economists from the gfk research institute said that the german economy does seem to be successfullying the downturn in western europe. german companies are operating above average capacity. the labor market is very robust. the jobless rate continues to fall. but with exports beginning to slip, a german economic growth for 2012 has been cut from 3% to 0.6%. we talked to a maker of chocolate santas who is already seeing a drop in orders for next year. >> these chocolate santas look at confident of finding themselves in somebody's stocking this season. it has been a good year for this traditional chocolate maker. in the festive season looks set to round things out nicely. the factory store is doing a trade. but the ceo is not just basking in his suite success, as customers are getting into the christmas spirit, he already has the easter bunny on his mind. >> we have been nine easter mode for a while now. we start producing for easter the first week in november appear the same as the christmas tree. retailers on the goods by mid august and early as the timber. right after new year, they

indeed, some 77% of adults questioned in a new associated press/gfk poll say they believe in the existencehat belief is fairly widespread, even among non-christians and non-church goers. >>> and when we return, a novel way for budget-minded parents to get those favorite toys under the tree all year long. and chantix worked for me. it's a medication i could take and still smoke, while it built up in my system. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these, stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these, stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. if you have a history o

this, any of our press who are writing about this, is still important to nudge our neighbors to say gfkive. >> while sorting toys for the event mrs. obama also got a special invitation to escort a local soldier to next year's marine corps ball. lance corporal frederick lakes asked. she said she would love to go but said she would need to check with her husband first. >>> at 6:36. jessica doyle looking very lovely this morning with another your money report. >>> looking at investments. >> that's right. that day could be very complicated, i would imagine. >>> this time of year the statements start arriving in the mail, giving you a sense of how your portfolio is handled. investment companies or not. as for 2011 chances our stock funds are probably not doing all that well. our partners at usa today caught up with folks the average diversified stock mutual fund has fallen 5.9% this year. 92% of all u.s. stock funds are showing a loss right now. thanks for the european crisis, the average large company international funds have plunged 15.5%. >>> as the overall economy is starting to show sig

the poll by the associated press gfk reports 52% of adults said obama should be voted out of office and when the president was matched gather either of the two republican front-runners, mr. obama had a one percent lead over mitt romney and a nine percent lead over newt gingrich. when asked about the economy, 37% of people responding said they expected things to improve next year. >>> an east bay man that knows a thing or two about cars, crashed him right into a mailbox. the highway patrol says real estate developer ken bearing slammed into the mailbox by his rolls-royce. it happened in the community of black hawk which he helped developed. he helped start the auto museum filled with several rare automobiles. it took more than two hours to pull the rolls-royce free and there's no word on just how the accident happened but the highway patrol says investigators have ruled out alcohol as the cause. >>> secretary of defense leon panetti goes to libya and what made the trip historic and what he had to say about the country's transition to a new government. >>> and hundreds are dead after a fl

a survey by the associated press and the the gfk group show 70% of americans believe 2011 was a bad year. 29% thought it was a good one. 62% are optimistic about next year. a greater number, 78% are hopeful about what the coming year will bring for their family. the survey of 1,000 adults was conducted two weeks ago with a sampling error of plus or minus four points. >>> smoking often tops the list of top new year's resolutions. we have more on kicking the habit. falling off the wagon is necessarily a bad thing. >> reporter: resolve the quit smoking this weekend and you are more likely to succeed if you accept the fact you are likely to fail. >> it's important not to quit just at new years. if by january 7th you are smoking again, try again. >> reporter: she is president of the american legacy foundation, a group dedicated to help people quit smoking. failures can become learning experiences to see what and who triggers you to reach for a cigarette. write down healthy distractions like exercising or calling a friend when you feel the urge to light up. >> let those you love know you inten

a new poll released today, associated press, gfk poll showing for the first time, a majority of americansve that barack obama should be voted out of office -- 52% say he does not deserve to be re-elected. pat caddell, you are the democratic pollster, he's in trouble? >> he's in deep trouble. the cbs poll was 41-54 saying he shouldn't be re-elected. the harvard poll showing young people giveim a disapproval rating. i am telling you, the reason he's in the ballgame is because the republican party has no narrative. and nobody seems to understand how to speak to what i keep saying is the prerevolutionary moment. >> only 43% and this is very early days, anything could happen, but only 43% say the incumbent president with all the power of the incumbency that he deserves to be re-elected. >> those are terrible numbers. kigo back to what i said before, the reason the numbers are so bad is because of the way the condition of the economy is. and i can truly tell you that there is another number that wasn't put on that screen and that is that people -- in the majority, 52, 54%, they have a likeabili

there's a new associated press gfk poll finding mr.especially among americans who call themselves independents. a swing voting block that of course helped put mr. obama in office. nearly 60 percent of them now disapprove of his job performance, and the same poll is finding for the very first time more than half of americans feel that the president should be voted out of office. joining me now is david webb, host of the david webb show, and cofounder of tea party 365, gd bankie, a former white house staffer and dan gersten, democratic strategist and president of gothham ghost writers. so independents leaving the president. aren't they the key group that the president needs to begin reelection in 2012, and what does he do to get them back? >> absolutely. and in manors it's a reflection of two things. one is the state of the economy is horrible, things haven't gotten better and people blame the president when that happens. doesn't matter who the president is, he's going to get the lion's share of the blame. i think the second thing is the

a new associated press/gfk poll, finding very first time, more than half of americans surveyed should feel the president should be voted out of office. jon: that same poll find the president's overall job approval rating at a new low. that might not surprise you given the other question. 44% approve. 54% disapprove. now these polls come as the first real contention for the -- contest for the republicans who want president obama's job is quickly approaching. we're talking about the iowa caucuses 18 days away now. the candidates making their cases in the last debate before iowans make their choices. a debate you saw on fox. and some candidates treating gop from the time runner newt gingrich like a bit of a pinata. >> the speaker had a conservative revolution against him when he was speaker of the house. i had conservatives knocking down my door because i was effective advocate for the principles they believed in. >> it is the fact we know he cashed paychecks from freddie mac. that is the best evidence that you can have. over $1.6 million. and frankly i am shocked listening to the former

. >>> a new associated press/gfk poll shows president obama basically has a 50/50 chance of being reelecteds saying the president should be voted out of office, 43 say he deserves another term. of course that's built in with a margin of error. in hypothetical matchups against gop frontrunners, the president does come out on top, however, his overall job approval stands at a new low of 44%. al. >>> steve, the alleged white house shooter will head to court for the second time today. the federal -- a federal judge wants to hear more on the mental health status of oscar ra mero ortega, hernandez. he is accused of using an assault rifle to fire at the white house in november. a psychiatric screening found him competent to stand trial, but prosecutors are asking for more expensive testing to make sure they can proceed with this case. he is charged with attempting to assassinate the president. >>> a police standoff at a local college ends peacefully. police put north end virginia community college on lockdown yesterday afternoon after a suicidal gunman barricaded himself inside an apartment buildi