i'm katie couric. also tonight, a mystery in iran. motorcycle riders bomb cars carrying two nuclear scientists, killing one. iran blames israel and the west. authorities say he was out to kill thousands of americans at a holiday celebration in portland, oregon. and a star-studded "assignment america." captioning sponsored by cbs from cbs news world headquarters in new york, this is the "cbs evening news" with katie couric. >> couric: good evening, everyone. the obama administration calls it a threat to national security, but it's also a major embarrassment. the latest leak of secret government documents. first it was those battlefield reports from iraq and afghanistan, now it's dip cables, more than 250,000 of them, some with less-than-diplomatic language about world leaders. the white house has ordered a review of how government agencies safeguard sensitive

information and the justice department has opened a criminal investigation. we have two reports tonight from chief white house correspondent chip reid and national security correspondent david martin. david, you first. what is in these latest documents, exactly? >> reporter: well, katie, so far we've only seen a fraction of the quarter million diplomatic cables wikileaks intends to release. but it has left the u.s. mortified that it could not protect its secrets. >> the united states deeply regrets the disclosure of any information that was intended to be confidential. >> reporter: cables that show the u.s. planning for the day north korea implodes from its own economic woes, which a south korean official is quoted as saying could happen just two to three years after the death of the current dictator kim jong il. >> disclosures like these tear at the fabric of the proper function of responsible government. >> reporter: the collapse of north korea would be a

cataclysmic event, and planning in advance makes sense. but the revelation will only fuel north korea's paranoia. >> when you take things like that out of context, it certainly, i think, helps no one but hurts diplomatically. >> reporter: other cables detail the horse trading that went into convincing countries to take detainees from guantanamo. the president of slovenia was told if he wanted a 20-minute meeting with the leader of the free world he would have to "do more." all he got was a photo-op. >> it's it the for at the diplomacy that requires some messy work on the part of diplomats. and that includes horse trading that may not be comfortable completely in the light of day, but sometimes is necessary to get things done. >> reporter: another cable about a suspected shipment of nuclear equipment to iran almost certainly puts a person's life at risk. it as good as names the source by describing him right down to the fact that he is a former national fencing champion of iran. >> there is nothing laudable

about endangering innocent people. >> reporter: some cables reveal lies told by foreign leaders. after the u.s. conducted air strikes against al qaeda targets in yemen, the president of the country told general david petraeus "we'll continue saying the bombs are ours, not yours." >> it puts in black and white the reality of certain positions which are meant to be kept private. >> reporter: then there's the cable describing libyan leader qaddafi's visit to the united nations. "he must stay on the first floor and relies heavily on his long-time ukrainian nurse" who has been described as a voluptuous blond. other cables describe russia's president medvedev as afraid, hesitant. germany's chancellor merkel as rarely create i. france's sarkozy as a naked emperor. >> at least one of my counterparts said to me "well, don't worry about it, we should see what we say about you." >> reporter: the difference is that other governments don't end up with their diplomatic cables all over the internet.

katie? >> couric: david, even more documents have apparently just leaked out pertaining to north korea and its relationship with china. >> reporter: one of them is a secret cable from earlier this year in which south korea's vice foreign minister not only predicts the collapse of north korea but is extremely critical of china, a country the u.s. is counting on to help avoid disaster on the korean peninsula. he says china has "no will" to use its economic leverage to force north korea to change its policy and he calls the chinese official who is the lead negotiator with north korea "the most incompetent official in china." >> couric: all right. david martin reporting from the pentagon as always. david, thanks very much. now over to the white house and chip reid. chip, what legally can the administration actually do about these leaks? >> reporter: well, today, katie, attorney general eric holder threatened to come down hard on wikileaks with the full legal weight of the federal

government. >> there's a predicate for us to believe that crimes have been committed here and we are in the process of investigating those crimes. >> reporter: at the white house, press secretary robert gibbs went even further, finding wikileaks guilty before charges have even been filed. >> wikileaks and people that disseminate information to people like this are criminals. >> reporter: wikileaks founder julian assange has not revealed who gaye him the documents, but officials believe it was army private bradley manning. he's in a military prison in virginia charged with leaking other classified information that investigators believe he downloaded while serving as a u.s. intelligence officer in iraq. on capitol hill, some republicans are calling on the justice department to put assange behind bars, too, under the charge of espionage. but that won't be easy. for starters, assange is an australian citizen whose whereabouts are currently unknown and the espionage laws are outdated, written during world war i. >> those were designed for a

different era, a different kind of espionage threat. they talk about sketches and code books and signal books. they weren't designed to deal with a mass leak on the internet >> reporter: the white house has ordered a government-wide crackdown on how classified information is handled to try to make sure this doesn't happen again, but it's too late for the hundreds of thousands of documents that are already in wikileaks' possession and they plan to release over the coming months. katie? >> couric: chip reid reporting from the white house. chip, thank you. in his report tonight, david martin touched on the worldwide alarm over the prospect of iran developing nuclear weapons. today, two of iran's top nuclear scientists were targeted by hit squads. as elizabeth palmer reports, it played out like a scene from a james bond movie. >> reporter: in tehran's early morning rush hour, two daring attacks. one killed majid shahriari, a nuclear engineer. here's what's left of his car after two men on a motorcycle

stuck a magnetic bomb to the door, then detonated it as they pulled away. nearby, fereydoon abbasi, identified by the u.n. as involved in nuclear or ballistic missile activities, was targeted the same way, although he escaped with only injuries. president mahmoud ahmadinejad was quick to point the finger at israel and western governments. police analyzing the bombed-out cared are unlikely to find proof of a foreign intelligence plot, but there is a precedent. >> there's only one state that we know of that's done that in the past and that was israel. >> reporter: 24 hours a day, iranian centrifuges are building up a uranium stockpile that both the west and israel are afraid to l go to make weapons. eliminating iran's top scientists could radically slow things down. >> the person has special expertise, it may be difficult to replace. another reason is just to strike terror in the hearts of the scientists. >> reporter: international monitoring shows that iran's

nuclear program has been plagued with what looks like equipment failure. iran admitted today that a powerful computer virus called stocks-net had invaded its computers, including, experts believes, the ones at nuclear plants. today's attacks of two top scientists have all the hallmarks of major strategic sabotage. elizabeth palmer, cbs news, london. >> couric: in this country, federal prosecutors say he was out to kill as many americans as possible over the holiday weekend-- even families with children. today, the 19-year-old suspect in a home-grown terror plot pleaded not guilty. his lawyer suggested he's a victim of entrapment. from portland, oregon, here's national correspondent ben tracy >> reporter: mohamed osman mohamud arrived at portland's federal courthouse this afternoon, now formally charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction. he planned to set off a bomb at portland's christmas tree

lighting ceremony friday night. it would have ripped through a crowd of 10,000 people. according to the f.b.i., he said "whoever is attending that event to leave either dead or injured." but in an elaborate sting operation, undercover federal agents had given mohamud a van load of fake explosives. when he tried to detonate the bomb with his cell phone, they arrested him. >> we were able to thwart somebody who clearly had the intention by his own words and by his actions to harm a great many people. >> reporter: for nearly 18 months, federal agents have been watching mohamud and posing as his conspirators. they were even with him the day he chose to park his explosive-filled vehicle here. he figured this was as close as he could get to the christmas tree ceremony and therefore kill more people. 19-year-old mohamud was born in somalia but became an american citizen. he seemed to be a well-adjusted teenager, taking classes at oregon state university. >> he was very peaceful. he was just a normal kid, i guess. i never saw that out of him.

>> reporter: the f.b.i. says the teen had no known terrorist ties. he may have become radicalized through the internet. >> the kind of people who become loan wolf terrorists are people who have some deficiency or gap in their lives they're trying to fill. >> reporter: mohamud's own father reportedly told the f.b.i. his son was becoming radical. in a video he made, mohamud blamed his parents for not letting him join the jihad telling them "if you make allies with the enemy, then allah's power will ask you about that on the day of judgment." meanwhile, authorities are still investigating a weekend fire at the mosque mohamud used to attend. they believe it was arson and muslims there are worried about retaliation. now, late today mohamud's public defender suggested that the government may be guilty of untrapment. he says government agents suggested key actions to the teenager and gave him thousands of dollars and they helped set upmost of friday's events. now, the government says it's not entrapment, that they gave him nonviolent options all throughout this information and

that in the end he chose the bomb plot. katie? >> couric: ben tracy in portland, oregon tonight. ben, thank you. in washington today, president obama sent a pre-winter chill through the ranks of the federal work force. he's asking congress to freeze the pay of more than two million civilian workers for two years. the white house says it would save $2 billion this year, $28 billion over the next five years. more now from congressional correspondent nancy cordes. >> reporter: the pay freeze applies to government nurses and doctors, border patrol agents and customs workers. every single federal employee except for members of the military. >> the hard truth is that getting this deficit under control is going to require some broad sacrifice. and that sacrifice must be shared by the employees of the federal government. >> reporter: the move was applauded by republican leaders in congress, but on several other urgent matters the two sides are at odds. this week alone, unemployment benefits will run out for 800,000 americans if congress

doesn't act to extend them. and the federal government will run out of money if congress doesn't pass legislation to fund it. then there's the bush tax cuts, which will expire at the end of the year if there's no compromise on whether some or all of the cuts should be extended. those issues alone could tie up congress through christmas. but democrats who lose control of the house come january are also pushing for quick votes on other priorities-- like repealing "don't ask, don't tell" and ratifying the start arms treaty with russia which some republicans say isn't tough enough. democrats are making more headway with a food safety bill that would give the f.d.a. new powers to inspect questionable plants and recall contaminated foods. >> what could be more important to a family than to have the reassurance that the peanut butter you're giving to your kids is not going to make them sick? >> reporter: the senate is considering the food safety bill today and tomorrow and all those other issues will be on the table when the president meets with republican and democratic

leaders at the white house tomorrow. katie? >> couric: all right. nancy cordes. nancy, thank you. and still ahead on the "cbs evening news," a man who can see the universe from his backyard. steve hartman's "assignment america." but up next, americans spent more green on black friday. and today the shopping action moved to cyberspace. wasn't my daughter's cabbage appetizer spectacular? [ man thinking ] i'm so stuffed with gas. ohh, noo, not that! not, not here! [ male announcer ] prevent uncomfortable gas moments with gas-x prevention. just one before meals helps prevent gas before it starts. from gas-x, the gas-xperts. just one before meals helps prevent gas before it starts. this holiday, do you really want to cut corners by using a broth with msg? swanson chicken broth has no added msg. so for a perfect meal, the secret is swanson, 100% natural chicken broth.

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>> couric: hard to believe, but 25 shopping days until christmas and the rush is on. about 212 million shoppers hit stores over the weekend, up almost 9% from last year. and the average shopper spent about $22 more this year. today anthony mason reports the shopping focus moved from the mall to the web. >> reporter: cyber monday is supposed to kick off the season's internet shopping spree. >> i was up early this morning online doing some shopping. >> reporter: but many web retailers like amazon got a head start. >> we started our deals last monday and carried them through thanksgiving, through black friday, through today. >> reporter: already online sales are up 13% this season and comscore says cyber monday could set a record for sales. >> we expect them to be over $900 million. they could break the billion-dollar mark, which would make today the single-biggest day in online shopping history.

>> reporter: comscore forecasts online sales will top $32 billion for this holiday season-- a jump the of 11% over a year ago. that's after brick-and-mortar stores reported a strong thanksgiving weekend. >> so far so good. >> reporter: target's kathee tesija says the retailer expects to have its best quarter in three years as shoppers seem... >> still cautious but definitely willing to spend a little bit more. >> have a nice day. >> reporter: retailers are hoping that signals a mood swing in the american economy. >> i think we're more optimistic this year. it's not doom and gloom. >> i think we feel more comfortable spending. we do see changes in the economy, everything's turning more positive. >> reporter: that's one reason overall holiday spending is expected to increase slightly this year to about $688 per person. but that's still 9% below the peak back in 2007. and analysts caution a strong opening weekend is not always a harbinger of a good holiday

season. for online retailers, the peak sales days are around december 15 when shoppers scramble to get their last crack at free shipping. katie? >> couric: so i have a little more than two weeks. >> reporter: couple weeks, yes. >> couric: thanks, anthony. meanwhile, the 12 days of christmas may be the most famous holiday shopping list of all. this year, buying the 364 gifts in the song would cost about $97,000, 10% more than last year, by the way. that's everything from the drummers drumming to that partridge in a pare tree. the price of the five golden rings alone is up 30%.

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>> couric: works by picasso are usually found in a museum, but a treasure trove has just turned up at a garage in france. they were kept hidden for decades by an electrician who worked for the artist. he says the artist's second wife gave him 271 paintings, sketches, and other works now worse close to $80 million. picasso's family is suing to have them returned. actors james franco and anne hathaway were chosen today to host the academy awards telecast in february, and they could wind up with oscars of their own. some believe franco has a shot at being nominated best actor for "127 hours" and hathaway

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you won't believe your taste buds. you won't believe it's fiber. benefiber. clear, taste-free, and dissolves completely. what a beautiful way to get fiber everyday. that's the beauty of benefiber. >> couric: the bible says it took six days to create the heavens and the earth. it took the man you're about to meet ten years to recreate them. here's steve hartman's "assignment america." >> reporter: here in the north woods of wisconsin, a job in a paper mill is about as good as it gets. but for 45-year-old franco advantage, this was his second choice. his first was to be an astrophysicist. as a little kid, he dreamed of exploring outer space. later, when he couldn't cut the

college math, he gave up the degree, but never the dream. and for the past 15 years has been charting his own course for the stars. >> the neighbors thought i lost my mind. >> there was a huge sphere covered up by a tarp. >> day and night he was working on it all the time. just unbelievable, you know? >> reporter: robert bribes is town... brigs is town chairman of monico, wisconsin. the town where he launched his space program. monico has a three-pump gas station, a two-bit bar and now, thanks to frank, one remote planetarium. >> this is the most remote planetarium in the world. >> reporter: frank basically built in the his backyard. >> to be a planetarium director, you need college, but if you build your own, you can run it. >> reporter: frank still works part time at the paper mill, but this is now his full-time passion. he opened a few years ago-- although so far business has been far from stellar.

how long since somebody's been here? >> it's been about three days. >> reporter: needless to say, visitors can usually get right in. >> i'd like to welcome all of you to the kovac planetarium. >> reporter: it's just me, you don't to say all the... >> okay, well, my name is frank kovac and i built the largest rolling mechanical globe planetarium. >> reporter: because frank couldn't afford a fancy system, he came up with a way to move evens instead. and as for the individual stars... >> i took paint and i painted every single star that you would see out in the night sky... >> reporter: wait, wait, you painted by yourself every star? >> like a friend told me he would have just took the paint and threw it up there and hoped they hit the right area. >> reporter: there are 5,000, each in its proper location and brightness. >> i never knew it would look this neat. >> reporter: it's really a shame more people haven't seen it, but friends and neighbors are confident that will change.

why? they say it's in the stars. >> people who send out good receive good. frank is a good man. >> reporter: i heard that a lot. >> frank is probably one of the nicest guys you'll eel ever want to meet. >> reporter: frank is obviously genuine and if sincerity sold tickets or optimism was a site you could see he'd have the next disneyland. >> it's going to take off like a rocket to the stars. >> reporter: steve hartman, cbs news, monico, wisconsin. >> couric: and that's the "cbs evening news." i'm katie couric. i'll see you tomorrow. good night. captioning sponsored by cbs schools in lockdown... homeowners ordered to stay . you're watching cbs5 "eyewitness news." bay area schools in lockdown, homeowners ordered to stay inside as officers go door

to door, guns drawn, searching for an escaped inmate. for the first time a direct link to a drop in breast cancer. the evidence san francisco researchers say they have uncovered. and even better than cyber monday, the one day to get free shipping with no strings attached. good evening, i'm allen martin. he overpowered sheriff's deputies, stole her gun, tazed her and just minutes ago we have learned investigators have apparently recaptured a dangerous pugettive who escaped custody this morning. thuy vu with more on the all day search for the suspect and how he got free. thuy? >> that arrest happened about 15 minutes ago and the suspect was hold up for hours in a house on inglis drive about a block from where we're standing right now. this has been an intense scene for so long. for hours