>> axelrod: tonight down to the wire. with just hours to go, shoppers crowd stores across the country in search of last minute bargains. tony guida has the christmas eve wrap-up. help wanted at long last in california. bill whitiker looks at why the golden state leads the country in job creation. tens of thousands of russians take to the streets once again to protest the rule of vladimir putin. and operation gratitude. tracy smith talks to the housewife and mother who wants no american in uniform to be forgotten during the holidays. >> a lot of it has to be the belief that someone at home cares. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news."

>> axelrod: good evening, i'm jim axelrod. for even the most hardened of procrastinators time is running out. just two days after a consumer report poll found that 25% of americans had not started their shopping yet, it appears most of the last-minute shoppers were jamming the stores today. tony guida is on the front lines. >> found it! >> reporter: 'twas the night before christmas and all through the mall, holiday shoppers who didn't want to be here at all. >> my mother made me come out here, i didn't want to do it, but she made me come out. >> reporter: there was the occasional exception. >> i think it's more fun last minute shopping. >> really? >> yeah. >> reporter: but exceptions usually prove the rule. i would be willing to bet that last year you said, "next year no more last day." did you say that? >> yes, i did. >> reporter: tina moore at j.c. penney's in midtown manhattan was shopping for her mother and her cousin and thought she may pick up something for herself. similar intentions, probably, for the 125,000 last minute shoppers at the mall of america

in bloomington, minnesota. at best buy stores the catnip was the sale of the iphone 4-- two for the price of one. the 2011 shopping season is ending not with a whimper, but with a bang. >> retailers do not want anything left on their shelves and so they are slashing their prices today knowing that that is going to be it. >> reporter: santa showed up early and this kmart in tulsa oklahoma, paying off anonymously the layaway balances of 86 customers. this woman among them. >> it's been a really hard year, god bless them for this. >> reporter: back at j.c. penney's in new your, anthony moore had picked out three sweater dresses. you are a determined shopper. >> absolutely. >> reporter: but he was having trouble deciding if any were right for that certain someone. >> this is a finicky one. so i need all day to figure out the exact present for this one. this is a finicky one.

>> reporter: which raises the question: what happens when loved ones don't love what they have received? the national retail federation says consumers are expected to return more than $46 billion worth of gifts starting monday. 10% of all the swag purchased this holiday season. jim? >> axelrod: tony, thank you. holiday sales are one measure of the economy, job creation is another. and in one very large state hard hit by the recession, employment prospects are beginning to brighten. bill whitaker has a few cases in point. >> reporter: brittany dameron, 25, unemployed, with two degrees in advertising diligently looked for work for a year. >> i was applying to a lot of agencies, changing my resume, really working on my cover letters, and still was not getting the gig. >> reporter: but her fortunes changed in october when she walked through the job and was offered a job at digitaria. a high-tech agency that helps business take advantage of the

digital revolution. >> we do everything from websites, ipad applications, mobile applications. >> reporter: daniel khabie the c.e.o. of the san diego based company, says revenue is up 60% this year. >> this year we have hired 50 employees. we are looking to hire, probably at least minimum, another 20 plus employees, going into next year. i wouldn't be surprised if we hire another 50, to be honest with you. >> reporter: companies like digitaria are turning california's economy around. the country's largest stated created more jobs than any other, adding 233,000 to the payroll in the last year-- 6,500 in just the last month. the hot spots: high-tech centers. jobs are up in silicon valley, san diego, san francisco and orange county. >> reporter: despite the growth california still has the second highest unemployment rate in the country-- 11.3%. it's tied to construction and manufacturing, two of the hardest hit sectors in the great recession.

now digital age companies could be key to california's recovery. oliver duncan found he was in high demand in high-tech. >> i had over four solid letter offers, and then i had a lot of, "hey i'm really interested let's take the next step." >> reporter: he left a job in new york and now is creative director at digitaria. >> we can't find enough people, and we are looking, looking, constantly for people. >> it's a great feeling not to be asked, that question anymore: how is the job search going? and to just be able to say i have a job. >> reporter: it has been a long time since there was economic news to smile about in california. this has been the third month in a row that the state has led the nation in job growth. >> axelrod: with the payroll tax-cut resolved, for the moment at least, president obama and his family are enjoying the first full day of their christmas vacation in hawaii. and that is where we find our chip reid, there as well.

chip the president flew with the benefit of some political tail winds. what kind of mood was he stepping off the plane? >> reporter: well, jim i think you can see an extra spring in the president's step. the white house believes this battle for the payroll tax was a pretty big victory for the white house. it showed that he could stand up against the republican party and win. and number two, it showed him exactly how they want to show him-- the guy who is fighting for the middle class. >> axelrod: even so, i'm sure they don't want to be seen as gloating in any kind of way. how are they handling the political implication to this? >> reporter: i think they did get a gift from the republicans in the house. and they finally have realized that the secret to their success, at least for now and

maybe well into this election year, is to paint the house republicans, the 90 or so tea party backed, as the face of the republican party. they are far out of the mainstream and if they can paint them as what they are about, that is a big winner for the white house. also this comes at time where, there are glimmers of hope on the economic front and that is good news for the white house and another reason why the president is smiling broadly. >> axelrod: chip reid in hawaii, thank you. overseas opponents of prime minister vladimir putin took to the streets in russia's biggest cities, in greater numbers than ever before. their protest comes on a significant anniversary. charlie d'agata has the report. >> reporter: tens of thousands came on the streets to tell prime minister vladimir putin they have had enough. >> i came here with my friends because we want fair elections, and we want to say the putins go away. >> reporter: the demonstrators want a reelection for the election, they say putin and his

party rigged. the government says that is not going to happen. putin's next big test, the presidential election scheduled march 4th. "do we want putin to returning to the presidency? shouted one activest. no!" the crowd responded . putnin is still the stongest candidate and his return is almost certain, the critics say that is only because he hand picked his opponents. >> in march if mr. putin proclaimed that he won this election, no one will believe he won honestly. >> reporter: after serving as president for eight years and another four years as prime minister, putin is planning a return to the office of president a move that has many russians saying, enough is enough. for the first time since the end of communist rule in russia the opposition movement is gaining momentum. putin's problems are not going away. charlie d'agata cbs news.

>> axelrod: whether by coincidence or not it was 20 christmases ago that mikhail gorbachev resigned the presidency of soviet union, ended 70 years of communist rule. today on a russian radio station he suggested that prime minister putin follow his example and resign. >> reporter: in the middle east a mass funeral was held in syria for the 44 people killed in that damascus suicide bombings yesterday. it turned into a show of support it turned into a show of support for the president asaad who blamed the bombing al qaeda. the holy land so more than 100,000 pilgrims and tourists

crowded into bethlehem's manger square. and at the vatican pope benedict and at the vatican pope benedict lit a can candle in his window. the pope said the simplicity of christ birth is being obscured by christmas. >> axelrod: coming up on tonight's cbsnews. an iraqi translator fearing for his life after the departure of the u.s. troops he helped. >> hi i am tech sergeant onica banks and i want to give a shout-out to my family in san antonio texas. i love you, i miss you, merry christmas, happy holidays.

>> axelrod: it didn't take long but within days of the last u.s.

troops leaving iraq's a wave of violence swept through baghad this week. at least 16 bombs exploded thursday in shiite neighborhoods, killing about 70 people and wounding another 200. last week we met one iraqi worried about his safety because he had worked for the americans. in a follow-up tonight elizabeth palmer tells us about his spiking fear. >> reporter: just days after the u.s. withdrew the last troops from iraq and the political battle raging between the shiite prime minister and suni vice president, this new violence invoked fears that this country may be headed for a civil war. the bombs hit too close to home for an iraqi man we will call terry. a former u.s. military interpreter we met last week in baghdad who worked with the army fighting fraud in reconstruction projects. he asked that we conceal his identity to protect him. >> what did you do for the united states?

>> i helped them distinguish who were the good guys and bad guys. >> reporter: terry's father who works with the anti-copuption office was on his way to work when one bombs exploded at his office killing 25 colleagues. what will happen to you if you stay in iraq and you can't get to the states? >> i will get killed. >> reporter: terry has been waiting for ayear for a visa that will allow him to move to the u.s. in a skype interview yesterday he told us he can wait to longer. >> when i was working i was living in a secure place. i didn't fear my life. even for the one moment. and now there is no such place. >> reporter: the u.s. state department says they are looking into the status of terry's visa. but he has decided to leave iraq for jordan to join the million and a half refugees that have already fled their country.

>> axelrod: and up next on tonight's "cbs evening news." dumpster diving to make a point. hi i'm 2nd lt. scott sipel from wichita kansas, wishing my family a merry christmas and happy new year's. year's.

>> axelrod: over the course of the year americans will generate 250 million tons of garbage. one man's trash is another man's treasure. especially in fort worth, texas. >> they need blue jeans and tennis shoes. >> axelrod: like so many of us this time of year jeff ferrell has his minds on gifts. gifts for his wife karen, nothing but the best. like this necklace from nieman marcus. >> i wore it to the christmas party. it was the hit of the evening. >> axelrod: but for ferrell, top shelf is the bottom of the dumpster. >> it makes you think about not only our consumption, but what we do with things when we don't want them anymore. >> axelrod: ferrell a sociology professor at texas christain university, is a professional dumpster diver. >> part of my ritual each day of riding and teaching is a two-

hour bicycle ride i hit about 50 to 100 dumpsters. >> axelrod: for years he has been a texas sized recycler finding all kinds all kinds of things on his refuse ride. >> it's still has the tag on it, never even been worn. >> axelrod: he gathers them up and gives them away. >> two of our problems in society is waste and need i can take the first problem and fix the second problem. >> axelrod: most times his refound items go to charity. >> i found these navy blankets. >> axelrod: but at this time of year they become gifting for family and friends. >> it's like knowing robin hood. >> reporter: carol thompson a fellow professor has received silver and jewelry and designer glass from her friend the high class garbage picker. >> i think if jeff saw this in the trash he wouldn't be happy. >> reporter: even his parents get things from the trash.

>> it was brand new it had not been worn, i didn't even have it cleaned. >> axelrod: monday morning jeff ferrell will be up and adam. if you think the malls are busy, think of the likes of dumpster diving. >> christmas shouldn't be the most wasteful day of the year, but it is. >> axelrod: as tony told us earlier 10% will be returned. there are no estimates on how many gifts go straight to the dumpsters. watch this. cincinnati's jerome simpson caught a pass and down the sideline and 360° somersault and into the end zone for a touchdown. simpson landed on his feet for a perfect dismount. still ahead, hundred of thousands of gifts for the troops thanks to one california

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around the world, far from home but far for gotten. >> for a few days everybody yeaa national guard armory in van nuys california making boxes bounds for war. they are packed with little bits of home. things that can make life in the combat zone easier. at least bearable. >> the name on the side says it. carolyn blashek found operations gratitude. >> are they in needs of thesepa. >> there are hundreds of troopsy deserve to be remembered. >> you would expect this from a. but blashek is neither. she earned a law degree at columbia university before

becoming a full time mom. then same september 11th and the start of the war in afghanistan. >> i looked at my children atthr thinking this is a war that could go on. i have lived half of my life and they are just starting out. and i don't want to be th them r this burden. >> so carolyn went off to joint. she wound involunteering at a military lounge in the airport. >> i was in the facility bymysed distraught and he said for the first time in my 20-year career i am going to a war and i may not make it back but it doesn't matter because nobody cares. it made me think. what would give them the

strength to make them survive. and i realized a lot of it is a belief that someone cares. >> the next day she startedsend. her house became a staging area and she enlisted her family's help including her son jordon. >> there was a few monthsperiod -- stacked with boxes. >> her operation is big but not. every box goes out with a handwritten note of thanks astresseaddressed to a soldier. her daughter is now a social worker. her son jordon got accepted to medical school. two years ago at christmas he

told his parents something they never expected to hear. i wan >> i want to serve my countryan. >> honestly want went throughyo. thank god and stay safe. >> carolyn says operationgratitd running not until her son comes home but until they all do. and that is the cbs evening. later on cbs 48 hours mystery. i'm jim axlerod in new york. i hope you enjoy the holiday. see you again tomorrow. good night. ♪ captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

some nd it is cold. down right freezing in parts of the bay area tonight. how the chill snuffed out something you usually see around the holidays. are the a's close to sealing the deal to move south? the early rumblings and the response from a bay area mayor. it is horrible. because you're locked up. you're all awhroan. >> how bay area prisoners get a chance to create a new kind of holiday celebration. cbs 5 eyewitness news is coming up next.