morning at 4:30. we leave with you this shot. trust me, the bay bridge is out there. you just can't see it because of the fog and a little bit of rain. see you tomorrow. deal or no deal? congressional democrats fight back against president obama over his tax cut compromise with republicans. how far will they go to stop it? we'll ask a leading democrat who's ready to take on the president. case closed. beverly hills police say the gun used to murder a high-profile publicist has been linked to the person of interest who killed himself before being questioned by cops. many residents are wondering if the case has really been solved. we'll have more on the story that hollywood can't stop buzzing over. and heading home. after being battered by waves and losing power in the high seas, a cruise ship with nearly 100 americans aboard is finally making its way back from antarctica. we'll talk to a crew member who helped get the ship back in

shape early this thursday morning, december 9th, 2010. good morning, everybody. chilly out there. great crowd on hand, though as we welcome you to a thursday morning edition of "the early show". i'm harry smith. >> i'm erica hill. good to have you with us. >> this story gets more interesting by the minute. if you are an opponent of wikileaks or julian assange, watch out earlier in week paypal, mastercard, visa, now, apparently sarah palin is among those that julian assange's supporters have gone after attacking her website. we'll have the latest on that story in a moment. >> it is fascinating. we begin this morning with politics -- excuse me, and a frog in my throat -- congressional democrats still don't like the tax deal the president hammered out with

republicans and they are being very vocal about their opposition to it. cbs correspondent nancy cordes has the latest from capitol hill. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, erica. economists are predicting this deal could create 2.2 million jobs next year. some democrats are grudgingly signing on, but many of them still want changes and they told the vice president that when he came here again last night. vice president biden told house democrats if they try to change the tax cut deal, they're in danger of unraveling it. >> there are many people in our caucus, numerous members who stood up and had a great deal of problems with the problem -- with the deal that was proposed. >> reporter: white house economic adviser larry somers upped the ante warning failing to pass the package before tax cuts expire at the end of the month, quote, seriously increases the risk of a double-dip recession. >> mean will president obama tried to down play the division in his party. >> it is inaccurate to characterize as democrats at

large as feeling quote/unquote betrayed. i think democrats are looking at this bill and you already had a whole bunch of them who said this make sense. >> reporter: in fact, some senate democrats seem warming up to the deal, with majority leader harry reid announcing he may be ready to hold a vote on the package. tax cuts and tax credits within a couple of days, if he can make some changes to it. >> there are some things i think i would make the bill much better and i'm going to work on those. >> reporter: he and others think the estate tax compromise is too generous to the very wealthy, dropping the tax on inheritance from 55 to 35% and exempting the first $5 million of inheritance at a cost of $24 billion over two years. but, members who were in the room last night say the vice president told them this is the deal, take it or leave it. erica? >> pretty clear message there. nancy cordes, thanks. one of the chief democratic

skeptics to the plan congressman anthony weiner from new york who joins us this morning. good morning, sir. >> hi. >> we heard a little bit from nancy there and from senator reid, senator durbin has come out and said, i loath parts of this but i understand the predicament we're in. do you see anyone in the house now starting to change their tune and perhaps being more in favor of this? >> look, we had a meeting of democrats with vice president biden and there were several people who stood up and said they supported the deal but many, many more who stood up and were concerned about it and it all comes down to the same thing and that is, who it we're fighting for as democrats, the middle class, those struggling to make it. all those predictions about how much economic growth will be created by this, all of those new jobs would be created by the things we wanted -- extension of unemployment insurance and middle-class tax cuts -- and estate tax exactly zero jobs, a tax cut for billionaires, virtually none. this is only a question about what is the best thing to do and many of us believe the president just didn't fight hard enough for a good deal. >> obviously, this is a very

limited window. if the tax cuts stay in place and need to be passed by the end of the month, some might look at this and say the president is actually doing what the american people want especially based on the results of the elections in november. >> well, if you look at the polls, all throughout this debate, more than two-thirds of americans say they support the idea democrats have always advocated, people who make $250,000 and less get a tax cut and the rest go deficit reduction or targeted reductions. in recent days we've seen the american people responding when the president pitches this plan. imagine fe would have done the exact same thing for a plan that would have been much better if he had the last several months it didn't really happen. you say we are up to the last minute. this deadline was creeping up on us for ten years. i would have loved to see the president do a much better job of selling the idea of the things we need to do to fight for our country and middle class, not necessarily the exceedingly well-to-do. >> there will need to be more compromise obviously as we see the new congress come in in

january. compromise is not -- it has been said the sign of a good compromise when neither side is very happy. as you look forward, are you concerned about what could come for compromise in the future? because you paint a picture like the president really isn't behind you. >> no, look. my concern is not so much that there's compromise and deals get done. that's what happens, that's how you make laws. my concern is i see a trend here with the president seems to think his job is to count votes then try to make a deal based on that. that's what we in legislatures do. presidents have more hours in their quiver. i want to see him do what ronald reagan did when he wanted tax reform. travel the country and fight for the values he cares about and if you need to compromise you do that. unfortunately i didn't see the full-throated advocacy for the president. i want to make something clear. my concerns come from him. i want him to succeed, i want him to be be a success. many republicanss, frankly, want him to fail. i'm not in that camp. i hope he he sees the critique many of the left are giving him on that lens.

>> have you spoken with the president personally at this point. >> i haven't, but i spoke to the vice president yesterday and we had a good exchange -- >> we could read a lot into the word "good" in that. we'll have to leave it there but this is definitely not the last time we will speak. congressman, thanks for your time this morning. harry? >> good. the latest over wikileaks, computer hackers are carrying out more revenge attack against the website's opponent and now sarah palin says she is among the victims. cbs news correspondent mark phillips is in london and has the very latest. mark, good morning. >> good morning, harry. what this amounts to is, is a cyber insurgency. a counterattack by wikileaks supporters on the internet against those who have been trying to shut the controversial website down. they call it operation payback and it has some prominent targets. sarah palin has been one of wikileaks' most vocal critics now may be one of wikileaks' supporters' victims.

trying to reach palin's official website this morning produced this response. basically, no response. the palin website would appear to be another target of the hackivist campaign against opponents of wikileaks. the palins say their credit card accounts have been disrupted, too. in an angry e-mail palin says this is what happens when you exercise the first amendment and speak against his, meaning julian assange's, sick un-american espionage efforts. assange, wikileaks' founder still in jail in britain awaiting his next extradition hearing to see whether he will have to face sex crime accusations in sweden. but a cyber war is under way. wikileaks supporters versus those who have been attacking it. the main web pages of companies like mastercard, visa, paypal, which have stopped processing payments to wikileaks, have been deliberately deluged with so much internet traffic, they've crashed.

the swiss bank which has frozen assange's account was also attacked. wikileaks supporting hackivists call themselves anonymous and organized into operation payback saying they are fighting for freedom of expression on the web. >> we are anonymous, we are legion. we do not forgive. we do not forget. >> wikileaks says itself, is not behind the attacks and will continue to release secret documents. the issue is whether wikileaks is doing anything illegal. so far, it hasn't been charged with breaking any security laws. interestingly, both sides are now using the same weapon in this war, swamping the target websites with unwanted, disruptive traffic and are both citing the same principle, freedom of speech. harry? >> mark phillips in london, thank you very much. we want to go into washington now and bring in cbs news national security analyst juan

zarate. this is very interesting stuff. something that has been anticipated for a long time, really seeing it play out among the sites attacked, where the country of sweden's website, what is this all about? >> reporter: well, harry, i think what you see here is a low-grade cyber battle under way between the hackivists interested in this case. what we have often talked about in terms of cyber security or cyber defense has often been couched in terms of what the u.s. can do or china can do, what big states are doing. but what you see here is basically cyber vigilantism, individuals and small networks using the internet for their purposes in this operation payback, you see, i think the harbinger of the future, individuals using hacking techniques to make a point, political or otherwise. >> they use this thing called ddos, distributed denial of service. can you explain that a little bit? >> reporter: sure. basically, harry, that's denial of service. that means making it difficult for individuals to access an internet site. you can imagine how important

that is for a company like mastercard or visa or paypal. and they do that by either slowing the access actually technically overwhelming the site so that people who want to get on legitimately can't use it. that's a denial of service attack. >> and in terms of this kind of usage, it has so many different -- the implications of this are just phenomenal. if you're facebook, for instance, which said we'll take away wikileaks or anonymous access to facebook and their ability to interact with wikileaks, facebook could be a target, as well. >> i think that's right. i think we haven't, harry, come to grips with the full extent of what this means for the internet. the internet is a global backbone for commerce, for communication. and i don't think we've come to grips with what it means if individuals are using it as a playfield and battlefield in their political causes. i think there's more to come on this story. >> just at the very beginning. juan zarate. thanks for your expertise this morning. do appreciate it. >> thanks, harry. my pleasure. >> it is fascinating, isn't it? especially the possible facebook in the future. >> wow. we want to get you more of

the day's headlines this morning. jeff is standing by the news desk this morning. jeff, good morning. >> good morning to you at home. a man from baltimore accused in a home-grown terror plot scheduled to appear in court monday. 21-year-old antonio martinez, otherwise known as mohammed hussein was arrested yesterday during an fbi sting operation. he's a u.s. citizen born in nicaragua who recently converted to islam. his facebook page alluding to a jihad. martinez is accused of setting up a car bomb outside an armed forces recruiting station in maryland. the device was a fake supplied by an under cover agent. facebook co-founder mark zuckerberg joined the so-called giving pledge group promising to give away at least half his fortune to charity founded by bill gates and warren buffett and includes 57 billionaires. this morning a cruise ship crippled by a storm is closer to home. pounded by heavy seas, the clelia ii" declared emergency

tuesday. the seas are calmer and the ship is operating under its own open power. cbs's preeti arla has more. >> reporter: this was the scene on tuesday where the luxury ship that cruises the antarctic battled it's way through high seas and heavy winds. the ship, 500 miles from its port city in argentina, reportedly lost an engine after 35-foot waves pushed by 50-mile-per-hour winds crashed over its deck knocking out several windows and communications. >> the captain we have on the "clelia" has gone to antarctica 459 times and he told me that he had never seen anything like this. >> reporter: the ship has 88 passengers on board. all americans with a crew of 77. >> the passengers were not injured. there was no panic. >> reporter: the closest vessel, the national geographic explorer

was 20 miles away when the worst hit. >> we helped them re-establish their own satellite communications through the radio network. we actually sent them a hand-held satellite phone. >> reporter: it began its voyage 10 days ago normally sails at 14 knots scheduled to return to southern argentina today. under reduced power, the crew now hopes to reach port friday morning. >> i was amazed that this vessel survived this condition, the sea conditions. i don't believe any other -- many other ships would have done the same. it's reported this morning singer aretha franklin's recent surgery was for pancreatic cancer. she said last week she had a successful operation last week but did not explain why. a public memorial service meanwhile for elizabeth edwards will be held saturday at a methodist church in raleigh, north carolina.

she died tuesday at age 61 after a long fight with breast cancer. here in new york, fans of beatle john lennon gathered last night near the place where he was shot 30 years ago. ♪ a candlelight vigil was held at the strawberry fields memorial across from the apartment building where he was gunned down december 8th, 1980. yesterday, i asked paul mccartney for his thoughts on the anniversary of lennon's death. >> wow. can you believe it's 30 years? it's kind of good for me to be in new york on this day, really, for something sort of inspirational about it, even though it was, you know, a terrible thing. but, i feel kind of close to him when i'm here. >> mccartney is in new york preparing to play a venue he's never played before, the apollo theater in harlem. 15 past the hour.

we turn to dave price. that should be amazing next week. not as good as your beatles karaoke numbers. >> that -- >> but close. >> that is remarkable. stay tuned. it may happen sometime today. a check of the maps and see what's going on across the country. the lake-effect machine the lake-effect machine shutting down just a little bit. that's the good news. one to thr >> a

>> a temporary retreat to the cold weather in the southeast but that's short-lived, as well. a lot to talk about when we see you next. right now, 7:17. >> thanks. >> a major break in the hollywood murder mystery. police say the person of interest who killed himself last week has been linked to the crime. we'll take a look at the new evidence. >> also, these guys want to buy your gold. but, are they being fair? we'll help you avoid a possible rip-off.

>> plus three rules to follow before you decide to call in sick to work. uh-huh. talking to you there at home. this is "the early show" on cbs. tell points please? 250,000. calculating... ooh! answer: five fifty! 550 bucks?! 5 dollar, 50 cents. minus redeeming charge. leaving 50 cents. say what? happy time! what kind of program is this? want better rewards? switch to discover. america's number 1 cash rewards program. it pays to discover.

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police are saying the murder of this famed hollywood publicist ronni chasen was just a robbery gone bad. no everyone is convinced, though the case is closed. we'll take a look. the price of gold seems to be going up, up, up, you may want to cash in, stuff sitting in drawers. >> yeah. >> don't get ripped off. >> huh-uh. >> be careful. we'll tell you how. ♪ [ male announcer ] they've been tested, built and driven like no other.

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there's a chance the new eastern span it is 7:25. time for news headlines. i'm sydnie kohara. >> there is a chance the new eastern span of the bay bridge will be ready sooner than expected. china was offered incentives to speed up production of parts for the bridge. the new bridge could open by the end of 2013. governor-elect jerry brown says california's budget crisis is a worse problem than ever. he told a budget forum in sacramento that the deficit for next year is likely to grow to $28 billion and blames the latest increase on changes in the federal estate tax. san francisco international airport talking with taxi drivers about dropping its shorts program. under the policy cabbies who return to sfo within 30 minutes of picking up a fare get to go back to the front of the line. the problem is, some of those

drivers are speeding to and from downtown san francisco to beat the half hour deadline. traffic and weather around the bay area in just a moment. stay with us. ,,,,,,,,,,,,

good morning. let's go out to near candlestick actually. southbound 101 approaching candlestick. we have an accident just

reported blocking one lane. chp is just heading to the scene now. but you can see we're already starting to see that slow traffic in those southbound lanes. this is 880 through oakland. obviously a lot of fog. it looks like our camera is broken but it's not. we have a few headlights there. this is near the coliseum and we have a fog advisory in effect for the bay bridge toll plaza. it is backed up well into the macarthur maze. no incident on the upper deck. but it is a good 20-minute wait or so just to get on the bridge. and then it's slow and go from the incline towards the "s" curve. that's your traffic. here's tracy with your forecast. hey, thanks, elizabeth. foggy forecast, rainy forecast, we have it all going on this morning. here we go. got some rainfall moving all the way through san francisco down to san jose. some of that rainfall pretty heavy. we have downpours through half moon bay, redwood city and headed towards palo alto, fremont and milpitas. forecast for the morning as well as the afternoon, rain showers are expected. highs today in the upper 50s to the lower 60s. showers friday and plenty of sunshine for the weekend. ,,

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i believe they've plult plied onpl the plaza, even in the cold. oh, and they brought cookies. >> oh, yeah. >> you know what? we're going to go meet those people a little bit later here on "the early show." >> you bring cookies, keel come outside. >> happily. welcome back to "the early show." i don't know if you looked at the price of gold lately. getting a lot of attention. about $1400 an ounce these days. so because of that and the bad economy, you probably have been seeing a lot of those commercials, companies want to buy your gold jewelry. >> right. >> this may come as a shock to you, too, i know, you may not get the full story from those commercials. >> what? >> you will get the commercial

story however from one rebekah jarvis. >> we know we can. also ahead, calling in sick can be tricky. you worry that the boss won't like it or you'll fall way behind on the job? or you'll get caught? but sometimes you got to do it. and our dr. jennifer ashton will be here with three questions you should ask yourself other than whether or not you're lying. >> yes. >> three questions you should ask yourself before you go to work when you're sick. >> will anyone catch me shopping at the mall today. before we get to all of that, though, there are some answers this morning in the case of murdered hollywood publicist ronni chasen. two days ago a man wanted for questioning who committed suicide in front of police we were told may not have been involved in her killing. this morning we are learning more. police now say they believe he, in fact, did kill ronni chasen, although not everyone is convinced. ben tracey is in los angeles this morning with the latest. ben, good morning. >> reporter: good morning,

erica. it was just last week police came to these apartments here to question harold martin smith. he shot himself before he could answer any questions. police now say that same gun he used to kill himself is the very same gun used to kill ronni chasen. they're calling it a robbery gone bad. for three weeks now the investigation into the murder of ronni chasen has played out like a hollywood movie, complete with conspiracy theories. now police may finally have solved the crime. they say preliminary ba list tick reports shows the gun used to kill chasen was the same one the so-called person of interest used to take his own life when approached by police. >> we believe that mr. smith acted alone. we don't believe it was a professional hit. >> reporter: police say smith may have been riding a bicycle when he allegedly shot chasen several times in the chest at a beverly hills intersection in a botched robbery. the publicist was gunned down november 16th in her mercedes.

smith had a long criminal record, seven arrests including felony robbery. last week a tip from the tv show "america's most wanted" led police to this run-down apartment building but smith pulled out a gun and committed suicide. though he previously bragged to neighbors he was paid $10,000 to shoot chasen, police say that's not the case. >> it appears that he did act alone. whether mr. smith knew mrs. chasen, it does not appear at this time that there's any connection between the two. >> reporter: some of chasen's friends are skeptical about what police are now saying . i think there's still a lot of unanswered questions. maybe the police are right or maybe they're partially right but i think they're hurrying to make some kind of announcement because there's so much pressure on them. >> reporter: now despite linking smith to the crime police are not calling this case closed. they're still doing tests on his bicycle and interviewing other people in an effort to rule out any other potential killers. erica? >> ben tracy in los angeles,

thanks. also joining us is former district attorney robin sax. it's interesting when we look at the details that we've had and the details we haven't had. now we're hearing from police, they come out and say he was, in fact, tied to the crime but they're not saying that the case is closed. does that surprise you? >> well, here in los angeles there are a lot more questions than there are answers still yet, and we're already three weeks out on this investigation. and what is definitely what we heard from law enforcement that they have unequivocally determined that this was a one-man job and that the one man was harold smith. but amongst the people here, that doesn't feel very settling. and doesn't really necessarily matchup to the evidence that we've been hearing, albeit what the detectives have called erroneous. >> what raises questions in your mind? >> well, right now everybody, or the presumption was there were three shots to ronni chasen's chest and a couple shots to her

shoulders. that led a lot of investigators, a lot of analysts, to determine that that was a professional hit. unless we hear that that part of the earlier reports was erroneo erroneous, it still sounds strange that someone from a bicycle is able to shoot someone three times across the chest. of course, sergeant snoweden said -- or chief snowden said, he didn't say what was erroneous. where was the casings? did heard smith pick up the casings? he never took anything from her vehicle. he was riding a bicycle all of the way from hollywood to beverly hills which is a good seven miles away from the scene of the crime from where his house is and not a area highly trafficked by a bicycle. all of these unanswered questions leading people to think, you just said there's a 60%, 70% finish of the investigation but yet there's still all of these other parts that are unknown. >> do you think there is pressure to hurry this up, as we just heard from ronni chasen's friend who said, look, there is a little bit of pressure.

seems like they're hurrying in announcement a little bit. did that come into play at all, do you believe? >> it's too bad. i feel that beverly hills pd did such a great job remaining tight lipped for the whole duration of this investigation and to come out and essentially close it and self-admitting that it's 60% to 70% done is a very dangerous position, i think, for beverly

up next, all the glitters that s. not gold, especially some of those ads promising big money for your gold. we're going to help you avoid getting ripped off this morning. you're watching "the early show" on cbs. a simply orange orange.

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[ rattling ] [ male announcer ] need ink? staples has a low price guarantee on all the ink you need. find a lower price at another store, and we'll match it. that was easy. in this morning's moneywatch, selling your gold for cash, soaring gold prices mean big business for companies who buy it from struggling consumers. but after reports of disseptive practices, the house of representatives passed a bill wednesday cracking down on the gold buying business. cbs news business and economics correspondent rebecca jarvis is here with some important

warnings. good morning. >> morning, harry. >> how are people being scammed sflimplts are gold companies out there who hover to buy gold from consumers, knowingly ripping off consumers. they are knowing offering consumers pennies on the dollar for the value of their gold. and in many cases, they are companies where we've seen them a lot on television so people get the feeling just because they've seen them on air they are reputable. the reality is, a lot of companies are just taking gold from people and not paying them full value it for. >> a fraction of the money they could be getting. >> a tiny fraction. >> right. is now a good time to sell gold if you have jewelry sitting around and need cash. >> gold, is as far as where it trades here at the new york mercantile exchange in new york at all-time highs near $1400 an ounce for. those who need some cash, if they have gold items sitting around the home it is not a huge mistake to sell them. >> so, if you have old jewelry, how do you determine as you are sort of looking in the drawer, how do you determine what, in fact is worth selling. >> first of all you are only

paid for the gold in your jewelry. if you have jewelry that has another thing in it like gold a bauble or something like that you have to think about what you're actually giving, it has to be pure gold. the retail value. how much would this thing, this item be worth if you sold it on the street. >> on ebay or something. >> exactly. the melt value, that the gold vendor will take into account. what this item is worth once melted down and purely gold. lastly, is there a personal value to you? is there parting with it going to be hard and more valuable to you than the actual money. >> aunt glad dis's necklace or whatever, priceless family heirloom as they say. better business bureau bureau has targeted and said these are reputable places to go to get a good transaction. >> finding the right vendor is key to all this. the better business bureau rates a number of gold companies if you are going to do business with one, you should go to their website and check it out first but the ones they recommend,

empire gold buyers, gold fellow and pro gold network all highly rated. there you will get a better deal for your gold. >> might there be places in your neighborhood, for instance, where you can get a good transaction? >> well, pawn shops actually do about 35 to 70% of the face value of gold, generally speaking and also the jeweler. go to the local jeweler. vet it with them first before you send it to one of these gold places because then you will have a good sense how much could you get for the gold in your neighborhood. >> how much gold is actually in the item. >> that's right. >> rebecca jarvis, thanks so much. do appreciate it. for more on selling your gold for a good plies, all you need to do is go to moneywatch.com. up next, if you are not feeling well this morning, we'll have three things to think about before you go to work. this is "the early show" on cbs.

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lousy the instinct is to get out of bed and go to work. but. it is sometimes better for you to stay home until you're better. for the sake of everyone else around you. dr. jennifer ashton is here this morning with answers. i know this is one of your pet peeves because we've talked about it a lot. >> yes, it, is so many people are afraid to call in sick, they can't call in sick, they feel their job really depends on them. your job actually depends on you being there and being healthy and functional and doing the best job you can. sometimes you can't when you are not feeling well. >> if you are not feeling well, whether it's headache or chills or runny nose, injure throat hurts, you have questions we should ask ourselves to basically help us determine whether or not we should stay home. >> exactly. the first is so basic, erica are, you contagious, talking about an upper respiratory infection like the cold or a flu, obviously the answer is going to be yes. if you are not feeling well, then you are, by definition from an infectious disease standpoint, contagious. certainly if you have a

gastrointestinal virus or bug, vomiting or diarrhea, by definition you are contagious and by going to work exposing your co-workers in some cases, as a doctor or nurse, your patients to the same infectious disease you have. not a good idea. >> or make friends. >> exactly. you say we should also take a look at the situation and determine whether or not rest will help you get better. >> that's right. that's really the second better. will you be better if you spend one day not going to work, staying in bed and really just letting that infection run its course and for the most part the answer is usually yes. the last question, which is really important one, are you on medication that will make it dangerous for you to go to work or impair what you're able to do? a lot of times common cold medications or over-the-counter pain medications or prescription pain medications can really make going to work, especially if you drive there, very dangerous. >> you also say once you do determine you're sick, what are the things we can do? one of the most pont to drink a lot of fluids. >> most important thing if you call your doctor and say i think i have a cold or flu, they will

say stay in bed, hydrate yourself, drink a lot of fluids, chicken soup and let it run its course that. is key. you can really get dehydrated certainly with a fever and so replacing those fluids is important. >> what about when, you know, especially in the wintertime git a runny nose, not sure if it is a cold or sinus infection, how do you know the difference and treat that sthimsts we usually go by two things, erica. a lot of the common colds do then segue into bacterial infections. for sinuses you talk about two things, how long have you had it. lasting more than two weeks and is it green. if it is, you need antibiotics. >> great advice, as always. never forget the hand sanitizer. >> exactly. >> for more advice when to call in sec, log on to our partner: >> announcer: cbs health dz watch sponsored by new advil congestion relief. the right sinus medication for the real problem. naturally, blame the mucus. well, i can't breathe. did you try blowing your nose? of course.

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it is 7:55. time for news headlines from cbs 5. i'm robert lyles. governor-elect jerry brown says california's budget crisis is a worse problem than ever. he told a budget forum in sacramento the deficit for next year is likely to grow to $28 billion. he blames the latest increase on changes in the federal estate tax. the san jose unified school district may have to slash money for adult education programs to reduce costs. it's one of six districts involved in the metropolitan education district. the "mercury news" says that they would have to close two of its three schools if san jose unified reduces its share. and there is a chance the new eastern span of the bay

bridge will be ready for traffic several months sooner than expected. china was offered incentives to speed up production of parts for the bridge. the new bridge could open by the end of 2013. traffic and weather around the bay area coming right up. stay with us. ,,,,,,,,,,,,

good morning. we're still dealing with wet

roads and fog. northbound 280 approaching magdalena cleared on to the right shoulder. commuting out of downtown san jose northbound 280, still really bottled up there as you approach the 880 interchange. actually typical though for this time of the morning. also cleared just moments ago southbound 101 approaching candlestick. still slow though as you come off of the bay bridge on southbound 101. and at the bay bridge toll plaza, a lot of thick fog. still have that fog advisory in effect across the span. that's your traffic. here's tracy with your forecast. hey, thanks, elizabeth. speaking of fog, we have dense fog in santa rosa, napa, concord and oakland and more reports of fog at sfo, livermore and the san jose airport. bear in mind if you are traveling this morning we have delays at sfo. in addition to that, look at the rainfall. batch of showers moving through the bay area, starting to taper off a bit in the north bay but we are not out of the woods just yet. still got a chance of rainfall in the forecast for the morning as well as the afternoon. a few leftover showers friday, but plenty of sunshine just in

time for the weekend. ,,,,,,

it's like it's ready to do battle. >> there are cookies here. >> i know. h is the harry move that you couldn't see. >> you better watch out. >> who's going to get the cookie first? and, dave price. >> i will pounce on those cookies in just a moment. welcome back to "the early show." coming up, more this morning on the incredible spirit that elizabeth edwards brought to her long battle with cancer, and her preparation for her children's future. a close family friend is going to tell us more about the remarkable woman and her family. also ahead this morning, on

a much lighter note, we tackled an impossible job for you, finding great gifts for 10 or less. >> today is ten bucks. >> david price is on the other side of me doing the dance of joy. but harry, i think he's going to bayou ouy you one that costs $1. perfect presents for kids, foodies, coffee lovers, even bathing beauties and stocking stuffers. you will see all of those in just a moment. first, though, we want to get another check of the news. jeff glor is standing by at the news desk. chilly. >> it is. i'm not sure it's possible to top the fake butterfly in a jar. >> i thought it was real. >> i did, too. >> good morning, guys. good morning, everyone. the senate is scheduled to begin debate on the tax deal made by president obama and republican leaders. the administration warned angry democrats that if they defeat the plan the country might fall back into a recession. vice president biden met late into the evening with house democrats last night. one of their major objections

that proposal to lower estate taxes. congressman anthony weiner is one of those opposed to the deal. this morning he told erica it all comes down to fighting for the middle class. >> an estate tax is exactly zero jobs. tax cut for billionaires, virtually none. this is only a question about the best thing to do. many of us believe the president just didn't fight hard enough. >> most congressional republicans say they're behind the tax plan would add to our national debt. the nation's 58 million social security recipients will not be getting extra payments in 2011. yesterday republicans in congress voted to stop a democratic push to send retirees $250 payments that was supposed to help compensate for retirees going a second straight year without a cost of living hike. republicans said the government can't afford the $14 billion cost. another alleged homegrown terrorist is in federal custody this morning in baltimore. antonio martinez is charged with trying to use a weapon of mass

destruction. martinez allegedly tried to set off a bomb at a military recruiting center. officials say the bomb was a fake provided by an undercover federal agent and there was no actual danger. hackers supporting wikileaks say their next online target may be twitter. the hackers launched a global cyber war. it's called operation payback. the latest victim is sarah palin who spoke out about wikileaks leader julian assange. mastercard, visa, and a swiss bank has been launched. assange is in a british jail. facebook cofounder mark zuckerberg joined the club of 57 american billionaires who promise to give half their fortunes to charity. it was established by bill gates and warren buffett. and oprah winfrey is getting to know koalas in australia. yesterday she and friend gayle

king held koalas at a wildlife park there. it's part of her ultimate australian adventure. the trip is being taped for a future episode of her talk show. katie couric now has a preview of tonight's "cbs evening news." >> can the war in afghanistan ever be won? we'll put that in focus tonight only on the "cbs evening news." now back to "the early show." in focus now, four minutes past the hour, dave price live in living color on the plaza. >> nice to see, you jeff. do not adjust the colors on your television set. we've got a lovely crowd out here. we'll talk to you in a little while because we've got serious weather stuff to get to right now. lots of stuff brewing all over the country. bitter cold here in the northeast. let's go to the mapping right now and see what's going on. good news is that lake-effect activity begins to die down just a little bit. one to three inches. that's really not a lot when you're talking about the totals

in some cases which are up to four feet around places like syracuse where they got 100 hours of snow. it is really just brutal. but you're going to get a little bit of a break today. watch it. it's going to start up once again. the low pressure system now up by the hudson bay. high pressure moving in.

this weather report sponsored by windows phone. >> 8:06, 24 degrees outside here in new york city. feels like 14 degrees on the plaza with the windchill. >> that explains a lot. dave, thanks. just ahead, the edwards children now facing life without their mother. we'll be joined by a close family friend to tell us how elizabeth edwards prepared her children for her death. friend onthe early show." ow elizabeth edwards prepared her children for her death. this is the "early show" on cbs. . so instead of fumbling to open my camera app like dave here,

i can put my phone away, and open my parachute. open yours, dave! hey, is it cool if i date emily when you're... nevermind. [ male announcer ] buy any windows phone and get a second one free. so get your holiday on at at&t. ♪ a blender for aunt sue ♪ head phones for uncle wayne ♪ pillow pets and hot wheels for my sister's kids in maine ♪ ♪ oh, walgreens has perfect gifts ♪ ♪ for all those on your list ♪ like a walgreens gift card ♪ for your daughter's teacher miss gilchrest ♪ [ female announcer ] finish up your list at walgreens and get $5 in walgreens super jingle cash with every $25 you spend. good for anything in the store. [ female announcer ] stay jolly with walgreens. thank you for calling usa primyou have problem? is peggy.. peggy? ok, i've been waiting for fifteen minutes for someone to pick up. you're tenacious like bull. i like. please hold.

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eventual death. now as the family is planning her funeral this there is speculation at her children's future. there are understandably some difficult choices ahead for them. >> in the end, you know, you reach for the things that are going to give you comforcomfort beautiful things your children, the people that you love and care about. >> reporter: on saturday elizabeth edwards will be laid to rest in a raleigh cemetery near her son wade who died 14 years ago in a car accident at the age of 16. during her six-year battle with cancer liz be edwards did her best to prepare her family for her own death. >> the most important thing you can give your children are wings because you're not -- you're not going to always be able to bring food to the nest. sometime they're going to have to be able to fly by themselves. >> reporter: she spoke bluntly about the disease that would later take her life. >> cancer doesn't care that you have young children who need their mother. >> reporter: and wrote letters for her children filled with practical advice on how to choose a church and even a spouse. but the last year of her life

was not without turmoil. in january she separated from her husband, former presidential candidate john edwards, after learning he had fathered a baby with campaign staffer hunter. still, john edwards was by his wife's side when she died. >> it was very important to elizabeth that the father of her children be in good shape and that he be able to carry on. >> reporter: although there's speculation john edwards will raise the couple's two children before she died elizabeth said she was doing all that she could so that they would be, quote, able to function without an involved, engaged and admiring parent. elaine quijano. >> joining us from raleigh, north carolina, a long-time family friend and former campaign adviser to john edwards. thanks for being with us this morning and our condolences. >> thank you very much. >> john, you were invited to come to the home. you arrived after elizabeth edwards had passed. tell us, what was the mood like at that point and how was

everyone doing and coping? >> you know, it's a hard time, as you know. but i will tell you the home right now, i think, is exactly the way that elizabeth would want it. there is more laughter than there are tears. there's amazing strength there in that home for the children. their sisters are with them, their aunt, uncle, father, friends. there's a lot of love in that family and in that house. >> exactly as she would have wanted it. >> yes. absolutely. >> we just heard some of her words there, she spoke about her children in elaine's piece talking about the most important thing you can give your children was wings. how did she prepare kate and claire and jack for this? >> elizabeth always believed that you lead by example. and i think that's what she did with her children. she led a life of dignity. she led a life that made a real

difference. her children saw that. they saw the strength in their mother. they saw the love of their mother. and i think that they will be very, very strong people going forward. >> it was obviously a very tough year on a number of levels for elizabeth edwards this last year of her life. at one point she did publicly she wants her older daughter kate, 28, to be the primary caregiver for her younger children. did she still feel that way though at the end? >> look, these young children have just lost their mother. i think it's important that we respect that. they are at the home with their sister, with their aunt, with their uncle, and with their father. and they will be loved and cared for going forward. >> and how is john edwards coping? >> you know, it's hard for john. he and elizabeth met in law school. they've been together for almost 40 years. they had tremendous joy

together. but their struggles played out on a national stage. so it's going to be very hard. it's very hard on him going forward. his focus is on those children, as it should be. >> christmastime, the holidays are always so difficult for anyone who has lost a loved one, especially recently, to have this happen just before the holidays could be exceptionally painful, of course. but from everything we heard it would seem that that, too, was something that elizabeth edwards may have prepared her children for. >> yeah. you know, i walked into the home and the christmas tree is up, the decorations are up, you know, elizabeth prepared the house for the holidays. she prepared her children and her friends for this eventuality. as she would say, you know, we all face struggles in life. we all will face death. and what's important is to live a life of dignity and to live a life that makes a difference. and i think that's the aspiration that she leaves all of us with. >> john, we appreciate you being

with us this morning. again, condolences on your loss. just ahead, we are shifting gears this morning. we're going to help you fill out that shopping list. some great christmas presents ahead. all of them, this may be the greatest part, $10 or less. you're watching "the early show" on cbs. r less. you're watching the "early show" on cbs. 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? with listerine® whitening plus restoring rinse. it's the only listerine® that gets teeth two shades whiter. and makes tooth enamel two times stronger. get dual action listerine® whitening® rinse. building whiter, stronger teeth.

the prices keep dropping in our perfect presents series. we've already highlighted gifts

from $100 down to $25 and this morning everything here is $10 or less. "early show" style contributor katrina szish has the selection. good morning. >> good morning, harry. >> you think these are lovely, stylish, very cool guy glasses but they do more than that, don't they? >> i think they do. >> take a look. >> i happen to have chocolate milk here, harry. >> hang on a second. i need this. all right, are you ready? >> yep. >> watch this. >> yeah! and those, my friends, are the sip 'n swirl eyeglasses. six bucks from restoration hardware dot com. >> everybody wants theels. no question about that. >> not that clear, perhaps but beautiful. i love the sip 'n swirl, you are a good sport. >> what else do you have. >> i love this stuff, modable clay and you can turn it into all sorts of fun shapes, it smells good and the best part it is all natural and non-toxic.

if one of your little kids happens to take a bite of it, that's okay. this is from clementine art. >> it does, it smells like food. >> it smells like food because it is food, it is actually edible. >> all right. >> we also have for the little artist in your life a little van gogh museum painting kit with a campus, paints, two paint brushes, a pallet, even instructions how to mix the paints the way van gogh shall did. >> in dutch it's pronounced van gogh. all right. i like these guys. >> super fun, frogs, they play games. >> they are nerf frogs irngs you can't hurt anybody with those. >> are you ready. >> i'm ready. >> do you want to try it? >> see, everybody can catch. >> these are from kohl's. >> they really, really work. >> we have gifts from the foodie. we have them in our lives. >> i like this. >> okay, great an egg, thanks, no, actually little porcelain

eggs, you crack the top off with a spoon and inside you can see it's a little mixture of dirt and seeds. this one will grow a basil plant, made in japan. >> very nice. >> aren't they? >> very nice. >> here, we all love our jolt in the morning. why not have hot chocolate with extra caffeine. >> super-caffeinated hot chocolate. >> more caffeine an cup of coffee, 175 miligrams. i love these guys, collanders, right. >> yep. strainers, collanders. in your kitchen, wash the berries, the bottom comes off, you can serve them and they won't drip, five bucks from sir la table. >> what else. >> the beauty things, fun things from sephora, glirls love our lip gloss, a magic wand of six colors and flavors each with their own pod and am indicator and you will never have to

wonder what color to wear. >> very impressive. is this food. >> it looks like it but actually soap. it is great to be festive around the hollidays, gingerbread. >> a black and white cookies. >> very nyc. >> a great hostess gift. >> shall we move on? >> i think we should move on. >> sort of the grab bag here. >> this is kind of the quirky corner here. for the person who has everything or someone you have a hard time shopping for, these yummy pouches, actually look quite yummy keeping in the food theme from the moment design store and you can carry make-up, cell phone, whatever you want. >> you know, what you can't go wrong with a harmonica. a harmonica, actually costs less than $10? >> this is exactly $8.00. >> which is yours? >> that's mine. i'm a big fan of the late, late show with craig ferguson. >> yeah. >> and katie couric happened to be on monday. i love -- here we go. ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ >> all right. i was going to say it sounded like "shenandoah". >> and it was. i'm so impressed. >> you learned how to play what? >> this morning, i learned how to play jingle bells. >> i want to see you. >> i have to turn it around. >> it's that easy. >> you have your sheet? 5, 5 something? ♪ ♪ >> wait, let me start again. ♪ ♪ >> thank you very much. your turn. >> i couldn't do that. >> make a noise. >> well, of course. you would want to do like some great blues gheit or something, right? >> go ahead, do it. >> on that note. >> for $8.00. >> can't get better than that.

>> other really cool things. >> fun stuff. >> you did a good job. "jingle bells" alone was priceless, w,,,,,, people! look at you! texting...blogging... all this technology, but you're still banking like pilgrims!

it's time for new school banking, bubbie. interest plus savings at capitalone.com. why earn bupkis, when your savings can earn three times the national average!! three times the national average!!! new school banking at capital one bank. with interest plus savings, go to capitalone.com!!!!! what's in your wallet? somebody help me down. ♪ i gotta make this holiday glow, like a light bulb ♪ ♪ ♪ tie it all up in a big shiny bow. i'm a "home for the holiday" superhero ♪ ♪ mrs. claus ain't got nothin' on me. i'm dancin' circles ♪ ♪ around the christmas tree.

information about bay area good morning. it is 8:25. time for news headlines from cbs 5. i'm sydnie kohara. personal information about bay area commuters will be under tighter control starting next year. the metropolitan transportation commission will comply with a new state law. the mtc will destroy information about fastrak and clipper card accounts that have been inactive for more than 4.5 years. the san jose unified school district may have to slash money for adult education programs. it's one of six districts involved in the metropolitan education district. the "mercury news" says metro ed would have to close two of its three schools if san jose unified reduces its share. and this morning, several global companies have their websites up and running again after a rash of cyberattacks. the corporations all recently

severed ties with the whistle- blowing website wikileaks. the attacks appear tied to a hacker group critical of government and big corporations. traffic and weather around the bay area coming right up. stay with us. ,,,,,,,,

hey, you got groceries! yeah! i thought we'd eat at home. save some money. $200 bucks? that's not saving! [jacks voice] at my place i'm bringing back the bonus jack. two patties, melting cheese and my secret sauce plus fries and a drink for only $3.99. i get it. you can eat a lot cheaper at your place than you can at home. but do have this? i have dessert. what about this? ohhh. ohhhhhh. jack. that's for max. good morning. there is a new accident in emeryville. it is going against the commute. but we're seeing slow traffic westbound, as well. eastbound 80 approaching powell street, two lanes are blocked due to a possible injury crash. now, if you are heading towards the bay bridge, there is still a fog advisory in full effect

across the span. you can make out that traffic somewhat there on the upper deck between the clouds. traffic at the toll plaza is backed up to the maze. and a lot of fog, as well. low clouds as you cross the san mateo bridge. stop and go across the span, westbound 92, 17 minutes from hayward. there was an earlier accident eastbound 92 in san mateo. that is cleared to the center divide but it's slow and go from hillsdale. that's your traffic. here's tracy with your forecast. hey, thanks, elizabeth. those showers are moving out of the bay area to rainfall that we had this morning, pushing well off to the east. so back behind it we just have a little activity as my weather producer says, it's spitting outside. still just a few showers off the coastline here down to the south. so we are not ruling it out. but the best chance of rainfall is moving out. scattered showers will remain in the forecast for the afternoon. and more showers possible tomorrow. ,,,,,,,,

the louder the scream, the warmer you are? >> you know, it's a little breezy on the corner. >> just a little. >> what an intrepd and amazing group out here this morning. >> yes, i say we applaud you this morning. >> very good. >> [ cheering ] >> the penguin thing where they all huddle up. >> i'm going to huddle up with you. welcome back to "the early show"

an a rather frigid yet enjoyable morning on the plaza. just ahead, kim kardashian seems in perpetual motion. she's everywhere and this morning we have managed to come visit "the early show." she's here with us this morning, slowing down just long enough to tell us about her latest project how she became the top earning figure in all of reality tv. >> and her new book. lovely lady. 27 degrees as i walked across the park this morning at 4:30. a little brisk. everybody is turning up the heat. that means money. some is flying right out your windows. susan koeppen is here to help you figure out how to burn a little less energy this winter. >> i need that segment. >> also, the famous benjamin franklin quote, fish and guests smell after three days. >> should be gotten rid of. >> exactly. this morning in our holiday etiquette series, tips how you can be the perfectly pleasant guest this season. >> would you like to hear another quote from that time. >> i would stwloo you know where getting the cold shoulder from?

it is a cut of meat commonly served some hundreds of years ago and if a guest was around too long, you didn't give them warm shoulder, you gave them cold shoulder. >> that was your cue. >> be on your merry way. >> can i tell you another way to be a guest this season? >> please. >> make sure you play frog catch with them as we toss over to mr. dave price. >> a holiday favorite in many a home. >> i love. this i love this game. i love this game. >> are you fraed for frog catch. >> nice, dave price, everybody. >> thank you. here we go. >> oh. come on, one more. >> third time's the charm. >> oh. look at that, frog catch. >> dave is a gold frogger. >> yeah. >> without a doubt. traded in little league but, of course a golden trogger. nice to see you. great gift. can i keep this. >> no. >> there we go. now you know the secret to the glor christmas. one gift floats around the family, gets returned after the holidays. let's take a check of the

weather and first i want to say hello to everyone at our recipes dot com, you have a great program collecting cookies for people in need going to who this year from this group. >> to the coalition against domestic violence today. >> you guys are terrific. thank you so much for being here and thanks for the cookie. let's take a check of the weather and see what is happening across the country, shall we? still lake-effect activity one to three inches probably blowing across the lakes t

>> that's a quick look at your weather. erica, have you been to the kardashian store downtown? it is like gang-busters. >> maybe why where i should go for your christmas gift, dave. >> that's exactly right. thanks keeping up kim kardashian is a national obsession, one of the most searched celebrities on the internet. this week the daily beast named her top earning reality star of

the year. she never seems to slow down but happy to report kim kardashian slowed down a bit and joins us in the studio. good morning. >> how are you. >> good. >> it's freezing inside. >> never experienced new york this cold. >> are you ready to go back to l.a.? >> a little bit. >> good to have you with us. as we said you are are in perpetual motion even shooting a show in new york. you also have with your sister as new book out. >> yes. >> kardashian konfidential can with fun tid-bits but i was surprised we learned about you but seem to know so much already. was it hard to decide what to put in the book. >> i think because people assume they know everything about us from our show we wanted to tell the story who we were growing up and who we were before we had a show. i think we pay a lot of tribute to our dad in that book and a lot of people might not know a lot about our dad. so, that was -- it was such a fun process. it was like reliving all these memories and moments and it was funny because, you know,

sometimes khloe would write separately and courtney separately and me by myself and when we edited stories she would be like i didn't know this happened you to, khloe, this was going on. it was fun to write and edit dirchlts you ever have conflicting versions of the stories? >> always, always. it is fun to know hear khloe's for some reason, i don't know where her stories get twisted but she always has a different version. >> you mentioned your dad, a lot of beautiful stuff about your dad and christmas and wonderful pictures, we see some of your family at christmas really your favorite holiday. >> our absolute favorite holiday. i just decorated my whole house for christmas. our whole family gets so into it like we're the kids and we get up at 6:00 a.m. every christmas morning. we have to meet at my mom's house. we have a huge christmas eve party. we get a pair of pajamas every night on christmas eve that my grandmother gives us to the whole family. >> there's pj pictures in the

book which are really cute there. we go, one right now. a lot of beauty secrets, as well. you talk about all different things and how you have gone from waxing to laser hair removal, one of the things you are endorsing now i know at-home laser hair treatment. you have a lot of endorsements. how do you decide, though, as a businesswoman, which one you want to be associated with? >> well, there's a lot, definitely we turn down but for something in the book i know we mention talking about at 12 years old we would get waxed and kourtney was wax each other's eyebrows. i mean we armenian, hair is definitely you something want to get to. when tria beauty came to me with this new laser, i was like i laser hair removal all the time anyway but it is hard especially being on the road you has of to stick to like every six weeks do the treatment. when there is an at-home treatment system fda cleared, the only one, i thought, like this is just the perfect fit because it is so natural. i use it anyway endorsing it or not.

so, why not tell people and kind of like inform them there is something you can do at home that's a lot cheaper than going to a beauty clinic and getting laser hair removal and you can do it in the privacy of your own home. >> that was clearly an easy decision. >> a no-brainer. >> so much focus on you. we see you all over the place as we mentioned which has to be tough. when did you realize you couldn't just go out of the house to do something or run an errand? >> well, i think that like being in new york, i was twittering saying oh, my god i can't stop eating like this, the hot dogs and nuts and everything on the street corners and i gained 10 pounds then all of a sudden you see pictures of me in baggy clothes and i'm pregnant. stuff like that gets to you but it comes along with the territory but it's tricky, you know, because you always feel you have to lk a certain way or be a certain way so i've just kind of given up a little bit, you know, on caring. >> which is good. you are so confident which is a great message to send. >> absolutely. >> especially to young women. a lot of crazy things written

about you, like pairnl you were actually pregnant with canye's baby at one point. what's the craziest thing you have read about yourself. >> that was crazy. it is funny when i'm linked to people i've never even met before. i don't know, i think being single right now and for the first time like kim's going boy crazy because i'm seen out with a few different people but yet i've been like married and in a years-long relationship. people take stories and twist them. i mean, high of heard every plastic surgery rumor you could imagine, every dating rumor you could imagine. so, you just literally like thank god i have my sisters because we can laugh at it together and none of it really matters. >> great to have them. you clearly have a title supportive family. >> i think i couldn't do it without them. i think it is really important. >> great to have you with us this morning. >> thank sflu thank you for sharing about the book and have a merry christmas. >> thank you. >> harry? >> much of the country shivering. when the next heating bill comes

we'll be looking for ways to make our homes more energy efficient. "early show" consumer correspondents susan koeppen is here with money-saving advice. good morning. >> good morning. >> now, we've talked about this before. one of the things you can do, if you are afford it, is get what do you call it an energy audit. >> a home energy audit. the average home it'll cost about $375. so, it's a lot of money but it's intense, i mean, they come in with infrared cameras looking behind your walls, really seeing what's going on inside your home and why some rooms are cold and some rooms are hot. >> in the end you are talking about a long-term investments, you are going to snaend money to save a lot over like a five or ten-year period. >> you don't have to pay somebody to do it. you can do things on your own. >> one of the basic, basic things we repeat this every single year, is you've got to make sure your house is insulated correctly. >> unsill lation is key. the department of energy says that only 20% of homes built before 1980 actually have enough insulation.

>> wow! >> you really need to do a good job of insulating your home it keep it warm or to keep it cool. so, some simple things to do, walk around your house. look in places like your attic, your garage, your basement where you might have exposed walls, see if you have enough insulation. i want to take you over here and look at this. so, if you want to see behind a wall, what you do is you turn off the power to an outlet and take the flashlight and get in there and kind of look behind the wall. >> take the plate off, sure. >> this might take a professional to actually get insulation in there, if you need it. >> sure. >> but that's how you go about looking behind the wall and seeing what's. >> there there are so many leaks also then around windows and in plates, you know, power plates and that sort of stuff like that, how -- how do you deal, for instance, like with all these air leaks? >> fixing leaks is key. if you fix air leaks in your home you can save 5 to 30% on your energy bill. >> wow. >> that is huge. and fixing leaks doesn't have to be a big deal. we are talking about plastic on the windows. >> right. >> talking about

weatherstripping. >> okay. >> caulking up the cracks and holes. >> you have all the cool products smimplsts of the products that are not that expensive. they are relatively cheap, things you can do on your own. >> right. the way you can find the leaks is. >> this is really cool. take a smoke stick, incense stick, light it. on a rather windy day, i don't have a lighter, otherwise i would. >> go to the room of your college student and ask for an incense stick. >> you can buy them at any store or a smokestick at a hardware store. on a rather cold, windy day turn off your furn naes and start walking around your home. you are putting the smoke stick near the windows and -- >> you will see drafts all over the place. >> as soon as the smoke starts going sideways, okay, that means you have a leak and you can find out exactly in your home where you have the leak. these, you know, cost like ten cents. >> we have a thermostat sitting over here. i've got to believe there's got to be something i can do with the thermostat to lower my energy bills. >> some of the free things you can do. okay, lower the thermostat 10

degrees when you leave the house. >> when you leave. >> or when you go to bed, if you can stand the chill while you're sleeping. putting it down 10 degrees, save 10% on your energy bill. >> i'll bet. i'll belt. >> also, your drapes, use what you have in your haas for he free. open them up to let in the sunshine, close them at night to keep out the cold air. >> very good. all right. >> what about the christmas tree? everybody is throwing up their holiday decorations now. >> right. >> how can i save money on my holiday decorating? >> we have our beautiful tree here. consider switching your christmas lights to l.e.d. holiday lights. >> right. >> the think about this a six-foot tree with l.e. l.e.d. lights. >> okay. >> six foot tree you put the l.e.d. lights on and run those lights 12 hours a day for 40 days, guess how much you are going to spend in electricity. >> i can't wait. you'll tell me, i'll be shocked. 61 cents. >> that's how much you save? >> no, that is how much you are going to spend. >> okay.

>> you will use -- >> that's really good. >> so for 40 days of light -- >> 12 hours a day for a six foot tree? >> yeah, for a six foot tree, only costs 61 cents. >> that's a good deal. better go out and buy some. >> they use about 90% less energy than your traditional christmas lights. >> amazing, wow. >> really something to think about. >> i like that a lot. way to go. they look nice, too. >> also, the tax credit for energy efficiency, runs out at the end of the year. so, if you replace doors, windows a furnace, you have until the end of the year to do that and get a big tax credit. >> you can cash in pretty good on some of those things. >> ra, not bad. >> way to go susan koeppen, way to go. as always, thanks very much. >> you bet. >> erica? >> when the holidays come around, a lot of people may head to mom and dad's, maybe your sister's or brothers or stay with friends to share in the holiday. no matter where you go, it's always pont to be a good holiday houseguest. or you may not be invited back.

so here for you with a list of dos and don'ts, am me good man, editor alt large for "southern living" in fact just promoted. so congratulations on that. >> thank you so much, a thrill. >> an early gift fouf. it's so important not just at the holidays although a lot of us are houseguests more often but year around to be good guests. you have a couple of quick tips. >> for sure. the first is really to as guests not really crowd your host. and part of that is, you know, be independent. it's okay to take a walk by yourself. take a book you've been meaning to read, also maybe some magazines. and foster some independent space because that means that, you know, kind of fosters the relationship, as well. >> they don't have to hold your hand 24/7. they have things to do like maybe go to work. important to be able to take care of yourself and you say you absolutely offer to help, cook around the house, make your bed, clean up after yourself. >> you are not at a hotel. there is not someone making your

bed or picking up the towels in the same vein volunteer to help in the kitchen, doing cooking prep or set the table all nice nods your host will appreciate. >> another nice nod, a "thank you" not, means a lot. >> not via e-mail. you want a special handwritten note, special stationery. another nice note after your stay do a beautiful picture in aful after you've stayed to show your appreciation after you leave. >> in addition to bringing a gift a host gift when you arrive send a little something. >> you should never arrived empty-handed. >> never empty handed. we have questions from viewers, the first one we met yesterday doing christmas shopping i think at macyeast, this is karen. >> my name is karen, i'm from england, staffordshire. >> is there any true to this ben

franklin said it and everybody else guests are like fish after three days they start to stink. get rid of them. >> shoe make a predetermined time before you even arrive with your host as to when you are staying and when you are leaving and keep in mind your host may be working while you're playing. also making a tremendous sacrifice having you offering you food, a beautiful place to stay. don't overextend your welcome. >> know when to leave. so important. our next question via facebook. christine writes we are recurring houseguests and stay at this family member's home every time we come to town. i occasionally bring small hostess gifts but what should i do for christmas? >> i imagine a little something extra but what should that extra be? >> you want to really show you appreciate all the times you've stayed throughout the years so make it a bit more substantial were between 50 to $100 and prove it that you've actually stayed with them. do something of their interest. so, if they love wine, get a gorgeous wine he decan ter, if they always have fresh-cut flowers, a beautiful vass, using those hand towels all the time

how about monogrammed ones. >> that you tibet them and show appreciation. mat writes in to say should i buy my own groceries or offer to buy groceries for a meal now and then and how often? sounds like matt is staying a lot of times. >> if you happen to be showing with your hostess it is very nice to offer or maybe prepare a meal. a host will never say meese do this, this and this but if you offer it will absolutely be appreciated and another last tip i love before you even arrive sometimes it's nice to preorder something, have it arrive to the house like a beautiful breakfast basket to say i'm coming, i'm on my way. >> a reminder. >> what about so many people have trouble with allergies while we are talking about food. obviously, you can't expect your host to rearrange their kitchen but should let them know ahead of time right. >> that is the way to go. if you have a gluten energy or are a vegetarian it's nice to let them know and take presnacks with you non perishable to make your way you do not expect them

to always make a gluten-free meal so accommodate your own energy as much as possible. >> and your host, too. a thighs thing to doimplsts absolutely. on that note, thank you so you much for having me. >> we love having you so come back again. we love your new title. >> thanks. >> for more on being a good houseguest, in fact, year around looking on to our website earlyshow.cbsnews.com. stay with us. there is more to come. you are watching "the early show" on cbs. [ male announcer ] whether you're new to california

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most times they don't smell like they say they are going to. >> ultra foaming bubble bath. >> it is fruity. >> sugar plum fairy. >> dave, why don't you take that. >> oh, dave my little sugar plum. >> moisturizing shower gel, this is? >> balsam. >> smells like my christmas tree. >> balsam fir. >> what's it called. >> it smells like my -- i didn't know if you want to smell like that. laufrz. >> merry christmas. >> have a great day. we'll see you tomorrow, your local news is next. >> what's it called? >> balsam fir. ,,,,,,

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a new bay bridge will be ready for drivers months ahead of schedule. caltrans says the good morning, everyone. it is 8:55. i'm sydnie kohara with your cbs 5 headlines. a new bay bridge will be ready for drivers ahead of schedule bumped up to the end of 2013. a third tower segment and two more pieces of the bridge deck are expected to arrive from china on sunday. some groups are filed a complaint against the california high-speed rail authority saying they are being excluded from contracts connected with the project. they want the federal government to stop funding the project and to investigate the authority's contracting practices. and san jose preparing to change its policy of impounding cars for 30 days when they catch unlicensed drivers. the new policy will allow a licensed driver to pick up the car without having to wait a month for it. traffic and weather around the bay area coming right up. stay with us. ,,,,,,,,,,,,

good morning. well, unfortunately, we're still dealing with a lot of accidents out there and a lot of slow traffic. we'll start off along the peninsula, southbound 101 actually sunnyvale approaching matilda. the left lane is still blocked and cars spun out.

the driver also reported a lot of water in lanes along that area. as you can see, a lot of red and yellow still on our sensors. southbound 280 a mess now. speeds under 25 miles per hour from highway 1 in pacifica all the way down 380. and then this is a new accident just reported in san mateo county. southbound 280 just after highway 92. two right lanes are blocked so traffic is just beginning to stack up. of course, it is wet out there and check out this shot of the bay bridge. a lot of fog, as well. a fog advisory still in effect. traffic is moving across okay on the upper deck of the bridge. that's your traffic. here's tracy with your forecast. hey, thanks, elizabeth. you are right. still plenty of fog out there this morning. and in addition to that, the rainfall that we had earlier this morning is tapering off to scattered showers, and that's going to be the drill through the afternoon. scattered showers expected plenty of clouds across the bay area and take a look at these temperatures. highs today in the upper 50s to the lower 60s. a few showers still possible friday. the weekend is what it's all about saturday, sunday and

monday plenty of sunshine with warmer temperatures expected. ,,,,,,,,