you said something back in iowa to norah o'donnell and to myself that really stuck with us.asked, are you saying flatly that mitt romney is a liar? and he said yes. of and then i said, well, having said that, if he does get the nomination, could you support him? and you said yes. well, things have gotten a even a lot nastier than it was out there. since then. do you think that if he does get the nomination, are you prepared to say you can still support him? >> look, i believe that president obama is such a direct threat to the future of this country that i will support the republican nominee because i think the re-election of president obama is a disaster. just take the one example in the last ten days. of the war against the catholic church which the obama administration has launched which is the most outrageous assault on religious liberty in american history. this is an administration which consistently, again and again, now they're negotiating with the taliban, they're steadily incrementally accommodating radical islamism. every time you turn around, the obama administra

and norah o'donnell on a surprise at the white house. >> captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> pelley: good evening. you've been telling us in poll after poll that the economy is the biggest problem facing the country. so we start tonight with new evidence that it's get, better. the number of americans putting in their first claims for unemployment benefits is at a four-year low, 348,000. home construction is up 1.5%. and general motors back from bankruptcy, reported record profits for, $7.6 billion. we have three correspondents covering. first, ben tracy in california, where unemployment still tops 11%. >> reporter: scott, more than two million people are still out of work here in california but the good news is businesses are hiring. and they're now expected to create half a million new jobs in just the next two years. at this clothing maker in downtown los angeles, johnny quintero is the newest hire. >> it feels great, yeah. i learn something new every day. >> reporter: he was brought on in january after being out of work for two years, fo

some sharp questions today from cbs news white house correspondent norah o'donnell to the press secretary. >> i mean, the president spent much of 2010 on the road ridiculing these groups. i mean, he joked about the name. they can call anything like moms for motherhood. he really decried their influence in elections. and now he has signaled to his campaign that he would like his donors to contribute, as well. you indicated when asked about when the president made this decision. you made you could divine -- you could divine that and that clearly since he's made this in february of 2012. so has the president been putting off this decision? were you indicating he's left it to so late in the game because he didn't want to have to do this but he's finally relented and said right, the republicans have so much money i'm willing to give up on my principles because of. >> look, you can throw in a lot of editorializations into your question or save them for your piece. but the fact of the matter is, this president's views on citizens united have not been shrouded in secrecy. they were clearly expres

norah o'donnell is at the white house. mitt romney romps to victory over newt gingrich in nevada. jan crawford, chip reid and john dickerson watch the race out west. dramatic video of the snowboarder who survived a colorado avalanche. john blackstone shows us the high-tech backpack that may have saved her life. and elizabeth ii celebrating 60 years as queen. aarlie d'agata takes a look at the second longest reign in british history. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news." >> jeff: good evening, i'm jeff glor. for more than three decades, the u.s. and egypt have had a strong s.liance, but tonight that relationship is on shaky ground following egypt's decision to try 19 americans on unspecified charges. the americans, including the son of cabinet secretary ray lahood, are barred from leaving egypt. senior white house correspondent norah o'donnell is tracking developments tonight in isshington. norah, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, jeff. and the obama administration says tonight that they are seply concerned about these eeplrts and urging the egyptian go

norah o'donnell, cbs news, the white house. >> pelley: and that's the cbs evening news for tonight. 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. >>> will whitney houston's bodyguard co-star kevin costner speak at her funeral. >>> plus, new security concerns tonight. >>> the six-square-block lockdown, the funeral home memori memorial. >>> and -- >> she was seen drinking heavily last week. >> did a week long drinking binge lead to her death. >>> and her

norah o'donnell tells us why prices are rising and what the white house has to say. heart attack is the number one killer of women. but dr. jon lapook tells us they may be missing the warning signs. and dean reynolds with a photographer who finds beauty where most folks would never think to look. >> there's just something about that kind of... again, that hidden beauty. i like to open people's eyes to th that. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> pelley: good evening, it has been a long time coming. the stock market returned to a major milestone today. the blue chip index crossed 13,000 for the first time in ne nearly four years. it wound up closing south of that at 12965, a gain of 15 points for the day. but that 13k was a feel-good moment for everyone whose 401(k) was pw-tarred. the last time the dow cross 13,000 in may of '08 it was heading in the wrong direction. by the next year, it had bottomed out at 6,547. now it has recovered nearly all of that loss. anthony mason is at the new york stock exchange tonight. anthony?

. >> reporter: norah o'donnell and anthony mason on r on the story. i spy. john blackstone on google secretly trailing iphone users web site to web site. and steve hartman "on the road." it could have been road rage. >> my immediate reaction was like what the heck are you doing? >> but he took a very different turn. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> pelley: good evening. if a terror suspect had carried out his alleged mission today, we would be starting to want with a suicide bombing at the seat of the united states government. instead, we begin with the story of how federal agents arrested that man today. on his way, apparently, to the u.s. capitol where the f.b.i. says he was out to kill as many people as possible. undercover f.b.i. agents were on to him from the start and we begin our coverage tonight with chip reid at the capital. chip? >> reporter: good evening, scott, the suspect is a citizen of morocco. he's been in the united states illegally for years. law enforcement sources say he came here today with

norah o'donnell was with the president today. norah? >> reporter: scott, these better-than-expected jobs numbers are welcome news for president obama. still, his advisers know that the election is nine months away, and a lot can change that could really alter this downward trend line that seems to benefit his reelection chances. >> the economy is growing stronger. the recovery is speeding up. and we've got to do everything in our power to keep it going. >> reporter: pushing his jobs for veterans agenda in virginia today, the president called on congress to extend the payroll tax cut set to expire at the end of this month. >> so i want to send a clear message to congress: do not slow down the recovery that we're on. don't muck it up. ( applause ) keep it moving in the right direction. >> reporter: the unemployment rate may be trending in the right direction for president obama, but it is far above the point history tells us is needed for reelection. in the modern era, president george h.w. bush, lost reelection with unemployment at 7.4%;

schieffer: we'll ask him about all of it this morning and then check in with our round table of norah o'donnell and john dickerson plus karen tumulty of the "washington post" and todd spangler of the detroit free press. this is "face the nation." captioning sponsored by cbs from cbs news in washington, "face the nation" with bob schieffer. >> schieffer: good morning. welcome, senator. you are the leader in the polls this morning. i have to say you were very busy yesterday. the associated press led its story of your appearance in columbus ohio by saying, quote, rick santorum questioned barack obama's christian values. that was after you lashed out at the president's proposal on energy of all things when you said this. >> it's not about you. it's not about you. it's not about your quality of life. it's not about your job. it's about some phony ideal, some phony theology. oh, not a theology based on the bible, a different theology. ( applause ) >> schieffer: so, senator, i've got to ask you. what in the world were you talking about? >> well i was talking about the radical environmentalist. that's

reports from norah o'donnell and john dickerson. with iran threatening to close the strait of hormuz, allen pizzey is aboard a u.s. warship sent to make sure it stays open. wyatt andrews reports long after the caucuses, iowa welcomes another man with his eye on the presidency, the president of china. and seth doane catches up with greg brooks who may have found $3 billion off the coast of massachusetts. >> t hunt for the treasure keeps you excited everyday. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> pelley: good evening, president obama has not been enjoying the kind of popularity that gets presidents reelected. but in a new cbs news/"new york times" poll out tonight, there are sign he is has turned a corner. for the moment, at least, half the public now approves of the job he is doing. have a look. last may, right after navy seals killed osama bin laden the president's job-approval rating soared to 57%. but by november it was back to 43%, tying his all-time low. then the numbers started rising.

. >> reporter: norah o'donnell and clarissa ward report. from abortion to birth control, social issues move to the forefront in the g.o.p. presidential campaign. dean reynolds and jan crawford on where the front-runners stand. dr. jon lapook reports f.d.a. medical experts are recommending approval of the diet pill qnexa despite risky side effects. and chip reid on a new national museum that will tell the story of a long struggle for freedom. >> they weren't mine. they belonged to the world. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> pelley: good evening. "shameless brutality." those are the words the united states chose today to describe bashar al-assad's allout military assault on syria's freedom movement. the 40-year dictatorship of the assad family seems bent on crushing the citizens' rebellion that began nearly a year ago. today civilians in homs-- a city of more than 1.5 million-- suffered through their 19th day of artillery bombardment. an intense morning barrage killed 74, including a french phot

. >> pelley: norah o'donnell has the story. chip reid on the republican candidates and who they're courting. >> conservatives... >> conservatives... >> conservatives! >> pelley: cla vases ward is with the rebels in syria where today the people parade for freedom. and today, on the road with steve hartman. noah saves the day with a flood of help. >> pelley: cla vases ward is with the rebels in syria where today the people parade for freedom. and today, on the road with steve hartman. noah saves the day with a flood of help. >> there's a lot more good people in the world than i expected. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> pelley: the decision is one part solomon, one part semantics. president obama rushed to resolve an election year battle over religion, health insurance and birth control. under new rules that he announced today, employees of faith-based institutions will still have contraceptives covered by their insurance plans, but the cost will be picked up by the insurance compan

you be the judge after you hear norah o'donnell at the white house tonight. norah? >> reporter: scott, the president once called this superpac spending a threat to alr democracy but now the president has personally signed elf on this plan to allow these donations after he was convinced by his political advisors that they should not unilaterally disarm or else he could lose reelection. during the 2010 midterm elections, the president vehemently denounced superpacs. >> all across america special interests have pored millions of dollars into phony front groups. you've seen them. they're called "americans for prosperity." "moms for motherhood." >> reporter: but now the president's campaign has directed donors to contribute to oordpro-obama priorities u.s.a., action, raising questions about el whether it's coordinating too closely with the superpac. ellen miller directs the sunlight foundation and studies the influence of money in politics. >> it doesn't seem to me it viuld be more brazen than having ell mpaign manager tell the world that it's okay for them to contribute

is leaving too. >> let knee go to the white house and norah o'donnell. the administration clearly had reasons for doing this now. they clearly knew that the argument would be made that the taliban would simply sit back and wait. >> well, look, the defense secretary is in brussels meeting with other nato defense ministers. i am told that an announcement about a transition of forces to a combat role in mid 2013, which is about a year earlier than expected, will likely come in chicago in may. there's going to be a huge nato summit here in the you state. look for that to be a time. i think the key question, after that transition, combat to train and assist role, will that mean that this administration then announces a further drawdown of troops? we've got 90,000 troops in afghanistan. about 20,000 left by the fall. will the president announce he is pulling more forces back from afghanistan? charlie, this all happens in a political year and election year. >> in terms of that training, there's a question of afghan forces and how prepared they will be. in if th

concern at the white house is growing and norah o'donnell is there with more on that. norah? >> reporter: scott, the white house said today these americans have done absolutely nothing wrong. they are in egypt to promote democracy, human rights and fair elections. but that is no reason to investigate them. as stone-throwing protesters clashed with egyptian police today, 17 americans are facing charges of encouraging the unrest that has engulfed the country for nearly a year. one of them is the son of ray lahood, president obama's transportation secretary. sam lahood heads the egypt office for the international republican institute and is now forbidden to leave cairo. were you surprised when you saw your name on the list? >> i was surprised. so was my wife. >> reporter: other americans like charles dunne were safely at home in washington, d.c. when the charges were announced. as a director of the pro-democracy group freedom house, dunne was cited for operating in the country without a license. the egyptian government is accusing you and others of fomenting this unrest plaguing

more now about the president and the poll from our chief white house correspondent norah o'donnell at the white house tonight. norah? >> reporter: scott, the good economic news out there is boosting the president's overall standing with voters, particularly independents, and that's why there's hardly a day that goes by that we don't hear the president talking about the turnaround in the economy. >> our economy is growing stronger. and the last thing we need, the last thing we can afford to do, is to go back to the same policies that got us in this mess in the first place. >> reporter: the president's message seems to be resonating. 42% of voters think he is making progress fixing the economy. and that's up 14 points in just two months. we found democrat kathie maloney on a street coroner chicago. >> if he hadn't have taken the steps he did and enacted the proposals he did we'd be in a much worse place than we are now and i think things are coming back and getting better. >> reporter: at the heart of mr. obama's reelection message is a push for what he calls economic fairness and a pro

norah o'donnell is at the white house tonight. norah? >> reporter: scott, u.s. officials are cautiously optimistic about a letter that they have received from iran. today secretary of state hillary clinton said that iran did not insist on any pre-conditions but they want to make sure that iran is sere qlus about ending its enrichment program and not just stalling for time. >> we think this is an important step and we welcome the letter. >> reporter: the letter from iran's chief nuclear negotiator doctor saeed jalili proposed talks at the earliest possible time. it was received tuesday in response from a letter from lady catherine ashton, the european union's foreign policy chief and point person for negotiations between the major world powers and iran. secretary clinton met with lady ashton at the state department today. >> this response from the iranian government is one we've been waiting for. if we do proceed, it will have to be a sustained effort that can produce results. >> reporter: secretary clinton said the iranian letter seemed to embrace a basic pre-co

we wondered why and when the white house weighed in today, we turned to norah o'donnell who's at the white house tonight. norah? >> reporter: sot, the big worry here at the white house is that those rising gas prices could cripple the current recovery and also hurt president obama's reelection hopes. still, the president's advisors admit there are no quick fixes and today they pushed back against the criticism that it's the president's fault. as president obama today cheered passage of the payroll tax cut, he acknowledged the extra $40 in an average family's paycheck may now be needed to help cushion the blow of higher gas prices. >> that $40 helps to pay the rent, the groceries, the rising cost of gas which is on a lot of people's minds right now. >> reporter: republican rival newt gingrich today said mr. obama was to blame for the rising cost and then he made this campaign trail pledge. >> i really would change things pretty dramatically. $2.50 a gallon is not a radical idea. $1.13 on average the four years i was speaker. it was $1.89 when barack obama was sworn in. >> reporter: tha

norah o'donnell is at the white house tonight. norah?>> reporter: scott, secretary of state hillary clinton is on her try an international meeting on syria, but no one expects that that meeting will end the bloodshed. instead, the best hope is that these 70 countries now that make up a friends of syria group will agree on a plan to bolster opposition forces. the obama administration up until now has firmly rejected calls to arm the syrian opposition but spokesman jay carney today opened the door to the possibility. if pressure on assad does not work are we considering arming the opposition? >> i want to be clear that our position is that it is not appropriate now to contribute to the militarization, the further militarization of syria. we don't rule out additional measures if the international community waits too long and doesn't act deice *efly. >> reporter: just last year, the u.s. supported a nato intervention in libya. when we asked why that action is not a model for syria, carney said u.s. policy is not one size fits all. why would

norah o'donnell is at the white house tonight. norah? >.>> reporter: scott, this is clearly a change in policy by president obama aimed at calming this political firestorm that could have cost him support among catholic voters, a key swing group he won by nine points in the last election. calling himself both a citizen and a christian, the president today announced a compromise. >> after the many genuine concerns that have been raised over the last few weeks as well as, frankly, the more cynical desire on the part of some to make this into a political football, it became clear that spending months hammering out a solution was not going to be an option. >> reporter: the new policy would not require religious institutions like catholic hospitals or universities to provide free contraception for their employees. instead, the institution's health insurance providers would have to offer and pay for birth control. a solution, mr. obama hopes, works for everyone. >> religious liberty will be protected and a law that requires free preventative c

norah o'donnell is at the white house tonight and, norah, last year the obama administration led nato to launch an air campaign in support of the rebels in libya to overthrow qaddafi. is anything like that being considered there with regard to syria? >> reporter: there's no talk of a military intervention just increased diplomatic events. secretary of state hillary clinton saying today they would convene a "friend of syria" meeting. in tunisia later this month. and the difference between libya and syria is this: on libya, there was a lot more international consensus. they had the backing of two u.n. security council resolutions, one of which supported all necessary measures to protect the citizens of libya. on syria, they can't even get past a weak resolution that condemns the violence. and as one white house official said to me today, that essentially gives assad a license to kill. >> pelley: norah, thank you very much. it looked like a low-level war between iran and israel was escalating today. israeli diplomats were targeted in nearly simultaneous attacks in two world capitals. in

. >> jeff: norah o'donnell at the white house. thank you. turning to another middle east flashpoint, president obama was asked today about the mounting speculation that israel is planning to attack iran's nuclear facilities within the next few months. >> i don't think that israel has made a decision on what they need to do. i think they like us believe that iran has to stand down on its nuclear weapons program. >> jeff: for its part, iran warned its neighbors today that it would retaliate against any country that aided an attack on iran's nuclear program. in campaign 2012 now, mitt romney finished well ahead of newt gingrich in the nevada caucuses with ron paul and rick santorum behind them. the gop race moves this week to colorado minnesota, missouri and maine. jan crawford and chip reid are following the two top candidates and we begin with jan in denver, jan, good evening. >> reporter: well, good evening, jeff, after that landslide victory last night romney has now won three out of the first five state force voting. and with his mum and t

. >> pelley: norah o'donnell has the story.p reid on the republican candidates and who they're courting. >> conservatives... >> conservatives... >> conservatives! >> pelley: cla vases ward is with the rebels in syria where today the people parade for freedom. and today, on the road with steve hartman. noah saves the day with a flood of help. >> there's a lot more good people in the world than i captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> pelley: the decision is one part soloman, one part semantics. president obama rushed to resolve an election year battle over religion, health insurance and h

. >> pelley: anthony mason and norah o'donnell are covering.apology from the world's largest breast cancer charity. it says cutting funds to planned parenthood was a mistake. nancy cordes reports. federal prosecutors end their doping investigation of lance armstrong. the seven-time tour de france winner will not be charged. and on the road with steve hartman and candidate jim oharry o'hara didn't just approve this ad. he participated it. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> pelley: good evening. we begin tonight with a big improvement in the unemployment picture.

reports from norah o'donnell and john dickerson.hreatening to close the strait of hormuz, allen pizzey is aboard a u.s. warship sent to make sure it stays open. wyatt andrews reports long after the caucuses, iowa welcomes another man with his eye on the presidency, the president of china. and seth doane catches up with greg brooks who may have found $3 billion off the coast of massachusetts. >> t hunt for the treasure keeps you excited everyday. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> pelley: good evening, president obama has not been enjoying the kind of popularity that gets presidents reelected. but in a nes

. >> reporter: norah o'donnell and anthony mason on r on the story. i spy.ackstone on google secretly trailing iphone users web site to web site. and steve hartman "on the road." it could have been road rage. >> my immediate reaction was like what the heck are you doing? >> but he took a very different turn. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> pelley: good evening. if a terror suspect had carried out his alleged mission today

and norah o'donnell on a surprise at the white house. >> captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbsng news" with scott pelley. >> pelley: good evening. you've been telling us in poll after poll that the economy is the biggest problem facing the

norah o'donnell tells us why prices are rising and what the white house has to say. attack is the number one killer of women. but dr. jon lapook tells us they may be missing the warning signs. and dean reynolds with a photographer who finds beauty where most folks would never think to look. >> there's just something about that kind of... again, that hidden beauty. i like to open people's eyes to th that. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> pelley: good evening, it has been a long time coming. the stock market returned to a major milestone today. the blue chip index crossed 13,000 for the first time in ne nearly four years. it wound up closing south

. >> reporter: norah o'donnell and clarissa ward report.m abortion to birth control, social issues move to the forefront in the g.o.p. presidential campaign. dean reynolds and jan crawford on where the front-runners stand. dr. jon lapook reports f.d.a. medical experts are recommending approval of the diet pill qnexa despite risky side effects. and chip reid on a new national museum that will tell the story of a long struggle for freedom. >> they weren't mine. they belonged to the world. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> pelley: good evening. "shameless brutality." those are the words the united states c

norah o'donnell is with us now. norah good morning. >> good morning. cbs news learned that president obama as early as today, could announce some new guidelines dealing with this contraception policy. this follows what has been an internal debate within the white house that pitted some of the male advisers including vice president biden and former chief of staff bill dailey against some of the female advisers. in the end, the president moved forward on the rule which is already law in a majority of the states in this country. 28 states. we're expecting more as they think there's been a lot of misunderstanding about this policy. >> the president was meeting with the prime minister of italy in the oval office thursday. but when peppered with questions on the red hot controversy over kron tra accepting, he refused to comment. >> come on, guys. thank you. >>> his vice president, joe biden, in the swing state of ohio for the first time signalled the white house is concerned about the fallout. >> as a practicing catholic, i am of the view that this can be wo