one day to go. it's crunch time in iowa as candidates make a final appeal ahead of tomorrow's caucuses. manhunt in the mountains. mt. ranier national park in washington state is closed, as police search for a gunman accused of killing a park ranger. river rescue. good samaritans rush to the aid of three children trapped in a car in an icy river. captioning funded by cbs this is the "cbs morning news" for monday, january 2nd, 2012. good morning, everybody. happy new year. good to be with you this morning. i'm terrell brown. today is the last full day of campaigning for republican presidential candidates before the iowa caucuses. usually, it's the only top three or four finishers who keep going with enough money.

mitt romney is looking for a win that seemed unlikely one month ago. one day to go, the race is still anybody's to win. the final des moines register poll finds 41% of likely caucus goers still don't know who they will vote for. susan mcginnis is in des moines with more. susan, good morning. >> good morning, terrell. >> reporter: there's a lot of debate and arguing here just how important the iowa caucuses are in determining who ends up being the actual nominee, but there is no doubt that a win here can go a long way toward being a springboard of success in new hampshire and the primaries, and that is why that 40% of undecided voters are so critical. mitt romney got some laughs in iowa at the expense of president obama. >> the gap between his promises and his performance is the largest i've seen -- well, since the kardashian wedding and the promise of till death do we part. >> reporter: with just one day to go before the iowa caucuses,

the former massachusetts governor is trying hard to hang on to his lead. the latest des moines register poll shows romney ahead with 24% but ron paul is right on his tail with 22. >> i have a race going. i'm essentially tied for first place. >> reporter: with 15%, rick santorum comes in third, but he is hoping a last-minute surge will propel him to victory. at a packed coffee shop in iowa sunday, he urged voters to choose him and send a shock wave across the nation. >> lead this country. that's what i ask the people of iowa. don't defer. lead. >> reporter: more than 40% of caucus goers here in iowa are still undecided and that has many candidates shrugging off the competition. >> i can't imagine being threatened by rick santorum. >> reporter: newt gingrich says he'll stay in the race, no matter where he finishes tuesday. michele bachmann and rick perry are hoping for a miracle after sinking to the bottom of the polls. >> father, when you breathe your breath of life. >> reporter: both attended

church sunday to appeal to evangelical voters who made up half of iowa caucus goers four years ago. while the actual vote here tomorrow at the caucuses will not actually officially choose any delegates to the convention, it certainly goes a long way. the whole process of gathering, forming platforms and voting goes a long way towards possibly choosing who the eventual nominee might be. what is so exciting here in iowa, right now, is how predictable this all is. >> susan mcginnis in des moines, thanks. mitt romney is campaigning as the candidate who can especially to a broad spectrum of voters and that in itself spells trouble for social conservatives. dean reynolds has that part of the story. >> we have stopped striving for good! >> reporter: radio talk show host steve day and political activists bob vander plots epitomize the social conservatives in iowa. >> details next. >> reporter: day's radio show is syndicated nationally.

he has endorsed newt gingrich, personal baggage and all. how do you square gingrich with values voters. >> i think that that has been the tough sell. >> reporter: vander plot heads up the family leader. an organization dedicated to the preservation of traditional marriage. he is backing rick santorum. >> let's find somebody that is an alternative that can beat mitt romney first and then can can defeat barack obama. >> reporter: there is no debate among many conservatives that romney must be stopped. >> i'd love for someone to explain to me who can't win over 80% of his own base is the most electable candidate. >> let's go to the lord now in prayer. >> reporter: the good news is mb and rick perry and rick santorum meet their requirements. but that is also the bad news. they all meet their requirements. and are mostly indistinguishable on social issues. in 2008, mike huckabee benefited when social and christian conservatives lined up behind him. that just hasn't happened this time around. and as conservatives fret over

what to do, there is a wider concern that they may go with their hearts over their minds on tuesday night. spread their votes over several candidates and diminish their overall impact. dean reynolds, cbs news, des moines. the virginia state attorney general has changed his mind about supporting its challenge to the state's primary rules, at least for now. newt gingrich and rick perry won't be on the ballot for virginia's march 6th primary. the republican party says both failed to submit enough qualified signatures. the state governor who is a republican says he will not support a change in the rule for this election. overseas. iran said this morning, it had successfully tested a long-range missile. they said the missile destroyed a target in the persian gulf. yesterday, it tested a new medium-range missile designed to evade radar. experts have long doubted that iran has such capability. it's another step in the possible production of nuclear

weapons. president of south korea says he is open to holding nuclear talks with north korea. during a nationally televise the message yesterday, he warned the south would respond to any provocation. community north said it will bolster its new leader kim jong-un until death. intensive search under way this morning in mt. ranier national park in pennsylvania state. police describe is a dangerous gunman who shot and killed a park ranger. the park has been closed and 125 people stranded at the visitors center are being evacuated this morning. benjamin colton barnes is described as a person of interest. he's an iraq war veteran with survivalist skills. park ranger margaret anderson was shot and killed during a new year day's traffic stop. >> deputies tried to get there and fired upon and managed to get to her and get her out of the line of fire. medics checked her and, unfortunately, she was deceased. >> authorities believe that

barnes fled to the woods. he also is wanted in connection with another shooting sunday morning near seattle. los angeles remains on edge after a series of arson fires. there have been 43 suspicious car fires since thursday. police released the videotape of a man they want to question. bigad shaban reports. >> reporter: dressed in all black, a man walking with a limp, this man may be connected to the string of suspicious fires in los angeles. police say he was caught on surveillance video near two of the fires. over the last three nights, more than 40 vehicles have been set ablaze. mark hooper's carport was one of the latest hit. >> new year's eve. people just getting out of the shower and they had their music up and in a festive mood. then, suddenly, these flames were shooting up two stories high. >> reporter: his parking lot is now filled with ash and he says he is filled with fear. >> very uneasy. you know? you don't know where or when it's going to happen again. >> reporter: this woman was brought to tears after seeing her second story home destroyed. her neighbor lost her car.

>> this is scary. it's horrible and terrifying and heartbreaking to, you know, think that i almost lost my life and so did my family. >> reporter: in nearly every case, the vehicles set on fire were parked under carports like these, allowing the flames to spread quickly and turn much of the structures into ash and even attack nearby apartment building. authorities won't go into detail about the cause of the fires, but believe they are related. >> because of the commonality and the mode of ignition, we believe it's the same individual. >> reporter: the fires have not claimed any lives. but hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of property have been damaged or destroyed. bigad shaban, cbs news, los angeles. take a quick break. coming up on a monday, in a year of ups and downs, find out the best and worst stocks in 2011. and an unprecedented space mission to answer a persistent question, why is the moon the

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call or click today. ambitious and unprecedented mission is under way to determine why the moon is what it is. the next two months, two solar powered spacecrafts the size of washing machines will orbit miles above the lunar surface to measure its gravity. scientists help it will determine how earth's closest neighbor formed. previous missions failed short of achieving that goal. traders take a long holiday weekend and the winning and losing stocks of 2011. drew levinson reports. >> reporter: the markets are closed. trading will resume tomorrow. on friday, the markets finished 2011 on a down note. the dow fell 69 points but, overall, for the year, the dow was up about 5.5%. the nasdaq fell eight points and down nearly 2% last year. the top stock was mcdonald's, up more than 30%. bank of america the worst

performing stock in 2011, dropping nearly 60%. amr, which owns american airlines, is being dropped from the stock market this week. the company has declared bankruptcy and its stock price has closed under a dollar for 30 straight days. now the new york stock exchange is pulling it. spain is raising taxes to pay for a larger than expected budget deficit. the new prime minister is also maintaining a freeze on practically all government hiring and salaries. economic growth in spain has slowed significantly and the country is at risk of falling back into a recession. and farmers in india are banking on a new kind of strawberry. the berries have been modified so they contain significantly less sugar so people with diabetes can eat them without getting sick. that's your "moneywatch." for business headlines, go to cbsmoneywatch.com. in new york, i'm drew levinson.

unlucky start for some at a marriott. an electronic key system at a marriott failed. when the clock struck midnight on new year's day. guests were not able to get back into their room until about 3:00 in the morning. according to reports, fights broke out and, of course, this is the problem. many of the holiday revelers got sick in the halls. not good. four same-sex couples in honolulu came together to be the first in the state's history to enter into the civil unions. online applications became available at midnight despite the fact state offices were closed for the holiday. the couples spent about ten minutes completing the forms before celebrating a ceremony with about 90 gathered people. also on sunday, delaware joined the list of states recognizing same sex humans. straight ahead, your monday morning weather. and in sports, the giants spin some magic in a do or die game against the cowboys. we will be right back. plaque psoriasis. i decided enough is enough. ♪

[ spa lady ] i started enbrel. it's clinically proven to provide clearer skin. [ rv guy ] enbrel may not work for everyone -- and may not clear you completely, but for many, it gets skin clearer fast, within 2 months, and keeps it clearer up to 9 months. [ male announcer ] because enbrel suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal, events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if, while on enbrel, you experience persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. if you've had enough, ask your dermatologist about enbrel. here's a look at the weather

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 clouds spreading from the northern plains into the northeast where snow showers are starting to come down. skies are clear in the midwest and much of the southern half of the nation. in the northwest storm clouds moving in from the ocean. later today, a surge of arctic air will come to the great lakes into the northeast and

bring snow showers and temperatures into the 20s and 30s. sunny skies and mild air extend from the southern plains in southern california and in the northwest expect another round of storms bringing rain to the coast and snow across the cascade mountains. in sports this morning, the new york giants won a doo or die matchup against the cowboys. eli manning threw for three touchdowns including this 74-yarder to victor cruz. cruz finished with six catches. the giants ended up beating the cowboys 31-14 the final. they win the nfc east and the final spot in the playoffs. it will be the giants' first playoff appearance since 2008. in foxborough, the bills went to an early 21-0 lead over the patriots then tom brady took over. brady threw for 338 yards. new england scored 49 straight points to beat buffalo 49-21. with that win, new england clenched home field advantage in the afc playoffs. in cincinnati, baltimore's ray rice had a pair of long touchdown runs, including this first quarter 70-yard jaunt.

ravens beat the bengals 24-16. baltimore won its third consecutive afc north title and despite the loss, the bengals also got into the playoffs. they won the final wild card berth. and with that, here is the playoff schedule. next saturday, cincinnati plays at houston. and detroit is at new orleans. on sunday, atlanta travels to met life stadium to play the giants. and pittsburgh is at denver. new england, baltimore, san francisco, and green bay earned first round byes. when we come back, another look at this morning's top stories. and lucky to be alive. an amazing rescue in the frigid waters in a utah river. for several years now. i really can't see myself not taking it. osteo bi-flex is a great product. i can go back and do gardening with comfort. [ male announcer ] osteo bi-flex, the glucosamine chondroitin supplement with 5-loxin advanced. shows improvement in joint comfort within 7 days. [ jill strange ] since taking osteo bi-flex, there's nothing that i can't do.

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,,,, on your hands and knees. use new resolve easy clean to deep clean your carpets. just three easy steps for beautifully clean carpets. it removes three times more dirt than vacuuming alone. don't just vacuum clean. resolve clean. on the "cbs morning news," here's a look at today's weather. temperatures have started to tumble across the northern planes. a wave of cold air barrels through minnesota and heads to the new york area. day time highs in the great lakes region will range from the single digits to the low 30s. expect lake-effect snow through the day.

here is another look at this morning's top stories. most polls show mitt romney holding a slim lead one day away before the iowa caucuses. ron paul and rick santorum are close behind and trying to persuade caucus goers it's not just romney who can beat president obama in the general election. mt. ranier park is closed as police search for a suspect in the shooting death of a park ranger. margaret anderson was killed during a traffic stop yesterday. three children remain hospitalized following a dramatic rescue in utah over weekend. family on their way to a ski trip found themselves in danger when their car slid from the road and into icy waters of the logan river. >> reporter: this photograph shows what a good samaritan rescuers were dealing with. a family's car had slid off an icy road, flipping over into the logan river. the dad inside the submerged car escaped. his pleas for help answered by

less than a dozen passers-by. two were heading up to beaver mountain to ski. >> i looked down and i could see a car upside down in the river. >> reporter: morgan didn't hesitate. >> he said, let's go, boys. he jumped in and then, again, a large mass of people followed him in. >> reporter: into the waist-deep freezing cold waters they went to try to save lives. morgan says a young girl climbed out of a car window. >> the man next to me started yelling, my son, my son, is still on the other side. we have to flip the car. i look in and could see the boy upside down in the water. >> reporter: morgan says the men in the water started yelling over and against all odds in a strong river current, they flipped over the car. morgan spotted the boy and started applying compressions because he couldn't fully get him out of his car seat. >> all of a sudden, a angel stuck a big old knife in and i grabbed the knife and we cut it and i pulled the little boy out. >> reporter: morgan handed the boy to his son and they tried to revive him with no results.

>> another man grabbed him and started doing the heimlich and more water come out and, all of a sudden, you could see him moving and making a funny noise. >> reporter: the carlson's are relieved and know something indescribable happened in the logan river on this new year's eve. >> an army like that cannot be defeated. >> several elements just came together, you know, possibly even a miracle. it is what really made the difference. >> that was kutv reporting from utah. the children's father says their condition is improving and that they are no longer in intensive care. about a hundred birds were killed in arkansas after they were targeted with fireworks. police say new year's eve revelers apparently shot the fireworks at a nest of black birds. last year's new year's eve fireworks in another town in arkansas killed thousands of birds. there were no arrests. this morning, on "the early

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