at least five people are killed by storms that spun off more than a dozen tornadoes. and obsession. police catch up with the alleged white house shooter. was he fixated on killing the president? captioning funded by cbs this is the "cbs morning news" for thursday, november 17th, 2011. good morning, everybody. thanks for joining us. i'm betty nguyen. the occupy wall street movement began two months ago today as protesters in lower manhattan stage their first demonstration. since then, protests against corporate greed have spread across the country and even overseas. repeatedly, some cities, including new york, have tried to clamp down but, today, protesters are planning their biggest statement yet. >> do not push me into the pile! >> reporter: it could be a very ugly day in new york city. thousands of protesters are planning to march on the new york stock exchange. a message on the organization's

website warns, quote, it's time we put an end to wall street's reign of terror and begin building an economy that works for all. demonstrators then plan to fan out through the city's subway city and crossing of the brooklyn bridge. >> must temporarily leave the park. >> reporter: the so-called day of action follows tuesday's early morning eviction from z zuccotti park, while protesters were allowed to return, they couldn't stay overnight. demonstrators say the expulsion has only made them stronger. >> it's very empowering to know that even though they came in and they took everything that we had and the home that we built is gone now, the spirit of it is still there. >> reporter: protesters in los angeles say they will stage demonstrations today at the height of the morning rush hour before heading down to the financial district. >> are you trying to goat somebody into action? >> we're trying to goat america into action. >> reporter: in san francisco, wednesday, thousands hit the

streets protesting education cuts. it stayed peaceful until the march took a turn. >> we are 99%! >> reporter: protesters stormed the bank of america and refused to nudge. nearly 100 were arrested. a new flash point down south. 20 demonstrators were arrested late wednesday in columbia, south carolina, after refusing to leave the statehouse grounds. officials say they were welcome to return but can't stay overnight. the occupy movement also has a new face. tuesday night, seattle police used pepper spray to break up a protest after demonstrators defied orders to move. among those sprayed was 84-year-old dorley rainy. a photo of her of leaving the scene was posted oble and quickly went viral. in an interview, she called it, quote, a gruesome picture and said she is really not that bad looking. a dozen tornadoes tore through the southeast late

yesterday. the dangerous weather system stretched from the carolinas to the gulf coast. at least five people were killed. tornadoes were reported from north carolina to alabama. suspected twisters also did significant damage in north carolina, south of charlotte, where three people were killed. louisiana and mississippi were also hard hit. >> you heard wind and lightning. it just lit up the whole sky and then, all of a sudden, the wind burst through and the trees fell into the house. >> in georgia there was one fatality when a tree fell on a sports utility vehicle. thousands of homes are without power. the federal debt has hit a staggering new high. ten years ago in 2001, the debt stood at $5.7 trillion. now, it has almost tripled to more than 15 trillion. a congressional super committee is charged with cutting future deficits by 1.2 trillion, but with the deadline set for next week, talks are stalled. the house of representatives has passed a bill to loosen

federal restrictions on concealed weapons. it would allow a person licensed to carry concealed firearms in one state to do so in any other state where it's legal. the republican sponsored bill passed 272-151. it's not likely to become law because there is no similar bill in the senate. an idaho man suspected at shooting at the white house will appear today in federal court in pittsburgh. according to several officials, he was obsessed with the president. susan mcginnis joins us now from washington. good morning, susan. so what is the latest on this shooting? >> good morning, betty. >> reporter: the shooting happened last friday. he was arrested yesterday and as ortega-hernandez hits to court today in pittsburgh, a lot of questions surrounding his mental health. oscar ramiro ortega-hernande ch assassination when he appears in court this afternoon. police arrested the 21-year-old at this pennsylvania hotel

wednesday, nearly a week after shots were fired at the white house. >> he wanted to know why he was being taken into custody. he did not have any identification with him. >> reporter: officials say or teg a-hernandez left his drive's license and assault rifle and spent she will casings in ab abandoned car after a shooting on friday night. the president and his family were out of town. the police combed south lawn for bullets. one of them cracked a window on the residential level where the master bedroom is located but didn't get past bullet-proof glass. ortega-hernandez was apparently obsessed with the president and the white house. authorities are looking into his mental health and say there are signs he believes his alleged attack was a personal mission from god. businessman monte mccall recently met ortega-hernandez and said he praped the president to the anti-christ. >> he was very insear in what he

believed but he did seem rather troubled. >> reporter: ortega-hernandez family reported him missing last month. he has a minor history with run-ins with the law but, so far, has not been linked to any radical groups. the last shooting at the white house was in 1994. a colorado man fired about 30 shots from a semiautomatic rifle. that was an assassination attempt at president clinton. that man now serving 40 years. betty? >> susan mcginnis in washington, thank you, susan. president obama has wrapped up his visit to australia, after promising the united states will remain a force in the pacific. the president left for bali this morning. earlier e though, during an address to the australian parliament he said. >> our enduring interests in the region demand our enduring presence in the region. the united states is a pacific power and we are here to stay. >> before leaving, the president

greeted australian troops. he announced yesterday up to 2,500 u.s. marines will be stationed in western australia. now to the penn state scandal. university and state police say they have no record of a key witness, mike mcqueary, reporting an alleged sexual assault and contradicts his claim in an e-mail saying he saw jerry sandusky with a young boy in a shower and told police. jeff anderson says he represented several of sandusky's alleged victims who are ready to testify. >> the emotions of the survivors and their families right now are really a retrauma takization. it's a mixture of fear and fury. >> the district judge that was assigned to the case has ties to sandusky's second mile charity which has been removed. judge robert scott with no known

ties to the charity or penn state is taking over. coming up this morning, 80 is the new 65. not in a good way, though. plus, how safe are those little hybrid cars in a crash? a surprising report. this is the "cbs morning news." [ male announcer ] you love the taste of 2% milk. but think about your heart.

2% has over half the saturated fat of whole milk. want to cut back on fat and not compromise on taste? try smart balance fat free milk. it's what you'd expect from the folks at smart balance. if you open up a charge card account with us. [ male announcer ] identity thieves never stop coming up with ways to steal from you. they can open up an account in your name and go on a serious spending spree. do you have cufflinks? mm-hmm. gold ones? [ male announcer ] not on our watch. we're lifelock. go to lifelock.com and learn how our patented billion point database can help protect you. call 1-800-lifelock today. lifelock. relentlessly protecting your identity. yeah, i toog nyguil bud i'm stild stubbed up. [ male announcer ] truth is, nyquil doesn't un-stuff your nose. really? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus liquid gels fights your worst cold symptoms, plus it relieves your stuffy nose. [ deep breath ] thank you! that's the cold truth!

we bring a bold, savory new twist to noodles. mmm. [ male announcer ] and now so can you. the new succulent noodle entrees from p.f. chang's home menu. the boldest flavors in the freezer aisle. u.s. and mexican authorities seized about 17 tons of marijuana after finding a smuggling tunnel between san diego and tijuana. the tunnel nearly a quarter mile long, ended at the bottom of a 20-foot shaft. it was the third major cross-border tunnel discovered this year. police arrested two men in a truckloaded with pot. well, a new study suggests that fuel-efficient hybrid cars are significantly safer than similar sized conventional cars. the research suggests the odds of being injured in a crash are 25% lower for hybrid cars than for nonhybrids. one reason seems to be the added weight from heavier batteries

used in hybrids which improves their ability to withstand a collision, but hybrids also come with a hazard. they are 20% more likely to hit pedestrians because they are so quiet. on the cbs "moneywatch," a mix days for stocks in asia. ashley morrison is here in new york with more on that. she's not very quiet and that is a good thing. >> reporter: never. tokyo's nikkei average was up slightly while hong kong's hang sang fell less than 1%. today washington gets the latest read out on the housing market and the weekly jobless claim numbers. on wednesday stocks if took a nose dive on fears that the banks could take a hit from the u.s. debt crisis in europe. the nasdaq lost 46. don't look now, but oil prices are making a comeback hovering above $102 a barrel today in asia and only time before it makes it to the gas pump and gas

prices could hit record highs for thanksgiving weekend. more americans than ever are planning to work well into old age. according to wells fargo survey, more than three-quarters of workers say they expect to still be at it beyond retirement age with 1 in 4 expecting to be working at 80 years old. the majority also said they are not saving enough money to remain financially solvent in what used to be called their golden years. volkswagen passant has been named the car of the year. and that sedan dominates its category. the mid-sized passat has a starting price tag of around $20,000. songs from 3 of the 4 world's biggest music companies after buying songs for around a dollar

apiece, users can share one or two free listens of the song with their contacts on google's social networking service. here you go, betty. your official sexiest man of the year. >> oh, who is it? >> "people" magazine has bestowed the title on actor bradley cooper. check him out. the 36-year-old hollywood heartthrob says his mom will be so happy. well, i don't really know what this has to do with wall street or finance, betty, but i just wanted to get it out there! let's just linger. >> congratulations to him. i'm sure his mom is very happy and lots of ladies just as happy as well. ashley, thank you for that. you want to stick around for this storey, ashley. new evidence suggests how much love hurts, especially for women. researchers discovered women are 7 to 9 times more likely than men to suffer heart failure or heart attack symptoms during an emotional breakup. this new nationwide study is the first to look at the so-called broken heart syndrome.

doctors say one reason for the difference may be that men handle stress better. that stresses me out. straight ahead, your thursday morning weather. and in sports, a major upset for a top 20 team in college basketball.

sometimes life can be well, a little uncomfortable. but when it's hard or hurts to go to the bathroom, there's dulcolax stool softener. dulcolax stool softener doesn't make you go, it just makes it easier to go. dulcolax stool softener. make yourself comfortable. 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 a blanket of clouds over the east coast with rain from new england to the carolinas. scattered clouds are breaking down in the southeast, but it's clear over the plains. bands of rain and snow showers are moving into the northwest and pushing into wyoming and montana. later today, it will be sunny and breezy in the plains. rain on the east coast will taper off as clouds move out to sea. and showers move across the nourt northwest, bringing snow to the higher mountains. in sports, early season upset in college basketball. visiting long beach state ran away from ninth ranked pitt. the panthers fell 86-76. the loss ended pitt's 58-game home winning streak against nonconference teams. in madison, 14th ranked

wisconsin buried colgate with a barrage of three-pointers. ben thrust had a career high of 17 points to lead the badgers to a 61-48 victory. in golf, a shocker at the president's cup. tiger woods and steve stryker suffered the biggest loss in president's cup history. stryker didn't even make a birdie and didn't even win a hole in a 7-6 loss to adam scott and k.j. chao. in baseball, may soon be moving day for the astros. an announcement is expected toot the houston ball club has been sold to businessman jim crane. as part of the deal, crane had to agree to shift the astros from the national to the american league, exchange for $680 million drop in the sale price. and the major league baseball managers of the year have been announced. in the national league, arizona's kirk gibson took the honors. in the american league, it was tampa bay's joe madden. congratulations to them.

when we return, another look at this morning's top stories. and home for holiday. a father home from war, delivers a sweet schoolroom surprise. i kept feeling this radiating ache everywhere. the pain was so frustrating. i found out that connected to our muscles are nerves that send messages 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 less pain means i can feel better and do more of what i love. [ 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.

on the "cbs morning news," here's a look at today's weather. the storm system that battered much of the nation for three days is now bringing rain to the east coast. as it slowly moves out to sea. the midwest will be dry and sunny today. here is another look at this morning's top stories. occupy wall street protesters plan to make this a day of action. they are calling for massive rallies to shut down whole cities. the first occupy demonstration was held two months ago today in new york. and across the south overnight, at least five people were killed by a string of severe storms, including more

than a dozen tornadoes. a boston area family will have much to be thankful for this thanksgiving. u.s. army staff sergeant richard young is home for the holiday and that was a big surprise for his son. bill shields of our boston station wbz reports. >> reporter: for 9-year-old cody young, school is a welcome diversion. you see, cody's best friend is his dad. and sergeant rick young has been in afghanistan for ten months. it's been a hard time for cody. >> my dad buys me a lot of toys. >> reporter: does he? so he's a good guy, huh? >> uh-huh. >> reporter: but cody is in for the surprise of his young life. his dad is nearby in the principal's office. >> i haven't seen the little guy since february. >> reporter: rick young made it home and our camera captured the heart-wrenching reunion. >> hi, buddy. how are you doing?

>> reporter: it was an embrace that would not stop. >> are you okay? are you okay? >> reporter: ten months of heartache erased in one magical moment. is this going to be a special thanksgiving? >> yeah. it's going to be the best thanksgiving. >> reporter: it hasn't been easy on cody's mom either. >> he's my other half. >> reporter: sergeant young will have to go back to afghanistan in two weeks. in february he'll be home for good but, for now, this family is one again. >> we did it, buddy! we surprised you! >> reporter: i'm bill shields, wbz news. when you spend more days than not separated from your own life... when the only thing you can be sure of is migraines with 15 or more headache days a month,

you're living a maybe life. and you may be living with chronic migraine. but knowing that this thing you're going through has a name, means knowing you can find treatments that are right for you. go to mychronicmigraine.com to find a headache specialist. and don't live a maybe life. it's all new. sears super saturday starts at 9am. get 50%-60% off fleece for the whole family, and all tvs are on sale. shop early on preview friday. sears super saturday. real deals. real savings. sears

. good morning and welcome to 9 news now. we're almost there. today is friday eve. thursday, november 17th can you tell we're happy about this. i'm andrea roane. >> i'm jessica doyle in for mike hydeck. beverly farmer is in for monika samtani with your timesaver traffic. but we begin with howard bernstein and your forecast. >> it is getting cold outside. don't be is your pried before the showers end, we see some wet flakes mixed in. go to the mountains out toward garrett county and parts of west virginia where the elevation is above 3,000 feet, it could be an inch or two of accumulation. it is getting to be that time

of year. ski seasons need the cold nights so we can get skiing season. we've got temperatures which will be sort of dropping from where they are now. recovering a little bit this afternoon. by noon, 44 with some rain showers around. there could be wet flakes west of town and the winds will be northwest at 10 to 15. by 5:00, clearing and 46. we're going down with the temperatures. had the rain yesterday. in prince frederick, report of 1.3 inches of rain there. look at the new showers developing out to the west. another piece of energy. not seeing much on live doppler 9000 hd. little sliver of sprinkles across central howard through montgomery, rockville there out through parts of western fairfax, southern fairfax through manassas and warton. almost to catlet and culpepper. with the cold moving in, we're talking about a few wet flakes as well. 50 in culpepper.

andrews, 52. annapolis, 54. we drop off into the mid-40s quickly. you go to cumberland, it is only 43. in garrett county, oakland, 32 degrees. temperatures this afternoon probably recovering only in the mid to upper 40s. monika is off but beverly farmer is standing by. how is it look out there, bev? >> just the wet pavement, some beginning to try out. wet leaves out of the neighborhood particularly hazardous. 395 looks great northbound heading into the city. a crash near there on the gw parkway. southbound park police tell me past the exit for 395 dealing with a two vehicle crash tying up the left lane. they're still waiting for tow trucks. northbound, all lanes are open. no problems northbound 95 up out of fred rexburg, stafford for the most part, overnight roadwork was a washout. you don't have to contend with that. 66 an early start. beltway, virginia. here is the beltway at the american legion bridge. looking fine. few taillights heading down

toward the toll road coming out of virginia and heading up toward 270, we're still off to a good start. back to you. >> thank you, beverly. a man who allegedly fired at the shots at the white house will be in court. police arrested 21-year-old ortega hernandez wednesday afternoon at a pennsylvania hotel. >> tuesday, the secret service discovered two bullets had hit the white house. one of them apparently cracking a window on the residential level. susan mcginnis has the latest. >> oscar ram eario or the gaig hernandez could face charges of attempted assassination when he appears in federal court this afternoon. police arrested the 21-year-old at this pennsylvania hotel wednesday, nearly a week after shots were fired at the white house. >> he wanted to know why he was being taken into custody. he did not have any identification with him. >> reporter: officials say ortega hernandez left his driver's license, an assault rifle and spent shell casings in an abandoned car after the shooting friday night. the president and first family

were out of town at the time. wednesday, the secret service combed the south lawn for more bullets after finding two that hit the white house. one of them cracked a window on the residential level where the master bedroom is located but didn't get past bulletproof glass. ortega hernandez was apparently obsessed with the president and the white house. authorities are look nag his mental health and say there are signs he believes his alleged attack was a personal mission from god. >> businessman monthy mccall compared the president to the antichrist. >> he seemed rather troubled ortega hernandez's family reported him missing. he long has a long hest of minor run-ins with the law but hasn't been linked to radical groups. susan mcginnis for cbs news. >> occupy wall street protestors are calling for a nationay