blizzard blast. a dangerous preseason storms slams the southwest and southern plains with a deadly mix of snow, ice and wind. dead heat, the republican race gets even tighter as mitt romney takes his campaign to late night. >> newt gingerich, really? >> yeah, yeah, that's right. and are you ready for a blackout? power problems cause monday night football to go dark not power problems cause monday night football to go dark not once, but twice. captioning funded by cbs this is the "cbs morning news" for tuesday, december 20th, 2011. good morning and thanks for joining us. i'm drew levinson. a monster storm is plowing across the middle of the country this morning and it is making a tough start to a week packed with holiday travelers.

interstates have been closed, shelters are being set up and emergency crews are rescuing stranded motorists. snow totals of up to 20 inches are expected in some areas. but it's the combination of ice and wind that is proving deadly. don't tell the folks in kansas it's not winter yet. the preseason storm whipped through the southwest and roared into the southern plains. heavy snow combined with howling winds up to 40 miles an hour are creating whiteout conditions from colorado to missouri, even down into the texas panhandle. shelters are being opened and hundreds of miles of interstate are already closed. >> because they're not going to make it, anyway, even if they get the past any of our check points they can't see. visibility is so poor that it makes its impossible to pass through that area. >> the storm has already proven fatal. in colorado, two died when a prison van lost control on an icy highway.

nine others were hospitalized. and four people were killed in new mexico after a two-car collision. two others were seriously injured. by the time the storm finally blows through, snow totals from 4 to 12 inches are expected through grout the region. some areas could see more than two feet. emergency crews have rescued hundreds of stranded motorists. >> they have to go real, real slow. they can't hurry with the visibility the way it is, find a shelter and stay off the road. the good news is forecasters expect the snow to turn into rain before breaking up today or tomorrow. and the longer term outlook shows no major problems expected later this week. so much for a nice vacation for the senate. house republicans are demanding they return to washington and renegotiate the payroll tax cut bill. the house votes today to expand the tax cuts for two months. but it's almost sure to be rejected.

setting up yet another showdown on capitol hill. tara mergener is in washington this morning. good morning, tara. >> good morning to you, drew. both sides continue to insist they want to extend this initiative. but with just 11 days left in the year now, hope is fading fast. house republicans won't settle for the senate's short-term fix. >> i think it's time to do the right thing for the american people. let's solve the problem now. >> reporter: they emerged from a closed door meeting last night ready to shoot down a two-month extension of payroll tax cuts and unemployment benefits later today. >> we believe that a much better path forward is uncertainty. and that is a year's extension of the payroll tax holiday. >> the bill breezed through the senate over the weekend, even gaining the support of house minority leader mitch mcconnell. house speaker boehner seemed on board until he discussed it with fellow republicans. >> it is the radical tea party republicans who are holding up

this tax cut for the american people and jeopardizing our economic growth. >> reporter: gop leaders now want the senate, which has gone home for the holidays, to come back and negotiate a year-long extension. senate majority leader harry reid issued a statement last night saying he's open to talks, but wants house members to pass the short-term plan first. it would be unconsciousble for speaker boehner to block a bipartisan agreement that would protect middle class families from the thousand dollar tax increase looming on january is e. this latest standoff promises the test the patience of americans who polls show are divided with congress. drew, never a dull moment this year. >> never a dull moment. tara mergener, thank you.

the iowa caucus is only two weeks away, and it is a dead heat between newt gingerich and mitt romney. a new cbs news national poll shows both gingerich and romney with 20%. ron paul is third with 10% followed by the rick perry. mitt romney went on bill o'reiley's program last night. he ignored his republican rivals and went right after president obama. >> i consider him a big government liberal democrat. i think if you look at his policies, you conclude that he thinks europe got it right and we got it wrong. i think europe got it wrong. i think europe is not working on europe. and i'll battle him on that day in and day out. but i'm probably not going to be calling him names so much as calling him a failure. >> romney then went on the late show with david letter man where he read the top ten pick. the topic, romney's number one thing to tell americans. take a listen. >> number ten --

>> isn't it time for a president who looks like a 1970s game show host. >> yes. yes, it is. yes. number nine. >> what's up, gangsters? it's the m-i double tizzle. >> number two. >> newt gingerich, really? >> yeah, yeah, that's right. and the number one thing mitt romney would like to say to the american people -- >> it's a hair piece. >> there you go, ladies and gentlemen. >> and sarah palin says it's not too late for someone to jump into the rate in the gop nomination. in a recent interview, palin did not rule out jumping into the race. but back in october, she said she would not be a candidates this election season. she has not yet endorsed anyone for the current republican candidacy. north korea is saying good-bye to kim jong il today. the body of the long time dictator is displayed in the

glass coffin. his son and successor, jim jong-un visited the coffin with officials. secretary of state hillary clinton met monday with japan's foreign minister and spoke about the importance of keeping peace in the korean peninsula. >> we both share a common interest in a peaceful and stable transition in north korea as well as an ensuring regional peace and stability. >> as people in north korea expressed their sorrows, south korea officials expressed their condolences. but no delegation will be sent to the funeral. in syria, one of the bloodiest days in the nine-month uprising. in damascus monday, shots rang out and thousands of protesters ran in this video posted online. one person was reported killed,

but around the country, more than 100 others died, including at least 70 army defectors. coming up on the morning news, football fans plunged into darkness. break out the cell phone flashlights. plus, the atm where you don't have to pay a fee, but there's a catch. this is the "cbs morning news." there's a catch. this is the "cbs morning news." this was the gulf's best tourism season in years. all because so many people wanted to visit us... in louisiana. they came to see us in florida...

nice try, they came to hang out with us in alabama... once folks heard mississippi had the welcome sign out, they couldn't wait to get here. this year was great but next year's gonna be even better. and anyone who knows the gulf knows that winter is primetime fun time. the sun's out and the water's beautiful. you can go deep sea fishing for amberjack, grouper and mackerel. our golf courses are open. our bed and breakfast have special rates. and migrating waterfowl from all over make this a bird watcher's paradise. so if you missed it earlier this year, come on down. if you've already been here come on back... to mississippi... florida... louisiana... alabama. the gulf's america's get-a-way spot no matter where you go. so come on down and help make 2012 an even better year for tourism on the gulf. brought to you by bp and all of us who call the gulf home.

drama in los angeles. police were pursuing a drama in los angeles. police were pursuing a possible kidnapping suspect, but there was a major problem. he was holding on to his 4-year-old girl. they made the decision to move in against him and take the child to safety. there was candlelight at candlestick park in san francisco last night. the lights went out twice during the 49ers/steelers game on monday night football. the power outages delayed the game for almost 35 minutes, much to the embarrassment of the fans. >> this is proof positive that they need a new stadium? >> exactly.

why? >> look at it. on national tv, man, the lights go out. you've got to be kidding, man. >> finally, the lights came on and the steelers and 49ers actually played. we'll tell you who won that game later in sports. on the cbs money watch, gas prices take a big bite out of your budget. ashley morrison is here in new york with that and more. good morning, ashley. >> good morning to you. a asian markets rebounded slightly today after monday's losses. tokyo's nikkei was up 0.5% points while hong kong's hang seng edged up a fraction. today, wall street gets another check of the housing market. monday, stocks took a fall after the eu failed to fully finance its bailout fund. the dow lost 100 points while the nasdaq was down 32. financial stocks led the sell-off. bank of america was hardest hit, sinking 4% to fall below $5 a share for the first time in two years.

federal regulators are delaying new oversight rules for the $600 trillion derivatives market. those are the investments largely claimed for triggering the financial crisis. the rules were mandated more than two years ago, but regulators say they need time because it's complicated. at&t is hanging up on its proposed t-mobile merger. the $39 billion deal would have made the carrier the biggest in the u.s., but the justice department sued to stop it back in august, says it would reduce competition and lead to higher prices. at&t tried to resurrect the deal in some fashion, but has now walked away from the table. the company will likely pursue a stake in a smaller company. if you're missing four grand or so, it might have gone into your tank. the average american spent $4,155 on gas this year. that is a new record. that is a new record. it's been 30 years since gasoline took such a big bite out of the family budget and it's not expected to get much

better next year with forecasts forecast to stay high. and everybody hates atm fees, but soon you'll be able to avoid them, even when you're not at your bank. but there is, of course, a catch. free a tm plans along thousands of fee free cash machines across the country. instead of paying a charge, though, you will have on to watch a commercial. and, drew, i guess it depends on how long that commercial lasts. >> you have to put your atm card in and then watch a commercial and then go for your money? >> yep. but that's the catch there but you don't have to pay a fee. >> oh, boy. >> i don't know. my time is money. maybe a quick commercial. >> ashley morrison here in new york, thank you so much. straight ahead, your tuesday morning weather. and in sports, underdog davidson takes a swipe at upsetting the kansas city jayhawks. a swipe at upsetting the kansas city jayhawks. and pajamas with savings pass. coats, swe,

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call 1-800-lifelock today. sears last one-day sale of the year thursday, 7 am! save up to 50% on all tool storage. save $370 on this samsung 40-inch led tv. earn $100 back in rewards points with all fine jewelry. shop same great deals, preview wednesday! sears here is a look at the weather in somesies around country. new york, partly cloudy. chicago, partly cloudy and 39. dallas, partly cloudy and 53. los angeles, sunny and 67. time now for a check of the national forecast. the latest satellite picture shows a large storm system hammering the nation's heartland and it's cloudy in the northeast. later today, the snowy conditions out in the midwest start to wind down, but folks in eastern kansas and northern missouri could get a few inches

of snow. thunderstorms will erupt in the evening hours in the southeast. warm and muggy conditions will sooifl stifle the carolinas. and the northern plains will be cold and dry. in sports, the 49ers shut down the steelers. big ben roethlisberger playing on a sprained ankle was sacked thee times and tossed three interceptions. in the pourth quarter, frank gore scores from five yards out who help san francisco beat pittsburgh, 20-3. the 49ers are now the first team in the nfl to ever stop the opposed team from scoring a rushing touchdown in the first 14 games. the big nba trade to get chris paul to the clipper sess paying off. chris had 17 points. helped his new team top the lakers, 114-95. and there was a shocker in college basketball. the mighty kansas jayhawks were up against the ropes with

davidson. they got close, but with just over a minute left, davidson nails a three-pointer to win, wile cats take down number 12 kansas, 80-74. in baseball, after two failed attempts, the texas rangers are spending huge to finally win a world series. they are very happy to finally spend a lot of money to try to win the world series. they just bid more than $50 million for the rights to negotiate with japanese pitching sensation yu darvish. the 25-year-old has an e.r.a. of 1.99 and he dominated japanese baseball for the past seven years. the rangers now have 30 days to sign him. and college football analyst craig james is leaving espn to become a politician. the former smu and new england patriots running babb says he's a conservative republican and is going for the u.s. senate seat in texas being vacated by kay bailey hutchison. when we return, a look at the morning's top stories and

random acts of kindness. how layaway angels are helping people all as cross the country. random acts of kindness. how layaway angels are helping people all as cross the country. did you ever see a more beautiful sight? captain! it's just a mirage. - snowy? what is it, boy? - [ barks ] what do you see? [ yipping ] [ woman announcing ] just like snowy, your dog's one of a kind. overactive imagination and all. [ barking ] long live your buddy. long live your dog. [ tintin ] snowy! purina dog chow. see the adventures of tintin, only in theaters.

night football.. the push to find out what cd the power outage seen on national t-v.. how it's yet another black eye for candlestick park. pg&e gives in. the victory for customers concerned abot those smart meters. a hollywood star feels the e of mavericks. the terrifying encounter with a crushing w. your paycheck may be about o shrink. the standoff in washington over a tax cut extension. join us for cbs 5 early edin

on the "cbs morning news," here is a look at today's weather. the late fall season storm is heading east bringing snow into the missouri and rain into the southeast. cold air is racing into texas. light rain, snow showers into the rockies. here is another look at this morning's top stories. a gigantic prewinter storm has paralyzed the nation's heartland. up to 20 inches of snow is expected in some areas. ice and strong winds are adding to the misery. the house votes today to reject the senate's plan to stepped the payroll tax cut for two months. house republican leaders want the extension to last four a year. there is only five shopping days left until christmas and

holiday generosity is spreading across the country. people are playing santa claus for complete strangers. they are called layaway angels. and it seems to be happening almost everywhere. >> these are all from saturday. >> receipts on the wall indicate the layaway angels who have flown into the k-mart and conquered paying off thousands of dollars waiting for someone else's debt. boxes waiting for pick up filled with toys and clothes are paid for by strangers. the gesture seems to have started in the midwest last week and has gained momentum nationwide. these angels are making christmas brighter for everybody. >> they look and they say clothes, toys, and they want to pay that off. >> the balance is usually a penny. marty assumes the role of santa's elves to let them know

their bills are paid. one man was angry thinking he was being harassed. >> won't you stop calling me. i'm coming in there to pay, just not now. i said, sir, i'm not calling to tell but that. i'm calling to let you know your layaway has been paid off. >> what did he is? >> you're joking? >> reporter: the benefactors are all ages. some give a few dollars, some give hundreds, even thousands. but the majority don't seem wealthy. >> he told me, i'm not rich. don't take me wrong. but i have a little extra to give, so i want to give. k-mart seems to be the favorite to the spot for these angel toes land. perhaps because the chain has had a layaway plan for decades. >> that is a beautiful thing that people still have love in

i'm drew levinson. this is the "cbs morning news."