new jersey governor chris christie finds himself swamped in a scandal. e-mails show members of his inner circle conspired to cause a traffic jam as apparent payback for a political rival. cost of the cold. the week's record low temperatures start to rise, but the deep freeze has led to steep losses for the economy. ♪ happy birthday to you and dennis rodman serenades north korean dictator kim jong-un, but it's the basketball star's remarks about the prisoner in north korea that's grabbing headlines. captioning funded by cbs this is the "cbs morning news" for thuray,

this is the "cbs morning news" for thursday, january 9th, 2013. good morning. good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. we begin with a political scandal engulfing one of the gop's rising stars, new jersey's governor chris christie. e-mails show that a major traffic jam was manufactured as political retribution. christie says he knew nothing about it. last year's closing to the bridge in ft. lee, new jersey, created a traffic nightmare for commuters. now the scandal is raising questions about christie's national political ambitions. marlie hall is here in new york. marlie, good morning. >> reporter: anne-marie, governor chris christie still maintains he had nothing do with the traffic tampering, but this could be the biggest test of his political career. new jersey governor chris christie says he is outraged and deeply saddened that a member of his staff and associates were behind a major traffic jam at the george washington bridge last year.

newly released e-mails and text messages reveal christie's deputy chief of staff bridget ann kelly sent an e-mail last summer saying, time for some traffic problems in ft. lee. david who was in top of the port authority of new jersey responded, got it. in september, four lanes leading to the bridge here in ft. lee were funneled into one toll booth. traffic was backed up for four days. kids were late to school and first responders were slowed down. >> who does that? who behaves that way? >> reporter: ft. lee mayor mark sock lidge says it was retribution for not endorsing christy in last year's election campaign. >> to make those decisions with venomous motivation is completely inexcusable to me. >> christie denied any involvement.

>> this is a bruise that is not going to go away easily. >> christie is a possible 2016 presidential contender. in less than two weeks chris christie is set to celebrate his second inauguration as the governor of the state of new jersey. anne-marie? >> marlie hall in new york. thank you very much, marlie. now to the weather. there should be some relief this morning as the deep freeze that has made life miserable for millions of americans back off. the brutal arctic air started to retreat, it will remain cold today, but temperatures are expected to rise. traffic on new york's hudson river was forced to maneuver around the ice. the subzero temperatures were dangerous. at least 21 deaths are attributed to the cold. the frigid weather caused all kinds of travel issues and impacted business. dean reynolds has that part of the story. >> reporter: bursting pipes drenched the columbia sportswear store in chicago this morning. >> we had water coming down

through this whole front area. >> reporter: alyson anderson is the store manager. >> they were at the froonlt of the building by the door here, so the cold weather was definitely the reason. >> reporter: it happened at the worst possible time for a store full of warm jackets for sale. >> hi. sorry, we're actually closed today. >> o', i'm sorry. >> reporter: the economic cold could be felt at chicago's burnham hotel where cancellations piled up like drifting snow. do you remember how full you were? what capacity you were? >> well, you know, we have three hotels in the chicago loop and most of them were running between 20% and 40%. >> reporter: add loss productive to people stranded miles from their desks to lost wages for workers told to stay home and economic growth may have lost 0.2%. kristin drake works for planalytics that helps businesses plan for weather.

>> we're looking at the impact. a lot of it is due to the size of the area impacted. >> reporter: cooped up consumers was a good thing for ecommerce. sales of shovels, salt, and snow blowers were hot according to ace hardware's jeremy melnyk. >> i mean obviously with the snow and the cold weather, mine things were flying out the door pretty fast. >> reporter: but retailers are pretty concerned about the coming weeks when homeowners get high heating businessills. businesses are concerned it could hurt around presidents' day. overnight the navy searched for a crew member that crashed off the coast of virginia. the navy chopper he went down yesterday about 20 miles from virginia beach. five members were on board during the training mission. four were taken from the water. two died and two were hospitalized. it's not clear what caused the crash. overseas iraqis are

preparing to launch an assault on al qaeda militants who are taking over the cities. the militants are being urged to leave to avoid the fight. the iraqi government has been caring out air strikes against the militants in the anbar province. they control the cities in near by fallujah and ramadi. and some setbacks for same-sex comes married in utah. they say it violated the constitution. well, the supreme court later put that ruling on hold. now the state says it will not for now at least recognize those marriages. the marijuana business is booming in colorado since it became the first state to allow legal sales one week ago. it's an experiment. both supporters and critics are watching closely. manuel bojorquez reports. >> reporter: there has been a line outside evergreen apothecary in denver every day since january 1st. owner tim cullen used to only sell medical marijuana. >> we used to do about 75 people

day through our medical store. we're averaging about 375 sales a day now. >> reporter: and you've created jobs? >> i can't hire people fast enough. >> reporter: demand is so strong the price of pot has doubled to $400 an ounce. supply is limited because the 40 stores in the state currently licensed and selling must grow their own marijuana plants. >> as more stores are able to get licensed, i anticipate prices are going to drop. >> just remember it's pure, it's potent. >> reporter: a third of the sales have been to people from out of state even though they can't buy more than a quarter ounce or take it over state lines. raymond cappabianco drove in from california. >> first legal marijuana i bought in my life. >> reporter: you're feeling okay about it. >> so far. >> reporter: so far. >> denver councilman charlie brown was against legalized marijuana sales for recreational use. he's now part of a group writing

new rules for the industry. >> i was fearful of shall we say cannabis chaos. that didn't turn out. it was really a marijuana milestone. but the concerns are still there, especially to our young people. >> reporter: police in colorado and neighboring states report no significant increase in marijuana-related offenses or trafficking, but critics say one week is not enough time to assess the full impact. at least 130 more shops are waiting for permits to open. stoo keep on toquing. manuel bojorquez, cbs news, denver. well, coming up on the "morning news," a leap of courage. you'll see how former congresswoman gabrielle giffords marked the anniversary of the shooting that nearly took her life. this is the "cbs morning news." gabrielle giffords marked the anniversary of the shooting that nearly took her life. this is the "cbs morning news." ♪

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arizona. giffords made the tandem jump strapped to a professional skydiver. six people were killed and 12 others injured in that attack. in a "new york times" opinion piece giffords writes that she still struggles to speak and her right arm and leg are paralyzed, and she compares the fight to reduce gun violence to her rehabilitation. giffords argues that mental health resources should be a bigger priority writing, quote, so the dangerously mentally ill find it easier to receive treatment than to buy firearms. on the "cbs moneywatch" now, macy's sheds jobs, and would you buy a burrito from a vending machine? wendy gillette is at the new york stock exchange with that and more. good morning, wendy. >> good morning, anne-marie. asian stocks were slower due to china's inflation last month. tokyo's nikkei lost 1.5%. hong kong's hang seng dropped nearly 1%. it was a mixed day here on wall street. the dow jones industrial lost 68

points, erasing more than half of tuesday's 105-point gain. the nasdaq composite finished 12 points higher. macy's is cutting 105 jobs despite a strong holiday shopping season. macy's plans to close five stores and open eight others. when all the stores are complete, macy's will have 844 stores nationwide. macy's say the movies will help it save $100 million this year. americans are borrowing more money. the federal reserve says americans increased their borrowing by $12.3 billion in november. almost all of the increase came from a rise in borrowing from autos and student loans. credit card borrowing, a different kind of borrowing, was up $804 million. if you're a burrito fan, check out the burrito box debuting at california gas stations. there are six varieties to choose from including breakfast

burritos, including chicken, rice, and beans option. it takes 60 seconds to warm up. you can add sour cream or guac for a charge of $3 plus tax. what do you think, anne-marie? >> i'm sure it would taste great but i think i'd have to be some kind of desperate to get a burrito at a gas station. >> yeah. i think i'll head to taco bell. >> wendy gillette at the new york stock exchange. thanks, wendy. straight ahead, your thursday morning weather. and dennis rodman continues to cause controversy on his latest visit to north korea. [ ding! ] losing your chex mix too easily? time to deploy the boring-potato chip decoy bag. then no one will want to steal the deliciousness. [ male announcer ] with a variety of tastes and textures, only chex mix is a bag of interesting. i've quit for 75 days. 15 days, but not in a row. for the first time, you can use nicorette... even if you slip up... so you can reach your goal. [ male announcer ] now, quit on your own terms with nicorette or nicoderm cq.

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here's look at today's forecast in some cities arounded the country. new york, sunshine today, 32 the high. miami, expect showers. and snow in chicago. foggy in dallas today. some clouds in los angeles. time now for a check of the national forecast. most of the northeast will be dry today with moderating temperatures. there will be areas of freezing rain in the south from arkansas to kentucky. the midwest will finally see a warming trend, but st. louis and detroit could see some light snow. there will be rain and scattered showers across parts of the west. dennis rodman is apologizing for comments he made about an american citizen held captive in north korea. rodman says he had been drinking when he implied during an interview that missionary kenneth bae was at fault for his

imprisonment, but bae's sister says she's worried rodman is hurting efforts to free her brother. rodman is in north korea to host a basketball game between former nba players and a team of north koreans. ♪ happy birthday to you >> before the game rodman led the crowd in singing "happy birthday" to north korea's dictator kim jong-un. he later called kim great leader. the former nba players trailed the north koreans at halftime and mixed it up in the second half. well, one year after sending no one to cooperstown, voters sent three major leaguers to the hall of fame. tom glavine, greg maddux, and frank thomas were each selected. maddux and glavine both won more than 300 games, many of them as teammates in atlanta. thomas hit 521 home runs and won two mvp awards. he says he doesn't feel vindicated for making it to

cooperstown while other players linked to steroids have not. >> i've never really worried about the other players and i probably was the last one that found out, you know, honestly that everybody was taking drugs, you know, and i felt stupid about it but i just didn't care about what other guys were doing. >> the hall is even farther away now for roger clemens and barry bonds. they both saw their vote totals fall in their second year on the ballot. the former houston astro craig biggio was a near miss, needing two more votes to make it to cooperstown. johnny manziel is taking his heisman to the pros. he declared for the nfl draft on wednesday. he leaves the college game with two more years of eligibility remaining. last year he became the first freshman to ever win the heisman. manziel said he's ready to make his dream of becoming a pro

quarterback a reality. in nba, the golden warriors' winning streak stopped at ten games. kevin garnett scores 11 points in the fourth quarter as brooklyn wins, 102-98. the nets now have a season-high four-game winning streak. and l.a. clippers staff blake griffin scored 29 points but none as powerful as these. he got a huge dunk over kris humphries. they win, 111-105. when we return, award season kicks off. actress sandra bullock wins big in several categories at the people's choice awards last night. e awards last night. like this because i can ♪ clothes [ female announcer ] when it comes to softness, shapes and styles only kleenex brand has it all. find your style then flaunt it at kleenex.com.

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good morning. it's good morning. it's thursday, january 9th. i'm ,, thursday, january 9th. i'm here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. washington, d.c., sunny today but cloudy in atlanta and st. louis. sunshine in denver and rain in seattle, a high of 47. sandra bullock along with some familiar faces from cbs took home top honors at the

people's choice awards wednesday. the ceremony in los angeles brought out the biggest names in movies, tv, and music. teri okita was on the red carpet. >> the people's choice awards. >> reporter: co-stars of cbs sitcom "two broke girls" cat bennings and chris bears kicked off the 40th annual people's choi choice award taking a ride with "breaking bad's" brian crampton. fans voted sandra bullock the big winner of the night with four people's choice awarding including favorite movie actress. while both her films "gravity" and "the heat" won dramatic and comedic movies. >> i'd like to thank my son louie for letting me come out tonight. he's going to want to know why i got all these, and, sweetie, it's because beam work a lort harder to make mommy look good.

>> reporter: fans cast 720 million votes not only for their favorite film and tv stars, but also music awards. >> reporter: jennifer hudson accepted the favorite humanitarian award through helping children in need through her foundation. >> my mama always taught us that without family you have nothing and whether you know it or not, we all are family. >> britney spears walked away with her first people's choice for female artist. justin timberlake took home male and r & b. teri okita, cbs news, los angele. >> and cbs was a big winner last night. kaley cuoco for "the big bang theory" took home an award along "the good wife" along with josh charles and sarah michelle gellar for her new role in the hit "the crazy ones."

coming up later after your local news on "cbs this morning," new york commissioner william bratton. i'm anne-marie green. this is the "cbs morning news." every day can be truly extraordinary. spread a little sunshine, with naturally delicious smucker's natural. but you can do it. stay active... get outdoors... eat healthy... and choose colgate total®. it does more than protect, it actually helps improve mouth health. [ male announcer ] it fights germs for 12 hours, in 24 hours starts to fortify enamel, and in 4 weeks helps improve gum health. you can do it with colgate total®. [ male announcer ] do more than protect. improve mouth health with colgate total®. and use the whole line for even better results. ♪ ♪

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solar weather delayed a solar weather delayed a resupply mission to the international space station. a strong solar flare forced a private company to push back the launch of a rocket wednesday. nasa says the solar activity poses no threat to the six astronauts on the space station. orbital sciences says it will try to launch this afternoon. >> and here's another look at this morning's top stories. new jersey governor chris christie is facing a political scandal this morning. e-mails and text messages show one of his close aides ordered massive traffic closures in september as apparent political revenge. and the big chill over the eastern u.s. is easing. the weather is warming to more normal winter temperatures after shattering records. more than 20 deaths are blamed on the cold since sunday.

the high-tech toys of the future are being showcased at the consumer electronics show in las vegas the week. one of this year's breakthrough concepts, wearable gadgets. cnet's sumi das shows us some of the best. >> reporter: get ready to clear out a corner of your closet. at the consumer electronic show in las vegas companies showed off wearable techs for our wrists, our ears, and more. this one incorporated sensors that track a baby's breathing, touch, and body position. >> the sensor here is our new respiration center. it actually looks at the rise and fall of the tech. >> reporter: thankfully this tech is not just wearable but also machine washable. of the many wrist worn gadgets, a couple stood out. casio's sports gear aims to be a more versatile smart watch. it listens to what you're doing.

say you're listening to music. the buttons can be used to skip tracks and if you're going for a run, the buttons can be used to start or stop your workout. another handy feature, this find button. press it and your phone starts chirping. the reason abu is part fitness tracker and part smart watch. you can follow someone on twitter by just shaking their hand. wearable gadgets developed by intel include these biometric ear buds that use an optical sensor that measures your heart rate and smart headset code names jarvis. >> jarvis is always going to be listening. it can be set to different modes where it will provide data on the fly or listen to you. >> the main thing about jarvis is it kind of takes away the pain of having to take your phone out to talk to siri or google voice or whatever. jarvis is a headset. it's always on, in your ear, always listening. all you have to say is hello, jarvis and then, you know, follow that with a question. >> for more coverage go to cbs.cnet.com.

i'm sumi das for kre net, cbs news. >> i don't mind it. cool stuff. coming up later on "cbs this morning," reaction to the chris christie traffic scandal. we'll get analysis from political director john dickerson. plus new york city police commissioner bill bratton and john miller stop by the studio, and we'll talk with one of the fastest grows sights, upworthy.com. this is the "cbs morning news." thanks for watching. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

> >> your realtime captioner is mrs. linda m. macdonald good morning, everyone. it's thursday, january 9. i'm michelle griego. >> hi, everyone. i'm frank mallicoat. nearly 4:30 on this friday eve. let's kick it over to lawrence. did you like that, friday eve? >> i'm feeling good because we are that close now.

a lot of cloud out there, too, guys. unfortunately, not much in the way of rain. we have some fog, maybe a little drizzle but some changes coming up. more coming up. >> and the roads are not as slick today as yesterday so here's a live look, an early start across the san mateo bridge. we'll have the travel times and roadwork coming up. >> it's what you do. >> that's what i do, yes. [ laughter ] we begin at 4:30 now with breaking news in the south bay this mni. two people escaped a house fire in san jose at 2 a.m. on san fernando street. firefighters still on the street trying to get a handle on it to see how charred the home is. firefighters believe the fire started on the front porch or side yard. the flu is here. kpix 5's betty yu reports the outbreak is so severe, some patients are being treated in tents. >> reporter: it's a sign of just how fast the flu may be spre