capitol compromise. the white house tries to get democrats on board after hammering out an agreement with republicans on tax cuts. out of hiding. wikileaks founder julian assange expected to surrender to british police today. and deep freeze. a massive arctic blast blankets the country from the midwest to a massive arctic blast blankets the country from the midwest to the florida keys. captioning funded by cbs good morning, everybody. thanks for joining us, i'm betty nguyen. president obama has reached a tentative deal with congressional republican leaders to extend all bush-era tax cuts. the deal will also extend a long-term unemployment benefits. preeti arla is in washington with details on this.

it appears the white house has some convincing to do today on capitol hill. >> reporter: they sure do, betty. the president for a long time has insisted that they shouldn't give tax breaks to the wealthy americans but that's exactly what this plan does. some democrats aren't happy about it. vice president biden heads to capitol hill today to pitch a new tax cut deal to democrats. the plan, which president obama and republicans agreed to monday, would offer a two-year extension of bush-era tax cuts, not just for the middle class, but for higher-income earners, as well. >> it's not perfect. but this compromise is an essential step on the road to recovery. >> reporter: the white house wanted 13-month extension of unemployment benefits as part of the deal. there would also be a one-year 2% cut in payroll taxes. but the president gave in to gop demands to temporarily keep estates under $5 million free of federal estate taxes. >> this needs to get done and i'm confident ultimately

congress is going to do the right thing. >> reporter: but the plan may be a tough sell among some liberal democrats who think the president should have held out for more. >> certainly none of us in the house have signed off on any kind of understanding like this. we're going to have to look very carefully at the details. >> reporter: senate minority leader mitch mcconnell applauded the agreement in a statement, saying i am optimistic that democrats in congress will show the same openness to preventing tax hikes the administration has already shown. if lawmakers don't act before the end of the year, taxes will go up for everybody. and the president tried to spin the deal in a positive light for democrats, saying it is temporary, not the permanent extension republicans wanted. betty? >> preeti arla in washington. thank you. that massive and unusually cold weather front that blasted the midwest with heavy snow, howling winds and biting temperatures has settled along the east coast this morning. below freezing temperatures in

some cases, 20 degrees below normal, are forecast as far south as central florida. the storm system dumped more than a foot of snow on the midwest, and then headed east. >> this is very unusual this early in the season. you're only into the first week of december, to see this kind of cold over thousands of miles. >> citrus growers in florida are scrambling to save their crops, hoping a layer of ice will insulate the fruit. secretary of defense robert gates arrived in afghanistan this morning. gates plans to visit u.s. troops and assess u.s. policy. the obama administration plans to begin withdrawing u.s. forces in july. there are close to 100,000 americans serving in afghanistan. wikileaks founder julian assange is expected to turn himself in to british authorities sometime today. assange is wanted for questioning for a swedish sex crimes case. meanwhile, as terrell brown reports, wikileaks has released

some 6 the most sensitive material yet. >> reporter: the latest leak involved a cable from secretary of state hillary clinton which contains a list of sites around the world the u.s. considers critical to national security. >> leaking a list that purports to write out critical infrastructure is like painting a target on the companies or the entities which are listed. >> reporter: there's already a criminal investigation under way by the justice department and attorney general eric holder said he's stepping up efforts to prosecute those responsible. >> the lives of people who work for the american people have been put at risk. the american people themselves have been put at risk. >> reporter: and assange is running out of ways to keep his site financed. the swiss government shut down one of its fund-raising bank accounts because the australian couldn't prove residency in switzerland. and the online service paypal, which is how donors send wikileaks money, suspended its account. assange is believed to be in britain, and a dwindling cash flow may be the least of his problems.

he's also wanted for questioning over allegations of rape in sweden. british authorities have an arrest warrant, and assange's lawyer says he and his client are in the process of arranging a meeting with police. >> we absolutely think that it's disproportionate, and that, i mean, we don't even have full evidence. mr. assange still has not seen the full allegations against him. >> reporter: assange recently told a london newspaper sensitive material will be released to 100,000 people if anything happens to him or his organization. but for now, despite constant cyber attacks, wikileaks' service continues to hum. terrell brown, cbs news, new york. in other news, elizabeth edwards' battle with cancer appears to be nearing its end. this morning the estranged wife of former presidential candidate john edwards is resting at her north carolina home, surrounded by family and friends. her breast cancer has spread, and doctors have told her further treatment would be unproductive. edwards, who endured the death of a teenage son, and her husband's affair, says that it was strong will that kept her going. >> there are parts that were

really just, you know, primarily pain, but in the end, you know, you reach for the things that are going to give you comfort. the beautiful things, the children, the people that you love and care about. >> on her facebook page, edwards wrote, quote, the days of our lives, for all of us, are numbered. we know that. it was 69 years ago this morning, december 7th, 1941, that the japanese attacked pearl harbor. the sneak attack killed more than 2,000 american service members, and drove the united states into world war ii. survivors, their numbers dwindling, will gather today to remember a date that will live in infamy. on the "cbs moneywatch," a rough start for asian stocks this morning. ashley morrison is here in new york with more on that. >> good morning to you, betty. asian markets started with losses before ending with mixed results. japan's nikkei lost a fraction while hong kong's hang seng climbed nearly 1%. today wall street gets the very latest on the labor market, and consumer credit. on monday the market broke its

winning streak. the dow lost almost 20 points while the nasdaq gained 3 1/2. taxpayers should make a nice profit on the citigroup bailout. after pumping $45 billion into the bank two years ago to save it from bankruptcy, the government sold off the last of its shares monday and made $12 billion in the process. the deal is expected to close on friday. some good news to report on the jobs front. a survey released overnight shows 9% of employers plan to do some hiring early next year. that's the biggest percentage since 2008, but still five points lower than the average from 2001 to 2010. the survey also shows fewer employers plan to cut jobs. consumer reports says at&t's cell service is the worst in america. the magazine gives top marks to u.s. wireless, followed by verizon and sprint. t-mobile is number four with at&t dead last. still, customers are flocking to

the carrier. at&t added more than 2.5 million subscribers in the third quarter. largely due to its exclusive deal with apple to carry the iphone. and as if the government didn't have enough money trouble, now there's a problem with the new $100 bill. they had to stop production because of a printing error that left a crease on the bill. now, somebody has to go through the 1.1 billion greenbacks to see which bills are flawed. in the meantime, they're going back to the old style of benjamins. i hope, betty, it's more than just one person to go through all of those bills. >> that could take a long time. it is actually costing the government, i was reading, somewhere around over $100 million because of this problem. so really it's costing them more than that money's worth. >> it's pretty crazy. >> it's odd. thank you so much, ashley, do appreciate it joining us live in new york. just ahead on the "morning news," new benefits of aspirin. this time in fighting cancer. plus the so-called honeymoon

killer returns home to alabama to face charges. first, though, harry smith has a preview of tonight's "cbs evening news." >> imagine being kicked off an organ transplant list just days before surgery. why it's happening more often. tonight on the "cbs evening news." gotta get that bacon! smokey bacon, crispy bacon, tasty bacon! where is it? where is the bacon? tv newscaster: bacon popular, story at 11. dog: yummy. crunchy. bacon. bacon. bacon. there, in that bag! mom: who wants a beggin' strip!? dog: me! i'd get it myself but i don't have thumbs! yum, yum, yum... it's beggin'! hm... i love you! i love bacon! i love you! i love bacon! i love you! beggin' strips! there's no time like beggin' time! share the fun at beggintime.com ,beggin' strips! there's no time like beggin' time!

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take a look at this. in texas on monday a dangerous high-speed chase on a houston highway. the driver in a black nissan was trying to evade police, at one point he drove the wrong way, against the traffic, and just missed hitting some other cars. eventually he was captured. dave watson is now back in alabama to face charges of murdering his wife on their honeymoon. watson was returned to alabama from los angeles, where he had been in jail since coming back to the u.s. from australia. he's accused of drowning his 26-year-old wife tina in 2003 while they were scuba diving on the great barrier reef. watson served an 18-month

sentence in australia for manslaughter as part of a plea deal. >> he essentially pled guilty to not doing enough to help tina while she was in the water. certainly was nothing that had anything to do with intentional conduct or intentional murder, which is what he's charged with here in alabama. >> prosecutors in alabama think they can get a murder conviction against watson in the u.s. a new survey out this morning on the healthiest states in the u.s. vermont is number one for the second year in a row. the survey measures residents of each state on such activities as smoking and exercise. massachusetts is number two. new hampshire, connecticut and hawaii round out the top five. and at the bottom of the list, arkansas, louisiana, and mississippi. now, another study finds that aspirin may help fight cancer. says the risk of dying from some of the most common forms of the disease can be reduced by taking low-dose aspirin. dr. jennifer ashton reports. >> reporter: aspirin is already known as a wonder drug for heart

disease. but data released suggests it might even be a life saver for cancer, too. in a study of over 25,000 people in the british journal "lancet" the number of deaths from cancer was lowered by 21% in those who took low-dose aspirin for at least five years. >> we were surprised, i think, by the extent to which it does appear to reduce the death rate. >> reporter: the numbers over the long-term were even more striking. the risk of death after 20 years was reduced by about 10% for prostate cancer, 30% for lung cancer, 40% for colorectal cancer, and 60% for esophageal cancer. which raises the question, should everyone take low-dose aspirin? the american cancer society said no. and that, quote, it would be premature to recommend people start taking aspirin specifically to prevent cancer. that's because even low-dose aspirin can lead to dangerous internal bleeding. still, evidence that it might help fight cancer is intriguing for doctors.

>> it's consistent with the hypothesis that an anti-inflammatory agent can prevent cancer. and it is not the only evidence, but it's probably the largest body of evidence available so far. >> reporter: since this study didn't show why aspirin reduced deaths from so many types of cancer, more research still needs to be done. dr. jennifer ashton, cbs news, new york. in china, a black and white wildlife disguise. two biologists are dressing up as grown-up pandas when they handle the baby panda. it's to limit the cubs' contact with humans. they're trying to successfully introduce the baby panda, which was born in captivity, back into the wild. straight ahead your tuesday morning weather. and in sports, the battle for afc bragging rights on monday night football. nighttime nasal congestion meant, i couldn't breathe right. i couldn't sleep right. next day it took forever to get going. night after night, i sat up. sprayed up. took a shower... or took a pill.

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in sports, the patriots demolished the jets in monday night football. tom brady of new england threw four touchdown passes against the new york defense. and mark sanchez of the jets was intercepted three times. the patriots' 45-3 win ties them with atlanta for the best record in the afc. denver broncos coach josh mcdaniels has been fired. with the broncos winning only three games so far this season, mcdaniels was let go with two years left on his contract. in the nba now, miami beat milwaukee. dwyane wade of the heat had 25 points, and hit some clutch baskets in the fourth quarter against the bucks. miami's 88-78 win was their fifth in a row. and in chicago, carlos of the bulls scored 13 of his 29 points in the third quarter against oklahoma city and the bulls beat the thunder 99-90. when we return, another look at this morning's top stories. and court tv. the legal battle over same-sex marriage is televised for the

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condition what witnesses are saying. this morning:he's no longer in hiding.. what the arrest of wikileaks founder means for the release of more secret documents. she paid her parking ticket on time.. so why did collections come calling? the glitch causing headaches for drivers. plus.. he's posing as a cop and pulling people over... the warning about a brazen police imposter along the peninsula. and: a break from the rain, but for how long? join us for,,

on the "cbs morning news" here's a look at today's weather. several more inches of snow could fall down on areas around the great lakes. the northwest could expect rain by the coast. and in the mountains. and the southeast states, sunny and has to deal with some frost. here's another look at this morning's top stories. president obama and congressional republicans have agreed on a deal that would extend tax breaks for all americans, and renew long-term unemployment benefits. now, they'll have to persuade less than pleased democrats to go along. and wikileaks' founder julian assange could surrender to british authorities as early as today. assange is wanted for questioning about alleged sex crimes in sweden. here at home, the courtroom drama over california's same-sex

marriage ban unfolded on television. on monday, a federal appeals court heard arguments in the case. kendis gibson reports. >> reporter: for the first time ever, the court battle over gay marriage played out in front of live television cameras. the ninth circuit court of appeals in san francisco heard arguments about proposition 8, which defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman in california. >> because the people of california reinstitute school segregation by a public vote? >> no, your honor. >> why not? >> well, your honor, that -- that would be inconsistent -- >> reporter: the court has to decide two key issues. does prop 8 violate the state's constitution? and can marriage be defined as a union between same-sex couples. >> california has engraved discrimination on the basis of sex, and sexual orientation. >> the name of marriage is effectively the institution. and the issue here is whether it

will be redefined, essentially, to be a genderless institution. >> reporter: the judges heard arguments for nearly three hours. law schools, courthouses, community centers all across the country tuned in for the first direct look at the emotionally charged debate over same-sex marriage. >> i follow the debate. there's a lot of issues with it. religious, you know, different lifestyle issues. but, you know, i think it's something that's probably going to happen across the country, and there's not really much you can do about it. >> reporter: legal experts expect the appeals court to send the case to california's supreme court. and the u.s. supreme court will likely have the final say. kendis gibson, cbs news, los angeles. in other news, a cat in tucson, arizona, took a leap of faith. kim the cat was stuck on the top of a 50-foot high power pole for more than two days, with no food or water. the electric company sent a crew to rescue the cat on monday, but kim had another idea. oh, my gosh.

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under the sea in cancun, mexico, a performance protest. greenpeace activists dressed in everyday clothing interacted with concrete sculptures of people on the seabed. the aim, to bring attention to the possibility that millions of people living in coastal areas will be under water if global warming is not curbed. the protest coincided with a climate conference taking place in cancun. american sarah shourd, who was freed after spending more than a year in an iranian prison, is still fighting for the release of her two friends. as elaine quijano reports, shourd is hoping that a song will help bring them home. >> reporter: american sarah shourd still feels like a prisoner. 12 weeks after she walked out of an iranian jail. do you feel free now?

>> no. i mean, my life will not be anything approaching normal until shane and josh are with me. i truly don't feel any more than one-third free. >> reporter: shourd was released in september, after nearly 14 months in captivity. her ordeal began in july 2009, when shourd says she was hiking with her fiance, shane bauer, and their friend josh fattal, in kurdistan, a peaceful region in northern iraq. >> we had absolutely no indication that we were near a border. >> reporter: but iranian authorities say they crossed the border into iranian territory, and arrested the three americans, accusing them of being spies. shourd was held in a 12x10 foot cell in solitary confinement. she says she sang songs to keep herself and the young men sane. >> our songs were something that really kept our souls alive. >> reporter: shourd spent 410 days in prison before a medical condition led iran to release her on humanitarian grounds.

♪ we walked across >> reporter: now shourd is turning to music once again. this time to keep public attention focused on freeing bauer and fattal. she's released this video of a song she wrote in prison called "piece of time." still as the holidays approach the wait grows more agonizing. >> i remember sitting with shane and josh and we were just certain that we'd be home by christmas last year. it's been another year. there's nothing in the world that can help me understand this. what we really want is not to have to go through another holiday without shane and josh. we want them home for christmas. >> reporter: 493 days now, and counting. elaine quijano, cbs news, new york. coming up a little bit later on "the early show," a live report from the white house on the tentative tax cut deal reached by president obama and congressional republicans. also before you head into the kitchen, an important

warning about dangerous exploding glass bakeware and tips on how to handle hot glass ware. and legendary comedian steve martin stops by with his new novel, "an object of beauty." that's the "cbs morning news" for this tuesday. thanks for watching. i'm betty nguyen. have a great day. nguyen. have a great day. . ,,

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