and rebuild their lives. you can help. visit p-v-a dot org. up in flames. a fast-moving, out of control brushfire near reno, nevada scorches more than 20 homes. gingrich bites back. the former speaker lashes out following a question about his ex-wife. >> i am appalled that you would begin a presidential debate on a topic like that. and special delivery. a postal carrier is caught on camera not handling a package a postal carrier is caught on camera not handling a package with care. captioning funded by cbs this is the "cbs morning news" for friday, january 20, 2012. good morning. thanks for joining us on this friday. i'm betty nguyen.

firefighters in reno, nevada are hoping the weather cooperates today as they try to get the upper hand on a brushfire that destroyed more than 20 homes. that fire forced people to evacuate their neighborhood thursday evening. the fire started just after noon near a highway and was helped by dry conditions and wind gusts of more than 80 miles an hour. >> to say that we're in the thick of battle is an understatement. we've got a lot of people working to protect homes and neighborhoods. >> 250 firefighters were able to stop the fire from reaching the southern outskirts. but the fast-moving flames have burned at least six square miles. by thursday evening, more than 10,000 people were told to flee their homes. >> miles from here and then just 5:00 everything is over the hills. here we go. >> by nightfall, the flames could be seen from reno's downtown casino district. but an evening rainstorm helped to stop the fire at a high school where just a few hours

earlier vice president joe biden was speaking. the fire forced biden to cut the speak short. >> they've just told me, if i don't let you guys get out of here relatively soon, they're going to make you get out of here. >> as many as 120 more firefighters are arriving today to help battle those flames. they'll work through the weekend to get the fire under control. one person was found dead in an area that was burned. but authorities have not determined the cause of death. the search of that capsized cruise liner off the italian coast has been suspended this morning. a fire official says the costa concordia moved again. rescue crews are evaluating the situation. at least 11 people died in last week's grounding. the company which owns costa cruises called for a review of all safety and emergency procedures. now to politics. the rapidly evolving race for the republican presidential nomination.

newt gingrich appears to be gang conservative approach. he's denying stunning allegations about his personal life. one poll has gingrich leading in south carolina. a survey by the american research group completed two days ago has gingrich leading romney among likely republican voters. the four remaining gop candidate debated last night in charleston. susan mcginnis is there. how did that play out? >> reporter: good morning, betty. the fireworks flew last night. all of the candidates came out swinging. starting with newt gingrich who from the very first question attacked the moderator. >> you chose to start the debate with it. don't try to blame somebody else. >> newt gingrich kicks off the debate on the defensive. blasting the first question of the moderator. >> i am appalled that you would begin a presidential debate on a topic like that. >> he fumd after being asked about his ex-wife mary anne. she claimed thursday gingrich once asked her for an open marriage when he was an having

an affair. >> he was asking to have an open marriage and i refused. >> the story is false. >> let's get on to the real issues is all i got to say. >> mitt romney faced more questions about his tax returns. he still insists on waiting until april to release them and only if he's the nominee. but he wouldn't say how far back they would go. >> you know, i don't know how many years i'll release. i'll look at what the documents are. >> romney is fighting to hang on to his lead here in south carolina with voters going to the polls tomorrow, recent surveys show gingrich closing in. >> gingrich could get another boost now that he has the backing of rick perry. the latest gop dropout. but rick santorum tried to crush that momentum, accusing the former speaker of acting erratically. >> at times you go to sort of that worrisome moment that something is going to pop and we can't afford that in a nominee. >> the jabs are expected to continue today. >> you're overly sensitive.

>> the last full day of campaigning ahead of tomorrow's make or break primary. the voting starts tomorrow morning. that's when we'll soon after find out, betty, if history holds in every election since 1980. the winner of this primary has go on to win the republican nomination. >> thank you, susan. just after the debate last night began, gingrich released his tax returns. the former speaker of the house earned $3.1 million in 2010. most of the money came from his companies, partnerships and investments. gingrich and his wife paid nearly $995,000 in taxes. that's at a rate of 31.6%. gingrich had been attacking mitt romney who says he paid closer to 15% in income taxes. as we reported, texas governor rick perry dropped out of the race and endorsed gingrich. perry said, "newt is not perfect, but perry believes

gingrich can transform the country." >> i have no question that newt gingrich has the heart of a conservative reformer, the ability to rally and captivate the conservative movement. the courage to tell those washington interests to take a hike. >> perry has returned to texas. his campaign suffered several verbal gaffes and poor debate performances. back in iowa, new numbers from the caucuses. the iowa republican party now says rick santorum has a 34-vote advantage over mitt romney. it originally declared romney the winner by eight vote. but there is no official winner. eight precincts have not turned in an official ballot. so we may never know the true winner. well, one-time republican presidential candidate herman cain said he would make an unconventional endorsement. he announced his choice yesterday. >> not a candidate seeking the nomination, not someone that's

not running. my unconventional endorsement is the people. we the people of this nation are still in charge. that's who i am endorsinendorsi. >> cain invited supporters to sign up for his army and support his 999 tax legislation. ziechblt president obama is back in washington afa tending -- the president stopped off at the landmark apollo theater and a $35,000 per ticket fundraiser at the home of film director spike lee. erl ear, he talked about jobs at disney world in florida. today a super pac in florida is running an ad in south carolina. it's aimed at mitt romney calling him pro life, pro choice and pro profit. it quotes romney before he changed his position on abortion. the ad also says omni profited from investments in a medical

waste company that disposes of "aborted children and the instruments used to kill them." a protest at new york's federal courthouse has been nixed by a judge. the judge said the courthouse could not be a public forum. occupy the courts protests are planned nationwide today. it's the second anniversary of the supreme court decision allowing unlimited political spending by corporations, unions and other groups. overseas, an afghan soldier shot and killed four nato troops. reuters reports the victims are french soldiers. 17 others were wounded. the suspected gunman has been captured. also this morning, cbs news confirms that six u.s. marines were killed in a helicopter crash in southern afghanistan. the crash happened yesterday in helmand province. nato says there was no activity

in the area at the time. hackers take down the justice department website in an act of revenge. another mail carrier caught on tape practicing his free-throw with a delicate package. first, scott pelley has a preview of tonight's "cbs evening news." as the south carolina primary approaches, steve hartman goes on the road to find his candidate. it's a man with a half century on the job who doesn't think politicians should talk politic. his story tonight on the "cbs evening news." and with all oxi-active,ce] neither do moms. it helps get out your family's tough dirt and stains the first time, every time. try all oxi-active. what's going on? we ordered a gift online and we really need to do something with it... i'm just not sure what... what is it? oh just return it. returning gifts is easier than ever with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service. if it fits, it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate.

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so how's this for a special delivery. the postal service carrier can't open the gate so he lobs the package over the fence. watch it again. this is security video from a home in north hollywood, california. look at what happened to the valuable antique cuckoo clock in that bobbing. busted, just like the mailman

who is in trouble with his boss. the hacker group known as anonymous is claiming it hacked the justice department website and others yesterday. it followed the government shutdown of mega upload.com. fbi agents raided an office in washington, d.c. the sooilt operators are are charged with half a billion dollars in copyright violations and accused of encouraging uploads of pirated movies, music and other files. on the cbs money watch, mortgage rates hit an all-time low. apple gets into the digital textbook business. ashley morrison is here in new york with the latest. >> good morning, betty. in overseas trading stronge and job reports. the nikkei finished up to the highest level of in more than two months. hang seng rose by nearly 1%. the lowest number of unemployment claims. the dow added 45 points and the

nasdaq gained more than 18. investors were searching for reasons that google missed the mark on its earnings report. the internet company's fourth quarter profits were up 6%. but that wasn't enough to beat estimates. microsoft did better than expected to end 2011. the computer giant was lifted by holiday sales of x-box video game console. but the big winner of the day was general motors. gm has regained the title of world's largest auto seller. the american car maker sold more than 9 million vehicles worldwide last year. the company also reported a net income of more than $7 billion. it announces the full year results next month. the mortgage rate is at the lowest level every. the average rate is now 3.88% according to freddie mac. the 15-year rate rose slightly. rupert murdoch's media company is paying cash to more

than three dozen victims of a scandal. they apologized for the intrusion but did not admit that senior officials knew about the practice. the company is paying out about one million dollars that will be divided amongst the complainants. there's nothing old school about ipad but the company hopes to make it a regular tool for students. apple is starting to sell electronic textbooks that can be downloaded on to the ipad. the e-books will contain interactive elements. that sure would have made my backpack lighter, betty. >> here's the problem. say you lose it. then you lose all your books, right? >> that would be bad news, right. >> cuts both ways. ashley morrison in new york. straight ahead, your friday morning weather and in sport, a big night for lebron james. cranking up the heat on the lakers. [ male announcer ] juice drink too watery? ♪ feel the power my young friend. mmm!

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here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. new york, partly sunny, 34. miami, partly sunny, 78. that's warm. chicago, snow there. 25. dallas, partly sunny, 77. l.a. cloudy, 66. time now for a check of the national forecast. the northwest will see ice turning to rain in coastal areas with heavy snow in the mountains. snow will move into the dakotas across the great lakes into the ohio valley. it will be cold from western new york to maine with single-digit

highs. the southeast will have moderate temperatures with widespread showers and the southwest will be sunny and warm. in sports, a busy night for lebron james in los angeles. early in the game, the lakers roberts gave james a marred forearm drawing a technical foul. later james chased a ball in a front row seat occupied by the malins owner. he scored 31 points capped by a steal and a one-handed break away jam. leading the heat to a 98-87 victory. in houston, the rockets led all the way. but new orleans came back to send the game into overtime. the closing seconds, houston's kevin martin missed but samuel dalembert scored with a follow-u slam. in college ball, dauk ins could not miss early in the game against wake forest.

21 points come on seven first half three-pointers. austin rivers took over for the blue devils scoring most of his 20 points in the second half. the final 91-73 duke. in the nfl, giants quarterback eli manning was back at practice preparing for the nfc title game against the 49ers. manning left wednesday's workout early with what the team called a stomach bug. the patriots tom brady also practiced yesterday after a day off to rest his left nonthrowing shoulder. the patriots play the ravens on sunday. when we return, a 3,000-mile mystery. how did an alzheimer's patient missing in california end up in new york's grand central terminal? when i grow up. maybe it's your name. richard? smucker. (announcer) when your name is smucker everyone knows you'll grow up to make the world's best jam. with a name like smucker's, it has to be good.

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here's a look at today's weather in some cities around the country. washington, d.c., 38. atlanta 60. detroit, afternoon snow, 24

degrees. denver, partly sunny, 55 degrees. seattle, it's going to be 41. in oregon, heavy rain and melting snow pushed rivers over their banks flooding highways, parts of portland and cities to the south. at least two deaths are blamed on the storm system. the governor has declared a state of emergency in four counties and may add others to that list. canadian freestyle skier and x game star sarah burke has died. she died yesterday after a bad fall last week during a routine stunt on a half pike in park city, utah. burke had ruptured an artery in her neck that caused bleeding in her brain and led to cardiac arrest. the four-time winter x game champ helped the super pike get accepted into the olympics. sarah burke was just 29 years old. the operators of japan's crippled fukushima plant have

released the first pictures inside one of the reactors. they show pipes, steam and rusty metal surfaces scarred by exposure to heat and water in the ten months since the earthquake and tsunami. an alzheimer's patient missing for more than a week from san francisco has been found in new york city. 81-year-old jude hunter turned up dazed and confused in grand central station nine days after he had vanished. how he got from oakland, california to new york nearly 3,000 miles on his own? well, that's ace mystery. the fact that he survived is almost a miracle. >> in many cases, if they're not found within 24 hours, they are likely to suffer serious injury or even death. so it is remarkable that this person was able to travel in such a long distance in so many days. >> the alzheimer's association recommends patients wear a medic alert bracelet with a contact phone number on it.

coming up later on "cbs this morning," a one-on-one interview with filmmaker george lucas. i'm betty nguyen, this is the "cbs morning news." v.o: can now be enjoyed in your coffee ( can i, can i (repeated) ) v.o: only international delight v.o: put's the real flavours from v.o: your favourite treats inside is really my mother. they keep asking me if the dirty guy is really my son. huh -- what do you tell 'um? holy smokes, these viva towels really are tough, even when wet! [ mike ] for the record, that's my real father, cleaning up a real mess on a real grill. see? very impressive! you're a natural. oh that's much better...

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good morning and welcome to 9news now. i'm happy to say that today is friday, january 20th. i'm andrea roane. >> i'm mike hydeck. if you're tired, don't worry. you'll make it. monika samtani. i have a light blue tie because

this is on the eve of the patriots beating the ravens this weekend. take that! good morning, anny in for howard this morning. >> good morning. we have a lot going on today. late tonight, early tomorrow morning, we're looking at a chance for some wintry weather coming this way. some sleet, some freezing rain. pay attention closely. we have a winter storm watch in effect. north and west of town including frederick, shenandoah, the winter warning that includes cumberland, petersburg and hagerstown. oakland under a winter storm warning. this is again from starting tonight, not earlier today but tonight through tomorrow and wintry mix of snow, sleet, freezing rain. a quarter inch of ice is possible. now, for today though, waking up to cold conditions out there. temperatures will be cold for all day today. mid-30s by 1:00 under mostly cloudy conditions. winds will be out of the north

today. by 3:00, temperatures in the mid-30s to upper 30s and by 5:00, 37 degrees and it will be a cloudy day. may see some breaks of sun to start out your day. right now, 36 in downtown. 33 in gaithersburg. 32 in martinsburg. cumberland down to 28 degrees. fredericksburg, 36 degrees. our satellite radar picture showing us we had one little system go through. north of us bringing more snow showers up to the north in philadelphia up to parts of upstate new york. cold for today, high of 37. chance for snow showers and snow flurries tonight. that changing to a wintry mix of maybe sleet and freezing rain. through early saturday morning, that then changing to just rain by the afternoon. so, i am concerned about some very slick roads tomorrow morning. high tomorrow, 40.

sunday, cold. temperatures 39 degrees. with increasing clouds in the afternoon. chance for some light rain in afternoon and evening hours. saturday morning, if you can hold off on your plans, i would do that. here's monika with your timesaver traffic. >> good morning, anny. good morning, everybody. mostly it is just a construction and there are two big spots in virginia. starting off with the west side of town. on the inner loop of the beltway between the dulles toll road and the gw parkway, it was the three left lanes blocked there. if you're just heading out the door, they're just cleaning that up. you have to scoot over to the right to get around it. we'll take a live look at 270 heading southbound coming down from shady grove road down to the point where the lanes divide. basically, this is what it looks like in from frederick. as you go back to the maps, this time on the northbound side of i-95, another big construction spot before route 7100 in the three left lanes, stay to the right to get around that. live look at 395. look at how nice and quiet that

is. more coming up at 4:39. thank you, monika. today is the last full day of campaigning before saturday's south carolina primary. the four remaining candidates traded sharp jabs at a debate in charleston last night. >> fireworks flew as newt gingrich blasted the moderator's first questions about his marital issues. >> you chose to start the debate with it. >> newt gingrich kicks off the debate on the defensive blasting the moderator's first question. >> i am appalled you would begin a presidential debate with a topic like that. >> he fumed after being asked about his ex-wife, maryian. she claimed thursday gingrich once asked her for an open marriage when he was asking an affair. >> he was asking to have an open marriage and i refused. >> the story is false. >> let's get on to the real issues. >> mitt romney faced more questions about his tax return. he still insist