U.S.

This Morning from CBS News, Jan. 5, 2015

By Dan Woo

January 5, 2015 / 7:26 AM EST / CBS News

AirAsia crackdown

Highlighting the depth of Indonesia's air safety problems, the transportation ministry revealed harsh measures today against everyone who allowed AirAsia Flight 8501 to take off -- possibly without proper permits -- including the suspension of the airport's operator and officials in the control tower. The crackdown comes as CBS News' Allen Pizzey reports that searchers finally got a break in the weather, which could help in the hunt for the vital "black boxes," or flight data and cockpit voice recorders.

Longest war

Navigating the end of the longest war in American history is the job of Gen. John Campbell, the last four-star general of the war. CBS News "60 Minutes" correspondent Lara Logan reports his mission is making sure that, after the U.S. withdraws from Afghanistan, the country's security forces don't go the way of Iraq, where territory that was fought over and won by the U.S. at great cost was lost because the Iraqi military wasn't strong enough to hold the enemy back. Could the same thing happen in Afghanistan?

Tsarnaev's defense

Jury selection begins today in the Boston Marathon bombing trial, nearly two years after the attack. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is accused in the plot that killed three people and injured more than 260 others. CBS News correspondent Don Dahler reports on the defense lawyers' approach to representing their client.

House trouble

Speaker of the House John Boehner had been cruising toward a drama-free re-election to the post tomorrow. But over the weekend, a handful of conservative House members announced they would not support Boehner, and Reps. Ted Yoho, R-Florida, and Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, have said they might make a run to unseat him.

Congress returning

Members of the new U.S. Congress have been converging on Washington for the start of the session tomorrow, and while many faces will remain the same, a Republican majority is set to take control in the Senate. The GOP retained its control of the House in November. Many members of both houses are already setting expectations. CBS News congressional correspondent Nancy Cordes reports on what lies ahead at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue.

Police and communities

Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Maryland, tells CBS News "Face the Nation" host Bob Schieffer that police officers and the communities they serve must recognize it's not an "us-against-them" environment.

Lost opportunity

Former House Speaker and presidential candidate Newt Gingrich said on "Face the Nation" yesterday that President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder have passed up the opportunity to improve race relations in America over the past six years.

Scare tactics

Flying the friendly skies can become dangerous when there are birds nearby. Since 2003, more than 400 people have died in plane crashes that were caused by birds being sucked into jet engines. CBS News correspondent Chip Reid reports the Honolulu airport has dozens of bird-plane collisions each year, but teams of "bird scarers" are working to change that.

Better battery

Batteries are important because electrical generation is a transient form of energy that needs a form of storage to be portable. But the basic chemistry of batteries has changed little over the decades. Greater demands for longer battery life, and for less frequent recharging, are pushing companies and researchers to find potential solutions.

Acrobatic yoga

How would you handle a disagreement with your partner if you were physically depending on him or her to keep you from falling on your face? Just a hunch, but you might work a little harder to communicate clearly with one another in that instance. AcroYoga, a form of partner yoga, can serve to build a foundation of trust and understanding among couples.

Bad lands

When Teddy Roosevelt headed west, he went to the wildest, loneliest place he knew -- the Badlands of the Dakota Territory (in what is now North Dakota). For three years he lived there, along the Little Missouri River, in the shade of the cottonwood trees. CBS News correspondent Mo Rocca reported for "Sunday Morning" that Roosevelt's Elkhorn Ranch occupied a remote and empty patch of the North Dakota Badlands. And to this day, it occupies an important part of the former president's legacy.

Subway spread

There's a new campaign against so-called "manspreading" -- men spreading their legs into a V and taking up more than their seat's space. Men's groups are calling it male oppression, while women say it's simply common courtesy. CBS News correspondent Vladimir Duthiers reports from a New York City subway on the behavior some won't take sitting down.