iowa intrigue. a big shake-up? the gop race. michele bachmann campaign suffers a major defection and new poll numbers show rick pgingrich slipping. newt criminal charges considered for the massive gulf oil spill. a lucky puppy. one very cold labrador is rescued from a frozen river just in the nick of time. this is the "cbs morning news" for thursday, december 29th, 2011. captioning funded by cbs this is the "cbs morning news" for thursday, december 29th, 2011. good morning, everybody, i'm a new cnn/"time" poll shows

mitt romney in first place. ron paul in first and there is new trouble for michele bachmann. with an 11th hour defection by her iowa campaign manager. duarte geraldino is in washington with more. >> reporter: michele bachmann was certainly surprised by that defection but such dramatic shift have become common in the weeks leading up to the caucus. now everyone is waiting to see what bold move will happen next. michele bachmann's campaign is dealing with another blow. just hours after appearing with the minnesota congresswoman at an event wednesday, her iowa campaign manager state senator kent sorensen defected, joining ron paul's team. >> i believe two tier of candidates and i believe ron paul is in that tier and i'm here to help him. >> kent sorensen personally told

me he was offered a large sum of money to go to work for the ron paul campaign. >> reporter: paul's team insist it did not pay sorensen slamming the state senator. a new poll shows only 9% would vote for her at next tuesday's caucus. the poll's biggest surprise, former pennsylvania senator rick santorum after struggling for months he suddenly surged to third place with 16%. that is an 11-point gain since the beginning of december. one continue onetime newt gingrich plummeted to third place. ron paul is three points behind the leader mitt romney. >> the president said he wants to fundamentally transform americans. i kind of like america. >> reporter: last night, the former massachusetts governor drew one of his largest crowds yet at a town hall meeting in iowa and hoping for a bigger turnout next week at the iowa

caucuses. it shows whoever wins there will face a rough battle for the eventual republican presidential nomination. on tuesday, perry said he had undergone a transformation on the issue and opposed all abortions, including cases of rape, incest, or if the mother's life was in danger. but, yesterday, perry said he would allow abortion if a woman's life was at risk. ten members of the occupy des moines protest movement were arrested at a demonstration at mitt romney's campaign offices. the demonstrators banged on the office windows demanding that romney release his tax returns. they say they will not disrupt the caucuses but want their case heard. >> instead of saying this is the candidate i want to vote for, we say this is a candidate i'm going to occupy. this is a candidate i think really pushing just destructive

discourse. >> reporter: romney, a multimillionaire says he has no plans took release his tax returns but might disclose more financial information in the future. overseas. tens of thousands of mourners gathered in north korea's capital this morning at the memorial for dictator kim jong-il. today's service follows yesterday's funeral. kim jong-un took center stage today alongside the nation's military elite. iran's new threat to cut off a key oil supply route drew a quick response from washington. it won't be tolerated. iran is threatening to block the strait of hormuz at the mouth of the persian gulf. traders say the iranian threat sounds empty. >> it really doesn't behoove iran to shut the strait of hormuz because those barrels

that they sell to china and travel through the strait of hormuz as well. >> this morning, the price of oil dropped on world markets after rising for six straight days. it's reported the justice department is considering filing the first criminal charges in its probe of the gulf oil spill case. the charges would be brought against employees of british oil giant bp. an explosion on the deep water horizon oil rig in 2010 killed 11 workers and led to a massive oil spill. nearly 5 billion barrels. "wall street journal" reports prosecutors are focusing on u.s. based bp engineers. the government says bp failed to conduct accurate tests on one part of the drill. 2011 may prove to be the safest year on record for air travel. as the year comes to a close, there has been one fatality for every 7.1 million air passengers. according to an aviation industry consulting firm. that compares with the previous record in four of one passenger

death per 6.4 million flyers but that year, there were 33% fewer passengers on many fewer flights. on the cbs "moneywatch," a vending machine that can tell your age and gender. drew levinson is here in new york with that and much more. >> good morning, whit. asian markets finished mostly lower today on new signs of strain on the european banking system. hong kong's hang sang lost almost 1% while tokyo's nikkei ticked down a fraction. today, wall street gets the latest on home sales and a look at the weekly jobless claim numbers. on wednesday, stocks stumbled, snapping a five-day rally. the dow fell 140 points. the nasdaq was down 35. wednesday's losses pushed the s&p 500 into the red for the year after barrelly turning positive on friday. for all of 2011, the index largely viewed as the best barometer for the market, is down 0.6%. the gold rush on wall street is long gone.

gold fell almost 2% yesterday toity lowest closing price since july. silver was also down. the precious metals value is dropping largely on signs of strength in the u.s. economy. one of those signs of strength, holiday sales. last-minute shoppers helped push retail sales up 4.5% the week before christmas. americans spent a record $35 billion online this holiday season and that is up 15% compared to last year. the next big shopping wave is expected to come when people start cashing in their gift cards. meanwhile, a new survey shows netflix and gap among the worst performers when it comes to customer satisfaction this season. the poll also had four marks for sony and toys "r" us. amazon the top spot with the biggest improvements coming from tigerdirect.com and j. krchlt pc. pen

ney ney's. the technology was designed for market research but could be used to control who is permitted to buy a particular product. that, i'm not so sure about. >> a little creepy. >> very strange. >> drew levinson here in new york, thank you. a kind of time travel. the south pacific island nation of samoa is skipping friday. at midnight tonight, its calendar will change to saturday, december 31st. the reason? after nearly 120 years east of the international date line, samoa has decided it wants to be west of it to match up with trading partners like australia. american samoa to the east will stick with the current calendar. coming up on the morning news, the latest on a drug to treat ovarian cancer. plus, why california is banning cough syrup sales to terge. but, first, jeff glor with a preview of tonight's "cbs evening news."

staying healthy. a study that it's possible for seniors to keep their body young tonight on the "cbs evening news." the next i'm saying... i have this thing called psoriatic arthritis. i had some intense pain. it progressively got worse. my rheumatologist told me about enbrel. i'm surprised how quickly my symptoms have been managed. [ male announcer ] because enbrel suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculis, 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. get back to the things that matter most. ask your rheumatologist if enbrel is right for you. [ male announcer ] enbrel. the #1 biologic medicine prescribed by rheumatologists.

[ male announcer ] enbrel. you could get money that's both fast and free on an emerald card. just bring in your tax information... and get a refund anticipation check in 7-14 days, for up to $9,999. call 1-800-hrblock to make an appointment. and more. if you replace 3 tablespoons of sugar a day with splenda®, you'll save 100 calories a day. that could help you lose up to 10 pounds in a year. and now get even more with splenda® essentials, the only line of sweeteners with a small boost of fiber, or antioxidants, or b vitamins in every packet. just another reason why you get more... when you sweeten with splenda®. ♪

two new studies suggest the cancer vuk avastin does not improve survival for most women suffering from ovarian cancer. and that it causes unnecessary side effects. last month, the food and drug administration revoked its approval avastin for treatment of breast cancer. colorado has become the third state to ask the federal drug enforcement administration to reclassify marijuana in a way that allows doctors to prescribe it as a medical treatment. last month, the governors of washington and rhode island also asked that the government list marijuana as a scheduled 2 drug like morphine. starting next year, california will become the first state in the nation to ban the sale of some over-the-counter cough syrup to most teenagers. bigad shaban explains. >> reporter: the doctor's office

isn't the first place jennifer berry turns to when she has a cold. the 16-year-old almost always relies on over-the-counter cough si syrup, but starting january 1st, jennifer will no longer be able to buy a bottle on her own. california lawmakers are baping the sale of most cough medicine to teens. dextromethorphan or dxm can cause hallucinations or even death. >> the number one drug of children under 18, more common than marijuana because it is is so easily accessible. >> reporter: teens will be able to buy the cough syrup if they have a prescription. an estimated 5.5% of ten graders got high on cough medicine this year. >> people using it for recreational purposes may be taking half a bottle to a full bottle and maybe even more that on a daily basis. >> reporter: the makers of cough medicine support the change and are trying to raise awareness

about dxm online. >> it seriously destroyed me, it really did. >> reporter: but this teen convinced the law will prevent abuse. >> if they want to get it, they will. doesn't matter if there is a law against it or not. >> reporter: and she says it only makes it harder for people like her who want to take the right dose for the right reason. bigad shaban, cbs news, los angeles straight ahead, your thursday morning weather. and in sports, texas trickery. the longhorns pull a surprise play in the holidy bowl game. multi-policy discount. paperless discount. paid-in-full discount. [yawning] homeowner's discount. safe driver discount. chipmunk family reunion. someone stole the nuts. squirrel jail. justice! countless discounts. now that's progressive. call or click today.

so i used my citi thank you card to pick up some accessories. a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? we talked about getting a diamond. but with all the thank you points i've been earning... ♪ ...i flew us to the rock i really had in mind. ♪ [ male announcer ] the citi thank you card. earn points you can use for travel on any airline, with no blackout dates. covergirl trublend has skin twin technology. other makeup can sit on the surface of your skin, so it looks like...makeup. but trublend has skin twin technology to actually merge with your skin. you get skin twin coverage that's perfectly true. and you're more perfectly you. [ female announcer ] plus, with trublend, you always get a perfect match. if you're a shade 1 here, you're a 1 here... and here. how easy breezy beautiful is that? trublend...from covergirl.

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 thick clouds in the northwest producing rain showers and snow showers and mostly clear in the northeast. the southern half of the country is calm with just a few clouds cutting over the southeast. the northwest will have rain and wind with snow in the northern rockies. the southwest will be mild with highs in the 60s and sevent70s. new england will be seasonally cold with highs in the teens and

20s. in sports, the texas longhorns dip deep into the playbook in the holiday bowl. texas quarterback david ash handed off a double reverse and then caught a pass for a fl flea-flicker touchdown against california. later the longhorns went on to a 21-10 victory. in college basketball, number one ranked syracuse remains undefeated. the orange got a career high 12 points from fab mellow against seton hall. he blocked ten shots. a new school record. syracuse crushed the pirates 75-49. in kentucky the fourth ranked louisville cardinals were upset by number 12 georgetown as starks had a career high 20 points. the hoyas held off louisville in the closing seconds for a 71-68 win. in the nba, the heat are still perfect this season. in the fourth quarter, miami's

lebron james went for a dunk. take a look at this. it goes through the rim but the ball hit gerald henderson's head and bounced out. the refs should have called it a score but didn't. in the closing seconds, dwyane wade hit a clutch bank shot over henderson. miami went on to beat charlotte 96-95. when we return, another look at this morning's top stories. and a milestone achieved for new york city's 9/11 memorial.

it's sears happy new year's sale save on all fitness equipment, including nordictrack. save up to 25% on all kenmore appliances. plus save an extra 15% on all appliances over $499 with your sears card. don't miss the happy new year's sale. sears.

on the "cbs morning news," here's a look at today's weather. another storm system is on its way into the great lakes bringing light snow and rain to michigan and pennsylvania. other storms are delivering rain and snow to the pacific northwest. here is another look at this morning's top stories. michele bachmann's iowa

campaign manager has jumped ship. bachmann says kent sorensen join the ron paul campaign because he was offered, quote, a large sum of money. paul's campaign says that's not true. and federal prosecutors are said to be considering filing criminal charges in the gulf oil spill case. the "wall street journal" reports prosecutors are focusing on bp engineers based in the u.s. a milestone for the september 11th memorial here in new york. it will be announced today that the site has had 1 million visitors since it opened to the public this past september. about 10,000 people visit the ground zero site each day. no more than 1,500 people are allowed into the memorial grounds at one time. the library of congress has chosen more than two dozen new titles for the national film registry. the selection brings to 575, the number of classic movies to be preserved for their cultural, artistic, or historical significance. manuel gallegus reports.

>> my mom always said, life was like a box of chocolates. >> reporter: 1994 forrest gump is one of 25 films the library of congress chose this year to preserve for future generations. the newly honored classic span decades from 1912 silent medicalmelo drama to "bambi." >> it's a film that succeed with each generation. it captures a new age of viewers and is one of those films that endures from one generation to the next. >> reporter: some are based on true stories like "stand and deliver." a wave of movies that latino filmmakers made in the '80s. and "norma rae." any new movies out now have to wait. they have to be at least ten

years old. >> the current films, i don't think any of them would belong in that. >> reporter: the library chooses movies that reflect american culture and history. from the controversial depiction of african-americans in this one, to the cold war hysteria of alien invaders in 1953 "war of the worlds." and one of the greatest of all time made the cut, hannibal made the cut in "silence of the lambs." something for every taste. manuel gallegus, cbs news, new york. a dog in north dakota is back home safe and sound after a big scare in a rescue. the black lab named jake fell into the icy red river in fargo, tuesday. you can see his paws just barely holding on and holding on for dear life on the edge of the ice with his front paws but could not get out of the water. a firefighter who was wearing a

small camera was able to pull jake out. he was wet and very cold but not seriously harmed. there he is. back home. a little warmer. i'm whit johnson. and this is the "cbs morning news." t fall. ugh, it's my sinus congestion, and it's all your fault. naturally blame the mucus. he's funny. instead of blaming me, try this, advil congestion relief. often the real problem is swelling, not mucus. advil congestion relief reduces swelling due to nasal inflammation. so i can breathe. happily ever after. another story? from him! [ mucus ] advil congestion relief. the right relief for the real problem. [ mucus ] advil congestion relief. you could get money that's both fast and free on an emerald card. just bring in your tax information... and get a refund anticipation check in 7-14 days, for up to $9,999. call 1-800-hrblock to make an appointment. new pronamel iso-active is a toothpaste in a can.

the gel transforms into a foam and surrounds your teeth. pronamel iso-active helps protect against

we'll bring you a report later in the newscast. traffic will be an issue and monika samtani is here to tell us how to get around it. >> this happened in the langley park area. let's go to a graphic first so i can give you some perspective. right here inside the beltway, university boulevard blocked at piney branch road north of langley park or south of eastern middle school and the beltway. your options are great, actually. you've got a few options on the east and west side of this. route 29 to the west. new hampshire avenue to the east. what i suggest to you is the investigation is going to take awhile. avoid the area altogether.

give police the space they need to do their work there. it is going to be there for awhile. again, university boulevard and tiny branch road is what's blocked right now. we'll go to a live picture from our mdot camera to show you what's going on with the police activity there. and again, it is going to be blocked there for awhile. we'll show you the beltway on the north side of town. if you're one of those drivers who travel through silver spring, we'll go to a travel land camera. the beltway is not affected. once again, university boulevard blocked at tiny branch road. >> to recap our breaking news, a deadly crash, at university boulevard east of piney branch road in silver spring, montgomery police are investigating. we know that two young women are dead, a third younger woman was taken to the hospital. we're not sure the extent of the injuries. traffic is going to be blocked in that area. there are several alternate routes. monika will continue to update you on the situation. we'll continue to update on the news value of it as well. let's toss it over to olga with a first look at the weather. >> current temperatures, it is

definitely chilly outside this morning. dropped into the 20s outside the beltway sitting at about 30 degrees for arlington. 33 at reagan national but the numbers will continue to dive over the next two hours or so. right now, we're looking pretty good in and around the region. our day planner will keep us mainly with cloudy skies for this morning as we get into midday and late afternoon. partial clearing around lunchtime. then as we get into the evening hours and overnight hours, overcast skies will prevail. we'll hold our highs only into the upper 40s. monika? >> thanks, olga. rockville pike is open this morning but part of it was shut down for hours after a deadly collision between a pickup truck and a metrobus. the driver of the pickup truck was killed. 11 people on the bus were hurt. this was around 4:15 yesterday afternoon. the pickup truck was headed south when they slammed into each other near altavista

road. >> i felt the bus kind of sway and then it was just like bang, we sit something. >> a total of eight people were taken to the hospital. a witness we talked to said the driver was complaining that they were cut off by the pickup truck. the driver of the bus said that. police are still investigating the cause however. >> burglars are hitting homes in cheverly in broad daylight. they may be doing it because they think no one is home but it doesn't mean no one is watching. ken molestina explains. >> reporter: the kirk cam was rolling in the first of a string of burglaries that hit cheverly. this happened in november and it has happened half a dozen times in the area. >> a burglary is, in my opinion, one of the worst invasions of privacy there is. your home is your palace. >> in all of the cases, detective jones says the suspects enter homes during the day when no one is there. when they realize it is empty, they smash windows and go inside. the burglars are mo