undercover. the cia hits the ground in libya, as one of moammar gadhafi's chief aides defects to the west. training accident. a jet engine explodes and catches fire aboard a u.s. aircraft carrier. and cold case. the fbi can't crack this code. and cold case. the fbi can't crack this code. can you? captioning funded by cbs good morning, everybody. thanks for joining us today, i'm betty nguyen. we begin in libya, where cia operatives have been on the ground gathering intelligence, and making contact with rebel forces. the rebel troops are being pushed back by libyan forces, losing about 100 miles in two days. meanwhile, a key adviser to moammar gadhafi has resigned

amid some international intrigue. joel brown is in washington. good morning, joel. bring us up to speed. >> a lot going on, betty. good morning to you. we're learning now the cia's been on the ground in libya for weeks now, in some cases working hand in hand with the rebels. but whether or not to supply weapons to the opposition is a whole other matter that sparks fierce debate here in washington. cia operatives are reportedly on the ground in libya. the intelligence agency sent in small teams earlier this month. some of them helped rescue an american crew member after this f-15 fighter jet crashed. what the cia is doing now isn't exactly clear. besides gathering information on rebel forces, "the new york times" reports they're helping direct air strikes. so far, no decision's been made on whether to arm the opposition. but the u.s., france and britain, are all considering it. >> it may not have to be the united states. there's good reason to think that some european special forces could do comparably well.

>> reporter: rebel troops lost more ground wednesday, after forces loyal to leader moammar gadhafi successfully recaptured a key oil city. despite gadhafi's military advances, his foreign minister reportedly defected to london and resigned. the first major blow to the regime's inner circle. today both the house and the senate are going to hold another set of hearings about libya. yesterday, lawmakers got the chance to grill members of the obama administration. >> this is just, in my opinion, baloney. >> reporter: frustration on capitol hill is growing over everything, from a lack of information about rebel forces, to an unclear exit strategy. >> why haven't we made some plans or had some long-term plans before we went in there? and who's going to pick up the tab for all this? >> reporter: the pentagon says the u.s. has spent more than a half a billion dollars on the libyan mission so far. with another $40 million added to the price tag every month. meanwhile, americans are almost evenly split about libya. the latest ap poll shows 48%

disapproving -- approving of u.s. involvement and 50% disapproving. betty? >> all right, joel brown in washington for us. joel, thank you. ten sailors were injured during a training exercise on board an american aircraft carrier. the "uss john c. stennis" was about 100 miles off the coast of san diego yesterday when the engine of a jet fighter malfunctioned. the f/a-18 was preparing for takeoff when the engine exploded and caught fire. the pilot was not injured, but four sailors were flown to shore for treatment. none of the injuries is life threatening. now, the food and drug administration says not to worry. what is described as very low levels of radiation have been found in a sample of milk from washington state. the fda says the news was expected, considering the nuclear crisis in japan. the milk sample was taken from the spokane area, and the amount was 5,000 times below the level of concern. however, radiation levels near the fukushima nuclear power

plant continue to rise. a u.n. agency says it found very high levels of radiation 25 miles from the plant, and japanese officials are considering widening the evacuation zone. radiation in sea water near fukushima is how more than 4,300 times the legal limit. later this week, ohio's governor john kasich is expected to sign into law a bill that severely restricts union rights. the ohio legislature passed the measure yesterday, following contentious debate and much protest. the measure affects the collective bargaining rights of 350,000 ohio public employees. it allows unions to negotiate wages, but not healthcare, sick time or pension benefits. and unlike a similar law in wisconsin, the restrictions include police and firefighters. also in ohio, spring was interrupted with some winter weather. parts of the state experienced near blizzard conditions yesterday, and that made travel a mess. in mississippi winds reached speeds of 110 miles per hour, damaging more than 40 homes. along with the wind there was

heavy rain that caused localized flooding. and parts of the northeast are under a winter storm watch beginning tonight. forecasters predict the springtime snowstorm could dump as much as a foot of heavy, wet snow, and heavy rain in the region. eastern new york state could get up to 10 inches of snow. on the "cbs moneywatch," google tries to get more social, and get ready to pay more for that chocolate easter bunny. ines ferre is here in new york with the latest on all of that. good morning. >> good morning to you, betty. thank you. now, the asian markets are relatively flat this morning. tokyo's nikkei is up a fraction, so is hong kong's hang seng. and oil remains around $105 a barrel. today, wall street gets the latest on factory orders, and a look at the weekly jobless claims. wednesday stocks finished higher. the dow gained 71 points. the nasdaq tacked on nearly 20. ahead of the government's jobs report tomorrow, there is some good news on the labor front. a new survey finds most of

america's biggest companies plan to increase hiring in the next six months. that follows a report wednesday showing the private sector added 200,000 jobs last month, and monster.com says its online job postings rose nearly 9% this month compared to march of last year. a new study says the average 65-year-old couple retiring this year will need $230,000 to cover medical expenses. the study by fidelity investments says that figure is actually down 8% from projections made a year ago. this is the first time in ten years there's been a decrease in the longer run virtually every analyst expects costs to resume going up. and google has chosen kansas city, kansas, to be the first to receive its ultrafast internet service. it's said to be 100 times faster than standard broadband service. if everything goes well, google plans to expand the superfast network to other cities. and the tech giant has also

tweaked its search feature. some users will see a plus one button next to google's search results. clicking it allows you to recommend specific search results to friends and contacts. it's google's latest attempt to jump aboard the social networking boom, as the company battles to maintain its share of web surfers' time and attention. and just in time for easter, chocolate is going to cost you more green. candy giant rshey is jacking up prices almost 10%, though it may not be obvious on store shelves right away. the company says it has to pay more for everything from raw materials to packaging. americans spend about $2 billion every year on easter candy, betty. that's a lot of candy. >> no doubt. it seems like prices are going up on just about everything these days. oh, well. ines ferre here in new york. thanks for joining us live. do appreciate it. just ahead on the "morning news," the fda's investigation into whether food dyes cause hyperactivity in kids. plus, he's back. the governator returns to the small screen.

first erica hill has a preview of tonight's "cbs evening news." >> a multibillion dollar project meant to store america's nuclear waste. so why was it shut down? find out on the "cbs evening news." been exercising, watching their diets and enjoying activia light. well? i've lost a few pounds and i've never felt so light. at 70 calories, delicious activia light helps you be light and feel light too. ♪ activia

♪ and i feel like... [ female announcer ] kellogg's® wants to make kids happy one tummy at a time. because 9 out of 10 kids don't get the fiber they need, that's why froot loops®, apple jacks® and corn pops have 3 grams of fiber in every yummy bowl.

they're the cereals your kids love and the fiber their tummies love... which makes for a whole lotta happy. froot loops®, apple jacks and corn pops®, an oh-so-good source of fiber. kellogg's® makes fiber fun. a plane crashed into a house in north carolina, killing two people. officials say heavy fog may have caused the plane to miss the runway at high point wednesday. the occupants of the house were able to escape unharmed. the plane was headed to winston salem when it was diverted by bad weather. a shooting at a high school in houston has killed one person and wounded five others. witnesses say some men were watching their girlfriends play football when the shooting started. it did not happen during school hours, and officials say it could be gang related. also in houston, jessica tada will be in court this morning facing charges for a fire that killed four children. the 22-year-old operated a home day-care center.

she's accused of leaving the children alone in february to go shopping when a fire broke out. she fled to her native nigeria but returned and has pleaded not guilty to the charges. in health news, a warning for moms-to-be about acetaminophen. researchers in new zealand say children of women who take the popular pain reliever during pregnancy had a 21% increased risk of asthma or wheezing. the study says there is not enough evidence to recommend anyone stop using the drug. but it reinforces the general principle to avoid taking unnecessary medications during pregnancy. more than 5 million children in the u.s. have been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. or adhd. the food and drug administration is investigating whether artificial food dyes make it worse. dr. jon lapook reports. >> reporter: back in kindergarten ben loved brightly colored candy. and ate a lot of it. then he was diagnosed with severe a.d.d.

>> i was like daydreaming. i couldn't really like focus. >> reporter: in addition to giving him medication, his mom tried cutting out foods containing artificial dyes. >> and by monday he was back at school, off of his medication, and eating a diet free of food coloring. and his teachers were amazed. >> reporter: most things you'll find in a lunch box contain artificial food dyes. drinks, snack foods. this has yellow number 6, red number 40. they're even in foods we think of as healthy like fruit roll-ups and applesauce. they will testify at an fda meeting reconsidering the impact of food dyes. for the first time, fda officials say artificial colorings may not cause, but could worsen, hyperactivity in certain kids. >> the three main ones are red 40, yellow 5 and yellow 6. they comprise 90% of all the dyes used in this country. we're saying to the fda, get rid of that whole kit and caboodle. >> reporter: while the u.s. grocery industry insists there's

no link between artificial colorings and hyperactivity the european union now requires a warning label on foods containing these dyes. >> i think the government should get involved to educate consumers that this could possibly be a similar outcome for other children. >> reporter: the fda panel isn't considering whether to ban these dyes but we could hear a call for more research and possibly warning labels. dr. jon lapook, cbs news, new york. judge judy was rushed to the hospital on wednesday. 68-year-old judy scheindlin was taping her show when she complained of having some intestinal discomfort. her spokesman says she is feel ing better and will most likely be released today. and former california governor arnold schwarzenegger is back in show biz. he'll star in a new animated tv series called "the governator." it's about a superhero living a double life as an ordinary family man. schwarzenegger will voice the title character, a nickname some used when he ran for governor.

straight ahead your thursday morning weather. and in sports, an alley-oop scoop as the magic took on the hawks. [ male announcer ] it's simple physics... a body at rest tends to stay at rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation. plus, in clinical studies, celebrex is proven to improve daily physical function so moving is easier. and celebrex is not a narcotic. when it comes to relieving your arthritis pain, you and your doctor need to balance the benefits with the risks. all prescription nsaids, like celebrex, ibuprofen, naproxen, and meloxicam have the same cardiovascular warning.

they all may increase the chance of heart attack or stroke, which can lead to death. this chance increases if you have heart disease or risk factors such as high blood pressure or when nsaids are taken for long periods. nsaids, including celebrex, increase the chance of serious skin or allergic reactions or stomach and intestine problems, such as bleeding and ulcers, which can occur without warning and may cause death. patients also taking aspirin and the elderly are at increased risk for stomach bleeding and ulcers. do not take celebrex if you've had an asthma attack, hives, or other allergies to aspirin, nsaids or sulfonamides. get help right away if you have swelling of the face or throat, or trouble breathing. tell your doctor your medical history and find an arthritis treatment for you. visit celebrex.com and ask your doctor about celebrex. for a body in motion. here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country today. new york, it's going to be 45 degrees with some light rain. miami, thunderstorms, 88 degrees. chicago, partly cloudy, 46.

dallas, sunny, 77, and l.a., sunny 87. time now for a check of the national forecast. the latest satellite picture shows storm clouds churning off the eastern seaboard. much of the midwest is partly cloudy, while the west coast is clear. and more storms are heading toward the northwest. but later today, severe thunderstorms will rock the sunshine state again. the eastern seaboard will see showers throughout the day. it will be dry and sunny from the southern plains straight to the southwest coast. and more rain is expected in the upper northwest. in sports, a possible playoff preview between the hawks and the magic. with less than a minute on the clock, joe johnson hits the runner to put atlanta up by two, then at the buzzer, a chance to tie, but misses the long distance shot. hawks beat the magic 85-82. rivals knicks and nets go to the wire at the garden. carmelo anthony hits the baseline jumper to put the knicks up by two. new jersey's darren williams misses the jumper for the tie.

and the knicks rally past the nets 120-116. a seasaw battle between the cavs and the bobcats in charlotte. the hook shot ties the game, but anthony parker's last-second shot for the win is blocked. the bobcats squeak by cleveland 98-97. and the nba is investigating rapper jay-z. he went in to kentucky's locker room after they won a trip to the final four in the ncaa tournament on sunday. jay-z is part owner of the new york nets. it is illegal for professional team personnel to meet with players who are not eligible for the draft. when we return, another look at this morning's top stories. and radiation concerns. some former workers describe the dangers at a california nuclear facility. okay, team! after age 40, we can start losing muscle -- 8% every 10 years. wow. wow. but you can help fight muscle loss with exercise and ensure muscle health.

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a police car rammed, a suspect still on the loose. the dramatic manhunt in hayward caught on tape. plus.. new video of possible police misconduct in san francisco. what prompted a judge to throw a case out. and play ball! who's taking the mound for the giants first game in l-a. plus.. the warmest day of the week.. where temps are flirting with the 80s.. and even 90s! join us for cbs 5 early edition, on the "cbs morning news" here's a look at today's

weather. the storm that started off the southern plains is now heading up the eastern seaboard. more severe weather will hit florida. it will be a beautiful day from the southwest to the midwest. and the northwest has another round of rain. here's another look at this morning's top stories. the cia has operatives on the ground in libya. contacting rebel forces. they also helped in the rescue of a u.s. air crew. rebel troops, though, continue to lose ground in two libyan forces. and japanese officials are considering expanding the evacuation zone around the radiation leaking from the fukushima power plant. a u.n. agency found high levels of radiation 25 miles from the facility. the nuclear disaster in japan has many americans worried about the safety of the 104 atomic power plants across the u.s. that includes one reactor in california, with a history of problems. now, several ex-employees say their safety warnings were

ignored. sandra hughes reports. >> reporter: a former manager at southern california's san onofre nuclear power plant says he was fired last fall after he tried to bring employee safety concerns to supervisors. >> i was told to not address those concerns and the exact words were, they don't need you to be their superhero. >> reporter: mike mason and rick busnardo who both worked more than 25 years were in charge of making canisters to store spent nuclear fuel. they say they complained about an employee welding the canisters incorrectly. >> eventually it could have failed to contain the fuel rod like it was supposed to. >> reporter: mason and busnardo took their complaints to the nuclear regulatory commission. so did paul diaz. diaz is suing southern california edison which owns san onofre. the suit claims employees complained of excessive overtime and fatigue. >> we have conducted a thorough review of the concerns and we are satisfied with how the employee was handled, and how the issues that were raised were

dealt with. let me emphasize, this type of thing is taken very, very seriously. >> reporter: san onofre sits on the southern california coast just five miles from an earthquake fault line. it has had a long history of safety violations. >> japan is an exact perfect example of what can happen. we are less than two miles away, and we're scared. >> reporter: that fear only escalates with each new report of radiation concerns in japan. sandra hughes, cbs news, los angeles. the fbi is asking for help in solving a mysterious cold case murder. in june of 1999, 41-year-old ricky mccormick was found dead near st. louis, missouri. a pair of notes found in his jeans, consisting of handwritten capital letters, numbers and dashes. the fbi says it can't crack the code, and has released the notes, hoping the public can figure it out and can help catch the killer. this morning on "the early show," the latest on the budget battle in washington. i'm betty nguyen.

this is the "cbs morning news." these ladies have been exercising, watching their diets and enjoying activia light. well? i've lost a few pounds and i've never felt so light. at 70 calories, delicious activia light helps you be light and feel light too. ♪ activia

the u.s. senate may vote as early as today on stopping the environmental protection agency from regulating greenhouse gases blamed for global warming. republicans say new energy rules would be bad for u.s. business. and some democratic lawmakers from coal producing states want to delay tougher regulations. president obama has set new goals for reaching energy independence. in a speech wednesday, the president called for cutting u.s. oil imports by one-third by the year 2025. he also wants to rely on non-oil energy sources for 80% of the u.s. electricity use by the year 2035. he wants more energy efficient vehicles, as well. and with gas prices up almost 25 cents in the past month to $1.60 a gallon nationwide, americans are now kicking the habit, trading in

their gas guzzlers for more fuel efficient vehicles. dean reynolds reports. >> reporter: on the roller coaster ride of energy prices, gasoline is going up again. >> $65 for gas is pretty unbelievable. >> reporter: but lessons learned since the last spike in 2008 are cushioning the blow. >> fuel efficiency as a whole has become more important to every customer, even a full-sized truck customer. >> reporter: gasoline consumption in this country peaked in 2007 at 390 million gallons a day. but it's declined ever since, and last year, the figure was 379 million gallons. a nearly 11 million gallon difference every day. and that's even with more cars on the road. >> there are a lot of models now that are considerably more efficient than they were just four or five years ago. >> reporter: joe wizenfelder of cars.com said the public got smart. >> people learned next time i buy a car i'm not going to be in a situation where my suv costs

$100 to fill, and its retail value goes way, way down, and it leaves me stuck with this vehicle. >> reporter: in 2004, for example, 65% of the vehicles ford sold were trucks or suvs. today, that number has almost completely flipped. with cars and crossovers dominating sales. >> people are downsizing and they're buying nicer-equipped but very fuel efficient vehicles. >> reporter: at grossinger autoplex in chicago, 40% to 50% of toyota sales in march were hybrids. >> our hybrid sales in small car sales have been pretty much going through the roof. >> reporter: but the japanese earthquake has disrupted supplies. >> unfortunately, as we get less, the prices are going to go up on the hybrid vehicles. >> reporter: what's different today, though, is that consumers have a far wider array of choices. especially including u.s. products that can help them weather the wild ride at the pump. dean reynolds, cbs news, chicago. coming up a little bit later

on "the early show," the latest on the rebel setbacks in libya. plus, a hospital nightmare. deadly superbugs that are resistant to antibiotics and infecting patients. plus a warning about the latest summer craze, the dangers of those balls that let you walk on water. that's the "cbs morning news" for this thursday. thanks for watching, everyone, i'm betty nguyen. have a great day. ñ ,,,,,,,,