>> mitchell: tocchet tonight, confrontation in cairo. police battle opponents of egypt's military rulers. charlie d'agata will have the latest. layaway plans are making a comeback this holiday season, but are they really a good deal? tony guida does the math. cars without drivers and dash tbhoordz dazzle. bill whitaker kicks the tires at the los angeles auto show. and not just clean, military clean. hattie kauffman goes on patrol with a cleaning service run by veterans who are skilled at passing the white glove test. >> they cleaned places where i didn't know i had places. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with russ mitchell.

>> mitchell: and good evening. nine months after the popular uprising that seemed to herald the new egypt, cairo's tahrir square is once again the center of turmoil. at least one person was killed and more than 600 injured today. clashes between security forces and demonstrators in the square where last winter's democratic protest began. charlie d'agata has more. >> reporter: it's some of the worst violence egypt has seen since the overthrow of president hosni mubarak. this time, protesters led by the muslim brotherhood are demanding an end to military rule. it presents a potentially dangerous confrontation between the most powerful political group in the country, and egypt's military leaders for the fears time. thousands of police cracked down on demonstrators who were determined to take over tahrir square and stay there. >> as the protesters were taken back into police lines they ran almost a gaunt let of riot

police and plainsclothes men viciously beating them with sticks, with rocks slapping them with their hands, with their shoes. >> reporter: today's violence came in the wake of a massive islamistraly on friday in the biggest challenge to egypt's military leaders since the revolution. the clashes erupted after police pulled down tents and confiscated belongings of hundreds of protesters who camped out overnight. parliamentary elections are just over a week away, but military rulers are trying to change the constitution in order to hold on to power, whatever the outcome. "the revolution is not over" says this demonstrator. "the revolution will not be over until its demand of having an elect the government is met." >> reporter: the muslim brotherhood had largely stayed clear of demonstration in addition the past but now its leaders are encouraging members to take part. islamists are determined to win a share of power in the upcoming elections. they're also determined the

military won't stand in their way. charlie d'agata, cbs news, london. >> mitchell: saif al-islam qaddafi, the last of the former libyan dictator's sons still at large, was captured late last night in the southern desert of libya. the 39-year-old second son of muammar qaddafi was flown to a city southwest of tripoli, still dressed in tribal clothing. he has been charged with crimes against humanity by the international criminal court. in afghanistan, the traditional national assembly, the loya jirga, today endorsed the government entertaining into talktalks that could keep thouss of u.s. troops in the year after 2014. afghan forces are taking command in some areas but are finding self-reliance has a steep learning curve. mandy clark in kabul has more. >> reporter: in a remote valley near the pakistani border, an afghan commander worries about his mission and his men. "our ammunition won't last till the end of the month," he says. "if we don't get more soon, this post could fall to the hands of

the enemy." but help is not on the way. the commander who asked for his name to be withheld says the border police are being stranded at their posts because u.s. and nato forces are refusing to fly them out. no flights mean no resupply, either. "we don't have any helicopters, he says. "we're running out of food." the border police rely heavily on american aircraft to move their food, fuel, ammunition, and even men around the battle space but now nato is increasing pressure on the afgains to do more themselves. brig deeing general tom consentino works on nato's training mission in afghanistan. the commander was saying he's low on ammo. he has about a month left. they ran out of food so they have to collect it themselves. these seem like life lines that the border police need. >> i-- i don't think that the nato forces will let anybody starve in afghanistan. on the other hand, we do want to encourage them to figure it out

and to use their systems to actually become self-sustaining. >> reporter: the afghans say they want to double the border police force to 42,000 officers, but given the logistical problems they already face with the smaller number, it's hard to see how that's possible. police department commander says if the u.s. doesn't take this problem seriously after they leave in 2014, international terrorism will get a foothold in afghanistan once more. is it a worry for you? >> i'm more worried about us not empowering the afghans to do this themselves. >> reporter: it's a tough balancing act for u.s. forces as they redefine their role here from combat troops to military trainers. afghan officers say they know they have to be more self-reliant, but they fear they will be abandoned before they're ready to stand on their own. mandy clark, cbs news, kabul.

>> mitchell: with just four days to go before wednesday's deadline, members of the congressional super committee talked by phone today but held no formal sections on how to cut the budget by something $1.2 trillion. republican member jon kyl was pessimistic an agreement would be reached. >> it's pretty doubtful at this point, but, obviously, nobody wants to quit until the stroke of midnight, as you can see here by my presence. >> mitchell: major league players have agreed to blood tests for human growth hormone. the associated press reports the deal, part of a new collective bargaining agreement, could be announced as early as next week. the holiday shopping season begins in just a few days when millions of shoppers descend on stores and malls for day after thanksgiving black friday sales. shoppers say they're worried about over-extending themselves in these tough times but retailers are ready for them with an old favorite. tony guida explains.

>> reporter: everything old is new again. >> layaway lets us plan ahead and budget our christmas spending. >> reporter: layaway is back. born in the great depression when people had little spending money and no credit, layaway is tonic for today's great recession. retailers fearing empty aisle are turning to an old gimtoik rev up holiday sales. >> i think it shows retailers are desperate to get people to spend money when they don't have that much money. >> reporter: the myles family, ference, buying bikes for the kids on layaway at a new jersey toys "r" us. >> you know you're buying what you need and not over-extending yourself. >> reporter: wal-mart, the nation's largest retailer, revived layaway for electronics and toys a month ago. it's been a big hit. >> we are getting new customers. we're getting great layaway purchases. >> reporter: it's been so successful that a major wal-mart competitor, target, this week admitted-- >> wal-mart's layaway program has certainly hurtinous

november. >> reporter: layaway is a die ferred perfect plan requiring at least 10% down. installments are spread out over two months usually and should the customer not complete the purchase there is an cancellation fee. >> in the end the consumer will spend more using layaway than if they bought the item outright. >> reporter: when they can't buy the item outright they appreciate layaway. >> it's easier to spread it out. >> reporter: and nosface any troublesome bills on december 26. tony guida, cbs news, new york. >> mitchell: the chancellor of the university of california at davis has created a task force to review yesterday's occupy movement protest. this video appears to show police using pepper spray on seated demonstrators who had refused an order to dismantle their tents. and in this photograph of a protest in portland, oregon thursday has gone viral.

she is shown being sprayed with pepper spray. in nevada downed power lines are being blamed for a wildfire outside repo, that destroyed 32 homes, damaged dozens more and forced 10,000 people to evacuate. with winds dying down firefighters expect to have the blaze 90% contained by tomorrow. up next on tonight's cbs evening news, china's best-kn for critie government.

>> mitchell: president obama is flying home tonight from the asia summit in bali. but not before holding a surprise meeting with china's prime minister. they discussed such divisive issues as trade, the value of china's currency, and china's territorial disputes. meanwhile, chinese officials are escalating their campaign to silence a world-famous artist

with a reputation for speak, his mind. the latest move came only yesterday. hattiesburg, mississippi in beijing has more. >> reporter: ai weiwei is china's most famous artist. this disease daze he's better known as the chinese government's most outspoken opponent. after the 2008 sichuan earthquake he head his own investigation asking w schools collapsed while government billions stayed intact. he has railed against injustice pointing out the unfair advantages of china's elite. last april, protests erupted around the world when china's secret police detained weiwei for 81 days. when he was released he was hit with a $2.4 million tax bill and in a phone interview with cbs news he said it was all about revenge for his criticism of cheapa's communist party. >> the whole accusation has no base and it's really fabricated by the police. >> reporter: as anger spread

over the chinese internet, the artist's office was inundated with 30,000 online donations totaling $1.5 million. but others came in person from all over china to ai's suburban beijing work space and literally threw their donation overs want wall into his studio. now police surround the area, even harassing the cbs crew while we were filming. >> tell me your passport number. >> reporter: we have done nothing wrong. ai weiwei is not backing down. to legally launch an appeal he had to hand over a third of what officials say he owes. >> more or less like i was a hostage half a year ago. now, i paid the ransom, and i feel being robbed. >> reporter: on friday, police opened a new investigation into charges that the artist and his assistant are manufacturing pornography, vesselling nude roar traits of ai weiwei,

photographs that have been on the internet for over a year. >> mitchell: next up on tonight's cbs evening news, the car that drives itself.

>> mitchell: the los angeles auto show is under way this weekend with consumers flocking to see the latest things on wheels. but what's really getting their attention is the new look of those high-tech dash boards as we hear from bill whitaker. >> reporter: distracted drivers pay attention-- there's no longer a need to look down at that phone. >> it's letting all the nearby movie theatery -- >> reporter: a new generation of dash board technology is being unveiled at this week's los angeles auto show. >> press the voice button. >> reporter: from cadillac, whose console looks like an ipad, to toyota, your new car

can help make dinner reservations, buy movie tickets, and get you to where you're going. >> destination, street address. >> reporter: technology analyst brian cooley says it's still distracting but. >> a little safer using voice command, bigger displays and locking things out when the car is in motion. >> reporter: and it's self-correcting. this this new lexus has infrared sensors that can tell if you're looking away or just plain tired. >> it will sound a little alarm to, hey, wake up. this system will stop if you don't apply the brakes. >> reporter: the backseat of this bentley with internet hook-up and massaging suites looks more like an executive suite than a car. but we may be close to a future in which none of us will be driving. >> by the middle of this decade, we'll have partially autonomous vehicles and by the end of the decada we'll have fully autonomous vehicles. >> reporter: including a new model by volkswagen which drops you at the curb and with the

push of a button, parks itself in the parking lot. google has used driverless vehicles to help map over 140,000 miles of road, and in june of this year, succeeded in getting legislation passed in nevada to make autonomous cars legal. the technology is ready but are we? >> who is ready to be out there and see a car drive by without anybody sitting behind the wheel? what regulator is out there ready to pull the road laws apart and rethink them? >> reporter: lawmakers may have no choice because look around-- it's clear auto makers are rethinking how we drive. bill whitaker, cbs news, los angeles.

>> mitchell: according to last month's unemployment figures, nearly 5.9 million americans

have been unemployed for half a year or more. thanks to a program called georgia works, thousands of peach state residents are breaking the vicious cycle of long-term unemployment. mark strassmann shows us how it works. >> reporter: prosperity america is a call center in south georgia, 100 employees trying to collect money from delinquent credit card owners alecia blakley started making calls here last year. she had lost her job at domino's, and for nine months, no employer would take her call. >> i thought i wasn't going to be able to find work because of my experience that i had. >> reporter: when was? >> minimum, very minimum. >> reporter: she and merfiance, george king, lost their apartment and put their wedding on hold. >> now it's about who is going to pay what and how this is going to get paid. >> yup. >> reporter: prosperity america took a chance to blakley with the help of georgia works. it's a state program that placed out-of-work georgians in an

eight-week training program with companies looking to hire. participants get training and $240 added to their state unemployment benefits. the companies get to audition prospective employees at no cost. you're auditioning them. they're auditioning you? >> absolutely. >> reporter: fred landrum is the c.e.o. of prosperity america. georgia works saves his company $2500 in trainings costs per employee. would you have hired most of these people without this program? >> chances are not. >> reporter: prosperity america has hired 36 of the 51 trainees who finished its program. the jobs pay about $20,000 a year. 10 other trainees found work at other companies. 23,000 people have finished the georgia works program. >> if you stay with us because we offer them a job, if we like them, and they like what they're doing, that is an absolute win-win. if they acquire a skill that enables to work somewhere else and get off the unemployment

rolls, great. >> reporter: five other states sponsor similar training opportunitys. blakley made of most of hers. she was promoted to supervisor last january. >> mitchell: ahead, clean as a whistle. and then some.

>> mitchell: one of the most seriously wounded soldiers of the iraq war returned home to a hero's welcome in tampa. he has undergone 75 surgeries since being wounded nearly four years ago. a motorcade carried him to a new specially equipped home. returning veterans face challenges of every kind kind. for young vets the unemployment rate is a full 30%. hattie kauffman tells us about one group of enterprising veterans who decided to take matters into their own white-gloved hands. >> reporter: michelle michael was barely of age when she

enlisted in the navy. her parents died during high school leaving her an orphan. >> i had nigh guardian sign me at 17 just a few months before 9/11. >> reporter: she encoded encrypted submarine messages for four years, but the experience didn't count much to potential employers when she got out. >> i sort of hit a wall with unemployment. >> reporter: so out of her tiny seattle apartment she launched her own business-- military clean-- hiring only fellow veterans. >> military clean is modeled after the kind of attention to detail we're taught in the military. we clean from the toilet paper dispensers to the light switchplates. >> reporter: the company has given new hope to former warriors like jeremy cleaver. as a marine in iraq, he was among those who fault the battle of fallujah and stormed saddam hussein's palace. as a veteran back home, he has struggled to find steady work. >> it drains you worrying day to day how you're going to make it. >> reporter: now in a different uniform but with the same serviceman's discipline he gets the job done every day for

military clean. it's that attention to detail. they even shine the shoes in the closet-- that has clients singing their praises. >> they cleaned places where i didn't know i had places. you don't realize how dirty your house is until it's really, really clean. >> she uses a white glove at the end of the session, goes along the banister, on top of your bookshelf to see if it was dusted properly. >> reporter: client brenna larson saw itaise chance to give back. >> they worked really hard to protect me and all the other military families and feel like now that i can, i want to help support them. >> reporter: with 50-plus clients and growing, michelle is hiring. here she offers a life line to a highly decorated army soldier -- >> you're hired. >> reporter: who found his ribbons weren't worth much in the job market. >> it's the simple fact since you are prior military and you don't have any civilian employment, most civilian jobs won't give you that chance to put your skills to work. >> reporter: do you ever

appreciate what you've done here? >> if i had the time, i guess i would. i'm so busy doing everything that i have to sometimes stop and remind myself that even though i'm always thinking about the next thing i have to do, i've done so far pretty good, i think. >> reporter: more than pretty good. she's done a white-glove job for herself and for others. hattie kauffman, cbs news, seattle. >> mitchell: and that is the cbs evening news. later on cbs, "48 hours mystery" and an investigation of hollywood scandals, including the just reopened case of natalie wood's drowning in 1981. thanks for joining us on thissed is evening. i'm russ mitchell at the cbs broadcast center in new york. i'll see you back here tomorrow. good night. of captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

protestors tear down fences to take over a vacant lot... how police are responding--- in a live report. . breaking news at occupy oakland. protesters take down fences to take over a vacant lot. how police are responding, in a live report. an occupy confrontation over cleanup in san francisco. what happened when city crews cleared the way for expanding encampment. >> kept getting bigger. there was black smoke coming out the window. a four-alarm fire near the cal campus. cbs eyewitness news is next. ,,