saying, look. i went long apple shares of $30 and you should have gotten it! >> the baby has nothing on brother, right? >> i love how they each have one sock on but on the alternate foot. they are twins. >> speaking intelligently, though. >> that is going to do it for us. walker coming back tomorrow? >> yeah. great to be here. >> ali is back tomorrow. "cnn newsroom" with carol costello starts right now. >> thanks for sending me off with that. that was awesome. it is 9:00 a.m. on the east coast and 6:00 a.m. on the wes. officials don't know how the radiation is seeping into the see out of the daiichi plant and how to stop it. turns out jobless claims plummeted last week. get ready to seat meven megamillionaires. eighth member of their lottery

group did not buy in! it happened to be the night of the 300 million dollar jackpot! libya, we have seen the air strikes aftermath of the firefights but the real intrigue be in what we are not seeing. a u.s. intelligence source tells cnn that cia operatives are secretly moving about libya and dealing with the rebels. we have learned that cia officers played a role in last week's crash of a u.s. fighter jet. they actually helped rescue one of the downed u.s. airmen. cnn's nic robertson is in tripoli. what can you tell us about the cia operatives on the ground? i don't think anyone is surprised by this but what exactly are they doing? at least as far as you can tell. >> reporter: we understand that they are gathering political and military intelligence and as we can already learned, they, obviously, have been involved in work with the coalition and helping downed u.s. airmen.

clearly, they are at least in direct communication with the coalition forces as they are making these air strikes and one would expect them to be trying to provide information that can assist in those strikes as well. but perhaps their biggest asset at the moment is providing insights into exactly who constitutes the rebels, what weapons do thee need the most and can they get a military victory, if they can't, what would be the problems that would follow on frmom that. specifically what they are doing, of course, with the cia one rarely gets routine updates and by chance you bump into them in the field, we are certainly not aware we're meeting any here at the moment, carol. >> i say probably not many americans are surprised by this. how else do you get information? somebody on the ground has to get the information. the other part of the libya

story the defection of the foreign minister. tell us how significant that is. >> reporter: i think one of the ways to judge how significant it is at the moment, nobody in the government here has given us an official response to this. last night, they were really scrambling, denying that it was happening. the deputy foreign minister was telling us the foreign minister was there on an assignment for the government and he would be back very soon. in fact, back within a few hours. they were completely caught off guard and at a loss. we still haven't heard a response from the government. this foreign minister isn't just -- isn't just sort of a diplomat. he was head of intelligence through the '90s, until 2009. he ran covert operations for the government. before that a wanted terrorist figure in europe and before he became the head of intelligence and negotiated many deals for the government here. he will be a big loss and the

question here will be who else is going to follow him, carol? >> thanks very much, nic robertson in tripoli. in the meantime, rebels losing ground in cities. gadhafi forces halted their march toward the capital and forced them to retreat. cnn's ben wedeman joins us by phone from eastern libya. i was watching inside the arena last night. a reporter from the new yorker was saying maybe less than a thousand remotely trained rebels fighting against gadhafi forces. that doesn't sound so good. >> reporter: carol, it's really hard to put a number to the rebel forces and certainly in terms of those who are minimally trained. i'm on the front now. they have lost more ground. the libyan army now controls the town of brega where there is important oil refinery. last week rebel advances become

simply a rebel retreat. they seem to be holding their ground today, but, by and large, the problem has been all along, carol, that they don't have a real command and control structure. most of the people don't have adequate training and those who do, don't seem to have a lot of weight with young men who have taken up weapons to fight against moammar gadhafi's real estate jet stream. >> ben wedeman reporting live from eastern libya this morning. today marks a new milestone in libya. nato is in sole command of the skies. "operation unified protecter" into three objectives. military alliance in force of arms embargo and no-fly zone. libya the topic on capitol hill. rob gates will testify before the house armed services committee and joined by add miles an hour mike mullen.

yesterday they gave a briefing. behind closed doors they assured lawmakers no decision has been made on possibly arming the rebels. a breakthrough. congressional negotiators agreed on cutting $73 billion from this year's budget but the devil is in the details. vice president joe biden announced the bipartisan agreement on the figure after meeting with senate democratic leaders but no agreement on what will be cut and clock is ticking down. if there is no extension the government runs out of money on april 8th and it shuts down. ohio state lawmakers passed a bill limiting collective bargaining rights. the bill prevents public employees from striking and allow state workers to refuse to pay union dues. the governor john kasich says it will save money for the local government. the bill could be signed into law this week.

opponents plan a referendum drive to try to repeal it. in japan, officials come up with estimated cost of the quake and tsunami. the price tag? more than $300 billion. authorities are working on a supplemental budget to inject money immediately into the hardest hit areas. the ocean waters near the damaged nuclear plant are recording highest levels of radiation yet. more than 4,000 times above normal limits. authorities don't know where the radioactive water is coming foreign policy the company that owns the plant demissioned four of six reactors. the company announced plans to spray a water and synthetic resin mix around the plant to stop the spread of radioactive materials. epa stepping up its radiation monitoring here in the united states. the move comes after very low levels of radiation were found in milk in two states, california and washington.

cnn's senior medical correspondent elizabeth cohen is here. i know you're going to say trace amounts, small amounts, but this is disturbing. >> it is disturbing. i think even if you know that these are tiny amounts you're going to feel like, yikes! this is milk. i drink this with my cereal and what do i do is in the answer is public health officials say it is fine and that the reason for that is that it's the levels of radioactive iodine in the milk in the united states are 5,000 times lower than safety limits set by the food and drug administration. when you hear that number, i hope it makes people feel better. >> i hope so. why do we concentrate so much on milk? >> because radioactivity gets into milk. if you take a look at this. you'll see. we have an illustration of how that happens. radioactive material lands on grass so it went across the ocean, across the country. lands on grass. cows eat that grass and so it gets into the milk. now, so that is the bad news. the good news is it gets out of

the milk very quickly so it's in there for a short period of time. we don't expect to see radioactivity landsing in this country forever, obviously, this is just for this episode to it won't be in the milk forever. >> we know tiny bits of radioactivity were found in the air as far away as massachusetts from japan. could this affect milk in other parts of the country, too? >> right now they have only found radioactivity on the west coast but yes, you could find it as far as the east coast because you have radioactivity being found as far as the east coast but again the numbers would be teeny tiny. >> elizabeth cohen, thanks. reports the cia is in libya. next, we will ask a retired cia officer what kind of work they might be doing. and what lessons the agency learned from the iraq war when we come back. one of libya's most brutal military brigades but would you believe days before the fighting, gadhafi's son was here in the united states on a

month-long tour and cut short for civil war. why that fact is compelling the u.s. state department for an explanation. that's just ahead. he'd yet to hear of mutual funds, iras, or annuities. back then, he had something more important to do. he wasn't focused on his future but fortunately, somebody else was. at usaa we provide retirement solutions for our military, veterans and their families. from investments... to life insurance... to health care options. learn more with our free usaa retirement guide. call 877-242-usaa.

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this bit of news just in to cnn. you can see how unrest in the middle east is spreading because of these protesters. in kuwait, the entire cabinet has resigned. that is according to the state-run kuwaiti news information. we will pass along more information as we get it. a source telling cnn

operatives from the cia are in libya to decide if the united states should give the rebels weapons. a similar cia officer who did similar operations in iraq is talking about hundreds of saddam hussein military officers and they had no love for their leader but they refused to assist the united states and emerged after the invasion and never psychologically defeated to lead resistance against our occupation. charles is with us now. welcome. >> good morning, carol. >> so what does the cia need to do in libya to make sure something like what happened in iraq doesn't happen in libya? >> well, first thing, obviously, is they have got to gather information and figure out exactly who the opposition is. but key lesson, i think, from iraq is that we have to convince the folks that are supporting gadhafi that they have to make a choice. they have to either side with us

or they have to face ruin with him. >> when you say "us," what do you mean? >> well, with the united states, with any of the forces that are in opposition. i mean, what we need is a unified message that says this only ends one way and that is with gadhafi gone and then the individuals close to him would be force to do make that choice between riding this down with him or handing him over to us and bringing it to a conclusion. >> i don't think many people are surprised the cia operatives are on the ground in libya. so i kind of want to get into what exactly, how exactly they may accomplish what you just said. so if you're a cia operative in libya, what are you saying? where are you staying to make these things possible? >> well, the first thing you've got to have if you go into an environment like this is you got to have individuals who are, obviously, going to give you safe haven.

you're not simply going to be running around in the desert. so that means you're going to be lashed up with various different opposition groups on the ground and that is probably a very, very murky situation right now, because there probably is no unified opposition, not one single group to attach yourself to. >> something interest is just come out, you remember when that f-15 e-fighter plane, a weapons specialist was the other man in the plane, both u.s. troops, it went down and we made a big deal of the rebels rescuing this weapons officer, but it turns out the cia was sort of involved with these rebels that rescued this man. what are we to make of that? >> well, that would be one of the jobs of individuals on the ground in this situation. when i was on the ground in iraq, well in advance of the last war, our team that was certainly one of our missions to be prepared to get down flyers out, so you would have the

contact necessary to do that and bring in the air transport to get them out of the area. >> so those cia operatives on the ground were on the ready in case something like this happened? >> absolutely. that's on your long laundry list of tasks, that certainly is at the top of the list. we used to basically drop everything if we had any indication there was an american missing. gout to get those folks out and two safety. >> charles thaddaeus, thanks for joining us. appreciate it. >> thank you. parts of the southeast battered by a series of severe storms. roofs torn away in a mobile home park in central florida. show you the damage ahead. ugly threats hurled at a beauty queen simply because of her religion. a live interview with her next. ♪

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looking stories making news later today. at the top the hour the national urban league releases annual state of black america report at howard yoompt. early outlook shows blacks faring slightly worse than whites than last year. tea party and potential presidential candidate michelle bachm bachmann rally at noon at the u.s. capitol. and opening day for the major league baseball season today. the start of baseball season but, boy, the weather is nasty in parts of the country!

reynolds! what is up with that? >> absolutely. we have a stationary front draping across parts of the southeast and rough weather and hasn't been just today but the past several days. we have the video to prove it. let's go right to it. had a little bit of wind damage at the same time. also had hail damage across parts of central florida. it has been a big mess for a lot of people. they haven't had the opportunity to get out and clean up just yet. reason why is because we have another line of intense storms going through. you see the airport there where the planes turned over by strong straight line winds and potential for not only that but a possible few tornadoes as they make their way through the morning hours. we have a tornado watch in effect for parts of central florida. take a look at the map here. you see the area and just surrounded by that red. square shape. well, that rectangle will show you where the best possibility for the storms and we have had a couple of sitings in terms of tornadoes. we do have a tornado warning in effect to the west of -- southwest of orlando not far

from the i-4 corridor. no visual confirmation. it is doppler indicated. this place is known to have more lightning strikes than any other place in north america but, today is not the lightning. it is the potential for tornadoes cause a big concern. for parts of the northeast, it seems as though winter will never let go. a combination of rain, sleet, and snow. heavy snowfall towards syracuse and buffalo light snowfall and parts of 81 see combination of the rain, sleet and snow. a messy day in some places. the other is spring storms in a loud and rude way to wake up. >> a rude way to welcome in the baseball season. >> absolutely. >> i want to talk to you about the megamillion winners. seven of them will come forward in about 90 minutes. we will get to meet them for the first time. the interesting twist about this is the eight new york state worker that did not buy into the lottery. >> unbelievable. >> as they usually did.

and he'll get nothing. >> you think he is having a few -- do you think this person is questioning himself? i think it would be tough to get over that one. >> what would i do in that situation? let's say you have a great friend at work and they donated to your lotly pool every week and one week they didn't and you win. would you feel obligated to give them a tiny sliver of the winnings? >> maybe so. even more what would you think if you happened to be one of the winners? how would that change your life? honestly how would you react? some people say i'll give to charity and do this. for me, to be honest, i would probably set my hair on fire and rip off all of my clothes and do cartwheels and stand on the freeway. when it happens no going back. it changes everything forever. >> have you ever watched the e news special about lottery winners? always turns out badly. >> always true. always interesting. >> when they come out, we're going to take it live and everyone will get to meet these seven winners. >> it's going to be weird. >> it will be fun. thanks, reynolds.

the first muslim miss usa is enjoying the last few months of her reign. all of the criticism she faced now a distant memory but another beauty queen has waded into a similar situation and things have gotten ugly. shawna hopes to become the first muslim to represent great britain at the miss universe pageant and she joins us from manchester, england. thank you so much for joining us. >> thank you for having me here. >> what kind of pushback have you gotten as a muslim modeling and competing in beauty pageants? >> i've had a lot of support from all communities and i have had some hate mail from communities as well. i think a majority of people are using my religion as a excuse to attack me. >> has it gotten much worse than

nasty e-mails? i've heard you've even had death threats. >> nothing as direct. indirectly threats have been made where video links have been posted by e-mails and suggesting things could possibly happen. however, one may seem to see it as a threat because it is upsetting to receive links of certain things that could possibly endanger someone's life. >> absolutely. some people have asked why not participate as a british citizen and not bring your religion into it. was it you who made islam an issue or was it the media? >> i believe the media made my religion and where i come from an issue and a highlight. my intentions were not to bring my religion into this. i'm proud of where i do come back from and my heritage and my origins. however, it's not something i thought i would be getting

attacked on. >> one of your -- one of the big issues, i guess, is the swimsuit competition and some people are saying that you shouldn't wear a biki bikini. i guess i have to ask you, are you going to do it? >> there is a swim round and a lot of people out there seem to be thinking i should be wearing a bikini and exposing many revealing part of my body. i would like to voice out to those people who think i'm wearing a bikini. i will not be wearing a bikini. i will be wearing a one-piece swimsuit and a throng. it's not exposure. i don't feel it is because i won't be fully revealed. however, a lot of people are being very critical and think beauty pageant, a lot more work entailed, there is charity work, and help the children, there's a

lot of other work to do with this pageant. >> we wish you luck and thank you for joining us this morning. >> thank you for having me. >> thank you. would you believe days before the fighting in libya, gadhafi's son was here in the united states? he was a student of spiritual of deepak chopra. more details after the break.

just about half past the

hour. checking top tore jis now. right now funeral services under way for geraldine ferraro. the former vice president nominee. hillary clinton will represent the white house. in japan radiation levels are climbing higher and higher in the ocean water near the damaged nuclear plant. they are now at more than 4,000 times the norm. just minutes ago, we learned that kuwait's government has resigned. the protests demanding social and economic reforms flared up there about a month ago. dozens of people have been wounded in that violence. cnn has learned that the cia now has operatives on the ground in libya. an intelligence source tells cnn they are secretly gathering military and political insights and gathering intelligence and even help rescue a downed u.s. airman last week. it comes as the white house is considering the possibility of arming the rebel forces against moammar gadhafi. not the usual itinerary for

your average college student. the youngest son of libya's longtime ruler isn't your everyday college intern. cnn's brian todd has the story. >> reporter: he is the man in the black beret greeting supporters in libya and disproving rumors he was killed in an allied air strike. the youngest son of moammar gadhafi commands the notorious 30-second brigavertebrbrigade k brutality. >> it is one of the most active in terms of attacking innocent people. >> reporter: another title he has held. intern. in the u.s. for a month he interned with an american engineering and construction firm the l.a. based company had deep business dealings in libya until the uprising began. as an intern he wasn't getting people's coffee or running to the prirnted every ten minutes. he was jetting all over the u.s. meeting with high tech companies, universities, but also with defense contract olike

northr northrop and he went to the places weeks and days before leading atax tacks on the libya opposition. he flew back to libya oversee the 32nd brigade. contacted by cnn the port of houston issued a statement saying he toured several port facilities and received briefings on trade relations and acknowledged it was part of the port's respective future deals with libya. northrop drummond won't comment on his dealings there. he went to the national war college. a spokesman there says tack tickets were not discussed. defense contractor lockheed martin won't confirm or deny media reports he went there. he went to the new york stock exchange and got what the exchange calls a basic tour the day he scrambled back to libya. >> regardless of the hostile its

that would break out later is it all right for a u.s.-based company to give an internship to something like gadhafi's son? >> it's a process of engagement. if it's towards moving that country out of being in a close society and reforming and giving them access can move in that direction but, you know, it's qualified. there are a couple of things are common sense. you don't want to compromise national security. you don't want to give away information and you don't want to give somebody something for nothing. >> reporter: contacted by cnn akon didn't want to put someone on camera with us and issued a statement saying it is to improve the quality of life in libya that they never paid him and never knew about his military connection and when they found out about gadhafi's son's role in the war, quote, we were shocked and outraged. brian todd, cnn, washington. tune in tonight for "the new york times" journalist who were captured and released by the gadhafi regime.

that on anderson cooper 360 this evening at 10:00 p.m. the seven big winners of megamillions jackpot will make their very first public appearance in just about an hour from now. we will bring you all of the excitement live from schenectady, new york.

in about an hour from now the seven winners of $319 megamillions jackpot will reveal their identity at a news conference in schenectady, new york. they are reportedly i.t. specialists at new york state's division of housing and community renewal. cnn's alison kosik is live in schenectady anxiously awaiting them for them to reveal their identity. how is it going? >> you can definitely feel the excitement here at the new york state lottery headquarters here. you know what? you've been called on the lucky seven. these seven as you said work for new york state. they have been pooling their money for lotto tickets jers now and go for big jopts. i think this time around it definitely met the criteria. here is how the winning ticket was purchased. 63-year-old in this seven they range from 29 to 63. he says that this is how he bought the ticket. he went to a convenience store in albany, was stepping up to

the counter. he was next in line. was ready to give his -- ready to give his money over. and he reached down to get a snickers bar and someone actually cut him in line. he decided to let it go. he let it slide. he went up and bought the ticket. he won, of course, the winning ticket. it makes you wonder who is that guy that cut in front of him and maybe if he didn't do that, that would be the winner. makes you think twice before you cut in line. >> absolutely. >> the other interesting thing about this is the one person, the one employee that didn't buy into the lottery pool that day. does not get to share in the winning! >> exactly. they had an office pool going for years. usually eight people. this eighth person decided not to put his money in because he wasn't feeling lucky that day. oh, my goodness! by the way, they each put in $2! so we're talking about 14 different sets of numbers. 14 tickets. and they beat the odds. the odds by the way, were 1 in

176. they beat the odds. >> i feel so sad for that unlucky person who thought it wasn't his lucky day but it really was. >> maybe they will give him some money. >> i hope so. in the next hour we will talk to an ethics expert about sharing the winnings from a lottery hall. heavy storms in parts of louisiana. strong winds in plaquemines parish. it brought damaging held and heavy flooding. a real live fish tale. this sharp jumped into the boat of a trio of fishermen near shreveport, texas. the shark thrashed in the boat for hours and crowds are lining up to get a peek! ♪

>> we had to get the ending in there. you kind of heard him, didn't you? the santa monica high school guy wants this girl to be his prom date. it is garnering hundreds of thousands of hits on twitter. no word on how the prom date went. republicans and democrats agreed how much to cut from the budget but where to cut is a different matter. the shutdown countdown clock it ticking. our political update is coming your way next.

your next political update in n

negotiators on capitol hill have a number for the budget cuts. now they just have to figure out where to wield the ax. mark preston is here with that. they have greed to, what? like exactly what is the amount they have agreed to cut and i know they haven't agreed what to cut. confusing. >> reporter: it is. what we heard from vice president biden last night they have reached a number and that number is $73 billion. let's take a step back.

we are already six months into the 2011 fiscal year. republicans and democrats haven't been able to reach any kind of agreement on this budget so we're six months into the year, next week if no grooet reached and no able to figure out what programs to cut. there is the chance that the federal government could shut down. we heard from vice president biden last night that, in fact, the number $73 billion is pretty much agreed to. it's probably going to move a little bit but as things go in washington and as vice president biden said last night, there is no deal until there is a total deal, carol. so we will see how those negotiations go. over the coming days, certainly. >> should be fascinating. former secretary of defense donald rumsfeld is everywhere. >> he was elected to the house of representatives four times.

he served in the nixon administration. he was also the chief of staff to jerry ford. on john king last night john asked him about the current field. probably to try to elicit if he was going to support anybody. mr. rumsfeld did not offer up any ideas who he would support in the race. in fact, he said there is no logical candidate and he said that we should give the candidates a chance to run around the track. but in addition to that, what i found very interesting out of that interview last night is that donald rumsfeld is considered to be an establishment figure and, yet, last night, he said that he is a big supporter of the tea party. in fact, he went on to say that he thinks it's healthy to have the tea party. he said think if you believe in democracy having more people engaged and interested is a healthy thing. there you go. the accomplishments of the tea party coming together there. >> mark preston, many things. your next political update in an hour. and a reminder. always get all of the political news 24/7 at cnn/politics.com.

chris brown his past doesn't seem to be hurting his career. his new album debuted at number one. but brown wonders why think charlie sheen's behavior is funny and cool and while his is not. we will talk about that with roland martin next. we make meeting times, lunch times and conference times. but what we'd rather be making are tee times. tee times are the official start of what we love to do. the time for shots we'd rather forget,

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we want to take you inside libya and one of the towns that has seen the most ferocious fighting. frederik pleitgen was one of the first midwestern journalist to get into misrata. >> reporter: weeks have taken a toll. badly damaged buildings and streets littered with wreckage. libya's third largest city, the stronghold in the west is under siege by pro-gadhafi forces. we are close to the front line and with a couple of the fighters. there is a lot of destruction in downtown misrata. most of the buildings have damage to them. pockmarks and destroyed cars in the streets as well and we can see the people we're with the fighters we're with are very tense at this moment.

the celebration on a destroyed armored vehicle a step too far for pro-gadhafi forces nearby. the scene turns ugly. >> fire, fire, fire! >> as you see, pro-gadhafi forces. buildings, gas stations, schools, even fire station, they destroyed it. >> reporter: most residents have fled downtown misrata as pro-gadhafi forces positioned snipers on tall buildings and using tanks in the stis' center. the anti-gadhafi fighters badly outgunned fight back with the few weapons they have. they provided us with this video saying it shows a man disabling a battle tank with a rocket propelled grenade.

civilians still here are suffering. 12-year-old mohammed and his 15-year-old brother were wounded when mortars hit their parents' home. mohammed lost several fingers on his left hand and his whole right hand. the emergency room in a tent in front of the building. >> all the doctors and staff are here. >> reporter: they don't leave any time soon as opposition fighters struggle to hold on to this besieged town and forces loyal to moammar gadhafi

continue to pound what not long ago was one of libya's most prop prus places. cnn, misrata, libya. let's check in first with elizabeth cohen. >> good morning. radiation found in milk in the united states. what you need to know at the top of the hour. we have a tornado watch in effect for parts of central florida until 1:00 eastern time. strong storms, possible tornados, large hail and maybe flad flooding in the forecast. a sneak peek at opening day baseball. >> thanks to all of you. ahead, seven winners of the six largest lottery jackpot come forward in the next hour. a news conference scheduled in new york. we'll bring that live. >> chris brown has the number one album. he got a long loud ovation at

"dancing in the stars." friends have forgiven him for his beating up of girlfriend rihanna and meltdown on "the today show." she relaxed orders saying, he has to be 100 feet away from me. that definitely made it difficult for him. i asked roland martin to compare chris brown to another big star with big drama. charlie sheen. >> actually charlie sheen never had redemption. their cases were around the same time. i remember when chris brown was going through his case. i was even saying, wait a minute, there is a disconnect between how chris brown is being treated and charlie sheen. charlie sheen was accused of holding a switchblade to the throat of his wife, threatening to kill her, threatening to hire somebody to take her out. he was charged with three counts, one a felony count. it was pleaded down to a third degree misdemeanor assault,

sentenced to 30 days in jail but he got to go to a malibu rehabilitation center, re-sign a new contract, never lost a job, lost nothing. then after that, we have the recent drama where he goes nuts in a hotel room, a woman who is naked in a closet, she is scared out of her mind. it's interesting how chris brown has been attacked for a longer period of time, rightfully so, frankly. i think the difference in the chris brown case, we had a to theo of rihanna. we saw what her face looked like. >> we saw the face of domestic violence looked like. perhaps that's why america stayed mad longer at chris brown than charlie sheen. is it more than that? >> precisely. first of all, if you read, go to cnn.com, our story from the police detective said, "i wish the judge could have seen what mrs. sheen looked like on that christmas day." she was appalled. this officer, valerie mcfarland

was appalled at the sentencing. there is no doubt in my mind the difference between these two cases is we saw the photo of rihanna and people said, oh, my god, look what he did to her. we never saw it with charlie sheen. you compare these two, sheen has been absolutely out of his mind. the only recent incident, frankly, with chris brown was the interview on "good morning america" where he got ticked off, he smashed something, tore his shirt, but he handled the aftermath of his case far better than what charlie sheen is doing. he's been out of control. >> interesting. those pictures of rihanna from 2009, we want to thank tmz for making those available. he's 18 years old and getting invitations to the prom. so what? he is the hottest rookie in the nhl. watch what jeff skinner did last night next. there i am.

hockey found itself a teen idol. jeff richelle is here. >> they are. he's like the justin bieber of the nhl. the ladies love him. he is 18 years old, jeff skinner, right? the girls that show up for the carolina games are wearing the jeff skinner jerseys. he is the youngest player to be in an nhl all-star game. skinner with the puck and the

score. he is so popular, nhl superstar patrick sharp said earlier this year, jeff skinner, i've got to meet him. he wasn't done. two goals last night. hurricanes would win. one girl held up a sign asking him to prom. >> that was thoughtful. he's 18. >> they love him. they do. >> he's cute. >> there you go. nba last night, heat taking on the wizards. this is not so cute. apparently still heat angry about losing to the lowly calfs the night before. i'll gaus ilgauskus with the elbow. nba player dominique wilkins was attacked after last night's hawks game. the guy is a former nba ref.

he claims wilkins bought him money for suits he bought. the man has been arrested and charged with battery. >> final four on saturday. butler playing in one game. the biggest bulldog fan may be 100-year-old dorothy robb, the plain field, indiana, resident, a 1933 butler graduate. she's seen lots of games over the decades. she says this team is different. they play consistently. she is a huge fan of young coach brad stevens. she likes the fact he keeps his cool, and boy does he. boy, does that team take after him. butler bulldogs for the second straight year in the final four. everybody's cinderella this year perhaps can pull off one more win for the national championship. they are taking on another cinderella saturday, vcu, the first of two great final four matchups. fans perhaps seeing a cinderella this year. >> today, opening day for baseball. fans are excited. it's 162-game season, but nothing like day one. >> you're right. 1:00 eastern, detroit tigers versus the new york yankees.

love it. thank you, jeff. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com i'm carol costello. new video from libya puts you on the frontline and rebels and loyalists battle for the town of brega. jobless claims plummeted last week, down 6,000 to 388,000. get ready to meet seven mega millionaires. the eighth member of their lottery group did not buy in. then the other seven won the $310 million jackpot. but we begin with several new developments in libya. today nato is in sole command of the skies. military alliance will enforce the no-fly zone and protect civilians. in the meantime, rebels are retreating and have surrendered several cities. gadhafi's better-armed and

better-trained troops halted their march toward the capital. cia operatives are on the ground in libya gathering intelligence and helped rescue a downed usairman last week. it comes as the white house is considering the possibility arming the rebel forces against moammar gadhafi. want to take you inside libya and one of the towns that has seen the most ferocious fighting. cnn fred piken was one of the first to get in and see the fighting. >> reporter: we are on a boat. we just got out of the town itself. we made our way onto misrata. that is the libya coastline there. that's the town of misrata right now. we are hearing there are

military strikes that could come from nato. as you said, the situation is very, very grim on the ground there in misrata. we visited the frontline with anti-gadhafi forces there they are badly outgunned in that area. forces have tanks inside the city, shelling areas around the city. it's a very grim situation. i was able to visit a hospital in misrata, one of the few still functioning. i can tell you, it's absolutely overcrowded. they are treating patients there in the hallway. some of the patients have to be treated out in the parking lot. the emergency room is inside a tent. there is dire need for anything. the ship we are on has some medical aid for there. >> fred pleitgen off a boat in eastern libya. many thanks to you. let's see how the world is reacting to news a top gadhafi insider fled libya.

zain verjee is in london. >> reporter: good morning, carol. we are talking about moussa kusa. let me show you the papers. what "the daily telegraph" is saying, the libyan foreign minister deflects to britain. it holds out hope the regime might still crack from the inside relieving the pressure for further military measures. moussa koussa defects to u.k. koussa's defection will be seen as a vindication of coalition efforts to intimidate key members of the regime. they are saying daily air strikes, sanctions and the psychological pressure they've been applying on moammar gadhafi they say are working. many hope there will be more

defections that will isolate moammar gadhafi further. there is one british official we spoke to that said this is a really significant defection, but it is not the fatal blow. what would be the fatal blow be, i said? many said it would be one of his family, one of the members, maybe even his sons. a senior person in his tribe. someone also who is very senior in the military or security apparatus. >> you wrote an interesting article on cnn.com about what might happen to gadhafi, whether he goes into exile, is prosecuted. what is most likely to happen? >> reporter: well, moammar gadhafi himself has said he wants to be a martyr. he wants to die in libya. in case he changes his mind, there is another option that a lot of the people in the coalition are beginning to discuss. that is to make a deal to send him into exile and give him immunity from prosecution. there are legal and political hurdles to this. one, because the international criminal court is now

investigating crimes against humanity. the chief prosecutor is pursuing an indictment. if an indictment for crimes against humanity happens, that means all member states that have signed up to the international criminal court are obliged to turn moammar gadhafi over. there are hints he could get immunity from prosecution and the important thing to notice that if he does and there is an indictment that, would go against every international legal law that has been established. one point is that there is a window of time right now because an investigation is going on and an indictment hasn't happened. there is a little bit of political maneuvering that can happen. the deal can be made with moammar gadhafi, but the window is closing. >> zain verjee live in london, thank you. this hour defense secretary robert gates is testifying before the house armed services committee. listen to way said moments ago.

>> speak with some confidence that the president has no additional military moves in mind beyond what he has already authorized. which is the support of the no-fly zone and the humanitarian mission. i think that what the opposition needs as much as anything right now is some training, some command and control and some organization. it's a pretty much a pick-up ballgame at this point. as i got a question yesterday in one of the briefings, the truth is in terms of providing that training, in terms of providing assistance to them, frankly, there are many countries that can do that. that's not a unique capability for the united states. as far as i'm concerned, somebody else should do that. >> today, nato is officially launching operation unified

protector. the military alliances in charge of enforcing an arms embargo and no-fly zone and empowered to protect civilians and civilian centers. let's go to capitol hill and senior correspondent dana bash. we heard from mr. gates. admiral mullen is getting bombarded with questions what did you hear? >> reporter: it just started an hour ago. so far there are two overarcing themes. issues that they are precious these witnesses on. number one is sort along the lines of what you heard from secretary gates, which is how long is this mission going to last? incorporated in that are questions about cost and timing. basically, what admiral gates and -- excuse me, admiral mullen and secretary gates are responding to say that is unanswerable. we can't tell you how long this is going to last. they do say this is something that will remain limited when it comes to the u.s. military role. the other very strong point

these members of congress and both parties are pushing is congressional authority. the fact that the president did not come to congress for congressional authority or even consultation from the perspective of many of these members of congress before he decided to launch this military action. a lot of frustration you're hearing again. democrats and republicans. secretary gates had a very interesting answer to one of the questions. he said, look, i worked for eight presidents. he said, i've seen presidents and how they deal with congress in consultations. from my perspective, this has been pretty good in terms of keeping congress up to date. it's not really going over convincing many members of congress. >> evidently not. dana bash live at the white house. many thanks. we are going to talk more about arming libyan rebels with someone who already tried it. former cia officer robert bear joins us in a few minutes. just after 11:00 p.m. in japan, authorities are trying to find the source of leaking

radioactive water. the ocean near the damaged nuclear plant is recording the highest devils of radiation yet, more than 4,000 times above normal. also the company that owns the plant has decommissioned four of its six reactors. the company also announced plans to spray a water and synthetic resin mix around the plant to stop the spread of radioactive materials. back here in the united states very low levels of radiation turned up in milk in california and washington state. the epa is stepping up radiation monitoring. today is opening day for major league baseball. we'll see what the forecast it looking like just ahead if a picture is worth a thousand words this guy has plenty to say. a massive shark caught not with a hook, line and sinker, but a boat. ♪

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[ male announcer ] icy hot no-mess applicator. wherever you hurt, it massages in icy to dull pain, hot to relax it away. no pain. no mess. libyan rebels and forces loyal to leader moammar gadhafi. there's another group of players on the ground there they are with the cia, the american cia, of course. joining me to talk about what they might be doing in libya, former cia officer robert bear. thanks for joining us, robert. >> thank you. >> so the fact that this information is out there, because it was first reported on ap and came from unnamed government sources.

should we be concerned this information is out there? >> absolutely. these things are supposed to be covert. the fact it happens in the press so fast is very unfortunate. these people are supposed to be there undercover, secretly. no one is supposed to know it and this puts their lives in danger. >> they probably know by now that the information is out there. what do you do as a cia operative once you know that, you know, the secret's out? >> you take precaution. you never stay in the same house more than a week. you move around, you drive in armored cars. you carry weapons. it's a very dicey situation. >> as far as we know, the operatives are there to gather information on the ground. is it necessary to have people on the ground? is that the only way we can get

good information about who these rebels are and things like that? >> it's the only way to do it. you can't do this from cairo, london, paris or washington or have people fly in. you need to be on the ground. you have to get a feel for these people, who's in charge. what you can do, frankly, if it hadn't been so sensitive, it should have been a month ago in benghazi. we don't understand what the opposition is and what these rebels can do and what they can't do. >> i know, robert, you had some experience with libyan rebels back in the '80s. tell us the special challenges the united states has in getting the rebels to cooperate. >> well, number one, a lot of them are muslim brothers. they didn't like the americans in the first place. they were on a mission from allah. they wouldn't take directions. they were disorganized, they

were fighting each other. they had no combat experience. on top of that, they had tribal differences. trying to sort this out was a nightmare. i was trying to collect intelligence on libya and they couldn't even do that. i know fairly well what the cia people are up against. this is going to be -- let's put it this way. this is not going to be an easy solution for libya. >> no, it's not. it doesn't appear to be. robert baer, thanks for sharing your perspective. we appreciate it. let's check on stories making news across country. ohio state law makers passed a bill limiting collective bargaining rights. it would prevent public employees from striking and allow state workers to refuse to pay union dues. the governor could sign the bill onto law this week. next, a real-life fish tale with these amazing pictures to prove it. this eight-foot mako shark

jumped into a boat. it thrashed about the boat for hours. curious crowds are lining up to take a peek. ♪ ♪ i'd like to ask you to the prom ♪ >> the last words were, i'd like to ask you to the prom. you heard him right. this santa monica high school boy wants the girl to be his prom date. singing classroom proposal has gone viral on the internet garnering hundreds of thousands of hits no word how the date went, but we understand she did say yes. it's opening day for major league baseball and the weather across the country is down-right nasty. cleveland indians held an exhibition game yesterday and they had to stop because there was snow flying in the air and they couldn't tell what was a

snow flake and what was the ball. reynolds wolf with a look at a bitterly cold opening day for baseball. >> it really is going to be a long day. for all the people who play this game outside, that is the way it's intended. it should be a game played outside. you think 162 games, a long season that can begin with snow and end with snow. if you're lucky enough to get into the playoffs, the season gets longer. here is the way it's going to start for people. take a look at the opening day forecast. home field. yankee stadium and detroit tigers, 42 degrees, scattered showers. it's going to be a cold time. atlanta braves kicking it off with the nationals in d.c. basically the same forecast. plenty of clouds in the sky with that. a few rain drops here and there maybe some delays. brewers and reds should be picture-perfect. angels and royals. some sunshine expected. first opening pitch around 50 degrees.

out to the midwest, cardinals. looks good there. 52 degree degrees, mix of sun a clouds. giants and dodgers, 78 degrees and picture perfect. you want to see something cool? there are two lucky guys chosen to be part of the mlb fan cave. that's right. take a look at this. these guys are going to be able to watch so many games inside. they will blog about this wonderful season. unless your team is one of those that doesn't make it out of the cellar all season long. they will have the comfort being inside this amazing spot. again, big screen. take a look at this. nice, comfortable. you think these guys are going to enjoy goodies? you see them eating a dodger dog? >> think they'll have finer food than that, reynolds. those are posh digs. they are going to watch every single baseball game this season and blog about it for major league baseball. >> should be a great time.

i think you stick with hot dogs. you can't have filet mignon. >> yeah. you have to have cheap relish and mustard. chris brown may be at the top of the billboard chart. what is at the bottom of his ex-girlfriend rihanna cutting him slack? it's professional, not personal. seven lucky winners of the $319 million mega million jackpot are set to speak publically the first time in a few minutes. so i take one a day men's 50+ advantage. it's the only complete multivitamin with ginkgo to support memory and concentration. plus it supports heart health. [ bat cracks ] that's a hit. one a day men's. delicious, real ingredients with no artificial flavors or preservatives. naturals from purina cat chow.

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with the stars," but do not expect former girlfriend rihanna to be applauding. "showbiz tonight" a.j. hammer has more. he's live in new york. hi, a.j. >> hey, carol. rihanna gave an astounding interview to "rolling stone" magazine and opened up about the beating at the hands of chris brown and why she agreed to ease the restrictions on the restraining order. "we don't have to talk ever again in my life. i just didn't want to make it more difficult for him professionally. what he did was a personal thing. it had nothing to do with his career. saying he has to be 100 feet away from me, he can't perform at awards show. that definitely made it difficult for him. in. "she says fans slammed her for agrees to ease chris brown's

restraining order, telling "rolling stone" one minute i'm too hard, the next minute i'm a fool because i'm not being hard enough. i've got to tell you, i am bothered by the fact here we are two years after this brutal attack, people seem to be victimizing rihanna all over again telling her what she should or shouldn't do with chris brown. he is out of her life. she figured it out. as far as i'm concerned, that should be good enough for everybody else. >> she has sent conflicting messages though. a lot of people were upset about the video or song she did with eminem and nobody got where she was coming from. it's just a confusing situation. you're right. it's her life. it's her personal life. she's got to do what she's got to do, right? >> that's how i feel. >> arnold schwarzenegger isn't governor any more, but he is like a superhero. >> i think he's been looking forward to this. he is returning to hollywood. he's about to pump up your tv as a cartoon superhero called, what else?

the governator. he revealed his not-so-secret identity with "entertainment weekly." there will be a govern ator comic book. as for his superhero name, arnold said he thought the word was cool so he grew into it. >> he did. that is cool. a.j. hammer, many thanks. want information on everything breaking in the entertainment world? a.j.'s got it tonight on "showbiz tonight" at 5:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. eastern. in a few moments, the seven winners of the $319 million will reveal their identity in a news conference in schenectady. they are reportedly i.t.

specialists. cnn's allison cossick is watching it all. >> reporter: you can sense the excitement. those seven winners are going to walk out within the next few minutes. you mentioned the winning numbers. those came from a quick pick. that's when the terminal, the machine spits out the numbers. there were 14 different sets of numbers and one of those sets was the winning ticket. they definitely beat the odds. odds were 1-176. i can't wait to see the faces of these winners. everybody wanting to see them reveal themselves. >> i wonder why they haven't come forward before. it's been a couple of days. >> you know what? imagine, put yourself in their place. imagine waking up one morning and realize you're a millionaire several times over. it's an overwhelming thing. it can be a scary thing. you could get a lot of attention

from all different sorts of areas, forget just the family. from charities, from whoever else. you want to get your ducks in a row before you step forward in front of national tv. i think that's what you're seeing here today. we have their names and ages. they range in age from 29 to 63. they are four men and three women. we talked about this before. there was one other person who usually joins in on this office pool. he decided to opt out because he wasn't feeling lucky that day. this office pool has been going on for years. they would play this jackpot. unfortunately he opted out. we'll see and i'll ask these winners if they are going to throw some money his way. >> that would be such a tough decision, so tough. they've known him over many years. >> they're coming out. they've got the mascots coming out first. the seven are going to be following the mascots.

there you go. >> that's cute. we see the mega ball in the front. >> they are right behind. i was listening to some of the orchestration that was going on from the new york state lottery commission. how many reporters are there, alison? >> several dozen, i would say. this is a big deal. you think about it. each of these winners is going to be walking out with a $19 million check after taxes. it was $319 million win. guess who gets the tax money on this? new york state. this is exciting for new york itself. this is the biggest winning ticket for the mega ballgame here in the mega millions game here in new york. it is a big deal here today. >> absolutely. >> i'm looking over my shoulder waiting for these folks to walk out. >> we'll break away and get right back to you when they come out. we are glad we got to see the mascots in the new york state

lottery. just ahead, we'll talk to an ethic expert about sharing the winnings. forty years ago, he wasn't worried about retirement. he'd yet to hear of mutual funds, iras, or annuities. back then, he had something more important to do. he wasn't focused on his future but fortunately, somebody else was. at usaa we provide retirement solutions for our military, veterans and their families. from investments... to life insurance... to health care options. learn more with our free usaa retirement guide. call 877-242-usaa.

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♪ ♪ stay inside? nah. not when you have a five-star overall vehicle score for safety. one more reason chevy traverse delivers more. you're watching live pictures from schenectady, new york. seven of the nation's newest millionaires are about to reveal themselves. they are winners of the $319 million mega million jackpot. stay with us for live coverage. when they begin speaking we'll go right back to it.

we want to talk about how about that unlucky eighth who decided not to take part. should the winners share some of the booty? randy cohen is an ethicist and author of "the good, the bad." this man played in the office pool or contributed over a number of years and on a particular day says, i don't want to contribute because i'm feeling unlucky today. he did not contribute. wouldn't you know that was the day they won. >> well, they don't have to share with him. that's not something they must do. it's certainly something they may do. there is no obligation to withhold the money. i think it's something they should do. that he was a regular member of their crew. he played with them for years. no one has ever gone to the end of their life and regretted

being too generous. no one is laying on their deathbed and said i should have been more selfish. i propose the 1% solution. they can make their friend a millionaire if they each just give 1% of their winnings. out of pure generosity, not moral obligation or an ethical duty. that is the best solution. >> the winners are speaking now. i would like to listen to a bit of what they have to say. >> thank you to total events for doing a wonderful job with all the decorations. thank you all for being here. thank you june for being our mega ball. yeah! and thank you to chris for being our powerball because you're all wondering what's going on with powerball. i'm here to tell you that the powerball jackpot is now $187 million. make sure you get your tickets. as gordon pointed out, we are here this morning to officially, officially introduce all these winners of the $319 million mega

millions jackpot drawn on march 25th. i don't want to dli the suspense any longer, but we at the lottery have been calling them the albany seven. you can call them john hilton of north greenbush. raise your hand. gabrielle mahar of colony. from green island, john cutie. from colony, tracy susman. mike barth of bethlehem. from clifton park, kristen baldwin. and from johnstown, leon peck. let's hear a big round of applause for all of our winners!

now, as has been reported, the albany seven are in fact co-workers at new york homes and community renewal. five work in i.t. and two others are project managers. there are a lot of winners and we are trying to get to each one of them to tell a little bit of their story. let's start with john hilton. come on over here, john. john told us the group has been pooling their money now for a couple of years. john what's the deal? >> for about three or four years now we've been doing every time one of the jackpots usually gets above $100 million we go around to co-workers and ask if they want to get in. usually we all throw in 2 bucks and someone takes the ticket down to colson's newsroom and buys a ticket. we've never won before. >> i hear you are methodical about keeping track of who's in and who's out for each drawing. >> yes, we do. we have a list we have every

time we have a drawing. if you get in, we mark you in. if you don't get in we put a line through your name and you're out. >> i hear you. thank you, good luck. next up, come over here, tracy. tracy. >> we are going to step back. randy, you heard him. they keep a list of who contributes and who doesn't. doesn't look like that eighth worker will get any share of the winnings. >> i'm sorry to hear that. these people will not sit on their deathbeds and go, i'm so glad i was selfish. no one ever says i regret being generous. and for 1% of their winnings. instead of taking home $20 million, they'll take home $19. they could do something nice for someone who participated for years. i think they should. not a duty. >> we are not completely sure. >> we hope. there is another question. there is another question, too, are lotteries like themselves ethical undertakings? in my view, no. they turn out to be a tax on

regular working people or the poor rather than financing our public operations through taxing wealthier people. >> i don't think you're going to convince many americans it's bad to win the lottery. randy, congratulations to those winners. we'll check back in schenectady in a little bit. >> the verdict is in. judge judy is fine. she tells tmz she'll head home today after a scary ambulance trip to the hospital. the 68-year-old tv star says her abdominal pains were just from exhaustion. brand-new numbers out of the labor department this morning. jobless claims plummeted last week down 6,000 to 388,000. cnn learned that the cia now has operatives on the ground in libya. intelligence source tells cnn they are secretly gathering military and political insights, gathering intelligence and helped rescue a downed usairman last week. as the white house is considering the possibility of arming the rebel forces against moammar gadhafi. as the nuclear crisis unfolds in japan, we wonder if

something like that could happen here. the danger isn't what you think. >> the storage, storage of spent fuel has been an after thought. >> why some experts say this is a catastrophe building for decades. obster. how about a coastal soup and grilled shrimp salad combination? or maybe skewers of wood-grilled shrimp. seafood lunches starting at just $6.99 at red lobster. t adwiwiout food al t

turning to japan where officials have come up with an estimated cost of the quake and tsunami. the price tag more than $300 billion. they are working on a supplemental budget to inject money immediately to the hardest-hit areas.

the ocean waters near the damaged nuclear plant are recording 4,000 times above normal limits of radiation. authorities don't know where that radioactive water is coming from. the company that owns the plant decommissioned four of its six reactors. the company announced plans to spray a water and synthetic resin mix around the plant to stop the spread of radioactive materials. here in the united states, some experts say the nuclear danger is not so much an earthquake or tsunami or once in a lifetime disaster, instead it's the unavoidable byproduct of nuclear power itself. the u.s. keeps a growing number of spent fuel rods in temporary storage at the power plants. if the water levels drop, the massive radiation can pose an even greater danger than the reactor. listen to these conflicting assessments given to congress on just how safe those storage structures are. >> it's very thick reenforced concrete structures, generally about four to five feet thick walls with very thick floors.

they provide, we think, a very robust protection. >> pools are often housed in building buildings with sheet metal siding like that in a sears storage shed. i have nothing against the quality of sears storage sheds, but they are not suitable for nuclear waste storage. >> law makers were told spent fuel rods removed nearly 30 years ago are still cooling. a blue ribbon commission is exploring long-term solutions for disposing radioactive waste. epa is stepping up its radiation monitoring here in the united states. the move comes after low levels of radiation were found in milk in two states, california and washington. cnn medical correspondent elizabeth cohen is here. elizabeth -- >> it's hard not to get freaked out, right? radiation in milk, the stuff kids pour into their cereal. the stuff you and i drink every day. >> exactly. >> i totally get that. it all has to do with dosage. it's about dose and the amount of radiation in this milk, we

are told, is 5,000 times lower than the safety limit set by the fda. >> can we are sure the radiation found in the milk is coming because of what happened in japan? >> they can look at the isotope and say this is from japan. >> how is it getting in milk? >> the way it's getting in milk, the radiation came across the ocean, hit the united states and then it falls on to grass. what do cows eat? cows eat grass. if it gets into the cow's milk, we drink it. >> i understand the epa is bringing in extra monitoring equipment to keep an eye on milk. why specifically are they so worried about milk and not other things? >> the reason they are worried about that, this kind of radiation can especially affect milk. that's one reason. i'm sure there probably will be monitoring other things, too. the first thing you worry about this this situation is milk and water. they found it in water on the west coast, too. again in these tiny amounts.

>> don't be afraid even though it does sound freaky. >> and what is your alternative? if you say i'm not going to drink milk, i'll drink water. they found radiation in water. there is not a lot you can do. when people hear radiation, they freak out. you and i are getting radiation as we speak. is it good it's in milk? no. we have to think about how small these doses are and they don't cause harm at all. >> we keep putting it into perspective. elizabeth cohen, thank you. >> do you think the media is a lot tougher on sarah palin than on the president? michele bachmann does. she thinks conservative women get a lot of flack they don't deserve. our next guest is a woman and conservative and has interesting things to say about both women. . and a choice. take tylenol now, and maybe up to 8 in a day. or...choose aleve and 2 pills for a day free of pain. enjoy the flight.

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congresswoman michele bachmann is thinking seriously about a run for president. baughman is a minnesota republican and head of the tea party caucus and thinks conservative women like herself and sarah palin are not getting a fair shake from the media. >> she has been unfairly criticized. i think we've seen that with other conservative women, as well across the country, whether they are political commentators or whether they are in public

service. >> karen agnes is founder of the network of enlightened women and joins us live from washington. thanks for being with us. >> good morning, carol. >> you said you found it interesting that conservative women were talking about sexism at all, why? >> as conservatives, we try to look at people more as individuals and less as, for example, a young person or a woman. so i think this whole idea of representative bachman speaking out as a conservative women saying we face criticism creates tension with a political philosophy. >> talk about that tension. you're right. we hear feminists talk about sexism all the time, but we rarely hear conservative women playing the gender card, so to speak. >> yes. i think right now it's a really interesting time for conservative women because a lot of women are, a lot of strong women are speaking out.

i think baughman might have a point in terms of the extra criticism conservative women are facing from feminists. feminists held the microphone and have been able get away with saying they speak for all women we are facing some resistance from feminists hesitant to give up that microphone. >> do you think that the criticism against these conservative women has been unfair or more harsh than criticism against a democrat? >> i think i would look at it more as criticism versus conservative women versus feminist women. i think you are seeing some really strong attacks against these conservative women. one thing i find really fascinating is there are a lot of people in politics who i disagree with, but i don't hate them. there seems to be a lot of hate and a lot of really strong reaction against people like representative bachman. i wonder where that strong feeling really stems from. maybe it is partly because she

is a conservative woman. >> some might argue she herself uses rhetoric that might incocate. >> she draws a strong reaction and tends toward the fireworks than some of the other conservative women out there like governor nikki haley. >> you brought up an interesting point when we were talking before about this stereotype that has formed around conservative, strong, female candidates. you mentioned, and we actually have pictures. there is sarah palin, michele bachmann and christine o'donnell. they look similar, and it's almost as if you have to have that certain look if you're going to be successful in the political arena as a conservative woman. >> i'm not so sure it's so much the look but there does to be a resemblance there and a new stereotype being created for these conservative women.

i would encourage viewers who remember there are a lot of other outstanding conservative women out there that might not tend so much towards the fireworks, but are getting a lot done and are great role models. >> karen agness thanks for sharing your insights. democrats and republicans may be happy with some agreement on the budget. that's hard to believe. tea party members don't like it. they are coming to capitol hill today for a protest. marge ] pss. constipated? phillips' caplets use magnesium, an ingredient that works more naturally with your colon than stimulant laxatives, for effective relief of constipation without cramps. thanks. [ professor ] good morning students. today, we're gonna... get on e-trade. set up a real plan. frank! oh wow, you didn't win? i wanna show you something... it's my shocked face. [ gasps ] [ male announcer ] get a retirement plan that works... at e-trade.

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heavy storm damage in parts of louisiana tops our trek across country. strong winds outside plaquemine parish in new orleans blew down a power line. nasa is inspecting "endeavour" after its launch pad was pounded by hail. the storm poured down on the kennedy space center. crews did not see obvious damage to the shuttle, but they are inspecting it closely. butler, kentucky, connecticut, virginia commonwealth in houston for saturday's final four showdown.

vcu's first trip to the final four. >>. >> negotiators on capitol hill made some progress towards a budget deal, but tea party members don't much like it and they are letting congress know about it today. senior deputy political director paul steinhouser has that story. democrats and republicans had come to an agreement about the figure, the amount $73 billion to cut, although what the cut is still out there. now the tea party might throw a wrench in that? >> reporter: they are weighing in. good reporting by dana bash and the rest of capitol hill on those knee goings. those negotiations is not sitting well with the tea party movement. they want more budget cuts, they want more chopped out of the federal government. today, tea party patriots, one of the largest tea party groups in the country is holding a rally scheduled from two hours from now just outside the u.s. capitol.

they'll have people speaking and rallying against this proposed deal. other tea party groups are criticizing congressional republican leaders saying that they are not tough enough on the cuts. look at this number from cnn. a possible government shutdown if it happens, even for a few days, would you be okay with that? look at the numbers at the bottom of the screen. tea party supporters, 6-10 say we are fine with that. that number gets smaller as you go up to a small minority of democrats are okay with the possibility of a government shutdown. >> could the tea party force a shutdown? could they force this deal off the table? >> remember, there are a lot of people, a lot of freshman republicans who were elected to office last november and who are they supported by big time? tea party activists. a lot of them are against this budget deal. their numbers are big. maybe not big enough to prevent this deal, but they are big, important factor. >> is there any connection to the 2012 upcoming election? >> but of course.

there is always a connection to the race for the white house. who is going to be one of the headline speakers? michele bachmann. you've just been talking about bachmann she may soon be running for the republican presidential nomination. newt gingrich, guess where he i'll be? right on capitol hill today speaking with house republican freshman. coincidental? we'll see. >> paul steinhauser, thanks to you. a reminder for all the latest political news, go to cnn politics.com. moammar gadhafi's youngest son is commanding a brutal army brigade in libya right now. before he was there he was an intern in the united states touring defense and business facilities. he took a class from deeprok chopra. also ahead, nuclear fuel rods at the heart of the crisis in japan. what is being done to keep them secure here in the united states?

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news later today, at noon eastern, the tea party and potential 2012 potential presidential candidate michele bachmann will hold a rally. a two-day hearing could