>> staying silent. the suspect in the tucson killings makes a court appearance but isn't talking. a dangerous winter storm takes aim at the northeast after slamming the south. and title town. the auburn tigers cap off a perfect season with last-minute heroics and a national championship. >> the bcs national championship. captioning funded by cbs this is "the cbs morning news" for tuesday, january 11, 2011. good morning, everybody. thanks for joining us.

i'm betty wynn. this morning, we're learning more about the man accused of shooting 20 people in tucson. jared loughner made his first court appearance on monday. so far, he's not talking. meanwhile, gabrielle giffords remains in critical condition. sandra hughes is live in tucson. she joins us now. sandra, what's the latest? good morning, betty. well, today is going to be the first community memorial service. and we may finally hear from the parents of the alleged shooter, jared loughner. it's been reported that his father has written a statement and he may release it. jared loughner remains locked up this morning as investigators dig for more clues. the 22-year-old was denied bail monday at his first court appearance. he's accused of saturday's shooting rampage which left six people dead and 14 injured, including congresswoman gabrielle giffords. authorities tell cbs news that they think loughner targeted giffords out of anger towards the governor, not out of hatred for any particular party. he might have been upset after

reportedly asking giffords at a 2007 event, "what is government if words have no meaning?" and getting no answer. >> he seemed to dwell on the fact that she wouldn't answer his question. i think that's just like the start of it. >> friends say loughner appeared increasingly unstable. this makeshift altar with a skull was discovered in his back yard. congresswoman giffords remains here in critical condition. but doctors give them encouraging news. she managed to give them a thumbs up sign and there appears to be no additional swelling in the brain. >> every day that goes by and we don't see an increase, we're slightly more optimistic. >> reporter: outside the hospital, a tribute for the victims continues to grow. president obama will speak at a memorial service in tucson tomorrow. >> in the coming days, we'll have time to reflect. right now, the main thing we're doing is to offer our thoughts and prayers to those who have been impacted. >> reporter: the president already offered his personal

condolences to the family members of those who were killed. cbs news has learned that the fbi has security camera video from the safeway store that may capture or that does capture part of that horrific shooting spree that took place last saturday. betty? sandra, speaking of the fbi, has it found any evidence linking loughner to any hate or fringe groups? >> well, at this point, the fbi continues to go through loughner's computer files, notes, everything that they can find within his house. and, no, betty. they, at this point, have found nothing to indicate that he belongs to any kind of group. it appears that he is a loaner. >> sandra hughes joining us live in tucson this morning. thank you. president obama called on the nation to come together in the wake of the tucson shootings. earlier monday, mr. obama and the first lady led the nation in

a moment of silence. congresswoman giffords is married to astronaut mark kelley. her brother-in-law, also an astronaut, is currently in command of the international space station. >> these days we're constantly reminded of the unspeakable acts of violence and damage that we can inflict on one another, not just with our actions, but also with our irresponsible words. we are better than this. >> congressional staffers gathered on the capitol steps to remember the tucson victims. the shooting has done little to slow down the verbal firework that have become the norm in this country and some say may have triggered the attack. jeff greenfield has more. >> there was a shooting at safeway. >> reporter: as the first shock waves of the story were spreading, the words of that sheriff helped set off an incendiary debate.

>> the hatred, the bigotry that goes on in this country is getting to be outrageous. >> reporter: from one, that charge that blood was on sarah palin's hands for targeting giffords' districts. from a tea party statement, the party was exploited by what it called "the party of treason." >> each began the facts they wanted and began the fight anew. >> usually the harshest words come from the right. former house speaker newt gingrich argued the secular socialist agenda is as big a threat to america as nazi germany and the soviet union were. prominent conservative pollster dick morris had this to say about the bureau of alcohol, tobacco, and firearms. >> those crazies in montana who say they're going to kill atf agents because the u.n. is going to take over, well, they're beginning to have a case. >> the image of the gun as

recisse tax is broadly popular. an ad was featured of him shooting at an unpopular bill. all of which is beside the point. >> anyone who would take an incident and try to turn it to political points, as far as i'm concerned, they lost their humanity. they need to re-evaluate what kind of people they are. >> reporter: the angry words about words will rage on although no one knows if they had anything to do with what happened in tucson. jeff greenfield, cbs news, new york. for more on the tragedy, we'll have continuing coverage later on "the early show". now to the winter storm that has crippled much of the south and now taking aim at the mid atlantic and the northeast, the storm is in two parts converging on the eastern seaboard. new york city could get up to a foot of snow. new england could get twice that amount. back in the south, at least nine deaths are blamed on the storm. manuel geagas reports.

>> reporter: the streets of atlanta are as slippery as a hockey rink. several inches of snowfall was turned to an icy glaze making walking and driving treacherous. >> this car is not made for the snow. >> very tough, very tough. i'm not used to this. i'm from miami. >> the winter blast pounded six southern states from alabama where more than a foot of snow is on the ground, to north carolina where caylee williams and her grandmother learned the hard way how dangerous the weather can be. >> i thought i was going to have a heart attack. i really thought i was going to die. we were coming down the hill. my grandma was driving. she hit the brakes and it slid all the way down and it stopped right there. >> the freezing temperatures are expected to last much of the week. here in atlanta, many businesses and schools will be closed again tuesday. >> a little bit of snow and it's -- it's just a nightmare out here. >> the airports, more than 2,000 flights were cancelled. kathy stansfield was scheduled to fly to cancun, but the snow got in her way.

>> it's pretty, though. but i'd rather be laying on the beach. >> and with schools and offices closed, for many, there's only one thing to do on a rare snow day in the south. manuel geagas, cbs news, atlanta. the death toll is rising in australia where tsunami-like flooding is causing massive destruction in the northeast. >> oh, my goodness. a powerful wall of water swept away cars in one town, killing at least nine people monday. it's estimated up to six inches of rain fell in a half-hour. more than 70 people are missing. and the prime minister says the worst may be yet to come. >> the nation does need to brace itself for the fact that the death toll as a result of yesterday's flash flooding and walls of water is likely to rise. >> emergency crews rescued dozens from the high water.

the flooding has covered an area the size of germany and france combined. julian assange is due in court where he's wanted for questioning about alleged sex crimes. he released thousands of u.s. secret documents. vice president biden is in afghanistan. he began a surprise visit on monday. he met with afghan president hamid karzai and visited the military center today assessing progress to any security operations over to afghan forces. just ahead on "the morning news," actor michael douglas says, he's clear of cancer. move over, at&t, verizon is set to make a big iphone announcement today. you're watching "cbs morning news." make a big iphone announcement today. you're watching ""cbs morning news.""

>> man: delivering a 200-pound ice sculpture means i don't have any margin for error. one wrong turn, and i could end up unloading a puddle of water. >> gps: turn right ahead. >> man: so i make sure i have the right guidance to get me exactly where i need to be. it's the same with taxes. turbotax has a unique gps feature that guides me step-by-step. automatically double-checks along the way and even lets me talk to a tax expert so i'm never alone. which helps me know it's done right and get to my maximum refund, guaranteed. >> try turbotax online now. you don't pay unless you're satisfied with the results. i have astigmatism. so my old contact lenses would sometimes move out of place and blur my vision. my eye doctor said there's great news for people with astigmatism. acuvue® oasys for astigmatism.

he said it's the only lens of its kind designed to realign naturally with every blink and created with hydraclear® plus. i'm seeing more clearly, crisply, comfortably, all day long. now life doesn't have to be a blur. [ male announcer ] learn more at acuvue.com. acuvue® oasys for astigmatism. [ beep ] [ beep ] [ beep ] [ beep ] [ male announcer ] find an italian masterpiece in your grocer's freezer. shrimp and lobster ravioli with garlic butter sauce, from buitoni. simple ingredients, artfully prepared. buitoni. create an italian masterpiece. discover more buitoni masterpieces in the freezer section. former house majority leader tom delay has been given three

years in prison. a judge sentenced delay monday for his conviction of money laundering and conspiracy. a jury found him guilty in november for scheming to illegally funnel corporate money to texas candidates in 2002. delay will probably be free for months or years while he appeals. on "the cbs money watch," most stocks in asia dipped this morning. ashlee morrison here with more on all of that. gook, ashlee. good morning to you, betty. asian markets edged down on worries that the european economy nikkei lost a fraction while hong kong bucked the trend gaining about 1%. today wall street is the latest on the trade and the labor markets. on monday, stocks stumbled. the dow dropped 37 points and the nasdaq was up four. verizon takes the long-awaited iphone today, ending at&t's four-year run as the exclusive apple's best seller. verizon is expected to sell more iphones than at&t.

but it may not be the big boom to the bottom line it looks like. the first verizon iphone will likely only work on the older 3g network and not the newer generation network both care rerer -- carriers are working on. at&t structured the contracts making it difficult for existing customers to switch. detroit has feathers in its cap. the bolt has been named the north american car of the year by the detroit auto show and the ford explorer won the truck of the year award. media previews of the show began today. mien and ford plans to hire 7,000 workers in the u.s. in the next two years. the growing market share and increased steady recovery are allowing the company to add jobs. and toyota is expanding the prius family. the company unveiled the two new additions to the line today. one bigger than the current model and one more compact available by 2012. toyota has dominated the hybrid market since first putting the

prius on the road in 1997. betty? >> we appreciate it. joining us live here in new york. thank you. actor michael douglas says his tumor is gone and he may have beaten throat cancer. douglas says he's relieved after what he called, quote, a wild six-month ride. after cancer treatment, he lost weight, but now has gained some of it back. douglas has been nominated for a golden globe award for his performance in "wall street: money never sleeps". richard winters whose world war ii exploits was made famous by "the band of brothers" has died. he was commander of easy company, which was part of the normandy landing in june of 1944. he and his men fought in the battle of the bulge as german forces staged a counteroffensive. winters died january 2 of parkinson's disease at his home in pennsylvania. richard winters, a real american hero, was 92 years old. winters, a real american

hero, was 92 years old. is naturally satisfying. so select harvest light soups are 80 calories or less, 100% natural. and-oh-so-satisfying. select harvest light from campbell's.® it's amazing what soup can do.™

until the combination of three good probiotics in phillips' colon health defended against the bad gas, diarrhea and constipation. ...and? it helped balance her colon. oh, now that's the best part. i love your work. [ female announcer ] phillips' colon health. here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. new york, evening snow, 33 degrees. miami, partly cloudy, 79. chicago, light snow, 29, dallas, sunny, 37. l.a., partly cloudy, 66. time now for a check of the

national forecast. the latest satellite picture shows two storms converging on the northeast while signs are clear over the rockies. later today, the great lakes and mid atlantic with the snow and high winds as they head for the northeast. cold and sunny in the midwest and rain is expected in california. in sports, a dramatic finish in the bcs championship game in college kickoff. before the kickoff, a moment of silence for the victims of the shootings in tucson. later, auburn quarterback cam newton connected on two touchdown passes. oregon came back in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 19. then auburn quarterback michael dyer appeared to be tackled but refused to go down. that set up the winning field goal as time expired and auburn beat oregon 22-19. cam newton praised his teammate. >> i'm a blessed individual. even when it got down without these guys sitting on the left and right of me throughout this year, ain't nobody feel sorry for auburn.

we got the last laugh. >> this is auburn's first national title since 1957. congratulations to them. and, in the nba, boston lost their second straight game. aaron brooks of houston scored 24 points against the celtics. the rockets' 108-102 victory ended a five-game losing streak. when we return, a look at the top stories. and still struggling, the slow rebuilding of haiti one year after the disaster. [ female announcer ] picking tights isn't easy. picking a free detergent is. switch to tide free & gentle. it removes more residue from dirt, food, and stains. so nothing spoils this tights enthusiast's enthusiasm.

tide free & gentle. style is an option. clean is not. activia has delicious news for dessert lovers. often, the best part of a meal is the dessert. but sometimes after a busy day and a big dinner... my system needs some tlc. now there's something that's just right. activia dessert. rich, silky, smooth yogurt with desserty flavors like strawberry cheesecake, blueberry cheesecake, and peach cobbler. and because it's activia, it helps regulate my digestive system. mmm. works for me. ♪ activia activia dessert. what we're learning about the source.. and the challenge for crews trying to repair it. plus.. friends reveal disturbing new details about the suspected arizona gunman. the cryptic voicemail he left before the shooting. and.. the burden on college students is about to get bigger. the massive cuts outlined in the governor's new budget.

plus.. how you can pay to land your dream job. join us for cbs 5 early edition ... beginning at 4:30. ,,,, on "the "cbs morning news,"" a look at today's weather, the great lakes and mid atlantic states will see snow and windy conditions. the west coast has snow and rain moving in. the bulk of the country is just downright cold.

another look at this morning's top stories. the accused tucson shooter jared loughner made his first court appearance. he's not talking, but the fbi has found no link between loughner and any hate group. congresswoman gabrielle giffords remains in critical condition. the deadly winter storm is headed to the northeast after slamming the south. nine people were kill in storm-related traffic accidents. one year ago this week, a devastating earthquake hit the nation of haiti. the government says more than 220,000 people were killed and millions remained homeless, while only 5% of the rubble has been removed, there are signs of hope. randall pinkston reports from haiti. >> reporter: a stone's throw from the ruins of presidential palace, thousands of haitians crowd tent cities. it's a picture of despair -- but only part of the picture. this is the other reality. on a hillside 20 miles north of port-au-prince, haitians are laying down the roots of a new

community called kanaan. marie, a nurse proudly showed what will be the waiting room of the health clinic by her and her church. why are you and your pastor paying out of your pocket. because the people have health problems, she said, nobody helps them. >> reporter: she commutes to work in the camp. people lost relatives, they lost everything. the earthquake hit haitian people hard and they need help. like this woman, who came in with questions about a prescription. the health clinic and construction projects like this one are examples of what may be a solution as this desperate nation tries to rebuild. haitians helping haitians, opening small businesses, establishing schools, even planting gardens. it's hard work for everyone, but a nation that's never had it easy is rising to the challenges ahead. randall pinkston, cbs news, canaan village, haiti.

this morning on "the early show," continuing coverage of the tragedy of tucson. this is "cbs morning news." in. this is "cbs morning news." ,,,,

[thunder] did you buy the flashlight and the batteries? yes. did you make sure we're not missing anything in the first aid kit? yup. did you go through the plan with the kids again? yes. announcer: the more you prepare today, the more you'll be able to reduce the devastating effects of a tornado, an earthquake, a power outage,

or any other disaster. get a kit, make a plan, be informed. visit ready.gov. the tough-talking sheriff of arizona is facing criticism for comments he made about the tucson shooting. the sheriff is blaming extreme political rhetoric and said radio host rush limbaugh is responsible for continuing the vitriol. and he's not backing down. on monday, he spoke to katie couric. >> i'm not a political person by nature. i've been a police officer my entire life. i have no agenda. but i was very, very angry and i think that there are millions of people in this country who are very concerned about the -- these -- this -- the at the nowhere of things in this country, particularly when it comes to politics. >> how does this community heal? >> i think this country needs to tone it down. when i was growing up, it was a

different country. >> he also blames arizona's relaxed gun laws for saturday's shooting. the alleged gunman purchased his weapon legally. out of state gun laws are under the microscope. dean reynolds reports. >> reporter: arizona has among the most permissive gun laws in the nation, the right to keep and bear arms here extends to weapons in cars, restaurants, and even bars. finding a list of gun friendly establishments is as easy as clicking the mouse on the computer. here, you can literally go on a shopping spree armed from store-to-store. the argument being that carrying weapons enhances security. now there are proposals pending in the state legislature that would allow college faculty and college students like those here at the university of arizona to carry concealed weapons on campus. >> a lot of drinking going on on campus. it wouldn't be safe. >> would you welcome students and faculty carrying concealed weapons on campus?

>> good god, no. >> reporter: the former mayor of tucson who worries about access to weapons like a glock semiautomatic used in saturday's rampage. >> i think in the state of arizona, it's easier to purchase a weapon like that than it is to get a driver's license. >> reporter: in arizona, fire arms and politics go together. this was a tea party candidate for congress. >> meet pamela gorman, conservative christian -- and a pretty fair shot. >> reporter: and gabrielle giffords' republican opponent urging voters to remove her from office invited her to come and shoot a fully automatic m-16 with him. this all plays out amidst some of the most explosive issues, arizona tough nest the nation's laws to impede immigration or the emotional debate over health care. it's not known for sure what motivated jared lee loughner, what is known, he had no trouble getting a gun and using it. dean reynolds, cbs news, tucson. coming up a little later on

"the early show," more on the tragedy from tucson. we'll hear from a shooting survivor and a former friend of the alleged gunman. also a winter storm is battering the south. we'll hear more about that next. and actor jerry o'connell will be in to talk about his tv show, "the defenders." that's all from "cbs morning news." thanks for watching. i'm betty wynn, have a great day. ,,,, teach an old dog new tricks?

,,,, maybe you should go to your shelter and get a mature dog... who will make your blues disappear. how's that for tricks? i got picked! wow!