alexis christoforous, cbs news. >>> if all of these were thumbs, yea. >> i saw it in imax. the stunts are incredible. not a lot of dialogue to master. it is good. if you like adventure. and guess who really wanted to

alexis christoforous reports from new york. blagojevich's sentence and his reaction. >> reporter: rod blagojevich fought his way through the crowd, minutes after hearing his sentence. >> this is a time to fight through adversity. this is a time for me to be strong for my children. be strong for patty. >> reporter: the judge ordered the illinois governor to serve 14 years in prison for corruption, a stiffer penalty than most of the state's corruption cases, but less than the 20 years the 54-year-old could have faced. before hearing his sentence, blagojevich made a plea for mercy. his voice cracking with emotion, he told the judge, he never set out to break the law, but admitted to making terrible mistakes and said he is unbelievably sorry. prosecutors said blagojevich damaged the government and deserved a stiff sentence. >> today's sentence of 14 years on former governor blagojevich sends a strong message that the public has had enough and judges have had enough. >> reporter: blagojevich's troubles began three years ago, after t

alexis christoforous begins wjz complete coverage with more on what is happening right now in blacksburg, virginia. >> reporter: officers suited up as law enforcement vehicles poured onto the campus of virginia tech. the campus is under lockdown, as an army of officers looks for a man who shot and killed two people. >> i could see his face. and he was covered in blood. i don't know if the blood was coming from his head or his face, exactly. >> reporter: one was a police officer, shot while making a routine traffic stop in a campus parking lot. the shooter, described as a white male, wearing gray pants and a maroon hoody, then fled on foot and shot another person in a second parking lot. >> we have many law enforcement agencies here. they have a description of the suspect. they are searching all buildings, all public areas, outdoors, indoors, we're looking absolutely everywhere. >> reporter: the manhunt is reminiscent of a shooting on campus. 33 people died in 2007 in what was the deadliest mass shooting in modern history. that tragedy prompted an overhaul of the university's emergency no

alexis christoforous, cbs news, new york. >>> is your head spinning yet? the sales of elizabeth taylor's art, clothing and memorabilia will be held later this week. an online only sale of some items runs until saturday and part of the proceeds will go to the elizabeth taylor a.i.d.s. foundation. >>> coming up next, howard and the forecast. >> j.c., it is kind of chilly after the winds are light. with cloud cover, look at the temps as we go to break. we're looking at mid-40s from hagerstown down toward winchester. we're only in the upper 40s with a few spots now playing with the 50 degree mark. we'll look at live doppler 9000 hd and the seven-day forecast going through the weekend when 9news now at noon returns. [ female announcer ] more people are using wireless devices... in more ways than ever. and our networks are getting crowded. but if congress frees up more wireless spectrum... we can empower more people to innovate... putting momentum behind our economy. and we can reduce the deficit... with more than thirty billion dollars paid by america's wireles

alexis christoforous, cbs news, new york. >> those jewels were just stunning!his morning, on "the early show," the season's best games for computers and smart phones. i'm betty nguyen. and this is the "cbs morning news." w. i couldn't sleep right. next day it took forever to get going. night after night, i sat up. sprayed up. took a shower... or took a pill. then i tried drug-free breathe right advanced. and instantly, i breathed better! i slept better. it felt...better. thank you, breathe right! [ male announcer ] breathe better, sleep better, feel better. try breathe right advanced for free... at breatheright.com. [ woman ] it's my right to breathe right. isn't it your right, too? >>> four minutes before 5:00 on a wpped morning, another nice day start. marty in the first warning weather center. >> it is actually 10 degrees warmer. >> feels like it. >> than yesterday. mid-30s, mid-20s yesterday. 51 at lunch, going to a high of 54 today. 46 this evening. we will start sunnier than we are going to end. it is partly sunny, if you will, partly cloudy right now. do

in new york, i'm alexis christoforous. >>> to the movies we go.om cruise forth mission movie tops the weekend box office. "mission impossible" goes protocol and took in 26.5 million in ticket sales. sherlock holmes "game of shadows" was second and "alvin and the chipmunks" was third. >>> straight ahead, your monday morning weather. >>> and in sports, the knicks and the celtics kick off the nba season. celtics kick off the nba season. [ male announcer ] cranberry juice? wake up! ♪ that's good morning, veggie style. hmmm [ male announcer ] for half the calories -- plus veggie nutrition. could've had a v8. plus veggie nutrition. hershey's air delight. experience light and airy, melty bubbles. made from pure, delicious hershey's milk chocolate. hershey's air delight. [ femala $100 cream. we were flattered when regenerist beat flabbergasted when we creamed a $500 cream. for about $30 regenerist micro-sculpting cream hydrates better than over 20 of america's most expensive luxury creams. fantastic. phenomenal. regenerist. metamucil uses super hard worki

in new york, i'm alexis christoforous. >> toyota unveils the aqua in japan, the automaker's smallest according to toyota, the most environmentally friendly car they make. and it is said to get about 50 miles per hour. when the car comes to america next month, it will be called the prius speed. starting price, $26,000. it is priced to compete with the hyundai insight which also goes for about $20,000. >> a mall, day off from school lead to a melee that gets security guards busy and the whole thing is caught on tape. plus, what your sweets say about your happiness or lack thereof. >>> at some point, winter is going to arrive but we're going to get some rain first. temperatures in the 40s now. >> we'll stay above freezing overnight tonight. we're really getting kind of a treat toward the end of the year. easing out of december without any snow to forecast. we do have some steady rain though on the way to come down today. cloudy skies throughout. moisture is moving on through. with the cloud cover, our temperatures really haven't had the opportunity to drop down overnight. most of the re

alexis christoforous, cbs news, new york. >> those jewels were just stunning!s morning, on "the early show," the season's best games for computers and smart phones. i'm betty nguyen. and this is the "cbs morning news." w. i couldn't sleep right. next day it took forever to get going. night after night, i sat up. sprayed up. took a shower... or took a pill. then i tried drug-free breathe right advanced. and instantly, i breathed better! i slept better. it felt...better. thank you, breathe right! [ male announcer ] breathe better, sleep better, feel better. try breathe right advanced for free... at breatheright.com. [ woman ] it's my right to breathe right. isn't it your right, too? >>> good morning and welcome to 9news now. today is wednesday, december 14th. i'm andrea roane. >> i'm mike hydeck. it is cold but not nearly that cold. good morning, monica. bright and shiny in your orange. >> mr. bernstein. >> we'll take the low 40s. few more clouds today. it will be a dry wednesday around here. not so much a dry thursday but not terrible either. your day planner he

alexis christoforous, cbs news, new york. >> those jewels were just stunning!his morning, on "the early show," the season's best games for computers and smart phones. i'm betty nguyen. and this is the "cbs morning news." w. i couldn't sleep right. next day it took forever to get going. night after night, i sat up. sprayed up. took a shower... or took a pill. then i tried drug-free breathe right advanced. and instantly, i breathed better! i slept better. it felt...better. thank you, breathe right! [ male announcer ] breathe better, sleep better, feel better. try breathe right advanced for free... at breatheright.com. [ woman ] it's my right to breathe right. isn't it your right, too? >>> look at this. a new zealand family came home to quite a surprise. a baby seal resting on their sofa. they named it lucky and still a mystery how lucky managed to walk up from the harbor, cross a busy road, go through a pet door and make its way up the satairs to the sofa. the seal was eventually returned to the harbor. >>> scientists at mit have come up with a new kind of imagin

alexis christoforous has more. >> reporter: that's not spiderman.cruise scaling the world's tallest building in dubai. it's one of the many stunts the actor performs himself in the latest "mission impossible ghost protocol." >> it was moments pretty intense, pretty exhilarating. >> reporter: tom cruise is back for the fourth time as secret agent ethan hunt and at nearly 50, cruise says he is yet to see a stunt he won't try. >> you know, whenever i can, i just want to entertain an audience and there was no way i was going to let anyone else do it. >> reporter: cruise wasn't the only risk-taker. paula patton did all of her own stunts too as hunt's new super agent and love interest jane. >> i think it's that much more compelling when you know that the actor is doing their own stunts. so i really want to take on that challenge. >> we all have our secrets. >> reporter: jeremy renner joins as the high octane agent to go rogue in the body of the krem n kremlin. and there's some comic relief. simon pegg reprises his role as the techie. >> it's lovely to be

alexis christoforous, cbs news, new york. >>> sales of taylor's art, clothing and memorabilia will bed later this week and online only sale runs until saturday. part of the proceeds will go to the elizabeth taylor a.i.d.s. foundation. we decided this isn't the 1% who is buying this. this is the -- >> .1%. >> those are spectacular jewels. good morning. thank you for watching 9news now at 5:00 a.m. i'm andrea roane. >> we're glad you're here. i'm mike hydeck. here's the lovely monika samtani. she'll have traffic momentarily. good morning, mr. beirne. >> we may see an isolated shower north and west of town later this morning into early afternoon but it looks like our rain chances really will become better tomorrow. tomorrow will be the wettest day of the week. we're not talking about like a soaking rain either but

alexis christoforous has more on both of the topics. >> reporter: verizon will charge customers a $2 fee if they pay their bill over the phone or online with a credit card. the new convenience fee goes into effect january 15th and not apply to electronic check payments or automatic credit card payments. experts say verizon is trying to push customers to sign up for its free automatic payment program. well, moments after the news broke, customers logged on to twitter and facebook to voice their anger over the new fee. >>> volatilely was the word of the year on wall street certainly. the dow closed up or down triple digits more than 100 times but 2011 won't be the most volatile year on record. that belongs to 2008. >>> the dow jumped 135 points thursday and the nasdaq jumped 24 and the dow is up about 6%, the nasdaq is down nearly 1.5%. >>> mortgage rates are up slightly this week after reaching record lows. freddie mac says the average rate on a 30 year fixed loan is 3.95%. that's up from 3.91% last week but this year is one of the worst ever for home sales. next year could be better.

alexis christoforous, wjz eyewitness news. >> again, a law enforcement source says the gunman is dead. but police are not confirming this information as of yet. moments ago, police say that the shooter was not the person pulled over during the traffic stop. >>> a baltimore county teenager is one of the students who spent several hours in lockdown at virginia tech. complete coverage continues with andrea fujii who just spoke to the parkton native about what is happening on campus. >> reporter: the heir ford high school graduate says she and several other students spent the afternoon with their doors locked in a study center. that is right off campus. just moments ago, they sent all students phone alerts, telling them they don't suspect any more violence on campus. there, this is eerily similar to the mass shooting. she said through it all, she was confident in law enforcement. this is right before the lockdown was lifted. >> i mean, we were scared. but i think it's just the feeling that they know what they're doing. the police are trained to do this. and yesterday, they said they would

alexis christoforous, cbs news, new york. >> sales of elizabeth taylor's art, clothing and memorabilia will be held later this week. part of the proceeds go to the elizabeth taylor a.i.d.s. foundation. >> and you have to look like her to pull it off. and nobody looks like her. >> i don't know. if you put it on, you would look like her. if you had that kind of stuff. >> then no wonder they're paying $8 million. >>> caught on tape. a pickup truck slams through a department store. >>> why prosecutors decided not to file criminal charges in this wild, on court fight. >>> bob turk. a bit of rain and cooler days. and sunshine headed our way. i'll have the exclusive first warning five-day forecast. >>> and wjz 13 is always on. here are the top stories on wjz.com at this hour. for updates and all the day's news, and the updated forecast any time, log onto wjz.com. ,,,, >>> a burglar crashes his truck through a department store. you can see the man breaking into the store and stuffing merchandise into his vehicle. the man's vehicle became stuck while he tried to leave and filled the store with

in new york, i'm alexis christoforous. >>> there's less than two weeks to go until christmas. and some of the year's biggest toys are already selling out. manuel gallegus heads to the toy store for wjz to see what is hot this holiday season. >> reporter: gooey balloons. handheld helicopters. and justin bieber, with his latest look. >> justin's real hairstyle. >> it's his new real hair style. they have to be very fast with the manufacturers. >> reporter: they showed us some of the hot sellers this season. >> for under $20, kids like angry birds, fire flies, and zsa zsa hermit crabs. >> they run around like little hermit crabs. it's got sort of a tropical caribbean theme. >> on the high end, there's an entire ninjago. a video game that uses action figures. kids certainly know what they want. >> i do like to play with electronic stuff and video games. >> reporter: too young for an ipad. how about the leap pad? educational tablets for little kids are also big. >> it's got an arts studio. you tell me what a 4-year-old needs to organize. >> parents are telling us that this year, the

at the new york stock exchange, i'm alexis christoforous. >> our time is 5:37. we have a quick look at the forecast. plus, hitch a ride to the north pole with a special group of children. >> later, see how this new atheist display set to kick off in loudoun county is already causing controversy. >>> few high clouds out there today. we start in the teens and 20s. 36 by 9:00. by noon, 42. 3:00, 45. highs today at about 47. look at the winds light southerly winds 5 miles per hour or less. i'll be inside in about five minutes. we'll talk about some milder temperatures but right now, talking about the morning traffic with my friend, monika. >> thank you so much, howard. good morning, everybody. on the inbound side of i-66, an accident reported at haymarket. here's 9 a at the fairfax county parkway. another accident before quantico. that's in the left lane. more on what's going on on area roadways coming up at 5:50. back to you. >>> dozens of children from local hospices go at trip to the north pole to see santa. >> they were greeted by santa and mrs. claus after a fa

let's go to alexis christoforous with the cbs money watch update. >> reporter: stocks pulled back oneay after the market's best showing in two and a half years. investors reacted to some discouraging news on jobs. the number of people applying for unemployment benefits rose for the second straight week. it's a sign the job market is recovering but at a slow and uneven pace. it comes one day before the government releases the november employment figures. >>> americans return to auto show rooms last month. chrysler sales jumped from a year earlier. and gm is affording a 7% sales increase. overall, november was the best month for the auto industry since august 2009, when the government offered big rebates for drivers to trade in their gas-guzzling clunkers. >>> and you may have money coming to you from the internal revenue service. the irs says it has millions of dollars in unclaimed tax refund checks, looking for the right homes. more than 99,000 taxpayers never received their refund check because they had the wrong mailing address. and if you think you're missing your refund, you can c

let's go to new york right now, alexis christoforous has tonight's cbs money watch update. >>> it was another losing day on wall street as worries about europe hung over the stock market. the euro fell to its lowest level against the u.s. dollar in about a year. that's good news for americans traveling abroad since their dollars will stretch farther. but it's bad news for the european economy and that region's debt crisis. the strong dollar sent gold plunging. it is the first time gold dipped below $1600 an ounce since late september. that could translate into lower gold prices at the jewelry counter, just in time for the holidays. >>> google is donating up to $1 million to fight modern-day slavery. some 25 million people around the world are being forced to work or provide sex against their will. google is the largest -- corporation dedicated to ending modern-day slavery. >>> and times person of the year. these protestors, they say, are reshaping global politics. last year, you may remember, facebook founder mark zucker burg got the honor. for more. go to cbsmoneywatch.com. in new yo

let's go to new york, where alexis christoforous has tonight's cbs money watch update. >> stocks ended the week with a rally, after european nations agreed to work together to tackle the region's debt crisis. all 17 nations that use the euro will sign a treaty that gives essential authority closer oversight of their budget. britain, which does not use the euro, rejected the treaty. consumer sentiment is at a six- month high, as more people become confident in their own finances. and the overall economy. that has retailers happy since confident consumers tend to spend more, especially during this critical holiday shopping season. >>> the u.s. trade deficit narrowed in october, to its lowest point of the year. the commerce department says it saturday fourth straight monthly drop as americans brought fewer foreign cars and imported less oil. a new smart phone application, allowed shoppers to receive a discount if they shop online. the new amazon app, called price check, is now offering shoppers a 5% discount on its website if they go into the store and snap a bar code. the catch? you have

alexis christoforous has the story for wjz. >> reporter: rod blagojevich fought his way through the crowd, minutes after hearing his sentence. >> this is the time to fight through adversity. this is the time for me to be strong for my children. be strong for patty. >> reporter: the judge ordered the former illinois governor to serve 14 years in prison for corruption. a stiffer penalty for most of the state's corruption cases, but less than the 20 years the 54-year-old could have faced. before hearing his sentence, blagojevich made a plea for mercy. his voice cracking with emotion, he told the judge, he never set out to break the law but admitted making terrible mistakes, and said he is unbelievably sorry. prosecutors said blagojevich damaged the public's confidence in government and deserved a stiff sentence. >> today's sentence of 14 years on former governor blagojevich, sends a strong message that the public has had enough and judges have had enough. >> reporter: blagojevich's troubles began three years ago, after the fbi caught him on wire taps, offering to sell political favors. prose

alexis christoforous, cbs news, new york. >>> after a long standoff, oakland police arrested the man accused in a black friday shooting. detwone watson surrendered to police this morning after barricading himself inside an east oakland home for several hours. police say he shot a man in the neck outside the san leandro walmart during the black friday shopping rush. during the today's standoff his sister came to his defense. >> my brother is a good person. he's a good man. you know what i'm saying? regardless of what anybody said about him! my brother is the type of man it helps somebody out. >> the man shot outside the walmart is recovering. a second suspect is already in custody. >>> law enforcement officers arrested more than 30 suspected gang members across the south bay today. they raided a series of locations in gilroy, san jose, hollister, and san martin. investigators say the suspects belonged to a powerful gilroy- based criminal street gang. they face multiple charges including assault with a deadly weapon and robbery. >>> the startling new report shows a quarter of californi

in new york, i'm alexis christoforous. >> an historic home in florida is saved. the 98-year-old shipley house is one of broward county's oldest structures. it escaped demolition by traveling a half mile down the road. the house was put onto a flat bed and taken to a city or lot where it will stand. the house will become office space at its new location. >>> well, coming up on wjz's eyewitness news at 4:00, he's the front runner, but he's second in the polls. we'll update you on the republican candidates running for president. >>> unprecedented look. shocking photos taken on death row in china. >>> and we're enjoying dry, sunny conditions. stick around for the updated first warning forecast. wjz 13 is always on. for the top stories on wjz.com, for instant updates and first warning weather all the time, click wjz.com. ,,,, [ male announcer ] are you paying more and more for cable and enjoying it less and less? stop paying for second best. upgrade to verizon fios and get tv, internet and phone for our best price online -- just $79.99 a month for two years with a 2 y

. >>> alexis christoforous reports for wjz, her famous jewels fetched more than 116 million dollars. >> 300,000 now. >> reporter: collectors and fans of the hollywood packed the auction house. for a chance for one of the leg endary jewels. the iconic, 33-carat, potentially flawless, white diamond ring. a gift for husband richard burton. another burton gift, this bulgari emerald and diamond necklace, fetched more. 80 earrings, necklaces, pendants and ring went under the gavel. >> a hallmark of this entire collection is the quality of the stone and the craftsmanship. >> it took elizabeth taylor a lifetime to a master jewelry collection. christies says it's one of the finest in the world. and as rich as taylor's jewels are, so are the stories behind them. >> this, a gift from her third husband, hollywood producer mike todd, sold for $32.4 million. the rare pearl necklace, which queen mary tudor of england once sold, for a staggering $11.8 million. a record for any pearl jewel. but for these, the legend of elizabeth taylor makes her jewels priceless. alexis christoforous, cbs news, new y

in new york, i'm alexis christoforous. >>> coming up on wjz's eyewitness news at 4:00. at the very least, it's in poor taste. see the picture of air force airmen that is sparking a government investigation. >>> when compassion turns to chaos. we'll go inside a home, where a family hoarded more than 100 cats. the charges the owner is facing. >>> our mild, mid-december temperatures are going to change dramatically. tim says well doing some stuff for us. >>> wjz 13 is always on. for the top stories on wjz.com, instant updates and first warning weather all the time, ,, >>> they say there's a little sun. can you forecast the weather? >> well, you know, the sun is actually going to come back very quickly. the tradeoff is we'll lose some of the 60-degree temperatures. but we're back into sunshine and blue skies for the weekend. not a bad tradeoff. >> if you have any last-minute shopping to do, the weather after tonight, after this rain goes by, is going to cooperate. right now, 58 degrees. we're down just 1 degree or so from our checkout. 49 is your dew point. relative humidit

alexis christoforous has more in this this morning's cbs "moneywatch." >> reporter: retailers are expectingnother wave of big crowds as the holiday return season gets under way. this year, more stores are being flexible and extending the number of days customers have to return an item. many retailers including best buy and apple have done away with restocking fees and stores including walmart and target allow returns without a receipt for most products. retailers estimate holiday returns will be up 4% from last year. >>> on wall street, stocks gained last week on hopeful signs about the u.s. economy and job markets. on friday, the dow climbed 124 points, the nasdaq added 19. the economy is still worry number one for most americans. 57% of people polled say the economy is the most important issue facing the country now. 51% say unemployment is the country's biggest economic problem. there are signs the job market is slowly but steadily improving. the number of americans applying for unemployment benefits at a three afternear low and the jobless rate fell in 43 states last month. most economi

in for jason brooks today we have alexis christoforous with cbsmoneywatch.com.y of trading. >> reporter: you bet. what a year it has been, grace and frank. stocks are slightly lower to begin the last trading day of the year on wall street. let's get an early check of the numbers for you. the dow down 21 for the year it is up about 6.1. nasdaq hanging near flat line right now and for the year it is down 1.5%. you may be wondering which was the best performing stocks this year? it was mcdonald's. that stock is up about 35% loser bank of america down 65%. you're not going to like. this verizon will charge customers a $2 fee if they pay their bill over the phone or online with a credit card. verizon is calling this the convenience fee. i don't know what's very convenient about it. it goes into effect january 15. it will not apply to electronic check payments or automatic credit card payments. experts say it's verizon's way of trying to push customers to sign up for its free automatic payment program. i can tell that you moments after the news broke, customers logged

alexis christoforous is here in new york with that and much more. >> reporter: asian markets finished the year with modest gains. tokyo's nikkei gained about half a percentage point and hong kong's hang sang added a fraction but a rough year for those markets, they lost 20% apiece following the earthquake and tsunami in japan in march. >>> today is the last trading day of the year on wall street. thursday, stocks rallied. the dow jumped 135 points and is up 6% for the year. the nasdaq gained almost 24, but it is down 1.5% for 2011. there are also some positive new signs of strength on the labor front. the labor department says in the past month, unemployment claims averaged $375,000 per week, the fewest since june 2008. now for some perspective here, at the height of the recession in 2009, more than 600,000 americans were applying for unemployment each week. analysts say the trend is promising. >> the jobs market is moving out of recessionary territory into recovery. it doesn't look like the jobs market is healing. >> reporter: next year should be even better, according to a new surve

let's go to new york where alexis christoforous has the money watch update. >> reporter: euro slumped to a 15-month low against the dollar making goods more expensive overseas. senior saudi official tells the gulf arab nation are prepared to offset the loss of oil in the market. he says his country would close the street cutting off oil exports if western nations pose sanctions. a 6th of the oil moves through the strait. last minute holiday shoppers gave retailers a solid lift the week before christmas. sales rose 4 and a half percent. consumers got help getting shopping done on time. some retailers stayed open for 24 hours a day. on line spending hit a record. according to comp score, americans spent over $35 billion on line from the day after thanksgiving, through christmas eve, that is up 15% compared to last year, on cyber monday alone, consumers spent 1 and a quarter billion dollars buying gifts over the internet. head to cbsmoneywatch.com. i'm alexis chris christoforous. >>> let's check in with christy at wjz traffic control. >> we have a little bit of good news, let's look now

alexis christoforous explains that there were a couple of reasons for today's rally. >>> reporter: u.s. builders broke ground in november on more houses than at any time in the past year and a half. new home construction climbed more than 9% last month led by a 32% jump in demand for apartment buildings. confidence among german business leaders and consumers unexpectedly rose in december according to a new survey and the spanish government pulled off a successful debt auction. both helped to ease worries about europe's debt crisis. >> also fueling the surge, sales at u.s. stores that have been open at least a year rose nearly 3.5% last week compared to the week before. >>> in washington today, democrats and republicans and now members of the house and senate all fighting each other over the payroll tax cut set to expire at the end of the year. today the republican led house rejected the bipartisan senate bill that would extend payroll tax cuts and unemployment benefits for two months. but house gop lawmakers say they will only vote for a year- long extension. president obama argues the

if europe were to falter not hard to believe it wouldn't here. >> thank you, alexis christoforous. >>> to the race to the white house where the gop candidates don't have time to think about christmas. front runners mitt romney and newt gingrich are battling hard for votes in the crucial first state. >> wyatt andrews is covering the romney campaign and joins us. >> yesterday, mitt romney rejected the newt gingrich challenge for a one-on-one debate. all of that coming from that flap over negative campaign ads. mitt romney, today, concludes his three-day bus tour of new hampshire, a state where he is running ahead but acts like he is running behind. romney got a foost from george w. bush hold a newspaper that romney was his choice. >> i thanked him for his support, his leadership and his heroic life and his friendship mean a great deal to me. >> reporter: the news came as romney crisscrossed new hampshire by bus and in one small town was truly running for president. four years ago, he lost new hampshire and lost his momentum. this week, on a bus he personally filled with deiesel, he name

is alexis christoforous of cbs "moneywatch." good morning. >> good morning. >> translate some italian here for us, if you would. why should americans be concerned about italy's bonds? >> if this was two years ago we wouldn't be concerned talking about italian bond action but it's very important in this atmosphere. this is a litmus test of investment confidence. italy is the third largest economy in europe and struggling under a mountain of debt and having auction to try to raise badly needed cash. if there is strong demand for this auction it sends a huge investor confidence boost out to the world and says we believe italy is still a good investment and willing to hold on to the bonds and this debt and it drives interest rates in that country lower. which is good news, because it helps to spur economic growth and makes borrowing costs cheaper there for consumers and businesses. >> we learned that the euro fell to an 11-month low against the dollar today. that sounds like bad news for europeans but is that good news for u.s. inve

. >>> alexis christoforous. why should americans be concerned about italy's bonds? >> look, if this was two years ago, we wouldn't be sitting here talking about an italian bond option but it is very important because this is a litmus test of investor confidence. look, italy is the third largest economy in europe. it is struggling right now under a mountain of debt and it's having this auction to try to raise some badly needed cash. if there is strong demand for this option, we believe italy is still a good investment and we're willing to hold on to these bonds and hold on to this debt and it drives interest rates in that country lower which is good news because it helps to spur economic growth. fell to an 11-month low against the dollar today. that sounds bad news for europeans. >> it depends. you can look at this two ways. if you're traveling to europe any time soon, your dollar will go further there because the dollar is now stronger. you can buy more goods in europe. but on the flip side of that, multi-national companies here in the u.s. that do a lot of business

to answer to that, we are joined by alexis christoforous of cbs "moneywatch" who is watching that for us this morning. >> investors have been shifting through a pile of encouraging economic reports recently and a growing number of economists believe that momentum can continue in the new year. >> reporter: the u.s. economy is ending a year of uncertainty on a positive note. fewer americans are filing new claims for jobless benefits than at any time since the end of the recession. a sign layoffs are easing. >> we are certainly seeing momentum pick up in the economy. that's a really good sign for 2012. we have seen the jobs market really improve over the last few months. >> reporter: the year began with 9% unemployment. it peaked at 9.2% in june and fell to 8.6% last month. companies like the ambrose group which provides personnel services for small business, can see the difference. >> we added on about 20% year over year and then we are already slated to add on another 10% next year. >> reporter: the housing market is showing signs of life. the number of people signing contracts to buy

>> alexis christoforous. >> thank you and happy new year. >> thank you. >>> it is almost new year's. by the way, quick pop quiz. what is the best performing dow stock? >> of 2011? >> yes. >> all right, the big mac of them all, mcdonald's up 31%. i just like these little guys. >> stephanie turner bell over at the news desk. >> i have to say mcdonald's is my favorite stock, too. >> rebecca has the right color on, too. >> good morning to everybody and early happy new year. russian officials extinguished a fire. the fire broke out yesterday at a ship yard near the port of murmansk. some of the crew remains on board. the fire started on wood e scaffolding. military officials say there was no radiation leak, but nine crew members have been hospitalized. >>> iran's military says it will carry out missile drills, including long-range missiles tomorrow in the persian gulf. the iranian navy is conducting war games in the region and tehran has threatened to close oil shipping lanes from the gulf. >>> and a new fee announced by verizon wireless. the country's largest cell phone company has touch

alexis christoforous, wjz eyewitness news. >> reporter: blagojevich also must pay a $20,000 fine. the judge gave him until february 16th to report to prison. >> no state charges against the former high-profile assistant basketball coach, accused of sexual abuse. >> wjz is following the story from adam may. >> the district attorney says the allegations are credible and the statute of the limitations in this case have expired. two former ball boys say that former assistant coach, bernie fine, abused them a few years ago. the d.a. investigating the case criticized police and syracuse for how they handled the allegations. >> simply put, this investigation was inadequate. there was little, if any, intellectual curiosity exhibited in the report in terms of follow-up, developing corroborating evidence, developing new leads or witnesses, exploring a number of red flags that were raised in bernie fine's statement. >> now, the district attorney also said the allegations from a third man appear less credible ask that travel records call into question his abuse claims. and vic, back to you. >

alexis christoforous, wjz eyewitness news. >> and our complete coverage of the shooting at virginia tech, continues now with andrea fujii, who speak with a-- spoke with a local student. >> the graduate who is now a freshman, says she and several other students spent the afternoon, with their doors locked in a study center that is right off campus. about 45 minutes ago, police sent students alerts, telling them the lockdown is lifted. and they don't suspect there are any more threats of violence on campus. she said this is eerily reminiscent of the 2007 mass shooting in which 33 people died. >> i think this happening, was a surprise. like why would that happen again at our school? like that's a bit of a coincidence. but i definitely think there are all different types of people out there. and you never know what will do something like that. >> reporter: students have finals this weekend and next week. we're told they will go on as scheduled. vic? >> andrea, thank you. wjz 13 has the latest on the shooting at virginia tech. the campus wide lockdown is now over. police say an officer was ki

in new york, i'm alexis christoforous. >> can another baltimore movie make it on broadway? well, we're about to find out. ron matz has the latest on barry levinson's plan to return to the diner. >> diner, the movie, will soon be a broadway musical. director levin marked the 30th anniversary in baltimore. the stage version is well on its way. >> it's really coming along. and it's very indicative of what the film is. so it's not like reinventing. some kind of something. ♪ [ music ] >> reporter: baltimore hit broadway in a big way nine years ago, when "hair spray" became a smash. can diner do the same? the owner of hollywood diner says yes. >> back when it came out, i think it's a good movie then and good movie now. i think it's going to work. >> reporter: they see a bigger role for women. >> we're able to open up the subtext, in terms of the females. so they can sing and suddenly they add another layer to the piece. >> reporter: actress ellen barkin, the only female lead, says diner holds a special place. >> for me, it's the most important, groundbreaking, iconic piece of wor

president and not newt gingrich that is the prediction from new jersey republican governor alexis christoforous airwaves and hitting newt gingrich in a typical no holds barred fashion today. >> i think the speaker can't help himself but to make himself the center of attention all the time for the comments he makes. some of his ideas are fine. some aren't. in the end he's going to carry so much of that into election, that the election is going to be about newt gingrich and i don't think that is a good thing for our party. bill: we wonder if speaker gingrich has a response to that. christie is a romney supporter and has campaigned for the massachusetts governor. you will hear more from him tomorrow when martha talks to him. you'll see the interview tomorrow on "america's newsroom," stay tuned for that. that shall be interesting. martha: in the meantime there is a bit of a shakeup in the republican presidential playing field two weeks before the crucial iowa caucuses. newt gingrich had been surging in that battleground state. take a look now, ron paul has jumped into the lead. according to the "re

. >> here to tell us what is driving the market is alexis christoforous. >> it's getting on the housing front and the unemployment front and does that mean that the worst is behind us? >> well, at least we're taking baby steps, we have to start some place. we'll start with the job market. the number of americans applying for first-time unemployment benefits dropped to a low and claims below 300,000 for the past month or so which does show job growth. the unemployment rate fell in 43 states last month. we're looking at the unemployment rate hanging election. >> in addition to unemployment, housing, jim and i have been togging about this. housing has been showing improvement. >> 2012 could be the year we see stabilization in the housing market and we had builders busiest last month and home construction busy and permts for future construction and mortgage rates hitting a record low this week. the problem, of course, not a lot of people are qualifying for these loans or if they do, they're holding off and waiting for housing prices to come down. >> how does this trickle down to consumer sp

martha: 2011 has been quite a year for new jersey governor alexis christoforous taoefplgovr chris christiepresident. he quickly backed mitt romney. he says he wants romney to be more bold and aggressive in his campaign. those are attributes that the governor has no shortage of. i caught up with him and his wife mary pat as they continue their season of service as they meet with members of the military. >> i'm mary pat, can i shake your hand? you're sweet. i'm married to the governor. martha: she certainly is married to the governor. those military families, very moving ceremony yesterday at the governor's mansion. many of them have been hitting tough economic times and i sat down with mary pat and chris christie, this is the first interview they've ever done together. >> i look at those folks, those troops in there that i've got even to know over two years, they leave their homes for a year at a time. they leave their families behind, their children, jobs and go into harm's way in iraq and afghanistan and their family doesn't know if they are coming home. >> it's a maiding, it's suc amazin