Top of the hour, im don lemon. The northeast bracing for another round of severe weather. From ohio to maine today with some areas of eastern massachusetts getting blasted with more than 8 inches. D. C. Is also seeing some of that action today with snow accumulations of 3 to 5 inches. Lots of celebrating in portland, maine. The first samesex couple said i do under a new state law which took effect at midnight. Steven bridges and Michael Snell said its still very surreal to them. Voters in maine, maryland and Washington State all approved samesex marriage last month. Gay marriage is already legal in d. C. And six other states. It is a dream come true for a nigerian immigrant. In a rare move, president obama sibld into law a private bill granting victor chuckwiki permanent residency. Its the only such bill to be approved in the last two years. The recent college grad came to the u. S. 11 years to go to undergo treatment for rare life threatening facial tumors. He had been living in michigan on an expired visa and will now head to medical school. A Russian Airliner slid off a runway and smashed outside moscow today. Four of the eight crew members on board were killed as the plane splintered into three pieces. No passengers on board were no passengers were on board, and no one on the highway was injured. The jet is about as big as a 757. It was run by the Russian Airline red wings. The plane was arriving from the Czech Republic when it overshot the runway. We knew it would end like this, didnt we . The fiscal cliff, still looming. Spending cuts and tax hikes that could shove our economy into recession. And a deadline lawmakers ignored until the very last possible minute. Live pictures now of the capitol. Looks beautiful. Man, but theres a lot of wrangling going on there. Lawmakers are back up had their backs up against the wall right now. And as they try to find a plan that can pass congress. Lets hope they do. Cnns chief White House Correspondent is jessica yellin. She is following the negotiations, working very hard on this saturday. So jess, democrats and republicans are supposedly working on a plan, even as we speak. What do we know about it . Reporter well, we know, don, that its the Senate Leaders that are hashing this out. And what theyre looking to negotiate is a deal that would extend current low tax rates for middle income americans. We dont know the exact threshold levels. So would it be people who make 400,000 and less, would it be 250,000 and less. But something that would extend low rates and then increase them above. Extend probably Unemployment Benefits and some kind of patch for the alternative minimum tax, probably. Probably a fix for the doctor to receive medicare payments. And then some other components. This is just based on prior discussions and what we know each side wanted going in. We dont know about the estate tax and some other elements. And we also dont know if this will all really come together in time. But our people up on capitol hill, ted barrett, lisa de jordan said they did see some revenue estimates. Just how much all this would cost going into senator reids office and then that payment heading over to the republican side. Manila envelopes changing hands. So all that is a good sign that there are discussions and progress being made, at least they are talking, don. Things could be worse. Okay. So this may be a little bit redid you know danlt, but i want you to go in specifically for me. President obama says he wants another plan put to a vote if the senate fails to come up with a plan. So what is the president s plan, and will Republican Leaders let that happen . Well, okay. So Senate Majority leader harry reid, a democrat, has crafted an alternative proposal that he has saying he will put if the negotiations i just described fail and if the senators cannot come to a bipartisan agreement, then the democratic leader is going to put on the floor a democratic proposal that would extend tax rates for households that make 250,000 and less. Hatch the alternative minimum tax and extend unemployment insurance. So thats a democratic proposal. The problem with that is, you can expect a republican is likely to filibuster it or block it in some way so its not likely to go anywhere. And its not likely to be put on the house floor for a vote by republicans in the house or democrats in the house. So you can assume its a nonstarter. Its more of the political proposal than a real proposal. Bottom line. Theres one good thing in washington. Or two. Youre there. And if we can get a shot of the capitol back, at least theres a nice dusk happening its beautiful. Lets hope that helps the mood there. And they get something done. Jess, thank you. Thanks. Despite all the handwringing over the fiscal cliff, investors havent melt much pain. That doesnt mean if wont get ugly on wall street if we dont have a deal soon. Cnns alison kosik looks at the consequences. Reporter don, with wall street focused squarely on the fiscal cliff, there is little incentive for investors to move stocks higher so stocks ended lower for the fifth session in a row friday with the dow tumbling 158 points. This slide began last week when Speaker Boehner was unable to bring his plan b. To a vote. That would have avoided the fiscal cliff. But he wasnt able to bring that to a vote. That made investors lose confidence, and since then, nothing really concrete has happened with the fiscal cliff to convince investors that a deal can get done. So at this point, the market doesnt really want a bandaid or socalled framework deal. In fact, one trader told me that it would almost be better if we went over the cliff, because that would give the markets some certainty. They would at least know what to expect. That is, of course, instead of a bandaid measure, because the worry there is that it would just kick the can down the road. Now, this is usually the time of year when we see whats known as A Santa Claus rally, when investors push up stocks an average of 1. 5 in the last few days of the year. And that kind of rally has come to wall street over the past four years. The santa claus rally still has some time to make it, though, with the market wrapping up 2012 on monday with a full day of trading. Now, the major averages are, though, on track to make some solid gains for the year. You look at 2012 heading into monday for the dow industrials, theyre up 6 . The nasdaq is up more than 13 . And the s p 500, thats up 1 1 for the year. Don . Alison, thank you very much. A lot of us would like to tell lawmakers what we think of them. Heres our chance, your chance. Go to ireport. Com and send us a 15second video that starts my new years message to washington. Then tell us what you want to tell them. And well play your messages to congress onair. He was hoping to be home by christmas. But former president george h. W. Bush still in a texas hospital. He has been in intensive care since sunday but were hearing now his condition is improving. Were joined from houston. Paul, what can you tell us about the former president s condition . Reporter i can tell you this, don. He is now out of intensive care and a bush spokesman is telling me this is just wonderful, great news for the family that he has finally been taken out of intensive care. And for some reason, it seems like singing is a theme here among hw bush. The oak ridge boys apparently serenaded him yesterday after barbara bush had made a call to them and said we need for you to lift his spirits, and indeed they did, from what we understand. The oak ridge boys sang el vira and amazing grace. And the president reportedly singing yesterday and shows he still has his positive attitude and kept his sense of humor. A lot of clarity here. He says president bush absolutely loves his doctors and nurses here. Burr again, the headline, he is now out of intensive care, don. Paul, thank you very much. We appreciate it. Other news now. Police in new york have a woman in custody, wanted for shoving a man to his death on the subway tracks. A Police Spokesman says the woman was implicated has implicated herself during interviews with detectives but has not yet been formally charged. This is a sketch that went out yesterday. Police only had this grainy video and some eyewitness statements to go on. The victim was pushed under the train as it entered the station thursday. He was a 46yearold Graphic Designer from queens. Also in new york, upstate in rochester, this woman under arrest. Police say dawn wen is charged with providing weapons to a man who ambushed and kill two firefighters. The gunman was not legally allowed to buy a gun. Firefighter Mike Chiapperini and tom tomas cokachi were killed. The gunman then commted suicide. A rape victim tied today in the hospital. The womans tragic story has people all over the country demanding action. And justice, as well. Cnns malca capour is in new dehli for us. Reporter her identity is a secret but she has been given a name, brave heart. And thousands of people across the country are taking the to the streets to mark this courageous young girls death. We are really speechless about what happened with the girl. Reporter a brutal gang rape has shaken india and there is an unprecedented outpouring of grief and anger. They say new dehli just isnt a safe place for women. Common people like us, people who dont normally go to protest, because we feel strongly about this. We feel we are not safe. Our relatives. Nobody is safe in the city anymore. And we dont really see the government picking up that as an issue. Safety is the first thing you would assure to a citizen. Reporter this isnt the first time a rape case has been reported. Many more never are. But this case has become a lightning rod in india. People are disgusted with the brutality of the rape. Protesters say enough is enough. The brutality of this crime and the way it has been handled, the kind of insensitive treatment that some of the statements that some of the politicians and some of the people have made ensure that not only me everybody has come out to say that this is not done. And we are not okay with this. Reporter they want to see the government take concrete steps to address their concerns. Surely, definitely. Then, you know, faster justice. You need to have special courts where its not open to the public. I think thats still a provision. We need to have more courts and better hearing and stronger assistan assistance. Reporter its no longer about one girl or one particular rape case. Its about indias attitude towards its women and about making sure that braveheart did not die in vain. Cnn, new dehli. Coming up, more than 2,000 weapons were turned during a gun buyback. A Program Including two grenade launchers. Just ahead, a georgia mom hasnt heard from her two little boys in a week and she is pleading with their father to return them. Shell join us live later this hour. Gun buybacks have been taking place around the country in the wake of the newtown massacre. More than 2,000 weapons were turned in los angeles this week. But look at this. Not just one, but two rocket launchers ended up in the pile. Los angeles county sheriffs says its incredible to know such fire power was even out on the streets. It looked like we were in a third world nation when you seize all these weapons from individuals. And the question you have to ask is why. New albany, kentucky held its first gun buyback this weekend. Police say it was a success with 250 guns turned in. Hundreds of people stood in line to get some cash. The goal was to collect handguns and assault rifles. And in bridgeport, connecticut, a ground swell of gun owners supported the buyback. Cnns david arrest owes at that looks at how the shooting rampage is prompting people to say goodbye to their weapons. Reporter William Porter says he is done with guns. The Elementary School shooting in nearby newtown, connecticut struck a nerve. My wife cried. We were out shopping. And we heard it while we were in the store. And she cried. You know . Its wrong. Okay. How are you doing . Im good. Reporter porter is turning over his handgun to police in connecticuts most popular city. Part of bridgeports largest gun buyback ever. And with well over 100,000 in private donations, police are taking the weapons, no questions asked. I know that every gun we take in is one less gun that has a potential to kill our children. Reporter more than 100 guns have been collected in each of the first two days, and are expected to be melted down. But with millions more scattered across the u. S. , can buybacks like this one make a dent . These guns could have created victims. And we know that if we can reduce the number of weapons that are available through breaking into peoples houses and grabbing guns, we are a safer society. Reporter bridgeports police chief says an attempt to organize a similar gun buyback failed last year due to a lack of funding. But not this time. Weve seen an outpouring from the Community Since sandy hook. In all manners. From, you know, teddy bears to cash. And i think this is part of it. I think people want to feel safe. Reporter for porter, a gun locked safely in his home ended up in the hands of his foster child, who he says then handed it over to a gang member. If that person would have done something to somebody else with that gun, it would have been falling back on me. And im 52 years old. I havent had a criminal record all my life. Reporter police say thats how even legal guns can pose a danger. I dont know that were ever going to be able to disarm every bad guy here. But what were doing is were taking away the possibility. Were taking away the chance for a bad guy to get another gun. Reporter porter says he got lucky. It did go into the wrong hands but i got it back, and its getting destroyed now. Reporter and now he has a little more cash in his pocket. 75. All right, thank you. All right. David ariosis there in new york. So david, the real question is, will these have any impact . Well, don, were talking about tens of millions of guns that are spread across the united states. Were talking about hundreds that are being taken back. So you talk to different types of people. They say this makes an impact, but the real relative impact about how many guns are actually on the streets could be actually minimal. Talk about the gun swell in the wake of the sandy hook shooting, from gun enthusiasts concerned about whether new legislation from pushes on capitol hill will actually change the public dialogue and start to restrict gun rights, perhaps the way they were in the 1990s and clinton administration. You start to see more and more gun shops selling some of these weapons out of fear for that new regulation. So while many people say that the heart is in the right place and perhaps with shrinking municipal budgets it will take some private donorses to put these programs forward, it really seems to be a drop in the bucket. David, i want to talk to you about a completely different story, but one that you have been covering. The man who was pushed in front of the subway and died, the 46yearold Graphic Designer from queens. I understand there has been an arrest made and there is new information about the woman accused of doing this. We just got off the phone with the queens District Attorney and found out that the woman has been identified as erica mendez. She is a 31yearold new york resident. And this woman has been charged with Second Degree murder. She has also been charged with a hate crime. If i can actually read from the statement here, its the queen District Attorneys statement says that i pushed a muslim off the tracks because i hate hindus and muslimses, ever since 2001 when they put down the twin towers ive been beating them up. So she could be facing some serious jail time, if convicted. This, of course, happened thursday, being the second time within the month of december weve seen a fatality of someone being pushed off a subway tracks. And as you know, new york has 8 million people, many of them take the subway. Its sort of the lifeblood of the city here. And so it has certainly rocked new yorkers and particularly those in queens where this has happened. Don . Unbelievable. And this whole hate crime thing takes the story to an entirely different level now. Were going to be covering this for the time being. Thank you very much, david ariosta for covering both those stories. The family of the 6yearold girl who survived the sandy hook attack is filing suit. The family is asking the state for 100 million. The little girl known only as jane dough was sitting in the classroom. Her Attorney Says she is traumatized after hearing the attack unfold over the schools loud speaker system. Its the first legal action after the massacre. New Research Points to a strong link between environmental changes, millions of years ago in the evolution of the human mind. Can big, traumatic events still change how we think . Thats next. [ female announcer ] what if the next big thing, isnt a thing at all . Its lots of things. All waking up. Connecting to the global phenomenon we call the internet of everything. Its going to be amazing. And exciting. And maybe, most remarkably, not that far away. Were going to wake the world up. And watch, with eyes wide, as it gets to work. Cisco. Tomorrow starts here. Our environment fundamentally changes how our brain works. Thats according to new research. Scientists say key mental developments are linked to events from millions of years ago. And they argue, even today our minds are shaped by things like pop culture and world events. Just like how changes in food supply and weather patterns impacted the brains of early man. Our 21st century brains are impacted by the powerful events happening in the world around us. Okay . So lets talk about it. Nguy wendy walsh. So wendy, can we predict how tragedy or trauma will make us evolve mentally . No. What we can to is we can predict we can infer that the big, sweeping changes that happen in our culture will force change in individuals or groups. We dont know if that change is going to be or what direction the change is going to be, good, bad or neutral. So, for instance, a giant hurricane like hurricane sandy, is this going to make people take a harder look at Climate Change . Or is it going to make them buy more house insurance, Homeowners Insurance . Or a tragedy like sandy hook. Is it going to make people take up more arms or fewer . We dont know which direction things will change. But we can say that there are some big things that happened in the last year that i think have the potential to cause a lot of change in people. Okay. So lets talk about that. Of the big stories this past year, which do you think had the greatest potential to cause a major change . In our thinking . Would newtown be one of them . Newtown would certainly be one of them. I think were going to now many people are calling this rock bottom. Its making us really take a look at if our laws really are preserving our freedoms or taking away our freedoms to be safe on the streets. And so thats the way people are starting to, you know, challenge the ideology. But look at penn state and the tragedy and the conviction of jerry sandusky. I think already people are understanding how sexual abuse in children can be very, very damaging. And theyre taking greater lengths to protect children. I think thats another one. Also, all the various uprisings in the middle east from egypt to the tragedy still going on in syria. I think were at a new place in the middle east where we have a Younger Generation thats using a new tool in the environment, technology. During egypts uprising, for instance, i was getting tweets and twist at which timers and facebook posts and i can imagine you, don, trying to get to the American Media to spread the word. So i think that the path were on now, while its still bloody and tragic, maybe a better path towards eventual peace in the u. S. Im not predicting it for 2013. The last is the gay marriage story. You cant legislate love, but you can support love when its there. And i think people are growing and progressing and i think ultimately thats a big story for this year, as far as evolution is concerned. You know, its interesting. As you were reeling off those stories and those are just a few of them, having to cover these stories, you wonder why we arent the news people arent the most depressed people in the world. But then the viewer is also taking it in at home, and it has to be affecting them as well. Of course. It absolutely does. I mean, i know that you just got back from connecticut and you and i had an email exchange earlier that youre the one who is bearing witness to our tragedies up front and personal, right there. We have the luxury of being able to turn off the television, don. And thats fortunate. Because we can deal with our grief in chunks of time. But, yeah, News Reporters can have ptsd. Trust me. Well, i think i do. But thank you for we just had an email exchange. Weve had phone calls lately. Wendy has been my therapist. You really have. And wendy i had such a breakthrough last night, such a catharsis, the first time i had a belly laugh since newtown and thank you for helping me with that. It was really great. I love you, don. Welcome back. Love you as well. Happy new year. You too. Three days away from the fisc fiscal cliff as our lawmakers struggle to make a deal. Its worth asking, how did we get sneer well tell you, next. Now with a fancy coating that gives you a burst of wildberry flavor. Now why make a flavored heartburn pill . Because this is america. And we dont just make things you want, we make things you didnt even know you wanted. Like a spoon fork. Spray cheese. And jeans made out of sweatpants. So grab yourself some new prilosec otc wildberry. [ male announcer ] one pill each morning. 24 hours. Zero heartburn. Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back. Half past the hour now. A look at the headlines. Officials in pakistan say they found the bodies today of 21 policemen believed captured and killed by the taliban. They were found not far from pakistans border with afghanistan. The taliban said yesterday that they had more than 20 police hostages. Pakistani Officials Say they were all shot execution style. This is syria today where an Alarming Number of people died outside the city. Opposition activists are saying more than 200 people were, quote, executed after Syrian Forces won a battle for control there. In all, across the country, more than 380 people were reportedly killed in fighting, bombings and air strikes today. A 31yearold woman has been charged with Second Degree murder as a hate crime in connection with the subway death in new york city. The queens District Attorney identified the woman as Erika Menendez of new york city. This is an nypd sketch of the suspect. She reportedly implicated herself in the death of sanadu sinh. He was a Graphic Designer. Witnesses say she was pacing the platform and talking to herself just before pushing sinh on to the tracks. Surveillance video shows the woman running from the scene. Former president george h. W. Bush out of intensive care and in a regular hospital room now. He has been in a houston hospital for more than a month, fighting off a fever and bronchitis. His Spokesman Says the former president is in good spirits and even singing with doctors and nurses. In washington, washington is usually pretty quiet this time of year. But not this weekend. Lawmakers are trying to find a plan to stop us from going over the socalled fiscal cliff. Good luck with that. Heres what we know so far. Its up to the senate to pass a plan at this point, aides for democratic leader harry reid and republican leader Mitch Mcconnell are trading proposals. Even if they agree, they still need the support of the caucuses. Thats no sure thing. Then the plan needs to pass the house too. And Speaker John Boehner has shown he cant control how his caucus votes. If the senate fails to act, president obama wants it to consider a much smaller plan, one that at least would stop middle class tax hikes, at least. But republicans could block a vote on that. Did you get all that . By now, youre probably asking how did we get in this mess . Cnns ali velshi breaks it down for us. Now we have passed a bold package of tax relief for americas families and businesses. Reporter it starts more than a decade ago, when then president george w. Bush initiated a series of tax cuts for all americans. But its a deal with a devil. The cuts, which are politically expedient but costly to government, expire in ten years time. Both houses of congress have now passed a package of tax relief that will protect the middle class. Reporter when it came time for the cuts to expire, the u. S. Is just emerging from the worst recession since the great depression. So president obama agreed to extend the tax cuts for two more years in exchange for congress extending federal emergency Unemployment Benefits. Those cuts are expensive. If theyre extended, by 2020, the bushera tax cuts will be responsible for more than half the total National Debt. Democrats insist that taxes go up for the wealthy but stay in place permanently for those earning less than 250,000 a year. We need to stop the jobkilling tax hikes, and we need to start cutting spending now. Reporter republicans refuse to play ball. They say no higher rates on the rich, no tax hikes on anyone. Based on an ideology that calls for government to be as small as possible. Now, its roots are as old as american politics. But today the philosophys main spokesman is this man, grover norquist. President of americans for tax reform. Norquists pledge, signed by almost all republicans in congress, forbids signatories from raising taxes ever, under any circumstances. Things come to a head in the summer of 2011. Republicans demand the government reduce its deficit as a condition for raising the nations debt ceiling. Without a deal, the u. S. Would lose its ability to borrow money. Both democrats and republicans deploy scorched earth tactics that nearly shut down the government and ultimately cost america its aaa Credit Rating for the first time in history. But in a last minnesota minute compromise, both sides agree to 1 trillion in spending cuts up front, and another 1. 2 trillion in cuts to be decided by a special congressional Super Committee. But a poison pill was attached. If the Super Committee cant reach a deal, automatic across the board cuts known as the sequester would go into effect, starting january 2013. At the exact moment when those bush tax cuts extended for two years, if you remember, would expire. So the point is, we could have all seen this coming and some of us did. We yelled at the top of our lungs about it, but we were drowned out by the election. It seems common sense and Good Governance often get drowned out by seemingly endless and continuous elections in america. This time, there may be a serious price to pay for it. Ali velshi, thank you. Straight ahead, a College Student wins a restraining order against her own parents. Well tell you why. But first, getting a College Degree doesnt have to bankrupt you. Christine romans has great advice. Reporter at 24, greta russler has her bachelors degree. Figuring out how to pay for it wasnt easy. I only applied to two schools. Both instate, because those were the only ones that were really going to be a reality. Reporter she chose Georgia State university where a fouryear degree cost just over 21,000. She earned a scholarship to cover tuition. Loans and a parttime job paid for Living Expenses and study abroad. I ate a lot more ramen that i am proud to admit. I had a mattress on my bedroom floor. My clothes were kept in boxes on a bookshelf in my closet. I was living the college life. Reporter russler graduated last year with 7,000 in loans, well below the National Average of nearly 24,000. She did all the right things. You have to keep the debt down in the first place. Scour for grants and scholarships. Remember, its cheaper to save for college than to borrow. That 25,000 loan will likely set you back 35,000 with interest later. And get a head start earning College Credit so you can graduate in three years. But make sure the school you want to attend will accept those credits. Your total education debt at graduation should be less than your annual starting salary. Reporter and now some colleges are trying to naked occasion more accessible. Belmont abby in North Carolina lowered tuition by 33 . And floridas governor is pushing Community Colleges to offer a 10,000 bachelors degree. For smart is the new rich, im christine romans. Okay. So we have all heard of helicopter parents. But this next case takes it to the extreme. Aubrey ireland is 21 years old, an honor student in college and a successful musical theater star. But now she is caught up in a messy family fight, one that has ended in a court battle. She is accusing her parents of stalking her. A judge agreed and has granted her a restraining order against them. Thats lets talk law and justice holly hughes is here, a criminal defense attorney. Holly, have you ever heard anything like this before, other than maybe a celebrity . Right. Its very unusual when you dont have a highprofilchild. We see this with mccully cull kin. Heres what happens. They have been going to her school, interfering with her classes, telling the dean of students she has mental problems. Accusing her of things that have never entered this young womans mind. They are making her life a living hell. And thats the definition of stalking, don. When you are contacting someone, whether its via the internet or on the phone or in person, for the purpose of that harassing or intimidating them, that is stalking. And the judge heard all of the evidence. Do you know the university where this young lady attends had to put special security guards to stop her parents from showing up and accusing her of all these nefarious things. So heres the thing. She is an adult. So what is the law in this instance . And why cant they work it out within a family . Well, they tried. The judge actually said that to them. Youll find in a lot of these situations where family members are involved, 99 the judge is going to say go to mediation, try to work this out. And the mediators, the interventionists, thats a big term in our society now, people intervene, try to help out. The interventionists on both sides came back and said the parents are the problem, not this young lady. She hasnt done anything. It doesnt matter what your age, okay . Youre an adult, right . But they are still stalking her. So even though there is a familial relationship, theyre violating her rights. What happens to the parents then if they if they violate the restraining order, they can be taken back in front of the judge. There will be a hearing, you know. Chances are theyre not just going to snap them right up and arrest them on the spot. But theyre going to say, you violated the restraining order, lets go back in front of the judge, lets have another hearing. There will be more testimony. Ultimately, yes. They can be locked up if the judge finds them in contempt of a court order. Its so sad people cant work things out on their own. Terribly sad. Lets talk about another sad story. The search continues for benjamin and henry cleary, two Young Brothers who have been missing for six days from the greater atlanta area. They were supposed to be returned to their mother december 26th after a trip to tennessee with their father. Never returned. What do you know . What we know is these two young boys, and actually, today is the younger brothers birthday. And so his mom, who ive met and talked to, and shell be joining us soon, she went out, she went ahead and got him a birthday cake and presents, because she is looking forward to celebrating as a family when those little boys come home. This is a father who did have custody or visitation, excuse me. He was allowed to have that visitation. But what he did was hes overextended it, don. And he has a lot of people worried, because, yes, he loves those boys. But he is keeping them over in violation of a court order. So what he needs to do is bring them safely home so that the boys dont get worried. Theyre 7 and 9. At that age, theyre old enough to know, hey, its time for us to go home. We need to work this out in an aimable way. They have parents who love them. But you know, hes kind of pushing the envelope. Is there a way he doesnt know that theyre he knows. He knows. Hes aware theyre looking. We have seen them, and we know the boys were okay. They were on a walmart Surveillance Video in tennessee. Okay. So they are okay right now. But, you know, its time for them to come home and we need to resolve this. You mentioned the mom. Yes, yes, teresa. The plea to get her sons back. Yes, absolutely. Ben and henrys mother joins me in studio right after this. Make a wish i wish we could lie here forever. I wish this test drive was over, so we could head back to the dealership. [ male announcer ] its practically yours. Test drive but we still need your signature. Volkswagen sign then drive is back. And its never been easier to get a jetta. Thats the power of german engineering. Get 0 down, 0 due at signing, 0 deposit, and 0 first months payment on any new volkswagen. Visit vwdealer. Com today. So i want you to sit down and listen and watch this story. Its the holidays. This mom without her sons now. Imagine sending your two boys, just 7 and 9 years old on vacation with their dad, and just days later having no idea where they are. Nationwide search now under way for benjamin and henry cleary. Their mother, teresa nash, last heard from them december 22nd. They were on a trip with their father in chattanooga, tennessee and were supposed to return the next day. But they never came back. And teresa nash is here. Holding the teddy bears. How are you doing . Im going to keep it together as long as it takes. Yeah. Last time you saw your boys, december 22 the 19th of december. Not a good christmas for you. No. But it will be soon. If your boys, their dad, are listening and watching, say it. What do you want them to hear . Dan, i just got off the phone with your mother. Your family is in full support of this. I spoke with erin. I spoke with your mom for about 45 minutes. The whole drive down. She loves you and she misses you so, so much. She loves the boys and misses them. You it is your hand thats taking care of them right now and you know how much they love them. And theyre scared. I think theyre scared. This vacation has been overdue. Its time to come home. And we welcome you home. We welcome you home safely. Your whole family is behind this, as is my whole family. We are working together. And i really want you to come home. You just had a birthday today. Today. And you bought the cake and presents. Weve got the cake. Henry doesnt like birthday cake. Weve got a birthday cookie cake and your presents are wrapped. And were ready for you to come home and celebrate your birthday. Dan, im sure you have birthday plans for henry and we really need to go forward and start celebrating his birthday and bring them home to you and to me safely. As youre sitting here and clinching those bears, can you tell us about your boys and what these mean to them . I can. Ben was wearing wore this long tshirt just after he was born. This is his teddy bear. He is the one that put the tshirt on it. And he loves this teddy bear and he may be 9, but he loves his teddy bear. And you see its a little wellworn. And yes. Thats benjamin. And this is henry. It is his birthday today. Henry is turning 8 years old today and this is his hippo. And obviously, theyre wellworn and theyre very fond of their bears. Any idea why he would not return your boys . No. But he loves the boys very, very much. And hes trying to take care of them. But i think its a scary situation for everybody at this point. If you can call your mother, your mother is waiting to hear from you. Like i said, ive spoken with her and erin for 45 minutes. And she is going to do a plea, as well. And please call your mommy. She wants you home safely. And children, please call mommy. You know my phone number. Ive taught you how to do it. If daddy doesnt have a phone, you can ask anybody you see, everybody you see has a phone. You can ask anybody. Remember my number and call mommys number. You can ask people at stores, you can ask people at the gas station. You can ask people anywhere you see, you need to call mommy. And have a phone. They will help you. Anybody will help you. Call mommy. I am big on social media, facebook and twitter. This story has been trending, ive been seeing it all over. Any leads there . Yeah. We are this story has been trending all over. Any leads there . Yeah, we are working together with dans family. Were all working closely. This is a nationwide response. Were looking across the country for dan and the kids to bring them home safely. And your mom and your uncles and your family out west are fully participating. This is a Facebook Page. What is it . This is a Facebook Page we started yesterday. What is the address . Help find ben and henry cleary. And there is over 6,000 hits today. This is where were posting all the updates. Were on it 24 hours a day, posting updates, new pictures and clues about where they might be. And there is also a twitter. And i believe is that up . Do you know the address . Ill make sure, i put it out on twitter, as well, and ill put it on facebook, as well, all right . And ill give the twitter address, in just a second. So dan, it is palpable, everyone here in the studio can feel it. This mother is in pain. Bring the kids home. Just do the right thing, man. Good luck. Thank you very much. God bless you, all right, and come back and well talk about the good times when it happens, all right. Thank you. Well be right back. Whether we go over the fiscal cliff or not, the debt is a huge problem. And it is not just lawmakers crisis, it is ours too, some americans are not waiting for politicians to fix it. Kyung lah met somebody who is doing something about it. Reporter in his garage, garcia is waiting to fix the fiscal cliff one can at a time. How much money have you sent the government . A little bit over 3,000. Reporter 3,197. 88, to be exact. All tracked on a handwritten ledger. For the last three years, garcia has been paying the government 50 a month of his Postal Service pension and money from cans he collects. We are paying absolutely too much interest, too much interest. Reporter it really bothers you . It bothers me, because it makes no sense. Reporter sense is something garcias wife of 59 years thinks her husband could use. Do you think he is crazy . Well reporter call him crazy. But there is an entire federal office, the bureau of public debt that collects money from hundreds of mr. Garcias. This office in parkersburg, west virginia, was set up by president kennedy so citizens could pay down the National Debt. This year alone it collected 7. 7 million in gifts, about 90 million since it was established. But 90 million is not that much, especially when you consider the federal deficit is 16 trillion and climbing. To retire the debt, every single american would have to pay 50,000. But garcia says you got to start somewhere, especially when washington wont. The partisan fighting has bothered him since . 1992, when he first wrote his congressman, suggesting a formula to put down the debt. The veteran says he is giving back to a country that has given him so much. A sense of duty, that is infectious. His daughter is now collecting cans at work. His grandson drives garcia to friends houses, just to collect more cans. Garcia knows that his monthly money orders wont avert the fiscal cliff. But they say that is not the message garcia is sending to congress. In order to really solve the 16 trillion National Debt you have to sacrifice. Reporter politicians talk about kicking the can down the road. One american has decided that road has to end. And it might as well be here. Kyung lah, cnn, san antonio, texas. Back in a moment. Its lots of things. All waking up. Connecting to the global phenomenon we call the internet of everything. Its going to be amazing. And exciting. And maybe, most remarkably, not that far away. Were going to wake the world up. And watch, with eyes wide, as it gets to work. Cisco. Tomorrow starts here. [ male announcer ] jill and her mouth have lived a great life. But she has some dental issues shes not happy about. So i introduced jill to crest prohealth for life. Selected for people over 50. Prohealth for life is a toothpaste that defends against tender, inflamed gums, sensitivity and weak enamel. Conditions people over 50 experience. Crest prohealth for life. So jill can keep living the good life. Crest. Life opens up when you do. More than 50 American Families were in the final stages of adopting a child from russia. Now they dont know what will happen after the controversial law that bans adoptions by americans. Now, we are talking to