>> mitchell: tonight, a new controversy for newt gingrich. with republicans debating again this evening, dean reynolds has reaction to the former speaker's new comments on the middle east. russians taking to the streets, seeing red over last weekend's election outcome. charlie d'agata has the story of growing opposition to the putin regime. word of a medical milestone that could offer hope to thousands of hemophiliacs. dr. jon lapook will have details. >> reporter: mark phillips shows us the video on the web. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news"

with russ mitchell. >> mitchell: as the republican presidential hopefuls get set to debate in iowa tonight, new controversial comments on the middle east by the new front-runner are getting a lot of attention. newt gingrich called the palestinians an invented people. palestinian officials fired back saying "gingrich has lost touch with reality." paan reynolds is in iowa with more. >> reporter: tonight'sa debate will be the first since newt gingrich began surging in the polls and the first since rival campaigns began raising concerns about his leadership and temperament. >> the jewish people have the right -- >> reporter: king gingrich, a former history professor may have fueled those concern with his comment on the middle east, specifically, the sagaa of the israelis and will pool stingians. >> there was no palestine as a state. it was part of the ottoman empire. and i think we've had an invented palestinian people who are in fact arabs and historically part of the arab

community, and they had a chance to go many places. >> reporter: calling into question the legitimacy of the palestinians and desire for a state of their own runs counter to american, as well as israeli policy, which support a two-state solution based on negotiations. and to say of the palestin dwhrans they had places to go when thousands were driven from their homes in the 1948 war for israeli independence created an almost-immediate outcry. >> for his information, before 1948 there was no israel and there was no israeli people. there's a limit to how irresponsible you can be, and i think this is well over the limit. >> reporter: none of gingrich's rivals was criticalla. most have pledged unyielding support for the jewish state and many evangelicals here will cheer his remarks. this afternoon with an interview with abc affiliate kcci,

gingrich stood by his statement. >> >> reporter: do you think what you said was taken out of context. >> no, i think it was a real argument. >> reporter: his mindset on the middle east could be an example of a broader issue. >> some of are worried the loose lips, undisciplined character, could ill servey him as president of the united states. you cannot just say what's top of mind when you are president of the united states. >> reporter: and that's why what newt gingrich says tonight and how he says it will be watched more closely than ever before. russ. >> mitchell: dean reynolds in des moines, iowa, thanks a lot. there is more political unrest tonight throughout russia. the largest crowds in two decades have come out to protest what they're calling corruption by the government, including ballot stuffing. charlie d'agata has the latest. >> reporter: tens of thousands packed the streets of moscow in the biggest antigovernment demonstrations russia has seen for 20 years.

they shouted, "putin is a thief and reserve without putin." protesters accused prime minister vladimir putin and his united russia party of corruption and rigging parliamentary elections last weekend. "they've already stolen everything there was to steal," says this demonstrator. it was the same story in dozens of cities throughout russia. the demonstrations were largely peaceful. but a few scuffles resulted in a dozen arrests in st. petersburg, putin's home town and his biggest power base. >> on the one hand, yes, the people are furious and angry with the way the election was conducted. on the other hand, i think it's more to send a message to putin himself rather than to united russia and say to him, "look, we need changes." >> reporter: analysts say the fact putin allowed the protests to go ahead at all suggests a

newfound willingness to compromise with the opposition. maybe that's because even with the allegations of ballot stuffing, his party lost its two-thirds majority in parliament. but it would be premature to suggest the arab spring has become the russian winter, an uprising with prolonged antigovernment protests. >> i suspect that won't be the case. until the opposition develops a coherent, viable program of what it is going to do if it gets into power, then there will be support. >> reporter: but the demonstrations show that cracks are appearing in putin's 12-year grip on power. they may widen with presidential elections looming in march. charlie d'agata, cbs news, london. >> mitchell: there is word this evening of a new gene therapy that offers hope to the 18,000 to 20,000 american who have the bleeding disorder hemophilia. our medical correspondent dr. jon lapook is here with more on that. explain to us what is

hemophilia, exactly. >> reporter: in hemophilia the body lacks clotting factors needed to stop bleeding. most are male and suffer bleeding throughout body. a potentially fatal complication is brain hemorrhage. current treatment with frequent injections can cost from $150 to $300,000 every year. >> mitchell: let's talk about the study. what did researchers do? >> reporter: they injected patients with a virus containing genetic instructions for making that missing protein. the virus slipped inside of cells and reprogrammed them to produce the missing clotting factor. >> mitchell: and the finds, good news? >> reporter: yes, good news. they were followed for up to 20 months. these were six patients. four of them didn't need any further treatment. two needed a lot less treatment. one patient had transient elevation of liver enzymes. but he's doing fine. and the idea is it's not only going to be treatment of this genetic condition, which is hemophilia, but perhaps you can ease oouz this same idea, gene

therapy, to treat other conditions, like sickle cell anemia, for instance. >> mitchell: thank you. another case of alleged molestation of young boys by coaches robert dodd was out ofs aof the a.a.u. still ahead this evening, to raise taxes or not raise taxes. a tale of two states is just ahead.

set a record we without just as soon take pack back. drivers have spent $448 billion at the pump and $100 billion more than 2010.

gas prices are an average $3.29 a gallon, 31 cents higher than a year ago. cutting deficits is a headache that has brought partisan gridlock at all levels. this week two governors took steps to tackle deficits in their states by targeting well-off taxpayers. tony guida begins our coverage. >> washington is not coming to our rescue, but that's okay. this is new york, and we will address the situation ourselves. >> reporter: the situation-- a state budget billions in the red and income taxes among the highest in the country. governor andrew cuomo addressed it the old-fashioned way-- political armtwisting in the proverbial smoke-filled backroom. when the smoke cleared, democrats and republicans were smiling, taxpayers cheering. new york pulled off what washington hasn't-- slashing its budget deficit while cutting income taxes for most new yorkers. >> i am proposing a fair tax system for new york based on a simple truth-- the more you make, the higher the rate you

pay. that's what's right, and that's what's fair, and that's what new york deserves. >> reporter: cuomo did it by restructuring a wide-ranging tax that was producing $4 billion a year. the new tax will bring in only half that, but all of it from millionaires. the $2 billion in tax savings was returned to all other taxpayers the business community was impressed. >> the balanced solution of revenues and spending cuts is what's necessary to get through this very difficult period. >> reporter: cuomo has been slashing state spending since he took office last january. he promised more to come next year when the new state budget rolls around. it has a projected deficit of $3.5 billion. new york's new tax system takes care of more than half that shortfall, but the state still must find a way to fill a $1.5 billion hole, no small task, but a cakewalk compared to the situation in california.

bill whitaker is in los angeles. >> reporter: here in california, the state is facing a projected $13 billion shortfall, and a much tougher challenge-- the only way to raise new revenue now is to ask voters, through a referendum, and that's exactly what governor jerry brown proposed this week. >> we're cutting back on schools and universities, courts, and police, and i don't think that's right. >> reporter: public school counselor cheryl kono is one victim of california's budget woes which have cut education funding to the bone. >> the first time i got laid off was the second year i was employed, and since then i've been laid off three times. >> reporter: governor brown is giving voters the choice. >> cut even more or we'll have you, particularly the very wealthy, shoulder some of the burden. >> reporter: his proposal would raise income taxes for the next five years, by 1% for those making $250,000. by 2% for those makes over

$500,000. the state's sales tax already the highest in the nation, would go up a half a percent. the increased revenue would be earmarked specifically for schools and public safety but taxes are already too high for some voters, like marketing director jonathan fitzgarrald. >> the money is not being spent officially. and every year, the message has always just been more, more, more. at some point it's got to stop. >> reporter: wealthy individuals won't be the only ones burdened by the proposed tax increases. >> 94% of small businesses actually file through the individual income tax code. >> reporter: a tough sell in a tough economy but more cuts to public education are on the way. >> all of us as citizens are responsible for our children. our children can't vote. >> reporter: the governor needs more than 800,000 signatures to get his plan on the november ballot. bill whitaker, cbs news, los angeles. >> mitchell: in the philippines a 14-year-old american boy named kevin lunsman

is reported safe after having been released by suspected muslim militants. he was kidnapped this past july along with his mother and a filipino cousin who escaped last month. no word on whether a ransom was paid for the boy's release. just ahead on tonight's cbs evening news, why the superpac could be the billion-dollarve gorilla in campaign 2012.

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presidential candidate rick perry is raising eyebrows in iowa this weekend after the release of remarks to the "des moines register" editorial board when he seemed to have trouble remembering the name president obama's first supreme court nominee. >> whether it was-- uh-- uh-- not the-- uh. >> sonia sotomayor. >> mitchell: perry went on to say the supreme court consisted of eight judges when there are nine. a new look at the way money is defining the campaign season the superpack. it it could drive spending up to $1 billion helping make 2012 the most expensive election in american history. a superpac can raise unlimited sums of money from corporations,

unions, and individuals. it can then spend unlimited sums in advertising for or against candidates. cannot funnel money to candidates. but as wyatt andrews tells us, these lines may blur. >> reporter: every presidential campaign is supposed to be independent from the big money super pacs, but just watch what's similar in these ads for rick perry, the same pictures in this ad from the kerry campaign. >> and i pray to god. >> reporter: are also in this ad by the super pacs supporting perry. and there is a pattern, perry shaking hands in the campaign ad is also here in the super pac ad. campaign video, super pac video. >> how are you? >> reporter: the "make us great again" super pac and the perry campaign deny they've had any contact but watchdog groups call the ads a red flag. under the election rules, the

super pacs and the candidate campaigns are supposed to be separate, no change of money, no joint strategy sessions, and no coordination. but the limits of that firewall are being tested. >> mitt romney turned around dozens -- >> reporter: for example this ad is from restore our future, the super pac behind mitt romney. in july, romney went to a july fund raiseir for the super pac in new york and it was legal as long as romney himself didn't ask for money. >> he went to the dinner, spoke briefly tu-154 dinner. >> reporter: peter stone tracks the rising power of super pacs. >> you have billionaires out there, multi-millionaires who are backing major candidates on both sides, backing obama, backing romney, backing perry-- for whom six or seven-figure checks are no sweat. >> the money is nothing new. >> reporter: at the biggest super pac, american crossroads, president steven law said he's

focused on voters, not on influence. crossroads was founded by former bush white house aide karl rove. it backs only republicans and it's now rung ads against several key democrats, including the president. >> president obama's latest way is still the wrong way. >> reporter: law says republicans need a super pac to balance the money that unions give to democrats. >> what is new is that republicans have finally figured out ways to counter the massive counter-weight that organized labor is on the other side. >> reporter: but crossroads by itself is hoping to raise $300 million, just under what john mccain, john kerry, and george w. bush spent when they ran for president. wyatt andrews, cbs news, washington. >> mitchell: in an interview for tomorrow night's "60 minutes," steve kroft asked president obama whether he over-promised during his last campaign and underestimated how difficult the job of fixing the economy would be. >> reversing structural problems in our economy that had been

building up for two decades, that's going to take time. it's going to take more than a year. it's going to take more than than two years. it's going to take more than one term. probably takes more than one president. >> mitchell: and you can see the full interview with president obama tomorrow on "60 minutes." overseas three exceptional women receive this year's nobel piece prize. ellen johnson sirleaf, africa's first democratically elected female president. librarian leymah gbowee, a woman's rights campaign. and tawakkul karman, a pro-democracy protest leader inien and the first arab woman to win the prize. many in the western u.s. and asia watched the moon disappear from view for almost an hour this morning in a rare total lunar eclipse. in beijing people had their best view in 10 years. the time-lapse images show the earth's shadow gradually block the moon completely. ahead this evening, navy noel.

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paid for postage online and arranged a free pickup. and i'm gonna track them online, too. nice. between those boxes and this place, i'm totally staying sane this year. do i smell snickerdoodles? maybe. [ timer dings ] got to go. priority mail flat rate shipping at usps.com. a simpler way to ship. it's bring your happiness to work day. campbell's microwavable soups. in three minutes -- the deliciousness that brings a smile to any monday. campbell's -- it's amazing what soup can do. >> mitchell: president obama played first spectator at today's 112th army-navy game just outside the nation's capital. mr. obama, who played football

in ninth grade, did the coin toss. continuing a 20-year tradition in holiday time, volunteers placed almost 100,00 100,000 wrt tombstones of veterans at article national cemetery. the group called wreaths across america are also alsos placing m at siteses all across the state. for active duty members of the military long deployment often mixes danger with tedium so when they finally get a chance to cut loose, they take it. mark phillips has a case in point that the whole world is watching. >> reporter: the crew of the british helicopter carrier hms "ocean," may have expected to come home to a hero's welcome or a warm family welcome. ♪ all i want for christmas... is you ♪ . >> reporter: but not to be welcomed as youtube rock stars but that's what they've become.

the music video they made while on a tour of duty in the mediterranean in which they mimed the words to a mariah carey christmas hit has gone viral. well over one million people have watched it and the hits just keep on coming. ♪ all i want for christmas su, baby ♪ . >> reporter: crew of the "ocean" had a special reason for wanting to be home for christmas. they had originally been deployed for a seven-week training exercise but became a major launching pad for supporting the anti-qaddafi forces in libya. seven weeks became seven months. the video was kelly's idea. >> to create a bit of a moral booster, enthusiasm for the guys on board and it was a virtual christmas card to send to family and friends back home. we had no idea it was going to go so international ♪ all i want for christmas su . >> reporter: as popular as it turned out to be, there's only one audience the sailors cared

about. >> what did you see on the computer? >> brilliant. >> it was brilliant. >> reporter: especially now that he's home. ♪ i don't want a lot for christmas ♪ . >> reporter: mark phillips, cbs news, london. >> mitchell: and that is the cbs evening news. later on cbs, "48 hours mystery." thanks for joining us this saturday evening. i'm russ mitchell at the cbs broadcast center in new york. good night. captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

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