change is harder when you carry the heavyweight of history on your shoulders. >> president obama announces a seismic shift in foreign policy after more than half a century of cold war tensions. the united states moves toward normalizing relations with cuba. the move draws sharp criticism on capitol hill and from some in cuban american communities. >> i have been slapped in the face. >> it's curtain for the interview. sony calls off the release of the comedy making fun of north korea's dictator. after theaters dropped the film over fears of attacks on movie goers. college applicants beware. admissions officers are taking a look into what you are posting online. >> have there been cases where what you see on a social media

page tell you they are not the best fit for here? >> yes. this is the "cbs morning news" for thursday, december 18th, 2014. good morning. good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. sony pictures is throwing in the towel. the hollywood studio cancelling the release of the comedy "the interview." across the country, scenes like these played out. theater employees taking down the promotional material. now the fate of the $42 million movie is in question. the unprecedented move follows a devastating cyber attack linked to north korea. don champion is in new york. don, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. the cbs news learned they are going to implement the government for the cyber attack. meanwhile, sony's decision to

pull the movie is stunning. the studio had little choice but to cancel the christmas day release. the majority of theaters scheduled to show it said they would delay the film's opening. >> you want us to kill the leader of north korea? >> what? >> assassinate the leader of north korea. yesterday, they decided not to show the film, sony pulled the plug. >> this has never happened where a studio said we are not going to show a movie out of concern for the safety of movie goers. >> reporter: sony said not to show the film, we have decided not to move forward. sony made the decision with paramount interest in the safety of employees and theater goers. >> when they pull the movie, sony couldn't release it. it was good news for sony because they didn't have to say we are backing down under pressure.

>> right. >> it was, the theater chains are backing down. >> reporter: a group called guardians of peace believed to be state sponsored hackers issued a warning of attacks mentioning 9/11. the world will be full of fear. remember september 11th of 2001. however, the department of homeland security said there is no credible evidence of an active terror plot. >> be aware, not afraid. if we are afraid, they have won. >> reporter: this is the group behind the crippling cyber attacks against sony. they stole films, personal data and released embarrassing e-mails. north korea denied being behind it, but called it a righteous deed. in hollywood, many are expecting outrage at the decision to cancel the premier. it's cost sony tens of millions including the $42 million to make it. as of now, sony has no plans to

release "the interview" in theaters or any other platform. >> don champion in new york, thank you. president obama's surprising announcement the united states and cuba are restoring diplomatic ties is either long overdue or a terrible mistake. it ends a battle that started more than 50 years ago. the agreement was reached after 18 months of secret talks brokered by the vatican. the u.s. will ease trade and travel restrictions and establish an embassy in havana. the president called for an end to the economic embargo against cuba, but that is up to congress. he says isolating cuba has not worked. >> we will end an outdated approach that failed to advance our interests and instead, we will normalize relations between our two countries.

>> susan mcginnis is in washington. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. this historic deal was finalized on tuesday during a phone conversation between president obama and castro. this is the first time the leaders have had an exchange since 1959 when fidel castro and his revolutionary overthrew the cuban government. here are the basics of the deal. it includes a spy swap. the u.s. exchanges three cuban intelligence officers in exchange for an unknown spy. this is a cuban national held in cuba for 20 years. cuba released alan gross. he is a u.s. aid worker held five years. gross thanked those who secured his release after arriving in washington. >> god bless you and thank you. it was crucial to my survival knowing that i was not forgotten. >> reporter: now many republicans are critical of a move toward the u.s. warming relations with cuba. florida senator, marco rubio of cuban decent says president

obama is giving away the store. >> this president is the single worst negotiator we have had in the white house in my lifetime. he's given the cuban government everything it asked for and received no assurances in return. >> reporter: now president obama admits getting congress to drop the economic embargo is an up hill battle. he is planning to send a delegation, including secretary of state kerry to cuba soon. >> susan, i think many people were surprised to hear the vatican played a role in brokering the deal. can you tell us more about that? >> reporter: it did. the vatican was a facilitator with pope francis involved. a sizable part of cuba is catholic. the pope sent letters to both leaders. they held talks in canada and they both met in the vatican in october. >> susan mcginnis in washington, thank you.

cubans cheer the news of improved relations with the u.s. one resident called it a wish come true. cuba is 90 miles from miami, but worlds apart. most of the 2 million cubans living in the u.s. call florida home. in the heart of miami's cuban exile community, the reaction was mixed. marlie hall is in miami, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. here in miami's little havana's neighborhood, people's opinions are mixed and varied. one thing they have in common, they all want what's best for cuba. the shift in diplomatic policy eases restricts on imports from the island nation. >> wow, finally. >> a first generation cuban american, he's dreaming of having cuban-made products in his restaurant. >> chocolate could be from cuba

some day. how awesome would that be? >> reporter: she left family and friends behind in 2001 in search of a greater opportunity in sacramento. the changes will make it easier to finally see their loved ones again. >> makes me happy. >> reporter: not everyone is happy about the relationship between cuba and the u.s. some believe the obama administration has given up a lot for a little. >> one man was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder in connection to the 1996 attack on a humanitarian mission to help refugees. it claimed the life of this woman's son. >> i feel i have been slapped in the face. >> reporter: as tensions flaired in the little havana neighborhood, this man wore his obama t-shirt with pride.

>> 55 something years of the same policies. >> reporter: cubans here and abroad will finally have a better future. yesterday, when the news broke, the streets of little havana were filled with opinions. it's likely to be the same today. >> marlie hall in miami, thank you very much. coming up on the morning news. smoke signals. the u.s. policy makes it easier to enjoy a cuban cigar. a bad turn for a delivery truck carrying packages. details in moneywatch. this is the "cbs morning news." my doctor told me about stelara®. it helps keep my skin clearer. with only 4 doses a year after 2 starter doses... ... stelara® helps me be in season. stelara® may lower your ability to fight infections and increase your risk of infections. some serious infections require hospitalization. before starting stelara®... ...your doctor should test for tuberculosis.

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one person is dead and several others have critical injuries after a car plowed into a group of people last night in southern california. redondo beach police say the driver ran a red light before hitting pedestrians. it happened outside a church where a christmas service just ended. the driver is in custody, accused of dui and vehicular manslaughter. . prosecutors say the outbreak is the largest case in u.s. history over contaminated medicine. omar villafranca reports. the 130 count indictment was unsealed in boston. >> this is where the evidence actually led us to, to a scheme, to a group of individuals that

ran this business as a criminal enterprise. >> 14 executives and employees at the new england compounding center were charged with the nationwide fungal meningitis outbreak two years ago that made 751 sick and killed 64. it was caused by tainted virals of back pain medicine. >> it displays not only a reckless disregard for the health and safety regulations but also an extreme and appa appalling indifference to life. stk co-founder and head pharmacist face the most serious charges of second degree murder in several states under the racketeering law. the estate may be subject to seizure. conditions in the so-called clean rooms were filthy and employees falsified prescriptions with fake names

like big baby jesus, roy rogers and budweiser. omar villafranca, cbs news, dallas. straight ahead now, up in smoke. a ban on importing cuban cigars is eased giving fans of cuban tobacco a reason to celebrate. that's ahead in moneywatch. head in moneywatch. with aches, fever and chills- there's no such thing as a little flu. so why treat it like it's a little cold? there's something that works differently than over-the-counter remedies. attack the flu virus at its source with prescription tamiflu. and call your doctor right away. tamiflu is fda approved to treat the flu in people 2 weeks and older whose flu symptoms started within the last two days. before taking tamiflu tell your doctor if you're pregnant, nursing, have serious health conditions, or take other medicines. if you develop an allergic reaction, a severe rash,

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only chex mix has twenty bags of interesting. pick your mix. here is a look at today's forecast in cities around the country. on the cbs moneywatch, why fans of cuban cigars are cheering and a christmas crush for a fedex delivery truck. jill wagner is at the new york stock change with that and more. good morning, jill. >> russian president vladimir putin is expected to make an announcement. russia's currency collapsed and

the economy is headed for a recession. dramatic decline in oil prices and sanctions over ukraine are fuelling the crisis. the federal reserve signaled it will raise interest rates next year. chair janet yellen says the bank will take a patient approach when deciding to bump rates higher. the fed isn't convinced the economy is on solid enough footing. stocks zoomed higher on word of low interest rates. the dow gained 288 points, its best day in more than a year. the s&p picked up 40 and the nasdaq finished the day 96 points higher. today will be a busy day at the post office. the postal service delivers more packages on this day than any other. overall, they will process 470 million packages this holiday season. but there's still time for procrastinators. december 23rd is the priority mail deadline for christmas delivery.

a fedex truck overturned and tore apart on a georgia highway. it happened a week before christmas. the reck spilled hundreds of packages, presents and toys along the highway. many of them crushed. road crews scooped up the mess to get them back to fedex and on to their destination. one group celebrating ties with cuba, cigar lovers. americans haven't been able to buy prized cuban cigars legally since the kennedy administration. under the policy, travelers will be able to carry $100 worth of cigars from any nation that sells cuban cigars. >> if there's ever a reason to hand out celebratory cigars, this is the most appropriate reason. when we return, facebook flag. how college admissions officers are checking the social media of

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benefiber®. now in stick packs. north korea. why "the interview" may never hit theatres. defensive end ray mcdonald s been in the wrong spotlight too many times. now, the 49ers say: enough is enough. multiple cars are charred a burned in san francisco. no bay area police think a firebug's on the loose. join us for kpix 5 news this morning... beginning at 4:3 good morning. it's thursday, december 18-th. ,,

here is a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. as high school seniors rush to meet college application deadlines, many face anxiety over social media posts. are admissions officers really reading their tweets and posts? a'dreanna diaz has the results of a new study. >> reporter: when this 18-year-old is on twitter, she thinks twice before pressing tweet. >> if you tweet one wrong thing, one tweet can go viral in seconds. >> how was school today? >> fine. >> reporter: she's thinking about college, applied to ten schools and know they can see what she puts online. and they do look.

a test prep company surveyed 403 college admissions officers. 35% said they look at applicants social media pages, that's up from 9% six years ago. >> more and more folks are looking. interestingly, only 16% said they found something that might impact that student's application negatively. >> reporter: more colleges are watching students online, but seeing less than troubles them. the dean of admission at dallas university. >> students are aware what they post on social media has an impact on something that is very important to them. >> reporter: have there been cases where you see something on someone's social immediate kra page and you think well, they are not the best fit? >> yes. >> reporter: she's not taking chances. >> you can never be too careful when it comes to college and the rest of your life. >> reporter: adrian that diaz, dallas. after the local news on "cbs

this morning," charlie sits down with chris rock. i'm anne-marie green, this is the "cbs morning news." orning news." patented sonic technology with up to 27% more brush movements. get healthier gums in two weeks. innovation and you philips sonicare save when you give philips sonicare this holiday season. some people think vegetables are boring. but with green giant's delicious seasonings and blends, we just may change their minds. ho ho ho green giant! the holidays are full of surprises. that's why, whenever the need arises... walgreens is always right around the corner, so you can get in and out in no time. most walgreens are even open 'til midnight, to help keep the magic in your holidays.

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president obama and the first lady welcomed hundreds of guests to the white house yesterday for the second night of hanukkah. the annual reception celebrates the jewish holiday. the president said there was an extra reason to celebrate. american alan gross, a jewish american being released from cuba after five years in captivity. here is another look at the top stories following terrorist threats, sony pictures canceled the christmas day release of the controversial movie, "the interview." they decided to delay the release. it's about a plot to assassinate the leader of north korea. north korea has been linked to the hacking of sony pictures computer system. president obama is normalizing diplomatic relations with cuba after more than 50 years. a spy swap was part of the deal pushed by the vatican.

cuba released u.s. citizen alan gross. the u.s. plans to build an embassy in havana and ease travel and trade restrictions. here at cbs news, we are remembering a pioneering war reporter. richard hottelet died yesterday. he was 97. norah o'donnell looks at his tremendous impact on broadcast journalism. >> reporter: he was a legendary group of correspondents hired by edward r. murrow to cover world war ii. he came with experience, including a 1938 encounter with adolf hitler. >> bright blue eyes and he was another human being. he was lousy at that. >> reporter: reporting for united press in 1941, he was arrested and held in solitary for four months on trumped up espionage charges. his war coverage for the cbs radio network included the d-day

invasion. >> allied forces landed in france early this morning. i watched the first hit the beach exactly on the minute of hr. >> reporter: his plane was shot down. he bailed out. in the 1960s, he served as our diplomatic correspondent. his advise to journalists, play it straight, do not tell them what you think. don't tell them what you feel, just tell them what you know. he was 97. nine works of art stolen in one of los angeles' biggest art thefts are back in the hands of authorities this morning. six years ago, the works were taken from a home. the haul was worth $10 million. a man trying to sell the paintings was arrested in an undercover operation in october.

three works remain missing. coming up on "cbs this morning," the latest from the white house on normalizing relations with cuba. we'll get reaction and hear from former secretary of state, colin powell. plus, a preview of tonight's final episode of the colbert report. steven colbert takes over for david letterman. this is the "cbs morning news."

and i'm frank mallicoat 4-- here's robe good morning, everyone. it's thursday, december 18. i'm michelle griego. >> hi, everyone. i'm frank mallicoat. good morning. it's 4:30. you know, it's amazing what can happen in the last two seconds before we go on the air.

>> yes. >> nobody on the set and boom! here we are. >> and everyone is here. >> i thought you were going to say it's amazing because it stopped raining. >> it was a nice commute. >> i had a little light precipitation coming in this morning. you could still experience a scattered showers throughout the day today but look at this. when is the last time we have seen an empty hi-def doppler radar, a stray shower still possible throughout the day today. temperatures in the 50s and 60s. we'll track the new storm coming in shortly. >> and checking the roads, an accident 880 near agoura point. one of the most powerful movie studios in hollywood pulls the plug on "the interview." after multiple threats, sony says it won't release the comedy. as mark kelly reports, many wonder if it was the right decision. >> you want us to kill the leader of north korea?