giants, okay? >> giants. thank you. [ laughter ] >> see you tomorrow. >> caption colorado, llc comments@captioncolorado.com good morning. breaking news. battle for li good morning, breaking news. anyw icially takes over cont no-fly zone from the u.s. while on the ground cia operatives are working with the rebels who continue their retreat from moammar gadhafi's forces. this as the white house considers sending in weapons to aid the fight against the libyan dicta dictator. out like a lion. a spring storm causes serious damage in the south. now it's heading up the east coast where it could dump as much as a foot of snow in some areas and lead to major flooding. we'll bring you the latest on the winter weather that never seems to end. and back in the water. one year after drowning its trainer a killer whale returns to performing at seaworld in orlando and while new safety changes are in place, critics

warn they may not be enough to prevent another tragedy. we'll have all those stories prevent another tragedy. we'll have all those stories early this morning captioning funded by cbs . and good morning. good morning. welcome to the "early" show. >> good to have you with us this morning. we begin with the breaking news out of libya where nato officially took control of the air campaign against gadhafi's forces. as it promised to do day after day of negotiations. the white house says it is considering giving weapons but has not made a decision. the head of nato says he is against it. officials say the cia is now working inside libya to coordinate.

gadhafi's forces are pushing the opposition back to the rebel held city of ajdabiya. >> reporter: rebels have given up nearly all the ground gained after allied air strikes took out some of gadhafi's heavy weapons. now government forces are changing tactics leaving behind the armed military vehicles and moving an armed pickup truck like the rebels that makes it difficult for coalition forces overhead to distinguish on the ground. the u.s. has authorized/cystance for the rebels but it's not clear what form that help will come in. rebels say what they really need is arms. >> translator: this is not my profession but what we can do now. we must do anything to push for help and nobody help us. >> reporter: the rebels are showing their combat fatigue outgunned and often outflanked

in the field. they lack any sort of strategy or leadership. they're eager to take ground but are quick to flee when they face any real fight. the reality is a victory seems increasingly unlikely. what they need now are more high-ranking defected shuns like foreign minister musa kusa yesterday. it's the first show of a crack in the regime. that was mandy clark reporting from benghazi. joining us from washington is general who serves for ground forces at the beginning of the war in iraq. sir, good to have you with us. give us an idea -- >> thank you, erica. >> we've learned now cia operatives are working inside libya. based on your experience, what exactly are they doing? >> i think they have two missions. one is the assessment of what the rebel force looks like, who their leaders are, what's their makeup. the vetting process of this

group. i am convinced that they are blazing targets and helping the rebel forces identify friend from foe on the ground and then illuminating targets for the overhead nato forces. >> it almost sounds like double vetting, vetting for the u.s. and for the coalition and then for the folks on the ground, what is that vetting process? they're not handing over resumes and letters of reference? >> no, they're not. what is really taking place they are running sources to identify what the motivations are. whether this is an individual within the ranks of the rebel that is can be trusted in the near term or whether this is a long-term engagement, somebody who might be able to rise up through the ranks and become part of the leadership. that's a long-term process to do that very well. >> how do we know these folks won't turn on the u.s. and u.s. allies? >> we don't. that's the thing. this is not an academic exercise where there's an absolute right

or wrong. there are incredible elements of risk. the cia's exceptionally good at this. they know how to do it. but the thing is what is the united states, what is nato trying to accomplish in libya and, frankly, that's still not very clear. if it's the removal of gadhafi, it's not necessarily what we see in terms of the application of force. these rebel forces right now are patriots, we think. they may be mixed with al qaeda. that's a problem. but is it better than the gadhafi solution that's in place right now? and so what the rebels need to do is achieve some mass, hunker down and allow nato to do its job. >> it would seem even just by looking at the pictures they're going to need some help. we keep hearing how they are being pushed back. the picture mandy painted for us and the pictures we see are a bunch of guys riding around in trucks. dou they don't have a lot of communication. can they win? >> well, they can't win right now in the definition of

planting a flag in the ground and saying we're victorious. they can win if they choose right now to achieve a little bit of space between themselves and gadhafi's forces and achieve some mass. go back to benghazi, hunker down and let anywnato do its job aga gadhafi's forces. >> for them to achieve that mass, does the u.s. and perhaps the coalition need to arm them? >> absolutely. i think it's easy to say we're already arming them in the form of close air support against gadhafi's forces. but there needs to be training before there needs to be arms but since there isn't time to establish a training regimen, you have to give them something so they can at least survive to fight another day and that's what we're facing right now, erica. >> general james marks, appreciate it. next friday the federal government runs out of money and will have to shut down if the congress does not pass a budget agreement. it seems as though both sides

are still very far away from a final deal. nancy cordes has the latest from the hill. good morning. >> reporter: chris, good morning. at least they are negotiating again which wasn't even taking place for a while because the two sides were so far apart. the vice president was up here last night. even he said they're making progress. with a government shutdown looming, negotiators are homing in on a package of cuts worth $33 billion. that's roughly what republican leaders proposed last month before the tea party wing demanded that they double their proposal to $61 billion. the talks may be progressing but sniping between party leaders is escalating as they attempt to blame each other for a compromise they know many of their members won't like. >> pass the damn thing, all right? and send it over here and let's have real negotiations instead of rooting for a government shutdown. >> reporter: harry reid snapped back that it was speaker boehner who had been holding up negotiations not him.

>> i'm glad he's returned to the conversation. it's obvious he has a difficult situation on his hands. >> reporter: the situation is the group of tea party freshman republicans who are insisting that boehner hold firm on large cuts. illinois congressman joe walsh is one of them. he says a shutdown might actually be a good thing. >> this is the most serious financial situation we've had. the american people get that and so if we need a jolt, if we need the government to shut down for a few days for us to really get serious, i think the american people are with that. >> reporter: in a way these negotiations are only a warm-up for the huge fight that's going to break out next week when republicans introduce their budget for 2012. it is sure to feature far deeper cuts than the ones proposed for this spending bill which will only get us through the end of this fiscal year in september, chris. >> this is just the warm-up. great. talking $33 billion, any ideas what programs will get the ax

here? >> reporter: not right now. democrats and republicans were just trying to get to a number that they could both live with before they figured out what would have to get cut in order to reach that $33 billion and republicans in particular caution that number could change a lot depending on how these negotiations go. >> we can't wait to see how that number they can live with what that looks like. nancy cordes on capitol hill, thank you. >> reporter: sure thing. >> just the beginning. jeff glor is standing by at the news desk with a look at other headlines we're following on this thursday. good morning. erica, chris, good morning to you. good morning to everyone at home. in japan high levels of radiation have been found 25 miles from that damaged enthusiastic leer power plant. the u.n. wants japan to expand the evacuation zone around the plant now. there's currently a 12-mile mandatory evacuation zone and a 19-mile voluntary zone where residents are urged to stay indoors. the high levels of radiation were found in a small fishing village. in seawater near the plant radiation levels measured more

than 4,000 times the legal limit. french president nicolas sarkozy, the first foreign leader to visit japan since the quake. he says the world needs new nuclear safety standards by the end of this year. very small radiation traces found in a sample of milk in washington state. it's something the fda had been expecting, they say. officials say consumers shouldn't worry. the sample is still 5,000 times below levels set by the fda including levels for children and infants. ten sailors were hurt during a training exercise onboard an american aircraft carrier yesterday. the "uss john stennis" engine exploded and caught fire. the pilot was not injured. four of the sailors who were hurt were flown to shore for treatment. none of the injuries are life threatening. the governor of ohio is set to sign a bill that would sharply scale back the power of unions. the state house and senate

passed it yesterday as protesters shouted. that will allow unions to negotiate wages but not health care, sick time or pension benefits. it is considered harsher than the bill recently passed in wisconsin because it includes police and firefighters. and it may be a real estate record. russian investor milner has paid $100 million for this house, a french chateau-style mansion in california. that's according to "the wall street journal." it is among the highest known prices ever paid for a single family home in the u.s. it's 25,000 square feet. indoor and outdoor pools and a ballroom. 11 minutes past the hour. just in case you want to do some dancing. >> who doesn't have a ballroom, 100 friends over. >> a nice place to entertain, much like your weekend home, jeff. your chateau. our first check of the

weather. there may not be any skiing going on at that chateau but other places could be having some spring skiing. absolutely. good morning, everyone. winter just doesn't want to say good-bye to some portions of the country. take a look at ohio. this is summit county, ohio. they got their fair share of unexpected snow, about 1 to 3 inches making for the afternoon commute just a little bit messier. the birds tried their best to enjoy it. 2 inches in akron. 3 inches in cleveland. it was a quick mover and it's out of there. severe weather also in the forecast. take a look at central florida. another storm system moves through dumping half an inch to an inch of rain brought 85-mile-per-hour wind gusts and left a trail of destruction in its wake. one confirmed today. today much of the same thing, this same area gets hit of similar weather. wind

thanks so much. that's your latest weather. now over to chris. >> marysol, thank you. we've told you many times about super dangerous bacteria that are turning up in more and more hospitals. all but the most powerful antibiotics are useless against them. cbs news correspondent mark strassmann is in birmingham, alabama, on a super bug suspected of killing nine alone. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, chris. nine deaths, patients ranging in age from 28 to 94. no one they say definitively whether they died from an infection or from some other health issue but it's a hospital nightmare. nine dead patients, six different hospitals and suspicion an avoidable bacterial infection, a so-called super bug, was to blame. ten other patients were sickened by survived after they were all fed a tainted nutritional supplement. through the iv, the bacteria called often found in water, went directly into the patients' bloodstream. they were all very sick, fragile

patients to begin with. >> any patient that has a decreased immune response, these types of infections are very life threatening. >> reporter: one birmingham pharmacy made all the tainted feeding supplements. one focus for investigators, a possible manufacturing breakdown. >> we've been informed that the impact of hospitals stop using this product and the pharmacy discontinue all production. >> reporter: the cdc is leading the investigation as the agency did five years ago when the same bacteria infected a dozen patients in california and new jersey. in the alabama cases, the bacteria's treatable if detected early. but it's also part of a class of five deadly bacteria, super bug, found in hospitals across america. now responsible for 60% of all intensive care infections. one in 20 patients develop these infections and in 2009 it's estimated 50,000 people died.

in the next day or two lab cultures could determine whether all of these patients did have the same strain of super bug but the focus of the investigation, where this infection began, that is just beginning. mark strassmann, cbs news, birmingham. cbs news medical correspondent dr. jennifer ashton is here with more on this hospital super bug. dock are totor doctor, good morning. in your opinion, what is the potential cause here? >> well, there are two very important issues that need to be considered in the investigation of these deaths, chris. one is, as we heard, all of these patients were critically ill. obviously any patient in an intensive care unit setting could be set up for think type of life threatening infection. when you talk about the nutritional supplement called tpn and it goes in through the patient, into the patient's body through what's called a central line, a big iv. all doctors are always on the lookout for that material, the nutrition and the line through

which it goes into the body to become infected. they go hand-in-hand. so we're going to be looking for contamination of that supplement as well as the fact those patients were critically ill to begin with. >> more about this particular bacteria. what are some of the signs? can you see this? >> this is a bad actor. as we heard it's a very aggressive bacteria found in many places in the environment including moist, damp places, also the intestinal track. we see it a lot in hospitalized patients and it is very difficult to treat. it can make you very sick very quickly. it can be a setup. >> like mark said, if it's caught early obviously they can help get around some of the fatal symptoms. >> right. >> let me ask you this. if you are critically ill like you mentioned, then more difficult to find? >> it can be and these patients are going to present, again, with accesepsis. they need that nutrition so the

lines will have to be changed, get new bags of that nutrition because they need that as well. >> dr. jennifer ashton, thank you. >> you bet. >> good to see you this morning. coming up on the "early" show, the whale back performing in shows. why some people say that's a dangerous idea. [ male announcer ] when mike rowe heads home, his family knows what to expect. hun, mike's coming -- let's get crackin'. [ male announcer ] but what mike rowe doesn't know is that his parents have armed themselves with unquilted viva® towels. place looks great. [ male announcer ] mike doesn't know that every concentrated viva roll is made of strong, fiber packed sheets, making it one tough towel. but his mom sure does. wow, for me? you shouldn't have. i insist. [ male announcer ] hey, if viva can handle mike rowe's mess, just think what it can do in your home. grab a roll for yourself and grasp the unquilted difference.

8% every 10 years.age 40, we can start losing muscle -- grab a roll for yourself wow. wow. but you can help fight muscle loss with exercise and ensure muscle health. i've got revigor. what's revigor? it's the amino acid metabolite, hmb to help rebuild muscle and strength naturally lost over time. [ female announcer ] ensure muscle health has revigor and protein to help protect, preserve, and promote muscle health. keeps you from getting soft. [ major nutrition ] ensure. nutrition in charge! [ announcer ] who could resist the call... of america's number-one puppy food brand? with dha and essential nutrients also found in mother's milk. purina puppy chow.

just ahead, tilikum the killer whale performed flawlessly yesterday at seaworld, orlando. and everyone watching, of course this was the first performance since the orca drowned his trainer a year ago, critics speaking out saying just because trainers are no longer allowed in the water with him does not mean it's safe to have this whale back in the show. >> yeah, when we come back we're going to take a closer look, speak with a former trainer. we'll be right back. you're watching "the early show" here on cbs. >> this portion of "the early show" sponsored by mercedes-benz.

experience truly great engineering today at your experience truly great engineering today at your authorized dealer. i really e it coming. i didn't realize i was drifting into the other lane. [ kim ] i was literally falling asleep at the wheel. it got my attention, telling me that i wasn't paying attention. i had no idea the guy in front of me had stopped short. but my car did. -my car did. -thankfully, my mercedes did. [ male announcer ] a world you can't predict... demands a car you can trust. the e-class. see your authorized mercedes-benz dealer for exceptional offers through mercedes-benz financial services. [ announcer ]eptional offers who could resist the call... of america's number-one puppy food brand? with dha and essential nutrients also found in mother's milk. purina puppy chow.

you have a child with adhd. you're getting calls from his teacher he's impulsive in class. and his inattention makes focusing on homework tough. i know how it is because my son has adhd too. i didn't know all i could do to help manage his adhd. our doctor suggested a treatment plan with non-stimulant intuniv. [ male announcer ] once daily non-stimulant intuniv has been shown to reduce adhd symptoms. don't take if allergic to intuniv or are taking guanfacine. intuniv may cause serious side effects, such as low blood pressure, low heart rate, fainting, and sleepiness. intuniv may affect the ability to drive or use machinery. other side effects include nausea, tiredness, trouble sleeping, stomach pain and dizziness. tell the doctor about your child's medicines and medical conditions, including heart, liver or kidney problems. i'm a mom first and a teacher second. so i did my homework and got informed. [ male announcer ] ask the doctor about once daily non-stimulant intuniv.

[ male announcer ] ask the doctor

pleasanton police are igation a mother a good morning. it's 7:25. time for news headlines, i'm frank mallicoat. pleasanton police are investigating a mother and her 3-year-old son this morning. the boy was found wandering in a wall mart parking lot at 3 a.m. the mother called 911 to report the child missing. the boy is okay. the police are investigating. newark police are searching for a missing at risk teenager. 14-year-old kenny stevenson has a form of autism. union city police say he went missing last night after he got into a argument with his mother over homework and grades. he was seen last night in an area of pioneer school. and an apartment police misconduct leads to another case being thrown out in san francisco. the judge rejected drug charges after seeing security video. that tape appears to contradict

the official police report on the arrest on march 1. traffic and weather around the bay area in just a moment. stay with us. ,,,,,,,,,,,,

good morning. a look at the bay bridge toll plaza. the metering lights are on and traffic is backed up. you can't tell how badly backed up it is because there is so

much sunshine out there. but it looks like it's jammed from at least the 880 overcrossing. 15 minutes to get on the bridge. if you are heading into san francisco, park presidio boulevard shut down between clement and california due to a partially damaged power pole. police decided to block off that whole stretch. if you are going between golden gate and the golden gate bridge. live look at nimitz 880 through oakland. right now just starting to get slow past the coliseum. but no incidents up towards downtown oakland. lawrence with a check of your forecast. >> thank you. it's looking great weather-wise elizabeth. a lot of sunshine around the bay area. of course, yesterday fantastic. looking good, clear sky, holding all day long. record-breaking temperatures. bring the sunglasses, you'll need them today as we will see that sunshine and hot temperatures showing up in parts of the bay area. records into santa rosa, maybe

into san jose. cooler tomorrow, chance of showers on saturday. ,,,,,,,,

welcome back to welcome back to the "early" show on a thursday. getting closer to the week. >> we hope you haven't put the shovel away in the northeast at least. not spring yet, folks. >> a little spring snow could be heading your way. yesterday we talked about this and probably a lot of people talking about it. thousands of spectators at seaworld orlando saw tilikum the killer whale perform for the first time since drowning a trainer last year. well, this time all the trainers stayed out of the pool. plenty of people were still wondering is it even safe to have this animal in the pool and is it fair to the animal?

>> coming up we'll ask a former trainer at seaworld orlando if she thinks it's a good idea to bring kill couptilikum back to . it has been a year. some may think it's too soon. we'll discuss that. first, jeff glor at the news desk with another look at our top headlines this morning. chris, good morning to you. good morning to everyone at home. u.s. officials say president obama authorized covert action in libya weeks ago and cia operatives have been on the ground in libya in contact with rebel forces. the operatives assisted in the rescue of two american air men last week. nato took sole control today. rebel forces continue retreating in the face of a strong government counterattack. a senior aid to moammar gadhafi's former mincer musa kusa has

this morning a killer whale responsible for a trainer's death last year is once again performing at seaworld in orlando. this after a huge crowd greeted tilikum for his return yesterday. there are new safety measures in place, but critics are outraged with the decision. our orlando affiliate is at seaworld this morning with the very latest. mike, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, erica. with the trainers safely out of the water tilikum returned to seaworld's signature event. sam activists say tilikum should be kept away from people for good. on wednesday more than 5,000 fans packed seaworld's shamu stadium all to watch tilikum the killer whale make his first public appearance in more than a year. >> very exciting. everybody was up and clapping. >> reporter: but the fanfare could do little to match what happened here in february 2010 when the six-ton o rca dragged

dawn brancheu to her death. >> we have a trainer in the water with one of our whales, the whale that they're not supposed to be in the water w h with. >> reporter: since brancheu's death, they have been subject to a new set of rules. trainers are no longer allowed in the water during live shows, long hair must now be tied back and new safety bars have been put into place. it tilikum has been kept virtually isolated until now. in a statement seaworld said tilikum is being returned to the stage because it is an important component much of his physical, social and mental enrichment. >> you take the risk by being a trainer and you never know what can happen. you are taking your own life in your own hands. >> reporter: brancheu is not the first person tilikum has killed. in 1991 a 20-year-old trainer died while working with the whale and in 1999, a 27-year-old homeless man was killed after jumping into the whale pool unsupervised. critics say it's only a matter of time before another tragedy

occurs. >> just because they had one show where tilikum didn't injure or kill someone. >> reporter: the park still intends to get the trainers back in the water with the whale. we have a limited basis for training purposes. they have additional safety measures planned including a rising floor that would lift the trainers and the whales out of the water. they're looking at portable oxygen, even under water vehicles to distract the whales in an emergency. erica? >> mike, thanks. joining us now is the former trainer at seaworld orlando. good to have you with us. give us an idea. >> thank you, good morning. >> tilikum, three people were killed. should tilikum be back as part of the show? >> well, here is the deal with tilikum. he's been out of shows for about 13 months so he's really completely out of condition, he's also been extremely

stressed because he's got broken teeth and he's been on antibiotics on and off. he's chronically dehydrated because he's eating about ten gallons of gelatin a day which is about 80 pounds to keep him hydrated because he's eating dead fish and he's been isolated. so, of course, putting him back in the show would be a good thing for him, get him back in condition and be socially stimulating for him. so from that standpoint, seaworld does have a point. putting tilikum back in the show would be a good thing for him and his mental health and emotional health and for his physical health. on the other hand as you just said, tilikum has been involved in the deaths of three people over the past 20 years. so when you put him back into the show, of course he will have more interaction with trainers and you're risking that another tragedy could happen. it might not be today. it might not be tomorrow but somebody could make a mistake and there could be a fourth death. i really don't think it's in seaworld's best interests to take that risk. >> how much did you know will tilikum when you were a trainer

there? how much did seaworld tell but this whale's past? >> well, i was at shamu stadium when tilikum arrived. my understanding about tilikum's involvement with kelsey byrnes' death was kelsey slipped and fell in the pool and then the other whales actually were involved in her death and all tilikum did was carry her dead body around on his back and it took two hours to retrieve kelsey. she died of hypothermia relatively quickly. since '92, of course '92 was preinternet days. i've done research and learned her death was actually very similar to dawn's death in that she fell in. one of the whales grabbed her, kept her from getting back out and then tilikum and the other two whales all were involved in preventing kelsey from getting out of the water. they actively prevented her from getting out of the water so t l tilikum was involved in her death in a larger way than i thank you about. >> do you think trainers there in your experience as a trainer at seaworld orlando have all of

the information and the protection they need from the company? >> you know, i just think when you put animals in captivity and confinement and you're looking at potential for danger and unpredictable behavior. these animals are severely stressed because of their diet and lack of socialization and so no matter how much information trainers are given, there's still always that potential that something tragic could happen. on the other hand, i don't feel that the trainers have been given enough information just waysed on what i knew when i was there. my understanding of the animal's past was very limited. in fact, there have been 30 incidences between -- or 30 incidents between killer whales and trainers prior to my being hired at the park and i didn't know about any of them until after i left seaworld. so i think that's a serious mistake on seaworld's part that they weren't letting people know the history of the animals. >> we may find out more, too, about what happened in april.

osha is holding hearings. they fined seaworld. we'll be looking at those. i really appreciate your insight. thanks for being with us this morning. >> thank you very much for having me. just ahead, a government warning on water balls. they're popular at many places around the country. officials, though, now say they are extremely dangerous. this could be the equivalent of a plastic bag on your child's head. . [ marge ] psst.

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...

but we still may suffer from nasal allergy symptoms. they can hit you year round... indoors or out. achoo! oh to have relief. prescription nasonex is clinically proven to help relieve nasal allergy symptoms... including congestion, runny and itchy nose and sneezing. [ female announcer ] side effects may include headache, viral infection, sore throat, nosebleeds, and coughing. infections of the nose and throat and eye problems, including glaucoma or cataracts may occur. have regular eye exams. slow wound healing may occur, so do not use nasonex until your nose has healed from any sore, surgery or injury. nasonex can increase your risk of getting infections. avoid contact with infections like chicken pox or measles while using nasonex. it does not come in generic form. ask your doctor if nasonex is right for you. creme body wash with nutrium moisture. after 1 week we took their close-ups. when they saw how much more beautiful their skin looked they had only one question... ♪ new dove visible care creme body wash.

> ev ever wanted to walk on water? it's been popular in europe for years using a specially made bubble and it's becoming more n and more popular here in the u.s. but the government is now warning that this fad could potentially kill you. "early" show correspondent susan koeppen is with us. water walking balls look like fun. you get inside, get zipped out and then walk out onto the water. according to the consumer products safety commission these balls can lead to suffocation or drowning. from water parks to backyard pools, water walking balls are

the latest amusement craze to sweep the nation. after you climb in the bubble, it's filled with air and you get zipped inside then you can literally walk on water. it looks fun but is it safe? >> you can't hear us. >> reporter: it at this mall near boston a girl stopped breathing and became unresponsive while playing inside a water ball last november. >> she was completely blue and completely limp. and she needed several minutes of cpr. i thought she was dead. >> reporter: the girl survived but the consumer product safety commission is issuing an alert that it could be a deadly danger. >> this has the danger of suffocation, drowning, or seriously injured inside the ball. >> reporter: critics say oxygen can be depleted and carbon dioxide can rise to dangerous levels in just a few minutes.

another concern, a person in trouble can't get out themselves. >> the consumer gets inside the water walking ball. the ball is zipped from the outside. the consumer cannot open the ball. >> reporter: but manufacturers say there is absolutely no danger when water balls are used properly. >> i believe our product is safe. >> reporter: for spencer whose company euro bungy has sold more than 200 in the u.s. say they've never experienced a single serious injury. >> i think it's a huge overreaction because most of these are being used by ride operators who are responsible and the ride operators know how to use them safely and know how to keep them safe. >> reporter: still, the balls are just too dangerous and consumers should stay away. >> we are warning all consumers not to use these balls and this is a very strong warning. we are also doing further investigation and we'll take whatever steps necessary to keep

consumers safe. >> the makers of water balls say they have plenty of air inside, up to an hour's worth based on the size of the person using it. the cpsc knows of no safe way to use this product, chris. >> you would think they would have some means of being able to get out of this thing from the inside and not zipped from the outside. you put these things on lakes or even in the ocean and what keeps you from just floating away? >> there is a cord attached that someone is supposed to hold on to. even the makers of the product say you should not be using this on open water. you can see in that video there's a little cord but if that -- someone lets go of that cord, that ball can literally wander away. and because there is no way for you once you are inside to get out, someone is going to have to come out and rescue you. so if you get into trouble out there, you're going to be on your own. >> cpsc is issuing strong warnings. any chance of it leading to an outright ban? >> it's not being banned yet. it hasn't been banned, but they are looking at it. they say there is no safe way to

use this so they are warning consumers to think twice before you decide to get into one of these balls. >> susan koeppen, good to see you that morning. we'll be right back. stay with us. [ male announcer ] when mike rowe heads home, his family knows what to expect. hun, mike's coming -- let's get crackin'. [ male announcer ] but what mike rowe doesn't know is that his parents have armed themselves with unquilted viva® towels. place looks great. [ male announcer ] mike doesn't know that every concentrated viva roll is made of strong, fiber packed sheets, making it one tough towel. but his mom sure does.

wow, for me? you shouldn't have. i insist. [ male announcer ] hey, if viva can handle mike rowe's mess, just think what it can do in your home. grab a roll for yourself and grasp the unquilted difference.

you have a child with adhd. you're getting calls from his teacher he's impulsive in class. and his inattention makes focusing on homework tough. i know how it is because my son has adhd too. i didn't know all i could do to help manage his adhd. our doctor suggested a treatment plan with non-stimulant intuniv. [ male announcer ] once daily non-stimulant intuniv has been shown to reduce adhd symptoms. don't take if allergic to intuniv or are taking guanfacine. intuniv may cause serious side effects, such as low blood pressure, low heart rate, fainting, and sleepiness. intuniv may affect the ability to drive or use machinery. other side effects include nausea, tiredness, trouble sleeping, stomach pain and dizziness. tell the doctor about your child's medicines and medical conditions, including heart, liver or kidney problems.

i'm a mom first and a teacher second. so i did my homework and got informed. [ male announcer ] ask the doctor about once daily non-stimulant intuniv. it's often said the more beautiful you are, the happier the life you lead. here with that story right now is erica hill. >> you know all about this. there is -- you know, a lot of people say, good-looking people, they get ahead, they have life a little bit easier. look, i don't want to depress you at 7:49. there may be a little truth to that. better looking you are, maybe make a little more money. but you can combat it. ahead on "the early show." >> hmm. you know what this is, cartwright? yes. nicorette mini. you carry them around everywhere. yes i do,

because cravings are everywhere. would you take a craving for me, cartwright? how would i -- exactly. [ male announcer ] nicorette mini goes wherever you go, to help make quitting suck less.

>> ( beeping ) ( beeping stops ) >> announcer: free is better. do your simple return for free with the federal free edition at turbotax.com. turbotax. the most trusted brand of tax software. ,,,,,,,,

berations could be it is 7:55. time for news headlines from cbs 5. i'm sydnie kohara. deliberations could begin as early as tomorrow in a civil trial stemming from allegations of a gang-rape. the defendants include former members of the de anza college baseball team. the plaintiff is seek $7.5 million in damages saying she was attacked at an off-campus party in 2007. the d.a. didn't file criminal charges saying there was not enough evidence. some earn couraging signs for uc-berkeley's baseball -- some encouraging signs from uc- berkeley baseball team as a fundraising drive to save the program faces a deadline tomorrow. one of the driving force behind the efforts says he contributed a half million dollars of his own money and raised $9.4

million total to save the baseball team but the university has said $10 million is needed to save the 119-year- old baseball program. traffic and weather around the bay area in just a moment. stay with us. ,,,,,,,,,,

good morning, everyone. we still have this closure of park presidio boulevard in san francisco. this is video taken earlier from chopper 5. we want to let you know right now still both directions of park presidio

shut down between clement and lake. and southbound traffic is being diverted on lake street. we understand that it is backed up to the golden gate bridge toll plaza. northbound traffic being turned around at clement jammed to at least balboa. a mess to avoid. to the maps, ace train delays, number five running a half hour behind schedule. otherwise bart, muni metro and caltrain all reporting no delays. that' traffic. here's lawrence with the forecast. >> sunshine from the land to the sea. ocean beach a lot of sunshine. great day for the beach. right off the water's edge temperatures there into the 70s. you get inside the bay, those heat up into the 80s. records showing up around much of the bay area for highs today. then it looks like it's going to start to cool down. enjoy the sunshine today, tomorrow probably fog at the coast, to cool down the temperatures and sea breeze. champs rain on saturday.

-- a chance of rain returns on saturday. ,,,,,,,,

cloudy skies over new york city here this mor. . welcome back to "the early show" on a thursday morning last day of march, april tomorrow, and there could be snow on the ground in some parts of the northeast. >> called an april fool day fwliz squad in the late '90s. >> welcome back. chris wragge with erica hill. want to make more money and lead a happier life, be happier than other people, it's pretty easy. look good. a new study reports attractive people get higher pay which is what reason to be happy and they say there's a difference when it comes to men and women. >> really, the double standards,

enough. >> they say you can make a little more money if you have a deeper voice. >> or perhaps a little taller. >> so we're going to tell you about this study when we come back. interesting findings. >> there are. we can help you, we are going to help you get ahead no matter what. even if you feel like you're challenged if in those areas. also ahead, under 400, terrible, above 800, amazing. those numbers have to do with your credit scores and how banks and businesses decide if you are a good dan date, whether or not you will default on a loan. sometimes you feel like you have no idea how to make it better because you don't get a lot of information until this morning. we will help you bump it which can be helpful if looking for a job. >> not too hard to fix the credit scores if you have a bad number and look at your report and have knicks on there. rebecca jarvis is here and will help us out. jeff glor who we nicknamed 555, i'm kidding his credit report is better than that. >> 455 whale. thank you very much. >> good morning, everyone.

nato is in control of all air operations over libya. the cia has operatives on the ground contacting rebels forces. u.s. government officials say president obama authorized the covert activity weeks ago. forces continue to be on the run, losing ground to a high powered libyan government counter attack from moammar gadhafi. the u.s. is considering arming the rebel troops. this morning, defense secretary robert gates testified before the house armed services committee. >> we will in coming days significantly ramp down our commitment of other military capabilities and resources in this operation. there will be no american boots on the ground in libya. >> a spokesman says moammar gadhafi and his sons are all in libya, and will remain there until the end. jap niece officials under pressure to expand the evacuation zone. there's a 12 mile zone and a 19 mile voluntary zone, but they

found high levels of radiation in a fishing village as far away as 25 miles from the plant. low levels of radiation have from japan have been found in a sample of milk in washington state. health experts say consumers should not worry the sample is 5,000 times below levels of concern set by the fda. ten sailors injured during a training exercise on board an american aircraft carrier. the "uss stennis" was about 100 miles off the coast of san diego yesterday when the engine of an f/a-18 fighter jet exploded and caught fire. four sailors were flown to a hospital, none of the injuries are life threatening. a potential heir apparent to warren buffet has resigned. 54-year-old david sokol ran several of berkshire hathaway companies. buffet says soaking's departure comes as a total surprise. there has been a call for improved safety on busses. more than 750 million americans ride tour busses every year and congress is now demanding

tighter regulation. cbs news correspondent whit johnson is in washington with the latest on that. whit, good morning. >> jeff, good morning. well the debate over bus safety has been going on in washington for decades now, but after a string of deadly accidents, the issue may finally have some momentum. >> reporter: march 12th, a casino tour bus on a new york city highway crashes and flips. 15 people are killed. investigators now say the bus was going 78 miles an hour, far above the legal limit. two days later in new jersey, a coach headed to philadelphia skids off the turnpike and smashes into a concrete overpass. killing the driver and one passenger. 40 others are hurt. yesterday, the company that owned the bus, lost its license to operate. >> it's incomprehensible that it has taken so long. >> reporter: at yesterday's hearing on capitol hill, senators and transportation officials considered drastic changes to the industry, including seat belts for all passengers, stronger roofs to

prevent rollovers and electronic downboard recorders which keep track of the hours drivers spend behind the wheel. these tougher regulations have been tied up in congress for years and that reality has hit home for john and joy betts. >> anger, frustration, and sadness. >> reporter: their son david, traveling with his college baseball team, died when their bus slid off an atlanta overpass in 2007. >> one week after we buried our son i read a 1999 ntsb report that had been calling for these safety recommendations for the last 25, 30 years. that makes you feel. >> reporter: a bill with almost identical safety changes failed to pass the senate last year. lawmakers who oppose it said it wasn't cost effective. jeff? >> whit, thank you. tv's judge judy plans to leave a los angeles hospital today. the 68-year-old became sick yesterday during a taping of her show. she suspected it was undiagnosed

fatigue. she said my body was, quote, telling me it needed a day to chill. a famous tennis player lost a few fans yesterday. take a look at this at the ericsson open in key biscayne, florida, a baby kuz crying in the stands and seemed to upset david ferrer of spain who was serving. so, he then hit the ball up into the stands, apparently trying to hit the infant. it did not come anywhere close, but not a very nice thing to do. ferrer lost the match. six minutes past the hour. back over to erica, chris and marysol. >> we call that karma. karma. >> tennis players and golfers, babi babies, can't deal with sports. >> babies can't deal with babies. >> nothing gets past you. >> on fire this morning. the skies are not on fire. >> i was going to say -- you guys mentioned the snowstorm, the april fool's day snowstorm, '97. one to three feet of snow.

i remember it shut down boston. let's take a look at what we expectp with. we have the unusual precipitation in the pacific nort

this weather report sponsored by miracle gro garden soil. turn bad soil into great soil. start right, finish big. >> thanks so much. that's your latest weather. and you guys, today's opening day for baseball and some folks are going to have some snow with their pop kwocorn and jacker ja. >> thanks. >> just ahead, beauty making skin deep. turns out it could pay a little better and make you happier. the economic and psychological benefits of looking your very

best. that's ahead on "the early show" on cbs. show" on cbs. chances are your soil is like this: compacted, drained of nutrients. it'll hold your plants but it'll also hold 'em back. the solution: miracle-gro garden soil. the perfect mix of rich, organic ingredients, and miracle-gro plant food. just mix it in. and turn bad soil into great soil. helps plants grow twice as big. instead of holding 'em back, they'll leap ahead. miracle-gro garden soil. and moisture control garden soil. i feel like i have to wind myself up to deal with the sadness, the loss of interest, the lack of energy. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor about pristiq -- a prescription medicine proven to treat depression. pristiq is thought to work by affecting the levels of two chemicals in the brain -- serotonin and norepinephrine. tell your doctor right away if your depression worsens or you have unusual changes in mood, behavior, or thoughts of suicide. anti-depressants can increase suicidal thoughts

and behaviors in children, teens, and young adults. pristiq is not approved for children under 18. do not take pristiq with maois. taking pristiq with nset pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. tell your doctor about all your medications, including those for migraine, to avoid a potentially life threatening condition. pristiq may cause or worsen high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or glaucoma. tell your doctor if you have heart disease, or before you reduce or stop taking pristiq. side-effects may include nausea, dizziness and sweating. for me, pristiq is a key in helping me treat my depression. side-effe♪ may include nausea, dizziness and sweating. ♪ ♪ ♪ introducing purina one beyond a new food for your cat or dog. introducing purina one beyond

where everyone feels at home. where the company, the conversation, and the food make all who enter feel welcome. a place that feels as warm with a crowd... as it does with just a friend. it's a place you'll find town house crackers. because they're part of what makes your place the place. ♪ welcome to town house. where good times reside. ♪ ooh baby, (what) can i do for you today? ♪ [ female announcer ] need help keeping your digestive balance? align can help. only align has bifantis, a patented probiotic that naturally helps maintain your digestive balance. try align to help retain a balanced digestive system. try the #1 gastroenterologist recommended probiotic.

align. in this morning's "healthwatch" are you happy? are you beautiful? they are actually not unrelated questions according to a new study which finds if you're physically attractive chances are you're more likely to be happy and, perhaps, even a little richer. "the early show" contributor taryn winter brill has more. ♪ beautiful i just want you to know ♪ >> reporter: they're tall, thin and beautiful. and it turns out that beauty probably makes them pretty happy. >> the results are very simple -- better looking people are happier. it's true in a bunch of countries, it's true for both men and women. >> reporter: according to research from the university of texas at austin, the most attractive people are about 10% happier than those deemed the least attractive. and that is in large part due to

money. >> part of the reason we find that beauty raises people's happiness is the fact it also makes them earn more. >> reporter: take heart, average joe and plain jane, it's not that simple. >> beauty only serves you to maybe get in the door. your talent, your personality, the essence of who you are, is what gets you to the next level. >> reporter: it turns out there are plenty of examples of wildly successful people who might not fit the conventional definition of beauty. >> mr. gates. good looking man or no? >> successful man or no? >> absolutely. >> would you consider the founder of facebook to be an attractive man? >> he's okay. i don't think his looks like paved the road for him founding a multimillion-dollar business. >> reporter: good looks don't ensure happiness. if as the saying goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, can't happiness be too? >> some people are going to like the way you look and other people aren't and i'm fine with the way i look. >> how happy are you? >> today?

this is a pretty cool lunch hour, i'll say. >> joining us is psychologist and "the early show" contributor dr. hartstein. your whole life you're raised to think, look it's not about how you look, what's inside is important, including what's inside here. this kind of throws that conventional wisdom on its head? >> it really does. what it's saying is, the more attractive you are, the more opportunities you have. so the question becomes, is it that you have more doors open to you, which then will make you happier and more fulfilled and having better options in your life. the fact is we do base our first opinion on how someone looks. and so the more attractive you are, the more opportunities will be handed to you. >> and you mention there's certain attributes. let's go through some of those, certain things that are found to have an advantage. the physical beauty, whatever someone may find to be beautiful as you walk in the door could help you. >> that's number one. >> number two, your height can come into play. >> your height can come into play. research has found if you are troller you get a -- taller you get a larger paycheck, up to

$800 more. they're not talking 5'2" to 5'5", 5'5" to 6 feet but can get you more money they think because you might have more self-este self-esteem, leadership qualities. height is an advantage. >> wear heels. >> thank goodness for platform heels for me. >> hair color. >> blondes do have more fun. sadly for you as a brunette and me as a red head, research has shown blondes have more fun. >> meaning they make more money. >> have more opportunities, deemed more attractive. so i guess we need to go to the hair salon later. >> i'm sticking with brunette. >> me too. >> tone of joys can get you somewhere. the lower your voice the advantage you may have. >> this is true in dating, the lower your vocal tone the more attractive you are to someone and the more arousal might occur between the couple. >> the low, sexy voice. >> it is that low, sexy voice. >> there are other factors at play when it comes to external beauty and unfortunately, women, once again, kind of getting the

short end of the stick here because we are judged more than men on our appearance. >> and we judge ourselves more than men on our appearance. >> own worst critic. >> i think it's a double edged sword. men are able to not only look at their appearance but external to find happiness. women, supported by the media unfortunately, really do look to the external world what they should look like and internally take it to heart and if they don't meet the media ideal they're not good enough and will impact how they feel. >> what about what's inside, your personality, brains, has to account for something in making you more attractive? >> once you get in the door, absolutely. but that first impression we have to -- we can't minimize how important that is. they go together. but, you know, smart and beautiful go get you farther. >> good to know. cosmetic surgery didn't turn this around but your attitude can. what are things we can do to project that beauty? >> first of all play up your positives. if you have a great personality play that up. slightly overweight, don't do things like wear big, baggy clothing. do things like wear makeup, look

good, feel good in your skin. that's the first thing you want to do. want to think about how your going to surround yourself with happy people. that's super important. and you also want to figure out how to accept things as they are. sometimes that's the best you can do and that will make you happy and you won't feel like you're policing something. >> the better you feel about yourself the better you project. >> and it radiates out. >> more attractive no matter what. >> will draw them to you as well. >> bottom line is just think positive. >> think positive and be in the moment. >> there you go. thanks. >> just ahead, your entire financial life, boiled down to three little numbers. we're going to help you protect your credit score which can affect everything from a home loan to a job just ahead on "the early show." >> "cbs healthwatch" sponsored by truvia natural sweetener. honestly sweet. nds ♪ ♪ i'm not your fool i won't just sit here and drool ♪ ♪ i'm tired of sharing you this is the end ♪ ♪ so i found a new love a natural true love ♪

♪ thaomcomes from a leaf green and bright ♪ ♪ zero-calorie, guilt-free no artificiality ♪ ♪ my soul sings with joy and delight ♪ ♪ its name is truvia i had no idea ♪ ♪ and i am loving every single bite ♪ [ announcer ] truvia. honestly sweet. you need to do the preventative things that you need to do for your heart health. for me, it means an aspirin regimen. before you begin an aspirin regimen. speak to your doctor.

before you begin an aspirin regimen. in this morning's "moneywatch," protecting your

credit score. this three digit number can determine whether you get a mortgage or car insurance. sometimes even a job. cbs news business and economics correspondent rebecca jarvis is here to help you keep your credit -- your credit score intact. why is it so important, though, for people, for their credit reputation to watch that score? >> first of all, you have a credit reputation and that's both your credit score, as well as your credit report. the two items together are the things that banks use, phone companies use, even in some cases employers use, to determine whether or not you are the kind of person that they can depend on and trust to act responsibly. that credit score is a number somewhere between 300, and 850, and it can certainly change your ability in life to get a loan, to get a credit card, and even in some cases, to get a job. >> what controls how either high or low that number can be? >> well, about 35% of it is whether or not you pay your bills on time. so then there's another 65% of it that comes down to things like, how much of your available credit are you using? for example, if you have a

credit card that has $10,000 available of credit on it, and you're using $9,000 of that available credit, well your credit score can actually go down, because of the fact that you're using so much of the credit that's available to you. >> when it comes like you said to just paying your bills, if you miss a month here and there, even something as insignificant as that can really knock your score down. >> it can. the biggies, obviously are bankruptcy and foreclosure. those two items can stay on your credit report and impact your credit score for up to seven to ten years. so in those cases, it's certainly a big deal. >> all right, what do you do if you do have a bad credit score? >> the first thing you can do, it's easy, or sometimes easier said than done, but it's paying your bills on time. pay off all of those late bills. also resuscitate, use an old credit card. what that will do is give you more available credit. it will look like you are utilizing less of the available credit. do not, however, open a new account. that can lower your credit score. and also don't close old accounts. it's okay to leave an old credit card just sitting dormant

without carrying balances. >> what if you've always had good credit and now you want to apply for a loan. >> you want to check that credit report and credit score before you go through that process. one of the things can, with the credit report, about a quarter of them actually have errors on them. so what you can do is go to annualcreditreport.com. there will you find three options. you can get three free credit reports from equifax, expeerion and transunion. those are the three companies that collect all of the data and maintain it in their system. you want to go there and check for errors, because you don't want an error to come between you and a loan. and sometimes if you have an error you go back to these companies and tell them about it. >> how quick a process is it if you do find errors? the general perception is this is going to take forever to clean this up? >> it tables about 30 days to really change your credit situation. but what you want to do is send a fert fayed letter to the credit union as well as to the bank, to let them know that you see that error. first i would recommend calling up the bank itself and just saying, listen guys, i don't know what this is all about.

>> got it. rebecca jarvis, thank you. >> thanks. >> all right. stay with us. we'll be right back. you're watching "the early show" here on cbs. your local new,,,,,,,,

[ woman ] everybody's looking for deals these days, and i'm not talking about saving a dollar off shampoo or two-for-one tacos or something. i'm talking about paying less -- every month. like this deal. [ female announcer ] call today and get the fastest internet for the price -- an amazing $14.95 a month for 12 months with a one-year price guarantee. plus get access to the entire at&t national wi-fi network at no extra cost. [ woman ] with at&t, i'm surfing at hot spots all over town. ♪ i'm downloading music fast. and watching videos. cute! and the price is great. [ female announcer ] call at&t today and get the fastest internet for the price -- an amazing $14.95 a month for 12 months with a one-year price guarantee. plus get access to the entire at&t national wi-fi network at no extra cost. [ woman ] i went looking for a deal, and at&t delivered.

now, i just need to curb the shoe shopping. ♪ police car rammed into a jeep with three h good morning, everybody. it's 8:25. time for some news headlines. in hayward a police car ran into a jeep with three home burglary suspectsinside. they took off. two were arrested booked on burglary and assaulting a police officer. the third one is on the loose. the barry bonds perjury trial set to resume and prosecutors could rest their case today. they plan to call three more witnesses to testify. bonds is charged with lying to a grand jury that he never knowingly took steroids. and in mountain view, a landslide threatening a mobile home park there. three homes have been red- tagged at the sahara village mobile home park on el camino

real. families who live there have been forced to evacuate. the concern is the home may slide into a nearby creek. traffic and weather, beautiful out there, coming up right after this. ,,,, when your eyes are smiling... ,,,, you're smiling.

and when they're laughing... you're laughing. be kind to your eyes... with transitions lenses. transitions adapt to changing light so you see your whole day comfortably... and conveniently while protecting your eyes from the sun. ask your eyecare professional which transitions lenses are right for you. good morning. if you are using park presidio, heading toward the golden gate bridge, you're going to be struck in traffic. park presidio boulevard still shut down both directions because of a power pole. at least down or at least damaged between clement and

lake street. that's where police have that area blocked off. so again, this is just north of golden gate park. if you are commuting southbound, it seems like our backups are actually southbound jammed from the golden gate bridge northbound traffic pretty slow and go from at least balboa according to some members of the kcbs phone force. at the bay bridge toll plaza, metering lights are on. the backups are not too bad to the end of the lot. and 880 through oakland is a very slow ride right here in those northbound lanes as you make your way up towards high street and past the coliseum. that is your traffic. here's lawrence with your forecast. >> all right, elizabeth. a lot of sunshine outside today, a great start to the day. the offshore winds in control. a beautiful look towards san jose. lots of sunshine there. everywhere you go today it's going to be great. at the coastline you could even see some highs into the 70s right out at the beaches. a beautiful beach day there. 80s elsewhere inside the bay. record-breaking temperatures as we head in toward the afternoon. enjoy it. we have some changes coming up as early as tomorrow. high pressure begins to weaken.

going to see a sea breeze. fog at the coast, cooler temperatures, showers on saturday.

we'll tell it like it is. >> so many annoying things i do. >> all annoying. >> today "grey's anatomy" it's my tv obsession, basketball wives. sean o'neill talks sexy show secrets. talk about march madness. >> the talk today live on cbs. o'neal talks sexy show secrets. on welcome back to "the early show." top of the hour. there we have it. it is opening day. >> yes. >> let's play ball. >> nationals there in washington, d.c. it looks kind of gray out. >> light rain. >> looks like it might be a little chilly and damp on opening day. >> takes on the bravos, hope springs eternal even for the nationals. >> they won. they're undefeated.

>> never know what the new season will bring. a couple tough campaigns for them. hoping the nationals have a good season. >> i love baseball. >> you can say it. >> nothing wrong with baseball. hey. as american as apple pie. >> we're in. as you're preparing for your season opener today, what if the traditional key to a happy marriage, things like you should sleep in the same bed, nef gore -- never go to bed angry, 100% honest, maybe ain't the best advice. what if those words of wisdom could be words of disaster. we are rethinking the words for wedded bliss. >> go to bed angry every night. >> in a separate bed. >> in a different home. >> really be ticked off at one another. >> you will be together much longer. >> also ahead, we're going to try to lift spirits a little bit, technology always changing and it's hard to keep up with all the new cottut -- cutting e

technology. we're going to check out several products and ideas that are going mainstream. >> i love that. >> what, toilet painer? >> no roll. why didn't we think of that sooner. >> doesn't it seem like the rolless toilet paper has been talked about for a long time. >> we're putting it in action. >> how about black rice. >> it's really good. i have black rice in my kitchen and i had that before the experiment i would like to say. >> something exploding on to the scene, going mainstream as we like to say and you are going to get an inside sneak peek inside look coming up. >> good stuff. talking baseball and a fan's ultimate dream today. opening day, major league baseball launching the official, the man cave in new york. it's the official -- this guy mike o'hare, going to be in the man cave for the next six months watching every single ball game and tweeting about it and tell us about his dream job. he beat out 10,000 other applicants. >> does that come with refreshments? >> it should, shouldn't it? >> the guy has to watch over 2400 baseball games over the next six months. >> every day there's a baseball game, isn't there? >> i'll take it.

>> and hopefully after this opening day, some of those may have a little better weather. >> of course. because i am the yar by ter of all things, except in the northeast. i'm not going to take the blame for this one. right now, another storm, the ap

thanks so much. that's your latest weather. over to erica. >> thanks. if you have a cover that won't go away but never feel like it's serious enough to visit your doctor, lucky for you, our doctor is in this morning. it may be time to get it checked out. dr. jennifer ashton is back with some of the possible reasons for a chronic cough. seems like there was a lot of this going around, actually, this winter. the cough that wouldn't go away. how do you know it's something like a cold and not allergies? >> listen, ear creiricerica, thf the most difficult things doctors have to learn about because the differential as we call it is so long and not every

cough comes from the lungs. sometimes it can come from the stomach or gi tract, sometimes it can come from the heart. when you talk about just this time of year, yes, a lot of people have colds, upper respiratory infection is the medical term but we're starting to see some allergies. you can see allergies any time of the year. people who suffer allergies usually have other symptoms. they might have itchy eyes, a stuffy nose. people who have colds tend to feel pretty crummy, so again, it's usually how you're feeling if you've been in contact with anyone who's been sick, obviously that would be a clue it's a cold and not allergies. the symptoms can overlap. >> there can be different things you're actually a chronic cough, a little more serious. you wanted to walk us through some of those. the first one is copd, something that could happen to a lot of smokers. >> correct. con tick obstructive pulmonary disease, the vast majority of the time is caused by smoking. if you are a smoker and develop a cough, that is one more

indication your body telling you it's time to quit. what happens in copd, the linings of the sacks of the lungs really get destroyed, produce a lot of mucus. any time you've heard smoker's cough, that's often times associated with copd. but a regular cold can make copd worse. copd can make a cold worse because again, of that overlap. if you are a smoker and you have a bad cough, you want to get it checked out. >> definitely see your doctor. is it g-e-r-d or gerd. >> gastro intentional disease or heart burn, overlap common cause for a cough. the wind pipe and esophagus sit in front of each other. when the acid comes up into the esophagus can cause a cough especially at night. people with reflux also may have some heart disease -- some burning in their esophagus, the heart burn, so don't automatically assume that your cough is coming from the lungs. it could be coming from your stomach. >> it could be we talked about this in the beginning, let's come back to the cold. if you're just getting over a cold and you feel like that post

nasal drip, the clearing out phase i like to call it, can make you cough a little more. >> i hear this from a lot of my patients. they'll get an upper respiratory infection and have that residual cough which can be pretty violent at times, hacking cough, sometimes it wakes people up from sleep and they say i have bronchitis and immediately want a prescription for an antibiotic. true bronchitis lasts several weeks or even months and yes, it can require antibiotic treatment, but usually, that cough after a cold is just your body's natural reaction to clear that mucus, clear out the linings of the lungs and it can be pretty annoying. >> thanks for clearing this up. pardon the pun. >> pun intended. thanks. always good have you here. >> over to you. >> thank you very much. every year new cutting edge items and trends are set to jump into the mainstream. first your friend gets one and then your family members and you're thinking of jumping on the bandwagon yourself. aol consumer adviser regina lewis is here to help you stay ahead of the curve with breakout

trends this summer. these are items that will jump off the page. >> innovation across the board in manufacturing and marketing. >> let's talk about this first. this is something i saw not too recently, using your iphone to swipe it and buy. >> without question your phone is going to become your wallet. that's the overall trend. i was at starbucks yesterday testing their new gift card where you type in the number on the back of the card into your phone. at that point, you'll have a bar code, associated with your number each time you hand them your phone, put it in front of the scanner like they've done for years, absolutely, deducts it and renew it automatically. the three behind me in line were doing the same thing. >> so really kind of picking up already. how about paper coupons. we see this box of coupons here, seems old fashioned to sit on sundays and cut them all out. >> what's happening now, if i'm a manufacturer of a coupon or a retailer like jc penney i make one of these and i put it digitally so that search engines like coupon sherpa, a site we're

going to look at, can then replicate it and put that bar code on my smartphone, put that number on my phone. i hand it over and by the way, now if you do this, the sales person doesn't even flinch. they don't say why are you handing me your phone. they say okay. >> you get a call. >> i mean, literally the debit cards, wallet, everything. >> directionally your phone absolutely becomes your wallet without question. our grandkids will look at us and say you used to carry around a checkbook, cash, what's that? >> this is something erica mentioned she loved. toilet paper. >> genius. this is going -- >> sorry. this is roll -- that's what you like. okay. i was a little confused. >> i think erica is right. the toilet paper tube is gone. if in america we were to line up how many we use annually, a million miles and 160 million pounds of trash. we never needed it. kimberly clark has come up with a way to make tubeless toilet paper. by the way, we asked, you can use the last sheet, a little hard to find right now. they're testing it at walmart and sam's club.

without question -- >> this will pick up. let's talk about rice right now. white rice and black rice. what's the deal with that? >> black is the new brown. we all switched from white to brown because it had the health benefits, the antioxidants. black rice is a super food, came to this country in 1995, previously emperor's in china had it. the pigment comes from the same place as blueberries and other things that are just extra good for you. i mean, like if you were going to eat nothing else eat black rice. in terms of the tipping point you see it at nutrition stores, whole foods, it will start to go mainstream. >> people love being trendy even with food. what is that you're having. if this is something -- we're taking the cable box, cable bill all that stuff, taking that out of the picture right now. and this is -- you're able to watch tv, watch movies without having cable, correct? >> the overall trend what happened with music, everybody built their itunes list and became accustomed to having a list and songs. you will have a list of

television shows and movies, your list. same behavior. so your television screen actually becomes a computer. if you watch a young person watch tv on their laptop you think like why are we doing that on the smallest screen in the house. how do i get it on my television. apple tv, google tv known for this, in terms of canceling your cable i would hedge on that. you don't get real time events. not quite as reliable. go for the starter program a $200 investment. hit your stride and then think about canceling cable. >> and then we have the tablet wars that continue to be waged. >> in terms of mainstream here, the tablet wars don't have to do with price. there's not a price war. it's a luxury item, still very costly. but the trend is you're going to take your tv to go. imagine march madness never missing a game because your tablet is your television or remote home automation. i want to change the air conditioning at home, turn on the alarm system, everyone will have a tablet pretty soon, able to roll them up and put them in your pocket. >> before we go any other items for the spring and summer we should be on the lookout for? >> clearly mobile.

everything will be in your pocket. and again i think the flexibility and having them be a little bit more resilient, more crash proof will happen over time. >> scary if you're not on this mobile thing yet. >> you will. >> good to see you. check out the products and trends on our website, go to earlyshow.cbsnews.com. here's erica. >> thanks. when you think about the traditional rules for healthy marriage you remember advice like never go to bed angry, honesty the best policy, what if that advice is outdated or damaging to your relationship. jamie is special project for "women's day" magazine, here with us this morning to take on some common marriage myths. always good to have you with us. >> thank you for having me. >> let's figure out rules made to be broken. figure out which ones we can break when it comes to a marriage. if there is no spark in your relationship you're doomed. this i would say, maybe there's something behind it. >> well, you know, fireworks can't last forever, right.

if you are not feeling them anymore doesn't mean you're headed for divorce. in fact, the happiest couples tend to be those that are friends and are, you know, have a lot of companionship. rutgers did a huge study in which they talked to long, married couples about the success of their marriage and they said that they owe it all to commitment, and to companionship, not to chemistry. >> you have to know, obviously, your relationship is going to go through different stages. initial fireworks and butterflies will move on. one one other myth in that same vain, you have to share the same hobbies and interests as your partner. >> not true. in fact, studies are showing that the most satisfied marriages are those in which one person is constantly improving the other, helping the other person grow, by introducing them to new experiences and new activities. so yes, while it's important to share things together, you want to go out pursue those other hobbies, bring them back to the relationship and teach the other sneern got to be your own person.

never go to bed angry. we've heard this a million times over. is it okay sometimes to just say, i am done with you for tonight, i'll talk to you tomorrow? >> absolutely. in fact, sometimes you're just not going to get anywhere because when you're overwhelmed with anger your body experiences a physiological response which your heart rate and hormone level spikes and makes it nearly impossible to resolve a conflict fairly. sometimes you just got to agree to disagree, assume your positions on opposite sides of the bed and pick it up in the morning. >> or maybe assume your positions in different beds. we heard you should never sleep in different beds. but in case like this maybe you should. >> that's very true. sometimes go to the guest room if you have to. >> a little space can be good for a marriage. if you are fighting, you are automatically headed for divorce. true, false? >> in fact, this one is completely false. the opposite is true. couples who don't fight, because they're looking to avoid conflict, are more likely to split than those that do. so it's not that you fight that matters, it's how you fight that

matters. research at the university of michigan found that the fighting style that is most likely to lead to divorce is one in which one person wants to get those problems head on and tackle them and the other person wants to e retreat and hold off. make sure you are coming up with a constructive way to fight, that means no name calling, no blaming. >> no blows. >> but you never need to keep your mouth shut. >> a little fighting is okay. once you have children they should always come first. >> not true. sorry, kids. >> mommy and daddy need time too. >> research shows new moms spending a lot less time with their husbands, report a significantly lower amount of satisfaction in the marriage. so, but it's not just about you, it also can benefit the kids if you're not -- if you're putting your marriage first because the kids need to see their parents in a loving relationship and they'll feel safe and secure. >> and sets a great example for them. should you always be 100% honest? never lie to your partner?

>> no. in marriage, no holds barred honesty is not the best policy. for example, you don't need to tell your spouse all of the details of your past relationships. not necessary. it just breeds insecurity. so when it comes to your partner's feelings, you want to be kind and patient and -- >> think before you speak maybe. >> keep a little to yourself. >> keep the err of mystery will bring your spark back. >> whatever works. >> jame ply, thanks. good to have you here. >> thanks so much. for more on the marriage rules you should break, logon to earlyshow.cbsnews.com. just ahead, a man and his dream job, you'll meet mike o'hara who will be living in major league baseball's man cave for the entire 2011 season. i know. you're jealous. how do you make it happen? stay tuned.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

hold that thought.,,,,, let's play ball. you're looking at national park in washington, d.c. because today, opening day for major league baseball. and if you're happy about that, wait until you meet mike o'hara. his job for the next six months is to watch all 2,430 major league baseball games from an amazing new shrine to baseball here in manhattan known as the mlb fan cave. and there's our man, mike, this morning. he's got the sectional coach, every tv monitor you could imagine tucked into this place. 15,000 square foot of luxury. mike, how are you? >> i'm good. how are you, chris? >> good, good. so i guess the big question is, how were you able to leave the lap of luxury, your home in passenger, your punk band, your girlfriend, and basically you're sequestered for the next six months, bud. >> i'm surrounded by a lot of very understanding people. that's all i can say. i mean my girlfriend's been great about it. the punk band is, you know, hoping to come to new york city and check this place out, maybe even play here.

so you know, they all know i'm kind of like an actor/jock so when i got the opportunity they were like, you've got to take it. >> well, you got some free time. so you beat out 10,000 people -- >> wow. >> actors, they're not working all that much. you beat out 10,000 people, what was it about your pitch or your take that set you apart from everybody else? >> you know, i don't know. i mean, i made a tape kind of similar to the one i made when i auditioned for "snl" threw some impressions on there and talked a little bit about baseball. i think i was sitting in my yankee stadium seats that my girlfriend got me as a gift for christmas last year. and i got a little bit of irish luck, maybe. i don't know. >> so did you bring those stadium seats with you? >> no, no. but they'll be on a truck coming very soon. >> ah. they're on their way. >> is it a little bit daunting to think that you have to watch over -- 2,400 major league baseball games. >> a lot of baseball. >> the dog days of august, you're going to have to sit through some dogs, right? >> let's say i love baseball. i'm a guy like i saw ghost

busters 150 times. at least this will be different every time. so it's not a big deal. >> jeff glor, he's your man. >> ghostgusters one or two better? >> oh, please. >> i would say -- let's go number one. and not upset mr. murray. >> mike, why is the cbs "early" show not on the monitors behind you right now? >> yeah, thank you. >> mlb, right? >> you know what? because i'm not working for cbs right now. >> good answer, mike. good answer. >> have you worked out a deal with mlb? at least if you're going to be there for six months by the time the world series rolls around, can they at least take you to the game or do you have to watch it in the fan cave? >> i'm going to watch it here at the fan cave. it is a good thing. look, no lines at the bathroom. i can eat whatever i want. you know -- >> are you tidy? mike, are you tidy? are you tidy? are you neat? or is that going to be a ben of filth in a couple of months. i say this as a mom knowing, you know, stuff that gets stuck in the sofa cracks is never nice.

>> no, no, i'm extremely -- i'm a neat nick. a bit of the felix in the oscar and felix thing. hopefully ryan is also a neat g guy, i don't know. >> we wish you the very best. congratulations on this. this is going to be quite an endeavor. and if you're going to have parties at the cave, give us a call. we'll watch a couple of games with you. >> right now. you guys have an absolute welcome invitation any time you want to come down and hang out with me. >> be careful what you offer, my friend. >> mike o'hara. mlb.com, you can follow mike along for the next six months. he's got a house mate, as well. >> he'll be tweeting. >> exactly. going to blog about the whole thing. >> it's actually pretty good. major league baseball opens up today, march 31st. going to be a little cold in some parts of the country. yankees opening up in new york. >> it really doesn't matter, does it? you could be out there in that stadium -- >> it's baseball. >> it's baseball. >> rite of summer. >> enjoy your opening day if you are headed out to the ball bark. we'll see you tomorrow. your local news is next. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

headlines... a toddler found wandering alone good morning. i'm sydnie kohara with your cbs 5 news headlines. a toddler found wandering alone in an east bay parking lot is safe this morning. police found the boy barefoot just after 3 a.m. outside a pleasanton wal-mart. the boy's mother told police her child somehow got out of the apartment. in san francisco, apparent police misconduct leading to another case being thrown out. the judge rejected drug charges after seeing security video. the tape contradicts the police report on the official arrest in march. the wait is over for the san francisco giants. the world series champs playing the dodgers in los angeles today. tim lincecum will take the mound. the game starts at 5:00 this afternoon. traffic and weather around the bay area in just a moment.

stay with us. ,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,

all right. let's go out towards livermore. westbound 580 right before airway boulevard. we have an accident there blocking one lane. and unfortunately, we got...

[ please stand by ] [technical difficulties ] [ no audio ] ,,

[ sternly ] come on vincent, turn on your webcam. that's okay. please, vincent. i just don't feel like meeting in video today. turn it on. today's not a video kind of day... [ impatiently ] vincent willem van gogh! [ reluctantly ] ...fine. [ embarrassed ] ...trying to cut...my own hair... silly. ♪