cancer institute report. >> my liver is working overtime right now. see you tomorrow. >> caption colorado, llc comments@captioncolorado.com good morning. no deal. . good morning. no deal. despite a late-night meeting at the white house and a big push from president obama, gop's democratic leaders failed to come to an agreement on a deal that would avoid shutting down the government. this as house republicans try to extend tomorrow's deadline, but democrats say the price is too high. asleep again. the faa suspends yet another air traffic controller for napping on duty. this time, sleeping for five hours while a colleague did two jobs at once. bringing renewed focus on air safety at airports all around the nation. and baseball beating. a vigil is held for a fan viciously attacked at dodger stadium on opening day. as the investigation to what led to this brutal assault heats up we're going to talk to a family

member of the victim and tell you why the incident is raising tough new questions about ballpark security throughout the country, "early" this thursday morning april 7th, 2011. hi, everyone, welcome to "the early show" here on a thursday morning, i'm chris wragge. >> i'm rebecca jarvis. erica hill is off this morning. we begin with the latest on the budget talks. president obama and congressional leaders met late into the night at the white house trying to make a deal and prevent a government shutdown tomorrow night. cbs news congressional correspondent nancy cordes is on capitol hill with the latest. good morning, nancy. >> good morning, rebecca. the president emerged from those late night talks sounding optimistic, saying that the meeting had clarified the issues between the two sides. but that's not the same thing as settling those issues. and they're running out of time to do that. after 90 minutes of urgent budget talks in the oval office, the president made a rare

late-night appearance in the briefing room to announce progress, but no deal. >> if we're serious about getting something done, we should be able to complete a deal, and get it passed and avert a shutdown. but it's going to require sufficient sense of urgency from all parties involved. >> reporter: democratic leader harry reid and republican house speaker john boehner appeared together to say their staffs would continue to negotiate throughout the night. >> i have confidence that we can get this done. we're not there yet. but hopes lies eternal. >> i do think we made some progress. but i want to reiterate, there's no agreement on a number and there's no agreement on the policy matters. >> reporter: republicans and democrats are haggling over a package of spending cuts for this fiscal year worth between $33 billion and $40 billion. republicans initially called for $61 billion in cuts. along with cuts to the epa, planned parenthood and the

president's health care law. >> if we've gotten halfway to what you wanted, why not make a deal, then, that would avert a government shutdown and get to work on next year's budget? >> it would be easy to just fold your cards and go home. that's not what the american people elected us to do. >> reporter: with time running out, mr. obama vowed to personally oversee the talks. >> in the morning, i will check in with the respective staffs of the speaker and the majority leader, as well as my team here. if we haven't made progress, we're going to go back at it again. >> reporter: but in the meantime, administration officials are finalizing plans for a shutdown. the president warned of the consequences of stopping pay to a huge chunk of the federal workforce. >> it means that hundreds of thousands of workers across the country suddenly are without a paycheck. their families are counting on them being able to go to work and do a good job. >> reporter: defense secretary

robert gates, who is traveling in iraq, described this morning what a shutdown would mean for troops there. take a listen. >> they will get paid. but if the government shuts down for, as i told them, if it shuts down for a week, from the 8th to the 15th, based on the information i got this morning, they'll get half a paycheck. >> republicans intend to hold a vote on the house floor today that would keep the government running for one more week and fund the troops for the rest of the year. but that bill comes with $12 billion in cuts. cuts democrats say they were not consulted on and they will not go along with. >> cbs' nancy cordes on capitol hill. thank you. now here's chris. joining us now from washington with more on the budget talks is cbs news political analyst john dickerson. john, good morning. >> good morning, chris. >> all these high-level negotiations going on right now. but is there a real sense in these meetings, as evidenced by secretary gates' comments a few moments ago, that there are real-world implications out here? >> they are very focused on the

real world implications. secretary gates' remarks were right exactly what they're thinking about. which is, as one aide in the house leadership told me, a lot of people aren't paying attention to the back and forth in the philosophical debate. but if there's a shutdown and it starts affecting real people and men and women serving in the military, then it comes home very hard and you get real-world stories behind a shutdown and that can be politically very damaging. >> let's talk about this late-night meeting last night. no deal was struck, but both mr. reid and mr. boehner said we're making progress. they even spoke together afterwards and didn't point any fingers at one another. let's read between the lines here. good sign? >> it is a good sign. it means they're working in good faith. it means there's probably going to be a deal. because, republicans can't claim the democrats aren't acting in good faith and vice versa. and so if you have the image of them working together, then it suggests they're going to finally get there. what those men have and what their congressional leaders have in their head is not just the numbers about spending reduction but they've got the number of votes from each member. that's part of what the

negotiations are here, too. each side is trying to see how much they can get, but also what they can give in on and how they might ultimately get the votes in their caucus. >> yesterday the white house accused republicans of cheering in a meeting with the idea of a government shutdown was raised. republicans, of course, denied that. what's going on here? and is there a little bit more to this story? >> there are certainly some republicans who say, look, we were elected to cut spending and we should go as far as we can. and if we have to get into a government shutdown, that will show just how serious we are. what republican leaders in the house have been saying, wait a minute, we were elected because we weren't democrats. and we need to push on spending. but we can't go too far. there's another important thing here, too, the budget for 2012 and beyond has been brought in to the conversation. that's a question of cutting trillions. and what they said to their members is, let's not get hung up on a debate about cutting billions when we're about to have a very much larger debate about cutting trillions. >> the president and the speaker both have a whole lot to gain here but also have a whole lot to lose.

let's talk brass tacks in winners and losers. should there be a shut down? should there not be a shutdown? >> polls show people are ready to blame both sides, congressional republicans and the president. so there may not be a winner. somebody may lose more than the other. the house leaders are worried about 1995 and '96 where there was a shutdown and republicans got blamed. also this is the first chance for them to show that they are leaders. and what they've been saying privately is we're the ones saying we're the adults here and one test of adult leadership is at least keeping the government open. the problem -- and also they're winning the argument here. democrats have accepted cuts basically that are as big as the ones house leadership put forward in the first place. the peril for the white house is that the president might be criticized for not having engaged sooner, and the big, big problem for the white house is the country. the economy. if it takes a shock here from a shutdown, the one person who always gets blamed when the economy is bad, almost regardless of the reason, is the man in the oval office. >> let's talk worst case scenario. let's say they avoid a shutdown but go for that one-week extension. is there any chance that that happens? i know the republicans have offered it. but they also want $12 billion in more cuts.

democrats have said no way. any chance that possibly happens? >> the white house has said no way. yesterday afternoon, republican leaders floated this idea of another extension, and the white house said absolutely not. that's, in fact, what spurred the late-night meeting last night. the reason democrats don't want this is that each time they have one of these temporary deals, this would be the third, republicans get a little more of what they want. then the conversation resets and republicans ask for even more. just as a negotiating posture, it's something that democrats feel disadvantages them because they keep losing more and more of the spending cuts. also, the president says, and the democrats in the senate agree, that this is no way to run a railroad. to keep having to keep hitting the snooze bar, keeping government open a little bit longer. they need to get done with this and get on to the bigger budget fight about the budget for the next tern years. >> president said last night getting a deal done is going to require a sufficient sense of urgency. that is a quote and that is right on the money. they are running out of time. john dickerson, thanks so much. good to talk with you this morning. >> thanks, chris.

so if there is a government shutdown, how would the average american be affected? let's go to rebecca for a closer look at the implications. >> thanks, chris. if you take a look, there are 4.4 million federal government workers right now. that's the total number. about 80% of them are considered essential. these are the people who do things like be in our military. also, guard our homeland, the homeland security forces. if that 20% right here that are going on furlough in the case of a shutdown, who could really impact our day-to-day dealings. things like our taxes, for example. they're still going to be due on that deadline of april 18th. however, they might not actually give you your refunds back at a timely way. the post office will stay open but those refunds could be delayed because irs workers will be furloughed. on top of that, borrowing could be impacted. let me explain this. first of all, you have small business loans and fha home loans that are both backed by the government. well, these types of things are going to be suspended if there is a government shutdown. lastly, when it comes to things like our national parks, our

national libraries, even our passport services, these are things that will close because workers in those different services will be furloughed. one group that probably, chris, won't be facing a lot of changes in this scenario are retirees because social security, medicare and veterans services will continue to operate basically as usual. back to you. >> all right, rebecca, thank you. jeff glor is at the news desk with a check of today's other headlines for us. let's join jeff now. >> chris, good morning to you. good morning to everyone at home. gunmen and suicide bombers struck a police compound near kandahar in southern afghanistan this morning and at least six afghan officers were killed, a dozen more were hurt. that base is in a place where u.s. and nato forces have faced months of heavy resistance from taliban fighters. there were new air strikes targeting libya's capital today. several people were injured in today's air assault. witnesses reported hearing at least two explosions there. meanwhile the obama administration doesn't have much to say about a letter from moammar gadhafi to president

obama, asking the president, in very personal language, to stop allied air raids in libya. and former u.s. congressman curt weldon remains in libya hoping to meet with gadhafi today. cbs news correspondent elizabeth palmer reports from tripoli. >> reporter: it's a mission literally behind enemy lines. not military, though, but political. and the former congressman knows that there will be criticism of this private initiative back home. >> i want to help my government. whom i fully support, to get out of what is a very difficult situation. and i'm not going to undermine barack obama. >> this is weldon's seventh visit to libya. over the years, he has developed close ties with the regime, which he now hopes to use to get a meeting with gadhafi to tell him to step down. >> i know libya. i know the people here. and i know the leader. and the leader trusts me. >> reporter: the meeting weldon hoped for with colonel gadhafi yesterday was put off. but it is clear that the regime is trying desperately to reach out to the u.s. government.

colonel gadhafi sent a pleading letter with shaky spelling and grammar to the white house yesterday, addressed to president umama. it asked the u.s. persuade nato to stop the bombing. but nato's not going anywhere. it flew 200 missions yesterday and estimates it's destroyed 30% of gadhafi's force. still the fighting rages on. it's going to take a lot more than an ex-congressman's freelance diplomacy and a letter from libya's leader to stop this messy war. elizabeth palmer, cbs news, tripoli. there is new concern this morning that rising energy costs might slow the economic recovery. this morning, oil prices traded near $109 a barrel in asia. that's a 29% jump since mid-february and aaa says the average price of a gallon of unleaded gas is $3.72 this morning. that's up 12 cents a gallon since last week. now another incident of an air traffic controller asleep on the job.

the controllers working the midnight shift at the knoxville, tennessee airport, on february 19th. the faa says he intentionally took a nap and slept for five hours. a co-worker was left to handle both incoming planes and other aircraft in the area. on capitol hill yesterday, faa administrator randy babbitt said a thorough investigation is under way. >> we actually are disappointed to say in our investigation we did find another incident. different than this one. >> just one? >> yes, sir, just one. it was unfortunately willful, and we are in the process of disciplinary proceedings which will terminate this employee. >> last month the only air traffic controller at reagan national airport overnight fell asleep, while two airliners landed. the faa says it's currently re-evaluating overnight staffing at airports around the country, and will likely make changes. in el paso, texas, a price discovery at the airport there. a gun was found in the women's rest room on tuesday, located past security checkpoints.

turns out a federal agent apparently left it behind. authorities did not release the name of the agent who left that gun. in japan, workers began pumping nitrogen into the chamber of one reactor at the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant today. the gas will reduce the risk of another hydrogen explosion, they hope. three blasts rocked that complex in the days following the deadly tsunami. also a floating facility to store radioactive water, as you can see here, is in tokyo and will soon head to fukushima. fear of a nuclear fallout from japan has some sushi restaurants in the san francisco area rushing to buy radiation detectors like this to test their seafood. meantime officials are testing milk samples more frequently to track radiation levels. and if you've been keeping an eye on that family of bald eagles in iowa, the nest is now officially full. the web cam that's run huge numbers of online viewers showed egg number three, there it is, hatching yesterday. so mom and pop eagle now have

three hungry eaglets to feed. if they're like my kid all they'll want is fig newtons and cheese sticks. 15 minutes after the hour, back over to chris, erica and marysol. >> universally that's exactly what you eat. >> fig newtons, of course. watching that tape for the last three straight days. it was real. i jumped out of my seat when that final egg was hatched. >> it reminds me of the classroom experience when we were growing up where you have like a little bird with eggs to hatch. >> you put it under an incubator. >> exactly. >> we named ours joey and suzy. >> you could have been a huge success. >> could have been huge. way before i joined "the early show." >> things have kind of calmed down across the nation. tornadic activity. >> they absolutely have. rebecca, thanks for joining us. it's quiet in the midwest but not for long. let's take a look at the national picture. you can see a lot of activity in the northwest. in the southern tier of the united states, it's pretty quiet. but, all of this is due to the jet stream. we'll show you it's dipping way down on the west coast.

temperatures are down by 5 to 15 degrees. up and down the west coast. completely different story on the other side of the country. the temperatures are up, actually, by 5 to 25 degrees and it continues to be that way over the next couple of days.

thanks so much. that's your latest weather. now back over to you guys. >> marysol, thanks. still to come, the latest on a baseball rivalry gone horribly wrong. we're going to talk with the family member of a san francisco giants fan savagely beaten outside of dodgers stadium. and young people are using synthetic drugs to get high and we're going to look at what they are and just how dangerous they can be. this is the "early" show on cbs. it's 2011. 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. when you've lost interest in everything. when you've had one too many days feeling sad or anxious... aches and pains, fatigue. when it becomes hard to ignore that you need help.

that's the day you do something. depression hurts. cymbalta can help with many symptoms of depression. tell your doctor right away if your depression worsens, you have unusual changes in behavior or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not approved for children under 18. people taking maois or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. taking it with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. severe liver problems, some fatal, were reported. signs include abdominal pain and yellowing of the skin or eyes. talk with your doctor about your medicines, including those for migraine, or if you have high fever, confusion and stiff muscles, to address a possible life-threatening condition. tell your doctor about alcohol use, liver disease, and before you reduce or stop taking cymbalta. dizziness or fainting may occur upon standing. side effects include nausea, dry mouth, and constipation. is today your day? talk to your doctor... and go to cymbalta.com for a free 30-capsule trial offer. hpression hurts.

cymbalta can help. [ 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! ♪

welcome back to "the early show" here on a thursday morning. chris wragge along with rebecca jarvis in for erica this morning. coming up here on the program, the latest on brine stow. the giants fand critically hurt in a beating outside dodgers stadium. last night there was an outpouring of support from giants and dodgers fan outside his hospital. >> we're going to get an update on the investigation. some new security plans by the dodgers, and also ask stow's cousin how the family is coping after this terrible tragedy. a horrible thing to happen. >> exactly. happened on opening day out of chavez ravine, which is dodger stadium in los angeles. this is a game which the dodgers had actually won. he's a san francisco giants fan. had the giants jersey on, and fans didn't like this. it's happening a lot at ball parks all across the country. we're going to address this when we come back. >> this portion of "the early show" sponsored by dodge. dodge, never neutral. 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. ♪ 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.

challenge the need for such heavy measures with olay. new regenerist micro-sculpting serum for firmer skin in 5 days. pretty heavy lifting for such a lightweight. [ female announcer ] olay regenerist. 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.

frank mallicoat... utility problems made things tougher for berkeley good morning. it's 7:25. time for news headlines, i'm frank mallicoat. >> utility problems made things tougher for berkeley firefighters this morning. power line melted above a duplex that burned at dwight way and sacramento street. two gas meters on that building exploded. all four residents got out safely. and there is a chance the jury will start deliberations today in the barry bonds perjury trial. closing arguments are scheduled to begin about an hour from now in federal court in san francisco. the defense resting its case yesterday after deciding not to call any witnesses. and a san francisco muni driver was suspended without pay for three days for texting while she was driving a bus. a passenger aiming his cell phone camera at a mirror to get video of the driver with a phone in her lap. the man says the driver

threatened him and tossed him off the bus when he told her to quit texting. that driver denies the claims. traffic and weather coming right up. stay with us. ,,,,,,,,,,,,

good morning, everyone. all right. we still have these had high wind advisories in effect for many bridges including the san

mateo bridge. traffic moving okay but you will see caltrans has the warning signs up. 14 minutes in either direction. our camera shaking. bay bridge busy morning commute. it is backed up well into the macarthur maze. had an earlier stall that didn't help matters there. also high wind advisory in effect for the bay bridge. mass transit a great option even though the alameda-oakland ferry and alameda harbor bay ferry service both cancelled for winds. lawrence has the forecast. >> rain overnight a cold front through town. more scattered showers around the bay area right now. we'll see that throughout the afternoon. you can see the trailing edge of the cold front heading eastward. behind that, we do have a couple of scattered showers out there, as well. we are going to keep those in the forecast for today. even the possibility of an isolated thunderstorm. now, showers may continue into tomorrow morning but not going to be much. temperatures today going to be the big story, highs only in the 50s, tomorrow maybe warmer, dry for the weekend, warmer too rain next monday. ,,,,,,,,

welcome back to "the early show" here on a thursday morning. bottom of the hour, chris wragge along with rebecca jarvis, in for erica hill. >> good morning. >> coming up here on the program, a vigil for a baseball fan that crossed team lines. giants and dodger fans usually don't get along. gathered in los angeles to say a prayer for one fan who is in critical condition after a severe beating outside dodger stadium on opening day. >> the father of 42-year-old brine stow was assaulted by two dodgers fans after opening day last week. we're going to speak with his cousin and get an update on the search for the attackers. >> we've got that coming up. but first jeff glor is at the news desk. >> rebecca and chris, good morning to both of you. good morning to everyone at

home. negotiators worked through the night in washington, but there's still no budget deal this morning. following a late-night meeting with congressional leaders, president obama said he's convinced the deal can get done, but if no deal is reached, the government partially shuts down tomorrow night at midnight. the house is voting on a third stopgap measure today. the suicide of a youth camp worker in massachusetts is focusing new attentions on claims of sexual abuse at that camp. the dead man, charles devita, was recently accused of abusing a camper in the mid 1980s. the camp is thought to be where massachusetts senator scott brown said he was abused in the 1970s. cape cod will continue investigating allegations of sexual abuse at camp good news. a 4-year-old in georgia was shot in what police are calling a case of road rage. tammy williams said she was outside when a car started tailing her and then a bullet

last night in los angeles, an emotional vigil was held for a man left in a coma after being attacked at dodger stadium after a baseball game. as the search for his attackers goes on, the team is looking to boost security with some high-level help. cbs news correspondent bill whitaker has this report. >> reporter: at a vigil outside the hospital where brine stow lies in a coma, community

leaders, baseball fans, and members of stow's family, pray for his recovery and condemn the violent attack that left him near death. >> our games have become deadly, and what should draw us together has flared into violence. >> reporter: stow, a 42-year-old paramedic and father of two, was savagely beaten outside dodger stadium on opening day. attacked by a pair of l.a. fans because he was wearing the jersey of their archrival, san francisco giants. >> it is just horrible. >> reporter: joe logono and dolores donley watched in horror as joe was attacked. >> a salad punch to the head and we saw the victim brine get knocked to the ground. he just fell over like a log. i saw blood behind his head. blood pouring out of his ear. >> reporter: they broke up the beating and called 911. >> i get up to the thugs that was kicking him and i'm yelling at him, you know, get off of him. get away from him. >> reporter: late wednesday former l.a. police chief william

bratton was hired to shore up security at dodger stadium by team owner frank mccourt. >> safety of our fans is job number one, by far. and so we're committed to ensuring that dodger stadium is and remains a family friendly environment. >> reporter: even before the attack, stow texted that he felt unsafe inside the stadium. and many say, unruly l.a. crowds are trashing the national pastime. the suspects remain at large. as for stow, he's been in a coma for a week, and doctors fear he may never fully recover. bill whitaker, cbs news, los angeles. >> john stow is brine stow's cousin. he joins us from los angeles to give us an update. john, good morning, how are you doing? >> good morning. we're hanging in there. go how is brine right now? doctors have any update on his condition? >> brine's bryan's been about the same. they're being optimistic that he'll make some kind of a recovery. it sounds like it's going to be

pretty slow right now, his recovery process. >> we just heard in bill whitaker's piece a second ago that bryan texted your wife when he was at the game. what did he say in that text? and did you guys ever, at any point, think of leaving the game? >> he had texted me, i was with my wife, and we decided to see how it was going for bryan, and she got up and asked him how things were going, and he just replied to him that it was scary in there. and he's not one to use that term loosely. >> was that something, though -- did he ever talk about, you know, maybe this is not a great situation, weech got our giants jerseys on, these fans are unruly, maybe we should just get out of here? >> i wasn't there with him, i don't really know how ef was feeling just other than the text that we received back home in santa cruz. >> weiss got two kids, he's a paramedic. what kind of person, can you give us a brief description as to what type of is? >> bryan was an amazing person. he had the most magnetic

personality. once you met him you would never forget him. a dedicated father. a man who felt the greatest thing that he had done on this earth was give -- give -- give life to his two wonderful children who he just -- he loved with all his heart and enjoyed having them in his life, and attending his -- his goals, and dreams, and enjoy taking a sporting event. it's truly sad that they will not be able to enjoy this with their father right now. >> can you talk to me about the outpouring of support that he has gotten here in the last couple of days? >> it's been absolutely amazing. the people of los angeles have been tremendous to our family. it's overwhelming to know that these people who had never met brian could care so much. and back in the bay area, american medical response, the people who employed bryan as a paramedic had a fund-raiser for him yesterday in the bay area where thousands of people

attended. they raised over $120,000 in cash in about six hours. >> yeah. >> by people who just came and just wanted to give everything that they could. for supporting bryan. >> what have the dodgers said or done? has there been any response from the dodgers' organization? >> our family hasn't heard much from the dodgers. i know through a pr person at l.a. cusc they did contact us and let us know that there is a press conference later today, and the dodgers did want to have some representatives from their organization to be there with our family. >> all right, john stow, we wish you the best. and we hope things turn out better. thank you for joining us this morning. >> thank you. >> all right. coming up next, a growing and troubling trend. powerful synthetic drugs, easily available. we're going to tell you what you need to know to keep your family safe. this is "the early show" here on cbs. is it a place for everything ?

is it enough space for a banquet ? is it everyone's favorite restaurant ? it's the lg french door refrigerator. with slim spaceplus ice system for maximum shelf space. so is it a refrigerator ? or something better ? the difference between my pale dry skin and glowing moisturized skin? jergens natural glow daily moisturizer. it gives you natural looking color, guaranteed. jergens is the difference between landing and making an arrival. jergens. the beautiful difference. but we still may suffer from nasal allergy symptoms. they can hit you year round... indoors or out. achoo! oh to have relief. prescription nasonex is clinically proven to help relieve nasal allergy symptoms... including congestion, runny and itchy nose and sneezing. [ female announcer ] side effects may include

headache, viral infection, sore throat, nosebleeds, and coughing. infections of the nose and throat and eye problems, including glaucoma or cataracts may occur. have regular eye exams. slow wound healing may occur, so do not use nasonex until your nose has healed from any sore, surgery or injury. nasonex can increase your risk of getting infections. avoid contact with infections like chicken pox or measles while using nasonex. it does not come in generic form. ask your doctor if nasonex is right for you. ♪ -wee! -woo hoo. [ kids ] pop-tarts, please! [ laughter ] ♪ [ female announcer ] when you give your kids frosted strawberry pop-tarts baked with real fruit, they'll rise and you'll shine. pop-tarts. made for fun. 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. powerful synthetic drugs that mimic the effects of marijuana and cocaine are becoming a drug of choice for many users. they're also making some people

seriously ill. and "early" show consumer correspondent susan koeppen is here with details about this disturbing trend. good morning, susan. >> good morning, rebecca. fake pot and bath salts are some of the synthetic drugs that are out there. and not only are they making people sick, the number of people seeking emergency medical treatment because of these drugs is skyrocketing. and for some users, these drugs have proven fatal. there's growing concern over the use of synthetic substances to get high. easy to find, and in some cases, perfectly legal to buy. >> do you have bath salts here? >> reporter: our staffer had no problem scoring fake pot and bath salts. >> how much is it? >> that's $40. >> reporter: synthetic drugs which mimic marijuana, cocaine, and ecstasy, are having powerful effects on users. >> we're seeing patients who are nauseous, vomiting, getting agitated, paranoid, have to come

to emergency departments. >> reporter: this kentucky mom blamed the side effects of snorting bath salts after she was arrested for assaulting her child. in minnesota last month, a 19-year-old died and ten others went to the hospital after using a synthetic drug similar to ecstasy. and in iowa last june, jan and michael rozga's 18-year-old son killed himself after getting high on synthetic pot. >> it takes away your sense of reality and puts you in such a terrible place, that you'll do anything. to get away from it. >> the hallucinations or agitation enough -- >> reporter: according to the american association of poison control centers, the use of bath salts has led to more than 1,500 trips to emergency rooms so far this year. compared to just over 300 cases in all of 2010. and the number of poisonings from synthetic pot is staggering. more than 2,100 cases between january and march of this year.

compared to 155 cases during this same time in 2010. >> people are procuring substances that they have no idea what they're getting. they have no idea what the strength is. >> reporter: the drug enforcement administration has temporarily banned five substances used to make fake pot. >> if youngsters are dying, it's a problem. >> reporter: but in a hearing on capitol hill wednesday, michael rozga called for a nationwide ban on synthetic substances. >> when we think of something as being fake, we think of something as being inferior. i submit to you that fake marijuana and fake cocaine are anything but inferior in strength, and anything but safe. >> nine deaths have reportedly been linked to the use of synthetic drugs. and legislation named after david rozga has been introduced in the senate, and would ban the chemicals used to make the fake pot. >> susan, troubling story. looks like there's going to be a lot of debate going forward. what to do about it. thanks for joining us. coming up next, ever try to get

out of jury duty? well, we're going to show you one woman's plan that was seriously so bad that it backfired big time. this is "the early show" on cbs. , dog: bacon? gotta get that bacon! smokey bacon, crispy bacon, tasty bacon! where is it? where is the bacon? tv newscaster: bacon popular, story at 11. dog: yummy. crunchy. bacon. bacon. bacon. there, in that bag! mom: who wants a beggin' strip!? dog: me! i'd get it myself but i don't have thumbs! yum, yum, yum... it's beggin'! hm... i love you! i love bacon! i love you! i love bacon! i love you! beggin' strips! there's no time like beggin' time! share the fun at beggintime.com

♪ [ male announcer ] people everywhere are helping save trees in just 4 weeks without even noticing. as the world's first line of hybrid paper products, scott naturals combines the green benefits of recycled fiber with the quality you need --

so only our forests will notice the difference. [ male announcer ] take the scott naturals 4-week test drive. if we all did it we'd save over 2 million trees. start your test drive at scottbrand.com. if we all did it we'd save over 2 million trees.

nobody really likes jury duty. but this week one new yorker who really didn't want to serve tried to get out of her civic duty in an especially obnoxious way. didn't work, though, as cbs news correspondent seth doane reports. >> reporter: the 1950s film "12 angry men" is the classic example of why the jury room can be a place people desperately try to avoid. >> excitable? we're trying to put a guilty man in the chair where he belongs! >> when you get that summons, you're going to do jury duty, what goes through your mind? >> they got me again. >> reporter: coming up with creative excuses to escape the dreaded call to the courthouse is virtually as old as lady justice. did you think about lying,

maybe? >> of course. absolutely. but i didn't. >> reporter: well, juror number 799 at the brooklyn, new york, federal courthouse this week, did not seem so worried about civic duty. an asian woman in her 20s, she took a particularly combative, and obvious approach to disqualifying herself. commenting the new york police department is lazy. and listing who she least admired as african-americans, hispanics and haitians. >> she seemed to be hostile. and the judge didn't like it. and it's his courtroom. >> reporter: the judge then took an extraordinary step. ordering her to return to jury duty indefinitely. >> the judge is sending a message that this is serious. jury duty is an important responsibility that our citizens have. >> reporter: juror 799 may have drawn her inspiration from larry david's often offensive character in the hit cable show "curb your enthusiasm." >> have you ever been the victim of a serious crime? >> my cousin once stole an

almond from me. >> reporter: strangely in real life the tactic worked. after a sentence of just one day, the judge let the juror go. saying he hoped she learned her lesson. seth doane, cbs news, new york. >> when you get called for jury duty, you have to serve. you got to go. >> you do. i was watching that piece thinking i draw a lot of my personal inspiration from larry david. and that usually pans out really well. >> so many people when you get that notice, oh, heavens. people will do whatever they can to get out of it. they show you a video and say if you don't understand the english language, you may leave now. some people will get up and leave to which the foreman will say, how did you understand that? sit down. ♪

♪ 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. it's better when you add your flavor.

let's raise a glass to cookies just out of the oven. to the morning bowl of cereal. and to lactaid® milk. easy to digest and with all the calcium and vitamin d of regular milk. [ female announcer ] lactaid®. the original lactose-free milk. >> going to a job interview, i make sure i've got the right guidance. it's the same with my taxes. turbotax has a unique gps feature that guides me step-by-step. and calculations are guaranteed 100% accurate. they even offer audit support. and help me reach my maximum refund, guaranteed. >> man: try turbotax now. ,,,,,,

another strong earthquake has just hit off japan. it was it is 7:55. time for news headlines from cbs 5. i'm sydnie kohara. another strong earthquake has just hit off the coast of japan. it was a magnitude 7.4. a tsunami alert has been issued for the northeastern coast of japan. we'll keep you posted on this story. locally, crews still on the scene of a fire that destroyed a duplex in berkeley this morning. all four people in the home on dwight way got out safely. investigators say the fire was especially difficult because it melted a power line right above the home. in addition, the flames blew two gas meters off the house. and a verdict is set to be announced this morning in a civil trial connected to an alleged gang-rape in santa clara county. the case involves two members of the de anza college baseball team sued by a woman who says

she was attacked at an off- campus party in 2007. six other defendants were dropped from the case. then district attorney dolores carr did not pursue a criminal trial citing a lack of evidence. traffic and weather coming right up. stay with us. ,,,,,,,,,,,,

good morning. we have a bad accident in the

commute direction westbound 80 berkeley. multiple cars involved. one lane dropped. traffic jammed from the richmond parkway. we have been trying to pickup up a camera near ashby. it's slow past the accident scene. drive time 46 minutes. things have improved at the bay bridge toll plaza, but it's likely because all that traffic is stuck up in the berkeley and richmond area because of that pretty bad accident. sounds like emergency vehicles are heading to the scene. so we know there are injuries involved, as well. wind advisory still in effect for the bay bridge toll plaza, san mateo bridge, dumbarton bridge and benicia bridge, as well. that's your traffic. here's lawrence with a check of your forecast. >> elizabeth, cold front pulling through town overnight bringing some rainfall around the bay area. things tapering off more scattered showers now. you can see down in parts of the east bay we are seeing some scattered showers there but those continue to be light. there are more pockets off the coastline to keep things unsettled. the chance of occasional showers today maybe even an isolated thunderstorm. could see some leftover showers tomorrow morning, drying out over the weekend and some

warmer temperatures, maybe more rain as we head in toward next monday. ,,,,,,,,

a tradition unlike any other. a tradition unlike any other. >> the 75th masters tournament tees off in just a few moments. from augusta national you're looking at amen corner right there. cbs proud to bring you its 56th consecutive year of coverage of, well, the most prestigious golf tournament in all the land. >> is this the song they've been playing for 56 straight years? >> that is the official masters music. >> it's beautiful. >> hello, friends. i'm chris wragge along with rebecca jarvis. that is as close to jim nantz as i will ever get. we're going to speak with jim coming up in just a couple of minutes. this is his 26th masters tournament. jack nicklaus and arnold palmer

just teed off a few minutes ago. we're going to have that coming up. >> also ahead this hour, let's say you're looking forward to an important event. it often inspires people to drop a few pounds, whether it's a royal wedding, or a college graduation, or maybe a reunion, especially a reunion in some cases. well, we're going to show you some healthy ways, no crash diets here, to slim down, whether it's a month, a week, or even a day, before that big event. >> okay, but first jeff glor is at the news desk with a check of the morning headlines. hi, jeff. >> i like the masters green today, by the way. >> as close to a green jacket as i'll get. green tie. >> rebecca and chris, good morning to both of you. good morning to everyone at home. budget negotiators still working to avoid a government shutdown this morning. but time is running out and there's still no deal. cbs news senior white house correspondent bill plante has the latest this morning. hey, bill, good morning. >> and good morning, chris. that's right. they worked through the night. both white house and congressional staffers. there's no deal yet, but both sides seem to think that there is hope. senate majority leader harry

reid and house speaker john boehner, who normally don't see eye-to-eye, both sounded optimistic following the late-night white house meeting. >> there is an attempt on both sides to continue to work together to try to resolve this. >> i have confidence that we can get this done. >> reporter: president obama said he, too, was optimistic that there could be a deal. he urged lawmakers to keep at it. the president even volunteered to personally oversee the talks. >> it would be unexcusable given the relatively narrow differences when it comes to numbers between the two parties, that we can't get this done. >> reporter: without an agreement more than 4 million federal employees would temporarily go without a paycheck, including members of the armed forces. and on a visit to baghdad today, secretary of defense gates says he was concerned. >> a lot of these young troops live pretty much paycheck to paycheck. when i start to think about the inconvenience that it's going to cause these kids and a lot of their families, even half a

paycheck delayed could be a problem for them. so i hope they work this whole thing out. >> reporter: republicans plan to vote today in the house on a one-week extension to prevent a shutdown. but, that bill contains cuts that are unacceptable to democrats, and to the president. it's a move aimed at putting the onus on the democrats if they fail to take it up in the senate. but both sides say they still want to avoid a shutdown, but neither one wants to be the first to blink. jeff? >> all right. bill plante. thank you. in san francisco today, phillip garrido is expected to plead guilty to all charges in the jaycie dugard kidnapping case. garrido and his wife nancy are charged with multiple felonies in dugard's 18-year abduction and confinement. his expected plea is aimed at winning a reduced sentence for his wife. federal aviation officials are dealing with another case of an air traffic controller who fell asleep on the job. and this time it will cost the controller his job.

the controller worked at the knoxville, tennessee, airport. the faa says he deliberately went to sleep during his midnight shift on february 19th. a co-worker had to handle both incoming planes and other aircraft in the area during that time. >> regarding this situation, at no time were the passengers, based on the information that we were given, the safety of the passengers compromised. >> last month the lone air traffic controller at reagan national airport fell asleep while two airliners landed. it's 8:04 right now. never sleep on the job, chris, rebecca jarvis and marysol castro. good morning, guys. >> always alert and wide awake. >> how could we sleep with you there giving us the news. >> thank you very much. that's very nice of you. >> very nice, rebecca. >> any time. >> marysol? >> we love you, jeff. i, you know, jeff, thank you for keeping us -- >> the news block. >> marysol, thank you for keeping us informed about the weather. >> yes. although i'd rather sleep in some cases, because it is a little dreary in some portions of the country so let's get

straight to it and show you what you can expect for your high temperatures for today. not completely bad. but look at the hot spots. 93 in san angelo. even caribou, maine, 40 degrees is not too shabby. 76 in raleigh.

>> this weather report sponsored by expedia. the best travel tools are all in one place. where you book matters. expedia. >> thanks so much. that's your latest weather. now here's chris, and it's going to be beautiful. >> oh, music to everyone's ears. thank you so much, marysol. it must really be spring because the masters, the world's most prestigious golf tournament tees off today for the 75th time. just moments ago golf legends jack nicklaus and arnold palmer joined augusta national chairman billy payne for the honorary starters ceremony.

starters' ceremony. [ applause ] >> good morning, ladies and gentlemen. i'm billy payne, and welcome to the 75th playing of the masters. today is a very special day as we welcome back two of our greatest champions. our first starter has been golf's greatest ambassador for the last 50 years. ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming four-time masters champion mr. arnold palmer. arnold, the tee is yours.

welcome back a true legend of the game, a man who thrilled us all with his emotional victory here 25 years ago. ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming six-time masters champion, mr. jack nicklaus. jack, the tee is yours. >> if i can get back up. [ laughter ] ♪

[ applause ] >> ladies and gentlemen, the 2011 masters is now officially begun. have fun. >> and joining us now from augusta national golf club is jim nantz, host of the masters coverage right here on cbs. jim, good morning. >> good morning, chris. it's a beautiful morning here in augusta. and just as you join us, jeff overton tees off just a few steps away over on the first hole. and as you watched, it was a magnificent start to things. both arnie and jack ripped it right down the middle to the delight of the thousands here. >> ten masters tournament victories between the two of them. jim, let me ask you a personal question before i get some of your -- your -- your insight on the favorites for this yeararies tournament. this is our 26th year. your very first year was when you were 26 years old back in 1986. can we talk about that legendary win for the man we saw the golden bear there.

>> it was half a lifetime ago to me. i still can't believe cbs entrusted me to be in one of the towers commentating at this tournament. it was a dream for me to one day come to augusta and somehow make this legionary cbs golf team, and of course i didn't know i was stepping into perhaps the most epic masters tournament of all time. jake made a pivotal birdie at the 16th hole. i really was so nervous at that time, i had chill bumps, my teeth were chattering, my molars were clicking. the mike is right in front of your mouth and i thought for sure people were going to hear this strange clicking noise on the air. i mustered enough courage to get the words out. the bear came out of hibernation, as i said that day. it was very special. as he was hitting that tee shot i got to stand right next to barbara nicklaus and it's hard to believe it was 25 years ago, that historic win. >> the bear has come out of hibernation. one of those lines anybody who knows anything about golf will always remember back to 1986 and jack nicklaus.

let's talk about this year, now. going back-to-back at augusta always very, very difficult. your broadcast partner nick faldo was one of the people able to do it. tiger woods. phil mickelson has an opportunity. what do you think his chances are? >> i think they're pretty good. he comes here as the first time as the favorite. tiger's had a long, maybe a 12-year run where everybody going back to '97 i think would say was tiger's tournament. he came here shouldering that responsibility as the man to beat. after the performance phil had last week in houston you have to mark phil as the favorite. his game had not shown this kind of promise until last week, things clicked into gear. he had not won anything leading up to houston. but he went 63-65 over the weekend. he's enormously popular out here, chris and i think a lot of people would be very happy to see him win back-to-back. and it would give him four green jackets which would pull him even on that list with arnold palmer and with tiger woods. jack with the six. >> amazing. he always seems to dial his game

up at the right time. especially when it comes to driving down magnolia lane. let's talk about tiger woods. even with the turmoil last year he was able to muster up fourth place. what do you think this year? is he ready to go? >> he hasn't shown any signs of promise with his game this year. you look back at how he finished fourth last year, with all the attention focused on tiger returning to golf at this tournament, in fact he finished fourth. given his performances since that time, it was a pretty remarkable showing by tiger last year. but this year, things just are not, at the moment, in sync with really any part of his game. it doesn't hold up long enough. but, you know, it's a funny game. it can just turn on a switch, someone can get in a swing. foley this week knows how to get it around augusta national and you never sell him short. used to have this ability, though, chris, to will the ball into the hole from ten feet. he'd figure out a way to get it in the hole. that has not been evident since he came back to golf. again, that could change this week. >> everybody keeps waiting for him to break through. jim, we wish you the best of luck this week. good to talk with you.

nice job with the ncaas over the past week. we know it's been a busy time for you. thanks for taking time for us this morning. >> the best week of the year, chris. can't wait to bring everybody the coverage this weekend. thanks for having us on. >> we look forward to it. you can see highlights right here on cbs tonight and tomorrow at 11:35 p.m. and live cbs sports coverage of the final two rounds begins on saturday at 3:30 p.m. eastern, and on sunday at 2:00 p.m. eastern. and you can see coverage in 3-d this year if you've got a 3-d television at home. you're one of the lucky ones. up next, we hear even these guys are losing weight before walking down the aisle. if you're thinking of shedding for a wedding or another big event, we're going to help you do it. safely, and swiftly. when we come back. this is the "early" show here on cbs. this is trilli"the early show." and oops, my bad.

so, they give expedia ginormous discounts with these: unpublished rates. which means i get an even more rockin' hotel, for less. my brain didn't even break a sweat. where you book matters. expedia. hershey's bliss. one square inch of indulgence... joy... pleasure. one square inch of extra smooth, rich chocolate. hershey's bliss. [ female announcer ] no time to plan? there's still time to whiten. introducing crest whitestrips 2-hour express. now, in just two hours you can have a noticeably whiter smile. two hour whitestrips from crest. life opens up when you do.

now you don't have to wait six weeks to get it. natural instincts now comes with a new color refresher. just color, then give it a boost two weeks in and get a freshly colored look once again. natural instincts. it's all good. you think i have allergies? you're sneezing. i'm allergic to you. doubtful, you love me. hey, you can't take allegra with fruit juice. what? yeah, it's on the label. really? here, there's nothing about juice on the zyrtec® label. what? labels are meant to be read. i'd be lost without you. i knew you weren't allergic to me. [ sneezes ] you know, you can't take allegra with orange juice. both: really? fyi. [ male announcer ] get zyrtec®'s proven allergy relief and love the air®.

in this morning's "healthwatch," shedding for the wedding. even prince william and kate midton reportedly are trimming down and toning up before their big day.

so if you want to drop a few pounds for an upcoming wedding or maybe a graduation or some other big event, registered dietitian cynthia sass is here to show us how. she's the author of "cinch: conquer cravings, drop pounds and lose inches." great to have you with us, cynthia. >> thank you, good morning. >> good morning to you, as well. i think if you've heard it once you've heard it a million times, crash diets don't work. but why is it that they fail? go >> going on a crazy crash diet before a big event is actually the best way to look your absolute worst. because, number one, you could lose muscle mass. you're going to get thinner but flubby. no one wants that. it can also cause your hair and skin to look dull and dry. you're not going to look your best. and it can also weaken your immune system so if you're prone to cold sores, those can pop up. or catching the cold or flu so you're going to have a bright red nose on the day of the event. stay away from crazy, crash diets. >> you're here with the tips, the alternatives that are going to work for you. >> yes. >> we're starting a month out. what do you want to do? >> the number one thing you can do is get rid of the liquid calories. we don't think of them as food

but they can snowball. for example if you just got rid of one 20 ounce bottle of cola or sweet tea a day in 30 days' time that odds up to about 2,000 jelly beans worth of sugar that you don't think about. >> 2,000. what kind of weight are we talking about? >> well, it's actually could be a difference between a whole dress size. >> wow. >> just getting rid of that one thing. stick with water, unsweetened tea. and if you have to have your morning cup of java, just put skim milk, a little bit of sugar in the raw and if you add cinnamon or nutmeg that will curb your sweet tooth. and it gives you a lot of flavor and aroma. >> i don't think i could start the day without coffee. as far as food intake goes you recommend something more balanced. >> you know what? your eyeballs are going to be one of your best assets. because you can visualize your portions and proportions. literally 50% of your plate should be covered with vegetables. about a quarter with some kind of whole grain and a quarter with lean protein. if you have some sort of healthy

plant-based fat like extra virgin olive oil you cannot go wrong with this proportion. it will help get you more fiber. good amount of protein and carbs to keep your blood sugar level, as you won't go wrong with the calorie level, as well. then for breakfast, same exact thing but swap out the vegetables for fruits and make sure you always eat breakfast. a lot of brides or people getting ready for a big event, they start to skip meals. it's one of the worst things that you can do because it will slow down your metabolism and make it harder to lose those pounds. >> and you start bingeing because you put something out instead of having just a normal diet along the way. a week in advance you have some other tips. >> yes. you want to get rid of bloaters. okay so drinking through a straw. drinking carbonated beverages. chewing gum, using artificial sweeteners. all of these things cause you to trap more air in your digestive system which can swell like a balloonen, give you that little paunch that you don't want. if you want a nice, flat tummy, eliminate these. stick with water. eat smaller, more frequent males

but think more compact nutrition. go with something like dried fruit or a mini baby bell of cheese. it will take up less space in your stomach. >> day of. let's say it's a wedding. >> don't skip breakfast because that's one of the worst things you can do in terms of your mood and energy level. eat some combination of carbs, protein and good fat. whole grain toast with avocado, maybe with an egg, a little bit of juice. but on the day of the event, we all know we're going to celebrate, before you have that champagne, put some sort of protein in your stomach. because if you don't, that's going to hit your brain within five minutes you're going to be tipsy. >> good to know. cynthia sass, thanks so much. >> "cbs healthwatch" sponsored by dove hair care. advanced care, and repair for beautiful hair. from dove.itioner we've combined conditioner with a weightless nutri-oil treatment. to give 3x the internal nourishing power of our regular conditioner. new dove daily treatment conditioner. make friends with your hair.

new dove daily treatment conditioner. the difference between my pale dry skin and glowing moisturized skin? jergens natural glow daily moisturizer. it gives you natural looking color, guaranteed. jergens is the difference between landing and making an arrival. jergens. the beautiful difference. 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.

still ahead here on "the early show," the new must-have items for moms is a smartphone.

you rarely see a mom at a grayground without them. >> they help moms stay organized, they give them a break. [ woman ] everybody's looking for deals these days, and i'm not talking about saving a dollar off shampoo or two-for-one tacos or something. i'm talking about paying less -- every month. like this deal. [ female announcer ] call today and get the fastest internet for the price -- an amazing $14.95 a month for 12 months with a one-year price guarantee. plus get access to the entire at&t national wi-fi network at no extra cost. [ woman ] with at&t, i'm surfing at hot spots all over town. ♪ i'm downloading music fast. and watching videos. cute! and the price is great. [ female announcer ] call at&t today and get the fastest internet for the price -- an amazing $14.95 a month for 12 months with a one-year price guarantee. plus get access to the entire at&t national wi-fi network at no extra cost. [ woman ] i went looking for a deal, and at&t delivered.

now, i just need to curb the shoe shopping.

another makor aftershock has rumbled off the coast of japan this morning. the magnit good morning. 8:25 your time. time for some headlines. another major aftershock has rumbled off the coast of japan this morning. a magnitude 7.4 aftershock centered off the coast of miyagi preeffectture, the same area that felt the brunt of last month's deadly tsunami. a tsunami warning is issued for japan's northeast coast. officials at the crippled fukushima nuclear power plant say there appears to be no new damage from today's aftershock. a tsunami is not expected to reach the u.s. pacific coast. and in about five minutes or so, closing arguments are set to begin in the barry bonds perjury trial. testimony abruptly ended yesterday after the defense rested its case without calling witnesses. the judge decided to dismiss one count of making false

statements. the jury could begin deliberations as soon as this afternoon. and. traffic and weather right after this. ,, ,,,,,,,,,,

good morning. an accident in berkeley has been cleared. westbound 80 before university avenue, unfortunately, it is still jammed from at least pinole. you can see speeds under 10 miles per hour in some stretch.

and it's growing your drive time there from the carquinez bridge to the maze up to 45 minutes. at the bay bridge toll plaza, the backups aren't too bad. i think everyone is stuck in the traffic through richmond and berkeley. all right. to oakland we go now. northbound 880 just seeing our usual congestion past the coliseum up towards downtown oakland. and at the golden gate bridge, just getting word of an accident, sounds like a smaller fender-bender past the toll plaza on southbound 101. free-flowing though across the span. >> that neat shot of the golden gate bridge looks clear but don't be fooled. we have a chance of more showers out there today. the main cold front has gone by bringing us overnight rain but now we are into the scattered showers. doppler radar is picking up on some of that off the coast. some could sweep onshore and bring brief downpours so be prepared. have the umbrella with you and a jacket. it's going to be cool, plan on highs only in the 50s. 10 degrees below average. a little warmer tomorrow, slight chance of showers in the morning. drying out as we head in through the weekend.

when your eyes are smiling... you're smiling. and when they're laughing... you're laughing. be kind to your eyes... with transitions lenses. transitions adapt to changing light so you see your whole day comfortably... and conveniently while protecting your eyes from the sun. ask your eyecare professional which transitions lenses are right for you.

welcome back to "the early show" here on a thursday morning. bottom of the hour. chris wragge along with rebecca jarvis, who is in for erica hill this morning. jeff glor, marysol castro. good morning, everyone. >> good morning. >> hope everyone's off to a good start to the day so far. coming up here on the program, april showers bring -- spring

savings. of course, so they say. we're putting a new twist on some great deals out there. we're going to show you what to look for, and also what you should avoid. laptops, yes. dishwasher -- maybe not so much. it's a buy right now. it is a total buy. there's erica. she's not here with us physically, but, you know, according to that laptop and that screen saver there she is. >> she's online. >> and also coming up, who needs a smartphone? we all use them here, right? >> yes. >> well, moms are using them in huge numbers. they're all the rage at homes across the u.s. smartphone use is way up. and a recent study found that more than half of all moms who use them, they wouldn't think of giving them up. they're very ducted. the crackberry they call it. that has some people wondering, though, if these gadgets are too addictive and we're going to take a closer look. >> i will say when liam one day said to me, mommy just text rachel and say i want a play date. he's 4 and he knew text. >> jack loves it.

16 months old he tries to walk around with our phones. rearranges the icons. anyway. >> yeah. >> i don't need a smartphone to do the weather, though. >> my smartphone tells me if i'm smart enough. >> oh, stop it. let's take a look at the national picture, shall we, for

>> thanks so much, that's your latest weather. now over to rebecca, and a smart phone. can't wear to hear. >> it's crazy because they've only been in our lives for fewer than ten years. but they dominate almost everything. the first smartphone came into being less than ten years ago. it was the blackberry. it hit the market, but most businessmen and women can't

imagine life without one. and it doesn't stop there. because more and more moms consider the smartphone a must-have parenting tool these days. cbs news correspondent betty >> and three! >> reporter: it's a scene being played out on playgrounds across america. moms tending to their children with one, while wielding a smartphone with the other. >> i would say all of my mom friends use the smartphone. >> it's my portable go-to computer. and it's with me all the time. >> i am a smartphone addict. >> reporter: suzanne cohen is a freelance photographer, full-time mom, and among a growing number of women who experts say have become dependent on smartphones. >> i do not think i could ever think of life without my smartphone. >> reporter: according to a recent study, smartphone use among moms is up 64% from two years ago. and 51% of moms who have smartphones would not give them up. >> a friend said every ceo needs a smartphone.

and we're chos of our families. so we need them, too. >> reporter: unlike traditional and nearly defunct cell phones of the past decade, smartphones rely on a greater variety of applications. users not only talk and text, but listen to music, access the internet and download a number of applications designed to make life seem more manageable. >> the greatest app that was ever invented is the starbucks app. >> reporter: there are applications making moms better shoppers, too. instead of clipping coupons, stores now send them right to your phone. >> at the checkout you can simply hold your phone up and they can zap your phone right there. >> reporter: and when moms are looking to buy a little time, they're sharing the smartphone with their kids. >> actually it's a great thing for me, because it keeps them so occupied, and so busy, and i'm able to do what i need to do. >> reporter: it's a smartphone addiction suzanne cohen is happy to live with, because it made

managing her life so much easier. betty nguyen, cbs news, new york. >> and joining us now are liz gumbinner, editor in chief of coolmompicks.com and contributor to babycenter.com and psychologist susan bartell, author of "the top 50 questions kids ask." great to have both of you with us. >> thank you. >> susan and liz, let's kick things off with you, what do you think is behind this whole surge in moms really using smartphones far and wide? >> babycenter.com just did a huge mobile mom survey. to me the most interesting statistic is that moms are 18% more likely than any other adult to have a smartphone. and actually 53% of them say they bought a smartphone as a result of becoming a mom. so it really is this new, essential tool to help keep them empowered, organized and in charge of their lives. >> on the flip side, it can make people seem overwhelmed. we're talking about part of an addiction. >> it could be. although i could say go moms.

we need to be more technologically sound than our children are. but you do have to keep us within boundaries. so when you're talking to your kids, leave the phone in another room. don't be texting with them. or with somebody else, you know, when you're with them. don't give the phone a child to play a game just to distract them when you should rather be doing more active parenting. you want to make sure that when you're with your kids,hat you're really much more present with them than you are with your phone. >> you can even use your phone on some level to be more present with your kids, with all of these apps and so many things out there that help you, even potentially be a better parent. >> absolutely. you know, there was a "new york times" article a few weeks ago, everybody was talking about how you'd rather text or get an e-mail than be on the phone. i think it's the same thing for a mom. if you get a text while you're at the playground with your kids you know that you can come back to it later. so it really does help you organize your life and make it work for you. >> susan, how do you know if you've reached the point where it's not working for you best, and you need to find another way?

>> when you feel like you can't put your phone down. when you can't be with your kids or with your friends, or if the phone, i saw one of the statistics that women are keeping their phones next to their beds at thiet. if it's interfering with your bedroom time all of that is telling you that you're really spending too much time and you have to limit when you are on your phone. >> is there a psychological component to this, too, though? look at these apps. you get a deal when you find an app. that's a psychological upper. >> yes, it is. kind of like any kind of shopping, it gives you a little ping when you find something satisfying. we were talking about some of the games moms love to play and their kids are playing. it's a way you can stay connected if you're playing the same games. you can compete with your child with the phone. but you want to just make sure that you're balancing real-life experience with technological experience. >> and i think it's new and shiny. >> for all of us. >> not just moms. so we incorporate it properly into our lives and how to use it as a resource and make sure it doesn't get in the way of parenting. >> interesting. you forget that these things

really haven't been around that long. i'm curious, you talk about the games that moms are playing. liz, what are some of these games moms are playing on their smartphones? >> me, personally. angry birds. i admit it. but moms aren't just using it for games. there's a huge family calendar software that moms are in love with. red rover is a really big app now, like foursquare for moms helping them find play dates and family friendly restaurants. and they're using it for books and educational software for their kids. nosy crows just came out with a great three little pigs interactive storybook. my kids love it. frankly i'd rather them be reading a book online or my . >> thanks so much to both of you. we appreciate it. obviously if you're just going crazy on that phone you have to disconnect it. >> absolutely. and put it away. unless your kids are texting you. >> tell them to stop texting you. have a real conversation. thanks so much, ladies. we really appreciate it. and now here's chris. >> rebecca, thank you.

we've said it before, if you want to save money it's not just what you buy it's when you buy it. aol consumer adviser regina lewis is here with the best deals for the month of april and other items that you should avoid in this month, as well. good to see you? >> very good. >> it is now springtime. >> yep. >> and you say april is the month to go out and buy a new lawnmower. >> people aren't sick of yardwork yet, they're still fired up about it and sears is playing right into that. take something like a lawnmower, goes from $500 to $375 at sears. big brand names like craftsman. >> i would think this would not be the greatest time to buy a lawnmower. >> except it's a competitive category. they have a certain window because pretty soon, you're going to buy it now while you're still excited about the promise of your yard. plus an extra savings tip, everybody who brings home one of these, odds are they're giving away their old one. >> and a weed whacker. can't have one without the other. let's talk indoors now. vacuum cleaners.

>> again, if i'm a major manufacturer, in this case a hoover, i'm looking for some sort of tie-in. a seasonal tie-in for my promotion. in this case they're working with amazon, 30% off all hoover cleaning products, rug steam cleaners, your vacuums, it goes from suddenly $129 to $99. >> any reason why april for vacuum cleaners? >> because i have to find a peg. if i'm hoover and i'm talking to amazon about promotions all year around they're going to dream up spring cleaning. this is where you see the big players able to offer a discount. >> if you've been shipwrecked and need a life preserver -- i'm kidding. cruises is now the right time to book cruises. >> here's why. there's something called shoulder season which is a certain window of time that's not peak, not offpeak, and you can get great prices. in this case going to europe, it's a little chillier. we looked at royal caribbean, 12 days no matter which room you get the suites or lower end rooms under $200.

>> a night? >> amazing. >> so a little under $2,000 for a 12-night sale wonderful deal. any other ways to save? >> i talk to people who go on cruises a lot. their tip was book your next cruise while you're still on the ship. you might say, wow, you're in a great mood, they have your captive but you're able to negotiate. and the person you're talking to on the ship probably has a quotas need. >> you're held captive. >> the rainy season right now. lands' end got some good rain jackets. >> lands' end has a great deal, what happens with rain wear is there's a certain window of time, but then it shrinks. so they go on sale very quickly so they come out and boom, the next thing you know, which is right now, 50% off at lands' end. we're looking at this raincoat that goes from $130 down to $55. by the way if you spend more than $50 on landsend.com they'll ship it for free. >> laptop. you say april is a great time to buy laptops and/or notebooks. >> we talked about the consumer electronics show in january. it takes roughly three months for those products to make their way into the store. once they do the old models go

on sale. so in this case we've gone from $600 to $500 at best buy. every sunday, check their website. that's when they launch the weekly sale. >> how about office furniture? desk, chair? >> the reason here is really, really interesting. small businesses tend to invest in their business once they know what they're paying taxwise. sore what they're getting back. so what office depot and others do is try to play into that tax refund spending free. so you will see office furniture sales and that's why. >> and you can go online to the sales online as opposed to going to the store. >> certainly to get things like coupons. there are coupon websites where you can grab $30 off. >> gym membership. >> this one is a little counterintuitive. >> i would have thought new year's. >> that's their peak time. so they don't have to discount then. they have to discount now because they're competing with the outdoors. people say i'm going to run outside. i'll i'd my bike. so it's a good time to go with a friend and waive the initiation

fee. keep in mind the person selling gym memberships probably works on commission. >> tough to compete with central park. >> thrift shops you would think it would be a good enough deal to begin with. >> it's an extra good deal right now because of selection. spring cleaning, people are driving up, making donations and then driving out. if ever there was a time to walk into the thrift shop, it is right now. because they have great selection, which means even they have sales. we have what to buy, what not to buy. sweaters are a great bargain especially right now. cookbooks terrific. walletpop.com, albums, you tend to do better at a record store. and christmas decorations, only because you and i have talked about a lot they're deeply discounted at holidays. >> if you see synchronicity or michael jackson's thriller, you buy it. you buy it, you go. because you've got yourself a deal. let's talk real quickly about some things that you don't want to buy in the month of april. >> i'm really glad you asked. because that spring cleaning bug means a lot of people are into home renovations. what you don't want to buy are stoves, washer dryers,

dishwashers. those tend to go on sale until september. if you can hold off until the fall. >> good advice. now let's go over to rebecca. >> thank you, chris. a lot of you have been probably hiding your legs under pants and tights all winter long. and now it's time to bring them out for spring. you can get them ready with good advice from sascha de gersdorff senior editor of "women's health" magazine. >> thanks for having me. >> i think one of the big issues that certainly we all talk about is cellulite and is there really such a thing as a magic cure out there for cellulite. what's the answer? >> well, i hate to disappoint you, although the answer is there is no magic cure. even though they're all promising that there is. >> what we can do is minimize the appearance. when cellulite happens, fat in our body sets into certain compartments and that is held together by a fibrous tissue. and when the fat pushes against that tissue we get the bulging and the puckering that we all know is cellulite.

so at "women's health" we found some ways to minimize the appearance of it. the first thing you want to do is make sure you're not retaining too much fluid. it's important to hydrate. you don't want to eat any salty snacks, salty foods. that's going to make the cellulite look even worse. >> what are the kinds of products that are going to help make this situation at least improve? >> a good routine. exfoliate about every three days in the shower, with a loofah and a body scrub like this burt's bees sugar scrub that we like at "women's health." you're going to want to exfoliate regardless of whether you have a cellulite problem or not. then job on a retinol based cream like this one that's going to rebuild the collagen and thicken your skin. and after that, you can add a little cream spiked with caffeine. caffeine, not just good in the morning, the caffeine is great for stimulating blood flow and studies show it can help you flush out excess fluid. that routine you're going to want to do for at least six

weeks. if that sounds too hard for you and you want something, you know, a little bit easier you can swap out your daily moisturizing lotion with one lf that's going to even out your skin tone and hide some imperfections in your legs. >> another kind of imperfection is the stretch mark. >> mm-hmm. >> how do these things come to be? >> rapid weight gain, especially associated with pregnancy, is the number one reason for stretch marks. skin stretching out, the collagen and elastin in it starting to snap, and you get these angry red scars that can fade to white after a year or two. so, the good news, is that you can prevent them. >> okay. >> what you want to do as soon as you see that red mark starting to form you want to get a cream or a product that has some onion extract in it which can reduce the redness and take care of the wringly texture. like this kind from medderma. now if you waited too long and it's already that grayish white wringly look you can go to your dermatologist and ask for

prescription strength cream that can help even things out. >> i want to make sure we get to these items as well. this is for age spotds. >> people think they're mostly from age. they're mostly from sun damage. so what you want to do every day, regardless, is put on a lotion like this spf-30. >> and lastly you have some vitamins to take? >> these are for spider veins. spider veins happen mostly because it's genetic, again, with pregnancy and those hormones. you want to take some horse chestnut seed extract to keep your veins in shape. or you can cover them up with a hard-core cover-up foundation for the body like this one from cover-fx. just rub it on with a damp makeup sponge. make sure you rub it in. cover that up. that will last for at least a day. we also like this body shimmer lotion which you can put on regardless if you have any leg problems and that will give you a nice glow and make your legs pop in summer shorts or skirts. >> when you are thinking about summer legs is it true that if you use something that's more

tanning agent and something that's going to allow you to sort of darken up the legs, that in general, those are going to photograph better, and look a little bit slimmer in general? >> it is true. people are, you know, used to self-tanner for a reason. it really does help hide imperfections. you get a more even tone, and a nice color. excellent for photographs and video. >> when it does come to that self-tanner, and you mentioned these products, they are temporary products, right? >> mm-hmm. >> when it comes to these temporary products how long can you wear something like that? for two, three, even four days? >> this is a daily thing this particular lotion. but if you use the gradual self-tanner like we talked about before, that will last and if you use it every day or a couple times a week, you could really have it last all summer. >> i like that idea. thank you so much. >> thank you for having me. >> have a great day. you can find more help for your legs at our website, early show.cbs,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

before we say good-bye, one last look at central park. >> a little foggy. >> upper west side right there. >> a little dour here right now. a little tank. >> at least it's nice at the masters. >> we heard off from jim nantz. they have teed off the first round already this morning. going to be a great four days of golf. you can see coverage here over the weekend on cbs. it is our 56th consecutive year of coverage, in 3-d. if you have 3-d it's going to be revolutionary. >> that's cool. >> even if you're not a golf fan it's just so beautiful to watch augusta. >> exactly. >> your favorite? >> phil. i'm going with a lefty. >> you? >> i'm going with righty. >> castro? >> whatever you said. >> okay. >> exactly. have a wonderful day. >> thank you so much for joining us today on "the early show." your local news is next. we'll see you tomorrow. ,,,,,,,,,,

headlines... a major it is 8:55. good morning, everyone. i'm sydnie kohara with your cbs 5 news headlines. a major 7.4 aftershock has rattled the same region that was devastated by a deadly tsunami last month. it is the strongest aftershock since the day of the initial earthquake. and official have issued a tsunami warning again for japan's northeastern coastal area. expecting a wave as high as 6 feet. workers at the nearby crippled nuclear power plant say there was no new damage to report immediately. we'll keep you updated on that latest earthquake off the coast of japan. a half hour ago, closing arguments began in barry bonds' perjury trial. testimony abruptly ended yesterday after the defense rested its case without calling any witnesses. the judge also decided to dismiss one count of making false statements. the jury could begin

deliberating as early as this afternoon. traffic and weather around the bay area in just a moment. stay with us. ,,,,,,,,,,,,

good morning. congestion across the bay area including out of downtown san jose. this is an improvement here in

the last half hour or so. drive time down to 21 minutes now coming out of downtown san jose between there and cupertino. no big accidents just the usual stuff here in the northbound lanes. similar pattern here northbound 880 through oakland. still jammed solid as you pass the coliseum. you notice our camera shaking around a bit, as well. still some pretty breezy conditions out there. in fact, wind advisoryings still in effect for many of our bridges including here at the bay bridge toll plaza. drive time still not looking too good, almost 40 minutes still on westbound 80 from the carquinez bridge to the maze. there was an earlier accident in berkeley that's been cleared. lawrence has the forecast. >> elizabeth, we had some rain moving through the bay area overnight and the cold front headed through town but that's gone on by. now behind that we're looking at more widely scattered showers. a lot of sunny breaks now but just off the coastline you can see some of the showers out here now likely to see some of this rotate onshore later on today. so bring that umbrella with you. you will need it today. temperatures will stay cool highs only in the 50s outside. tomorrow maybe a leftover shower tomorrow morning early on. then we are going to dry things

out. the weekend is looking good. ,,,,,,