capitol hill compromise. lawmakers expect to unveil a tentative deal on extending the payroll tax cut later today. on the rise. president obama's approval rating is the highest it's been in over a year. and little dog big win. malachi, a slow-moving pekinese and little dog big win. malachi, a slow-moving pekinese is america's top dogment this is the "cbs morning news" for wednesday, february 15th, 2012. good morning everybody. thanks for joining us. i'm betty nguyen. congress hopes to send president obama legislation to renew the payroll tax cut by the end of the week. details of a tentative agreement to extend the tax cuts through

the end of the year are being worked out today. it addresses long-term jobless benefits and doctors' pay. the agreement is a win for the president. it also takes the issue out of the election campaign. something that concerns republicans. susan mcginnis is in washington with details. good morning, susan. >> good morning, betty. this could be on the president's desk very soon. it is seen as win for the white house. it happened after republicans conceded that the cost of extending this tax break does not have to be matched by spending cuts. republicans gathered on capitol hill to hear details of a tentative agreement to extend the payroll tax cuts that's expected to be unveiled later today. >> for the most part, i would say most people are for it or at least accepting it. >> lawmakers say the deal will likely extend the two percentage tax cuts through the end the year for 160 million americans. it will save the average worker about $20 a week. but the extension won't be paid for and will add an estimated

$100 billion to the deficit. it's a concession republicans made after negotiations stalled. >> i think the move is to get it off the table. we've got to move on to another issue. >> as negotiators closed in on a deal, harry reid said he's confident the payroll tax cut will pass both houses. >> not everything we do here has to be a big fight. it appears that the republicans in the house acknowledge that. >> reporter: congress is expected to vote on the bipartisan compromise in the next few days and the measure could end up on the president's desk by the end of the week. on tuesday, president obama said the tax cut helps boost the economy and urged lawmakers to act quickly so it doesn't expire at the end of the month. >> the last thing we need is for washington to stand in the way of america's comeback. >> the deal will also help jobless americans, long-term unemployment benefits will likely be renewed although lawmakers say the number of weeks it's paid may be scaled back. something the democrats did not get, renewing some to expire tax

breaks for individuals and businesses, including a clean energy tax credit and tax breaks for companies buying new equipment. betty? >> susan mcdpin is in washington for us. thank you, susan. the economy will be a key issue in the election and as it improves, so does the president's standing in the eyes of voters. a new poll shows the overall approval rating reached 50%. that's the highest since may of 2010. there are signs of economic optimism. 75% say the economy is in bad shape, 34% say it's getting better. in november that number was just 18%. the poll also shows president obama leading all of the republican candidates in november election matchups. in the race for the gop nomination, rick santorum is now in the lead. the former pennsylvania senator pulled ahead of mitt romney thanks in large part to voters who want a candidate who represents their values.

santorum us popularity grew last week when he went on the offensive against president obama. santorum attacked a white house mandate that faith baids institutions provide employees free access to birth control. in an interview with an evangelical blog last october, santorum called contraceptives dangerous and does not support any government policy that supports contraception or abortion. >> one of the things i will talk about, that the president has talked about before, i think the dangers of contraception in this country, a whole sexual liberty idea, many perceive faith and said, well, that's okay, contraception is okay. it's not okay. it's a license to do things of a sexual realm that is counter to what -- how things are supposed to be. >> the latest cbs news new york times poll shows that 61% of those asked believe religious employers should be required to cover contraception and

catholics support the federal birth control mandate at the same rate as all-americans. the state of virginia is on the verge of granting a law for personalized rights to fertilize eggs. the rights of persons apply the moment eggs and sperm unite. it's one of the strict he's anti-abortion laws in years. it's likely to pass the senate and virginia's governor says he will sign it. in syria today, government forces kept up their bombardment of the city of homs rebel stronghold has gone on for nearly two weeks reportedly killing more than 400 people. video posted online shows smoke rising from a sunni muslim neighborhood in the city. an activist group said an oil pipeline was hit. an eyianian official said it will start fueling the nuclear reactor today. it's the first time it's been

loaded with nuclear fuel rods. it's denying charges it's behind attacks on india. israeli officials say there's a link between the attacks and a botched bombing in thailand yesterday. david martin has our report. >> a foot soldier in the covert war lay covered in soot and blood. it was the violent end of a botched terrorist operation in bangkok. it began with an explosion in this house which was apparently a bomb factory. three men fled. one tried to stop a passing taxi by throwing a grenade at it. he threw another grenade at the police, but it bounced back and blew his own leg off. the second man also an iranian was picked up later at the airport as he tried to flee the country. the third is still at large. at the bomb factory police found two magnetic bombs similar to ones used yesterday in attempted

attacks against israeli diplomats. u.s. intelligence believes those were the work of iran in retaliation forisse rail's suspected bombings of iranian nuclear scientists which also used magnetic bombs. so far, no one has been killed by the retaliatory attacks, but defense secretary panetta says it's an ominous move by iran. >> it's deliberately supplying equipment and arms to others to engage in terrorist activity. that, too, concerns us very much. >> at the very least, these plots show iran has no intention of backing down in the confrontation over its nuclear program. david martin, cbs news, the pentagon. it's reported that the obama administration is considering dramatic cuts in this country's nuclear arsenal. no final decision has been made but the associated press reports there are three possible options on the table. one would reduce the number of

u.s. warheads by 80% down to 300 from the current level of over 1500. the next leader of china is headed to iowa today. chinese president met yesterday. trade and rights were at the top of the agenda. he'll visit the small iowa town he visited in 1985. party leader doing research on farming. xi is expected to become the president of china next year. who can resist a face like that? a tiny pekinese wins over the judges at the westminster dog show. plus, in "moneywatch," whitney houston's music gets a big surge on the sales charts. first, scott pelley has a preview of tonight's "cbs evening news." 50 years after cbs brought you the first ever televised tour of the white house, we'll talk to the man who produced yak i kennedy's historic broadcast.

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could've had a v8. fans of the late whitney houston created a memorial to her on the fence around her home church in newark, new jersey. a private funeral will be held there on saturday. flags will be lowered to half-staff on new jersey state buildings. houston died last weekend at a beverly hills hotel at the age of 48. whitney houston's fans are also reaching for their wallets and there's a warning about a widely used cancer drug. ashley morrison is here in new york with that and so much more. good morning, ashley. >> good morning, betty. checking overseas markets, a big rally in asia. tokyo's nikkei jumped 2.5% for a six-month closing high while the hang seng shot up more than 2%. on wall street, the stocks rallied. the dow added 4 point and the nasdaq inched up less than a point. eurozone leaders are

canceling a meeting to discuss the second bailout of the greek economy. they want greece's parliament to find hundreds of millions of dollars more in savings before authorzing the new rescue package. without the bailout, greece is at risk of sliding into bankruptcy. the drug maker roush says counter vials of avastin have made it into healthcare facility. the phony drugs don't contain the active ingredient. it's unclear how many counter vials are in circulation. avastin generates about $6 billion a year for them. it was a near record year for giving to america's colleges and universities. schools took in more than $30 billion in charitable contributions last year. the second highest ever. stanford university topped the list which reached nearly $710 million. it was followed by harvard, yale and m.i.t. since her death on saturday,

sales of whitney houston's recordings have soared. in the day and a half after she died, fans bought more than 100,000 of her albums and her ballad, i will always love you was downloaded 195,000 times up from just 3,000 the week before. such an an credible voice. i can't get the songs out of my head. ashley morrison here in new york. thank you for that. straight ahead, your wednesday morning weather and in sport, the new york knicks and their lining ways. jeremy lin continues to amaze. to life really make us heroes? gk "lining ways. jeremy lin continues to amaze.

here's a look at weather this some cities around the country today. new york, mostly cloudy, 50 degrees. miami, it's going to be sunny, 81 there. chicago under clouds, 45. dallas morning thunderstorms, 74. l.a. thunderstorms and 61. time now for a check of the national forecast. rain and thunderstorms will move out of the eastern plains and into the ohio valley. tennessee and alabama. damaging thunderstorms with possible tornadoes are likely from east texas to alabama. rain and snow will fall in the southwest including southern california. the pacific northwest will have showers and the northeast will be dry. in sport, the new york knicks haven't yet lost when jeremy lin is in the lineup. last night in toronto, the stands were sprinkled with lin signs but jose calderon helped the raptors stay in front for most of the game.

in the fourth period, lin kicked it in to high gear with a driving layup. then an inside pass for amari stoudemire jam from him and one with of lin's 11 assists in that one. the game-winning three-pointer with a half second left on the clock. lin says he's just grateful to get the opportunity. >> thankful that the coach and my teammates trust me with the ball at the end of the game and you know, i like having it at the end of the game. but i'm just very thankful. >> the fans are thankful too. lin had 27 points for the night as the knicks won their sixth strait, 90-8. how ga sol scored seven out of 20 point in the last 5 1/2 minutes to lead the lakers against the atlanta hawks and met a world peace helped nail down the victory. when we return, another look at the top stories of morning and the pedigreed pekinese that swept away the competition at

the westminster kennel club dog show. meta world peace helped nail

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here's a look at the weather in some cities. washington, d.c., 52. atlanta partly sunny, 64. detroit, mostly cloudy, 41. denver, partly cloudy, 31. seattle, partly sunny, 46. here's another look at this morning's top stories. congressional leaders reached a tentative deal on extending the payroll tax cut to the end of the year. the compromise legislation includes a renewal of long-term jobless benefits and a huge cut in medicare payments to doctors. in syria, the government assault on city of homs continues. activists say an oil pipeline

was hit and this morning syrian troops also stormed a neighborhood in the capital of damascus. now, to america's top dog. he weighs just 11 pounds, including an impressive mop of fluffy if you remember. but last night he was named the big winner at the annual westminster kennel club dog show in las vegas. manuel gallegos was there. it was his demeanor that made him a winner in the eyes of the judge. malachi the pekinese now proudly owns the title best in show. he beat out a german shepherd, a dalmatian, a doberman pinscher, irish setter and wire-haired dachshund at the westminster dog show. >> i mean, i had high expectations for him and he hasn't disappointed in any way. >> those in the audience either loved the judge's choice or just weren't so keen on the pekinese. >> we were definitely rooting for the pekinese. he's so beautiful. one of a kind. >> i think he's really ugly. >> who are you rooting for?

>> i like the doberman and the irish setter. >> malachi beat out more than 2,000 dogs at the westminster dog show and for the other ones who didn't make it all the way, it's been a long couple of days. st. bernard jewel was a finalist in the working crew. >> what makes her such a beautiful dog in the judges' eyes. >> she has wond fum movements. she never puts a paw down wrong and the judges love that. >> finalist boxer scarlet had quite the resume with 88 titles on the competitive road to westminster. >> it's a love, dedication and passion. >> hailey, a five-year-old sa made didn't win any ribbons this time. >> everybody is tired but i think everybody shares the same feeling that it was a great experience. >> they are all adored. but only one is best in show. manuel gallegus, cbs news, new york. not only is she top dog, she can moonlight as a mom. also in new york, four

valentine's day weddings at the empire state building. two women from anchorage alaska, both personal trainers, became the first same sex couple ever to tie the knot in the iconic building. they won the opportunity in an online contest. singer justin bieber has lots of fans. but only one whose fondest wish came true this week. she got him for a pre-valentine's date. avalonna routh has been battling brain con cancer for most of her young life. but her love for bieber helped get her through it. so her mother started a facebook campaign to get her -- he flew her family to nosh. was she thrilled? oh, yeah. >> how much do you love justin bieber. >> oh, so much. even much than the moon. >> bieber later tweeted that avalonna was awesome and that he felt really inspired after meeting her. coming up after your local

news on "cbs this morning," we'll meet the pekinese that won best in show at westminster. i'm betty nguyen. this is the "cbs morning news." for a clean, fresh towel every time. lisa's new normal for a clean, fresh towel every time. hi jamie. here's my activia video. love this stuff. i'm starting to feel a change no longer feeling slow. i can't believe i thought irregularity was my normal. now i don't miss a beat. activia helps with occasional irregularity, when eaten 3 times a day. hi jamie!

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good morning. welcome to nine fine now. today is -- to 9news now. today is wednesday, february 15. i'm andrea roane. half price candy. i'm mike hydeck. good morning monika samtani. she has traffic momentarily.

weather wise good day today. we had a couple of sprinkles yesterday. boy, that middle of the day sunshine made it a beautiful after. temps got to the middle as and we'll be back in that range again this afternoon. here's your day planner. 41 degrees. mostly cloudy. temperatures by 9:00 about 44. sunshine all day. noontime temps 50s. we're driving home at 51 degrees. going to be another nice day to be out in the afternoon. dogs are liking it. good walking weather. call per is down to 36. orange 45. upper 30s to low 40s with a few spots in the mid-30s. we're watching a storm system from yesterday and a weak one at that which brought in some clouds and a few sprinkles bringing moisture up toward new england in the form of rain. nice break here. already out toward the mississippi river, we're looking at thursday's rain maker. so fast moving systems. today, though, a nice day.

high around 55. i think i hit the wrong numbers when i was putting that in. sometimes you type that. around 57 in fredricksburg. let's roll the traffic graphic so i can put my hand over this 66 and we'll get monika in here. >> i like 66. wishful thinking though. if you're planning to head around town, things looking great. no problems to report on the beltway or coming in on the dulles toll road, 66, route 50 through chantilly everything final. we'll take a live look at 66 as you can in from west ox road. no problems to report all the way to the beltway and inside the beltway as well to the roosevelt bridge you're going to be just final. we'll go to springfield. you have got some construction between qawnt company and dumfries -- quantico and dumfries. you can see how nice and light it is to 395 and the 14th street bridge as well no

problems between 95 and 270 here in bethesda and a live look on 270 at father hurley boulevard still looking great out of germantown and to the point where the lanes divide. coming up in my next report, back into virginia at 4:39. we have a deal maybe. congressional republicans and democrats have reportedly reached a tentative deal to renew the payroll tax cut. the extension averages about $20 a week to the average worker. >> the agreement extends the tax cut through the end of the year and renews unemployment benefits. susan mcginnis has more. >> reporter: republicans gathered on capitol hill to hear details of a tentative agreement to extend the payroll tax cut that's expected to be unveiled later today. >> for the most part most people are for it or at least accepting it. >> reporter: lawmakers say the deal will likely extend the two percentage-point social security tax cut through the end of the year for $16 -- for 160 million americans. it will save the average worker about $20 a week. but the extension won't be paid

for and will add an estimated $100 billion to the deficit. it's a concession republicans made after negotiations stalled. >> i think we have to move on to another issue. >> reporter: as negotiators closed in on a deal, harry reid said he's confident the payroll tax cut will pass both houses. >> not everything we do here has to be a big fight. it appears that the republicans in the house acknowledge that. >> reporter: congress is expected to vote on the bipartisan compromise in the next few days and the measure could end up on the president's desk by the end of the week. on tuesday president obama said the tax cut helped boost the economy and urge lawmakers to act quickly so it doesn't expire at the last of the month. >> last thing we need is for washington to stand in the way of america's comeback. >> reporter: the deal will also help jobless americans, long- term unemployment benefits will likely be renewed although lawmakers say the number of