support scramble with herman cain out of the race, the other republicans rush to win his backing. drone down. iran claims to have shot down an advanced super secret u.s. spy aircraft. and a very pricey pileup. more than a dozen exotic sports cars in a single multimillion dollar crash. captioning funded by cbs this is the "cbs morning news" for monday, december 5th, 2011. good morning. thanks for joining us. i'm elaine quijano. it's nice to be with you. we begin with politics. and the scramble for gop hopefuls including newt gingrich and mitt romney to win herman cain's support. cain suspended his campaign saturday after allegations of sexual harassment and an extramarital affair.

he still denies he did anything wrong, telling cbs news he was not pressured into the decision. >> my wife didn't say do it or don't do it, she just said, i'll support you whichever way. i recognized the pain in her and the pain that it was causing her and my family the constantly spinning and spinning and spinning, when the allegations were false and untrue. that isn't something i wanted my family to continue to go through. >> there are reports a surging gingrich will receive cain's endorsement. randall pinkston is in washington with the latest. >> reporter: the spotlight is on newt gingrich six months after many counted him out and some polls showing him at the top and he is spending $225,000 on political ads in iowa. >> some people say the america we know and love is a thing of the past. >> reporter: newt gingrich hits

the air waves in iowa today with his first tv ad of the season. >> we can revive our economy and create jobs. >> reporter: the former house speaker is trying to keep up the momentum after two new polls show him leading the gop race in the battleground state. one survey has him well ahead of ron paul and mitt romney with 25%. most of the candidates plan to campaign in iowa this week, as they try to round up votes ahead of next month's caucuses and win over herman cain's supporters. >> i am suspending my presidential campaign. >> reporter: cain dropped out of the race after allegations of sexual harassment and accusations he had a lengthy affair. gingrich's campaign has already met with former cain advisers and other gop contenders are also hoping to take advantage of cain's departure. >> a lot of herman cain supporters have been calling our office and they have been coming over to our side. >> i feel every poll, we are moving up, moving up slowly. >> reporter: while gingrich gains support, the white house is keeping up its attacks on romney. he is still on top in new hampshire, which holds the nation's first primary. >> if you don't like where mitt romney is today, just wait until tomorrow.

it's a little bit like the weather. >> reporter: voters will have a chance to hear from the remaining candidates this saturday at a debate in iowa. cain's campaign manager mark block says cain has no plans any time soon to endorse anyone. elaine? >> randall pinkston in washington, thank you. on capitol hill today, senate democrats are expected to offer republicans a compromise plan to extend the payroll tax cut. if no deal is reached, the popular tax cut will expire on december 31st. the u.s. postal service to announce major service cuts today with fewer americans using the mail and revenues declining, the postal service could default this month on a $5.5 billion for retiree health benefits. to trim costs, the agency plans to close half of its 500 mail processing centers next spring that will slow first class service and essentially cancel next day delivery. postal officials say the cuts will save more than $3 billion but it's far from enough.

the service is expected to lose $14 billion next year. overseas. an international conference on the future of afghanistan begins today in germany. leaders from more than 100 countries, including the u.s., have gathered in bond. they will pledge to continue supporting afghanistan after nato-led military forces leave in 2015. afghanistan' neighbor pakistan is boycotting the event to protest the recent nato air strike that killed 24 pakistani soldiers. iran says it shot down and unmanned u.s. spy drone, reportedly the same type that was used to observe osama bin laden compound in pakistan. if so, it's a significant loss. seth doane has details. >> reporter: an unmanned spy plane, allegedly belonging to the united states, was downed in eastern iran. that, according to iranian official news sources which reported that the american-made rq-170 was shot down and recovered with minimal damage. the aircraft is so secretive, even pictures are hard to come

by. the pentagon is not commenting but the u.s.-led coalition in afghanistan said the drone may be a u.s. unarmed reconnaissance aircraft that had been flying a mission over afghanistan late last week, which it added the operators had lost control of. neil livingston, a terrorism expert, says the iranians already had a drone program and, if true, this recovery could help them further their technology. >> they could potentially reverse engineer this and learn a great deal about our technologies. >> reporter: specifics about the spy plane are hard to come by. we do know it's made by lockheed martin and is said to be equipped with stealth technology. spencer ackerman writes about high tech security for a magazine. >> this is a super secret stealth drone. it exists to make sure that adversaries don't know this thing is there.

>> reporter: this follows a week of growing tensions between iran and the west over iran's nuclear program. just last tuesday, a group of young hard liners stormed the british embassy in tehran to protest british banking sessions. in response, britain shut down the iranian embassy in london and expelled his diplomats. seth doane, cbs news. >> wikileaks founder julian assange will be back in london this morning and wanted for questioning about alleged sex crimes. two lower courts have ruled against him. today, he'll ask britain's supreme court to hear his says. assange says the allegations against him are politically motivated. washington, d.c. police are making sure dozens of occupy protesters stay out of mcpherson state park this morning. more than 30 were arrested overnight after refusing to leave. police had to use a cherry picker to grab some protesters

from the top of a wooden structure they built. the structure was later torn down. some unusual early snow in the southwest today. a winter storm that started sunday is continuing into this morning in new mexico with forecasts of up to 11 inches in some places. travel is hazardous on many highways and interstates with some of them now closed. snow could reach as far south as the mexican border. more strong winds are heading today for southern california where residents are still cleaning up from the damage from last wednesday's massive wind storm. utility crews are working to restore power to thousands of customers. in utah, the national guard is helping residents collect debris from the same storm last week. coming up on the morning news, teen sexting. the surprising results of a new study. plus, how do you diffuse a very large, very old bomb? very carefully. this is the "cbs morning news." plus an aof relief 8 hours

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it could be the most expensive auto accident in history. 14 exotic sports car involved in a single crash on sunday in japan. cars including eight ferraris and three mercedes-benz and a lamborghini were traveling in a group at upwards of 100 miles an hour. one driver lost control and the result was a $4 million wrecking yard. fortunately, no serious injuries, but it hurts just reading that. in germany, bomb disposal experts were able to diffuse a british blockbuster bomb found in a river where it had lain since world war ii. 45 residents were evacuated while the bomb squad worked. they were allowed to return home last night. teen sexting may not be as common as some experts feared. a national study found that only 1% of children in the u.s. age 10 to 17 have shared nude photos. 7% of them said they have received graphic or suggested images and this contradicts

previous reports that estimated as many as 1 in 5 kids had participating in sexting. on the cbs "moneywatch." an important in paris today ahead of the european debt crisis. ashley morrison is here with that and more. >> reporter: this is a pivotal week for the european debt crisis. french president sarkozy and german chancellor merkel meet today in paris to work on a plan to prevent a collapse of the euro. they will present that proposal friday at a summit of eu leaders. analysts are expecting a major breakthrough. meanwhile, italian premier will unveil his new plan to save italy from collapse. he'll present it today to the parliament in rome. the proposals includes raising the pension age and increasing property taxes. italians have been protesting those measures for weeks. asian markets finished mostly higher today on hopes europe will get it all straightened out. hong kong's hang sang and tokyo's nikkei each gained almost 1%. stocks off their best week in

more than two years. the dow and nasdaq gained more than 7% apiece, that is the most since july of 2009. online shopping is still booming even after a blockbuster cybermonday. the research firm comscore says shoppers spent almost $6 billion last week. that is the most ever recorded. free shipping is the big draw. sales up 2% from a year ago. drivers continue to get a holiday break at the pump. according to the lundberg survey, gas prices have come down almost a dime the past two weeks to a national average of $3.29 a gallon. diesel is down a nickel. at the movies, twi-hards made it three in a row. the latest in the twilight saga scored the top spot at the box office again with almost $17 million in sales. it is now raked in almost $248 million in three weeks.

disney "the muppets" in second and "hugo" in third. it was one of the slowest weekends all year. i guess everyone must be out shopping or, in my case, online shopping. >> twihards, i'm still trying to get over that. never heard that before. ashley morrison in new york, thank you. straight ahead, your monday morning weather. and in sports, the green bay packers struggle to beat the clock and the new york giants. nts. sfx: truth phone rings hello? pretty sure? consider this yor wake-up call. everybody has a price guarantee. but only sears guarantees the best price on all top 10 brands, because only sears carries them all. with experts who know them all. it's called the top 10 advantage. boom! what was that? me dropping some knowledge on you. thinking about buying appliances somewhere else? think again. sears.

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in some cities around the country. 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 thick clouds moving north and east from the southern plains, producing heavy rain in the mississippi valley. the southwest has a major snowstorm with heavy snow already falling in new mexico. the west coast is clear. the east has a few patchy clouds. later today, cold air will reach from the midwest across the plains and into the southwest. new mexico will receive several inches of snow. a large storm system will produce heavy rain from texas to new york with flooding likely in the mississippi and ohio valleys. in sports, the green bay packers are still the only undefeated team in the nfl, but just barely.

packers quarterback aaron rodgers connected on four touchdown passes against the giants, but new york came back and scored in the final minute to tie it up. then as time expired, the packers mason crosby kicked a 30-yard field goal for a 38-35 green bay win. in new orleans, the saints quarterback drew brees had three touchdown passes against detroit. the saints never trailed and won it 31-17. at 9-3, they remain in first place in the nfc south. in minneapolis, denver quarterback tim tebow passed for two touchdowns and denver's fifth straight victory since he became the starter. the broncos also kicked two field goals in the closing minutes to beat the vikings 35-32. the broncos are tied with oakland for first place in the afc west. in college football, the final bcs rankings have lsu and alabama as the top two teams. so the tigers and the crimson tide will meet for the national

championship january 9th in new orleans. lsu beat alabama 9-6 in overtime last month. so this will be the first title game rematch in the 14-year history of the bcs. now to golf. tiger woods first tournament victory in more than two years. woods birdied his last two holes on sunday to capture the chevron world challenge in california. afterward, he joked about his hopes for next year. >> i think if i have a good year, i should be on the ballot for comeback player of the year. so i'm excited about that. >> woods had not won a tournament since november 2009, just before his infidelity scandal and a series of major injuries. and it's bye-bye new york and hello miami for all-star shortstop jose reyes. the new york met and n.l. batting championship will sign a six-year, $100 million deal with the miami marlins.

the contract which could be signed today includes an option for a seventh year which would bring its potential worth to $120 million. when we return, another look at this morning's top stories. and the stars come out in washington for the kennedy center honors. i'd never ride without one now. and since my doctor prescribed lipitor, i won't go without it for my high cholesterol and my risk of heart attack. why kid myself? diet and exercise weren't lowering my cholesterol enough. now i'm eating healthier, exercising more, taking lipitor. numbers don't lie. my cholesterol's stayed down. lipitor is fda approved to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients who have heart disease or risk factors for heart disease. it's backed by over 19 years of research. [ female announcer ] lipitor is not for everyone, including people with liver problems and women who are nursing, pregnant or may become pregnant. you need simple blood tests to check for liver problems. tell your doctor if you are taking other medications, or if you have any muscle pain or weakness. this may be a sign of a rare but serious side effect. [ man ] still love that wind in my face! talk to your doctor. don't kid yourself about the risk of heart attack and stroke.

if lipitor's been working for you, stay with it. lipitor may be available for as little as $4 a month with the lipitor co-pay card. terms and conditions apply. learn more at lipitorforyou.com. how a major grant could put dozens of police officers back on the streets. a big turnoff to holiday shopping. what's scaring people away from one of san francisco's most popular tourist spots. it's enough to make any car lover cry. from ferrari's to lamborghinis.. how luxury cars ended up crunched all over the road. plus... a chilly start to the morning. how low temps could drop tonight. join us for cbs 5 early edition, ,,

on the "cbs morning news," here's a look at today's weather. snow is arriving in the desert southwest with several inches possible as far south as the mexican border. a large rain making system reaches all the way from the gulf coast to the great lakes. here is another look at this morning's top stories. now that herman cain has suspended his campaign, the other republican hopefuls are scrambling for his endorsement. please stand by for realtime captions. please stand by for realtime captions. new new polls show newt gingrich ahead of ron paul and mitt romney in iowa. iran says it has shot down and recovered a u.s. spy drone. it could be a top secret drone like the one used to spy on osama bin laden in pakistan.

if so, it could help the iranian drone program. the president of oklahoma state university says he doesn't know how security could have prevented injuries when fans stormed the osu football field saturday night. students and other fans tore down the goal posts after the osu cowboys beat the arch rival oklahoma sooners for the big 12 championship. a dozen people were hurt including a student who remains hospitalized in stable condition. madonna will perform at the super bowl in february. the nfl announced last night the grammy awards winning singer will sing during the halftime show which is the most watched musical event of the year. the performance will also include a team from cirque du soleil. in the nation's capital last night, five legends of the american art scene were celebrated at the kennedy center honors. a mix of politicians and entertainers paid tribute to singers barbara cook and neil diamond and sonny rollins and

yo-yo-ma and actress merle streep for their influence on american culture. before the ceremony, president obama hosted them at the white house. >> by expressing themselves, they he us learn something about ourselves. they make us laugh, they move us to tears, they bring us together, and they push the boundaries of what we think is possible. >> caroline kennedy hosted the program in tribute to her father which finished with a group sing-along of the neil diamond song he named after her. ♪ ♪ sweet caroline i never ever would ♪ classic. and you can catch the entire kennedy center honors show on december 27th at 9:00 p.m. right here on cbs. this morning, on "the early show," how to protect your cash savings without stuffing it in the mattress. i'm elaine quijano. and this is the "cbs morning news."

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the economic downturn has hit the niagara falls region in upstate new york hard. same day border crossings which piqued in 1998 to 2 million, plummeted to 5.4 million last year. now a plan for tight rope tourism to raise revenue has launched an international controversy. anthony mason explains. >> my great grandfather crossed it. life is on the wire and everything else is just waiting. >> reporter: 32-year-old nik wallenda is a seventh generation tight rope walker. his great grandfather founded it. he hopes to be the first person to walk 2,000 feet, 170 feet in the air across niagara falls. >> walking across niagara falls

is a dream of mine. it's something i wanted to do ever since i could remember. >> reporter: niagara falls has a long storied history of stunt men, acrobats, and dare devils in barrels. some weren't so lucky. after years of economic decline, new york officials think it's death defying past could be the perfect shot in the arm. governor andrew cuomo and the entire new york state legislature have agreed to give wallenda a one-time pass at stunts banning falls. wallenda estimates his act would bring in 125,000 spectators and 120 million tourist dollars to the region. but janice thompson of the canadian niagara parks division says the following. >> people aren't coming here to acrobats.

people are coming here to appreciate and pay tribute to the beauty of niagara falls. >> it's a lifestyle. its an art to us. >> reporter: last month, wallenda addressed the park commission's concerns at a hearing and was met by a throng of cameras. >> this is something that i won't give up. >> reporter: not only will it be great for the economy, says wallenda, it will be great for a world in the economic dumps. >> there's a lot of people around the world on that wire with us, looking towards that other end hoping to make it to the other side. what a strong impactful story of this guy did it. he's on the wire and he made it across successfully and so can we. >> reporter: the canadian parks commission is considering wallenda's proposal. until then, wallenda's walk and niagara falls' economic future hangs in the balance. anthony mason, cbs news, new york. coming up later on "the early show," how herman cain's decision to suspend his presidential campaign affects the republican race.

then former penn state coach jerry sandusky speaks out on the child sexual abuse charges against him. and merle streep and neil diamond and more on the glittering kennedy honors. that's the "cbs morning news" for this monday. i'm elaine quijano. have a great day. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com