a south korean man mourns the loss of his notorious northern a south korean man mourns the loss of his notorious northern lookalike. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >>> hello and good morning. i'm lynn berry. and today we begin with picking up the pace. republican presidential candidates are working their way across iowa at a fast and furious pace, packing in as much last-minute campaigning as they can before caucus tuesday. nbc's brian mooar joins us from washington with the latest on this. brian, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. the candidates are way on the ground and stepping up the air war. >> good to see you. >> reporter: the gop presidential candidates are making their closing arguments in iowa. >> don't do anything to any other country we don't want them to do to us and that would solve a lot of our problems. >> reporter: ron paul is the wild card, polling second, but with a well-organized army of supporters. that makes him a target. >> ron paul would dangerous as a president of the united states. >> one of the people running for president thinksist okay f

continue, north koreans mourned publicly at a funeral for kim jong il today. is ahead for that communist nation? of a shake-up in iowa. he was first in the polls, but now he is fourth. >> we are continuing to follow news from montgomery county. at least one person is dead and is closed.d you can see from these live pictures, this after a crash involving a metro bus. the nextg ahead for days. rise abovetures will average, but then they will start to drop off. >>> the race for the white house is proving to be a roller coaster ride. >> the candidates are all across iowa and they're taking new swipes at each other. figures just came out and moving intontorum the third spot. why is that significant? it puts new to gingrich and forth. just a month ago, he was in the puts newtod -- it gingrich in fourth place does a he was in first. >> there is going to be an election. the message is going to be sent. >> ron paul's libertarian message has gone a long way with voters. >> of all the candidates running now, if you are the only would trust to be my commander-in-chief. co

that, as north koreans mourn the death of their leader kim jong il.esident obama spoke to south korea's president last night and reaffirmed the u.s. commitment to stability in the region. karen travers has the latest. >> reporter: the word is watching waiting to see how north korea responds to the death of kim jong il. south korea's military on high alert concerned about its nuclear neighbor taking action to show strength. >> this situation should not be a threat to peace and qfs korean peninsula. >> reporter: kim jong il took power in 1994 after the death of his father. famously vain he favored designer clothes and wore platform shoes. he was depicted as a playboy. he loved women, wine, fast cars and hollywood films. inside the impoverished nation he was revered as dear leader to the international community he was a tyrant who starved his people as he built a nuclear weapons program and an army of more than one million soldiers. >> north korea re arming with missiles and weapons of mass destruction states like these and their terrorist allies constit

north korean mourns the death of kim jong il, but the world wonders what happens next. the united states condemns the treatment of one female protester in egypt. >> sectarian tension and rises in iraq. the international monetary fund is to receive billions of dollars in the latest attempt to bail out the eurozone. >> it is 10:00 in the morning here in singapore. >> and welcome to newsday. >> the united states has consulted its allies in east asia after the death of north korean leader kim jong il. south korea and japan say they are preparing for any unexpected security issues. for nearly two decades kim jong il ruled north korea. his son has been named as a successor. john simpson. >> this is the weird, reclusive figure who ran the most secretive country and did it as if it was his own private property. looking on is his son, who was around 28. he will takeover to regard -- takeover. the old leader died on saturday, but state television only announced its today. the news unleashed a storm of emotion. in north korea you have to mourn a leader as noiselessly as possible,

that, as north koreans mourn the death of their leader kim jong il.esident obama spoke to south korea's president last night and reaffirmed the u.s. commitment to stability in the region. karen travers has the latest. >> reporter: the word is watching waiting to see how north korea responds to the death of kim jong il. south korea's military on high alert concerned about its nuclear neighbor taking action to show strength. >> this situation should not be a threat to peace and qfs korean peninsula. >> reporter: kim jong il took power in 1994 after the death of his father. famously vain he favored designer clothes and wore platform shoes. he was depicted as a playboy. he loved women, wine, fast cars and hollywood films. inside the impoverished nation he was revered as dear leader to the international community he was a tyrant who starved his people as he built a nuclear weapons program and an army of more than one million soldiers. >> north korea re arming with missiles and weapons of mass destruction states like these and their terrorist allies constit

finally, at least one south korean is mourning kim jong-il. the engraver who thanks to his likeness of the departed north correspond radio rekorean leader, had a well-paid side career in commercials and appearances. the hair. >>> coming up, a former penguin wobbles the peng wings. overtime upset in college hoops. your college football bowl game of the day. new plus, was this big bomb by vince carter enough to lead the mavs past the thunder? your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. >>> and i'll have your holiday forecast coming up. you're watching "early today." >>> good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." in sports, if you're a dallas fan, the good news is mavericks are the defending nba champs. the bad news is, that was last season. here's nbc's mario solis with an early look at all your sports headline. >> good morning. what has happened to the nba champs? the mavericks lost their third straight game, courtesy of a buzzer-beater by durant. mavs down two in the final second. nowitzki finds carter, knocking

. >>> as north koreans mourn the dictator they called their dear leader, international attention is focused on kim jong-il's successor, his son. as tina kraus reports the world is watching for any signs of a turbulent transition in a nation that has been pursuing nuclear weapons. >> reporter: north koreans sobbed as they watched the news of kim jong-il's death. [ crying ] >> reporter: a news anchor also teared up. [ crying ] >> reporter: how can he pass away like this, asked this man? i'm so heartbroken, he says. the 69-year-old dear leader as supporters called him died saturday of a heart attack. kim was known as a master manipulator with nuclear ambition. his death has world leaders watching north korea closely. >> my biggest concern is a potential military clash between the north and south, a provocation by the north. >> reporter: ounce of south koreans celebrated the death. they hope relations will improve with their biggest enemy. the u.s. has more than 28,000 troops stationed in south korea to keep stability in the korean peninsula. >> we reiterate our hope for improved relations with

north korea dictator kim jong-il is dead and was yang yank north koreans mourn their dear leader as he dies of a heart attack. south korea on military alert and other nations prepare for any unexpected problems. we will have the very latest. >>> the white house is on watch with the death of kim jong-il and makes for a dangerous period. a big question for the u.s. will his son take over as planned or will north korea and its fletening nuclear program fall into chaos? >> we will ask bill richardson. >>> in the southwest a powerful winter storm moves into the plains and blizzard warnings up from new mexico to kansas where they could get a foot of snow or more just as holiday travel starts to get busy. >>> team tebow and the denver bronc broncos, the fourth quarter miracles stop as the patriots beat denver. "early" this monday morning, december 19th, 2011. captioning funded by cbs >>> good morning. >>> a lot of late developments last night. >> the death of north korea's long time dictator kim jong-il. he was revered as a god-like figure inside that isolated nation and feared and distrusted

. >> north koreans mourn the death of kim jong-il the international community is watching for signs the rogue action will take provocative action as a show of strength z what this death means for the korean peninsula and the world. the obama administration reacted to the death of kim jong-il with caution and concern. >> we're monitoring this situation. >> the secretary of state hillary clinton and top administration officials emphasized the u.s. and allies want a peaceful, stable transition of power. >> we reit trail our hope for improved relations for the people of noirk. >> today, north korea conducted short range miss yim tests. it was a day in morning for the man referred as dear leader. he favored designer clothes and wore platform shoes. intelligence reports depicted him as a play boy. he loved women, win, and hollywood films. to the international community he was a tyrant as he starved his people. >> north korea is arming with missles and weapons of mass destruction. states like these and their terrorist allies constitute an axis of evil. >> by october, 2006, north korea had carr

you gotta taste this soup. >>> as north koreans mourn the death of the man known as the dear leader,n reaction coming in from around the world over the death of kim jong il. france is saying it hopes north korea will find freedom after kim jong il's death. germany says his death is a chance for change in north korea. south korea has put its military on alert. relations between the rival nations hit a low point last year. seoul accused pyongyang of shelling a south korean island. wolf blitzer traveled to north korea during that tense time. >> reporter: we had north korean officials with us all the time, and i mean all the time. >> thank you, wolf. >> thanks. >> reporter: they spoke english well and were vf intelligent, polite, even nice. i never felt threatened. let's not forget this is a communist totalitarian regime. they were restricted where we can go. we constantly pressed for more access and they sometimes relented. we saw a lot of the north korean capital. we did manage to get into the countryside to see a huge apple and fruit tree orchard where thousands of farmers work what t

north korea's new leader today welcomed a private south korean mourning delegation. the south koreans are paying their respects to jim jong-il who died last week. his son has been given another title. there were scuffles today in the south between protesters for and against the north korean regime. >>> a report on japan's nuclear disaster says the response was confused and riddled with problems. the report says authorities grossly underestimated the risk from the tsunami that led to the world's worst nuclear accident since chernobyl. >>> we'll talk about the latest in the 2012 campaign when the fox all-stars join us after the fox all-stars join us after the capital one's new cash rewards card gives you a 50 percent annual bonus. so you earn 50 percent more cash. if you're not satisfied with 50% more cash, send it back! i'll be right here, waiting for it. who wouldn't want more cash? [ insects chirping ] i'll take it. i'll make it rain up in here. [ male announcer ] the new capital one cash rewards card. the card for people who want 50% more cash. what's in your wallet

north koreans mourning the death of kim jong-il. turday at the age of 69. this raises concerns about the future of north korean. his son is expected to take over as >>> comi >>> coming up we look at the tough campaign ads in the gop presidential race. >> and the top political ad man if the ads work. what makes for a good political ad what impact is this current crop having on the campaign? that's ahead, you're watching "the early show" on cbs. ly show" on cbs. (greenery) hey cheese log. (cheese log) hello centerpiece. (greenery) fruit cake. how are ya? [fruit cake] dry. (greenery) who's the new guy? edible arrangements bouquets beautiful like flowers but unforgettably delicious visit, call, or go to ediblearrangements.com jiggle bells, jiggle bells, jiggle all the way, oh how i wish i could resist jiggling this holiday. oh joy oh natural joy! truvia®, box of bliss zero calorie sweetness from a leaf, my sugar plum happiness. truvia®. honestly sweet®. [ female announcer ] have you met your skin twin? covergirl trublend has skin twin te

north korea's new leader today welcomed a private south korean mourning delegation. e south koreans are paying their respects to jim jong-il who died last week. his son has been given another title. there were scuffles today in the south between protesters for and against the north korean regime. >>> a report on japan's nuclear disaster says the response was confused and riddled with problems. the report says authorities grossly underestimated the risk from the tsunami that led to the world's worst nuclear accident since chernobyl. >>> we'll talk about the latest in the 2012 campaign when the fox all-stars join us after the break. since i've lost weight i have so much more energy than i used to, when i'm out with my kids, my daughter's like, "mom, wait up!" and i'm thinking, "shouldn't you have more energy than me? you're, like, eight!" [ male announcer ] for every 2 pounds you lose through diet and exercise alli can help you lose one more by blocking some of the fat you eat. simple. effective. advantage: mom. let's fight fat with alli ♪ >> i would probably say that m

. >> eric: coming up, north korean mourning death of the leader kim jong il. was it sincere?decide. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> bob: i was doing air guitar. >> kimberly: weird looking. >> bob: get out of here. first after all, we'll talk about this year but i'm back in "d" block. so there are things going on here. it's okay. they haven't buried me yet. close. but they did bury kim jong il. the leader of north korea. if you will notice, look at the people there. sad and crying and i tell you, i don't know where they got them out of the acting school. some of this stuff is unbelievable. i'll say this. yes, they are indoctrinated from the time they are kids. but really, this is going a little far. this would happen if i died. i'm sure. but this is overstated. north korean government tv which is the only tv. >> greg: i not cried like that since menudo broke up. >> bob: koreans are fairly short. north korean particularly. you could stand there there and be head and shoulders above these people. >> greg: when you dream of your own funeral, i have done, you imagine what it will be like. will you

. >> reporter: north koreans are mourning the death of their leader. the funeral is expected to be held next wednesday. back to you. >> thank you. >>> iranian state tv is broadcasting video of a man it claims is a captured american spy. he's identified as an iranian- american from arizona. in this video, the man says he joined the u.s. army after graduating from high school, served in iraq and received training in larges and espionage. etch says he was -- he says he was sent to iran by the cia. so far the cia has not commented on the report. >>> our time is now 7:17. we have an update on the final pullout of soldiers of iraq of american soldiers hoping to come home from christmas. these are the last troops leaving iraq yesterday. the 110-vehicle convoy made the five-hour trip crossing over into kuwait. they left in darkness and in very strict secrecy to try to prevent any final insurgent attacks. the troops are now being processed. some of them may fly back here in the united states the next few days. >> we were the last ones. wow. the last ones. can't

at least one south korean is mourning kim jong-il. aver who thanks his likeness to the korean leader had a well-paid side career in commercials and appearances. he's got a good tease going on there. i bet that's what did it. >>> well, a former penguin wobbles the penguins. an overtime upset in college hoops and your college football bowl game of the day. >>> plus, was this big bomb by vince carter enough to lead the mavs past the thunder? your first look at sports is straight ahead. you are watching "first look" on msnbc. >>> welcome back to "first look." if you are a dallas fan, good news, the mavericks are the defending nba champs. the bad news is, that was last season. here's nbc's mario solis with an early look at your sports headlines. >> good morning. the mavericks lost the third straight game courtesy of a buzzer beater. mavs down two in the final seconds, dirk nowitzki knocks down the three-pointer. about a second to play. no worries for the thunder, they've got kevin, he catches the inbound pass and sends dallas packing, the j

. >> our reporter, paula hancock, the video has been provided by the north koreans. mourning and wailing the way that they are and the people in the distance who seemed to be onlookers, who seemed to be looking at the whole thing. in other words, was this outcry -- you've been there. are these people as devastated as they look that kim jong-il has passed? >> well, it's all very choreographed. i think there is a lot of grief there. it's a funeral procession that is basically based on the personality. kim jong-un, the youngest son, is now the leader. that's the message that is being conveyed. the root of the funeral, the grabbed father of the country, then kim's father, and now i think what is interesting is leading the funeral procession is a signal that kim jong-un is now the leader. what was interesting is that the uncle was right behind him. >> right. >> he's now vice chair of the national commission. it shows that he's going to be a mentor, maybe kind of help guide kim jong-un in his early days. but now that the ceremony is over, the last funeral of the event, now you will

. >> eric: coming up, north korean mourning death of the leader kim jong il. was it sincere?you decide. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] with the new year comes resolutions. when we resolve to stop snacking and slacking. resolve to start reading and running. ♪ this year, resolve to help someone else, too. resolve to give to the american red cross. because the red cross provides hope, help and compassion, not only during disasters, but every day. donate to the red cross and give something that means something, before the new year. visit redcross.org today. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> bob: i was doing air guitar. >> kimberly: weird looking. >> bob: get out of here. first after all, we'll talk about this year but i'm back in "d" block. so there are things going on here. it's okay. they haven't buried me yet. close. but they did bury kim jong il. the leader of north korea. if you will notice, look at the people there. sad and crying and i tell you, i don't know where they got them out of the acting school. some of this stuff is unbelievable. i'll say this. yes, they are indoctrinated from the time they are

. >> reporter: north korean mourning is public and vocal.ned television shows images of people crying in the streets. expressing their grief for the late leader, and how much is genuine and how much is choreographed is impossible to know. rewind to 1994, the death of his father. experts say motions appeared more sincere. morning for the founding father was intense. north korea followers say the atmosphere appears different this time. there are clear similarities between their debts, but died from heart attack and the subsequent successions. in 1994, he was negotiating with the new yes on nuclear disarmament. it was feared the deal would die with him. but his son follow through and signed the framework and the deal later collapsed. just before his death, the deal with the u.s. was close for halting uranium enrichment according to u.s. officials. the process could be continued. >> in a short time, the funeral process is orderly and a short timetable, we'll no provocation. there will be no abrupt changes in domestic processes in north korea. so

north koreans will mourn for 11 days and all entertainment is banned p. >>> house republicans are refusingo vote on the plan to extend tax cuts. a two month extension is just another quick fix. they are demanding senate come back from vacation and pass a full year extension. the white house is shaking its head. >> senate republicans coming out today saying, you know, please, to their colleagues. please, to the house republicans, pass this. it's crazy not to do this. >> the tax break expires at the end of the year. >>> in san francisco the mayor will take part in fact lighting of the bill graham. this is the 27th year the city has held the traditional lighting ceremony. the eight day festival commemorates the rededication of the second jewish temple. >>> heed lee is calling for a fl investigation into the power outages at candlestick park. the stadium went black twice. the nationally televised game was delayed almost 30 minutes in all. pg&e is looking into whether a blown transformer kaucause the outage. police officers say someone phoned in a bomb threat. the san francisco police didn't sa

north koreans are mourning the passing of their leader. >>darya: the funeral is expected to be held on wednesday. in the meantime, other governments are viewing the death with a weary optimism believing it could be destabilizing for the region and an opportunity for a new diplomatic start. a south korean news agency announced that north korea conducted a short range missile tests on the day his death was announced that south korean military officials could not confirm reports. it's south rim military is on high alert. they have remained technically in a state of floor. >>mark: the announcement of his death has been rattled markets overseas. we saw big drops, especially in south korea. for >>mark: stocks were rattled last week with the dow off over 300 for the week but it appears clear voices the rebounded today. >>justine: these are pictures coming to us from new mexico. here is what we are expecting. there is a blizzard warning in effect for northern and western texas, all the parts of oklahoma. forecasters are expecting rain. by the time

north koreans weeping and wailing, collapsing and mourning after learning the death of kim jong-il. >> the state tv announcer there unable to hide her emotions announcing the leader's death. >> and there is military tension across the region. word that north korea has tested a short-range military. president obama has reached out to the south korean leader overnight. and in north korea, potential power struggles behind the scenes. >> bob woodruff is one of the few reporters to report from north korea. you were there october 2010. >> that's right. about 13 months ago. those three times i was there, we learned very little about the new leader, kim jong-un. the neighboring countries are gets ready for what could happen next. there are unconfirmed reports of short-range missile tests. concerns in this very isolated country. [ speaking foreign language ] >> reporter: the announcement of kim's death came during a special broadcast from the state media, saying the dear leader, as he was known, has succumbed to a heart ailment on saturday while travel on a luxury train he often used. overnigh

korean capital. kim jong-un leads the official mourning. ate media praised him as a great successor to the north korean leadership. ♪ video show north korean officials bowing toward the coffin with solemn music playing in the background. north korea's founder kim il-sung died in 1994. kim jong-il took part in a memorial ceremony held just after his father's death. the ceremony to mourn his death was held at the same venue with the same music. this may indicate that the nation's leadership has been handed down to kim jong-un, the third generation, of the kim family. north koreans promoting kim jong-un as its next leader by using a poem to influence public sentiment. korean central television on wednesday aired a five-minute long poem entitled "december in korea." >> the piece describes people overcome with grief on kim jong-il's death. and calls on the public to follow the guidance of kim jong-un. it is the first time his name has been mentioned in a poem. >> december is usually a commemorative month in north korea, because kim jong-il became

. >>> north koreans mourning the loss of their so called dear leader, kim jong il thousands lining the snowy streets most cried and clutched their chests as the dictators body wound it way through the capitol. no foreign delegation including the chinese were invited. >> funeral services will be held for a park police officer who died responding to a call he was trying to help a man who had fallen or jumped from the key bridge when he collapsed he later died at the hospital. a procession will head to u.s. park police headquarters downtown dc back to virginia to the fairfax memorial park cemetery. traffic will be impacted keep that in mind. >>> national law enforcement officers fund releasing its annual fatality report numbers are getting e officer fatalities are up more than 13% from 2010 preliminary numbers show 68 police officers died in firearm related incidents 64 officers died in traffic related events 41 officers passed away of other causes a total of 173 police died in the line of duty this year. >>> virginia bank shut down after an elaborate robbery, the thieves succeeded in ste

meanwhile, uniformed soldiers and citizens wore korean traditional dress. many have already mournedthere were trains and ships. >> [speaking foreign language] >> you have been watching the dprk's people bidding farewell to their leader, and this is being held with hundreds of thousands of mourners in attendance. now, let's take a look back at some of the key moments from this event that we got from korean central tv. ♪ >> [speaking foreign language] has beenn il's coffin taken around so that mourners could pay their final respects. and the mourning citizens of p'yongyang are lining in the streets at the military salutes and marching in remembrances. >> [speaking foreign language] >> and it is suspected that the hearse of kim jong il would arrive later were the people of maine dprk would get a final look of their dear leader -- where the people of the dprk would get a final look at their dear leader. and then, the hearse with a return to the memorial palace. you can seen -- see kim jong un is also escorting the hearse. ♪ this is similar to the funeral kim iljong il's father, sung. >>

york stock exchange, thank you. >>> there are no signs of a power struggle in pyongyang as north koreans mournthe death of leader kim jong-il. the possibility of a contested transition of power has heightened tensions in the region but state media are indicating that kim's youngest son, kim jong-un, will succeed his father. >>> lori barenson who spent 15 years in prison in peru will spend the holidays here with her family. this is her first time back. she flew home along with her 2-year-old son. she must return to peru to finish her parole. >>> a pair of arizona teenagers are doing well today three days after they got lost while hiking in a steep canyon near phoenix. the 13 and 14-year-old cousins called 911. firefighters decided the best way to get the boys out was to use a long line from a helicopter. lucky for them. >>> now for a look at what is trending today, our quick roundup of what has you talking online. jon bon jovi a top search on google. he has posted a twitter picture of himself complete with date and time to counter rumors of his death. the picture shows bon jovi holding a sign t

sent millions of his own people to labor camps but we are getting video today showing scores of koreans mourning the death of dim jong-il. we are also hearing -- kim jonil, we are also hearing reports that the country is rallying around its successor, but as diplomats across the globe wait for what's to come, money are expressing grave concerns. doug mckelway is live with more. >> reporter: it's becoming very, very clear the united states is treading very carefully around this issue, during this time of uncertainty in north korea. the secretary of state made an appearance in the briefing room at 10:30 this morning on an unrelated matter but made no mention whatsoever of north korea. i chased her down the hall briefly after that, asked her about north korea. she said she'll be addressing that later, thank you. a more substantive statement from the white house after president obama spoke with south korean president last night saying we are monitoring reports that kim jong-il is dead, the president has been notified and we are in close touch with our allies and japan. we remain committed to the sta

altars. >> reporter: supporters argue the democratic south should allow the freedom to mourning the loss. >> south korean government should allow those to pay respect to kim jong-il. >> reporter: the mourning period will continue until december 29th. north korea media hints the leadership transition to his son is proceeding smoothly. in new york, david lee miller, fox news. >>> well, he was locked out for nearly two years -- locked up nearly two years ago. why supporters of an american jailed in cuba things his family needs him now more than ever. >>> the holiday turns tragic for a local family.  >>> a christmas day murder in prince george county. a 23-year-old man was shot and killed while walking near an apartment complex. it happened in oxon hill at south view drive and south view court. wisdom martin is live with the latest on this one. >> reporter: instead of celebrating christmas, the victim's family is overwhelmed with sadness. they are trying tuned stand why someone killed quentin perry junior on christmas. >> i thought it was a joke. >> reporter: quentin berry senior said he was shoc

north koreans weeping and wailing, collapsing and mourning after learning the death of kim jong-il. >the state tv announcer there unable to hide her emotions announcing the leader's death. >> and there is military tension across the region. word that north korea has tested a short-range military. president obama has reached out to the south korean leader overnight. and in north korea, potential power struggles behind the scenes. >> bob woodruff is one of the few reporters to report from north korea. you were there october 2010. >> that's right. about 13 months ago. those three times i was there, we learned very little about the new leader, kim jong-un. the neighboring countries are gets ready for what could happen next. there are unconfirmed reports of short-range missile tests. concerns in this very isolated country. [ speaking foreign language ] >> reporter: the announcement of kim's death came during a special broadcast from the state media, saying the dear leader, as he was known, has succumbed to a heart ailment on saturday while travel on a luxury train he often used. overnight

north koreans continue public mourning. the body of the leader is expected to be driven through p'yongyang. state television usually features nothing but positive reports on what the regime has been doing. lucy williamson reports from south korea that the broadcasts have taken on an almost supernatural tone. >> north koreans are used to hyperbole in the nightly news, beginning every night with a song about the magical qualities of their leader's birthplace, the hospital he was said to be going, and the mountain where it stands. since his death, strange natural phenomena appeared to have increased across the country. in the past week, north koreans have reportedly seen a giant like of ice cracking in half, a red glow covering the mountain where their leaders -- leader was going, and magpie's appearing together in grief, according to a party official. >> we cannot put this down to just a natural phenomenon. not just the world, but animals cannot forget our dear leader. >> along with the army, the media is the institution most

north koreans are in mourning and waves of uncertainty are spreading across asia and around the world. tina krause with who will take over and what this means for the u.s. >> reporter: north koreaens cried in the streets of the capital. some wailed as they learned their leader, kim jung il had died of a heart attack. he was building a thriving nation for our people, this man says. i will remain faithful to his son. he is the hair-apparent to the family dynasty. but it is unclear how effective the 20-something will be at leading the isolated nation. >> he hasn't met with many world leaders. he is obviously inexperienced. the issue is going to be, will the military leadership of north korea accept that transition now that kim jung il is dead? the 69-year-old feared leader as supporterred called him was known as a master manipulator with nuclear ambitions and world leaders hope the change in power will mark a tourning point for north korea. >> we hope that their new leadership will recognize an engates for the international community offers the best prospect of improving the lives of the

. >>> and north koreans mourn their so-called dear leader but shedding tears for the cameras may notan they'll miss kim jong-il for real. stand by. you're in "the situation room." newt gingrich is coming up in just a few moments but let's go to arwa damon in baghdad, first. she's getting new information on iran's apparently very growing influence in iraq, only days after all u.s. forces pulled out. arwa, what are you learning? >> reporter: that's right, wolf. there's a lot of concern about this, and many analysts had been warning that iran's influence here was only going to increase. naturally the two countries would have a relationship. the question is, what is the nature of that relationship and what's sort of a regional game is iran playing? in the holy shia city of car ba la, an hour's drive from baghdad you'll hear as much farsi as arabic, and the money changing hands is iranian reale as often as iraqi dinars. "it's like an iranian occupation" he jokes starkly. shia pilgrims from iran poured into iraq to visit shrines in car ba la, is amara and other cities. for local shopkeeper

mourning. hundreds of thousands of north koreans out mourning their dear leader. these images of the funeral, what do you think? >> well, like your package said, i think is very well choreographed. they have done this once before in the sense in july of 1994 the first leader of north korea suddenly died so i think it's even the same cars that they're using as the ones they used in 1994. so, you know, this is a society in which pictures and images that are well choreographed as a form of nationalism is very well practice it's not a surprise to me that they've carried this off very well. the real question is whether they'll be able to carry off the politics of the transition in the future. >> well, we didn't see the two elder brothers, for instance, when you look at the images, at least in what state tv ran. we didn't see the two elder brothers of kim jong un kil. what does that tell us. >> this youngest son, the one that was walking alongside the hers, is the key guy. he's the one that's going to be leading the country. the absence of these two is really interestin

since 1994. 9 north korean government has declared a period of mourning that will last longer than a week. kim's funeral will be held on december 28th in pyongyang. a national memorial ceremony is also scheduled for the next day. north korea announced a committee to arrange kim's funeral. the first person it mentioned is kim's third son, kim jong un. saying the country has what it calls the great successor and leader of the party, military and the people, kim jong un at the forefront. this is the first time state-run media called kim jong un his father's successor. and hoping to bring stronger unity among the party, the military and the people. here are how some of the people in the north korean capital are reacting to kim's death. >>> newspapers in tokyo rushed out extra editions delivering the news of kim's death. >> depending on who will take over if he will go in the same footsteps try to do the same thing or if he hopefully is more open-minded. >> japan's prime minister yoshihiko noda spoke to reporters on monday night about the government's response to kim jong-il's death. >> t

. >> and the soundtrack, constant wailing by mourning north koreans that some suspect was staged. abc's joohee cho watched it all from seoul. >> reporter: as north korea's military elite stood still in the snow on the plaza, the body of kim jong-il made a grand entrance, escorted by his son kim jong-un, by the new leader, the man reportedly in control of power behind the scenes. the hearse drove around pyongyang, passing by places that kim jong-il used to reside and worked. the display on television was emotional. but are these wailings genuine? >> i can't imagine anyone having genuine sorrow and condolences for this leader. but they're scared. these are all staged. >> reporter: look closer. the crying is definitely proportional to the proximity of the cameras, analysts say. will this young leader be able to keep an iron grip on the people? and how will he lead the 1.2 million-strong army with his fingers on the nuclear button. >> some amazing pictures here. what did they tell us about the successor, kim jong-un? >> well, dan, personally, when he made that entrance to the plaza, w

korean president. members criticized mourn irrelevanciers from the north and tore up flags. they shouted the south shouldn't accept the north's inhumane acts.tore up flags. they shouted the south shouldn't accept the north's inhumane actup flags. they shouted the south shouldn't accept the north's inhumane actthey shouted the south shoult accept the north's inhumane acts. >>> pop in the indian ocean region are remembering a tsunami that hit seven years ago. royce held a memorial service in indonesia, one of the areas hardest-hit by the disaster. some japanese that survived the march 11 tsunami were there. >> the city devastated by the indian ocean tsunami is well on the road to recovery. residents have gradually been able to forget what happened. but the tsunami that hit japan brought back a memory of the giant wave. >> i saw it on tv. i prayed to god. >> i felt sorry for the japanese experiencing a similar disaster. >> people pray for the souls of disaster victims in both countries. 22 educational experts came from japan, from areas hit by the march 11 tsunami and worked wi

korean president. members criticized mourn irrelevanciers from the north and tore up flags. they shouted the south shouldn't accept the north's inhumane acts.tore up flags. they shouted the south shouldn't accept the north's inhumane actup flags. they shouted the south shouldn't accept the north's inhumane actthey shouted the south shoult accept the north's inhumane acts. >>> pop in the indian ocean region are remembering a tsunami that hit seven years ago. royce held a memorial service in indonesia, one of the areas hardest-hit by the disaster. some japanese that survived the march 11 tsunami were there. >> the city devastated by the indian ocean tsunami is well on the road to recovery. residents have gradually been able to forget what happened. but the tsunami that hit japan brought back a memory of the giant wave. >> i saw it on tv. i prayed to god. >> i felt sorry for the japanese experiencing a similar disaster. >> people pray for the souls of disaster victims in both countries. 22 educational experts came from japan, from areas hit by the march 11 tsunami and worked wi

north koreans are continuing to mourn the loss of kim jong il. it is expected to mobilize the team -- mourners to mark. media has not given details about the event. >>> prince philip is expected to leave the hospital today after treatment for a balk scored later artery. queen elizabeth's husband spent four nights in the hospital recovering from a stent procedure. it was the most serious health scare he has suffered. >>> the parents of the cooper wagner will have some story to tell when he is older. >> he got to hang out with president obama and stole some of his thunder. >> it is rare to get this close to president obama. even rarer to get away with this -- sticking his hand into the president's mouth. then again, we are heading into an election year and babies are a mainstay on the campaign trail. the reception is not always warm. this kid did not want to be seen with the president as he and michelle obama visited military families on christmas day. it was -- the president went straight for a newborn who did not seem to impress. the president gr