U.S.

This Morning from CBS News: Dec. 16, 2014

By Dan Woo

December 16, 2014 / 7:41 AM EST / CBS News

Taliban massacre

Pakistani officials say Taliban gunmen stormed a military-run school in the northwestern city of Peshawar, killing more than 100 children and wounding many more. According to multiple reports, the Taliban militants had been ordered to shoot older students but allow the younger ones to go free. The Pakistani military said in a statement that a rescue operation was underway and most of the students and the staff had been evacuated. However, it was believed the school's principal and some other staff members are being held hostage. Watch CBS News' new streaming network, CBSN, for the latest developments.

Sydney gunman

The ex-wife of the gunman who held people hostage in a Sydney, Australia chocolate shop for 16 hours sought refuge in the San Francisco Bay Area from her abusive ex-husband before she was killed, her relatives told CBS San Francisco station KPIX-TV. Man Haron Monis was facing charges of being an accessory to the murder of his ex-wife, Noleen Pal, who had family in Hayward, Calif. Ayyut Khalik, Pal's godfather, told KPIX, "He was a scam artist, oh yeah. A liar, a scam artist."

Iraq F-16 fighters

As the U.S. helps the Iraqi government in its fight against ISIS, the country's military is missing one vital ingredient -- air power. Today, the Iraqis will get their first shipment of American-made F-16 fighters, but they'll be delivered to a base in Arizona because Iraq is still too dangerous. CBS News correspondent Margaret Brennan reports from Tucson with an exclusive look at how the Iraqi government is trying to build a new air force with some key help from the U.S. Air Force.

Lone wolves

The deadly hostage crisis in Sydney, Australia is the latest in a series of attacks by mentally unstable criminals who claim to be fighting in the cause of Islamic extremism. CBS News security analyst and former deputy director of the CIA Mike Morell tells "CBS Evening News" anchor Scott Pelley that ISIS' social media ability is the most sophisticated security agencies have seen. And the impact is that lone wolf extremists will take up the ISIS cause and act on it without any real contact with the extremist group. Morell said these are among the most difficult attacks to stop.

Teens transform

When we first met Angel Kay LeMaster in July, she was a scrawny, undisciplined high school dropout looking to escape a tough past that included homelessness with her mother. The two slept in cars, along freeways, and in hotels, she told CBS News correspondent Michelle Miller. But look at LeMaster now -- she's a leader of her Platoon, with 4.0 GPA.

Gender equality

Two years after launching a project called Data2X, which aims to advance gender equality around the world, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton kicked off the next phase of the project yesterday, announcing partnerships to collect data on gender gaps. At the kick-off event, Clinton explained why she's spearheading projects like this one.

Ringing the future

Nearly 40 years after that initial call, in 1915, Alexander Graham Bell and his assistant demonstrated the first transcontinental call from New York to San Francisco, and in 1956, calls went transatlantic, each expansion transforming our notions of time and space. Today, phones have become the indispensable technology of our time, our personalized key card s to an increasingly interconnected world -- a trend experts say will continue and even intensify.

Lottery losers

Lotteries have always been a terrible bet for players, but now they're becoming a dicier gamble for states, as well. Data from the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries (NASLP) show that lottery sales in 2015's third quarter of $17.5 billion were little changed from the $17.6 billion a year earlier. It seems surging demand for instant tickets wasn't enough to outweigh the slump in jackpot games such as Power Ball and Mega Millions.

Airline fuel costs

In the third quarter, jet fuel prices dropped six percent and profits grew. The top three performers: Southwest, up 27 percent; American, a record 87 percent; and United 144% over last year. But if the airlines are saving money on fuel costs, shouldn't passengers expect those savings to be passed on to them?

Tanning's dark side

It's well known that indoor tanning can put people at serious risk for skin cancer later in life -- but that's not the only health hazard from visiting tanning salons. Thousands of times each year, a stint in a tanning bed leads directly to a trip to the emergency room.

Too cold - no excuse

Whether you're a fair-weather exerciser or a serious runner training for your next race, a blustery winter day can derail your best intentions. But don't let the temptation to stay warm and cozy indoors prevent you from getting an invigorating workout. With the right cold-weather gear, you can safely brave the chill, and coach John Honerkamp of the New York Road Runners is here to help.

Thirsty turtles

Elizabeth Lake is home to one of the largest populations of southwestern pond turtles. A so-called "sag pond" on the San Andreas fault, the lake is usually 1.5 miles long and about 23 feet deep. But with the state staggering through a drought that could last years, half of it has dried up, and where there is water, Shaffer and his research associates estimate it's only a foot or two deep. With so much of the fresh water lost to evaporation, what's left is highly concentrated with minerals and very salty. And that has left the turtles in bad shape.