"early edition." we'll see you back here tomorrow bright and early. take care. . good morning. looming shutdown. the battle to reach a government agreement before a shutdown heats up, with the war of words escalating on both sides as president obama grows increasingly frustrated. >> it would be inexcusable for us to not be able to take care of last year's business. >> the gop says they won't be forced into a compromise, but the president is working to get both sides to reach an agreement. nuclear fears. a troubling report by the u.s. government out this morning warns that problems at the crippled foo coup shi me daiichi nuclear plant could be indefinitely. and scott brown's revelation

of sexual abuse as a young boy at summer camp has encouraged a second man to come forward with similar accusations. the victim says his alleged abuser may actually still be working at the camp. we'll speak with his attorney early this morning, april 26th, 2011. welcome to "the early show" here on wednesday morning. good morning. i'm chris wragge. >> and i'm erica hill. the clock ticking in the budget stalemate. talks are more tense. what is going to happen by the end of the week? if the white house and congress can't reach a budget deal the federal government could shut down on friday. chip reid has the very latest on these ongoing negotiation. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. the president met at the white house yesterday with congressional leaders from both parties to try to hammer out a

deal but that did not happen and a frustrated president obama made a surprise visit to the briefing room and announced that the time for political games is over. >> it would be inexcusable for us to not be able to take care of last year's business, when we are this close, simply because of politics. >> reporter: the war of words continued tuesday as top members from both parties blamed each other for the standoff. speaker of the house john boehner called mr. obama's proposed budget cuts smoke and mirrors. >> you've heard me say for the last three months that we have no interest in the government shutting down but we are interested in cutting spending in washington, d.c. >> reporter: democrats argued the two sides settled on cutting $33 billion. the president says it is time the gop put compromise in front of politics. >> nobody gets 100% of what they want, and we have more than met the republicans halfway at this

point. >> reporter: but republicans say until there's agreement on specific cuts to the epa, planned parenthood and the president's health care law, there will be no deal, and they continued to blame the president. >> we in the house have consistently said we don't want to shut government down. we just want to cut spending. >> reporter: with two days to go, republicans put forward another continuing resolution that would keep the government funded through next week, but the white house says the time for stop gap measures is over. >> we've already done that twice. that is not a way to run a government. i can't have our agencies making plans based on two-week budgets. >> reporter: now the president said that if the democrats and republicans can't reach a deal on capitol hill he'll invite the leaders back to the white house again today but the president is scheduled to be out of town today so there's no word yet on whether that meeting is really going to happen. >> chip reid at the white house, thanks. joining us from capitol hill for a closer look at what would actually happen if government were to shut down on friday is cbs news congressional correspondent nancy cordes.

nancy, good morning. preparations are already under way for this? >> reporter: absolutely. they have for some time. each agency is instructed to decide which of its workers are considered essential or nonessential. if they're not essential, they'd better not be working on even checking their back berry or they could get fired in the event of a shiftdown. wars would continue to operate but in some cases, troops wouldn't get paid and of course national parks being closed, social security benefits would continue to go out and the april 15th tax deadline, no luck, that stays in place, you have to send in your taxes but the irs might not send out all the refunds on time. >> you still have to pay but you can't get your money back. >> reporter: yeah. nice how that works out. >> you ran through a list of who gets paid and who doesn't but ultimately how much could this cost if we do this big shutdown? >> reporter: well, if you use the last big shutdown in 1996 as a guide, the government ended up

having to pay out about $400 million in back wages to workers who didn't work for three weeks. it depends on how long the shutdown lasts. that's up to congress. this time around if there's a shutdown, they might decide not to pay the workers. >> that would endear them with the american people. a lot of people looking at this and the president brought it up, how much of this is political grandstanding, both sides facing off and how much is really an issue that they can't come to agreement on? >> reporter: we're up against the ball at this point so the time for grandstanding if it was happening is over. if they don't reach an agreement by today, it's difficult to pass a bill in any shape by friday. republicans have put forward this proposal that they fund the government for one more week but what they proposed to go along with it, $12 billion more in cuts is unacceptable to democrats. we're at a stalemate here.

>> nancy cordes on capitol hill, thank you. a break-through at the damaged nuclear plant in japan. there are troubling new reports the plant is far from being stabilized and may continue to leak indefinitely. celia hatton is in tokyo with more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. workers, scientists in the u.s. are warning that workers at japan's damaged daiichi nuclear plant must solve a mind-boggling complex set of problems before any promises of safety are in sight. a survey says many early measures used to prevent a meltdown at the daiichi plant are threatening its stability. the report warns of gallons of sea water initially used to keep the reactors cool are linked to new worries over the corrosive effects of salt on the reactors. containment pits now filled with high levels of water are leading to fears over their structural safety. american scientists are also

worried about more hydrogen explosions at the plant, which could release dangerous amounts of radiation into the air. tokyo electric, the plant's operator, says it will add nitrogen into reactor number one to force out the hydrogen and prevent further blasts, a measure that satisfies this tokyo nuclear expert. >> of course we have to avoid hydrogen explosion but in my view most of the radioactivity is already released with the first three explosions. >> reporter: one eight-inch crack leaking radioactive water straight into the pacific ocean has been plugged, using a combination of liquid glass and gravel. it took four days of effort and almost 1,600 gallons of chemical sealant to block that hole. authorities admit that more leaks could soon appear. chris? >> cbs's celia hatton, thank you. we turn to libya, moammar gadhafi issued a message to president obama today and rebel

fighters are complaining nato is not doing enough to overthrow gadhafi. elizabeth palmer is in the capital, tripoli, with more. elizabeth, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, erica. it's a rather puzzling message that colonel gadhafi is said to have sent to president obama. we know this from the libyan state news agency, apparently on the occasion of what he calls america's withdrawal from the crusader war against libya. america hasn't withdrawn. it's playing an important supporting role for nato. america has pulled its combat aircraft out of the nato mission. they were the ones that could fly low and slow and were so important in air support to the rebels. since they've been gone, the fighting has stalled pretty much around brega. yesterday the rebels had to retreat several more miles because, quite simply, they are outmanned and outgunned and now they're complaining that nato is not doing its job, not responding fast enough and it's

not helping their cause. they did have one signal success yesterday, they were able to export a tank full of oil which will bring them about $100 million. it sounds like a lot but actually it's not going to go very far because they have to run what is in essence a little breakaway country with that money and it's not clear that there's any more oil going into the terminal or at least enough to fill more tankers. erica? >> liz palmer in tripoli this morning, thanks. let's go to jeff at the news desk. good morning. >> chris, good morning to you. good morning to you everyone at home. southwest airlines flights should be back to normal today. the airline canceled nearly 700 flights during a three-day inspection of its planes after one of the planes tore open in midair. the latest photos of the 737 up close you can see how serious it was, part of the metal peeled back. don teague in dallas with more.

good morning. >> reporter: good morning, jeff. boeing engineers say they knew metal fatigue was a possibility on the older model 737s. they were surprised it happened on an aircraft with fewer than 40,000 flight cycles. that's one reason the faa and southwest airlines moved so quickly. on the same day the faa ordered emergency inspections on 175 boeing 737s, southwest airlines announced it had completed its inspections, and found minor subsurface cracking on five of the aircraft, which will remain grounded until repairs have been completed. the inspections, using electromagnets, prompted by last week's rupture and rapid decompression of southwest flight 812. >> we do not expect aircraft in service today to rapidly decompress in flight and to have a situation where the airplane fuselage is ripping open. >> reporter: the chair of the ntsb says the agency was

surprised by the incident, because the aircraft wasn't old by industry standards, and had fewer than 40,000 takeoff and landing cycles. >> the safety board is not focused on the age or the cycle of the aircraft. we're focused on the safety. >> reporter: while the emergency inspections apply immediately to 175 older 737s, they will eventually be required on 570 aircraft, as they reach a threshold of 30,000 flight cycles. boeing meanwhile says its engineers were also surprised by friday's incident but says southwest airlines isn't to blame, despite its demanding short hop flight schedule. the airline in fact has the second best safety record in the industry and with its required inspections now complete, southwest has resumed a full schedule of flights. well southwest's schedule back to normal it will have to frequently reinspect those 737s,

the older 737s for signs of cracking. a threat has passed for the crew of the international space station. the three crew members were prepared to climb into their soyuz capsule of shelter because a dangerous piece of space junk was headed their way. it missed the station by about three miles yesterday. some reassuring news for women who take estrogen following men know pause. a new study finds health risks linked to supplements for stroke, breast cancer and heart attacks disappeared when they took the hormone. the women in the study took estrogen for about six years. doctors recommend the lowest possible dose for the shortest possible time. the women at texas a&m have their first ncaa basketball championship. notre dame tied the score in the final minutes. with time running out, tyra white nailed a three-pointer.

texas a&m takes the trophy 76-70. >> prime minister silvio berlusconi's trial began this morning. kelly cobiella this morning. >> good morning. >> chris, good morning. if you blenged, you missed it. the hearing lasted all of seven minutes in milan today. more than 200 members from media around the world were there for it but the prime minister was not and neither was the woman who could end his political career. she goes by the name ruby heartstealer and she was only 17 when prosecutors said prime minister silvio berlusconi paid her for sex at his villa.

prostitution is not a crime in italy. having sex with a minor is. he's accused of abusing the office of prime minister using his power to get ruby cleared of theft charges, a crime that could put him in jail for 12 years and ban him from political life. both berlusconi and ruby deny having sex. legal experts say those closest to the prime minister could be the ones who bring him down. >> berlusconi is like the president of the united states. he's the prime minister. there will be body guards. they can subpoena the testimony of the body guards. >> reporter: the trial promises to be every bit at hollywood as the story line. the story line. the glamorous ruby who real name is karina el marauk is sure to be called to tell her tale along with a cast of politicians and aspiring starlets from berlusconi's infamous bunga bunga sex parties. even george clooney was at the villa only once to lobby for aid for darfur.

his best shot at beating the charges may lie in the hands of the country's highest court. it will decide whether the chase should be heard in rome instead. a trial by politicses. berlusconi's politicians. >> these are buddies of berlusconi, that it's the forces in power, ministers he's appointed or appointed during his administration. >> reporter: it could take weeks for the high court to make a decision on that. in the meantime, the trial in milan will go ford, not in front of a jury but a panel of three female judges. the next court date, may 31st. erica, chris? >> cbs's kelly cobiella in london for thus morning, thank you. this one will be interesting to say the least. >> yeah, almost like watching a soap opera. a lot of interest around the world in that one. a lot of interest for you as to your weather. marysol castro has your weather. >> good morning to everyone at home. 1,300 reports of severe weather

thanks so much. that's your latest weather. now own to abused and the abuser may still work at the camp. plus an "early show" investigation, recalled used cars were still being sold and never fixed. we took a trip to ten different dealerships to see if they're telling the truth about the cars they're offering for sale, ahead here on "the early sho here on "the early show." we all want our kids to eat their vegetables,

but we all know kids would rather they just disappear. ♪ make me say la la la la la la ♪ [ woman ] now with a little magic from mom, there's an easy way to get kids the nutrition they need. mott's medleys has two total fruit and veggie servings in every glass but magically looks and tastes just like the fruit juice kids already love. mott's medleys. ♪ la la la [ woman ] invisible vegetables. magical taste.

you got a state-of-the-art man-cave, but the savings account of a cave-man! hey sports fans check this out. [ beep ] oops, my bad. earn more with interestplus savings at capitalone.com. that's new school banking, baby! ooh, 3-d! instead of earning bupkus, your savings could be earning three times the national average! three times more. go online to capitalone.com. what's in your wallet?

what's this do? [ beeping ] scott brown became one of this country's best known senators the moment he won ted kennedy's seat in massachusetts. recently he made headlines again with his new memoir which revealed he'd been sexually abused as a child. >> this prompted another man to come forward with allegations about a camp he went to on cape cod. we'll speak with the man's attorney who is making the allegations when we come back on "the early show." we'll be back after these messages. >> kr portion of "the early show" sponsors by hotels.com, the smarter way to book.

[ male announcer ] the davis twins... ...are alike in nearly every way... ...right down to brushing their teeth. so how did only one get gingivitis? well, one in two people do. so i told karen about new crest pro-health clinical gum protection toothpaste. it helps eliminate plaque at the gumline, helping prevent gingivitis. it's even clinically proven to help reverse it in just 4 weeks. and it protects these other areas dentists check most. looks like the twins are even again. new crest pro-health clinical toothpaste. life opens up when you do. i couldn't sleep right. next day it took forever to get going. night after night, i sat up. sprayed up. took a shower... or took a pill. then i tried drug-free breathe right advanced. and instantly, i breathed better! i slept better. it felt...better. thank you, breathe right! [ male announcer ] breathe better, sleep better, feel better. try breathe right advanced for free... at breatheright.com.

[ woman ] it's my right to breathe right. isn't it your right, too? to have their close-ups taken by a fashion photographer. then we asked them to try new dove visible care. a revolutionary new line of body wash with the highest concentration of nutrium moisture. visible care makes skin visibly more beautiful in just 1 week. ♪ when they saw how much more beautiful and radiant their skin looked with new dove visible care... there was only one question. ♪ new dove visible care creme body wash. ♪ discover customersl are getting five percent cashback bonus at home improvement stores. it pays to switch,

it pays to discover. [ male announcer ] build your better breakfast with all the flavors you choose. try an irresistible steak, egg & cheese, with toasty tomato or chipotle southwest sauce on tasty flatbread. only at subway! ♪

san francisco firefighters are still at taylor and eddy streets good morning. 7:25. time for news headlines. i'm frank mallicoat. san francisco firefighters are still on the scene at taylor and eddy streets watching for hot spots at a residential hotel in the tenderloin. the fire drove about 10 people out of their homes last night. about two dozen were treated for smoke inhalation. and there is a chance barry bonds will testify today in his perjury trial. federal prosecutors wrapped up their case against bonds yesterday. the judge rejecting an audiotape the prosecution wanted the jury to hear. today the defense will start calling its witnesses. and there is another fundraiser today for bryan stow. he is the san francisco giants fan who was badly beaten outside dodger stadium in l.a. last week. today's efforts to help pay medical costs and support stow's family will be at the

amr offices where he works from noon to 8:00. traffic and weather coming right up. stay with us. ,,,,,,,,,,,,

good morning. let's go out to hercules. we have a traffic alert in effect westbound 80 before the

4 interchange. traffic is only getting by in one lane. they have three lane blocked off because of an accident. it's stacked up close to willow. you can see 6 miles per hour there in those westbound lanes. really starts to jam up even off the carquinez bridge. so here's live look at the bay bridge toll plaza, and you will notice that drive time almost 40 minutes now in those westbound lanes of 80 from the carquinez bridge to the maze. and, of course, most of that slow traffic is through the hercules area. at the bay bridge toll plaza, it is backed up to the maze. also got bart delays, 15-minute delays into and out of daly city. that's your traffic. here's lawrence with your forecast. >> elizabeth, you like that sunshine? we got it coming all day long. we'll have a great day outside. over san francisco now, things looking good. sunshine is going to be here, temperatures will be cooler. the sea breeze will be kicking in. going to be windy in spots, especially toward the coastline. plan on 50s out here in the pacifica area, 62 into san francisco, you got 60s elsewhere, a chance of rain returns as early as tomorrow. showers could continue into friday. ,,,, "know the species, know the stain." lanolin-free coat, i know it's an alpaca. walks in here, looks says "hey look, it's a llama!" cleaning the stain like he would a llama stain. time he's wasting. ♪ call 1-800-steemer

welcome back to "the early show." two months ago scott brown talked about his new memoir which he revealed he was the victim of sexual abuse at a summer camp when he was a boy. >> that has prompted another man to come forward saying he was also abused at summer camp. he believes the person is actually still working there and ahead we'll talk with the lawyer for the man. so we have that story coming up. but first jeff glor is at the news desk with another look at our top headlines. good morning. this morning the federal budget standoff continues.

the government could partially shut down at midnight friday if there is no deal. president obama and congressional leaders met yesterday, but failed to agree. more talks are scheduled for today. republicans want cuts that affect the president's health care law. mr. obama says he'll accept only a short term stop gap measure, two or three days. in west africa, the president of ivory coast is desperately trying to hang on to power. he's in a bunker surrounded by

>> it was two months ago when scott brown made rev wlagss that he was the victim of sexual abuse as a boy in summer camp. now we're learning that another man is claiming he was sexually abused decades ago at a summer

camp on cape cod. we'll speak to the man's attorney in a moment, but first michelle miller is outside the camp with the story for us this morning. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. it's called camp good news. the news here this morning is anything but good. in business for more than 70 years, this christian fellowship camp is now under the microscope after allegations of sexual abuse by a former camper. fearing the alleged molester may still work at this camp, this man through his attorney said he's following the lead of a sitting u.s. senator. when senator scott brown revealed he had been sexually abused as a young boy at a summer camp in the 1970s, he'd hoped to encourage others to come forward. >> it's taken 42 years to even really talk about it. and i'm not out to settle any scores. but if i can help people certainly move forward with their lives by talking about it -- >> reporter: now just two months after sharing his troubled past,

another man has come forward with a painfully similar story. his attorney says two weeks ago, an unidentified 35-year-old man stepped forward claiming he was sexually assaulted in 1985 at a cape cod summer camp called camp good news. do you know why he's coming forward now? >> he's coming forward now because senator scott brown came forward. >> reporter: senator brown has not commented publicly on the recent developments. in a statement to cbs news, his office says, quote, senator brown has not identified the camp where his abuse took place. what happened to him is part of his life, but certainly not the only part. according to the "boston globe," camp good news confirmed that senator brown did attend the camp. and even sent him a letter of apology. victims rights advocates credit brown with paving the way for

others to speak out. >> we've been waiting a decade for somebody in a position of power to say it happened to me, too. >> reporter: the massachusetts state police has formally opened an investigation. camp officials say they are taking these allegations seriously and will fully cooperate. michelle miller for us this morning. thank you. joining us now is the ourn who as you saw represents the man who claims he was victimized at the plancamp. how much of a role did it senator brown's coming forward have in your client coming forward? >> it was an enormous role. when a victim comes forward and that victim is public in a highly visible person, it inspires others to come forward. in case my krint told me plat out he has come forward because he was inspired by senator scott brown coming forward and

revealing the who ares of sexual abuse. >> is there any doubt in your mind that this is the same camp that senator brown attended? because he has not named what camp he actually did go to. >> no, there is no doubt in my mind. based on the information i've had after speaking to my client and being informed about the activities at camp good news and when senator scott brown was there, i firmly believe that this was the same camp that scott brown attended. >> so what does your client now hope to get out of this? like michelle said, it this is 25 years later that he's coming forward. >> for most victims, it's trying to obtain at least a small degree of closure, to be able to heal a little bet and make the safer place for children. but also to make the person rate tore accountable. >> talking about the alleged perpetrator, we've mentioned it here on the broadcast this morning, to your knowledge this person still works at the camp, is that correct? >> yes, i have been informed

that this person, this alleged perpetrator, still works at the camp and has been working there for a number of years. >> so now what's your next move? do you see criminal charges? and should you choose to go down the criminal route, is this something that you could foreseeable see yourself requesting senator brown to maybe testify? >> well, i have septembernt a lo the district attorney's office. the district attorney contacted me immediately and he informed me that a state trooper would be contacting me in order to be put in touch with my client. my client has called the state trooper and as i understand it, there is and ongoing investigation. >> has the camp made any comment about this, have you talked to anyone at the camp to tell them this person alledgedly could still be working will there? >> because of the pending criminal investigation, i have not contacted the camp at this point in time. >> let me ask you this. in your opinion now that this story is public and this camp has been named, do you foresee

other people coming forward with allegations of abuse? >> in these types of cases, because scott brown, for instance, inspired my client to come forward, now my client may inspire another person to come forward. it has a domino effect. victims embolden other victims when they come out and discuss sexual abuse. >> and one thing we can say is senator brown's spokesperson did say yesterday that he has, quote, no desire to explore will matter further, but we'll continue to follow the story. we appreciate you joining us this morning. >> thank you for having me. up next, it's a hidden danger when you buy a used vehicle. we'll have the results of an early show investigation into recalled cars being sold without being fixed. we'll have that story when we come back. this is "the early show" here on cbs. capri sun 100% juice, with a full serving of fruit in every pouch, is a choice you can respect. [ creaking ] other choices... launch me fellas. [ male announcer ] nope. capri sun 100% juice.

a fiber that dissolves completely, is clearly different. benefiber. it's the easy way to get more fiber everyday. that's the beauty of benefiber. a body at rest tends to stay at rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion.

because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation. plus, in clinical studies, celebrex is proven to improve daily physical function so moving is easier. and celebrex is not a narcotic. when it comes to relieving your arthritis pain, you and your doctor need to balance the benefits with the risks. all prescription nsaids, like celebrex, ibuprofen, naproxen, and meloxicam have the same cardiovascular warning. they all may increase the chance of heart attack or stroke, which can lead to death. this chance increases if you have heart disease or risk factors such as high blood pressure or when nsaids are taken for long periods. nsaids, including celebrex, increase the chance of serious skin or allergic reactions or stomach and intestine problems, such as bleeding and ulcers, which can occur without warning and may cause death. patients also taking aspirin and the elderly are at increased risk for stomach bleeding and ulcers. do not take celebrex if you've had an asthma attack, hives, or other allergies to aspirin, nsaids or sulfonamides. get help right away if you have swelling of the face or throat,

or trouble breathing. tell your doctor your medical history and find an arthritis treatment for you. visit celebrex.com and ask your doctor about celebrex. for a body in motion. more than 40 million used cars are sold every year in this country and if you buy one, you may wonder what the car's been through before you took the wheel and there's good reason to wonder. consumer correspondent susan koeppen to talk about a potential danger behind used vehicles. this is one most of us probably never thought about. >> you probably don't think

about this one. according to carfacts, more than 1 million used cars were sold last year even though they were part of a safety recall. the cars had problems that were never fixed and then sold to unsuspecting consumers. when we went shopping, we found plenty of recalled cars for sale across the country. with hidden cameras rolling, we visited used car dealers in arlington, virginia. new york city. and dallas, texas, looking for cars that were part of safety recalls, but had never been fixed. this dodge durango in new york is under two recalls because of problems that can cause fires, but this is what a salesman told us about the safety of the car. >> we wouldn't be selling it if it's not working. >> reporter: we found this 2006 corvette in dallas. >> i can't find anything really wrong with it. >> reporter: it's part of a recall because the roof panel may detach from the vehicle.

>> as far as any type of a customer recall i want to say it doesn't but i'm not 100. yes, it doesn't. >> you're playing russian roulette. >> reporter: clarence ditlow. a new car can't be sold if it has a recall but a used car, different story. >> when it comes to used cars, anything goes as to whether or not you fix a safety recall. >> reporter: a dealer in oklahoma sold tab that gordon a used durango in 2009. she was driving with her son, cadon when the lights, wipers went wrong. >> the speedometer popped and smoke started by lowing into the vehicle. >> reporter: she managed to pull over and get out before the car caught on fire. >> we were told it was safe and it would be a safe vehicle for our family.

and it wasn't. i mean it was far from it. >> reporter: the national independent automobile dealers association, a trade group which represents used car dealers, says the recall issue is a concern, but claims it's difficult for dealers to learn about recalls in the first place. >> they're not easy to find, and even if you do find some source somewhere through the internet, you still don't know whether that recall is totally accurate. >> reporter: we had no problem tracking down recall information or recalled cars for sale. hi, we want to look at a cadillac. >> reporter: of the ten dealerships we visited not one volunteered information that the car we picked out was under a recall, and six told us our car had a clean bill of health, even after we specifically asked about recalls. >> they want to maximize the number of cars they sell in the least amount of time, and fixing them before they sell them takes

away from that objective. >> reporter: when buying her car, tab that gordon never thought to did about a recall. >> you need to investigate a little bit further and make sure that there are no open recalls. because that vehicle can be replaced but you can't replace your life or your family. >> we alerted all of the car dealers in our investigation that those cars were part of a recall. not all of the dealers agreed to fix the problem and one dealer even told us it's up to the consumer to ask about a recall. >> sounds like the gentleman from that association says they're really difficult to find so if it's up to me now to find it -- >> it's not that hard. all you have to do is vick the vin, the vehicle identification number, easy to find on the car, it's in the door or in the front on top of the dash, and you just call the manufacturer's 1-800 number and ask, is it part of a recall, they can tell you yes or no. if it is part of an open safety recall, the fix is free. that's important to know. you're not going to have to pay for it.

it's fixed to are free. >> great. as always, susan, thanks. >> we'll be right back. you're watching "the early show" on cbs. [ woman ] welcome back, jogging stroller. you've been stuck in the garage, while my sneezing and my itchy eyes took refuge from the dust in here and the pollen outside. but with 24-hour zyrtec®, i get prescription strength relief from my worst allergy symptoms. it's the brand allergists recommend most. ♪ lily and i are back on the road again. where we belong. with zyrtec®, i can love the air®.

[ male announcer ] build your better breakfast with all the flavors you choose. try an irresistible steak, egg & cheese, with toasty tomato or chipotle southwest sauce on tasty flatbread. only at subway! ♪ 8% every 10 years.age 40, we can start losing muscle -- only at subway! 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! but basically, i'm a runner. last year. (oof). i had a bum knee that needed surgery. but it got complicated, because i had an old injury. so i wanted a doctor who had done this before. and unitedhealthcare's database helped me find a surgeon. you know you can't have great legs, if you don't have good knees. we're 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans.

that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. still ahead this morning, the online coupon craze. you may have heard of the discount website like groupon. >> yeah. >> doodle deals, a lot of parents i know use here in new york city, basically get a deal on everything from clothes to food to vacation. >> before you sign up we'll see if they're really worth your time and your money. the woman next to me says yes it is. >> i think you can get good deals but buyer beware. >> yep. >> we've got important tips for you coming up, you're watching "the early show" on cbs. >> watch out. >> always a good deal. >> read the fine print. ♪ ♪ express yourself

♪ ♪ express yourself ♪ ♪ oh, do it ♪ oh, do it ♪ express yourself ♪ hey [ female announcer ] coffee is like life. it's better when you add your flavor. coffee-mate, from nestle. so i'm taking charge with claritin-d. it relieves even my worst allergy symptoms. nothing works stronger, faster or longer for nasal congestion and sinus pressure without drowsiness. i only live claritin clear, with claritin-d.

with being fed on. we demand k9 advantix ii. it not only kills fleas and ticks, it repels most ticks before they can attach and snack on us. frontline plus kills but doesn't repel. any tick that isn't repelled or killed may attach and make a meal of us. so let's put our paws down in protest. no fetching, no friendship till we all get k9 advantix ii. join us at poochprotest.com. [ male announcer ] ask your veterinarian about k9 advantix ii.

[ male announcer ] ask your veterinarian

t obama will hold a it is 7:55. time for news headlines from cbs 5. i'm sydnie kohara. president obama will hold a national town hall session in silicon valley later this month. that event is planned for april 20th at the palo alto headquarters of facebook. it will be streamed live over the internet. topics will include the economy and the national debt. caltrain expected to raise fares and cut back on service but not as much as earlier feared. tomorrow the transit agency's board will vote on a new deficit reduction plan. it would shut down three stations, including the capital station in san jose. nine other station would close on weekends only. it also includes a 25-cent fare increase for each one-way trip and if approved the changes will take effect in july. and the richmond city council has put an to end plans

for a billion-dollar waterfront casino resort. councilmembers cited potential problems with traffic congestion and a failure to obtain federal approval. traffic and weather around the bay area in just a moment. stay with us. ,, ,,,,,,,,,,

good morning. let's go back out to hercules. still possibly traffic alert in effect even though just a couple of minutes ago they just cleared this accident from lanes. so unfortunately, we're still seeing a long line of brake

lights here. got a call from the kcbs phone force, traffic is stacked up across the carquinez bridge. but again a couple of mains go, they just got all lanes cleared -- a couple of minutes ago, they just got all lanes cleared but it will take time for the backup to approve. 40 minutes from the carquinez bridge to the maze because of the probably now lifted traffic alert there in hercules. and in bay bridge toll plaza, it's backed up into the macarthur maze. that's your traffic. here's lawrence with your forecast. >> elizabeth, got a lot of sunshine out there to start off the day. out the door a little cool in spots. 40s and some 50s right now. there goes -- get a load of that a little balloon out there. yeah. looks like that's going down now. but a lot of sunshine coming up our way. we are going to see winds kicking up toward the afternoon and the coast. 50s for highs, 60s at the bay and interior valleys. but cooler with showers tomorrow, chance of showers linger in friday. drying out through the weekend. chance of more rain next monday. ,,,,,,,,

♪ top of the hour, blue sky out there. midway part of the week right now. welcome back to "the early show" on a wednesday morning. i'm chris wragge with erica hill. >> rocking it out. >> everybody loves a deal. >> i love a deal. i don't believe in paying full price. >> weapons like groupon is like coupons on steroids. we'll show you how to get in on this growing trend of collective buying power. awesome deals. >> they're great. we'll help keep you from getting too caught up and buying one you don't need. that's wasting your money. also speaking of growing trends who is talking on the

phone these days? turns out, not a lot of people. all of the texting, all of the e-mailing has some people wondering if this move is actually a great time-saving change instead of picking up the phone or could be the end of civilization as we know it. hanging up the phone for good. we'll take a look at the pros and cons. >> it's disturbing, jeff presses his answering machine, no new messages. let's go over to him. >> i can't believe you still have an answering machine. voice mail. >> where would you like me to go with that one? guys, good morning. good morning to everyone at home. more federal budget talks are scheduled for today. as parts of the government prepare for a possible shutdown friday at midnight. cbs news chief white house correspondent chip reid has the latest on all this. chip, good morning. >> reporter: well, good morning, jeff. they met into the wee hours last night and will continue today with top democrats and

republicans and here at the white house, they're applying some presidential pressure. >> nobody gets 100% of what they want. >> reporter: the president threatened to bring congressional leaders to the white house every day if they can't reach a deal on their own and set another stopgap measure is out of the question. >> that is not a way to run a government. i can't have our agencies making plans based on two-week budgets. >> reporter: the two sides still appear far apart. democrats have offered $33 billion in cuts, a little more than half of what the gop was asking for. but republicans say it's not enough and promised think won't be forced into anything. >> now 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: for their part democrats insist they're willing to bend, not break. >> they talk about compromise, but their goal is to shrink

government up so small they can drown it in a bathtub. >> reporter: now yesterday the president said if they can't reach a deal up on capitol hill he'll invite the leaders back here today. i just got an e-mail from a top white house official that says we're monitoring the situation there has been progress. we'll decide later this morning whether another meeting here at the white house is necessary. jeff? >> all right, chip reid at the white house, chip, thanks. in japan officials plan to inject nitrogen gas into the reactor. nitrogen can stop the hydrogen from exploding. meanwhile, u.s. government engineers warned the plant's problems could last indefinitely and might get worse. among the threats reported by "the new york times," containment buildings might rupture leading to new explosions. his doctor says san francisco giants fan bryan stow may have brain damage from a beating following a dodgers game in los angeles. a $100,000 reward is out there now as police try to find the men responsible.

cbs news national correspondent ben tracy reports. >> reporter: high above dodger stadium -- >> reporter: opening night for two of baseball's biggest rivals, dodgers and giants fighting on the field between players might have been expected but what happened to lifelong giants fan bryan stow left both sides stunned. >> got a call thursday night at 11:00 that bryan went to a dodger game and there was a fight and he's been hurt and our lives changed. >> reporter: the 42-year-old paramedic and father of two is now in a coma. beaten outside the stadium by a pair of dodgers fans. >> both of them pushed bryan from behind. he never saw them coming and bryan fell forward and hit his head on the concrete and was immediately knocked unconscious. >> reporter: a crowd of more than 100 people watched before paramedics on bicycles came to his rescue. he texted his family that the atmosphere was scary. >> the safety is not the same.

it's definitely not the same. we knew that and bryan knew that going into it. but i don't think that he could have ever imagine that it would be like this. >> reporter: the dodgers have turned over surveillance tapes and are working with police to try to catch the two suspects. >> bryan was a wonderful father and great person, a man dedicated to helping people and saving people's lives. >> hard to see him in bed like that because he was so funny and now he just lays there. >> reporter: stow has a long recovery ahead. doctors say they've removed part of his skull to reduce swelling but brain damage may be permanent. ben tracy, cbs news, los angeles. >> and there's new details for the schedule of the royal wedding this morning. first up on the 29th the queen will announce the official titles of prince william and kate middleton. then the first guests will arrive at westminster abbey. we're told they arrive two hours after that and only after kate

arrives with her five bridesmaids will her dress be seen for the first time. it is coming up on six minutes past the hour here on this wednesday morning. we head back over to chris, erica and marysol, guys. good morning. >> so much anticipation, thank you, jeff. >> especially about the dress. >> yes. what do you think? white? >> i'm going with white. >> no, actually it's a valid question. could be ivory, cream. >> there are as many shades of white for a woman's bridal gown as there are ways to say ice in the eskimo region. >> no ice out there today. >> i don't think there is, erica hill, chris, let's look at the high temperatures. i'm being told let's go.

>> this weather report sponsored by preen. preen stops weeds before they start. visit preen.com. >> thanks >> thanks so much. that's your latest weather. back over to you guys. >> nice job. >> just ahead. it's the multibillion dollar

group buying craze. can you find it online. we'll help you save money with thousands of your closest friends. watching "early" on cbs. we all want our kids to eat their vegetables, but we all know kids would rather they just disappear. ♪ make me say la la la la la la ♪ [ woman ] now with a little magic from mom, there's an easy way to get kids the nutrition they need. mott's medleys has two total fruit and veggie servings in every glass but magically looks and tastes just like the fruit juice kids already love.

mott's medleys. ♪ la la la [ woman ] invisible vegetables. magical taste. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ introducing purina one beyond a new food for your cat or dog. introducing purina one beyond today we're going to surprise people with the taste of activia. that's good. wow. this is really good. great flavor! it's really creamy, it's really tasty. ooh! wow! jamie lee curtis! it's activia! it's delicious. i am shocked. it's hard to believe it's that good for you. it's so good. try the fabulous taste of activia today. taste it, love it, or it's free! and now discover activia dessert.

in rich indulgent flavors like strawberry cheesecake. try activia dessert today. ♪ activia wonder where the durango's been for the last two years? well, it toured around europe, getting handling and steering lessons on those sporty european roads. it went back to school, got an advanced degree in technology. it's been working out -- more muscle and less fat. it's only been two years, but it's done more in two years

than most cars do in a lifetime. it is it is a great time to be a bargain hunter. the internet is buzzing with discounts and the biggest group buying websites like groupon and living social are really seeing the benefit as long with their customers. rebecca jarvis is here with a look at it. it's taken off. >> it has and interesting to look at the genesis of all these sites. they began popping up at the height of our recession offering cash-strapped americans a way to buy almost anything for at least half off. well, since then sales have skyrocketed up 60% in 2009 and 70% last year. it's the newest breed of discounts from restaurants to

theater, even family vacations up to 90% off and it's gone viral. >> this mere yoric rise is not something you see every day. >> groupon offers daily deals for more than 50 million subscribers up from just 400 in 2008. >> we just scratched the surface. people spend 80% of their disposable income within two miles of the house and that's the sways we're playing in. >> reporter: people like juliette haji of new york. >> i use groupon for everything. >> reporter: on her computer and smartphone every day scanning for bargains and ideas of new things to do. >> it's that friend that you have that calls you and is like, hey, let's do in this weekend and you're like, okay, that sounds awesome. >> reporter: while consumers are using it to score big savings businesses hope to boost the bottom line. pam nelson owns a cupcake shop in new york and posted this ad for a baking class and within two days she had more than 7,000

new customers. >> groupon has been worth at least, you know, $50,000 to $100,000 to our shop alone. >> reporter: and she is not alone. american apparel and local grocery stores have used them to attract new sales. linda tracks them and sites like groupon are successful because they use social networks to promote deals. >> social, local and network make it unique. >> reporter: living social is the second largest online coupon site. >> we reach about 26 million people every single day and that's growing by about 1.5 million a week. >> reporter: this rewards customers for advertising the daily discounts. get three of yours to buy a deal and that is yours for free. >> if you can provide something to people at great value they'll be interested. >> reporter: the lure of the big bargain has consumers pouring

money into these online sites and begging for more. >> i'm saving 50% on one activity that's whatever amount, 20, 30, 40, $50 i can spend elsewhere. >> the average consumers spends between $10 and $30 on a site like that but before you get in on the daily discount, not all deals are created equal. this is another example of where it pays to be a customer in the know. >> beyond knowing that they're not perhaps all the best deal, what else should be taken into consideration before clicking buy. >> you want to check the coupon use. in many cases it's actually a couple of days that it's limited to use so, for example, if you're going to a place where the high point of the business hours are friday, oftentimes the coupon will apply to a monday through thursday usage and you want to know you could use it on those dates. research the vendors, because these are vendors obviously the likes of living social and groupon do a little research but you want to also figure out is this a vendor that's reputable that i would want to go and spend my money at and lastly, you don't want to buy just to

buy because, of course, these are the kind of things where you save 90% off, i'm an offender. erica, i know you and -- >> we love a good deal. >> you see that and you think, oh, my gosh, i'm stocking up on it. the reality, if you weren't going to buy in the first place, well, you're not saving money as a result. >> you're wasting money. >> exactly. >> you mentioned not just when you can use it but also when it expires. >> yes, when it expires is big, jenna, one of our producers took six months to use it because there are big lineups when something is popular. a lot want to do it and takes more time to schedule. >> it happens with a birthday party, but she got her money back. is the phone call becoming a little like the phonograph? obsolete? texting and e-mailing are replacing dialing and actual conversation. how concerned should you be about your phone?

[ male announcer ] every day thousands of people are switching from tylenol to advil. to learn more and get your special offer, go to takeadvil.com. take action. take advil. a fiber that dissolves completely, is clearly different. benefiber. it's the easy way to get more fiber everyday. that's the beauty of benefiber. it's the easy way to get more fiber everyday. twizzlers. the twist you can't resist. [ male announcer ] build your better breakfast with all the flavors you choose. try an irresistible steak, egg & cheese, with toasty tomato or chipotle southwest sauce on tasty flatbread. only at subway! ♪

only at subway!

for more than 100 years people have been communicating by phone for business reasons or just to chat but if current trends continue the telephone may go the way of the telegraph. as "earl i" show contributor taryn winter brill tells us. ♪ >> one ringy dingy. >> reporter: for the better part of the 20th century, the telephone was the quickest and easiest way to communicate. neighboring, friends and family, but now with the steady stream of digital devices it appears we prefer typing over talking. >> i just can't stand chitchatting on the phone. i hate it. >> reporter: easier to e-mail your office, co-worker across the hall. >> oh, across a few desks away. >> reporter: increasingly the phone call is replaced by e-mail and even more so texting. >> we're trying to connect somebody do you e-mail them, text them or call them? >> text them call the time. >> reporter: no phone calls? >> not anymore. >> reporter: cell phones are turning us into writers.

>> writing is a much more natural way of communicating than we ever dreamed was possible and the text is a way for that dream to come true. >> reporter: texts are making the dreams of cell phone companies come true, too. over the last four years the major phone carriers have seen huge jumps in the number of text messages sent. americans sent over 2 trillion text messages in 2010. texting has become the method of choice for returning phone calls. i wondered how my friends would respond to voice mail from me. so i called seven of them to make lunch plans. i reached one. hey deb, what's going on. left messages for the rest. how are you? by the end of the day, i'd heard back from six. two actually called me back. the other four wrote me back, but then again, maybe i'm lucky they even got my messages in the first place. >> you have no new messages. >> reporter: because it turns out voice mail is so passe. whens athe last time you checked your voice mail. >> ha! i tell them not to send me one.

>> reporter: that's what you say? >> yes, i won't be check it. >> reporter: even in business, voice mail has become more nuisance than must have. "early show" producer deb hooberman hasn't checked her mailbox since november. >> your mailbox is full. >> reporter: alexander graham bell uttered it "mr. watson, come here, i want to see you" and revolutionized the way people conduct their business, private and professional. now the invention millions thought they could never live without appears to be on its way out. >> it's ironic baulgs the telegraph, which is a form of texting was killed by the telephone and now texting is killing the phone call. >> so we rang up jessica bennett, senior writer for u.s. in beak magazine to talk about the big shift. we called you and you didn't answer the phone, instant message which was a nice touch. good morning. >> good morning. >> why this big shift? >> well, chris, the technology

has made it easier obviously. so everybody's using it and why not? it's fast. it's quick and you know studies have even shown we get an adrenalin boost every time we texan e-mail so it's this constant stimulation. >> it's actually better to get a text or e-mail, this stimulus more so. >> there is and it's constant all the time, tweets, texts, e-mails, everything. >> reporter: with the younger generation e-mails are going the way of snail mail. even that scene is slow. >> we're all texting. >> reporter: what are the real advantages to leaving the land lines and the telephone call behind? >> it does streamline some things, especially in the workplace. you can send a lot of e-mails to a lot of people in a lot less time and it avoids all of the awkward things that come with face-to-face interaction, no eye contact, no small talk. makes it easier and in a way it's fun. >> why is that awkward face-to-face contact? >> it leaves me the ability to do it. >> the downside is people are

losing the ability to interact with other human beings as opposed to a handheld device. >> we're losing the ability to see nuance. there's a lot you can get from tone, and face-to-face interaction you can't get over a text message especially when it's worded in crazy language. >> that's the thing that i get every once in a while if i send an e-mail, i use my dad i get a nasty e-mail in return. there's a breakdown not only with kids and parents but boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands and wives and can be a lot lost in the translation. >> miscommunication definitely. >> so you really think this is the way to go? you seem pretty sold on this. i don't know if the people at home are. >> a little bit of both. average teen sends 2,000 text messages a month and only makes 100 phone calls. >> are we saying phones will be obsolete soon, land lines a thing of the past? >> i've never had a land line. >> never? >> i don't think i will. >> goodness gracious. thank you very much. >> thank you for having me.

>> a sobering thought. i got to get with the times. we'll be right back.,,,,,,,,,,,,

minutes barry bonds' defense attorneys will go on the offensive in the former good morning. let's look at your news headlines. i'm frank mallicoat. five minutes, barry bonds' defense attorney will go on the offensive in the perjury trial. it's possible bonds could testify today. the judge will also consider dropping one count of making false statements. the giants fan beaten last week outside dodger stadium in l.a. is showing signs of brain damage now. bryan stow of santa cruz is still in a medically-induced coma. today in san jose, stow's coworkers will hold a fundraiser barbecue to help pay for his medical expenses. and caltrain service says cuts may not be as severe as originally thought. only three station will close full time while a total of nine would be closed over the weekend. cost-cutting measures would

also include a 25-cent fare hike. caltrain's board will vote on the proposal tomorrow. traffic and weather coming right up. stay with us. ,,,,,,,,,,

we have a traffic alert in sonoma county. there was a big rig stalled in lanes on westbound 37 right around 121. so they got the big rig out of lanes but now apparently it leaks some kind of fuel so now they are cleaning that up. unfortunately traffic is really stacked up behind it in those westbound lanes. to the bay bridge, we are seeing slight improvements to

the bay bridge. you can see it's backed up beyond the first overcrossing. also, this is actually an improvement. your drive time down here 36 minutes on westbound 80 from the carquinez bridge to the maze. an earlier traffic alert in hercules has been cleared. so traffic is improving through that stretch. still kind of slow. all right. and westbound 92 san mateo bridge looks great, but if you are heading towards san mateo, southbound 101 at poplar we have an accident blocking a lane. that's your traffic. here's lawrence with the forecast. >> temperatures still running in the 50s and 40s. now it's going to be a nice day. over looking san jose, a little hazy out there, too. but we are going to bring some more sunshine in. temperatures going to be cooling off though a little bit today. and we are going to see the winds picking up especially at the coastline and inside the bay. plan on 57 degrees in pacifica. you have 60s inside the bay. and upper 60s in the interior valleys. now, as we head in toward the next couple of days, here we go again. we have a chance of a wet return to some weather here, rain continuing into friday. the internet on a plane! are you from the future?

um, no. cleveland. listen cleveland, your savings account is stuck in the past! earn more with interestplus savings at capitalone.com. that's new school banking baby! so instead of making peanuts, your savings will be earning three times the national average. oops. sorry. three times more? i'll have that! it is now safe to go online to capitalone.com. what's in your wallet? buh-bye... call me.

welcome back request "the early show." that is a shot we found early this morning, as we pull out these are from the softball fields in central park. the groubds crew may not sob happy but someone somewhere is wishing you a happy birthday. you know what is celebrating a research today at 64, john

ratzenberger, otherwise known as cliff craven. if you have kids you know him as max from "cars" or hamm from "toy story." >> happy birth to everybody else today from the folks in central park. >> happy birthday. welcome back to "the early show." happy birthday if you're celebrating. just ahead this morning, if you would maybe like to see your child on the cover of a national magazine perhaps win a little cash to go along with it, can you say college fund? you are in luck. "parents" magazine is holding its annual cover model contest. we'll get you details on that but also going to get you some professional advice on how to take the very best pictures of your children, which you know maybe you'll increase your chances of winning. >> you never know. >> if not you'll still get good pictures. eva longoria has a talent many don't often see on "desperate housewives." she's a lifelong cook and even owns two or co-owns two restaurants. eva is here to show us some

recipes inspired by her texas roots and mexican herrage, aunt edna's homemade flour tortilla. wait until you see what she's got. >> she also takes good pictures. >> yes she does. >> very photo genic. >> incidentally. >> good point. >> mary? what do you think should we get to weather? >> let's go back to central park real quick. >> central park, eva longoria, flour tortillas. >> tough call. i'm going with weather. >> all right, sister. final check of weather your national forecast we have a few

thanks so much. that's your latest weather. now over to chris. >> marysol, thank you very much. do it yourself is a good concept when you're trying to save money but sometimes hiring a pro really is a better financial choice in the long run. donna rosato, senior writer of

"money" magazine and here with great examples for us this morning. good morning. >> nice to see you. >> let's talk about some of the examples. when it comes to aging parents and having to deal with aging parents, one of the best, safest routes to go is bring a professional in. >> a lot of us don't live close to the parents or might not have the time or the skill to really help them with their medical issues. a good person to bring in is a geriatric care manager. a geriatric care manager can help your parents with lots of things, taking them to medical appointments, helping them with finding, inventing a home health care aide or helping them with very complex medicare and medicaid paperwork. these folks of course come with a price, anywhere from $80 to $200 an hour and also charge an initial assessment fee which can be anywhere from $300 to $800. you can find the folks at geriatric care managers at caremanager.org. >> another thing, you say it's probably best to take it out of your own hands.

medical bills and untangling the bills and countless fees you have to deal with. >> that's right. lots of time on your phone with an insurance company you often don't get anywhere. you can call what is called a medical billing advocate. these folks charge $85 to $150 an hour or take 35% of whatever they save you which i think 35% of something is better than nothing. you can find these folks at billadvocate.com and these folks are really experts in figuring out the legalese of medical bills as well as negotiating. >> there's so many things involved here and to think you could take on the responsibilities yourself is probably a little daunting at times. >> that's true. >> one of the things we talk about a lot is retirement and i know with a lot of our parents, they're closer to some of us than others. we may all think we're good with money but you really need to bring in outside help to plan for retirement. >> this is an important time. you might think i have a retirement nest egg. do i need someone to tell me how

to spend it. once you retire and if you make a mistake in how you spend your money down you don't want to outlive your money. you can't come back from it because you're not working anymore. there's tax issues to consider as well. the good news is if you have a sizeable nest egg, say $500,000 or more there are financial services company to help you come up with a retirement plan at no cost. if you have less than $500,000, you have a smaller nest egg for $250 they'll help you come up with a plan. >> a little investment planner couldn't hurt anybody. installing things now and being more technical and handsy, nice to have a handy man around. >> that's true. we're not all savvy about how to set these tech gadgets up. and so what you want to do, if you bought a home entertainment system or new pc, i bought a new pc last summer and don't want to lose my photos or files so i said i'm going to hire a professional to make the transition for me. you can find folks who can help you do this, a tech pro. most times find them aft the big retail stores, they have their

own geek squads as they say but a local chain, sorry, local professional is probably going to give you a better price, be more competitive and there are a lot of national organizations that have local franchises, places like geeks on call or fastteks.com, charge you up to $250 an hour. >> yelling yoselling your home. >> home prices are down but this is a tough housing market. trying to sell a home on your own is time consuming but you might not sell your home. you want an experienced real estate agent, someone who has a license, really certified. look up whether somebody has a license at an organization called the association of real estate law license officials at arello.com. a real estate agent will take 6% commission but you can negotiate that, you might get 5% or more -- sorry, 5% or less but it

can be well worth it. >> quickly, vacations? >> vacations, you probably don't need a travel agent but travel agents the ones that are worth it if you're spending a lot of money on your honeymoon or going hiking in nepal a really experienced travel agent can help you out. you can -- these folks are going to charge you depending on how complex the trip is anywhere from $150 to $350, and even up to $800 depending how complex your trip is. find really experienced folks at something called concierge.com and find people who specialize in all sorts of travel, adventure travel to family vacations. >> hiking in nepal sounds good right now. >> thank you. >> thank you. here's erica. if you're having trouble snapping the perfect photo of your kids, you're in luck this morning. we have help from "parents" magazine, kicking off its annual cover model contest. advice gathered from the pros, nice to have you back with us this morning. >> good to see you.

>> one of the most important things you have to start with is the camera. >> yes. many of us are shooting with our phones now which is great and many of the tips we have are going to apply but it's really great to have a digital camera. now they're made with many features such as something that can recognize a small, a closed eye, a blink so they have the techniques that are useful for families. >> we have a small one with a setting for kids and pets so when they're moving quickly. >> movement is a big issue taking shots of the kids. >> it helps you catch them. a lot of these are more affordable than even a couple years ago. >> yes. >> there are certain times of day, too, better than others for taking pictures. >> that's right. you want to be shooting before 10:00 a.m. or after 4:00 p.m. because what happens, this is when you're shooting outside. the light during the middle of the day even on kids who are like great, you know, have great skin and everything, looks fabulous, can have harsh shadows. if you do need to shoot between 10:00 and 4:00 you'll probably find on your camera a setting called a fill-in or a force

flash and you might not think you need a flash. >> that's what it's for. >> you want to force that flash to get rid of the dark shadows. >> that's a great shot obviously. either early in the morning or sunset. >> it's afternoon. afternoon light is the best. this photographer peter lamastro, shot photos of his kids, linc and penny. >> another one this morning has to do with i think framing your subjects. >> right. you want to consider all the angles when you're shooting. one thing about shooting kids, you really want to get much closer than you normally would. the first thing you do is take a couple steps forward and get closer. if there's an uncut version of the photograph and how we've cropped it, try to do your cropping before you shoot. give it a minute, step forward, make sure there's no trees growing out of people's heads. >> or most of the house and here when we cropped it in looks amazing. >> you don't see as much of that. >> it's a much better picture. >> you won't have to do the

editing after the fact. >> also you recommend not being so married to your traditional photo of i'm taking a picture of you in your easter dress. >> exactly. you want to think not only about the angle so don't shoot children down from above, because then they look like they have huge heads and really little feet. you want to come at them straight on or shoot up, and then think about capturing maybe movement or some really small part of the child. use the macro setting on the camera to get a close-up. >> beautiful picture. there's nothing more precious than baby's little feet. >> adorable. trying to capture movement like a child who is jumping, put your camera, position your frame where the child is going to be when they jump, and then snab. >> got it. >> wait for them to jump. >> plan where they're going to end up and position yourself that bay. we have some friends here with us on set. jack and olivia, who are joining us. this is a great way to keep your kids in the picture.

>> corral them a little bit. look for a wagon or basket like olivia is sitting in, a basket here and try to keep them a little bit from movement. because movement is such an issue. >> it is and this can be something different and entertaining for a minute or two. >> and have a toy or a game because a toddler, baby you can photograph them sleeping. but a toddler -- >> forget it. >> some period of deep concentration, playing with a game or puzzle. these guys are relaxed. >> you guys are doing a great on. also we have the tendency when you're ready, cheese. we should leave the cheese behind. >> leave the cheese. it gets you a cheesy smile and not a genuine smile, so we have a word that we've practiced. you can use any "m" word like money or guys, do you remember the word we were going to say? do you remember what that word was -- milkshake? >> milkshake! >> good job. >> and we got great smiles so it's the "m." we want to go with the "m"

sound. >> makes a nice face. >> mom is a great one or mimi. and you're here also to tell us about the contest at "parents" magazine. >> we're running our annual cover contest looking for photos of kids 3 months to 6 years of age. the website has a link to take you to the contest. we'll fly ten finalists to new york, take ten kids' pictures, one voted by the community so it's exciting, we've been doing it for years. whoever wins get our november cover and the cover on the ipad issue. it's an exciting prize. >> we're looking forward to it and i know they will all be equally cute. >> absolutely. it's hard to choose. >> good to have you with us. even if you're not interested in entering the contest these are great tips, find those on earlyshow.cbsnews.com. here's chris. leading lady eva longoria is a triple threat these days, accomplished actress, hollywood

activist and now the star is showing off her skills in the kitchen with the release of "eva's kitchen cooking with love, her family and friends." she's here to make some of her favorite recipes. great to see you. how are you? >> good to see you. i'm good. >> this has been a lifetime thing, love of cooking? >> it's a memoir of my life, love for food. every major moment of my life it's centered around food and family. >> you describe your cooking as mexican cooking with texas flair to it? >> it's not a mexican cookbook. it's an international cookbook. starched with a lot of mexican flair with my culinary experience began and moves into american food and then into more european food. >> yeah. >> it's a journey. >> the recipes are they recipes that you had in the family for years? >> both. there's a lot of family recipes but also a lot of experimentation that i've had throughout the years which have become, i've just been all over

the world, really blessed to experience different foods and so i always take a little bit of something from wherever i go, whether it's italy or france or spain and i've kind of made it into my own and this recipe in particular we're doing today is very mexican. it's known as the mexican spaghetti usually. >> is that what it is for people who don't know what it is, it's spaghetti? >> kind of mexican spaghetti. >> smells good. that i can say. >> what you should use is there's vermicelli noodles. if you don't, you can use angel hair pasta. cut those in half. we have a hot pan of oil, couple tablespoons and garlic we'll throw in here and we're going to throw in onions, all the measurements are in the book. i'm a pinch of this and a dash of that. >> from the measurement s standpoint it's whatever your personality. >> i love garlic and onions so i like a lot of onions and garlic.

if you don't use less. >> that was the hardest thing, getting everything out of my head and onto paper. i'm not a measurer. >> what else? >> that's cumino. that will go in later. we can put some in now. >> what should i do? >> break it in half. you're going to saute the onion, garlic and cumino, which is cumin. saute this. >> you're the cook. >> we'll saute is a little bit. what i like to do also is i like to put the chicken in for a little bit sometimes, and i'll put it right on top of that once it's a little hotter. this is tv so we're going to fast forward a lot of this. i like to get that flavor into the chicken and sometimes i remove it. >> you can really smell the onions and garlic already. >> you brown it just a little to the cumin gets in there and i'll set them aside. >> throw in the pasta? >> yes. the vermicelli is more round.

if you use angel hair brown it a little bit. once it browns we're going to pour in our chicken broth, if you can grab that because it looks -- >> standard chicken broth? >> standard chicken broth. i like to use organic chicken broth. and then usually it's one can tomato, and honestly the tomato sauce is not for taste. it's for color. >> tharis that right, okay. >> it's for color. if you don't need the red color you don't have to do that. >> how long does this cook for? >> you want it until it's a soft spaghetti noodle, so about 20 minutes but you have to cover it and can't lift the lid. that's the trick. >> no peeking. >> don't check, don't peek, don't stir. leave it alone and then it turns out into this. >> that looks beautiful. >> isn't that beautiful? >> smells so good. >> the longer you leave it the lesssoupy it gets, i like it more soupy, a little more wet.

>> certain density, got the great thickness. >> pretty hearty. it smells good. >> fantastic. >> the onion. >> as soon as you walk in, garlic. >> you can smell it throughout the studio. >> this is also your aunt's recipes. you wanted to make sure it was in the cookbook. >> my aunt el is a, i dedicated the book to because she taught us how to cook in the family. she and my aunt edna taught me how to make the flour tortillas. you use a rolling pin and roll them out and turn into these beautiful, beautiful tortillas. these are perfectly round. mine usually come out a little oblong. >> you don't want to make them look too professional, not store bought. >> not at all. >> you have to wash things down here. i know you've got this wonderful strawber strawberry daiquiri. >> my family drinks a lot. no, just kidding.

>> mine, too. >> this is a drink we used to make because we used to have strawberries a lot of strawberries and so you put strawberries, you're going to put half a can of lemonade concentrate. >> okay. >> and then you would do half a can of rum, any kind of rum you want. >> that could be more if you'd like, right? >> yeah, more if you'd like. we'll do a splash of orange juice and a half a banana. >> bow. >> put that on high. >> non-alcoholic version? >> this is the non-alcoholic version because this is the morning show. >> we don't drink until at least 9:00. >> this is great. my aunt didi used to make this all the time and -- she was a lush. no, just kidding. [ laughter ] just kidding. she's watching this so she's going to be like i can't believe -- >> she'll love that comment. downwind here, too, you can smell it. it's really, good. eva, thank you so much. >> thank you. >> best of luck, congratulations. great to see you. we need to have you baaing to cook more often. >> i will come back often. >> so much better than our other chefs really. find the recipes on our website

earlyshow.cbsnews.com. check it out. we'll be right back. this is "the early show" here on we'll be right back. this is "the early show" here on cbs.,,,,,,,,,,,,

take one of those pillows and take a big smell. they smell really fresh. what if we told you we washed these sheets seven days ago? really? no way. are you serious? downy? ultra downy april fresh. give us a week, and we'll change your bed forever. -get out. -get out. [ female announcer ] frustrated with left over stains? try tide stain release. it gets out tough stains better than the leading in wash powder booster.

get out! -get out! -get out! [ female announcer ] see for yourself. get out and take the challenge. there you have it. >> in the studio. >> the inside of the studio, the inside look here at "the early show." >> it was interesting the last couple of seconds we had the one segment about how land lines are becoming a thing of the past how we've all been texting each other this morning to see how it would work, not talking to one another and i told you -- >> i kind of liked it. >> sitting here talking, we should be on our -- >> we shouldn't use vowels, just abbreviate every single word. >> that's true. lol, omg. >> i hate lol. >> i love talking to all of you. >> like to talk to you. >> tweet, facebook. chris wragge, see you later.

,,,, [ telephone rings ] oh! let's do this. look who's early!

[ dentist ] my patients want to walk into their dental check-up prepared to ace it. that's why i tell them to use new crest pro-health invigorating clean rinse. its invigorating action lets you know it's working to fight plaque and gingivitis and it provides all these other benefits. crest pro-health invigorating clean rinse. clean, protect, and invigorate your way to better dental check-ups. life opens up when you do.

headlines... firefighters are still checking good morning. it is 8:55. i'm sydnie kohara with your cbs 5 news headlines. firefighters still checking a residential building for hot spots in san francisco's tenderloin neighborhood. 100 people were evacuated when the fire broke out last night. two dozen were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation. barry bonds could take the stand today as his defense attorneys begin to present their case. proceedings resume just about a half hour ago. the judge is also expected to rule on potentially dropping one of bonds' charges of making false statements. and a plan to build a billion-dollar casino along richmond's waterfront has been scrapped. the city council cited parking congestion and lack of federal approval as major obstacles. project supporters hoped it would bring more jobs to

richmond's economy. traffic and weather coming right up. stay with us. ,, yeah! boom! hi, i'm a stunt man. and i love watching me on at&t u-verse tv. i can record up to four shows at once on a single dvr. i can even record a show in this room... ...and play it back in this room. honey, i just vacuumed. [ female announcer ] call now to get u-verse tv for only $29 a month for six months -- hd-ready dvr included at no extra charge. or get $300 back via promotion card with a qualifying u-verse bundle. ♪ [ stunt man ] drop into an at&t store and see how at&t u-verse offers more hd channels than cable. i look good. [ female announcer ] call now to get u-verse tv for only $29 a month for six months -- hd-ready dvr included.

or get $300 back via promotion card with a qualifying u-verse bundle. enjoy tv like you've never seen before. call, click or hurry in today... whoa! hey! ♪ [ tires screech ] ...like her! [ female announcer ] at&t. to come and try coffee-mate's new cafe collection flavors. then we asked them to show us how the taste inspired them. new rich caramel macchiato. one of three new ways to add your flavor. with coffee-mate, from nestle. a traffic alert still in effect westbound 37 before

highway 121. they are cleaning up an oil spill and traffic is stacked up behind it. so you can see a long line of brake lights to mare island. a problem on the peninsula, southbound 101 near poplar we had an accident that was just cleared but unfortunately, southbound traffic is slow from 380 and northbound 101 is pretty jammed upcoming off of looks like highway 92. live out by the airport we have a camera by sfo and you can see all that slow traffic in those southbound lanes. that is your traffic. here's lawrence with your forecast. >> elizabeth, a lot of sunshine out there right now. looking like a great day. enjoy it. we have major changes coming, rain possibly returning to the bay area as early as tomorrow. overlooking the bay, plenty of sunshine now and a little cool but we're going to watch those temperatures warming up in the afternoon. a little cool at the immediate coastline at the 50s at the beaches with gusty winds. 60s inside the bay, upper 60s in the interior valleys. tomorrow clouds and rain, very

low temperatures. warming up and drying out over the weekend. a just a complete understatement. i mean, i don't think there are words. she had put up a really good fight, but it was her time. you... don't have a choice of getting breast cancer. i had no choice. i wanted to do something bigger than myself. that 3-day gave me that opportunity. and i can actually do something to help. i think it's a very bold thing to do. 60 miles in 3 days-- i can do that. i'm sure if it was 100 miles, we'd still walk it. it was a big statement for me of... (voice breaks) i'm alive. we can do this. we can do this. we can rid the world of this terrible disease... so that no mother... granddaughter... sister... daughter... mother... go through what my wife had to go through. this is more than just three days. this is a lifetime. (man) register today for the... because everyone deserves a lifetime.