comments@captioncolorado.com good morning. in afghanistan a rare and unprecedented attack on shiite worshippers celebrating a holy day. many of the casualties are children. we'll have the very latest from afghanistan's capital. good news for newt gingrich in the latest cbs news poll. iowa voters say he has the best chance to beat president obama. more on gingrich's rising popularity in what's becoming a two-man race. congresswoman michele bachmann has campaigned in iowa more than anywhere else. all that hard work may not be paying off. we'll ask her as she still becomes the republican nominee. she's here with us this morning. nasa says a far away planet passes the gold ie locks test. conditions are just right for living creatures to survive.

we'll find out what might be on kepler 22b early this tuesday, we'll find out what might be on kepler 22b early this tuesday, december 6th, 2011 hp. captioning funded by cbs good morning, welcome to "the early show." right here on earth, i'm chris wragge. >> i'm rebecca jarvis. we begin in afghanistan where a suicide bombing that killed dozens of people this morning is being called unprecedented because it targeted shiite muslims as they celebrated a major religious holiday. >> this comes a day after dozens of world leaders including hillary clinton promised to support afghanistan's government for years to come. mandy clark is in kabul, afghanistan, for the latest for us this morning. >> coordinated attacks in three different cities today. insurgents targeted the minority

shia population on the holiest day on their calendar where they performed religious rituals. afghan police say he walked into a large crowd and then detonated his explosive vest. this picture, taken shortly after the blast shows a blood-stained little girl surrounded by dead and injured children. this devastated mother cries. i only had one son. sectarian attacks are rare in afghanistan, past violence tends to be along tribal or ethnic fault lines, rather than between the different branches of islam. people took out the rage on the afghan police, furious they could not keep the capital safe. every attack like this undermines the public confidence that the afghan security forces will be ready to take control.

the concern now in this war-torn country is that a new avenue of violence could open up dividing this fractured nation even more. >> mandy, quick question for you. anyone claiming responsibility for this at this hour? >> not yet. the taliban has already said that they have condemned the attack. although there has been early reports that a pakistani insurgent group may be behind it, although those reports are unconfirmed yet. >> cbs mandy clark in afghanistan for us. mandy, thank you. the latest on the european debt kriss and the new sign it is spreading across the continent, even here to the u.s. >> a top credit agency is threatening to take action against almost all the countries that use the single and correspondent mark phillips is in london with more. good morning, mark. >> good morning, rebecca. the last thing the eurozone countries would have wanted in this crucial week when they create stability through new

rules for how the currency works, the standard & poor's warning that it may down grade the warning of the healthiest economies like germany and france only makes their problems worse. the markets took the news predictability, but they started slipping. this just after they had rallied that germany's angela merkel and nicolas sarkozy had come up with the plan to keep tighter checks on countries which were borrowing too much, which is what has created the problem. the s&p threat is another huge incentive to europe to do something. >> after all, it is a positive thing that s&p have come out with this because it has turned the screws a little bit more. i think markets will now give the euro zone a couple days breathing space and don't expect any dramas over the next few days and let's see what this friday meeting brings. >> reporter: into the financial storm comes u.s. treasury secretary timothy geithner. he will run through a marathon of meetings with the european, financial and government leaders

leading up to the crucial summit meeting at the end of the week. the u.s. wants a workable plan from europe knowing instability here is contagious. >> it is what comes out of the summit that standard & poor's says they will carry through on their debt to the coveted aaa. that would make raising funds to bailout europe's weak economies more expensive, exactly what europe doesn't need. >> we know what it is like to have a downgraded rating from s&p right here in the u.s. they did it to us. what kind of time frame is europe working under for these credit rating problems but the overall situation in the eu? >> well, the european credit crisis has been dragging on for more than a year now, but this does seem to be the crunch week. the new proposals, the german french proposals which will shift power to the center of europe and away from the various european capitals in terms of deficits. that will be published tomorrow and furiously debated at a summit at the end of the week

and, of course, now, even more pressure because of the standard & poor's threat. >> yeah, absolutely. mark phillips in london, thanks, mark, we appreciate it. now we turn to politics with the first stage of campaign 2012. the iowa caucuses now just four weeks away. >> dean reynolds is in iowa with the numbers from the latest cbs news/"new york times" poll out this morning. >> good morning, chris. the new poll provides more good news for newt gingrich and more reasons for mitt romney to be worried. the new cbs news/"new york times" poll found 31% of republican caucus goers now believe that gingrich has the best chance to defeat president obama next year. compared to 29% who say that about mitt romney. in new york on monday gingrich met with and apparently impressed donald trump. >> it's amazing how well he's doing and how it's really resonated with so many people. >> reporter: the trump meeting and the spate of new surveys

showing gingrich in a commanding position, plus, his announced intention to campaign in all 50 states, if nominated, kept the former speaker in the news. and here in iowa, he released his first feel-good television appeal. >> working together, we can and will rebuild the america we love. >> reporter: gingrich appears to have benefited the most from the end of herman cain's campaign. his popularity increasing in direct proportion to cain's decreasing. that left one-time frontrunner, mitt romney short on political oxygen. a condition that may or may not be relieved when he's endorsed later today by former vice president dan quayle. yet as the apparent frontrunner, gingrich is drawing fire. former democratic speaker nancy pelosi is suggesting a lot of unflattering information about gingrich from the congressional investigation of his conduct, which the public may be interested in learning. and party regulars wonder about gingrich's organization or lack

thereof. according to the associated press, the campaign's already let slip the filing deadline for missouri's february 7th primary and could well miss deadlines for a certain number of signed petitions to file in ohio, indiana, illinois and virginia, too. as one top iowa republican official put it, mitt has the message. he's getting the money. but it's the mechanics to ensure victory that other candidates like michele bachmann and ron paul have, but that gingrich still lacks. chris? >> cbs' dean reynolds in iowa for us. dean, thank you. one republican candidate that has been very critical michele bachmann, born in the state of iowa. so, the caucuses, they're very crucial to her campaign and representative bachmann joins us here this morning. >> good morning. >> let's talk about some of the cbs/"new york times" polls that came out this morning. the best chance of beating president obama was one of the

questions asked and you see you come in at fifth place behind gingri gingrich, rommy, paul, it seems like the straw poll wasn't that long ago, but when you see the numbers, it feels like it was a long time ago. why do you think it's not resonating with people? >> two weeks can be an eternity in a race and two weeks ago everyone would have said that herman cain was the next nominee. this is like a political wall street where candidates are going up and going down and i think we're perfectly situated to be exactly where we need to be on january 3rd. who is the consistent conservative in the race and i think that's why they're going to come home and i'll be their candidate on january 3rd. if you take a look at the top contenders, mitt romney and newt gingrich, it's very hard for tea partier to see them as the consistent conservative. they backed obama's health care plan and there is forms in different ways. they have been for the global warming initiatives and on issue after issue that is not reflective of the tea party

agenda, they've been on the wrong side of the issue. i've been on the right side of the issue and i've been the fighter. that's what they want. i think that's what we'll see president obama. i'm the only one that can stand on that stage and have a clear, direct contrast where there's no compromise. >> spent the most time in iowa. >> facetime, likeict in iowa, but when it comes to knowledge of the issues in our poll, people see you as one of the least knowledgeable candidates out there. why do you think that is and how do you think you can turn that around? >> well, i think i've demonstrated just the opposite. i'm a federal tax litigation attorney and i have the strongest fiscal background. i started a business from scratch. a successful businesswoman. i'm the only one that sits on the house intelligence committee who has current experience with foreign affairs and dealing with terrorism. and also on the tea party issues and on social issues. i have the most expensive background. so, it's just a matter of continuing to put our message

out and i think i've demonstrated that strength, particularly on obama care and the chief fighter of that issue. people recognize that. i think people will be shocked on january 3rd when they see the results. >> where do you think you have to place in iowa. >> i think we're going to place strong. >> let me ask you about newt gingrich. he's polling very well and two weeks could be an eternity in this race, but right now the flavor of the week or the month. do you have to attack him on some of the issues he has calling him an influence peddler or flip-flopper and he has kind of fired back. how do you, i guess where do you attack newt? where are you able to attack newt gingrich and show people that you are the conservative candidate? >> my point in all of this is to bring clarity because it's important for people to know where we stand on the issues and who we are and what we've done. again, it's both mitt romney and newt gingrich with both of them, they have significantly flaws that don't represent where the

people of iowa particular on the life issue. prolife is very important forfon withes. newt gingrich said he would not protect life from conception. those are key, foundational issues. all that is is clarity. not attack, just clarity. >> donald trump moderating the next republican debate late december. a number of high-profile republicans have stepped forward and they said it could be a circus and turn out to be just a media circus. what do you think? do you agree with that? >> i like donald trump, i think he's a lot of fun. i met him many times and i think he's a wonderful guy. so far i think newt gingrich is the only one that accepted that invitation. we're still in the process of looking at it. two more debates in iowa. this is a request on the 27th, so, depending on how this works with the caucuses. but i have great respect for donald trump. >> you find it bizarre that he will moderate a debate? >> no, i think that that's not

bizarre, but i think one concern was he said he's already leading towards a candidate. so, there's questions about objectivity, but great respect for him. >> congresswoman, thank you. >> thank you, appreciate it. meanwhile, president obama going to kansas today to argue that republicans are not doing enough to help average americans. >> senior white house correspondent bill plante has a preview of the president's speech. good morning to you. >> good morning to you. the president is going to kansas, a town of less than 5,000. he's going because that's where former president teddy roosevelt made a famous speech more than a century ago, a speech that put him at odds with his fellow republicans because it was a call for economic fairness, not unlike the president's own argument for taxing millionaires to extend the payroll tax cuts. >> how can you fight tooth and nail to protect high-end tax breaks for the wealthiest americans and, yet, barely lift a finger to prevent taxes going up for 160 million americans who really need the help?

it doesn't make sense. >> teddy roosevelt was also calling for a more equal society. 101 years ago. when i say that i am for the square deal, says roosevelt, not merely that i stand for fair play under the present rules of the game, but that i stand to have those rules changed to work for a more quality of equality. douglas brinkley says that's why mr. obama chose the same small town in kansas to frame his message. >> he's trying to paint the republicans as sort of being anti-american. being grinch-like, being misers. and this is timed here with the holiday season with the need for some, you know, tax breaks for middle class. he's got to reclaim the great american center right now and the figure who speaks for the center is theodore roosevelt. >> reporter: as the president continues to pressure congress, the white house unveiled a

countdown clock on monday ticking away the days until the payroll tax cut expires at year's end. for weeks, president obama has relentlessly slammed republicans for their unwillingness to increase taxes on the very wealthy for extending that tax cut. >> so, my message to congress is this? keep your word. american people and don't raise taxes on them right now. now is not the time to slam on the brakes, now is the time to step on the gas. >> now, kansas is a red state, of course. no democrat has won this since '64, but the point is the president's goal is to paint himself as the populous candidate, a champion of the middle class. chris? >> cbs bill plante at the white house. here's jeff glor at the newsdesk with a check of the other headlines. >> it is that time of year. >> chris, welcome back. a woman who fell from the retired oceanliner queen mary has died. the chip is in long beach, california, operating as a

hotel. a 26-year-old woman fell last night from a walkway into the water 75 feet below. a passerby and two police officers pulled her out, but she died at a hospital. in dallas, a deadly gun fight on an amtrak train between three undercover cops and a suspect, the suspect was killed, two others hurt, including one of the officers. it is a big warning for a lot of cheese heads. the green bay packers are offering a quarter million shares in the nation's only publicly owned prosports team. the price is 250 bucks a share. the packers, of course, the current super bowl champs and are 12-0 this year. a new study on fat says sitting is not good for us at all. good thing i'm standing right now. scientists that university of tel aviv found that prolonged sitting makes you larger. people in wheelchairs or beds, mostly. fat cells develop faster in parts of the body where there was the most pressure like your bottom where you sit.

up to 50% more fat cells. the researchers say even exercise has a tough time fighting this accumulation. the best advice, don't sit for extended periods. and here's something you don't see every day. palm trees and snow in the same place. in las cruces, new mexico, how about that. some areas got up to a foot of snow there. about 60 miles north of the mexican border. yesterday who whiteout conditions closed schools. temperatures are expected to ge,

still ahead this morning, undercover in syria to see prodemocracy demonstrators battle the regime that killed thousands of it opponents. the battle over new laws to limit abortion in kansas. the lives and issues at stake in this debate. this is "the early show" on cbs. [ male announcer ] imagine facing the day

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,, bart is being hit by copper th good morning. it's 7:25. let's get you caught up on some of the bay area headlines on this tuesday. bart is being hit by copper thieves. the latest theft was early this morning in west oakland. two 20-foot seconds of wire stolen from the tracks. investigators have identified the suspect but have not made an arrest yet. over the weekend a bart train nearly hit a thief on the tracks in san francisco. tough time. a new sports complex won tentative approval from the piedmont city council last night. the $6million project would include several different facilities and will be paid for with private money. the "occupy" movement is moving in a new direction today in san francisco, oakland, san jose and dozens of other cities across the country. rallies and marches will support people who are losing their homes to foreclosure. this morning, in oakland,

families facing foreclosure will march to banks and a foreclosure auction. traffic and weather on this chilly tuesday coming up right after this. stay right there. ,,,,,,,,,,,,

good morning. let's start you off in walnut creek bad accident, a car off the freeway northbound 680

right by the north main street exit, a car off the off-ramp and landing in a public works parking lot. struck about 5 other vehicles. we know that chp and emergency crews are all on scene. we're not hearing of any major problems on the main lines of the freeway. but obviously, there are likely injuries involved with that crash. elsewhere, we'll take you outside live look at the bay bridge, where the metering lights have been on now for almost an hour. more than an hour actually. since about 6:15. so it's jammed solid to the macarthur maze, 20 minutes to get you on the span. that's traffic. for your forecast, here kristy. >> thanks a lot, elizabeth. waking up to clear skies this morning but temperatures are cold. numbers in the 20s and 30s even in some places, but beautiful live look outside. highs for today are going to be in the 50s and 60s. so seasonal temperatures. we continue with these types of temperatures for the rest of the week but more clouds in the forecast middle of the week and then a chance of rain by sunday. california should be proud.

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and welcome back to "the early show," i'm chris wragge, along with rebecca jarvis, erica hill has the morning off. >> and later today, secretary of state hillary clinton meets with seven opposition leaders from syria where the government is accused of killing more than 60 civilians on monday. >> since the first anti-government protests began in that middle eastern country, western media has seen little of the government's brutal crackdown on the opposition. correspondent clarissa ward went undercover and is here with more. >> since spring, thousands of syrians have been demanding an end to the 40-year dictatorship of the assad family. and since the revolution began, it's estimated that syrian forces have killed 4,000 civilians.

for months, this is what we've seen of the revolution in sirria shaky cell phone video of demonstrations met with bullets. to the meet the people holding those cell phones, we entered the country as tourists. carrying only a small camera. this woman insists on using her real name. she cannot show her face. she is in hiding. the regime is looking for her. >> are you scared? >> who is not. but we have to continue to start our revolution, this is what we've been dreaming of. >> she took us to the damascus suburb of douma, to the funeral of a 16-year-old boy shot by security forces while he ducked for cover at a protest the day before. men and women poured in by the hundreds, their grief tinged

with defiance. >> if you come you will see real bodies. they are not stones. they are not toys. they are real bodies. >> reporter: they want international military support. and they say they will not give up their protests until president assad's regime falls. a helicopter circled overhead. but the chanting only got stronger. we are peaceful and they are shooting us, they shouted. we want freedom. there's a special graveyard for protesters who have been gunned down in douma. they are call eed martyrs, ther are 60 graves. a man just handed me this photograph of a family member of his who was killed. he was only 13 years old. the u.n. estimates that at least 4,000 people have been killed. protesters tell us the number is much higher. but the violence has only

fuelled the protests, which are creeping closer to the heart of the capital. just outside of damascus, suburbs like this, people are out here, demanding an end to the regime. these protesters have rarely seen reporters from outside the country. they handed us notes. we don't shed tears for the martyrs, we shed tears for the cowards, one read. later on, this woman introduced us to people who had paid a high price for demonstrating against the assad regime. this 20-year-old was shot three times in protests in july captured on a cell phone. five months later, he is bedridden. but he said, the minute he can walk, he'll be back on the streets, marching for freedom. he says the regime is the devil. certainly, it's a regime that shows no signs of listening to its own people.

one clear message to president assad -- >> leave, leave now. because you know that you will leave at the end. but with more victims and with more suffering of the people. so just leave and leave us to start our new future, our new country. you got enough of our blood. >> in the last couple of days, two well-known activists have been arrested by syrian security forces. really highlighting the enormous risks that the men and women are taking to speak their minds. >> you talk about enormous risks. did you this alone, correct? i guess i'm a little bit blown away, the abfact that you were able to pull this off. did you ever feel like your life was in danger at that point? >> i think there were several challenges. obviously logistical challenges of trying to go under cover. you can't be speaking english on

the streets. i was always wearing a head scarf and the people i was with are very much wanted by the assad regime. so every time you go through one of those checkpoints, you're holding your breath, praying they don't do any further investigation and that someone in the car is going to get arrested. >> given how little access we in the west have to syria. getting in as far as the press, do you think we're getting an accurate portrayal here of what's happening there, having seen it with your own eyes? >> no, i don't, i really don't. it's a desperately desperate situation that's happening over there. and all that we're seeing are the shaky youtube videos. and of course, the government makes it so hard for international journalists to go in and do their jobs. until more people do go in, i don't think it's possible for the rest of the world to understand what's truly happening. >> i think you had a good idea of what you were getting into and what you would see. did anything surprise you or catch you offguard? >> i think what really surprised me was the diversity of the opposition. it wasn't just one group of people. there were men, there were women, there were christians,

there were muslims. they were old, they were young. the need and the desire for change there is really pretty widespread. >> all right. great stuff. interesting. >> thank you. appreciate it. good to have you. and we'll have more from inside syria tonight on the "cbs evening news." make sure you tune in for that. up next, the issue of abortion rights taking center stage in kansas. >> the impact of three new anti-abortion laws and see what other states are doing as well, when we come back. this is "the early show" on cbs. stay with us.

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hi quarterback everybody. welcome to "the early show." for over 40 years, americans have been arguing over abortion and whether it should be legal. one of the chief battlegrounds is kansas where a doctor who provided abortions was shot and killed by anti-abortion activists two years ago. >> cynthia bowers has the story. >> reporter: dr. tracy hauser checks on a patient in her kansas office. >> we are good. we're done. >> reporter: the married mother of two who asked not to be

identified never dreamed she would be here. >> i found out at 14 weeks that my baby had encephalie. i was told if i carried my baby to term that within five minutes of being born, my baby would die. >> reporter: her obstetrician suggested the clinic, one of only three in the state that still performs abortions. access that could soon be cut even further. >> kansas in the heart of america is a culture of live state. >> reporter: since taking over in skrarn, governor sam brownback has enacted through new laws restricting the procedures. one requires both parents of a minor give notarized consent before any abortion. the second prevents private health coverage insurance and the third gives the state's health department broad authority to regulate the state's providers.

>> we considered this common sense legislation that almost all kansas citizens would like to see. >> reporter: the supreme court's landmark roe v. wade ruling made abortion legal across the country, but a 1992 ruling allowed states some power to regulate it. earlier this month, mississippi voters rejected a call to declare a fetus a person. kansas senator mary pilter-cook says her state's regulations are solely intended to protect women. what do you say to people who view these restrictions as a means of outlawing abortion by a side door? >> we're protecting women's health and safety. we're making sure that parents make the decisions over their children's health care. and we're making sure that taxpayers are not paying for

abortions that they believe are immoral. >> abortion is a medical procedure. it's not a political procedure, but it's being made that by the government. >> reporter: dr. tracy nauser and her ob/gyn dad herb hodies see it much differently. >> wa do you think about these new regulations? >> they're onerous, they're completely unmedical, they're unnecessary. >> it's blantly obvious and it's death by a thousand paper cuts. >> fe fear outlawing abortion will drive women to illegal clinics. >> women will go back to dying if we don't stop this railroading of women's rights. >> reporter: a fear now understood by a woman who didn't think she supported abortion rights. >> it was definitely the most difficult decision that i had to make. i want people to know it's not a black and whitish. there's so many gray areas. >> and you're still doing good?

>> reporter: and she fears it's the women in their gray areas that stand to lose the most if these laws hold up in court. >> as cynthia mentioned, kansas is not alone. lawmakers in ohio are considering to ban abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected. that would effectively outlaw abortions for women after the fifth or sixth week of pregnancy. still to come here on "the early show," students come together at florida a&m to say no more hazing. we're going to get the latest on the hazing related deaths of a student drum major. and later, the far away planet that could have life on it. we'll tell you what's so special about kepler 22b. liday secret. there's only one place that has the new kardashian kollection, apostrophe, uk style by french connection, structure and bongo... all under one roof. sears has all the styles they love, at prices you'll love. and all the money you save...

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hazing incident within the university anticipates marching band. >> this morning, students and administrators are promising to stamp out hazing on campus. >> some 2,000 students packed the university gym for an anti-hazing assembly. >> one, two, three -- >> reporter: that in time had the feel of a pep rally. >> we're in the college of love and charity. we are more than what the media makes us out to be. >> reporter: the assembly came in the wake of the death of 26-year-old robert champion, a drum major in the school's famed marching 100 band. champion died november 19th following an incident on a band bus after the florida classic football game. police believe hazing was involved. and last week, the university dismissed four students for their alleged participation in the incident along with the band's long time director. now administrators hope the

crowd they want the school to become a leader in the fight against hazing. students signed a pledge not to engage in hazing activity. >> and i said to myself, this has to stop, we have to stop it. >> reporter: and the university's president promised to break what he calls the culture of secrecy that surrounds hazing at the school. >> florida a&m university and its students are determined to be the leading voices to stamp out hazing on college and university campuses across this country. >> one of your own students here asked why it took someone else dying, essentially, to get this to happen. >> every allegation of hazing has been fully investigated and appropriate disciplinary actions have been taken. >> reporter: but that has yet to be determined. a criminal investigation is under way, looking into whether university officials ignored past warnings about hazing.

hannah ornor cbs news, tallahassee. well, coming up, we're going to take a look at a new therapy helping muscles and tendons heal. athletes love it, but does it work? thermacare works differently. it's the only wrap with patented heat cells that penetrate deep to relax, soothe, and unlock tight muscles for up to 16 hours of relief. that's 8 hours while you wear it, plus an additional 8 hours of relief after you take it off. can your patch, wrap, cream or rub say that? so if you've got pain... get up to 16 hours of pain relief with thermacare. they won't be beat. oh, actually... then i'd be like, you rule! and my kids would be like, you rule! i'd be like, yes, i do rule! ohh! that rules! oh, load up the sleigh; this is going to be a great christmas. yeah. ring dinga-ding, ring dinga-ding, ring, ring, ring me up.

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a rise in crime at an occupy camp i good morning. i'm grace lee with your cbs 5 headlines. a rise in crime at an "occupy" camp in berkeley has city officials and a high school principal concerned. offenses like battery and sexual assault are becoming more frequent. the principal at berkeley high across the street says that the camp complicates the supervision of its students. tonight santa clara and the 49ers will explain the funding for a new stadium at the first of two public meetings. the city's stadium authority has secured $850 million in loans from three banks. the city would pay back the loans over 25 years through ticket sales, rent from the team as well as naming rights. today san francisco's board of supervisors may expand a plastic bag ban. the city was the first in the country to introduce the law back in 2007. but that only applies to big

grocers. the new ban would apply to all retailers. businesses will be able to charge shoppers 10 cents for reusable bags. and an update of traffic and weather is coming up. ,, ,,,,,,,,,,

good morning. we're following a couple of accidents on northbound 280 in san jose. it is really backing up traffic

into downtown san jose. you can see it there, your drive time on northbound 280 between 101 and cupertino is growing to almost a half hour now. southbound traffic gets by okay. at the bay bridge, we are backed up to the macarthur maze for about a 20-minute wait to get on the span. metering lights are on. and 880 want to show you this, starting to get a little crowded past the coliseum towards the downtown oakland exit. seeing clear skies this morning but temperatures are definitely chilly. numbers in the 30s and even some 20s a little earlier today but get to enjoy some sunshine at least right now and for the afternoon also. so let's look at some of the cold numbers outside right now. freezing in santa rosa and napa. only 27 in fairfield. san jose at 36. by this afternoon, warming up into the high 50s and low 60s. plenty of sunshine in store. but definitely bundle up. it's going to be cold. ,,,,,,,,,,

and welcome back to "the early show," it's december 6th already. hi, everybody, i'm chris wragge, along with rebecca jarvis. >> good to be here. >> erica hill is off this morning. coming up, the high-speed world of online dating isn't just for young people any more. older americans are checking object to dating websites in record numbers, how the 55 and older age group is finding love in cyber space. and the secret world of the military's special operations elite unit. there's a reason why they've earned a reputation as the country's fierce warriors. we'll speak with the author of a new book that traces the history

of special ops and how their role has shifted. but we begin with a story of a government program that some say is worse than the highly criticized fast and furious gun-running scandal where u.s. agents allowed thousands of weapons to go from the u.s. to mexican drug cartels. >> the reporter who broke the fast and furious story is in washington with a look at another program. this one entirely legal. sending more weapons across the mexican border. and good morning to you, cheryl. >> good morning. selling weapons to mexico is controversial because so many of the guns fall into the wrong hands. the mexican military recently reported nearly 9,000 police weapons missing. yet, the u.s. has approved the sale of more guns to mexico than ever before, through a program called direct commercial sales. we discovered the official tracking of all those guns, leaves something to be desired. one weapon -- an ar-15 semi

automatic rifle tells the story in 2006, this same kind of rifle tracked by serial number, is legally sold by a u.s. manufacturer to the mexican military. three years later, it's found in a criminal stash, in a region wracked by mexican drug cartel violence. that prompts a sensitive cable, uncovered by wikileaks, the u.s. state department asks mexico, how this gun was diverted into criminal hands. and more importantly, where the other rifles from the same shipment went. please account for the current location of the 1,030 ah-15 type rifles, reads the cable. there's no response in the record. the problem of weapons legally sold to mexico, then diverted to violent cartels is becoming more urgent. that's because the u.s. has quietly authorized a massive escalation in the number of guns sold to mexico through direct commercial sales. it's a way foreign governments can acquire firearms faster and with less disclosure than going through the pentagon.

here's how it works. a foreign government fills out an application to buy weapons from private gun manufacturers in the u.s. then the state department decides whether to approve. and it did approve 2,400 guns to be sold to mexico in 2006. in 2009, that number was up nearly ten times. the state department has since stopped disclosing numbers of guns it approves and wouldn't give us figures for 2010 or 2011. with mexico in a virtual state of war with its cartels, nobody is tracking how many u.s. guns are ending up with the enemy. bill hartung is an arms control advocate. >> i think most americans are aware there's a problem in terms of the drug traffickers in mexico, increases in violence. i don't think they realize we're sending so many guns there and some may be diverted to the very cartels that we're trying to get under control. >> the state department audits only a tiny sample, less than 1% of sales. but the results are disturbing.

in 2009, more than a quarter of the guns sold to the region that includes mexico were diverted into the wrong hands, or had other unfavorable results. larry keen, who speaks for gun manufacturers says he understands the potential for abuse. >> you know, there have been 150,000 or more mexican soldiers defect to go work for the cartels. and i think it's safe to assume that when they defect, they take their firearms with them. >> but keen says the sale helped the u.s. >> the sales by the industry support u.s. national security interests. if they didn't, the state department wouldn't allow them. >> because they need better oversight? >> certainly for the state department and the mexican government to try to make sure that that, that the cartels don't obtain firearms that way. but that's really beyond the control of the industry. >> mexico is now one of the world's largest purchasers of u.s. guns through direct commercial sales. beating out countries like iraq. the office that oversees the sales wouldn't agree to an interview. but an official told congress that their top priority is to advance national security and

foreign policy. rebecca and chris? >> thank you, cbs's cheryl atkinson. jeff glor at the news desk with another check of the headlines this morning. jeff, good morning. >> chris, good morning to you, in our news, a brutal day of violence in afghanistan. three bombings on what is the holy day of ashoura. the targets were mosques. and the first blast was the deadliest, a suicide bombing at a crowded shrine killed 54 people, more than 160 were hurt. eight people died in two other attacks. many victims in kabul were young children who had gathered outside the shrine. meanwhile, a pentagon report says the u.s. is paying almost unthinkable amount for gas in afghanistan. $400 a gallon. that is the estimate. what it costs by the time the gasoline reaches remote locations in afghanistan, because it has to be dropped from a cargo plane by parachute. the expense is one reason the pentagon is exploring green

energy sources like solar panels right now. bp says halliburton deliberately destroyed evidence about last year's gulf oil spill. 11 workers were killed in what became the worst spill in u.s. history. bp filed a lawsuit yesterday saying halliburton destroyed proof that the cement used on the well was unstable. there's some encouraging news for newt gingrich in a new cbs news/"new york times" poll. republicans in iowa think gingrich has the best chance of defeating president obama. 31%, edging out mitt romney at 29%. all other republican contenders are in the single digits. faa chief ran

this weather report this weather report sponsored by mercedes benz. experience truly great engineering today at your authorized dealer. well coming up next, the medical treatment that's getting a lot of hype. whether it really helps, we still really don't know. >> we'll take a look at this experimental healing process, called p everyone p therapy

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in the "healthwatch," prp therapy is a way of fixing a muscle, tendon or related joith without surgery. >> but the thing is there's no firm evidence that this experimental treatment actually works and our medical correspondent is here with more. good morning. >> good morning, guys. prp stands for platelet-rich plasma therapy. they are the part of our blood that's responsible for clotting and healing. pro athletes started trying it about five years ago. ordinary folks are requesting the treatment and some swear by it. >> we're both just happy to be moving again. >> after enduring years of product foot pain. linda leonard is thrilled to be back in her boots. >> you're a good girl, huh. >> while riding 15 years ago, he horse stumbled. prompting her to jump off. linda landed hard, shattering her ankle.

>> it blew it apart into 40 places and i thought, i'm really in trouble. i had to crawl out on my elbows, i was laying by the side of the road. >> after multiple surgeries, arthritis set in. >> people who have pain every day, it's exhausting. i thought, is this going to be my life? i thought this is not even the essence of me. >> linda spent years searching for relief. then in 2009, she heard about an experimental, nonsurgical solution that claims to stimulate powerful healing. linda sought out steven sampson, an osteopath, who offers plateslet-rich plasma therapy, or prp. >> we isolate the body's natural healing properties, called platelets. they release growth factor that stimulate repair. >> the procedure is simple. a small amount of the patient's blood is spun to separate and concentrate the platelets. then they're injected into the injury. the cost varies from about $500 to $2,000. but is rarely covered by insurance, because it's still

experimental. >> we've had success from head to toe, from neck, back, hip, knee. >> but thus far, studies have not produced convincing evidence that prp is a magic bullet for tendon and muscle injuries. >> does it hurt when i help? >> this doctor is the chairman of orthopedic surgery at beth israel medical center in new york city. >> the prp is equivalent to cortisone injections. there are few studies that show slight improvement. but it's really not an improvement that patients would appreciate. >> that didn't stop former nba star, maurice taylor from trying it. he claims it eliminated pain in both his knees. >> i'm very surprised. i mean because it's a quick treatment. i'm surprised that a treatment that takes so little time has such big results. >> but as editor in chief of the "american journal of orthopedics" dr. mccann says further studies are warrantsed. >> is the jury still out? is it possible that -- >> yes, the jury is still out. we need more studies to figure out if we can select out those

patients who would really benefit from it. because it does have great potential. >> i was actually off the court and away from training for maybe two days. and then the third day i was playing basketball. >> taylor now plays for a team in china. >> she wants dinner. >> and linda leonard remains free of crippling pain. >> maybe it won't work on everybody, but it worked on me. it's given me my life back. >> prp is not yet fda-approved. the agency told cbs news that licensed medical practitioners can use it, but they cannot claim the treatment will actually correct any problem. >> interesting. but you do see these examples where perhaps it didn't correct a problem or maybe it was some other circumstance that helped. is it just a fad, in your opinion? i mean why are doctors prescribing this for people? >> well i think patients are coming in and asking for it, right? and it's the classic clash between belief and evidence-based medicine. last year, the olympic committee, the international olympic committee commissioned a

report that said let's look at the entire world literature and see does it work. they found it was safe, so far. although there are no long-term studies. but in terms of it being effective? the jury is still out. >> athletes, because we've been talking about this and they've been talking about it for the last five years, some questioned the legality of it with some athletes for years. the rut we hear from maurice taylor in the piece. but overall are athletes thinking this is the way to go? >> again, it's anecdotal so far. somebody comes in and says it works for me. you know who was not in today's piece? my friend, richard, who had an injection in each achilles tendon for $2500 each and it totally didn't work. we're not going to put him in a piece like that usually because it's not a great result. i think there's a very important study that people need to go back to. about ten years ago, everybody knew that if you had arthritis of the knee, you just do an arth ross copy, and you clean out the debris and clean things out and things get better. people said, i get better.

people said, let's do a brave study. it was brave, 180 people, divided into three groups. one had the actual surgery, they washed it out. another had the debris-cleaning procedure, the other had placebo. they made a couple of cuts and they did nothing. there was no difference between the three groups. and interestingly enough, all three groups got better. what is the contribution of the placebo effect? placebo is very powerful. until you do these controlled studies, you really don't know for sure. >> i was thinking about that effect, if people are going to their doctors and demanding this. where do you see it all going and shaking out? >> i think it goes to informed patient consent. informed decision-making. which is that the doctor really says, in the privacy of that office, what really goes on when you look that patient in the eye? are you saying i'm telling you, this works. in my hands, it works. but are you saying the honest truth, which is, look, the jury is still out? >> thank you so much. >> thanks, doc, good to see you.

nasa just found a planet that could be just right for living things. we'll tell you what we know. this is the "early show" on cbs. >> "cbs healthwatch" "cbs healthwatch" sponsored by nicorette. uck less, doubling your chances of success cigarette? you coming? umm, nah you go ahead. i'm good. alright. ♪ [ male announcer ] every time you say no to a cigarette, you celebrate a little win. nicorette mini helps relieve cravings in minutes. so you can quit one cigarette at a time. nicorette mini helps you go from one little win to another. until you reach your goal. nicorette mini. quit one cigarette at a time. is ♪ express yourself

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you know what this is? i'm communicating with another place. >> it does not surprise me you can do that. >> scientists looking for life on other planets like to talk about the goldilocks zone. not too hot, into the too cold but just right. nasa has found a planet that is right in that zone. >> if you've traveled at the speed of light, it would still take you 600 years to get in respect it's exciting stuff for astrophysicists. neal, great to see you again. how are you? there you go. >> i love it.

and i love the planet -- >> you know, you have to wear your work on your -- >> but apparently kepler 22b is not in there. >> fwhob it's not, but i can put it in with a marker. >> most of the planets that were discovered were jupiter size and you see, fine, it has planets, but we're looking for an earth-sized planet. you find a earth-sized planet and you need one in the goldilocks zone for life as we know it. so kepler, there's reams of data found a planet orbiting a star like the sun in the habitable zone, in the zone where you would sustain liquid water. so if it had an atmosphere like earth, it would be 70 degrees there right now. >> and that's what makes scientists believe the potential is there for life? >> the potential is there and it's very exciting. in the catalogs of planets that we now have, this is the first time we've had an earth-like

planet in the habitable zone with a star. we're kind of bias. we're looking for life as we know it. you can imagine, i suppose, life that tloeps tloefs on something other than water, but that's kind of -- we don't know how to get a handle on that. we do have a handle on life -- everyplace there's water on earth, there's life. even the dead sea. there's microbes everywhere on earth. >> what do you do with the information as you research this planet? how does it help life on this earth? >> excellent question. you build the catalog of these planets that don't have life. now you have observations to try and see the atmosphere, to see if the atmosphere has biomarkers for thriving life on its surface. then you say, if you ever have the chance to go somewhere or to target telescopes to listen for intelligent life, those will be at the top of the list. >> so what's next?

now that they've discovered it. it ain't close. >> i know. it's not close. but our fastest spacecraft today, it would take -- it would take something like 300,000 years to get there. >> god, i love an astrophysicist. that was live and crunching all those numbers, 600 million light years. >> probably even longer. i undercalculated that. but the point is, if you're going to do an experiment like that, you want the experiment to be resolved before you die. >> yeah. don't tip off any other scientists code for that. >> they have to come up with a better name for it, too. >> we'll have a naming contest. >> it's a mouthful. still ahead, the new face of online dating. a few extra lines. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

bart is being hit by copper thieves. the latest theft was this morning in west oakland. tions of wiring good morning. it's 8:25. i'm frank mallicoat. in the headlines, bart is hit by copper thieves. the latest theft was this morning in west oakland. two 20-foot sections of wiring stolen from the tracks. investigators have identified a suspect but have not made an arrest just yet. over the weekend a bart train nearly hit a thief on the tracks in san francisco. san jose city council today will discuss whether to put a pension reform measure on the ballot next june. the counsel sell has shelved the plan to declare a fiscal emergency because any projections of the budget deficit are not as bad as first expected. but mayor reed still wants pension reform. the "occupy" movement is going in a new direction. rallies and marches will support people losing their homes to foreclosure.

this morning in oakland, families facing foreclosure will march to banks in a foreclosure auction. we'll have your traffic and weather coming right up. ,,,, yeah, i'm married. does it matter? you'd do that for me? really? yeah, i'd like that. who are you talking to? uh, it's jake from state farm. sounds like a really good deal. jake from state farm at three in the morning. who is this? it's jake from state farm. what are you wearing, jake from state farm? [ jake ] uh... khakis. she sounds hideous.

well she's a guy, so... [ male announcer ] another reason more people stay with state farm. get to a better state. ♪ [ female announcer ] during the holidays, there's a lot to get done. and safeway select appetizers help you rise to every occasion. ♪ from delectable to amazing. there are over 20 affordable safeway select appetizers ♪ to make all of your gatherings just as merry as can be. ♪ only at safeway. ingredients for life. we are following an accident in menlo park. southbound 101 near the willow exit. one lane is blocked and it's jammed up from at least whipple. out of downtown san jose backed up in the northbound lanes of 280.

one accident downtown san jose, another one los altos hills. so it's jammed from downtown all the way towards cupertino and beyond. at the bay bridge toll plaza, backed up pretty solidly still to the maze. a good 20-minute wait to get on the bridge. the metering lights are on. that's traffic. for your forecast, here's kristy. >> thank you, elizabeth. a cold start to your tuesday although we are seeing fairly clear conditions. a few high clouds out there. live look outside in san francisco, you can see that blue sky showing through, a preview of what's to come today. temperatures outside right now definitely cold, only 29 in fairfield, 40 vallejo, santa rosa 30. 43 mountain view and 44 in pacifica. warming up to seasonal temperatures by this afternoon. high 50s to low 60s in our very warmest spots. 61 today is the high in redwood city. same for santa rosa. concord topping out at 58. livermore 59. mountain view 52. more clouds into our forecast tomorrow but enjoy the sunshine today. ,,,,,,,,

welcome back to the "early show." i'm chris wragge with rebecca jarvis. most of us don't know how much our military special operations forces really operate. they're supposed to operate in secret. the killing of osama bin laden has pushed these warriors in the spotlight. we'll speak to the author of a fascinating new book. >> it is incredible. >> also ahead, the average standup comic is sure to tell a few jokes about the family, maybe even a two. we'll show you one who is more likely to complain about a moose. bob marley, not the rock star

guy, but this comedian is a very funnily local legend up in maine, inspired by the unique culture. we've been hearing about arsonic lately. consumer reports just released a study about store-bought apple juice. >> and this morning we're hearing that rice could also have high levels of arsnic, an issue for babies and their parents. dr. holly phillips is joining us now. thank you for being here. >> my pleasure, as always. >> it's in our food naturally. in the united states it was added to our soil in the form of pesticides, a more dangerous form of the chemical called ars. it gets concentrated in the rice and then subsequently we eat it. >> what are we looking at here

with this study? what are some of the things that the study did find? >> it was out of dartmouth. they looked at 200 women who were pregnant. some of women had a half cup of rice a day. others had none. they then tested their urine and found that women who had half a cup of rice just for two days had 53% more arsenic in their urine than women who didn't. it really showed that rice can be a source of this chemical. we just don't know exactly how much is too much. but we do know it affects fetuses. it can affect pregnant women. it can affect the unborn baby. as much as we can avoid it, it's a good thing. >> what are the effects on a fetus, for example, an unborn baby or on a mother who is pregnant that we should be worried about here? >> it really all has to do with how much you're exposed to. now, the epa regulates how much arsenic is in our drinking water. that's 10 parts per billion.

it's not uncommon for rice to have 100 parts per billion or even up to 2,000 parts per billion. in extremely high doses, arsenic can cause cancers, kidney, liver, bladder cancer. heart disease, diabetes and some neurologic problems in children. but the real question here is how much arsenic are we dealing with? we don't know that yet. what this study shows is that we might want to take a closer look at our dietary sources. >> you see those graphics there and that information, how do you avoid -- is there a way to avoid it? >> there's not a way to avoid it completely. you can make a difference by going organic. particularly in the things we know are high in arsenic. chicken, apple juice, as we recently heard, rice are all high in arsenic. even rice cereals and rice milk you need to be careful of. get your water tested, particular will if you have well water.

city water is tested automatically. or if you have concerns, you can get yourself tested. it's a very easy blood test at the doctor's office. >> to clarify a point you made a few moments ago, we know it could be bad but it's the quantity that people come in contact with that really is the significant part of this story. >> exactly. right now we think you would have to have gallons and gallons of rice to really put yourself in danger. that doesn't mean we shouldn't follow it closely. >> all right. dr. holly phillips, as always, great information. we appreciate it. and for more on the risk, go to our partner in health, webmd.com and search the word arsenic. a lot of information. >> lot of information. very helpful information. now we turn to jeff glor for more information at the news desk. >> all about information, reb yaek. >> that's what we love. >> standard & poor's says it may downgrade 15 euro zone countries. this morning includes both germany and france. german chancellor angela merkel

debt crisis begins. high school students clash with police at a rally, marking three years since the fatal police shooting of a teenager. that killing three years ago sparked two weeks of the worst rioting greece had seen in decades. the investigation continues in long beach, california, where the retired liner, queen mary. a 26-year-old woman fell from the walkway that leads to the ship, which operates as a hotel. rescuers pulled her from the water but she later died at a hospital. an elderly woman says she was put through an embarrassing strip search here in new york at jfk last weekend. 88-year-old ruth sherman says she was coming home from thanksgiving vacation when tsa agents asked her about a bump near her hip. she tried to explain was a

colostomy bag. >> hire somebody who has gloves on, who is a nurse, who knows how to handle you. please, mrs. sherman, we have to do that. we apologize. could you please lower your pants? we would like to see this. >> the tsa says a preliminary review shows that officers follow the proper procedures. another 80-year-old woman lenore zmt immerman says she was bruised after being examined by tsa agents. walked into a plane's propeller on saturday night, lauren scruggs had just gotten off that flight to see christmas lights. her skull was fractured. she had to have her left hand amputated. her

special operations is not what they used to be in the war on terror. the u.s. specials operations is not what it used to be. facing a very different type of

enemy, facing big changes in the way they operate. >> time magazine's international editor joins us now. "special ops:the hidden world of america's toughest warriors." jim, good to see you. >> great to be here. >> fascinating, just the things we hear in the general public about these special ops soldiers. the birth of the special ops officer dates back to world war ii. what was it about then that brought about this special soldier? >> special ops in some variety has existed since warfare has existed. world war ii, the real change was technology and training. what you found was that parac parachutes, deep-strike airplanes, that was really the birth of u.s. army rangers and briti british. >> we have come a long way from

that point in time, though. bob kerrey, former senator bob kerrey wrote the introto your book, former navy sncht e.a.l. as well. he says results define and separate us from the past. how so? >> he made a comparison in his introduction where he compared his unit in 1967 s.e.a.l.s with today's s.e.a.l.s as professional athletes compared to today. you know, you always have joe namath who might have been an athlete for all times but the average level of discipline and professionalism between professional sports teams today and back then, it's a world of difference. >> it's an evolution. >> he said it's the exact same thing. techniques, training, tactics that special operation forces of 40 years ago can't even be compared with the level of methodology and stealth and really force projection that's capable today. >> top military leader that is this country has known have special ops backgrounds

particularly. how does that kind of shape the way the military has changed over the last few years? >> it's really changed everything, actually. i think that the biggest difference in the post gulf war i era and today is you see a complete changeover of the leadership. back in 1991, you had the cold warriors who came from infantry or arm our. and they were training for battle that is would rage across europe. colin powell, tommy franks. over the past few years, you've seen the top leadership structure of the u.s. military today is deeply informed by -- they came from a special ops background. and today, even conventional military units, you know, infrared sighting, working behind enemy lines, night strikes. the entire disposition of the way the military operates today has been completely informed --

transformed. it's really a special operations kind of military. >> it's a aligner, sleeker, more sophisticated military. it's all about fighting terrorism and doing clandestine operations. >> it's about smaller wars. a lot of the credibility goes back to donald rumsfeld and his thinking about using a smaller force to invade iraq. that didn't go so well. and it took ten years to refine the strategies and tactics to get to this place where it's now highly lethal, highly effective form of warfare that you see. the crowning achievement was the killing of osama bin laden. >> what was the biggest surprise in your research? >> the biggest surprise in my research was the degree to which this transformation has taken place. this is already a feta com plea. this is the new breed of warriors. the final thing is that, you know, ptsd is really an important problem in the

military, and especially so in special operations forces. >> post traumatic stress disorder. it's something that every one of these kids that's out there ends up coming home and dealing with. it's something that needs to be combatted here. we're going to totally pivot and change gears here. we're going to talk about some dating wars now, right? always a battle to find mr. or mrs. right. and millions of young people have gotn help on the internet. >> now the baby boomer generation and even their parents, the greatest generation, are looking for love online. as national correspondent dean reynolds reports. >> reporter: linda and andy davik are in love today as the day they were married in september. >> you're beautiful. >> both widowed after long marriages, the couple met in july of 2010, online. >> each of us were married for some time. so, it was kind of awkward to get back into a dating situation. there you are. >> andy, and a few months later,

linda, turn ed to online dating as a way out of their social isolation. >> it's really a hard time for a woman to find somebody. >> especially at our age. >> reporter: indeed, increasingly, seniors are seeking romance in cyber space. 55 and older people are visiting dating websites more than any other age bracket, increasing 39% in the last three years. >> people are working longer, doing their normal activities longer, so they're going to date longer, too. >> reporter: andy was encourage ed to use his keyboard as a flirtation device by his daughter. linda, by her granddaughter. is this beyond your wildest dreams, what happened? >> absolutely. it's fantastic that they found each other and got married. i'm so happy for both of them. and he's a great guy. >> reporter: how great a guy? he proposed a month and a day after their first face-to-face meeting and then, four days

after that, linda was diagnosed with breast cancer. andy's wife of 40 years died of that cancer. >> i tried to break up with him at that point because i didn't think he should have to go through it again. >> reporter: andy would hear none of it, and accompanied linda through a double mastectomy and a successful round of chemotherapy. they married on 9/10/11. >> it's easy to remember. >> we are very much newlyweds and very much in love. >> reporter: needless to say, they highly recommend computer dating. they found each other and they found it was romantic. >> it was. >> yeah. >> reporter: it was? >> very romantic. >> reporter: courtship has clearly come a long way from flowers and a box of chocolates. but, remember, shakespeare wrote sonnets. and andy says sometimes composition is better than tongu tongue-tied conversation. >> one of the things about e-mailing each other is you have an opportunity to think about what you're going to say, so you don't put your foot into your

mouth. >> reporter: and, thanks to modern technology, he now has a song in his heart. dean reynolds, cbs news, winfield, illinois. >> a great story there. >> that's really cute. >> it is. >> i like that. >> a nice eharmony ad. >> it probably will be, by the way. >> you like to see those success stories. >> people in love. >> you're never too old to find love, right? >> never too old to find love. >> we'll be right back. this is "the early show" on cbs -- are you just going to repeat everything i thanks. there's a three-prong plug. i have club passes. [ male announcer ] now there's a mileage card that offers special perks on united, like a free checked bag, united club passes, and priority boarding. thanks. ♪ okay. what's your secret? ♪ [ male announcer ] the new united mileageplus explorer card. get it and you're in.

this morning we continue our series on local legends. people around the country who represent the spirit of the places that they're from. >> today we travel to maine where bob marley takes it down east river to a level that is

lose. >> new england's unspirited king, bob marley! >> how are you doing? i am comedian bob marley and welcome to portland, maine. >> so far -- yeah, buddy. the people in maine are awesome. they're wicked friendly and really nice and you always feel like you have their support and they got your back. >> people that don't live here don't understand how we suffer. they don't understand. people, if you're here from florida, oh, boy, we don't like you. >> he's the best. >> he's hilarious. >> he gets new englanders spot on. >> this is how everybody in maine in new england gets out of bed. you don't even open your eyes. then you'll announce that you've got to get up. i got to get up. >> he's like us. >> he's real maine.

>> he speaks the queen's english, like myself. >> people in new england don't care who you are or what you've done, as long as you're nice to them, they're nice to you. what are the chances that his name would be bud. here you go. >> thanks. >> i think he speaks excellent english. >> wicked. >> wicked good english. >> the best part about new england is the weather. i mean, it's just awesome. >> we struggle so much with the weather, that it's such a bonding part of our lifestyle here that i bring it up in the shows all the time because it really unites us. >> my kid had 16 layers on under his ninja costume. people are like, is he a sumo, he's a freaking ninja. couldn't even walk, he's doing this. is he a zombie? he's a fat ninja!

>> a lot of the people that live here are very, very similar, you know, like relatives are very similar. >> how was your turkey dinner? >> it was good except nana is at the age where she says anything. she's like, i've got to go to the bathroom. i've had too much turkey. we're like, okay, nana. >> ungy freddy shows up and he doesn't have any teeth left any more. that's popular in some parts of maine, no teeth. >> this is my mother, she runs the whole thing. irish catholic, can't stop working. blood of irish catholics in new england, so, my mother is irish catholic and it's a good guilt distributor. >> i was catholic, that was the look she always has. remember that look? when you were a kid. >> you are maine comedy. >> really understanding his humor. >> we know that we're irish and we know that we like drinking.

and we don't like the pats and the bruins. why do we drink so much? why wouldn't we? miserable people. have you seen us in april when we finally come out of the house? nobody in this room can put a pair of shorts on in april that fit. they fit if you don't dry them and if you don't drink 40 beers a night they fit, too, [ bleep ]. >> couple of beers. >> if you do get an opportunity, bob is very funny for vacations. summit up in maine. >> it's the best. >> have your summer vacation. your local news is next. we'll see you tomorrow here on "the early show." >> take care. ñh

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bart is being hit by copper good morning. it's 8:55. i'm grace lee with your cbs 5 headlines. bart is being hit by copper thieves. the latest theft was this morning in west oakland. two 20-foot sections of wiring were stolen from the tracks. on sunday, a train almost hit a person trying to steal track copper in san francisco. investigators have identified a suspect but they say they have not yet made an arrest. the city of santa clara and the 49ers will explain the funding for a new stadium tonight. the city has secured $850 million in loans. it would pay back the loans over 25 years to the ticket sales, rent from the team as well as the naming rights, income they get from those three items. the board of supervisor of san francisco may expand a plastic bag ban. the city introduced a law in 2007 but that only applied to

big grocers. the new ban would aplay to all retailers in -- would apply to all retailers in san francisco. businesses would be able to charge shoppers 10 cents for reusable bags. we'll have your traffic and weather coming right up. ,,,,,,,,,,,,

good morning. things thinning out a bit at the bay bridge toll plaza. backed up to the west grand overcrossing right now. your drive time down the eastshore freeway, up to 25 minutes from the carquinez bridge to the maze. so it is slow through berkeley. it is also still jammed up in the northbound lanes of 880 towards downtown oakland. the drive time between 238 and the maze almost 35 minutes. westbound highway 4 there was an accident approaching somersville that's now cleared to the shoulder. it was actually our second accident of the morning in that same spot. but it's backed up through antioch in westbound lanes. that is traffic. for your forecast, here's kristy. >> thanks a lot, elizabeth. seeing mostly clear conditions outside although in this shot outside in this chilly weather we are seeing some cloud cover. but this afternoon, lots of sunshine. first though we have to get through these numbers that are definitely cold. 29 in fairfield, only 33 in livermore. and 37 right now in redwood city. by this afternoon, high 50s and low 60s across the board. enjoy the sunshine but bundle up. ,,,,,,,,