the florida man including his cousin has been captured. how a popular tv show played a role in his arrest. al qaeda threats close a u.s. embassy as washington battles to move extremism with talks and with force. and it looks like new york's tavern on the green restaurant has gone out of business after all that time. a look at the party that ended it all and how people are remembering one of the city's most famous landmarks. you are watching "hln news and views" on this first sunday of 2010. great to have you with us. i'm susan hendricks. we want to get you updated. authorities have arrested a florida man who allegedly gunned down four members of his family after thanksgiving dinner. u.s. marshals captured paul merhige at a hotel in the florida keys last night. there he is on surveillance camera. he was the focus of an intense manhunt after he allegedly shot and killed his twin sisters and a 79-year-old aunt. he also allegedly killed 6-year-old michaela sitton as she slept in her family's jupiter, florida, home. with his arrest, michaela's father says he will be able to sleep at night. >> it means i'll be able to sleep a little better tonight, and i won't be patrolling the inside of my house with my shotgun, you know, thinking that the monster is right around the corner. i've been in protective mode. and now that he's captured, at least, you know, my family, we can even begin the healing process. >> merhige was captured when a viewer of "america's most wanted" recognized him and his car. the u.s. embassy in yemen is closed today because of al qaeda threats against american interests. the embassy is not saying if there is any specific threat. and it's unclear when it will reopen. the head of u.s. centcom, saved petraeus, met with yemen's president yesterday. a senior u.s. government official says they discussed the latest intelligence on al qaeda in yemen. he also gave yemen's president several messages from president obama. yesterday mr. obama tied al qaeda to that attempted airline attack on christmas day. he said al qaeda's yemeni branch trained the suspected bomber and gave him explosives. >> this is not the first time this group has targeted us. in recent years they've bombed yemeni facilities and western hotels, restaurants and embassies including our embassy in 2008, killing one american. so as president, i've made it a priority to strengthen our partnership with the yemeni government, training and equipping their security forces, sharing intelligence and working with them to strike al qaeda terrorists. and even before christmas day, we had seen the results. training camps have been struck. leaders eliminated. plots disrupted. and all those involved in the attempted act of terrorism on christmas must know, you, too, will be held to account. >> the u.s. and yemen were hitting terrorist targets in yemen before the airline plot. now they are reportedly looking for new targets for retaliatory strikes. mexican police say they have captured the head of a notorious drug cartel. leyva was arrested in the northwest city. authorities say leyva was taken into custody after he showed a fake driver's license with an alias he had been using. his arrest comes a week after his brother was killed in a shootout outside mexico city. one of the two nba players who reportedly drew a gun in a team locker room is talking to the media. joe carter has the latest. hi, jeff. >> gilbert arenas spoke to reporters yesterday but really didn't get into too many details about the christmas eve incident with his teammate. arenas was careful with his words saying he used bad judgment in bringing guns into the washington wizards' locker room. arenas also said that he does not gamble and that there are misconceptions in the various reports about the dispute between himself and teammate javarris crittenton. he wouldn't go into detail about other parts of the investigation but did tell reporters he has a meeting with law enforcement authorities tomorrow. >> the perception that things went wrong here, that someone pulled a gun on someone. that's not true? >> well, i can't, you know, speak on that. but, you know, if you know me, you've been here, i've never did anything violent, anything that's funny, it's funny to me. >> the wizards are certainly not laughing. they signed arenas to a six-year, $111 million contract in 2008. and depending on the severity of the findings in the investigation, they could attempt to avoid the remainder of that contract. the man accused of trying to attack a controversial danish cartoonist has been charged with attempted murder. danish officials also tied him yesterday to an african militant group allied with al qaeda. officials say the suspect is a somali man who tried to break into the cartoonist's home friday night. the cartoonist reportedly hid in a panic room until police shot and wounded the suspect. this cartoonist is known for his controversial depiction of the muslim prophet mohamed. a delta flight from boston to new york returned to logan international airport when a pilot smelled smoke in the cockpit. a delta spokesman says the pilot turned back eight minutes into the flight. the odor was gone by the time the plane landed back in boston. all 34 people on board were rebooked on a later flight. now, delta is investigating the cause of the smoke smell. iran has issued an ultimatum over its nuclear program. it is threatening to enrich nuclear fuel on its own if the west does not renegotiate a u.n.-backed deal by the end of january. the demand came two days after iran defied a deadline by the u.s. and other security council members. the west has been trying to get iran to swap its enriched uranium for nuclear fuel. now, the concern is iran may use its uranium to make nuclear weapons. iran says it needs the fuel for research. megachurch pastor rick warren got more than double what he asked for in a plea for donations. his church in southern california took in $2.4 million in just three days. on wednesday, he made an urgent plea for $900,000 to fill a deficit. warren said the recession and a huge drop in offerings over the holiday caused that shortfall. warren is the author of the best-seller "the purpose driven life." he also gave the invocation at president obama's inauguration. forecasters say there is more rain coming in an area where storms caused dozens of mudslides. officials say at least 60 people have been killed since rain started pounding southern brazil on wednesday. mudslides buried entire homes and shut down a major highway. rescuers are looking for survivors sometimes digging with their bare hands. and in one case rescuers celebrated when they dug out a toddler whose entire family was killed at home. but the little girl unfortunately died later in the hospital. folks in rhode island broke out the shovels after seven to ten inches of snow fell over new england. most of the rain roads in the area were cleared for drivers. but the side streets in many neighborhoods are covered with snow. some people took that as an opportunity to make some cash. >> we're cleaning snow for money, shoveling, helping people and everything. if they need help, we shovel for $5. >> we've been fortunate it's been weekends. therefore it doesn't happen where you have to go to work. >> we're doing whatever we can. like even today, we've been really judicious about how we're calling in a few people so that we can keep the main roads and the hilly roads salted and sands. >> and more snow and wind are expected in the providence area today, but it is expected to end by tomorrow. good news there. and temperatures should get a little warmer. when money is tight, usually the first thing to go is fancy restaurants, right? but coffee is something folks just won't give up. and one city is brewing up a new reason for tourists to savor the flavor of a cup of joe. new york city's health commissioner wants people to kick the can. and the plastic bottle. the city is putting on an ad campaign warning people that soft drinks can put on pounds they probably don't notice. but as dr. sanjay gupta reports in today's "fit nation," the ads are causing some controversy. >> reporter: it's the latest youtube sensation. it's not a water-skiing squirrel or even a dancing baby. but a public service announcement about soda. ♪ some viewers may find this revolting. but new york city health commissioner dr. thomas farley says it is starting to get people's attention. >> we have an epidemic of obesity that we feel we need to respond to. we wanted to communicate in a way that people understand, and the visual images are the way that we communicate these days. >> reporter: according to the ad just one soda a day, about 100 calor calories, can add ten pounds to your waistline over the course of a year. and recent research from ucla confirms the link, saying that one soda per day puts you at a 27% increased risk fofr obesity. >> people tend not to notice. >> reporter: the american beverage association agrees that the hundreds of calories in sugary drinks can add up but says there was a better way to educate people. in a statement posted on its website, the ada says, quote, if the goal is to reduce obesity among new yorkers, then this public education campaign should be based in fact, not simply sensationalized video that's inaccurately portraying our industry's products. products that are fat free. they go on to say that the companies they represent offer low calorie and no-calorie options and that losing weight is as simple as calories in, calories out. farley says people have known that for years, but they still don't get the point. >> most people have a very positive image of sugar-sweetened beverages, a treat at the end of the day. we want to drive home they're a risk. >> reporter: with over 200,000 views on youtube, the video seems to be getting that point across. dr. sanjay gupta, cnn. the rough economy may have forced you to cut back, but one thing folks won't cut out is their good old cup of joe. in seattle there are so many coffee shops, people are going on a coffee crawl to sample flavors. and our affiliate went along. >> reporter: most won't give up that morning cup of coffee no matter how many pennies they want to pinch. >> i've just noticed coffee houses have gotten busier with the economy going down. it's just a nice affordable luxury. something to go treat yourself. and i think it's causing people to drink a lot more drip coffee, and they're experiencing all the different flavors from all over the world. >> reporter: vickie shuman takes people around pike place market on a coffee crawl and not just tourists. coffee shops hope locals will take a sip and keep coming back. >> it's the best experience, you know. if you're going to come to seattle, you want to go to pike's market and see coffee and fish and, you know, this is what makes seattle. >> i really like it. and i like that there is not only starbucks in seattle. i was afraid it would be only starbucks here. >> reporter: and speaking of the seattle coffee company, starbucks cut costs, laid off workers and reinvented much of the food sold in its shops this year to turn a profit. competition is fierce in the coffee world. >> it's like tradition. you know, starbucks is, like, the foundation. and everybody else spread because of starbucks. you know, people want to come back to where the foundation was started. >> reporter: now, wait a second. you're not a coffee drinker but you're on the coffee crawl? >> yes. >> caller: are you having any fun? >> it's really good. i don't normally taste the flavors. >> reporter: good for local coffee shops hoping to be the new hot spot. >> and our thanks to marley ginter for that story. now, the crawl is offered by a group np as seattle by foot which gives walking tours of the city. a college football team surrounded by controversy finally got back on the field. joe carter is here to tell us how it turned out. hi, joe. >> good morning. texas tech fired their coach, mike leach, last week after he allegedly mistreated with a player. with everybody still talking about it, the red raiders took the field in front of an anxious almost angry crowd clearly in support of their former coach. credit to the team and interim coach mcneill, the raiders blocked out the distractions and beat michigan state, 41-31, in the alamo bowl. the tone of the crowd changed after the game. fans actually shouted "roughin' roughin'" as a thank you to leach's defensive coordinator who took over and guided the red raiders through a week the school is certainly desperate to forget. well, a team not in a hurry to forget, the university of connecticut. they remembered fallen teammate jasper howard before their bowl game against south carolina. the team lost howard a month into the season after he was stabbed to death during an on-campus fight. now, on the field, the huskies ended the trying season with a spectacular play and a big bowl win over south carolina, 20-7. nhl action. st. louis/chicago. st. louis player keith tkachuk takes one for the team. watch in the replay. the shot on goal, off his face. he would be in pain. and to add insult to injury, his team would go on to lose. and finally, i can't say that i've ever heard anything like this. kraft foods is dropping $75,000 to be the official sponsor when the old texas stadium is blown up. they're calling it a cheddar explosion. there's really nothing cheesy about that. the stadium is expected to be turned into rubble this spring. that's a look at sports. i'm joe carter. it looks like more people than ever want to get a visa to visit the u.s., but some say after that failed terror attack on christmas day, authorities should make it more difficult for people to get one. this is "hln." an oil well fire is proving to be very difficult for firefighters to put out. it broke out yesterday near luling, texas. the fire isn't threatening any homes, but it reportedly started in two oil tanks and spread to two more. just when firefighters thought they had it under control yesterday, it flared up again. firefighters are using specialized engines designed to fight petrochemical fires. there are no reports of any injuries. now, because of that failed terror attack on a plane on christmas day, there is new attention to the way people from other countries enter the u.s. now. some critics say that incident is proof that the process should be improved. sandra endough shows us how a visa is the ticket for entry into america. >> reporter: for an entry into the united states, how difficult is it to get an admission ticket to america? citizens in 35 countries don't even need a visa to gain entry. as part of the visa waiver program, it allows them a maximum 90-day stay. but for those from other countries, travelers must apply for specific visas. there are temporary visas for tourists, business travelers, short-term employment, and students. each visa type allows a person to stay in america for different lengths of time. longer-term visa applicants need to show strong ties to their country of origin as proof they'll return home. student visas allow a person to stay for the duration of their studies. and more than 650,000 foreign students attended u.s. colleges and universities last year. temporary worker visas permit a three-year stay with roughly 100,000 issued per year. the most common tourist or business visas allow a six-month stay. immigrant visas are for those looking to become a permanent u.s. resident. those applicants need sponsors like an american relative or u.s. employer. the u.s. state department can deny a visa to individuals with criminal records, certain diseases, or suspected terrorists. the alleged detroit bomber already had a visa but some critics say the process needs to work better to keep the bad guys out. and that includes revoking or flagging a visa holder for secondary screening. >> the chain is as strong as its weakest link. it starts with gathering intelligence. next it's the dissemination of intelligence. next it's acting on the intelligence. both at embassies and at ports of entry. >> reporter: the demand for visas to the u.s. continues to increase. with 6.6 million nonimmigrant visas issued in fiscal year 2008 and nearly 237,000 immigrant visas granted in 2009. one big problem is people overstaying their visas. the department of homeland security estimates roughly 4 million people are overstaying them right now. congress is calling on the state department to revamp its visa regulations and close loopholes. in light of the christmas day plane bombing, the state department now requires u.s. embassies abroad to find out if suspicious individuals they're tracking also have u.s. visas. and the state department may start automatically notifying airlines if a person's visa has been revoked. sandra endo, cnn, washington. it was one of the most popular spots for weddings in new york city. you even saw it in the movie "ghostbusters." now that tavern on the green is closed, the new year's party that rang in the new year and closed out the restaurant. the florida man accused of killing four members of his family including his 6-year-old cousin has been captured. how a popular tv show played a role in his arrest. al qaeda threats close a u.s. embassy as washington moves to battle extremism with talks and with force. and it looks like new york's tavern on the green restaurant has gone out of business after all that time. a look at the party that ended it all and how people are remembering one of the city's most famous landmarks. you are watching "hln news and views" on this first sunday of 2010. great to have you with us. i'm susan hendricks. authorities have arrested a florida man who allegedly gunned down four members of his family after thanksgiving dinner. u.s. marshals captured paul merhige at a hotel in the florida keys last night. there he is on surveillance camera. he was the focus of an intense manhunt after he allegedly shot and killed his twin sisters and 79-year-old aunt. he also allegedly killed 6-year-old michaela sitton as she slept in her family's home. with his arrest, michaela's father says now he will be able to sleep at night. >> it means i'll be able to sleep a little better tonight, and i won't be patrolling the inside of my house with my shotgun, you know, thinking that the monster is right around the corner. i've been in protective mode. and now that he's captured, at least, you know, my family, we can even begin the healing process. >> merhige was captured when a viewer of "america's most wanted" recognized him and his car. the u.s. embassy in yemen is closed today because of al qaeda threats against american interests. the embassy is not saying if there is any specific threat. and it's unclear when it will reopen. the head of u.s. central command, general david petraeus, met with yemen's president yesterday. a senior u.s. government official says they discussed the latest intelligence on al qaeda in yemen. petraeus also gave yemen's president several messages from president obama. yesterday mr. obama tied al qaeda to that attempted airline attack on christmas day. he said al qaeda's yemeni branch trained the suspected bomber and gave him explosives. >> this is not the first time this group has targeted us. in recent years they've bombed yemeni government facilities and western hotels. restaurants and embassies including our embassy in 2008, killing one american. so as president i've made it a priority to strengthen our partnership with the yemeni government, training and equipping their security forces, sharing intelligence and working with them to strike al qaeda terrorists. and even before christmas day, we had seen the results. training camps have been struck. leaders eliminated. plots disrupted. and all those involved in the attempted act of terrorism