"the early show" is next. >> caption colorado, llc comments@captioncolorado.com good morning. a powerful storm causes whiteout conditions from kansas city. police shut down major highways. where that snow is headed next. as north korean dictator kim jong-il lies in state, concern over his son and successor who has had a history of violence. the latest from the white house. much less violent crime in america this year. the fbi says murder, rape, robbery and assault are all down more than 5%. we'll find out why. and are you ready for some darkness? monday night football held up twice as the lights go out on the steelers and the 49ers last night early this tuesday the steelers and the 49ers last night early this tuesday morning, december 20th, 2011.

captioning funded by cbs it sort of looked like that last night at the game. good morning, i'm erica hill. >> very, very tough to control your offense with no lights on. that was definitely interesting. we'll get to that coming up. i'm chris wragge and let's begin with the deadly blizzard. >> causing major problems for travelers in the southern plains because of high winds and more than a foot of snow in some areas. >> hundreds of drivers are stranded there and one says he hasn't seen a storm like this since the 1970s. this is brutal stuff. cynthia bowers live in salina, kansas. >> smart people are hunkered down. half a foot of snow is forecasted and that may fall by the end of the day. winter storm warnings went out well ahead of this dangerous

storm. fast falling snow whipped by furious 40-mile-per-hour winds made a dangerous situation turn deadly. four people were killed and two seriously injured in a two-vehicle accident in eastern new mexico near the texas border. authorities believe heavy snow and high winds are to blame. the storm is also being blamed for two deaths in colorado when a van lost control on an icy highway, with snow and wind and obscured the midwestern landscape, the southwest snow storm made its way east to kansas. in garden city, to the west, the storm slammed the heartland's highways affecting cars, suvs and tractor trailers alike all left stranded along the road. the blizzard started monday in new mexico, forcing the closure of multiple interstates around the town of ratone. >> they told us it's whiteout

conditions. >> reporter: more than 150 mile of i-25 from santa fe to north colorado. >> even if they get past any of our checkpoints, they can't see. visibility is so poor that it makes it impossible to pass through that area. >> reporter: the prechristmas winter blast whipped through parts of texas and oklahoma where forecasters say up to 16 inches could fall on the panhandle by the end of today, bringing with it up to 35-mile-per-hour winds. texas authorities say at least 100 texas motorists have been rescued. >> they can't hurry and with the visibility like it is, just to find some place where they can get to a shelter is the best thing and stay off the road. >> reporter: so, more snow will be around the texas panhandle and western kansas to the east and to the north, there could be a lot of rain and the only good news out of this storm, guys, is that this has been an area that has seen a lot of drought and any precipitation is greatly

needed. chris? >> cynthia bowers in salinas, kansas, where the snow is continuing to fall at this hour. this morning, u.s. officials are watching for any signs of trouble in north korea after the death of kim jong-il. >> also rising concern here in the u.s. and in other countries around the world that kim's designated successor is no better than his father, even if he is able to keep control of the country. chief white house correspondent no norah o'donnell joins us with more. >> good morning to you. a senior u.s. official tells me their biggest concern at this point is instability. a period of succession is a period of uncertainty. that's why we've seen the secretary of state, hillary clinton, reach out to allies in the region as well as leaders in china parties to the six-party talks. all of it aimed at the goal of stability. >> we reiterate our hope for improved relations with the people of north korea and remain

deeply concerned about their well being. >> reporter: south korea's military is now on high alert following kim jong-il's death, weary that north korea's 1.2 million strong armed forces may attempt a show of strength. jay carney says the united states, which has 28,000 u.s. troops in south korea, has no plans to follow suit. >> we will monitor the situation. we will evaluate behavior and act accordingly, but that was always the case. it's too soon to know what the next period will look like. >> reporter: too soon because very little is known about kim's successor, the baby-faced third son, kim jong-un, who is in his late 20s. his exact birth date, marital status and even the name of his mother are state secrets. it is believed he attended boarding school in switzerland and later attended north korea's premier academy. still, not a complete stranger

to the 24 million people he now rules. last year he was introduced as his father's successor, passing over his two older brothers, who officials describe as lazy playboys. >> the issue here isn't about personalities, it's about the actions of the government. >> reporter: but a senior u.s. official i spoke with told me that the jury is still out on kim jong-un. that he is young, he is untested, inexperienced and that he has, "proclivities towards violence." so for that reason, food aid to some starving 6 million north koreans is now on hold. that's a big deal because officials i have spoken with said they thought they were close to a deal where north korea would get this food aid and in return they would take steps to end their uranium enrichment program. >> norah o'donnell at the white house, thanks.

the battle over the tax cut. the house will vote down the senate compromise plan that would extend that cut for two more months. >> want senate democrats to come back and extend it back for a full year. nancy cordes is on capitol hill. where do we stand right now? any new developments overnight? >> yes, chris, but they weren't positive. house republicans met for hours and they said they were not going to hold an up or down vote on the senate package to extend the payroll tax cut for two months. after all, it's possible that many of them didn't want to go on record as having to vote against a tax cut. instead, today, they'll hold a vote on a weaker measure which essentially says that we don't like that senate plan very much and we want senate democrats to come back and negotiate, chris. >> but, nancy, quick question for you, it's erica. what are the chances of the senate coming back, because as you told us yesterday, they left. >> they left and senate majority leader harry reid said they're not coming back. they negotiated a bipartisan

deal with senate republicans that passed overwhelmingly in the house this weekend and he said they'll come back in the new year and work to extend it for the rest of the year. house republicans say that creates too much uncertainty for the taxpayer not knowing if this payroll tax cut will expire and they want a one-year deal. >> nancy cordes on capitol hill for us this morning. thank you. if you feel safer this morning, there is a reason for that. the latest fbi figure shows a lot less violent crime across the country this year. >> bob orr joins us from washington with more on that story. bob, good morning. >> good morning, erica. the 6.5% drop in violent crime you're talking about a five-year decline that shows the number of rapes, robberies steadily falling. in the first two months of 2011 robberies in los angeles dropped 10% from the number reported in the first half of 2010. over the same time period

chicago recorded 14% fewer murders and in dallas the number of rapes fell by 22%. the fbi says these are not statistical flukes. nationwide, violent crime is down sharply across all categories. murder down 5.7%. rape just over 5%. and robbery down more than 7.5%. and assault almost 6%. crime analyst credit an aging population, stiffer prison sentences and better policing. >> they're using technology. they're using data, crime patterns and maps to figure out where the hot spots, what's the trend in terms of crime and trying to be proactive. >> reporter: criminologist james allen fox disputes the popular myth that crime should be going up in a bad economy. >> people are either, criminals are not independent whether they have a job. >> reporter: crime is down in big and small cities in every geographic region. the northeast saw a drop of 3.5% in the first half of the year. in the south, crime fell 5.8%.

and in the west, about 6.5%. the biggest decrease, though, was in the midwest, where violent crime dropped nearly 10%. now, we should also tell you, proper crimes, burglaries and arson also all dropped in the first six months of 2011, but it could be a challenge to keep driving those crime rates. all police departments under constant budget pressures. chris? >> bob orr in washington, thank you. with us in the studio former chief of police in los angeles, new york city and los angeles. great to have you with us. when you see these statistics. these are the kind of numbers you want to see. you want to see a downward trend but unpex ekpected for a lot of people. >> attributed to a number of things. in 1990s crime and the federal government invested money in 100,000 more cops and more bad people went to jail.

after 25 years of crime going up, 1990, 1990s began to go down because we invested in criminal justice system. this is still some of the residual effects of that chipping. >> criminologist that we just saw in bob orr's report james fox says unemployment doesn't drive the crime rate, that criminals are criminals whether they have jobs or not, do you believe that? >> i have been advocating that for 20 years. some of the criminologists have a lot of eggs on their face at the moment that people cause crime. the economy is an influence, jobs are an influence but what police got much better at are identifying who was committing the crime. hot spot policing, focusing on them. stiffer prison sentences for a lot of those people. the good news is, this will continue for a while, but if the economy doesn't start writing that more money can be back in policing criminal justice system, it may not go any other way. >> how important has that been,

though? this whole thing that you have been talking about here, as far as profiling different people in different areas where crimes may occ occur, how instrumental has that been in combatting crime? >> absolutely crimnltinal. focus on preventing crime. '60s, '70s, '80s we focused on responding to crime. a lot different to try to prevent it and we have been successful to prevent it. and we are getting very good at being able to predict where crimes are going to occur and getting resources there before they actually do. sounds like something out of a tom cruise movie. >> it does. >> person of interest type of thing. >> it does. but some of the concern, bob touched on this at the end of his piece, budgets. it all comes down to money in a lot of ways. how is that impacting some of these programs, do you think, heading forward? >> the irony of it is that the technology that is available, the better training of police. we could keep this crime issue

going down, down, down. it is down 21 straight years in new york and 9 straight years in los angeles. the disinvestment of government at the moment is going to be a potential problem down the line. right now we are still feeling the residual benefits of the 1990s, that tipping point when federal government, state government, local government and communities, everybody engaged in the collaborative partnership and we're seeing the benefits of it. the irony of it. this is the only good news in the country at the moment. political gridlock in washington and crises around the world and the economy in the tank and nobody is paying attention to it. >> well, we're trying to bring attention to this morning. sadly, there is one element of these statistics where the news is not all good. that's police fatalities. up 16% from the same time last year and here in new york area, mourning one of new york's finest who was killed last week and 15,000 police officers all showed to mourn the loss of this officer. why are these numbers rising

here with police futleties? >> always going to have, no matter how good we are at controlling crime, spikes. an unfortunate that this year it is up on assaults in police, particularly those involving guns and the lack of gun control laws in this country. but the good news is that overall the trending, over time, has been down. i was around in the days when we had 130, 140 police officers killed. each police officer death is a tragedy in and of itself and yesterday one of new york's finest of the finest. but i think that this year is an aberration that hopefully doesn't repeat itself next year. >> bill bratton, thank you for being with us this morning. we turn to news desk with debbie. >> good morning to you. it's a big win for apple in a patent dispute over the iphone that could affect your android cell phone. the federal government is ordering an important ban, an

import ban on htc smartphones that infringe on apple patent. the ban will not take effect until april 19th so that wireless carriers will have time to adjust their plans. htc based in taiwan is a major maker of phones that use google android operating system. on the phone a and t is abandoning buying t-mobile. it was opposed, though, by the justice department amid concerns that the deal would have created fewer choices for cell phone users. cbs news has learned that the investigation into the hazing death of florida a&m band member robert champion is focusing on more than 30 people believed to have been involved in the hazing. among the 30 people under investigation are current students, as well as alumni.

meanwhile, the board of trustees ruled yesterday that the school's president can keep his job for now, pending the investigation. and there was a dramatic end to a police chase through the streets of los angeles overnight. after about a half hour, the driver, a kidnapping suspect finally got out holding a 4-year-old girl. that's when about a dozen officers rushed him, taking away the girl. the suspect was arrested and thankfully the child was not hurt. and they could have used a little candle light at candlestick park in san francisco last night. the lights went out twice during the 49ers' game against the steelers on monday night football. at one point fans used their cell phone lights. not clear what caused the power failure, but, eventually, the home team took it. they beat pittsburgh, 20-3.

well, still to come here, the latest cbs news poll finds newt gingrich and mitt romney neck and neck. why gingrich seems to be a little bit more worried about it. homeowners beaware. dishonest contractors out there, some caught on video, damaging homes to get the insurance money. we're going to help you avoid that scam. this is "the early show" on cbs. hat. this is "the early show" on cbs.

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kind of an important election on the horizon. >> yep. >> typically, when you're dealing with an election year, there are a lot of charges, political charges, a lot of stuff gets said. the big question, especially for you, the voter, how much of that is actually true? how many of those statements? >> luckily for us, the pull it'ser prize website, keeps track of everything that comes out of their mouth. >> everything. >> it gives us a rating, true, false or pants on fire, we'll let you know what they're saying. i take an omega for my heart.

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grace lee. p g and e is investi good morning. 7:25. i'm grace lee with your cbs 5 headlines. pg&e is still investigating why the lights went out twice at candlestick park before and during last night's 49ers game. the nfl security chief says that he saw a transformer blow up outside the stadium. but the utility says a downed power line may have been a factor in the first outage. the utility has just announced an opt out program on smartmeters. if regulators approve it, customers who still have an analog meter can keep it and those who have the digital meters can have the old devices reinstalled for a monthly fee as well as a reinstallation charge. tonight the oakland city council will discuss the idea of giving id cards to the poor and undocumented. this is a concept that has

taken hold in a lot of cities including san francisco. oakland would become the first to create in effect an alternative banking system because the id card would double as a debit card. we'll have your traffic and weather coming right up. [ man ] it's big. responds in a moment's notice. supports in times of need. same with aladdin. aladdin became the biggest in bail by treating people right. no one has lower prices, is faster or more professional than aladdin. that's why more people turn to aladdin than anyone. aladdin bail bonds. bigger because we're better.

good morning from the

traffic center. looks like we're not doing too badly out there. live look at the bay bridge toll plaza. where is everybody? everyone is on vacation. no major delays there. metering lights are on, very slight delays across the upper deck into san francisco. elsewhere golden gate bridge problem-free. some extra volume out of marin county into san francisco. that's traffic. for weather, here's elizabeth. >> thank you, gianna. we're off to a cooler start this morning than we saw yesterday. some chillier temperatures. we also have some areas of low clouds and fog as you can see from our camera there over the bay. so right now, we're a little on the cold side but later on this afternoon check out these forecasted temperatures. mostly in the upper 50s to looks like mid-60s in some spots. santa rosa our warm spot this afternoon the 61 in oakland expected. 59 degrees in pacifica. always a little bit chillier there. so over the next seven days, we are holding steady. that high pressure is intact

bringing mild temperatures and dry weather through christmas weekend.

and welcome back to "the early show." i'm chris wrag xw e along with erica hill. good morning, my friends. >> good morning. >> ready to kick off this had a hour? >> let's do it. >> storms can wreck your property and mess up your life, but there is something else for homeowners to worry about, scam artists who come to your home to collect insurance monies. >> we actually caught some of these guys on video, apparently damaging homes. we'll take a closer look at how they operate, just how much money the insurance companies are losing on this. why is that important what they lose? because every time the insurance company loses a little money, oftentimes that's passed on to you as a higher premium.

>> guess what, guys? we got you. but first, we want to get to the latest on the republican race for president. in the latest cbs news poll, voters tell us it is a two-man race two weeks before the iowa caucuses. >> and dean reynolds is in iowa city with more for us. >> reporter: good morning. our cbs poll basically confirmed that nationally, at least, the front-runners for the gop nomination are mitt romney and newt gingerich. both candidates are tied now with 20% of the republican vote nationally. and everyone else is far behind. and yet it is gingerich who seems most worried that his support may be eroding. >> the answer falls -- >> reporter: repeatedly urging audiences in iowa monday to ig more the negative ads of his opponents that are flooding the air waves here. >> newt got rich, made millions off of freddie mac. >> does anything i have found saddening, not shocking, but

saddening about this campaign, it has been the weight of totally negative campaigns by people who apparently have nothing positive to offer. >> reporter: the former speaker said those behind the attacks which question his leadership, his healthics and his conservativism are reprehensible. >> the next time you see one of the candidates running the negative ads, ask him to take it off the air. >> he was find $300,000 four ethics allegations. >> reporter: in person, romney has been less aggressive and last night he was down right comical on "the late show" with david letterman, romney handled the top ten things he would like to say to the american people. >> isn't it time for a president who looks like a 1970s game show host. >> yes. >> i have no proof, but i have a feeling canada is planning something. it's a hair piece. >> meanwhile, the other hopefuls

in iowa were taking buses around the state, hoping to drum up support in the two weeks remaining before the caucuses. now, all of the candidates will be waiting to hear an official word from a group called the family leader. that endorsement could be critically important. erica. >> could carry a lot of weight. dean reynolds, thanks. now over to debbie turner-bell at the news desk with a check of the headlines. >> good morning to you. a monster snowstorm is blasting the southwest and the great plains this morning. here is the scene in oklahoma this morning where the snow started early yesterday. the storm has closed highways

just ahead, the biggest lie of the year in politics. >> lots of competition out there. can you guess what it is? lots of lies coming up here on "the early show" on cbs. >> but here, nothing like that. 1-2, 1-2-3-4

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well, we all know politicians can stretch the fact to fit their agenda. but i know -- >> excuse me? >> where am i coming up with this stuff? >> i'm going to need a moment to process that. >> it's hard to stand up and call them liar he, though. and that's where politifact comes in and does that for us. >> basically, what they do is they take a look at what politicians say and they take a look at how honest or truthful those remarks are. at the end of the year, they reveal the year's biggest lie. bill adair is here to reveal the world's biggest lie. you spend the whole year looking at all the different things

you've looked at to come down to the biggest lie. what takes top becomes for 2011? >> the claim that republicans voted to end medicare. and this was a claim we heard over and over again after the house voted in april on a budget by paul ryan. it's just not true. the way they say it, they say the house voted to end medicare. that's not what they did. the house voted to protect medicare on people who are 55 or older, but to privatize it and restructure it in a drat mattock way for people who are younger. it's wrong to say end medicare and it's the classic scare tactic we've seen targeting the elderly for many years. >> what we're going to do is the give the folks at home a look at some of the ads that support the biggest lie. take a look. ♪

>> the someone call the fire department? because it's about to get hot in here. >> so, obviously, there wasn't a whole lot of production value with those ads. but why in this lie, in your estimation, trump all the others that you had to choose from? >> well, and i think those ads illustrate it. there were actually two videos that you edited together there. the first one had the paul ryan look alike pushing the old lady off the cliff. again, it's targeting -- it's targeting an audience of elderly people. but the elderly people are actually protected under the ryan plan. so it really was a distortion of what ryan was trying to do, which was change the plan and save money for people who were younger. and, you know, it's amazing when you go back in history, this

kind of attack has been going on since 1952 at least. why? because it works. >> health care in general has really been a source of attack and politically we know it's been a bit of a hot potato over the last two years. it's three years, is that how many years you've been seeing a spike in all of these health care claims? >> well, in fact, for three years, our lie of the year has involved health care. last year it was the claim by republicans that the health care law was a government takeover. the year before that it was death panels. and health care is right for bill big falsehoods because it's complicated, there are life or death stakes to it. and i think everybody is worried, am i going to be able to afford health care? so i wouldn't be surprised if we see another lie of the year involving health care. >> let's take a look at some of the other finalists here. michele bachmann, who had this one, let's take a look at it real quick in regards to the hpv debate. >> i had a mother last night come up to me here in tampa, florida, after the debate.

she told me that her little daughter took that vaccine, that injection, and she suffered from mental retardation thereafter. >> what did you find when you investigated this claim? >> we rated that false on our truth-o-meter. the doctor's organizations came out and were very critical of congressman bachmann for saying that, saying something that was not based on medical evidence, going out with something based on one anecdote. that was a finalist. ultimately, we didn't pick that one because it didn't have the reach that the medicare claim did. definitely, a big false hood in 2011. >> pill, you will be busy over the next year or so. we look forward to check it out at politifact.com. coming next, how to finish off your flexible spending account. >> you don't want to lose the money, right? we're going to help you with that. (greenery) hey cheese log. (cheese log) hello centerpiece.

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time is running out if you have a health care flexible spending account. >> here to help us use that money and not lose it, carmen wong ulrich. do you really have to spend all of this money? >> you do. at some point, you have to. for a lot of folks, it's now, it's at the end of this year. some companies give you an extension until march 15th. check and make sure you know when your deadline is. if you saved up that money if you haven't used it by the 31st by next week, it is gone. >> and 40 million americans use this. i've been using it for years. i'm a big fan. but there are some changes. we talked a little bit about this during open enrollment time. but there are some changes heading forward which we really need to be aware of. >> exactly. let's take a look at what the fsa does cover for you now, today. so for this year, dental work and cleaning, physical exam, eye

and hearing exam, acupuncture, cairo prattic prescriptions and your copays. that is still covered, of course. here is what's not covered any more. over-the-counter medications. this used to be covered in 2010 previous, 2011, this is new, over-the-counter medications, drugstore items such a as contact lens solution, that used to be covered. no cosmetic procedures and not your insurance premiums, either. >> this is the kind of things a lot of people need to be aware of the. >> yes. and adjust your plan for next year. because of these changes, if you find yourself with too much money, adjust what's been withdrawn from your paycheck next year. >> what about health savings account? >> very different. that's like a trust. consider it a 401(k) style of thing. to save for your health care costs. now, you have to be part of a high deductible insurance plan or you have to have no coverage to qualify pore hsa.

this is portable, right? so it goes with you from job to job. if you lose your job, you can always have it. contributions, tax deductible. employer contributions, not considered income. and you can invest this money. you can keep it forever. health care costs will be 30% of your costs for retirement. it's considered tax free. >> if people are sitting al at home to make sure where to go before the first of the year the s in play, where do they go? >> you have to go to your employer. check outer fsa, make some adjustments for next year and see if you're qualified for an hsa. a lot of folks, their health care coverage changed and an hsa is valuable. you can save a lot of money. >> and in terms of the not so fun part of this, go back and look at all those receipts. >> exactly. and i bet you do that since

you're a good fan of the program. >> i try to. i'm not carmen. i hope you do it because it is worthwhile. that money is all pretax. if you're in a general tax bracket, that's $3,300 that you put away. that's a lot of money. >> and once you have kids, if you have parents you're taking care of, it's really important. >> exactly. >> you need to get a carmen app for your iphone. >> i'm building unwith. >> are you? >> thank you, carmen. great to see you. up next, a different kind of storm chaser. >> con artists who try to cash in on unsuspecting homeowners. investigators say it's nothing but insurance fraud. i can't figure out what to get for my husband.

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p-g-and-e is looking into wy out at san good morning, 7:55. i'm grace lee. pg&e is looking into why the lights went out at san francisco's candlestick park before and then during last night's big 49ers game. embarrassing on life television. the downed power line may have been a factor in the first outage. and a victory for cupertino- based apple. the international trade commission has ruled that the taiwanese company htc infringed on a patent of theirs. it involves a feature that allows user to make a phone call by tapping the phone number that's inside of an email and it connects you directly. pg&e has also announced an opt out program on their smartmeters. if regulators approve it, customers who still have an analog meter can keep it and those with digital meters can

have the old devices reinstalled. but there would be a monthly fee as well as a reinstallation charge to those analog meters. we'll have an update on your traffic and weather coming right up. ,,,,

good morning. the freeways are looking good but it's mass transit you want to look out for this morning. we have reports of ace train delays. train number 5 about 35 minutes late.

earlier this morning we were dealing with ace train delays for numbers one and three. but bart on time and muni and caltrain no problems. here's a live look at the freeways. san mateo bridge problem-free both directions. clear along one of one. nobody is at the bay bridge toll plaza. some slight delays off the eastshore freeway. but a nice time to be on the roads. >> that's right. everyone is taking off early for the holiday. we are off to a cold start this morning. dense fog reported especially along the coastline. the delta and the central valley where there is still a fog advisory in effect, let's go out to get a check of your pinpoint forecast. later on this ann, those highs are reaching into the mid-60s in some spots. looks like a warm spot in santa rosa where it's expected to be 56 degrees. later on -- 65 degrees. later on this afternoon, 62 in redwood city. and holding steady. high pressure in effect throughout the rest of the week. it looks like temperatures in the mid-60s and we're keeping dry through the christmas weekend.

welcac welcome back to "the early show." how is it december 20th, by the way? >> i cannot believe it, just a few more days left to shop before christmas. get that list to santa because right now -- >> i need his help. >> running late. >> i'm erica hill along with chris wragge. i got your gift, don't worry. >> appreciate that. we're going to revisit one of the most important stories of the year, the humanitarian crisis in east africa. this summer i visited the dadaab camps, three refugee camps along the border of kenya and somalia. they are packed with nearly half a million people. it was only built for 90,000. we'll update you on the devastating famine there.

we're also joined by the prime minister of somalia, who was prime minister not very long ago. we'll talk to him about the situation and what happens from here. also we'll meet a florida mom facing a problem millions of americans have this holiday season, long-term unemployment. last year she was donating to charities and this year she needs their help to feed her family. she'll tell bus her struggle and we'll tell you why many charities are struggling in this time as well. first we want to get you the latest on this powerful snowstorm in the middle of the country. >> it's blamed for six deaths right now. cynthia bowers is in salina, kansas, with more for us. >> reporter: good morning again, chris. as you can see snow that began here last night is still coming down, up to 8 inches is forecast. now, this is all part of a very dangerous system that triggered blizzard-like conditions in places that don't normally see it, like new mexico and texas. the snow started yesterday. heavy snow whipped by 35 to

45-mile-per-hour winds in albuquerque, new mexico, forcing the closure of several interstates, such as i-25 and i-40 before moving into texas and the oklahoma panhandles. as you mentioned, so far at least six deaths are blamed on this storm. in garden city, kansas, near whiteout conditions forced area highways to see suvs, cars, semis, just pull off and stop stranded in the snow. snow plows were working throughout the night, but it's hard to keep up with a forecast of 16 inches of snow in the oklahoma panhandle area. the winter storm warnings will continue through much of the day today. motorists in these parts are urged to stay off the road if possible. schools in hard-hit areas such as this one are closed so the kids may get an early christmas vacation. to the east there will be rain, not this messy but very christmassy stuff. >> cynthia, thanks so much. digging out from a terrible storm can be bad enough, but when a scam artist tries to take

advantage of it, that's when it really gets bad. >> investigative correspondent sheryl atkinson is in washington with more on these storm chasers of a very different variety. storm chasers who prey on homeowners. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, guys. 2011 has been a record year for billion dollar weather disasters, we've had a dozen so far, and that's created plenty of opportunities for the crooks who follow after the storm to exploit unsuspecting customers. when a monster hailstorm hit the northeast in 2009, workers for a company called precision builders saw opportunity in the aftermath. they went door to door offering free inspections for hail damage and cash for new jersey homeowners like jeff and tonya williams, who would display signs on their lawns. >> that was worth $500 if you put the sign -- >> put the sign out as advertisement for them. >> reporter: the williams hadn't noticed any hail damage but figured why not get a free inspection. before long, it seemed precision

had convinced half the neighbors they had hail damage. >> you really did not go through an area that did not have a precision sign on at least every other lawn. >> reporter: now precision and two of its workers have been charged with insurance fraud. the new jersey attorney general said they actually inflicted the supposed hail damage themselves to collect insurance money. they pleaded not guilty. investigators say storm chaser scams have exploded. last year alone, there were nearly 1200 cases. this is undercover video shot by insurance investigators in illinois. the contractor isn't inspecting the house, he's allegedly denting the roof to make it look like hail damage. watch how hard he's working at it. outside chicago, this contract was arrested after our station wbbm spotted him appearing to use his thumb to fake hail damage in siding. >> why would your thumb make a

dent? >> that's a good question. >> reporter: he's awaiting a court date. >> this is all aluminum siding. >> reporter: back in new jersey, the williams got suspicious when precision's repair estimates exactly matched insurance payments. >> and he said, well, if they gave us $15,000, the insurance company, we'll take the 15. if they gave us 7, we'll take the 7. >> at what point were you like, okay, this is not what it seems. this is a scam. >> this is insurance fraud at its worst. >> reporter: the new jersey attorney general said precision workers fabricated damage on more than a hundred homes for millions of dollars in insurance fraud. >> it's taking advantage of the system, taking advantage of homeowners who are often innocent. ultimately we pay the price in higher insurance premiums that are hurting everyone here. >> reporter: we tried to talk to precision's president, but he didn't answer at his house, and his attorneys didn't return our calls. the williams say they learned a valuable lesson in the calm after the storm.

when someone comes

this weather report sponsored by big lots, big savings. coming up next, the latest on one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the world, the refugee camps in east africa. >> the severe drought and famine there. we visited kenya over the summer, saw the devastation firsthand. this morning, we'll ask somalia's former prime minister what's being done to help the hundreds of thousands of somali refugees. this is "the early show" on cbs. how can you get back pain relief that lasts up to 16 hours?

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of the many stories that really struck me, and i know so many of you at home this year, was the famine that we were covering in my trip to kenya in august. i went to dadaab, a refugee camp, opened 20 years ago to house a total of 90,000 people. today there are more than

450,000 refugees living there with more than 9,000 arriving every month. although that is a steep drop from the average of 26,000 monthly arrivals in september, they, like the others, are seeking the same things, food, hope and a better chance at life. an innocent baby cries. the parents, quiet anxiety. two signs. desperation that has brought hundreds of thousands of people here, to dadaab, kenya. just over the board frer somalia, the majority of these refugees are fleeing the intense drought, famine and political turmoil back home. >> do you feel relieved at all, now that you and your family are here? >> we arrived here with the family. >> we watched family after family enter the camps with little more than the clothes on their back, having walked for days or even weeks. most of the approximately 1300

refugees who came to dadaab daily while we were there arrived malnourished, some of them severely. upon arrival, each family is given food rations, the children are vaccinated. and with modest supplies, they then set out to find a piece of this desert to call their own. amidst the more than 400,000 refugees who also make their home here. >> in the morning it is very dusty, a heavy dust wind and at night, very cold. >> and it is the worst drought in 60 years that is sending them over the border. it is contributing to this vicious cycle of famine. right now more than three and a half million somalis are at risk of starvation, which makes food distribution centers, like this one we visited, run by care international, crucial. and while it is helpful to know there will always be food here twice monthly, the ritual can be daunting. >> as you can imagine having to do this thing every two weeks,

to come and get your food, it's about dignity as well and knowing that you are dependent upon food rations to be able to survive and your family. it kind of hurts. >> yet the refugees here make the best of the situation, supplementing their rations and in the process growing their community. each camp is home to bustling markets where you can buy or bartter for just about anything. >> this is not what people expect when they hear about a refugee camp, this is a town. >> this is a town because people have been living here the past 20 years and they made another mogadishu. >> one recent development here -- >> they have spinach. >> gardening. growing hope with each leaf that manages to survive in this drought-plagued region. >> so we feel we need more

greenhouses to bring more product. >> there is now a third generation of somali refugees living in dadaab, and for them, this is the only home they have ever known. without major changes in their native homeland, it may remain that way. joining us with more on the situation is somalia's former prime minister, mohamed a. mohamed. nice to have you with us this morning. >> pleasure to be on the program. >> we look at some of these pictures and the last family we saw was a family with the mother -- her grandchildren were the third generation just born. some people have been living in the camps nearly 20 years. do you ever envision a time when some of these somali refugees can go home to somalia? >> this is a really huge crisis, no doubt, and basically you need a comprehensive and long-term solution to this crisis. you said this is the largest refugee camps in the world, which is a half million people,

and probably the same population as washington, d.c., and boston and baltimore. think about if those population is waiting for food aid, international food program for 20 years. and also think about if this crisis in somalia continues, in ten years definitely you will see that population will double. and a million people who's waiting for probably one more generation. >> and the land there as we were told can't support it. the water table is severely taxed right now. there are a number of people who live in the area, in kenya around these camps. there's almost two issues, the drought, the famine and also the unrest in somalia. >> right. >> you served as prime minister for about eight months. >> right. >> very recently. >> right. >> when you took on that job, what was your goal? did you think you could change things and make it a safer place? >> well, i didn't say that i would perform miracle, but

definitely i tried my best to make some changes. and unless you tackle -- or attack the root cause of this problem, this famine and this refugee crisis will continue. and the issue is you have to ensure the security and the political issue should be addressed. and unless there's no conflict in somalia and deal with the el shabab associated with al qaeda, the crisis will definitely continue. >> the kenyan military took military action this october. there has been an increase in violence around the camps. i mean there wendt any borders around the camps. there was a grenade attack just yesterday. >> right. >> with kenya's engagement in somalia, is that threatening the safety of the people in the campses are as terrible as that may sound? >> well, the best solution to this crisis, to this problem is to empower and to build somali

national forces so they can deal with the crisis internally. somalia alone cannot do that, you need international support, including the united states and the european countries who helped many crisis in the world. recently, as you know, british and french got rid of gadhafi within six months, and that's the kind of determination you need to tackle the problem in somalia, because the terrorism is not only limited to somalia. the terrorism is international and global issues. >> all right. we'll be watching to see how it unfolds. a pleasure to have you with us this morning. >> thank you very much for having me. >> thanks for coming in. just ahead, one florida's mother desperate struggle to make ends meet this holiday season is having an impact on some people she's never even met. this is "the early show" on cbs. people she doesn't even know. [ monica ] i'm away on a movie shoot

and it hasn't been going exactly as planned. cut. cut! [ monica ] i thought we'd be on location for 3 days -- it's been 3 weeks. so i had to pick up some more things. good thing i've got the citi simplicity card. i don't get hit with a fee if i'm late with a payment... which is good because on this job, no! bigger! [ monica ] i may not be home for a while. [ male announcer ] the new citi simplicity card. no late fees. no penalty rate. no worries.

this morning, we have the story of an orlando mom whose life has been turned upside down. she turned to charity when charities have having a tough time themselves. >> 29% of agencies have seen a drop in donations this year. that hits hard, especially around the holidays. >> pastor scott george has been running this community outreach center in orlando for ten years. it provides food assistance, medical care and education to families in need. >> they're getting eviction notices, they're getting their lights turned off. they don't have money to put in their gas tank. they don't have food to feed their kids. they don't have clothes. they're in absolute crisis mode. >> pastor george says he's seen an increase up to 200 families in the past month alone. at the same time, this year donations are down close to 50%. one of those donors was robin way. >> thank you. >> you're welcome. >> i had given to charities before in the past. so now on the i'm on the

receiving end. it's different. it's different. i feel -- i feel sort of kind of less than. because i'm always giving, giving, giving, so to receive is different. >> reporter: the single mom worked at the amway center for five years with no steady income for the past five months during the nba lockout, she's been having a tough time making ends meet. >> what would you say the hardest part of this is? >> making adjustments as far as getting the things that my girls need. so just getting them the basics. >> all right, all right. >> just trying to make sure they stay normal as possible. >> reporter: the players and owners are heading back to work. but the first orlando magic home game is not until december 26th, after christmas. >> it's really hard because they

know what's going on, but they haven't even asked. they haven't even mentioned anything about, you know, mom, this is what i want for christmas or anything like that. >> how does that make you feel? >> it's tough. it's really tough because i'm their mom and i'm supposed to -- i'm supposed to keep them happy. so it's tough. >> robin way won't have money coming in for a few more weeks, but she's hopeful that one day she'll be able to give back again. elaine kihano, cbs news, orlando, florida. in spice of the drop in donations, a community out reach center in florida was able to help more than 150 families like robin who were hurt by the nba lockout. it's one thing we've touched upon when you've got these professional franchises and leagues that go under for periods of time. they basically have to unload all the employees. it affects so many people, not

just the athletes. just ahead this morning,

p g and e is investiga 8:25 on this tuesday morning. i'm grace lee. pg&e is investigating still why the lights went out twice at candlestick park before an during last night's 49ers game. the nfl security chief says he saw a transformer blow up outside the stadium. but the utility says a downed power line may have been a factor for the first outage. and the utility has just announced an opt out program on smartmeters. it regulates -- if regulators approve it, customers with an analog meter can keep them and those with the digital meters can have the old devices reinstalled for a monthly fee as well as a reinstallation charge. and tonight oakland city council will consider a resolution to prevent future port blockades. it would give police the power to use whatever tools that they have to prevent future

shutdowns or disruptions. this does have protestors concerned about what those powers might be. an update on traffic and weather coming up. ♪ making your way in the world today ♪ ♪ takes everything you've got ♪ wouldn't you like et away? ♪ ♪ ♪ sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name ♪ ♪ ♪ you want to be where you can see ♪ ♪ our troubles are all the same ♪ ♪ you want to go where everybody knows your name ♪ ♪

good morning from the traffic center. let's take you to san jose where traffic is not doing too bad. northbound 101 some slight delays as you work your way through san jose. but northbound 280, not bad at automatic as you head through downtown san jose -- at all as you head through downtown san

jose. 880/237, slight delays on the connectors but overall nice in that area this morning. golden gate bridge continues to be a nice ride out of marin county, 13 minutes from 580 to the toll plaza and the san mateo bridge problem-free. no delays along 101 through the peninsula. if you have a flight to catch at sfo, you're looking good. that's traffic here's elizabeth with weather. >> thanks, gianna. looks like blue skies in some of the traffic cameras and behind us a live look across the bay. sunshine this morning and into the afternoon. we still have some areas of fog though along the delta and in the central valley. in fact, still have a fog advisory for the central valley this morning, also cooler temperatures outside right now. but then we're cranking things up, warming up a bit by this afternoon up to the mid-60s in some spots, 65 in santa rosa, 61 in san rafael. 59 out in concord. and we are staying dry and mild for the next seven days even those temperatures a few degrees above normal through christmas.

welcome back to "the early show." coming up right here on the early program, thousands of veterans who served in iraq and afghanistan are back home in a very different environment, college. >> columbia university, close to the ivy league has one of the highest population of veterans there. some tell us now how they're preparing for the next step of

their lives, just a little north of us here. also, we're going to meet a group of teens who could give all of us a lesson auto beauty inside and out. they go to senior centers and give makeovers. we're going to show you how this simple act of kindness can change lives. also, an important message for travelers this holiday season. just in case you're wondering, the thieves do not take time off for the holidays. this is probably their busiest most lucrative time of the season. it can be as easy as using a camera phone to snap a picture of your credit card. who will have thought of that? unfortunately someone about. we're going to show you how to protect your personal information, especially while you are on the road. >> i know a lot of people who have thought of that. some are in jail, some are not. but first, girls often get the wrong message about what's important. they hear from tv shows, magazines, their friends that appearances mean more than real things like character and

integrity. >> psychologist and early show contributor dr. jennifer hartstein is giving young girls this message in her new book, "princess recovery." what are girls recovering from? >> we're not going to find it in any textbook. we're talking about this idea of princess syndrome. girls are getting the message everywhere that what their meaning and what their worth is based on how they look and the things that they have. it's superficial. we're not teaching them how to feel empowered and confident. >> is there any truth of the rumor that you were thinking about naming the bookkeeping up with the kardashians? >> no. but they're examples of what we do not want to be. there's that and even younger, the book focuses on kids that 2 to 8. we're talking about toddlers to teirras. the message is if you look good,

if you act a certain way, people will love you. that message is out there. unfortunately we are raising this generation of girls to think that they can't do anything else. this book is aimed at looking at how we can teach them to do other things, teaching them how to get out there and do math and science and empower themselves and feel good about those things in addition to wearing their princess crown. >> in addition, it isn't just how you look when you go out the door every day, but it is those other messages that get inside you and affect you. that's one of the things i know you're focused on. >> absolutely. it's the negative messages that are these princess syndromes. this idea that i can't do what the boys can do or i can't play with the trucks because that's not okay or all these gender focused idea. we talk about heroine values of, i don't want to be like that. i want to give back. we're doing this story later about these teens giving back. that's what we're talking about, with instilling these values early on so they can take them into their teens early on and they build positive relationships and all that good stuff.

>> how important a role to parents have inspect. >> they are hugely important. parents think kids will understand the messages kids bombard them with all the time. they think the kardashians is no big deal. but the truth is, it is a big deal and a 6-year-old doesn't always understand what we want them to be and what they're seeing. >> but obviously need to discuss what we see with our kids. but you also say, in coming back to dressing, kids need to dress age appropriate. >> oh, yes. >> hallelujah for saying this. >> how often do we see these little girls in bare clothing? and the fact is, things that were popular for 16-year-olds are now popular for 7-year-olds. we talked about this before. padded bras for 5-year-olds. there was a place in colorado that had crotchless underwear for 7-year-olds. totally inappropriate. speechless, right? we have to think about putting them in clothes that are appropriate, let them be mismatched and be themselves.

>> that was starting the whole britney spears era. >> encourage her to speak up. we want your daughter to question things. teach her to hear her voice, use her voice and talk about it. and promote and celebrate her individuality, which we love, as well. >> be yourself. >> conforming doesn't have to be the norm. >> so nice to have you with us this morning. >> so nice to be here. >> highly recommend the book. >> thanks. >> princess recovery. >> great stocking stuffer. >> be one of a kind, not one of the crowd. like that? >> that should have been the subtitle, chris. i'm sorry. >> put that on the back. >> i'm sorry. >> deb is at the news desk with a check of the headlines. >> sounds like a good title for your book, chris. >> that's right. >> there are only two weeks left before the iowa caucuses and the race has narrowed. cbs national poll out this morning shows newt gingerich and mitt romney tied in a national

race, ron paul is in third followed by rick perry. north koreans are paying respects to leader kim jong il this morning. he was encased in a glass coffin. kim's son and the apparent heir visited on the streets on the capital. paroled american activist lori barenson arrived this morning from peru. she was convicted of aiding a rebel group. yesterday, she was cleared to leave peru with her son to spend the holidays with her family in new york. she was supposed to return to peru next month, but there was little to enforce that court ruling. national geographic has revealed its picture of the year. the image of a

tenls of thousands of troops are coming home from iraq and

afghanistan and finding out huh tough it is to get a job right now. >> so thanks to the gi bill, many are going to school instead. "the early show" contributor tara recently met veterans who were part of the group. >> i was a corporal in the marine corps. i was stationed out of okinawa, japan. >> i was stationsed three times to iraq. i was a corporal and combat correspondent in the broadcast journalism in the marine corps and i deployed once to afghanistan. >> all four of these marines joined the core as teenagers, each enlisting while the country waged two wars in iraq and afghanistan. >> the hardest combat was in my secondy employment in 2004. we went in and shut down a smuggling town, basically. we started policing the border when the economy relied on smuggling from syria. and so they weren't very happy

with us. we didn't have a lot of friends. >> reporter: despite successes in the field of battle, the uncertainty of what lies ahead follows many troops home. but opportunity in the form of a college education has led this group of marines to columbia university and is offering ivy league status to students like karim delgado who quit high school and questioned his own academic ability before enlisting in the military. >> it took me a long time to even apply to columbia because i was afraid somewhere deep inside that maybe i wasn't actually good at academics. >> the biggest achallenge is adjusting to this academic environment after not having sat in a classroom since high school. >> we have a large existing community of veterans that goes back a number of years. >> reporter: columbia's dean of admissions is confident veterans in the student body can ex sell

in the country's institutions. >> when you're putting together a class and you're thinking about the undergraduate composition, the undergraduate classroom experience, you want a diverse experience. veterans bring life experience and that's an important part of the classroom experience. >> reporter: why did you go into the military? >> there were a lot of reasons. i wasn't exactly sure that i wanted to attend college right away. i was patriotic. i come from a family that has military service as part of their history. >> my father was a marine and he served in vietnam. and so i had this image of marines as, like, the best citizens in the country. and so i wanted the -- i wanted it to build my character. >> i saw the marine corps as a way out of my own predicament. i grew up in carroll city, which is kind of a lower income community in miami, florida. it's a desperate community at points.

and if you wade in it long enough, it becomes you. so it was kind of to escape from the environment. i enjoyed it enough that i thought, that's where i would be for the rest of my life. >> there was a time in the marine corps which i just assumed i was going to -- i was going to stay there and i was going to do that. i was going to do my 20 years. >> i, too, thought i would have a career of 20 years. i was interested still in school and college and academics and i took classes while in the marine corps, but i never thought that i would give up activity duty to become a full time student again. >> all are full time students today because of programs like the g.i. bill and a matching grant program from veterans affairs, which allows veteran to attend school without paying anything out of pocket. >> the military and the department of veterans affairs has been a launchpad of socioeconomic mobility for me. >> there's no way i would have been able to afford to come to this school had i not received

the g.i. bill and the match. >> would you have reversed the order, if you could it? if you could have go the gone to school first and then served, would you have? >> i don't think so. i think that school wouldn't have had as much meaning for me spp. >> what's your plan after you graduate? >> well, i'm ultimately interested in going into educational policy. i ended up being in a lot of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts. and that made me recognize that what i thought was hopeless in my neighborhood was nothing compared to what people are experiencing in other countries. >> would you ever go back home? >> i would. i'm actually very interested in going back to my neighborhood and teaching there. >> none of the students here said they would return to military service. yet all are determined to keep

giving back to their country. >> i'd like to stay at columbia and go to columbia law school. really, i felt like i made a difference in the marine corps and that's a difference that i want to continue to make. >> karen winters, b cbs news, new york. >> last year, congress limited government payments to universities like columbia. for now, the universities are making up the different by increasing financial aid for veterans. during in next few weeks, millions of americans will be traveling. but one of the major problems they'll face, probably didn't think about, identity thieves who gather at airportes and hotels. >> here to help you keep your information safe, bridgette carrie. how are you? good to be here. as if there wasn't enough to remember. >> right. >> what are some of the things that people need to be on the lookout for? >> we're stressed when we're going, we're not thinking about the basics.

first off, don't use public wi-fi when you're at an airport terminal or a hotel lounge. tap into your computer, especially don't do banking sites when you're on a free wi-fi. >> one thing people don't think is blue tooth. if you're not using those devices, have it turned off. the hackers can walk around the airport, scan who has their blue tooth on and scan what's in your phone. >> there are a lot of people sitting at home thinking, oh, good heavens. >> you don't really think about it. you also say use a screen protector. our screens are so bright nowadays, anybody can see what you're doing. >> you don't even have to be a super spy hacker any more. you have to have wandering eyes

and a good smartphone to snap a picture of what's on your screen or a individual row of what you're typing. get a screen protector. slap something like in this on to a laptop screen. that way, only the person in the dead center can see it. i also have one on an ipad here. >> they do make them in different sizes. >> right. and here, you can see when it's right in front, but when you turn it, it gets dark. >> i'm sorry if you said this. do they make them for smartphones? >> yes. especially when you're on a plane, you have people right next to you, you don't want them seeing your important information. >> or if people just think you're a doctor and you can be holding up -- >> x-ray. seems like that didn't process correctly. there are different apps if heaven forbid your phone gets stolen. there are apps that can protect your phone when it's out of your grasp. >> yes.

think ahead. and smartphones, the good thing is that iphones, androids, blackberrys, there are programs where it will track your phone, go on to another computer, it will show in the gps where it last is. or you can do one of those self-destruct buttons and wipe the phone remotely if you're worried about sensitive information being out there. >> a lot of things to worry about. tough enough to figure the phones out. >> including your password. the thing that's tough, i mean, i'm sure everybody else feels the same way, you have a pad word for everything nowadays and you're supposed to have a different one every time. >> 1111. >> i sthaut thought abc with that. >> special characters, special characters like exclamation marks. don't use things like your kids' names, your address, your dogs. even if you're a really big yankees phane, don't use kooep key words like that in your pa password. i like to tell people, find two

random things in your room and use that and you'll remember it because it's just two random com common things. just ahead, you're about to meet a green of teenage volunteers who are inspiring you and helping many

oprah winfrey once said there's nothing like the beauty makeover to lift the spirits of a woman no matter her age. she was talking about the nonprofit group glamour gals. >> glamour gals helps elderly women look good and feel good, too. we met up with a group of teens volunteering a pressure night out in new york city to spend their time making over seniors.

what we found was the gathering about so much more than bright lipstick and nail polish. >> it's makeover night at this senior center for the visually embarrassed. >> your skin is glowing. >> that looks so good. >> this group of teenage girls is applying makeup and painting nails. most importantly, they'll connecting with many who will never be able to see the transformation. >> i don't think you need to see to feel beautiful. you have others complimenting you. your self-esteem will go skyrocketing. >> the teens are all part of glamour gals, an organization that brings glamour together through beauty but hopes to deliver so much more. like companionship. rachel doyle founded glamour gals while in high school to honor her great grandmother. and a woman rachel never got to know. >> my father was sharing these

stories that i wasn't able to hear from my own grandmother with me. and i thought, imagine if i start meeting other people's grandmothers and hearing those stories and they share those with me. >> why is it important for teens, for young girls to get involved in a community service like this. >> i think glamour girls builds life skills. they have to introduce themselves to someone they've never met before. they have to touch that person and say, you know, can i put my fingers on your cheek to apply the rouge? 11 years since the first make youover, glamour gals is a success with 1200 volunteers in 60 chapters across the country. z what inspired you to get involved in the program. >> it's a perfect chance for me to improve my communication skills for older people, it was a wonderful way for me to learn how to connect with someone and gain from the community and give back. >> how does glamour gals

transcend generations? how does it bring them together? >> for the teen girls, it's an opportunity for them to discover their potential as leaders in the community. and for the women, i think it's a chance to have a sense of dignity and beauty. >> all through the simplicity of a makeover. >> how is it connecting with someone you've never met before here and make it look beautiful. >> i love it because you can learn something new about someone, no matter what the age. i love meeting people, so i'm really happy. >> it was amazing to see the transformation of both the teenager and the seniors. you could see they happen genuinely enjoy each other's company. when asked if they were coming back for more, both the teenagers and the ladies said yes. it was really a great place to be and a really uplisting story. >> how often do the teens go?

>> they'll go to different places and they go once a month and twice a month sometimes. ,,,,

with your c-b-s five headlines... p g and e is investigating y good morning. it's 8:55. i'm grace lee with your cbs 5 headlines. pg&e is still trying to figure out why the power went out twice at candlestick last night. it happened before and during the game. the nfl security chief says he saw a transformer blow up outside the stadium. but the utility says that a downed power line may have been a factor in the first outage. and the utility has just announced an opt out program on smartmeters. if regulate's prove it, customers who still have an analog meter can keep it and those with a digital meter can have the old device reinstalled. however, there will be a monthly fee as well as a reinstallation charge for the old devices. a hollywood star doing all right today after a stunt went terribly wrong at mavericks. gerard butler was shooting a movie at the famed break on sunday when a set of 15-foot

waves clobbered him. a lifeguard on a personal watercraft rescued him. he was taken to the hospital, but apparently he was not seriously hurt. we'll have an update on your traffic and weather coming right up. hi, it's dave. [ robotic voice ] if you are satisfied with your message -- [ beep ] hi. dave here.

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good morning from the traffic center. let's take you to the golden gate bridge. northbound midspan broken-down vehicle stuck in lanes blocking the left lane. traffic is starting to back up a bit. tow crews arrived. they should have this wrapped up in the next few minutes. no delays southbound out of marin county. san mateo bridge problem-free. looking good along 101 as well as the bay bridge no delays there. we do have a wreck north 880 at dakota roadblocking the number 2 lanes. that's traffic. here's elizabeth with your forecast. >> thanks, gianna. and taking a look live outside from our roof cam, looking at the bay bridge a little hazy out there. fog in the east bay valleys. also a cold start to the morning, cooler today than we saw yesterday. but we are warming things up once again later on this afternoon. in fact, we're cranking those temperatures up to the up 50s to mid-60s across most of the bay area. 56 degrees expected in santa -- 65 degrees in santa rosa. we are staying dry for the next

seven days.