northeast this morning. it's blasting gale-force winds and dumping record amounts of snow. right now the blizzard is still hovering over new england. states of emergency have been delayed in massachusetts, new jersey, maine, maryland, virginia, and north carolina. road travel is treacherous and thousands of flights have been canceled. by the time it's over the northeast and mid-atlantic could see ach as much as two feet of snow with records set up and down the east coast a. very cold whit johnson in new york's times square with more. whit, good morning to you. >> reporter: terrell, good morning to you. welcome to times square this popular tourist spot is being used as a dumping ground right now for all this snow. if you are trying to get around, it's really sort of a mixed bag. some of the streets as you can see are clear and good to go. others are impassable, completely covered with snow. for those actually trying to get somewhere like go home after the holidays, there are few options, if any. the first monster storm of the season continues to hammer much of the east coast this morning. crippling virtually every type of travel. >> the treats are horrible. everything's just horrible. >> reporter: overnight two of the busiest airports in the world, jfk and newark shut down completely after snowplows couldn't keep up. airlines are hoping to get passengers back in the skies later today african selling more than 1400 flights over the weekend. >> you take it for what it is. if you travel, you got to be prepared for any of the elements. >> reporter: but air travelers aren't the only ones stranded. amtrak suspended its train service between new york and maine. and officials urged drivers to stay off roadways. at least two deadly traffic accidents are already blamed on the bad weather. here in new york city, blizzard warnings are in effect until tonight. by the time the storm finishes moving through, the big apple will be buried under more than a foot of snow. states of emergency were declared from north carolina all the way to maine. >> we're geared up, ready to go. we're going to fight this storm with everything we've got. >> reporter: even sunday football got put on hold. the envelope put off this matchup in philadelphia until tuesday. in maryland, the national guard called in to help with weather-related emergencies. >> we weren't supposed to get all a lot of snow then all of a sudden it came out of nowhere. >> reporter: but digging out won't be easy. forecasters predict strong winds will hamper clean up well after the snow stops falling. for those of us actually stuck in the mess, a big problem is the winds. all this can be disorientating. i can't tell you if this is falling from the sky or flowing off the street. city officials are urging people to drop their plans, stay home and await this thing out, terrell. >> whit johnson in new york's times square. stay warm, buddy. thank you very much. appreciate i. as reported the massive storm is causing massive headaches for anyone trying to fly in or out of the north southeast. many passengers are trying to make it home after the holiday weekend. nancy cordes has more from reagan national airport outside washington, d.c. >> reporter: snowplows at newark airport couldn't keep up with this storm. >> praying that i can wait out this storm and make it home safely. >> reporter: by midday, nearly 1,000 flights had been canceled at new york's three airports n. philadelphia, 400 out of 600 daily flights were canceled. while in boston, in the heart of the blizzard, several airlines shut down operations altogether. at new york's jfk passengers who have been waiting a week to get to snow-socked heathrow learned the weather here is thwarting them now. >> we can't really be angry or it's just the weather. so, it's nobody fault. >> reporter: amtrak canceled all trains between new york and boston starting at 5:00 p.m. and a few in virginia, too forcing post-christmas crowds on sold-out trains to find another way home. at reagan national, gates were empty even before the snow hit as airlines pulled their planes out of the snowstorm's path. >> it is frustrating because it is not really snowing here. >> i've had two flights canceled and will miss my los angeles flight by ten minutes. >> reporter: the price family got stuck halfway between minneapolis and orlando, where disney world awaits. >> i just heard our flight is canceled and next time we can fly will be tuesday. >> reporter: even passengers in sunny san francisco got caught up in the cancellations. especially those headed east. the problem with rebooking all these stranded passengers is that many of these holiday flights are already sold out so, in some cases, it's going to take them a day or two to to get to their destination. nancy cordes, cbs news, reagan national airport. >> meanwhile this blizzard is definitely not what retailers had on their christmas list. the severe weather kept many americans at home not at the mall. some analysts think it could cut post-holiday shopping by as much as 50% after what looks to be a record holiday shopping season. jay dow reports. >> reporter: with a major blizzard threatening shoppers in the northeast, many die-hard bargain hunters hit the malls early. >> i just want to get out here before the snow comes down heavy. >> reporter: to take varveg of a flurry of post-christmas deals. >> everything is like 60, 70% off. i jest went to jcpenney and got five or six things for $20. >> reporter: retail analysts say the storm could devastate profits during a pivotal period. >> this two and three days they're gone, they can't recover and will be forced to have bigger deals in january. >> reporter: according to america's research group retailers are having a good season. holiday sales increased 3.1% over last year. tv sales are up 8%. children's clothing, up 25%. and video games are up 80%, which put a major dent in toy sales. one stand-out trend, fewer consumers used their credit cards and chose to buy with cash. >> they have been saving money at least two or three months and thought about this for weeks and weeks and weeks and had a plan and followed that plan. >> reporter: but with snow accumulations being measured not in inches but feet, shopping plans must also involve an exit straj he gee. >> i don't want to be stuck out here. not being able to catch a bus back home. >> reporter: if this bad weather continues to be a factor, retailers may be forced to extend their sales well into january. they're under pressure to clear their winter inventories before the presidents' day holiday to make room for new spring merchandise. jay dow, cbs news new york. a nato service member killed by a roadside bomb this morning. it happened in a taliban stronghold of southern afghanistan. the service member's nationality was not identified. 697 nato service members have been killed this year in afghanistan making it the deadliest of the nine-year-long war. in egypt eight americans died yesterday, more than 20 injured when their tour bus crashed into a truck. the group on its way to see ancient temples. it is the latest in a string of deadly crashes involving tourists in egypt. police in brazil are investigating the bizarre case of an elderly woman declared dead. she woke up hours later in a coffin. the 88-year-old was rushed back to the hospital but she died two years later. authorities want to know if poor medical care and the misdiagnosis contributed to her death. signing a million and a half dollar book deal saying he reluctantly agreed to write his autobiography. the book is due out next year. presidents obama and the first family still on vacation in hawaii this morning. saturday, the president and first lady joined u.s. marines and families at a nearby base for christmas dinner. while enjoys golf and spending time with his family the president is also meeting with advisers planning for a new year and new congress. that new congress convenes on capitol hill in less than two weeks. when it does, it will be a republican-controlled house that will not be looking to make life easy for president obama. joel brown reports. >> reporter: the president's hoping for more of the cooperative spirit back home that led to a string of legislative wins in the lame duck congress. but, compromise may prove harder to come by in the new year. >> the biggest flash point between president obama and congressional republicans is going to be the budget. republicans say they want to cut a lot out of the budget. president obama is somewhat wary of that. he may, indeed, foresake he had party, the democrats to get some of these accomplishments going into the 2012 presidential campaign. >> reporter: for the gop, 2011 will be about reversing some of the president's biggest victories of 2010. there's threats to choke off funding for health care and wal street reform, a full-scare war on the white house agenda analysts say will force the president to clearly define his message. >> the president hasn't really offered a very visionary look at where we're going as a country. >> reporter: he'll get his first chance to spell out that vision in his upcoming state of the union address, an official start to part 2 of the president's first term, as he slowly builds the case for his own re-election. there is one early area of common ground in washington. gop leaders are look senning the rules and allowing house members to use their blackberries on the house floor. of course president obama has worn his full time since arriving at the white house. joel brown, cbs news, washington. >> just ahead on the morning news stocks look to finish the year on a high note. plus remembering teenamaria, the ivory queen of soul dies at age 54. this is the "cbs morning news." wait, did you say? i did! no preservatives. 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[ male announcer ] it's a new year. so, ask your doctor about chantix. and find out how you could save money on your prescription go to chantix.com to learn more and get terms and conditions. on the cbs moneywatch asian stocks rose this morning. iness fer ray is here with that and more. good morning to you. >> good morning, terrell a. slow day for most asian markets. japan's nikkei gained around one percent while hong kong's hang seng also finished higher. wall street opens today for the last week of trading before the new year. light trading is expected with many investors either on vacation or already locked into profits. last week, traders kept the year-end rally going strong. the dow added 0.7%. the nasdaq added close to 1%. 'tis the season for gift returns. at least 20% of americans plan to return at least one gift and many plan to do so today. despite the big storm in the northeast, the national retail federation predicted spending this holiday season will reach $451.5 billion, up 3.3% over last year. that would be the biggest increase since 2006. gasoline prices are surging again. just in time for the millions driving home from christmas gatherings, the average price hit 3.04 a gallon sunday. gasoline prices have gone up six cents in a week and 18 cents in a month. analysts expect more increases in the months ahead. and at the movies a big win for "little fockers" despite truly awful review, the ben stiller robert dee near row comedy had $34 million. the coen brothers' "true grit" opened in second place and "tron legacy" finishing third. >> you got through it. try saying "little fockers" three times on tv and see how that comes out. good to see you this morning, thanks. congratulations for hugh hefner, the "playboy" magazine founder getting married for the third time. his bride-to-be is 23. they got engaged off the holiday. he called it his happiest christmas weekend in memory. some sad news to report this morning from the intern tanment world teenamarie, known as the ivory queen of soul has died. she was one of the most gifted and respected white artists embraced by black audiences. she had such hits at "love girl" "square biz" and "fire & desire" one of the few white singers to work for the motown label. she died in los angeles apparently of natural causes. she was 54 years old. s. beauty editors are raving. the clinical results are astounding. olay professional pro-x. read all about it at olayprofessional.com. mattress spectacular at sears! get an extra 10% off mattresses already half off. plus instant rebates up to $300 on select mattresses. and free delivery and haul away hurry, it all ends sunday. sears. naturally colorful vegetables are often a good source of vitamins, fiber, or minerals. and who brings you more natural colors than campbell's condensed soups? campbell's.® it's amazing what soup can do.™ let's raise a glass to cookies just out of the oven. to the morning bowl of cereal. and to lactaid® milk. easy to digest and with all the calcium and vitamin d of regular milk. [ female announcer ] lactaid®. the original lactose-free milk. and vitamin d of regular milk. ah, it's stinging a little bit more than usual! yeah, you'll get used to it. the longer you keep your high mileage car, the more it pays you back. get castrol gtx high mileage. it helps engines last longer by fighting the main causes of engine failure. i think a dime went up my nose. yeah, it happens. don't change your car. change your oil to castrol gtx high mileage. its more than just oil. it's liquid engineering. 28 degrees, snowy acwithin in new york, 58 degrees, sunny in miami. 26, partly cloudy in chicago, 50 and sunny in dallas and 67 degrees and sunny in los angeles. time now for a check of the national forecast. the latest satellite picture shows that monster blizzard still hovering over the northeast. skies clear across the midwest. later today one to two feet of snow expected to fall by the time the blizzard in the northeast moves on. skies will be sunny in the midwest with temperatures in the north and 60s in the south and lots of sun in the southeast. in sports this morning, get ready for tuesday night football. the nfl delayed last night sdis vikings-eagles game in philadelphia over fears of the big winter storm. the game, the first on a tuesday night since 1946, will kick off at 8:00 p.m. tom brady completed three touchdown passes. the patriots crushed the bills 34-3. the victory clinched the afc east division for new england meaning the patriots have the top seed and also have home field advantage through the first three rounds of the playoffs. in green pay, aaron rogers threw for 404 yards to rout the giants, 45-17 the final. packers improved to 9-6. the loss leaves the giants clinging to fading playoff hopes. trublz san francisco 49eers fired coach mike singletary. they went down 25-17 to st. louis. the 49ers have a 5-10 showing this year. they were expected to win the nfc west. the defensive line coach was promoted to interim coach. when we return this morning, white-out. the blizzards of 2010 wreaks havoc in the northeast. some places are buried inasmuch as two feet of snow. we'll be right back. twizzlers. the twist you can't resist. with olay challenge that. olay bodywash has 2 times the combined cleansers and moisturizers and 25 percent less water than the top selling bodywash. soft, smooth skin. with olay. what i did before gps. >> gps: turn left ahead. >> woman: actually, i got lost a lot. now i just follow the steps, and i can get anywhere i want to go. turbotax lets me do my taxes the same way. its unique gps feature guides me step-by-step. searching over 350 deductions. so i get everything i deserve which helps me know it's done right. and gets me right to my maximum refund, guaranteed. >> man: try turbotax online now. you don't pay unless you're satisfied with the results. on the cs morning news a look at today's weather. the blizzard in the northeast will leave the region but right behind it are gusty winds and cold temperatures. cold temperatures expected in the southeast with 40s likely along the gulf coast. the southwest will be sunny and warm. we want to get another update on our top story this morning. the massive winter storm blasting the northeast, the first blizzard of the season and by any measure, a monster storm. we're talking howling winds, thousands of canceled flights and up to 24-inches of snow in some areas in the northeast. elaine quijano has more. >> reporter: mayors in the cities in the path of the storm have all declared states of emergency. in philadelphia, where sunday night football is postponed until tuesday -- >> we fight storms. that's what we do. that's what we're in the business to do. >> reporter: in new york, where one to two inches of snow is steadily falling every hour -- >> we also have more than 180,000 tons of salt on hand over at 30 locations. >> reporter: and in boston. >> we're asking everyone to stay home, stay off the main thoroughfairs. >> reporter: the blizzard has already caused treacherous conditions in the south. the storm is being blamed for at least two deadly crashes and throughout the region the nor'easter has broken numerous records. the snowstorm arrived in time to alter holiday travel plans. in richmond, virginia, steven sutton held off visiting family in north carolina. the snow means holiday headaches for some. for others, including tourists in new york, the snow only adds to the holiday spirit. >> last year we came it was pouring rain and we still came and this year it's -- we don't care about the weather. we just like to see the city. >> reporter: the storm is continuing to take aim at new york city, with wind gusts more than 35 miles per hour. the blowing and drifting snow is making any kind of travel tonight here dangerous. elaine quijano, cbs news, new york. this morning on "the early show" the latest on the blizzard blanketing the northeast. i'm terrell brown. this is the "cbs morning news." what's going on? 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[ female announcer ] need a clinically proven way to lose weight now? then try the slim-fast 3-2-1 plan. 3 snacks, 2 shakes or meal bars, and 1 balanced meal. slim-fast. who has time to slim slowly? 4:25 monday morning. i'm mike hydeck. andrea roane is off. welcome to 9 9news now. we have a busy morning up and down the east coast at least. >> well, you were in connecticut. >> i was in connecticut. i got ahead of the storm. thank goodness because i would still be there. >> for about a week. >> some areas believe it or not, eastern shore, a good 7 to 10 inches. north, they got a foot of snowfall. the satellite radar picture, that storm system really strengthened when it was in the water. we'll talk more about the strength. almost compared to category two hurricane. as it moved up into new england. again, blizzard warnings still in effect from areas of jersey into the new england coastline. we have a few flurries still falling in the area. no major accumulation. the bigger story, the winds. wind advisory for the area until 9:00 this evening. that does not mean the winds are going to die down tomorrow. they'll not reach wind criteria or advisory cry criteria. this is the windiest week of december. 45-mile-per-hour wind gusts at reagan national. 35 in leesburg. it is going to feel like it is in the teens if not in the single digits off to the west. currently we're at 29. you can see the temperatures get up above freezing. great news though as a warming trend is in the forecast. get the very latest from richard on our timesaver traffic. >> a good morning. for the overview, we're still pretty quiet out there. we expect the traffic to be a lot lighter than normal not just because of the weather but because we're in between that week between new year's and christmas. roads are icy. i-270 will start out by saying it is clear. southbound from 109 moving down into the beltway, almost no traffic at all there. you'll find the road in good shape as far as the pavement is concerned. no real ice problems or anything like that. then shifting over to the beltway, we'll go ahead and take a look between i-95 and 270. no problems between those particular points. we'll find all travel plains open. a word of caution heading out during the course of the morning, look out for the icy side streets and with the strong winds. keep a tight grip of the steering wheel because the winds will be quite gusty. next traffic coming your way at 4:31. just about 4:28 now. here are the stories we've been following for you. the snow may have missed this area by in large but it still is wreaking havoc across the northeast right now. there are blizzard conditions from new york all the way up through new england. airlines canceling thousands of flights as the storm drops snow all along the east coast as up to two feet in some places. we'll have a live report back here at reagan national in just a few minutes. the days after christmas are usually some of the top shopping days of the whole year. but experts worry this big blizzard could put a damper on some of the holiday season for retailers. however, as jay dow reports from new york, this snow could actually mean better deals for you. >> reporter: with a major blizzard threatening shoppers in the northeast, many die hard bargain hunters hit the malls early. >> i want to get out here before the storm comes on heavy. >> reporter: to take advantage of a flurry of post-christmas deals. >> everything is 60%, 70% o i went to jcpenney and got five or six things for $20. >> retail analysts say the storm could devastate profits during a pivotal period. >> when there's snow like this, this two and three days that they're gone, they can't recover. so, they'll be forced to have bigger deals in january. >> according to america's research groups, retailers are having a good season. holiday sales increased 3.1% over last year. tv sales are up 8%. children's clothing up 25%. and video games are up 80% which put a major dent in toy sales. one standout trend, fewer consumers used their credit cards and chose to buy with cash. >> they have been saving money up for two or three months. they had thought about this for weeks and weeks and they had a plan and they followed the plan. >> but with snow accumulations being measured not in inches you about feet, shopping plans must also involve