>> glor: tonight, political showdown in washington. republican senators block a democratic effort to renew tax cuts for all but the highest earners. i'm jeff glor. also tonight, tightening net. the wikileaks founder is lying low and facing possible arrest while financial pressure on his ebs increases. wintry blast-- an early snowstorm hits the midwest, cancelling hundreds of flights. and pet project, how one pet store owner is trying to save the lives of shelter animals one dog or cat at a time. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with jeff glor. good evening. the battle over the future of american taxes brought senators

back in for a weekend battle today. democrats made two different attempts to let the bush-era tax breaks expire for high earners, and both times they fell short. this after a new cbs news poll which shows 53% of americans believe tax cuts should be extended only for family incomes below $250,000 a year. joel brown is on capitol hill tonight. >> reporter: they knew this was a fight they wouldn't win, but democrats called the senate into order anyway to make a point. >> it's a tax cut many admit they don't need, tax cuts billionaires like warren buffet say they don't even want. >> do you really think that the ceoss on wall street who make hundreds of millions of dollars a year really need a tax break? >> reporter: democrats used the rare saturday session to try and paint republicans as the party of the rich. they forced a vote to extend the bush tax cuts but only for family incomes less than $250,000.

another democratic amendment called for the cuts to be renewed for incomes less than a million. >> the motion is not agreed to. >> reporter: as expected, the g.o.p. blocked them both then ripped into democrats for not permanently extending the cuts for everyone. >> this saturday session is a total waste of the american people's time. >> no wins. today was purely theatrical, and the democrats had to get it out of the way so that the real negotiations can begin. >> reporter: the real negotiations are happening behind closed doors, a bipartisan group of lawmakers trying to craft a compromise with the white house, a deal the president said saturday has to happen soon. >> i'm going to be rolling up my sleeves with the leaders of both parties in congress. we need to get this resolved, and i'm confident we can do it. >> reporter: both sides think the likely compromise include a temporary extension of the tax cuts for all income level level. in exchange, democrats could win an extension of unemployment benefits and more middle-class

tax breaks. lawmakers are stuck at the negotiating table until they strike a deal. >> republicans nonetheless senate have said they'll hold up everything until there's an understanding on tax cuts. so everything the president wants is on hold and time is running short. >> liberal democrats have been pushing party leaders to fight harder against extending those tax cuts for the wealthy but five democrats joined the republicans to block the amendment. proof enough that the compromise is the only way forward. jeff. >> glor: joel brown capitol hill. thank you. today's senate vote followed the labor department's report that unemployment hit 9.8%. increased worker productivity is one reason the anemic jobs picture is not improv improvinge hear from manuel gallegus. >> productivity has improved at anadigics. recession forced the new jersey chip make tore lay off 190 employees, a quarter of its

workforce. to survive the downturn, the company streamlined its operation, retrained workers and increased productivity. >> we can do the same amount of production with 20% fewer people. >> reporter: in recession, companies typically cut costs, squeezing more out of each worker. in 2009, there was an unprecedented 7% spike in worker productivity. in recent months, employees, on average, worked longer hours and productivity rose 2.3%. with productivity so high, even as the economy recovers, employers are asking themselves just how many workers do i need to hire back? historically, a rise in productivity predicts the beginning of an economic expansion and some economists say hiring is overdue. >> employers who want to bank on this productivity growth sticking around are playing a dangerous game. because if they don't go out and hire employees, their

competitors are likely to pick up those employees and get the cream of the crop. >> reporter: with an uptick in demand anadigics is expanding but slowly this time. >> we think we can do it with hiring back perhaps only 100 people rather than two-third of the folks that we had to let go. >> reporter: and as companies learn they can do more with less, the recovery will be that much slower. >> glor: claiming it will generate 70,000 new jobs, president obama today urged congress to approve a new free trade agreement with south korea. mr. obama called the deal a victory for american farmers and industrial workers. he said it would boost annual u.s. exports to south korea by $11 billion. both overseas and here at home, governments appear to be closing in on the wikileaks web site and its founder julian assange. assange is believed tonight to be hiding in england as the drive for his extradition to sweden moves ahead. alan pizzey has the latest.

>> reporter: julian assange ismented for questioning over allegations of rape, swul molestation and unlawfull coercion. the swedish arrest warrant issued yesterday for assange will take up to 10 days to work its way through interpol, the british foreign affairs office, the home affairs office, and finally reach the serious organized crime agency in britain where the founder of wikileaks is thought to be hiding. but funding for his internet site has already been hurt. the online payment service paypal suspended the wikileaks' account overnight. this follows amazon.com's decision wednesday to evict wikileaks from its servers. cyberspace experts predict even more restrictions on donations in an attempt to shut wikileaks down. >> this is something that the u.s. government would dearly like to stop and i'd be surprised if this continues more than another week or two. >> reporter: the pressure is seen as a response to wikileaks' release of diplomat cables, which has embarrassed the u.s. and damaged its relations with countries such as pakistan, saudi arabia, and italy.

u.s. officials are considering espionage charges, and there have been calls for assange and his organization to be listed as terrorists. before going into hiding, assange told cbs news he considers the threats serious. >> it's simply impossible for me to appear in the united states whatsoever. >> reporter: the former associate described the 39-year-old australian cyber-hacker as having paranoia as his conditioned response. others call him intelligent but complex. >> i would say that there are people who are very convinced by him, and he has a personality that can be very engaging but not in every regard. >> reporter: assange told britain's "guardian" newspaper friday in an chat that he had sent material materials from dit cablecables and other documentso over 100,000 expeem, "if something happens to us, the key parts will be released automatically." alan pizzey, cbs news, rome. >> glor: sweden's extra cigz

request is just one part of a world-wide legal entangle that's en?airg wikileaks and its founder. >> reporter: ratcheting up the legal pressure on wikileaks founder julian assange, eric holder is vowing to go after anyone the u.s. believes has broken american laws, but he acknowledges there might be loopholes. >> they will be held responsible. they will be held accountable to the extent there are gaps in our laws, we will move to close those gaps. >> reporter: a former bush administration officials says those gaps in u.s. law could make it difficult to prosecute assange. >> the most likely statute that would be used in a case like this is the espionage statutes that were passed back around worlworld war i and those were designed for a different era. >> reporter: so lawmakers are moving quickly. senator john ensign introduced legislation called the shield act which would make it illegal to publish names of informants

for the u.s. military and intelligence community. cbs news spoke to him by phone today. >> reporter: but the international advocacy group, reporters without borders, which has criticized wikileaks in the past, is condemning the legislation calling it "a determination to hound assange," and said "wikileaks has a right under the u.s. constitution's first amendment to publish these documents." yet, senator ensin argues first amendment rights don't apply in this situation. james ball has worked for wikileaks and staunchly defends its actions. >> i think people have a right to know how the u.s. deals with other countries, as well as how it deals with itself internlly. >> reporter: another country looking into whether julian

assange broke any laws is australia. the country's foreign minister says the australian attorney general has asked federal police to investigate whether assange has breached any element of australian criminal law. jeff. >> glor: all right, elaine quijano from new york tonight. thank you. authorities in oregon with questioning a man who lives near a mosque set on fire last month. he is 24-year-old cody crawford who has a prison record. the fire broke out shortly after a somali-born worshiper, mohamed osman mohamud allegedly tried to bomb a portland gathering in portland. he has pleaded not guilty. still ahead tonight on cbs evening news-- snow snarls the american heartland and fire threaten the holy land

>> glor: a big swath of the

country is getting an early taste of winter weather today. a powerful storm raced through the midwest, leaving almost a foot of snow and snarling travel plans for thousands. cynthia bowers in chicago has more. >> reporter: across much of the midwest today, a number of folks were out shoveling snow... >> you don't want to shovel any more? >> reporter: ...while others were out enjoying it. >> how was it, alex! >> good! >> reporter: the nearly 700-mile-long storm system stretching from fargo, north dakota, all the way down to peoria, illinois, is now barreling into the carolinas. within a 24-hour period this storm system moved fairly quickly and will pretty much be out to sea off the coast of the outer banks tonight. bought there is not a lot of gulf moisture drawn up we will not be seeing snowfall rates upwards of a foot or so. >> reporter: it caused the cancellation of more than 300 flights out of chicago's busy o'hare airport today, which in turn caused long lines, delays

and headaches. >> oh, year, we have had delay. >> reporter: last night in minneapolis, a delta jet slid off the runway after snow covered the taxiway markers. some of heaviest snow fell south of the twin cities in lakeville, minnesota, more than 11 inches. champagne, illinois, and dubuque, iowa, each got eight inches of snow. at a college football game in cincinnati, the school's mascot was arrested, accused of encouraging fans to throw snowballs at a touchdown-scoring pitt player. winter storm warnings and snow emergencies remain in effect throughout the night, mainly coup to a phenomenon called snow burst. that's when the lake effect can cause snowfall to happen very rapidly, and in this case, two to four inches over a short time. and that's what makes this kind of storm more dangerous. jeff. >> glor: cynthia bowers in cold but still festive chicago tonight. thank you. in the middle east, israel is trying dep desperately to contan

the dead least forest fire it has ever experienced. help is arriving from around the world. the all-out international effort includes crews and equipment from the united states and 15 other countries including russia, greece, and great britain, joining israel's 1400 firefighters, trying to put out the largest fire in israeli history. still, the three-day blaze continues to range. 42 people have died, 7,000 acres of the carmel forest outside haifa has burned, and 17,000 people have been displaced. >> this is a tragedy. we have people struggling for their lives in hospitals. we have missing persons. >> glor: thousands of others have been evacuated to shelters. officials initially suspected arson, but authority today say the blaze was caused by negligence and the police are reportedly arrested two people. a russian jetliner broke apart after making an emergency

landing on a snow-covered runway in moscow today. at least two were killed and dozens more hurt. police say the plane, operated by dagestan airlines, suffered engine failure. just ahead on tonight's cbs evening news, how one man transformed his life from heroine addict to attorney at law.

gloaf the idea that every defend deserves a lawyer is a principle of american law, that a former defend could some day become a lawyer himself is something else. that is tonight's "weekend journal." a former her win addict's remarkable reversal of fortune. 58-year-old rick dyer hasn't always been so comfortable in the courtroom. he used to be on the other side of the bar as a defendant. >> i remember a lawyer one day, he put his hand on my shoulder,

and he said to me, "are you okay?" i wasn't. but no one ever asked me that. everybody was too busy sentencing he. >> glor: 18 sentences handed to him in this brighton, massachusetts, court, for everything from grand larceny to drug possession. >> i remember not being able to get up and get out of myself, and wishing, just praying they could just die. i didn't want to live any more. >> glor: it was dyer at rock bottom withdrawing from a 42-bag-a-day her win addict. >> my first memory of him is in the cell depressed and despondent, maybe even crying. >> glor: the charles street jail in downtown boston is where dyer ended up eight times. it's now been successfully converted into the liberty hotel, a real-life metaphor for dyer's own transformation. >> i remember being, you know, behind him. >> reporter: he earned his g.e.d. while behind bars, got

his law degree when he got out, and then former governor michael dukakis gave him a governor's pardon so rick dyer could officially practice law. are there times when you still look back now and say i can't believe what's happened? >> yes. probably every week, if not twice, three times. >> i think that attorney dyer had an experience that brought him out on the other side. >> glor: and knowing both sides, dyer now hopes to preside in that same courtroom as a judge. >> i think we need to redefine the way we treat people in the system. >> glor: in the meantime, he's investing his time in the community, meeting every week with kids like bernard rogers at this inner-city youth center. >> it's inspirational to see now, it's like a whole 360. >> gee, that sounds like self-esteem. >> glor: but maybe not a

complete 3 sixth. dyer still considers himself a work in progress who knows how hard the transformation was. >> when i remember people like mike dukakis who really meant what they said and stood up for people like me and gave us a voice, and i'm hoping that's what i can do. >> glor: rick dyer hopes massachusetts governor deval patrick will appoint him to a judgeship some time in the new year. we'll be right back.

>> glor: a dramatic rescue in madrid, spain, was caught on tape. it began yesterday when a 41-year-old man lost his balance and fell into the subway tracks. as other passengers waved at the oncoming train to halt, an off-duty policeman jumped into action and pulled that man to safety with no time to spare. in sport, longtime new york

yankee shortstop and captain crooe reportedly has agreed to a new contract with the team after a bit of bickering back and forth between the two sides. the 36-year-old jeter will earn $17 to $17 million a year for three years with an option for a fourth year. jeter earned $21 million last season. they were once thought to be and i think, but now government biologist in nevada have sighted two rare sierra nevada red foxes possibly related this this one photographed last summer. the biologists say a sizable number of the distinctive foxes may be living in the mountains south of reno. in new york city today, it really was deja vu all over again. movie producers took over central park west to recreate last month's macy's thanksgiving day parade. it's all for an upcoming movie starring ben stiller and eddie murphy. up next on tonight's cbs evening news, a second chance for shelter dogs and cats.

>> glor: finally tonight, animal rights advocates have

long made the case for acopting a dog or cat from's shelter instead of buying a pedigree animal from a store. one pet store owner is taking that message to heart. here again is cynthia bowers. >> reporter: it used to cost a fortune back when suburban chicago's wilmette pets sold only purebreds. >> it wouldn't be unheard of dogs sold for $1800-2,000. >> reporter: and sales of so-called designer dogs made up 30% to 40 for the of david cozzolini's business. >> it's always been a goal of mine to not need to sell puppies. >> reporter: it took three years to figure out ways to stay afloat without designer dog sales but with the help of a local group, adopta pet, coaz leany did it. he now uses his shop to find homes for shelter dogs and cats. >> after we first announced it, it was such a huge relief off of my shoulders that i can now help instead of add to maybe a problem. >> reporter: it is a problem

on heartbreaking display at the nation's dog pounds. 20,000 cats and dogs are shuttled through this one giant facility in chicago each year. >> in general, animal control facilities across the country ooughtinize at least 50% of the animals that walk through the door. >> reporter: that's seven of every 10 cats that are picked up and five of every 10 dogs, three to four million cats and cogz each year. getting these animals out in front of families, whether at shelters, foster homes, or shops like wilmette pets, can mean the difference between life and debt. cosleany's biggest surprise is the shelter animal animals are g homes faster than the purebreds did, on average four every week. lucas here was adopted after just a day. >> every time a dog gets a home we feel good at the end of the day. >> reporter: and one more homeless animal gets to become the doggy or kitty in this window and with any luck, they will find a good home. cynthia bowers, cbs news, chicago. >> glor: that is the cbs

evening news tonight. i'm jeff glor, cbs news in new cent drop in the sal the condition of a little girl's condition is not known after being shot after she opened the door. talking about reversing what many are calling a catastrophe. not much rain just yet but wind and rain is coming. we will tell you when coming up. i'm ann notarangelo. cbs5 eyewitness news is next.