coast-to-coast. occupy wall street protesters threaten to bring entire cities to a standstill. southeast slammed. at least five people are killed by storms that spun off more than a dozen tornadoes. and obsession. police catch up with the alleged white house shooter. was he fixated on killing the president? captioning funded by cbs this is the "cbs morning news" for thursday, november 17th, 2011. good morning, everybody. thanks for joining us. i'm betty nguyen. the occupy wall street movement began two months ago today, as protesters in lower manhattan stage their first demonstration. since then, protests against corporate greed have spread across the country and even overseas. recently, some cities,

including new york, have tried to clamp down but, today, protesters are planning their biggest statement yet. >> do not push me into the park! >> reporter: it could be a very ugly day in new york city. thousands of protesters are planning to march on the new york stock exchange. a message on the organization's website warns, quote, it's time we put an end to wall street's reign of terror and begin building an economy that works for all. demonstrators then plan to fan out through the city's subway system and disrupt mass transit, culminateing in a 5:00 p.m. crossing of the brooklyn bridge. >> all persons must temporarily leave the park! >> reporter: the so-called day of action follows tuesday's early morning eviction from zuccotti park, their base in lower manhattan, while protesters were allowed to return, they couldn't stay overnight. demonstrators say the expulsion has only made them stronger. >> it's very empowering to know that even though they came in and they took everything that we had and the home that we built

is gone now, the spirit of it is still there. >> reporter: protesters in los angeles say they will stage demonstrations today at the height of the morning rush hour before heading down to the financial district. >> are you trying to goat somebody into action? >> we're trying to goat america into action. >> reporter: in san francisco, wednesday, thousands hit the streets protesting education cuts. it stayed peaceful until the march took a turn. >> we are 99%! >> reporter: protesters stormed the bank of america and refused to nudge. nearly 100 were arrested. a new flash point down south. 20 demonstrators were arrested late wednesday in columbia, south carolina, after refusing to leave the statehouse grounds. officials say they were welcomed to return but can't stay overnight. the occupy movement also has a new face. tuesday night, seattle police used pepper spray to break up a protest after demonstrators defied orders to move. among those sprayed was 84-year-old dorley rainy.

a photo of her leaving the scene was posted online and quickly went viral. in an interview, she called it, quote, a gruesome picture and said she is really not that bad looking. a deadly storm system, including a dozen tornadoes, tore through the southeast late yesterday. the dangerous weather system stretched from the carolinas to the gulf coast. at least five people were killed. tornadoes were reported from north carolina to alabama. suspected twisters also did significant damage in north carolina, south of charlotte, where three people were killed. louisiana and mississippi were also hard hit. >> you heard wind and lightning. it just lit up the whole sky and then, all of a sudden, the wind burst through and the trees fell into the house. >> in georgia, there was one fatality when a tree fell on a sports utility vehicle. thousands of homes are without power. the federal debt has hit a staggering new high. ten years ago in 2001, the debt

stood at $5.7 trillion. now, it has almost tripled to more than 15 trillion. a congressional super committee is charged with cutting future deficits by 1.2 trillion, but with the deadline set for next week, talks are stalled. the house of representatives has passed a bill to loosen federal restrictions on concealed weapons. it would allow a person licensed to carry concealed firearms in one state to do so in any other state where it's legal. the republican-sponsored bill passed 272-151. it's not likely to become law because there is no similar bill in the senate. an idaho man suspected of shooting at the white house will appear today in federal court in pittsburgh. according to several officials, he was obsessed with the president. susan mcginnis joins us now from washington. good morning, susan. so what is the latest on this shooting? >> good morning, betty. >> reporter: the shooting happened last friday.

he was arrested yesterday, and as ortega-hernandez hits to court today in pittsburgh, a lot of the questions are surrounding his mental health. oscar ramiro ortega-hernandez could face charges of attempted assassination when he appears in federal court this afternoon. police arrested the 21-year-old at this pennsylvania hotel wednesday, nearly a week after shots were fired at the white house. >> he wanted to know why he was being taken into custody. he did not have any identification with him. >> reporter: officials say ortega-hernandez left his driver's's license and assault rifle and spent shell casings in an abandoned car after a shooting on friday night. the president and first family were out of town at the time. wednesday, the secret service combed the south lawn for more bullets, after finding two that hit the white house. one of them cracked a window on the residential level where the master bedroom is located, but didn't get past bullet-proof glass. ortega-hernandez was apparently obsessed with the president and the white house. authorities are looking into his

mental health and say there are signs he believed his alleged attack was a personal mission from god. businessman monte mccall recently met ortega-hernandez and said he compared the president to the anti-christ. >> he was very sincere in what he believed, but he did seem rather troubled. >> reporter: ortega-hernandez family reported him missing last month. he has a long history of minor run-ins with the law, but, so far, has not been linked to any radical groups. the last shooting at the white house was in 1994. a colorado man fired about 30 shots from a semiautomatic rifle. that was an assassination attempt at president clinton. that man now serving 40 years. betty? >> susan mcginnis in washington, thank you, susan. president obama has wrapped up his visit to australia, after promising the united states will remain a force in the pacific. the president left for bali this morning. earlier, though, during an address to the australian

parliament, mr. obama said the u.s. will play a long-term role in the region's security. >> our enduring interests in the region demand our enduring presence in the region. the united states is a pacific power and we are here to stay. >> before leaving, the president greeted australian troops. he announced yesterday that up to 2,500 u.s. marines will be stationed in western australia. now to the penn state scandal. university and state police say they have no record of a key witness, mike mcqueary, reporting an alleged sexual assault. this contradicts mcqueary's claim in an e-mail saying he saw jerry sandusky with a young boy in a shower and told police. jeff anderson says he represented several of sandusky's alleged victims who are ready to testify. >> the emotions of the survivors and their families right now are really a retraumatization.

it's a mixture of despair, confusion, and fury. meanwhile, a new judge has been assigned to handle sandusky's case. district judge leslie koch has ties to sandusky's second mile charity which has been removed. judge robert scott with no known ties to the charity or penn state is taking over. coming up this morning, 80 is the new 65. not in a good way, though. plus, how safe are those little hybrid cars in a crash? a surprising report. this is the "cbs morning news." [ male announcer ] you love the taste of 2% milk.

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well, a new study suggests that fuel-efficient hybrid cars are significantly safer than similar sized conventional cars. the research suggests the odds of being injured in a crash are 25% lower for hybrid cars than for nonhybrids. one reason seems to be the added weight from heavier batteries used in hybrids which improves their ability to withstand a collision, but hybrids also come with a hazard. they are 20% more likely to hit pedestrians because they are so quiet. on the cbs "moneywatch," a mixed day for stocks in asia. ashley morrison is here in new york with more on that. she's not very quiet and that is a good thing. >> reporter: never. asian markets were pretty quiet today. tokyo's nikkei average was up slightly while hong kong's hang sang fell less than 1%. today, wall street gets the latest read out on the housing market and the weekly jobless claim numbers. on wednesday, stocks took a nose dive on fears that the banks

could take a hit from the debt crisis in europe. the dow spell 190 points. the nasdaq lost 46. don't look now, but oil prices are making a comeback, hovering above $102 a barrel today in asia and only time before it makes it to the gas pump and gas prices could hit record highs for thanksgiving weekend. a gallon of regular is expected to average $3.37 a gallon nationwide by next thursday. more americans than ever are planning to work well into old age. according to a wells fargo survey, more than three-quarters of workers say they expect to still be at it beyond retirement age, with 1 in 4 expecting to be working at 80 years old. the majority also said they are not saving enough money to remain financially solvent in what used to be called their golden years. volkswagen's passat has been named the car of the year. they say the handling is

tastest. and it dominates its category. the mid-sized passat has a starting price tag of around $20,000. google unveiled its new online music store. the download destination features songs from 3 of the 4 world's biggest music companies. after buying songs for around a dollar apiece, users can share one or two free listens of the song with their contacts on google's social networking service. here you go, betty. your official sexiest man of the year. >> oh, who is it? >> oh, yeah! "people" magazine has bestowed the title on actor bradley cooper. check him out. the 36-year-old hollywood heartthrob says his mom will be so happy. well, i don't really know what this has to do with wall street or finance, betty, but i just wanted to get it out there! let's just linger. >> congratulations to him. i'm sure his mom is very happy and lots of ladies just as happy as well. ashley, thank you for that. you want to stick around for this storey, ashley.

new evidence suggests how much love hurts, especially for women. researchers discovered women are 7 to 9 times more likely than men to suffer heart failure or heart attack symptoms during an emotional breakup. this new nationwide study is the first to look at the so-called broken heart syndrome. doctors say one reason for the difference may be that men handle stress better. that stresses me out. straight ahead, your thursday morning weather. and in sports, a major upset for a top 20 team in college basketball.

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here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. time now for a check on the national forecast. the latest satellite picture shows a blanket of clouds over the east coast with rain from new england to the carolinas. scattered clouds are breaking down in the southeast, but it's clear over the plains. bands of rain and snow showers are moving into the northwest and pushing into wyoming and montana. later today, it will be sunny and breezy in the plains. rain on the east coast will taper off as clouds move out to sea. and showers move across the northwest, bringing snow to the higher mountains. in sports, early season upset in college basketball. visiting long beach state ran

away from ninth ranked pitt. casper ware led the 49ers with 28 points as the panthers fell 86-76. the loss ended pitt's 58-game home winning streak against nonconference teams. in madison, 14th ranked wisconsin buried colgate with a barrage of three-pointers. look at this. reserve ben thrust had a career high 17 points to lead the badgers to a 61-48 victory. in golf, a shocker at the president's cup. tiger woods and steve stricker suffered the biggest loss in president's cup history. in melbourne woods, and stricker didn't even make a birdie and didn't even win a hole in a 7-6 loss to adam scott and k.j. choi. in baseball, it may soon be moving day for the astros. an announcement is expected today the houston ball club has been sold to businessman jim crane. as part of the deal, crane had

to agree to shift the astros from the national to the american league, in exchange for a $680 million drop in the sale price. and the major league baseball managers of the year have been announced. in the national league, arizona's kirk gibson took the honors. in the american league, it was tampa bay's joe madden. congratulations to them. when we return, another look at this morning's top stories. and home for the holiday. a father home from war, delivers a sweet schoolroom surprise. the pain was so frustrating. i found out that connected to our muscles are nerves that send messages through the body. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia -- thought to be the result of overactive nerves that cause chronic, widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. and less pain means i can feel better and do more of what i love. [ female announcer ] lyrica is not for everyone. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions

or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior, or any swelling or affected breathing or skin, or changes in eyesight, including blurry vision, or muscle pain with fever or tired feeling. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. i found answers about fibromyalgia. then i found lyrica. ask your doctor about lyrica today. clash over tuition hikes. ad today hundreds of faculty pn to strike. why they're choog to lose a day's pay. the occupy movement now two months strong and gaining s. the plans for a nationwide y of action today. and finally, an answer in te long legal drama over prop . what the state supreme court could decide this morning. and pizza a vegetable? the decision creating controvern school cafeterias. join us for cbs 5 early edi,

on the "cbs morning news," here's a look at today's weather. the storm system that battered much of the nation for three days is now bringing rain to the east coast. as it slowly moves out to sea. the midwest will be dry and sunny today.

here is another look at this morning's top stories. occupy wall street protesters plan to make this a day of action. they are calling for massive rallies to shut down whole cities. the first occupy demonstration was held two months ago today in new york. and across the south overnight, at least five people were killed by a string of severe storms, including more than a dozen tornadoes. a boston area family will have much to be thankful for this thanksgiving. u.s. army staff sergeant richard young is home for the holiday and that was a big surprise for his son. bill shields of our boston station wbz reports. >> reporter: for 9-year-old cody young, school is a welcome diversion. you see, cody's best friend is his dad. and sergeant rick young has been in afghanistan for ten months. it's been a hard time for cody. >> my dad buys me a lot of toys. >> reporter: does he? so he's a good guy, huh? >> uh-huh. >> reporter: but cody is in for

the surprise of his young life. his dad is nearby in the principal's office. >> i haven't seen the little guy since february. >> reporter: rick young made it home and our camera captured the heart-wrenching reunion. >> hi, buddy. how are you doing? >> reporter: it was an embrace that would not stop. >> are you okay? are you okay? >> reporter: ten months of heartache erased in one magical moment. is this going to be a special thanksgiving? >> yeah. it's going to be the best thanksgiving. >> reporter: it hasn't been easy on cody's mom either. >> he's my other half. >> reporter: sergeant young will have to go back to afghanistan in two weeks.

in february, he'll be home for good but, for now, this family is one again. >> we did it, buddy! we surprised you! >> reporter: i'm bill shields, wbz news. separated from your own life... when the only thing you can be sure of is migraines with 15 or more headache days a month, you're living a maybe life. and you may be living with chronic migraine. but knowing that this thing you're going through has a name, means knowing you can find treatments that are right for you. go to mychronicmigraine.com to find a headache specialist. and don't live a maybe life. it's all new. sears super saturday starts at 9am. get 50%-60% off fleece for the whole family, and all tvs are on sale. shop early on preview friday. sears super saturday. real deals. real savings. sears

well, four former nasa astronauts have received the congressional gold medal. john glenn, the first american to orbit earth, neil armstrong, the first to step on the moon and his apollo 11 crewmates. buzz aldrin and michael collins. finally this morning, a rare look at the men and women in uniform whose job it is to protect the white house. elaine quijano takes you inside a special unit of the secret service. >> reporter: when you think of the secret service, you probably think of the plain-clothesed agents who surrounded the president, but it's another branch called the uniform division that is in charge of securing the white house. this elite force of 1,400 officers has jurisdiction within

the white house gates and beyond. >> the uniform division has very broad arrest powers. we can arrest for local offenses and district of columbia in addition to federal offenses. >> reporter: sergeant scott sarenson is a trainer at the secret service trainer outside washington. we were given rare access to the rare 500 acre facility. a mock-up of air force one. and what could be used for a hollywood director could be used for simulations of high intensity scenarios. >> we will give them a lot of repetitions and we want to give them repetitions where they are able to react, as opposed to having to think. >> reporter: more than 16,000 applied to join last year. just 200 were chosen. is it easier or harder than you thought it would be? >> it's been a long journey, i'll say that. it's a lot of training and it's difficult training. >> reporter: recruit tim connelly made this year's cut. the former marine served two tours in iraq.

>> the secret service, you're protecting people. the marine corps, you're assaulting the enemy and locating and trying to eliminate, so it's something i've had to focus on particular maybe more than some other people is drawing back and not just rushing through. >> reporter: in this drill, connelly found himself outnumbered and out-thugged. >> it's kind of similar to combat. you can be bored and think this is an easy job and, all of a sudden, you got three gunmen taking shots at you. you got to be on your game from moment one. you can't have first day jitters or anything like that because that could be the day that something bad happens. >> reporter: the worst happened on november 1st, 1950, when uniformed officer leslie cofelt was shot to death protecting president truman. his sacrifice is remembered each year in a predawn ceremony just steps from the white house. elaine quijano, cbs news, laurel, maryland.

coming up a little bit later on "the early show," the latest on the man now in custody who is suspected of firing an assault rifle at the white house. then meet the millionaires who are demanding that congress raise their taxes. and how to quit the lonely hearts club. it's called speed dating for nerds. that's the "cbs morning news" for this thursday. thanks for watching, everyone. i'm betty nguyen. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

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