final farewell. north korea bids an emotional good-bye to kim jong-il. newt gingrich and mitt romney go on the attack while a policy change. a very cranky croc. a crocodile down under with a taste for heavy machinery. captioning funded by cbs this is the "cbs morning news" for wednesday, december 28th, 2011. good morning, everybody. thanks for joining us. i'm whit johnson. it's a cold and snowy morning in north korea where mourners are saying an emotional farewell to their long time leader kim jong-il. kim's son north korea's new leader is leading the funeral

provegs. procession. duarte geraldino is in washington with the latest. >> reporter: most of the images we see from north korea are funneled through state media, as such parted of a well choreographed morning ritual. tens of thousands of north koreans lined the street of pyongyang as they say good-bye to kim jong-il. sobbing uncontrollably, they waited for a glimpse of their dear leader's casket. at one point, state tv showed mourners following to their knees. and soldiers pushing back crowds to keep the path cleared. kim, who ruled the nation with an iron fist, died earlier this month of a heart attack. his youngest son kim jong-un led the elaborate military processi procession. the younger kim saluted his father as he passed by. it's only been days since kim's death and his son is being hailed as the next leader. some analyst believe the transition could mark a turning point for the communist country

and its relationship with the rest of the world. >> it may very well be a moment of opportunity for north korea. on the other hand, they are a nuclear power and they have tested this nuclear power. >> reporter: for now, north korea's focus on grieving the loss of its late leader. today's funeral comes after a week of mourning and like much of kim's life, it had been shrouded in mystery. intelligence analysts in washington are carefully reviewing that footage to see if they can get more information about north korea's power structure. duarte geraldine, thank you. three nato service members were killed by a roadside bomb in eastern afghanistan this morning. the taliban claimed responsibility for the attack saying the target was a u.s. military convoy. the trial of former egyptian president hosni mubarak resumed today. he arrived at the courthouse by helicopter and arrived on a stretcher. mubarak is on trial for murder involving the deaths of protesters during mass demonstrations that officially

forced him from power. iran's government is threatening to block oil shipments passing through the strategic strait of hormuz. about 40% of the world's oil passes through the narrow strait which connects the persian gulf and the gulf of amman. iran is conducting naval maneuvers in the area. the u.s. and other western nations want to limit iran's oil business. in iran, an american accused of spying for the u.s. is on trial. amir heck madi was arrested last month. in a taped interview, he admits he worked for the cia but said he had no intention of harming iran. spying in iran is punishable by death. meanwhile, iraq has released three security contractors, including two americans from custody. they have been held for more than two weeks, but were not charged with any crimes. in this country, the final push for votes in iowa has newt gingrich fighting back. gingrich and the other republican presidential hopefuls

are in their final week of campaigning prior to the january 3rd caucuses. gingrich has slipped in recent polls. he admits he has been hurt by the negative ads hurled his way by the mitt romney campaign questioning his conservative values. >> i'd love to have him say that to my face. i'd love to have him back up his negative ads and back up the things his staff have been putting out. if he wants to prove he can debate barack obama, he ought to have the courage to stand on the same stage with me. >> for his part, romney begins a three-day bus tour in iowa today. romney was in new hampshire yesterday get enough signatures to qualify for virginia's ballot. romney referred to a comment by a gingrich aide. >> i think you compare that to -- was it pearl harbor? i thought it was more like lucille ball at the chocolate factory. you got to get it organized.

>> danielle nottingham has more on the iowa campaign. >> reporter: mitt romney returned to iowa tuesday evening with one mission -- convince undecided voters to support his campaign. >> if you want a president who believes america can do better and americans deserve better, then i hope i can count on your support. >> reporter: politics has been the special of the day at the machine shed restaurant in urbandale, iowa, for weeks. there is less than a week to go before the caucuses and republican presidential candidates are canvassing the state to dissuade undecided voters like janet kelly. >> i'm 61. i've heard it all before. they all say the same thing. >> reporter: with no clear front-runner, those casting the first votes in the 2012 presidential race are looking for someone to stand out. >> every candidate has a great point. i have you haven't decided on one yet. >> reporter: chuck wilson has j one yet. >> reporter: chuck wilson hauha

one yet. >> reporter: chuck wilson hashan one yet. >> reporter: chuck wilson hatha been unemployed about a year.& the person getting his votes must be one that shares his status. >> whoever convinces me they are going to help unemployment and get people back to work and cut government spending. >> reporter: mitt romney spent much of the day campaigning as if he were the nominee, aiming his comments at president obama, barely mentioning his gop rivals. >> you don't have to settle for washington and wall street insiders who supported the wall street bailout and the obama care individual mandate. >> reporter: rick perry is taking his case directly to his opponents and the voters in owa. >> thank you. >> reporter: some of whom have just about seen it all. >> i personally have shaken every one of their hands except for rick perry and i will see him tomorrow morning. >> reporter: danielle nottingham, cbs news, des moines, iowa. texas governor rick perry has shifted his position on abortion. previously, perry had said abortion was acceptable in cases of rape, incest, or if the mother's life was in danger. but speaking to a pastor in iowa yesterday, perry says he now

opposes all abortions, no matter what the circumstances. two-term democratic senator ben nelson of nebraska says he is going to retire. nebraska is heavily republican so his retirement could set up an easy gop win in november. republicans need just four seats to take control of the senate. a southwest airlines jet taking off from sacramento, california, for seattle last night, didn't get far. the boeing 737 with 137 people on board blew two tires and the pilot aborted the takeoff. no one was hurt and buses evacuated relieved passengers. >> about halfway down the runway and, all of a sudden, you heard a loud pop and shaking. the plane started shaking and set the nose back down and said we were retired. >> we were going pretty. then there was a sort of a popping sound. >> let me put it this way. i have a really good story to tell on facebook! >> scary stuff. fierce wind gusts and driving rain caused all kind of problems for pedestrians and motorists overnight in eastern pennsylvania. here in new york city, powerful

winds tore loose a ten story tall advertising banner high over times square. nobody was hurt. coming up on "the morning news," bill mar's controversial tweet about tebow. plus, forrest gump officially joins the all-time classic list of movie winners. we will tell you about the other winners. this is the "cbs morning news." so you can quit one cigarette at a time. until you reach your goal. nicorette mini. quit one cigarette at a time. ♪ ...there are no sick days. ♪

vicks dayquil. defeats 5 cold & flu symptoms. [ snoring ] [ indistinct talking on tv ] [ snoring ] [ male announcer ] vicks nyquil cold and flu. the nighttime sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, fever, best sleep you ever got with a cold...medicine. ♪ when bp made a commitment to the gulf, we knew it would take time, but we were determined to see it through. today, while our work continues, i want to update you on the progress: bp has set aside 20 billion dollars to fund economic and environmental recovery. we're paying for all spill- related clean-up costs. and we've established a 500 million dollar fund so independent scientists can study the gulf's wildlife and environment for ten years. thousands of environmental samples from across the gulf have been analyzed by independent labs under the direction of the us coast guard. i'm glad to report all beaches and waters are open for everyone to enjoy.

and the economy is showing progress with many areas on the gulf coast having their best tourism seasons in years. i was born here, i'm still here and so is bp. we're committed to the gulf for everyone who loves it, and everyone who calls it home. my mom always said life was like a box of chocolates. you never know what you're going to get. >> that, of course, is the classic line from the 1994 oscar winner "forrest gump," one of 25 films added to this year's national film registry. also making the list this year, the disney animated classic "bambi," and "silence of the lambs" from 1991 and the original 1953 version of "the war of the worlds." since 1989, almost 600 movies have been preserved in the film

registry by the library of congress. well, on to the cbs "moneywatch" today. stocks in asian markets fell in today's trading. drew levinson is here with that and much more in new york. >> asian markets finished mostly lower today on mixed economic news. hong kong's hang sang off about 1%. tokyo's nikkei edged down a fraction. and oil rebounded and it's now trading at more than $101 a barrel. light trading is expected today on wall street. tuesday, stocks finished mostly flat, despite a jump in consumer confidence. the dow lost two points. the nasdaq gained six. sears stock plunged 23% to $35 a share on the news that the retailer will close more than a hundred sears and k-mart locations across the u.s. around 10,000 jobs will be affected. no word yet on which locations will be closed. analysts say target and walmart have the most to gain from that. home prices keep drifting lower.

big cities continue to be hardest hit with foreclosures still flooding the market. in atlanta dropped by 11.8% and minneapolis 8.4% and los angeles 4.9%. since the housing bubble burst five years ago, homes have lost roughly 33% of their value, dropping to prices not seen in some places since 2003. well, the rough economy is literally giving some people heartburn. a new bloomberg study finds sales of acid reflux medications have a 93% correlation with the unemployment rate over the past five years. when unemployment goes up, so do sales of products like tums and rolaids. somebody could be out there holding a very valuable jackpot ticket. the megamillions jackpot numbers were drawn last night.

the numbers are 23, 32, 33, 39, and 43. with the megaball number 8. the jackpot, $206 million, and i guarantee you, whit, you and i didn't get it because we are here at 4:00 a.m. >> i am checking my numbers. we will see. i have to go back and double-check. drew levinson in new york, thank you. could median and libyan libertarian commentator bill mar is taking heat over a tweet about denver broncos quarterback tim tebow's faith. this is part of what he said in that tweet. somewhere in hell satan is tebow'ing say to hitler, hey, buffalo is killing them. mar was referring to the broncos big loss to the bills on sunday. and mar was talking about broncos loss to the bills and he kneels in prayer. straight ahead, your wednesday morning weather. and in sports, the lakers step up the "d" against the jazz looking for their first win. t win. 60% off fleece and sweaters.

60% off pajamas and robes for the whole family. plus its the big denim savings event! for serious after-christmas savings, get to sears! thanks, man! that's what i'm here for. ( palms slap ) man: do your simple return with the turbotax federal free edition, and now, get our free, one-on-one, expert tax advice, live by phone or chat. get the federal free edition, at turbotax.com.

here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. time now for a check on the national forecast. the latest satellite picture shows cloudy skies over the northeast, but clearing rapidly. clear skies span the southeast and southern plains, with a few passing fair weather clouds in the southwest.

a storm system is moving out of the northwest, bringing rain and snow to the northern rockies. later today, rain and snow showers will continue in the northwest and northern rockies. cold air will bring lake-effect snow showers to western new york, pennsylvania, and ohio. conditions will remain mild and fair in the southeast. southern california will be fair and mild. in sports, the heat almost blew a 20-point lead at home against the celtics. it wasn't lebron james who saved the day but rookie norris cole. he scored 14 points in the fourth quarter to help miami get past boston 115-107. in los angeles, well, take a listen. >> metta world peace. ho ho! >> yes, that is ron artest's new name, metta world peace. the lakers pounded utah 96-71.

in the nfl, the patriots and 49ers dominated the pro bowl picks. each team has eight players going to the game in hawaii next month. new england's tom brady will be the starting quarterback for the afc, while green bay's aaron rodgers will start for the nfc. in college football, purdue gambled big against western michigan and little caesar's pizza bowl. the boilermakers tried their second onside kick and look. and take a look. it worked. that led to the lead in the half. a great one-handed grab in the third, there it is in slow mow. in the end, it was purdue over the broncos 37-32. when we return, another look at this morning's top stories. and meet elvis, the australian crocodile. show him a lawn mower and he sees a snack! a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes?

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on the "cbs morning news," here's a look at today's weather.

a system is soaking washington and oregon. another storm is moving out of the northeast. but will cause lake effect snow showers in the eastern great lakes. here is another look at this morning's top stories. funeral services were held today for long time north korean dictator kim jong-il. tens of thousands lined the streets of the capitol in the cold and snow to bid an emotional farewell. the final push in iowa. gop presidential candidates are scrambling for votes with less than a week to go before the caucuses. >> cheetah, the chimp, tarzan's side-kick was died. cheetah was in the old tarzan movie which begin in the 1930s. and starred weismiller. weismiller took care of cheetah after his movie career ended and

spent the rest of his lie at a a primate area until his death. elvis is a salt water croc living in sydney, australia. as 10 news explains, elvis apparently has a thing for lawn mowers. >> reporter: elvis is placid for a crocodile. just don't cut him. >> let it go! let it go! let it go! >> reporter: billy was mowing. >> the next second, he was attached to the end the mower and dragging it in and almost taking me into the drink with him. it happened that fast and was that scary, but glad to be alive. >> reporter: the mower was held hostage for several hours while the rangers decided how to retrieve it, luring elvis away with some real food. and apparently being on the other end of that stick isn't as scary. >> when i'm feeding him, i can see him coming, but when you focus on the mower and trying to

dodge the tree and the water and, all of a sudden, taking off the end of the mower, my heart almost jumped out of me chest. >> reporter: the victor mower was no victor here. but comparing what happened, it came out relatively unscathed and so did the operator, this time. >> i worry now he has this mower and he sat next to it in his pool for an hour. that is a problem for us because, to him, he just won. he just won a big game. >> reporter: elvis lost a couple of teeth. right now, elvis seems pretty content just chilling out in the sun there, but it will take a very brave person to get him here with a lawn mower next week. and i do have a stick. say hello to the new knut. a danish zoo is raising the oh, so cute-month-old polar bear,

given the same name as the bear given a stir in the zoo a year ago. the new knut is a hit already on youtube. of course he is. i'm whit johnson. this is the "cbs morning news." 'w taking them down after all the fatty holiday food. but that's normal. what do you mean that's normal? it doesn't have to be. to me, normal, means feeling good inside. not slow. try some activia. activia helps with occasional irregularity, when eaten 3 times a day. keep a video diary and let me know about your new normal. love your new normal or it's free. get ready for sears happy new year's sale. use your savings pass to save over 65% on coats. over 65% on fleece and sweaters and over 65% on pajamas and robes for the whole family. plus it's the big denim event! get to sears. [ slap! slap! ] [ male announcer ] your favorite foods fighting you? fight back fast with tums.

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,,,,,,,,,,,,g works faster. when we resolve to stop snacking and slacking, resolve to start reading and running. this year, resolve to help someone else, too. resolve to support the american red cross. because the red cross provides hope, help, and compassion, not only during disasters, but every day. resolve to do something that means something.

support the red cross before the new year. visit redcross.org today.

this is the story we can't get enough of. a well-known mobster buried be neat a famous landmark in chicago, that is the claim in a new book. more news, first warning weather and your first traffic report of the morning in just a few minutes. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

this is wjz tv, wjz hd, and wjz.com, baltimore. >> good morning, maryland. now don scott,