puff this video was submitted by a student through the teens dive smart program. for more information on teen safety, visit teensdrivesmart.com. but millions of americans are feeling the chill. a cold snap drops freezing temperatures, snow and icy, rockies to the midwest and southeast. a trip south of the border to two nba teams goes up in smoke. their game is canceled when smoke fills the mexico city arena. and survival story. a man survives for nearly a week after a car crash leaves him trapped at the bottom of a ravine. >> yeah. it was a miracle. god made me survive. captioning funded by cbs this is the "cbs morning

news" for thursday, december 5th, 2013. good morning. good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. this morning much of the country is in the grips of a massive winter-like storm system that's spreading arctic temperatures and heavy snow. an icy messy commute is in store for folks in duluth, minnesota, this morning where the snow dumped two feet of snow in some areas. at least five of them have been fatal. temperatures there will be in the low teens today. in fact, it is so cold salvation army bell ringers have been forced inside. in salt lake city, a driver who had been in the accident, he forgot to put the car in park. the driverless car headed down the icy interstate with the horn blaring. we don't know where the car

ended up. our affiliate in boston has more on the dropping temperatures and the weather. >> a big cold outbreak is in progress and it's going to be felt across the west first. look at the heise. 12 in denver. many spots will stay in subzero temperatures all the way through next week. the cold air continues to move down the plains and by the weekend stretching over toward chicago. high of 21. just a goose egg in minneapolis. the only safe spot on the map is going to be south georgia and florida. that's where you're going to want to go to escape all the cold. you're talking significant snow across the rockies but then it works its way toward the ohio valley and reaching back. places like eastern oklahoma, tulsa, 6 to 7 inches over the next 12 hours. ice and sleet. this is what makes driving so dangerous. east ward toward paducah could see over a quarter inch of iegs

which could lead to power outages. nasty situation for folks over the next couple of days. i'm meteorologist eric fisher for cbs news. >> it's nasty in denver where folks are used to the cold. 45 flights were canceled at denver's airport yesterday. temperatures are expected to drop well below zero through tomorrow. the storm dumped several inches of snow there and several feet in higher elevations. rick salinger reports. >> reporter: winter was back and with a vengeance. no day to be out unless you have to stock up on necessities. >> yes, i did. i bought ice cream. >> reporter: perfect for day like this. >> absolutely. >> reporter: at a local hardware store, they were offering remedies for the weather and advice. >> make sure your doors are open underneath your seats so the excess heat from the house can get in there. >> reporter: temperatures are not expected to even reach the freezing mark until the middle of next week. down the road one trucker

learned the hard way what a cold snap means. >> that's what happened right here. >> reporter: so cold the brittle line broke, freezing the brakes. even snow plow drivers were knocked out of operation. >> skpas prating would be a good word for it. >> reporter: he is not alone. >> time is money and we're losing a lot of time. we're going to be working a lot longer than we hoped to. >> reporter: a bad day for him. what about you? >> we're having a good day today. we did the best. >> reporter: in fact, he pointed out the business is always picking up. rick salinger for cbs news, aspen park, colorado. the man who killed a tsa officer at los angeles international airport made his first court appearance. paul see ant ya did not enter a plea to murder charges. he hadn't been seen since the november 1st attack. he killed one tsa officer and wounded two others. he's being held without bail and is next due in court december 18th.

and the 911 tapes from the sandy hook elementary school have been released. 20 first graders and six adults were gunned down at the elementary school last december. now, prosecutors and many of the victims' families opposed the tapes' release. vinita nair has more on the dramatic pleas for help. >> reporter: the news the caller had for newtown connecticut, dispatch was unlike any they heard before. >> i think somebody's shooting here in sandy hook school. >> what makes you think that? >> somebody's got a gun. i caught a glimpse of somebody. they're running down the highway. >> reporter: the 911 calls reveal nothing new about the killer or the massacre. what they do reveal is during an unthinkable reality, teachers, staff members and personnel showed professionalism and courage. >> are you safe right now? >> i think so. my classroom door is not locked. >> is there anybody that can lock it while beingno

>> all right. just try to stay where you are. >> reporter: some of the family victims fought for the tapes. >> i don't need to hear the calls. the local police helped to do everything they could to protect the staff and children at sandy hook elementary school. vinita nair, cbs news. and now to obama care. the extensive fixes made to the health care website appear to have helped. the government says more people signed up for health insurance on the first two days of this month than in the entire first month of the website's troubled launch. susan mcginnis is in washington. susan, good morning. >> anne-marie, good morning to you. now that the website is working better, the white house is trying hard to get a critical group of americans to sign up for federal health insurance. the obama administration says 29,000 americans enrolled on

healthcare.gov in the first two days after it was fixed. that includes dawn aaron from texas. she's a self-employed musician who's buying health insurance for the first time in 20 years. >> i was very surprised at the prices actually. we entered all my tax info and income and stuff, and i was pleasantly surprised. >> reporter: erin is in her 40s and has health issues but for the new law to work, the white house needs millions of healthy young people to sign up to make coverage moreffordable for everyone else. the president made his pitch during a white house youth summit wednesday. >> i hope you haven't been discouraged by how hard it's been because stuff that's worth it is always hard. >> reporter: a new harvard university poll shows just 20% of americans under age 30 plan to enroll in a health care plan as part of the affordable care act. nearly half say they're unlikely to sign up. >> i would rather do the finer

things, obviously. i don't know how much health insurance is but i know it's a lot more than that. >> reporter: the white house is hoping 7 million americans will sign up by april. now, as part of the administration's effort to focus on a different benefit, today the white house is going to be concentrating on insurance companies and getting word out how they are prohibited from discriminating against folks with pre-existing medical conditions. anne-marie? >> all right. susan mcginnis in washington. thank you, susan. this morning police in central mexico are guarding radioactive medical material recovered on wednesday. police say thieves abandoned the shipment of cobalt 50 days after taking it. the highly reactive material has been removed from its container. experts say whoever did that is at great risk from the exposure. the ens zens rate is concerned about dangerous materials falling into the hands of terrorists. >> and coming up on the "morning news," taped trouble for rob

ford. faces new allegations about the videotape of him apparently smoking crack. and the first dog takes down a toddler at the white house. this is the "cbs morning news." ] this is jim, a man who doesn't stand still. but jim has afib, atrial fibrillation -- an irregular heartbeat, not caused by a heart valve problem. that puts jim at a greater risk of stroke. for years, jim's medicine tied him to a monthly trip to the clinic to get his blood tested. but now, with once-a-day xarelto®, jim's on the move. jim's doctor recommended xarelto®. like warfarin, xarelto® is proven effective to reduce afib-related stroke risk. but xarelto® is the first and only once-a-day prescription blood thinner for patients with afib not caused by a heart valve problem. that doesn't require routine blood monitoring. so jim's not tied to that monitoring routine. [ gps ] proceed to the designated route. not today. [ male announcer ] for patients currently well managed on warfarin, there is limited information on how xarelto® and warfarin compare

in reducing the risk of stroke. xarelto® is just one pill a day taken with the evening meal. plus, with no known dietary restrictions, jim can eat the healthy foods he likes. do not stop taking xarelto®, rivaroxaban, without talking to the doctor who prescribes it as this may increase the risk of having a stroke. get help right away if you develop any symptoms like bleeding, unusual bruising, or tingling. you may have a higher risk of bleeding if you take xarelto® with aspirin products, nsaids or blood thinners. talk to your doctor before taking xarelto® if you have abnormal bleeding. xarelto® can cause bleeding, which can be serious, and rarely may lead to death. you are likely to bruise more easily on xarelto® and it may take longer for bleeding to stop. tell your doctors you are taking xarelto® before any planned medical or dental procedures. before starting xarelto®, tell your doctor about any conditions videotape of him apparently with artificial heart valves. xars jim changed his routine. ask your doctor about xarelto®. once a day xarelto® means no regular blood monitoring --

no known dietary restrictions. for more information and savings options, call 1-888-xarelto or visit goxarelto.com. in florida, wildlife workers will resume effort this morning to save 41 pilot whales. they are stranded in shallow water about three feet deep in everglades national park. ten whales have already died. pilot whales travel in close-knit groups. if one gets stuck, the others are likely to stay behind as well. an autopsy shows paul walker died both from the impact of the car crash and the subsequent fire. the "fast and furious" star was killed when the car his friend was driving smashed into a light pole and a tree. they say the driver, roger rodas, was killed by the impact.

and toronto's mayor rob ford is in in trouble. court documents show he offered $5,000 and a car to a suspected drug dealer in exchange for an incriminating video. the video appears to show ford smoking crack. and on the "cbs moneywatch," new clues from the fed, and a bra designed to help you lose weight. alexis christoforous is at the new york stock exchange with that and more. good morning, alexis. >> good morning, anne-marie. we'll begin in asia where stocks were lower ahead. tokyo's nikkei drop 1.5%. hong kong's hang seng lost a fraction. wall street begins its trading day after some gains and losses after investors found little reason for big moves. the dow jones industrial average finished lower for the fourth straight day losing 25 points. the dmakz was up a fraction. the federal reserve found the economy held steady during

the 16-day shutdown. seven of the bank's 12 banking districts found the growth moderate. most will not change its stimulus program when it meets on december 17th. start the presses. "newsweek" is going back into print. paper copies of "newsweek" will begin rolling off the presses next year. "newsweek" stopped publishing print editions a year ago. the magazine's owner ibt media wants the weekly version to be paid for by subscription fees instead of advertising. no word on how much that magazine will cost. well, the super bowl is still two months away but all the ad spots have been sold. that's one month earlier than last month's game. fox sports says one reason is that the super bowl will be played in the new york market. it's estimated that some 30-second spots sold for more than $4 million. and, anne-marie, you have a smartphone, right? maybe a smart tv? how about a smart bra? >> well, it's a concept from

microsoft to combat overeating. the smart bra has removable sensors that monitor heart rate and activity that monitors your mood level. it lets you know when you're in danger of emotional eating. yes, they're making a man's barrier. >> a man's year, you say j. well, a 2-year-old girl on a visit to the white house has a close encounter with one of the first family's pets. >> are you okay, sweetie? >> sonny, the portuguese water dog jumped up on ashton and knocked her to the floor. she wasn't hurt. she got a personal apology from michelle obama and got some licks from sonny. that's how dogs apologize. still to come, up in smokes.

basketball fans in new mexico miss out on matchup when an nba arena fills up with smoke. i swapped it for staying in. [ shouts ] guess who's going out tomorrow. [ female announcer ] swap one snack a week for a yoplait. it is so good. he actually told me that a lot of the foods that i thought were really healthy for me can do damage to the enamel on my teeth. my dentist recommended that i use pronamel. pronamel will help protect the enamel from future erosion.

♪ [ male announcer ] laura's heart attack didn't come with a warning. today her doctor has her on a bayer aspirerin gimen to help reduce the risk of another one. if you've had a heart attack, be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. [ male announcer ] campbell's homestyle soup with farm grown veggies. just like yours. huh. [ male announcer ] and roasted white meat chicken. just like yours. [ male announcer ] you'll think it's homemade. i love this show. [ male announcer ] try campbell's homestyle soup. here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. new york, expect rain today with a high of 60. miami will be sunny. chicago, cloud cloudy, and rain dallas. los angeles, sunny, with a high of 61. a prosecutor will announce today whether he plans to file sexual assault charges against

florida state quarterback winston. the alleged assault because reported in the middle of last year but the case was put on hold in february after the tallahassee police were told the accuser did not wish to prosecute. winston has led florida state to the top ranking in the country and is a contender for the heisman trophy. if he's charged he would be suspended for the florida state conference game on saturday. the accuser's family is critical of the police and they say their attorney was warned of a possible backlash over proceeding in a c florida state football player. now, the nba had high hopes for its first game in mexico city since 1997 but the wait will last a little longer for fans in the mexico capital. last night's game between the spurs and timberwolves was post office phoned after smoke filled the arme mexico city arena.

the arena was evacuated and both teams left on their buses. the game will be made up in chilly minnesota. the nfl is fining mike tomlin $100,000. tomlin was too close to the field and interfered with a kickoff return by baltimore jacoby jones. the league is also considering take drafgt pickaway from pittsburgh. this is the second highest fine ever levied on a head coach. college basketball's top ranked team goes down. unranked north carolina travels to east lansing and beats number one michigan state, 7 9-65. the tar heels already have two wins against top three ranked teams this season. so when we return, an amazing survival story. we'll meet a man who spent six days with no food or water, trapped in a car after it crashed.

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forecast in some cities often the country. washington, d.c., will be foggy today. atlanta, expect showers. and snow and sleet in st. louis. cloudy in denver. seattle will be partly sunny today. a colorado man says it is a miracle he is alive. he was trapped in a truck for nearly a week after an accident. sam bush of our denver station kcnc has the incredible story of survival. >> reporter: this is the 30-foot embankment where as a passenger rick custer crashed, and this is the drug he was pinned in. >> i remember waking up waking up four or five times thinking i was in a dream because in my mind i'm thinking why can't i move. >> reporter: for six days he was lying on the driver, his friend who died in the accident. koester had no water or food. >> i doesn't have a coat or gloves. god -- it was a miracle.

god made me survive. >> reporter: doctors say his body was only 79 degrees when they found him. surgeons had to amputate both legs below the knee. he lost fingers and points of blood and he was near death as family arrived to see him from out of state. >> the doctors kept telling me that he probably won't make it. it's not that he might not make it. he probably won't make it. so i didn't leave his side. >> reporter: koester's mother had to tell him what happened when he woke up. he doesn't remember the crash. >> nobody can prepare a mother to see their son like that. >> reporter: doctors tell koester he i'm need months to fully recover and more time for that to be fitted for prosthetics. koester, though, plans to walk again. his family believes he has his full life ahead of him. >> this is our second chance with him. i don't know what he's meant to do, but it's going to be

spectacular. >> that was stan bush of our denver station kcnc. koester hopes to move in with his family when he's well enough to leave the hospital. now coming up oafter your local news a tour of hobbit. i'm anne-marie green. [ female announcer ] we give you relief from your cold symptoms. you give them the giggles. tylenol cold® helps relieve your worst cold and flu symptoms. but for everything we do, we know you do so much more. tylenol cold®.

♪ ♪

. good morning. welcome to wusa9.

today is thursday, december 5, 2013. i'm jessica doyle in for andrea roane today. >> i'm mike hydeck. thanks for waking up with us. monika samtani will be doing traffic momentarily and the lovely erica grow is in for howard. good morning. when you said it was december 5, i had to do a little double take. how did we get here. it feels like april out there. nice and mild. but you're right, how do we -- how did we get to december. it's the holiday season but didn't feel like it. there are plenty of clouds in place and a few areas of patchy fog this morning as well. so be careful if you have an early, early morning commute. we'll be at 56 degrees by 8:00 a.m. lots of clouds to start out the day. 62 by noon. a warm afternoon by december standards. 64 degrees at 4:00 p.m. just a few peeks of sunshine. a sprinkle is possible this afternoon. we'll be at 63 by 8:00.

a very mild afternoon. mys well above normal this time of year. this is closer to where our average highs are. 55 culpeper. 53 right now in downtown washington and at andrews. you can see here on satellite and radar the clouds drifting in from the west. you might have heard there's a big storm system on the way that could cause some problems for your weekend plans. i'll talk more about that coming up in the first alert seven-day forecast. right now it is time for the first look at traffic with monika. >> thank you so much. good morning, everybody. things are looking generally speaking really good early this morning. there is one crash, though, over in springfield. crews have been on the scene since about 2:15 this morning eastbound on the franconia springfield parkway before hooes road. northbound 95 itself is good. we'll take a live look in

springfield. you can see it's quiet and these are the folks opening up the hov lanes where you see the flashing lights and they do go south in the northbound lanes. hopefully those should be reopened shortly for the morning rush hour. this time north on the southbound tied of i-270. we're in great shape out of frederick. there are no issues once you get down to the beltway and across the american legion bridge. we'll end with a live look on the beltway in prince george's county at good luck road. back to you. >> thank you, monika. another investigation targeting a d.c. police officer is under way this morning. a source tells wusa9 it involves an officer and possible relations with an underage girl. >> that source says two were found together last night at the officer's apartment in southeast d.c. we still don't know what led authorities to the officer's apartment in the first place. we'll keep you updated as soon as we get more information. this report comes a day after another d.c. police officer was arrested for taking explicit photos of a 15-year-old girl.

mark washington who you just saw is going to be in court this morning for a bail hearing. police say he took pictures of the girl while he was on duty telling the girl those photos were part of a, quote, police procedure. the girl told her parents after washington left the home. a police officer is on leave after shooting a woman in hyattsville. the incident happened yesterday morning on 43rd avenue when officers responded to a call from a man seeking help for a mental health issue with his wife. police say at some point the woknife fearing for his safety the officer fired a taser but it didn't work because the woman was wearing several layers of clothing. that's when the the officer fired his gun. he will rain on leave while the investigation continues. some young ballerinas planning a holiday performance are being upstaged by the president. >> so not fair. a last-minute scheduling conflict at american university forced the local ballet company out so the president could go in and do a network interview.

>> i think it's fair to say. >> reporter: an interview with the president of the united states doesn't happen every day. >> the performance for the nutcracker doesn't happen for my daughter every day either. >> reporter: emily king's daughter is a ballerina where about 160 girls have spent months practicing for the annual nutcracker performance at american university's greenberg theater. >> there's a lot of work involved with this. >> reporter: despite booking the theater in january, they were notified yesterday that their last two critical dress rehearsals would have to be rescheduled to the same day of their first performance turning what was an eight hour -- long eight hour day to an even longer day. the ballet director says she understands the interview is of important public interest. >> but, you know, it's just -- can't you do it somewhere else? >> we were completely