on edge. north and south korea warn of new attacks as more u.s. forces enter the region. deep freeze. a powerful winter storm heads for the midwest just as many americans head home for the holiday. and caught on tape. parents leap into action when a thief tries to steal their car with their baby inside. this is the "cbs morning news" for thursday, november 25th, 2010. captioning funded by cbs and good morning, everybody. happy thanksgiving! good to see you on this

thursday. i'm tarell brown in for betty nguyen this morning. we begin overseas, the border dispute between north and south korea is still red hot this morning. the north is threatening attacks over a disputed island. the south is promising to send more troops. the u.s. is watching this closely and so are we. whit johnson is in washington this morning with the latest. whit, good morning to you. >> reporter: tarell, good morning. south korea is still struggling to find a proper response to north korea's attacks. there is a growing concern or a growing demand from the public in south korea for a tough retaliation, but the government desperately wants to avoid another war. north korea is threatening to strike again. just days after launching a deadly artillery attack in the south, the communist regime warned of a second, even third bombardment if seoul continues with what pyongyang called their reckless provocation. the latest threat comes as the u.s. and south korea prepare for joint naval exercises set to begin sunday. american officials hope that will send a clear message, but some analysts don't see the

north backing down any time soon. >> they are a military-first state. and if the only thing that you have that your people can be proud of and support you for is military strength, then it stands to reason that you can't make any concessions. >> reporter: north korea partially blames the u.s. for the current hostilities because of the way the sea boarders were drawn up following the korean war. >> how do you slap north korea down, teach it a lesson without actually spreading conflict? >> reporter: pyongyang claims monday's attack was in self defense after south korea fired into its waters, a charge seoul denies. at an emergency meeting this morning, south korea's president vowed to beef up security along the islands where the strike occurred. the obama administration is hoping china, north korea's only ally, can reign in the communist country, but for now, beijing is urging both sides to show restraint. the joint military exercises will include the aircraft carrier the "uss george washington." some analysts fear that could do more harm than good, angering

china and further provoking north korea. tarell? >> cbs' whit johnson in washington for us this morning. whit, thanks. here at home, americans made it through the thanksgiving travel crunch without any significant protests at the airport. activists asked airport travelers to opt out of going to the new high-tech security screeners. this morning, though, that protest is being called a bust. only a handful of passengers asked to be patted down, and security delays were much shorter than expected at major airports. if you're traveling today, check your forecast. a powerful winter storm is moving into the dakotas. it caused travel chaos in parts of the west. cynthia bowers reports. >> reporter: for many americans, weather was the real road block, not the feared airport security slowdowns. >> we've been here for hours on end trying to get on to several different flights. we missed three of them on standby. >> reporter: at the salt lake city airport, travelers were forced to wait out a blizzard. there were also whiteout conditions cross the mountain

west, great plains and upper midwest. it is also brutally cold. a record-breaking 14 degrees in seattle, a frigid 10 in truckee, california, 8 below in minot, north dakota, and minus 18 in jordan, montana. three winter blizzards shut down parts of interstate 80 in wyoming, i-84 in idaho and i-15 in northern utah. 50-mile-an-hour winds blasted northern colorado. in iowa, icy roads were blamed for at least one traffic death and dozens of crashes near des moines. on the east coast, wind gusts topping 40 miles an hour slowed air traffic at busy airports, such as newark and laguardia, but most everywhere else, flights were close to on time. more wind and rain are in the forecast for thanksgiving day. the bad weather will run all the way from the deep south through new england. the good news for travelers, all this weather should be clearing up, and if you manage to get there, weather forecasters say

getting back should be a lot easier. cynthia bowers, cbs news, chicago. this morning, former house republican leader tom delay may not have much to be thankful for. a texas jury found him guilty wednesday of money laundering. he illegally sent $190,000 in corporate donations to texas state legislative candidates. delay says he's very disappointed and will appeal. >> i'm not going to blame anybody. this is an abuse of power, a miscarriage of justice, and i still maintain that i am innocent. >> just a few days ago -- or just a few years ago, rather, delay was one of the most powerful men in congress. he faces seven years or more in prison when he's sentenced next month. for the first time since 1819, a u.s. court has found men guilty of being pirates. five defendants from somalia were convicted wednesday of shooting at a u.s. navy ship off the coast of africa. they face an automatic sentence of life in prison. their lawyers argue that the men

were fishermen forced by other pirates to fire at the ship. this morning, an american who admitted killing his wife on their honeymoon returns to the u.s. to face possible murder charges. gabe watson was deported earlier today from australia after finishing an 18-month sentence in the case. his attempt to stay there was rejected. last night, the victim's father thanked the people of australia for sending watson home. >> if it had not been for their outrage and being steadfast in wanting to see him deported to face justice back here in the united states, we don't know whether or not we would still be waiting today. >> tina watson drowned while scuba diving with her husband seven years ago. officials in alabama, their home state, believe gabe watson planned to kill her on their australian honeymoon. a possible motive was the victim's life insurance policy. the department of homeland security's terror warnings are about to go color-blind. after 9/11, the government introduced this color-coded terror alert system. critics say it's too vague. the current threat level, yellow, hasn't changed in four

years. it may be replaced by a two-stage system for elevated threats and imminent threats. on the "cbs money watch" this morning, wall street is closed for the holiday. overseas asian markets edged up in light trading. japan's nikkei added half a percentage. hong kong's hang seng also closed higher. alexis christophorous has other business news. >> reporter: retailers hope you'll hit the stores before you've even had your thanksgiving feast. a growing number of retailers are open today to give consumers a jump-start on their holiday shopping. sears is open for business on this day for the first time in its 124-year history. other stores open for business today include kmart, old navy and toys "r" us. well, traders are thankful for a fresh batch of encouraging economic news. applications for unemployment benefits are at their lowest level in about two years, incomes grew and consumers are spending more, but the housing market is not improving. new home sales fell 8% last month to a near record low.

still, stocks managed to climb and the dow rose 151 points. the nasdaq was up 48. in europe, more anger and fear over the debt crisis this week. striking workers shut down much of portugal. ireland proposed its deepest budget cuts in history while italian and british students clashed with police over education cuts. u.s. drivers are getting a tiny break at the pump this thanksgiving. according to aaa, the national average for a gallon of regular unleaded is $2.86. that's 2 cents lower than last week but still 23 cents higher than a year ago. that's your "money watch." for more, head to cbsmoneywatch.com. in new york, i'm alexis christophorous. just ahead on the "morning news" on this thanksgiving day, a crackdown on a new drug danger, synthetic marijuana. plus, baby on board. parents fight a carjacker to rescue their child in the back seat. this is the "cbs morning news." i'm lieutenant colonel ray

short here in afghanistan, wishing a happy thanksgiving to my wife and kids. i'll be home soon. happy thanksgiving to my wife and kids. i'll be home soon. out of you. i feel like i have to wind myself up just to get out of bed. then...well, i have to keep winding myself up to deal with the sadness, the loss of interest, the trouble concentrating, the lack of energy. [ male announcer ] if depression is taking so much out of you, ask your doctor about pristiq®. pristiq is a prescription medicine proven to treat depression. pristiq is thought to work by affecting the levels of two chemicals in the brain, serotonin and norepinephrine. tell your doctor right away if your depression worsens or you have unusual changes in mood, behavior, or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase suicidal thoughts and behaviors in children, teens and young adults. pristiq is not approved for children under 18. do not take pristiq with maois. taking pristiq with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. tell your doctor about all your medications, including those for migraine,

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an unbelievable story. police in kansas city are looking for a man who tried to steal a car with a baby inside. it was all caught on tape. dramatic surveillance video shows aaron and melanie richmond at a gas station monday night. they strapped their 6-month-old daughter in a car seat and turned away for a moment. a stranger appears, gets in the car and drives off. the parents sprint back and hang on for dear life. >> i ended up busting out the window with my elbow and lost my footing, so i started getting dragged because i wouldn't let go of the car and i just kept saying "my baby, my baby, my baby." >> her husband made it inside and attacked the carjacker, who crashed the car and escaped. the parents got their little baby back. the baby is shaken but safe and sound. those caffeinated alcoholic

drinks should be off store shefldz shelves by mid-december. the food and drug administration says four loko juice are no longer being sold to stores. the agencies involved say the drinks are potentially dangerous. at least four states banned the beverages. the government is also targeting synthetic marijuana, the new drug of choice for many teenagers. five chemicals used to make fake pot are being outlawed by the food and drug administration because of the danger the drugs pose. they're being put in the same category as heroin or cocaine. susan koeppen reports. >> here we go. >> reporter: with names like k2, spice and summit, synthetic marijuana can become a more popular alternative to the illegal version. >> it's about ten times more potent on the receptor in the brain than marijuana is. >> reporter: it's sold as incense and labeled "not for human consumption." but our investigation found stores were giving instructions on how to smoke it. >> so, i've never done it. is it fairly safe? >> yeah.

when you just want a mellow high. >> we're seeing patients who are nauseous, vomiting, getting agitated, paranoid, have to come to emergency departments. >> reporter: jan and michael's 18-year-old son david shot himself in june after smoking synthetic marijuana. >> it takes away your sense of reality and puts you in such a terrible place that you'll do anything to get away from it. >> are the hallucinations or agitations -- >> reporter: the number of calls about synthetic marijuana to poison control centers has gone from just 14 in 2009 to more than 2,000 so far this year. i would assume that there are teenagers out there who walk in to a shop and say, you know what, i can buy this legally. it's not that bad. >> legal doesn't mean safe. >> reporter: the manufacturer of k2 says "there hasn't been a single proven death by use, misuse or abuse of any products of this type."

but the rosgovs blame this drug for their son's suicide. >> we don't want anyone to go through what we've gone through. >> reporter: and hope his death will be a warning to others. susan koeppen, cbs news, washington, d.c. the "piano man" is recuperating from his hip surgery this thanksgiving. singer billy joel had both hips replaced last week for a condition he was born with. the rock and roll hall of famer toured this year, but there is no word on how soon he will perform again. his spokesman says the 61-year-old is doing extremely well. good news on this thanksgiving day. straight ahead, we'll have your thanksgiving weather forecast. and in sports, the miami heat's miserable season starts, hits a new low. >> i'm sergeant first class erica woodward and i would like to give a shout out to my mom and dad in georgia. happy thanksgiving.

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fun money from freedom. that's 5% cash back in quarterly categories and an unlimited 1% cash back everywhere else. and this too. does your card do this? i'm going to need a supervisor over here at gate 4. sign up for this quarter's bonus today. chase what matters. go to chase.com/freedom. here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. new york, rain, 44 degrees today. partly cloudy, 82 in miami. 40 with showers in chicago. 30 and sunny in denver. and los angeles, cool, 63 degrees with sun. time now for a check of the national forecast. the latest satellite picture showing a powerful storm moving towards the midwest, while the east coast staying mostly clear. later today, thunderstorms, rain and gusty winds will cut across the country from the southern plains all the way to the northeast. cold in the northern plains with temps in the teens and single digits. the southeast is warm and

pleasant. in sports this morning, the miami heat lost again. lebron james had 25 points against orlando, but it wasn't enough. jameer nelson had 17 points and sunk some big shots. magic beat the heat 104-95. miami has lost three straight. they're 8-7. the once lowly knicks also have eight wins. new york's raymond felton had 23 points to help beat charlotte 99-95. it's the knicks' fifth win in a row, their longest win streak in five seasons. in double overtime, derrick rose of chicago made it look easy in the closing minutes. 35 points against phoenix. the bulls hung on to beat the suns 123-115. also in ot, matt bonner gave san antonio the lead for the first time against minnesota. the spurs edged the timberwolves 113-109. that's the spurs' 12th straight "w." in college basketball, connecticut beat another top ten team. check this out. after upsetting number two michigan tuesday night, kimball

walker of uconn had 29 points against number eight kentucky. the huskies beat the wildcats. when we come back this morning, another look at this morning's top stories and a family hit hard by the recession makes a comeback for an extra special thanksgiving. hi, mom and dad. this is andy from baghdad. i just want to say i love you and happy thanksgiving and merry christmas and i'll be home soon. thanksgiving and merry christmas and i'll be home soon.

plus.. the new faces of the needy on thanksgiving. we're live as bay area volunteers make sure thousands of people get their turkey dinner. before you hit the mals.. the hidden downside of store credit cards.. and how they could be hurting your score. plus.. making fun of body scanners. the ad the t-s-a wants banned from airports. and... the push to ban fake pot. banned from airports. and... the push to ban fake pot. join us for cbs 5 early edition,

on the "cbs morning news," here's a look at today's weather. it will be a white thanksgiving for many in the northern plains. snow showers will linger on top of a couple of inches that they say everywhere. sunny in the southeast, cold and cloudy in the northwest with the chance of a wintry mix. here's another look at the top stories this morning. north korea is threatening new attacks on the island it shelled on tuesday.

south korea's president says that could happen at any time. u.s. forces will carried out a scheduled military exercise in the area starting on sunday. the dakotas are bracing for a powerful snowstorm that has already caused big trouble for travelers in the west. temperatures are well below zero this morning in some areas. for a family in new jersey, it's an extra special thanksgiving holiday because they survived. they managed to bounce back from the brink of financial ruin. randall pinkston has their story. >> reporter: the trewig family is spending thanksgiving at their new jersey rental home. it's just a few miles from the neighborhood where they built a dream house in 2004. >> we moved in the day before thanksgiving. >> reporter: that's valerie and dwayne trewig and their three sons in front of the brand-new fireplace. and how long after this did it all come apart? >> about three, three years? >> three years. >> reporter: the trewigs had an adjustable-rate mortgage. by 2007, they couldn't afford the skyrocketing monthly

payments. >> without realizing, gave the title to someone else in order for them to help us with the mortgage. long story short, it was a scam. >> reporter: over the next two years, the family shuffled between friends' homes, other temporary housing and a hotel room. >> that was probably the lowest point. that's where some of the tears on my side came. >> reporter: last year, the trewigs found this rental with a landlord willing to extend the lease, even when dwayne got laid off. this rental home has given the trewig family a sense of stability, a place to regroup and move forward. dwayne began a new job this week, and the couple won back the title to their dream house. >> i'm thankful that, rather than going into the valleys, coming out, we're climbing. >> reporter: this thanksgiving, the family's expecting a house full of relatives and friends who helped them through the hard times.

by next thanksgiving, they hope to be back in the home they lost. randall pinkston, cbs news, old bridge, new jersey. >> happy thanksgiving, everybody. i'm tarell brown. this is the "cbs morning news." arell brown. this is the "cbs morning news." alka-seltzer plus. fast powder packs are a taste-free fizz-free way to transform your drink into a powerful cold fighter! there's a cold front moving in, but relief is on the way. and she's going in with no protective gear? her hands could dry out. [ female announcer ] dawn hand renewal with olay beauty. it helps your hands seal in moisture while you do the dishes. dawn does more... [ spongecaster ] so it's not a chore. dawn does more... if you live for performance,

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as president of the united states, you are hash hereby pardoned. >> mr. obama standing with daughters sasha and malia made sure two turkeys were not gobbled. he joked that it felt pretty good to stop at least one shellacking this november. later, they were joined by the first lady at a local food pantry. they handed out bags filled with turkey meals. they volunteered at the same charity last year. a chicago man proved he's no turkey when it comes to romance. on wednesday night, the christmas tree was lit in daley plaza. do you recollect the big ceremony, a man surprised his girlfriend by getting on his knee and popping the big

question. >> i think it went well. she said yes, i think, so -- >> yeah. i had no idea what he said. i was just so, in so much shock. and the whole way here, i was yelling at him that it's raining, we should be inside. >> thank god she said yes. that could have been a disaster. the couple also had plenty of support from the crowd of onlookers who offered their sincere congratulations. good for them. and here in new york city, there will be plenty of crowds on hand for the annual macy's thanksgiving day parade this morning. millions of people are expected to line the streets. manuel gallegus looks at the complex preparations. >> reporter: on manhattan's upper west side -- >> perfect! >> reporter: -- they're getting pumped up for the big day. >> nicely done, gang. very nicely done. >> reporter: 15 iconic balloons, some 16 stories tall, are being inflated for the annual macy's thanksgiving day parade. the kids are ready. >> i think that tomorrow it's going to be amazing. >> reporter: and they have their favorites. what do you like? >> i like snoopy. >> reporter: there's snoopy,

schrek and kermit the frog, also "diary of a wimpy kid," one of two new helium giants this year. 43 other novelty balloons like kool-aid man will glide through town. the parade is a huge volunteer undertaking and this is just the start. when you add up all the balloon handlers, the dancers, the marching bands, some 10,000 people are involved. macy's amy kuehl spends all year producing the event. >> it's amazing. isn't it? 3.5 million people line the parade route every year to see the parade maik its way from uptown all the way downtown. >> reporter: and perhaps 1 million spectators will see the balloons up close ahead of time, like the steins from florida. >> they're just having a blast. central park west. what's better than new york on thanksgiving? >> reporter: as the traditional start of the holiday season takes flight. manuel gallegus, cbs news, new york. and coming up a little later on the "early show," we'll have a preview of the parade route of the macy's thanksgiving day parade. also, attention holiday shoppers, find out the black friday myths that could end up

costing you a lot of money. and if you're cooking for thanksgiving, a celebrity chef will have last-minute tips to help you get through the big day. all that and more coming up on the "early show." that's it for the "cbs morning news." thanks for watching this morning, everybody. give thanks and eat up today. enjoy. i'm tarell brown. happy thanksgiving, everybody. take care. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

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