holiday tradition, i visited their home, just before mrs mrs. obama and her daughters traveled to hawaii. and i've never seen the white house more beautiful, a dog more popular or the theme more moving. talk about deck the halls. for the obamas, the holiday season begins the day after thanksgiving with the arrival of the national christmas tree, which immediately goes up inside the blue room. for the next four days, over a 100 volunteers from around the country meticulously decorate the white house. out of the nearly 32 million christmas trees sold in the u.s. every year, 37 of them end up here. mrs. obama, the theme this year is military families. >> well, the theme is, "shine, give, share." but there's an emphasis on military families. and this is our gold star family tree. and gold star families are families who've lost a loved one. >> reporter: they came from every corner of the country to

steve simko says he plans to vote for mr. obama again but in such a dismal job market, it's hard to get as fired up as in 2008. when you opened those classified ads this morning and looked and saw that paltry number of jobs, what did you think? >> i said, typical of the area. that's about the best way i can describe that. it's very disappointing. >> reporter: simko has a lead on a new job but it wouldn't start until next year, just around the time when his unemployment benefits are currently scheduled to run out. chip reid, cbs news, scranton, pennsylvania. >> pelley: and that's the cbs evening news for tonight. for all of us at cbs news all around the world, good night. captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org >>> now, "entertainment tonight" the most watched entertainment newsmagazine in the world. >>> kourtney kardashian, pregnant again. >> kourtney, you're having a baby s that true? >> the real reason why she stayed quiet in front of the cameras. >>> and why kris just filed from legal

mr. obamait the road to whip up support for a cut in payroll taxes that funds social security and medicare. but the scranton trip was widely regarded as a de facto campaign stop. pennsylvania is one of the 12 battleground states that are pivotal to winning the white house in 2012. pennsylvania, nevada, colorado, new mexico, iowa, wisconsin, michigan, ohio, ida, and new hampshire. why are those 12 states so important? all 12 are battlegrounds, which could go either to president obama or his republican challenger. since september, mr. in the state of california -- e diego, los angeles. those 12 battleground states and california collectively have 206 electoral college votes. nearly all of the 270 electoral college votes needed to win the presidency. in other words, the electoral college trumps the popular vote, meaning you could lose the popular vote and still win the presidency! this happened 11 years ago, when the presidential race between george w. bush and al gore. gore won the popular vote!

steve simko says he plans to vote for mr. obama again but in such a dismal job market, it's hard to get as fired up as in 2008. when you opened those classified ads this morning and looked and saw that paltry number of jobs, what did you think? >> i said, eh, typical of the area. that's about the best way i can describe that. it's very disappointing. >> reporter: simko has a lead on a new job but it wouldn't start until next year, just around the time when his unemployment benefits are currently scheduled to run out. chip reid, cbs news, scranton, pennsylvania. >> pelley: and that's the cbs evening news taurant chain founded on community >>> good evening, i'm allen martin. >> i'm dana king. >>> it's a bay area restaurant chain founded on community and good karma. but the owners say that a handful of former workers is about to cost hundreds more employees their jobs. joe vazquez on the drastic action cafe gratitude is about to take. >> reporter: fore7 years they served up menu items like i am nurtured, soon it will be i am closed. s

mr. obama said that notwithstanding the food and drug administration, the plan b may not be sold to any woman under the age of unless they have a prescription. question, did the secretary of health and human services, kathleen sebelius, tee up this whole hhs versus fda clash as a -- for mr. obama to vet out of the stadium? in other words, sebelius versed the fda and mr. obama got to make a conservative values statement to connect with parents that want women -- >> you're hitting on the fact it's good politics, especially going into an election year. because a lot of people out there 30 it's common sense that you wouldn't want ungirls to have access to this, and i think she makes a good argument on the health side. the truth is this isn't about 10 and 11-year-olds. i think one percent of them are sexually active. it's about 15 and 16-year-olds, and more than half of them are sexually active. and so on the merits, the fda made the right decision. but politically, going into this campaign, it woul

mr. obama's eighth visit to pennsylvania this year. and there is good reason mr. it's one of the key swing states he just about has to win next november to gain a second term. since 1948, no democrat has won the white house without carrying pennsylvania so certainly clear he had plenty to do on that visit. cbs news correspondent chip reid reports. >> reporter: the 2012 presidential election may well come down to the 500,000 or so people who live around scranton, pennsylvania. the highest unemployment rate for 18 months in a row. >> people don't understand that you have a job, you're doing well. tomorrow, it's gone. >> reporter: steve simco hasn't worked since last may and at age 63, missed his mortgage payment last month for the first time in his life. and you're living a pretty basic life right now. >> i'm living beyond basic. i've already rolled all my change, okay? >> reporter: simco who volunteered for the last obama campaign represents a basic political problem for the president. voters here gave him a double digit victory in 2008, but are far worse off today.

mr. obama has to make a choice. he's got to say to the environmentalists, look, i love you guys, you're my brothers and i love you like mad, but the country runs on energy, it doesn't run on hot air spewed out by the environmental i-s, it runs on energy and we've got to get that energy if people are going to be employed and keep from being a third world nation, let's be realistic, mr. obama. >> if only it ran on hot air. we could probably fuel the country from this show. adam, not only does president obama have to make a decision, but very, very soon. i don't see how he's going to side step this one. >> well, charles, i applaud you from trying to link us to whatever the latest whacky comment from a politician in iran made last week, even though, none of your, none of our friends here who agree with the thesis wanted to discuss iran with you. so, i'll try to discuss iran with you. i'm glad that the president isn't going to make our national energy policy based on what iranian politicians are saying. your question, sh

the romney campaign believes that mr. obama would much rather face newt gingrich than their guy in the election next year. >> why is this man smiling? because his plan is working. brutally attack mitt romney and hope newt gingrich is his opponent. why? newt has a ton of baggage. newt has been on all sides. he supports amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants. gingrich teamed up with nancy pelosi and al gore on global warming and newt was a long-time supporter of a national health insurance mandate the centerpiece of obama care. >> bill: the polls seem to back up that political ad. a new fox news survey says in a proposed matchup next year president obama and mitt romney are just about tied within the margin of error of the poll. but the president defeats newt gingrich 46 to 40. among likely republic voters it is a far different story with newt gingrich leading mitt romney by 13 points. now, as we have been reporting, polls say most republic voters have not yet made up their minds even though the iowa vote is less than four we

mr. obama laid a wreath at the memorial, which honors more than 2,300 americans who died in the attacks. afterwards, mr. and mrs. obama scattered white and purple flower petals into the water below. this month marked the 70th anniversary of the attacks on pearl harbor. >>> the 9/11 memorial museum was set to open in september next year, but is now delayed because of a funding dispute. the port authority of new york and new jersey can't agree on who will pay for the museum. the memorial portion, opened three months ago, has already gotten 1 million visitors. >>> north korea has sent a strong message to other countries. it's going to be business as usual, even with a new leader. the country says despite a new supreme leader, they won't make any changes to their foreign policy or defense strategy. north korea's national defense commission said it will never deal with south korea's president while he is in power. north korea has ended the official mourning period for kim jong-il, and top officials

now away from economic democracy towards the emergence of the financial oligarchy and all through mr obama's speech he used the word that the economy is polarizing he described what the situation was but he didn't say that well he's talking about how bad the situation is for democracy tim geithner as you've just pointed out is over and great saying look you can't have democracy you absolutely must impose austerity on the greek people you have to weather the taxes on them to make the best make the governments pay the bondholders because the american banks have all taken norma steps on this financial horse race we've made slow death swaps and guarantees that the. sovereign depths of greece and the portugal and spain are going to repay and if the greek people are not taxed so much that maybe ten percent of them a year have to emigrate if you don't lower their living standards by thirty percent our big banks are going to lose money and i want to get to they say you agree that in just one second but i actually want to ask you first in your view because unity governments are set up in a time and n

mr. obama, 46%.h reporters swarming and rivals piling on, newt gingrich in south carolina assume the role of uncontested presumptive nominee. >> i'm going to talk about how we solve the country's problems. i have one opponent. barack obama. >> i have been married to the same woman for 25 -- i get in trouble. 42 years. >> romney is playing the family value card against gingrich who been married three times and admitted affairs. romney put reporters on the phone the powerful governor and white house chief of staff and a noted conservative who served in the house when gingrich was speaker. >> he is not reliable or trustworthy leader. >> the off the cuff thinking he goes through to deal with issues is not what you want in commander-in-chief. >> romney is getting a huge $3 million assist from a super pac led by support es in iowa. >> mitt romney turned around dozens of companies and created thousands of jobs. >> i'm not ashamed to admit i'm christian. >> perry hopes for advantage with the evangelical pro

all 47 senate republicans warn mr. obamaa letter recess appointments to the nlrb would at the very least set a dangerous precedent and could needlessly provoke constitutional conflict between the senate andous. not since teddy roosevelt some historians say had there been a bigger conflict over appointment. after the past year battle over spending and debt and the coming battle of the presidential campaign, steven hess doubt mrs. obama wants to start 2012 with another fight. >> at a time where things are overheated anyway in this country. partisan and ideological termsbe it's best not to play this particular game. >> the nlrb was almost left without a quorum anyway. the lone republican member threated on the quit this month over proposal that would have made it faster for shops to unionize. called the microwave organize organizerpse and it was shelved. washington, wendell goler, fox news. >> jim: not everyone in south carolina is happy to see kim jong il go. we'll tell you why later in the grapevine. up next, a new way to hel

. >> including mr. obama? >> including mr. obama, president obama and all of the other various candidates, whatever party. >> reporter: demonstrations like paul's or this one, in the state capital of des moines, are examples of many that have sprung up across the nation. they are small, yet tenacious. it looks as though some will continue into 2012. corine schneider, nhk world, des moines, iowa. >>> a spokesperson for the u.s. defense department is a plauding the japanese government for submitting a key report on the planned relocation of a u.s. military base. both countries have agreed to move the marine corps air station futenma to another air station in okinawa, but local opposition in the southern prefecture has stalled the process. the japanese defense ministry handed in an environmental assessment report wednesday to the okinawa prefectural government office. demonstrators tried to stop the delivery. u.s. defense department press secretary, george little said in a statement that submission of the report amounted to signif

having permitted mr. obama to position himself as the election year tax cutter. >> merry christmas to you. >> reporter: the president was in such a good mood, he went christmas shopping with his dog bo in toe, bought gifts for his daughters with. with the clock ticking company if the tax cut is not extended the average family would have $40 less to spend or save for each payroll. the white house asks what does $40 mean to you? more than 20,000 responses were received via e-mail or on twitter. $40 is the gas i need to get to work each week. it's also two weeks' lunch money for my kids read one. $40 is a loan bill for my student loan. not having $40 is unacceptable in my home. make no mistake, this is a stalemate. i am told there are no talks going on, no negotiations going on. the senior white house official saying the president is willing to stay in town even if congress has gone home to try to keep the pressure on. norah o'donnell, cbs news, the white house. >>> in the race for the republican presidential nomi

in an abc news exclusive, barbara walters asked mr. obama. >> the united states declared an end to its mission in iraq today and the troops are coming home. you are adamantly owe po lly ad the war. >> despite a difficult situation because of their sacrifice, because of their skill, they are handing over to iraq a -- a country that has had a democratic election, that is -- that's working in -- in a -- political fashion instead of a violent fashion to resolve differences. and that is -- because of the extraordinary work that our men and women in uniform did. >> certainly progress. but a precarious future for iraq nonetheless. you can see barbara walters full interview with the president and mrs. obama on the "20/20" holiday special that will haairn the 23rd. >> the first family like families everywhere they sat down for a holiday know tow pho. the obama's first christmas in the white house. >> take a look now, this year's photo shows how much sasha and malia have grown and shows how the president has, how can we say it, matured in his first to

mrs. obama has not aged a bit. the health guru. the arms are still cut.growing up fast. wow. >> so tall. >> three years. looking good. >> little bit more gray. >> that job ages you, no doubt. >>> well, the justice department is blasting a major arizona law enforcement agency for its crackdowns on illegal immigrants. arizona's immigration law has been controversial. >> to say the least. now the justice department says the sheriffs office in phoenix simply has gone too far. scott goldberg joins us with more on this. good morning, scott. >> reporter: good morning, rob and sunny. one of the justice department experts who investigated the maricopa sheriff's office called it the most egregious case of racial profiling he has seen, but sheriff joe as he is known calls it a politically motivated attack against his office. joe arpaio calls himself america's toughest sheriff. his critics have been using other words for years. >> racist! >> reporter: now the department of justice is adding a few more like unconstitutional, saying the maricopa county sheriff's office

kathleen said i don't care for mrs. obama or her husband but insulting someone over their body makes no sense anywhere. an apology due to public outcrew seems insincere. i wonder how he would feel if someone said that about his wife. much more coming up on news 4 at 5:00. >> i think we are going hear a lot more about this. >> yes. unfortunately. >>> best buy will not be able to fulfill some customers orders. there's an overwhelming demand for some items. what is this all about and why can't they fill the orders? >> reporter: this is remarkable. it's not only about filling orders, they are now telling customers some who ordered something right after thanksgiving that now they are not going to be able to fulfill their order at all thchlt is a nightmare for the largest specialty electronics retailer in the u.s. one guy saying he ordered a toshiba tv after thanksgiving and found out it was just out of stock. best buy is not telling anyone what exactly is out of stock but it's speculated it's all the popular items like ipads, ps 3

mrs. obamaocking stuffers you need for everyone on your list. >>> and deals that you can sink your teeth into. we reveal the ultimate saving secrets on food this holiday. >>> and we also have much more from the philadelphia boys choir & chorale. ♪ tidings of comfort and joy comfort and joy ♪ ♪ tidings of comfort and joy ♪ ♪ and joy and joy ♪ ♪ tidings of comfort and joy ♪ it's like this... now you do it... ♪ no, i wouldn't use that single miles credit card. hey, aren't you... shhh. i'm researching a role. today's special... the capital one venture card. you earn double miles on every purchase. impressive. chalk is a lost medium. if you're not earning double miles... you're settling for half. was that really necessary? [ male announcer ] get the venture card at capitalone.com and earn double miles on every purchase every day. what's in your wallet? cover for me. i have an audition. what's in your wallet? sears last minute gift sale is on now. use you 15% off savings pass for amazing deals like up

mr. obama was hauling in nearly $2 million for democrats and his re-election campaign last night. tickets to just one of the events cost, get this, more than $35,000 each. >>> now, earlier in scanten, pennsylvania, the president encounter a very enthusiastic supporter. the woman was shaking mr. obama's hand and pulling his arm so much, that the secret service nearly had to step in there. eventually the president got away and kept his smile the whole time. >>> it was an emotional night on the penn state campus, as a new president promised a higher ethical standard at the school. this comes as the first lawsuit is filed against jerry sandusky for sexual abuse. here's abc's brad wheelis. >> reporter: it was a time for soul-searching at penn state. >> i feel shame. what do i do with these feelings? >> reporter: at a town hall meeting between students, faculty and administrators, the penn state dealt with the lasting mark at the school, as the result of a sex abuse scandal by jerry sandusky. one of argued that it was good -- >> it's important that we learn to question authority. and in

mrs. michele obama. [applause] ♪ [hail to the chief] ♪ >> well, good evening, everybody. to the white house. what a spectacular looking crowd here. [laughter] i want to start by thanking david rubenstein, michael kaiser, and the kennedy center trustees, and everyone who has made the kennedy center such a wonderful place for so many people for so many years. i also want to acknowledge my good friend, caroline kennedy, for continuing her family's legacy of supporting the arts. and finally, i want to thank the creator of the kennedy center honors and the co-chair of the president's committee on the arts and the humanities, george stevens. [applause] george and his son, michael, are still bringing this show to life after 34 years, and we are grateful to both of them. so -- [applause] tonight, we honor five giants from the world of the arts -- not just for a single role or a certain performance, but for a lifetime of greatness. and just to be clear, this doesn't mean that they're over the hill. [laughter] it just means they've come a long way. now, at first glance the men and

the difference is mr. obama not proposed seizing private assets. he does want the wealthy to carry most of the tax burden. president obama's administration has not served america's economic problems. and talking points believes it has run out of ideas. so now the only play, the only play is to convince voters that greed heads are holding the economy back. and we must take more from them. i don't believe the american people are going to buy that. but i could be wrong. and that's the memo. now for the top story tonight. just two republicans, newt gingrich and rick san forum have agreed to a debate moderated by donald trump at the end of this month. joining us from our new york studios to analyze the purveyor of dick morris.com and the author of big new children's book dubs goes to washington. what about this trump debate deal? mitt romney says is he not going, ron paul is not going, huntsman is not going to go. first of all why do you think there is resistance to mr. trump. >> any debate ron paul and huntsman are not in would be a really good debate.

can raise enough jobs to get that unemployment down, but interestingly enough, and to be fair to mr. obamary other president, when abraham lincoln was in office, most americans didn't think he could do it either. they hated him. >> that's right. they hated him. >> well, i think obama at times has thought of himself as lincolnesque, he is a good speakerer and i think there are flashes of inspiration, during the '08 campaign the tactful the fact he wanted to take the reins at a tough time. and for the vision articulated a, it disagrees where the vision would particular us, but, b, he's the guy who sold himself as the guy who once i take the hull of the government, the government's going to work well and smoothly and it's going to solve the problems and that's his vision, his philosophy how government can work in your life. it has not delivered. >> it has not delivered. >> and here is the deal. >> and that's the difference in the leadership and there's way to go about it and the person i want to cite, tt pew poll and cnn poll just released and they both have obama's leadership between he low

mr. obama's prospects for remaining president? we're joined by bob schieffer, chief washington correspondent and anchor of "face the nation" and norah o'donnell, our chief white house correspondent. bob, what do you see here? >> well, you have to go all the way back to jimmy carter to find a president whose approval rating was this low at this point in his presidency. but this goes beyond that, scott. i mean, what really jumps out in this poll is that 75% of the people now believe that the country is headed in the wrong direction. and kind of worse, as far as i'm concerned, 66% say that they have no clear idea right now what the president wants to accomplish if he is reelected. so what that tells you, quite simply, is that this president's got a lot of work to do here. >> pelley: norah, i wonder, are there any bright spots in the poll for the president? >> well, despite some of these dismal job approval ratings, americans do seem to at least think that the president is working hard. about two-thirds-- 64%-- think the president is

their military force well let's talk about milestones i'm afraid if i go to you first in london mr obama said this week now we knew this day would come we've known that for some time but still there's something profound about the end of a war that has lasted so long is there anything profound about the end of american or official american involvement in iraq i think. you could call it the biggest blunder which is happened in the twentieth century twenty first century the problem is a medic. leaving and leaving iraq and the infrastructure was destroyed iraq is going to assume veneer of democracy but the fact it's in the field to really politicians i think the biggest winner of this war on america leaving is iran and this one of the militias of which has gotten out of the connection to iran i think has been left into a theocratic really and the future i think you've got to. kind of rule america has a moral responsibility to help iraq but i think it's for secret ok you know if i can go to you do you see any positive outcome from this at all because i mean i asked if there is any winners and

and mr obama's calling it a profound event well i suppose it's profound in that sense. yes i mean it is but it is profound in terms of the u.s. strategic position which if you compare the u.s. strategic position in the middle east and globally today with what it was on the eve of the u.s. invasion in two thousand and three it is quite dramatic keep in mind on the eve of the u.s. invasion of iraq in two thousand and three the united states was in a very very significant powerful position in the middle east it had a constellation of states in the middle east call american clearly pro-american states aligned with it the states that were not aligned with the united states were contained constrained relatively weak saddam hussein's iraq was in a box the islamic republic of iran was relatively weak hamas and hezbollah had not been legitimate elect coralie in their respective arenas the consolation for the power in the middle east for the united states was very much in america's favor back in two thousand and three on the eve of the invasion today clearly that is not the case