temporary holding pattern this morning. >> i didn't know anything, i came to the airport a few hours ago, all i saw was my flight was delayed. >> reporter: the carrier temporarily grounded its fleet of boeing 757s late tuesday after discovering it hadn't completed mandatory inspections on its flight data computers. the equipment which measures everything from air speed to air pressure was updated following faa orders back in 2004. >> united airlines is self-policing at this point. they determined a problem and determined probably in more than one plane. that's why they're going to check all of them. >> reporter: united is warning of more delays and cancellations today while it completes the maintenance checks. more than a dozen flights were canceled last night, including joe rodriguez's. >> makes for a really long day. we've been here about four hours. five hours. it's pretty frustrating. >> reporter: the faa says united's move was voluntary. so far it's the only carrier affected. but travel experts warn other carriers are probably paying close attention, as well. >> if this is a system used by other airlines, whether it's

american, which operates 757s, as well, you better believe they're checking it right now, as well. >> reporter: and while the unscheduled checks are creating headaches for passengers -- >> i prefer for them to ground the plane than something happens. >> reporter: many agree it's a small price to pay to keep them safe. united says it is not aware of any problems related to the delayed inspection. the faa has not said whether it will penalize united airlines. back to you. >> all right, michael herzenberg in washington this morning. thank you, michael. u.s. and mexican officials are investigating a deadly attack on american immigration and customs agents. two agents were shot, one died. the agents were traveling in northern mexico yesterday afternoon. they were stopped at a roadblock and an unknown assailant opened fire. one of the agents died at the scene. mexico is fighting drug cartels that do business in the u.s. but so far there is no motive for the attack. now to the middle east, this morning the political mutiny that began in tunisia spread to egypt and beyond and has reached

libya. hundreds of anti-government protesters have taken to the streets, demanding the resignation of the prime minister. they are calling for a nationwide day of protests tomorrow. [ chanting ] this morning in bahrain, protesters demanding the resignation of the prime minister there have camped out in the capital city. thousands took to the streets yesterday demanding political change, including the resignation of that prime minister. two protesters have been killed in clashes with police. anti-government rallies began on monday. bahrain is home to the u.s. navy's fifth fleet. and in yemen, protests calling for the ouster of the u.s.-backed president are in their sixth day. president ali abdullah saleh has ruled yemen for 32 years. there have been violent confrontations between police and demonstrators. in iran, supporters of the government demonstrated and lawmakers are calling for opposition leaders to be executed, and the u.s. to butt out.

at least two protesters have been killed. yesterday, president obama criticized the iranian government. >> what has been true in egypt should be true in iran, which is that people should be able to express their opinions and their grievances, and seek a more responsive government. what's been different is the iranian government's response. which is to shoot people and beat people and arrest people. >> the iranian government had said it supports the uprisings in tunisia and egypt. now to some disturbing news about one of our colleagues. cbs news chief foreign correspondent lara logan is recovering from a brutal attack she suffered while covering events in egypt. this is logan in cairo's tahrir square on friday night just before the assault. logan was separated from her crew, and security, in the crush of the mob that surrounded them. in a statement cbs news said she

suffered a brutal and sustained sexual assault, and beating. logan was saved by a group of women, and egyptian soldiers. she has returned to the u.s., and is recovering in a hospital. this morning, the pakistani government says a u.s. consulate employee charged in the shooting deaths of two pakistanis has diplomatic immunity. raymond davis killed the two men last month during what he says was a robbery attempt. but raymond's fate is up to a local court. washington says davis should be released immediately. the defense department denies that general david petraeus plans to quit by the end of the year. the times of london reported that petraeus would be replaced as the top american commander in afghanistan. a defense department spokesman said no decision on petraeus has been made, but there is a realignment of top generals coming in the fall, and petraeus could be promoted. in washington, what's sure to be a long and bitter fight over federal spending is under way.

republicans are pushing sharp cuts while president obama defends his $3.73 trillion budget plan for the new fiscal year. it was the main topic on mr. obama's first big news conference of the year, as joel brown reports. >> reporter: the president spent much of the news conference fielding questions on what he chose to leave out of his budget plan, social security and medicare. >> this is going to be a negotiation process. >> reporter: republicans had blasted the president's budget proposal for its record $1.65 trillion deficit. and for the fact that it doesn't cut social security or medicare. the government spends more on those items than anything else. but the president says even though democrats and republicans are far apart, they'll find common ground. >> i'm confident we can get social security done in the same way that ronald reagan and tip o'neill were able to get it done, by parties coming together, making some modest adjustments. >> reporter: the white house plan calls for a mix of spending freezes, cuts, and tax hikes on the wealthy. even though the president says

he thinks the two sides can work together, the two parties are already starting to battle over the budget. >> over the last two years, since president obama has taken office, the federal government has added 200,000 new federal jobs. and if some of those jobs are lost in this, so be it. we're broke. >> maybe so be it for him, but not so be it for the people who are losing their jobs. >> reporter: with debate already under way on next year's budget, house republicans are also charged to slash $60 billion from this year's spending. the months ahead won't be a fight over whether to cut, but a battle over how deep. joel brown, cbs news, the white house. just ahead on the "morning news," a new weapon in the fight against the common cold. plus, convicted ponzi schemer bernie madoff speaks out for the first time, and drops some bombshells. first, though, katie couric has a preview of tonight's "cbs evening news." >> a luxury boat, shredding parties, and overzealous federal

agents. is this really your government at work? the fishy story behind the agency that regulates the $4 billion fishing industry. that's tonight. only on the "cbs evening news." [ announcer ] you can help significantly extend your dog's healthy years. a groundbreaking 14-year study by purina... proves that puppy chow, then dog chow nutrition, fed properly over a lifetime, can help extend his lovable antics up to 1.8 healthy years. long live your buddy. [ laughs ] oh, max. long live your dog. purina dog chow. double dog dare you to try better-tasting than ever purina dog chow. we know your dog will love it.

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when we can eat what we want and sleep soundly through the night. prevacid®24hr prevents the acid that causes frequent heartburn all day, all night. oh, my god! >> oh, goodness. a deadly head-on crash in austin, texas, was caught by security cameras on a city bus. that crash last friday killed the driver of the car, who was fleeing police at the time. the bus driver and several passengers were injured. black americans are moving south, reversing the great migration northward that began a century ago. the census bureau says that since 2000 southern cities accounted for about three quarters of the growth in non-hispanic black population. as a result, about 57% of black americans now live in the south. that is up from 53% in the 1970s.

and the highest percentage in 50 years. in health news, a new study suggests that zinc lozenges or syrup may help ease the common cold. scientists in india found that zinc seems to shorten a cold by about a day. but some test subjects said the bad-tasting medication made them nauseous. the fda warns that zinc nasal sprays may make you lose your sense of smell. on the "cbs moneywatch," asian stocks rallied this morning. ashley morrison is here in new york with all of that. good morning, ashley. >> good morning to you, betty. asian markets were helped by a weaker yen. japan's nikkei added about half a percent while hong kong's hang seng climbed more than 1%. today, wall street gets the latest on inflation and housing. on tuesday, disappointing retail numbers pushed stocks lower. the dow lost 41 points, while the nasdaq gave back nearly 13. bernie madoff is breaking his silence. in his first interview since his 2008 arrest, the former ponzi king told "the new york times"

that wall street banks and hedge funds, quote, had to know about the scheme long before it collapsed. he also insisted his friends, family and clients never knew anything about his crimes. madoff is serving a 150-year sentence in a north carolina prison for bilking investors out of more than $65 billion. americans continued getting their household finances in order last month. credit card companies posted the lowest rates of default and late payments in two years. that's a strong sign consumers had a better handle on paying their holiday bills. but, because the card companies aren't making as much from late charges, they are increasingly jacking up rates for everyone to get their money up front. starbucks may soon be coming to a hotel near you. the coffee chain will provide disposable filter packs of single serve coffee for a half a million hotels. starbucks is looking for ways to increase its exposure to the fast-growing single-serve coffee market.

and coke's big secret may be out. a copy of what's supposed to be the handwritten original formula has surfaced, found in an atlanta newspaper from back in 1979. it's potentially worth a fortune but coke says while it is a recipe for cola, it is not theirs. and even if you knew all the right ingredients, you'd still have to know to put it all together. and betty, i'm pretty sure i would have no clue. >> yeah, exactly. don't worry about us. we're harmless when it comes to that. all right, ashley morrison joining us live here in new york. thank you, ashley. straight ahead your wednesday morning weather. and in sports, the heat's dwyane wade puts on a show against indiana. as a kid, i couldn't wait to skate on that ice. what was i thinking? but i was still skating on thin ice with my cholesterol. anyone with high cholesterol may be at increased risk of heart attack. diet and exercise weren't enough for me. i stopped kidding myself.

i've been eating healthier, exercising more and now i'm also taking lipitor. if you've been kidding yourself about high cholesterol, stop. lipitor is a cholesterol-lowering medication, fda approved to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients who have heart disease or risk factors for heart disease. lipitor is backed by over 18 years of research. [ female announcer ] lipitor is not for everyone, including people with liver problems and women who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant. you need simple blood tests to check for liver problems. tell your doctor if you are taking other medications or if you have any muscle pain or weakness. this may be a sign of a rare but serious side effect. let's go! [ laughs ] if you have high cholesterol you may be at increased risk of heart attack and stroke. don't kid yourself. talk to your doctor about your risk and about lipitor.

here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. new york, sunny, 45. miami, sunny, 78. chicago, mostly cloudy, 46. dallas, partly cloudy, 74 degrees. and l.a., light rain, 61. time now for a check of the national forecast. the latest satellite picture shows a few areas of patchy clouds drifting through the central plains and the ohio river valley. the big cluster of clouds on the west coast continues to linger. heavy rains and snow are falling across that region from central california up to montana. now later today, the storm parade will continue to march on to the west coast, packing a

soggy punch to coastal areas and will bring blowing snow to the mountainous areas. and from the southern plains to the northeast, it will be nice with above normal daytime highs. in sports, miami is now tied for the lead in the nba eastern conference. dwyane wade of the heat had 31 points in the first half alone, and finished with 41. ron james added 27 in the 110-103 win over indiana. miami has won eight of its last nine games. in phoenix, steve nash had 20 points and 14 assists, moving up on the career list for assists and three-pointers. the suns hung on to beat the utah jazz 102-101. phoenix has won seven of its last nine games. in college basketball, number two ohio state tries to regain the number one ranking. william buford of the buckeyes scored 23 points against michigan state, and aaron kraft chased down a loose ball and made a lay-up. ohio state with a 71-61 victory.

denzel of villanova had a career high 21 points. seton hall missed a tying shot as time ran out. the wildcats over the pirates 60-57. when we return, another look at this morning's top stories. and, desert drama. an elderly man beats the odds and survives being stranded in the desert for nearly a week. the desert for nearly a week.

the best device for everything you love to read editors' choice. best dedicated ereader. magazines look spectacular. fantastic device. touch the future of reading at barnes and noble. nookcolor. spots for the commute.. and how long before your neighborhood dries out. plus.. from trees down, to power outages. we've got team coverage on the worst damage across the bay. and.. the bay area's biggest city is in a budget crisis.. and public safety is taking a hit. the massive layoff planned for police and firefighters. and.. join us for cbs 5 early edition ... beginning at 4:30. - topic two

,,,, on the "cbs morning news" here's a look at today's weather. in the northeast, daytime highs will rebound, and be back to normal and then some for today through friday. there's precipitation on the west coast, where rain is slamming the coastal areas. and snow in the mountains. here's another look at this morning's top stories. the political unrest that has

swept across the middle east reached libya this morning. protesters in the capital are calling for the prime minister to step down. and united airlines has grounded its fleet of 757s to check on a potential computer glitch. united says passengers can expect delays and cancellations today. and elderly arizona man is recovering in a hospital this morning, after being stranded in the desert for five days before being found. on tuesday, he spoke for the first time about his ordeal. kendis gibson reports. >> reporter: henry morello thought he was a goner. the 84-year-old had just about given up hope by the time he was rescued from his stalled car. >> after the fifth day it just, this is it. i said, they don't want me back tonight, i'm not going to make another night out here. >> reporter: he was driving back from a restaurant last monday when he got lost on a desert road an hour north of phoenix, arizona, and crashed his vehicle. >> i ran right into a ditch. and i got stuck in that ditch.

then the battery went dead. my phone went did. and i went dead. >> reporter: his friends and family mounted an all-out search while he sat in his car for five days and five even longer nights. his loved ones were extremely concerned bus morello suffers from dementia and diabetes and requires daily medication. he credits his survival to eating tiny bits of leftovers from his dinner doggie bag. and at one point, believe it or not, he said he drank some of his car's windshield washer fluid. he used the vehicle's floor mats to stay warm at night. >> wished something would happen. wished somebody would come around to find me. >> reporter: his rescue came saturday when a group of hikers found his vehicle and flagged down a search helicopter. his message to his rescuers. >> god bless you guys. i love you. wonderful people. wonderful people. >> reporter: morello is thankful to be alive. doctors expect him to make a full recovery.

kendis gibson, cbs news. >> one lucky man there. here in new york the canine world has a new queen. her coronation was last night at the annual westminster kennel club dog show. >> it is the deer hound. >> yes, the scottish deerhound, the first of her breed to win best in show at the world's most prestigious dog show. her name is hickory and she is 5 years old and lives on a farm in virginia where she will now retire from the dog show circuit. but today hickory will get top dog treatment with tv appearances, a trip to the empire state building, and a steak lunch at sardee's restaurant. i'm betty nguyen. this is the "cbs morning news." heaven comes to earth. rich, creamy, thick dannon greek, the most delicious yogurt imaginable. heaven on earth! discover dannon greek

oh, bayer aspirin? i'm not having a heart attack. it's my back. it works great for pain. [ male announcer ] nothing's proven to relieve pain better than extra strength bayer aspirin. it rushes relief to the site of pain. feel better? yeah. thanks for the tip. >> going to a job interview, i make sure i've got the right guidance. it's the same with my taxes. turbotax has a unique gps feature that guides me step-by-step. and calculations are guaranteed 100% accurate. they even offer audit support. and help me reach my maximum refund, guaranteed. >> man: try turbotax now. ,,,,,,

italian prime minister silvio berlusconi calls the charges against him groundless. berlusconi will go on trial in april for allegedly paying for sex with a teenage prostitute

and trying to cover it up. both berlusconi and the girl, nicknamed ruby, deny having sex. if convicted on the prostitution charge, berlusconi could get up to three years in prison. the abuse of influence charge carries a sentence of 4 to 12 years and berlusconi could be barred from public office. the pro-democracy movement in the middle east has grown with the help of social media. secretary of state hillary clinton said tuesday that repression often sows the seeds of revolution. and she said the u.s. will send $25 million this year to support cyber dissidents. seth doane reports. >> reporter: sometimes hurled in protests, these stones on a cairo street spelled out a much more powerful weapon. reading in arabic, we are the men of facebook. in fact, following its pivotal role in egypt, facebook pages and twitter groups are now popping up in at least ten countries, across the middle east and north africa.

rallying anti-government sentiment for morocco and algeria to syria and bahrain. >> the internet has had a coming of age in this uprising in egypt. >> reporter: and foreign governments are trying to catch up. >> those who clamp down on internet freedom may be able to hold back the full expression of their people's yearnings for awhile. but not forever. >> reporter: secretary of state hillary clinton called free access to the internet a fundamental human right. >> we believe that governments who have erected barriers to internet freedom will eventually find themselves boxed in. >> reporter: in egypt, facebook, twitter and google mobilized crowds and sparked a revolution. that put pressure on not just the government, but on the social media companies themselves. which could lose millions in future business. >> they're walking a tight rope between the freedoms that they mean to uphold, but also the local laws where they don't want to be too associated with the kinds of uprisings that might result in them getting kicked out of the country. >> reporter: and there are

questions about whether america has a double standard. prosecutors for the justice department were pushing twitter to release confidential information in the wikileaks case. >> wikileaks does not challenge our commitment to internet freedom. the wikileaks incident began with an act of theft. government documents were stolen. >> reporter: with a third of humanity online, about 2 billion people, there's a new struggle to determine boundaries. where they simply do not exist. seth doane, cbs news, new york. coming up a little bit later on "the early show," new details on congresswoman gabrielle giffords' recovery. we will hear from her chief of staff in an exclusive interview. also reality show fans get ready. we'll get a preview of this season's "survivor: redemption island" which premieres tonight. and hickory, best in show at westminster last night stops by for a visit. that's the "cbs morning news" for this wednesday. thanks for watching, everybody. i'm betty nguyen. have a great day. ,,,,,,,,

your realtime captioner is linda marie macdonald. caption colorado, l.l.c. cbs 5 on the storm watch this morning as heavy rain and winds slam the bay area.

you're looking live. 280 shut down at this hour, a traffic mess. the storm knocking down trees and causing power outages across the bay area. we have team coverage on the worst damage. and we have wind advisories in almost all of our bay area bridges. reports of flooding across the bay area, and an emergency closure in oakland. already a very rough start to our morning commute. we'll have all the details coming up. good morning, everybody. it is wednesday, february 16. i'm frank mallicoat. >> i'm sydnie kohara. time 4:30. the wet windy storm causing problems across the bay area. let's look at the bay bridge. wind advisories are in effect for all the major bay area bridges. >> this is san jose last night. you can see the rain coming down steadily. gusty winds blowing the trees around. our team coverage, we kick