we made history! >> we have a winner. lisa murkowski becomes the first write-in candidate to win a senate race in more than half a century. gm stock sale. general motors returns from bankruptcy and bail-out. the stock sale was up to $23 billion. and terror trial charged with nearly 300 counts of terrorism, a guantanamo detainee is convicted of one. this is the "cbs morning news" for thursday, november 18th, 2010. good morning, everybody. thanks for joining us. i'm betty nguyen. against all odds.

alaska senator lisa murkowski a write-in winner the first since 1954. murkowski celebrated with supporters fizz last night in anchorage. she had to defeat both the democratic nominee and tea party republican joe miller, who beat her for the gop nomination. murkowski saluted the late alaska senator ted stevens for inspiring her to swim against the political tide. >> ted's motto was to hell with politics, let's just do what's right for alaska, and that's what we did. that's what we did. >> miller still has not conceded defeat but with nearly all ballots counted alaska election officials confirm murkowski's victory. now to general motors, which is rising today from the ashes of bankruptcy and government bail-out happening on wall street where investors are expected to snap up hundreds of millions of shares of gm stock yielding big profits for u.s. taxpayers. whit johnson has more now from washington. good morning, whit. >> betty, good morning.

for the first time since 2004, gm is on track for a full-year profit. and wall street's renewed confidence could help the automaker turn that critical corner. general motors is expected to bring in as much as $23 billion today in what could end up being the biggest initial public stock offering in history. at the opening bell, it'll cost $33 to own a share of gm stock, which just a year and a half ago went for 75 cents. >> gm is doing exceptionally well. the entire auto sector is doing exceptionally well. >> reporter: the money will help pay back taxpayers. after slashing half of its brands and trimming its workforce the company emerged from bankruptcy leaner and meaner. >> even prior to the ipo, there was clear evidence of the company's cost reducks over the last number of years have led the company to be profitable. >> reporter: gm's stock sale will cut the government's stake in the company by roughly half.

president obama calls it a major milestone, not only for gm but the u.s. auto industry as a whole. in all, the government spent a total of $82 billion rescuing american automakers. industry leaders believe the investment will pay off, as buyers return to dealerships. >> we have tremendous pent-up demand. the average age of vehicles in the united states is over ten years now because people have been delaying this decision for all the obvious reasons. >> reporter: as for gm, the company has gone from losing billions to making more than four billion so far this year. but, for taxpayers to break even, gm stock will have to do well over the next several years. even if today's public offering goes as expected, the government would still own about 33% of gm and gm would still owe taxpayers about $26 billion. betty? >> all right, whit johnson joining us live from washington, thank you. >> to the first civilian trial of a terror suspect held at

guantanamo bay prison in cuba. the verdict was a disappointment to federal prosecutors. ahmad ghailani was charged in taking part in the al qaeda bombings of two u.s. embassies in east africa in 1998. after seven days of deliberations, the jury found him guilty on one count but not guilty on more than 280 others. his lawyer praised the findings. >> this verdict is a reaffirmation that this nation's judicial system is the greatest ever devised. it is truly a system of laws and not men. >> in a statement, the department of justice said it respects the verdict and pleased ghailani now faces at least 20 years in prison. president obama is pressing on with his effort to win senate ratification of a new arms control treaty with russia. he wants senate to vote on the treaty during the current lame duck session but a top republican senator, jon kyl of arizona has already declared he

wants to push the rat physician debate into next year. to the airport body screening flap which provoke ad heated debate yesterday in the u.s. senate as bob orr reports, the head of the tsa was in the hot seat. >> reporter: facing growing anger over probing patdowns and so-called naked x-rays. the transportation security chief john pistole appealed for cooperation. >> look, this is for your safety, security. work with us. this is a partnership here. >> reporter: in testifying, he took a hard line saying planes face an ongoing threat from it hidden explosives so travelers who refuse both body imaging scans and patdowns won't be allowed to fly. >> do i understand the sensitivities of people, yes. if you are asking am i going to change the policies, no. >> reporter: critics call for a thanksgiving holiday slowdown urging travelers to refuse the scans and overwhelm tsa checkpoints with patdown requests. privacy advocates demanding the tsa back off found some support on capitol hill. >> i wouldn't want my wife to be touched in the way these folks are being touched.

>> there's got to be a way, however, for a privacy concern to be addressed. >> reporter: the enhanced patdowns require tsa officers to carefully frisk even the most private regions of the body. and pistole, who went through the procedure himself, called the patdowns invasive. but the failed christmas day attack by the underwear bomber proves terrorists are actively working to smuggle bombs aboard airplanes. >> i recognize the invasiveness of it. i also recognize that the threats are real, the stakes are high and we must prevail. >> reporter: privacy advocates argue patdowns and explicit x-rays violate their rights but security officials say flying is a privilege not a right and protecting aviation is a national security obligation. bob orr, cbs news, washington. the issue of gays in the military goes back on the front burner. senate majority leader harry reid says he plans to call a vote on don't ask, don't tell after the thanksgiving break. president obama has pledged to repeal the policy. the u.s. air force is issuing a warning to troops

using facebook and other social networking websites. the concern is over a feature that can identify a person's identification making it possible to let the enemy know where forces are in war zones. the air force is asking troops to be careful when using those sites. new york congressman charlie rangel expected to find out his punishment today. the house ethics committee holds a hearing to decide the appropriate penalty for rangel. a house ethics panel found him guilty of financial misconduct tuesday. rangel could get censered, reprimanded or fined. on the "cbs moneywatch" stocks in asia did a big turnaround this morning. ashley morrison is here in new york with the latest on that. good morning, ashley. >> good morning to you, betty. asian markets broke a losing streak. japan's nikkei added more than 2%, hitting a five-month high, while hong kong's hang seng also was higher nearly 2%. those gains could fuel wall street today. yesterday, the dow fell 15 points and the nasdaq added 6.

up to half the rolls royce engines used on a-380 super jumbo jets need to be replaced. one of the trent 900 engines on a qantas jet blew apart during a flight november 4th. this morning, the qantas chief executive said rolls royce says up to 40 of the engines on 20 planes need to be taken out of service. the planes are flown by qantas, singapore airlines and lufthansa. the labor department says the consumer price index rose two-tenths of a percent last month. gasoline prices accounted for most of that increase but the cost of autos, clothing and hotels fell. applications for home mortgages dropped last week. the mortgage bankers association says overall applications fell 14.4% and applications to refinance fell 16.5%. the decline in mortgage applications follows a jump in mortgage rates due to stronger economic data.

and toyota plans to sell a plug-in hybrid car next year. available in the u.s., japan and europe, the gasoline/electric hybrid will cost approximately $36,000. betty? >> very interesting stuff. ashley morrison joining us live in new york, thank you, ashley. just ahead on the morning news, white-out conditions snarl traffic in washington state, plus unsafe to drink. the fda cracks down on caffeinated alcoholic beverages. first, though, katie couric has a preview of tonight's "cbs evening news." >> trillions of dollars in debt, how close is the u.s. to reaching its quota limit? we'll put debt and the deficit in focus tonight only on the "cbs evening news." through the body. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia, thought to be the result of overactive nerves that cause chronic, widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain.

and with less pain, i can do more of what matters to me. [ female announcer ] lyrica is not for everyone. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior or any swelling or affected breathing, or skin, or changes in eyesight, including blurry vision or muscle pain with fever or tired feeling. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. i found answers about fibromyalgia. then i found lyrica. ask your doctor about lyrica today. how about a coastal soup and grilled shrimp salad combination? or maybe skewers of wood-grilled shrimp. seafood lunches starting at just $6.99 at red lobster. did you know up to 50% of new cavities form between teeth, in places you can't even see?

aquafresh iso-active whitening is a breakthrough gel that transforms into an active foam. its active fluoride formula penetrates deep, surrounding and protecting the whole tooth against cavities -- front, back and in-between. for strong, healthy teeth for a lifetime, try triple protection iso-active whitening from aquafresh. amazing. black friday prices start friday! save fifty to sixty percent off sleepwear for the family... ...find women's and kids' boots starting at $19.99. plus, all small kitchen appliances are on sale. be the santa you want to be. find your santa at sears.com in snrm washington, the west-bound lane of snoqualmie pass is temporarily closed due to heavy snow. many vehicles were stuck and blocking the roadway at the . in central washington, the

west-bound lane of snoqualmie pass is temporarily closed due to heavy snow. many vehicles were stuck and blocking the roadway at the summit yesterday. they are not sure when it will reopen but more snow is in the forecast for today and tomorrow. energy drinks that combine large amounts of caffeine and alcohol are about to be changed. the food and drug administration told four companies the caffeine is an unsafe food additive and should be removed from their products. jim axelrod reports. >> reporter: these videos of college students sucking down the caffeinated/alcoholic beverage four loko may soon become collectors' items. now that the fda has enacted a virtual ban warning four manufacturers of alcoholic energy drinks they're unsafe. >> we have determined that these products are not in compliance with the law, that the addition of the caffeine does not meet our legal standards for safety. >> reporter: the federal government is following the lead of five states that have already banned the drinks. washington, michigan, oklahoma, utah, and new york. a 23.5-ounce can of four loko is

the equivalent of four beers, a red bull and a shot of espresso, all for less than three dollars. the caffeine masks the alcohol created what the fda calls wide-awake drunks. >> what happens is that the caffeine makes you more awake. the caffeine gives you more pep. caffeine reverses some of the sedative effects of alcohol and, therefore, makes it much easier to have four times as much you would have without the caffeine. >> ramapo college in new jersey, central washington university and university of rhode island banned the drink from their campuses after dozens of students got sick. the manufacturers now have 15 days to change the formula. four loko promises to drop caffeine. >> i think people will still drink it but probably will be a lot of complaints and it will probably be way less popular. >> reporter: that could spell the end of four loko and other similar drinks for good. jim axelrod, cbs news, new york. a new government survey out

this morning says one in five american adults suffered mental illness last year. the substance abuse and mental health services administration found 45 million experienced some form of mental illness in 2009 but fewer than four in ten were treated for their mental health condition. another study compares health care in the u.s. to ten other countries and the news is not good. the survey by the nonprofit commonwealth fund shows that americans pay far more per capita on health care than in other rich countries but americans are less satisfied with their health care. and 20% of americans had trouble paying medical bills compared to only 2% in britain. straight ahead, your thursday morning weather. and in sports, first-time winners of baseball's manager of the year award. what am i thankful for? being the star of this feast. who else is so, fruity, sweet and colorful. who's this turkey? edible arrangements bouquets

beautiful like flowers, but unforgettably delicious. visit, call, or go to ediblearrangements.com. but the nicoderm cq patch gradually steps you down off of nicotine in just three steps, doubling your chances for success. nicoderm cq. 3 steps, 10 weeks and you're free. nicoderm cq. if you live for performance, upgrade to castrol edge advanced synthetic oil. with eight times better wear protection than mobil 1. castrol edge. it's more than just oil. it's liquid engineering. [ male announcer ] new one a day vitacraves gummies hello. plus immunity support. a complete adult multivitamin in a great-tasting gummy. hello? with more vitamin c for extra immune support for you

and your inner child. one a day vitacraves. gummies for grown-ups. . here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. new york, partly cloudy, 57. 85 partly cloudy in miami. 43, partly cloudy in chicago, denver seeing a sunny 60 degrees and l.a., a sunny 72. time now for a check of the national forecast. the latest satellite picture shows clouds moving out of the northeast. in the northwest, they are gathering and producing rain and snow showers. and much of the south is clear tonight, from california to georgia. now, later today, rain on the northwest coast and several inches of snow in the mountains

will be coming from a storm system entering the northern plains. the northeast will see lighter winds and a few lake-effect showers. and the southwest is looking at temperatures in the 60s to 80s along with plenty of sunshine. in sports, baseball's managers of the year were first-time winners. ron gardenhire of minnesota was the choice in the american league finishing second five times. he led the twins to their sixth central division title. in the national league, bud black of san diego got the award. his team had the fourth best record in franchise history. in the nba new orleans made up for monday's loss to dallas. david west of the hornets scored 17 points against the mavericks and stole the ball with two seconds left to preserve this 99-97 new orleans win. in miami, chris bosh scored a season-high 35 points against phoenix and sat out the fourth quarter. lebron james added 20 as the heat overwhelmed the suns 123-96. kobe bryant of the lakers

also didn't play in the fourth. but, he scored 33 points against detroit. los angeles beat the pistons 103-90. when we return, another look at this morning's top stories and electric cars steer into the spotlight at the los angeles auto show. nighttime nasal congestion meant, i couldn't breathe right. i couldn't sleep right. next day it took forever to get going. night after night, i sat up. sprayed up. took a shower... or took a pill. then i tried drug-free breathe right advanced. and instantly, i breathed better! i slept better. it felt...better. thank you, breathe right! [ male announcer ] breathe better, sleep better, feel better. now try new breathe right advanced for free... at breatheright.com. [ woman ] it's my right to breathe right. isn't it your right, too? [ woman ] it's my right to breathe right. funny how nature just knows how to make things that are good for you. new v8 v-fusion + tea. one combined serving of vegetables and fruit

with the goodness of green tea and powerful antioxidants. refreshingly good.

here's a look on the "cbs morning news," here's a look at today's weather. the southern half of the country looking at plenty of sunshine. there are dwindling storms entering the southeast. the northwest will get rain by the coast and wintry mix in higher elevations and interior sections. here's another look at this morning's top stories. alaska senator lisa murkowski is celebrating an historic re-election victory. she is the first to win a term in the senate as a write-in

candidate in more than half a century. and general motors is expected to make more than $20 billion today with its first stock offering since declaring bankruptcy and getting a government bailout. the cars of the future were unveiled this week at the auto show in l.a. and green technology is the dominant theme with dozens of alternative-fuel vehicles making a debut. sandra hughes reports from the showroom floor. >> reporter: gm executive joel iwanick at the l.a. auto show driving chevy's new electric volt driving the entire way from detroit headquarters inch the car is electric. what we have is an on-board generator that uses a gasoline engine to generate electricity that runs the electric motors. >> reporter: the volt goes into production this month. california, new york, and texas buyers can buy the volt in december. it will cost about $33,000 with the federal tax credit. the los angeles auto show is really a peek into the future and the future looks green.

more than 50 alternative fuels vehicles are on display. of them, more than a dozen are electric. but muscle cars are still cool, too. and luxury hasn't left town. this year, fiat which purchased chrysler is back in the american market for the first time in 27 years. and everywhere, slick, sleek, and exotic. and at gm, upbeat. >> we've turned the corner. this car really represents and is very symbolic of us turning a corner in terms of technology, in terms of the auto industry, not just general motors but i think the domestic industry, as well. >> reporter: sandra hughes, cbs news, los angeles. north of los angeles, a car had a surprise stowaway. a passer-by noticed a giant snake under the car. the nine-foot red-tail boa constrictor wrapped itself around the engine to keep warm. it took 40 minutes to drag it out. animal control believes it is someone's pet.

good thing it didn't wrap itself around its owner to keep warm. this morning on "the early show," "harry potter" actor daniel radcliffe stops by. i'm betty nguyen. this is the "cbs morning news." i'm betty nguyen. this is the "cbs morning news." ah, it's stinging a little bit more than usual! yeah, you'll get used to it. the longer you keep your high mileage car, the more it pays you back. get castrol gtx high mileage. it helps engines last longer by fighting the main causes of engine failure. i think a dime went up my nose. yeah, it happens. don't change your car. change your oil to castrol gtx high mileage. its more than just oil. it's liquid engineering. twizzlers. the twist you can't resist.

how about a coastal soup and grilled shrimp salad combination? or maybe skewers of wood-grilled shrimp. seafood lunches starting at just $6.99 at red lobster.

♪ ♪ cadillac cts sports sedan. top-tier status edmunds.com. right now get this attractive lease offer on a cadillac cts sport sedan. ♪ cadillac. the new standard of the world.

the stars are out and the wind's gone. well, the stars are back out and we're in the middle of a meteor shower. right now. give yourselves a few minutes and take a look up, you never know what you'll see. we'll take a look at the day. we'll look at a ton of sun. the wind baited and it's still breezy at times and around 50 at dinner. >> >> in the news, picking up the pieces after yesterday's major storm. hundreds of homes damaged and some of them destroyed.

we'll have a live report. >> and the exotic animals stolen from a nature center and he's in police custody. and fired up over airport security. are the full bodied scans keeping us safe? we'll have more in a few minutes. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,