but ends up crashing into the set. why he says he didn't hit the brakes in time. and good morning, everyone. >> welcome back. >> thank you. back to this cold weather. i think it's the coldest morning of the winter so far. that powerful arctic blast, nearly two-thirds of the country, in a deep freeze today. even the sunshine state is shivering. the governor has said that extreme temperatures may cause a major disaster. sam is tracking the storm. we'll have the latest. it already is a major disaster for so many across the midwest. we'll have the latest on the jets coach that tripped a player along the sidelines. he's on the sidelines himself. the jets have suspended him for the rest of the season. they won't see if he's going to get his jobs back. we'll hear from the coach himself this morning. >> people say he should not come back. some people say, the suspension and fine is enough. we'll see. and the cruise ship battered by extreme wind and waves in the caribbean, docked early this morning in malta. we have new video and scary stories about the rough time onboard for the 2,500 passengers. >> a lot of them didn't know if they were going to make it. we begin with the blast of winter hitting so much of the country. the midwest digging out of the storm that's taken 15 lives. and sam with the latest on what's sure to be the coldest day of the year up and down the east coast. >> you said more than half of the country colder than normal. 40% of the nation has snow on the ground. 40%. like in yankers, new york. an icy blast is making driving a problem through the new york area. deep south, six of our deep south states have hard freeze warnings. this is an early arctic blast that is not going down easy. on indiana highways, more than 100 cars trapped in snowdrifts are finally free this morning. some stuck for over 12 hours, as temperatures outside dropped to a dangerous 11 degrees. three indiana counties declared states of emergency, as 30-mile-per-hour wind gusts sent snow swirling, making the rescue job even harder. >> cars in snowdrifts about four or five foot high. there's about 15 of them. >> reporter: frigid winds are sweeping across more than two-thirds of the nation. gusts as high as 45 miles per hour, made planes at cleveland's airport barely make it off the runway. this missouri home, frozen solid, when temperatures were in the teens. >> water shooting up in the air. you could see it going up and the wind catching it. >> reporter: actual temperatures are plummeting to 30 below zero in the midwest. and below freezing in the northeast. water, frozen in these atlanta fountains, as temperatures dropped to 19 degrees. expected to plunge to 13 degrees today, breaking a record set in 1917. charity groups are passing out blankets to miami's homeless, braving 30-degree temperatures overnight. this second outbreak of arctic air to hit the u.s. in two weeks has claimed at least 15 lives. believing more than 50,000 people without power. and forcing dozens of school closures in north carolina. their sixth snow day in just over a week. >> it's never like this. i haven't seen it like this since i was born. >> after the morn states being the headline for the last days. it's the southern states. miami expecting a record low. and matt gutman is in florida to talk about the problems down south. good morning, matt. >> reporter: good morning, sam. they call this america's winter salad bowl. but get a look at this. this is cauliflower. looks more like the inside of your freezer. broccoli over there. tomatoes behind. pe and strawberries over there. all of these crops are destroyed. crop growers saying this is bad news. and we're going to see some sort of shortage over the next couple of weeks. in terms of green beans, sweet corn, one grower said 100% of his crops have been destroyed. now, we did dodge a bullet here. you see the orange groves behind me. i have an orange in my pocket here. these are okay. that doesn't mean we're not going to see orange prices continue to spike. they hit three-year high just yesterday. and we may still see those prices rise, even though this orange looks pretty good and pretty sweet to me. sam? >> it depends how long the cold air stays in the area. we'll have all of america's forecast in a moment. >> it's not even winter officially. now, to the death of america's top diplomat in afghanistan. and the architect of much of our policy there. we were very sad to learn that richard holbrooke had died last night in washington, after undergoing emergency heart surgery. and according to a official, his last words to his surgeon were, quote, you have to stop this war in afghanistan. martha raddatz has much more. >> i thank you for your confidence in offering me this daunting assignment. >> reporter: anyone who knew richard holbrooke knows what a force he was. a man with enormous energy and confidence. >> he is simply one of the giants of american foreign policy. >> i'm sure there are some shoulders here tonight that are still a little bit sore from his arm-twisting. >> reporter: holbrooke fell ill on friday, during a one-on-one meeting with secretary clinton, complaining of chest pains. he was rushed by ambulance to nearby george washington hospital, where all weekend, doctors performed a number of surgeries to repair an aortic tear. ultimately, however, they were unable to control the bleeding. the president issued a statement saying, the united states is safer and the world is more secure because of the half-century of patriotic service of ambassador richard holbrooke. secretary clinton said, america has lost one of its fiercest champions and most dedicated public servants. this is a sad day for me, for the state department, and for the united states of america. in a career that spanned from vietnam to brokering peace accords in bosnia, holbrooke was used to challenges. and never shied away from using blunt language to get his point across. >> it's silly to even respond to such a ludicrous charge. >> reporter: it was his experience and straightforward approach that led president obama to tap holbrooke for the afghanistan/pakistan job, just days after taking office. >> ambassador holbrooke is one of the most talented diplomats of his generation. >> reporter: richard holbrooke died with his wife, children and step children by his side. he was 69 years old. >> he was such a presence and such a force. want to bring in martha raddatz, along with jake tapper at the white house. martha, you just came back from afghanistan and pakistan. what are the implications of our policy going forward now? >> well, robin, i think the stamp of richard holbrooke was already on that policy in a very strong way. and the review of the afghanistan policy is essentially done. so, it will go forward. admiral mike mullen just released a statement saying, i know richard holbrooke would want our work to continue unabated. and i know we will all feel his bully presence in the room, as we do so. as you know, robin, he was a very, very tough negotiator. but they want consistency. they want someone with a strong personality. he is going to be very, very difficult to replace. >> he earned that nickname, the bulldozer. jake, at the white house, the president will be meeting with some of his top afghan advisers and talking about having to move, of course, forward at this point. and how to best go about doing that. >> that's exactly right. and of the people around that table, there are very few who are focused exclusively on afghanistan and pakistan. and his candor will be missed. i was told by a top official who will be in that room later today, later this morning. and his expertise, of course. there aren't that many individuals who are so larger-than-life, the job of special representative to afghanistan and pakistan, is a job that basically required his own secretary of state, the region is so complicated. and one of the issues going forward is there are not that many people who can fill that role to be the special representative, just to focus on afghanistan and pakistan. >> all right, jake and martha, thank you very much. it will be a sad day in washington. a sad day for all the country. and, of course, we're thinking of his family. thank you both very much. i know you knew him very well. that personal loss for president obama and the diplomatic team, came after a day packed with action on the president's agenda. a federal judge knocked down the health care bill. but overwhelming of the tax cut bill. >> i urge the house of representatives to act quickly on this important matter. if there's one thing we can agree on, it's the urgent work of protecting middle-class families, removing uncertainty for america's businesses and giving our economy a boost as we head into the new year. for more on this, we're joined live, now, by democratic strategist, james carville, and dana loesch. james, i want to begin with you. i want to get to the tax cut and health care debates. first, richard holbrooke. as robin said, i knew him will, worked with him closely, as you did, as well. he devoted every part of his being to diplomacy, to making peace. his brain. his bulk. and i think he showed over the course of his lifetime that in these central questions, one person really can make a difference. >> yeah. i think the thing i would like to say about richard, he was a real patriot. in afghanistan, i said, richard. and overqualified underfunded candidate. and i say, he doesn't have money or anything. and he says, you are a member of the kennedy generation. you have to go. okay. i never got anything. the idea that the united states needed something, and it was something in a you could do for your country and that you didn't do it was just foreign to him. he didn't understand that. and here he was, the culmination of a career that was where he was secretary of state. and he took probably the single-worst job in the government. trust me, it didn't come with trappings. i sat in his office a number of times. it was very small. didn't have a huge staff or anything. but he thought this was an important thing. and he was working on it until -- well, the day he died, as he was going into surgery, he was working on it. >> when richard holbrooke asked you to do something, you say yes. henry kissinger said, you might as well say yes quickly. it will be a long ride. let's move on to health care. dana loesch, let me bring you in here. a federal judge in virginia said yesterday, the government doesn't have the right to require people to buy health insurance. but the white house is quick to point out that two other courts have upheld the law. how big a blow is this? >> i don't think that it's -- i was pleased to see judge hudson's -- his actual interpretation of the law. the commerce clause and the way it's used. and it's kind of illogical, too. with the other two cases, it's interesting to note that the other two judges that passed verdicts on this, as well, they did not go as in depth with this case, as judge hudson did. they didn't have opinions that were as in depth as judge hudson's. they hadn't read over the law as much as judge hudson had. and they were -- someone would argue they were clinton appointees. so, it was somewhat partisan. i'm going to leave that to the side. the judge was right in this case. you cannot use the commerce clause with regards to forcing people to purchase a product from the government. >> james, i think there are partisan judges on both sides. you look at where the white house stands on health care, they're fighting on so many fronts. they're fighting in the congress. they're fighting in the courts. they're fighting in the states. and we have a new poll out just yesterday, showing that public support for health care is the lowest it's ever been. 34% for the president's reforms. 52% oppose it. how much time and energy can the president and his team invest in this fight. >> i guess i could point out that the judge -- i'm not going to say that. look, this thing is people watch the health care go through a tortuous fight through the congress, through the house, through the senate. and now, we're going to have what appears to be an equally tortuous fight in the courts. and i suspect reading everything i have, it will be a while. but it will get to the supreme court. and it will be decided one way or another. people aren't knowing if they're going to get it. and who knows if provisions are going to be there. and how long it's going to take. this is the way our system works. we're along for the ride. >> i'm sure you're right about that. more than 80 votes in the senate for the tax cut compromise. looks like it's heading towards passage. i was struck by mitt romney in "usa today" this morning, saying the tax cut is a bad deal. why is a potential candidate for president coming out against this? >> it's interesting. the writers are split on the tax cut compromise. and i find reasons to like it and find reasons why i don't want to support it. with mitt romney, i think it's interesting. there's other people, sarah palin has spoke about the tax cut compromise. jim ryan has discussed it. mitch mcconnell has discussed it. the bottom line is, republicans have to get some kind of strategy. i don't think they're clear. jim demint has been the most forthcoming about strategy, passing something retroactively. but we'll see. all i know is that small business owners and middle-class people like myself, are a little frightened to see what's coming down the pike after the first of the year. there's been inaction for so long. >> james, ten seconds left. democrats in the house, ready to pass this thing now? >> yeah. my daddy used to say when he would pick us up, you have to eat it because you've got to eat it. they're going to eat it because they've got to eat it. >> okay. james carville, dana loesch, thanks very much. new developments in morning in the madoff family tragedy. bernie madoff's lawyer says his imprisoned client will not be at the funeral for his oldest son, mark, who committed suicide over the weekend. our brian ross has an update on it this morning. >> reporter: good morning, robin. madoff's lawyer says out of respect and privacy for the family, bernie madoff will not attend the funeral and will hold a private memorial service at his prison in north carolina. "the new york post" and tabloids resulting this is an insult from bernie. but mr. madoff was probably not welcome at that funeral by his family, by mark's wife, stephanie. nor is mrs. madoff, ruth madoff, expected to attend. mark was estranged from his wife, from his mother and his father, the last two years. and his mother was an enabler of his father's crimes. >> we haven't heard from the mother since the death. do you know more about the circumstances surrounding all this that might have led to him taking his own life? >> new york police tell us that last year, this is madoff -- stephanie madoff, called the police to say mark had gone missing. he was found in a new york hotel room, checked in under another name. and told police he was under duress and was going to seek care for his issues. >> a sad story. let's go to sam with more on the weather. >> good morning, robin. when last we left you, the question is how long is the record cold lasting in florida? here's the answer. the freeze warning is out until 9:00 tomorrow morning. possible record temperatures as far south as miami. then, watch the highs come back up. jacksonville, 54 on wednesday. miami, to 74 by thursday. in the northwest, this is a big story. 29 landslides, mudslides in the seattle area. ten inches of rain on the coastal range. more rain coming over the next few days. it is still warm in the southwest, george. san diego had a record high temperature of 83 yesterday. >> let's head there. the new york jets assistant coach that tripped a miami dolphins player on sunday's game has been suspended without pay. sal alosi won't be able to coach with the team for the rest of the season, including the playoffs. and has been slapped with a $25,000 fine. >> reporter: some want to see him fired. he looked nervous and uncomfortable when he apologized yesterday at a press conference. expressing he wished he could turn back time. >> this is just uncalled for in the nfl. >> reporter: it's the humiliating highlight from sunday's jets/dolphin game that has everyone talking about the man behind it. >> watch the knee here, being stuck out on purpose, to trip nolan carroll. >> reporter: assistant coach, sal alosi, who spoke out just hours before it was announced. >> why did you do it? >> i wasn't thinking. >> reporter: the head coaches from both teams involved also addressed the incident. >> i would like to apologize to the dolphins. sal made a huge mistake. he knows that. >> i don't like what happened because, you know, a player could have got hurt. seriously hurt. >> reporter: many were calling for alosi's firing. >> the dolphins said, they're cheaters. it plays right in the reputation. horrible for the team. he deserves to be fired. >> reporter: but football legend, mike ditka, was more forgiving, when he called into espn's "mike and mike" on monday. >> i disagree. he apologized for it. >> reporter: it's the latest black eye for the jets that have suffered scandals. a recent pounding by the patriots. to sexual harassment claims by sports reporter inez seance. >> i'm not getting into that. >> reporter: even brett favre put the team back on the defensive, for allegedly sending nude photos to reporter jen surger, something he denies. league officials felt it was the right decision. and will take no further action. and the nfl is sending out a memo to all the teams, reminding them to keep a proper distance from the sidelines. >> i don't know. we were talking about this before we went on the air. i don't get it. i don't understand how he can't be fired. >> eventually, people like mike ditka that are involved in sports, feel it's wrong. but those that are not participated in sports -- >> it's different, being a player on the field. he's a coach sitting there. we'll see if the jets hire him back. thanks, andrea. >> thank you. let's go down under. movie star, hugh jackman, on a zip line, making that big entrance over the heads of 6,000 fans gathered at the sydney opera house, for the taping of "oprah." he hit the brakes too late. and he smacked into a lighting rig. he's okay. >> he got distracted by looking at the sydney harbor and oprah down below. the paramedics took a look at it. they examined the cut. oprah was there. ooh. >> a big glass of red wine. >> what happened to the wine? oprah takes care of him. and he got australian red, as well. >> they renamed it the oprah house. >> of course, they did. coming up, the battered cruise ship finally reaches port this morning. passengers speaking out about their horrifying night onboard. and why they're protesting. and the imposter. the pilot that claimed to be a cardiologist when he wasn't even a doctor. how did he fool his colleagues and the american medical association? i must have the wrong house. sister? we missed you so much. they waited up all night for you, you know. it's a long way from west africa. ahh...coffee. ♪ i brought you something from far away. [ chuckles ] really? ♪ aww. hd 5. you're my present this year. ♪ ♪ the best part of wakin' up ♪ is folgers in your cup but i wasn't winning any ribbons managing my diabetes. it was so complicated. there was a lot of information out there. but it was frustrating trying to get the answers i needed. then my company partnered with unitedhealthcare. they provided onsite screenings, healthy cooking tips. that's a recipe i'm keeping. ( announcer ) turning complex data into easy tools. we're 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. with the best decongestant. my ch