cain suspended his campaign saturday after allegations of sexual harassment and an extramarital affair. he still denies he did anything wrong, telling cbs news he was not pressured into the decision. >> my wife didn't say do it or don't do it, she just said, i'll support you whichever way i recognized the pain in her and the pain that it was causing her and my family the constantly spinning and spinning and spinning when the allegations were false and unproved with and that isn't something i wanted my family to continue to go through. >> there are reports a surging gingrich will receive cain's endorsement. randall pinkston is in washington with the latest. >> reporter: spotlight is on newt gingrich six months after many counted him out and some polls showing him at the top and he is spending $225,000 on political ads in iowa.

>> some people say the america we know and love is a thing of the past. >> reporter: newt gingrich hits the air waves on iowa with his first tv ad of the season. >> we can revive our economy and create jobs. >> reporter: the former house speaker is trying to keep up the momentum after two new polls show him leading the gop race in the battleground state. one survey has him well ahead of ron paul and mitt romney with 25%. most of the candidates plan to campaign in iowa this week, as they try to round up votes ahead of next month's caucuses and win over herman cain's supporters. >> i am suspending my presidential campaign. >> reporter: cain dropped out of the race after allegations of sexual harassment and accusations he had a lengthy affair. gingrich have met with other gop contenders are also hoping to take advantage of cain's departure. >> a lot of herman cain supporters have been calling our office and coming over to our side. >> reporter: while gingrich gains support, the white house

is keeping up its attacks on romney. he is still on top in new hampshire which holds the nation's first primary. >> if you don't like where mitt romney is today, just wait until tomorrow. it's a little bit like the weather. >> reporter: voters will have a chance to hear from the remaining candidates this saturday at a debate in iowa. cain's campaign manager mark block says cain has no plans any time soon to endorse anyone. >> randall pinkston in washington, thank you. on capitol hill today, senate democrats are expected to offer republicans a compromise plan to extend the payroll tax cut. if no deal is reached the popular tax cut will expire on december 31st. the u.s. postal service to announce cuts today. the postal service could default this month on a $5.5 billion for retiree health benefits. to trim costs the agency plans to close half of its 500 mail

processing centers next spring that will slow first class service and essentially cancel next day delivery. postal services says the cuts will save more than $3 billion but far from enough. the service is expected to lose $14 billion next year. an international conference on the future of afghanistan begins today in germany. leaders for more than 100 countries, including the u.s., have gathered in bond. they will pledge to continue supporting afghanistan after nato-led military forces leave in 2015. afghanistan' neighbor pakistan is boycotting the event. iran says it shot down and unmanned u.s. spy drone reportedly the same type that was used to observe osama bin laden compound in pakistan. if so, it's a significant loss. seth doane has details. >> reporter: an unmanned spy plane allegedly belonging to the united states was downed in eastern iran. that, according to iranian

official news sources which reported that the american-made rq-170 was shot down and recovered with minimal damage. the aircraft is so secretive, even pictures are hard to come by. the pentagon is not commenting but the u.s.-led coalition in afghanistan said the drone may be a u.s. unarmed reconnaissance aircraft that might have been flying a mission over afghanistan late last week, which it added the operators had lost control of. neil livingston, a terrorism expert, says the iranians already had a drone program and if true this recovery could help them further their technology. >> they could potentially reverse engineer this and learn a great deal about our technologies. >> reporter: specifics about the spy plane is hard to come by. we do know it's made by lockheed martin and said to be equipped with stealth technology. >> this is a super secret

stealth drone. it exists to make sure that adversaries don't know this thing is there. >> reporter: this follows a week of growing tensions between iran and the west over iran's nuclear program. just last tuesday, a group of young hard liners stormed the british embassy if tehran to protest british banking sessions. in response, britain shut down the iranian embassy in london and expelled his diplomats. wikileaks founder is back in court. two lower courts have ruled against him. today, he'll ask britain's supreme court to hear his says. asang says the allegations against him are politically motivated. washington, d.c. police are making sure dozens of protesters stay out of mcpherson state park

this morning. more than 30 were arrested overnight after refusing to leave. police had to use a cherry picker to grab some protesters at the top of a wooden structure they built. the structure was later torn down. some unusual early snow in the southwest today. a winter storm that started sunday is continuing into this morning in new mexico with forecasts of up to 11 inches in some places. travel is hazardous on many highways and interstates with some of them now closed. snow could reach as far south as the mexican border. more strong winds are heading today for southern california where residents are still cleaning up from the damage from last wednesday's massive wind storm. utility crews are working to restore power to thousands of customers. in utah, the national guard is helping residents collect debris from the same storm last week.

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and gentle on skin. it could be the most expensive auto accident in history. 14 xexotic sports car involved n a single crash on sunday in japan. the cars were traveling in a group at upwards of 100 miles an hour. one driver lost control and the result was a $4 million wrecking yard. fortunately, no serious injuries, but it hurts just reading that. in germany, bomb disposal experts were able to diffuse a british blockbuster bomb found in a river which had it lane since world war ii. 45 residents were evacuated while the bomb squad worked. they were allowed to return home last night. a national study found that only 1% of children in the u.s.

age 10 to 17 have shared nude photos. 7% of them said they have received graphic or suggested image and this contradicts previous reports that estimate as many as 1 in 5 kids had participating in sexting. on the cbs "moneywatch." ashley morrison is here with that and more. >> reporter: this is a pivotal week for the european debt crisis. french president sarkozy and german chancellor merkel meet today in paris to work on a plan to collapse the proposal. analysts are expecting a major breakthrough. meanwhile, italian premier will present his view today in rome. it includes raising the pension age and increasing property taxes. italians have been protesting those measures for weeks. asian markets finished

mostly higher today on hopes europe will get it all straightened out. hong kong's hang sang and tokyo's nikkei both gained 11%. stocks off their best week in more than two years. the dow and nasdaq gained more than 7% apiece, that is the most since july of 2009. online shopping is still booming even after a blockbuster cybermonday. the research firm comscore says shoppers spent almost $6 billion last week. that is the most ever recorded. free shipping is the primary draw. drivers continue to get a holiday break at the pump. according to the lundberg survey, gas prices have some down almost a dime the past two weeks to a national average of $3.29 a gallon. diseasele diesel is down a nickel.

it is now raked in almost $248 million in three weeks. disney "the muppets" in second and it was one of the slowest weekends all year. i guess everyone must be out shopping or, in my case, online shopping. >> twiharder still trying to get over that. never heard that before. ashley morrison in new york, thank you. straight ahead, your monday morning weather. and in sports, the green bay packers struggle to beat the clock and the new york giants. sfx: truth phone rings hello? pretty sure? consider this yor wake-up call. everybody has a price guarantee. but only sears guarantees the best price on all top 10 brands, because only sears carries them all. with experts who know them all. it's called the top 10 advantage. boom! what was that? me dropping some knowledge on you.

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plus veggie nutrition new v8 v-fusion smoothie. could've had a v8. in some cities around the country. time now for a check on the national forecast. the latest satellite picture shows thick clouds moving north and east from the southern plains producing heavy rain in the mississippi valley. the southwest has a major snowstorm with heavy snow already falling in new mexico. the west coast is clear. the east has a few patchy clouds. later today, cold air will reach from the midwest across the plains and into the southwest. new mexico will receive several inches of snow. a large storm system will produce heavy rain from texas to new york with flooding likely in

the mississippi and ohio valleys. in sports, the green bay packers are still the only undefeated team in the nfl but just barely. packers quarterback aaron rodgers connected on four touchdown passes against the giants, but new york came back and scored in the final minute to tie it up. then as time expired, the packers mason crosby kicked a 30-yard field goal for a 38-35 green bay win. in new orleans, the saints quarterback drew brees has three touchdown passes against detroit. the saints never trailed and won it 31-17. at 9-3, they remain in first place in the nfc south. in minneapolis, denver quarterback tim tebow passed for two touchdowns and denver's fifth straight victory since he became the starter. the broncos also kicked two field goals in the closing minutes to beat the vikings 35-32. the broncos are tied with oakland for first place in the afc west. in college football, the

final bcs rankings have lsu and alabama as the top two teams. so the tigers and the crimson tide will meet for the national championship january th in new orleans. lsu beat alabama 9-6 in overtime last month. so this will be the first title game rematch in a 14-year history of the bcs. now to golf. tiger woods first tournament victory in more than two years. . woods birdied his last two holes on sunday to capture the chevron world challenge in california. afterward, he joked about his hopes for next year. >> i think if i have a good year, i should be on the ballot for comeback player of the year. so i'm excited about that. >> woods had not won a tournament since november 2009, just before his infidelity scandal and a series of major injuries. and it's bye-bye new york and hello miami for all-star shortstop jose reyes.

the new york met and batting championship will sign a deal with the miami marlins. the contract which could be signed today includes an option for a seventh year which would bring its potential worth to $120 million. when we return, another look at this morning's top stories. and the stars come out in washington for the kennedy center honors. i'd race down that hill without a helmet. i took some steep risks in my teens. i'd never ride without one now. and since my doctor prescribed lipitor, i won't go without it for my high cholesterol and my risk of heart attack. why kid myself? diet and exercise weren't lowering my cholesterol enough. now i'm eating healthier, exercising more, taking lipitor. numbers don't lie. my cholesterol's stayed down. lipitor is fda approved to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients who have heart disease or risk factors for heart disease. it's backed by over 19 years of research. [ female announcer ] lipitor is not for everyone, including people with liver problems and women who are nursing, pregnant or may become pregnant. you need simple blood tests to check for liver problems. tell your doctor if you are taking other medications,

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terms and conditions apply. here's a look at today's weather. snow is arriving in the desert southwest with several inches possible as far south as the mexican border. a large rain making system reaches all the way from the gulf coast to the great lakes. here is another look at this morning's top stories. now that herman cain has suspended his campaign, the other republican hopefuls are scrambling for his endorsement.

iran says it has shot down and recovered a u.s. spy drone. it could be a top secret drone like the one used to spy on osama bin laden in pakistan. if so, it could help the iranian drone program. the president of oklahoma state university says he doesn't know how security could have prevented injuries when fans stormed the osu football field saturday night. students and other fans tore down the goal posts after the osu cowboys beat the arch rival oklahoma sooners for the big 12 championship. a dozen student were hurt including one who remains hospitalized in stable condition. madonna will perform at the super bowl. she will sing during the halftime show which is the most watched musical event of the year. the performance will also include a team from cirque du soleil. in the nation's capital last night, five legends of the

american art scene were celebrated at the kennedy center honors. a mix of politicians and entertainers paid tribute to rash ka cook and nyle diamond and sonny rollins and yo-yo ma and merle streep. before the ceremony, president obama hosted them at the white house. >> by expressing themselves, they he us learn something about ourselves. they make us laugh. they move us to tears, they bring us together, and they push the boundaries of what we think is possible. >> caroline kennedy hosted the program which finished with a neil diamond song he named after her. ♪

classic. and you can catch the entire kennedy center honors show on december 27th at 9:00 p.m. right here on cbs. this morning, on "the early show," how to protect your cash savings without stuffing it in the mattress. i'm elaine quijano. and this is the "cbs morning news." ugh, my sinus congestion, and it's your fault. instead of blaming me try advil congestion relief. often the real problem is swelling, not mucus. advil congestion relief reduces swelling due to nasal inflammation. so i can breathe. [ mucus ] advil congestion relief. - this is for cindy. i wanted to get her something special this year. - you went to kay. she'll love it. trust me. i know. - more milk? - thanks, dave, but i got to fly.

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i can't. >> >> good morning and welcome to

9news now. today is monday, december 5th. 2 days now until christmas. i'm andrea roane. and i'm mike hydeck. we want to tell you about two school closures in charles county. dr. falling higdon elementary school and middle school in newberg may it please the court , in new burglary, are closed this morning. fog on the eastern shore. southern maryland. right now 42 mostly cloudy skies in washington. temperatures should get comfortable this afternoon. upper 50s and lower 60s. a dense fog advisory in effect

until 9:00. it includes the eastern shore. as you go south and east from the fredericksburg area that is where we have the dense fog advisories, in many areas running half to a quarter mile. even down to zero. to annapolis now, aahs get through the metro and points west, fog is not an issue. temperatures in 30s, but with the fog we have upper 50s and low 60s. let's throw it over to monika santani. no traffic now? >> reporter: you are absolutely right. wow you are listening to me, aren't you howard? overnight construction is actually being picked up on the inner and outer loops. we'll look at 270. things are looking fine as well, coming up from frederick all the way down to the point where the

lanes divide. you are going to be okay. we'll take a live look at the american legion bridge. no problems here across the potomac river. back to the map all the way down to 95 in virginia. into 395 you are going to be okay. you can see traffic moving freely, no problems to report heading toward the beltway. back into maryland and 43:00. back to you andrea and mike. >> reporter: as we speak a number of dc police remain posted at the occupy encampment. >> sunday a few protesters refused to dismantle a wooden structure they had built earlier in the day. >> reporter: it went up overnight. 25-foot high structure guilt for the cold. >> the plan was to heat it to use electricity generation. >> reporter: but occupy dc

didn't have a permit and was asked to take it down. they refused. >> 15 people were arrested for crossing the police line as we were securing the structure. >> reporter: 16 people stayed inside and on top of the structure holding out and trying to negotiate. eventually park police brought in an inspector that deemed the structure unsafe. that is when a second round after rests began. six protesters stayed on the roof. police brought in an armored car and inflated a cushion. two protesters immediately jumped. the rest were plucked one by one in a cherry picker by police. the last protester relieved himself in front of hundreds of peoples. >> he exposed his genitals as he was urinating. >> reporter: police set up ladders and used a rope to remove the man from the

structure. annie torres is proud her son stood up for his beliefs, but like so many here, she questioned whether it was the right choice. >> i wish this whole situation had not happened. i personally don't think the structure was something to take a stand on. so i don't actually agree with the particular situation. this morning rescue crews will resume their search for a missile worker. 35-year-old charles duckett went missing last thursday. he was in a green boat, inspecting the area for a deer hunt and never reported back friday afternoon. his empty boat was later discovered. so will dc councilman harry thomas show up for work today? this morning the committee is working on an