new york, i'm christine romans. carol has the morning off this morning. here are the morning's top stories for you. herman cain heading home to atlanta today, and he says the decision about whether to continue his campaign could come by monday at the latest. it's a decision that could be in his wife's hands after another woman accused cain of having a 13-year affair. with a $1,000 tax hike looming, congress can't get it done. the senate defeating competing payroll tax cut bills, one from republicans and one backed by the president. president obama warning that failure could deal a "massive blow to the economy." and the west coast blown away. the santa ana winds on a war path. 140-mile-an-hour gusts ripping trees out of the ground, knocking out power and crushing homes. let's get a first check of today's weather. rob marciano is with us in atlanta. >> the big winds out west continue, although they're a little more calm than at this time yesterday. the threat will continue over the next couple of hours. you mentioned 140-mile-an-hour wind gusts at mammoth mountain, sierras, highest peaks seeing the strongest winds. some of these numbers are at the lower elevations. centerville 102. so utah, nevada, california -- it's not just southern california with this event. that's what makes it extraordinary even in downtown salt lake city, 69-mile-an-hour wind gust yesterday. and also, winter storm with this system as it pulls through the four corners region, new mexico through southern californkryt k eventually pulling into the plains. everybody east of the mississippi for the most part is fairly quiet and warming up a little bit. 55 degrees for the high in new york city, a chilly 43 in chicago and 60 in memphis and 64 degrees in atlanta, georgia. we'll talk more about the winter effects of this storm coming through the southern rockies and some flight delays if you are traveling on this friday a little later on in the broadcast. >> all right. see you in a few minutes. thanks, rob. countdown is on for herman cain. he's heading back home to atlanta, and the decision about whether to continue his presidential campaign could be in his wife's hands. yesterday, for the first time, cain admitted that getting out is an option. cain acknowledged that he gave money to the woman who says she had a 13-year affair with him, and last night on fox news, cain says his wife only found out about this long friendship with this woman, ginger white, when the rest of us did. >> that is correct, and she was hurt that she didn't know about this friend that i was helping financially. she was aware of many of the other friends that i have helped. >> ginger white spoke to lawrence o'donnell on msnbc last night and again insisted it was a lot more than a friendship, and she talked about why they texted each other dozens of times over the past two months. >> at the end of the day, i know that i am telling the truth. i would never come out with something like this if it wasn't true. honestly, i didn't want to come out with this, and i know that travel was involved and sex was involved. i would never lie about that. our sexual relationship had faded out a bit, which i was very fine with. and so, the last 2 1/2 years, yes, we would text back and forth, he would help me monthly. most times, he would be traveling, and when there were several texts, it was just he and i trying to get our schedules together to where we could meet, and he would, you know, help me out with money for bills and various things. >> cain says we'll know by monday on the latest whether he's in or out of the presidential race. it's business as usual this morning in washington, and this time, it could cost you about $1,000. competing plans to extend the social security payroll tax cut for millions of americans, both of those bills died in the senate last night. the average worker could see a $1,000 tax hike when it expires. the president's plan called for a new millionaires tax to cover the cost of extending the payroll tax holiday for working americans. the republicans wanted to extend a pay freeze for federal workers, and many in the gop say the payroll tax cut is sapping social security and hasn't done enough to boost jobs growth. the president released a statement last night saying, in part, "senate republicans chose to raise taxes on nearly 160 million hard-working americans because they refuse to ask a few hundred thousand millionaires and billionaires to pay their fair share." former hedge fund boss raj raj rad ham is heading to prison in an insider trading case. he lost the bid to be free in an appeal. he's been fined by the securities and exchange commission in relation to the case, the largest fine against an individual in s.e.c. history. spying on the spies. wikileaks at it again. this time, the website is exposing the dark secrets of the mul multibillion dollar surveillance industry. the database contains hundreds of documents that shine the light on methods used by secret services around the world, including hacking software and wiretapping technology. wikileaks warned that systems to infect every facebook user or smartphone owner of an entire population, they're already on the intel market already. new developments in the death of a florida a&m drum major. the university has excelled four students for their alleged connection to the suspected hazing death of 26-year-old robert champion. he died shortly after the florida classic football game just before thanksgiving. 911 tapes are out showing students' desperate attempts to get him help. cnn's david mattingly has the latest. >> reporter: florida a&m university has announced that they have dismissed four students in connection with the alleged hazing that cost the life of their drum major, robert champion, after a football game. we're also hearing now for the first time the tragic 911 tapes as champion collapsed and had trouble breathing. >> are you with the person right now? >> well, i'm outside the bus so i can hear you. >> okay. so, he's inside the bus? >> yes, he's inside the bus. >> okay, how old is he? >> he is 25. >> okay, is he awake? >> he's not even -- he wasn't responding. we thought he was breathing. he was making noises. but i don't even know if he's breathing now. >> okay, is he awake? do you know? >> his eyes are open. his eyes are open. he's not responding. >> okay, but is he breathing? >> i have no idea. i cannot tell you that. >> okay. >> he just threw up. >> he just threw up? >> yes. >> okay, well, like i said, i do already have help on the way. i want you to keep -- was he like shaking or anything like that prior to this? >> no, he wasn't. he wasn't shaking. >> the investigation into his death continues. governor rick scott, meanwhile, getting more involved by the day as this goes on. he's telling all universities in the state of florida now to re-examine their policy regarding hazing to make sure that every student knows that it's a practice that is completely condemned. david mattingly, cnn, atlanta. >> you know, authorities are still not releasing exactly what type of hazing they're talking about or investigating, but in the past, they've investigated things like paddling or drinking a lot of water, things like that that have been hazing incidents in the past. we just don't know what this one particularly was yet because authorities haven't told us. all right, wall street protesters desperately trying to stand their ground in two more cities this morning. anger boiling over at occupy san fran. police moved in and barricaded some screaming protesters as a new deadline to leave their camp came and went. the city offered to move them to a new site, but many refused. in oklahoma city, occupiers filed a suit to stay in their park. they asked a federal judge to stop the city from imposing an overnight curfew. protesters have been camping out at kerr park in downtown oklahoma city for almost two months but were recently denied a new permit after there was apparently a drunken brawl that trashed the camp. the city gave them until 11:00 p.m. last night to clear out. still to come, a 13-year-old boy is demanding change, this after he's denied acceptance to a private school simply because he's hiv-positive. the salvation army under fire. one group is calling for a boycott. it's a topic the organization says it's not going to budge on. and an al qaeda leader sending a strong warning to president obama after an american man is captured in pakistan. it is nine minutes after the hour. this is your "am wake-up call." pretty quickly. so i like control in the rest of my life... especially my finances. that's why i have slate, with blueprint. i can make a plan to pay off big stuff faster... or avoid interest on everyday things. that saves me money. with slate from chase, i'm always in control. financially, anyway. get slate with blueprint and save money. call 855-get-slate today. i could not make working and going to school 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[ beatboxing ] fair warning -- just-released tapes showing extreme weather was already a worry minutes before a deadly stage collapse at the indiana state fair. sandra chapman of affiliate wthr reports. >> looks like about 30 minutes or less before weather comes in. >> reporter: for the first time, confirmation that state police were awaiting the storm's arrival moments before the stage collapse at the indiana state fair. they say so in emergency dispatch tapes obtained by 13 investigates, capturing marin county dispatch communications with emergency responders. the warnings began at 8:38 p.m., five minutes before the collapse. >> all units, all units, severe thunderstorm warning until 9:45 for marin county. use your best judgment. find shelter when needed. >> reporter: two minutes later, a voice of concern. thousands of people were still awaiting the sugarland concert, standing right in front of the stage. that's when we hear the call inquiring whether fans had been moved to safety. >> go ahead. >> have they released fans from the grandstands yet? >> i have no information on that. i will check and advise. >> reporter: three minutes later, a lone radio call of sheer panic. >> go ahead. >> the stage just collapsed! >> the grandstands are going. fire control, grandstands, ems, i'm calling a mass casualty. >> reporter: that was at 8:43 p.m. seconds later, reports of the human toll began trickling in, some trapped, others going into critical shock. those wounded were code reds, walking wounded greens and yellows, the dead tagged in black. >> multiple reds, multiple reds, unknown blacks. i need everything to the grandstand. i've got at least one with a head injury. >> reporter: at 8:48 with more heavy wind and rain expected, a scramble to evacuate. >> unknown the type of weather. we may need to expedite evacuating the rest of the major grandstands. >> copy that. working with state police on evacuations at this time. >> reporter: and thin the first descriptions of the chaotic scene, the devastation and the need for help in a hurry. >> the situation is this. the stage framework and the speakers have collapsed on to the rows of chairs just in front. >> can you estimate the total quantity of patients? a lot. >> do you think i need to start more than five units? >> absolutely. >> i've got one behind the stage. black tag done. >> reporter:. >> that was sandra chapman of wthr reporting. it's 16 minutes after the hour. here's what we're following this morning. gop presidential hopeful herman cain heads back home to atlanta today. he's taking the weekend to reassess his campaign. cain's expected to announce whether he'll move forward in his bid for the white house by monday. a young boy turned away from a private school in pennsylvania because he's hiv-positive. the 13-year-old is suing milton hershey school for discrimination after it refused his enrollment because of his status last february. it's a residential academy aimed at helping students from low-income families. the school says it made the right legal decision under the law. the salvation army's red kettle bell-ringers are under fire. the lesbian and gay community is calling for a boycott, urging people to skip their holiday donations. they say the organization discriminates against the gay community because it supports the belief that marriage consists of one man and one woman. a salvation army representative says the organization and the gay community are enter goineveo come to an agreement on the topic. 72 waters under water. that's what it will take for florida diver alan scherr yod to break the world record for the longest saltwater scuba dive. he's going for it. this is sherrod's second attempt. last time, rough waters forced him to bail out early. let's get a first check of today's weather. meteorologist rob marciano's in atlanta. good morning, rob. 72 hours under saltwater, whoa! >> that will get you some wrinkle toes, won't it? winds will be an issue again today and actually again tomorrow morning we'll have a brief encore presentation, i guess, of the winds out there in los angeles, the biggest of which were yesterday around this time. winds today not quite as bad, gusting 40 to 60 in the more populated areas, the higher terrain. we'll see higher wind gusts than that, and it will extend eastward into the four corners region as well, as will the winter side of the storm with winter storm warnings posted for parts of new mexico, even parts of the texas panhandle as this thing begins to pull out into the plains, and that will create its own set of problems. relatively quiet wet weather east of the mississippi as the temperatures begin to moderate after a chilly past few days, especially across the south. 64 in atlanta, it will be 56 degrees in d.c., 55 degrees up there in new york. we'll talk more, we'll highlight some flight delays in about 15 minutes. christine? >> all right, rob, we'll look forward to that. thank you. an al qaeda chief is taking credit for the kidnapping of an american man in pakistan this morning, this according to some radical websites. 70-year-old warren weinstein was abducted in august, and now, al qaeda is posting demands in return for his release. zain verjee is live in london. good morning, zain. what's the latest on this? >> good morning. well, he was a contractor working for the u.s. government on an aid program in pakistan, apparently, according to these militant sites. and essentially, the demands, and there are eight of them, are totally unrealistic. i'll just give you an example. the speaker on the site, which is believed to be ayman al zawahiri, says the u.s. bombing of pakistan, somalia and yemen needs to come to an end. all prisoners at guantanamo bay need to be released. and it goes on and says anyone that's been arrested and charged with having any kind of links or contacts with al qaeda or the taliban needs to be released. and the speaker on the tape, again, believed to be zawahiri, says that he will only be freed if these demands are met, and it really is up to president obama. christine? >> all right, zain verjee this morning. thank you, zain. still ahead, a warehouse filled with billions of dollars worth of luxury items, just some of the treasures that belong to the department of justice. we're going to get an exclusive behind-the-scenes look. and general motors is taking another big step to ease concerns about the chevy volt and its safety. you won't believe how they're going to back up how they feel about this car. it's 19 minutes after the hour. this is your "am wake-up call." d the yummy cereal? 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[ male announcer ] want great taste and whole grain oats that can help lower cholesterol? honey nut cheerios. stocks ended the day mixed yesterday after that big rally a couple days ago. the dow dropped 26 points, ending a three-day streak. the s&p slipped by two points, but nasdaq closed up with a six-point gain. look, that's essentially holding on to that huge rally. so hey, bulls will take it, right? investors, though, continue to worry about the eurozone debt crisis and how long the dow can be above 12,000 with all the worries around the world. gm comes up short, admitting it will miss its target goal for sales. meantime, gm says, look, it's going to buy back the plug-in electric car, the volt, if drivers fear for their safety. wow, that would be really called a money-back guarantee. feds are investigating the car after batteries caught fire after three crash tests. if you missed out on black friday or cyber monday, oh, don't worry, i told you so. the best sales are ahead of us, folks! you're going to still be able to save some great buys. industry experts predict retailers will continue cutting prices, offering big discounts, you know what? because they have to encourage people to keep the shopping spirit alive through the end of the year. they want your money and will continue with the sales. i didn't even think the cyber monday sales were very good, to be honest. there are better sales now than they were on monday. it's the kind of rich most of us just daydream about. fat cats living in extreme excess, but as the economy collapsed, many of them were exposed as total frauds, then it's all over. so, what happens to all their stuff? well, deb ferrick found the place where the government hoards some absolute treasures, and it's a good time to be in the seizure business. take a look. >> reporter: name any luxury item, yachts, mansions, art collections, race cars, diamonds, even ancient artifacts, and chances are, the u.s. government likely owns it. that's right, your government. it's all legal. in fact, it's justice. >> whether t