tv CBS Morning News CBS January 27, 2011 4:00am-4:30am PST
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winter barrage. another powerful snowstorm assaults the east, grounding planes, and downing power lines, closing schools and even stalling the president's motorcade. lightning speed. that's how doctors describe the pace of representative gabrielle giffords' amazing recovery since the tucson shooting. and dow rising. the dow jones industrials topped 12,000 for the first time since the dow jones industrials topped 12,000 for the first time since the worst of the recession. captioning funded by cbs good morning, everybody, and thanks for joining us, i'm betty nguyen. we begin with a story that's all too familiar in the northeast this winter and that's a mammoth snowstorm snarling travel and
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causing widespread damage. it barreled up the east coast overnight, faster than forecasters predicted, dumping heavy snow in washington, philadelphia, new york, and points north. let's get the latest now from scott goldberg here in new york. good morning, scott. >> reporter: good morning, betty. it will be a messy commute this morning, after the storm brings another foot of snow to new york city. overnight, airports had to close, bus service was suspended and now it will be a costly cleanup here in new york, which already has blown through its snow budget for the year. for the sixth time in as many weeks, the northeast is waking up to another wintry mess. >> we had thunder tonight, freezing rain and snow. you don't see that too often. >> reporter: overnight the wild weather dumped up to a foot of snow in some places. in the d.c. area, hundreds of thousands of residents were left without power in frigid temperatures. >> got to love it, got to hate it. >> reporter: across the region airlines have canceled hundreds of flights, even these two travel agents couldn't catch a break. >> the flew flights between knew
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and 6:00 that there are are all full or canceled. >> reporter: and the roads aren't much better. a mix of snow and ice creating hazardous conditions. last night, president obama's motorcade was stuck in traffic for an hour on its way back to the white house for a trip that usually takes 20 minutes. here in new york city more than three feet of snow already has fallen this winter. the average for the entire season is less than two feet. >> ready for the warmth. >> reporter: off the coast of new england storm surge is the main worry. >> we get socks the size of potatoes sometimes thrown at these. >> reporter: later this morning the system will finally taper off. >> i'm hoping that today will be it. no more snow. we don't want no more snow. news cast, no snow. >> reporter: but that's exactly what's in the forecast over the next few days. and here in new york, mayor michael bloomberg has more than 2,000 salt spreaders, snow plows and other vehicles on the roads trying to prevent a repeat of that christmas blizzard that
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paralyzed this city. betty? >> no one wants that again. okay, scott goldberg here in snowy new york. stay warm out there. in other news, it's reported this morning that before the tucson massacre, accused shooter jared loughner did online research on assassinations and the death penalty. meanwhile, congresswoman gabrielle giffords is amazing doctors with the speed of her recovery. sandra hughes has more. >> reporter: astronaut mark kelly gave the celebratory thumbs up from the cab of the ambulance carrying his wife. doctors let congresswoman gabrielle giffords leave an intensive care unit wednesday for a houston rehabilitation hospital because they determined she's no longer at risk of infection and is in good condition. >> in terms of recovery for brain issues, this is really a lightning speed. >> reporter: a team of doctors in houston have been working with giffords since friday when she arrived from tucson. earlier this week, doctors were able to safely remove a device from her brain that was draining
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excess cerebral spinal fluid. looking forward, doctors say they plan to put a speaking valve in her breathing tube. >> at this point, i think we can say that her speech function, along with everything else, has been improving. quite a bit. >> reporter: they say giffords is actively participating in four to six hours a day of physical, occupational and speech therapy, showing remarkable progress. >> i've already increased the therapy duration because her tolerance level has increased significantly in the last few days. >> reporter: it's been less than three weeks since giffords survived a gunshot to the head. the suspect in the shooting, 22-year-old jared loughner, pleaded not guilty to charges of trying to assassinate the congresswoman. now "the washington post" and "new york times" are reporting that in the weeks leading up to the shooting, loughner spent time online researching lethal injection, solitary confine hadn't and political assassination. sandra hughes, cbs news, los angeles. on the "cbs moneywatch," stocks in asia are looking up. ashley morrison is here in new
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york with more on that. good morning, ashley. >> and good morning to you, betty. asian markets edged higher as earnings season gets under way. japan's nikkei gained nearly 1% while hong kong's hang seng saw late-day losses and ended ground a fraction. we'll see if the dow makes another run for the 12,000 mark today. yesterday it jumped above 12,000 for the first time in 2 1/2 years but quickly retreated to close below that mark. in the end the dow added just eight points while the nasdaq rose by 20. the congressional budget projects that social security will run a permanent annual deficit unless lawmakers take action. social security will pay out $45 billion more in benefits this year than it will collect in payroll taxes. it was expected that social security would start running permanent deficits in 2016 by a weak economy has payroll taxes lagging. and applications for benefits rising. but the outlook for the u.s. economy is getting better.
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leading economists surveyed by the associated press predict the economy will grow 3.2% this year, and a total of 2.2 million jobs will be created. but it will be at least until 2016 before the unemployment rate returns to historically normal 5%. ford is recalling more than 400,000 windstar minivans in 22 states and the district of columbia. the recall involves minivans from the 1999 to 2003 model years. ford says brackets and mounts connected to the front of the minivan could separate from the vehicle's frame and cause steering issues. the recall is limited to states where road salt is used in the winter. the cl 1 would get 261 miles a
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gallon. that's a two cylinder engine and uses lightweight materials. that is amazing, 261 miles per gallon, betty. >> are you right? i mean, is that correct, 261 miles per gallon? >> that's what they're saying. >> oh, my goodness. sign me up for one of those. >> that's green. >> ashley morrison is here in new york with us. thanks for joining us, ashley. now to the looming budget battle in congress. president obama is calling for investment in america to build the future. but republicans say this is the time for pulling back, not pushing forward. here's joel brown, who shed some light on that dispute. >> she's pretty good, huh? >> reporter: this wasn't just a factory tour. the president used this wisconsin clean energy plan to show exactly what he meant when he challenged the nation to win the future. >> we need to make sure american workers can go head-to-head with workers in any country on earth. >> reporter: the president's making his case that clean energy and green jobs will be what drives a new dynamic
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economy. his rallying cry from tuesday's state of the union. >> we need to out-innovate, out-educate and out-build the rest of the world. >> reporter: he wants to do it with targeted spending and education and technology. he hoped to win over skeptical republicans with a plan to tackle the deficit. starting with a five-year budget freeze that could save $400 billion. but according to new government estimates, the already record high deficits just got bigger, after figuring in the president's tax cut compromise with republicans. the deficit is now expected to hit $1.5 trillion this year. >> so it's clear to me that we have reached that tipping point. >> reporter: the new numbers added more fuel to the looming budget battle. republicans are demanding deeper spending cuts. now, not later. >> if we don't do it now, what are you going to do, wait another ten years and have another ten times our national debt? >> reporter: both sides have been light on specifics on the tough choices they've made to
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tackle the deficit. our first proof could come next month when the president and republicans announce their budget proposals. joel brown, cbs news, washington. the color-coded terror warning system is being discontinued. the five color code has been in effect since after the 9/11 attacks. a 90-day phasing out begins today. it's part of a revision of the homeland security department's advisory system. the new plan calls for advising specific groups about specific threats. tomorrow, the pentagon is expected to outline its training plan to repeal "don't ask, don't tell." the military is expected to have three months to train its service members on the new law, which allows gays to serve openly. >> just ahead on the morning news, an american commissionary is gunned down in mexico. plus a tumble down under. singer jimmy buffett falls off a stage and lands in a hospital. you're watching the "cbs morning news." "moneywatch" sponsored
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with the results. singer jimmy buffett was released from the hospital today after falling off stage during a concert in australia yesterday. while performing, buffett slipped off the front of the stage. he injured his head and lost consciousness. but doctors say the medical scans show the 64-year-old is okay. an american missionary died after being shot in mexico. the woman's husband told police that he drove his pickup truck back into the u.s. after the attack in an area controlled by a drug cartel. his wife died yesterday of her wounds in a hospital in mcallen, texas. more protests are expected in egypt today. two people died in the second day of demonstrations yesterday against the government. that brings the two-day death toll to six. elizabeth palmer reports from cairo. >> reporter: before dawn on day two of cairo's street protests,
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police used water cannons to clear away demonstrators spending the night in a central city square. as in the demonstrations that brought down tunisia's president, twitter and facebook have been key to organizing these protests. they were partly shut down by security forces. the crowds were a little smaller, but demonstrations did spring up in several locations. young people determined to march, and the police just as determined to shut them down with volleys of tear gas. the protesters responded by hurling rocks and setting fire. they want an end to corruption, unemployment, and police abuse. we will stay, says this man, until the government goes. washington is watching this unrest closely, and appeared to suggest the egyptian government should respond to the protesters' demands. >> the egyptian government has an important opportunity at this moment in time to implement
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political, economic, and social reforms to respond to the legitimate needs and interests of the egyptian people. >> reporter: it's almost midnight here in cairo and you can smell the tear gas in the air. the city is saturated with tens of thousands of police. but in spite of the heavy-handed tactics, the demonstrators show no signs of giving up. elizabeth palmer, cbs news, cairo. straight ahead your thursday morning weather. and in sports, the nba's top scorer hits for a career high. the best device for everything you love to read editors' choice. best dedicated ereader. magazines look spectacular. fantastic device. touch the future of reading at barnes and noble. nookcolor.
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here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. new york, partly cloudy, 36. miami, sunny and 74. chicago, light snow, 26. dallas, sunny there, 63. l.a., sunny and a warm 78. time now for a check of the national forecast. the latest satellite picture shows -- the latest winter storm in the northeast is moving out to sea. clouds cover the northern plains and northeast. and there are mostly clear skies in the southeast, and southwest. later today, though, the snow will come to an end in the northeast. lake-effect snow showers could form in western new york and pennsylvania. there are areas of fair weather covering the west coast, and southeast. take you to sports now, the
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nba's leading scorer came through in overtime. kevin durant of oklahoma city made the game-winning jump shot with 28 seconds left in o.t. against minnesota. durant had 47 points, and the thunder beat the timberwolves 118-117. chauncey billups of denver scored 26 points against detroit and j.r. smith had a fourth quarter jam as the nuggets defeated the pistons, 109-100. denver has won seven of their last nine games. in college basketball there were two upsets of top ranked teams. brigham young poured in 43 points, and byu handed san diego state its first loss 71-5. number one ohio state is the only undefeated top team left. in rhode island, providence upset the number eight team in the country as brooks scored 20 points against villanova and providence cruised to an easy 83-68. when we return, another look at this morning's top stories.
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c1 3 saying this morning about the tragedy. a new lead in the search.. for a missing 4 year old boy. what could bring investigators closer to tracking down the kidnapper. could 4 dollar gas be in our near future? when you can expect to see the price jump in the bay area. and.. the days of orange alerts are over. the new changes to our terror alert system.. being announced today. join us for cbs 5 early edition ... beginning at 4:30. a baby girl killed after being hit by a t,,,,
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on the "cbs morning news" here's a look at today's weather. heavy snow is coming down across new york city and into connecticut overnight. cape cod will see snow and gusty winds continue through the early morning hours and sections of the northern plains could see a few rain and snow showers. here's another look at this morning's top stories. yet another snowy blast buried much of the east coast from washington to new england overnight. heavy snows downed power lines in the d.c. area and everywhere else, leaving hundreds of thousands without electricity. and doctors in houston say that less than three weeks after she was shot in the head, arizona representative gabrielle giffords is recovering at
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lightning speed. now to a modern-day problem that's become a common sign on any street, pedestrians distracted by their electronic devices. but there are new efforts aimed at curbing that behavior. jim axelrod reports. >> reporter: the body under the tarp was a man named jason king. last month in new york, he was run over by a truck backing up. king's ipod may have drowned out the truck's warning signal. >> the one thing we haven't done is reminding people about how to be a safe walker. >> reporter: a 31-year-old california man, and a 39-year-old alabama woman were both hit by trains while on their cell phones. after four straight years of declines, the latest numbers show an increase in pedestrian deaths. and the evidence suggests electronic devices may be to blame. >> really, really need to pay attention to the streets, and again, where you're going. >> reporter: now, some state lawmakers want to stop the music. in oregon, cyclists would be banned from using mobile phones and music players while riding. similar bills are being
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considered in virginia and california. in new york, a state senator wants to ban the use of the devices while crossing the street. imposing a $100 fine. >> it's absolutely necessary. as we see mounting fatalities and vehicular accidents. >> helmets while we're walking? >> reporter: as some other pictures tell us, distraction is no laughing matter. jim axelrod, cbs news, new york. a chicago man fired for showing his team colors got a new job offer. john stone was fired from his job as a car salesman when he showed up to work monday wearing a green bay packers tie. the team beat the bears sunday in the nfc title game. well, a rival dealer has now offered stone a job selling chevys. this morning on "the early show," comedian betty white. i'm betty nguyen. this is the "cbs morning news." the "cbs morning news." for those of us who have lactose intolerance,
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a young woman has found an ingenious way to help thousands of orphans around the world. it's through their own artistic expressions. and the project started with a trip she took eight years ago. cynthia bowers introduces us to her. >> reporter: rebecca welsh is nothing, if not determined. at age 14, the movie "karate kid" prompted the kansas city girl to take up martial arts. in just six years, by age 20, she was the world champion in tae kwon do. a former model, she also played an underground prize fighter in the film "fight night." rebecca's martial arts competitions took her around the world. in 2002, she went on a mission trip to honduras.
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it was there her life took an unexpected turn. >> i encountered a girl named daisy living on the streets, she's 6 years old, and she was literally begging for water. and i'm thinking, how do you live, you know, six-hour flight from here my whole life and i have no idea that this is going on. >> reporter: back home, rebecca shared daisy's story with kids in america. they were so moved, they started fund-raising. $5,000 went to orphans in mexico. soon, rebecca began to receive artwork from them as a thank you. >> we had all this artwork and we decided to do an art action. and it just went over so well, because we'd sell the piece with the child's story and it's so powerful for people to be able to connect to that. >> reporter: these are some of the people you've helped? in 2005, rebecca formed the charity helping art liberate orphans, or halo. >> we would do our therapy with kids and it helped them learn how to communicate better and raise their self-esteem. >> reporter: currently the
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organization supports eleven orphanages around the world. >> the fun thing about paint is -- >> reporter: halo also served more than 1,000 underprivileged kids in educational centers in kansas city and denver. last year rebecca's charity raised more than $300,000 to support the kids. >> it's about reaching out and finding people who really want to make a difference. everybody wants to do something. they just have to figure out how to do it. >> reporter: rebecca found by using heir own strength, she's able to help build a strong life for others. cynthia bowers, cbs news, kansas city, missouri. >> what a great program. coming up a little bit later on "the early show," live reports on the snowstorm hitting the northeast this morning. and how it will affect your travel plans. also, if you're craving an ipad or a flat-screen tv but just can't afford it, we'll get tips for getting the best deal on the hottest gadgets this year. and comedienne betty white tells us about her dramatic turn in a new hallmark hall of fame
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