benjamin netanyahu says he's sorry for campaign rhetoric that critics called racist. america's battle for the white house is officially on after a prominent republican enter the race. and a new hit list from isis that targets more than 100 members of the u.s. military. hello, and welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm rosemary church. >> i'm errol barnett. this is "cnn newsroom." some high-level u.s. officials say israel spied on the iran nuclear talks and used the information to lobby the american congress to sink the

deal. that's according to the "wall street journal." >> the paper citing government sources who say the spying was part of a larger campaign by the israeli prime minister to really build a case against the deal. the "journal" says israeli officials deny spying directly on u.s. negotiators and that they used other ways to get information including surveillance of iranian leaders. meanwhile, benjamin netanyahu is telling israel's arab minority that he is sorry. >> the prime minister apologized in a video message posted on facebook that his election day comments last week. he had warneders that his party could lose because arabs are being bussed to the polls and coming to vote "in droves." that remark is widely condemned as racist. >> translator: i know that the things i said a few days ago offended israel's arabs. i had no intention for this to happen. i regret this.

i consider myself as prime minister of each one of you, of all israel's citizens, regardless of religion race, or gender." >> arabs make up less than 25% of israeli population. and some feel they are treated like second-class citizens. the chief palestinian negotiator for statehood told our wolf blitzer what he thinks of the prime minister's mea culpa. >> do you accept the apology, the public apology that prime minister netanyahu made to does's arab about those -- made to the arabs about those comments about bussing them so they could vote in droves? >> no. there are many differences. imagine, wolf if someone is running election in france and he would tell the people jews are bussing or in america they would say blacks are bussing. this is horrible. horrible. i think it's up to the 1.

million israelis to say the words -- i think this is about education, this is about a culture. and this was very very very wrong. >> reporter: for more analysis i want to bring in rami kory from amman, jordan from the institute of public policy and international affairs at the american university of beirut. thanks for your time on cnn today. as we see there, prime minister netanyahu has now apologized or backtracked on two big comments he made before the election. erekat there saying he does not take the apology at face value. he'd rather see physical change and proof that what he said isn't true. what's the fallout as far as you see it? >> you have two problems here. one, you have a politician speaking in the heat of electoral bad and politicians will say all kinds of terrible things and then try to retract them later. so you can't really trust them any further than you can throw them. the second problem is that there

is real serious structural institutionalized long-standing discrimination against israel's arab citizens who are way below the average in terms of social spending job opportunities, economic income, and almost ever category educational levels. there's a problem in terms of the arabs being second-class citizens in israel even though they are israeli citizens. so netanyahu doesn't really care about the arab citizens. we know that from his actions. he's trying to do damage control with the american administration because he is now getting serious pushback from the white house, from the top of the american administration. and people in congress even stayed away from his talk. there's an unprecedented shift in some quarters of american political society in terms of how american senior official are pushing back and publicly criticizing the israeli prime

minister and challenging israeli policies to the point that benjamin netanyahu is worried and is trying to make up for it, but it's not going to work. >> we're wondering how far that shift goes. how much it goes beyond the personal relationship between obama and netanyahu and how it might impact the diplomatic relations of the two allies. one high obama official said 50 years of israeli occupation must end. blood pressure term. president obama saying he is reassessing the relationship. how then do you think it can be amended beyond the apologies that we've seen netanyahu make in the short term? in the long term how do you get the countries back together? >> i think what has to happen now and is starting to happen thankfully is that the united states government is differentiating between its strong and unquestioned support for the security and existence for the state of israel. separating that from israel's occupation policies the

colonization annexation of land all of the things jews are doing in an occupation context, they're against international law, and they're criminal acts. they need to be adjudicated in the court. the united states is finally perhaps -- we have to see if it follows up its rhetoric with action. perhaps the united states is actually saying that the occupation of israel is something the united states is against, and the survival of israel and its borders, the u.s. supports. we have to if the u.s. takes action even symbolic action like a vote at the security council or saying that money from the u.s. to israel cannot be used in the occupied territories or something like that. >> just in the last few seconds, i'm wondering if there might be a silver lining. if the commence about a two-state solution may help the palestinians. confirm what they've suspected for a long time, that israel wasn't a serious negotiating

partner. might there be more support, momentum for them to go around israel and instead work with the international community? >> yes. that would be great. but you have to work with israel in the end. israel is the occupying power. so the best thing that could happen is the u.s. should come out forcefully and say we would like to look at the arab peace plan of 2002 which offered israel peaceful co-existence by all the arab states if the warchg and east jerusalem become a palestinian state. israel has security normal relations, and the refugee issue is resolved. that is a tremendous opening that the -- offer that the arab have had on the table for 14 years. i think the u.s. takes that out and says let's discuss this. this might be a way to go to the u.n. and diplomatic process initiated. and this is what i think we should all be working for. a secure israel and 67 borders. a palestinian state and the reemg issue is all to the satisfaction of both sides. >> long term israel has to be part of those talks. thank you very much for your time. joining us via web cam from

amman, jordan. director of the institute of public policy and international affairs at the american university of beirut. thank you very much. >> you bet. british prime minister david cameron says if he wipz re-election in may, that will be his last term in office. mr. cameron told the bbc if the conservatives are returned to power, he will serve as prime minister for the full five-year term, and then he would leave number 10 downing street. >> if you remain prime minister will you go for a second snerm. >> no. i think, you know i'm standing for a full second term. i'm not saying all prime ministers necessarily, definitely go mad or go mad at the same rate. but i think -- i feel i've got more to bring to this job. i think the job is half done. >> the labor opposition accused him of being arrogant while some commentators have predicted it could be the start of a

five-year-long leadership tussle within the conservative party. now the 2016 presidential race is officially on. senator ted cruz a conservative fire brand originally born in canada is now the first candidate to throw his hat into the ring. >> the republican senator has strong support from the political right but also well-placed republican detractors. jeff zeleny has more. [ applause ] >> reporter: finally let the race begin. senator ted cruz is the first pulp out of the gate. >> i believe in the power of millions of kourmg us on conservatives -- courageous conservatives rising up to reignite the promise of america. that is why today i am announcing that i'm running for president of the united states. [ applause ] >> reporter: with those words, cruz jump-started the 2016 presidential race. officially making his lofty ambitions known. there was no hometown rally for this freshman texas senator.

he selected the virginia campus of liberty university. all for a picture-perfect backdrop of 10,000 evangelical students. he made clear that liberty would be the soundtrack of his campaign saying the word more than a dozen times -- >> how fragile liberty is. an assault on our religious liberty. we will stand for liberty. >> reporter: cruz made his announcement on the fifth anniversary of the signing of obamacare. a fitting date for a freshman senator who rose to the national spotlight with his role in the 2013 government shutdown. he made no apologies as he delivered his unabashed brand of conservatism. >> imagine in 2017 a new president, signing legislation, repealing every word of obamacare. >> reporter: not everyone was sold on his message. a group of rand paul supporters said they were being used as props because students were required to attend. >> i don't think it was right to do it at a university that's requiring cop vocation

attendance . >> reporter: whether you support him or were, what did you think of his message? >> he's a nice guy. for my personal beliefs, he's too much of a warthog. >> reporter: we caught up with cruz and asked if he was ready to enter the republican field of nearly a dozen candidates. >> if every day is like this, i'm inspired by young people ready to turn the country around. >> reporter: every day, of course will not be like this. his republican rival plan to jump into the race next month. this day, though cruz and his family reveled in the moment. his wife heidi, is taking a leave of absence from her job at goldman sachs to spend time on the campaign trail with their daughters. >> i am honored to stand with each and every one of you courageous conservatives as we come together to reclaim the promise of america. >> reporter: senator cruz made it clear that he plans to run directly again the party's establishment. that means candidates like

former florida governor jeb bush. he didn't mention him by name but implicitly criticized him. it's too early to know if senator cruz will win his nomination fight. no question that he will move the race further to the right. jeff zeleny cnn, lynchburg, virginia. and the presumed democratic front-runner for u.s. president met monday with her old boss. the white house says former secretary of state hillary clinton and president barack obama discussed a wide range of issues in their hour-long private meeting. later, clinton was a guest speaker at a washington press corps event. it was her first meeting with reporters since she butted heads with the press about her use of personal e-mail as secretary of state. take a listen. >> i am all about new beginnings. a new grandchild another new hairstyle -- [ laughter ] >> a new e-mail account.

[ laughter ] >> why not a new relationship with the press? >> hillary clinton is expected to announce her presidential candidacy very soon. a group claiming affiliation with isis is threatening u.s. soldiers on american soil. >> the islamic state hacking division posted a hit list on line calling for attacks against about 100 troops along with their pictures and addresses. pamela brown reports. >> reporter: among the personal information posted on the hit list pictures, home addresses, and phone numbers of commanders captains and major generals. in total about 100 members of the u.s. military. many of those singled out are piles including this man, seen holding his baby. we're blurring his face to protect his identity. the list was posted by a group calling itself the islam instate hacking division. tonight, that group is calling on isis sympathizers to "kill the service members in their own

lands. behead them in their own homes. stab them to death as they walk their streets thinking they are safe." >> it could easily become something that really matters from a personal security standpoint and could deeply affect the security of all of these personnel. >> reporter: law enforcement officials tell cnn the fbi has been monitoring some individuals in the hacking group for some time. but it's unclear for how long. those same law enforcement sources say it's unclear it isis leadership ordered the list but say their real concern is a low-pressure wolf sympathetic to isis targeting the service members. >> there is no way that all of these people could receive a personal security detail. they have to do things like ensure the security of their own homes, perhaps in some extreme cases they may consider moving out of the home that is listed as their address. >> reporter: all the service members are being notified though there's no evidence of an imminent threat of an attack. the military is continuing to

ask all service members to clear their social media profiles of any personal or identifiable information. in this case officials say the group behind the threat compiled this list of addresses and names through publicly available information on line social media, and the white pages. pamela brown, cnn, washington. violence continues to escalate in yemen as houthi rebels try and move south. protesters surrounded a military camp monday to prevent the houthis from heading to aidan, that's where the president has taken refuge. rebels fired teargas to disperse the crowd. the houthis control yemen's third-largest city and the capital, sanaa. british and u.s. forces have withdrawn from the country. last week's attack in tunisia could have been much worse if police hadn't responded so quickly. 23 people were killed when three terrorists stormed the bardo museum in tunis.

the attackers were wearing suicide vests but were not able to set them off. >> translator: they had them but they didn't work because the police turned up and they were shot down. they didn't have the time to get these vests to work because had they done so, then we would have had a major catastrophe. >> one suspect remains at large, and 15 people are under arrest. isis claimed responsibility for that attack. the families of three british teenagers journey through turkey hoping to find clues that might lead them to their girls who are believed to be with isis. plus the remarkable story of a group of girls who are not letting a terrifying experience stand in the way of their dreams. >> last time i saw you, it was very different. you just had gone through something horrible. and you said that you western sure that you could ever go back

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schoolgirls from chabot last april. the girls were interviewed last year. >> she is back in school in nigeria, but at the time she wasn't sure she would ever finish her education. today she's dreaming of a better life. we have this report. >> reporter: northern nigeria has been under a state of emergency for the last two years. possibly one of the last places you'd expect to find an american university. in a side room four girls chat and giggle discussing their dream with their principal. for these girl just to be here today is a testament to courage and hope. around a year ago i met this teenager. she just escaped the boko haram abduct of nearly 300 of her friends from that school. last time i saw you, it was very very different. you just had gone through something really horrible. and you said that you western

sure you could ever go back to school. now, here you are. the change in her is remarkable. all, she says, thank to her teacher. she hopes to follow in their footsteps. boko haram targeted these girl and hundreds of others like them across nigeria's north for daring to go to school. 21 of them are now back in education, enrolled on scholarships at the american people university of nigeria. the school's vice chancellor and native kalean is a long way from home. but she says she's exactly where she's meant to be. >> we drove up one morning as the curfew was over. and we came to anjection and had left -- an intersection and had left just the logo of aun on the door. parent and students waved us down. it was a wonderful moment. >> reporter: there are 4 more

escaped girls who'd love to join their friends here. but right now, that's just not possible. dr. ensign is hoping to change that by raising funds to the university's foupgz. it's easy -- foundation. it's easy to forget where we are, but this is still the north of nigeria and in defiance of boko haram's edict that western education is a sin. by the girls and the university community that has taken them in. cars here are searched by hand. guards are on constant patrol. constant vigilance is the price that must be paid. the experience is never far from the girls' thoughts. whatever they learn they want to take home with them. >> my people need my support. and me going to school will make that change. >> reporter: do you want to go home eventually? >> yeah. >> reporter: it's very brave. >> yeah. >> reporter: do you feel brave? >> yeah i'm very brave and

determined. >> reporter: she really is. they all are. they're hoping a day will come when they won't have to be. cnn, yola, nigeria. >> incredible report there. for information on how you can help the many children of northern nigeria just like the girl we heard from there, head to our website, head to cnn.com/impact. we'll take a short break now. still to come here on "cnn newsroom," an exclusive look at the annual joint military drills between the u.s. and south korea.

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the united states and south korea are in the midst of their annual joint military exercises. every year the war games draw the wrath of north korea with pyongyang claiming the exercises are rehearsals for invasion. >> north korean leader kim jong-un has ordered his military to be ready for combat with but the u.s. and south korea dispute the claim. we got exclusive access to the drills. paula hancocks talks about this. annual drugs as defiant as the north korean rhetoric. how is it shaping up this year? >> reporter: we're really seeing this year what we see every year. we're seeing north korea becoming angry that these drills

are going ahead. they did call for them to be stopped in january which washington rejected because both seoul and washington say that they are defensive in nature. and what we have been hearing when we were there over the weekend was that it is important for these two countries to be working side by side to be training side by side so they can be prepared for any eventuality. firing at an unseen enemy, tanks move closer to the threat to defend their position. under tank cover, the infantry mobilized to take out targets on a nearby hill. american and south korean military fighting side by side. the battle may not be real but the threat is. around 20 miles or more than 30 kilometers north of this live

fire range is north korea. a country south korea is still technically at war with. these exercises happen every year and every year north korea gets angry. as far as pyongyang's concerned, this is a dress rehearsal for an invasion that some in washington have consistently said are routine and defensive in nature. these war games last two months. u.s. commanders say they run these through scenarios every single day. essential training to prepare for any eventuality. >> any chance we get to build readiness, we've got to capitalize on. we're doing that now. >> reporter: after the firing comes the debrief. soldiers from both countries encouraged to talk about what went wrong as well as right. >> i think at the end of the day both of us not only are improving our relationships, but we're getting better. and we're learning from each other in the process. >> reporter: preparing for a war they hope will never come, but

one they have to be ready for. the key word i heard from commanders was readiness. to make sure they were prepared for anything that their governments would ask them to do. errol? >> paula hancocks are insight there up close with the u.s. and south korean forces practicing those drills. thank you very much. people from all over the world, many of them very young, have fallen victim to recruitment by isis. australia has especially become a breeding ground for radicalization. we get one counterterrorism expert's thoughts on why. plus police in virginia are saying a student's account of an alleged rape at the university of virginia just doesn't add up. we'll explain all that after this. the road. it can bring out the worst in people. but the m-class scans for danger... ...corrects for lane drifting... ...and if necessary,

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you are watching "cnn newsroom." thank you very much for staying with us. i'm warn barn. >> i'm rosemary church. we are halfway through the first hour. so let's bring you up to date on the main stories we are following. some high-level u.s. officials say israel spied on the iran nuclear talks and used the information to lobby the american congress to sink the deal. that's according to the "wall street journal." the paper says israeli officials deny spying directly on u.s. negotiators, and they used other ways to get information. prime minister benjamin netanyahu has apologized to israel's arab minority for pre-election comments made last week. in a facebook post she'd "i know what i said a few days ago

damaged israel's arabs. i had no intention for that." netanyahu had warned his party could lose because arabs were he said, voting in droves. republican senator ted cruz is the first candidate in the u.s. to officially announce he's running for president. he told a large university crowd it was time to reignite the promise of america. cruz is a vocal critic of the obama administration. actress angeleno joely has written an op-ed sdriegdescribing her surgery to undergo a preventive double masstectomymastectomy. she said she carried a gene that sharply increased her risk of breast and ovarian cancer. her mother died of ovarian cancer in 2007 at the age of 5. angelina jolie is now 39. the families of 11 foreign medical students are pleading for their children to come home.

they are suspected of traveling to syria to work in isis-controlled hospitals. the families say the doctors and students went to turkey to help refugees but have since disappeared. >> a turkish lawmaker claims the students were brainwashed. the group includes seven britons, an american a canadian and two sudanese who were all studying in sudan. the families of three british teenagers believed to be with isis in syria. they are also desperate to bring their children home. the girls flew to istanbul last month before apparently making their way across the syrian border. >> england's itv joined the families as they traveled through turkey, retracing the girls' last steps. here's the report. >> reporter: they have never been to istanbul before. this journey has come to mean everything to the anguished families of the three missing girls. most were strangers before the

youngsters boarded a flight during half term week. now the families have come to turkey to what they saw, to understand and to explain. the families are here to walk in their loved ones' footsteps. to ask questions of the turkish and eventually perhaps of the girls, too. >> this is our next step basically. trying to get the message out that we followed them all the way out here. we want them to know that we love them. >> i don't recognize my sister you know. the video that we saw. this is just not her. i just want to understand how -- yet answers and get some help. >> reporter: the place they looked first is the coach station where on a snowy february day the girls waited for 18 hours for their bus to the border. by chance they find a man who

unknowingly let the girls in. they were smiling as they arrived, and smiling as they left, he said. >> about the situation -- >> reporter: the staff at the coach station are apologetic. their visitors overwhelmed. >> i don't know how to explain, but i don't know -- if i can explain my feeling. i feel like my girl is next to me when i find that's the last journey who saw them. i feel like it's my daughter flex to me. that's a feeling i have. >> reporter: they left through the same door that the girls did during their long wait. they accepted that despite the faults along the way, they too,

feel responsible. >> the families of course feel responsible for their children. it goes without saying. the fact it that these children were schoolkids. much of what took place clearly took place at school. and in the -- police in this scenario put a cap on information that they and the school were giving back to the parents. rip it is an explanation they've come to find and, of course, the girls, too. itv news istanbul. >> in his first interview, the father of an australian teen who joined isis says his son was troubled from a young age. >> jake bellardi reportedly carried out a suicide attack this month in iraq. the 18-year-old left home and traveled to syria to fight aas longside the terror group and sent a message to his father to say he was happy there. >> a blog that belonged to the

teen described a comfortable upbringing then detailed his path to radicalization. his father spoke to "60 minutes australia" sunday. >> he was a prize, a trophy that they paraded on line. they gloated about how they recruited this young boy who didn't even have a muslim background. they used him for their own cause. all i see is that they're murdering people and including my son. they murdered him. >> the father there was the teen that went from australia to fight for isis. it is estimated between 100 up her and 250 australians have gone to fight alongside militants in the middle east. counterterrorism expert clark jones joins us on the phone from

cam bra, australia. thank you very much for talking with us. of course the numbers are stunning and are stunning because australia has only what 24 million people or so. when you're considering so many going to fight for the militant groups there were troubling examples as well. what do you think it is about australia that makes it so easy for isis to recruit these fighters? >> i think we need to put in the numbers into context. australia is a country that has had maybe 90 to 100 people travel. i think some of the figures had been done by kings college, which the figures up to 100 to 250. i think that's overestimated. some recent government reports have it around 95 people. we've had some 30 return and had a number of australians killed

overseas. australia has done a lot to tighten legislation. i'm not sure that i can agree that it's an easy place. i think there's lots of problems in relation to relationship between the various muslim communities in australia and the australian community in itself. we've got a number of social issues with social harmony. >> australia is regarded as many as a pretty successful of multi-culturalism. it is puzzling why so many disgruntled citizens are trying to get to syria and rock to fight with isis. i say so many because it is a similar number two those leaving america when you consider the population in this country. the numbers are extraordinary. how to explain that? >> it's hard to know exactly -- there's many reasons why people are attracted to the islamic state. we've seen a range of -- if i

can use the word -- profiles or reason for people joining islamic state. in a sense we've got to separate those who have gone across for humanitarian reasons or those that feel unjust with the way muslims have been treated around the world if you want to look at potentially the western military intervepgz in iraq and afghanistan. and -- intervention in iraq and afghanistan. and there's people feeling unjust. we can't say that all those have gone across to fight the islamic state are radicalized. we need to be careful we don't throw everyone into the same basket. i think the issues --a people who have arrived in australia, you know that last number of years, those who are first and second generation australians feel they haven't been given a

fair go with australia, and it could be lack of employment or issues of racism as well if it is a multi-cultural society. i think we have a long way to go to make everyone feel welcome. >> clark jones many thanks to you for joining us from australia. we appreciate that. >> thank you. isis is expanding its reach to south asia. i want to show you some rare footage obtained exclusively by cnn showing isis recruiters signing up fighters in afghanistan. we'll bring you much more on this part of the story coming up in the next hour of "cnn newsroom." you can also watch the story on our website if you have to head to work or to your classes. we understand that. head to cnn.com/international. texas is in the middle of a license plate controversy that could impact the entire united states. the battle or whether states have the right to reject images

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[music throughout] ♪because i love you♪ [announcer] this is my business. i believe in it. i live it and breathe it. i put my heart and soul... ...blood,sweat and tears into it. i run on quickbooks. that's how i own it. utah is bringing backfiring squads as a backup method of execution. the governor signed the law tuesday. lethal injection means the

primary means of execution. if the drugs condition be obtained which has happened in a number of statesly a firing squad -- states recently a firing squad would be used instead. >> a spokesman said those opposed are primarily arguing against capital punishment in general. the last execution by firing squad was five years ago in utah. the texas specialty license plate program is in the hands of the u.s. supreme court over the depiction of a confederate flag. state officials say they have the right to reject images they find offensive because the plates are issued by the government. the competitor flag has -- confederate flag has a negative connotation for many especially in the american south. the justices so far are split. one says it doesn't represent government speech. another says allowing the flag plate could open the door to other controversial images like swastikas, they imagine. the decision is expected this summer. a retired u.s. football player who was once a star on

the field will now spend nine years behind bars for rape. darin sharper pleaded guilty monday to sexual assault in the state of arizona. and no contest to similar charges in los angeles. the nine-year prison term is part of a broader plea deal that resolves similar rape charge against him in las vegas and new orleans. sharper will also be on probation for life. now another sexual assault case, this one involving a university of virginia student identified as jack whoa told "rolling stone" magazine she was brutally gang raped at a fraternity house. >> police saying there is no evidence to back up her claims. rosa florez reports. >> reporter: uva's rugby road is quaint. lined with manicured trees and beautiful fraternity houses. in the original "rolling stone" article, a rape on campus, it's the scene of the alleged graphic rape of a woman who goes by the

alias "jackie. "according to the article, the freshman was allegedly raped by seven men during a frat party in 2012. while the magazine apologized and news outlets including cnn poked holes into the story, it's not until today that we learned from police that the alleged gruesome chain of events dope hold up under scrutiny. >> we're not able to conclude that any substantive degree that an incident that is consistent with what happened in the article refer to the fraternity house or any other fraternity house. >> reporter: police say that jackie did not cooperate with investigators, but they did talk to nine of the 11 members of the fraternity. they also pulled phone records and even uncovered a photograph of this fraternity house that's electronically date stamped on the date of the alleged attack. they say that nothing lined up.

perhaps more concerning -- jackie spoke to police about a separate incident before the article involving four men in a nonsexual attack which police say also is unfounded. dhurg investigation, police say she never provided them with details of the alleged sexual attack that she described to "rolling stone." so you didn't know the facts that were disclosed in that "rolling stone" magazine, the graphic details? >> absolutely not. >> reporter: otherwise, do you think you would have investigated? >> i think it would have been imperative to investigate. >> reporter: jackie contacted her friend alex stock after the alleged rape occurred. he says he's not surprised by police findings because the moment he read the "rolling stone" piece he knew something was off. >> immediately i knew there were several key faxcts that were off. then as more details came to light, you know through the media, we found that most of the

facts didn't add up. >> reporter: for uva student rape survivor advocate ashley brown, jackie's unfounded story is a setback for the cause. >> yes, it's a setback, but it doesn't hurt you see as a whole. we've had scores of people come forward and even more wanting to help. >> reporter: meaning what police say didn't happen on rugby road could still make everyone at uva a little safer. rosa florez cnn, charlottesville, virginia. still to come on "cnn newsroom," marijuana is legal in some u.s. states. you might be getting a lot more than you're paying for from your next high. details on that coming up. i've just arrived in atlanta and i can't wait to start telling people how switching to geico could save them hundreds of dollars on car insurance. but first, my luggage. ahh, there it is. uh, excuse me sir? i think you've got the wrong bag. >>sorry, they all look alike, you know? no worries.

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pretty good. come to transunion.com and get in the know. a great look at chicago. it is spring in the northern hemisphere. snow is still causing problems in parts of the u.s. some parts of chicago saw up to six inches or 15 centimeters of snow on monday. seeing what it was like to drive around in all that. that made for slippery roads and a slow commute. nearly 750 flights were canceled at chicago's airports as well. >> not fun at all. it is time for severe weather here in the united states. so far it has been one of the quieter starts ever to tornado season in the country.

meteorologist pedram javaheri with more. >> a lot of the cold air inhibiting severe storms. that is good news because year to date we should have about 150 trps across the united states. only 28. you see the states about eight to seven or so across the southeast. generally quiet over much of the central portion of the united states. actually more tornado reports in washington state and california. things will change dramatically in the coming months. we should have 80 twisters in march, and it picks up in intensity, the number at zero which sun precedented for the month of march. never have we gone this late since record began in 1970 without a single report. we have possibilities in the works. warm, moist air in the south interacting with cool, dry area. the area of concern tuesday, springfield, joplin portions of arkansas. intoed with we enhance the

possibility there over much of the state of oklahoma. certainly can't rule out a few isolated tornadoes. this is something that you should begin to in intensity. again as rosemary was asking why does this happen you look at the disparity in the air temperatures. colder across the eastern united states. literally the past two winters. the western united states has been mild. historically warm from seattle to portland. phoenix toward los angeles have all seen one of the warmest winters on record. record temperatures on the order of 15,000 record highs set across the western u.s. 10,000 record lows across the eastern united states. and guys, i'll leave you with images. kind of shows you the dire situation across california. the more important thing is the water needs out there. when the ski resorts are shutting down this is what you have to work with. a scary scene. >> a snowboarder there. >> amazing to see. thanks. new research shows the potency levels of marijuana has tripled in the last 30 years.

a handful of labs tested around 600 strains of marijuana for its levels of thc in marijuana sold in colorado which legalized the drug last year. >> apparently this is not your father's weed. the thc levels, the compound that makes the brain producer feeling of being high were between 20% and 30%. in the '80s, the thc levels were around 10% or less. the samples also contain contaminants including bacteria fungi, and heavy metals. you are watching "cnn newsroom." i'm rosemary church. >> i'm errol barnett. please stay with us. we'll be back for another hour of the world's biggest stories. it's more than a network and the cloud. it's reliable uptime. and multi-layered security. it's how you stay connected to each other and to your customers. with centurylink you get advanced technology solutions, including an industry leading broadband network, and cloud and hosting services - all with dedicated responsive support.

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spying and more. reports of israeli espionage and what it's said they did with information infuriating the white house. isis in action. exclusive footage of the milltants making their pitch far from the syrian battlefield. and going public. another cancer scare leads angelina jolie to remove her ovaries. welcome to viewers in the u.s. and around the world. i'm barperrol barnett. >> i'm rosemary church. this is "cnn newsroom." we