the morning's top stories, traffic and weather. so we hope you'll join us 4:30. thanks for watching. have a great weekend, everyone. we'll see you early on monday, 4:30. es looking for jobs. all eyes on the latest unemployment numbers released this morning which could show a holiday boost for the economy. we'll have the numbers and a new cbs news poll with positive news for president obama. hollywood mystery. just who killed publicist ronni chasen and why? new details of the person of interest that killed himself after police tracked him down and what the link to the victim might have been. we have the latest on the investigation. and to the rescue. a florida police officer shoots out a car window to save a woman trapped inside the burning vehicle. we'll hear from the hero himself early this friday morning, we'll hear from the hero himself early this friday morning, december 3rd, 2010. captioning funded by cbs

good friday morning to you everyone. i'm erica hill. >> i'm harry smith. >> quiet out there here on the streets of new york. north, though, it's quiet because no one's moving and they're stuck in the buffalo area. look at this. some people stuck for as much as -- more than 24 hours. as much as three feet of snow in some areas dumped and people stuck on the new york state throughway. >> tough sledding up there as they say. that's in a moment. first, to politics an the latest on president obama and the lame duck congress. cbs news poll out this morning shows the president's approval rating at 48%. that's up three points from just two weeks ago. at the white house, officials say they're still confident to put aside the differences and agree to extend tax cuts and

unemployment insurance. cbs news senior white house correspondent bill plante has the latest on that. good morning, bill. >> reporter: good morning, harry. there's a game of chicken over the extension of the bush era tax cuts but the cbs news poll shows what a majority of the public would like to see. 53% of those we asked side with the president and say that tax cuts should continue for households making less than $250,000 a year. only 26% believe that they should be extended to those making more. >> the motion is adopted. >> reporter: and yesterday, on a mostly party line vote, house democrats passed president obama's plan extending the tax cuts for everyone except those high income earners, a plan that has no chance of passing in the senate. that infuriated soon to be speaker of the house john boehner. >> i'm trying to catch my breath so that i don't refer to this

maneuver going on today as chicken crap. all right? but this is nonsense. all right? the election was one month ago. to roll this vote out really is just -- it's what you think i was going to say anyway. >> reporter: well, obviously, they're not there yet but the likely compromise is a trade-off by democrats extending the tax cuts for everybody for a couple of years in exchangs like unemployment insurance making the president's liberal base unhappy and something else to make people unhappy today is the vote of the president's deficit commission proposing to cut spending drast click, taking 14 of the 18 members to send that plan to congress and at this hour, looks very, very unlikely. harry? >> bill plante at the white house this morning, thank you very much. also in washington, john dickerson. john, good morning. >> good morning, harry. >> what can you tell us then about this deal and some of it

is sort of back room stuff around it as doing an end run around congressional democrats between the president and the leadership of the republicans to say, here's our quid pro quo, we will extend these tax, go with extended the taxes if you extend unemployment insurance. >> there's a lot of back room dealing going on. that's the shape of it. republicans get what they want, extension of all rates and in return the white house will get an extension of unemployment benefits and also a host of other tax cuts. the white house likes to call them the obama tax cuts for lower and middle income families for a year to help them through the difficult economic time. >> democrats are -- their noses out of joint about this. >> very much so because they want the president to stand up and fight. there are ads running this weekend saying, don't cave, mr.

president. they want barack obama to make a stand and say, republicans want tax cuts for the wealthy, those who make over $250,000 and democrats want tax cuts for middle class. that's behind the symbolic house vote. the president is making a deal and doesn't look like it's going the way the liberals want and they're angry. >> if this does go through, people get a little of what they want and could be a vision of the future. >> it is a vision of the future although the future is so bleak because, of course, if this goes through, it has big deficit implications. we are in the middle of the question of how much to cut, how much taxes might increase and so, what liberals are very worried about is the president buckling in their view and the beginning of a long string of buckles. >> her's the deficit commission meeting for hours and days and weeks and months. and they will not get a consensus it looks like and nothing forwarded to congress and the work for an almost seems like for naught. >> well, it does.

because they weren't able to get the votes. the question will be what will the president do with this? there are lots and lots of plans out here in washington. seems everybody's got one and so the president will have to say, i'm going to use this or we expect him to say i'll use this as a starting point for next year's conversations but the reason it didn't pass is all of these choices are hard, tough and ugly. and nobody wants to get behind them, although some members of the committee are, in fact, going to vote for it. >> it is about cutting entitlements and or raising taxes. hard to agree on any of that. thank you very much. appreciate it. >> thanks, harry. labor department's closely-watched monthly jobs report out this morning and it is not very good news for people hoping to see a holiday boost for the economy. cbs news business and economics correspondent rebecca jarvis joins us with the details 0 of that report and less good news i should say than what was expected. >> yes. definitely less. a huge disappointment.

wall street anticipating a big boost in the number of jobs created. we didn't get that in the month of november. the economy created 39,000 jobs and unemployment rate ticked higher to 9.8%, the highest level since april. >> they were initially predicting to go up but only to 9.7%. that is big psychologically. >> it is because it puts us closer to being above 10% and economists have come out since this report came out this morning and are saying likelihood has increased to see an unemployment rate sometime in the near future above 10%. we don't want to see that. >> last thing to see. we should focus on far less than what was anticipated and still 39,000 jobs created. where did that happen? >> the majority of jobs we saw in professional and temporary business services, so the types of service positions where you interwakt people and also temporary work on top of that health care saw some additions and mining saw some additions in jobs. >> okay.

so those are added. you mentioned there's this fear now probably would be the layperson's term but a collective thinking possible around economists to go up above 10%. does that happen in the new year? forecast looking forward to 2011? >> forecast looking forward to 2011 is we won't see the unemployment rate tick down until at least the summer months and could be above 10% until 2012. that is not what people want to see. one caveat is we have seen good news lately so hopefully that translates into the new year. >> trying to focus on that, thanks as always. harry, back over to you. now the latest on the snow emergency in buffalo. as of this morning, close to three feet of snow fallen south of the city since wednesday night. and some drivers had been stranded on interstate 90 for more than 24 hours waiting for crews to dig them out. cbs news correspondent elaine quijano is in west ceneca, new york, with the latest.

elaine, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, harry. state police have reopened the new york throughway or interstate 90 behind me after a traffic accident and a monster storm creating a nightmare scenario for motorists. the snowstorm packed a particularly hard punch, even for motorists used to punishing winters in western new york. >> i want to be home. they're all home from a snow day and i have been up for like over 24 hours. i want to go home. >> reporter: the snowstorm started wednesday at 5:00 p.m. and then a semi jackknifes and brings traffic to a stand still. up to 32 inches of snow is starting to pile up. so are the cars and trucks. at 3:00 a.m. thursday, police close the interstate and vehicles are getting on from other onramps and plows can't keep up with the snow. now hundreds of vehicles backed up and buried in blowing snow forcing many to sleep in the snow in 13 miles of bumper to

bumper traffic. 14 hours later, rescuers on atvs evacuate some motorists to a shelter. stormy mother nature struck again. >> find a strategy, right? >> good situation in everything. >> aah! holy cow! i only asked a little question. >> reporter: after the thunder and lightning at 4:00 p.m. thursday, crews managed to start getting the tractor trailers off the highway and by 8:00 p.m. thursday, 24 hours later, while dozens of vehicles were still waiting to be removed, bulldozers and snowplows worked to set everyone free. now, many here are asking, how this could have happened in the first place. officials at the new york throughway authority say in the future they plan to have gates and barriers up at onramps and they say this entire situation is being reviewed.

harry? >> elaine quijano in western new york this morning, thank you very much. >> hopefully elaine makes it home at some point, too. more of the day's headlines now with jeff glor. good morning. >> this is nothing. 32 inches. 36. whatever. we deal with it. >> you're from buffalo. >> exactly right. good morning, guys. >> like a dusting. >> dusting, exactly. good morning, everyone. the controversial wikileaks website is under attack again this morning and dropped by another domain name owner. they pulled the plug saying it was the target of multiple hacker attacks and still getting out the information through a european provider. meanwhile, wikileaks founder julian assange is said to be hiding in europe right now. at least 41 prison guards killed by the largest wild fire in israel's history. the fire started yesterday in israel's carmel forest. 30,000 people have been forced to evacuate now.

the prison guards got caught in the blaze trying to rescue inmates an at nearby prison. firefighters from several countries are now battling that blaze. in connecticut, a man sentenced to death for the murders of three people said he is relieved that he will die. a judge sentenced 47-year-old steven hayes to death by injection for the brutal murders of jennifer hawk petit and her two daughters. a lone survivor dr. william petit road an emotional statement in court. with no interest in life in general, he said, he seriously considered suicide after the tw 2007 attack. now the case of the exploding cell phone. a dallas area man says he was calling a father on his new droid 2 phone yesterday when he heard a loud pop. >> i didn't feel any pain initially. i pulled the phone down. i felt something dripping.

i realized it probably was blood. >> he said it was blood from the shredded ear. he considers himself lucky to have survived. >> just fortunate to be standing here. >> suffered no hearing loss. motorola said they'll investigate the incident. lebron james got the welcome he expected in cleveland. cavaliers' fans angry over james' move to miami turned out to boo first game back as a visitor. >> james. >> yeah, those boos continued far while and james led the heat to an easy victory scoring 38 points, season high for him, ten more than the cavs' whole starting lineup. 13 minutes past the hour right now. we turn to mr. dave price. >> lots of news. >> fun baller himself. >> how about that exploding phone? >> would never do that to you. >> sometimes when i speak to my

parents, i think the phone is

>> at 7:15, that's the first look at the weather this morning. over to you. >> thanks. this week, the six-month anniversary of kyron horman's disappearance. the little boy remains missing. priya david clemens is in port la larnd with the latest on the case. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you. it will be six months to the day tomorrow that kyrom went missing from the elementary school here. his parents continue to plead for the public's help. in a statement released just

within the past day his parents said, quote, we're focused and relentless in the pursuit of bringing kyron home. >> kyron! >> reporter: the six-month search, the most expensive in oregon history gone decidedly cold. >> how could anyone successfully hide little boy like that out of the public view and probably the most recognizable missing child in north america? >> reporter: on june 4th, 7-year-old kyron brought to skyline elementary science fair by his stepmother. the last known person to see kyron alive. >> this is something that you never want to happen to anyone. >> reporter: then details that terry leaving facebook updates of going to the gym rather than that her stepson was missing. >> implore terri to fully cooperate with the investigators to bring kyron home. >> reporter: in july, his father

claimed terri claimed she failed two polygraph tests and stopped cooperating with police and accused his wife of trying to hire a hitman to kill him in 2009. as the summer wore on, kyron's birth parents celebrated the 8th birthday without his son. >> i don't know what else to do. >> reporter: the desperate appeals continued and no breaks, no indictments, no solid leads. >> school supplies are in a new backpack waiting for him when he comes home. >> bring kyron home. >> reporter: while suspicions deepen, the faith continues on saying in a statement we love you and we'll never give up hope. kyron's parents said they remain confident in the efforts of law enforcement to find their son. erica? >> priya, thanks. still ahead here on "the early show," why was ronni chasen murdered? there's new dethadetails on the

person of interest. also ahead this morning, a hero cop tells us exclusively how quick thinking and his handgun helped him rescue a woman from a burning car. you're watching "the early show" on cbs. e early show" on cbs. doers. when our mittens double as work gloves. and we turn every room into a project. but this year, let's trim the budget. get some help from martha stewart that we can't get anywhere else. and spread our money as far as our cheer. ♪ more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. we're lowering the cost of tradition, with fresh cut trees at fresh cut prices. would you like me to read you a story? you can't read. [ grandma ] 'twas the night before christmas, and all through the house... whoa, that's grandma. [ grandma ] ...nothing was stirring, not kara, not maya...

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so much speculation, a lot of things happening in the blogosphere what may have happened to to hollywood pub bligsist ronni chasen. this person of interest who killed himself earlier this week and new details he emerging about what may or may not have been in her will. whether or not this could have been road rage. we'll take a look at all that just ahead. >> quite an estate she left behind. also coming up this morning, here's the pictures, hero cop quick thinking shoots a window out to get a woman out of a burning car.

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an antioch couple, under arrest after th ot to it's 7:25. time for news headlines from cbs 5. age antioch couple under arrest after their son was shot to death on his second birthday. the little boy was killed by a gun his father loaded and put in a bedroom drawerriest yesterday morning. he was shot as he and his four- year-old brother were playing alone in the bedroom. two men are heroes for helping to catch a suspected child molester. they chased down a man accused of attacking a 2-year-old girl inside a store in union city. the girl wandered away from her family for a few moments when she was assaulted. that suspect is a registered sex offender. and at 10:00 this morning, a wrecking ball is set to start knocking down the old transbay terminal in downtown san francisco. that demolition job is expected to take about 3 months.

the new terminal is scheduled to open in 2017. traffic and weather around the bay area in just a moment. stay with us. ,,,,,,,, ,,,,

good morning. well, 280 is starting to become a mess now heading into san francisco. northbound 280 right before 101, there is an accident involving a motorcycle. the left lane is blocked. chp is heading to the scene now. but as you can see from those

sensors, 280 is very jammed up. 101 still looks okay heading into downtown. the bay bridge toll plaza the metering lights have been on now for about an hour but the backups are not too bad. it's friday light approaching the pay gates. backed up just to the end of the parking lot and only in the busiest lanes. the san mateo bridge still looks great. delay-free in either direction. that's your traffic. here's tracy with your forecast. hey, thanks, elizabeth. our forecast for the morning will include a chance of showers and we'll also have a chance of showers for the afternoon. here's a look out toward the bay bridge and plenty of clouds are out there this morning and just a little bit of sunshine. that's going to be the drill for today. seven-day forecast showing that's also going to be the drill into the weekend. saturday and sunday, still a slim chance of showers. monday and tuesday, we got some sunshine. then wednesday more showers are expected. thursday, we'll have a mix of sun and clouds, as well. so we are going to continue to keep that chance of showers in the forecast through the weekend. snow showers for the sierra through the weekend.

that's a look at your weather. ,,,,,,,,

nice crowd out on the plaza nice crowd out on the plaza on a chilly friday morning. welcome back. a quick-thinking cop in south florida, he responds to a back traffic accident and he has to get a trapped woman out of this burning vehicle. he can't get in. the only way he could rescue her to shoot out a window. yeah. quite a story. officer jimmy jalil will tell us how he did in a couple of minutes. first, though, the very latest on the mysterious hollywood murder of publicist ronni chasen. we are learning more about the man wanted for questioning who committed suicide two nights ago and the large fortune chasen

left behind. >> reporter: detectives won't comment but on wednesday night their investigation let them to this run down hollywood apartment building. a so-called person of interest shot and killed himself in front of police trying to question him. he's reportedly harold martin smith. >> he was telling my husband someone hired me and i'm getting a big payoff and expecting $10,000 here in the next few days. he said, you know, that little nice lady driving this nice lady, that was me. that was me. >> i don't believe he was a hitman or nothing. the intelligence wasn't there. his charisma, his character. he seemed poor. >> reporter: the hollywood bl blogosphere is consumed. one hollywood journalist report that is chasen killed by a hirtman because of a business deal gone bad. >> they have a suspect in mind and that they're getting closer to, you know, closing in on that

suspect. and that is probably the person that paid to have the shooter kill ronni chasen. >> reporter: tmz quotes sources saying chasen had a fierce temper and may have been the victim of road rage. she was driving home from a movie premier. >> the cops believe that road rage here is a possibility. it is one scenario they're looking at. road rage, mistaken identity, the possibility of a contract hit. >> reporter: chasen was an a-list hollywood publicist and also a very wealthy woman. tmz obtained one version of the will showing a net worth of $6 million. chasen gave nearly $60,000 to charity. the rest to her family. 0 in death, left behind millions of dollars and dozens of questions in this all-too-real hollywood murder mystery. ben tracy, cbs news, los angeles. we want to bring in former los angeles police chief bill bratton, good to have you with us this morning. >> good morning. >> there's so much speculation

and theories but, frankly, we are short on facts that have been released. if you're part of this investigation, what do you make of the little tidbits that we have? >> well, all the options are still on the table. that was one avenue of investigation that's moved quite far along. from this incident, they will now be able to examine the weapon that the gentleman had in the possession. be able to question the friends, relatives to his activities. weapon will be key. also, what they had in the search warrant that they supposedly had, what were they looking for? he was described as a person of interest. person of interest in police parlance can be a person that might have information about a crime, somebody who actually they think may have been involved in the crime and who's up to a suspect level. there's any number of things that can make a person a person of interest. >> when there's so much interest in the case and high-profile murder like this one, how does that affect the investigation at all?

>> well, all compliments to the beverley hill police department. they have done a phenomenal job from a police perspective of putting a lid on this. in the very gossip sen trick city of los angeles, tmz, the rest of them are getting bits and pieces. they're not getting the whole story. the police have done a phenomenal job keeping a lid on this which allows them to pursue all of these different leads, all these different avenues of investigation. and i know it's frustrating to the public and the media but it's the way police work is supposed to be done. >> we're used to things being wrapped up quickly as on a police show or in general. it makes it hard to sit back and say why don't we know anything? >> exactly. so that in this case, because it is so high profile, probably phenomenal amounts of information coming in. you just had on your little lead-in, tmz taking credit for an avenue of the investigation. i think mr. walsh from

"america's most wanted" claiming credit for the tip that led to this gentleman that took his life so everybody's getting into the game with their own theories. >> one of the things that tmz reporting saying they have a copy of the will, multi-million dollar, one of the copies they obtained. and there were also some details in there about what was left to whom and a family member may have been not exactly left out of the will but not really left a lot of money. like $10. >> let's -- >> sticking to someone. >> you left out of the will, now going to kill the person but you're not getting anyt

up next, up next, a sharp shooting cop tells us exclusively about the split-second decision that saved a woman's life as she was inside a burning suv. this is "the early show" on cbs. at purina one, we want your dog to be as healthy as possible.

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but this year, let's trim the budget. get some help from martha stewart that we can't get anywhere else. and spread our money as far as our cheer. ♪ more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. we're lowering the cost of tradition, with fresh cut trees at fresh cut prices. this morning, we have a dramatic rescue story from south florida. a suv rolled across interstate 95 in boca raton wednesday night

throwing two people from the vehicle. police officer jimmy jalil jr. rushed to the scene and found the suv in flames with a woman trapped inside. after struggling to reach her, he's forced to take out his gun and shoot out a side window. only then was he able to pull the woman to safety, saving her life. officer jalil joins us exclusive friday boca raton with police chief dan alexander. good morning to you both. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> officer jalil, we were looking over this tape and you get to the scene. a couple of people had been ejected from the vehicle. you know this vehicle is burning, burning quite rapidly. there's a woman trapped inside. you've done everything possible to get her out. what made you think, okay, i'm going to use my gun to shoot out this window? >> i've had success before breaking out the window with my baton and when i knew after the tenth time i tried to hit that thing that i wasn't going to

break the bullet would soften it up to clear it out. >> right. now, you -- what made sure that other people on the other side of the vehicle are clear so you don't hit anybody, once that window was smashed, because of the bullet that is went through, then what happened? >> correct. s.w.a.t. training we're cognizant of the background and made sure everyone was clear out of there. firing the two rounds, i saw the window spidered, spider webbed and as soon as i cleared it out as much as i could, i had her, you know, propped herself enough to lift her up and out of the vehicle. >> what was it like at that moment? we were looking at the pictures and the vehicle is almost totally engulfed in flames. >> it wasn't so much the heat that was bothersome. it was more the smoke. the gentleman i was trying to put out the fire, i was watching a lot of the dust from the fire extinguisher itself. to be honest with you, i didn't -- when i was lifting her

up, i didn't feel any of that. it was get her up and out. >> adrenaline certainly takes over. chief chief alexander, i'm guessing it's not by the book but houfl about the actions of officer jalil? >> outstanding. we hire officers and can't test them for courage and ingenuity. you are tested under fire and he was tested and showed himself approved. >> wow. it is quite a testament to your thinking on your feet and thinking in making a split-second decision. as the adrenaline has worn off, have you had a chance to go through it in your own mind, officer jalil? >> a little bit. actually, just yesterday i was thinking about it. it wasn't even so much the stuff i did that i was more -- i was dwelling on but the stuff i probably could have done better next time or i don't know. some of the actions that -- it's just still an overwhelming -- overwhelming thing i can't believe it's happening earlier. >> well, the folks in florida

are lucky to have men like you on the force, that's for sure. officer jim any jalil, thank you so much. chief alexander, thank you, as well. we do appreciate it. >> thank you. >> thank you. up next, the rumors are flying. is tom brady losing it? not his football skils. his hair. this is "the early show" on cbs. okay, which picture for the card?

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[ female announcer ] new tide with acti-lift technology helps remove many dry stains as if they were fresh. hey! you found it. yeah, it must have been hiding in my closet. [ female announcer ] new tide with acti-lift. style is an option. clean is not. get acti-lift in these tide detergents. i'm told anecdotally millions of men across america worry every day they may be going bald t. can happen no matter what, no matter how rich, famous, how hot your wife is, your hair can go away. when picture-perfect nfl star tom brady started to change the look of his coiff, the rumors began. tom brady appears to have it all.

but while the patriots' main man is leelgd a winning football team, he might be losing something rather important. his hair. the "national enquirer" reports it recently saw the star leaving a rhode island transplant specialist. >> why does everyone always want to talk about my hair? it's no big deal. why don't you go talk to somebody else about their hair. i don't care about my hair. >> growing out of control the last few months. even teen sensation justin bieber trashed him in a recent rap. is his new do a fashion statement or are those luscious locks hiding something. >> looks like he is combing his hair forward and has recession at his temples. >> if tom brady is, in fact, follicly challenged he's got plenty of company. by middle age about 50% of men experience hair loss. >> you're bald! >> and there are plenty of

receding hairlines in hollywood to comb through for advice. john travolta is rumored to wear a hairpiece and bruce willis and tennis greats andring a gacy embrace their losses while for prince william, a bald head and thinning might not be the best bet. >> if you don't want to fight it, don't walk around like a cque ball. most men don't look good without any hair. >> luckily the famous quarterback has another option. >> i honestly think if tom brady is going bald, he should just wear his helmet year-around. >> cheer up, guys, turns out tom brady may not be perfect, after all. >> who's the clown on that piece? >> take him out, harry. >> come over here and say that, i'm sorry. >> bald is beautiful. >> here's the deal, though, the thing with brady, the way i figure it in the lacrosse world, it's -- everybody talks about the flow, what's outside of your helmet, right, this is really

like the truth? so, that's -- brady's trying to bring that -- sensibility. >> is the flow just about the look or does it give you some sort of area rods dynamic capability. >> yeah. >> oh, yeah. >> it improves your running, your driving. i mean -- >> all kinds of performance. [ laughter ] >> wow! it is a friday morning and i'm the only . it's 7:55. time for news headlines from cbs 5. i'm sydnie kohara. it's 8:25. time for news headlines from cbs 5. i'm sydnie kohara. it's 8:55. time for news headlines from cbs ,,

it's 7:55. time for news headlines from cbs 5. i'm sydnie kohara. this afternoon, in los angeles, lawyers for johannes mehserle will ask for his release. they want the former bart officer free on bail pending appeal. mehserle was sentenced to two years for the shooting death of oscar grant. oakland mayor-elect jean quan has her transition team in place. the 24-member group will help her identify priorities for when she takes office next month. among other things, quan promises to have more interaction with the media. and caltrain will expand its weekend service between san francisco and san jose. the baby bullet express trains will run on weekends starting january 1. this is a three- month trial program. we'll take a look at traffic and weather in just a moment. stay with us. ,,,,,,,,,,

good morning. well, northbound 280 coming into the city is still really backed up. there was a motorcycle accident right before the 101 interchange. and look at all that line of red sensors. it is jammed solid from at least san jose avenue, still blocking the left lane. it appears to be an injury crash. so 101 is going to be your best alternative for getting into the city right now. also, slow west bound 24 through orinda. we have another crash there approaching wilder road. traffic is jammed from saint

stevens drive. you can see that eastbound 24 traffic looks slow in the area. bay bridge toll plaza, actually looks good at the bay bridge toll plaza itself. metering lights are on but the delays are very small. only backed up to mid lot. that's your traffic. here's tracy with a check of your forecast. >> hey, thanks, elizabeth. well, our forecast for today will include plenty of clouds and again a chance of showers. here's a look outside, this is san jose for the morning. here's a look at your forecast. it will go through the weekend well into next week. highs today in the upper 50s to the lower 60s. cloudy conditions a few sprinkles for the morning. and a chance of light showers through the afternoon. we'll keep a small chance of showers in the forecast for both weekend days saturday and sunday with highs again in the upper 50s and lower 60s. monday and tuesday, a mix of sun and clouds expected. and wednesday we'll have more showers expected across the bay area for the middle of next week. bear in mind there is also a chance of snow showers in the forecast this weekend. that's your weather for now. we'll have another update in about 30 minutes. ,,,,,,

chkz 8:00 a.m. [ cheering ] t they're screaming. >> okay. >> screaming for you. >> you're giving me a look. i'm thinking, what am i missing that i'm not hearing in my ear. >> they're happy. >> we like happy. >> you're happy. >> a very happy crowd out here today. >> does it have anything to do with it being friday? >> maybe that's it. welcome back to the "early show" on a friday morning. i'm erica hill along with a very happy harry smith. coming up this morning, dr. jennifer ashton is here to answer very serious health-related holiday questions. for example --

most dangerous day of the year for heart attacks. yeah. >> ah. >> also, whether those poinsettias are truly poisonous or not, and the all-important how much weight do you really gain over the holiday? yeah. holiday health i.q. test coming your way. >> a lot of groans out there. saving money during the holidays sounds impossible. we're not telling you to cut down on your shopping list, but you can make a few simple lifestyle changes now that will help you save up to $500 by the new year. we're going to tell you how do that in a couple minutes. >> i'm objectionsed with this segment. i love that. also, time to hunt down that perfect christmas tree. we're going to the perfect spot. >> oh! >> big john's. >> there he is. >> taking you to rhode island this morning. our friend big john is going to show us what he's didn't growing over the year. explain how to find the best tree for your home, keep it green throughout the holidays. you've been up to that christmas tree farm? >> big john's mantra. real trees for real people.

>> i love it. i am buying into it. let me tell you, i'm a real tree kind of girl. we'll get to that. first, jeff glor standing by with a check of the headlines. >> take you to the glor family farm one of these days to cut down christmas tree there's. been doing it since i was little. >> very good. >> does it include hot chocolate? >> absolutely. whatever you want. beverages. >> we're in. >> good morning, guys. good morning, everyone. extending the bush era tax cut might include an extension of unemployment benefits now. a cbs poll showed 26% said extended for everyone. 53% for families earning less than $250,000. 14% would like to see tax cuts expire for all american. yesterday democratic lawmakers in the house approved extensions for families makes less than $250,000 which will likely not pass the senate. incoming senior john boehner was not pleased. >> trying to catch my breath so

i don't refer to this maneuver going on today as chicken crap. all right? but this is nonsense. >> if no deal is reached, the tax breaks expire at the end of the year. the u.s. unemployment rate rose last month to 9. 8%, highest since april. 172,000 new jobs in october. wikileaks bumped off its u.s. domain name provider late yesterday because of new hacker attacks. so the secret leaking website moved to a european provider. wikileaks previously claimed it was the target of american intelligence agencies. meantime wikileaks founder julian assange is believed to be hiding in england wanted for questioning in his swedish rape case. a bill awaiting president obama's signature is aimed at ending annoying extra loud tv commercials. the bill passed yesterday by congress gives the fcc one year

to adopt new rules to coordinate commercial sound levels with those are regular programming. a man sentenced to death in connecticut for a vicious triple murder will welcome his execution. cbs's ashley morrison reports. >> reporter: less than a month after being found guilt any a crime that gripped the nation, steven hayes was sentenced to death by lethal injection. before the judge handed down his sentence, the lone survivor, dr. william petit, read an emotional statement saying with no wife, no children, no home and no interest in life in general, that he seriously considered suicide after the day in july 2007 when hayes along with accused co-defendant joshua komisarjevsky broke into his home, beating him way baseball bat and later raping his wife jennifer hawke-petit and his daughter, 11-year-old michaela petit. prosecutors say komisarjevsky then murdered jennifer and

17-year-old haleigh petit dousing the house with gasoline and setting it on fire. for the first time hayes gave a statement saying death for me will be a welcome relief. >> he knows the devastation he caused. >> komisarjevsky's trial is set to begin next year. legal experts say hayes death sentence might have an effect. >> make it all the harder to get a jury in the next trial, because so many in the state of connecticut are familiar with these intimate details of the case. >> reporter: intimate details dr. petit and his family will be forced to relive once again. ashley morrison, cbs news, new york. rare crime has hit celebration florida, a wholesome town built by disney. two violent deaths this week. over thanksgiving weekend a resident murdered. the first homicide there in 14 years. the man's corvette was missing. police won't say how he died. meantime, another resident killed himself yesterday in an apparent self-inflicted gunfire

wound after he fired at deputies. no connection between the cases they say. this morning buffalonians are digging out after a surprise snowstorm that stranded hundreds of travelers. cbs news correspondent elaine quijano is in west seneca, new york this morning with more on that. hey, elaine. good morning. how's it looking there now? >> reporter: it's looking a lot better, jeff. in fact, just behind me here in the distance you'll see that traffic is working slowly on the new york throughway or interstate 90 here after what happened, really, a nightmare scenario for motorists. it all began wednesday night when a monster lake effect storm dumped almost three feet of snow just as authorities here on the interstate were trying to clear an accident, a jackknifed semi. the result, about 11 miles on this interstate was backed up. traffic was essentially paralyzed and plows simply couldn't keep up. hundreds of motorists stranded overnight. some people spending 20 hours in their vehicles. eventually it was all cleared,

but now many are asking, how does this happen? officials for the new york throughway authority say they are looking at that and say certainly in the future they plan to have barriers and other things to prevent more cars from logjamming the way they this time. jeff? >> elaine quijano, thank you in west seneca, new york, this morning. katie couric now has a preview of tonight's "cbs evening news." it's life-changing surgery. an extreme measure to lose weight. once only an option for the morbidly obese, it may now become available for those with less to lose, but should it? that story and mother tonight only on the "cbs evening news." now back to "the early show." it is seven minutes past the hour now. we turn back outside to dave price. dave says he can take a bill's game in this kind of snow. keeping promising to go up there with me to attend one. >> this is the perfect time of the year, jeff. >> absolutely have. >> to go to what was rich stadium.

remember that? >> wilson stadium. >> right. ralph wilson stadium. 80,000 people jammed in, cheering on those buffalo bills who have had kind of a tough year, jeff. >> we're doing all right. we won two. >> won two. let's not talk about the beginning of the season. >> come on. >> we're both proud, big buffalo supporters. nice to see you on this chilly morning, jeffrey! we've got friends. ssssaaa web that? no, you don't. you're from safety harbor, florida. been here since early morning. nice to see you. thanks for coming. a check of the weather, see what's happening. chilly down there in north florida. got some cold temperatures, but it's going to be back to the 60s by later today. keep in mind, we've got some snow rolling through. several sections of country. more lake-effect snow and as you those western new york and into the dakotas, we've got snow showers pushing into texas and

>> announcer: this weather report this weather report, sponsored by macy's. hey, one more quick hello to maggie wilson in lexington,

kentucky, who's watching this morning. oh, where? >> north carolina. >> lexington, north carolina, who's watching this morning. erica, inside to you. >> there are plenty people who want to say hi to in lexington, kentucky too. that's all right. just ahead, does this christmas make you look fat? we'll have the facts on your holiday weight gain, and all other matters. like whether that poinsettia is really poisonous and does the alcohol and the calories, do they burn off? your holiday health i.q. coming up on "the early show." come on! wait for me! there it is. ah! hurry up. you're heavy. are you sure these letters will get to santa? yes, of course. hold still. almost there.

a little bit higher. i can't hold you up much longer. ah! whoa! [ all giggle ] ♪ hi, fellas. hi, virginia. why are you on the floor? [ female announcer ] bring your letter to santa into macy's and we'll donate to the make-a-wish® foundation. together, we'll collect a million reasons to believe.

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in this morning's helwatch, in this morning's "healthwatch," testing your holiday i.q. some of the old things we've heard all the time could turn out to be true, but not all of them. we'll help you find the true and false this morning. dr. jennifer ashton joining us to separate holiday fact from fiction. >> good morning. >> if your mother said it, it's true. >> so wise. >> there you go. okay. first one, most important one. a lot of people say this. oh, it's the holidays. i can't fit in anything anymore. come january 1st. do you really gain 5 to 10 pounds? >> that's a myth. studied officially, if you will, by the new england journal of medicine that found most people from thanksgiving to new year's gain one pound, which doesn't sound like a lot. however, most of the people who might be more prone to that weight gain are people who are starting out overweight or obese to begin with. every pound adds up. remember, if you're gaining a pound that moshgs are you also gaining a pound a month for the rest of the year? doesn't sound like a lot. like anything it can add up.

>> not quite as high but still something. still need to be careful. >> when it comes to a lot of the holidays, calories come in the form of a drink, eggnog. if cooking alcohol, do the calories burn off? >> no. you think it would. a lot of dishes that alcohol is put into during the holiday season are slowly cooked or simmered and it actually requires a temperature above 175 degrees to burn off all of the alcohol. so you are definitely left with a lot of it still there and, again, it can add up not only in the form of calories but also in that alcohol buzz that you could get, if you're at a party, drinking your alcohol as well as eating it. >> could still be in there. >> absolutely. >> this one we have to -- i want to get it out, it's a little depress, but there's always been a rumor that heart attacks are more prevalent during the holidays. how much truth? >> it actually is true. called the merry christmas coronary or the happy new year heart attack, if you will, but absolutely. there are greater rates of deaths in that holiday period

for a number of reasons. emotional stress. physical stress. more alcohol and salt consumption. most people not wanting to go to the hospital. a couple important things to do obviously to reduce their own risk. watch your stress. be aware of it, because everyone can get that holiday stress. watch your alcohol and salt consumption, especially people with known heart disease. you really want to be careful. shoveling snow known to increase the risk of cardiac events and heart attacks. take breaks. most importantly if you're having symptoms, erica, do not delay getting medical attention. calling 911, your doctor. a lot of people think doctors are off during the holidays. we don't get days off. actually, it's not the second or third string of doctors who are manning the emergency rooms and your doctors' offices. we take turns. you have just as good of chance getting your doctor, during the holiday. >> the poinsettia. toxic or no? >> actually not. poison control centers have

gotten over 20,000 reports of poinsettia consumption. most mild, no deaths. at most it will give you vomiting. you don't want to eat an entire plant but not the big myth that it will kill you. >> not appetizing either. better too look at them. >> absolutely. >> thanks. just ahead if you're worried about running out of money before the end of your holiday, and your holiday shopping list, we're going to help you save $500 by the new year. this is "the early show" on cbs. : "healthwatch," sponsored by pfizer. cbs healthwatch, sponsored by pfizer. the lack of energy. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor about pristiq®, 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, to avoid a potentially life-threatening condition. pristiq may cause or worsen high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or glaucoma. tell your doctor if you have heart disease or before you reduce or stop taking pristiq. side effects may include nausea, dizziness and sweating. for me, pristiq is a key in helping to treat my depression. ask your doctor about pristiq. wait for me! there it is. ah! hurry up. you're heavy. are you sure these letters will get to santa? yes, of course. hold still. almost there. a little bit higher. i can't hold you up much longer. ah! whoa! [ all giggle ] ♪ hi, fellas. hi, virginia. why are you on the floor? [ female announcer ] bring your letter to santa into macy's and we'll donate to the make-a-wish® foundation. together, we'll collect a million reasons to believe.

and we'll donate to the make-a-wish® foundation.

this is the month when many americans start to run a little short of cash because we have gifts to buy end-of-year bills to pay. you can save $500 by january if you listen closely to cbs news business and economics correspondents rebecca jarvis. everybody's listening. they have their pencils out. >> very good. >> let's go through all these different things very quickly to come up with $500. first, look at your cable bill. >> get rid of the add-ons. if you have premium channels get rid of them this season because you will probably be out shopping more than at home watching television. that will save you $35 just stripping those out. >> that's a good start. what about your telephone, especially people who still have real ones this their homes. >> a lot of people believe it or not have their landline and keep their cell phone. get rid of one of the two. if you get rid of that landland you can save as much as $25 a month and there are less expensive landline options you

can look for for example just incoming calls to lanlines if you want that option or few outgoing calls can get it about $10, a big savings. >> find us the loophole in car insurance. >> car insurance is a big one. if you just increase your deductible from $500 to a thousand dollars, you can save big money. also, if you don't drives a much, say you drive 7,000, 7500 miles a year, there are big i did duckss for people and you can save as much as $40 a month thanks to that. >> this is adding up, kid. cash for gifts? >> okay. so, think about how you spend on your gifts this holiday season. average shopper will spend about $700. if you put that money into gift cards and you buy the gift cards at a discount, you can save as much as 30%, which will save you overall $210, there's a number of places you were go from bj's to costco to giftcards.com to get the discounts. >> i like it. wael go to the movies during the holidays, how do i save money?

>> just don't do it. >> don't? inlts spends time with your family. the movie will be out on dvd soon anyway. skip it and you will save about $100. they are so expensive. >> so expensive. gym membership? >> a lot close early, not around as much or available who really has the time, already carrying the groceries anyway. get your exercise that way and you can save about 40 bucks. >> brand names or generic? >> go generic, oedz all we've seen research, consumers reports has done it, people find it to be almost exactly the same or even better in some cases and you can save 50 bucks in a month. >> we buzzed through this minutes in a couple of minutes and eight different things. what's our total? >> $500, january 1. >> 500 bucks. rebecca jarvis, thank you very much. >> thanks harry. >> from white pines to blue spruces, our favorite tree narmer's got it. that's right. our annual visit. there he is, the man, the legend, big john layden at big

john's christmastree farm up in west gren ish, rhode island. john's christmastree farm up in west gren ish, rhode island. we'll pay a visit one more seven years ago, i had this idea. john's christmastree farm up in west gren ish, rhode island. we'll pay a visit one more to make baby food the way moms would. happybaby strives to make the best organic baby food. in a business like ours, personal connections are so important. we use our american express open gold card to further those connections. last year we took dozens of trips using membership rewards points to meet with the farmers that grow our sweet potatoes and merchants that sell our product. we've gone from being in 5 stores to 7,500. booming is using points to make connections

or you've been grooving here for some time now, you know that value comes in many forms. for some it's a classic car, for others a profession that lets them give back to the next generation. for many californians, it's a medicare plan that gives them more for their money. with anthem blue cross, you can get a medicare advantage ppo plan that offers $0 premiums and prescription drug coverage, you can see any doctor who accepts medicare, even the ones you already know and trust. plus members always talk with a real person when they call, not some computer system. that's what we used to call grooving. if you are eligible for medicare or will be soon, ask about one of the new ppo plans from anthem. you can schedule an in-home visit, learn more at a local seminar, or get answers right over the phone. call 1-877-276-1149. that's 1-877-276-1149.

with anthem blue cross, you're free to enjoy value like never before. 5. it's 8:25. time for news headlines from cbs 5. i'm sydnie kohara. it is gunmen list day at the old transbay terminal in san francisco. a wrecking ball ready to be dropped on the building at 10:00 this morning. it's expected to take three months to knock the building down. the new transbay, the new terminal, is scheduled to open in seven years. it is full speed ahead for california's high-speed rail plan. the rail authority voted unanimously to approve an initial 65-mile stretch of track in the central valley. that $4.3 billion project is expected to create some 80,000 jobs. and since your hometown giants are world series champs, house speaker nancy pelosi is cashing in on the traditional senators' bet. because the giants beat the phillies, pennsylvania senator arlen specter gave her a giant

block of hershey's chocolate. and texas senator joe barton provided the speaker with several deep dish chocolate pecan pies. a look at traffic and weather right after this. ,,,,,,

save $523! 16 minutes could save you 16%! come on... isn't it time an auto insurer gave it to you straight? that's why you should talk to state farm. but not yet. first, talk to any one of the 40 million drivers who already have state farm. 40 million. yeah, that's more than geico and progressive combined. by a lot. 40 million drivers. more savings. and discounts up to 40%. where else you gonna get discounts like that? call an agent at 1-800-state-farm or go online. good morning. in san francisco now updating you on an earlier accident, northbound 280 approaching 101, all lanes have been re-opened. the left lane was blocked for a while after a motorcycle accident. you can see we're left with some lingering slow traffic in those northbound lanes of 280

jammed from john daly towards 101. over to orinda now, westbound 24 approaching wilder road. we have an accident still blocking one lane of traffic. and speeds are very slow right now. 7 miles per hour jammed from at least saint stephens drive. 880 oakland friday light here past the coliseum up into downtown oakland. that's your traffic. here's tracy with your forecast. >> hey, thank you, elizabeth. forecast for the morning, includes a whole lot of clouds out there. and just a few sprinkles. we have a better chance of rainfall moving in for the afternoon and as we look out toward the transamerica building there, it is definitely cloudy across the entire financial district as well as the entire bay area. forecast for today, here we go. seven-day forecast, upper 50s to the lower 60s. those are our high temperatures today. temperatures in the same ballpark saturday and sunday with a small chance of showers each day. monday and tuesday, we squeeze out nothing but sunshine. and wednesday we will have another chance 6 showers. do note, snow showers expected

for the sierra this weekend. ,,,, [ mom ] my son only wanted one toy this year. i want a robosan 4000. [ mom ] the one no one could get. toy stores are reporting long lines and empty shelves. a robosan 4000. [ mom ] and i mean no one. so i did most of my holiday shopping on citi specials. with the money i saved, i bid online -and got exactly what he wanted. -a robosan 4000! [ television ] introducing the new robosan 5000. [ mom ] at least for now. [ male announcer ] make your happy holiday stories come true with citi specials.

what's your story? citi can help you write it. ♪ it's the most wonderful time of the year ♪ nice crowd out here on the plaza, on a friday morning. >> just the way we like it here on "the early show." coming up, if you need a christmas tree. don't go anywhere. master tree farmer big john leydon is here. joining us live from his giant tree farm in rhode island. truly a family operation, which i love. a quick course in choosing, maintaining, even recycling your christmas tree. there you go. it's done. >> when you plant them, cut them down, plant new seeds. >> absolutely. also with christmas coming up and hanukkah already in full spinning, it's time to start baking. katie lee is leer this morning with great and easy recipes for

holiday cookies and doughnuts. doughnuts, by the way, the traditional hanukkah treat in israel. even more so than potato pancakes, latkes, however want to pronounce it. no judgments here. >> katie lee would not judge. >> first, though, macy's is in the middle of its third an ural believe campaign supporting the make-a-wish foundation as we well know. yeoh donations can help make dreams come true and it happened for one boy in georgia with scy fibrosis. >> reporter: for this 9-year-old s s with cystic fibrosis, his mother raised himself since diagnosed at just 2 moss old. >> usually my vacation time is

spent in the hospital with him. it gets pretty difficult. >> reporter: despite his ill inside, she has high hopes for his son. >> i hope he gets to live every day. get to do what he wants. >> reporter: what he wants more than anything is to be a meteorologist. >> i love the weather, because it means a lot to me. >> reporter: and thanks to the make-a-wish foundation, and our cbs affiliates in atlanta -- >> meteorology jennifer valdez -- >> reporter: chis dream is abou to become a reality. >> nice to meet you. >> reporter: this meteorologist jennifer valdez explains the science behind the weather report. >> the temperature, the high, dew point. >> reporter: cameron watched in awe. >> what do you think? >> i think it's cool. >> reporter: from the graphics to the green screen. >> you see that, it's backwards? try the other hand. >> reporter: he was hooked. >> this is just like tv.

>> reporter: before long, he was ready for rehearsal. >> your storm tracker weather forecast -- with -- cameron! >> hi. this is cameron with the weather channel. today our 5:00 cam will be 60 degrees, plenty of sunshine. oh, i just -- >> reporter: after mastering the maps, it was time to hit macy's for the one item every weatherman needs. a sweet suit. >> i like it. i am ready to tell the weather in this suit. >> reporter: when the big morning arrived, the youngest meteorologist in atlanta is all smiles. >> i'm in for it. >> can i have a high five before we start. >> a special guest in the weather center with me today. this is cameron he's 9 from rust

listen, georgia. here he is doing the weather. >> tonight oh are in the 8s and it will be feeling very good today. a nice time to be playing some baseball. >> cameron what do you think? >> i think i liked it. am i on tv? >> reporter: and the second time around is even better. >> it's 42 degrees in atlanta but still plenty of blues. by p.m., 64 degrees. >> did you a great job. >> do you think it gets easier the more times do you it. >> uh-huh. >> you just need to practice a lot. >> no, not really. i think i got it down. >> whoa! >> i think he got it down, too. wrap do you think? >> i give him confidence at 10. >> dying for the -- big time. >> reporter: it's an experience both cameron and his mom will cherish for a lifetime. >> what i would say to

make-a-wish for making cameron's dream come true, thank you very much. and this is going to be an experience that he'll always remember. >> how sweet is has? >> great. >> i don't need anymore practice. i got it down. >> right. >> and, of course, make-a-wish makes these dreams come true for so many folks. doing it for years, thousands and thousands of people. our special thanks to our cbs a23i8 yit in atlanta, wgcl more making cameron's wish come through. >> a fantastic story. >> that's right. if you'd like to help with this campaign, all you have to do, stop by a believe station at your local macy's store. the company will donate $1 for every letter received up to 1 million to the make-a-wish foundation. macy's collected, get ready for this, 405,705 letters so far. >> great. >> almost half way to this year's goal, and for more on

macy's believe campaign go to our website. earlyshow.cbsnews.com. >> go cameron. >> there you go. >> look out. for cameron. dave is here with another check of our weekend weather. young man? >> yes, sir. let me just give you advice. i'm going to stand over here. now, watch what happens when a weatherman approaches the believe-a-meter. there we go. >> cameron has to learn that. >> work on it. a check of the weather, what's happening across the country. shall we, everybody? to the maps we go. this is what's happening. we're talking about snow rolling through sections of the dakotas in

and that's a quick look at your forecast. erica, send it inside to you. >> thanks. we are just about three weeks away from christmas. time to get serious about choosing that tree, and joining us this morning from his christmas tree farm in west greenwich, rhode island is the legendary big john leydon. i'm excited. this year i get to talk to you. you are a legend right here on "the early show." >> welcome, welcome, welcome. welcome, erica. welcome, cbs, and welcome to big john leydon's christmas tree farm where we do grow 100,000 trees, each season. our motto is real trees for real people. >> and we like it. so i have to, in the interests of full disclosure here, i am a real tree kind of girl.

i feel you've got to smell it. you need to clean up the needles. it's all part of the season. so, big john -- >> go ahead. >> what's the difference? if we are looking? obviously you're a real tree kind of guy, too. for a lot of people making that decision this year, do i stick way real tree? go for a fake tree? what's your case for the real one? >> erica, if we look at this, this way, that fake tree probably was manufactured in a foreign country. the real tree probably came from america. america's farmers. yeah. get that real tree. >> a lot of people, though do have a genuine concern about the fact that they're cutting down a tree, and once they cut down that tree, it's up for maybe three to four weeks at the most and they toss it out. what about the environmental impact of a real tree? >> one of the christmas trees, it's a great environmental factor. see this little seedling here? it's three years old. not very big, but ten years, it

will be about 10 feet tall. 8 to 10 feet tall. we say, we know one acre of christmas trees will supply enough oxygen for 16 people. pretty good for the environment. later on in the program i'll talk about biodegradable. >> great. you plant if i'm correct, three trees for every one you cut down? >> yes. to make sure that we have enough trees in ten years, when we start harvesting again. exactly. >> so you, the people at home, they're going with you, getting their real tree. get there, ready to buy it. what do you look for? what make as good, healthy christmas tree? >> if they're coming to a farm like this you know the trees are going to be fresh, because they're still in the ground. we cut them right in front of you. but if you go a retail lot, one of the first things you do, pull your hand like that. look at it. you see needles? no. this is a fresh tree. if you see needles, get out of there. the other thing is, watch how i'm going to bend the branch. i can bend that -- very

flexible. plenty of water in that twig, if it snaps you've got a bad tree. and the other thing, turn the tree upsidesdown. take your hand -- oh, sticky. because of the sap. the sap is runny. a fresh tree. >> okay. those are three things -- you have three of the most popular varieties of trees with you, i believe. starting with the blue spruce? >> yes. we have -- well, basically it's a spruce, pine and fir. this is a beautiful colorado blue spruce, a very strong needle, branches. it will take heavy ornaments and just lights up beautifully. we have a white pine. my grandson dillon, this is a white pine. very delicate. airy. don't overkekerate it. clear lights on it, fantastic. thanks, dillon. >> good work, dillon. >> look over here. you see that this tree has been -- you see that this -- >> is that another -- the

frazier fir. >> the fabulous frazier fir. of course. this is the perfect build for the tree, because it has dark green needles on top, silver lining on the bottom. it's a great tree. very fragrant. then when you take this tree, we field every tree here at our farm, and we put them on the cart. make sure that when we go through -- it's not going to draw the tree out. when you get home, this tree cut for 24 hours, make a fresh cut on it, like that. so the water will be able to take it up. okay? >> does it matter once you get home does it matter what type of stand you put it in? >> ah, of course it matters. that tree, the first 24 hours is going to take up maybe two, maybe even three quartz of water. three quarts of water. yes, put it in there. >> be able to have plenty of water for it. do you add anything to the water? it people do for flowers? >> no! just water. a lot of folks say they have to

put in aspirin and the tree doesn't get a headache. coca-cola. no. it needs just water, waster, water. that's all it needs. >> lastly -- go ahead. >> when we're finished, this is a tree bag. you can use it as a spirit to put your presents under, in the -- in the christmastime, and then when you're ready for it, just bring the bag up like this, carry it out of the house. there's no needles dropped at all. so it's a completely different thing. and one of the things now we're going to be -- make sure that we're going to recycle this tree. check into your local newspapers. they're going to tell when you they'll pick them at curb side. pick them up, use the chips for the municipality. >> in atlanta, put them in the dog park. they smell beautiful and fragrant for months on end. big john, you are truly the man. thank you. >> well, thanks very much. appreciate it, and merry christmas to you and the crew. >> merry christmas to you, too. harry, over to you. >> thanks, erica.

if your holiday spirit needs a jump-start, fresh baked cookies are sure that help. "early show" contributor katie lee is making some of our favorites this morning. good morning. >> that's right. good morning, harry. >> oh, my gosh. >> that's why we start your day, with cookies. it's certainly my favorite part of the holiday season. baking a lot of cookies. they make great gifts. yeah. it's fantastic. you know, if you've been naughty or nice, if you put these under the tree santa will give you a lot of presents. >> is that true? >> i promise. >> after all of these years, that's a big revelation to make. >> the first cookie we're going to make is perfect for gifts. it's a bar cookie. it's seven layer bar, and i think that these are one of your favorites. right? >> this is kryptonite. i an helpless, in front of this seven layer bar. >> it's easy to make. these are graham cracker crumbs. i put them in the foot processor. it about a cup and a half of those. then we're going it pour melted butter over the whole thing.

>> right. >> that's our second layer. >> okay. >> do you want to take the spatula, push that down for me and make a little crust. stir it together. >> okay. and then you're going to pat it down. this is just going to give us a nice buttery crust at the bottom. >> right. >> that's good. that's good, harry. pat it down. come on. get in there and get your hands yucky. so now we're going to start adding other layers. chocolate ships. dump those on top evenly, and then butterscotch chips are next. i love butterscotch chips. these are all like gooey and yummy and sweet. there's a lot of sugar in this. so you don't have to eat too many of them. coconut flakes. there's another layer. come on. there we go. looks yummy. i love coconut, too. kind of looks like snow. does it? chopped nuts. put those on top. just mixed nuts. pecans in there, walnut, almonds. >> i can't believe this was so simple. >> simple. i like to use the salted nuts

because i like salty sweet. sweetened condensed milk. 14 ounces of that. pour that on top. that's okay. >> okay. >> just pour that on top. condensed milk, really sweet and thick. so that gives you, like, a nice, soft on there. this is going to go into the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. you want to threat cool completely and then you dcut it into bars. nice, yummy, sweet, gooey. aren't they good? take a bite. you want a big one? i want one. >> examine the seven layer bars making sure every layer is properly represented. right. >> hmm. i could just stop right there. delicious. with a glass of milk. >> hold on. >> oh, so good. wow. >> let's keep going. >> now what? >> next up, you don't like to bake, don't know how to bake or have time to bake these are the cookies for you. i just took vienna fingers. we're making snowmen. store-bought icing in the tube. put it in the microwave 10, 15

seconds. and you're going to make a figure eight. and, of course, mine's kind of hardened. make a little figure eight here. and then a third circle at the bottom and then fill it in just like that. and then we're going to decorate our snowmen. so i've got cute little eyes at the craft store. put those on there. >> i assume they're edible. >> they are. that would be -- key, you can use tweezers if you like. >> easier. >> put a little nose, with a red hot. put the silver balls on. >> i don't think my hands can do that. >> okay. i took licorice to make him a little bow tie. isn't it cute? >> look at this. >> and then the little buttons. >> here's the finished product. >> very sweet. isn't he? so cute. another option, if you don't like to bake, take an oreo and dip it in white chocolate. let it harden. then decorate on there. taken candy cane and pulsed it up. a nice little -- >> little doughnut things? >> for hanukkah.

typically doughnuts are a dessert, you want fried foods during hanukkah. and i just have taken them and put a little hole in each with a bamboo skewer and then take jelly and squirt it in there and then you have homemade jelly doughnut. >> nice. >> exactly. >> i have a little frosting here that is just made out of powdered sugar and milk. >> right. >> put that on top like that and into blue sanding sugar and it makes this really pretty little blue doughnut hole. isn't that adorable? so cute. >> all right. >> love that. very sweet. and we have gingerbread men. the recipe for these are on the website. i made a little dave price gingerbread man. does that look like dave price? turn it around so everybody can see it. >> this is the dave price gingerbread man. >> how do you like that? and we have -- >> stunning. >> chocolate chip cookies made with red and green m&ms. >> i had one of those at the break. >> do you want a glass of milk?

>> i do. >> now we're ready for the holidays. >> i'm all about the skim milk. >> no. >> vitamin d? >> yeah. why would you dough for skim milk at the holidays? not the time to skimp. you can find these recipes on our website. seven layer bars, so easy. go to earlyshow.cbsnews.com. we'll be right back. you're watching "the early show" on cbs. ,, [ bell rings ] what are you doing, friending somebody? yeah. you got time for that? you got time to earn more on your savings, online at capitalone.com. that's new school banking, baby! instead of earning squatootski... your savings will be earning three times

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>> those are the macabees. from university here in new york city who put together what's the name -- >> the real name, it goes on and on and on. >> kind of like hanukkah goes on and on and on for eight days instead of dynamite it's cameralight, right. >> you got that good. >> the oil lasts forever. >> right. >> well, eight days. >> this is phenomenal, guys, i feel a special ending of the show for me. >> for you, dude. >> -- the song, as well, obviously but it's -- >> the macabeats, after all. go to youtube to check this out, it is awesome. >> yeah! >> hanukkah, tell us again. >> these are called -- most popular in israel but again, little, i should not chew while i speak. >> not chew -- >> great with coffee, too, in the morning with coffee. >> look at these ornaments. >> i know, they are adorable.

>> with gingerbread. >> cute. very cute. thanks katie lee. >>. [ male announcer ] whether you're new to california or you've been grooving here for some time now, you know that value comes in many forms. for some it's a classic car, for others a profession that lets them give back to the next generation. for many californians, it's a medicare plan that gives them more for their money. with anthem blue cross, you can get a medicare advantage ppo plan that offers $0 premiums and prescription drug coverage, you can see any doctor who accepts medicare, even the ones you already know and trust. plus members always talk with a real person when they call, not some computer system. that's what we used to call grooving.

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headlines... it is 8:55. good morning. i'm sydnie kohara with your cbs 5 news headlines. president obama has touched down in afghanistan. he arrived unannounced just days before an important review of the nine-year conflict. he plans to personally thank u.s. troops for their service during the holidays. former bart police officer johannes mehserle has a court date in los angeles this afternoon. his attorneys want the former bart officer free on bail pending appeal. mehserle was sentenced to two years for the shooting death of oscar grant. and one month before taking office, oakland's mayor-elect has her transition team in place. jean quan says her 24-person team will help her identify the city's top priorities when she begins her term january 3. quan will be the first woman and

first asian american to serve as oakland's mayor. traffic and weather around the bay area coming right up. stay with us. ,,,,,,,,,,,,

all right. let's start off in mountain view. northbound 101 approaching shoreline one lane is blocked due to an injury crash there.

out to, gosh, really backed up on -- through orinda all the way back into walnut creek. westbound 24 had an earlier accident approaching wilder and unfortunately, it is still really jammed up from the 680 interchange. speeds under 25 miles per hour. we are told by some members of the kcbs phone force that the side streets in the area are pretty jammed up in that area, as well. a bright spot at the bay bridge, metering lights are on but no delays approaching the pay gates. that's your traffic. here's tracy with your forecast. hey, thanks, elizabeth. have a good weekend! we are moving into the weekend so this friday, plenty of clouds across the bay area friday morning and expecting plenty of clouds friday afternoon and also a small chance for showers during the day. here's a look at your forecast. through today and the weekend, as well as next week, a small chance of showers in the forecast for saturday and sunday. mix of sun and clouds monday and tuesday. and another round of showers back in the forecast for wednesday. do note, if you are thinking about heading up to the sierra, there will be a chance of snow showers friday,

saturday and sunday. ,, ,,,,,,