a pair of winning tickets are sold on opposite ends of the country in tuesday's mega millions lottery worth more than $600 million. spacewalk solution. nasa is hoping some unplanned spacewalk will be the answer to mechanical problems plaguing the international space station. and canine courage. a blind man falls onto the

subway tracks in new york city and is rescued by his fearless guide dog. captioning funded by cbs this is the "cbs morning news" for wednesday, december 18th, 2013. good morning. good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. well, two winning tickets were sold for last night's mega millions jackpot, the second largest lottery prize in u.s. history. lottery officials say one ticket was sold at a newsstand in atlanta, georgia, and another at a gift shop in san jose, california. the winning numbers are -- lottery officials say the jackpot is expected to exceed $647 million when the final ticket sales are calculated later today. now, the seller of tin withing ticket gets a small percentage of the winnings and early this morning outside a san jose

store, the man who says he is the owner was clearly excited. >> they let me know. i come and take a look, you know. but everybody here, whoa. >> mega millions changed the rules in october making it harder to win. the odds of winning the jackpot are now about one in $259 mill. there were 20 tickets sold that had the five winning numbers but not the mega ball number. those tickets are worth $1 million. now, nasa has ordered the two american international space station to prepare for urgent space walks to repair one of the station's two cooling units. they're the size of are refrigerator. they're planned for this weekend. >> reporter: the international space station is about to undergo some repairs.

they were forced stop science experiments. beginning saturday some of the six-man crew will be working outside. they had originally hoped to do a software repair. they decided they can't do that. they're going to stage two spacewalks, maybe three, a third one on christmas day, to simply replace this refrigerator sized pump module and put one onboard. this is not the first time a cooling system has been pulled down. >> in august 2010, the very same module the one they're having trouble with now was installed in three space walks. >> reporter: the problem has forced nasa to delay its scheduled launch of a supply from virginia. if this fails and the second cooling loop breaks down, it will be more than an inconvenience. >> if they lost the other loop, the crew would be forced to come home because you have to have cooling to get rid of the heat from all the electronics from

onboard. >> reporter: but nasa says it's confident the fit will work. reno, nevada, says a deadly shooting at a reno hospital did not appear to be random. a lone gunman on a third floor of a medical building associated with the renown hospital. the ity of the gunman is not known, nor is his motive. and we're learning more about a student who opened fire at a denver area high school. he was heavily armed and had a plan written on his body. rick salinger has our report. >> reporter: sheriff's investigators now believe there were five targeted by the gunman. on the forearm of karl pierson were three words in latin. they were translated as "the die

has been cast." >> when he entered he asked for speech coach and librarian tracy murphy who managed to get away. classmates said pierson almost knocked down a door while entering a classroom last wednesday. upsetting a teacher. she said are you serious and he said as a heart akttack. she kicked him out and you could tell he was very mad. >> reporter: the sheriff's department reflects more on the arsenal he brought to the high school. a 12-gauge shotgun, 125 rounds of ammunition, band leers around the arms and waste and three molotov cocktails. she said she always knew he had a tell ber but never expected this real-life nightmare. >> i mean i still don't believe it because i just want to wake up and it be like friday again. >> reporter: before pierson took his own life, claire davis was

shot in the head. she remains in a coma in critical but stable condition. at a tribute wall for her, there were therapy dogs and plenty of tears as students try to understand how such violence could come to their school. rick salinger for cbs news, centennial, colorado. well, later today the senate is expected to vote on and pass a bipartisan two-year budget deal. president obama says he'll sign the measure. 12 senate republicans broke ranks and joined the vote yesterday to cut off debasement tara mergener is in washington. tara, good morning. >> good morning, anne-marie. that senate vote was much closer than the house vote. while most republican senators do oppose this bill, 12 gop endorsements helped move it forward. the senate is expected to pass a bipartisan budget bill this afternoon. it cleared a critical test vote yesterday. >> the ayes are 67, the nays are

33. >> reporter: it cut $2/3 billion over the next ten years and has targeted cuts. >> please don't use our retirement, the military retirement that's been promised to us. find it somewhere else. >> reporter: lisa wants the senators to get the money from somewhere else because it cuts the retirement from the veterans. >> my husband went to war because of the promise on the fact he'd get money when he got back. >> how far have we fallen? do we have no shame? >> reporter: democratic senator patty murray says without the agreement there would be big cuts to the department of defense. >> it would mean furloughs, layoffsen, and a threat to our national security. >> president obama says he'll

pass the bill if it passes. the bill cleared the house last week. if it wins a final approval today the next stop is the president's deaf snook all right. tara mergener, washington. thank you. the federal reserve wraps up its latest policy meeting today. it will be followed by the file news conference of outgoing fed chairman ben bernanke. they're waiting to hear if they plan to cut back the economic stimulus program. a pullback in the fed's bomd buying would likely send stock and bond buying prices down. on wall street the stocks edged slightly lower. the dow closed 9 points lower and the nasdaq composite, 5 points lower. coming up, a daring rescue. a man stranded on a crane gets a lift from a helicopter after he tried to flee a fire from blow. this is the "cbs morning news." [ lane ] do you ever feel like you're growing old

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narrowly missing a residential neighborhood. the naa says both people on board are dead. cell phone video taken by someone who lives nearby shows the plane went down in a wooded area and burst into flames. it had taken off from atlanta's fulton county airport and was headed to new orleans. the cause of the crash is under investigation. and this morning the military is investigating the deadly crash of a blackhawk helicopter in afghanistan. six u.s. servicemembers were killed. david martin reports. >> reporter: the black hawk hawke with seven aboard was one of two american helicopters on a daytime mission in southern afghanistan when it was forced to make a crash landing. what caused it go down is still unknown, but the second chopper saw no sign of enemy fire. initial reports reaching the pentagon said the crew did come under fire when they tried to get out but they have since discounted those reports. exactly how those six americans

died remains unclear, one thing is certain. by the time a rescue force could get there, only one aboard was still alive. the loss of six americans was a grim reminder that while their role has switched from combat to turning and advising forces u.s. troops are still in harm's way. it was the worst single-day loss for the u.s. in the six months since the afghan troops s officially took the lead. still, losses are down dramatically. 125 this year compared to 310 last year and a high of 499 in 2010 at the height of the fighting. casualties have gone down as the number of american troops has gone down from a high of 100,000 to the current 42,700. then there's the financial cost. to date the pentagon has spent more than $500 billion on the war in afghanistan, and a defense spending bill the senate

is expected to pass this week would add another $80 billion to that. david martin, cbs news, the pentagon. well, better weather has helped crews make progress fighting the big sur wildfire on the coast of california. it's now 20% contained. more than 100 people have been forced out of the area. the fire has destroyed 22 buildings including the home of fire chief martha karstens. >> well, you know, we do our clearing as we're supposed to do. i try to set a good example of that. we had good clearing. it came up so fast, a steep hill, it was a windy night. there was wind from the fire. whether it's me or anyone else, it's just devastating. i've seen people lose their homes on the news and until it happens to you, to stand there and watch your home burn, it's just -- it's not what you want to do. >> the dry conditions are fueling the fire. big sur had gotten only about 16% of its normal rainfall this

year. a canadian construction crane operator is recuperating this morning after a dramatic rescue. a massive fire broke out in an apartment building under construction in kingston, ontario, on tuesday. unable to escape, the operator scaled the crane, and that's when the canadian military chopper pulled him to safety. he suffered only minor injuries. now, straight ahead, your wednesday morning weather. and later, subway hero. a guide dog helps his blind owner after he tumbles onto the tracks. yes. but you're progressive, and they're them. yes. but they're here. yes. are you...? there? yes. no. are you them? i'm me. but those rates are for... them. so them are here. yes! you want to run through it again? no, i'm good. you got it? yes. rates for us and them -- now that's progressive. call or click today.

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here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. new york, sunny today with a high of 36. miami will be sunny as well. chicago, sunny, 35 there. dallas, sunshine, and partly cloudy in los angeles. and time now for a check of the national forecast. the remains of a fast moving storm passes through new england today. heavy snow is possible in rhode island to maine. most of the midwest will be dry today by bu highs in the northern plains to the great lakes won't leave the 20s. the south will be dry, but the pacific northwest is in for rain and snow as the storm system moves ashore from the gulf of alaska. icy roads may be to blame for this pileup here in new york city last night. more than 30 vehicles were involved in the chain reaction crash on the gowanus expressway in brooklyn.

at least eight people were hospitalized. the pileup also jammed traffic for hours. >> the obama administration is sending a strong message tory shah over that country's treatment of gays and lesbians. the united states delegation to the upcoming sochi olympics. bill j jean and caitlin cahow will represent the u.s. in the closing ceremonies. last month russia passed strict laws regarding gay rights. president obama said it wouldn't be appropriate to boycott the gays but he hopes some gayings and lesbians leave sochi with medals. >> it would go a long way in rejecting the kinds of attitudes that we're seeing there. and if russia doesn't have gay or lesbian athletes, then that will probably make their team weak. >> in what is seen as another

message to moscow, the u.s. will not send president obama, first lady, or the vice president to the sochi games. when we return, subway miracle. a guide dog helps save his blind owner after they both end up on the tracks and in front of an oncoming train. we all have our little tricks. mom swaps one of my snacks for a yoplait. i don't mind, i mean it's orange crème. and when mom said bobby was too edgy... 'sup girl. i just swapped him out for tyler. 'sup girl. mom never questioned bobby again. two can play at this game. [ female announcer ] swap one snack a week for a yoplait. and everybody wins. yoplait. it is so good.

forecast in some cities around the country. washington, d.c., some sun and clouds. atlanta will be sunny. same goes for st. louis and denver, but rain in seattle today, a high of 44. lind man and his guide dog are safe this morning after nearly being run over by a new york city subway train on tuesday. as wcbs's john slat errey reports the black lab is being hailed as a hero. >> reporter: the man who is so lucky to be alive is 61-year-old

cecil williams of brooklyn. you can see him here in his hospital bed with his 10-year-old service dog orlando. he has tears in his eyes, grateful that they made it through their ordeal. the two surviving a fall to the subway tracks with 1 1/2 subway cars rolling over them. >> it's definitely a miracle. >> reporter: it happened at 125th street around 9:00 a.m. the train was not yet into the station when people on the platform saw cecil williams and his dog fall backward onto the track. onlookers say the man looked wobbly as he stood near the edge. williams later said he felt faint. >> he was all the way backwards and i tried to pull him in. i tried to scream at him to come in because he was, you know, near the tracks. >> and then he fell. >> then he fell. >> reporter: both the dog and the man avoided being hit by the train's wheels. >> he ended up in the middle of the rails. >> reporter: bystanders yelled

for the conductor to stop the train, and he did, but almost two cars passed over williams and the dog. as police and fire rescued them from under the train, williams suffered cuts to his head but all he cared about was his dog. >> he was semicoherent. he asked us how his dog was doing. we told him that his dog was fine. the police officer had his dog. >> reporter: a witness said the dog tried to pull his master back from the oechlk the platform. >> very smart dog. very smart dog. >> reporter: the person who instructs people on the use of canines. >> i know there's kind of like that drop-off, kind of like the same as a curb going into the street. >> wcbs's john flattery says yond will turn 11 and retire. his medical benefits will no

longer pay for him and he's looking for a good home. a security office makes an incredible catch. a traveller places the baby boy on a counter. the boy teeters and then he falls but from out of nowhere the officer dives and cradles the baby. the officer says it was an instinctive reaction. coming up after your local news on "cbs this morning," grammy award winner celine dion. i'm anne-marie green. this is the "cbs morning news." [ 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®.

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good morning. welcome to wusa9. today is wednesday, december 18, 2013. can you believe it? christmas one week away from today. have you done your shopping? are you finished? zero. i'm usually so far ahead. good morning. i'm andrea roane. good morning. i'm mike hydeck. >> luckily the wife isn't watching. >> some stores are going to stay open 96 hours, a hundred hours. >> i'm that guy. >> 3:00 a.m. sunday morning we'll be in the store. have some issues this morning. a few slick spots on the roads. monika will have more on that. we have fog south.

it's going to be a colder day and then the warm-up begins tomorrow. sunshine today. temperatures starting in the low 30s today. upper 30s at noon. we'll get to about 40. maybe a couple of new the low 40s this afternoon but a breeze out of the west, north west at 10 to 15 will keep windchills in the 30s and back to 35 tonight. when i come back with the seven- day in a few minutes, you're going to say really? december? won't feel like it. the rain generally south mixed with a little bit of snow before ending. got a report of a quarter inch frk. e ground in prince not much but something. they don't get nearly as much south of town as northwest of town. temperatures below freezing. we have 27 in frederick. 28 manassas. these areas out on 66, culpeper 28, got to watch out for the slick spots in a couple of places. not just that, we have fog a real problem down south. visibility in quantico half mile. quarter mile toward warrenton. it's gotten a lot better in

manassas. this area south of town is under a dense fog advisory till 8:00 this morning. temps this afternoon ranging from the low 30s in hagerstown and cumberland to 41 in easton and 44 in fredricksburg. so monika, we know we're below freezing in a few spots. where are the slick spots? inbound 66 and fog problems from front royal toward manassas. a couple of calls about that and coming in from the southern portion of 66 i- careful. i heard that it was a bit icy along the left side of the roadway on 66. we're in good shape on the dulles toll road from sterling all the way toward the beptway and no problem -- beltway and no problems on the beltway in tysons corner. i had an icy buildup on my windshield as well so it took a little time to warm up the car and get that off the windshield. a live look in springfield, 95 is in great shape. no problems as you head for 395 to the 14th street bridge.

let's go back to the maps and over to the north side of town. we're in good shape college park to silver spring. an accident on the ramp from southbound route 2 to get you on to eastbound route 50 out in anne arundel county and a live look one more time. here is the american legion bridge. back to you, andrea and mike. >> thanks, monika. congress could be sending president obama a budget bill to sign into law today. a vote on the agreement is scheduled in the senate this afternoon. >> the measure passed a roll call vote yesterday with 12 republicans joining 53 democrats in voting yes. although it seems like a joyous occasion, tara mergener reports not everyone is happy. >> reporter: the senate is expected to pass a bipartisan budget bill this afternoon. it cleared a critical test vote yesterday. >> the yays are 67 and the nays are 33. >> reporter: the two-year agreement cuts the deficit $23 billion over the next decade. and replaces some of the across- the-board spending cutow