cbs reporter danielle nottingham is in washington, d.c. to explain why israel is not ruling out a ground assault. >> reporter: a wounded palestinian woman was rushed to the hospital this morning in gaza. civilians are getting caught in the crossfire as israel and hamas launch rockets at each other in an escalating conflict. israelis say they are targeting weapons facilities, launch sites and police stations in gaza. hamas says 24 civilians have been killed in less than 24 hours. damage is massive residential neighborhoods. police say one of at least 75 rockets landed overnight. no casualties were reported in israel. >> ordered the school to close and there are no children inside the building. >> reporter: israel is now moving troops near the border and has not ruled out a ground assault in gaza. president obama is warning israel that a further escalation may derail peace talks and a two-state solution. while traveling in asia the president also made clear that he will not second-guess the strategy of one of america's allies. >> there is no

cbs reporter danielle nottingham with what happened in that meeting. >> reporter: some gop lawmakers are still not satisfied with u.n. ambassador susan rice's explanation of what happened at the u.s. consulate in benghazi, libya. >> we are significantly troubled by many of the answers that we got and some that we didn't get. >> reporter: senators john mccain, lindsey graham and kelly ayotte have been vocal critics of rice accusing the ambassador of misleading the public when she said five days after the deadly benghazi attack, there was no evidence it was preplanned. >> we're going to get to the bottom of this. we have to have a system we can trust. and if you don't know what happened, just say you don't know what happened. >> reporter: rice needs the senate support if president obama chooses her to be the next secretary of state. ambassador rice met with lawmakers in a secure room behind this group of cameras here on capitol hill to discuss classified information. an aide to senator john mccain says she requested the meeting. afterwards, rice issued a statement saying the talking po

danielle nottingham, cbs news, the white house. >>> a bay area mother reached for a baseball bat and fought off burglars who broke into her home. da lin talked with the family this afternoon. this isn't first time their home has been burglarized. >> reporter: not the first time. the second time the same house has beentargeted, and this time the home owner said enough is enough and fought back. >>> reporter: a 55-year-old dan used this aluminum baseball bat to chase off two would-be burglars, their second attempt to break in, in nine details. the woman declined to talk on camera. her 22-year-old daughter says her mother wanted to make sure the burglars don't return by confronting them. >> it had happened a week ago and probably knew what was going on and so she was like, oh, no. they are not doing this again. >> reporter: the family is still shaken up and asked me not to identify them or the house. it happened last friday morning around 9:30 on saint james drive. police say the two men in their 20s first rang the doorbell. when no one responded, they smashed this window to try to get

danielle nottingham, cbs news, washington. >>> backlash from a bay area scandal. the executive director of the port of oakland has retired. this is after omar ben intramin was accused of being -- benjamin was accused of being part of a party where they used public funds the pay the bill in houston at a strip club. he announced his retirement yesterday. >>> and that he is a very charming very intelligent guy with enormous resources at his disposal. >> still ahead the search is on for a former bay area ceo. why the founder of mcafee is on the run after a murder in central america and where he may be hiding. it's coming up next. >> and pepsi -- well, they claim the soda can help you get skinny. >> hi, i'm meteorologist lawrence car now in the cbs 5 weather center. we will talk about that coming up. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, the man who founded santa clara-based "mcafee (mak-uh) associates"... is now wanten connec >>> welcome back. the man who founded santa clara based mcafee associates nuanced in connection with a murder case. john mcafee is considered a person of interest in

danielle nottingham, cbs news, the white house. >>> states affected by superstorm sandy are struggling to make sure all their residents get a chance to vote. new york has assigned 143,000 people to new polling places. new jersey is allowing voters to e-mail and faction ballots. -- and fax ballots. and the national guard is setting up mobile voting booths in disaster areas. >>> it turns out more than 5 2,000 residents in dc voted early for this election. that is more than 10% of the district's registered voters. and it is more than double the number of early voters in the september 2010 primary. >>> wusa is appealing a fcc decision, requiring this station to let pro and the life independent candidate randall terry buy commercial time. fcc rules require stations to give reasonable access to the ads of candidates for federal office. terry is on the presidential ballot in west virginia, but not in maryland, virginia or the district. in its brief to the fcc, wusa art its signal does not reach west virginia, and therefore it should not be required to run terry's ads. the commission ruled tha

danielle nottingham, cbs news capitol hill. >> general petraeus was taken off today's witness list when he resigned last friday. lawmakers are very vocal that they want to hear what he has to say about benghazi, so he is headed to the hill tomorrow morning. >>> mitt romney says that he lost the presidential election because of the gifts that president obama gave to african- americans and hispanics and to his core supporters. that's explanation that romney gave his donors during a conference call yesterday. he said the president used programs like obama care to get the black vote and amnesty for children of illegal immigrants o to get the hispanic vote. one of romney's biggest supporters bobby jindal denounced the remarks. >> i reject that notion and description. i think that's wrong. that is not -- i don't think that represents where we are as a party and where we're going as a party and i think that has got to be one of the most fundament tall take aways from the election. >> romney lost the election by 3.5 million-volts or 3%. -- votes or 3%. david axle rod says romney is looking at a

cbs reporter danielle nottingham with the latest developments. >>> reporter: a shaken woman walked away from her building outside tel aviv after hamas rocket attack. in southern israel, a rocket fired from gaza killed an 18- year-old soldier. it's the fourth death in israel and the first military casualty after nearly a week of violence. at least 130 people have been killed in gaza, half of them civilians. the international community is stepping up efforts to stop the fighting. secretary of state hillary clinton headed to the region for meetings beginning with prime minister benjamin netanyahu. >> america's commitment to israel's security is rock solid and unwavering. that is why we believe it is essential to deescalate this situation in gaza. >> if there's a possibility of achieving a long-term solution to this problem through diplomatic means, we prefer that. >> reporter: on his flight back from asia, president obama called egyptian president mohamed morsi for the third time in 24 hours. morsi is leading the cease-fire efforts. secretary clinton sits down with him wednesday. tuesday j

in washington, danielle nottingham, cbs 5. >>> well after a long weekend, washington back to work on the problem of pulling america back from the edge of the fiscal cliff. the new year will bring automatic tax hikes and drastic spending cuts unless congress can cut a deal. both parties agreed, new revenue streams are necessary. but they are at odds over where that money should come from. the president will meet with congressional leaders on friday in hopes of finding common ground. >>> one of the most powerful democrats in congress will have something to say before then. house minority leader nancy pelosi is poised to plan her future plans tomorrow. grace lee on the tough choice facing the bay area politician. grace? >> reporter: well liz, the question is, is it coming to an end or not. and the minority leader is not saying. in fact she was coy earlier today said she can't tell the press before she tells her own caucus. but after a historic rise to the speakership, could this be her time to step aside. >> here they are, the freshman recruits. >> reporter: while introducing the new fa

danielle -- nottingham, cbs news. >>> investors are worried the strong start to the holiday shopping season may not last. right now, let's take a look at the dow. it's down nearly 60 points at this hour. >>> something that might help those numbers on wall street, cyber monday. it's expected to be the biggest online shopping day of the year. one data tracking firm predicts online sales will reach a billion and a half dollars today. today. >>> online retailers have made great strides in making it very easy for people to return things. paste-on shipping labels and free shipping, oftentimes free returns and so that has something to do with the increase in online shopping. >> big box stores are trying to stay competitive. tomorrow, best buy, target, toys "r" us will match any online price. >>> the president of egypt is meeting members of the country's judiciary council to try to find a way out of a political crisis. violent street protests are continuing against president mohammed morsi's decision last week to grant himself sweeping new powers. now the justice minister says a resolution o

. >> danielle nottingham, cbs news, the white house. >> unemployment is sure to be one of the hot topics as the candidates swing through the battleground of virginia in the last few days before the election president obama is scheduled to hold a rally in bristol tomorrow night with former president bill cline toned and singer dave matthews. mitt romney will be in fairfax monday at george mason university. >>> a judge heard argument today over policy for poll workers. both parties have poll watchers and they are typically there to answer any questions voters have about what's on the ballot. a ruling is expected before tuesday, election day. >>> the most recent polls show the senate race between george allen and tim kaine too close to call in virginia. a survey just wednesday by roanoke college gives allen a five-point edge but another poll released the same day by cbs news, the "new york times," and quinn anyipiac university was also released. tim kaine revved up the crowd. a relationship kaine's opponent, george allen is trying to portray as bad thing. >> we want those dreamers. >> repor

danielle nottingham, cbs news, baltimore, maryland. >> and the weight smart program is open to children's ages 20817. there's a junior program for children as young as two. >>> top, these cold temperatures are not making my day. at least we're going to have some sunshine. >> we are. the only problem with that, it is going to be windy. so kind of dress for the 40s even though the thermometer lefnt you actually say 50. let's start with a live look outside. our michael & son weather cam. we hit 53 or 54 unofficially. right now we are in the 40s in the bushes but about 50 downtown. it's not that humid out. it has the potential to get cold but the winds will dpreept getting too terribly cold temperature-wines terms of what we feel. it is going to feel chilly. pressure rising, 29.88, winds northwest at 14. they're gusting to 22 down town. gusting to 22 also in gaithersburg. still gusting to 25 in hagerstown, 26 in martinsburg and 25 in andrews. they won't be quite as strong overnight. they'll probably go down a little bit and pick up again in the morning on saturday. so temperatures 50 downtown

on capitol hill, danielle nottingham, cbs 5. >>> israel is apparently preparing for an escalation of its military operation against hamas in the gaza strip. troops and armored vehicles are gathering on the border and 16,000 israeli reservests have called up. the defense minister is mobilizing as many as 75,000 more. this comes as hamas launched rockets at jerusalem. ken bastida has more. dozens are protesting the violence in the middle east. >> reporter: we're on the 600 block of montgomery downtown. there are hundreds of people down here protesting the situation in the middle east right now. on one side of the street, you're looking at right now the pro-palestinian side. they are out in front of the israeli consulate. and on the other side of the street is the pro-israeli side, much smaller group of people. and they continue to shout back and forth on montgomery street here. i talked to one demonstrator who says he realizes the shooting is going back and forth it's just not right. >> they are firing back and forth. but the palestinians aim at the soldiers whereas israelis aim at the

cbs reporter danielle nottingham on how the president is holding their feet to the fire. >>> reporter: president obama is enlisting middle class americans to pressure congress to back away from the "fiscal cliff." >> when the american people speak loudly enough, lo and behold congress listens. >> reporter: he will take his case on the road friday and is asking the public to join a twitter campaign calling on lawmakers to renew tax cuts for families making less than $250,000 a year without delay. >> campaign for his position i did it we understand it but at the end of the day he has to lead on this issue. >> reporter: while congressional leaders meet behind closed doors, some of the biggest names in corporate america are here on capitol hill meeting with lawmakers pushing for solutions. former tennessee governor told lawmakers everything needs to be on the table. >> i do think there's a broad recognition that it has to be both revenues and serious work on entitlements to make it happen. >> reporter: taxes are still the main sticking point. while president obama wants tax cuts to expire

as cbs reporter danielle nottingham shows us, both sides are stepping up their assaults. >> reporter: israel made a second strike on this gaza city building where international and arab media work. the israelis say they killed a senior commander responsible for the hundreds of rockets fired into israel. at least 100 palestinians and three israelis have died since the violence erupted last wednesday. in southern israel, a hamas rocket ripped a hole through an empty school. police say it was one of at least 75 that landed overnight. israel's new iron dome defense system is helping keep casualty numbers low. >> i feel confident that the iron dome is going to be protecting us. >> reporter: the missile shield is successfully taking out hamas rockets before they land in populated areas like jerusalem and tel aviv. egypt is take a leading role in trying to broker a cease-fire between hamas and israel. president obama is traveling in asia and has been on the phone with leaders in the region. >> israel has every right to expect that it does not have missiles fired into its territory. >> report

danielle nottingham, cbs news, washington. >>> talk about a power lunch. president obama and mitt romney met privately at the white house to have lunch. their first face-to-face meeting since the campaign debate. aides say the president wanted to discuss romney's ideas for making government run more smoothly. >> somebody with governor romney's experience clearly could have insight into how to maximize efficiency in an operation like the federal government. >> the white house says the plan has no plan to offer romney a job. there's hope the friendly meeting will inspire bipartisan cooperation on capitol hill. >>> former president george h.w. bush is in a houston hospital this evening getting treatment for a lingering cough. the 88-year-old has been in and out of the hospital for bronchitis. he is in stable condition and is expected to go home in a few days. >>> a supersized spending spree. apple is taking over a part of the south bay where it plans to spread out, next. >> and cops hear a lot of excuses for bad driving but wait until you hear what one driver

danielle nottingham, cbs news, washington. >> allen could face military charges if the investigation uncovers a sexual affair but again that investigation is still ongoing. >>> still to come on the news at noon, convicts and veterans working together. it's a program showing some great promise. find out why it could be expanding in maryland. >>> welcome back to the news at noon. get your resume ready. veterans, military families and women, you could find a job or even a dream career that you're looking for this friday. joining me now is johnny booker, the executive director of reemploying america. jobs always a good story. how can people find these coming up this week, right? >> coming up on friday. at the washington convention center. we will be holding a career fair, reemploying america. >> people need to bring what on friday? >> their resumes, their best presentation about their experience, and to bring excitement about meeting one on one a lot of sponsors who have real jobs, who they will be able to converse with about. >> practice that pitch in the mirror and get ready and polish

danielle nottingham cbs news the white house. >> stay with c b s5 for continuing coverage. live up to the minute reporting from around the nation, california and here in the bay area on election night. >>> the hard hit jersey shore is still suffering in the aftermath of superstorm sandy. among the biggest headaches gasoline is being rationed. only drivers with even numbered license plates could fill up today. many people are still without electricity using gas powered generators. temperatures are dropping into the 30s and shelters are packed at night. in the shore town of tucker ton families seeing their neighborhood for the first time are devastated. >> the only thing we had was the clothes on our back grabbed the animals and left. not expecting to come back to nothing. >> part of our house is across the street. we've seen our couch two streets down. we never get there. >> more than 50,000 people in new jersey have applied for fema assistance feel has approved $30 million in payments. >>> marathon runners pitched in to help. >> reporter: hundreds would be marathon runners

danielle nottingham, cbs news, the white house. >>> the obama campaign called the gop's effort in pennsylvania an act of desperation. however, the democrats do plan to increase their spending on political ads in the state. >>> and howard is coming up next with your weekend forecast. we'll be right back. >> lesli, sandy has kept us in the cool air for much of the week. temperatures running some eight to ten degrees below normal and today no exception. sun's come out but look at these readings at noon, still in the upper 40s in gaithersburg and lovettsville. 50 in fairfax and 47 upper marl blow. we'll be bacteria -- marlboro. we'll be back with the weekend forecast when we return. >>> you know, so often our pets have allergies. they become ill just like we do. if we eat the wrong food. well guess what? there's a woman from fairfax who has created a treat that's called bistro bites. so if your dog has allergies, if your dog needs to be gluten- free, then you need to get bistro bites, i'd like to introduce valerie perlowitz. the owner of bistro bites, how did this come about? >> it came about by t

danielle nottingham, cbs news, washington. >>> top national security officials were on capitol hill this week to deal with the fallout from the petraeus sex scandal. defense secretary leon panetta has ordered a review of ethics training for military officers. >>> we're following news of an oil rig explosion in the gulf of mexico. the u.s. coast guard says at least two people were killed and two others are missing. four people were rushed to the hospital. this happened off the coast of louisiana just a short while ago. the explosion comes a day after bp oil agreed to pay $4.5 billion for the deepwater horizon oil rig disaster that occurred 2 1/2 years ago. >>> well, the missing child that sparked an amber alert this morning has been found. 18-month-old alexis rose carwile and her mother, jennifer, were found around 6:30 in atlanta, maryland. both are safe. the father, eric eugene black was taken into custody earlier this morning. the alert was triggered last night from halifax county, virginia. >>> a surprise verdict declared in the buoy state murder trial. alexis simpson, the young woman

danielle nottingham, cbs news, the white house. >>> virginia is, of course, one of those states thattuesday. both candidates are trying to reach voters in every demographic. tonight surae chinn reports the campaigns today focused on asian voters in northern virginia. >> reporter: the weather very good today, says ben romney, trying to connect with his chinese audience. the gop dispatched romney's son to annandale. >> we hope they will come out and support my dad and paul ryan and put us over the top here in virginia. >> i really expect mitt romney to win a close race in virginia. >> reporter: not too far away in the heart of the vietnamese community in falls church, tim kaine you remembered asian americans to get out to vote. governor mitt romney may have a tougher sell among asian voters because of his strong stance on china and trade relations. >> trade relations with china could be changed from its current status. >> reporter: a woman in the crowd asked romney about his father's unfriendly comments. >> my concern is that he wants to appeal to the chinese american community, yet he

danielle nottingham, cbs news, capitol hill. >>> oil giant bp has agreed to pay the largest criminal penalty in u.s. history. $4.5billion for the 2010 oil spill in the gulf of mexico. 11 people were killed in an oil rig explosion and the resulting oil leak caused severe environmental damage. bp plans to plead guilty to obstruction for lying to congress about how much oil was pouring out of the ruptured well. >>> president obama is seeing the aftermath of superstorm sandy firsthand today. he is touring the damage and checking in on the recovery efforts. shortly after the storm, new york city mayor michael bloomberg asked mr. obama not to come because the presidential visit would use up too many resources. well, now frustrated residents say they hope his visit will speed up the recovery process. more than two weeks later thousands are still without power and heat. 47,000 new yorkers have applied for housing help. >>> unemployment requests are at their highest level in 18 months. possibly due to superstorm sandy 439,000 people seeking help. people can claim unemployment if their workpla

danielle nottingham, cbs news, the white house. >>> we'll take a quick break, up next your friday morning weather and penn state cover up. jerry sandusky sex abuse reaches the highest levels of the university. sandusky sex abuse reaches the highest levels of the university. [ male announcer ] in blind taste tests, even ragu users chose prego. prego?! but i've bought ragu for years. [ thinking ] wonder what other questionable choices i've made? i choose date number 2! whooo! [ sigh of relief ] [ male announcer ] choose taste. choose prego. >>> here's a look at the weather around some cities. mostly cloudy in new york, 54 degrees. partly sunny in chicago, 49. sunny out in dallas, 88. early clouds in l.a., 70 degrees. let's check your national forecast. calm weather across most of the country today. mid-atlantic states could see scattered rain and snow showers from what is left of sandy, which is well into canada. expect light snow in the great lakes and southern plains. south and southwest and most of the rockies remain mostly dry and sunny. a strong, low-pressure system will bring heavy wi

at the white house, danielle nottingham, cbs 5. >>> one of two suspects accused of going on a deadly crime spree that ended in a gunfight with police faced a judge today. as cbs 5 reporter len ramirez tells us, that suspect appears to be ashamed of what he did. len. >> reporter: that's right. it was just the briefest of court appearances today for the suspect in this case jonathan wilbanks. in fact, he was in court less than a minute as he begins this process of a potential death penalty case. >>> reporter: wearing the red pullover and shackles of a man accused of murder, jonathan wilbanks walked to his first court appearance with his head down. he is accused of killing a man during an attempted carjacking and wounding a san jose cop after a string of armed robberies but he did not enter a plea. >> no thank you. >> reporter: outside, his court- appointed lawyer spoke to wilbanks' state of mind. >> extremely remorseful. >> reporter: wilbanks and an accomplice allegedly robbed four san jose businesses at gunpoint last friday night then killed 22-year-old rory parkpettiford while attemp

live at the white house, danielle nottingham cbs 5. >>> a respected shop owner known for his generosity was shot to death in an apparent robbery attempt at his cell phone store on international boulevard near 92nd avenue. da lin shows us how friends and family are remembering a man recorded as a pillar in the community. >> reporter: the makeshift memorial outside of his store continues to grow. police say it was inside that store someone robbed and killed him and that's angered a lot of people because they say he works very hard to help the young people in this community. tears, anger and disbelief that swung killed a man to gave so much to a community that has so little. >> he was always giving the kids raider tickets. kids would come in he would give them money to feed them if they were hungry. >> it's such a sad, sad moment not because of just what's been taken from us but because of what's been taken from everyone else. my father was an amazing man. >> reporter: the police chief and the victim's family spoke out this afternoon asking witnesses to speak up and help solve the killing.

danielle nottingham, cbs news, baltimore, maryland. >> the weigh smart program is open to children ages 8 to 17 years old and also a junior program for children as young as 2. >>> physical activity could help your brain stay fit. a new study report -- published in the journal stroke found people who exercise regularly retused their risk -- reduced their risk of cognitive impairment by 60%. the american heart association recommends at least an hour and a half of moderate exercise each week for good health. >>> time right now for the question of the morning. >> here we go -- >> what do you think? log on to the wusa9 facebook fan page and leave your response. we're going to have the answer for you in the 6:00 hour. keep it here, we'll be right back. >>> welcome back. 4:55. your weather first, and jacket weather once again. we've got 30s and 40s. we'll start out i think mostly cloudy for a while this morning. but become partly to mostly sunny this afternoon. breezy and cool with the highs between 50 and 55. we'll have sun for the weekend and more on that weekend forecast during 9news now at

danielle nottingham, cbs news, washington. >>> well, it is cyber monday mania. today is on track to be a record breaker and the biggest online shopping day ever. retail analysts say so far sales are up more than 24% compared to last year. and of course, there are several more hours left to get your cyber shopping in. across the board holiday sales are off to a great start thanks to a major shift in the retail strategy. on the consumer watch, julie watts explains how everything has changed this holiday shopping season. >> reporter: what a difference a year makes. the sights and sounds of black friday have gone from this to this. as an estimated 41 million people started shopping on thanksgiving this year, the traditional black friday early birds had little company. >> we avoid the crazy lines, we're not the midnight people. we're the 6:30 a.m. people. so we're kind of in between the craziness and the fun. >> reporter: but no matter what time they hit the stores, an estimated 89 million people went shopping this black friday weekend. 3 million more than last year.

danielle nottingham, cbs news, the white house. >>> it was an influx of cash meant to help defeat prop 30 and support prop 32. but for now, we will not know who is behind the $11 million donation from arizona. the state appeals court said late today that those donors can remain a secret. state election watchdogs had sued to find out who is behind the group americans for responsible leadership. this case will likely drag on well past election day. >>> well, this year your holiday turkey might come with a sign of sticker shot. coming up in tonight's consumerwatch how much more you should expect to pay for your thanksgiving feast. >> and california's mystery millionaire finally stepping forward. we'll show you the mother of special needs children who just won a $23 million jackpot. >>> good evening, roberta gonzales live at the university of california in berkeley home of your cal bears. a very late arriving crowd tonight. we'll talk about why they are so tardy as eyewitness news continues right here on cbs 5. ,,,,,,,,,, this is hayden. ,,,,,,,,,, that's elizabeth. and that's skyler... an

cbs reporter danielle nottingham on the warning tonight from the white house. >> reporter: lawmakersack at work and under deadline pressure. >> we can solve the greatest economic emergency facing the nation today. >> reporter: white house mommists say without a deal to avoid the fiscal cliff, americans may start closing their wallets during the critical shopping season and curb their spending into next year. >> they think it is important that congress extend the middle class tax cuts without delay and drama is because it will help to maintain the increased consumer confidence we've seen. >> reporter: both sides say they are ready to compromise to avoid the nearly $600 billion in tax hikes and mandatory spending cuts scheduled to kick in on january 1st. but taxes remain the sticking point. republicans in congress have been long opposed to any tax increases, but gop lawmakers say they are open to raising more revenue through tax reform. wyoming republican john ber aso said retirement reform needs to be part of the solution. >> medicare and social security are the two big tidal waves co

danielle nottingham, cbs news, washington. >> president obama is turning up the pressure on republicans to avoid the "fiscal cliff." the president talked to small business owners at the white house today and he made his case to extend tax cuts for the middle class and allow bush-era tax cuts to expire for the wealthiest americans. republicans say raising taxes on top earners would hurt small businesses and cost jobs. >> we need to sit down and work this matter out. i think we have a clear sense that there's an opportunity her at the end of the year to do something important for the country. >> he has not waited for people to start smelling the jet fumes at national airport. he put forward a plan. >> if congress doesn't compromise the company will plunge into recession. >>> investigators have taken samples from the remains of long-time palestinian leader yasser arafat. eight years after his death, they are trying to determine if he was poisoned. rita nissan on a search for evidence. >> reporter: palestinian leaders laid wreaths outside the west bank grave of yasser arafat after forensic

danielle nottingham, cbs 2 news, the white house. >>> a promenade, a playground, and that's not all. the bay area transit hub unlike any other. >> how sergio romo's world sears parade attire won him a whole new set of admirers. >> today is the first day of the winter "spare the air" day. what you need to know about or you will end up at smoke school. as eyewitness news continues right here on cbs 5. ,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,, the increase er >>> consumer confidence is the highest in five years thanks to better job growth. the increase in the consumer confidence index boosted wall street today. the dow surged 136 points. nasdaq and s&p also rose by double digits. and tomorrow, we will get the last jobs report before the presidential election. >>> building housing next to a bart station sounds like a good idea but cbs 5 reporter don ford says a new development near the union city bart station falls short of being a transit village. >> there you go. >> yeah! [ applause ] >> reporter: union city mayor mark green cuts the ribbon celebrating the latest low- income housing development. he says being

cbs reporter danielle nottingham on how the president is holding their feet to the fire. >> reporter:resident obama is enlisting middle class americans to pressure congress to back away from the "fiscal cliff." >> when the american people speak loudly enough, lo and behold congress listens. >> reporter: he will take his case on the road friday and is asking the public to join a twitter campaign calling on lawmakers to renew tax cuts for families making less than $250,000 a year without delay. >> he is campaigning for his position. i get it. we understand it. but at the end of the day he has to lead on this issue. >> reporter: while congressional leaders meet behind closed doors, some of the biggest names in corporate america are here on capitol hill meeting with lawmakers pushing for solutions. former tennessee governor phil bredesen told lawmakers everything needs to be on the table. >> i think there's a broad recognition it has to be both revenue and serious work on entitlements to make it happen. >> reporter: taxes are still the main sticking point. while president obama wants tax

the cbs reporter daniel nottingham reports the attack on the u.s. consulate in libya has sparked a nasty political battle in washington. >> if senator mccain and senator graham and others want to go after somebody, they should go after me. >> reporter: at his first news conference since his reelection, the president defended un ambassador susan rice. senators john mccain and lindsey graham say they will block her elevation to secretary of state because of comments she made days after the attack on the consulate in libya. >> for them to go after the un ambassador who had nothing to do with benghazi and besmirch her reputation is outrageous. >> reporter: arizona senator john mccain took exception >> i doubt that the families of these brave americans who were murdered would believe that we are "picking on" anyone. >> reporter: the president also addressed the fiscal cliff. one way to avoid it is to extend tax -- not to extend tax cuts to the wealthiest americans. >> they'll still be wealthy. >> reporter: while john boehner agreed ballparks ises in, he

cbs reporter danielle nottingham reports. >> reporter: reporters weren't able to catch a good glimpse of former cia director david petraeus today but he told lawmakers that the initial talking points that came out of the report from benghazi, libya described that event as a terrorist attack and he wasn't sure how or when the account changed. former cia director david petraeus made his first public appearance since the sex scandal forced him to resign last week. he testified before congress about the terror attack in benghazi that took the lives of u.s. ambassador chris stevens and three others. behind closed doors, petraeus told lawmakers he believed all along terrorists attacked the u.s. consulate in libya. but petraeus didn't answer a key question: who in the obama administration pinned the attack on demonstrators? >> it went through a long process involving many agencies, he said, department of justice, state department, and no one knows yet exactly who come up with the final version of talking points. >> reporter: five days after the attack, u.n. ambassador susan rice was still bl

cbs reporter danielle nottingham is live at the white house with more. >> reporter: good afternoon. just when it looked like a deal would not happen anytime soon, secretary of state hillary clinton traveled to jerusalem to west bank and to cairo and at this hour a truce is under way. secretary of state hillary clinton and egypt's foreign minister announced a truce between israel and hamas. >> the united states welcomes the agreement today for a cease- fire in gaza. for it to hold, the rocket attacks must end. a broader calm returned. >> reporter: the agreement follows a week of fighting between israel and palestinian militants controlling the gaza strip. clinton says the united states will help the region make this agreement last. >> ultimately, every step must move us toward a comprehensive peace for all the people of the region. >> reporter: the truce calls for israel to ease restrictions at the gaza border. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu agreed to a cease- fire after president obama called and urged him to give it a chance. earlier wednesday, an explosion tore through

cbs news reporter danielle nottingham has more now from the white house. >> reporter: at his first press conference in 8 months, president obama faced questions about the widening scandal that forced cia director david petraeus to resign. >> by his own assessment did not meet the standards that he felt were necessary as the director of cia. >> reporter: president obama addressed why he did not hear about the fbi investigation until after the election. >> we're not supposed to meddle in, you know, criminal investigations and that's been our practice. >> reporter: before he handed in his resignation, he had been scheduled to testify about the attacks in benghazi, libya. he has agreed to meet with lawmakers. details are being work out. the petraeus scandal is general advertising general john allen's future. the -- jeopardizing general john allen's future after he exchanged e-mails with a socialite jill kelley. the white house and lawmakers have expressed support for general allen in nato. >> general allen has said that he does not -- has not done anything improper. i think he deserves the b

cbs reporter danielle nottingham is in washington with the latest.e. >> reporter: secretary of state hillary clinton said president obama sent her to the mideast with a very clear message: calm must be restored to the region. >>> reporter: a shaken woman walked away from her building outside tel aviv after hamas rocket attack. in southern israel, a rocket fired from gaza killed an 18- year-old soldier. it's the fourth death in israel and the first military casualty after nearly a week of violence. at least 130 people have been killed in gaza, half of them civilians. the international community is stepping up efforts to stop the fighting. secretary of state hillary clinton headed to the region for meetings beginning with prime minister benjamin netanyahu. >> america's commitment to israel's security is rock solid and unwavering. that is why we believe it is essential to deescalate this situation in gaza. >> if there's a possibility of achieving a long-term solution to this problem through diplomatic means, we prefer that. >> reporter: on his flight ba

cbs reporter danielle nottingham live at the white house with the terms of the truce.anielle. >>> reporter: after a bus explosion in tel aviv today, from were fears a deal didn't break down but hamas didn't claim responsibility for the attack. cheers and celebratory gunfire echoed through the streets of gaza city wednesday that just hours before were rocked by artillery fire. after eight days of fighting, israel and hamas agreed to a cease-fire. secretary of state hillary clinton announced the truce with egypt's foreign minister. >> the united states welcomes the agreement today for a cease- fire in gaza. for it to hold, the rocket attacks must end, a broader calm returned. >> reporter: under the terms of the deal, hamas will stop firing rockets into israel which have killed five israelis. and israel will stop its air strikes on gaza that have killed more than 160 palestinians. the cease-fire was thrown into question earlier in the day when a bomb exploded on a bus in tel aviv. 27 people were hurt. no one claimed responsibility. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyah

cbs reporter danielle nottingham joining us live from washington. and daniel, this storing getting more complex by the day, almost the hour. >> reporter: by the hour, certainly, allen. and as the scandal opened, it keeps getting messy and now two top gems are under investigation. and lawmakers here on capitol hill want some answers. the pentagon is investigating general john allen, the top u.s. commander in afghanistan, in connection with the scandal that took down cia director david petraeus. >> general allen is entitled to due process in this matter. >> reporter: the fbi gave the pentagon more than 20,000 pages of e-mail communications between general allen and tampa socialite jill kelley. kelley went to the fbi with anonymous threatening e-mails. agents traced those to paula broadwell, and uncovered her affair with petraeus. one defense official describes the e-mails between general allen and kelley as flirtatious. another official tells cbs news some of the e-mails were more than friendly ex changes and may have crossed the line. general allen s

danielle nottingham. back to you. >> thank you. >>> with election day just hours away now, a record number of people in california have already voted including many right here in the bay area. and cbsorter cate caugiran joins us now from outside the alameda county courthouse where some are still showing up for those mail-in ballots. hey, cate. >> reporter: good afternoon, elizabeth. you're correct. about 800,000 bay area voters won't be at the polls tomorrow because those people have already voted. but here at the alameda county courthouse, we have already continuously seen that stream of eager and early voters. dorothy smith waited for her mail-in ballot to come but decided she had waited long enough. >> i got to boogie down here and i'm not the only one boogieing down here today. >> reporter: election day is less than 24 hours away but according to the state, the amount of bay area voters with ballots already in is equivalent to the entire population of san francisco. >> your vote counts. your voice counts. voice don't have no choice if you don't vote. >> reporter: people we spoke to here say it's about family ties and civic duty. >> i grew up in an immigrant family and when my p