or visit woundedwarriorproject.org. gridlock. more d.c. dysfunction as congress battles over the payroll tax cut and jobless benefits. now another capital showdown is on tap. love and marriage. a surprising new survey finds the two increasingly don't go hand in hand. liz taylor's treasures. massive diamonds and other jewels rake in millions at the auction of a one of a kind collection. this is the "cbs morning news" for wednesday, december 14th, 2011. good morning, everybody. thanks for joining us. i'm betty nguyen. we begin in washington where congress remains in gridlock this morning. the latest flash point an

extension of the payroll tax cut which is now headed to the senate now, the measure passed the house in a mostly party line vote last night. the president has promised a veto, but the bill seems sure to die in the democratic-led senate anyway. it would extend the social security tax cut and extend long-term employment benefits and prevent a cut in medicare payments to doctors. democrats want a more generous tax break and longer unemployment benefits but john boehner says the gop has done its part. >> we've passed a large bill that contains many of the priorities of our caucus and the white house. we have worked to find common ground. the white house says we can't wait on jobs and we agree and that is why we passed this common sense bill. >> another problem for the democrats is that the bill requires construction of an 1800 mile oil pipeline from canada to texas. president obama wants to put off

a decision on that. today, the senate is also scheduled to vote on two proposed constitutional amendments requiring a balanced federal budget. neither one is expected to pass. federal saving safeties are recommending banning all electronic devices while driving. that includes talking on a cell phone even hands-free and texting and e-mailing. national transportation safety board cause such devices a deadly distraction. according to the government distracted driving caused 900,000 crashes last year. 417,000 people were injured and 3,092 were killed. bigad shaban has more. >> reporter: john makes many of his deals on the road. he's a fabric salesman who spends about three hours a day while talking on his hands-free cell phone. >> if i don't have that luxury, then it means almost wasted time while i'm driving.

>> reporter: the national transportation safety board is calling for state bans nationwide on the use of portable trng devices while driving. >> that does apply to bluetooth, hand-he hand-held, hands-free. it is a visual and cognitive distraction and manual distractions we are concerned. >> reporter: investigators point to this train reaction pileup. the driver sent 11 text messages in the 11 minutes before he slammed into a truck. he and another teenager were killed and 38 others were injured. >> we are looking for anything that will keep people safe on the road. >> reporter: jeff spring is with aaa which backs a complete phone ban for teen drivers but he says to change the culture, you need more than just laws. >> we need good education and enforcement as well and people have to know there will be penalties if these laws are passed. >> reporter: john knows the convenience of a ban but dreads the inconvenience. >> i think it would cause a stir with the people.

>> reporter: the ntsb doesn't have the power to force the ban and it isn't aware of any financial incentives to states that make the change. bigad shaban, cbs news, los angeles. now to the penn state sexual abuse scandal which will now go to trial. the accused former penn state football coach jerry sandusky remains free on bail this morning after waiving his right to a preliminary hearing. as many as eight of sandusky's alleged victims were ready to testify in court yesterday. sandusky faces 52 counts related to alleged child sexual abuse involving ten boys. sandusky insists he will prove his innocence. >> stay the course, fight for fourth quarters. we will wait the opportunity to present our side. >> prosecutors say 11 witnesses, including most of the alleged victims, were ready to testify at that hearing. a lawyer for one of them called sandusky a coward for not facing his accusers but there was also a sense of relief. >> every time he has to tell it

in preparation and otherwise, it relives those -- those ghastly moments for him and now he doesn't have to do that. >> meanwhile, sandusky's attorney is in some hot water for comments he made after the hearing was called off. joseph amendola said if anyone thinks penn state officials knew about sandusky's alleged behavior' failed to act, they should think again. >> their response was simply to tell jerry sandusky that don't go in the shower room any more with kids, i suggest you dial 1-800-reality because that makes absolutely no sense. >> amendola said he has used that 1-800-phrase for years to mean something doesn't make sense. to his embarrassment, the number turns out to be a gay sex line. to a story that illustrates changing social attitudes in this country. the percent of married adults has fallen to a record low.

51% of americans are now married and a pugh research center says that is a drop from 57% in 2000 p.m. at the same time, when americans first married has hit all-time high, median age 26 for women. young americans consider marriage, quote, obobsolete. >> reporter: switching to politics now. a new ap poll shows newt gingrich edging romney in the republican race. in today's "the washington post" he calls the former house speaker, quote, an extremely unreliable leader in the conservative world. today, the romney campaign will release an ad attacking gingrich for a tv commercial from 2008. >> hi. i'm nancy pelosi. lifelong democrat and speaker of the house. >> and i'm newt gingrich, lifelong republican and i used

to be speaker. >> we don't always see eye-to-eye, do we, newt? >> no. but we do agree our country must take action to address climate change. >> back then, gingrich said there was sufficient evidence that man-made global warming was real. now he says he is open-minded on the subjected. donald trump now says he won't be moderate ago republican presidential debate in iowa after all. only newt gingrich and rick santorum had agreed to participate. coming up on "the morning news," a reprieve for thousands of post offices. a one-man demolition derby in tennessee. you have to see this to believe it. this is the "cbs morning news." which one is right for me? then i found new pronutrients omega-3. it's from centrum, a name i trust. it goes beyond my heart to support my brain and eyes too. and these ultra-concentrated minigels are much smaller than many others.

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off in someone else's car. but then crashed head-on into a bread truck. look at that! he was injured. and now faces several charges, including attempted murder. my goodness. in miami, a police officer and local residents couldn't help but laugh after his cruiser somehow attempted to climb a telephone pole. yep. the officer says that he leaned down to pick up a pen yesterday and his vehicle rode up the tension support wire for the pole. no one was hurt, but try filling out that accident report. on the cbs "moneywatch," a big sale for boeing aircraft. ashley morrison is here in new york with that and more. i guess you're not buying hundred, huh? >> i'll looking at one but i don't think it's going to happen. asian markets headed down this morning. tokyo's nikkei and hong kong's hang seng lost a strakion. stocks fell tuesday after the fed said it did not offer any

new stimulus for the economy. the dow fell 66 points, while the nasdaq lost 33. the u.s. postal service has agreed to delay the closing of over 200 mail processing centers and nearly 4,000 local post offices until mid may. the cash-strapped agency says delaying the closings will give congress to work on a rescue plan. today, for the first time since the gulf of mexico oil spill, the government is selling the rights to offshore drilling. the government plans to auction about 20.6 million acres of the gulf of mexico for petroleum leases. it is the first gulf auction since last year's bp oil spill. environmental groups are trying to stop the sale. southwest airlines is upgrading its fleet. the carrier has placed a huge order for a redesigned and more fuel-efficient version of boeing's more popular plane, the 737. southwest is buying 208 aircraft valued at nearly $19 billion.

the new planes should help southwest bring down its soaring fuel costs. and finally there are toilets and then there are tl s thrones. this commode is covered with 72,000 pieces of crystal worth almost $150,000. but it's not actually for sale. it is being used to draw more tourists to a ritzy shopping area in tokyo. betty, hhmm! >> a lot of things will draw you to shopping but i don't know if a toilet is exactly number one on my list. >> i don't think so but it is pretty interesting. >> it's pretty but no one will sit on. and if you do, you don't want it in the public eye. ashley morrison in new york, thank you. only 11 shopping days left till christmas. i have so much to do. while there are thousands of toys on the holiday market this season, some already sold out. manuel gallegus shows us which toys are hot this year. >> reporter: goody balloons.

hand-held helicopters, and justin bieber with his latest look. justin's real hairstyle? >> his new real hairstyle so they have to be fast at the manufacturing. >> reporter: toy expert chris burns showed us some of the hot toys this holiday season. for under $20, kids like angry birds and fire flies and zsa zsa hermit crabs. >> they are robotic crabs and has tropical caribbean theme. >> reporter: in new signed of video game that uses little action figures. kids know what they like. >> i like to play with electronics and vogeds. >> reporter: how about the leap bad? educational tablets for little kids are also boy. >> you it has an organizer. >> reporter: parents are telling us this year, they are willing to spend a little more on toys

and games. but they want things that will last long after the holiday is over. >> we like to buy bigger toys that will last versus the smaller, you know, tons of it. >> do you have a budget that you're trying to stay within? >> no. i should, but i don't! >> reporter: grown-ups admit they often go overbudget buying everything from trick planes to collectible barbies. they just can't resist seeing that look on their child's face. manuel gallegus, cbs news, new york. straight ahead, your wednesday morning weather. and in sports, a long distance hockey shot from the raptors in nashville, tennessee. all because so many people wanted to visit us... in louisiana. they came to see us in florida... nice try, they came to hang out with us in alabama... once folks heard mississippi had the welcome sign out, they couldn't wait to get here. this year was great but next year's gonna be even better. and anyone who knows the gulf

knows that winter is primetime fun time. the sun's out and the water's beautiful. you can go deep sea fishing for amberjack, grouper and mackerel. our golf courses are open. our bed and breakfast have special rates. and migrating waterfowl from all over make this a bird watcher's paradise. so if you missed it earlier this year, come on down. if you've already been here come on back... to mississippi... florida... louisiana... alabama. the gulf's america's get-a-way spot no matter where you go. so come on down and help make 2012 an even better year for tourism on the gulf. brought to you by bp and all of us who call the gulf home. and tea to choose from. it's the way to individually brew

fresh, delicious coffee in under a minute. way to brew, hon. 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 rain near the great lakes and snow in the southwest. and a new storm is approaching the northwest. later today, the southern plains could see some severe storms. rain will push from the midwest toward new york. and the southeast will be warmer than normal with a mix of sun and clouds. in sports, 14th ranked wisconsin pulled out a win against instate basketball rival milwaukee. the badgers brian evans scored a career high 16 points, including

a three-point play on a jumper from the top of the key. that picks up a foul. wisconsin went on to win it 60-54. in the nfl, pittsburgh linebacker james harrison will appeal his one-game suspension. the league ruled that harrison must sit out a game for the helmet-to-helmet hit on cleveland quarterback colt mccoy during last thursday's 14-3 steelers win. it was harrison's fourth hit on a quarterback in the last three seasons. in the nhl, ottawa got a come from behind victory. a shot was tapped in for the goal giving the senators a 23er7b w 23er3-2 win over the sabres. >> you can see the hockey puck landing on the ice and then it goes sliding right into the net. that was not trick photography. that really happened. quite amazing. when we return, another look at this morning's top stories.

and liz taylor's jewels sold at an auction. you won't believe how high the bidding went. it has a famous song. ♪ it rides in limos. it has a crew. it gets invited to parties with paparazzi. it hangs out poolside. it has millions of drooling fans. it knows the recipe for success. there's nothing like it. the big mac. it doesn't do interviews. and don't miss the mac snack wrap while it's in the house. the simple joy of famous flavor. ♪ sears real big gift sale of is on now.vor. save 50-60% off clothing for everyone on your list. and incredibly low prices on fleece activewear, only $9.99. plus, get coupons at searsstyle.com for over $100 in extra savings on top of already low sale prices. sears. hurry! sears real big gift sale is on now! up to 40% off all mechanics tools sets, our lowest price ever on this craftsman autohammer,

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on the "cbs morning news," here's a look at today's weather. in the plains, it will be windy and wet in the south with severe storms possible in texas and oklahoma. look for a wintry mix of rain and ice near the canadian border. here is another look at this morning's top stories. the republican-controlled house passed an extension of the payroll tax cut but it includes a requirement for a vukkion of a controversial oil pipeline. the bill is expected to be voted down by the senate. government safety officials are calling for a ban on the use of all portal trng devices by drivers that includes hands-free cell phones. a new government reports

that the u.s. economy is finally slowly striting regain its footing. the census bureau estimates that retail sales in november totaled norly $4 billion. that's a solid increase of vi.7% from a year ago. there was a real spending spree here in new york last night. elizabeth taylor's jewelry collection was on the auction block and the bidding total, nearly $116 million. alexis christoforous shows you the bling it bought. >> at 2.8 million. 3 million now. 3 million 500,000. >> reporter: collectors and fans of the hollywood actress packed christie's auction house in new york to own one of elizabeth taylor's legendary jewels. the crown jewel of her collection the iconic 33 carat potentially flawless white diamond ring, a gift from husband richard burton and sold

for $8.8 million another burton gift here fetched $3.6 million. 80 earrings and necklaces and pendants and rings went under the gavel in what is one of the most important julie auctions in a generation. >> a hallmark of this entire collection is the quality of the stones and the craftsmanship. >> reporter: it took liz taylor to mass her jewelry collection and christie says it's one of the finest in the world. after a fierce bidding battle, the rare pearl necklace known as laperagrena sold for a staggering $1 1.8 million. a record for any jewel. for these well-healed jewelers the legend of elizabeth taylor makes her jewels priceless. alexis christoforous, cbs news, new york. >> those jewels were just stunning! this morning, on "the early show," the season's best games for

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good morning and welcome to 9news now. today is wednesday, december 14th. i'm andrea roane. >> i'm mike hydeck. it is cold but not nearly that cold. good morning, monica. bright and shiny in your

orange. >> mr. bernstein. >> we'll take the low 40s. few more clouds today. it will be a dry wednesday around here. not so much a dry thursday but not terrible either. your day planner here at 4:25 on this wednesday morning. we're at 40 right now. we'll be in the upper 30s to around 40 through 9:00. by noon, partly to mostly cloudy. at 5:00, mostly cloudy. a high today around the 50 degree mark. not as pretty as it has been the last few days. sunrise at 7:18. you can see the clouds we've been watching this morning. quite a bit of rain in ohio, kentucky and indiana. the upper level support won't be on top of us. we'll get the clouds from that. i'm not expecting rain until tomorrow when the shower threat returns. this morning, we're down to freezing in manassas. lots of 30s to around 40. you'll remember yesterday morning, we had spots in the upper teens in spots like frederick and martinsburg. this morning, it is a much milder start to the day with our highs from the mid to upper 40s in the northern shenandoah

valley to about 50 here in town. low 50s, easton, cambridge and out at andrews at 52. let's go to monika samtani. >> it is a nice, quiet wednesday morning. we had construction all around town. things are looking fine around the beltway. you had little spots of construction. especially on the west side of town. i think that was the biggest concern through the tysons area, there was only one lane getting by at route 7 and at route 123. let's take a look live at the american legion bridge. it is nice and quiet. once you get over into tysons, they're probably beginning to pick up the cones right now. we'll go over now to springfield on the northbound side of i-95. things are look good from frederick up into springfield. route 644 and up to 395 and the 14th street bridge, both corridors are looking fine early this morning. coming up, we'll go back into maryland at 4:39. andrea and mike? >> thank you, monika. keep your hands on the wheel and off the phone! the national transportation

safety board wants to put the brakes on texting behind the wheel. the agency says drivers are being driven to distractions. >> the ntsb is calling for a nationwide ban on all portable electronic devices while driving. bed bigad shaban has more. >> john is a fabric salesman who spends three hours a day driving while talking on his hands-free cell phone. >> if i don't have that luxury, almost wasted time while i'm driving. >> the national transportation safety board is calling for state bans nationwide on the use of portable electronic devices while driving. gps tools are not included. but cell phones are. >> that does apply to bluetooth, hand-held, hands free. it is both the visual and the cognitive distractions and the manual distractions we're concerned about. >> according to the federal government, more than 3,000 people died last year in accidents because the driver

was distracted. investigators point to this, chain reaction pileup. a 19-year-old driver sent 11 text messages in the 11 minutes he slammed into a truck. he and another teenager were killed and 38 others were injured. >> we're looking for anything that will keep people safe on the road. >> jeff spring is with aaa which backs a complete phone ban for teen drivers but he says to change the culture, you need more than just laws. >> we have to have good education as well and good enforcement as well. people have to know there will be penalties if the kinds of laws are passed. >> sunsio understands the reason for a ban but dreads the inconvenience. >> it would cause a stir with the people. >> the ntsb doesn't have the power to force the ban and it isn't aware of any financial incentive available to state to make the change. bigad shaban, cbs news, los angeles. plenty of other modes of transportation have been affected by distracted drivers or operators. in 2008, two trains collided