>> mitchell: tonight, super committee deadlock. with time running out on a deficit-cutting deal, democrats and republicans are pointing fingers at each other. whit johnson has the latest. the toll of dead and injured grows as egyptian police and protesters clash in cairo. elizabeth palmer is there. two campus police are put on leave as the investigation into the pepper spraying incident at a california university is stepped up. ben tracy tracking today's developments. and joplin, missouri, on the mend six months after this devastating tornado. karen brown talks to survivors about a new symbol of hope. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with russ mitchell. >> mitchell: and good evening. the white house tonight is calling on the congressional super committee to do its jobs

and produce a deficit-cutting plan by the wednesday deadline. that's easier said than done because signs of progress are virtually non-existent tonight. while the sounds of partnership are mounting to a roar. whit johnson in washington is tracking the debate. >> reporter: staring down another congressional failure. >> i think we're deep into the fourth quarter, but there's still time on the clock. >> super committee members seem resigned to their opportunity. >> it's not entirely too late. it's still possible to reach an agreement, but it's going to be tough given where the clock is. >> reporter: after ten weeks of closed-door meetings, the bipartisan group tasked with reducing deficits by $1.2 trillion over ten years, came up empty. committee co-chair democratic senator patty murray blamed republicans, accusing them on being unreasonable on tax increases on wealthy americans. >> will it be shared sacrifice or will just working men and women carry the ball on this?

i can't support that. >> republicans, including senator pat toomey, blamed democrats, saying they refused to get serious about cuts to entitlement programs like medicare and medicaid. >> there was an unwillingness to cut any spending at all unless there because hunting tax increase. >> towards the end of the process, the divide was clear with six republicans and six democrats typically meeting in separate rooms. proposals and offers were passed back and forth but non-gained any traction. >> the super committee is not so super. >> dave walker, former u.s. comptroller general, says the automatic cuts that will take effect if the committee fails aren't threatening enough to get a deal. >> they're not supposed to happen until 2013, so there's always a risk that they could try to repeal all or part of it next year. >> reporter: some republicans, like senator jon kyl, say they're already planning on it, hoping to dodge painful cuts to defense spending. >> we'll find ways to work around that. >> if there were last-minute efforts to strike a deal, you wouldn't know it walking around the capitol today.

there were no scheduled super committee talks and the halls were mostly quiet. russ? >> mitchell: whit johnson on capitol hill, thanks a lot. turning overseas now, at least 11 people have been killed and hundreds injured in a weekend of clashes between egyptian security forces and protesters. the violence was centered in cairo's tahrir square, home to another popular uprising earlier this year. elizabeth palmer is there. >> for the second day in a row, protesters fought egyptian riot police today backed up by soldier centers a running battle that lasted hours. the battleground once again was tahrir square in the heart of cairo, the epicenter of the vast popular uprising last spring which toppled egypt's president hosni mubarak. today in what looked like a replay of scenes from ten months ago, the wounded and the dead were taken to makeshift field hospitals set up by volunteers.

"we don't have precise figures," says dr. ahmad tawfiq, who has been on duty since yesterday, "but at least 600 injured have come to the hospital." demonstrators showed off rubber bullet cases they say came from the security forces' attack. egyptians were out in their thousands this weekend because they're frustrated and angry, and an emergency military council took power back in february temporarily. it's still in power. an demonstrators think the army is dragging its feet, reluctant to give way to democracy. before the year is out, says this man, who speaks for the crowd, power must be handed back to civilians. this military authority has to end. by nightfall, a hard core of demonstrators and activists had taken back the square. and they are now locked in an uneasy standoff with police. the first round of egypt's

multi-step elections is supposed to go forward next monday. in an apparent effort to calm things down, the provisional government today announced that those elections would go forward on schedule in spite of the violence. russ? >> elizabeth palmer in cairo, thank you. tens of thousands poured into the streets of damascus today to show their support for president bashar assad, but to opponents, he's seen as a brutal dictator, ordering the crackdown on syria's eight-month uprising inch a rare interview, a defiant asad blamed the bloodshed on militants and vowed to crush them. >> whenever you have militants, you have killing. so the role of the government is to fight those militants in order to restore the civility and to protect the civilians. >> mitchell: and late-breaking news tonight in new york city. mayor michael bloomberg and police commissioner ray kelly have announced the arrest of a man for allegedly plotting to build and detonate bombs that would target politicians,

government employees and military personnel returning from afghanistan. >> the suspect was a so-called "lone wolf," motivated by his own resentment of the presence of american troops in iraq and afghanistan, as well as inspired by al qaeda propaganda. he was not part of a larger conspiracy emanating from abroad. >> he talked about bombing post offices in and around washington heights and police cars in new york city as well as a police station in new jersey. >> here at home the san francisco police arrested six occupy movement protesters following a confrontation early today in front of the federal reserve bank. meanwhile, two campus police officers at the university of california at davis were placed on leave today in the wake of a controversial pepper spraying incident that also has the school's chancellor under fire. ben tracy has the story. >> reporter: the video is shocking. students at the university of california davis huddled on the ground in protestament police

then begin shooting pepper spray into their faces. some students scream in pain while others chant "don't shoot students." the students were part of the larger occupy move. , railing against everything from big banks to tuition increases. the u.c. davis chancellor promised to investigate the police response. >> it's very unexpected and very sad and really very inappropriate i would say. >> reporter: but when students stormed the news conference demanding to be heard... >> sorry. i think we have to stop it now. >> reporter: the chancellor disappeared for three hours. students called for her to come out, and when she finally did, they made her point, sitting in complete silence during her long walk to her car. the use of pepper spray by police in portland is also being questioned. on thursday 20-year-old liz nichols, seen in this video, was protesting outside chase bank. police put a club to the five-foot tall woman's throat and then gave her a face full of pepper spray. >> it was burning.

it felt like my face, my ears, my hands were on fire. and after they sprayed me, i couldn't open my eyes. >> pepper spray has become an increasingly common weapon for police and their efforts to control occupy protesters across the country, yet there are questions about whether it is excessive force. and at u.c. davis, two police officers are now on administrative leave as the school investigates. so far the chancellor plans to keep her job. >> i don't believe that it is appropriate for me to resign at this point. >> while silent, many of her students loudly disagree. ben tracy, cbs news, los angeles. >> coming up next on the "cbs evening news," statements of faith from the republican candidates. >> mitchell: with the iowa

caucuses now just 44 days away, most of the republican candidates were campaigning in the hawkeye state this weekend, except for mitt romney, who was

in new hampshire, which holds the first in the nation primary one week after the vote in iowa. cynthia bowers has more. >> what do i hear? >> mitt romney handed out sandwiches in nashua after receiving the endorsement of one of new hampshire's most popular politician, u.s. senator kelly ayotte. >> there's one person in this field who is prepared to lead the united states of america, and this is mitt romney. >> reporter: romney hopes to improve on his silver medal finishes here and in iowa in 2008. >> i said from the very beginning that we intend to play in iowa, that i want to do very well there. >> reporter: six romney rivals shared the stage in a des moines church saturday for a forum on religious values. >> every person's soul, there is a hole that can only be filled by the lord jesus christ. >> the first and foremost unit of government in this nation is the family, and the family is defined as one man, one woman,

no other definition will do. >> i didn't just propose things or i just don't have ideas. >> former u.s. senator rick santorum, who has visited all 99 counties in iowa pushed his agenda to voters. >> as the forum became confessional, a few candidates fought back tears. businessman herman cain choked up when asked about his biggest failure in life. >> i didn't believe that i was home enough for my kids when they were growing up. >> reporter: former house speaker newt gingrich said the occupy wall street protesters are a symptom of moral decay among liberals. >> go get a job right after you take a bath. >> congressman ron paul has seen his appeal rise from the fringe to the top tier. he criticized president obama's announcement last week to station 2,500 marines in australia. >> why do we have to occupy

australia? i mean, what's going on? well, maybe the chinese will attack us. the chinese are our banker. they're not going to attack us. >> jon huntsman, the former ambassador to china and utah governor is wagering his entire campaign on a new hampshire upset. he has held 100 town halls there, but nationally he's still polling in the single digits. >> nice to see you. >> reporter: the republican candidates meet face to face again on tuesday when they debate national security in washington. cynthia bowers, cbs news, chicago. >> mitchell: next up on tonight's "cbs evening news," human growth hormone testing coming soon to a major league ballpark mere you. >> mitchell: in an historic

first for professional sports in america, major league baseball is expected to announce this week that the players' union has agreed to mandatory blood testing for human growth hormone. tony guida has more. >> when major league baseball players show up at spring training next february, they'll face a challenge they've never faced before, blood testing for h.g.h., human growth hormone. >> i think it's imperative to do it. >> dr. gary wadler, world renowned for his expertise on performance-enhancing drugs, is pleased with published reports that baseball's about to test for h.h. but still he's wary. >> in the world of doping, the devil is in the details. we need to see the program, not necessarily they're doing a test on a player once a year. >> neither the nfl nor the nba

nor the nature l, no other major north american sport tests for hgh. when baseball breaks the barrier, fans will applaud. or will they? >> i'm not sure the huge bulk of fans care. they want to see the game whatever the game is. eporter: never was that clearer than in baseball's home run binges year, 1998. mark mcgwire of the cardinals and sammy sosa of the cubs blasting moon shots every other night, igniting the baseball nerver. years late ear contrite mcgwire would admit he hit those home runs on steroids. >> i wish i never played in that era. i wish we had drug testing. >> mabl began testing for steroids on 200. a full nine years later comes the blood test for hgh, long after all-star pitchers andy pettitte and roger clemens were linked to h.g.h. by baseball's own investigation. baseball and its players are expected to announce the unprecedented new policy on

tuesday. tony guida, cbs news, new york. >> there was a tragedy this sunday at the 57th annual philadelphia marathon. two men collapsed and died of apparent hey,, including a 21-year-old who fell at the finish line. the other was 40 years old. a field of more than 25,000 runners began the race. just ahead on tonight's "cbs evening news," holiday shopping. it is more blessed to give to yourself?

>> mitchell: of course, holiday spending is a critical barometer of the economy's strength. forecasters are eagerly trying

to gauge the spirit of the holiday season, which launches this week on the day after thanksgiving. >> in chino hills, california, people are already camped out in front of best buy to be the first ones in on black friday. >> this is black friday, basically the day where everyone gets the best deals. >> 152 million are expected to cram into stores and shop online next weekend when retailers traditionally slash prices to jumpstart holiday shopping. according to america's research group, this black friday will be the biggest ever. nearly half of all shoppers plan to be out that day, which is why the big stores are opening at midnight thanksgiving. but it's not just about gifts anymore. >> i will be spending on myself probably clothes. new shoes. >> mitchell: in fact, 36% of shoppers will be buying for themselves this year, the highest number since 2004. last year shoppers spent $453 billion, about $719 each.

analysts expect that to climb almost 3%. but shoppers say there will be no january hangover this year. >> i'm going the try not to use my credit card this year. >> mitchell: in fact, 76% of those surveyed say they will avoid using their credit card this year. brett beamer joins us, the c.e.o. of america's research group. he talks to 500,000 shoppers every year. brit britt, thanks for joining us. >> thank you. >> mitchell: are the deals really that good? >> well, they are that good. retailers know one thing else. that is you either win big on black friday or you will be a retail museum for the rest of christmas shopping season. >> mitchell: why do you think this black friday will be a record breaker? >> because now you're seeing more and more productses in the price points people can afford, and that $1ed 99 $29 price rang, and because consumers don't want to go in debt, they can afford to spend that money and not have to go on their credit cards. >> mitchell: what do you think

will sell this year? >> electronics will be big. e-book readers will be big, which is going to negatively impact book sales. and i think you'll also see this year more and more video game sales, which also impacts sales negatively. >> mitchell: you're surprised every year. what's your biggest surprise this year? >> the biggest surprise this year is the fact you're seeing more self-gifting coming back, which has been out of style for the last seven years, but this year it's much bigger and i think that's what you're going to see surprise a lot of retailers this christmas season. >> mitchell: britt beemer, happy holidays to you. we appreciate it. coming up, joplin missouri after last may's tornadoes. >> mitchell: finally this

evening, it was six months ago this tuesday that an f5 tornado hit joplin, missouri, destroying nearly one-third of the city and killing 161 people. today homes are being rebuilt, businesses are reopening, and as

karen brown found out, youngsters are creating their own symbols of hope and rebirth. >> six months later the tornado still haunts joplin, missouri. >> so much debris started hitting us that you just had to cover your head and close your eyes. >> then from there it was just things hitting you every direction. >> reporter: eighth grader emily huddleston and her mom diane were tossed hundreds of feet in the family's suburban. >> emily was sitting right here. >> something in the car that had flown in i'm guessing had just took a chunk. >> wow. >> reporter: emily's leg was cut to the bone, but as they found shelter in this damaged building, emily says she felt a comforting presence. >> i remember on this shoulder hand touched me like right here, and they told me everything was going to be okay. >> reporter: joplin is on the mend. its children have found their own symbols of hope. >> it's actually really weird,

but ever since then, i'll be walking outside and a butterfly will come and land on me. >> actually land on you? >> like on my arms or on my back. >> what about these butterflies that land on her? >> there's this... it's amazing. >> reporter: emily's house is being rebuilt, along with nearly half of the homes damaged by the storm. >> you can see some of the rebuilding efforts that are going on now. >> city manager mark roar took us on a driving tour. >> we've had over 100,000 registered volunteers. those people would take time out of their lives and their routine to come to our city to help us. we refer to it as the miracle of the human spirit that has occurred here in joplin, missouri, and i believe it. >> and emily's similar balance of hope is shared by many other children here in a temporary classroom. they draw butterflies, winged creatures, and on main street, there's a new mural, a community project, now peppered with the butterflies, some say guardian

angels many kids believe they saw during the storm. >> i like how the immunity has all come together, that we are being watched over. >> and wounded neighborhoods echo with the sounds of a metamorphosis. there's now a saying in joplin: the devil came to town but the angels followed. karen brown, cbs news, joplin, missouri. >> mitchell: and that is the "cbs evening news." later on cbs, "60 minutes." thanks for joining us this sunday evening. i'm russ mitchell at the cbs broadcast center in new york. scott pelley will be here tomorrow. good night. captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

officer-- killed in the line of duty. a stunned community comes together to mourn a veteran bay area police officer killed in the line of duty. two occupy camps in two bay area cities cleared out and cleaned up overnight. there was confrontation and also compliance. a cool night ahead. we'll take a look at your holiday forecast. cbs 5 eyewitness news is next. ,,