♪ breaking overnight. cyberterror hits the movies. theaters pulling the plug on the film "the interview" after being threatened with terror attacks. new confidential e-mails leaked, and now lawsuits filed. we have team coverage breaking down the very latest ahead. pakistan in mourning. funerals begin for the nearly 150 people killed by taliban terrorists. well, this morning, new information about that attack. we're live. and then deeply disturbed,

new information about the gunman behind the terror attack in a sydney cafe. australia's prime minister speaking out just hours ago. we're live in sydney with the latest new information. good morning, everyone, welcome to "early start." i'm john berman. it's wednesday, december 17th, 4:00 a.m. in the east. christine romans is off this morning. breaking overnight. premiere cancelled. new fears overwhelming the industry. the landmark chain announced that the "interview" that premiere has been called off, it had been set for tomorrow. this follows a new warning from the group behind it. huge cyberattack against sony. they call themselves the guardians of peace. and they promise violence at theaters which show "the interview." now despite the cancellation, a person close to the situation tells cnn that over, sony has no

plans to pull the film altogether. cnn's pamela brown with the latest from washington. pamela. >> well john, this morning, the fbi is investigating a threatening message reportedly from the hackers that promise a threat for those showing "the interview." saying the world will see what an awful movie sony pictures has made. the world will be full of fear. homeland security is assessing the threats credibility. officials are saying they're looking into this similar to how they would investigate a bomb threat. but at this point, there's no new intelligence indicating threats against theaters in the u.s. in the way that this is set, seth rogen has actually pulled out of appearances. as reyhl hall tags for the

movie, this had morning, the fbi is scrubbing sony's computer system trying to grab enough evidence to be able to definitively point the finger at the hacking culprit. but, john, these investigations are complex and nuanced. and it could be some time before we know for sure. >> pamela brown in washington. there's a lot to discuss here. sony is headquartered, the parent company, headquartered in japan. an area that has had a long-term relationship with north korea. north korea called the film an act of war. will ripley joins us live from tokyo. will, at this point, what's the reaction inside headquarters to these latest hacker threats? >> reporter: well, sony executives are keeping quiet right now, we've made repeated requests to speak to them. and those requests have been turned down. i can tell you on the ground here in tokyo, john, there are

growing questions about why sony here allowed its american subsidiary to create this kind of a movie considering the tense geopolitical situation and the real ramifications that could come from this. we are told by insiders that there are very likely going to be meetings between top sony executives here in tokyo and the japanese government. because japanese government is going to want answers to why the united states is able to produce this country that repeatedly launches projectiles. and overnight, i've confirmed information and many are wondering why sonny approved this in the first place. we know that the ceo of sony entertainment michael lynnton actually men with a john global think tank and they basically do

communication with researchers from there. but we don't know exactly were the contents of that memo that was sent to sony. >> this is unbelievable. i'm a big seth rogen fan. but it's shock to think there's that much discussion and really international tension over a film from a guy who was in "knocked up." will, how has this interview affected the relationship between japan and north korea? >> well, allel we know, frankly, is that north korea is outraged. and you see the reaction, we don't know whether north korea's role, what role if any, played in the attack. if you look at the clues, if you look at the fact that the cyberattacker, the guardians of peace, are threatening more disastrous things leading up to the release of this movie on christmas day. they certainly are upset about the interview, north korea officials, high-level officials, called it an act of war because

in asia, especially in north korea, they hold their leaders up. the honor of their leaders is everything. and it appears now this is an attempt to defend the honor of kim jong-un, the leader of north korea, to carry out what they're going it do next. >> will ripley, fascinating story. thank you for being with us. a lot of bad news for sony, and now here come the lawsuits, cristina alesci is here with us. wow. >> yeah, two employees have filed lawsuits against sony for failing to protect their personal information, insurance, medical information and pay date. they say sony was hacked before, yet, still failed to secure its networks. the former employees are asking the network to have a class action so other employees can join us.

sony has taken a hit with shares down 9% since the hack occurred. the stock market has been down in recent days, so this may not be tied into the hack. the stock, keep in mind, is up 14% for the year. and the market may not get too down on sony because which has only impacted sony pictures which is only 10% of the company's sales. but there are definitely big long-term questions about a-list celebrities not wanting to work with sony after their information was compromised. >> this is a very uncomfortable holiday season. >> exactly. some big stars like angelina jolie got to see what some of the movie executives were saying behind her back. and i think a lot of celebrities may not like that. >> yeah, not the holiday season that sony pictures was expecting. >> not at all. >> interesting stuff. thanks for being with us. north korea making news elsewhere asking the united states nations security council to add torture by the cia to the

agenda to its meeting next week. pyongyang calls the cia's harsh interrogation techniques brutal and medieval. this new move turns the tables north korea which is already on the security council for its human rights record. the council will call for north korea to be brought before international court for crimes against humanity. eight minutes after the hour right now. and the funerals have begun this morning in pakistan for the 145 people killed, murdered, in the horrific attack by pakistani taliban gunman. the number of dead includes 132 students most of them under the age of 16. that death toll does not include seven terrorists who all died in the attack. cnn's michelle stockman live for us from islamabad. good morning, michelle. >> good morning. well, again, this is a nation reeling with grief. peshawar say city paralyzed as funerals began last night.

they went on through the night and are still going on through the day. it seems like almost everyone in the community knows someone who was killed in this attack and has been affected by this horrific incident. the ttp has released a statement this morning, detailing a little bit more about why they committed this horrific set of murders. they are claiming it's a retaliation for civilians under their control in the areas in pakistan from the military operation through air strikes. children in that area who have been killed. they said they specifically targeted children between ages of 12 and 16 who were military members children. and they vow that these attacks will continue. now, the prime minister in response has said that he will lift the moratorium for the death penalty for terrorism cases, will this be a deterrent,

it's unlikely. these attacks are blowbacks for the military campaign against the militants but to root out the military presence within pakistan, the military needs to take this tough stance, so it looks like the battle is going to continue. >> michelle, thank you so much- more terror news, the gunman who sieged the sidney cafe had a gun license and had fallen off the government's security watch list. australia's prime minister is vowing to find out why they put any lessons learned in had the investigation into practice. >> i will not rest until i amle confident that you are as safe as any government can possibly make you. >> all right. live for us now from sydney, cnn's andrew stevens. good morning, andrew, what's the latest? >> reporter: good morning, john. yes, australian prime minister

tony abbott is pushing this line about making sure that everything that can be done, will be done, to make sure this doesn't happen again. those questions you ask, most importantly, how could this have happened? when we know that the gunman lived on the fringes of extremism here in australia. he was well-known to police. he was allowed to have a gun. he had a gun license, and he was not on the terror watch list. these are the questions being asked not only by the prime minister, but by the australian media as well. but, john, i also want you to take a look behind you because this is the scene here in marketplace. not far from the lindt chalk la chock lit cafe. that floral memorial continues to grow. thousands of people -- sort of 300, 400, people have come down to spend their regards, so much, sort of giving their regards and showing their grief with what

happened just two days ago. also, we've had family members and friends of the slain, tory johnson, the manager who was killed when it looks like he tackled the gunman. friends of his were here today. this is what they had to say. >> very aware of his role, his role has kicked into place when he's being faced with this gunman and all the lives that he was probably responsible for helping. >> reporter: so, that's the sort of sentiment that's here. there's a lot of real sadness. but there's also the solidarity which we have been talking about for the past 24 hours how sidydy is coping with this. this scene is going to continue for a couple of days as thousands more want to come out and contribute and share their grief with what happened.

>> i think a lot of people want to show their solidarity with that city and those who suffered and overcame this challenge. andrew stevens, thank you. breaking overnight, president obama sign issed a huge $1.1 trillion spending bill that will keep the federal government operating for the next nine months. the measure rolls back some regulations on some banks but keeps obamacare funded for the deal. as apparently has a soundtrack that we're playing right now. it will only get funding through february with the action on immigration reform. a federal judge in pennsylvania has ruled that the president's executive action on immigration is unconstitutional. judge arthur schwab said the president violated for systematic which are allowed to remain this country. not clear how it might about the

measure moving forward. alaska's pristine bristol bay is off-limits to gas drilling. it covers 52,000 square miles of the united states. the president says bristol bay and the surrounding waters are, quote, too precious to put out to the highest bidder. 14 minutes after the hour. there is trouble ahead for holiday travelers in the forecast. let's go to ped crack javaheri for an early look at your weather. >> good morning to you. fog starts your morning around new york, washington, visibility down to about two miles but work your way north of new york, ton boston, that's where the wet weather is sticking around for the next day or so. of course, north of boston, decent snow accumulations. big story, in the gulf states but it's pretty active as we head into friday. additionally a potential nor'easter in this part of the

country but it looks like it will stay offshore, the forecast for the next couple of days for the northeast should be light rainfall for areas like boston. a dusting and one to two inches of snow in the north. and all starts in houston, jackson, mississippi, several inches of rain in the forecast. a soggy next couple of days in the south. sending it back to you. a family's fury, their loved ones shot and killed by police while carrying a bb gun, a pellet gun inside a walmart store. a family is now filing lawsuits after a grand jury did not indict the delivers. plus you bill cosby cleared by at least one prosecutor, this as his daughter breaks her silence, next. the lights on. but then we started using k-y yours & mine. yeah, we were nervous to try it. there's an amazing sensation for her. amazing.

this one feels fantastic for me. and combined... ohh, it's a completely new sensation for us both. it's opened a whole new door for us. i've come to clean your pool. but we don't have a pool. i'll come in anyway. next week i'm going to be a maid. [ female announcer ] k-y yours & mine. his excites. hers delights. together feel them ignite. keep life sexy.

the family of the man fatally shot by police officers at an ohio walmart is suing the retailer, also police. john crawford's family filed a wrangful lawsuit after he was shut and killed after he held a bb gun. walmart is not commenting on the specifics of it's case but released a statement saying, quote, out of respect for everyone involved, we believe it is not appropriate to discuss the specifics of this matter, but we can say that our

associates acted properly. the family's attorney said they want justice for crawford's death. >> the first thing to do in a country this great is to make sure we hold accountable everybody for their actions, whether you're the police or not, whether you are a corporate giant like walmart, we all as citizens, corporate citizens, governmental citizens, owe it to each other to make sure we treat each other with the respect, the care, the dignity, that we all deserve. >> the beaver creek police department also released a statement saying, quote, we acknowledge the family's right to bring this action. we are confident the trial will be fair and impartial. we believe the evidence will prove the officer's actions were legally justiced. the city of los angeles is buying 7,000 body cameras for police officers in an effort to increase transparency. body cameras, of course, have become a big issue in the wake of michael brown's death in ferguson, missouri. it calls the body cameras an

effort to increase the trust in place. donations will help pay for these cameras. the manhunt for a mass murderer in pennsylvania so far. the body of bradley william stone was discovered in the woods near his home in philadelphia. officials say the ex-marine appears to have died from self-inflicted knife wounds. he was involved in a custody battle with his wife and is suspected of kill her and her five relatives. and prosecutors will decide not to file sex abuse charges against bill cosby. it came days after judy huth met with investigators. she filed a suit claiming he forced her to have sex him in 19 another 54. bill cosby's daughter ebony is

publicly defending her father releasing a statement to "access hollywood" that reads he is the father you thought you knew. the cosby show was my today's tv reality show. thank you, that's all i would like to say. >> let's turn to cristina alesci with us again. good morning. >> good morning, the market is freaking out over cheap oil. right now, it's up but who nose. take yesterday, it was a totally volatile day. the dow closed down 112 points. it's now down 5% from the record high on december 5th and has dropped for six of the past seven trading days. investors and traders are looking at a few key factors this morning. one, russia's economy is in dire trouble. and its currency, the ruble, is plunging against the dollar. two, the federal reserve may tweak its language and hint at an interest rate hike later today. and three, this is the big one

as i mentioned, oil. crude oil is $55 a barrel right now. that's a five-year low. and down almost 50% from the summer peak that's causing big concerns about global growth around the world, john. because if countries aren't using that much oil, there say big question as to wlots going on with business growth, with consumer demand. so that has a lot of investors and traders nervous that the global economy is not as healthy as most people thought it was. >> no, it's a big difference between what's going on here in the united states and what's going on in the rest of the world. and that could affect the markets here in the united states. crazy, crazy times. christina alesci, appreciate you being here. russia being hit hard by all of these economic factors. the ruble is just tumbling. and it has major geopolitical implications. we're live in moscow with the

latest on the kremlin's economic free fall. that's next. along with support, chantix (varenicline) is proven to help people quit smoking. the fact that it reduced the urge to smoke helped me get that confidence that i could do it. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. some people had seizures while taking chantix. if you notice any of these, stop chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix or history of seizures. don' take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these, stop chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. tell your doctor if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems, or develop new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack or stroke. decrease alcohol use while taking chantix. use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. i love myself as a non-smoker. ask your doctor if chantix is right for you.

all right. new this morning. financial upheaval in russia, being felt all around the world this morning. the ruble is in free fall, that despite an astronomical interest rate hike earlier this week, that was aimed at propping it up. now, there's a lot behind this. the plummeting oil prices. one of the causes also seems to be western sanctions. and president obama now says he is ready to sign a new round of

sanctions just passed by congress. a lot going on in moscow. that's where we find our senior international correspondent matthew chance standing by. matthew, a real problem for vladimir putin. >> reporter: yeah. potentially, certainly, if this content in the public starts to spread. at the moment, it's he's still immensely popular. his approval ratings are 85% or even more. but it's the start now at what could be a very, very deep and damaging economic crisis. and it's going to be hard to see how he's going to be able to maintain those approval ratings when people start losing their jobs and can't pay their had mortgages. so this is something that the kremlin and vladimir putin is going to be looking over his shoulder at very carefully over the weeks and months ahead. so a very difficult situation for him. >> he has this big marathon news conference on thursday where he'll answer all kinds of questions for hours and hours. the focus, i would imagine, much of it will be on the economy?

>> reporter: yeah, i thought so. you know, this is the major crisis affecting russia right now. and, you know, i spoke to a lot of russians over the past couple of day. and they've been making the connection as well, which is interesting, between the economic crisis and putin's foreign policy. one woman telling me yesterday, how come we can afford war in ukraine, but we can't afford to pay the medical bills and the education bills in this country? so that kind of sentiment is still a fringe opinion, but again, as his discontent spreads, that kind of opinion is bound to catch hold. >> matthew chance in moscow, thanks so much. we'll check with new a bit. 27 minutes after the hour, movie theaters threatened with terror attacks. these theaters now pulling the plug on a movie that was due out in days, that is hackers promise new violence if the film is shown. we have live team coverage next.

and even piano tuners were just as simple? thanks to angie's list, now it is. we've made hiring anyone from a handyman to a dog walker as simple as a few clicks. buy their services directly at angieslist.com no more calling around. no more hassles. start shopping from a list of top-rated providers today. angie's list is revolutionizing local service again. visit angieslist.com today.

♪ movie theater threatened with terror overnight.

some chains pulling the plug on sony's new film "the interview." hackers promising violence who show this new movie. and this morning, all eyes are on north korea as sony is hit with more leaks. and now new lawsuits. we have live team coverage breaking down this strange surprising story ahead. pakistan school massacred. that town reeling after taliban stormed a school. killing 150 people. so many of them children. and history of violence. new information about the gunman behind the deadly terror attack in sydney australia, that as we learned more about be the hostage who died while trying to take down the terrorist. welcome back to "early start," everyone, i'm john berman. 31 minutes past the hour. christine romans is off this had morning. happening this morning, cyberterror is turning into

something of a real problem for the entertainment industry. that as the land mark theater chain announced overnight that the new york premiere of sony pictures' comedy "the interview," that premiere has been cancelled. it was set for tomorrow. this following a new warning from the group behind cyberattack on sony. that group calls itself the guardians of peace. and it threatened unspecified violence at theater has show the film which is about an attempt to assassinate north korean leader kim jong-un. officials tell sources that despite the fact that the premiere has been cancelled, sony has no intention of pulling "the interview" altogether. let's get to cnn's pamela brown in washington. pamela. >> well, john, this morning, the fbi is investigating a threatening message presumably from the sony hackers who promising a bitter fate for anyone who release the "the interview" set to release

christmas day. saying the world will be full of fear, remember the upset of 2001. they're assessing the threats credibility. officials say they're looking into this similar to how they would investigate a bomb threat. but at this point, there's no new intelligence indicating threats against theaters in the u.s. in the wake of this threat, the stars of the comedy seth rogen and james franco have actually pull out of press appearances. local law enforcement especially to the suspicion that north korea is the perpetrator of the hack. this morning, the fbi is scrubbing sony's computer system to get enough evidence to point the finger at the hacking figure. but john, these are complex and nuanced and could be some time before we know for sure. >> this film and reaction has reaction from washington where we saw pamela brown where the

premiere was cancelled all the way to japan where sony is headquartered. and the release has only increase tlad friction. north korea has called the film "the interview" an act of war. cnn's will ripley is live from tokyo. will, at this point, what's the reaction inside the sony corporate head quarters and how do they explain the fact that this film was approved in the first place. >> well, what it shows is that there really was, and is, still, a lack of understanding, apparently between the japanese executives who run sony here in tokyo, and their american counterparts at sony pictures in hollywood. for years, for more than two decades, executives here have had a very hands-off approach. they don't interfere with the american movie making process. and in fact in some of these hacked e-mails, they're revealing cultural clues that the fact that the sony ceo was

hesitant to confront the director of the sony pictures because in japan, it's very confrontational. and let's not have the head explode and have the skin melt so graphically, but when you take a step back and you think about the fact that sony, this iconic japanese country is in a country that has very tense relations with north crekorea. it was just a few decades ago that north korean operatives were kidnapping japanese subjects and taking them to north korea and training them as spies. >> and you told me something surprising that the man in charge of sony pictures, michael lynton have actually spoken to security analysises at the rand corporation about the potential impact of this film? >> yeah, that came out in hacked e-mails. and i was able to get ahold of rand corporation's spokesperson

in santa monica overnight. and they said lynton is actually on the board of directors. it's a think tank. so when it became clear that there were serious questions about the content of this movie. he asked one of rand's analysts to take a look at the film and write up a report. i'm told that analyst wrote up a live memo and gave it to michael lynton saying what he thought the reaction would be, specifically in korea, but we don't know what that note actually said. >> fascinating, huge implications all around the world. will ripley in tokyo. let's bring it back to new york. let's talk about the business angle here. these are tough times for sony. and cristina alesci is here. they're facing new lawsuits? >> yeah, the company's legal troubles have started. two former employees have filed a lawsuit against sony for failing to protect their personal information. the breach was exposed in social security numbers, medical

information and pay data. they say sony was hacked before, yet still failed to secure its networks. the former employees are asking the court to make the lawsuit a class action, so other employees could join in. that could get very expensive for sony. sony shares are down 9% since the hack occurred at the end of november. but, remember, the stock market has been down in recent days are so this may not be totally tied to the hack itself. the stock, remember, up 14% for the year. and the market may not get too down on sony because the hack only impacted sony pictures which is one division that accounts for about 10% of the company's sales. but still, there's big long-term questions about a-list celebrities perhaps not wanting to work with sony any longer after their information was compromised and all of these embarrassing e-mails came out about them. >> i'll say there are going to be actors and actresses, and already are, who none who happy about these e-mails.

appreciate it. the funerals have already begun in pakistan for the 145 people murdered in the horrific attack by pakistani taliban gunman. the number of dead includes 132 students, kids, most under the age of 16. the overall number does not include the seven terrorists who died in the attack. cnn's michelle stockman is live for us in islamabad. what's the latest. >> we understand that in response to this attack, the army chief has travelled to kabul to meet with the afghan president there now. we're waiting to hear details of what meeting's about. it could be to investigate possible links to this attack within afghanistan. and also, it could be to discuss a response. as we know, the pakistani taliban has a stronghold in tribal areas that are in the border between afghanistan and pakistan. they easily travel through the

porous border into and between the countries. and, soer that's part of the response. we've seen the prime minister address the nation. he says that it's due to the military's strong campaign against the militants in this area that this attack has happened, that it's part of the blowback. and so he says, it's likely that this will continue. but country right now is united states. pakistan is a divided country. there are a lot of political tensions, a lot of tensions between government and military, but they're trying to show a united front right now as the country, the city of peshawar deals with this massive blow. just grief across the country, as they've spent the day burying their dead. >> it's unimaginable to think about the grief they must be going through. michelle stockman in islamabad, thanks so much. we have new information about the terror attack on a terror attack in sydney.

he had had a gun license and had falling off a government security watch list. australia's prime minister is vowing to find out why and said they are launching an investigation. let's listen. >> i will not rest until i am confident that you are as safe as any government can possibly make you. >> let's get the latest now from sydney. cnn's andrew stevens is there. andrew, what is the latest this morning? >> just getting new information now about where the gunman did have a license or not. police in sydney saying that they have records, that monis actually did have a license to carry a gun, even though the australian prime minister said he did have. certainly, the wider concern, tony abbott, john, is very, very hard on terrorism, on security for australians. and he is promising as we heard there a wide ranging investigation as to exactly why

monis was even on the streets, considering his criminal record, and not to mention his views on extremism, views that were very well-known to security forces here in australia. here in sydney, let me show you the scene here. john, this is the memorial to the two dead -- the two that lost their lives in the early hours on tuesday morning. as you can see there, this field of floral bouquets continue to grow. there's a line snaking down marketplace, showing the continued sort of respect being shown by the citizens of sydney. i can speak to a lost people today. they're all telling the same story, they just want to come down to show their respect, to being part, the grieving for the loss of life and showing solidarity, among themselves. talk now of putting up a permanent memorial to the two

that lost their lives here, john. >> it tells an important process for the whole city, the whole country to come out and look at this area. andrew stevens in sydney, thank you so much. breaking here overnight, president obama signed the massive $1.1 trillion spending bill that will keep the federal government operating for the next nine months. the measure rolls back regulations on banks but keeps the government. and the department of homeland security only gets funding through february. there's trouble ahead for holiday travelers in the forecast. let's go to meteorologist pedram javaheri for a look at the weather. >> we do have high pressure across the central united states. generally clear skieses specially through the southeast will call for mostly sunny skies. notice the northeast, some showers left in place. some showers in north new england. the perspective over the next 24

hours, the shower, stay north of boston, in portions of connecticut, vermont, new hampshire, upstate new york. that's where we have showers in place for the next 24 hours. all eyes go down to the southern states, pretty impressive gulf states from memphis to atlanta from thursday to friday, could be pretty soggy. this point, the models do not bring it to the northeast. initially, the nor'easter was in the forecast, going away from that. hearings what's in the forecast. half of inch or so of rain in boston. temperatures cool for northern portions of maine. around new york, points southward, looking to be dry. breaking overnight, new developments in the manhunt for an ex-marine wanted in the murder of six people in a pennsylvania suburb. new information next.

the manhunt for a former marine reservist wanted in the murder of his ex-wife and five members of her family, that manhunt is over. the search for bradley william stone ended with the discovery of his body in the woods near his home. appears to be a suicide. national correspondent miguel marquez is in montgomery county, pennsylvania, with the latest. miguel. >> reporter: john, it's a very gruesome end to this horrible, horrible story here. the district attorney here in montgomery county saying that mr. stone, bradley stone, killed

himself by self-inflicted conduct wound to the center of his body. he was found in the woods about a half mile from his home here in pennsylvania. his victims died in a very brutal way as well. both by gunshot wounds and cutting wounds. the only survivor of this, a 17-year-old male who is still in stable but serious condition in the hospital suffered several cutting wounds and even had three fingers cut off. as for the motive it's hard to say, saying there's a bitter ongoing custody dispute over the two children that mr. stone and his wife had that just last week, he tried to wrestle them away from her so he could take custody. he was denied that. and that may have set off this chain of events. >> to have an event like that shatter the peace and tranquility of the community is very disturbing. we've been talking with the

school districts, in particular, souderton school district where the kids attended the school. they've been shattered by this. they've been really devastated. but they're standing together, making sure the kid, the families and the school community has the kind of support that's needed for everyone to heal. >> the only saving grace in this entire story, his two daughters, he dropped them off at a family friend and neighbor's house before he went into the woods. it's not clear how long he was in those woods dead before authorities were able to find him. that 17-year-old is still fight for his life in the hospital. it is hoped he's able to survive. he's not been able to talk to police yet. 48 minutes after the hour. prosecutors in los angeles will not file child sex abuse charges against bill cosby. that decision comes ten days after alleged victim judy huth met with los angeles police detectives. she has filed a civil suit against cosby, claiming that he

forced her to perform a sex act on him in 1974. when she was just 15 years old. cosby's attorneys claim that she, huth, tried to extort $250,000 from cosby before filing the suit. meanwhile, bill cosby's father evin is publicly defending the statement, she vee leased a statement saying he is the father you thought you now. "the cosby show" is my today's tv reality show. thank you. that's all i would like to say. nfl players are now treated under a brain design program for veterans. it provides intense treatment for conkugs and mild traumatic brain injury. the nfl expects 28% of its retired players that they could suffer from alzheimer's disease or some mild form of dementia

some day. 49 minutes after the hour. imagine getting an acceptance e-mail from your dream college, only to find out that the whole thing say mistake. that's what 293 students who apply for early admission at johns hopkins university are dealing with this morning. school officials say it was a technical glitch and apologized for any confusion it might have caused. what happens is they got an acceptance letter and turns out they weren't accepted. russia is in crisis. the economy there in shambles. what went so wrong. and how the u.s. plans to issue even more sanctions. we're live in moscow next.

all right. happening right now -- the russian ruble, the main currency there is in free fall. and this is causing huge ripple effects all around the world. and it comes after a huge interest rate hike earlier this week. russia that was aimed at propping up the ruble. it also comes as president obama gets ready to sign new sanctions against russia, which could only make the situation there worse. let's go live now matthew chance in moscow to get the latest, good morning, matthew. >> reporter: good morning, john. that's right, the sanctions the white house says it could sign by the end of the week 0 would cut sanctions restrictions on high-tech oil projects between the two countries. it could put sanctions on

defense contractors as well. as well as supply nonlethal and lethal military aid to ukraine. something that hasn't even been contemplated before, at least not enacted before. so these are pretty wide ranging sanctions. brit serious. even if they're signed they won't necessarily mean that president obama has to enact those sanctions. but they are sort of a threat hanging over russia if it doesn't change its actions. but on that issue, secretary of state john kerry saying that he's observed that russia has been working towards stabilizing the situation in eastern ukraine. he gave some remarks yesterday in london saying, look, you know, the sanctions that are already in place, could be lifted in a matter of weeks or eve days, depending on the choices that president putin of russia makes. so people are now watching very carefully as to what action president putin will take. he's got a big press conference. his annual press conference that he gives every year. that's taking place tomorrow. usually lasts four or five

hours. and it's going to be watched very closely to see if there's any indication whether he's going to claw back on his position in ukraine. or even double down, who knows, what the plan is now for the kremlin as it faces this mass of economic crisis, john. >> all that that can happen, the consumers find a safe place to put their rubles. thank move chance, thank you so much. american apparel's confidential founder has been shown the door. an "early start" on "your money" next.

i've had moderate to severe plaque psoriasis most my life. but that hasn't stopped me from modeling. my doctor told me about stelara®. it helps keep my skin clearer. with only 4 doses a year after 2 starter doses... ... stelara® helps me be in season. stelara® may lower your ability to fight infections and increase your risk of infections. some serious infections require hospitalization. before starting stelara®... ...your doctor should test for tuberculosis. stelara® may increase your risk of cancer. always tell your doctor if you have any sign of infection, have had cancer, or if you develop any new skin growths. do not take stelara® if you are allergic to stelara® or any of its ingredients. alert your doctor of new or worsening problems including headaches, seizures, confusion and vision problems- these may be signs of a rare, potentially fatal brain condition. serious allergic reactions can occur. tell your doctor if you or anyone in your house needs or has recently received a vaccine. in a medical study, most stelara® patients saw at least 75% clearer skin... ...and the majority were rated as cleared or minimal at 12 weeks. stelara® helps keep my skin clearer. ask your doctor about stelara®.

it is time for an "early start" on "your money." cristina alesci is here. how are futures doing? >> futures are a little up right now. who knows what will happen next in this wild market. take yesterday, it was a very volatile day. the dow closed down 112 points and it's dropped for six of the past seven trading days. today, investors are watching the federal reserve very closely for any hints at a time line to interest rate hikes. and also keeping an eye on plunging oil prices.

now, sticking with oil prices, crude oil is $55 a barrel right now. that's a five-year low, down almost 50% from the summer peak. that's a nightmare for energy producers, especially the smaller ones. but great times for driver. the national average for a gallon of regular is $2.51 today. that price is -- keeps ticking down every day. putting an extra hundred bucks in the typical family's pocket. now american apparel's controversial ceo is out. this is a story i reported very closely. dov charney was fired in june for misconduct, but he stayed on as a consultant and kept his base salary. now charney is out for good. he's faced sexual harassment suits from former employees and has been known for his wild antics like reportedly conducting meetings in his underwear. he's been replaced by fashion executive paula insider. american apparel stock is

getting a lift before the bell has been down more than 50% this year. this is not your typical ceo. he's got -- he founded the company. and he took a lot of artistic license, let's just put it that way. >> yeah, no more underwear meetings. "early start" continues right now. cyberterror hits the entertainment industry. theaters pulling the plug on the film "the interview" after being threatened with terror attacks. new confidential e-mails have been leaked and now new lawsuits have been filed. we have team coverage breaking down the very latest ahead. pakistan is in mourning. the funerals begin for the nearly 150 people killed by taliban terrorists for going to school. this morning, new information about that attack, we're live. and deeply disturbed.