you're following the sad saga of bob levinson. >> we absolutely are, john.ing i visited the island just about a year ago and you know, there aren't any americans there, to be honest. it's a tourist destination, destination for illicit activity which is why bob levinson was there, former fbi agent, private investigator when he was there tracking apparently cigarette smuggling. he disappeared five years ago. bill nelson has been instrument until trying to get his release and find out whether the iranian government is finding him. we follow the story about the rq-170 drone. a top secret classified drone. if the technology is intact, one of the key things this drone has is the ability to be undetected by radar. now, sure, this helpize ran but the country it really would help is china. they've got a jet, a big fight that they want to have this radar technology. they were a generation behind america. we'll find out whether they're going to get the hands on the drone and what the risks could be to the united states. plus, john, one of the big of the retailers in am

bob levinson's family received this video last year but didn't release it out of fear it would hinder rescue efforts. he disappeared while working as a private investigator. in the video levinson pleads with the u.s. government to help him. the u.s. says they don't know who is holding him. >>> today investigators revealed they know the identity of both people involved in a deadly shooting on the virginia tech campus. university police officer deriek crouse was killed yesterday while making a routine traffic stop. authorities believe despite attempts to disguise himself, the gunman is in fact the second victim. >> the clothing that he had on, this individual had on at the vehicle and based on eyewitness descriptions, match that of the clothing found in the backpack. >> investigators are withholding the shooter's identity until his family is notified. school officials say he was not a student at virgina tech. >>> after months of tension and handwringing over the financial future of europe, leaders there have agreed in principle to a plan to save the eurozone from collapse. a plan is exp

but tonight, they share the only clue that bob levinson could be alive. this video shows robert levinson a retired fbi agent who disappeared inside iran. >> i have been treated well. i need the help of the united states government to answer the requests of the group that has held me for three-and-a-half years. >> reporter: his family is releasing the tape it received last november and levinson's son david is sending his own video message to his father's captors. >> we need to know what you want our family to do so that my father can come home safely. >> reporter: the 63-year-old father of seven went missing nearly five years ago. he was working as a private investigator when he traveled to iran. the u.s. government 'believed iranian intelligence officials picked him up but they never had solid intelligence on where he was. >> we have been sharing relevant information that we have about his case with many governments to see what we can do. >> reporter: iran's government denies it had anything to do with lech audits disappearance. his family hopes the video

. >> bob levinson's family received the video last year but didn't release it until today. they feared that it would hurt rescue efforts. levinson, a former fbi agent, disappeared while working as a private investigator. u.s. government leaders don't know who it is who is holding him. >>> european nations have reached agreement on a plan that could save the euro. at a meeting of the european union, 26 out of 27 nations voted to back the plan to tie their finances together as a way of solving the euro crisis. the treaty will include the 17 countries using the euro and other nations that back the plan. it should be in place within three months. but some analysts say solving the problems could take much longer. >> there's a lot of debt out there. a massive debt. it's going to take years if not a generation to resolve. >> the only nation to reject the plan was britain, which does not use the euro. the leaders of three other nations say they need to consult their parliaments before making a decision. >>> with the holiday season here, credit card issuers are offering incentives t

more than four years since bob levinson, a former fbi agent was nabbed. >> to my beautiful, loving, loyal wife, christine. >> that is the shirt he wore when he kis appeared. >> reporter: he's lost 75 pounds since he was kidnapped on the iranian island of kish. he was working as a private investigator on a cigarette smuggling case. >> i'm not in very good health. i'm running, very quickly, out of diabetes medicine. >> reporter: christine received this e-mail a year ago. just released with her son with a plea to the captors. >> please tell us what you want and let us bring my father home. >> the hope is they'll get in touch with us. >> reporter: with iranian relations at a low point, officials are saying little. >> we're not in a position to confirm where he is. >> reporter: iran claims they are not holding him. >> he could be captured without authorization. now the group holding him is kind of embarrassed by it. they haven't figured out a way to let him go. >> reporter: abc news has learned that the fbi is trying to talk directly to the iranians. they may be holding him some place in centr

. >> now, this videotape was sent to the family of bob levinson last year. it was just released because the family feared that it would hinder rescue efforts if they release it before this. today levinson's son made his own plea to his father's captors. >> i'm sending this message because we need to know what you want our family to do so that my father can come home safely. >> eleven son had been in iran -- levinson had been working as a private investigator. the iranian government said it has nothing to do with the disappearance. >>> at the peak of the war the united states had more than 50 0 bases in iraq now less than a handful. the once sprawling american cities lie empty there. martin savage has a look at a base that's becoming a ghost camp. >> reporter: this year it looks like a truck stop where convoys departing for kuwait car away the war. >> we are taking it south due to the draw down of iraq. >> reporter: like all the remaining u.s. bases here its days are numbered and it shows. away from the truck lots lies a ghost camp. checkpoints sit abandoned.

ever since then, bob levinson's fate has been unknown until now. >> i have been held here for 3 1/2 yearsh. i am running very quickly out of diabetes medicine. i have been treated well, and i need the help of the united states government to answer the requests of the group that has held me for 3 1/2 years. and please help me get home. 33 years of service to the united states deserves something. please help me. >> please help me, he says. you'll notice he says twice 3 1/2 years even though he vanished in march of 2007. so it appears this video was shot sometime late last year. i want to bring in jill dougherty in from the state department. i saw your interview with his wife, i read the transcript. i know that the u.s. government has and the family has had this video for a while. the wife christine told you, in seeing the video, she's happy to see him alive but sad for the way he lfooks. you asked her why now, why release the video now. here's what she told you. >> since we received that video, we've tried to get in touch with the group that is holding bob. unfortunately, we have not receiv

now, they share a clue that bob levinson could be a live. here is more. >> reporter: this hostage video shows robert levinson, an fbi agent who disappeared inside of iran. >> i have been treated well. i need help from the united states government to answer the requests of the group that has held me for 3 1/2 years. >> reporter: this family is releasing a tape that they received in november. his son is sending a video message to his father's captures. >> we need to know what you want our family to do. >> reporter: the 23-year-old father of seven went missing three years ago. he was working as a private investigator and traveled to iran. the u.s. government believed that iran intelligence officials picked him up. >> we have been sharing relevant information that we is with this case can many governments to see what we can do. >> reporter: iran's government denied it has anything to do with his disappearance. they are hoping that the new video message will reach his captures and bring him home. >> the investigators believe that his chapters may

bob levinson's family released video of him pleading for the u.s. former chief of japan's fukushima nuclear plant stricken with cancer. doctors do not think it's related to exposure from the massive earthquake and tsunami last march. steve? >> all right. thank you very much, brian. new jersey governor chris christie out on the stump and campaigning for g.o.p. candidate mitt romney. >> mr. president, we need a leader who will lead us to the moment. who will help define what the challenges of being in the moment means and not to be cautious and safe and sit back and wait for someone else to do the hard work but to get out of your chair and start doing the hard work yourself. >> sure. >> you're so angry, aren't you? you know what? we're used to dealing with jokers like this in new jersey all the time. >> all right. it is the state of many jokers. so is chris christie the energy that mitt romney needs to take back the g.o.p. lead? we continue the conversation with our political panel, larry you called that. >> that is battle star christie. romney's secr

bob levinson's family says they are releasing this video because they just don't know what else to dohere's the website his family has set up. helpboblevinson.com. on it today, his son and wife make a plea to his unknown captors and for the first time they show a proof of life video they received more than a year ago. in the video levinson says he's in poor health, running out of diabetes medicine and he references his long career as an fbi agent. as he calls on the u.s. government to save him. >> please help me get home. 33 years of service to the united states deserves something. please help me. >> levinson had retired from the fbi and was in iran as a private investigator when he disappeared. it's unclear where he's being held. investigators say the video was likely sent from pakistan, not iran, back in march, hillary clinton said she believed he was arrive and called on iran to find him. but still, u.s. officials say they have no idea who is holding him. reporting from washington, alison burns, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> 8:16. well, the focus of the penn state sex abuse scandal is n

we're going to talk to the wife of bob levinson.supplement does that in one daily dose. citracal slow release... continuously releases calcium plus d for the efficient absorption my body needs. citracal. >>> a lot of doubts being raised about the drone that iran has been parading around on tv. iran claims that it is an american drone shot down over its territory but there are some officials in the united states that say this could be a fake. but cnn's chris lawrence tells us there is an even bigger question here. if the drone is american, what was it doing when it went down? >> a u.s. official says it was a cia mission strictly to search for insurgents in afghanistan near the border. but several sources point out it is a stealth zone designed to penetrate areas with air defenses. they say it is hard to believe the drone was strictly operating over afghanistan which has none. >> so it could have been used in iran, it could have been deliberately used in iran and it is very likely in fact that it was a reconnaissance platform of choic

>> pelley: bob orr on the tssage and the mystery. who's holding robert levinson? dean reynolds with republican ron paul, confident that he'll finish in the top three in iowa. and "on the road" with steve hartman. a drama teacher's lesson's on life. >> i like to think i've made a difference, okay? nkay, i think i've made a difference. 've made a difference. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> pelley: good evening, you might say president obama needs a 333 plan. that's how many days he has to convince american voters that he should be reelected. 333. he's up against some tough new numbers tonight. take a look at the new cbs news poll. the president's job approval rating is 44%, and that poses a big challenge because, according to the gallup poll, no president since truman has been reelected when his approval rating was below 48%. then we asked this question. does president obama deserve to be reelected? more than half, 54%, said no. the weak economy is largely to blame. in a "60 minutes" interview with steve kroft today,

levinson is still alive. the tape is year old and no additional proof offered. bobgton. >> joining us from davie, florida, is levinson's wife christine and with us in new york is former "the new york times" reporter david hoe who was held for seven months when he was covering afghanistan. he is now a writer for the reuters agency. christine, can you give me an idea of what your reaction was when you first saw this video about a year ago? >> my reaction was that i was very -- i knew it was bob right away. as soon as i saw him and he spoke, i knew it was bob. i was dismayed by fact that he had lost so much weight and was looking so sad, but, at the same time, determined to come home to us. >> yeah. >> and i was happy at the same time that he was alive. >> you held on to this video privately for a year. was that tough to do? >> yes. very tough. we want this case resolved and, of course, we want it done now, but we have no control over how quickly we can get it done and that is why we're trying to get it out now. >> i understand. christine, are you satisfied with what t

levinson is alive. >> pelley: a long ordeal. bob, thank you very much. the virginia state police have just identified the gunman in yesterday's deadly shooting at virginia tech. they say 22-year-old ross truitt ashley shot and killed a university police officer and then took his own life. ashley was a student at nearby radford university. police say he'd stole an car on wednesday but the motive for the shooting is not clear. in 2007, virginia tech was the scene of the nation's deadliest shooting rampage when a student there killed 32 people. he has the organization to do well in iowa, but where does ron paul go from there? in iraq, enemies of the u.s. are now part of the government. and supply lines for u.s. troops come under attack when the "cbs evening news" continues. ♪ [ male announcer ] campbell's green bean casserole. it's amazing what soup can do ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] everyone deserves the gift of a pain free holiday. ♪ this season, discover aleve. all day pain relief with just two pills. i've been so looking forward to this. when my asthma sympt

bob home alive and quickly. >> reporter: 63-year-old robert levinson a former fbi agent turned private investigator disappeared in march 2007 from iran where it's believed he was investigating cigarette smuggling. for years there were almost no leads. iran's government claimed it was not holding him and did not know where he was. then last year the family received what secretary of state hillary clinton described as proof of life. in march cnn was told some discussions with iran were being held about levinson. >> we continue to welcome any hope that the iranian government can provide in determining mr. levinson's welfare and whereabouts. >> reporter: the state department say it's still in the dark. >> we're not in a position to confirm even where he is, and what we have said and the fbi have said, secretary said it in march is that we've received indications that he's being held captive in southwest asia. >> reporter: christine levinson tells cnn she believes her husband is still alive. iran's president, mahmoud ahmadinejad has said he's willing to try to help find levinson. and mrs. levinson hopes he follows

bob home. >> one person working hard to win robert levinson's freedom is democratic senator bill nelson from florida. i spoke with him today and asked him why the family chose to release the tape now. >> i think if you read the accounts today, you see that the family is just at its wit's end. so christine levinson is trying the only thing she has left in her arsenal, which is let's get this out there. let's hope that somewhere someone sees this tape and that gives some kind of piece of information that the family can bring their loved one home. >> but you're confident the iranian government is involved here. i know that theoretically he was on the island of kish which americans can go without a visa it to iran. he was investigating cigarette smuli smuggling. he was a private investigator in dubai. given all of that, are you sure the iranian government is involved? >> the iranian government has certainly been putt on notice over the years by the family's conversations, my conversations with the ambassador, and yet, they're not forthcoming. we're just hoping something will break. >> i know mr.

>> pelley: bob orr on the message and the mystery. who's holding robert levinson?n reynolds with republican ron paul, confident that he'll finish in the top three in iowa. and "on the road" with steve hartman. a drama teacher's lesson's on life. >> i like to think i've made a difference, okay? okay, i think i've made a difference. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> pelley: good evening, you might say president obama needs a 333 plan. that's how many days he has to convince american voters that he should be

at one point levinson's wife speaks directly to her missing husband. >> bob, i will continue to do everything i can to bring you home alive. all i want is for our family to be whole again. we love you. we miss you every day. >> officials say a break came earlier this year with signs levinson was possibly in pakistan or afghanistan. but those clues may be red herrings from iranian intelligence, trace. >> trace: catherine, you first began investigating this case in 2007 and found that he he had a connection to a wanted fugitive. >> that's right. we confirmed in 2007 that there was an unusual meeting between legislativeson and wanted fugitive david bellfield the muslim convert. bellfield allegedly murdered iranian dissident in maryland in 1978 o. these show the crime scene where he walked up to the house and opened fire. he fled to iran by canada and switzerland. bellfield met with levinson at a luxury hotel. bellfield claims he was held in question that night by iranian authorities about his passport and the following morning levinson was gone, trace. >> trace: catherine herridge live in washin

bob home. >> one person who has been working hard to win robert levinson's freedom is democratic senator bill nelson from florida. i spoke with him today and asked him why the family chose to release the tape now. >> i think if you read the accounts today, you see that the family is just at its wits end. so christine levinson is trying the only thing she has left in her arsenal, which is let's get this out there. let's hope that somewhere someone sees this tape and that gives some kind of piece of information that the family can bring their loved one home. >> but you're confident the iranian government is involved here. i know that theoretically he was on the island of kish, which americans can go without a visa to iran. he was investigating cigarette smuggling. he was a private investigator in dubai. formerly in his career, he had worked for the fbi. given all of that, are you sure the iranian government is involved? >> the iranian government has certainly been put on notice over the years by the family's conversations, my conversations with the ambassador, and yet, they're not forthcoming.

levinson. >>> coming up hollywood heat. another round of dangerous fires set in california. the latest, the search for an arsonist. >> this is bobs the chair of the police union here, but he is dressed in his street uniform. there is a reason for this and it will benefit one lucky police officer, the details when we return. of tim says new year's eve looks good, but what about the start of the year? wjz is always on for the top stories on wjz.com. instant updates, click wjz.com. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, >>> all right. a beautiful end to our day, tunnel. we have one day left in 2011. take a good look at the sky because that is the type we're talking about when we talk about a mostly cloudy night for new year's eve. there will be a system approaching from the west and one to the north of us, but it is only going to cast high clouds over our area and nothing that will interview with your view of the fireworks. >> pretty nice day shaping up today. we have temperatures in the 50s well above our average high of 42 degrees right now. take a look at our current conditions right now. temperatures around we'll call it 51 i believe is the last

bob baer, fareed zakaria, thanks very much. >> well, one other note about iran, there is newly released video showing a man named robert levinson who disappeared in iran nearly five years ago. his family says they received this video last year. this is the first publicly known evidence that he's alive. it seems like he is being held. the obama administration says the government is still working to bring him home safely. it's unclear, at least to us, or publicly, it's unclear who is holding him or where he's being held. a u.s. official tells cnn that at least one e-mail sent by captors to his family is believed to have originated in internet cafes in pakistan or afghanistan. >>> up next tonight, the suspected gunman in yesterday's deadly virginia tech shooting is identified by police. we have the latest on the investigation. >>> also tonight, driving while distracted. a new study that shows how dangerous it can be on the roadways while the texting, sending e-mails, putting you at risk. >>> a clue tonight, data about a hazard that is not getting away and may be getting worse, texting, talking, e-mailing while driving. there's a n

bob baer, fareed zakaria, thanks very much. >> well, one other note about iran, there is newly released video showing a man named robert levinsonho disappeared in iran nearly five years ago. his family says they received this video last year. this is the first publicly known evidence that he's alive. it seems like he is being held. the obama administration says the government is still working to bring him home safely. it's unclear, at least to us, or publicly, it's unclear who is holding him or where he's being held. a u.s. official tells cnn that at least one e-mail sent by captors to his family is believed to have originated in internet cafes in pakistan or afghanistan. >>> up next tonight, the suspected gunman in yesterday's deadly virginia tech shooting is identified by police. we have the latest on the investigation. >>> also tonight, driving while distracted. a new study that shows how dangerous it can be on the roadways while the texting, sending e-mails, putting you at risk. what's interesting tonight is tom foreman gets behind the wheel and shows you firsthand how dangerous it really is. i'm an expert on softball. and

bob home alive and quickly. >> reporter: 63-year-old robert l levin sexual do levinson, disappeared in march 2007 from iran, where smuggling. for years, there were almost no leads. iran's government claimed it was not holding him and did not know where he was. then last year, the family received what secretary of state hillary clinton described as proof of life. in march, cnn was told, some discussions with iran were being held about levinson. >> we welcome any help the government can provide in determining mr. levenson's welfare and where about thes. >> reporter: the state department says it's still in the dark. >> we're not in a position to confirm where he is. what we have said what the fbi has said, secretary said it in march, is that we've received indications that he'sening held c captive in southwest av shah. >> today with christine, she did say she believes that her husband is alive. president of iran, ahmadinejad, did say that he is willing to help to try to find levinson and mrs. levinson wants him to try to do that. but with relations the case they are now with iran, the prospects of that are looking b

bob, i will continue to do everything i can to bring you home alive. all i want is for our family to be whole again. we love you. we miss you every day. >> robert levinson's wife joins us. there's nothing thatten rages me more than i hear stories about pan am 103 and also the story about your missing husband, the fact he is apparently alive or was as of november, 2010, and that the american government has been unsuccessful to bring him home. i take it you have tried going the state department route and this is now your next tactic? >> we've tried everything. and we have not been able to get the group holding bob to get in touch with us to tell us what we need to do and how to get him home. >> how did you get this video? because i assume -- and if you go on your website you can actually listen to your husband speak. but how did this video get from his kidnappers to you? >> it came to my e-mail. >> and so just one day you opened up your e-mail and there's your husband on tape, and you discover for the first time that he's alive in several years? >> yes. >> did you take it to the state department? >> no. the fbi actually has a continuing investigation on the

bob. the family of a retired fbi agent, who disappeared five years ago in iran, is hoping a new video message will bring him home. tara mergener has the latest from wjz. >> this video shows robert levinson, a retired fbi agent, who disappeared inside iran. >> i have been treated. well, i need the help of the united states government. to answer the requests of the group that has held me for 3 and a half years. >> reporter: levinson's son, david, is sending his own video message to his captors. >> we want to know what you want our family to do so that my father can come home safely. >> reporter: the 63-year-old father of 7 went missing nearly five years ago. he was working as a private investigator to iran. the u.s. intelligence officials believe iranian officials ficked -- picked him up. but they never had solid evidence of where he was. >> a series of photographs but they prompted state department to launch discreet talks to find him. >> we have been sharing relevant information we have about his case, with many governments to see what we can do. >> reporter: iran's government denies it had anything to do with levinson's disappearance. has family hopes their new video message will reach