captioning funded by cbs request good morning, a bernie madoff bombshell as his wife tells "60 minutes" that they tried to kill themselves. >> we had terrible phone calls, hate mail. just beyond anything. and i said i can't, i just can't go on any more. >> as ruth madoff tells her story, victims say, don't forget about us. you'll hear from this morning and we'll show you more of that explosive "60 minute" interview. settle a growing debt crisis that threatened to spread to the u.s. and around the world. so, what will this mean for your wallet? in wall street, we'll tell you. testimony could end today in

the michael jackson manslaughter trial after defense witnesses bring dr. conrad murray to tears. the big question, though, will he take the stand in his own defense? we have the very latest from inside the courtroom. and winter comes early in colorado after an october storm drops more than a foot of snow on the ground. now, parts of new england are bracing for their own snow storm, we'll tell you how much is expected early this thursday storm, we'll tell you how much is expected early this thursday morning, october 27th, 2011. captioning funded by cbs h, 2011. and good morning to you on this thursday. good to have you with us. i'm erica hill. >> i'm chris wragge. >> that snow could be headed our way. you have your costume set and your mother tells you to put a jacket on. >> if i have to put a jacket over my costume, i can't. >> you'll just have to suck it up. we begin with that stunning

claim. in a "60 minute" interview ruth madoff says she and her husband tried to kill herself in 2008. >> spoke with ruth madoff and her surviving son, andrew, who said his mother sent him a package after his father's arrest. >> i tore open the envelope and dumped it out and it was absolutely heartbreaking. these were pieces of jewelry that i recognized. things that i'd seen my mother wearing over the years. and i couldn't understand how she could do this. i mean, what were they thinking? and it wasn't until three years later that i had a chance to ask her, what were you thinking when you sent me that jewelry? i don't understand. she told me that she and my father planned to kill themselves. and they put together that package beforehand and sent it

o out. >> did they try to kill themselves? >> yes, they did. >> i don't know whose idea it was, but we decided to kill ourselves because it was so horrendous what was happening. we had terrible phone calls, hate mail, just beyond anything. and i said i can't, i just can't go on any more. that's when i packed up some things to send to my sons and my grandchildren. i had some lovely antique things and things that i thought they might want. i mailed them, it was christmas eve that added to the whole depression. we took pills. and woke up the next day. >> what did you take? >> i think ambien. >> how many? >> i don't even remember.

i had, i took what we had. he took more. >> did you leave notes? >> no. it was very impulsive and i'm glad we woke up. >> a riveting interview, but this morning, as you can imagine, some people say it's a mistake to talk about bernie madoff's family matters. >> the victims' losses now estimated at $20 billion. jim axelrod has more on that. >> reporter: ruth madoff and her son, andrew, tell a stunning story. but for the fraudulent crimes, a tale they don't care to hear. >> it doesn't really bother me that the immediamadoffs are makl of the country, once again. if the media wants to buy into it, i can't stop it. >> reporter: larry leaf seen here in a 2008 cbs interview is a successful ontrentrepreneur w lost his entire $8 billion fund

to madoff. >> he would stop draw and now we're told that in 25, 30 years, it was all fictitious and we're not going to get any money. >> reporter: but earlier this month, more than $300 million in repayments finally began going out to a small percentage of madoff clients. 16,500 claims were submitted and only 2,400 were approved, leaving many feeling left in the lurch. now, more than two years into his life sentence, victims are asked to believe the mastermind of it all was so remorseful, he. >> personally, having spoken to bernie in a long time, he is not really the type to commit suicide, but i understand they would have thought about it. that they might have even impulsively thought deeply about it. >> reporter: while madoff's remaining family members have not been prosecuted, they're still dealing with the rep

repercussions of his crimes. >> andrew is being pursued civilally as is a good deal of the madoff family. and that will drag on and on and i assume that they will pay millions of dollars. >> reporter: jim axelrod, cbs news, new york. joining us with more diane enriquez of "new york times." "the wizard of lies." great to have you with us this morning. >> great to be here. we'll hear more from this on "60 minutes" on sunday and more in "new york times." one thing i found interesting that we heard in ruth's interview, she said, i'm glad we woke up and in "new york time sheets she goes on to tell you, i'm not so glad he woke up. >> she has a dry sense of humor even in all this dreadful turmoil, but she said that quite sincerely and she went on to say that although she does not know

he contemplated suicide. i don't know how he lives with it. i e-mailed bernie in prison when his daughter-in-law's memoir came out and that, of course, focuses on his son's suicide. i said, asked him, did you ever consider it? and he wrote me back this week and said, well, it crossed my mind. he acknowledged only that it crossed his mind. but he gave an elaborate explanation for how he thought by staying on he could help collect more assets for the victims and that he couldn't abandon his family. now, of course, we see that, you know, the damage done to his family is irrelevant to whether he was still around or not. >> the big question is, do we believe ruth? do we think this is just kind of a ploy for sympathy. do you believe bernie when he says he wants to stay around and recover some of the assets. he knows where some of the money is hidden. >> let's distinguish between believing ruth and believing

bernie. do i believe bernie? you have to take that with a big grain of salt. he has only been confirmative of information the trustee has had and he keeps saying to e-mails to me and everybody else, he is trying to help the victims. ruth is a different matter. i think this is a very good barometer for what kind of emotional state she was in in those weeks and months after his arrest. so, i do find it credible that she attempted suicide. and then regretted it. suicide has been a dreadful theme in this family's life. we know now that her son mark attempted suicide at least once before he succeeded. so, i think looking back now she is glad that she didn't succeed, but i think it did show us how much emotional pain she was in at the time. >> is this a ploy for sympathy in some way? at one point she's speaking out now because andrew asked her to help promote the book. is this, instead, just about selling books? >> no, for her, it's about restoring the relationship with her son.

her son wanted her to participate in publicity. i think he genuinely feels it will help the public get to know her better but certainly she would have preferred to stay in seclusion. no doubt about it. >> good to talk with you here this morning. you can see the entire interview this sunday night on "60 minutes" right here on cbs. jeff glor over at the news desk with a check of the day's other headlines. good morning. >> good morning to both of you. on wall street stocks are way up after big news overnight. a deal worked out to help resolve europe's debt crisis. elizabeth palmer is in london with more on that. liz, good morning. >> good morning, jeff. after so many near misses and false starts, the european leaders were under tremendous pressure to come up this time with a really convincing deal. and they did it. but european leaders and their top financial advisors were hammering out details long past the deadline.

it was after midnight when they finally emerged with a hard one deal that follows a lot of political sniping and even violence. there were riots in rome and athens after demonstrations by workers whose standard of living is bound to take a hit. there was even a fist fight in the italian parliament. but today in the early morning hours, finally, an announcement that would calm world financial markets. >> we have at the end of the day a comprehensive plan that include all the ingredients. >> reporter: the ingredients are is a vast bailout fund for european countries having trouble borrowing on international markets, an agreement to strengthen fragile european banks with european capital and an agreement by european banks to take a 50% loss on any money they are owed by greece. their measures designed to reassure the money markets that europe is, indeed, solvent. this is good news in the u.s., as well. but the congressional research

service estimate the fully 5% of u.s. banking assets are vulnerable one way or another to the european debt crisis. there were developments overnight at the occupy wall street movement in new york city. streaming towards city hall. in part to protest yesterday's police crackdown in oakland, california. there were arrests overnight in new york. a similar late night march in oakland. several hundred protesters filled downtown streets there watched by riot police. earlier the city did let protesters reenter a plaza. at least 25,000 homes are without electricity in snowy colorado this morning following a major

today could be the final day of testimony in the michael jackson trial. >> defense witnesses praise his medical skills and compassion. ben tracy has the story. >> that man sitting there is the best doctor i've ever seen. >> one by one, five of comrade murray's former patients came to his defense. >> i'm alive today because of that man. >> i have never had a doctor

that was more caring. >> reporter: murray was moved to tears wednesday as his grateful patients took the stand as character witnesses. >> he's a great guy. >> reporter: they say that dr. murray they knew from his time as a houston cardiologist was diligent, kind and not out for money. >> you did not see a sign when you walked in that said pay at the time services rendered. >> reporter: for three weeks prosecutors argued that murray was in it for the murray and in way over his head. they say he gave michael jackson what he wanted. the powerful anesthetic propofol to help him sing. turning the singer's bedroom into a pseudo hospital room. >> it's been four weeks where he's been battered where the prosecution has accused him of being incompetent, uncaring, unforgiving in terms of his quality of care. these witnesses hope to humanize conrad murray but i don't know if changed and evaseerated four weeks of testimony where he has

been battered and bruised. i don't think that changed. >> reporter: the big question remaining, will dr. murray testify? >> the way this trial has been going, as poorly as it has gone for him, i would strongly consider that option. we will know that answer very soon. >> reporter: the defense is expected to finish this week and then dr. murray's fate is in the hands of the jury. ben tracy, cbs news, los angeles. joining us now is jean casarez who is covering the trial for trutv. good morning. >> good morning. >> after weeks dr. murray visibly moved yesterday as the witnesses testified to his character like we heard in the piece a second ago, trying to humanize this man. you were in the courtroom, let me ask, did it work? how did it play with the jury? >> it was emotional in that courtroom because this is the doctor that everybody wants. someone who was kind and caring and who explained procedures. if someone didn't have money, treated them anyway. bought prescriptions for people

if they couldn't afford them. but then on cross-examination, that's the thing, the prosecutor got to say, did he do propofol on you? no. did he do the procedure in your bedroom? no. did he not have any monitors when he did the procedure? no. the prosecution got their point out, but it definitely was a good day for the defense because the jury is left saying, well, wait a minute, this looks like a really good doctor so what happened? well, maybe michael jackson exerted his power, his influence and he wanted that medication, but it doesn't override the fact of the standard of care that prosecutors say was violated. >> all right, the big question that still remains unanswered. will dr. murray take the stand in his own defense? have you been given any indication? any indication he's going to do this? >> most people say no. but, listen to this. in every trial the judge constitutionally is required to advise the defendant of his constitutional right to take the stand, if he wants to, his constitutional right to remain

silent. well, the judge told the defense a couple days ago he was going to advise the defendant outside the presence of the jury and ed churnoff lead councsel said, yo don't have to do that. the judge said, no, independently, i need to ask him. the minute i heard that, i heard that many times i said, i think he might want to testify. the judge yesterday outside the presence of the jury went on and on, chris, for ten minutes saying it is your right. no one can stop you. if you want to testify and just really aprizing him. he hasn't asked him yet, but he's going to. conrad murray has to respond what his choice is, his personal choice. >> do you think he needs to testify in order to win this case? >> oh, it will be a tough cross-examination. there are things the defense does not want to come out that will come out if he takes the stand. yet, there are questions that the jury may want to know. so, by taking the stand, maybe they'll have some answers and we'll have some compassion for what the defense wants to show

is a good doctor that was under the influence of michael jackson. >> all right, we will wait and see. jean casarez, thank you so much. >> thank you. still ahead this morning on the broadcast, our latest poll shows unemployed americans are getting more discouraged and desperate. we'll look at where the jobs are and how you can improve your chances of landing one. also ahead, china's empty cities. turns out they could be the first sign that another real estate bubble may be about to pop. a closer look for you ahead. you're watching "early show" on cbs. it's the sun. get out of the office more often, with chili's $6 lunch break combos, featuring texas toast half sandwiches. chili's lunch break combos. is saturday. hurry in for your last chance to get the lowest prices of the season. with the biggest savings on apparel to appliances, the top brands of tools to the newest electronics and more. that's real deals for real savings. sears.

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♪ little does it make you sit up and take notice. young americans are now burdened with more than a billion dollars in student loan debt. >> that is more than all credit card debt in the u.s. it's like a giant anchor weighing down the next

generation's version of the american dream. yesterday, president obama offered a plan to ease some of that burden for millions of students with government-backed loans. when we come back we will take a closer look at that plan and see if it's likely to help the people who need it most because so many kids out there who want a great education but it costs money. >> so many people later in life have gone back to school both before and after their session looking for a better job. as chris said, we will take a look who this plan could benefit the most and also some things you may need to consider if you or someone you love are about to embark with someone with a career with a lot of loans. this is "the early show" on cbs. announcer: this portion of "the early show" sponsored by priority mail flat rate shipping only from the postal service. a simpler way to ship. it can . not nearly as complicated as shipping it, though. i mean shipping is a hassle. not with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service. if it fits it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. that is easy. best news i've heard all day! i'm soooo amped! i mean not amped. excited. well, sort of amped.

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frank mallicoat ... thousands good morning, everyone. it's 7:25, time for some bay area headlines. the big news, an earthquake. thousands of people felt it this morning all around the bay area. it was centered in the berkeley hills. it hit about 5:36 this morning magnitude 3.6. no major damage or injuries reported. but it was felt as far way as sierra foothills. it also had another magnitude 1.9 in the santa cruz mountains at 6:25 and another quake in truckee late last night. meanwhile, parents' protests could not save five schools from closing in oakland. the school board voted last night to shut down five elementary schools next june. it's expected to save the district more than $2 million. and san francisco police decided against raiding the "occupy sf" protest camp this

morning. officers were ready for action but apparently called it off because of the large number of protestors including some who came to san francisco from some other areas. we'll have your traffic and weather coming right up. stay right there. ,,,,,,,,,,,,

good morning. we start with bart delays.

we have good sized bart delays unfortunately not because of the earthquake, but it's actually because of an equipment problem on the track. an earlier problem at the bay fair station. so delays fremont to richmond- fremont to daly city and dublin police to daly city, as well. we are hearing 20 possibly up to 30 minutes on those lines. the pittsburg-bay point line into san francisco is not impacted. and if you're driving this morning the bay bridge is backed up to the maze. that's traffic. here's lawrence. >> weather looking good, elizabeth. a lot of sunshine around the bay area. it's chilly if you are heading out this morning. some of the numbers down into the 30s and the 40s so pack a jacket out the door early on but by the afternoon, we are going to warm things up very nicely. 76 degrees in santa rosa. about 75 in livermore. 67 and sunny in pacifica. you get the idea some gorgeous weather. it will continue over the next couple of days. warm through saturday, cooling a little into sunday and monday. ,,,,,,,,

♪ welcome back to "the early show." thursday morning, cannot get the sun to rise around here today. >> we will do our best. >> just not happening. i'm chris wragge, along with crossed path in the refugee

camps when i was over there and we will talk about new efforts she is behind. look forward to that conversation. a look of growing concern among the millions of americans who are out of work in this tough economy. the latest cbs news/"the new york times" poll 41% of the unemployed are not confident they will find another job. >> 54% say their finances are bad and spending their savings and cutting back on necessities and borrowing money and 20% threatened with foreclosure and conviction. here are some of the voices now of the unemployed. >> i started out as an art director and worked my way up until i was a creative director. >> my most recent position i was a senior consultant for sales proposal development. >> i was hired as the art teacher. and ended up staying there for 19 years. >> i knew that the company was slowing down a little bit, but i wasn't expecting to lose my job. >> my manager started off by saying fairly bluntly that my position was being eliminated.

>> i went into panic mode. >> it wasn't even a long-range thought of what do i do now for the future. what do i do right now? >> because i assumed that finding a job within four or five months. >> after about a year of looking for work without success, it became clear i was no longer going to be able to afford to keep up the mortgage on the house. >> i don't think i can go on to too much longer without working. >> my wife and i split up. i can't blame at all on the fact that i lost my job, but it was a very big last straw. >> now we struggle to put food on the table, keep the power on, keep the heat on. >> there are long periods when what i have is not enough to cover all of the bills each month. >> if i run out of unemployment, we are not going to be able to handle supporting the household. >> after three years of this, do i feel discouraged?

absolutely. >> it's hard for me to even say the word unemployment. >> one of the hardest parts of it is accepting rejections. >> one jon that i did go on, i said, you know, how many people have applied for this one job? and they said, 2,000. >> you know, i can get 99 rejections, but all i need is one acceptance. >> i want to be positive and i want to ble that there is a job out there. >> i'm three years down the road. i don't have a job, but we're still here, we're still healthy, we're still alive, we are still in the same place. we're making it, barely, but we're making it. >> one woman who has heard all of those stories and many more is john challenger, ceo of the outplacement firm challenger, gray, and christmas. we know it's so tough. you look at the stories of people and i think we know one person if not more who are going

through the situations you just heard from. with unemployment hovering around 9% here what do you say to people to give them hope there is something out there for them? >> well, the economy is growing. it's growing slowly, it's growing primarily in the private sector, so it's businesses that are creating jobs every month. we are losing jobs in the public sector so governments, at all levels, are cutting jobs. in this slow growth economy, you do have to stay upbeat, you have to fight for your job. >> which is easier said than done for a lot of folks. you mentioned job cuts. up 212% last month. that is the most in nearly two years. are you expecting it to change any time soon? >> i do think we're not going to see any miracles come in this economy but see slow steady growth and that is what happens when the country, people, government, businesses all go into debt. what happens is you slow down.

businesses are slowing down their investment, new, say, divisions or new products, they are not creating lot of jobs but they are slowly growing as the economy comes. so you have to be positive and stay at the search day in and day out. >> stay positive and stay on it and look in areas that are hiring. so you have a few that we should go through. health care, seems like we have been hearing this a long time. technology and retail. >> retail right now is certainly a great place to be looking. say you've been out of work six months. a lot of these numbers coincide with the fact that about 45% of the unemployed right now have been out more than six months. that's when you begin to become more pessimistic. maybe you go take a job in retail just to bring some income in, to know that you are valued, you're going to work. you can keep on looking while you're in one of those jobs, but the holiday season, you know, is a good time to pick up that extra job. >> we hear oftentimes it's easier to find a job when you have one. even with a temporary one, it could work. what other things can you do to

your skill set to boost your chances of finding a job, especially inner you may not be familiar with. >> go back to school get classes and education and pick up technology in a particular area and do that at night so you can continue working during the day. also join organizations. just don't sit in front of that computer sending out applications or your resume. go out and volunteer for organizations, whether it's a political campaign for this upcoming season or a volunteer organization, a charity you care about. that gets you out seeing people and those people working at those organizations work at other places and often your route in the door. >> great advice. good to have you with us, john challenger. thanks. >> thank you. here is jeff glor at the news desk with a check of today's other headlines for us. >> good morning to you. a stunning interview from "60 minutes" as the wife of bernie madoff says she and her husband tried to kill themselves. ruth madoff told morley safer

that weeks after her husband was caught in 2008, they tried to overdose on pills on christmas eve. >> i don't know who -- whose idea it was, but we decided to kill ourselves, because it was -- it was so horrendous what was happening. we had terrible phone calls, hate mail, just beyond anything. and i said i can't -- i just can't go on any more. >> you can see the interview with ruth madoff and her son andrew sunday on "60 minutes." stocks rallied in europe morning after european leaders agreed on

up next, china's real estate boom where they are building cities for people that don't even live there yet. >> we will tell you why it could turn into the world's biggest real estate bubble and out that impact, a big impact back here in the united states. this is "the early show" on cbs.

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♪ ...and copays as low as one dollar... ♪ ...saving on medicare prescriptions is easy. ♪ so you're free to focus on the things that really matter. call humana at 1-800-808-4003. or go to walmart.com for details. welcome back. any past decade china has become the second largest economy with much of that growth riding on an exploding real estate market.

>> yeah. sound familiar there? a real concern that understandably about a housing crisis there like the one we are spill experiencing in the u.s. cbs news business and economics correspondent rebecca jarvis continues her series on china this morning. good morning. >> good morning to you. concern not only for china but for the united states. because last year, we did 92 billion dollars of sales with this country and that is an important factor. china is the fastest growing economy in the world. one of the things that chinese government has done to spur that growth and develop jobs is develop real estate. experts warn china could be facing the world's biggest real estate bubble. >> reporter: at the heart of china's rapidly expands $6 trillion economy is a massive building boom. skyscrapers and shopping malls and high speed trains and even new cities are popping up. one of the those cities is dontu located 150 miles northwest of shanghai, it's streets on modern

and freshly paved and crane dot the sky line between parks and housing developments but the bustling crowds have yet to materialize. leo is a teacher in this city who repeatedly bought a home here with a loan from a bank. can you show me where the apartment that you bought is? >> oh, it's over there. and that is one of the best in this area. >> reporter: one of china's so-called empty cities, dontu was created by the government to spur economic growth and to help urbanize the country's largely rural population. here in the center of dontu you can feel the emptiness and plays to the old thinking if you build it, they will come. and the chinese government is hoping the people eventually will. china's steady economic growth has made it the second strongest economy in the world. its population at 1.3 billion is the largest, yet only a tiny fraction of the chinese people can afford to live in a city

like dontu. >> many places, these cities are going empty while right around the city there is a shortage of housing for china's attempt to urbanize. >> reporter: rodger baker say the overdevelopment could set off a real estate crisis even larger than what we faced in the united states. >> i think that people would certainly call this a bubble. we see the prices continuing to rise. we see them being fed in many ways by speculation. >> reporter: baker warns that could take a serious toll. not just on china, but on the world. >> at a time when the european economies are in a state of crisis and the chinese economy goes into a state of crisis, you basically knock off line what? two-thirds of the world's economic activity. >> reporter: but for locals lie leo, less concerned with the value of his home, he is happily enjoying something rare in china. the quiet of a big city. >> it's quite relaxing, i think. it's just really clean and the quality of all the houses are

really good. >> reporter: leo told me that the average home in dontu costs about $75,000 and might sound affordable but when you compare it to wages in china, it's quite expensive. the average wage there runs about $2 an hour or $200 a month. >> wow. >> so, obviously, that is a big disparity between what you make and what you have to pay to own a home. >> could china experience a similar housing crisis what we have here or have they learned what we have been going through in this country? >> what they have been doing is stimulate growth by feeding that real estate market. the chinese government at the national level goes to the states, goes to the provinces and says we need a certain level of growth to keep our 9.1% growth as a country going. at the state level, then at the province level, they are stimulating that growth by investing up to 60% of their money in real estate. so, frankly, when you take a step back, it's really looking like a very similar scenario to what we had here. a lot of banks there are doing risky lending as well. >> it's frightening when you know what the ending was here to

that story. you would hope maybe they would take a cue but it doesn't sound like it. >> they are trying but still a very difficult thing to do. still to come, the latest on the biggest refugee camp in the world. population? close to 500,000. >> jill biden, wife of the vice president, is here to tell us how you can help. you're watching "the early show" on cbs. [ airport announcer ] now boarding group 4 to barbados.

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a minor earthquake s good morning. i'm grace lee with your cbs 5 headlines. a minor earthquake shook parts of the bay area this morning. you might have felt it. it hit around 5:36 a.m. centered in the berkeley hills. it had a magnitude 3.6 but no reports of any kind of damage or injuries. "occupy" protestors are now calling for a citywide general strike in oakland next week. organizers say it's still in the planning stages but would involve shutting down businesses and taking students out of schools. and a rare sight today for people in san mateo. crews are going to be shooting scenes for a "of men and mavericks" a movie based on the life of a surfing legend played by actor gerard butler. the santa cruz native was 23

when he died in a diving accident 10 years, parts of hacienda and 25th streets will be closed. traffic and weather coming right up. ,, california should be proud. we were the first to ban smoking on airplanes. the first to have smoke-free bars and restaurants. all while saving over $86 billion in health care costs... and over a million lives. we've done a good job. but even if you were born today, you'd still grow up in a world where tobacco kills more people... than aids, drugs, alcohol, murder and car crashes... combined. we have a lot more work to do.

bart is experiencing major delays this morning from the east bay know san francisco on several -- from the east bay into san francisco on several lines. it's unrelated to the

earthquake. there was an earlier track problem near bay fair station. the pittsburg-bay point line is not impacted. but again, major delays 20 to 30 minutes. if you're hitting the road, the bay bridge toll plaza is stacked up well into the macarthur maze this morning, westbound 580 jammed solid from 24. it is very slow up the incline, as well. and we are also following an accident down the eastshore freeway. westbound 80 at fitzgerald, this is a one lane blockage stacked up into hercules. that's traffic. here's lawrence. >> elizabeth, gorgeous start to the day a lot of sunshine around the bay area, but chilly in spots. 30s and 40s across much of the bay area right now. but clear all the way to the golden gate bridge. going to be sunny and warm by the afternoon. mid-70s in the hottest spots inland. plenty of 70s inside the bay. and a few 60s and sunny even at the coast. next couple of days, high pressure will strengthen. those temperatures likely to warm through saturday. then cool slightly towards sunday on monday clouds making their way across our skies.

♪ welcome back to "the early show." at the top of the hour. i'm erica hill, along with chris wragge. just ahead this morning, why the democrats think they can maim a comeback in congress after last year's elections when long-time democratic lawmakers were knocked off. they are borrowing the gop strategy for 2012, meanwhile. >> that means running against the washington status quo. we'll talk to the new recruits including a former astronaut and former police chief. they say with congress more unpopular than ever they have the chance to make the change in washington as they feel washington needs. also ahead, we do want to get you the update on the

humanitarian crisis in africa. there's a rise in violence there making life more difficult for ref you gee families a part of the massive exodus from somalia to camp in northwest kenya. in august i went there to visit the biggest refuge camp in the world. many of the somali families in kenya face days trying to get into camp like this one in dab. do you feel relieved now that you and your family are here? since the beginning of the year more than 150,000 somalians have gathered the last of their possessions or hoping the most precious ones would survive the journey. >> they have the capacity to take back kenya in terms of hunger and still be able to make it. i think that's a miracle. >> reporter: awaiting each refuge food and supplies that guarantee a chance at a new life.

>> year after year they are doing the same thing, can you imagine doing this every two weeks to come and get your food. >> reporter: despite their plight, this children we met provided the most hope in the 60-square mile piece of the desert receiving refugees for 20 years. in 1993 somalia ensued battle in the capital forcing the first flood of people from their homeland into refuge camps across the border. this year another famine and fighting sent refugees to kenya at 3500 a week. >> we are very close to the point where the maximum population capacity of this area will be reached. >> reporter: on october 16th the kenya military launched an attack on the territory in somalia. the kenyan government claim that is action reduced the number of refugees crossing the border to

just 100 people this week. still a half million remain in kenya today and it is requiring a large humanitarian effort to provide relief. >> right now famine, war and drought are killing a children every six minutes in africa. >> reporter: dr. jill biden also visited the camp this summer. she now joins with the american organization leading the effort to distribute food there to help raise awareness for the continued plight in the ward of africa. and joining us now, the wife of the vice president, dr. jill biden. last time we saw each other wasn't a very different circumstance where we were in dab. >> that made quite an impact on me when i was there, but it made an impact before i went when i was watching all the coverage on the tv shows. and i just thought, you know, look at those mothers there with chose children and being a mother myself, i just thought,

you know, i would want someone to help me and said, something has to be done. we have to do something more. >> these women, these families, you mention the women because so oftentimes it is the mothers, going through so much just to get their children there. and in their minds get them to safety where they can have security and food every day. and yet even that place in dab the ref youge camp was stretched to the limit. what realistically can people in this country do? >> well, we can give a donation to help these mothers and children, no matter how small, even $10 will feed a mother and her family for three weeks. or $2 pays for immuni zagss for children. so even -- i know times are tough here in america, but if we could just send a little bit of money, it would make a major difference. >> you mentioned how tough times are, we are approaching the holiday season, for a lot of people they are concerned about feeding their families, here at

home, finding a job or having a christmas gift this year. there are things you can do that don't involve giving money, as helpful as that may be, how else can people get involved? >> i think they can create awareness, tell their friends and neighbors, tell their church groups, their school groups, that maybe together they could maybe pull together a small sum of money. or they might say to their child, you know, there are children starving in somalia and kenya, and if you would forego one of your christmas gifts and give a gift of life to a child in a refuge camp. >> is it hard sometimes to raise awareness for issues that are happening overseas in a place that is so foreign to so many of us here in this country, and when we are struggling with our own things? >> i definitely think it is hard because people in america are struggling today. but, really, the level of really

desperation in africa, when i was there, erika, i heard of a mom walking days and days with two children. they were all so weak. and you have two little guys, and here she had two children, and she was just so weak she knew she had to leave one along the road and just take one with her. so when a mother has to make that kind of a choice, i mean, it is unimaginable, i think. and those are the kind of choices i hear over and over again that these mothers are having to make to feed their children and to get them to safety. >> it is unthinkable. you would never want to have to deal with that situation. we should point out, too, some of the work being done. it is not just about sending money to give people food. i know c.a.r.e. is involved where they are teaching people sustainable farming in the middle of the desert there in

kenya. >> yeah. feed the future is doing a great job. usaid is using new farm methods, new irrigation methods for better crops and vegetables. things are being done. they have already done that in ethiopia and kenya. that's why the drought has not affected them as badly. but in somalia we can't get in there because of the unstable political situation. >> yes. speaking of politics, we have to ask you quickly before we let you go, the vice president said over the weekend that he would be open to running for president in 2016. how would you feel about that? >> well, you know, i think you just have to take each day as it comes. i mean, look what happened the last election. we ran against barack, we lost. and then he was chosen vice president. so you never know what's going to happen. you never say never. but we'll just see what happens. >> it has been a busy year for

you. >> oh, yeah. >> we'll let you go because you are losing your voice. certainly nice to is you here in the studio. >> thank you very much. >> for more information about the crisis in the horn of africa and a list of organizations receiving disaster efforts, go to this website on the screen. ruth may madoff says she and her husband trying to kill themselves. this came during an interview with "60 minutes" did this two weeks after he was arrested in 2008. >> we took pills. i woke up the next day. >> what did you take? >> i think ambien. >> how many? >> i don't even remember. i had -- i took what we had. >> did you leave notes? >> no. it was very impulsive and i'm glad we woke up.

>> you can see the entire interview with ruth madoff sunday on "60 minutes." big news from europe where overnight leader ace agree on a deal to help fix the european debt crisis. it was hashed out overnight in bus zells with the focus on reducing greece's crushing debt. europe's big banks agreed to take a 50% loss on greek bonds. $148 billion will be injected into the banks to cushion the los. the agreement will boost europe's emergency bailout fund for other countries with debt problems as well. britain's queen elizabeth took in a show today. she winds up a visit to australia. she went to a school in the west coast city of perth for a dance performance. then it was lunchtime and the menu featured roo stew. that's roo as in kangaroo. notice she doesn't actually take ,,,,te and just hands it off to

>> ancer announcer: this portion of "the early show" sponsored by prudential. there are no obstacles. only challenges. prudential. bring your challenges. coming up next, need a new nose? >> what are you trying to say here? >> i'm not saying a word. i'm not talking about plastic surgery here, i'm talking about a new technique that lets scientists grow body parts. >> we'll meet the first synthetically produced human organ. you're watching "the early show" here on cbs. organ.

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♪ in this morning's in tod's in today's "healthwatch" synthetic body parts. sounds like science fiction but growing human tissue for transplants is now a reality. >> wild stuff. a medical professor in england found a way to do it. cbs news correspondent mark phillips visited him in his laboratory. >> reporter: in a hospital lab overlooking today's london, they are working on tomorrow's medicine. and you could forgive yourself for thinking you stumbled on to a film set for a remake of "frankenstein" complete with human body parts and bubbling vats and noses and ears and windpipe or trachea. in the world of frankenstein himself, dr. alex seifalian. a potential to change the transplant landscape. so an actual living windpipe grows in that jar? >> exactly. that is what was transplanted.

>> reporter: there's only been one actual transplant so far of what's called an engineered synthetic windpipe that was doned a a swedish hospital in june. the recipient, a main man who was previously diagnosed with an inoperable throat cancer and is now recovering well. >> injected me and then i was feeling okay, you know? i was feeling hope about the future. >> reporter: the technique involves making a glass mock-up of the diseased body part and then coating it in a new type of polymer. a rubbery-type substance developed in this lab. it's a plastic? >> plastic, yeah. >> reporter: special kind of plastic. >> special kind of plastic. >> reporter: a plastic with microscopic pores where stem cells from the patient attach and grow. chemicals in the red liquid

median determine that cells grow into the certain type of tissue, in this case a kind of cartilage. so basically you're providing, you said a scalpel, but a foundation or a form around which the patient's own cells then regrow the diseased body part. >> it can remodel itself, yes. it will remodel itself. >> reporter: and because the cells are the patient's own, they are not rejected by the body's immune system. the usual problem with transplants. and the trachea doctor says this may be just the beginning. >> the heart is possible but more complex organ like lung and brain are more complex to build but it is possible. >> reporter: already the lab is growing blood vessels to be used in heart bypass surgery. the frankenstine label is one he has heard before. do you think of yourself in the kind of frankenstein way? >> no.

we just make human spare parts. >> reporter: this might well be the start of a whole new medical industry while the technique is not yet approved in the united states his lab is already getting body part orders from other countries around the world. mark phillips, cbs news, london. >> truly fascinating. coming up next, the democrats lost control of the house in last year's republican landslides. now they want it back. we'll talk to the congressional candidates who like their chances. this is "the early show" on cbs. cbs "healthwatch" sponsored by the flexpen. ask your doctor about the benefits today. of electi e flexpen today. from patients who use levemir flexpen. flexpen comes pre-filled with my long-acting insulin, and i dial the exact dose of insulin i need. my flexpen is discreet and doesn't need to be refrigerated. and flexpen goes wherever i go.

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♪ in last year's elections, republicans took over the house of representatives with a lot of help from tea party members who promised to change washington. well, today, polls show

americans are more fed up with congress. ever and democrats now see an opportunity. cbs news congressional correspondent nancy cordes is on thrill with more for us this morning. >> good morning to you, chris. >> reporter: democrats are taking a page from the republicans in 2010 and trying to recruit as many outsider candidates as possible who have never served in politics. they brought more than a hundred of them here to washington this week to show they are determined to bounce back from their big losses. it's part pep talk, part show of strength. >> you want to be in the majority? >> yes! >> we are going to do this. >> reporter: democrats call them their top recruits in their bid to win the 25 seats they need to take back the house of representatives. 107 candidates from 36 states. we sat down with three of them, two of whom are new to politics. you're all running against tea party members. they had all of the momentum in 2010. what makes you think it's going to be different this time? >> they may have had a lot of momentum but they have forgotten

their number one responsibility and that is to put people above politics. >> reporter: val demmings spent her life in law enforcement and rose to become orlando's first female police chief. >> i think folks have buyer's remorse. >> reporter: jose hernandez of california is an astronaut who flew on the space shuttle "discovery" in 2009. >> most congressional folks are lawyers by trade and they are trained to litigate. i'm an engineer. i'm trained to solve problems. >> reporter: one candidate who wants back in is ann kirkpatrick of arizona. she served in congress for six years but was defeated last year when republicans won 63 new seats. what do you think the voters in your district were saying in 2010 when they elected your challenger? >> i think they said we want something new in congress. we are not getting exactly what we want. we are not not there yet but they realize now it's actually worse than it was. >> reporter: approval ratings for congress sunk to a record low of 9% in the latest cbs news

poll. >> god bless you, speaker boehner. >> reporter: becomes hope the anti-incumbent mood that helped the republicans in 2010 will work in their favor in 2012. how will you deal with the fact the president is unpopular right now in some parts of the country? will you invite him to campaign for you? >> well, you know, the president has a tough job to do, number one. he has done some things very well. he probably could have done some things differently. but the president has to run his own race and i have to run my own race in florida. >> reporter: republicans say they have got just as many of their own candidates waiting in the wings and that they are focusing on those 27 or so districts where they think they could pick up even more seats from the democrats this time around. they also point out that democrats may not be doing these, quote/unquote, outsider candidates any favors, chris, by bringing them here to washington when washington is so unpopular. >> cbs's nancy cordes on capitol hill for us this morning, thank

you. so much pessimism out there. you got to wonder. they have to do some campaigning out there to turn,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

a 3-point-6 magnitude quake good morning. it is 8:25. let's get you caught up on the headlines. the big story a 3.6 quake shook the bay area this morning. here's a look over cal's memorial stadium near the berkeley hills. that's right near the epicenter. no major damage or injuries reported but it was felt as far away as sierra foothills and all around the bay area including marin, castro valley, pinole, concord, pretty much everywhere. bart directors will decide today whether the system can ever interrupt cell phone service at bart station. bart came under fire in august when it scrambled cell signals at san francisco stations all in a move to prevent expected protestors from communicating. the policy up for a vote this morning. it would set strict limits on when cell phone service can be disrupted. "occupy" protestors are calling for a general strike

next week in oakland. meanwhile, frank ogawa plaza is once again open to the public, a few people setting up tents overnight after officers closed down the massive camp earlier this week. we'll have your traffic and weather coming right up. ,,,,,,,,,,,,

good morning. we still have major bart delays on most lines heading from the east bay into san francisco. this was an earlier problem on the tracks near the bay fair line. this is not related to the

earthquake. but again, major delays still about 20 minutes or possibly more on some lines heading into san francisco. elsewhere, if you are hitting the road it's not much better at the bay bridge, it's jammed from 24 westbound 580. you will notice a long drive time on the eastshore freeway. we have had accidents in richmond. so westbound 80 is almost 40 minutes from the carquinez bridge to the maze. one pour problem in the south bay -- one more problem in the south bay 280 near 17, an accident was blocking a lane. here's lawrence. >> elizabeth, weather looking good outside. we have plenty of sunshine, a little cool though in spots around the bay area. but if you're stepping outside, what a beautiful shot. skies clear. and it's going to stay that way all day long. let's plan on some mid-70s this afternoon inland, even mid-70s into the san jose area. about 70 in san francisco. and some 60s out toward the coast. next couple of days a little warmer into the first part of the weekend then cooling off on monday. ,,,,,,,,

♪ welcome back to "the early show." traffic at a -- okay now it's moving. >> woo! >> a red light. >> i was worried there the rest of the day. >> you know what happens if it rains in norkted. new york city. if it rains, you're crippled.

you can't do anything in new york city. enough of my venting. something says new york as much as central park and the statue of liberty, there is traffic and then the blair of horns from those taxis. all of those impatient cab drivers. now one new yorker has had enough and he is convinced the city getting serious about stopping all of the noise and we will see what the cabbies have to say about that. >> he wants them to do more than just post signs warning they will be fine. also ahead a visit with kal penn. he spent the last two years working at the white house and now going home for the holidays starring in a new comedy. kal penn is here to tell us all about that. on wednesday, president obama announced plan to help americans pay off their student loans more easily. >> it allowed 6 million borrower to combine their debt into a low interest rate. cbs news correspondent dean reynolds has more on the high price of higher education. >> reporter: you don't need to be a math major to know that the cost of college is adding up.

increasing 8.3% in just the last year, with tuition, room and board and fees the average charge at a public university for instate students is now $17,000 a year. >> what is this? >> reporter: 80% of american college students are in public institutions. people such as katrina manilack, a senior at the university of illinois at chicago. she has paid with her education with student loans. $50,000 worth of loans. tell me what that's like. >> it's a really overwhelming feeling. i like as much as i don't want to think about it, i have to think about it. >> reporter: in hard economic times and with federal stimulus dollars running out, states have had to make painful budget cuts. public education is a regular target. and for many governors, raising taxes to cope is politically risky. so schools have little choice but to raise their fees. >> the biggest reason for

tuition increases, quite simply, are state budget cuts. in the unrelenting mathematics of public higher education, state budget cuts equal tuition increases. >> reporter: it's a trend that seems to be accelerating. >> the last 30 years, states have been consistentlily reducing support for higher education and letting tuition make up for the difference. >> reporter: the college board reports roughly 56% of graduates at public four-year schools left campus with an average debt of $22,000. and while it's not clear how long this can go on, students and their parents would love to know the answer. dean reynolds, cbs news, chicago. >> joining us now is personal finance expert carmen wong ulrich, author of "the real cost of living." who benefits from this plan? >> here is the thing. current students and students just graduating. the plan goes into effect later on. we are talking about 10% of

discretionary income payment plan is recapped but 1 trillion of outstanding student loan debt. i'm still paying my graduate loan. >> i'm paying undergraduate too. >> it's quite the bubble. you have incredible college costs. you have so many student loans. but then you have really high unemployment. so the jobs aren't there to pay those bills. >> then what do you do now as you are, you know, as people may be visiting schools or try to decide if they want to go back to school to get a job. what do you have to take into account? >> it's not a rite of passage. it's an investment. it has risks so you have to treat it as an investment and really consider what am i studying and what kind of loans are you getting? you need to know the difference between federal loans and private loans. you want federal loans. you want as many federal loans as you can get. lower interest rates, great repavement plans and if you're out of work, you can file for deferment or.

>> there is no flexibility with private loans so you really want to avoid those. those are the riskiest to get. >> when reviewing the pros and cons, what would you recommend? >> the consumer financial protection bureau, if you go to their website consumerfinance.gov they have tools that show you if you're having trouble repaying your loans what to do, where can you go. it takes you through the process who to contact. it's a very useful and easy to use site. also with the president's plan is the income based repayment plan. this is if you're working and you're having trouble making those payments because your salary is so low, go to ibrinfo.org and more information there on the plan and how to use the plan. the key thing here i think is the biggest change isn't to that actual plan but the fact out out there, we are learning more about it because folks need to know. >> what is this other website? fin aid? >> it's a fantastic free site deep with information as to where to go and find out what is

subsidized versus unsubsidized and what is better and what loans to get and scholarships and grants. you want exhaust all of those options and do a ton of work. you have to be a really informed consumer. as much time as you spend on buying a house, a car, you can spend as much time on these. >> the federal loans a number of different types fall under that category. >> you want to look for words like stafford, grad plus, direct loans. perkins loans. know this. when it comes to subsidizized loans these loans are the interest is paid for by the government while you're in school. okay? and while you put it into deferment or forbearance. the loan doesn't grow. unsubsidized is the second best and make sure they are federal. always go for the subsidized first. >> talking between 5% and 6%. >> carmen, thank you. >> nice to see you. here is jeff glor at the news desk with a final check of today's other headlines for us. almost 37 minutes past the hour. >> just about there. another 13 seconds or so.

good morning to you. new numbers out this morning indicate the economy is picking up speed. the government has released the latest gross domestic product number for the third quarter july through september. gdp grew 2.5%. the fastest pace in a year. solid improvement over the second quarter's 1.3%. third quarter earnings also are out for exxonmobil this morning. the company's net income rose 41% as higher oil and natural gas prices made up for lower production and listen to this. exxonmobil earned 10.3 billion dollars! in new york city at least ten occupy wall street protesters were arrested overnight. hundreds jammed the streets near city hall defying police lines. they were protesting yesterday's police crackdown in oakland. in oakland, overnight, a similar street demonstration. riot police kept tabs on the marchers but unlike tuesday they did not fire tear gas and no violence overnight. a 5-year-old in ohio had car

trouble. no one was home on monday when the little girl returned to school, so she got in the family suv to look for her mother. she got the vehicle started and managed to roll it down the driveway right on to the lawn across the street. and that is when she called 911. >> the 911 operator got a little bit suspicious about her saying that it just happened by accident.

well, imagine driving around the world 40 times in the same car. a man in maine just finished putting 1 million miles on his 1990 honda accord. the odometer isn't built to go that hoe so joe sis row joins us now along with the car he calls "true blue." joe, good morning. >> good morning. >> when you first bought this car way back when, 15 years ago, did you ever think you would get 1 million miles out of that thing? >> i never did, no. in fact, i was a technician for 18 of those years and i never had seen it done myself. >> you must take pretty darn good care of it. not that hondas aren't built to last but 1 million miles is a a lot of miles on a car and you do a lot of driving obviously.

>> i certainly do and it does take a lot of work and passion to keep it running. >> now your wife says she tends to get a little jealous of the car because it its own name, true blue and you spend a lot of time with the car no saying there is a love affair with this car but she says she gets jealous at times so what do you have to do to keep her happy? >> i have to make special time and i try to break up my maintenance into smaller pieces so that rivalry is not as big. >> give me an idea. how many miles are you putting on this car annually? >> well, because of the economy, i'm averaging around 55,000 this year, past couple of years. >> honda found out that you had this car, this 1990 honda accord thaw were nearing 1 million miles. they threw you a one block parade. here is the parade right now.

so was quite an honor. there is your face on all of the banners right there. let's bring you back on camera. i know gave you this number too. you got true blue but now midnight blue, your brand-new honda accord. is this something you were looking forward to when honda said they were going to give you a new car? >> very much so, very much so. i love honda. i love this particular color. and i love the fact that it's 20 years newer technology. >> what are you going to do with true blue now? it looks kind of sad next to this newer model. >> it does! it does. i haven't quite decided. i'll have to let you know in the future what we come up with. >> we will talk -- >> i'm going to drive it a while longer. >> you hit a million, why stop now. joe, thanks for taking the time. congratulations. make sure you buckle up every time you get in that car and thanks. best of luck to you up there in

maine. 1 million miles on a honda accord. >> he could give it to his wife as a gift. >> true blue is all yours! >> that's when the locks get changed. kal penn was popular in hollywood a number of years. but in 2009, he left l.a. headed for washington. >> to d.c. would work two years as a public liaison in the white house and now going back to his old stoner ways in a 3d christmas. look who is with us here this morning! kal penn. thank you for being here. amazing story, the man with the honda accord. >> it was awesome! >> you would like a parade. >> i was laughing at the parade because it was so cool. the flags and everything? good to be here. >> congratulations on the movie. >> thank you. >> a couple of years detour to the white house. what brought that on? >> in 2007 way back a writer's strike in hollywood and i had friends who couldn't afford

college and over in iraq serving and why don't i go to iowa and knock on doors for a guy who is trying to change things for the better. when he won, a lot of people packed up and took a leave and moved to d.c. so i was one of many actually. >> it's such an eye-opening experience when you do that going from two worlds that seem so different. you hear washington is hollywood for ugly people. how much is there in terms of similarity between hollywood and washington? is it a big fat zero? >> i don't think they are similar at all in terms of the day-to-day. i love being creative in l.a. and love being an actor and love the cerebral service side to me but they are one hi talents is probably the similarity. >> it's exhausting. it can be exhausting on a film set obviously. the hours in washington and you probably can give a better sense to people at home what it's like there. a high level of frustration that things don't get done but why is that? >> i'm, obviously, biased in terms of having worked in the

white house. >> sure. >> you are right. we would show up at work at 7:30 and there until 11:00 at night and a text from a friend of yours who says at 4:30 you want to say grab drinks? you say, no, we are working until 11:00! why are you grabbing drinks on the hill? you should be working to pass the president's bill. >> this is the secret? >> i agree with you. there was a lot of frustration in terms of that because you're trying to do a lot. >> you were secretary of state when you are were there. no! associate director of the white house public office engagement. what is that? >> outreach arm and point person for outreach for any conceivable issue or community. i was mostly doing youth outreach there. i love you guys did the story on financial aid right now. that was so huge and so many folks, the president especially, are fighting for it the last three years. and that is kind of the stuff i worked on. thankfully not particularly partisan, things like don't ask don't tell repeal and outreach

around that and around student aid and bring our friends home from iraq and interp. >> i'm sure people -- >> actually it's different. i found my coworkers at the white house he had known since i was 7 and plenty of folks had taken a leave and worked there. even when we were doing outreach people would meet with the white house for really substantive real issues and it never seemed conflicted with my old life. >> let's talk about the movie. >> yes! >> a little 3d action. 2d wasn't good enough, bring 3d. >> here is the stuff. >> you have magic. >> a lot of stuff is in 3d right now. this is not a big budget action movie. one explosion, you'll see that. but the rest of it, i think, the 3d heightens the relationship between the character and this is not a children's christmas movie so the gags you will see i think are things we haven't seen in 3d. >> you miss one another when you're not filming together?

>> john and i? we do. the first moof tavie tanked in theater. >> those are the best movies. >> the cast and writers were close and like working with old friends again. >> patrick in this one? >> absolutely, he's in this one. >> you're not just back in hollywood. we should point out. you're writing. you're in the process of getting your graduate degree. you're pretty busy guy. by the way, if you don't follow him on twitter, you're funny. >> am i? you like my tweets? thank you. >> give you an 8 out of 10 on the funny scale. >> as my mom would say, why isn't it a 10? what happened to the other two points? >> "a very harold and kumar 3d ,

state farm. this is jessica. hey, jessica, jerry neumann with a policy question. jerry, how are you doing? fine, i just got a little fender bender. oh, jerry, i'm so sorry. i would love to help but remember, you dropped us last month. yeah, you know it's funny. it only took 15 minutes to sign up for that new auto insurance company but it's taken a lot longer to hear back. is your car up a pole again? [ crying ] i miss you, jessica! jerry, are you crying? no, i just, i bit my tongue. [ male announcer ] get to a better state. text save to 7-8836.

honking horns are as much a part of new york city as the empire state building but it's about to change thanks to one man. >> city officials have basically said surprisingly that's it. they are listening. karen winter brill tells us it's about the change, right? >> good morning. for out of towners honking may be part of the fun but thanks to one sleep deprived new yorkers this week cab drivers received an award that is loud and clear. unless it's an emergency, honking your horn is against the law. they are a part of the sights. and sounds of new york. in a city that never sleeps, they are keeping everyone awake. e-mail from one annoyed new yorker saying he can't sleep at night has the city reminding cab drivers that honking comes with a heavy price. a 350 dollar fine. when you heard that they were coming out with this warning and reinforcing the warning, what was your first reaction? >> it's ridiculous! it's impossible.

this is new york! >> reporter: honking cabs have been glorified in pop culture as part of the fabric of new york city. from "seinfeld". >> oh, we're not moving! >> so "sex and the city." controlling i city of noise in 8 million people might be considered a daunting task. we came to one of the busiest taxi stands in the city, penn station to see what people i think. >> it's it's the atmosphere to hear them honking. >> i'm just getting into new york city. i think the honoringing could be very scary if it's not for a real reason. >> i kind of like the honking? >> reporter: why? >> the ambiance. >> we have something to discuss over dinner. >> reporter: david aski says it may be part of the experience but honking should only be used to avoid an accident. >> the hustle and bus will is part of reason people are drawn to new york but everything, when it gets to an extreme, it's too much. so here honking, i don't think

there are too many new yorkers who would say, yeah, i want to see more honking. i think they generally would like to see less. >> reporter: how long does it take you to make $350? >> oh, man! not easy! you can't move! how are you going to make $350? >> reporter: but for taxi drivers time is money and they say when distracted drivers aren't moving, they need to honk to get their attention. and the 350 dollar fine is crossing the line. david aski says it's not about the money. >> this isn't about enforcement. we are not talking about issuing tons and tons of tickets. we are just saying you're part of the new york community. be a good neighbor. don't use the horn when you don't need to. >> they are working on low annoyance horns with nissan. it's in the works. >> part of the new cabs we are getting in the city. >> it drounds owns out the swea >> very good.

that's going to do it for us. thanks for with being this morning on "the early show." we will see you back here tomo,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,

a la good morning. it's 8:55. i'm grace lee with your cbs 5 headlines. a last-minute rally by oakland parents and students just could not save their schools. the school board voted to close lakeview, lazear, marshall, maxwell park, and santa fe. they hope the restructuring plan will save the district $2 million annually. those schools will close in june of 2012. in just about two hours from now, governor brown is expected to announce big cuts to public employee pensions. the governor's plan would raise their retirement age from 65 to 67 for most new hires. the administration says the plan could save $900 million a year. and san francisco police decided against rating the "occupy sf" protest camp -- raiding the "occupy sf" protest

camp this morning. officers called it off because of the large number of protestors including some who came to san francisco from other areas. we'll have your traffic and weather coming right up. ,,,,,,,,,,,,

good morning. first, we're going to hit the road towards 880 in oakland. this is live picture right

there by the coliseum. looks okay across the stretch. but farther north near the ounces oakland exits it's sluggish. drive time 33 minutes between 238 and the maze. bart has been dealing with major delays for most of the morning commute. still about 15 to 30 minutes on several lines in the east bay into san francisco. so prepare ahead. also, new capitol corridor delays. we're hearing residual delays of up to 45 minutes. there was another problem on the tracks between hayward and fremont. that's traffic. here's lawrence. >> all right, elizabeth. we have plenty of sunshine outside right now and it's going to stick around all day long. a little cool though in spots. so if you are heading out the door bring a sweater or light jacket but by the afternoon you won't need that. we have lots of sunshine and warming temperatures up to the mid-70s inland today. 72 in oakland. 75 in san jose. and sunshine and 60s at the coastline. next couple of days, more sunshine on the way. so warmer weather into saturday, then cooling off just a little into sunday, come monday couple of clouds come

our way but staying dry. ch ,,,,,,