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i were wiki's revenge. supporters rage war online. mystery solved. the high-profile killing of a hollywood publicist now appears a random act of violence. and home grown. an fbi sting nets another u.s. citizen accused of planning a terrorist attack here at home. this is the "cbs morning news" for thursday, december 9th, this is the "cbs morning news" for thursday, december 9th, 2010. captioning funded by cbs good morning, everybody. thanks for joining us. i'm betty nguyen. this morning we want to talk about a growing website war waged by a group called operation payback. websites hostile to wikileaks are under attack from a cyber army of wikileaks supporters. the targets are corporate and

personal websites including the world's largest credit card companies. preeti arla is in washington with the latest on this. do we know who the next target is going to be? >> betty, it appears it may be twitter. wikileaks supporters say they will target the site for censoring them. i guess we'll see what happens. what we do know they have already caused plenty of problems for several of their websites. a cyber war is being waged in defense of wikileaks and its founder, julian assange. wednesday, supporters of the whistle-blowing website claimed to have launched onlike attacks against commercial websites that cut ties to the organization. the targets mastercard and visa, which stopped processing payments to the sigh in a swiss bank which froze his kkt, called operation payback. >> the group that's taking credit for this is a group called anonymous, a very well-known dark-side hacker group. >> reporter: the latest target, sarah palin.

cbs news has confirmed the former alaska governor's website and personal credit card information were, also, hacked. palin is a sharp critic of wikileaks, accusing it it of being antiamerican. besides visa and mastercard a string of american companies including amazon.com and paypal have also cut ties to the organization amid intense government pressure. >> the u.s. government basically wrote a letter saying the wikileaks activity were deemed illegal in the united states. >> reporter: wikileaks sparked worldwide outrage publishing hundreds of thousands of secret u.s. documents. assange is currently in a london jail fighting extradition to sweden over a sex crimes case. u.s. officials are also looking into whether he can be prosecuted for other charges like espionage. still that isn't stopping his organizati organization. wikileaks plans to keep publishing classified documents, only a fraction of which have been released so far. an operation payback also ran

into problems of its own with many of its sites going down. and at this points it see it unclear who's behind that counterattack. bet see in. >> preeti arla joining us live in washington, thank you. the next wikileaks release of government documents may include sensitive information on suspected terrorists held at guantanamo bay. its founder says he has a large amount of documents on gitmo. the documents could show certain detainees were released despite assessments they were still dangerous. the murder of hollywood publicist ronni chasen appears solved, gunned down as she drove through beverly hills november 16th. this ex-con, harold smith, a person of interest in the case shot himself when police tried to question him. now ballistics test link the gun smith used to commit suicide with the bullets that killed chasen. >> we believe it was a random act and we believe mrs. chasen was going to be the victim of a

robbery. >> police say this believe smith tried to rob chasen and acted alone but that the investigation is still ongoing. the fbi and philadelphia police are hunting for a possible serial killer who strangles his victims. the suspect is known as the kens sing ton strange ler linked through dna to two murders and police are investigating a third death that appeared tuesday night to see if it's related. he may be linked to four other attacks in the city's kensington neighborhood. a baltimore man facing charges in a home-grown terrorist plot is scheduled for court monday. the suspect was nabbed in an fbi sting operation. joel brown has details. >> reporter: the federal agents arrested the baltimore man tuesday on charges of plotting to blow up a military recruiting center. he's 21-year-old antonio martinez. this photo is from what appears his facebook page. he was taken into custody when arrived at this recruiting station in catonsville,

maryland, with what he believed was a car bomb wimplts this arrest we have completely eliminated the threat this individual posed. >> reporter: according to court documents he didn't know he was talking to undercover fbi agents as he planned the alleged bombing. they provided him with fake explosives after he told them he believed the u.s. military is waging war against islam. prosecutors say martinez created the bomb plot on his own. >> there is no evidence that the defendant was acting as part of any larger group. >> reporter: the sting operation here in maryland is similar to another one in portland, oregon that unfolded the day after thanksgiving. in that case, authorities arrested 19 kwleerld mohamed osman mohamud, after he used a cell phone to try and set off a van full of what he thought were explosives. he thought he was working on his plan with a ring of jihadists but he, too, was really talking to fbi agents. in both cases, fbi officials said the suspects had been carefully monitored by agents for months and there was never any danger to the public.

joel brown, cbs news, catonsville, maryland. the senate is expected to begin debate today on the tax plan struck between president obama and republican leaders. vice president biden met with angry house democrats into the night wednesday trying to persuade them to vote for the plan. the deal extends tax cuts to all americans. the president's chief economic ad sisr says if the measure isn't passed soon, it will, quote, materially increase the china to rein in the north after it bombed south korean island. it is reported the lockerbie bomber abdelbaset ali mohmed al megrahi is near death this morning, he was released from a

scottish prison in august last year and suffers prostate cancer. sources tell sky news he's been in a coma a week and, quote, every day is expected to be his last. a cruise ship slammed by rough weather in the haven't arctic is expected to reach argentina by friday. the calia 2 declared an emergency tuesday hit by heavy seas. all 88 passengers on board are american. they are also 77 crew members on board. the 55--mile-per-hour winds and strong waves broke a window and temporarily knocked down an engine, as well as communications. just ahead on the morning news, bad news for seniors and their social security. plus, this show takes on a presidential challenge. first, though, katie couric has a preview of tonight's evening news. >> u.s. troops are still fighting terrorism overseas. can the war in afghanistan ever be won? we'll put that question "in focus" tonight only on the "cbs evening news." the chill of peppermint.

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>> 1, 2. >> oh, my goodness. the headline here is do for the try this at home, kids or anywhere else. this russian teenager slides off a snow-covered roof with nothing but a home-made bungee cord to stop a death plunge t. worked, this time, but this makes some of the scary stunts in the "jackass" movies look like a stroll in the park. the sur jen general says smoking is even more dangerous than reported that even an occasional cigarette in social situation or inhaling second-hand smoke can damage nearly every organ in your body b. 443,000 americans die from tobacco-caused illnesses every year. also reported this morning soul singer aretha franklin's recent surgery was for cancer of the pancreas. the 68-year-old franklin announced last week she had a successful operation but didn't say why.

the "detroit news" quotes a source saying she was suffering from pancreatic cancer. her prognosis is unclear. on the "cbs moneywatch" asian markets climbed higher this morning. terrell brown is in new york with the latest on all of that. good morning, terrell. >> good morning to you. asian markets rallied on news of third quarter growth in japan. the nikkei gained near al half percent, hong kong's hang seng finished higher, about a third of a percent. a look at wall street. today, we look at jobless claim numbers wednesday stocks finished higher. the dow gained 13 points, the nasdaq tacked on 10. not the best news for seniors this morning, wednesday congress rejected a measure to give 54 million social security recipients a one-time payment of $250. they would make up for the lack of cost of living increase. next year. republicans argue the price tag was too high. there hasn't been a cost of living increase for social security for the past two years. on average, retired workers receive nearly $1200 a month in federal benefits.

insurance giant aig, closer to paying back its government bailout. the company said well day it will pay off a loan from the federal reserve bank of new york. it should clear the way for the treasury department to sell off the government's stake in the country. at one point the bailout for gi was worth $182 billion the biggest of the financial crisis. stunning numbers out this morning. zillo.com a real estate website says u.s. homes will have lost $1.7 trillion in value during this year, the losses were driven by rising foreclosures and expiration of home buyer tax credits. the estimated decline brings the loss in home values since the peak of the home prices in 2006 to almost $9 trillion. facebook ceo mark zuckerberg is digging deep into his pockets joining 56 other billionaires in a promise to give away at least half their fortune to charity. part of what's called the giving pledge, a project launched this year by bill gates and warren buffett. quote, people wait until late or end of their career to give back

zuckerberg said in his statement but why wait they couldn't set it on fire so, that myth was busted. actor wesley snipes expected to report to federal prison in northwest pennsylvania today.

he will begin a three-year sentence for failing to file tax returns for at least a decade. the 48-year-old owed nearly $3 million in taxes. and straight ahead your thursday morning weather plus in sports the biggest free agent signed so far this offseason is headed to bean town. ooh, a brainteaser. how can expedia now save me even more on my hotel? well, hotels know they can't fill every room every day. like this one. and this one. and oops, my bad. so, they give expedia ginormous discounts with these: unpublished rates. which means i get an even more rockin' hotel, for less. my brain didn't even break a sweat. where you book matters. expedia.

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here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. new york, sunny, 32. miami, partly cloudy, 64. chicago, snow, 30. dallas, though, it's going to be sunny and 62. also sunny in l.a. with 70 degrees there. time now for a check of the national forecast. the latest satellite picture shows clouds rolling through the southeast. that pesky snowstorm in the northeast is breaking down and showers continue to fall in the northwest and sections of the northern plains. now, later today the snow activity near the great lakes will be winding down. the northern plains could get a lot more as another system enters that region. more rain and snow is coming to the northwest, and plenty of sunshine will stick around the southwest and toward the southern plains. plus, the southeast will see frigid temperatures once again. in sports, the miami heat are hot. utah jazz last night dwyane wade who they were playing, got payback for last month's overtime loss to the jazz. wade was hitting from outside scoring 28 in the game and lebron james had 33, including a

powerful slam in the fourth quarter. the final, 111-98. the heat's sixth straight win. elsewhere in the nba ray allen led the celtics with 28 points as boston beat the denver nuggets 105-89. in the battle of los angeles the lakers used the long ball to stay with the clippers. in the final seconds, derek fisher drove for a layup at the buzzer to give the lakers an 87-86 victory. to baseball, the biggest signing so far this offseason. all-star outfielder carl crawford is headed for boston. craw fort hit .307 this year for tampa bay with 19 homers, 90 rbis, 47 stolen bases, and a league-leading 13 triples. pending a physical the red sox reportedly pay him $142 million for seven years. and that leaves rangers left-hander cliff lee as the only star free agent yet to be signed. the yankees want lee badly and are willing and able to pay, but

texas hopes to keep him. when we return, another look at this morning's top stories and strange days, indeed. why doors singer jim morrison could get pardoned today, nearly four decades after his death. 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. then i tried drug-free breathe right advanced. and instantly, i breathed better! i slept better. it felt...better. thank you, breathe right! [ male announcer ] breathe better, sleep better, feel better. now try new breathe right advanced for free... at breatheright.com. [ woman ] it's my right to breathe right. isn't it your right, too?

accident stopping traffic in fremont. plus.. fastrak keeping tabs on your personal information. the steps being taken to protect driver's privacy. and.. pg and e criticized for its pipeline inspections. what the tests are missing.. and how it may have contributed to the san bruno explosion. supporters of wikileaks get revenge. the latest on its cyber war.. and how sarah palin was targeted. plus.. who is tweeting? why some are calling twitter a digital melting pot. join us for cbs 5 early edition ... beginning at five. ,,,,

on the "cbs morning news," here's a look at today's weather. the northeast still dealing with some snow showers, a storm in the northern plains could bring snow to the western great lakes region tonight. the southwest is enjoying sunny and warm conditions. here's another look at this morning's top stories. it appears the murder of hollywood publicist ronni chasen has been solved. police say chasen was gunned down by an ex-con in a robbery the same gun he used to kill

himself was apparently used to kill chasen. hackers retaliate against websites they view hostile to wikileaks including the sites for visa, mastercard and sarah palin. in other news, rock icon jim morrison is expected to receive a posthumus pardon today. the late doors singer convicted of indecent exposure at a concert in miami in 1969. last month, florida's governor reviewed the case and said there is no tangible evidence morrison ever actually did it. his bandmates say it won't change morrison's image but it will right a wrong. in new york's central park fans gathered to pay tribute to another music legend, john lennon. he was murdered 30 years ago wednesday. manuel gallegus reports. >> reporter: remembering john lennon. >> he was a great man. >> reporter: thousands paused by the strawberry fields memorial dedicated to him in central park. ♪ something in the way she moves ♪ >> reporter: all day long there was singing and shared memories. and near the moment of his death, a somber silence.

paul mccartney talked about his friend in an interview with the cbs "early show." >> for me to be in new york on this day, really, is something sort of inspirational about it, even though it was, you know, a terrible thing. >> reporter: three days before he was killed in front of the dakota apartments, lennon gave a nine-hour inter view to "rolling stone" magazine. in the aftermath of the shooting, much it went unpublished until now. >> didn't plan to live here. it just kind of happened. >> reporter: that's lennon talking about living in new york. >> we were coming for a short visit. we just never went back. >> reporter: in fact, the 40-year-old was optimistic about his future, saying he had plenty of time left to accomplish his goals. ♪ and the world will be as one ♪ >> reporter: manuel gallegus, cbs news, new york. this morning on the "early show," reality tv star kim kardashian. i'm betty nguyen.

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>>e one of the greatest tennis champs ever pete sampras says he was robbed. sampras found out three weeks ago thieves had stolen a vast collection of trophies and memorabilia from his record-setting career including prizes from his 64 tour title wins. sampras still has 13 of his 14 grand slam trophies. the items were kept in a public storage facility in los angeles and he's hoping to recover the trophies so he can show them to his children, who never got to see him play. a young man in new jersey walked away from a chance to make his own sports history when he turned down an offer to join the new york jets. as michelle miller reports, he chose job security over a dream. >> reporter: for many little boys who grow up playing football, there's often a dream

of one day playing in the national football league. so, when the new york jets called 24-year-old keith fitzhugh, a free agent safety yesterday to ask him to join them on their potential super bowl run, the call came and he said. >> no thank you. >> reporter: because the mississippi state grad has already been on the roster and cut three times by two nfl teams. and now, he has a new job that he's not giving up. >> it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work on the railroad, also. >> reporter: he turned down the chance to make $5200 a week with the jets practice squad -- a guaranteed $30,000 plus but instead chooses to earn the same money but over the next 12 months as a 31,000-a-year trainee with nor fork southern railroad. his father is disabled and his parents are having a tough time

making ends meet. keith is carrying the financial load. >> i just can't be selfish right now, for what i've seen my parents been through helping me out and pushing me to become, you know, the man i am today. >> reporter: less than 24 hours after he turned down the jets' offer they found another player willing to take the job but the jets say they have have a deep admiration for his decision. >> he's a tough guy. he's a guy with a lot of character. i mean, just a really outstanding young man. >> reporter: he may be giving up on a once-in-a-lifetime chance to win a super bowl but fitzhugh says his parents need him more now and that he'd rather take the train than fly with the jets. michelle miller, cbs news, floren park new jersey. coming up a bit later on "the early show," new developments on the ronni chasen murder investigation. we will hear from a former prosecutor following the case. also, if you are planning to

sell your gold jewelry to make some quick cash, tips on how to avoid getting scammed. and reality tv star kim kardashian stops by the studio with her new book "kardashian konfidential" that's the "cbs morning news" for this thursday. thanks for watching. i'm betty nguyen. thanks for watching. i'm betty nguyen. have a great day! -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com thanks for watching. i'm betty nguyen. have a great day! thanks for watching. i'm betty nguyen. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com