[Carol Costello, Cnn Anchor:] Good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thanks so much for joining me. Checking our top stories at 31 minutes past the hour. Vice President Joe Biden met this morning in Beijing with China's president. Biden said he has deep concerns about China's new air defense zone. The two men talked privately for two hours and Biden reportedly reiterated the U.S. opposition to that zone. During his trip, Biden also openly criticized China's crackdown on journalists. Toronto Mayor Rob Ford tried to buy a damaging video from suspected criminals with an offer of $5,000 and a car. That's according to reported phone conversations between the suspects, all part of a police investigation. Ford is calling the claim on sports radio this morning an outright lie.
[Mayor Rob Ford, Toronto:] That's an outright lie. And, number two, you can talk to my lawyers about it, but I'm here to talk football, guys. So if you want to talk football, I'll talk football. If you want to talk about other things, then unfortunately I'm going to have to let you go.
[Unidentified Male:] OK. I got I have a
[Costello:] As of this moment, Ford has not been charged in any crime. Today at 2:00 p.m. Eastern we're expecting to find out if Florida State's star quarterback, Jameis Winston will face prosecution. The 19-year-old is accused of sexual assault. The prosecutor says he's finished an investigation and will make an announcement later this afternoon. Winston is considered a favorite to win the Heisman trophy. A massive arctic front that already has jumped several feet of snow is moving southeast and it could cause a dangerous ice storm. We're talking about this area from Texas to Ohio. Millions of people could see snow and ice, plus dangerous roads and even major power outages. Dallas it's expecting temperatures to drop below freezing along with a nasty, wintry mix. CNN's Ed Lavandera is in Dallas this morning. Good morning, Ed.
[Ed Lavandera, Cnn Correspondent:] Good morning, Carol. Well, just a few hours ago, late yesterday afternoon, we were out here in this park, Clyde Warren Park, in downtown Dallas, it was 80 degrees, people were walking around in shorts, playing in the splash park. Oh, my, how things have changed.
[Lavandera:] Late Wednesday, city parks in downtown Dallas looked more like a California coast boardwalk.
[Unidentified Female:] I mean we're Texans. It's 80 degrees today and the next day it's going to be 30. So you never people panic.
[Lavandera:] A mass of arctic air and rain is threatening to turn these scenes of paradise into this. It seems like the Dallas-Ft. Worth area experiences epic battles with sheets of ice and sleet crippling the region every few years, causing power outages, shutting down schools, not even leaving children with snow to play in. City officials say street crews will be available to work around the clock using about 70 trucks to spread a mixture of sand and salt on the icy streets if need. But this potential ice storm is threatening two major events, a downtown Dallas holiday parade on Saturday and the Dallas Marathon on Sunday. Slippery ice doesn't go well with marchers and runners. The last wicked winter storm was in 2011 in the days leading up to the Super Bowl hosted in the Dallas Cowboys Stadium. Football fans struggled to navigate the treacherous roadways and street crews struggled to keep many roadways drivable. And, of course, Carol, the real danger will be on those overpasses, on the high-rise overpasses across the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. Those will freeze up quickly and be very treacherous to drive. And from what we can tell, it appears that the weather conditions will begin to deteriorate with that rain moving in later on this afternoon and making rush hour possibly a very dangerous situation or the beginning of a dangerous situation, and into the overnight. So a lot of businesses and schools will be monitoring this situation closely tonight and figuring out exactly what to do tomorrow. But it would not be surprising if businesses and many schools decide to close on Friday. So we'll see how that plays out throughout the day, Carol.
[Costello:] All right, Ed Lavandera reporting live from Dallas this morning. A second passenger in Sunday's deadly train derailment in New York has filed a claim against operator Metro North. Edward Russell was seriously hurt when all seven train cars flew off the tracks. According to his claim notice, Russell asked for $10 million in punitive damages citing negligence on the part of Metro North, the MTA and the city and state of New York. A day after she came clean about using cocaine, celebrity chef Nigella Lawson is back on the stand today in the trial of two former assistants. The Grillo sisters are accused of charging more than $1 million in luxury items for themselves on company credit cards that belonged to Lawson and her ex-husband. CNN's Erin McLaughlin live in front of the courthouse in London. Good morning.
[Erin Mclaughlin, Cnn Correspondent:] Good morning, Carol. When Nigella Lawson arrived at court today, she said she felt a bit tired, perhaps not surprising given that she has chosen to stand, not sit, through hours of testimony. Today the defense grilling her about her admitted cocaine use. She said, quite simply, she'd rather be honest about drug use than bullied by lies. She also talked about now infamous incident that took place outside a very famous London cafe in June. An incident that resulted in photos being splashed across the British tabloids showing her now former husband, Charles Saatchi, his hands around her neck. She said that following that incident, Saatchi made up stories that he was examining her for cocaine at the time the photographs were taken. She also went on to testify about one of the defendants, Francesca Grillo, her former assistant. She described Grillo as a, quote, "fantasist," saying that she was responsible for cleaning their house, as well as arranging Saatchi's Frappuchino's and eggs. She had to go through lists of household expenses amounting to thousands of dollars funding the former couple's luxurious lifestyle. A lot of personal details coming out in all of this. We even now know that Charles Saatchi's preferred breakfast is burnt toast and weak tea. Carol.
[Costello:] Somehow that's fitting. Erin McLaughlin, thanks so much. Still to come in the NEWSROOM, thousands of Americans depend on defibrillators in the event of a heart emergency. Well, now the FDA says those defibrillators might not work. We'll be right back.