change is harder when you carry the weight on your shoulders. >> president obama announces a seismic shift in foreign policy after more than half a century of cold tension. the united states moves toward change with cuba. >> it's curtain for the interview. sony calls off the release of the comedy making fun of north korea's dictatodictator. 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, 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 of north korea. don champion is in new york. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. the cbs news learned they are going to implement the government for the cyber attack.

the decision to pull the movie is stunning, but they had little choice but to cancel the 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 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. the theater backed 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. homeland security said there's 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 to sony. they stole films and released embarrassing e-mails. they 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. they have 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 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. they called for an end to the economic embargo in cuba but that is up to congress. isolated cuba has not worked. >> we will end an outdated approach that failed to help our interests and we'll 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. the u.s. exchanges three cuban intelligence officers in exchange for an unknown spy. cuba released allen gross. he is a u.s. aid worker held five years. gross thanked those who secured his release. >> 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. >> 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. they held talks in canada and they both met in the vatican in

october. >> susan mcginnis in washington, thank you. cuba's relations with the u.s., havana residents watched it on tv and one called it a wish come true. cuba is 90 miles from miami, but worlds apart. in the heart of miami's cuban exile, the reaction is 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. they all want what's best for cuba. some people we spoke to say that this new development in cuban/u.s. relations is a good thing for cuba, especially for the younger generation. those who are older, bitter, with anti-castro sentiment while they do have reservations. yesterday, when the news broke,

the streets of little havana were filled with opinions and likely to be the same today. >> marlie hall in miami, thank you very much. coming up on the morning news, smoke signals. a bad turn for a delivery truck carrying christmas packages. details in money watch. this is the "cbs morning news." but that hasn't stopped me from modeling. 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. stelara® may increase your risk of cancer. always tell your doctor if you have any sign of infection, have had cancer, or if you develop any new skin growths. do not take stelara® if you are allergic to stelara® or any of its ingredients. alert your doctor of new or worsening problems including headaches, seizures, confusion and vision problems-

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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 with a christmas service just ended. the driver is accused of dui and vehicular manslaughter. police in central texas have a person in custody for the shooting of a meteorologist. kcn meteorologist was hit in the shoulder and abdomen. he's hospitalized in stable condition. it started with an argument in a parking lot and led to a six-hour manhunt. people face federal charges with the deadly meningitis outbreak. it is the largest case in u.s. history over contaminated medicine.

omar villafranca reports. >> reporter: the 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 add the new england compounding center were charged with the fungal meningitis outbreak two years ago that made 751 sick and killed 64. authorities say it was caused by tainted viles of back pain medication. >> actions like the ones alleged in this case display not only a reckless disregard for the health and safety regulations, but also an extreme and appalling indifference to life. >> the co-founder and head pharmacist face the most serious charges of second degree murder in seven states. financial assets like the estate may be subject to seizure.

investigators allege conditions in the clean rooms were actually filthy and employees falsified prescriptions like big baby jesus, roy rogers wonder woman as they tried to seal the operations from oversight. omar villafranca, cbs news, dallas. the san francisco 49ers say a pattern of poor decision making and off the field issues led to the release of ray macdonald. macdonald is under investigation for sexual assault. in august, he became the first player to face discipline under the new nfl conduct policy. prosecutors dropped that case against macdonald. straight ahead, up in smoke. a ban on importing cuban cigars is eadesed. that's ahead in moneywatch.

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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. 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. 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. they are not convinced the country is on solid enough footing. the dow gained 288 points, its best day in more than a year. the s&p picked up 40 and the nasdaq 96 higher. today will be a busy day at the post office. they deliver more packages on this day than any other. 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 vnlt been able to buy them legally since the kennedy administration. under the policy, travelers will be able to carry $100 worth of cigars from any nation that sells them. >> if there's ever a reason to hand out sell bra tour cigars, this is the most appropriate. when we return, facebook flag. how college admissions officers are checking the social media of applicants more than ever. i tell them aveeno®. because beautiful skin goes with everything.

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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? adrian that diaz has the results of a new study. >> reporter: when this 18-year-old is on twitter, she thinks twice before pressing tweet. >> it can go viral in seconds. >> reporter: she's thinking about college, applied to ten schools and know they can see what she puts online. and they do look. 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. >> students are aware what they post on social media has an impact on something that is important to them. >> have there been cases where you see something on someone's social media 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. in sports, the grizzlies bring the second best record. the spurs leading when they sink a three-pointer to send them into overtime. at the end of the third overtime, memphis coming away with a 117-116 win. coming up after your local news

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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 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 controversial movie "the interview." they decided to delay the release. it's about a plot to assassinate the leader of north korea. 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. 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 impact on journalism. >> reporter: he was 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 coverage included the d-day invasion. >> allied forces landed in france early this morning. i watched it hit the beach exactly on the minute of hr. >> reporter: his plane was shot down. he bailed out. in the 1960s, she served as our diplomatic correspondent. his advise to journalists, play it straight, do not tell them what you think. do not tell them what you feel, just tell them what you know. >> 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 was caught. 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. steven colbert takes over for david letterman. this is the "cbs morning news."

today it is thursday december 18th, good morning, i'm ukee washington. i'm quarter von tiehl. here are stories we are following today. the students at bensalem high school mourn the loss of the classmate trying to catch a school bus when suv struck her. the movie the interest right will not be playing at a theater near you, now feds think they know who is behind hacking that caused the studio to pull the comedy. will he run or won't he? new jersey governor chris christie is closer to making his mind up but a bid to the white house. we will get into that and more but first lets start with the forecast. it wasn't that cool or cold yesterday, in the 30's. >> it is better nice for ek