thank you for joining us. i'm j.c. hayward. u.s. forces are getting ready to happened over all military operations to the iraqis. one month from today, u.s. troops will leave the country after spending nearly nine years there. danielle nottingham reports. >> reporter: the u.s. flag was lowered for the final time at a naval base in southern iraq. nearly nine years after u.s. forces invaded, 13,000 american troops are scheduled to leave at the end of the month. the iraqis will take over all security and military the operations. >> it is time for us to go home and let them take care of their own. >> reporter: u.s. troops were due to end their mission by the end of this year. under an agreement the bush administration negotiated in 2008. president obama wanted to leave some troops behind but the iraqi government wouldn't agree to give them legal immunity. iraqi troops still face big

security challenges. a car bomb exploded at a produce market near baghdad today, killing at least 13. in the past week alone, more than 55 iraqis have been killed across the country. despite the instability, military analysts believe iraq can move forward. >> iraq has oil. iraq has an extremely educated work force. and it is a democracy in the middle of the middle east. you don't see many of those. >> reporter: almost 4500 u.s. troops have died in iraq. vice president biden told american forces thursday that the u.s. takes pride in what they have done and that they are leaving with their heads held high. danielle nottingham, cbs news, the white house. thousands of combat u.s. troops however will remain in kuwait. well, should the man who tried to assassinate president ronald reagan be released from a d.c. mental hospital? hearings resume today to determine john hinckley's

future. his lawyers say that he's no longer a danger and should eventually be released. government attorneys say that hinckley recently tried to conceal the fact that he was browsing in a store for books about president reagan and assassinations. right now, hinckley visits his mother's home near williamsburg for up to ten days at a time. there is more legal trouble brewing for former penn state assistant football coach jerry sandusky. a lawsuit has been filed that claims sandusky sexually abused a boy more than 100 times. this accuser is not part of a current criminal case involving sandusky. sky 9 was over the scene of a fatal crash in charles county, maryland around 8:30 this morning. state police say that one person was killed when their car crashed on route 6 and mill swamp road in hilltop,

maryland. authorities are still on the scene investigates. so far, the victim's name has not been released. at least one person was critically injured during a crash on the eastbound lane of the dulles greenway this morning. four vehicles were involved. at least one of those vehicles caught on fire. another vehicle is overturned. virginia state police are investigating. politics in the commonwealth are about to get more interesting. because there could be a big fight for the republican nomination for governor. a republican spokesperson tells the "richmond times-dispatch" that attorney general ken cuccinelli will soon announce that he's running for governor in 2013. he's made national headlines for suing the white house over president obama's healthcare law. lieutenant-governor bill bolling took a pass on running for the top job in 2009, allowing bob mcdoneel to run. and he is widely expected to run in 2013 with the governor's

support. it is beginning to look a lot like christmas. we're just hours away from the lighting of the national christmas tree. strong winds brought the original tree down earlier this year. the tree that has sat at president's park since 1978 was destroyed. but it has been replaced. surae chinn joins us now from the ellipse with a preview of tonight's lighting. surae? >> reporter: we're looking fantastic out here! i think -- is that kermit the frog on the stage right there? rehearsals are a bit winding down on the stage right now but there is kermit. what a treat. we're just five hours away from the big show! the military band and nickelodeon's pop sensation big time rush put in some extra minutes before show time. the spotlight is on the 26 foot

colorado blue spruce, much smaller than last year's 42 footer that fell down in february's storm. the lights even draped to the ground but it will be the greenest tree to date on the ellipse. >> this year, we have 65 sets of l.e.d. lights on the tree, continuing that trend toward the most energy efficiency, multicolored, beautiful display lit up tonight. >> reporter: the pathway of peace with 56 smaller trees represent all 50 states and territories. the first family and kermit the frog -- >> i'm so happy to be a part of the tree lighting here in washington, d.c. >> reporter: will light the national tree. >> i'm going to try. i'm actually going to work with the first lady of the united states, michelle, as i get to call her. to actually read it was twas the night before christmas. >> you guys are on a first-name basis? >> we will be. they call her first lady of the united states. i'm going to be frogus. first frog of the united

states. >> reporter: the first frog of the united states is on stage. he just happened to be rehearsing now. he's not nervous at all. he wants to make sure everyone dresses warmly. hey, check out right next to the stage is the big highlight. that tree that everyone is waiting for it to be lit up today. other headliners include country singer rodney adkins, one republic, r & b, grammy winner marsha, will.i.am canceled because he is sick. this will be nationally televised. the tree and the pageant of peace, the pathway to peace will be illuminated through january 1st. it will be a great, fantastic show tonight. back to you. >> surae chinn, thank you very much. by the way, the first lady gave a tour inside the white house yesterday. she showed off all of the decorations. of course, 9news now was there and you can see for yourself by going to our web site, web .

>> find out what makes this comic be book special. it sold for 10 cents in 1938 but guess what, it is worth more than a million dollars now! tell people -- how people around the world are marking world a.i.d.s. day. i'm heather kovar in london with the story.

millions across the globe are commemorating world a.i.d.s. day. 30 years after the epidemic began. the white house is displaying a huge red ribbon to mark the event. and this morning, the president pledged additional support to countries hardest hit by the virus. he's also planning to increase spending on h.i.v. treatment here in the united states by $50 million. heather kovar has more on commemorations. >> young military cadets in india rushed to hand out a flier to mark world a.i.d.s. day. hundreds marched through the streets of bangladesh to raise awareness. this young girl says i hope everyone will learn about this disease so we can help stop it from spreading. >> sir elton john lit up the sidney opera house and called for a new war on a.i.d.s.

>> to get the funding necessary to actually kill the disease once and for all. >> the red ribbon is the universal symbol of a.i.d.s. awareness. people are wearing these across london to show support. >> think they should be talking about it as much as they do in africa. i know is a bigger problem there. here, we all think it won't happen to us. >> this year alone, greece has seen a 50% rise in h.i.v. infections, especially among intravenous drug users. the economic crisis is causing many drug addicts to use dirty needles. south africa has more people living with h.i.v. than any other country, an estimated 5.6 million. these children living at an a.i.d.s. orv be anage were infected at birth and are getting treatment to increase their chances of survival. advocates say their main goals are to increase education and prevent transmission and to create an a.i.d.s.-free generation. in london, heather kovar for

cbs news. a.i.d.s. has killed more than 25 million people and more than 33 million people worldwide are living with h.i.v. coming up next, howard and the forecast. >> j.c., turning out to be a really pleasant start to the month of december. the winds are getting lighter. temperatures pushing 50 in spots. not bad at all. we're going to break with a look at some of the readings. 40s in bethesda and leesburg. 50 degrees up in baltimore and springfield. 49 here in d.c. we'll talk about what we can expect for the rest of the week into the weekend when 9news now at noon returns.

a pilot in training and his instructor were injured when their plane crashed in seattle last night. the federal aviation administration is investigating. it is believed that the student was practicing landing and takeoff maneuvers when the plane crashed. apparently there was a large explosion, a fair amount of fuel on the ground so it

exploded. >> another plane was also damaged in that crash but that pilot was not injured. if you need to turn in overdue or damaged materials from a d.c. public library, monday is your day. the check it in campaign will run through february 5th. cardholders can return any overdue or damaged library materials without fines. the lost books, cardholders can speak with an employee to have their account cleared. organizers believe that many avoid going to the library because of materials that they have lost or damaged. here is something you probably will not find in a public library. this rare superman comic book. it sold for $2.1 million at a recent auction. last night was the third time this particular book set an auction record. it was previously sold for $150,000 back in 1997.

the comic book originally sold for 10 cents when it was printed in 1938. >> that's a pretty good return on investment for the seller there. >> certainly is. >> wow, what a piece to have though. >> it is a little chilly. >> a little chilly but average chilly for december. low 50s. we had a great november. temperaturewise, you know. especially the last ten days of the month were incredible, the 60s, low 70s. as far as any really cold air, any arctic air, j.c., still don't see that in sight coming this way. slight chance next wednesday if it gets cold enough, the rain may end as snow. that's a long ways away. let's talk about this afternoon. a fine afternoon, we saw surae chinn down at the ellipse for tonight's tree lighting. it won't be too cold. it will be chilly. temperatures by 5:00 dropping into the upper 40s. you'll need a jacket. you may need light gloves and a hat. the winds will be pretty light, too. by 9:00, we're down to about 44

degrees with some 30s starting to show up in the suburbs by then. we're looking at lots of sunshine today. yesterday, had the clouds that snuck in from the mountains. there is nothing that's going to sneak into us today. lots and lots of sunshine. it feels pretty good out there. especially after very chilly morning. we got down to 23 down toward harrisonburg. petersburg was 27. with 28 in frederick. look at the difference the bay does with the warmth coming in off the water in annapolis at 40. in cambridge at 41. as of noon, we've warmed up nicely. the air is dry so it can heat up and cool down pretty quickly. it will tonight. right now, we're up to 52 in frederick. 50 in culpepper and fredericksburg. 46 at leesburg and here in washington under sunny skies are much lighter winds than this morning. we've got a temperature of 49. the winds now less than 10 miles per hour. they'll continue to slowly drop off as we go through the afternoon. dew points in the 20s so the air is nice and dry. once we lose the sunset and the

wind, some of the temperatures tonight, see the dew point in the 20s, that's where they're headed away from town, we'll fall into the mid to upper 20s in the cold spots. let's talk about the big picture across the country. main jet to the north, southern branch of the south. look at the dip in the southwest. this is important because it is carving out a pretty significant storm system across the southwestern u.s. this is going to drop lots of snow in the mountains. you see the rain. it is raining in las vegas today. the rain just north of phoenix, especially as it hits the rim, going into the mountains up north of that, part of the grand canyon down there. snow for eastern colorado and also for the northern plains. the arctic air is going to stay bottled up in canada because the main branch of the jet is moving west to east across the northern part of the country. so, even the storms that try to come down toward us, they're going to be pushed east, not toward us. and this next one with the snow that's been falling across wisconsin, the u.p. of michigan, that guy is headed east. you can see this on the future cast. nothing coming toward us. we do see this little stripe of

snow coming across michigan and ontario as we head into friday morning. that will continue through toronto and buffalo and upstate new york and new england during the day on friday. bypassing us. it will drag a little front through us late friday. so, that saturday's a little bit cooler but we'll start to turn it around as we head toward sunday. as you look to the north and west, by saturday, at noontime, showers into des moines and northern michigan. if you're traveling chicago this weekend, you have a better chance of seeing some unsettled weather as opposed to here in washington. just stay home, right? 30 tonight in manassas. 29 for martinsburg and luray. 30 in dumbberland. in town, upper 30s. some areas locally, especially if the winds go dead calm, we could drop to main 25 or 24 in the really cold spots. here is the forecast for the next three days. today, we're looking at 51, 52, 53, very pleasant. tonight, 20s and 30s. we warm up to 55 tomorrow. pleasantly cool. saturday, just a tad cooler

down in the low 50s. sunday, another good weekend around here. upper 50s, monday, 60. tuesday though, we turn wet. 55. wednesday, 50. colder air may try to sneak in here before the precip ends. don't go anywhere. if you're a cupcake fan, we've got a treat for you coming up when 9news now at noon returns! [ female announcer ] more people are using wireless devices... in more ways than ever. and our networks are getting crowded. but if congress frees up more wireless spectrum...

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today i'm one on one with katherine and sophie, two famous sisters with the georgetown cupcake shop.

one of my favorites. they started three years ago. oh, my goodness. they had to move. they had so many customers. the line is still out the door. they have a great, new book. it is called the cupcake diaries, just came out this month. they would like for you to get it because it is chock-full of wonderful stories and it also gives tips on how you can make cupcakes at home. they brought an array of their famous, famous cupcakes. by the way, you have a special tomorrow night. >> tomorrow night at 10:30, we have a christmas special. it is really cool. it features the washington ballet. we do a six foot nutcracker all made of cupcakes. >> now, that will be something to see. >> what did you bring today? >> we brought an assortment of our holiday flavors we're baking. it is december 1st already. we have a recipe for cinnamon cream cheese icing. this is in the book, too. >> the book has the recipes we sell in the store.

we wanted to share them with people. we baked with our grandmother. >> it is so simple to make. we have four tablespoons of butter, cream cheese, a quarter teaspoon of vanilla, two tablespoons of cinnamon, whip it all up in here. >> you've given us the recipe. it is on jchayward.com. they can do this at home. >> we also have in the book, the step by step side to do the signature cupcakes. start right in the middle here. we're going to give pressure, go around. one burst of pressure at the end. at the center. >> that's how you do it. >> and then -- we decorate them with the fondant decorations. we give instructions on how to make these at home. they're really easy. you get mini cookie cutters to jazz up your cupcakes and give them a little holiday twist for the holidays. >> they're fun to make. >> so good.

>> we use the best butter in our bakery. we tell everyone at home what butter we use. use the freshest ingredients that you can. >> we have a special guest. and that's mom. come on in, mom! mom is decorating. >> hi. >> how are you? >> you're proud of your girls, aren't you? >> i'm so proud of them. >> cupcakes are just the "in" thing. >> the best way to bake is to bake at home with your family. that's the way we grew up. we wanted to share the recipes to bring families together so they can bake at home during the holidays. great bonding experience. >> it really is. >> howard is here. >> we want to tell him again about the cupcake diary. this is hot off the press. >> i had the pleasure of meeting these young ladies along ago. we were out there baking cupcakes and frosting in the basement of the bakery. so, it is -- >> crazy with the ganache. >> i remember that.

>> it has been neat to see the evolution of the business so to speak and the whole empire now. several years down the road. >> it is an empire. tomorrow is a specialty on tlc, 10:30. you'll want to see them. great cupcakes. >> thank you for coming. >> thank you for being here, mom. >> my pleasure. >> thank you for being with us. come back be and visit us at 5:00. now, which one am i going to try first? [ screaming ] [ zapping ] there goes dwayne's car. oh, man. there goes dwayne's house.

whoa! whoa! and there goes dwayne. man, that thing does not like dwayne. [ male announcer ] state farm's got you covered. nice landing. it was. [ male announcer ] get to a better state.

>> tucker: so, harmony, what happened with you staying gone to give devon space? >> kay: you owe him nothing, harmony, not even an explanation. >> harmony: no, that's all right, mrs. chancellor, because i think tucker should know this. your mother welcomed me back into her home, and so here i am, whether you like it or not. >> devon: hey. yeah, that stuff goes right in the corner.