality. These steps would seriously damage a fragile American Economy and they would degrade our ability to respond to crisis precisely at a time of rising instability across the globe. Passion from the outgoing defense secretary. Even as budget cuts loom, the u. S. Air force renewed its nascar partnership with Richard Petty motorsports. Nascar says the air force will be the primary sponsor for two races and an associate sponsor all season. President obama is expected to open up on faith this morning as religious and Community Leaders gather for the 61st National Prayer breakfast. It will be the president s first remarks to the Faith Community since he announced his support for samesex marriage. The Fellowship Foundation has historically held evangelical views. A shocking discovery, a teenager chained to a pipe in his basement. Kansas city police responsing to a chip from the missouri childrens hotline found a 17yearold boy locked up, appearing frail and hungry. The special needs teen told police he had been locked down there by his parents since september. According to a neighbor, the mother had been telling people that the boy had been out of town. After witnessing prior abuse, neighbors expected something was wrong. There were a couple times i came over here after school and he was sleeping on her front porch because they wouldnt let him in the house. It was sad. We cried a lot yesterday. Three adults are in custody. The boy is in the care of the state now. The Boy Scouts Organization says it needs more time on whether to lift its ban on day troop and scout leaders. They were expected to vote on that proposal yesterday to allow local scout groups to make their own policies, but a decision was put off until the annual meeting in may. The scouts said it was due to the complexity of the issue. That will only ramp up the controversy surrounding the issue. A Baseball Card described as rarer than rare sold for 92,000 at action. The 1865 photograph of the Brooklyn Atlantics is considers one of the first ever Baseball Cards. The atlantics were a Founding Team in the National Association of baseball players, a forerunner of the national league. The seller found the card at a yard sale in maine. The only other copy what a find. Mom, dont throw away the box of Baseball Cards. Theres only one copy that we know about in the library of congress. Baseball cards, the treasure that keeps on giving. 1865. Thats remarkable. Old. I have some from the 60s. Do you really . Yeah. The 60s that doesnt seem old anymore. Maybe to you. To me ancient. So he came clean to oprah, but is Lance Armstrong ready to name names about doping in the cycling world. He was one of president obamas top advisers, now tim geithner seems ready to tell all. Developed by experts in skin genomics to target 5 major causes of uneven skin tone and help restore even color. Olay professional even skin tone. With handlayered pasta, tomatoes, and real mozzarella cheese. But what makes us even prouder. Is what our real dinners can do for your family. Stouffers. Lets fix dinner. Get ready for a lot more of that newplane smell. Were building the youngest, most modern fleet among the largest us airlines to ensure that you are more comfortable and connected than ever. We are becoming a new american. All stations come over to mithis is for real this time. Step seven point two one two. Verify and lock. Command is locked. Five seconds. Three, two, one. Standing by for capture. The most Innovative Software on the planet. Dragon is captured. Is connecting todays leading companies to places beyond it. Siemens. Answers. Campbells has 24 new soups that will make it drop over, and over again. From jammin jerk chicken, to creamy gouda bisque. See whats new from campbells. Its amazing what soup can do. You know how painful heartburn can be. For fast, long lasting relief, use doctor recommended gaviscon®. Only gaviscon® forms a protective barrier that helps block stomach acid from splashing up relieving the pain quickly. Try fast, long lasting gaviscon®. Welcome back to early start. Im going to dance. Sing a little this morning. He confessed to doping during his incredible Tour De France run. Now Lance Armstrong could name names. The new yonew york times repo that armstrong is in talksanti talk about who helped him dope and cover it up. This report came out after the Antidoping Agency gave him more time to talk. This is a big deal. Its the thing that everyone says he needs to do if he wants to get his suspension reduce so he can run whatever races he wants to run in the future. Its a big development. 16 minutes after the hour. I want to bring you up to speed on all the mornings top stories. Christine romans is here for that. A dangerous winter storm is targeting the northeast. Its the big one. It is. Parts of new england already under a blizzard watch this morning. Two feet of snow, maybe more could fall in parts of massachusetts and rhode island beginning tomorrow. Get ready. The fda sends out a warning about a new fake version of the cancerfighting drug avastin. It says at least one batch sent by a new yorkbased distributor contained no active ingredient. The counterfeit version is marked as altisan which is not approved in the u. S. The injectable drug treats colorect colorectal, lung and break cancers. Timothy geithner has revealed that he will write a book about the bailouts. He took heat about the Bank Bailouts and how it was free money for the banks. He was head of the new york fed at the time. Supporters credited him with preventing a Global Economic collapse. We are told he is shopping still for the publisher. Bridget jones is back. Its been 14 years since the last novel. The first two books sold 15 million copies. Both, of course, were made into feature films were berman has memorized. I was made to see the movie once. Its not for guys. Really . Really. I think you could bond really well during the movie. I say its a must for guys. Thank you, christine. Youre welcome. Its time for your local reads or early reads, your local news making National Headlines this from idahos spokesman review. State chairman john getty introduced legislation that would make every high schooler read and pass a test on a ayn rands Atlas Shrugged before graduating. When a fellow senator asked him why he chose that specific book, getty replied that book made my son a republican. He reportedly doesnt plan to push the bill to a hearing. Getty said he wanted to send a message that hes unhappy with some of the dastate boards rect decisions. Paul ryan loved it. It was a big part of the election last year. Its not a bad book. Its a good book. One of the most popular male models in the world is giving up fame and the potential for a considerable fortune to play college football. Miles crosby has signed a letter of intent to play football for Southern MethodistUniversity Next year. Come over to your tv. Hes okay looking. Really . At 17 hes 17. Brace yourself. I know. Hes appeared in a number of calvin klein ads, appeared in esquire, gq and vanity fair. I guess hes the 11th ranked male model in the world. I wonder how those rankings work. If you lose, do your rankings go down . He said he has a passion for football and a desire to study film with the hope of becoming a director. So hes smart and beautiful. Way to go, mom. And plays football. For an expanded look at our top stories, head to our blog, cnn. Com early start. You can follow us on twitter and facebook. Some serious questions about cybersecurity this morning at the Federal Reserve. Coming up, the data that hackers may now have access to. Ous unda. Its a primer, concealer and foundation in one for all day flawless skin. New outlast stay fabulous from easy, breezy, beautiful covergirl. For their annual football trip. Thats double miles you can actually use. Tragically, their buddy got sacked by blackouts. But its our tradition thats roughing the card holder. But with the capital one venture card you get double miles you can actually use. [ cheering ] any flight, anytime. The scoreboard doesnt lie. Whats in your wallet . Hut i have me on my fantasy team. No they dont. Hey son. Have fun tonight. Back against the wall aint nothin to me aint nothin to me [ crowd murmurs ] hey [ howls ] has oats that can help lower cholesterol . And it tastes good . Sure does wow. Its the honey, it makes it taste so. Well, would you look at the time. Whats the rush . Be happy. Be healthy. Trying to find a better job can whalikbe frustrating. Gs, so at university of phoenix were working with a growing list of almost two thousand Corporate PartnersCompanies Like microsoft, American Red Cross and adobe to create options for you. Not only that, were using what we learn from these partners to shape our curriculum, so that when you find the job you want youll be a perfect fit. Lets get to work. New york, new york, where we are minding your business this morning. U. S. Stock futures are slightly up this morning ahead of the European Central bank meeting today. First time jobless claims are being watched and consume irconfidencircon if