. shut down countdown, with a government shutdown looming, president obama says he'll meet every day with lawmakers until there's a budget deal. signs of progress. work crews in japan stop the leak of radioactive water into the sea, but u.s. engineers on the scene warn of big trouble ahead. and uderly amazing. germany's high-stepping heffer has one girl over the moon. captioning funded by cbs this is the "cbs morning news" for wednesday, april 6th, 2011. a cow-jumping hurdle, that is a first. good morning, everybody. thanks for joining us. i'm betty nguyen. we'll get to that story in a minute but we want to begin in washington where the clock is ticking and the fingers are pointing over a budget battle

that threatens to shut down the federal government. another meeting between president obama and congressional leaders is scheduled for today and depending on who you believe, a deal is within reach or far from it. joel brown is in washington with the latest. good morning, joel. >> betty, good morning to you. well, he has tried to stay above the fray, but with the clock winding down, the president's put himself right in the middle of washington's budget battle. president obama is putting the pressure on lawmakers to hammer out a budget deal. >> nobody gets 100% of what they want. >> reporter: the president says he'll summon congressional leaders to the white house every day until an agreement is reached, but time is running out. if a budget's not passed by midnight friday, the federal government will be forced to shut down. house speaker john boehner says both sides are still far apart. >> we're not going to allow the senate nor the white house to put us in a box where we have to make a choice between two bad options.

>> reporter: democrats agreed on $33 billion in cuts, that's a little more than half of what the gop was asking for but republicans say it's still not enough. >> they talk about compromise, but their goal is to shrink government up so small, they can drown it in a bathtub. >> reporter: the gop floated the idea of another short term extension to keep the government running, but the white house rejected it. if the government does shut down, not everyone stays home. most of the nation's 4.4 million federal employees are considered essential, and will continue to work, but hundreds of thousands of non-essential workers will stay home. social security checks will still be mailed but federal tax refunds could be delayed, and the pentagon says it hasn't figured out how paychecks would be affected for u.s. troops, including 146,000 service members in iraq and afghanistan. so if lawmakers can't come to terms early on today the president says they should

expect another afternoon summons to the white house. betty? >> joel, so break it down for us. how much of this back and forth is about economics and how much of it is about politics? >> well, both sides know that americans are concerned about the debt and the deficit. they agree on budget cuts. they just don't agree on how much, but there's plenty of politics in this as well. conservative republicans are insisting that these budget negotiations include certain policy restrictions like defunding the health care law and cutting funding for planned parenthood and holding gop leaders' feet to the fire. >> thank you, joel, we appreciate it. in japan officials plan to inject nitrogen gas into one of the reactors at the crippled fukushima power plant. nitrogen can prevent hydrogen from exploding. there have already been three hydrogen related explosions at the power plant. meanwhile it is reported that u.s. engineers in japan report the problem in japan could last indefinitely and get worse.

among the threats reported by the "new york times," the possibility that containment building will rupture as they fill with radioactive cooling water, along with the possibility of new explosions. but engineers were able to stop the leak of radioactive water from the plant into the sea. celia hatton has that part of the story. >> reporter: finally some success at japan's crippled fukushima nuclear complex. since at least saturday, highly radioactive water has been pouring out of this eight inch crack, straight into the pacific ocean, but now, after several failures, a combination of liquid, glass and gravel seems to have stopped the leak, as this japanese media demonstration shows, the mixture acts like the sealant around your bathtub. the next challenge? workers need to store 60 million gallons of radioactive water that's been used to cool the complex's exposed overheating

reactors. that's where megafloat comes in. it's an artificial island normally used for fishermen. at 450 long, it's the size of 14 basketball courts. after a ten-day trip, its new role will be to store contaminated water. also en route a radiation treatment ship russia uses when decommissioning nuclear submarines. it turns radioactive water into concrete. water collected 19 miles offshore and tested shows radioactive iodine and cesium levels increasing in 35 four out of five locations between last thursday and monday. still scientists insist human health is not at risk. celia hatton, cbs news, tokyo. in other news, disappointing and too slow, that is how a libyan rebel leader describes nato operations against moammar gadhafi' force. the head of libya's rebel army spoke yesterday. 'cused nato of being too slow to

order air strikes that protect civilians and when nato does act, he says, it is too little too late. a nato spokesman says nato is fulfilling its mandate. in milan, italy, this morning prime minister silvio berlusconi's sex trial opened. prosecutors say berlusconi paid a 17-year-old girl known as ruby for sex at his villa. ber sconie and the girl deny the charges. he's also charged with abuse of power for allegedly using his office to have ruby released from police custody in an unrelated theft charge. berlusconi will not attend today's hearing. on the "cbs moneywatch" a free mortgage with a catch and say good-bye to cash, really? ashley morrison is here in new york with the latest on all of that. good morning, ashley. >> good morning to you, betty. another mixed for the asian markets. tokyo's nikkei dropped a fraction, hong kong's hang seng went up a notch, and oil is still hovering at just over $108 a barrel. today wall street gets the latest on retail sales. stocks finished mixed on tuesday after a quiet day of

trading. the dow finished down 6 points while the nasdaq moved up 2. get ready to leave your cash and cards at home. at&t, verizon and t-mobile have launched a pilot program to turn phones into mobile wallets. the phones will use a special chip that allows for wireless transfers when you swipe it across a scanner. the program will begin next year in salt lake city, utah, where it will only work for bus and train fares. air passengers may get a break come summertime. after raising prices in the past few months to cover increased fuel costs, the major airlines are hinting at a summer fare sale. the discounts may go as high as 50% on some domestic routes, but all the baggage fees and fuel surcharges will still apply. billionaire adventurer richard branson is going deep. bran son says he plans to travel to the deepest parts of the world, the oceans, in a one-man submarine. five dives are planned for the jet-like submarine called the "virgin oceanic."

branson plans to make the second one to the 28,000-foot puerto rico trench. an advertising firm is offering to pay your mortgage every month. there's just one catch, though. you have to turn your home into a massive billboard. check it out. adzookie.com says houses must remain painted for at least three months. the deal can be extended for up to a year and when it's over they'll paint your house back to its original color. betty, that was quite -- >> you know what color we should suggest today? how about green? >> well, yes, i'm glad you got the memo. you look great. >> so do you. ashley joining us live in new york, thank you. just ahead on the "morning news," backlash, transocean caves after handing huge safety bonuses to its employees. plus wired? are americans approaching information overload? you're watching "cbs morning news." [ sneezes ] allergies?

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two workers were killed in an accident at a sewage treatment in tennessee. the wall of a holding tank collapsed tuesday. crews dug through the collapsed wall to remove the bodies of the two men. up to 3 million gallons of waste water have spilled into the river and officials say it is now being rerouted to an older plant. aircraftmaker boeing says it was shocked when part of the fuselage ripped open on a southwest airlines jet. a large piece peeled off of a plane on friday. boeing did not expect that kind of damage, given the age of the 737. southwest inspected 79 similar planes and five had cracks in the aluminum skin. the head of the faa may face questions about the southwest incident when he testifies before congress today. a backlash at transocean has executives donating their safety bonuses. 9 of the 11 crew members who died when the deepwater horizon exploded last year worked for transocean.

despite that, the company called 2010 its best year for safety performance. now executives plan to donate their bonuses to charity. a new survey finds americans edging closer to information overload. the poll found people 12 and older spend more than 8 hours a day with radio, tv and the internet, that is up 20% from a decade ago and in just the last two years, the number of smartphone users in the u.s. tripled. your smartphone may really be a spy phone. an investigation is under way of appmakers who share your personal information without you knowing it. kara tsuboi of cbs.com has more. >> four square, twitter. >> reporter: suzie brannon of san francisco uses a variety of apps every day. >> it's great for when i'm out and i hear a song i've heard and forgot the name of. >> reporter: like many others

brannon is in the dark when it comes to where her personal information is stored. where do you think this information goes? >> that's a good question. i don't know. >> reporter: and now a federal grand jury is trying to find out where that information is going. on monday, pandora, an online music service, released information that the company had been issued a subpoena related to an investigation of information sharing practices in smartphone appmakers. >> just the first of many. i think actually any app that's gathering this kind of information is going to be vulnerable. >> reporter: in a report last december, the "wall street journal" tested 101 apps and found that more than half of them sent the user's unique personal information to other companies without the user's knowledge or consent. in pandora's case both the apple iphone and google android versions sent their user's age, gender and other personal information to several advertisers, a move that prompts some to dub smartphones as spy phones.

>> you don't know what else is being collected to share with. >> trying to be vigilant about what i control. >> reporter: in san francisco i'm kara tsuboi, cnet.com for "cbs morning news." straight ahead your morning weather and in sports, the aggies and the irish battle it out for the national championship. [ woman ] i had this deep, radiating pain everywhere... and i wondered what it was. i found out that connected to our muscles are nerves that send messages through the body. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia,

thought to be the result of overactive nerves that cause chronic, widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. and less pain means i can do more with the ones i love. [ female announcer ] lyrica is not for everyone. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior or any swelling or affected breathing, or skin, or changes in eyesight, including blurry vision or muscle pain with fever or tired feeling. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. i found answers about fibromyalgia. then i found lyrica. ask your doctor about lyrica today. here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. new york partly cloudy, 55, miami sunny, 82.

chicago, showers there, 52. it's going to be windy in dallas with 85 degrees there. l.a., partly cloudy, 67. time now for a check of the national forecast. the latest satellite picture shows clouds over the southwest while skies are clear in the midwest. later today, sunny skies and light winds in the southeast. the northeast will enjoy some sunshine before showers creep in from the west, and much of the northwest can expect rain and snow. in sports, the ladies of texas a&m bring home their first ever national championship. it was a tough battle against notre dame, the lead going back and forth until tyra white nails a three to put the aggies up by five. with 20 seconds left, the fighting irish lose the ball and the game. the aggies beat notre dame in a thriller 76-70. in pro-ball, san antonio finally wins a road game. the second quarter al horford drives the lane and gets the huge jam to put atlanta up by

seven, look at that, but the spurs chip away at the lead. they walk away with a 97-90 victory. a tight game in los angeles. gordon hayward drives the lane and is fouled. his free-throw puts utah up by one. with no time on the clock kobe bryant has a chance to win but loses the ball. utah stuns the lakers 86-85. in baseball the red sox can't seem to catch a break. top of the second, cleveland makes a great throw from right field to nail j.d. drew at the plate. in the fourth jack hanahan hits a single to center to put the indians up by one. the sox are kept winless this season. in extra innings joe mauer's single to right puts the twins up by one over the yankees. bottom of the tenth, derek jeter goes down swinging. minnesota rallies to beat new york 5-4. when we return, another look at this morning's top stories and a look at how republicans plan to shrink the government and overhaul medicare.

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francisco's tenderloin. the smoke could be seen from blocks away.. why firefighters had such a tough time getting people out. plus.. a big day in the barry bonds trial. could the slugger take the stand? the key witnesses on tap for the defense. cal train gets on board a new plan to avoid massive cuts. the fare hikes and changes in store for riders. and.. president obama's pricey dinner in the bay area. join us for cbs 5 early edition ... beginning at 4:30. ,,,,

on the "cbs morning news" here's a look at today's weather, sunny skies, cool temps in the southeast. showers will drift from the northern plains to the northeast and scattered rain and snow showers will head down from the northwest to the south. here's another look at this morning's top stories. in japan, engineers say they have stopped the leak of radioactive water from the fukushima power plant into the ocean. later today they plan to begin injecting nitrogen gas into the reactors to prevent another explosion. and there is still no budget deal in washington and president obama plans to meet again today with congressional leaders. if no deal is reached, a partial shutdown of the government would begin on saturday. meanwhile republicans in the house announce their own budget plan for next year and beyond.

it would cut about $6 trillion in spending over the next ten years by overhauling medicare and the tax code. more now from nancy cordez. >> this is the path to prosperity. >> reporter: making good on their chief campaign promise, house republicans unveiled a plan to dramatically shrink the size of government, by overhauling the social programs at the root of the nation's debt crisis. >> it is time to stand up and do what is necessary to fix this country. we need to be honest with the american people about the problems we face. >> reporter: starting with medicare, which they want to convert over time from a government-run insurance program to a subsidy. seniors could use to help defray the cost of private insurance. >> no changes, let me repeat, no changes are made that would affect those in or near retirement. >> reporter: then republicans want to put a cap on medicaid, food stamp assistance and housing assistance programs, giving states a fixed amount of

money each year to insure the poor, instead of making payments that fluctuate based on need. the medicaid changes alone they say would save $750 billion over ten years, but democrats say the cuts come at the expense of those who can least afford it, the poor and the elderly. >> they essentially end medicare as we know it. they don't reform it, they deform it. >> reporter: the wealthiest americans would get a major tax break. the plan calls for reducing the top tax bracket and the corporate tax bracket from 35% to 25%, a move republicans claim would spur job growth. >> there's nothing more sacred for the republicans than making sure that they protect wealth. >> reporter: this house republican plan has no chance of passing in the democratically controlled senate, but it completely reshapes the debate on spending, both here in the halls of congress and out on the campaign trail. nancy cordes, cbs news, capitol hill.

this morning on the "early" show the latest to prevent a government shutdown. i'm betty nguyen. this is the "cbs morning news." alright, let's move on team ! claritin works hard to relieve my worst symptoms. and only claritin is proven to keep me as alert and focused as someone without allergies. whoa ! watch your step ! i couldn't do this without you ! don't let allergies hold you back. live claritin clear with non-drowsy claritin. there's another way to minimize litter box odor: purina tidy cats. tidy cats premium line of litters now works harder to help neutralize odors in multiple-cat homes. and our improved formula also helps eliminate dust.

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you've heard of the cow that jumps over the moon. well take a look at this high-jumping heffer. a 15-year-old german girl's parents refused her request to get a horse, so two years ago she began training her cow, luna, to jump over hurdles and generally behave like a horse. besides the high hurdles, luna and regina -- that is the funniest thing -- go on long rides through the german countryside. good for them. from cows to ducks or at least people who really know how to quack. mark strassman has the latest on a modern day duck hunt. >> aflac. >> aflac. >> aflac! >> reporter: think of it as "american idol." >> i am the next aflac duck. >> reporter: meets animal

planet. >> aflac. >> i have webbed feet, walk like a duck and had a dream i was a duck this morning. >> reporter: a national audition to find the voice of aflac's next duck, the one americans heard in 10,000 commercials a year. >> what's it say? >> aflac. >> reporter: the star of the company's $100 million plus advertising budget. >> why not, why not me? aflac. >> reporter: new yorker bradley ellison has the grovely voice. >> aflac. i think i'm good. i think i'm like one of the final ten. >> reporter: after 11 years, last month the aflac duck lost the only voice it ever had. >> aflac! >> reporter: shocked comedian gilbert godfried. he offended aflac with jokes about japan's tsunami victims. the insurance giant does 75% of its business in japan, so ceo dan amos fired him. >> the first thing is panic, you know, a crisis has just occurred.

what is going to be our next step here? >> aflac! >> reporter: well, find a new duck voice. >> that wasn't funny, dude. >> reporter: not exactly what aflac executives learned in business school. more than 11,000 people auditioned online. >> aflac. >> reporter: hundreds more in person doing their duck in a variety of moves. you got one where you're crying through it? >> aflac! >> reporter: laugh if you want. for aflac, getting it right is no joke. >> aflac. >> reporter: by month's end the company will pick a new voice. >> you want me to say aflac in spanish? >> reporter: the job pays low six figures just to quack one word well. >> aflac! >> reporter: is this a great country or what? >> never dreamt i would be quacking for my living. >> reporter: mark strassmann, cbs news, atlanta. >> aflac. >> so who will it be? we will wait to see. coming up a little bit later

on "the early show," the latest on the battle to prevent a government shutdown. plus buyer beware, how to know if the used car you buy has ever been part of a safety recall. and if you're desperate for a great home-cooked meal, actress eva longoria has the perfect recipe. that's the "cbs morning news" for this wednesday. thanks for watching, everyone. i'm betty nguyen, have a great day. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com