. >> when i got to bed, it's allen. can't live without him any longer. it's not fair for him or his family or me. >> reporter: gross is serving a 15 year sentence in prison accused of smuggling communication equipment into the country. this week cuba allowed the general secretary of national council of churches of christ to meet with gross. he says his health is worsening. he's lost more than 100 pounds his photo shows his changed appearance. >> we have concerns for his health but he's in good spirits and we had a good conversation. >> members of maryland's congressional delegation are urging lawmakers to do more to free gross. they're meeting with members to see what else the u.s. government can do. marry's -- marry, wjz eyewitness news. >> in a statement the senator says if cuba wants to improve their relations with the united states they need to release allen gross now. >> public outcry takes it out of coke's new campaign, consumers complained about if new white can saying they've got it confused. they're scrapping t

allen gross looks good and his wife says his spirit is fading fast. just released photos of jailed american allen gross are encouraging shall it shows gross and a spokesperson says his health is good, he has gained weight and not so in this. gross was sentenced to 15 years in a cuba prison convicted of being a spy. he was only trying to help the island's jewish community to improve the internet service. a recent appeal for release was denied. he and his family deny he is a spy. >> imagine getting locked up for 15 years for bringing a cell phone to the country which he actually did pass customs. >> high profile supporters have demanded that gross be released including secretary of state hillary clinton. warren wants to have hope but allen's wife, judy, says it was upsetting to see him like this. >> gross is 62 and went to the university of maryland. back to you. >> thank you. allen gross was working with the democracy building program called u.s. aid when arrested. >>> the gop presidential race is getting interesting just days ahead of the iowa caucuse

it may sound fanciful, but allen has the help of legendary aircraft designer burt rouxtan. >> i would love to be searching for other break throughs so we could have tens of thousands able to experience that view. [ cheers & applause ] >> reporter: in 2004, rouxtan and allen together build space ship 1, a similar, but much smaller system that became the first privately funded space craft to fly outside the atmosphere twice in two weeks. >> we have a long road. >> reporter: allen won't say how much he intends to spend on strato launch, but says it eventually should make money launching private satellites and carrying pay loads for nasa. >> i'm very excited. >> reporter: allen won't say how long it will be until he will be offering rides to humans, but says he won't be the first to fly. >> personally, i think i'm going to wait for a large number of those flights to happen before i'll think about it. i'm actually a fairly conservative guy in some aspects. >> reporter: the goal is to go from this model to a test flight by 2015 and the first launch of a rocket by 2016. john blackstone, cbs

george allen and tim cane in a dead heat leading to next year's senate race. they are viking for the seat being investigated by jim west. is there a clear winner in this contest? >> they both stood their ground on taxes, the nation's rising debt and who can better fix the economy. they also disagreed strongly on a personhood law which says life begins at conception and whether it would make contraception illegal. >> is former senator george allen politically disastrous mikaka incident still relevant in this campaign? tim cane says yes. >> when he's singled out as a young man in this crowd and looked at him and said welcome to america, welcome to the real virginia, there was no mistake about what those words meant. >> it was a mistake. i never should have singled out that young man. he was doing his job. >> he stressed his concern for working families and rising debt, blaming the obama administration. he criticized cane for his allegiance to obama and seeking the chair of the democratic national committee while still governor. >> policies and agenda of presiden

longtime congressman john conyers of michigan sent this letter to allen west. about your goebbels remark. he was a vicious, notorious anti-semite who went down in history as propaganda for hitler. i greg of you to help raise the level of congressional discourse instead of personal attacks. allen west refuses to back down, he responded to conyers with a note back saying this. the democrat party does, indeed, have a vicious propaganda machine. it espouses lies and deceit and the master of deceptive information would truly be proud. i have been personally attacked and denigrated on countless occasions. i do not appreciate your letter. really, congressman? why don't you show us the tape of when that's happened to you. i'd like to see it. not only is allen west refusing to apologize, he's playing the victim and he's even blaming reporters for twisting his words. you know, i expect this kind of thing from a certain washed up former fox news host, but it is beyond unacceptable from a sitting united states congressional member. i hope the folks in allen west's florida

it may sfound fanciful, but allen has the assistance of bert retan. >> i would be love to be out therehing for other breakthroughs so we could have hundreds or thousands or tens of thousands people able to experience that view. >> reporter: in 2004, retan and allen together built spaceship one, a similar, but much smaller system, that became the first privately funded spacecraft to fly outside the atmosphere twice in two weeks. >> we have a long road to -- >> reporter: allen won't say how much he intends to spend on stratolaunch, but says it should make money launching private satellites and carrying payloads for nasa. allen won't say how long it will be until he will be offering rides to humans, but says he won't be among the first to fly. >> personally, i think i'm going to wait for, you know, a large number of those flights to happen before i'll think about it. i'm actually a very conservative guy in some aspects. >> reporter: the goal is to go from this model to a test flight by 2015 and the first launch of a rocket by 2016. john blackstone, cbs news, seattle. >>> coming up on "the

allen is here with the story.> and tonight the republican party chairman went as far as endorsing pro business plan used by democrat contract ins new york. governor brown concede initiative won't solve all the fiscal problems but he says it will stop further cut to education and public safety. in an open letter to california governor jerry brown the plan the plan to tax the rich. >> what is great about the proposal it's shearing the wealth and it is putting the largest onus on those among us who have the nose share. >>reporter: governor initiative calls for a two percent income tax i hope cease for family earning 500,000 dollars or more. would it last 5 years. also calls for temporary half crept sales tax that brown says will still be lowered than the sales tax 6 months ago. >> not only does this pro pestal hit the job crator but it hits the working class with the sales tax increase so i think there is a broader coalition opposing the governor tax plan. >> the governor says his initiative would raise nearly 7 bill

. >> allen gross has been behind bars for two years in cuba. his family says on and off talks have failed. so they are appealing with their hearts. >> reporter: saturday marks the second anniversary of the arrest and imprisonment of allen gross in a prison. as the anniversary approaches, his family is increasing pressure on the castro family to reunite them. >> and i know allen must be suffering more than i am. >> reporter: allen gross's 89- year-old mother makes an appeal to raul castro. she has terminal lung cancer ask is afraid she will die before he is released. >> i get up in the morning, first thing on my mind is allen. last thing when i go to bed is allen. i can't be without him any longer. it's not fair for him or his family or me. >> reporter: gross is serving a 15-year sentence in cuba, accused of smuggling illegal communications equipment in the country. gross claims he was only trying to help what zanna -- havana's jewish community to connect to the internet. dr. michael kinman says his health is worsening. gross has already lost mo

. >> reporter: paul allen, the billionaire cofounder of microsoft, has the a plan to build the world'splane and use it to launch rockets into earth's orbit. the twin fuselage craft will be powered by six boeing 747 engines and have a wingspan of 385 feet-- nearly double of that of a 747. it will carry a rocket to. 30,000 feet and then blast off-- an easier way to get into space than climbing there the thick atmosphere close to the earth's surface. it may sound fanciful, but allen has the help of legendary aircraft designer burt rutan. >> i would love to be able to be out there searching for other break throughs so that we can have hundreds or thousands or tens of thousands of people able to experience that view. >> reporter: in 2004, rutan and allen together built spaceship 1 a similar but much smaller system that became the first privately funded spacecraft to fly outside the atmosphere twice in two weeks. >> we have a long road. >> reporter: allen won't say how much he intends to spend on straddle launch but says it eventually should make money launching private satellites and carryi

allen?>reporter: the crowd has shrink significantly here at bert 55 and 56 and group committed to blocking the port until 3:00 a.m. when the next shift is scheduled to come in. around 6:00 o'clock this evening 2000 protestors march from frank ogawa plaza to the port of oakland and block the 7:00 p.m. shift and shortly after arrival terminal officials cancel the shift based on safety concerns. that meant between 1 and 200 long shore workers did not come to work tonight. officially the international long shore warehouse union says it's against the blockade but several union members were part of the march tonight. meanwhile several non-union truckers remain stuck in front of the gate since 9:00 a.m. >> how much have you lost in a day wages. >> about 1700 dollars. >>reporter: are you going to wait here until you get in there. >> i captain get out here right now if i wanted to. >>reporter: trying to pick up a load or unload. >> unload. >>reporter: long shore men leadership against i it. i'm rank

where we go one on one with the wife of allen gross. her new plea to free the marylander in prison in cuba. and surprising new comments from raul castro. ,,,, [ 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 year agreement. it's an amazing holiday deal. but don't wait. it's only available for a limited time. so go to verizon.com/superoffer to sign up. act now and we'll add a special bonus -- $300 back. fios delivers the best picture quality, plus america's fastest, most consistent most reliable internet. spend the holidays saving money. switch to fios and get our best price online -- just $79.99 a month for two years with a 2 year agreement when you order online. save $840 in your first two years. and don't forget your special bonus -- $300 back. hurry, offer ends soon. go to verizon.com/superoffer. contact the verizon center for customers with

. >>> well, tim allen and george cain holding nothing back. the two former governors are running for the seat being vacated by senator jim webb and both stood their ground on taxes and raising debt. even makaka came up. >> reporter: the makaka incident --. >> let's give a hello to makaka. >> when he singled out a young man and said welcome to america, welcome to the real virginia, there was no mistake about what those words meant. >> it was a mistake. i never should have singled out that young man. he was simply doing his job. >> reporter: allen stressed his concern for working families and rising debt blaming the obama administration. he criticized cain for his allegiance to obama and taking the chair of the democratic national committee while fill governor. >> policies and agenda of president obama nancy pelosi and harry reid were you or were you not advocating for their agenda? and their agenda surely wasn't consistent with what is in the best interest. >> wiping out al qaeda. >> reporter: allen tried to paint cane as a liberal spend er. >>

allen is here with the story. allen. >> and tonight the california republican party chairman went as far as endorsing pro business plan used by democrat contract ins new york. governor brown concede initiative won't solve all the fiscal problems but he says it will stop further cut to education and public safety. in an open letter to california governor jerry brown announced the plan to tax the rich. >> what is great about the proposal it's shearing the wealth and it is putting the largest onus on those among us who have the nose share. >>reporter: governor initiative calls for a two percent income tax i hope cease for family earning 500,000 dollars or more. would it last 5 years. also calls for temporary half crept sales tax that brown says will still be lowered than the sales tax 6 months ago. >> not only does this pro pestal hit the job crator but it hits the working class with the sales tax increase so i think there is a broader coalition opposing the governor tax plan. >> the governor says his initiative woul

>> i didn't tell anybody. >> reporter: allen got his first big commission two years ago.ozen projects. >> he looks like he is 30 or older. does he act like than adult generally speaking? >> there are moments you forget a 19-year-old kid but when you forget that he'll be thinking of something and his mom is downstairs in the kitchen and he'll just say, mom! and it's just one of those things that reminds you, okay, 19. >> yes. he charges the day with the help of caffeine? >> diet coke is his best friend. one time he had about four diet cokes tucked into his various pockets from one location to another. he has it down pat. i say this kid will have a reality show in less than a year. mark my words. >> katrina szish, thanks very much. have a great day, everyone. your local news is coming up next. see you here on "the early show" this morning. wm÷so ñh >>> go sit in the corner, bad boy alec baldwin alone, for learn, moments after he is kicked off the plane. the nation reacts. >> you're not special or different because you are alec baldwin. >> he was 14u7b% wrong. >>> then insid

. >> joseph allen with 36 years in the army and four tours of iraq is headed home to retire. >> this is a bittersweet moment. i've had five birthdays here. it's been a lot of deployment. so it's time to go. it's time. >> the sun is setting on the mission here. and soon, only one flag will fly over iraq. jim axlerod, baghdad. >>> back here at home, barry bonds will find out whether he is going to prison. he'll be sentenced? san francisco federal court for obstruction of justice. he was convicted in april for his role in the steroids scandal. prosecutors have asked for 15 months in prison. lawyers have requested probation. >> other bay area headlines, a preliminary hearing day for the two men accused of beating brian stowe will be set next month. sanchez and marvin appeared in court today. both plodded not guilty to charges stemming from the attack outside dodgers staid glum march. meanwhile, stowe is in a rehab facility and dogs say she has shown encouraging signs of a recovery. >> san jose police made a major graffiti bust. it follows a three-month investigation. four of them are res

. >> reporter: republican allen blasted cain for promoting president obama's initiatives. >> deficiting, trillion dollar annual deficits have become the norm. $4.4 trillion added to the deficit. >> reporter: they would stipulate life begins at conception. >> i do not believe the state should say life begins at conception. >> i believe life begins at conception. >> reporter: it didn't take long before george allen's 2006 gaffe entered the conversation when a panelist asked cain if the subject was fair game. cain complimented allen for his apology, but added -- >> there's a name calling and bullying aspect of this, which is in very long supply now in washington. it's not who virginia is. >> my view of that was it was a mistake. i never should have singled out that young man. he was doing his job. >> tea partiers protested the debate. >> it's having a debate going on between mitt romney and barack obama and circumventing the political process. >> reporter: george allen will debate with other gop challengers. he's agreed to three debates that begin next spring. julie carey, news 4. >>> d

cain blasted allen for his tenure while allen went after cain for his support of president obama's initiativeed and his colleagues turned the biggest surplus in the united states into the biggest deficit in the united states. >> trillion dollar annual deficits have become the norm. $4.4 trillion has been added to the deficit. >> sparks even flew outside of the debate where tea parters protested the fact that lesser known candidates were not allowed to participate in the debate. those candidates had not scored high enough in polls or raised enough money to qualify for the debate. >>> marc passengers are pushing back over proposed cuts to travel service that could mean longer travel times. marc had planned to take eight trains out of service in montgomery county which could extend travel times by 10 to 15 minutes. the goal, marc says, is to make service more reliable. but riders say it leaves commuters with fewer options and that rider feedback should be considered. >>> we're going to check the forecast. first we want to let you know that charles county schools this morning are opening two hour

we'll get the latest from allen pizzey. and tebow time. the broncos' colorful, controversial quarterback is the talk of the nfl. tony guida takes a look at his memorable season. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with russ mitchell. >> mitchell: and good evening. it was a quiet end to a long, divisive and costly war. the last u.s. combat troops left iraq without incident today, leaving the country to continue its own course towards democracy. the american convoy left camp adder south of baghdad during the night bound for kuwait, and our jim axelrod traveled with them. >> reporter: for the first time in eight years, eight months and 28 days, the u.s. has no troops fighting in iraq tonight. the last convoy out of iraq rolled across the kuwaiti border at 7:37 local time this morning, capping a drawdown that saw the u.s. go from 50,000 troops in iraq as late as august to zero. >> i just wanted to say hello. >> reporter: the top u.s. general in iraq, lloyd austin, called the final drawdown, the military's largest, most c

william allen daniels. gabrielle dell agrippa. joyce christine dubois wrote. jian frockcoat tomorrow. peter thomas stanley dix. sean t. dixit. david scott gorenstein. michael joseph doyle. edgar howard eggleston the third. charles thomas fisher affords.

just think about that for a second. >> in 2004, allen and his designer built spaceship one, a similar, but smaller system that became the first privately funded spacecraft to fly into outer space. allen won't say how much he plans to spend, but sighs it eventually should make money launching private satellites and carrying payloads for nasa. and back on earth and namely the north bay. we do have patchy, freezing fog in the overnight forecast. followed by another alert affecting your wednesday. pinpoint forecast as eyewitness news continues. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, >>> evening is coming to an end on this tuesday, december 13. 61 degrees in santa cruz. now heading on outdoors to walnut creek where the temperatures dipped down into the upper 30s. after establishing a high today in the upper 50s. currently redwood city at 40 degrees. otherwise, we are at 34 degrees in santa rosa, which means your morning commute will have areas of patchy freezing fog. woe could see some of that developing on the overpasses. like the golden gate bridge as well. and on your windshield t. will be the 5th wint

first thing i see in the morning is allen. when i go to bed, it's allen. i can't be without him any longer. it's not fair for him or his family or me. >> reporter: gross is serving a 15-year sentence, accused of smuggling illegal equipment into the country. gross claims he was only trying to help havana's jewish community. this week, they asked the churches of christ to meet with gross. gross has already lost more than 100 pounds. the photos show his changed appearance. we have concern for his health. but he's in good spirits. and we had a good conversation. >> and tonight, members of maryland's congressional delegation are urging lawmakers to do more to free allen gross. they're meeting with members of president obama's staff to see what else the u.s. government can do. >> december begins with a day of beautiful weather. outside right now, it's clear and calm. you're looking live at mount vernon, where crews are preparing to light up baltimore's washington monument. let's check in now with bob turk, who is updating conditions from first warning weather. >

>> i didn't tell anybody. >> reporter: allen got his first big commission two years ago. generally speaking? >> there are moments you forget a 19-year-old kid but when you forget that he'll be thinking of something and his mom is downstairs in the kitchen and he'll just say, mom! and it's just one of those things that reminds you, okay 19. >> yes. he charges the day with the help of caffeine? >> diet coke is his best friend. one time he had about four diet cokes tucked into his various pockets from one location to another. he has it down pat. i say this kid will have a reality show in less than a year. mark my words. >> katrina szish, thanks very much. have a great day, everyone. your local news is coming up next. see you here on "the early show" this morning. wm÷so ñh @ [ female announcer ] at verizonfios.com you can choose your channel package. ♪ ♪ you can choose your own internet speeds. ♪ ♪ you can even choose to chat with a live person. ♪ ♪ now you can choose to save $35 a month for fios tv, internet and phone for just $79.99 a month, plus get a $300 verizon visa

>> we'll take a quick break here, be back with more of our conversation mike allen and talk about what is driving the incredible interest in the race for the white house, 2012. [ coughing continues ] [ female announcer ] more pollution from power plants means more childhood asthma attacks. [ labored breathing ] there's technology that makes the air cleaner, but too many plants don't use it. we can't wait. epa must update power plant standards to protect our kids. [ baby coughing ] it's all about jobs. it's all about respect. security. the american dream. [ jamaul ] good jobs in tough times. a chance to move up and do better. [ delaunta ] excellent healthcare. [ caletha ] beautiful benefits. what they used to call the american way. it still works here. [ jennifer ] not a single layoff of a u.s. manufacturing worker. [ glen ] not one. not one. doing things the right way. quality. [ jimmeka ] building cars that americans want. [ jamaul ] right here in america. hyundai is an all-american success story. ♪ in more ways than ever. and our networks are getting crowded. but if congress frees up

allen is live with the latest. allen? >>reporter: you are lacking at the hard core protestors whether moon to shut down the next shift that starts at 3:00 a.m. demonstration moved down here to berth 60 to 63 in front of the a p l terminal and so far police allowed the shut counsel to continue. around 6:00 o'clock about 2,000 protestors marched to the port of oakland where they shut down the 7:00 p.m. shift swarmed several trucks including this rig paralyzed since 9 this morning. >> i don't know. 1300 dollars a day. they just sit out here until next year. >> but the protestors say they are fighting for ronaldson and other non-union truckers. >> in the long run we may get a better wage. >>reporter: officially the international long shore warehouse union says it is not supporting the blockade. but that didn't stop members from participating. >> yes. long shore man leadership is against it. i'm rank and file. i make my own decision of what i am for. >> this long shore man says most of the one to 200 union members never even t

allen is live with the latest. allen? >>reporter: you are lacking at the hard core protestors whether moon to shut down the next shift that starts at 3:00 a.m. demonstration moved down here to berth 60 to 63 in front of the a p l terminal and so far police allowed the shut counsel to continue. around 6:00 o'clock about 2,000 protestors marched to the port of oakland where they shut down the 7:00 p.m. shift swarmed several trucks including this rig paralyzed since 9 this morning. >> i don't know. 1300 dollars a day. they just sit out here until next year. >> but the protestors say they are fighting for ronaldson and other non-union truckers. >> in the long run we may get a better wage. >>reporter: officially the international long shore warehouse union says it is not supporting the blockade. but that didn't stop members from participating. >> yes. long shore man leadership is against it. i'm rank and file. i make my own decision of what i am for. >> this long shore man says most of the one to 200 union members never even t

enough. 3&p22240:22- 40:32jeanne allen:: in maryllan we have a handful of charter schools clustered &rylaad law limits their operational regarding hiring, budgets or curricullm.that has many parents asking, is this fair? 22::8:50 - 22:18::3sccool superintennent adusky: sure! to thattsshool district. &pfederal funds are competitively awarded o -3 states... a chartee school approoed in maryland usually receiies fewer ttan 70 cents &pon the dollar for each student it enrolls.but maryland lawmakers have blocked any efforts at reform... 22217:477 22:17:57some folks see chaater pschools s a silver bullet, &pand i donn thiik that's true, because there are effectivv chartee schools and than the history f charter schools has & proven ttat they're also iieffectivewhile ittmay not e a silver bullet.... advocates say ttey'll keeppppshing for change.....because students are worthhtaking a shot. -3 22:41:45- 22:41:57jeanne allen: thh solution is higher mooe school optionn, more literallyyfor individuall &p3&pparylann currentlyyhas 50 public harter schools, but 38 of them aae located in baltimore ci

tim allen was jolly.st." [ light laughter ] "and if he was santa, instead of saying ho, ho, ho, he could say ho, ho, home improvement." [ laughter ] "speaking of 'home improvement,' that was a great show, too." [ laughter ] "you got tim the tool man taylor. you got jonathan taylor thomas, as i call him, jtt." [ laughter ] "and, of course, wilson, the next door neighbor, who's always behind the fence." [ light laughter ] "man, they should totally bring back 'home improvement.'" [ laughter ] "then, they could do an episode where tim and al get to renovate the white house, and i could be the guest star. and i would be on 'tool time' and tim would be like, 'president obama, do you think any of the republican candidates can beat you in 2012?' and i would look in the camera and be like, 'i don't think so, tim. oh, oh, oh.'" [ laughter and applause ] "ha ha ha. catch phrases are the best. in conclusion, 'the santa clause' rules." [ cheers and applause ] amazing that he can convey that all in one quick glance. he

&psometting doesn'' add up. 22:35553 - 22:36:03jeanne -3 allen: maryland does not raak & a small newspapers who's business it is to track actually how much mooey's spent and how well educated thh teaahers are.jeanne allee... president of the ccnter ffr eddcction reform in dc.... says the rankingssare based on factors entirely - unrelated to tudent outcomms. she ayy he truth is in the pest scooes.jeanne allee: 33:27 i think it's pathetic that anyone in thisscountry or in a state is aautally making 3 who cannttread, riie or do math any morr than 12-percent efficient 43 the ation's report card lasttmonth shoos are profiient in maah and reading--- hardly aa & aahievement.and juut last -3 week.... another round offtest scores put baltimoreecity third of urban areas nationwide. nntionwide. 3 only eleven percent of balttmorr city fourth graders & re proficient or advanced in them are proficienn or school superinnendent sadusky: pes, we'd rather be ooe than p, 3, 55or 11///butt to// 22:15:22-22:15:34school supprintendent sadussy:butt & we're also very knowledge that our student ave, e think &paaons

>> i have asked the allen county sheriff that very question.couldn't tell anything about a motive at the time. i said do you have one? he said no. >> this man was trusted by the family. he was a family friend, a neighbor. what has the family said about this? >> the family actually has been instructed by the fbi to not address the media. so we have not heard anything from that. as far as the allen county sheriff can tell me, they, of course, are devastated. they trusted a man enough to leave their children with him, and any family, you have to have that trust in somebody, and this is more than horrific. >> drew, this is in fort wayne? is it a suburb of fort wayne? tell me a bit about the community. >> we are in northern allen county, just outside of fort wayne and fort wayne takes up most of allen county and the community itself very small. it's off the beaten path and you wouldn't know it's really there unless you lived here or had to cover a story, unfortunately, about 30 mobile home units and otherwise quiet until something like this happens.

mike allen has all of the secrets.ust-read politico e-mail, the one that hits the boxes of washington power brokers and news junkies early every morning, including saturday and sunday. mike allen is the chief white house correspondent for politico and he's the co-author of the new book, the right fights back. i spoke with mike and asked him first to divulge a good secret about mitt romney. >> mitt romney, who is known as being so stiff, turns out he's even stiff when he eats. >> it's true. it's not like guess what he's a joker? >> right. they say that he likes to eat pizza but pulls the cheese off a very ascetic approach to eating pizza. >> yes. >> and he has a secret fast-food vice, kfc. >> kfc. >> if you're mitt romney -- >> i'm glad to hear he's got vices. >> wait. if you're mitt romney and you've got nice juicy kfc? what do you do? takes off the kin. >> no. >> it's the good part. >> you just ruined. you talk about turkey breast, rice, broccoli, chased by at water, a diet coke. >> they say he's so intense about work

mike allen has all of the secrets.d politico e-mail, the one that hits the boxes of washington power brokers and news junkies early every morning, including saturday and sunday. mike allen is the chief white house correspondent for politico and he's the co-author of the new book, the right fights back. i spoke with mike and asked him first to divulge a good secret about mitt romney. >> mitt romney, who is known as being so stiff, turns out he's even stiff when he eats. >> it's true. it's not like guess what he's a joker? >> right. they say that he likes to eat pizza but pulls the cheese off a very ascetic approach to eating pizza. >> yes. >> and he has a secret fast-food vice, kfc. >> kfc. >> if you're mitt romney -- >> i'm glad to hear he's got vices. >> wait. if you're mitt romney and you've got nice juicy kfc? what do you do? takes off the kin. >> no. >> it's the good part. >> you just ruined. you talk about turkey breast, rice, broccoli, chased by at water, a diet coke. >> they say he's so intense about work outs,

sam allen is getting plenty of buzz in the decorating ,,,,,,,,, >>> would you trust a katrina is hereor designer sam allen favors the color pallet high fashion house of hermes and las a proclivity for animal prints. his work has the look of a seasoned pro. >> these are some great 1930s leather club chairs. >> amazing. >> a pair of red chinese etta jairs. >> sam wants to make your home a better place to live. >> thank you. >> even though he doesn't have a place of his own. >> so this is my house. >> yet. >> i grew up here with my family. >> the interior designer is just 19 years old. but don't let his age or lack of his own studio lead you to believe he's too young to flourish in this business. >> up there is my home office. but it used to be my nursery. >> allen has clients spending top dollar for a stylist sophisticated as anything you've seen in the pages of design magazines where his work has also been featured. >> when you're designing a room, was your creative process. >> the process can start from a fabric sample. wallpaper, a piece of art, a small accessory, a bouquet. all over

>> i have asked the allen county sheriff that very question.id he couldn't tell anything about a motive at the time. i said do you have one? he said no. >> this man was trusted by the family. he was a family friend, a neighbor. what has the family said about this? >> the family actually has been instructed by the fbi to not address the media. so we have not heard anything from that. as far as the allen county sheriff can tell me, they, of course, are devastated. they trusted a man enough to leave their children with him, and any family, you have to have that trust in somebody, and this is more than horrific. >> drew, this is in fort wayne? is it a suburb of fort wayne? tell me a bit about the community. >> we are in northern allen county, just outside of fort wayne and fort wayne takes up most of allen county and the community itself very small. it's off the beaten path and you wouldn't know it's really there unless you lived here or had to cover a story, unfortunately, about 30 mobile home units and otherwise quiet until something like this ha

the healing here will take m i'm allen martin.a retailers are ringg in 20-12 with their re >>> good evening, i'm elizabeth cook in for dana king. >> i'm allen martin. >>> bay area retailers are ringing in 2012 with their registers and could be in for a very happy new year. it's because consumer confidence is on the upswing. christin ayers on why shoppers are spending again. >> reporter: allen, the new numbers say consumer confidence is most definitely in the air. if you doesn't want to take my word, check the line here in old navy in emeryville. dozens of people lined up at the registers here. experts say this is the most optimistic shoppers have been in months. bustling stores and long lines days after the holiday shopping rush ended, old navy manager christina randall thought it would all be winding down by now. >> i was not anticipating to be this busy. customers aren't just returning. they're buying. >> reporter: and they're buying more than last year. >> seemed like the economy is a little better. a little more money, a littl

mike allen. thank you.

allen gross are encouraging, it shows him with a jewish leader in cuban. they met for 2 hours and says his health is good. he has gained weight. earlier he was sentenced to 15 years in a cuban prison, convicted of spying. he says he was only trying to help the island's jewish community improve its internet service when me was arrested in december 2009. a recent appeal to the government for release was denied. he and his family deny he is a pie. >> imagine getting locked up for 15 years for bringing cell phones into the country, which he actually did pass customs, they saw everything he had. >> even high profile supporters have demanded the cuban government release allen gross, including secretary of state hillary clinton. he says he wants to have hope but his wife says it was upsetting to see the photos from his visit. allen gross is a maryland native. he attended high school here and the university of maryland. he is 62 years old. i am kai jackson reporting, back to you. >> thank you, earlier this month the senator said if cuba wants to improve relations