good day to you. we are following extreme weather in both the united states and australia. and on the left here we want to show you the scene just west of melbourne. firefighters struggling to control a brush fire that flared up, the high winds and temperatures there didn't help the situation. at least 116 homes are completely destroyed. and then to the right, severe flooding in the united states. some families spent christmas day being rescued. tornadoes which are rare for december, have been reported again. let's start in the southeastern part of the united states, right here, and the threat of more severe weather, that threat is real. just over the past two days, flooding has been reported in four different states. in the state of mississippi, our affiliate wcbi reports that a family woke up christmas morning to what you see right there. their home of ten years ruined, completely flooded with at least two feet of water inside it. >> we don't have clothes, nothing. this is all i have, what i have on. it's discouraging. my lost everything. my child didn't get none of his christmas items. >> next door in the state of alabama what may have been a tornado caused this damage in the city of birmingham. overall, at least 15 people have died in three states this week. our meteorologist derek van dam joins us now from the international weather center following this strange weather that we're seeing here. so warm in atlanta and then the storms just to our west. >> george, i'm sure there are multiple stories just like the one we saw a moment ago. it looks as if it's going to continue. the weather here is not done. if you are traveling or perhaps you live or reside within this area, we're looking at the southeastern united states, mississippi, alabama, georgia, you can just see the -- well, let's say pledger of rain that's moved in across this region. we've had in excess of ten inches in some locales. it's led to scenes just like this. there's been rescue attempts for some individuals that were taken back by the increasing water. we've had flash flood warnings in effect for multiple counties, flash flood watches, flash flood emergencies and it's not only the heavy rain that has been the concern. there have been four reported tornadoes, one in mississippi, three in alabama. this is on christmas day alone. we're talking about boxing day. now, moving on, the severe weather threat is going to continue as we go forward. remember, the united states only typically sees about 24 tornadoes through the month of december. we have far exceeded that just in a few days time. we've seen nearly 35 tornadoes reported across the u.s. many of those reported across the gulf coast states. a very complex weather system taking shape from today right through the weekend into the first parts of next week. and this means severe weather threat, dallas, houston, perhaps new orleans. heavy rain, not done yet. very saturated environment. that means flash flooding still going to be a concern. arkansas into mississippi and alabama once again. on the cold side of the system, heavy snow, blizzard conditions. that would be for the texas and oklahoma panhandle. here's threats for severe weather. this is for your saturday, san antonio to dallas and shreveport. here's our storm system, bringing in all the rainfall and our watches and warnings map. george, lighting up just like a christmas tree, just like our forecast accumulation across this area. another five to ten inches of rain possible with this next storm coming up. >> a lot of rain and storms in the east. sort of normal there in the west. it's cold. they're getting the snow. >> the skiers like it, that's for sure. >> they like that for sure. derek, stand by. let's move on to australia where a bush fire in the southern part of the country destroyed at least 116 homes. our cnn producer, joel lobby is here to talk with us about that. this is a part of the country that's popular with tourists. >> we're talking about victoria, the great ocean road. the equivalent of route 101 in the u.s. this is incredibly popular at this time of the year. great surfing spots, amazing little townships along that drive. now, it is inundated with bushfires. the town of most concern of the moment is lawn, just south of lawn we've had 116 homes destroyed by the fires you can see here. they were sparked about a week ago by lightning. 1,600 people evacuated from lawn alone. it appears that the threat has subsided for now. that was a harrowing christmas day. let's take a listen to some of them. >> we don't know. it's just the unknown. >> there are stressed trees, falling branches, other issues relevant to asbestos. >> what we've got at the moment is a situation which is still very much active. firefighters are hoping they can get control of this. they are saying water bombing isn't going to be enough. these bushfires are intense, incredibly intense, 116 homes destroyed already. there's no telling if others have been destroyed or if there had been -- if there's even been a chance for people to get back to their homes. very much an ongoing situation. >> let's talk about this, though, the bushfires, it's common, though, this time of year, given the temperatures, the winds, correct? >> that's right. christmas and january in particular are some is of the hottest months in australia. bushfires are not uncommon. we saw awe few years ago in victoria as well, not too far from where these fires are burning, 180 plus people killed in the bushfires. people are ready for this sort of stuff. it doesn't get easier. losing your home, especially on christmas, my god, you can only think about what those people are going through right now. >> cnn producer joel labi, thank you. let's go back to derek van dam, give us context on what's happening in that part of the world. the temperatures and winds don't help. >> joel said it, we're right smack dab in the middle fl fire season in south australia. there was some relief that moved through. there have been reports of roughly between 10 and 20 millimeters of rainfall, thanks to this cold front you see on our satellite loop that moved through the melbourne region and just to the south and west. that's where the current ongoing wildfire is taking place. just because cold front moved through, doesn't mean necessarily good news. firefighters are battling a blaze that's often fueled by strong winds. when they change wind direction so quickly thanks to the passage of a cold front, it also shifts the front of the leading edge of the fire as well. it can actually complicate the firefighting efforts across this particular region. this is the weather setup as we speak. you saw the cold front a moment ago. that's what brought the minor relief in terms of rainfall to the southern victoria region. that continues to move eastward. but what was a northerly component to the wind before the cold front came through, bringing that dry, hot wind from the interior has now changed across more of a southerly direction. that's going to bring in slightly cooler temperatures and moisture laden air to help fight the fires. back to you, george. >> let's hope. derek van dam, thank you. we move on to syria where the rebel group al islam is reporting the death of its leader. he was killed in an air strike that took place in a damascus suburb. state tv also aired this video. it is unclear if it was a syrian or russian aircraft that dropped the bombs. jaysh al islam has no affiliate with isis or al qaeda. afghanistan says its forces have killed a number of taliban fighters and their commander in the sangin district. the militant control is mostly in control of that area in helmand province. >> reporter: security forces are making another move to push taliban fighters out of sangin district. locals on the ground said taliban had taken over all of sangin district except for the police chief's office and another building used by the army battalion. officials there say that a number of taliban fighters have been killed, including a local commander with ties to the taliban leader. the afghan national army is getting some support from the u.s. in the form of two air strikes. there's a nato team in southern helmand province which includes a small number of british troops serving in an advisory capacity. those on ground say the fighting has remained fierce and that it continues. people who are inside that police chief's office which has been under attack for days, from the taliban, have said they were running out of food, ammunition and supplies. but the central government says that it is moving resources into the area and more reinforcements as they continue their battle with the taliban. inseoul, alexandra field, cnn. the rise of isis has dominated headlines this year. five of cnn's top international correspondents all sat down to discuss what they've learned from covering the story. and why they believe isis is different than anything they've seen before. listen. >> paris has been such a game changer because as closely as i've been following the sort of reach of militant groups like isis in europe and in the west, i had never expected them to be able to pull off something this organized, something this well orchestrated. >> do you think it was that organized and orchestrated? no, i don't think it was. >> the main thing that didn't go as well as they were hoping is the vests, the suicide vest. >> but they accomplished their goals. >> they had us talking about it. >> there's a difference between extraordinarily complex, well organized attacks that need an infrastructure and eight guys with some vests -- >> i think they had an infrastructure. >> what surprises me a little bit about this with is, i think the lack of the short-term memory. it was a decade ago that we were looking at al qaeda carrying out massive attacks which killed scores of people. we forget the fear and panic of those days. >> the whole night of ature of recruitment was different. it was an entirely different prospect. >> now these are facebook jihadists. >> your own friends doing it in their bedrooms. >> for intelligence authorities it's a very frightening prospect. >> this kind of i know he grew a beard, he started going to the mosque, these are the tell tale signs of radicalism. >> he stopped drinking. >> that entire landscape change now. >> it goes to greater underlying issues that we have in society and what isis has done for people that are even slightly so inclined is give them that sense of purpose. >> another identity. >> the question is not just in terms of intelligence but how do you revamp society so these kids have a different sense of purpose. >> all of these kids came to europe for a better life. the side of irony were their offspring grow up into people that attack people. >> we have a misconception that isis is radical islam. this is historical trends that have been brewing for years. this is not just about islam. >> it's also terrifying that some guys who clearly aren't particularly mentally well con figured in san bernardino can shoot co-workers with assault weapons and put something on facebook and that somehow joins a global movement. >> it's almost like a wave of hysteria. you saw paris and san bernardino crest off it. it's like a contagion in a way. >> i think there needs to be not hysteria, but let's not underestimate the threat either. it is huge. >> it is good to get that context from those correspondents who have been covering that story for so long. the iraqi military says it is closing in on an isis-held government compound in ramadi in its attempt to retake that city. iraqi soldiers are slowly combing through the area, they are searching for terrorists and using booby traps. there are concerns that civilians are also living in militant territory. winning back ramadi would be the most significant victory for the iraqi military since 2014. cnn's robin krill johns us live. good to have you with us. the iraqi forces started this assault on tuesday. why is it taking so long for them to get in and secure blocks? it's a very difficult mission, isn't it? >> extremely difficult. isis has had seven months, george, to entrench itself inside ramadi city, especially that city center. as the iraqi troops are combing through block by block essentially, they are encountering what we're hearing is thousands of improvised explosive devices, sue vied car bombs. we understand 300 to 500 isis militants remain that are willing to fight to the death. another key issue which is slowing them down so significantly is the issue of civilians, george. you mentioned civilians. a number of civilians that are worried about being caught in the cross fire. the iraqi military is asking civilians to hold up a white flag outside their homes so they know they are friendly and iraqi forces will allow these civilians safe passage through their forces. and out to -- outside the city. we know tens of thousands of civilians fled before because they were warned that onslaught was coming by the iraqi military. isis did force a number of them to stay inside the city, essentially we understand to use them as human shields. >> this is attempt to retake ramadi, being helped with the u.s. coalition air strikes, obviously. the question, though, if and when, but if they weare able to retake that city, how will they be able to hold on to it? >> george, yes. that's a good question, one a number of people are worried about. iraqi forces occupy 17% of the city which means isis has 30%. that is what they're fighting over at the moment. essentially that government compound. what happens once they have taken the city, hoisted the flag and they have a large celebration because it was such a humiliating defeat. they have to hold on to that city. that's really where the issues will come. because isis, a number of isis militants have blended with the population, left 300 to 500 fighters to fight until the death. those insurgents who left will be able to launch counterattacks and that is exactly what they're worried about. we do know they're going to leave sunni tribesmen in charge of the city who will hold that position and hopefully they have enough firepower to fend isis off. >> from ramadi, sights will be on mosul. robyn criel, thank you. india's prime minister modi makes a surprise stop in pakist pakistan. what the unexpected encounter would mean for the perpetually tense region. ahead, decades later, americans held hostage in iran will finally be compensated for their ordeal. the details next, here on "cnn newsroom." we danced in a german dance group. i wore lederhosen.man. when i first got on ancestry i was really surprised that i wasn't finding all of these germans in my tree. i decided to have my dna tested through ancestry dna. the big surprise was we're not german at all. 52% of my dna comes from scotland and ireland. so, i traded in my lederhosen for a kilt. ancestry has many paths to discovering your story. get started for free at ancestry.com. there are some encouraging signs that the icy relationship between india and pakistan may be fine. this as indian prime minister modi became the first leader to visit pakistan in more than a decade. he met with nawaz sharif and talked about starting a dialogue between their nations. the countries have much to overcome if they are ever able to live side by side in peace. >> reporter: anytime the prime ministers of india and pakistan meet, it becomes significant. the two countries have been arch rivals since independence nearly 70 years ago. india prime minister modi is getting particular notice. it was a surprise layover after a visit to kabul. it's the first time an indian prime minister visited pakistan in almost 12 years. modi's visit with his pakistani counterparts with brief. pakistani prime minister nawaz sharif welcomed modi at the airport, they exchanged pleasantries over tea. it happens to be sharif's birthday as well. relations between pakistan and india have been tense for the past few years. the two sides weren't even talking. the cross-border skirmishes have been routine. contentious issues like terrorism and the disputed himalayan territory of kashmir remain. there appears to be a shift in prime minister's modi foreign policy, vis-a-vis pakistan. on the sidelines of cop21 in paris, this image created a lot of buzz. it was a two-minute meeting but it symbolized a perceived thaw in relations. whether there is anything beyond optics is still to be seen. this impromptu meet is a step in the right direction. after nearly four decades, americans taken hostage at a u.s. embassy in iran will be compensated for their ordeal. this is how they were welcomed back to the united states in 1981. that image there, the u.s. congress just passed the budget bill that will repay each of 593 hostages or their families. our deborah feyerick breaks down the deal. >> reporter: the iranian hostages will get $4.4 million each, about $10,000 a day for each of the 444 days they were held in captivity when the iranian revolutionaries stormed the embassy in 1979. this doesn't only impact these hostages. it also impacts other victims of terror, that includes those victims of the u.s. embassy bombings in dar es salaam and kenya in 1988. it also includes marines who were killed in beirut in the bombing of barracks there in 1983. this is wide reaching and goes back many decades to give the victims and the families also some sort of compensation because they haven't been able to get anything up to this point. so it's really crucial to these people to, in some ways, be made whole. >> the money is expected to come from a fine paid by a bank that violated sanctions against iran. the former hostages could not sue as part of the agreement that freed them. "the washington post" reporter who is still being held prisoner in iran was granted time with his family on christmas. jason rezaian has been held captive for more than 500 days. an iranian court sentenced hum to prison for an unspecified time for espionage and other infracti infractions. "the washington post" denies the alleged charges against him. his mother passed along this message from jason. it says, in part, quote, jason is sending his warmest nondenominational seasons greetings to everyone at the post and wishes for a very happy and productive new year. he knows you are all working harder than any other entity to secure his release and the knowledge of that is whattive goods him strength every day. on to southern nigeria now. it is unclear how many people were killed in a gas tanker explosion there. the country's president says dozens were killed but several sources quote a local journalist there who said he saw about 100 bodies. the explosion happened as people were lined up to refill their cooking gas containers on christmas eve. the fire engulfed the factory and surrounding buildings. authorities still don't know exactly what caused that tanker to explode. you're watching "cnn newsroom." still ahead, what is typically a time of joy in the holy land has been anything but that this year. but even as violence plagues bethlehem and its surroundings, the city still celebrates christmas. plus, many refugees fleeing to the middle east. the violence there may end up in the u.s. one iraqi school girl tells her story, including the persecution she deals with in her classroom. that story ahead, as this broadcast continues around the world at this hour, live on cnn. a warm welcome back to our viewers here in the united states and around the world. you're watching "cnn newsroom," great to have you with us this day. i'm george howell. the headlines we're following in the southeastern u.s., some families spent christmas day being rescued from their flooded homes. torrential rains slammed four states and at least four tornadoes were reported in mississippi and alabama. severe storms have killed at least 15 people across three states this week. a spokesperson-to-the u.s.-led coalition against isis says iraqi forces are like a boa constrictor, squeezing isis out of ramadi. iraq's military is closing in on one of the final compounds under isis control. and succeeding would be one of the most important victories for the military since isis swept across iraq into 2014. the syrian rebel group jaysh al islam has confirmed the death of their leader. syrian state media reported an air strike killed him on thursday. the rebel group has no ties to isis or al qaeda. he was still called a terrorist in announcing his death. this just in to cnn. a shelter in place order has been put into effect at a u.s. air base in japan due to a security incident on saturday. yokota air base, west of tokyo, says the order is a precaution to protect all base resident as professionals respond to the event. we'll continue to bring you the story as it becomes available here on cnn. violence in holy land cast a cloud during the holidays. a woman tries to ram an officer with her car. near bethlehem, rocks and molotov cocktails flew between israelis and palestinians. many tourists stayed away. cnn has the story. >> reporter: it is a subdued christmas in the holyland, in the biblical birth place of jesus christ, the beginnings of christianity, it's not as crowded as they have been in previous years. there was still very much an effort to hang on to a celebration of christmas eve, to forget if only for a moment, the violence and tensions surrounding the holiday in israel, jerusalem and the west bank. you can feel it. there was a very large security presence in and around manger square but still felt very much like christmas eve. the faithful coming out to celebrate and take part in midnight mass. the violence continues. since the beginning of october, some 20 israelis have been killed and more than 130 palestinians have been killed, approximately 70 of which, israeli authorities say were killed when carrying out attacks. because of that somebody, some christian communities in the west bank have scaled back as a show of solidarity with all palestinians that unfortunately is the reality that hangs over christmas in the holyland. it is a reality that does not seem to be on its way to ending anytime soon. orrin li oren, liebermann, cnn, jerusalem. some 34,000 refugees will come from the near east and south asia. people like rehema al fahid. her father is a palestinian and her mother is iraqi. yasmin vossoughian spoke with her about her new life in the united states. >> reporter: did this happen a lot at the cap? >> every single day. >> you had fires every single day at the camp? >> yes. some days we have to wake up at 4:00. they had to carry us, pick us up because there was a fire. >> i lived in the camp for six years. it was really hard. we didn't have a lot of water. or a lot of food. >> where was the refugee camp? >> it was at the border between syria and iraq. >> i'm a palestinian/iraqi refugee. this is my bed and this is where i sleep. because i feel comfortable on the ground more than bed. i slept six years on the ground at the camp. this is my mom. this is my dad, zakariya. this is my little brother, ahmed and this is my older brother, fahad. >> what was it like when they told you you could come to america when you were at the refugee camp? >> she had to tell us, hit her, like she can't believe it, like she don't think she's in a dream or something like that. >> did you hit her? >> i did. >> with what's happening around the world, do you sometimes feel like students say mean things to you? >> yes, yes. >> what do they say? >> sometimes we be walking and they'll be like -- because the isis people are looking at them like -- i was in a government class. my teacher was explaining about isis and we were watching a video. a student jumped and he was like, ask her. she's from isis. she might know about them. i was like, i'm not from isis. we run away from them so we don't get killed. i'm not from them. >> have you lost family in iraq? >> yes, a lot. yes. my mom's cousin, six of them, they got killed. >> wow. >> and the last one, it was like two months ago. >> she talked to me about how sometimes people say mean things to her in the hallway, calling her a terrorist. ho do you you deal with that when you have pretty substantial refugee population in this school? >> we deal with it through conversations, through intimate dialogue. >> my administrators, i try to have someone that represents every race, every culture that's in the building. >> when i got here, i have to wear -- >> the kafia. >> i had to roll it. >> when did you stop wearing it. >> i wore it for two weeks. then i'm like, i'm not wearing it anymore. that's it. i'm done. >> could you eat like this when you were at the refugee camp? >> no. >> nothing like this? >> nothing like this. >> so your family accepts your way of life here? >> yes. they really do, yes. >> a young palestinian asylum seeker who broke down in tears in front of chancellor angela merkel is now being allowed to stay in germany. germany's newspaper is reporting that her and her family received an extension to remain in the country through october of 2017. sawil became emotional in july, you'll remember, when the chancellor told her germany couldn't accommodate everyone who applied for asylum. >> even though germany, under miss merkel, has accepted hundreds of thousands of refugees, her interaction with the 14-year-old sparked criticism. many called her insensitive to the plight of refugees. people in china are mourning the victims of a disastrous landslide in shenzhen. soldiers and civilians laid flowers at the industrial park, that is the place where more than 70 people are still missing after a huge mound of soil and construction waste collapsed on saturday. at least four bodies have been found. the landslide covered an area of 380,000 meters or that's more than 415,000 yards, burying and toppling dozens of buildings. in eastern china, rescue teams are working against time to save 18 workers trapped after a gypsum mine collapsed. 11 others have reported being rescued since the collapse happened on friday. authorities say that further rescue operations will be especially dangerous due to the risk of another collapse there. all eyes are on the u.s. presidential race this year. but as it turns out, the leading candidates, they weren't always being truthful. the biggest fbis from the front-runners, ahead. plus, some disease is common in the 19th and 20th centuries are making a comeback in britain. later this hour, what's causing the resurgence. just about anywhere you use sugar, you can use splenda®... ...no calorie sweetener. splenda® lets you experience... ...the joy of sugar... ...without all the calories. think sugar, say splenda® in the u.s. state of arkansas, a fire in the home -- childhood home of former president bill clinton is being investigated as arson. on friday, a driver noticed the fire in the back of the house which is a national historic site. and the number 55 was spray paint on a walkway leading up to the home. and a face with a tongue sticking out was spray paint on a door. the u.s. presidential race took center stage in 2015 with a cast of colorful characters that are all fighting for the white house. as our jake tapper reports, the political season has been filled with more than a few falsehoods from the candidates. here's a look at two of the biggest whoppers from the campaign trail this year. >> reporter: it's jake tapper from cnn and factcheck.org. if you check your calendars, you might notice it's almost the end of 2015. you know what that means? it's time for the whopper of the year. i've got to be honest, there were so many lies told this year, i hardly know where to begin. in the interest of fairness, let's pick one from the democratic front-runner and one from the republican front-runner and start alphabetically with hillary clinton. >> i should have had two accounts, one for personal and one for work related. and i've been as transparent as i could, asking that all 55,000 pages be released to the public, turning over my server. >> reporter: so it is true that hillary clinton asked the state department to release her e-mails on march 5th. but clinton's call to release her e-mails came three days after "the new york times" broke the story she exclusively used a private, personal e-mail system to conduct official business. now, as for her server, clinton initially rejected the suggestion that she turn it over to an independent third party. take a listen. >> the server contains personal communications from my husband and me and i believe i have met all of my responsibilities and the server will remain private. >> reporter: five months later, on august 11th, clinton directed her legal team to turn over her e-mail server and a thumb drive to the justice department. this only happened after charle referral to the justice department for, quote, potential compromises of national security. bottom line, no one can issuely refuse to turn over a server or anything to an independent third party and then later claim, after they were forced to do so, that they have been as transparent as possible. now let's turn to donald trump and his widely discredited claim that he saw on television thousands and thousands of people in new jersey celebrating after the twin towers came down on 9/11. >> i watched in jersey city, new jersey, where thousands and thousands of people were cheering as that building was coming down. >> two days later, on november 23rd, trump tweeted a link to a "washington post" story from september 18th, 2001, saying i want an apology, many people have tweeted that i am right. now, that "washington post" story said jersey city police detain, quote, a number of people who were, quote, allegedly seen celebrating the attacks an holding a tailgate style party in jersey city. now, that allegation that appeared in "the washington post" and a similar allegation that was reported in other news accounts around that same period, is unverified. and uncorroborated and the jersey city police say it is not true. and even if it were true, there's no evidence that it's true, that is not the same thing as donald trump seeing on television, thousands and thousands of americans, presumably muslim-americans celebrating as the towers came down. those are two whoppers of the year. for the full list, go to cnn.com. a friendly reminder to all the politicians out there, as you gear up for 2016, you're perfectly entitled to your own opinion. you're not entitled to your own facts. i'm jack tapper for cnn's factcheck.org. merry christmas, happy holidays and have a happy new year. >> jake had his work cut out for him there. for the latest on the 2016 race for the white housing with logon to cnn.com/politics. some buildings in ancient pompei have been given a face lift. coming up, a look at newly restored sites in one of the world's most fabled cities. oh i'm not a security guard, i'm a security monitor. i only notify people if there is a robbery. there's a robbery. why monitor a problem if you don't fix it? that's why lifelock does more than free credit monitoring to protect you from identity theft. we not only alert you to identity threats, if you have a problem, we'll spend up to a million dollars on lawyers and experts to fix it. lifelock. join starting at $9.99 a month. tourists in pompei can now get a new glimpse of life during the early roman empire. the ancient italian city unveiled six restored buildings this week, $164 million went into the project which also included restoring artifacts. along with colorful frescos and int intracati mosaic floors. pompei was buried in ash after mt. vesuvius erupted. the health state department in hawaii reports several cases of dengue fever. experts say it needs to be taken seriously, as seriously as the ebola epidemic in west africa. so far, the dengue outbreak is centered on hawaii's big island. tuberculosis and other potentially deadly diseases are making a comeback in britain. in london alone, some neighborhoods have a higher tb rate than poor parts of the world. max foster explains the cause of the reurgence. >> reporter: scurvy, tuberculosis and scarlet fever may conjure up images of a tale. >> it was a complete shock. >> reporter: 24-year-old josie garrett is nearing the end of treatment for tb. she's studying for a masters degree but a year ago was isolated in the hospital. >> i contracted tuberculosis from my boyfriend. he caught tb from his friend, his friend contracted tuberculosis from his dad and his dad first was diagnosed with tb in the '90s after traveling to india and then it basically re-emerged again as a drug-resistant form of the disease. up until this point i wasn't able to work. i wasn't able to socialize or live a normal life. >> reporter: tb is one disease often synonymous with poverty, affecting the most vulnerable. but health officials waen that strains of the disease lie undetected in all parts of modern society and could break out in the future. >> the bacteria can infect you and stay in your body late enfor a long time. it becomes re-awakened and manifests as a disease when someone happens to your immune level. >> reporter: it killed one in four people at one point and thousands of victims are buried here at this cemetery. of course, the situation isn't as bad today but there are parts of london where tb rates are higher than they are in rwanda or iraq. and the recent study by britain's national health service found other diseases common in the 19th century are making a comeback. >> notably there's been a huge rise in scarlet fever, 14,000 cases in the last year. the highest since the 1960s. we have seen a rise in the cases of tuberculosis. we've seen a rise in the cases of whooping cough. we've seen more measles in the last ten years than we've seen in the ten years before that. >> reporter: in fact, over the last five years in england, cases of scarlet fever have risen by 136%. scurvy by 38% and cholera by 300%. though for scurvy and cholera, the numbers are very small. so why the resurgence? >> reduced vaccine uptake, for example, with measles, reduced population immunity, an influx in migration and malnutrition. >> reporter: 200 years later and age-old afflictions, poverty, malnutrition, lack of health care contributing to the rise of victorian era diseases today. max foster, cnn, london. and this just in to cnn. a spreading brush fire forced the closure of two major roads in southern california. ventura county officials say the 101 freeway and the pacific coast highway near the city of ventura have been shut down. the same as happened with union pacific railroad traffic in that area. firefighters are working to battle an uncontained 250-acre fire north of the city. that wraps this hour of "cnn newsroom." i'm george howell at the cnn center in atlanta. i'll have more news after the break from around the world. you're watching cnn, the world's news leader. . >> the southern part of the united states braces for more severe weather. this after heavy rain and dangerous flooding. the battle for ramadi, troops say they are making inroads taking back the city from isis militants. and later, nearly 40 years later, people who were else hostage in iran after the takeover of the u.s. embassy will be compensated for their ordeal. from cnn world headquarters in atlanta. welcome to our viewers here in the united states and around the world him i'm george howell, cnn newsroom starts right now. a good boxing day to you. we start this hour right here in the southeastern part of the united states. this is where severe weather continues to threaten people. knack, some families saw their homes and streets flooded on christmas day. their cars and trucks partially submerged by rushing water. in the state of alabama, there is a state of emergency under way. up to 40 centimeter, up to 20 inches fell there in less than a day. here's the scene in that state's capitol. what may have been a tornado caused this damage in birmingham. the storms killed at least 15 people in three states. cnn's nick valencia tells us about the fear residents felt as their homes were being torn apart. >> reporter: storms across the united states have left more than a dozen killed. there are still some unrkted for. this christmas. scenes of devastation in parts of the south and mid-west. heavy rain causing widespread flooding across north georgia and tearing across several states. >> i started hearing a real loud roar. it started getting loudered and louder. i said, we need to get in the house right now. >> it sound like a freight train, it was coming. >> >> reporter: in ash lapdz, miss mike, all that's left of this home is the porch. she and her husband were inside within they saw the tornado coming him they ran and hid in this truck. >> nothing left in my house. not one thing. nothing but all that debris. >> reporter: this building may have saved tony woodwin's life a. tornado hit tennessee. >> i had my grandson under my arm and everybody got in, except for my sister in law. i'm yelling at her to come on him she got in, as soon as she did. i shut the door. >> reporter: the tornado knocked the house off its foundation but he and several others were in the storm shelter. >> you never know how important it is to seek shelter, it's a life saver. >> two of those killed in tennessee were husband and wife. according to storm prediction center, at least 14 tornadoes hit mississippi on wednesday. a single twister did most of the damage. >> this is a miracle. there is no way that three individuals were in this house at this time. they were able to walk away. >> reporter: communities coming together, thankful to be alive. >> i went and bought toys for kids. because i also have a little girl and but if not for christmas and toys and stuff, there is not a holiday. >> among the youngest victim, a 7-year-old boy in mississippi. they say the threat nor violent weather dropped dramatically. the threat is not over yet. nick valencia there explaining the damage we are seeing west of the city of atlanta. for more on the condition, let's bring in our meteorologist there, again, in atlanta. it has been warm. we seen storms. to our west, there has been so much damage. >> george, the threat is not done yet. it's looking into sunday and monday i'm concerned about in terms of severe weather. when we talk about the heavy rain on top of a saturated environment that's led to scenes of flooding and rescue attempts. just like this video we are about to show you, it is all thanks to the copyious amounts of rainfall and you had mentioned a moment ago, upwards of 10 to 20 inches of rainfall has taken place across portions of mississippi and alabama. as we go back to the graphics, you can see that that is, indeed, the case. this is our radar estimated total. notice the top portion of my screen, that shading south of huntszville into tupelo, mississippi, there are localized reports in excess of 20 inches or rainfall for this area. can you imagine. scenes like this have become the norm. unfortunately, roadways inundated vehicles, making for a dangerous six for many people and many residents there. suddenly the rain and tornadoes, we had four confirmed tornadoes on christmas day alone him we typically see 24 in the month of december. we have smashed that this particular month already. that was over a three-day period. here we go again by the second half of the week, things are going to get very interesting here in the weather department. we have a very complex storm system that will allow for severe storms from texas to louisiana and arkansas, heavy rain over this same area, once again, on the cool side of this system. that precipitation will change over to you guessed it, snowfall and perhaps blizzard conditions as well him look at that shadeing of red. this is our winter weather warnings across america and that is where we have our blizzard threat. eastern new mexico, the pan hand him of texas and oklahoma. we have the possibility of flowing and drifting snow. some of that snow could drift easily in excess of 10 to 15 five feet by the time the storm is all done. here's our rainfall totals over the next five day, at least five-to-ten inches over some yards that have experienced some extreme rainfall lately. i will take you to the other side of the world. this is another story we are monitoring closely into the southern section of australia, this is into the victoria state. we are right smack dab in the middle of our fire season and brush fires have been very dangerous burning over 100 homes in this area him we will have an update in a moment t. good thing is there was some relief in terms of a cold front passing through. unfortunately, it changed the wind direction battling the front line. back to you. >> thank you for that. let's talk more about this bush fire in victoria. it has already destroyed at least 116 homes. it's burned some 2,200 hectares or nearly 6,000 acres. cnn producer joins us with more on the situation there. this is a popular part of the country when it comes to tourists? >> that right. we're talking about the great ocean road. which is one of the prime tourist spots if australia. this is like the equivalent of route 101 in the united states. it's a coastal drive. there is a town which yesterday on christmas day was very likely to come under threat from the bush fir. i now learned for the time being him people are safe and the threat has been downgraded in the areas around there, but we are talking about 116 homes destroyed in the blink of an eye, george. this was a fire sparked last week and was largely being fought, you know, semi storm containment line, but from what i have been able to, what i have been able to dig up is that on christmas day, in particular, this is when the flaechls started to flare up. most people spent christmas day evacuating their home. now they have to go back. many will find whatever they had was ruined. dried. >> i want to ask you, you understand, you talked to us about that happening this time of year. it's pretty common threat. >> yeah, this is bush season in australia. december and january are usually the hottest months. >> that means it is incredibly dangerous. for personal experience, it wasn't uncommon to see the sky filled with ash outside of town. but it was a few years ago, plaque saturday if victoria. 180-plus people killed. this is where the lessons were learned. this is when miami now are not taking any chances when emergency services are saying it's a wash on deck. you need to be ready to leave. they leave. as can you see, 116 homes destroyed. but fought one fatality, george. everybody is safe. >> that is good knew, good to get your own insight as well. thank you so much. swipeing now to the fight against isis the iraqi military says it is closing in on an isis-held government compound in ramadi in its attempt to retake that estimate iraqi soldiers are slowly combing through the area. they are searching for terrorists. they are diffuseing bobby traps. there are concerns, though, militants are living in their territory. winning back ramadi would be the most significant victory since 2014. robin, good to have you this hour joining us. so let's talk about this. this push into ramadi. it's dangerous. it has, there are bobby traps, talk to us about how difficult it is for them to get if. >> reporter: well, certainly incredibly difficult. ramadi seized them in may. they have had seven months in which to lay bobby traps to set up rat holes for snipers and to also rig up vehicle i eds, suicide bomb, et cetera. so this is why it's taking such a long time for the iraqi forces to get a few plox to that government compound. also the issue, georgia civilians caught in the cross fire. they have put out white flags so they can be granted safe passage by the iraqi forces so they're not mistaken for isis militants. about 300 to 500 remain inside ramadi city we are told by iraqi intelligence officers. >> robin, talk to us about what happens next. so if, when, they are able to take back ramadi, does the focus shift to mosul? >> it shifts to mosul, ramadi was incredibly embarrassing in a situation for iraqi forces and the u.s. trained kind of terrorism forces who were charged with defending the city, obviously, it's usually a strategic city on the highway. it's close to baghdad, within striking distance of back it's the sunni population. so it was a huge loss for iraqi forces. they complained they ran out of ammunition, they did try to fight, but they came under tremendous criticism from the united states, for example, secretary of defense, ash carter, who said they just lost the will to fight. so the really represents a major propaganda coup if they manage to take this. mosul will be the next place. it does appear that both the iraqi forces and the u.s.-led coalition with its airstrikes have gained tremendous advantage and that they've really picked up tempo. we expect them to take mosul as quickly as possible to keep up that tempo. >> one other question, how difficult. will it be, how do they hang on to that city to make sure sure it doesn't fall back under isis control. >> that's something we see that is typical of sort of conventional military is trying to fight insurgent warfare. it's one thing to seize territory. it's another to hold it from these insurgents. because they can launch a small penetrating complex to pack. so if, for example, they do manage, they do seize the government compound, they take over, they have about 70% of the city at the moment, that's the iraqi force, 30% remains in isis hands, if they manage to take that last 50%, it will be a koois case of keeping suicide bombers, car bombs, snipers, outside the city, making sure that isis is not able to infiltrate the estimate because they can blend into the local population and slide in, like that. it will be incredibly difficult they have attacks and, indeed arc large scale counter assault. >> cnn's robin kerrnow. thank you for joining us. syrian state media report that the leader was killed by an airstrike in a suburb of damascus. state tv aired this video, which they say shows the him boing in question, but it is still unclear if it was a syrian or russian plane that dropped the bombs. el islam has no affiliation with al qaeda. they are referring to him as a terrorist within it proudly announced his death. isis has not always been consistent in its recruiting strategy or how it carries out attacks, cnn's, jim scuitto learned more this year. >> early on the focus on u.s. law enforcement, counterterrorism officials, has really been potential isis recruits here in america who attempt to travel to the war zones if iraq and syria, join the fight there and possibly come back and bring jihad home. more and more the focus on potential recruits who never leave europe or elsewhere, never go to the war zone, stay at home and carry out jihad, real lip on their doorstep. >> now that change could be due in part to those tougher controls. the efforts to identify and stop potential recruits during the u.s. or elsewhere in the west from joining the fight in the middle east. it is also because isis changed its message, more and more, it is calling on people around the world to carry out jihad right where they are. whatever they can do, take up a gun. make a bomb and carry out terrorist attacks, particularly, with a focus on the west, more and more. sometimes, those attacks are entirely self directed, pure lone wolves, as we heard that term so often. but we've also seen isis direct and supply and train, we saw that in paris, also suicide attacks in beirut. there have already been a number of lone wolf attacks here in the united states, even pre-dating isis if 2009. the ft. hood attacks, inspired, it was believed by anwar al awlaki. a cartoon for the prophet mohammed, that possibly directed by isis, then, okay, san bernardino, believed to be inspired by isis as well. one particular challenge with lone wolves is they're harder to detect. there is no initial conversation between a new recruit and a known terror subject. there is no conversation to intercept. there is no meeting to observe before that terrorist is recruited and carries out an attack. this means a near constant state of alert. what has been described to me repeatedly as an alarming new normal. >> it was a cnn's jim scuitto reporting there. now to a story we are following closely out of japan. the shelter in place order has been put into effect at a u.s. airbase due to a security incident on saturday. yokota airbase, the professionals respond to the incident. witnesses say the gates were locked down and long lines of cars formed outside the base. you are watching cnn "newsroom." still ahead, it has taken nearly 40 years, but the americans held in the iran hostage crisis will finally be repaid for what they endured. those details coming up. plus the story of an american soldier, a christian honored posthumously for saving his jewish cam rads in the holocaust. you are watching cnn newsroom. zblrnlgs make sure the germs they bring home don't stick around. use clorox disinfecting products. because no one kills germs better than clorox. . >> in afghanistan, forces there say they have killed a number of taliban fighters and their commander in the district. the militant group is largely in control of the area and helmand prophet. alexander fields has more on the fighting there. >> reporter: afghan security forces are making another push to move taliban fighters out of the sangin district. the taliban have taken almost all of sangin district, except for a police chief's office and another building used by an army battalion. but more operations have been launched now by the afghan army. officials there say a number of tam ban fighters have been killed, including a local commander with ties to the taliban leader. the afghan national army is getting some support from the u.s. in the form of two airstrikes. there is also a nato team in southern helmanned province. those on the ground say that the fighting has remained fierce and that it continues. people who are inside that police chief's office, which has been under attack fortes from the taliban have said they were running out of food, ammunition and supplies. but the central government says it is moving resources into the area and more reenforcements as they continue their battle with the taliban. in seoul, alexander fields, cnn. >> after nearly four decades, americans who are taken hostage at the u.n. embassy in iran will be compensated for their ordeal. this is how they were welcomed back in 1981. the image you see there. the u.s. congress just passed a budget bill that will repay each of the 53 hostages or their famili families. >> reporter: iranian hostages will get $4.4 million each. that's $10,000 per day when the iranians stormed the embassy in 1989. this doesn't only impact these hostages. it also impacts other victims of victims of the u.s. embassy - bombings back in 1998. it includes those marines who were killed in beirut in the bombing of barracks there back in 1983 some this is really wide reaching and goes back many decades to give the victims, but to give the families also some sort of compensation, because they haven't been able to get anything up to this point so it's really crucial to these people to in some ways be made whole. >> the money is expected to come from a fine page by a bank that violated sanctions against iran. the former hostages could not sue as a part of the agreement that frees them. onto the holly land that cast a dark shadow, israeli police shot and killed a palestinian man who they say tried to stab an officer in europe on saturday. on christmas, israeli police say they killed a palestinian woman who tried to ram officers with her car. it happened in a west bank village, near bethlehem, rocks and molotov cocktails flew between israeli forces and palestinians, christmas carried oranges despite the backdrop that many tourists avoided back to the region. now to a story that started with a standoff nearly 80 years ago during world war ii, an american soldier is now being honored by israel's holocaust center, honored ford standing up to the nazis in a p.o.w. camp to protect his comrades. >> reporter: the story of master edmonds doesn't start in victory. an american soldier taken prisoner in world war ii only days after arriving to europe in the battle of the bulge. edmond was any to 9b, a nazi camp if central germany, starving, edmonds and his friends drew up plans for a restaurantees eating off an imaginary menu. after 30 day, he was moved and tested in a confrontation with nazi doctrine. the german commander ordered him to separate out his justish soldier, edmonds, a christians, refused. the next morning, his 1,200 american soldiers stood together. 70 years later, one of those jewish soldiers recounts the defiance. >> he says to edmonds, you can't all be jewish. someone said, we're all jews here in this german major. angry takes out it out and points at edmond' said and said you will honor the jewish american soldiers to step forward or i will shoot you right now. >> edmond stood his ground. the camp commander stormed off. he had saved his men. within months the war was over, edmonds was home. he never shared the story before he passed away in 1975. not even with his son. >> i asked him from time to time when i got older as a college age kid, dad, tell me about your army experience. son, there's just some things i'd rather not talk about. >> reporter: chris edmonds followed his father's 2004 in a 2009 article. >> you look at your dad as a hero. i never knew he had a cape hang income his closet and he did. >> reporter: master sergeant roddey edmonds is the first honored among noun u non-jews who saved jews. edmonds awarded the recognition he never sought. his war, which started in defeat on the battle fields, ended in victory for his men. >> you are watching cnn "newsroom. "still ahead, india's prime minister makes a surprise stop in pakistan. what the unexpected encounter could mean for the perpetual tense region next. plus, fortune. this is what it looks like, a flips into refugee's new life i should say in the united states, the story ahead as the broadcast continues around the globe at this hour on cnn world wide. >> welcome back to our viewers here in the united states and around the world. you are watching cnn newsroom. i'm george howl, people in the southeastern part of the u.s. are hoping the rain will give them a break soon. parts of the state of mississippi were hammered with up to 25 centimeters of nearly ten inches of rain on friday and alabama, there is a state of emergency under way there. storms have killed at least 15 people in three states this week a. spokesman for the u.s.-led coalition against isis says iraqi forces are like a boa constrictor. iraq's military is closing in on one of the final compounds under isis control, succeeding would be one of the most important victories for the military since isis swept across iraq pack in 2014. the syrian rebel group confirm the death of the leader. syrian state media says this video shows the airstrike outside damascus on thursday. the government considers him a terrorist, but his rebel group has no ties to isis or al qaeda. in east china. workers were saved after a gypsum mine collapsed. authorities say rescue operations could be especially dangerous with the rick of a second collapse happening. we are getting new video of a huge brush fire in southern california. this beach community in the city of ventura is now under mandatory evacuation order. the fire has shut down two major highways. 101 sfreeway and pacific coast freeway t. fire is spreading across a large area. there are some encouraging signs that the relationship between india and pakistan may be improving. this as indian prime minister on friday became the first leader of his country to visit pack san in more than a decade him he mit with his counterpart and talked about restarting a dialogue and increasing contact between theiration thats. as they report, the countries have much to overcome. if they are ever to be able live side-by-side in peace. >> any time the prime ministers of india and pakistan meet, it becomes significant. the two countries have an arch rival since independence nearly 70 years ago. but india's prime minister's visit getting particular notice. it was a surprise layover after a visit to kabul. it's the first time an indian prime minister had visited pakistan in almost 12 years. his visit with his pakistani counterpart was brief. they welcomed him at the airport. they exchanged pleasantries over tea. it happens to be his birthday. but is this our symbol imor is there anything more to it? that's what many people are asking today, relations between pakistan and india have been tense the past two years t. two sides weren't even talking, cross border skirmishes have been routine, terrorism and a dispute of himalayan territory remains. the political commentators in india say there appears to be a shift in the prime minister's foreign policy, vis-a-vis pakistan n. paris, this image of him issuing talking, created a lot of buzz. it was a two-minute meeting. it symbolized. whether anything beyond is still to be seen. many said this impromptu meeting is a step in the right direction. roughly 85,000 people from around the world are expected to resettle in the united states in the coming year. this despite the fact that a number of states are speaking out against refugees coming to the u.s. about 25,000 will be coming from africa. they spoke with a young eritrean refugee in the state of maryland. >> can i try a little bit? oh, that's a bean dish. >> this here my father sleeps here and this is where my mum sleeps and my little brother. this is our room with my brother. my brother lives here. my older brother sleeps here. and i sleep here. i'm an eritrean refugee. >> he spent the last five years before you came here in a refugee camp and where was that refugee camp that you went to? >> that was in you topia. i have to carry water every morning and i have to carry it in my bag and go to my house. it was a lot of workch they even told me that i was beginning to come here. >> to come to the u.s.? >> yes, i was. when i came here, i thought i would know english like in months or something. but like it took me long early, way longer. >> it's hard wards to learn. >> i thought, no, this, i never thought i would talk english leak this. >> she's an excellent student. her intellect was noticed right away by a teacher who saw real potential in her and got her in touch with the merit scholarship and if she successfully completes the bram program, she will get a free ride. >> a free ride to where? smr to university. so when i told you, you were going to be a merit scholar, what was your reaction? >> i was really happy. >> hey. how are you guys? >> good. how is it going? >> i had this special privilege of being here with doctors without borders mentor. >> awesome. this is good. >> you help her and her brothers, too? >> yeah. >> >> america has made me a better person. i love it. mostly i love the school i like we have more food. >> more food? >> yeah. >> i want to become a doctor. we didn't have doctors back in the camp. it made me feel like i should be one of them and like help peopl people. >> thavgs to yasnin versuvia for that report. a fire is being called spbs at the islamic center of houston. a spokes woman from a u.s. law enforcement agency says the fire had multiple points of origin, but it is too soon to determine the cause of that fire. you are watching cnn newsroom, still ahead, all eyes were on the u.s. presidential race this year. the candidates made headline, many did not shy away from controversy. coming up, the top campaign moments of 2015 as "newsroom" continues. good thing geico offers affordable renters insurance. with great coverage it protects my personal belongings should they get damaged, stolen or destroyed. [doorbell] uh, excuse me. delivery. hey. lo mein, szechwan chicken, chopsticks, soy sauce and you got some fortune cookies. have a good one. ah, these small new york apartments... protect your belongings. let geico help you with renters insurance. ♪ everything kids touch during cold and flu season sticks with them. make sure the germs they bring home don't stick around. use clorox disinfecting products. because no one kills germs better than clorox. >> in the u.s. state of arkansas, a fire in the childhood home of former president bill clinton is being investigated as arson. on friday, a driver noticed the fire in the back of the house, which is a national historic site. the number 55 was painted on a walkway leading to the house. and the face also with a tongue sticking out was spray-painted on a door. the u.s. presidential race took center stage in 2015 with a cast of colorful characters all fighting for the white house. our da that bash has a look at some of the top campaign moments from the year. >> reporter: in politics 2015 was the year of one-liners, insults, interruptions an controvers controversy. >> it was if t escalateer ride, donald trump upended the field and altered all that ditional roels rules is there when mexico sends its people, they're not sending the best. they're bringing drugs, they're brigg crime. they're rapists. some i assume are good people there those comments caused a huge backlash, especially in the latino communiy. but rocketed trump to the gop field and the provocative statements continued on the campaign trail. at an early event in iowa, trump sparked another wave of criticism after saying this about former p.o.w. john mccain. >> he's not a war hero. >> he's a war hero that was captured. i like many that weren't captured. >> it turns out, they were the first of many so-called blunders that failed to knock him from the top of his perch on the top of the polls. questions about the benghazi attacks in hillary clinton's early campaign, cull min fating in a contentious 11-hour hearing that pack fired on republicans and gave clinton a boost. >> were you alone? >> i was alone, yes. mr. the whole night? >> yes, the whole night. [ laughter ] >> i don't know why that's funny, few have any in person briefing? i don't find it funny at all. >> i'm sorry, a little note of levity at 7:15. >> after questions about her e-mails, clinton got an unassist from her opponent bern boerne at the debate. >> the american people are sick and tired of hearing about your dam e-mails. >> thank you. me too, me too. >> that moment may have hurt sander's campaign, it was great material for the "snl." >> the american people are sick and tired about hearing about your e-mails. >> reporter: a campaign story line shaping the national conversation and shutting down a sanders campaign event in seattl seattle. >> the most defining moment on the democratic side may be one that never happened. after months of speculation, vice president joe biden decided fought to run for president. solidifying clinton's spot as the expected democratic nominee. >> while i will not be a candidate, i will not be silenced. i intend to speak out clearly and forcefully. >> in the republican race, friends turned rivals on display. as jeb bush looking to find campaign mojo took on his former property jay marco rubio. >> marco, when you signed up for this, this is a six-year term. you should be returning to work. the senate, is it a french workweek? >> someone convinced you attacking me is going to help you. >> rubio bested his mentor and pushed his end in the year with poll numbers stuck in the single digits. plus some gop candidates shied away from taking on trump. former ceo carley fiorina called him out for controversial comments he made about her face. >> i think women all over this country heard very clearly what mr. trump said. >> from fiorina to trump to ben carson, 2015 was the year of the outsider candidate. carson, who has no political experience briefly topped the republican polls this fall. but his inspiring personal narrative of a violent past and spiritual resem dem shun was called into question by a cnn investigation. >> when i was 14, i had a large camping knife, i tried to stab him in the abdomen with it. fortunately he had a large met am belt buckle. i hit it with such force it broke it. >> it moves this week, it moves this way. >> and the year end back at the beginning with a donald trump shocker. after terrorist attacks in paris and san bernardino, trump gave this policy prescription. >> donald j. trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of muslims entering the united states. >> reporter: once again, those controversial comments did nothing to stump trump's ride t. real test is going to be february 1st in 2016 when voters first go to the polls. >> dana bash reporting there for us. for the latest on the race for the white house, you can get all you need there at cnn.com/politics. as you know, cnn often covers a variety of serious topicics. she seems to have melted at the site of these puppies at an arctic dog sled camp. hervist there just ahead. u seasn sticks with them. make sure the germs they bring home don't stick around. use clorox disinfecting products. because no one kills germs better than clorox. >> in many parts of the world, it is boxing day. that means many shoppers hoping to sport great deals in australia. people are expected to spend $1.7 on boxing day this year. in the you can ug, experts see sales topping $4 become. online shoppers got a jump, spending an estimated $1 billion starting on christmas day. for those of you who may be hoping to return some of those holiday gifts that you don't need or don't want. cnn's christine romans has a few tips. here are her four rules for smart gift returns. >> reporter: 38%, r, 38% returned part of their holiday gifts, once you have made the moral decision to ditch the sweater your aunt susie gave you, which looks like the sweater she gave you the year before, do it right. four rules. number one, stay home on december 26th. the stores are too full. the second busiest shopping day of the year by traffic. don't wait too long. that's number two. know your return window. it varies by retailer sometimes by items. nordstrom's, for example, is the gold standard, you can return something any time receipt or not. some teen eare tailers, many require a receipt for any return or you get store credit at the lowest sales price. ouch. third, never open a store credit card. there you are, returning a gift, picking up something you want instead. the clerk is pushing you to open another card and get another 15% off. don't do it. onlying up multiple cards makes you look weak and can ding your credit score. number four, cash in unwanted gift cards, there are plenty of people that will buy your exist cards from 97% of the value or more, depending on the store, a few examples, gift card gran fi.com. can you research more yourself. best bet cash them in, pay down all your holiday bills. >> so after a mild christmas, it is nice to know there are some places never short of snow. one such place is a frigid corner of norway. but the tore there will warm your heart. it's where a go ahead has some really cute puppies and dog sled puppies. take a look. >> i'm a guide work working here. what i do is i'm bringing people from all over the world and the winter time and the summertime and on the wagon. if you have a bad morning, you get out in the dog yard. it's so possible to fought be happy when you meet these dogs, because they are always happy to see you. >> can i get a puppy? i don't know what to say. >> oh my god, this is in my pocket. >> it's my hat. >> okay. all right. that's it. it's over. i'm being overrun by cuteness. >> excuse me, excuse me. >> it smells of puppy love. >> oh. >> so this is the dog team. i will be driving dog team number one. they will be driving dog team number two. they arebred to do running. it's like shepp herding dogs, they love to run and pull the wagon. you stand on top here, you can steer this. we got six of them. when they go to the right. you have to do the same. the dogs are the one that is decides where they are going. we used to brake like on a bike. we can stop. this over here, when you are walking with them, they are like a drive. i found out i like dogs. i really enjoy being out in the nature. especially in the winter time. >> but it just starts, you have to continue working with them. they are your new best trends. >> with that we thank you for joining us this hour. i'm george howell, for viewers in the u.s. "new day" is next. for other viewers around the world, "amanpour" starts in a moment. thank you for watching cnn, the world's leader. >> serendipity. what are the... chances. and good tidings to all. hang onto your antlers. it's the event you don't want to miss. it's the season of audi sales event. get up to a $2,500 bonus for highly qualified lessees on select audi models. ♪ everything kids touch during cold and flu season sticks with them. make sure the germs they bring home don't stick around. use clorox disinfecting products. because no one kills germs better than clorox. . breaking overnight, deadly weather hammers the south and mid-west, industdestroying homes not over. there is another system pull eming parts of the u.s. . also developing this morning, a suspicious fire at a houston mosque is now under federal investigation after officials find multiple points of origin.

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