eyes in the sky. nato launches 24 hour surveillance over libya as gadhafi's military retakes a key rebel city. let the race begin. potential gop presidential hopefuls test the political waters in iowa. >> winning. and fired. charlie sheen says he'll sue after losing his job on america's top tv sitcom. this is the "cbs morning news" for tuesday, march 8th, 201rfo 2011.captioning funded by cbs good morning and thanks for joining us. i'm betty nguyen. nato has started flying surveillance planes over libya 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

it comes as the international community considers its response to what president obama calls the unacceptable violence by the gadhafi regime. rebel forces are under repeated attack by government troops following days of heavy bombardment, government forces appear to have retaken a key city 30 miles from the capital. on monday, president obama had this warning for the libyan government. >> i want to send a very clear message to those who are around colonel gadhafi. it is their choice to make how they operate moving forward and they will be held accountable for whatever violence continues to take place there. >> moammar gadhafi's real advantage is air power. the past several days, he launched a barrage of assaults using war planes and helicopters. mandy clark reports from inside libya.

>> reporter: this is why libya's rebels are begging for a no fly zone. we were the first journalists on the scene after this bombing. people ignored the danger and raced to show us the damage. he's hitting his own people with bombs, young children, he's killing them, this man says. the rebels have had trouble on the ground, as well. their advance slowed by better armed government forces counterattacking to defend gadhafi's home turf in the west. these fighters are realizing that enthusiasm alone won't get them to tripoli. for days they advanced by jumping to pickup trucks and racing to the fight with no planning whatsoever. this loud speaker truck was

asking for ten volunteers to head into a firefight down the road. a few minutes later, the message was has anyone lost their keys? even the fighters admit they need discipline. >> they think it's a game. they don't think about what they're doing. that's why we need a leader. we need someone to tell us don't do that and can do that. >> reporter: these men are gearing up for the toughest battle yet, and they're hoping that a lot more help is on its way. mandy clark, cbs news. libyan leader moammar gadhafi was looking for an exit deal. gadhafi appeared on television sunday night and a representative for him proposed to the libyan rebel council that he would step down if granted certain guarantees. that offer was rejected because the council does not trust gadhafi. the crisis in libya has impacted oil production and sent oil prices soaring. but the white house says a decision on whether to tap the nation's emergency oil reserve will be based on more than high prices. the white house is considering tapping the strategic oil

reserve to slow the rising price of oil. this morning the financial times reports that four opec nations are planning to boost oil production by 1 million barrels a day. president obama has decided to resume military trials of suspected terrorists at guantanamo bay. two years ago he ordered a halt and vowed to shut gitmo down. but plans to try prisoners like khalid shaikh mohammed in civil courts were blocked by congress. newly released video offers a unique perspective on an event that changed our world. the fall of the twin towers on september 11th, 2001. it was taken from a police helicopter hovering near the burning buildings. the officers on board hoped to rescue survivors from the rooftops, but the smoke was too thick and no one was there. then the south tower collapsed.

>> it's the whole tower. >> the 17 minute video was released by the federal agency that investigated how and why the towers fell. in other news, the 2012 republican presidential campaign is unofficially under way. five potential candidates appeared before a group of social conservatives in iowa last night. susan mcginnis has more on that. >> reporter: good morning. this is only the very beginning, but iowa was the place to be last night if you want to be the next republican presidential candidate. five potentials showed up, each trying hard to stand out. former house speaker newt gingrich is exploring a white house bid and he's talking about what a republican president might do on his first day in office. >> what if on the first day we had a president who said we are abolishing every single czar in the white house and their offices and cutting spending.

>> reporter: gingrich and four other potential candidates were in iowa on monday night at what some consider the unofficial start to the gop 2012 presidential campaign. none of the speakers is declared a candidate, but all seem to be playing the part. >> i'm the only person thinking of running for president who was elected as a congressman and as a governor. >> we need leaders who cannot just talk the talk, but who can walk the walk. >> reporter: former pennsylvania senator rick santorum threw his hat in and a standing ovation went to atlanta businessman and radio host herman cane. but one remains noncommittal. >> will america be ready for a bit unconventional who would not beholden to special interests. >> reporter: sarah palin says one big issue, money. she expects president obama to spend $1 billion on his re-election bid.

well, along with palin, other no shows last night included mike huckabee, former governor of arkansas, also mitt romney, former governor of massachusetts, and donald trump. >> we'll be watching. susan mcginnis joining us live in washington. thank you. on the cbs "moneywatch," stocks in asia inched up this morning. ashley morrison is here in new york with the latest on that. >> reporter: good morning. well, asian markets saw some gains. the nikkei finished a fraction higher while hong kong's hang seng added nearly 2%. oil traded near $104 a barrel falling back slightly from the day before. well, today wall street tries to get back on track. on monday rising oil and gold prices put pressure on stocks. the dow dropped nearly 80 points while the nasdaq lost 39. u.s. employers are growing more optimistic about hiring. according to a new survey from manpower.com, plans to hire are up 8% this quarter compared to the quarter before. the survey comes from employers in all 50 states and across all industries.

consumer borrowing jumped in january for the fourth straight month, but americans were still careful. credit card debt fell 6.5%. analysts predict that consumers will borrow more in the months ahead as the job market recovers. a smart phone shakeup. the google android now owns the top spot with a 31% market share. research in motion's blackberry is next with about 30%. apple is third according to the new data from com score, 234 million americans own mobile devices with nearly 66 million owning smart phones. and there is a new king of the fast food world. subway has now passed mcdonald's in total restaurants worldwide with almost 34,000 by the end of last year. mickey d's is still in tops with revenue. the golden arches raked in $24 billion last year compared to subway's $15 billion.

in a statement mcdonald's said it is concentrating on getting better, not bigger. and betty, that is a lot of big macs. >> yes, it is. no doubt. all right, ashley, thank you so much. well, just ahead on the "morning news," a historic live wake-up call for the shuttle crew. plus the latest bizarre behavior by charlie sheen after he gets fired from his show. first, though, katie couric has a review of tonight's "cbs evening news." >> would your insurance policy really protect you and your loved ones after an accident? don't count on it. we'll look at why some consumers never see a dime. that's tonight only on "the cbs evening news." never see a dime. that's tonight only on "the cbs evening news." [ engine shuts off ] [ birds chirping ] [ truck door closes, engine turns over ] [ truck departs ] [ birds chirping ] ♪

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well, a destructive wildfire is not, but it is burning in southwestern new mexico. the wind driven flames have already destroyed about 15 homes near silver city and more are threatened. so far injuries have not been reported. in upstate new york and much of new england, they're still digging out from a record setting snowstorm. up to 30 inches had piled up in northern vermont by monday afternoon. now to charlie sheen whose run of tv's most popular sitcom is over. warner brothers producer of "two and a half men" fired sheen on monday and sandra hughes has the story. >> reporter: television's highest paid actor is out of a job. warner brothers announced it's severing ties with charlie sheen saying after careful consideration, warner brothers television has terminated charlie sheen's services on "two and a half men" effective immediately.

this is the latest chapter in the 45-year-old actor's very public meltdown. the apparent effect of his partying, lifestyle, repeat hospitalizations and a bitter campaign against his studio bosses. sheen has taken his campaign viral collecting a record number of twitter followers and starting his own webcast, sheen's corner. >> winning, winning, winning! >> reporter: cbs ceo has said he hopes "two and a half men" isn't over and no one has said that the show has been canceled. but the fate of the number one comedy is unclear. media outlets reported john stamos as a possible replacement. sheen pounced on it and later apologized to stamos. >> you're a beautiful man and talented man and if you get the gig, we should talk. >> reporter: but for now, there is just one and a half men left. sandra hughes, cbs news, los angeles. after he was fired, sheen sent a text to reporters calling the "two and a half men" producers trolls and promised to sue. footage from the hollywood

website tmz shows sheen waving a machete atop a beverly hills building last night and he posted another bizarre rant on the internet. >> where was all this brilliance and i'm saying it was right there, you had the poetry in your magic fingertips the entire time to flip my perfect pages and read my perfect words, but you didn't go there but you judge me, you condemn me. well, not anymore. winning! >> whatever happens next it seems that sheen's bizarre saga is not yet over. straight ahead, your tuesday morning weather. and in sports, the surging bulls turn it on in crunch time. sports, the surging bulls turn it on in crunch time.

, dog: bacon? gotta get that bacon! dog: yummy. crunchy. bacon. bacon. bacon. there, in that bag! mom: who wants a beggin' strip? dog: me! i'd get it myself but i don't have thumbs! yum, yum, yum... it's beggin'! hm... i love you! beggin' strips! there's no time like beggin' time! wonder where the durango's been for the last two years? well, it toured around europe, getting handling and steering lessons on those sporty european roads. it went back to school, got an advanced degree in technology. it's been working out -- more muscle and less fat.

it's only been two years, but it's done more in two years than most cars do in a lifetime. mere's a look at the weather. new york, sunny, 47 degrees. miami, sunny, 81. chicago, rain, 45 there. thunderstorms in dallas with 79 degrees. and l.a. a sunny 69. time for a check of the national forecast. the latest satellite picture shows clouds over the center of the country. southwest is clear but later today, scattered thunderstorms are likely over eastern texas and oklahoma. snow and gusty winds expected in the central plains and seasonal temperatures and sunny skies for most of the east coast. in sports, chicago won its 10th game out of its last 12.

derrick rose of the bulls scored 24 points against the hornets and chicago surged past the hornets 85-77. the bulls are in second place in the eastern conference. carmelo anthony of the knicks scored 34 points against utah and new york rolled to an easy win over the jazz 131-109. the knicks are now in sixth place in the eastern conference. in college basketball, eight teams qualify for march madness. david stockton hit a three-point shot with his father hall of famer john stockton watching. the zags beat st. mary's to win the west coast conference tournament. that earned them an automatic spot in the upcoming ncaa tournament. and the nfl contract talks will resume today. the players union and the league negotiated for four hours on monday. they face another lockout deadline on friday. >> when we return, another look at this morning's top stories. and it is time to let the beads fly. we'll head to the french quarter for a preview of the mardi gras festivities. ities.

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taste it, love it, or it's free. ♪ activia surrounding a neighborhood in berkeley. the latest on a developing standoff. plus.. a cop drug scandal in conta costa county is expanding. the deputy now being investigated, and why this may just be the tip of the iceberg. grim news for the family of a missing california college student in spain. what police are saying about the discovery of a body. the party is on in the big easy. why this year's mardi gras is such a big boost for new orleans. join us for cbs 5 early edition,

on the cbs news, a look at weather this morning. here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. new york, sunny, 47 degrees. miami, sunny, 81. chicago, rain, 45 there. thunderstorms in dallas with 79 degrees. and l.a. a sunny 69. mere's another look at this morning's top stories. in order to keep track of the libyan government's attack on rebel forces, nato has begun 24 hour 7 day a week aerial surveillance. president obama calls the violence unacceptable. and charlie sheen was fired from his hit tv series. no decision has been made about the show's future. sheen says he will sue. fat tuesday has arrived in new orleans. and this year's party is the biggest in years.

karen brown has the latest from mardi gras and bourbon street. still parties wee in to the morning hours. >> reporter: absolutely. the motto is may pleasure rule the day and for these folks, it is ruling every single minute. this year it is also spring break which is creating a party that is good for business. the beads are flowing. the bands are strutting. and less than one year after the massive oil spill, people are grooving in the streets of new orleans. >> open for business. we're happy and we love new orleans. >> reporter: not only is it mardi gras, but with fat tuesday hitting later than it has in 150 years, it's also spring break which means big business. >> with the saints being in the super bowl, we thought it couldn't get any better than

that, but we're having bigger numbers. >> it's the biggest party of the year right now. >> reporter: these seniors from philadelphia's temple university road tripped 20 hours in a stick shift. >> only two of us actually drive stick, so -- >> yeah, i was in the back seat. >> she got off easy. >> reporter: we all know that half the fun of mardi gras is catching the beads. i have to tell you, being up here on the float throwing the beads is way more fun. and this kind of enthusiasm is expected to generate more than $300 million for this city. >> wonderful for the city. >> reporter: at 70, retired judge big bob knows what he's doing. what's it like to have all these ladies screaming for you? >> very empowering. >> reporter: mardi gras is all

about fantasy. what do you think about all these grown ups being so silly >> they just need to calm down. but they won't happen until ash wednesday. after the oil spill, bp gave the city $5 million for post-spill marketing. they say it's worked. the city is at 97% occupancy. >> all right, thank you. i'm betty nguyen. this is the "cbs morning news." ty nguyen. this is the kbs "morning news." [ sneezing ] ♪ [ male announcer ] what are you gonna miss when you have an allergy attack? benadryl® is more effective than claritin® at relieving your worst symptoms and works when you need it most. benadryl®. you can't pause life.

star high school basketball player wes leonard will be buried in michigan today. his fennville basketball team held a moment of silence for him last night. 16-year-old leonard died from a heart ailment last thursday after scoring the winning basket. on monday, fennville won their first round game in the state tournament and their coach praised his players for dealing with the grief. >> the strength they showed blows my mind. that exemplifies wes leonard. >> reporter: at the end, there were embraces and tears from

both teams in memory of wes leonard. there is a call to educate young people about the dangers of distracted driving. a new government poll found that 63% of americans under age 30 say they've used a handheld phone while driving. 30% say they've sent text messages. and close to 5500 people died in distracted driving crashes in 2009. in health news, a woman in boston on monday became the first american to have a mammogram using 3d technology. dr. jennifer ashton reports. >> reporter: five years ago, it took several mammograms and weeks of waiting before laura lang was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 50. today she's hoping a new test is better. >> this machine for me is such a huge advance. it's something that everybody should know about. >> reporter: lang is getting a new type of mammogram that gives doctors a three dimensional view

of the breast. >> now we have the ability not to just look at the breast, but to actually look through and around structures we weren't able to see before. this is the picture of what cancer looks like -- >> reporter: compared to the traditional image, studies found it increases the doctor's ability to spot cancer by 7%. the 3d mammogram also reduces the number of women called back when a result is unclear. >> so it's going to help us both find more cancers and decrease these number of false positive call backs. so that's huge. >> reporter: but some critics say it's more hype than help. the 3d mammogram uses more radiation than a traditional mammogram. it's expected to be more expensive, though the cost won't be set until it's widely available. >> most importantly, it hasn't been shown to save more lives. so we love new technology and we keep piling it on without a clear understanding of what the benefits are. >> reporter: right now, the 3d mammogram is only available at the massachusetts general hospital. but it is expected to be introduced at other medical centers nationwide this year.

i'm dr. jennifer ashton, cbs news, new york. coming up on "the early show," a report from libya on the latest fighting and should the u.s. intervene. an interview with senator john mccain. also, a progress report on the recovery of representative gabrielle giffords. we'll hear from her doctor. and get ready to party. we'll celebrate mardi gras style with some classic creole cooking. that's the "cbs morning news" for this tuesday. thanks for watching. i'm betty nguyen. thanks for watching. i'm betty nguyen. have a great day. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com