suzanne pratt reports. >> reporter: one thing is for sure, wall street can count. that means investors know there are just nine trading days left until tax hikes automatically take effect across the nation, and hit americans where it hurts: their wallets. and, investors are also aware there are even fewer days before lawmakers are scheduled to leave on holiday break. despite the ticking clock, many investors remain optimistic there will be a deal between congress and the white house before the ball drops in time square. veteran trader jonathan corpina agrees there will soon be a resolution, but he thinks the news will be a big ho-hum for stocks. >> i think the sentiment of a deal solution is already priced into our market right now. so, what does that really mean. when we get news that a deal is in place or partially in place will we get a huge upswing in the market. i don't think so, i think it's already been priced in. >> reporter: other market pros are less sanguine about an agreement in the next few days. even with signs of progress in washington today, they wo

suzanne pratt reports, the outlook for bonds next year depends a lot on what happens washington this year. >> reporter: less than 2%-- that's what the benchmark ten- year treasury bond pays today. even with record low yields, investors have continued to buy bonds in a big way. everyone from the chinese government to american retirees hold u.s. treasuries. and the federal reserve continues to promise rates will remain low, at least for the next few years. so what does that mean for bond investors, especially as worries about a bond bubble grow? >> i know those people have been warning about a bond bubble for quite a few years. but the fact is, we just haven't seen it. the fed has made quite clear that if inflation expectations were to get out of control, or even if we got even close to it, the fed would do something about it. >> reporter: don't forget, inflation is the bond market's nemesis because it erodes the value of bonds. and there's concern all the money the u.s. central bank pumped into the financial system in recent years will drive up prices. and then there are those who bel

here is suzanne's husband. mary margaret, their perpetually eight-year-old daughter. >> most people when they send out their holiday cards they have a picture of their puppy or their puppy and their baby and i kind of felt left out. >> reporter: so 13 years ago, she sent her first family christmas card. >> the whole reason, really, why i started this was like a pressure to conform. >> reporter: oh. >> because i was getting older. still didn't have a ring on my finger and i just kept getting a lot of pressure. >> reporter: from her mom, for example. >> she just kind of point blank said "susie, when you just going to get married? when are you just going to pick somebody?" and i just blew up. i was like "mom, it's not like i can go out and buy a family!" >> reporter: or could she. >> i was walking past a retail liquidation outlet and i saw an entire family in the window and i thought -- >> reporter: it just hit you. >> lightbulb! >> reporter: for the record, her mother ann recalls no such nagging. >> oh, she tells

suzanne pratt, "n.b.r.," new york. >> susie: our "nbr-u" partners at wharton have new research showing how accounting for government loan guarantees, like the one given to g.m., is impacting uncle sam's bottom line. you can learn more on the web, just head to: www.nbr.com and look for the "nbr-u" tab. >> tom: look for the dirt two fly in coming months. permits to build new homes in the u.s. shot up to more than a four-year high last month as actual home building slowed down a bit. housing starts fell 3% in november from the month before, but it has been a strong recovery, compared to a year ago, housing starts up 21.6%. the building permit, jumping 3.6% in november, up to their highest level since july 2008. martin connor is the chief financial officer, and he joins us tonight from pennsylvania. marty, welcome back to n.b.r. have you been out there increasing your building permit for next year? >> tom, it is great to be with n.b.r. i do think we are increasing our permits. we've seen dramatic increases in our sales through the first four quarters of our year, all four quarters of our y

suzanne pratt reports. >> reporter: four days after its debut, most of the much-hyped collaboration is still available at this target in edgewater, new jersey. there are gifts for your four- legged friends, and plenty of bar accessories for your partying pals, including shot glasses and cocktail shakers. there's even green transportation by alice and olivia. gone is this funky sweatshirt, although you can still get it online. almost gone are these brian atwood gloves at $50 a pair. and only a handful of carolina herrera notebooks are left. 24 designers created products ranging from $8 to $500 a piece. many of the designers are not household names, but a deal with target gives them mass market exposure. clearly, target and neiman marcus are hoping the partnerhip will put some sizzle into their holiday sales. >> i think it's done well, it's set up well. it's beautiful everything here. it's different. >> reporter: target is no stranger to other designer hook- ups, many of whose pieces normally sell for steep price tags at high-end department stores. don't forget the wildly successful miss

suzanne pratt, "n.b.r.," new york. >> susie: another nick to toyota's reputation. the automaker is paying a record fine, more than $17 million, for failing to promptly report safety defects related to a lexus recall. this is the second time since 2010 that toyota has paid fines for not properly reporting vehicle defects to u.s. regulators. toyota once had the best reputation for quality and safety, but in the last three years it has announced numerous recalls for separate investigations into sticky pedals, poorly designed floor mats and steering rod problems. >> susie: big changes coming to pfizer. the giant drug maker plans to cut about 20% of its u.s. sales force, or 600 jobs. according to a report from bloomberg, the cuts begin this month and are said to be part of c.e.o. ian read's strategy to reposition pfizer after losing patent protection on its top selling drug, lipitor. at its peak, that cholesterol drug generated revenues of nearly $10 billion a year for pfizer. while lipitor's loss was tough for pfizer, it was a boon for generic drug makers. but in the c

suzanne pratt met with the man behind the tastes, mccormick's top chef, and got a close-up "smell". >> reporter: here's how american's spiced up their cooking in the past, a lot of salt, a dash of pepper and easy on the garlic. but, u.s. palates are expanding, and now include everything from smoked paprika to dukkah. that's right dukkah, what mccormick executive chef kevan vetter thinks will be a big hit with american tastebuds in the next few years. >> the dukkah is a spice blend made up of toasted nuts and toasted spices, very rich and savory. it's got a very rich texture aspect to it combination. the trend here that we're talking about is empowered eating. people are trying to be more thoughtful about what they're eating and make better choices. you know dukkah is a great example of something that could translate into the world of snacks, so making a dukkah flavored snack cracker. you may not see broccoli attached to that, exactly, exactly. but dukkah is an example of a great flavor that could move into the other world of food away from a restaurant or a sprinkling on. that's a gre

suzanne pratt reports. rtses. >> reporter: a peak inside this manhattan apple store and it looks like everything is a-okay. plenty of customer, plenty of purchases. so why has the shine come off apple's shares? with a-- in a word, actually two, profit-taking. >> i think the biggest reason for the selling going back to when it was priced $700 in september is pure profit-taking. if you look from the beginning year to september, the stock was up 74%. so i think you had some natural profit-taking. >> reporter: but this isn't ode year-end selling by institutions looking to record nice numbers. this supposedly is fiscal cliff related selling as shareholders worries that capital gains tax rates will be higher next year. >> still, financial planner sharon appleman says selling stock solely for tax reasons isn't the best idea. >> i definitely think it's a legitimate concern and can be an opportunity. and i would say if somebody was interested in reducing a physician any-- position anyway, that can certainly be a gre

suzanne pratt, "n.b.r.," new york. >> susie: american automakers got a bump up in sales in november, thanks to super storm sandy. consumers postponed purchases when the hurricane hit in october, and resumed buying last month. but as diane eastabrook reports, the looming fiscal cliff could cause that sales momentum to lose traction. >> reporter: november turned out to be a good month for the big three and a great month for their foreign competitors. g.m. and ford both saw a modest uptick in vehicle sales last month-- while chrysler got a double digit boost. but competitors from europe and japan blew the domestics doors off. sales at v.w. were up just under 30%. while honda led the japanese pack with a sales increase of just under 40%. the car companies think super storm sandy pushed some sales the last weekend of october into november. morningstar auto analyst richard hilgert agrees sandy helped, but the storm wasn't the primary reason november was such a strong month. >> we've got a lot of pent up demand still out there-- pent up demand coming from, especially from the average age of

suzanne kennedy, abc7 news. >> two construction workers are 20 i hospital after falling feet. the men were taken to the serious injuries. a third worker was hit by debris. no word on what caused the incident. at the other top stories. looking for someone assaulted a clerk at a hotel. the employee said she was stairwell when a d her and forced r into a room. he knocked her unconscious and sexually assaulted her. give a not able to description of the suspect. >> metro held a board meeting to discuss a safety problem -- tired drivers. they encourage them to live as possible.lifestyle as from a survey in which they said passengers would safer knowing their drivers were rested. trustre was not a huge say that was expected since same-sex marriage illegal for some time. licenses will not be until january 1. gay couples in washington state up at midnight get a marriageto license. not the only change put to the test. >> many are celebrating with a kiss and a smoke. marijuana and the marriage are legal things to two initiatives passed in november. pot smokers partied at midnight. >> i h

suzanne somers says that that is a risk for thm as well. if you are conservative, you are not welcome in hollywood. >> is it really does liberal bastion? >> yes, it is a liberal bastion. >> they don't associate with moderate to conservative? >> it is all about that ideology. you know, when you make that much money,you don't care. because you have your money. neil: would they think about when jon lovitz came along. >> he's not invited either he's never going to be invited. il: but he said enough of this. >> i thought that was interesting. not many people speak out like that. i have a little business, so i like to not offend anybody. so i don't tell anybody my views either way. neil: i would say i'm a centrist that leans to the right. neil: you have to be moderate on her persona non grata. >> i sell my little life with my organic skincare. neil: that's a lot of money for your little skincare line. >> i didn't leave tv. i was escorted and booted out the door in and fired. i get tired a lot. >> how dare me to expect them to pay me what they pay

i'm suzanne malveaux. this is going on right now. millions mourning mexican-american superstar killed in a plane crash in mexico. she was known for her traditional style of music. take a listen. ♪ >> that is one of her biggest hits, why don't you try it? she released more than a dozen albums over her career and had 15 plalt numb and 5 double platinum report reasonable doubts. search crews are back to look for rivera's remains in that wreckage, six others also died in that crash. the plane crashed in a remote mountainous area in northern mexico near the city of monterrey. investigators don't know the cause yet, and raphael romo looks at awho this mexican-american superstar was to her fans and country. >> reporter: they called her diva, and for anyone who ever saw her on stage, it was easy to see why. she sang heart-wrenching ballots that spoke to the common woman, especially mexican-american. >> reporter: every song, every lyric, i think of them and how to relate with them with my music. >> reporter: she was born in long beach, cali

it's coming up on cnn international with suzanne malveaux. all by cob. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle... and go. you can even take a full-size or above, and still pay the mid-size price. i'm going b-i-g. [ male announcer ] good choice business pro. good choice. go national. go like a pro. i have a cold, and i took nyquil, but i'm still "stubbed" up. [ male announcer ] truth is, nyquil doesn't unstuff your nose. what? [ male announcer ] it doesn't have a decongestant. no way. [ male announcer ] sorry. alka-seltzer plus fights your worst cold symptoms plus has a fast acting decongestant to relieve your stuffy nose. [ sighs ] thanks! [ male announcer ] you're welcome. that's the cold truth! [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus. ♪ oh what a relief it is! ♪ [ male announcer ] to learn more about the cold truth and save $1 visit alka-seltzer on facebook. >>> if washington continues its political game of chess on the financial fiscal cliff, the people outside the beltway are watching and waiting and

why don't we start with suzanne in florida. suzanne. >> caller: boo-yah, jim. >> boo-yah. >> caller: do you still like gld, and what's your outlook for it? >> a lot of people are backing away from gold. they always back away from gold, and yet gold is a currency and i want some. i think it trades in a range, maybe goes down a little bit, but i think it's great longer term. one of my favorite positions. let's go to mike in utah. mike. >> caller: hello, jim. boo-yah from salt lake city, utah. >> good to have you on the show. >> caller: hey, my stock is patterson uti energy. i brought it in august, and i wonder if it's time to ring the register or buy more. >> i would ring the register because i think the domestic drillers are not doing that well. let's take it off the table. ruth in new jersey. ruth. >> caller: hi, jim. >> hey, ruth, how are you? >> caller: great. greetings from cherry hill, new jersey. >> man, that's where my grandparents are from! what's up? >> caller: wonderful. great town. >> yeah. >> caller: listen, thanks f

we speak with suzanne bronstein, curator of the jewish museum in new york about the collection of hanukkah lamps, the largest in the world. >> the rabbis associated a miracle with the holiday. that when the ancient soldiers came to rededicate the temple in jerusalem and they lit the menorah in the temple, they only have one thing of oil to burn for one day, burn it burned for eight. that's why we call it the festival of life and why we light the hanukkah lamps. the rabbi going back to earlier felt that the lights of hanukkah lamp were sacred. the rabbis did specify a list of materials preferable to use for the hanukkah lamps, gold and silver, of course, being the best if that. most people couldn't. if you were poor and you couldn't afford a permanent hanukkah lamp, you could use an eggshell or nut shell or potato carved out. the lamps used at home were actually using oil, and then over time in the 19th century and into the 20th century candles were more popular for home use. it's messy to use oil. we tried it. the rabbis in ancient times didn't say much about the shape of the lamp or its d

. >>> a neighborhood has been closed off in pittsburg by buchanan road and suzanne drive. less than an hour ago officers threw a flash grenade at the home tridelta transit. the bus line is rerouted from buchanan road due to police activity. there are a number of cars there. no word how it started or who officers are looking for. we'll update you as soon as we get some more information. >>> a mall in oregon is closed after a mass shooting in the middle of the day yesterday. three people died including the shooter. bigad shaban reveals from happy valley, oregon, where police reveal more about the gunman. >> reporter: authorities know who opened fire inside this shopping mall yesterday. authorities say 22-year-old jacob roberts has no criminal history but stole the rifle he used in the attack from someone he knew. >> i was helping a customer and then during the sale, there were five to seven gunshots, machine gunshot right outside my store. >> reporter: authorities released new details about the gunman. >> name jacob tyler roberts, born march 16, 1990. >> reporter: witnesses