under fire. in their final face-off before the iowa caucuses, the gop pack tries to knock newt gingrich off of his perch. >> i think some need facts before they have allegations. shutdown. nine months after the nuclear cries since chernobyl, japanese authorities criticize the fukushima facility. you've heard of swimming with dolphins? now you can swim like one. captioning funded by cbs this is the "cbs morning news" for friday, december 16th, 2011. good morning, everybody. thanks for joining us. i'm betty nguyen. it was the last debate before the january 3rd iowa caucuses and newt gingrich was the target.

gingrich faced six rivals for the gop presidential nomination last night in sioux city where his conservative credentials and professional career were questioned. susan mcginnis is in washington with those details. good morning, susan. how did all of this play out? >> reporter: they laid into newt gingrich again last night. not all of them, but some of them did, trying to stem his rise and each of them trying to stand out themselves as this contest for the republican nomination enters the final stretch. newt gingrich is trying to prove he is presidential material. >> i believe i can debate barack obama and i think in seven three-hour debates, barack obama will not have a leg to stand on. >> reporter: the gop front-runner spent much of last night's debate plugging his conservative record and fending off attacks from his rivals. >> we can't have as our nominee for the republican party, someone who continues to stand for freddie mac and fannie mae. they need to be shut down, not built up. >> reporter: michele bachmann

accused gingrich being a lobbyist for accepting $1.5 million from troubled mortgage giant freddie mac. >> what she just said is factually not true. i never lobbied under any circumstance. >> reporter: gingrich leads the polls in iowa but his support has dropped in recent days leaving him in a tight race with mitt romney and ron paul. >> anybody up here could probably beat obama. >> reporter: like paul, romney kept hi attacks focused on president obama last night. >> i know what it takes to get this economy going. the president doesn't. the proof is in the pudding. >> reporter: he steered clear of romney. >> i am steering very clear to appear not to be zany. >> reporter: many of the candidates will continue to stump it iowa today to round up last-minute votes from the state caucus next month. a new poll out just showing entering 2012, the president's chance of re-election at 50/50.

it says most americans believe he does deserve to be voted out of office, even though they have concerns about the republican alternatives. >> that's interesting. susan, we understand that mitt romney is actually about to get a big endorsement. tell us about that. >> reporter: the governor of south carolina, nikki haley is apparently coming out later this morning with a full endorsement of mitt romney. this is a big win for him. one of the big last republican endorsements are left and it's very important for him with south carolina's primary coming up in january. >> no doubt. susan mcginnis in washington, thank you. congressional leaders have agreed on a last minute trillion dollar budget deal. if ratified, the spending agreement keeps the government from shutting down at midnight. the deal was reached after house republicans dropped restrictions on travel and sending money to cuba. negotiators are still working on an extension of the payroll tax cut, but lawmakers expect to reach a deal. a 662 billion dollar defense

bill is ready for president obama's signature. congress passed the measure yesterday with changes that no longer restrict the government's prosecution of terror suspects. overseas, the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant severely damaged by a tsunami is no longer leaking stn inin inii amounts of radiation. the power plant is now stable and has reached a so-called cold shutdown. japan's prime minister made that announcement this morning, but it is expected to take 30 years or more to fully decommission the power plant and a 12-mile zone around the facility is expected to remain off limits for years. meanwhile, the first from debris from japan's earthquake and tsunami has washed away in washington. they found a big buoy with japanese markings. experts say a million tons could wash up on the west coast containing parts of houses, ships, cars, and even human

remains. >> i'd like beachcombers to be humble and treat it with respect, as if it were 9/11 debris. they have lost 20,000 people, ten times 9/11. >> it may take another year or more for most of the debris to wash up on the west coast. well, a russian fishing ship is in major trouble off the coast of antarctica. the sparta with 32 crew members is taking on water in rough seas. some of the crew has already abandoned ship. ice in the southern ocean is hampering rescue efforts and officials say it could be up to five days before anyone reaches the ship. back in this country, the army private suspected of being behind the largest leak of classified documents in u.s. history makes his first court appearance today. private first class bradley manning could face life in prison. he is suspected of leaking hundreds of thousands of classified documents that

eventually were published by the website wikileaks. the documents included sensitive diplomatic cables and files on the wars in iraq' afghanistan. >> the people should be prosecuted. not bradley manning. he is accused of letting the truth out. he is not accused of doing any criminal activity. he is accused of letting the truth out. he should be given appear award for that, not prosecuted. >> the article 32 hearing determines if there is enough evidence to court-martial manning. it's expected to last several days. arizona sheriff joe arpaio is known for his crackdown on illegal immigration, but the justice department says his department is guilty of racial profiling. arpaio's work has turned him into a national figure. the government says his office committed a wide range of civil rights violations, including the use of excessive force and unlawful stops. >> we are not talking about isolated incidents. we found discriminatory policing that was deeply rooted in the culture of the department.

a culture that breeds a systemic disregard for basic constitutional protections. >> arpaio says this is a political attack. and says the obama administration encourages illegal persecution. coming up on the "morning news," a piece of history goes on the auction block. plus wall street gets ready for what is the biggest ipo since google. this is the "cbs morning news." this was the gulf's best tourism season in years. all because so many people wanted to visit us...

in louisiana. they came to see us in florida... nice try, they came to hang out with us in alabama... once folks heard mississippi had the welcome sign out, they couldn't wait to get here. this year was great but next year's gonna be even better. and anyone who knows the gulf knows that winter is primetime fun time. the sun's out and the water's beautiful. you can go deep sea fishing for amberjack, grouper and mackerel. our golf courses are open. our bed and breakfast have special rates. and migrating waterfowl from all over make this a bird watcher's paradise. so if you missed it earlier this year, come on down. if you've already been here come on back... to mississippi... florida... louisiana... alabama. the gulf's america's get-a-way spot no matter where you go. so come on down and help make 2012 an even better year for tourism on the gulf. brought to you by bp and all of us who call the gulf home. that's relied on to help bring children holiday joy,

and while it doesn't travel by sleigh or reindeer, it does get around... in fact, every year duracell sends loads of batteries to the mattel children's hospital, u.c.l.a. of course, children here and everywhere don't really think about which battery makes their toy run... but, still... you'd never want to disappoint. duracell. trusted everywhere. the key state sexual abuse scandal is expected to testify at a hearing today. tim mcqueary told a grand jury he saw sexual abuse being committed by a former football coach jerry sandusky. he told school administrators tim curley and gary schultz about it. they are facing charges of perjury and not reporting the allegations. author christopher hitchens has died after a battle with cancer. hitchence was known for his

essays in "vanity fair" magazine and he was a frequent comem t m tator on television as well. and he wrote a good for atheist called "god is not great." christopher hitchens died of pneumonia, a complication of esophageal cancer. he was 62 years old. on the cbs "moneywatch," free shipping. ashley morrison is here with that and so much more. we love the word free, don't we? >> it is a sweet sound. good morning. asian markets were up today on a plan to get the country's finances under control. both tokyo's nikkei and hong kong hang seng gained half a percentage point apiece. on thursday, stocks snapped a three-day slide. the dow was up 45 points, while the nasdaq ticked up almost 2. wall street is bracing for what could be the biggest internet ipo since google. zinga is going public today with

farmville, cityville and words with friends, the game that alec baldwin was playing during his flight dispute last week. the company has quickly became a powerhouse. it could raise a billion dollars by the end of trading today. if you're still shopping for those holiday gifts, today is a great day. it's the fourth annual free shipping day with guaranteed delivery by christmas. more than 2,500 online merchants will take part. it could surpass cyber monday as the biggest online shopping day of the year. good news to report on the jobs front. the labor department says the number of americans filing their first-time claim for unemployment benefits last week totaled 366,000, the lowest level in three and a half years. betty, you remember the ruby red slippers worn by judy garland in the movie "the wizard of oz."

had he will be auctioned today. she clicked her heels to return to kansas in the famous movie. they are expected to fetch more than $2 million. that would be a conversation piece. >> oh, yeah. i remember as a kid watching that and just wanting a pair of shoes like that! >> so sparkly. >> i still can't afford a pair of shoes like that! ashley morrison in new york, thank you. a teacher in tennessee has been suspended for allegedly writing the word stupid on a student's forehead in permanent marker. the first-year middle school teacher was frustrated because the student did not understand the math lesson. while the school superintendent says the teacher claimed it was a joke. >> we are talking about a middle school-aged child and any age is very impressionable, but you don't -- self-esteem to all students and even as a joke, you can't do that. >> after an investigation, the superintendent plans to recommend the teacher be fired. at a high school on new york's long island, several students were suspended for tebow'ing.

they were banned one day after taking a knee like the broncos tim tebow does. they say it started out as a joke but got so big, the school said the celebration made it unsafe for students trying to get to class. straight ahead, your friday morning weather. and in sports, a tough night for the jaguars. even when they had the ball, they would cough up the points.

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in some cities around the country. time now for a check on the national forecast. the latest satellite picture shows thick clouds moving out of the southern plains and into the mid-atlantic states. much of the northeast is still cloudy. while the central plains are starting to clear. later today, light rain will soak the southeast. lake effect showers will hit the great lakes region and it promises to be mostly sunny in the midwest. along the canadian border, put on a coat and gloves because the cold is moving in. the northwest can expect a pleasant day on the coast. in sports, it wasn't even close in atlanta. the falcons destroyed the jacksonville jaguars, scoring every way they could, through the air, recovering a fumble after the sack. jacksonville's new owner shahid khan must be wondering why he

shelled out over $700 million for the team. falcons crushed the jags 41-14. a shocker in chicago. bears wide receiver sam hurd has been arrested. officials say he was caught in an undercover sting operation on wednesday night. he reportedly agreed to buy some cocaine and a thousand pounds of marijuana a week. police say he was trying to start up his own drug cartel. bears coach lovie smith was stunned by the news. >> we, just like, i'm sure, quite a few people, are disappointed and what we found out about sam hurd being arrested, whatever charges, the drug charges that came up today, not a whole lot more that i can say about it. we are still gathering information on it. i now jo. i just know there is disappointment right now with our entire football team. >> hurd is expected to be released from custody today.

barry bonds finds out today if he is going to jail. the disgraced slugger will be back in a san francisco courtroom. he faces up to 15 months behind bars for misleading a jury in 2003 about using steroids. he also could be sentenced to home detention at his mansion in beverly hills. bonds' lawyers are appealing the verdict. when we return, another look at this morning's top stories. and a cable guy runs for his life after making a shocking discovery in an elderly man's basement. it's singeing me. it's the sun. get out of the office more often, with chili's $6 lunch break combos, featuring texas toast half sandwiches. chili's lunch break combos. sears one-day sale 7 am saturday! 60% off coats, sweaters and fleece. up to 75% off all fine jewelry. plus, midnight madness! 6 pm to midnight only, extra 30% off all fall clearance clothing. shop preview friday. sears open 'til midnight select stores. so i used my citi thank you card to pick up some accessories.

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on the "cbs morning news," here's a look at today's weather. about an inch of rain will soak the mid-atlantic states. expect lake-effect snow and rain along the great lakes. it will be chilly and brisk over the northern plains and look for sunny skies out in california. here is another look at this morning's top stories. republican presidential candidates held their final debate before the january 3rd iowa caucuses. front-runner newt gingrich was

forced to defend his conservative credentials and post-congressional career. a new poll out this morning, puts president obama's chances of re-election at 50/50. army private bradley manning accused of leaking hundreds of thousands of top secret documents makes his first appearance in a military court today. the hearing will determine if there is enough evidence for a trial. a huge bear thought he found the perfect place to spend the winter. the 500-pound beast was found hibernating in new jersey in an elderly man's basement. kathryn brown of our new york station wcbs has the story. >> reporter: 85-year-old frank anacon considers his den quite cozy but never imagined it would become a bear's den. >> could have ended up lunch for that big guy. >> reporter: he learned about his 550-pound roommate from the dave core nine, a cable guy.

>> i heard a growl. i turned around and like what is that noise? >> reporter: he turned around and saw this enormous black bear waking up in the corner. >> i freaked out and grabbed my tools and ran out of the basement. >> animal control officers came in to tranquilized the bear but he took off leading them on an hour-long chase. >> that's a big boy! >> reporter: seeing video of it for the first time, anacon can't believe his eyes. >> look at the size of that! and he was down there dozing in my basement! >> reporter: anacon doesn't usually lock his basement door. he thinks it was probably slightly ajar and the big bear pushed it aside. this is the only door he comes down occasionally to check heating control levels. animal control officers believe the bear had been living here at least several weeks. an uninvited guest who had fashioned a little home for himself bringing in twigs and

leaves and digging a bear-shaped layer, presumably, to keep him safe and warm all winter long. >> what chance would i have a 500-pound hungry bear? i could have ended up lunch! >> reporter: luckily that, didn't happen. the bear was caught, tagged, and released back on to state property, but anacon went out today and bought a lock for his basement door. i'm kathryn brown for cbs news. >> i think a lock is a good idea. you have heard of swimming with the fishes. how about swimming and leaping like a dolphin? check this out. this is a french jet ski racer known as aquaman. what he has created is a device. it's like a jet pack for water that lets you dive, swim, and jump like the coolest creature in the sea. he calls it a fly board and you can get one for about $6,500. oh, yeah, you get to keep all of the fish you catch. that is really cool looking. this morning, on "the early

show," how to skype your way to the north pole with a one-on-one chat with santa. i'm betty nguyen. and this is the "cbs morning news." ,,,,,,