And a good evening to you on this tuesday night. We are here in washington, d. C. For the president s state of the Union Address. And one thing is certain, tonight, this union is in the grip of a deep freeze. More than 140 million americans in 24 states with a big chill, the slick ice and a scramble for help. As tonight, we take you down south, where the palm trees are frozen and the fountains are icicles. Abcs Steve Osunsami standing by in greenville, north carolina. Reporter first, a blizzard. And now, brutal cold for parts of the midwest. Windchills as low as 40 below. The first time in years the south is really feeling it, too. Governors sending in the National Guard to deal with a rare snow and ice storm. As soon as the first snowflakes fell, School Officials across nine Southern States started cancelling classes. The icy roads here, no place for a school bus. Outside asheville, north carolina, six teenagers were on the bus ride home when they flipped the on the ice. And one of them had to be hospitalized. Just come around the curb. Just slid off in the ditch. Reporter tonight, schoolchildren in alabama are stuck at school. The roads, too dangerous for parents to come get them. If you trust your teacher to take care of your child during the day, they will be taken care of tonight. Reporter this was a freeway in austin, texas, today. Police here reporting more than 214 accidents and counting. Passed about ten wrecks on the way here. Reporter in new orleans, where the city doesnt even own a single salt truck or snowplow, theyre calling this their worst winter storm in at least ten years. Winter storms of this nature are very, very unpredictable. And are to be respected. Reporter around atlanta, the highways were a mess. I havent seen it like this in years. Reporter families who emptied Grocery Stores spent hours trying to get home on the icy roads. Id advise, if you aint got to be out, stay at home. Reporter for cities like wilmington, north carolina, myrtle beach, charleston, this is their first measurable snow in years. And some areas could see between six and ten inches. Greenville, north carolina, is expecting snow all night. And they only have three snowplows. The city of new york has dozens, if not hundreds of snowplows. You have how many . Three. Reporter three. We do hurricanes. We dont do snow. Reporter just yesterday, it was 65 degrees here. Here are those three snowplows here in greenville, waiting for the snow. Its starting to sleet already. Governors across the south, tonight, declaring states of emergency, trying to get resources like these to the places where theyre most needed. Diane . As you were saying, steve, its once in a generation. Thank you. So, is there any relief in sight . Lets go to abcs meteorologist, ginger zee, now, with the answer. Ginger . Diane, thats the question everyone is asking. As you see the ice chunks floating on the hudson river behind me, i have an answer. Yes, relief is in sight. But weve got to get through that storm first. Lets talk about it, as that low pressure system slides across the southeast. It will eventually pull away tomorrow morning. You can see the coastal carolinas getting a little of the snow and freezing rain mix. And then, it is the windchill that settles in. Thats going to be the headline early for so many people. Really, the eastern twothirds of the nation, thats the brunt of the cold. And yes, that white color is zero, dipping into the deep south. But places like atlanta, that will struggle to make it to freezing, as we go into your wednesday, will be 60 by the weekend. Diane . Okay. Thank you, ginger. And also, to steve again. As we said, we are here in a very cold washington, d. C. , tonight, for the president s state of the Union Address. Hes about to announce ideas for his final three years. So, is he fed up with congress . Will he go it alone . Heres abcs chief white house correspondent, jonathan karl. Reporter taking a quick break from speech prep, president obama got a taste of the frigid washington weather. Good thing the speech is inside. Reporter its not just the weather that is cold. Obama has the lowest average Approval Rating of any president after five years in office. The white house sees tonight as a chance to get things back on track. The president has spent the last week refining his speech and practicing his delivery. One of the big themes, the president doesnt need congress to get things done. Its always better when you have big, Bipartisan Solutions in congress. But the president has tremendous authority. And hes going to use every ounce of it here. Reporter case in point, a push to connect 15,000 public schools, 2 million students, to broadband internet, using both private funds and Money Congress has appropriated. The president will promise executive action to require higher fuel standards for trucks. And to raise the minimum wage for those working on future federal contracts. But a warning from republican speaker of the house john boehner, who told reporters today, if the president tries to ignore congress, hes going to run into a brick wall. Were not going to sit here and let the president trample over us. The president also hopes to inspire tonight. He and the first lady have invited some genuine american heroes. Boston bombing victim, jeff bauman and carlos arredondo, who helped save his life. Boston strong personified. And antoinette tuff, the bookkeeper who prevented a potential Elementary School massacre by talking a wouldbe shooter into surrendering. The white house has just released a few excerpts of the president s speech. And in these, you see a real note of determination and defiance. One excerpt saying, america does not stand still. And neither will i. So, wherever and whenever i can take steps without legislation to expand opportunity for more american families, thats what im going to do. That, a message, obviously, diane, right to republicans, who have successfully blocked almost everything hes wanted to get passed over the past three years. And well be watching what happens when he says that tonight. Thank you, jon. We turn, now, to coanchor of good morning america, george stephanopoulos. George, whats the big picture for everyone at home tonight . The big picture is the president is coming into the speech with the best economy of his presidency, far and away. And the worst politics of his presidency. But its about as low as it can be coming into this speech. Congress, as jon pointed out, is still against what hes doing. And the country has given up on all of them. Theyre fed up with everybody in washington. He has to do one thing tonight, convince the country that he can actually get something done. And thats why hes showing the determination jon talked about. And weve been looking at the pictures over the years. All these years hes been giving state of the union speeches. As you look at him and think about him, where do you think he is personally tonight walking into that room . A little more gray. We see that, for sure. And hes always been a measured, tempered guy. But i think you have more of that now than ever before. He comes into this speech tonight, with a clear sense of what hes done, what he can do and what he cannot do. A real sense of the limits of the presidency. Were going to be watching together tonight. Want everybody to know at home george and i will be right here covering it all with our powerhouse political team. The president s state of the Union Address beginning at 9 00 p. M. Eastern. But next, now, here tonight, we do move on. Last night, we told you about the mystery onboard the cruise ship. Hundreds of passengers sickened by a lightningfast virus. Tonight, new clues on how it spread and what the company has offered all those passengers, their vacation ruined. Heres abcs linsey davis. Reporter onboard the Royal Caribbean explorer of the seas, anger is spreading as fast as illness. One woman onboard sent us this picture with the caption, feel like were in a bubble. And sad thing is, they arent even doing the right thing for us. We didnt go to half our ports. There were almost nothing to do on the ship, the days that people were sick. Reporter Royal Caribbean has apologized they are unable to deliver the vacation our guests were expecting. Theyre offering a 50 refund for this cruise and 50 off the cost of a future cruise. Basically, we had two good days out of ten we were promised. Reporter they want their money back. But experts say, its unlikely. Is this rare for people to actually receive full compensation . The cruise lines dont have to compensate you at all. When they decide to compensate passengers, its, so to speak, out of the goodness of their hearts. Reporter the stomach bug believed to be the norovirus is highly contagious. Each infected person generally passes it along to as many as three other people. And so on and so on. Leading to as many as 100 cases by the third day of an outbreak. On this cruise, the first case was reported last tuesday. By sunday, the number of people infected had reached 303. 24 hours later, that number more than doubled, with 626 people reported ill. Today, that number shot up to 672 people. For the thousands on that ship, its a vacation that simply cant end soon enough. Linsey davis, abc news, new york. And we move, next, tonight, to a big medicine headline. For millions of americans using pain relievers. Today, a new government report said the overthecounter drug aleve, may be labeled the safest pain reliever for anyone with heart issues. The fda found the key ingredient naproxen, may provide a lower risk of heart attack and stroke, than a rival medication, ibuprofen, sold as advil and motrin. And with the super bowl now just days away, a startling discovery. A lot of counterfeit tickets to the big game are being sold. So, is there any way to catch them . Abcs gio benitez, now, with the secret and the warning. Reporter fans, fireworks, and tonight, with the super bowl just days away, fakes. Bogus tickets seized overnight. They look so real, investigators believe they couldve gotten someone into the stadium sunday. There was some really advanced technology there to make these tickets. Some of the most advanced counterfeiting techniques ive ever seen. Reporter take a look. This is a real super bowl ticket, sidebyside, with the fake one. They have the same artwork, the same foilembossed logo, even an identical diamondshaped watermark. So, how do you tell the difference . On the back of the ticket theres a graphic thats printed with something called thermochromic ink. When you apply heat by rubbing it with your thumb or your hot breath, it will disappear. As soon as the ticket cools off, it will reappear again. Reporter every year, as many as 200 super bowl fans are scammed with fake tickets. They are sold online, on sites like craigslist and in person, on the streets before game. Vinny pasculli bought a phony super bowl ticket two years ago for 1,900 bucks. The pressure to get these tickets. And you see something, and, you know, you go for the deal. Reporter but as the counterfeits get more sophisticated so does the nfl. Were hoping to stay ahead of the counterfeiters as much as we can. Reporter this years tickets have about 15 secret hightech markings that the nfl hopes ticket counterfeiters never find. And heads up 3,800 real tickets are still up for sale tonight. Gio benitez, abc news, new york. And someone got a kind of royal reality check today. The queen of england and her family. A scolding, new report warning them to start tightening the belt. They have apparently run through a fortune. Heres abcs terry moran. Reporter think of the British Royal family and you think of opulence and grandeur and magnificent events. You would never believe theyre nearly broke. But they are. Well, not them personally. But the royal household. The official department that runs all of their palaces and properties, 360 buildings, thousands of employees. A scathing report in the British Parliament found that the queens public accounts are down to less than a couple of million bucks. Privately, shes still fabulously rich. But her public finances and her palace are a mess. Buckingham palace looks great on the outside. But behind the scenes, this place is in desperate need of repairs. The roof is leaking. Central heating needs replacing. And chunks of stone are falling off the building, endangering members of the royal family. The report demanded that the queen and her family tighten their belts and find ways to make more money, like by bringing paying tourists into buckingham palace. Only open 78 days a year now. In contrast, the white house is open all year round. The queens defenders say the royals make britain billions every year in tourism. And that elizabeth herself is a frugal housekeeper. At night, looking around the palace, and if theres some lights on, she goes and switches them off. Reporter she could always hock the jewelry. Terry moran, abc news, london. And up next, right here tonight, caught on camera. Drivers fighting back against speed cameras. Do they sometimes say youre driving too fast, even if your car isnt moving . See it when were back in two minutes. Your eyes really are unique. In fact, they depend on a unique set of nutrients. [ male announcer ] thats why theres ocuvite to help protect your eye health. As you age, your eyes can lose vital nutrients. 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Two, eliquis had less major bleeding than warfarin. And three. Unlike warfarin, theres no routine blood testing. [ male announcer ] dont stop taking eliquis unless your doctor tells you to, as stopping increases your risk of having a stroke. Eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. Dont take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. While taking eliquis, you may bruise more easily and it may take longer than usual for any bleeding to stop. Seek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. Eliquis may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. Tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. Ive got three Important Reasons to up my game with eliquis. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor today if eliquis is right for you. And next, here, tonight, caught in the act. Almost two dozen states use Traffic Cameras to catch drivers speeding and running red lights. Big tickets, big fines. Well, tonight, surprising, new questions about how often those cameras are wrong. One citys launched an investigation because of so many mistakes. And abcs Senior National correspondent, jim avila, shows you what you can do. Reporter its the flash out of nowhere, when you dont expect it. Sometimes when you dont deserve it. A baltimore intersection. This driver has clearly stopped. But the unmanned speed camera cites this car, brake lights on and traffic whizzing in front of it, for going 38 Miles Per Hour in a 25mileperhour zone. A costly mistake at 40 bucks a ticket. Among the documented 10 error rate for speed cameras in baltimore. Some individual cameras off by as much as 50 , according to an audit leaked to the Baltimore Sun that has the city council investigating. Nationwide, about half the states use cameras. Cheaper and easier than radar guns. But classaction suits in ohio and new york attack their reliability. Los angeles stopped issuing camera tickets altogether. This maryland driver videotaped his speed, ten miles below the limit. The speed camera ticketed him for ten miles over. The car with the speed camera was approximately right here. Reporter schoolteacher erin grunden got five tickets leaving her maryland school. I was clocked at 51 Miles Per Hour, which a math teacher figured out is physically impossible for me to have been going that fast. Reporter her 10yearold honda couldnt reach that speed in the short distance from the School Driveway to the ticket camera. In all, 22 teachers were ticketed here. If you give companies an incentive to ticket more, lo and behold, they will ticket more. Reporter california has banned per ticket fees. But advocates say cameras slow people down. Some cities are using these cameras in new and different ways. This one is set up to monitor a stop sign, not a stoplight. If you roll through the stop, it will click. Costing you cash, in a flash. Even when the picture doesnt tell the story. Jim avila, abc news, washington. And when we come back, next, right here the piano man, billy joel, doing something no rock star has ever tried before, in our instant index. Imagine not getting out of bed again and again. And imagine finally taking control of your symptoms with the oxytrol for women patch. Now fda approved as otc. Its safe and effective when used as directed. And it reduces frequency, urgency, and accidents. Just imagine how your life could change for the better. Take control with oxytrol for women. Available in the feminine care aisle. So heres to the bride and. [ coughs ] [ all gasp ] [ male announcer ] robitussin dm max now comes in a new liquidfilled capsule. Nothing provides more powerful cough relief. Robitussin. Dont suffer the coughequences. You really love, what would you do . [ woman ] id be a writer. [ man ] id be a baker. [ woman ] i wanna be a pie maker. [ man ] i wanna be a pilot. [ woman ] id be an architect. What if i told you someone could pay you and what if that person were you . When you think about it, isnt that what retirement should be, paying ourselves to do what we love . [ female announcer ] we eased your back pain, you turned up the fun. Tylenol® provides strong pain relief while being gentle on your stomach. But for everything we do, we know you do so much more. Tylenol®. [ sneezes ] [ male announcer ] you may be an allergy muddler. Try zyrtec® for powerful allergy relief. And zyrtec® is different than claritin® because it starts working faster on the first day you take it. Zyrtec®. Love the air. [ sneezes ] our instant index, beginning with this video we saw everywhere today. Did you . All of us asking, is it a hoax . Is it real . A whiteknuckle experiment. A test of the emergency brakes on a tank, allegedly from the Dutch Military. 23 volunteers, a 62ton tank, barreling towards them at 42 Miles Per Hour. Watch the horizon and listen. As the roar gets louder, only two of the brave souls even flinch and look behind them. Today, we called the Dutch Military to ask why . And they told us, theyre looking into it. But theyre as puzzled as the rest of us. And the piano man, billy joel, back in the saddle, reaching for history. Even you cannot avoid last night, kicking off a series of concerts at new Yorks Madison Square garden, as a kind of artist in residence. No ones tried this before. Hes going to perform a concert a month, openended, going as long as the fans keep coming and the piano man is still up to the challenge. And weve all seen all the rock stars on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine over the years. Adell, dylan, michael jackson, beyonce. Now, a different version of a rock star, pope francis. The first pope to make the cover. Calling him the peoples pope, the magazine put it best, saying, the times, they are achanging. And up next, music from americas songbook. This land was made for you and me the man who sang and helped america build a nation. Afghanistan, in 2009. Orbiting the moon in 1971. [ male announcer ] once its earned, usaa Auto Insurance is often handed down from generation to generation. Because it offers a superior level of protection. And because usaas commitment to serve current and former military members and their families is without equal. Begin your legacy. Get an Auto Insurance quote. Usaa. We know what it means to serve. Weve crafted our power bowls to help you power your day. Start with proteinpacked egg whites and savory roasted turkey for breakfast. Or power up your lunch with antibioticfree chicken and our flavorful cilantro jalapeno hummus. Power bowls from panera bread power up today. I took medicine but i still have symptoms. [ sneeze ] [ male announcer ] truth is not all flu products treat all your symptoms. What . [ male announcer ] alkaseltzer plus severe cold and flu speeds relief to these eight symptoms. [ breath of relief ] thanks. [ male announcer ] youre welcome. Ready . Go. A body at rest tends to stay at rest. While a body in motion tends to stay in motion. Staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. But if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. Prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. Because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation. Plus, in clinical studies, celebrex is proven to improve daily physical function so moving is easier. Celebrex can be taken with or without food. And its not a narcotic. You and your doctor should balance the benefits with the risks. All prescription nsaids, like celebrex, ibuprofen, naproxen and meloxicam have the same cardiovascular warning. They all may increase the chance of heart attack or stroke, which can lead to death. This chance increases if you have Heart Disease or risk factors such as high Blood Pressure or when nsaids are taken for long periods. Nsaids, like celebrex, increase the chance of serious skin or allergic reactions or stomach and intestine problems, such as bleeding and ulcers, which can occur without warning and may cause death. Patients also taking aspirin and the elderly are at increased risk for stomach bleeding and ulcers. Dont take celebrex if you have bleeding in the stomach or intestine, or had an asthma attack, hives, other allergies to aspirin, nsaids or sulfonamides. Get help right away if you have swelling of the face or throat, or trouble breathing. Tell your doctor your medical history. And find an Arthritis Treatment for you. Visit celebrex. Com and ask your doctor about celebrex. For a body in motion. And finally tonight, we remember a songwriter who inspired generations of singers. From bob dylan, to bruce springsteen. Pete seeger, his words, his banjo. Urging americans to take up a hammer for civil rights and justice. Abcs john donvan, now, on the man who put music to americas conscious. Reporter watch what pete seeger did here two years ago. Where just for a moment, he stopped singing, midchorus. To everything turn, turn reporter knowing, the words would get sung by everybody else. For the better part of a century, that was one of his goals, whether singing other peoples compositions, like dylans a hard rains agonna fall. Did you see my blueeyed son what did you see, my darling young one if i had a hammer reporter or his own, if i had a hammer, which peter, paul and mary made famous. I got a hammer and i got a bell to everything reporter or turn, turn, turn, which was a huge hit for the byrds. A time for love reporter the goal was to get everybody else up and singing. So, it was a natural, that he delivered to the civil rights movement, a song he collected from the Labor Movement and reworked, we shall overcome. We shall overcome reporter he saw music as a way to motivate social change. By ripe old age, he had achieved fullon icon status. A hero to springsteen, who brought him on to inaugurate a president. That was five years ago. And still, he sang, until he stopped. Once again, midchorus, but for good. Though the words, of course, will still get sung by everybody else. John donvan, abc news, washington. And we thank you for watching tonight. Were always here at abcnews. Com. Join us tonight for our coverage of the president s state of the Union Address. Coming right up. And well see you again on world news tomorrow night. I would hammer in the morning id hammer in the evening this is an abc news special. Americas possibilities are limitless. From so much hope. This was a pretty shameful day for washington. A year of anger and dysfunction. This republican shutdown did not have to happen. Obviously, we screwed it up. Nobody is listening to your telephone calls. Challenges abroad. This initiative has the potential to remove the threat of chemical weapons without the use of force. And here at home. Anybody in this country who works hard should have a fair shot at success. Now, tonight, a chance to