wicked weather. the midwest digs out from a brutal pre-winter blizzard so bad it collapsed a football stadium dome. tax test. a procedural vote on president obama's tax deal with republicans is expected today in the senate. and a rough ride. a cruise ship gets bounced around the mediterranean by high seas and strong winds. this is the "cbs morning news" for monday, december 13th, 2010. and good morning to you on a monday. good to see you. i'm terrell brown for betty nguyen. this morning that powerful and dangerous snowstorm that pounded the upper midwest with snow, strong winds and subfreezing temperatures is headed east.

over 2,000 airline flights have been canceled major highways closed and in some areas wind chills expected to fall 30 degrees below zero. at least four weather-related deaths reported and up to 23 inches of snow fell in parts of minnesota. cynthia bowers has more. >> reporter: first came heavy snow. enough to collapse the 9.5 acre roof of the minneapolis metrodome home of the minnesota vikings and gave way this morning, unable to stand up to the fifth heaviest snowfall in twin cities history. 17 inches in 18 hours. >> oh. >> reporter: the vikings will play the new york giants in detroit monday, but the giants were unable to get to minneapolis anyway because the airport there shut down for the first time in 19 years. roads across the region were also closed. heavy snow kept firefighters from getting to a house fire, where two people died. more than 600 vehicles slid off the road.

there were so many accidents in iowa, troopers say they quit counting. in la crosse, wisconsin, where snowplows could not keep up, drivers were urged to keep off the roads. >> stay home. do not come out in this. this is ridiculous. >> reporter: a state of emergency has been declared in all 72 wisconsin counties, but this massive system dumped snow as far south as lexington, kentucky and nashville, tennessee. as the snow moved east, bitter northerly winds gusting near 50 miles an hour blew in, creating blizzard-like conditions, leading to the cancellation of more than 1500 flights out of chicago's o'hare and midway airports. >> white-out conditions at times. >> reporter: visibility was also near zero at chicago's soldier field, where wind chills made the temperatures feel well below zero at the game and along lake michigan. >> freezing! polar express big time. >> reporter: and the legacy of this particular winter storm will no doubt be felt for a long time because millions of

americans no doubt stayed home instead of going out shopping, cutting into retail sales at a critical pre-christmas time of the year. cynthia bowers, cbs news, chicago. meanwhile in the pacific northwest the trouble there is flooding. there was record rainfall and more wet weather is expected today. hundreds of homes were flooded in western washington and northwest oregon. at least one home near seattle had its front yard washed away. >> so, it's shock and little bit of sickness. never had a problem with drainage or anything. but we're probably going to spend the night somewhere else. >> more than 20 washington state rivers have flooded. meteorologists say flooding this time of year is normal, it's unusual the high water is so widespread. meanwhile today the senate is expected to hold a test vote on president obama's tax deal with republican leaders. if the measure passes the senate later this week, it goes to the house. democrats there say they'll attempt to change the measure. the white house still believes through all of this the deal will pass by the end of the year. preeti arla is in washington with the latest. good morning to you. >> good morning, terrell.

a week after the president announced his compromise with republicans, democrats are still speaking out against it. house democrats appear to want some changes but still one of the president's top advisers expect it will win passage before the end of the month. the white house's tax cut proposal is expected to pass its first key test. >> i can say that we have good cross-section of the senate democratic caucus from left to right who are prepared to accept this. >> reporter: this afternoon the senate is set to approve the measure in a procedural vote before expected passage later this week. but the plan faces a much tougher battle in the house. democrats insist they won't even bring it to the floor until cuts for the wealthy are scaled back. >> we're going to change this and we're going to hopefully the president's going to back us up as we try to take out the worst things in it. >> reporter: at issue an extension of tax cuts for higher income earners and lower estate tax some see as too generous. even if democrats make some changes, the white house is optimistic congress will pass the deal before the cuts expire

at the end of the month. >> i think that we will get there. i don't think anybody wants to be responsible for taxes going up on january 1st because we couldn't come to a resolution. >> reporter: republicans largely support the plan president obama struck with them. in an interview with cbs's "60 minutes," house minority leader john boehner said even the $900 billion price tag would be worth it. >> i think it will create jobs and help our economy. >> reporter: the gop insists it's a take-it-or-leave-it deal. if democrats choose to leave it, republicans plan on passing it as soon as they take back the house in january. even if the new congress has to pass a tax cut extension it is highly likely the legislation would be made retroactive to the first of the year. terrell. >> preeti arla in washington for us this morning, preeti, thank you so much. appreciate it. this evening the embattled chairman of the republican national committee, michael steele reveals his plans for the future. steele is expected to announce

he will not seek re-election. steele has been under pressure to step down, discontent has grown because of his poor fund-raising and several speaking gaffes. a royal caribbean crews ship headed to port after being battered by high seas in the eastern mediterranean. "the brilliance of the seas" was en route to egypt sunday when the rough weather hit. the ship changed course and is expected in malta early tomorrow morning. there were 2,095 passengers. 978 of them americans. the ship's interior was damaged. the piano smashed through a window. flying furniture caused minor injuries to 30 passengers. some passengers were injured when they were tossed out of bed. american diplomat richard holbrooke remains in critical condition this morning in a washington hospital. he is president obama's special envoy to afghanistan and pakistan. he collapsed during a meeting with secretary of state clinton friday. he underwent surgery saturday to repair a tear in his aorata. yesterday he underwent another

procedure to help improve miss circulation. the death of mark madoff officially ruled a suicide, the son of ponzi scheme operator bernard madoff hanged himself. his body was discovered saturday, the second anniversary of his father's arrest and the worst investment fraud in u.s. history. manuel gallegus reports. >> reporter: mark madoff could never shake so many people's suspicion he must have been involved or at least known about his father's elaborate ponzi scheme. the medical examiner confirmed the 46-year-old did take his own life. madoff's father-in-law discovered him hanging from a dog leash in his posh apartment as his 2-year-old son slept in another room and his wife was away at disney world with their daughter. a lawyer for his mother, ruth, said simply, ruth is heartbroken. there's been no public reaction from bernie madoff, currently serving a 150-year sentence in a federal prison in north carolina. >> i have no comment. i'm sorry, i can't help you.

>> reporter: since the scandal broke, the pressure has not let up on mark or his brother, andrew who ran the firm's trading division, which was separate from the division that oversaw the massive fraud. still, in 2009, the court appointed trustee in the case, irving picard, filed a civil suit against both brothers trying to recover money for the victims. the lawsuit accused mark madoff of using $66 million he received from the firm to buy lavish properties in nantucket and connecticut. author andrew kurtz man says it was a long fall for an outgoing man who at one time seemed to have it all. >> he couldn't land a job. his wife had to change the last name of the children. >> reporter: some victims say his death may make it even tougher to find answers in the fraud investigation. manuel gallegus, cbs news, new york just ahead on the morning news who said what. a look at the most memorable quotes of the past year. plus, the first family gets in the christmas spirit with a special celebrity-filled concert.

we'll have it coming up. you're watching the "cbs morning news." up. you're watching the "cbs morning news." ♪ express yourself ♪ [ female announcer ] because coffee is like the holidays. it's better when you add your flavor. coffee-mate. from nestle. [ male announcer ] confused what to get? click on the robitussin relief finder. click on your symptoms. get the right relief. makes the cold aisle easy. the robitussin relief finder. it's that simple.

the robitussin relief finder. [scraping] [piano keys banging] [scraping] [horns honking] with deposits in your engine, it can feel like something's holding your car back. let me guess, 16. [laughing] yeeah. that's why there's castrol gtx... with our most powerful deposit fighting ingredient ever. castrol gtx exceeds the toughest new industry standard. don't let deposits hold your car back. get castrol gtx. it's more than just oil. it's liquid engineering. so that's why we have sensodyne iso-active whitening for those that are looking for it. it comes in a canister. it starts out as a gel. now this is where the fun begins. once you start to brush with it, it micro-foams. having those small micro-bubbles really allows it to get to those hard to reach areas. it's providing a cleaner experience. the benefits for sensodyne iso-active whitening, it's going to provide protection against sensitivity.

and it's going to help restore teeth to their natural whiteness. ♪ to the new-born king >> that is the first family singing along with ellen degeneres and the cast of the christmas in washington celebration at the national building museum sunday. the obamas also stopped for a photo-op in front of the christmas tree with children dressed up as elves. the annual concert benefits the children's national medical center. what are the most memorable quotes of the year? they came from two of the biggest stories of the year, first the rise of the tea party. delaware senate candidate christine o'donnell made a commercial in which she tried to clear up questions about her past. >> i'm not a witch. i'm nothing you've heard. i'm you. >> despite tea party backing o'donnell lost, tied for the number one spot on the annual list from the yale law school.

the other top quote from the oil spill in the gulf of mexico when the boss of bp, tony hayward. >> nobody wants this thing over more than i do, you know, i'd like my life back. >> nobody can forget that one. he was later replaced as the ceo of bp. cbs moneywatch time this morning. stocks in asia got off to a good start this week. ashley morrison is here with that and more. good morning to you. >> good morning, terrell. asian markets got a boost after china decided against raising interest rates. japan's nikkei rose nearly one percent while hong kong's hang seng gained more than half a percent. on wall street the last full week of trading before the start of the new year. last week stocks made gains. the dow edged up a fraction while the nasdaq tacked on almost 2%. it's green monday, traditionally one of the biggest days of the online shopping season. analysts expect consumers to spend close to a billion dollars on the internet today alone. today is also expected to be the busiest day for shippers nationwide but many consumers

advocates say don't be fool the, the discounted deals and free shipping offers should still be available after today and the best time to shop for bargains is actually the week after christmas. supermarket chain a & p filed for bankruptcy. once the nation's biggest grocer, the great atlantic & pacific tea company filed for chapter 11 sunday as it struggles with enormous debt and increased competition. the filing was expected and its stock took a hit friday. all 395 stores in the northeast are expected to stay open. subscribers to gawker.com need to change their passwords. the blogging website says hackers infiltrated the database and got their hands on 1.4 million user names and passwords now posted elsewhere on the internet. it could be especially dangerous for people who use the same password for other online activities. gawker says it is embarrassed by the security breach. at the movies a disappointing showing for the

latest chapter of the chronicles of narnia, the third film in the series opened in the top spot with sales of 24.5 million dollars but analysts expected a lot more. the romantic thriller "the tourist" -- opened in second place with disney's animated musical "tangled" slipping to third. terrell, we went to see the "due date" with robert downey, jr., last weekend, also a funny movie. >> lots of them out there. this is the time to check them out a. lot of good ones coming out. good to see you. thank you so much. let's get a break this morning. on this monday morning, we'll have a check of the weather forecast. in sports out of bounds an nfl coach trips an opposing player on the sideline. ♪ good for anything in store ♪ from toothpaste to cashews [ female announcer ] right now earn walgreens super jingle cash. $5 for every 25 you spend.

walgreens. there's a way to stay jolly. $and the life you want to live. with rheumatoid arthritis, there's the life you live... fortunately there's enbrel, the #1 most doctor-prescribed biologic medicine for ra. enbrel can help relieve pain, stiffness, fatigue, and stop joint damage. because enbrel suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal, events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, and other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis. ask your doctor if you live or have lived in an area where certain fungal infections are common. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if, while on enbrel, you experience persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. ask your rheumatologist if enbrel is right for you. and help bridge the gap between the life you live...

and the life you want to live. just shake it. [ 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. here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. in new york, rainy, 45. partly cloudy and 60 in miami. windy, 12 degrees in chicago. 59 and sunny in dallas. 82 degrees and sunny in los angeles. time now for a check of the national forecast the latest satellite picture shows clear skies over the southwest and midwest. on the east coast a large and powerful storm is bringing snow and rain. later today the northern plains turn very cold and windy. the lake-effect snow machine will continue to churn out heavy snow. the northwest will have more rain and snow showers. in sports this morning, two

nfl games on tap tonight, ravens and texans in houston and giants and vikings at ford stadium in detroit. why in detroit, you might ask? well, good question, because this happened to the metrodome in minneapolis. the roof couldn't hold all the snow and ice from the big blizzard. it collapsed. kick-off time in the motor city 7:30 p.m. eastern. the snow in chicago, brady of the patriots connected for two touchdowns against the bears. new england pounded chicago 36-7. the fifth straight win for the patriots. they are the first team to lock up a playoff berth. in the rain in new jersey, miami turned turnovers into points. the dolphins beat the jets 10-6 and frustration on the sideline. a strength and conditioning coach tripped miami's nolan carroll. the rookie was running near the bench. the coach there apologized and could face penalties from the team and the league. when we return this morning another look at this morning's top stories and royal coupling, engagement photos of prince

william and kate middleton are released. usa prime credit. my name peggy. peggy, yes, i'd like to redeem my reward points for a gift card. 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.

francisco of charging commuters from the south six bucks. now see how peninsula leaders are fighting back. tis' the season.. for getting mugged. how an east bay city is protecting shoppers after 4 robberies in just two hours. taking back the parks. the plan to weed out the crime.. in some of the area's hot spots for vandalism. plus... signed, sealed, and delivered. the forecast on the busiest shipping day of the year. join us for cbs 5 early edition ... beginning at 4:30. ,,,,

on the "cbs morning news" here's a look at today's weather. very cold air mass moving into the country through the northern plains. the cold will spread towards the gulf of mexico. more snow will come to the great lakes and the northwest will be looking at rain and snow showers. here's another look at this morning's top stories on a monday. the upper midwest digging out following a powerful storm that disrupted travel with heavy snow and subfreezing temperatures. minnesota, there was so much snow, over two feet, the roof of the minneapolis metrodome collapsed. the senate expected to hold a procedural vote on president obama's tax deal with republicans. the white house says it is expecting the measure to be

approved by congress before the end of the year. an exciting few days for britain's royal family. sunday prince william and kate middleton released their engagement photos. a few days earlier prince charles and his wife were caught in the middle of a violent protest. elizabeth palmer reports. >> reporter: in the shaky video, you can see the windows of the royal rolls royce were open so prince charles and camilla, at least at first, weren't completely shielded physically from the crowd. britain's home secretary didn't specify what kind of contact was made with camilla, but she did hint that the royal couple might, in future, travel in a more secure vehicle. >> i think you are going to see a real sort of upsurge in security and the scrutiny around people that may have got close the last time certainly won't be happening again. >> reporter: british police have released 14 photos of people they want to question in connection with thursday's violence. although it's not clear which, if any, are suspected of attacking the royal car. pockets of demonstrators also

defaced public buildings and monuments during a protest against the tripling of university tuition fees. meanwhile, new official photographs of prince william and his fiance kate middleton were released today taken by the fashion photographer mario testino. he's photographed the royal family before but most famous for taking the iconic black and white photos of william's mother, princess diana. >> i think by choosing the photograph who took the images of mother looking so incredibly happy, he's almost bringing her again, you know, to the whole kind of situation around the engagement. >> reporter: in the new photos front and senior on kate's finger, diana, william's mother unmistakable engagement ring. she may be gong from the royal couple's life but she clearly won't be forgotten. elizabeth palmer, cbs news, london. this morning on "the early show" the winners of the multi-million dollar prize from "the amazing race" we'll have that coming up.

i'm terrell brown. this is the "cbs morning news." ah, it's stinging a little bit more than usual! yeah, you'll get used to it. the longer you keep your high mileage car, the more it pays you back. get castrol gtx high mileage. it helps engines last longer by fighting the main causes of engine failure. i think a dime went up my nose. yeah, it happens. don't change your car. change your oil to castrol gtx high mileage. its more than just oil. it's liquid engineering. gotta get that bacon! dog: yummy. crunchy. bacon. bacon. bacon. there, in that bag! mom: who wants a beggin' strip? dog: me! i'd get it myself but i don't have thumbs! yum, yum, yum... it's beggin'! hm... i love you!

beggin' strips! there's no time like beggin' time!

boy, you know, at y boy, you know, what you wonder how that car got up there. well, it turns out the driver was speeding early sunday when the car hit the curb and went flying, getting stuck five feet between two homes. police arrested the driver, suspected of dui. no one was seriously hurt but the homes, as you can see, were significantly damaged. the right, a lot smoother for the nissan leaf, the first affordable electric car. it came off the production line over the weekend and was delivered to a customer in san francisco. the leaf and another vehicle the chevy volt are generating a lot of buzz. mark strassmann takes a closer look. >> reporter: they may be nearly silent but you still heard electric cars are coming. >> 100% electric. no tailpipe, nissan leaf. >> reporter: well, they're

finally here. this thing really is quiet. we got an early test drive of broth cars. they break new ground running on a rechargeable lithium ion battery. the all-electric nissan leaf and the almost all-electric chevy volt. this is the future. >> this is definitely the future, absolutely. >> reporter: the leaf is purely electric with a range of 100 miles. the volt can go 40 miles on pure electric but 400 miles overall. see, the volt also comes with a nine-gallon gas engine. big difference between this volt and the leaf. this car's battery actually went dead and, as you can see, it's still moving. here's how. the volt's gas engine is now charging the car's battery. the dashboard gauge says for another 240 miles or so. >> these are two appealing cars. >> reporter: automobile magazine's jean jennings also sees potential problems. every 100 miles and the leaf needs another charge. then again -- >> 90% of the drivers in america

do not go more than 100 miles in a day. >> reporter: the jolt with the volt, it stickers for $41,000. the leaf? about $33,000. but for both, a federal tax credit gives back 7500 and both cars will run much cheaper than conventional gas cars. on our early test drive, we took the volt to one of america's great car meccas, the henry ford museum near detroit. >> this is cool. >> reporter: gawkers were charged with questions, like -- >> how long does it take to charge the battery? >> reporter: four hours. >> are they going to make stations where you can plug in? >> reporter: yes, but -- >> to pull into a place for a quick charge and have to wait 30 minutes, you already better be planning your life. >> reporter: both cars have waiting lists of buyers. they are eager to get behind the wheel of the most radical car technology in years. mark strassmann, cbs news, detroit. coming up later on "the early show" live reports on the massive storm that buried the midwest and we'll find out where

the system is headed. also a preview of michael jackson's new cd and a look at the new controversy surrounding it. and the million dollar winners of last night's "the amazing race" that and more coming up on "the early show." that's the "cbs morning news" for this monday. i'm terrell brown. for this monday. i'm terrell brown. take care, everybody! -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

♪ ♪ ♪