constitutional and a critical weapon in the fight against terrorism. the program is part of the patriot act. just last week another federal judge ruled the program was likely unconstitutional. well, a lot of americans don t know how they ll put food on the table or even pay their bills after today. federal emergency unemployment benefits run out today for 1.3 million people. congress left town earlier this month for recess without including the extension in the budget deal. cnn national correspondent sunlen is following the story for us. reporter: this is what the last six months have been like for paul kelsey. i ve entered over 500 want ads just on one website alone. reporter: at 52 he s been out of work in educational publishing, now another blow. he s one of 1.3 million americans losing unploilt benefits. on average, they ve been getting $300 each week.
kindest month. the president ends the year with an aprival rates that has gone south and focused on saving the health care reform he won in the first term. there was a time when i was young and invincible. after five years in this office, people don t call me that any more. reporter: another year like this and they will call him lame duck. paul, cruz and rubio, 2016 rising. this son of immigrants pushed his reluctant party toward immigration reform. i wasn t going to leave it to democrats alone to figure out how to fix it. reporter: libertarian at heart, he tried to get clear on the administration s use of drones. i will speak until i can no longer speak. reporter: and a one-off politician from the lone star state. keep up the good night. thank you very much. reporter: ted cruz staged an overnight faux filibuster to
0 old unit. reserve unit out of hawaii, now we re going to keeper had here and keep her working. she s not ready to quit yet. reporter: but then right back to work, sniffing, searching, patrolling to make sure everyone stays safe. barbara starr, cnn, the pentagon. now that s a great co-worker. hello, everyone, i m fredricka whitfield. people stranded in antarctica are anxiously awaiting help. now the rescue ship is also struggling in ice. a texas man has been charged with a hate crime in connection with the so-called knockout game. investigators say he punched a 79-year-old black man. the suspect s lawyer speaks out about his defense. and an about-face on duck dynasty, the star is pack in action after a very short suspension, say some. what that could mean for the network a & e, coming up. new video coming in on that ship stuck in the frozen water of antarctica. chris turney, the expedition leader gave an update on the crew s situation. it s the 28th of december, 2013.